Day 1: Keynote - Stacey Lee
Stacey Lee is an award-winning author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction. A native of Southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she graduated from UCLA, then got her law degree from UC Davis King Hall. After practicing law in Silicon Valley for several years, she finally took up the pen because she wanted the perks of being able to nap during the day, and it was easier than moving to Spain. Stacey dreamed of writing books for a living since she was nine, when she penned her first children’s novel. Now, she’s the acclaimed author of The Secret of a Heart Note, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon, which was the winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. She also contributed to The Radical Element, an anthology of daredevils, debutantes and other dauntless girls, edited by Jessica Spotswood. Her work has earned the Asian Pacific American Library Association Literature Award, the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick, and The SCBWI Crystal Kite Award. She lives with her family outside of San Francisco.
Day 1: Session 1A - Equitable Job Hiring Practices
In this session we will explore how having a structured process and a planned approach to candidate selection helps to mitigate bias, elevate your employment brand, improve your decision-making and ensure the best candidate prevails! Holly Nowak is President of HMN Resources, a firm specializing in HR and Team Coaching, which she launched in July 2015, after 20 years in the human resources field. WNYLRC in partnership with the Empire State Library Network retains HMN Resources, LLC for each participating Council and its members for timely input on employee relations, research and HR document and policy development. "Ask the HR Expert" is not a legal service. Upon receipt of the form and review of the nature of your inquiry, HMN Resources, LLC may advise that you seek legal counsel and may provide additional information regarding the referral. Check out the "Ask the HR Expert" service: https://wnylrc.org/ask-the-hr-expert
- Jessica Espejel
- LINK TO SLIDES
Day 1: Session 1B - Making a Conscious Effort: Applying DEI Efforts in Children’s Programming
In this workshop, Jessica will share her experiences and conscious effort to create an inclusive Children's environment in a historically diverse community in upper Manhattan. With an introspective approach and using a DEI focus, the Washington Heights Children's team proposed many changes to how they displayed the collection, created outreach materials, and established "positive agreements" in the Children's space and programs, which ultimately created a sense of welcoming and comfort to new and existing patrons. Attendees will learn tangible DEI actions they can apply in their Children's space, their programming, and their overall approach with families. These actions include: -Designing DEI Book and Art Displays for Families -Designing Children's Program Outreach Materials for New English Learners -Establishing Storytime Expectations with Families --- Jessica Espejel is one of four Early Literacy coordinators in the Early Childhood Education Dept. at The New York Public Library. As a coordinator, she supports and trains branch staff on Early Literacy and Early Childhood services. She also assists branch staff in developing and facilitating programs like storytime, baby lapsits, dramatic play programs, and process art activities. Previously, she was a Children's Librarian at Washington Heights Library and has been in the public library field for 7 years. Fun fact: her crowning achievement in life happened in 2007 when she visited New York City for the first time and miraculously scored tickets to see FOUR Broadway musicals in a two day span for less than $100. This miraculous feat changed her life forever!
- Katie Rhodes & Keturah Cappadonia
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Day 1: Session 2A - Changing Needs in Human Services
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced service delivery organizations across the nation and the world to rethink how they deliver support and resources in a world where in-person interactions have been altered and constrained. Organizations serving vulnerable populations have had to be particularly adaptable to rapidly restore and ensure the continuity of services to meet people’s needs, while simultaneously handling the exacerbation of those needs. Katie Rhodes, Communications Coordinator of Catholic Charities of Chemung & Steuben Counties will join Keturah Cappadonia, STLS Outreach Consultant, to discuss how her organization has worked to identify new needs in local communities and how they have adapted their services to remain resilient and functional in new circumstances. Katie Rhodes is the Communications Coordinator at Catholic Charities of Chemung & Schuyler Counties, where she has worked for over ten years. Keturah Cappadonia is the Outreach Consultant for the Southern Tier Library System. She has worked as a public librarian at rural public libraries for eleven years.
- Brian Hildreth
- LINK TO SLIDES & RESOURES
Day 1: Session 2B - Developing Digital Equity through Community Assessment & Planning
Between 2021 and 2022, STLS member libraries will secure nearly $650,000 in federal and state funds to lay public access computing infrastructure for the next three to five years. How will libraries utilize these funds to best meet community needs? How will directors and boards work with their staff to guarantee these infrastructures are maintained? And, most importantly what types of programs and outreach will libraries employ to assist communities in using these resources? This workshop will feature stories from local librarians who will discuss the technologies they are utilizing, the programs they are offering and the plans they are developing to sustain digital equity for communities in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes. Brian Hildreth is the Executive Director of the Southern Tier Library System.
