The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have contracted with ALA to provide our members with access to their live webinars.  These webinars are free to MLS members who register through our calendar.  Please do not register directly with ALA. Members who register directly with ALA are responsible for paying their registration fee. 

Please help us keep MLS sponsored training free for all members. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, please cancel your registration. A cancellation link can be found in your confirmation email, or you may contact Sarah Donnelly at sdonnelly@masslibsystem.org to cancel. 

Description

Public libraries uphold a civic responsibility to provide communities a space to connect, learn, and grow collectively. Their identity reflects a global landscape of diverse viewpoints and history. Similarly, Fred Rogers worked tirelessly to create a welcoming neighborhood for all. In this webinar, attendees will learn how Rogers’ philosophy aligns with the mission of public libraries and the four philosophical keys identified in a recent study; how to implement the Neighborhood of Make-Believe as an asset model approach when evaluating library services; and how to apply Rogers’ philosophy to support the wellbeing of library staff.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the four philosophical keys from the study and how they align with the mission of public libraries;
• Understand the relationship of Fred Rogers and public libraries;
• Define asset modeling and identify its connection to evaluating library services; and
• Identify the components of Rogers’ philosophy that support the wellbeing of library staff and how to apply them.

Who Should Attend

This webinar is intended for all public library staff, library directors, and administrators.

Panelists

Dr. Zachary Stier (he/him) has been the director of children's services at Ericson Public Library in Boone, IA since October 2011. He has revolutionized services at the library for children and families through the expansion of early literacy programming; the redesign of space to emphasize play; family engagement initiatives; enhanced community partnerships with community, state, and national partners; after-school STEAM programming, to name a few. He was project director for NASA@My Library; is the project director for the library's equity project, Activating Community Voices; and project director for the library's piloted mobilized family engagement program, Little Engines. He recently became an independent consultant for the Space Science Institute. In 2011, Stier opened Mr. Z and Company, LLC a consultancy firm for educators and librarian. He is also an adjunct lecturer for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign iSchool graduate program teaching early literacy. He serves on numerous state and national boards and was recently selected to be part of the Fred Rogers Institute program, the Educators’ Neighborhood. He is a published author, and in 2024 was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker. He holds degrees from Grandview University, Drexel University, and Concordia Portland, as well as postgraduate studies in Early Childhood from Erikson Institute, and a Doctorate in Education from Concordia Chicago.

Gregg Behr (he/him), excutive director of The Grable Foundation, is a father and children’s advocate whose work to ignite children’s curiosity, encourage creativity, and foster belonging in schools, libraries, museums, and beyond, has been celebrated around the world.

Ryan Rydzewski (he/him), communications officer at The Grable Foundation, a father, a former teacher, and an award-winning science and education journalist whose stories span everything from schools to space travel to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Accessibility Information

This live webinar will be captioned in English (United States). Zoom desktop client or mobile app is required to access captions.

Attendees using screen readers are advised to turn off speech prior to joining the Zoom event because PLA webinars make extensive use of chat functionality. Attendees who find chat distracting may wish to disable it in the Zoom event, as PLA moderators will verbally highlight important topics raised in chat and chat transcripts will be provided post-webinar.

If you have a physical or communication need that may affect your participation in this webinar, please contact us at plawebinars@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5PLA (5752) at least two weeks prior to the webinar. Without prior notification of need, we may not be able to provide appropriate accommodations for the live event.