Friday, April 17, 2020

JCPLA Learning


We would love your input in moving forward with professional development sessions. After all, JCPLA is here to serve and support YOU!  What would you like to learn? Send your ideas to the JCPLA President: katiejane [dot] morris [at] hooverlibrary [dot] org

JCPLA Learning: Virtual Bookgroups
10-11am

13 in attendance total:

Holley W, Emmet O’Neal
Samuel R, Springville Road
Mary Anne E, BPL Southern History
Katie Jane M, Hoover
Michelle H, Irondale
Maura D, Trussville
Leigh W, North Birmingham
Erika W, Smithfield
Tisha G, Five Points West/Homewood
Shannon H, Hoover
Shakera S, North Birmingham
Carla P, Avondale
Anonymous #13

We had a great discussion about online bookgroups in particular and virtual programming and content in general.  Zoom, Google Hangouts (Erika White at Smithfield), and the JCLC-provided Star Leaf were the most popular services mentioned.  Get in touch with Tobin (or ask your IT person to do so) if you’re interested in giving virtual bookgroups a try and want to know more about setting up a Star Leaf account. Trussville has used this service so get in touch with Maura Davies if you’d like to know more about their experience using it.  Holley Wesley at Emmet O’Neal has been using Zoom, if that’s of interest to you.  Homewood has been using Facebook and I believe the contact there would be Heather Cover.

Katie Jane share this School Library Journal article about hosting online book clubs for middle schoolers. 

Shannon created a great, simple document to use with Zoom’s “share screen” feature to give participants a few guidelines to follow during online bookgroups. She advises editing it with a larger font for easy reading.  I will also recommend using a sans serif font, such as verdana.

Etiquette for Online Book Club:
1.                   Use mute button when not talking
2.                   Audio only is just fine!
3.                   Introduce yourself when first talking
Next month: 
[briefly describe topic here]
Questions for you:
1.                   How can I make this a better experience for you?
2.                   What can [your library] do to make this time of quarantine better for you?

The most popular platform for online Dungeons & Dragons campaigns was Discord and Roll20. If you'd like advice, the teen librarian at Trussville is running online campaigns. Smithfield is starting a comics/superhero discussion group and an exercise class. Contact Erika White for more information.

Through the grapevine: Netflix Party for movie discussions, virtual Lego Club sharing pics of creations, community coloring sessions broadcasting an audiobook while coloring together, Purl on the Plaza knitting hangout (contact Shannon Haddock at Hoover for more information), simple discussion groups (contact Holley Wesley at Emmet O’Neal for more information), recording book talks, ukulele classes (contact Katie Jane Morris at Hoover or Matt Layne at Emmet O'Neal for advice)

American Libraries magazine discusses virtual programming here:

I believe many will already be using this as a resource, but if you’ve never visited the Programming Librarian website now is a great time to do so.  Also, the Programming Librarian Interest Group on Facebook is one of my go-to resources!

It is absolutely normal to feel overwhelmed and uninspired at this time, so afford yourself and others some grace and patience.  

There are also people fired up with ideas right now and I have borrowed heavily from some of the fun activities libraries around the country and the world are doing right now.  Spend some time shopping around.  A simple google search of virtual programming ideas will net you many results…there’s no need to reinvent the wheel!  Here’s a short cut:




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