Date: 5/1/2018
Start Time: 9:30 AM
End Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Topsham Public Library
Cornerstones of Science is sponsoring ten spaces in this wonderful training for librarians. To receive a sponsored spot, contact the Cheryl Ramsay at the Maine State Library. Those who receive a sponsorship agree to 1) report on how they used the training in their library, and 2) contribute to a follow-up discussion on this training at the MSLA 2019 meeting.
Description:
From the news that earth surface temperatures hit a record high in 2016, to a presidential administration that denies the effect fossil fuels play in climate change, we are inundated with stories and images about climate change. And yet authentic face-to-face conversations about climate change (with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues) are rare. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, “more than half of those who are interested in global warming or think the issue is important ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ talk about it with family and friends.”
In this experiential, interactive training, participants will learn why dialogue about climate change is critical to creating a brighter future, and how librarians can facilitate dialogues that empower our communities to be better equipped to respond, adapt, and mitigate the effects.
You will be guided through the creation of a “Climate Change Communications Toolbox” to facilitate dialogue and host “Climate Change Conversations” within your library community.
You will:
• Learn how to create and host “Climate Change Conversations” at your library.
• Share ideas for archiving and exhibiting artifacts created in workshops.
• Brainstorm ideas for building community partnerships.
• Learn why resilience and social capital are critical for communities to thrive and endure, and how libraries can help communities build both.
• Experience mindfulness exercises as a tool for “re-wiring” the brain to stabilize the nervous system.
• Explore your own thoughts and feelings about climate change through storytelling and reflective writing.
Agenda
9:30-10:00 Coffee and Networking
10:00-12:00 Morning Session
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Afternoon Session
Fee: There is a $20 charge for this event to defray the cost of refreshments and lunch. Please make checks payable to: Treasurer, State of Maine (please note: checks not made out this way will be returned for reissue).
Mail checks to (include your name with check so we register the correct person):
Cheryl Ramsay
Maine State Library
64 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
About the Instructor
A 2017 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, Madeleine Charney is the Sustainability Studies Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. She helped launch Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis, a collaborative, campus-wide project that facilitates contemplative experiences in which to explore this global threat. She is co-founder of SustainRT: Libraries Fostering Resilient Communities, the newest round table under ALA. She is a Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, and helped start up her local chapter of Mothers Out Front: Mobilizing for a Liveable Climate. Madeleine holds an MLS from University of Rhode Island (1991) and an MA in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design (2003).
Explore Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference, a traveling exhibition for libraries, is part of the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) led by the National Center for Interactive Learning at the Space Science Institute. Exhibit partners include the American Library Association, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and Afterschool Alliance. Explore Tech is supported through a grant from the National Science Foundation.
For the entire the month of September Cornerstones of Science will receive $1 from each Hannaford Helps bag (Good Karma bag only) purchased at the Hannaford located in Brunswick, ME. This is an amazing opportunity for Cornerstones of Science not only to raise funds, but to also spread awareness about our cause within the community.
Please show your support by purchasing these beautifully designed reusable bags! They can be found on the reusable bag rack and at various registers. As a reminder, the Hannaford Helps bag features the good karma message. We strongly encourage you to share this news with family and friends as well!
Cornerstones of Science’s Program and Library Support Manager Sarah Post spent the day of the eclipse in Festus, MO as part of her work on the NASA@MY Library project. The Festus Public Library is one of three pilot libraries in the US on the project and with much planning over a year’s time with numerous partners, the day of the eclipse in Festus was a huge community success and one Sarah and others around the US will not forget.
Over 5,000 people attended an all-day outdoor event on August 21, 2017 in West City Park in Festus, which is about a 40-minute drive south of St. Louis. Fifteen hands-on science activities were ongoing throughout the day facilitated by scientists, librarians, and volunteers. People from all over the world were in attendance as well as those who drove in from surrounding states and those who only lived minutes away. First contact (the beginning of the partial eclipse) began at 11:49am with totality starting at 1:17pm and lasting for two minutes and 36 seconds. Partners included Festus Public Library, Town of Festus, St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Astronomical Society, the Space Science Institute, Cornerstones of Science, and local vendors.
The Festus Public Library director Kathy Condon-Boettcher was the foundation for the event’s success by coordinating with all the partners and attending eclipse task force events and training throughout the year all the while still running the library. A big thanks goes to her and her staff.
