Category Archives: Continuing Education

Strategic Planning in the Youth Services Department

Managing Children’s Services: Strategic Planning in the Youth Services Department

The phrase “strategic planning” is frequently tossed around in libraries, but what does it really mean? And how does it pertain to youth services? In this webinar, participants will learn about the importance of strategic planning, what different planning processes may look like, how to involve youth services in the strategic planning process, and how to apply these processes to create a more successful youth services department. This webinar is part of a series hosted by the ALSC Managing Children’s Services Committee.
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How Libraries can use Literature to Support Family Engagement

How Libraries can use Literature to Support Family Engagement in Children’s Social and Emotional Learning

Research shows that libraries are trusted spaces within communities and are therefore uniquely positioned to engage families in meaningful experiences that support children’s learning both inside and outside of school (Lopez, Caspe, McWilliams, 2016). One way that libraries can do this is by using literature to inspire dialogue with children and families about the importance of developing and practicing Life Skills.
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Planning and Conducting Effective Focus Groups

Planning and Conducting Effective Focus Groups

With Jane Powers and Amanda Purington

Wednesday, April 26th, 10:00am – 11:30am

Online via GoToWebinar

Audience: Librarians and Library Directors working in all types of library settings

Description: Focus groups provide a method to collect feedback and qualitative data. Focus group participants are asked about their perceptions, opinions, and attitudes through a guided discussion in an interactive setting in order to gain a deeper understanding about programs, services, products, facilities, etc.

Outcomes: After the workshop, participants will know:

  • The definition of focus groups.
  • When to use focus groups as opposed to other assessment techniques.
  • How to design effective questions.
  • How to recruit participants
  • Facilitation Techniques
  • Methods to record information
  • Approaches for analyzing results and synthesizing findings into a report

Jane Powers is Director of ACT for Youth Center of Excellence, Cornell University. Since 1985, Dr. Powers has been a senior staff member of Cornell University’s Family Life Development Center, now the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, where she has worked on a variety of research projects that have examined the impact of violence on the lives of children, youth and families. Since 2000, she has been involved in the application of research to practice, and has presented research techniques, including how to conduct focus groups, to Cornell’s research community and beyond.

Amanda Purington is Director of Evaluation & Research, ACT for Youth Center of Excellence, Cornell University. With a Bachelors degree in Human Development and a Masters degree in Community and Rural Development, both from Cornell, Amanda has a passion for using research and evaluation to help communities promote and support the health and well being of youth. Using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, Amanda works to bridge research and evaluation with practice and policy-making to prevent youth risk-behavior and promote healthy development.

This event is free for all ESLN council members.REGISTER