I was lucky enough to attend two amazing library conferences this past month: the Kansas Library Association Conference and the Young Adult Library Services Symposium. While library services may not be your personal passion, I’ve compiled three of the biggest takeaways that can be applied to a variety of personal and professional practices. Let’s learn together!
Community Partners
Lawrence is such an amazing city in no small part because of our amazing community organizations. While I could brag about LPL all day (and often do), we are just a small piece of the puzzle! Large and small, we have dozens of fantastic organizations dedicated to making our city safe, healthy, and vibrant. We are lucky to partner with many of them, and always excited to create new partnerships.
If you check out our Info Services team website, they have more detailed info on community organizations and resources here in town. I’m sure most Lawrence citizens have been positively touched by at least one community organization. Share love for those orgs in the comments!
Connected Learning
Scholars are leading the way for an educational philosophy called connected learning, which centers a positive learning ecology that strives to empower students to connect their education to their passions. While it may seem like common sense that people learn better when they connect to their passions, it’s not always easily done. Connected learning provides a framework for how to prioritize curiosity and equity in our educational and community spaces.
(Image from clalliance.org.)
How do you support connected learning in your life? How do you help foster exploration and curiosity in your family, in your colleagues, in your own life?
Trauma-Informed Practice
Trauma informed practices were referenced in many (if not most) of the panels and workshops I attended. There’s a huge focus on social-emotional learning, and the way that we can be supportive of ourselves as well as our friends, family, and community members who have suffered through trauma, and honoring the way it impacts our daily lives.
(Image from Moving Healthcare Upstream.)
This image, created by scholars Ellis & Dietz, was created to showcase how adverse childhood experiences and community environments can impact lives--and ultimately how recognizing these symptoms can help build resilience in individuals and communities. Whether community support is one of your professional goals or not, this framework helps us all to be mindful of the experiences of ourselves and those around us.
Want to learn more?
Connected Learning (on Hoopla)
-Centennial Clogston is a Teen Services Librarian at Lawrence Public Library.
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