Friday Grab Bag, March 8, 2019

Civic Engagement at the Library

This week, Estes Valley Library kicked off a three part Current Affairs series to foster learning, listening, and positive dialogue about some challenging issues.  You can catch the second part of this three part series on Wednesday, March 13, from 6:00-7:30 pm, when Library staff and regional reporters will present “Balanced Journalism: a Panel Discussion.”
The series concludes on Tuesday, April 2 from 7:00 -8:30 pm with a book discussion of Susan Orlean’s acclaimed “The Library Book.” Registration is required, so visit the event pages to sign up, and check out Diana Laughlin‘s (Program Services Supervisor at Estes Valley Library) piece in the Estes Park Trail Gazette: Libraries and democracy: a place to listen, learn and discuss.

Don’t miss the latest entry in the Durango Herald’s Shelf Life series from Durango Public Library’s director, Sandy Irwin.  She’ll remind you (and your community!) of all the reason’s you do what you do in her column We work in local government to make meaningful contributions. Here here!

Would you like to host civic conversations in your library? Visit the Colorado Virtual Library blog to find out how your library can participate in At the Table Colorado‘s (ATTC) next statewide “table,” which takes place in April, or watch the archive of the webinar, Civic Conversation in Libraries: At the Table Colorado (2/26/19), which featured an overview of the program and information on hosting community forums for civic conversation.

Finally, check out the Colorado State Library’s Let’s talk about it! Resource Kits. The Let’s talk about i! initiative was created to help public library staff better serve traditionally under-served populations and to give staff the tools needed to host and facilitate critical community conversations.  These Resource Kits are a way to authentically engage with members of your community and generate public knowledge.
We currently have two Lets’s talk about it  kits available for loan – the kit containing information, activities and resources to help library staff work more effectively with people experiencing homelessness in their communities, and a kit to help library staff work more effectively with the LGBTQ folks in their communities.
We will be adding more kits to the Let’s Talk About It! Series – so please check back here for updates.

Museums in the News

The Colorado Sun explores how, To right historic wrongs, Colorado museums embraced spirit of a law that repatriated Native American artifacts and remains — largely by listening, and celebrates the career of Sheila Goff, recently retired Native Americans Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) liaison at History Colorado.

The Museums of Western Colorado hosted the sixth annual Heritage Awards on March 5. Leaders in history, archaeology and paleontology gathered at the Museum of the West in Downtown Grand Junction to recognize the people, and groups, who preserve and protect the community’s heritage. Full coverage can be found here.

Author Events

Join Montrose Regional Library District tonight, March 8,  from 7:00-8:30 pm for Library Voices presents: Jon Waterman, who shares his observations from 40 years of mountaineering on Denali. The evening will culminate with a visit to his latest book, Chasing Denali: The Sourdoughs, Cheechakos and Frauds Behind the Most Unbelievable Feat in Mountaineering.

Head to the Sam Gary Branch of  Denver Public Library on March 9, from 10:00-11:30am for This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism, with author Ashton Applewhite who is catalyzing a movement to make discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind.

Join Poudre River Public Library District on March 10 from 2:00-3:00 for Author Afternoon with Lisa See, who brings her latest book, The Island of Sea Women, which deftly explores the complexities of female friendship and introduces readers to the remarkably strong and spirited female divers of Jeju Island. No tickets are required, but seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Spend an evening with the YouTube star and NYT bestselling photographer Jordan Matter on March 14 from 6:30-8:00 pm courtesy of Bud Werner Memorial Library’s Library Author Series: Jordan Matter. These are free community events are held in Library Hall, where a diverse award-winning range of visiting authors speak about their literary works and their writing processes.

Grants and Funding Opportunities

The Home Depot Foundation: Community Impact Grants Program
The Home Depot Foundation’s Community Impact Grants Program provides support to nonprofit organizations and public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve their communities. The program focuses on support for organizations that serve veterans in local communities, as well as organizations that serve diverse and underserved communities.Grants of up to $5,000 are made in the form of The Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services. Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 31, 2019. Visit the Foundation’s website to submit an online application.

The Pilcrow Foundation: Children’s Book Project
The Pilcrow Foundation’s Children’s Book Project supports libraries located in a rural area within the 50 United States that have a limited operating budget and an active children’s department. Through the program, a library’s local sponsors can contribute from $200 to $400, which the Foundation matches on a 2-to-1 ratio. Thus, a library can receive up to $1,200 worth of children’s books. The Foundation provides a list of over 500 quality hardcover children’s books from which grant recipients can select books best suited for their community. The Foundation accepts applications from independent rural public libraries and Native American Tribal libraries as well as libraries that are part of a county, regional, or cooperative system. The application deadlines are April 1 and October 1, annually. Visit the Foundation’s website for more information about the Children’s Book Project.

Education for all

CLiC Spring Workshops:  There is still time to register for CLiC’s Spring Workshops! The dates and locations for 2019 are:  Grand Junction: March 21 & 22 @ Colorado Mesa University Fort Morgan: March 29 @ Fort Morgan High School Pueblo: April 15 & 16 @ CSU-Pueblo

• For more information and to register: http://bit.ly/2019SpringWorkshops
• Questions?  Just ask at clichelp@clicweb.org

Learning Opportunities

Before the Ballot: How to Prepare for an Election

• March 12, 2019, 12:00 to 1:00
• Free! No registration required
• Join online

Upcoming RIPL Webinar: Data Visualization for Decision-Making

• March 13, 2019, 12:00-1:00
• Free, No registration required
• Join online

CSL in Session: “Supporting Developing Readers at the Library: Reader’s Advisory for K-3rd Graders” (Part 1 of 4)

• March 14, 2019, 12:00 to 1:30
• Free! No registration required
• Join online

Colorado Virtual Library

Caroline Nichols Churchill: Activist, Suffragist, Author
The Colorado State Library kicked off Women’s History Month with a bio of Caroline Nichols Churchill, whose legacy of extreme independence, extraordinary dedication, and hard-won equality lives on in Colorado and the West.

Peruse the list of Free Continuing Education Opportunities for March 2019, generously compiled by the Wyoming State Library every month.

Colorado State Publications Library Blog

• The Future of Health Information Technology in Colorado
• Time Machine Tuesday: Richard Castro and Civil Rights in Colorado
• March is Music In Our Schools Month