Who's the best person to advocate for the purpose and value of strong and meaningful youth services librarianship? You are! In this full-day workshop that's anything but a quiet affair, you'll learn how to leverage the work you're already doing with kids and families into powerful advocacy that makes a difference.

The fun starts with big conversations, small group activities and individual reflections that get you thinking, speaking and acting like an everyday advocate. We'll define "advocacy" together, bust some common myths and explore classical persuasive communication techniques. Then we'll put it all together in practical, easy-to-implement frameworks perfect for sharing advocacy messages anytime, anywhere and with anyone. Leave this workshop feeling empowered, prepared and ready to say, "Yes! I can do this!"

There are no prerequisites for this workshop. The advocacy magic unfolds through your enthusiasm, energy and collaborative spirit, so bring them all and be ready to share!

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this workshop, participants will be prepared to do the following both within the library and beyond it:

1. Articulate the role of the library staff member serving children, young adults, and families in a public library.
2. Advocate meaningfully for the role of library service to children and young adults in a public library.
3. Employ the tenets of persuasive communication for advocacy success.

Presented by Jenna Nemec-Loise, relationship architect, community builder and youth advocate living in Chicago. By day, she’s Head Librarian at North Shore Country Day School, an independent JK-12 school in Winnetka, IL. By night and beyond, Jenna teaches LIS 777: Issues of Access, Advocacy, and Policy in Youth Services at Dominican University’s School of Information Science in River Forest, IL. In 2021, she’ll receive her PhD in Library and Information Science from Dominican, where she’s researching international school library impact studies and their implications for U.S. researchers. For five years, Jenna helmed the Association for Library Service to Children’s Everyday Advocacy initiative, a grassroots effort empowering youth services champions to be informed, engage with their communities, speak out, get inspired and share their advocacy stories.

The Program is Co-Sponsored by the Cambridge Public Library.

Lunch will be on your own. Please feel free to bring a bag lunch or take advantage of one of Cambridge's great lunch spots!

Location:
Cambridge Public Library
449 Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02138