It’s an understatement to notice that the whole global pandemic thing has been kinda tough!

It has. And it’s going to be hard for a while to come yet. It would be fun to just wave our hands and say “Okay, we stayed home for a while. But now we aren’t going to do that anymore, and everything will be fine! Yay!”

But let’s save fantasy for the fiction books in our library shelves.

Knowing that we are realistically still looking at months filled with the need to socially isolate ourselves in order to avoid the COVID virus, and to avoid spreading it around to other people, it’s good to be thinking now about how to make that happen.

School this fall will not look like school last fall. We know that. That’s not even an option.

Okay, so then – what should it look like? How can libraries plan ahead for a better outcome than we had this spring?

What we had in schools was not “real” online education – it was thrown together, and the best that everyone could do on almost zero notice. It’s good that it went as well as it did, and certainly a testament to the resilience and impressive nature of our schools! And it can be better.

We are sharing an excerpt from this article, thinking about some of the important ideas for the fall semester. You can read the whole thing here.

Seven Distance Learning Priorities to Consider Before Reopening Schools

“School leaders are now weighing how and if to reopen schools in the fall or sooner; and if they reopen, how to prepare for closing schools again when COVID-19 outbreaks recur. 

Diana Laufenberg wants decision-makers to make sure they’re asking the right questions while developing their plans. She is the executive director of Inquiry Schools and previously taught at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. She speaks regularly at SLA’s EduCon conference about how to change schools to meet students’ needs.

She was also in her tenth week working as a long-term substitute teacher in her rural Wisconsin community when shelter-in-place orders went into effect and her history lessons for 115 students in grades 7 – 12 had to be transformed to distance teaching. 

“Tech is not an issue for me, and I’m still telling you this is really hard,” said Laufenberg of distance teaching. Sponsored

She said we’re still struggling to process the ripple effects of school closures amid this pandemic because schools play such a fundamental role in society. 

“It’s trying to rethink a base societal structure that has been serving communities for a hundred years, and then we just stopped and tried to send a version of that into their homes,” said Laufenberg.

Schools provide education, medical care, counseling services, technology, transportation, physical activity, meals and a place for kids to be. Without schools, parents can’t work; and businesses can’t function without its workforce. Children miss out on developmental needs they typically get at school. 

“Schools are kind of complicated, but they’ve been functioning in society for so long that we almost don’t think of them as complex societal structures,” she said. “We’re currently finding just how both necessary and core to the function of how we do life that schools have been.”  

Right now, school closures are exacerbating inequities among the most vulnerable, who are already bearing a greater brunt of the financial, physical and mental harm caused by COVID-19. Students are not showing up for distance learning. Many don’t have internet access and some students are taking jobs as essential workers to make up for financial losses in their family or taking care of siblings while parents work. “

“There are, however, specific issues to address in order to improve learning for students when the next disruption strikes, according to Laufenberg.  

• 1. Ensure students have devices and internet connectivity.
• 2. Know when to pause. 
• 3. Examine what kind of skills would be helpful for students who struggled. 
• 4. Understand how people self-motivate. 
• 5. Understand that emergency remote distance learning has a shelf life.
• 6. Starting the school year with testing won’t help.
• 7. Get past “falling behind.” “

Read the rest of this article here, with information on each of these seven ideas!

We are always in favor of looking at library history, and sharing all the great things people have done in our profession!

Check out this material from Book Riot (and you can read the entire article here):

“Professional librarianship began in 1876 with the formation of the American Library Association, the founding of American Library Journal, and the publication of Melvil Dewey’s decimal-based system of classification. Concurrently, there was an increase of libraries being built across the United States partly due to the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie.

Many of the libraries Carnegie built were academic libraries at Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Tuskegee Institute, Atlanta University, Fisk University, and Howard University. At these universities, the majority of black librarians were trained, made significant contributions to library science, and left a legacy for future librarians of all races.

Here are 13 pioneering Black American librarians you’ve probably never heard of, but should definitely know. However, this is not an exhaustive list and represents only a fraction of the black librarians who have made significant contributions to librarianship. Hopefully, learning more about these library pioneers will inspire further exploration of other trailblazing Black American librarians.

• Charlemae Hill Rollins, Advocate for Diverse Children’s Literature
• Clara Stanton Jones, The First Black President of the American Library Association
• Dorothy B. Porter, Dewey Decimal Decolonizer
• Edward C. Williams, America’s First Black Librarian
• Eliza Atkins Gleason, Library Science Trailblazer

[And I got to meet this wonderful librarian in person at an ALA Annual conference! She has been so inspirational as our current Librarian Of Congress!]

“Carla Diane Hayden

Carla Hayden is the 14th Librarian of Congress. She is the first woman and the first Black American librarian to hold the position. Prior to this appointment, Hayden was the Executive Director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland. Hayden also served as president of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004 where she was a vocal public opponent of the Patriot Act, which would give the Justice Department and the FBI the power to access library user records.”

You can read the entire article here!

Thank you for joining us on Reading With Libraries! We are so glad you are here to join our book group podcast!

We are the Central Minnesota Libraries Exchange, and we work with all types of libraries.We started this podcast to provide information for our library community doing Reader’s Advisory work. It’s hard to be an expert on ALL of the great books out there! 

So we pick a new genre each week to chat about and hopefully provide you with some insight into what may be an unfamiliar genre!

This week we do want to give you a heads up that we’re discussing a topic that might not be for everyone – books about or featuring pandemics. Based on current events, we thought people might be interested to learn more, but we also recognize this content may not be what you want to hear right now!

So, consider this your content warning! And keep in mind if this episode’s topic is not for you, Reading With Libraries has TONS of other episodes to choose from 🙂 

This week’s Additional Host is Ariel Kirst, from Great River Public Library!

You can find our full show notes page here, with links to the beverages we enjoyed and the books we shared today.

We have many students who are in rural areas, underserved by cell and broadband service. And this has been an issue our school library staffers are talking about, as everyone is working to provide service to students online. So we are giving you an excerpt of this article about the work of some schools in Massachusetts.

Check out the excerpt here, and you can read the whole article here.

“Even though school is closed, on a given day there are about a dozen cars lined up in the parking lot of Sanderson Academy in Ashfield with people using the school’s Wi-Fi.

Natalie Szewczyk is one of them. The 18-year-old has turned her Toyota Corolla into a mobile work station.

“I stay in my driver’s seat. I push my seat all the way back,” she explained. “And then I prop my Chromebook on the steering wheel with my work on the passenger seat.”

Her sister, who is in 10th grade, usually takes the back seat.

Like many residents from this western Massachusetts community, Szewczyk’s only way to get internet at home is through cell service, and that’s spotty at best. So in order to do school work she has to drive to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Most weekdays, she spends about three hours at this school parking lot.

…”In the car next to Szewczyk most days is Tracey Pinkham, a social studies teacher at Hampshire Regional High School.

“It’s such a different way to teach and it’s a new normal which is hard to adjust to,” Pinkham said. “But I would say my kids’ school and my own school, they’ve been very understanding.”

Two of the five towns served by the Hampshire Regional High School don’t have residential broadband access. Many of those students don’t have access to a car either.\…”

Before schools closed, many people in communities that don’t have residential broadband services got work done in local libraries or coffee shops. But now that’s not an option. And many school and community leaders worry that the lack of reliable internet access could also lead to learning inequities.

“It’s another addition to the long list of inequities that have been laid bare through COVID,” said Adam Hinds a state senator from western Massachusetts.

The state has been making progress in closing this connectivity gap since 2008. The Massachusetts Broadband Institute, a public private partnership, has been overseeing projects across the region. Almost every community they have worked with has broadband access in places like schools and libraries. But 36 towns still aren’t fully covered yet with residential access.”

You can get the rest of the article here.

Mary’s Note: I’ve been on several of these different phone calls, and I REALLY encourage people to join in! School library people especially – everyone needs to hear from you, and you can find some good ideas from others. I know you are busy, but it may be a good time investment to help you get some help, ideas, and new contacts!

Good To Hear Your Voice(s) We want to thank library leaders who have participated in weekly calls to share the ups and downs of library management during COVID-19. These calls are sparking ideas and making space to celebrate the agility and resourcefulness of public libraries around Minnesota. If you would like to join in, please contact Jen Nelson.  

Catching Up with the MBTBL The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library (MBTBL) is currently closed to walk-in traffic, but they are still working hard to provide library service to Minnesotans of all ages with visual, physical and reading disabilities.

Here’s a quick run-down of what’s temporarily paused, and what’s still going.

• The MBTBL remains operational, with limited staff on site working to ship a limited number of books per day.
• The MBTBL will respond to voicemails and emails, but will not be answering the phones.
• The library catalog (KLAS) is operational and requests/holds may be placed at any time. Email the MBTBL to obtain access information.
• The Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) is available and we encourage current registered patrons to sign up for it. New BARD applications will be processed as quickly as possible.
• The State Services for the Blind will not be sending out any talking book machines, equipment, Radio Talking Book Radios, or accessories while the Minnesota Stay at Home order is in effect.
• New applications for service (other than BARD), will not be processed until additional staff return to the office.

Youth Services Check-ins Are you ready for summer reading? Connect with youth services colleagues around the state to share ideas about summer learning, virtual programming, and ways libraries can support youth and families during this time. Weekly meeting times are TBD.

Weekly meeting times are TBD. Email Ashley Bieber or Leah Larson for an invite!

Minnesota’s #OwnVoices Registration is now open for the 2020 Libraries Serving Youth Meetup! We have an amazing line up! Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen, associate professor in the Library and Information Science program at St. Catherine University, will be our emcee. Our all-star author panel will feature: Minnesota Book Award winners Kao Kalia Yang and Shannon Gibney American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner Dr. Brenda Child Carter G. Woodson Award winner Mélina Mangal You will also learn about data sources to help you better understand young people in your community, share book talks on your favorite #OwnVoices books with colleagues, and have a chance to connect with library colleagues from around the state.

When: June 15, 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Where: North Hennepin Community College, Brooklyn ParkRegister for the 2020 Libraries Serving Youth Meetup! We know that things are still uncertain, but we are hopeful that we will be able to hold an in-person event with a limited number of attendees to allow for social distancing. If that is not the case, we will shift portions of the program online. Contact Leah Larson (651-582-8604) if you have questions.

The 2020 90-Second Newbery: At-Home Edition For your viewing pleasure, a recording of this year’s virtual 90-Second Newbery Film Festival is now available 24 hours a day! Check out the great work adapting Newbery Honor and award-winning books into 90-second films by young filmmakers from Minnesota and around the country.   Updates from Our Partners

Comfort in Coding Learn coding from the comfort of your home! We know that parents, educators, and girls are looking for support and connection during these challenging times.  Girls Who Code has just released FREE weekly Girls Who Code at Home educational activities for students in grades 3–12. Although it is called Girls Who Code, activities are open to students of any gender. Photo/Illustration Credits: Adrien Coquet, Noun Project; Jerry Wang, Unsplash

About State Library Services State Library Services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), partners with libraries to achieve equity and excellence in our collective work for Minnesotans. Division staff are consultants who help libraries plan, develop and implement high-quality services that address community needs. State Library Services administers federal grant, state aid, and state grant programs that benefit all types of libraries.