NEFLIN Webinar: Equity, Access & Community Engagement, Oct 27, 10-11:30am

If you wish to participate, notify JPLTraining@coj.net and we will register you

 Cancellation Deadline is 9:00 am on Friday, October 23rd

Otherwise, no show fees may apply

Library Services to Patrons Experiencing Homelessness

Providing equitable library services means reaching out to patron groups that experience barriers. As a free institution open to all, public libraries offer enormous potential to be a gateway out of poverty and to help individuals & families surmount the obstacles that prevent them from engaging with their community and reaching their fullest potential.

So how can we best engage & assist our patrons experiencing homelessness? This will be the topic of conversation as I share my experiences:

• Advocating for equitable policies & services
• Connecting patrons to community resources
• Partnering with community organizations to deliver targeted programming both inside & outside the library
• Leveraging the library’s potential as a social mixing pot to start dialogues about community issues like homelessness

Participants are invited to share their experiences, concerns, and questions in what is sure to be a lively and empowering discussion.

Virtual Trainer: Amy Mars

Amy Mars is a librarian at St. Catherine University & Hennepin County Library in Minnesota.  She authored a March/April 2012 feature article in Public Libraries entitled, “Library Service to the Homeless,” coordinated a grant that Hennepin County Library received from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation to enhance library services to the homeless, and is currently co-chairing a system-wide work group that leads training for library staff and providing targeted programming and outreach to patrons in suburban and urban libraries experiencing homelessness.

This is an online class. Access information will be emailed one week ahead.

Cancellation Deadline is 9:00 am on Friday, October 23rd. Otherwise, no show fees may apply. See all NEFLIN CE policies at http://www.neflin.org/training.