Category: Libraries

Is your library in the midst of a building project? Are building codes a foreign language to you? As libraries around the state gear up for Building Forward infrastructure projects and grant proposals, it’s a good time to learn more about understanding and managing library spaces.

California Libraries Learn (CALL) invites you to join us for a lunchtime workshop with Carlos Baffigo on Thursday, May 18, at noon: Building It Right – Building Codes and Standards.

Specially tailored for library supervisors and managers (but open to all levels of library workers), the “Building Basics for Libraries Continued” webinar series introduces fundamental concepts and terminology of construction, building management, and building maintenance as they relate to the library environment.

You will find recordings from the entire series on CALL Academy at:

• Building Basics: An Introduction to Library Facility Management
• Building Basics Continued

New to using CALL Academy? Check out this guide to help you create a CALL Academy online learning account.

The supported research was well presented. Great, confident presenter who has worked a variety of fields… I enjoyed the group activity to better learn our personal thinking styles. Also, it was nice to meet other library staff from libraries across SoCal.

-Participant quote

In April, CALL responded to requests for more professional development opportunities in the area of trauma-informed librarianship with our first ever on-ground workshops. Dr. Elizabeth Wahler, who is the Director of the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and founder/owner of Beth Wahler Consulting, brought Managing Patron Challenges Through a Trauma-Informed Lens to four locations across the state. Dr. Wahler’s wealth of experience working with both individual and large library systems across the country to assess the psychosocial needs of patrons and address staff challenges in dealing with those issues ensured that this training was highly informative, insightful and helpful for those in attendance. 

Attendees reported that being able to get together face-to-face and work interactively in groups was especially impactful, and that they appreciated some much-needed focus on their own secondary trauma as library workers. As one workshop participant raved, “The whole thing was outstanding.”

Participants at all four workshops were clear that they want more training opportunities that support library workers in the increasingly stressful aspects of their daily work life and that they were hopeful that their library leadership would have additional opportunities to attend this type of training, as well. The CALL Team heard you loud and clear. Stay tuned in the coming months for more trauma-informed service training targeted at administrators and management, as well as additional self-care strategies for library staff.

In case you weren’t able to attend this round of in-person workshops, you can check out Dr. Wahler’s related recordings in CALL Academy:

• Trauma-Informed Librarianship for All Staff
• Trauma-Informed Librarianship for Administrators

Trauma-informed practices are vital in today’s libraries. Understanding what trauma is and how it affects individuals and communities, including your very own co-workers, is important for ensuring more empathetic patron interactions and a positive workplace. That’s why we’re committed to providing training that will help you address patron needs and staff challenges through a trauma-informed lens. This month CALL is offering our first on-ground training in 4 locations that will allow you to practice the skills you learn with your colleagues and others from around the state. 

Here is what you will learn:

• General information about trauma and how it impacts both patrons and staff in a library setting.
• The six guiding principles of trauma-informed care and examples of how they can be applied in a library setting for the benefit of both patrons and staff.
• Examples of library services and programming offered through a trauma-informed lens.
• Support with skill development and application of those skills to common library scenarios. Five specific skills will be discussed that can be helpful for difficult patron situations (i.e. Reflect, Protect, Connect, Respect, and Redirect). These skills emphasize setting boundaries while using a trauma-informed lens and approach. The group will have the opportunity to practice applying the skills directly to common patron situations.
• Content will also be provided about creating behavioral policies that are trauma-informed, yet enforce clear behavioral guidelines for patrons.

ALL library workers are welcome to join us at one of these locations for training. Register using the links below:

• April 24, Yolo County, Mary L Stephens Davis Branch Library, 9:00 am – Noon
• April 25, San Leandro Public Library, 9:00 am – Noon
• April 26, Long Beach Public Library, 9:00 am – Noon
• April 27, Inland Empire Area, Riverside Public Library, 9:00 am – Noon

Travel reimbursement and backfill will be provided. Please see calendar listings above for details. Question? Contact call@cla-net.org

It’s that time of year again. We are starting our annual Needs Assessment and we want to hear from you! What would you like to see in the next year from CALL? Do you have topics or areas of interest that you would like to share? What format is your favorite? How can CALL better meet your needs? If you are interested in helping us determine the answers to these questions – and more – please volunteer for a virtual focus group.

• Focus Group 1:  April 4 at 2pm 
• Focus Group 2:  April 21 at 10am 
• Focus Group 3:  April 25 at noon

Anyone is welcome to volunteer for any of the available dates – regardless of your staff role or library size. Choose your date and sign up with this focus group form.

Note: All focus groups will be virtual and facilitated by our needs assessment consultant – Audrey Barbakoff. If you are unable to participate in a focus group, look for the CALL Needs Assessment survey announcement coming soon!

Ibram X Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, writes that “Every policy in every institution in every community in every nation is producing or sustaining either racial inequity or equity between racial groups.” As a profession, we must ask ourselves how our libraries are or should be producing or sustaining racial equity. This iterative process requires that librarians and library staff take a thoughtful look at Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles in every aspect of our work. It requires that we move from being neutral and well meaning to actively anti-racist in our work.

In the upcoming CALL event ‘Actively Anti-Racist Services to Readers’, participants will craft an actionable plan and come away with tangible skills that will guide every interaction with readers, including direct service, collection development, and displayed materials.

This course consists of three lessons: Two self-paced lessons (two hours each) must be completed before the third live session. You will have 24/7 access to the first two lessons in this course, and they can be completed at your own pace. This foundational work will inform the interactive, hands-on workshop on April 17th, 2-4pm.

Learn more about ‘Actively Anti-Racist Services to Readers’ from the two instructors, Robin Bradford and Becky Spratford.

Register today for this event taking place on Monday, April 17th!

A guest post by Fin Minjee Lee

I’ve been reflecting a lot about the types of leaders I have encountered for the past 5 years in libraries and in my studies. How am I upholding some of those skills and experiences I’ve seen and felt in the way I show up as a librarian? How can I implement leadership skills in the micro (from “Emergent Strategies” by Adrienne Maree Brown) and continue to show up by active listening, using an equity-based lens, and leading with empathy?

I’m working through those skills, every single day. I think it can be reflected on all levels of the library. I am not in management or administration, yet I know I am making a difference through leadership qualities. Leaders are not necessarily managers/admin – and managers/admin are not necessarily leaders. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to really explore leadership and how it pertains to myself and in libraries through The California Library Association Developing Leaders in California Libraries (DLCL) program. Last year I was a cohort member and this year I was asked to join the mentor/coach team (with other AMAZING coaches/mentors) for the 2022-2023 cohort.

Last week, the coaches and the cohort members all met to really work through their position paper projects that will be presented at this year’s CLA conference. There was so much depth, openness, and what Ivan Aguirre mentioned as a share out near the end of our time together – growth. Growth was evident in the position papers, team presentations, and the values of the project the cohort members are focused on. AND, in many ways, I sincerely felt growth in myself. I am filled with so much gratitude for all the types of connections I have made throughout my career and the folks I met through CLA have been the most giving, supportive, and inspiring. I never met a network of folks who truly want to make a difference and, simply, want to root for you.

Sitting with so much gratitude and inspiration for what comes next.

This series of CAreer Pathways webinars looks at the CA Dept of Labor’s 5 focus areas: Healthcare, Care Economy, Climate, Agriculture, and Infrastructure.

Join us to learn more about Stanislaus County Library and their key partnerships with Stanislaus County Workforce Development and LearningQuest (literacy), both of which were instrumental in driving traffic to their CAreer Pathways resources page. They will share promotional materials, including a commercial that ran on social media. Panelists will include Vicki Salinas, Reference Librarian, Stanislaus County Library and Ramina Carlton, Stanislaus County Department of Workforce Development. The webinar will also feature resources across all platforms that focus on the high-need, high-growth industries of Agriculture, Climate and Infrastructure. Workforce development and related community partners and library staff of all levels are invited to attend.

Register for this webinar, taking place on March 22, 2023 at 11:00 am PDT.

These resources are supported by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

The New CALL Calendar is launching January 16, 2023. Similar in look and feel to the old calendar, but with new features and improvements such as:

• More accurate keyword searching
• Color coding by Program Type (i.e. Conference, In-Person, Online Course, Webinar, etc.)
• Hover for event description

To register for an event, click into the event and scroll to the bottom to input your information. After you click ‘Register’ you will receive a confirmation email from call@cla-net.org. You will also receive a reminder email 24 hours before your event.

We hope you enjoy the new calendar! If you have questions or need technical assistance please email grobinson@cla-net.org.