Spark Talks II

Friday, February 28
4:45 PM–5:45 PM

Music City Center Hall A2

Ready, Set, Go! Our presenters have only five minutes each to ignite some new ideas. Using a combination of innovative slides and lightning-fast talk, they’ll share a personal passion inspired by their work to fire-up you and your public library colleagues. If they go over five minutes, we’re using the big hook. The clock starts… NOW!

Presenter Topic
Rhea Gardner, Woodland Public Library Youth Empowerment Summit: Get Teens to Say YES to Civic Engagement!
It's no secret that voting is the cornerstone of democracy and young adults need to rock that vote! Find out how the Woodland Public Library's Teen Advisory Board partnered with their local Elections Office and League of Women's Voters to host the Youth Empowerment Summit. YES taught 80 teens how to vote and they got to meet with local elected officials and talk about issues that mattered most to them.
Trina Camping, Woodland Public Library F-bomb with Aplomb
Science proves it, swearing in the workplace does have benefits. Swearing allows staff the freedom to build relationships through uncensored conversation, obliterating the uptight librarian stereotypes in order to make the library more accessible to all. This program will help you with the appropriate times and situations to drop that F-bomb plus new swear words to add your repertoire. If used correctly, swearing can actually enhance your professional credibility.
Claire Ratcliffe, Space Science Institute Computational Thinking for n00bs
"Computational Thinking" is a buzz word you may be hearing more and more frequently these days, but just what does it mean? Join us for a quick overview of why it is important, how it can be incorporated into your library's programs, and for some fast-paced fun activities that help our patrons develop important computational thinking skills!
Anne Heidermann, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries Decolonizing Library Organizational Systems for Community Well-Being
How can libraries use traditional ways of knowing and being to break free of colonialist library organizational systems that reinforce a damaging worldview? Learn how the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Libraries are working to decolonize and Indigenize library classification and cataloging systems through a community-led IMLS National Leadership Grant project.
Anne Guthrie, Greenwood Public Library Dyslexia: A Civil Rights Issue for 1 in 5 Americans
The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity contends that dyslexia is a civil rights issue, most young learners remain undiagnosed, and diagnosis and treatment of dyslexia remain tragically unobtainable in public schools. According to researchers, low literacy is a pipeline to prison:
  • 80% of all who transact with the juvenile justice system have low literacy skills.
  • 70% of our prison populations have the lowest levels of literacy; 60% of those are people of color.
Julie Jurgens, Mount Prospect Public Library You Are Enough, or, Suck It, Scope Creep
Libraries contain multitudes—they are repositories of information, community centers, and gathering places. But what happens when libraries try to do too much with not enough help? Scope creep is when a project or organization stretches far beyond its original vision, and this creep negatively impacts our lives, our organizations and our communities. Learn about how scope creep impacts libraries of all kinds, and how you can say "no" to doing more with less.
Elektra Greer, Nederland Community Library District Leftover Salmon, Frozen Dead Guys & Tommyknockers: How Collecting Oral Histories Can Be the Unexpected VIP Backstage Pass to Your Community
Forget any preconceived notions you have of oral history programs being stale and outdated. If you want to truly build communities and be a trusted cultural broker, grab your handheld recording device, your investigative journalist instincts, and a #TBT vibe. You will be pleased to discover that not only are the most interesting stories in your community outside the library walls, but people TRUST librarians to be the ones to tell them.

 

Order of presentation might change on the day of the session.