ULA Annual Conference 2022

In the 1980's, nerd = social suicide. In 2022, nerd = the place to be for inclusivity! Fandoms and other cultural trends bring people together in a nondiscriminatory way. Come learn how you can increase the diversity of your library through programming, MakerSpaces, and other nerd-based resources. As the Jedi librarian would say: "Attendance leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to action, action leads to inclusion!"

Learning objectives:
Short history of how the once marginalized "Nerd Culture" have now become one of the most inclusive communities in America.
Ideas on events, clubs, and activities - both large and small in scope - to help make the library a welcoming destination for people of all interests in the community.
A list of specific resources and books to build a foundational nerdy collection that can be used by all ages, abilities, and interests. Ways to discover what is popular with your patrons and more will be included.

Dungeons and Dragons can be a useful tool for libraries to (sneakily) help teens learn various skills ranging from math, problem solving, and resource management to socialization, teamwork, and conflict resolution. With a changing library landscape making virtual programming more attractive, what tools are there to make this programming available when it isn’t possible to sit around a table at the branch?

Learning objectives:
How to use gaming to teach life skills.
How to use online resources to achieve #1 when in person programming is unavailable and/or impractical.
How to prioritize staff time in fulfilling these programming goals.

Come learn fun and easy new flannels, rhymes and songs to incorporate into your storytime to make it a fresh engaging experience for your families and kiddos and you get to have fun too!

Learning objectives:
Participants will learn about using flannels in storytime from how to make flannels to sampling the different kinds of flannel activities, such as counting, colors, animal identification, stories and attention grabbers, etc. Flannels make stories real, interactive and super fun while building memory, creativity, math and literacy skills. 
Participants will learn and practice singing fun and simple songs to use in storytime on a regular basis. 
Singing is important for brain development. Participants will learn and practice new and favorite songs for storytime.

We as librarians know how important it is to showcase books that promote empathy and inclusion, but how do we know which books accurately depict the cultures they are representing? While there is no perfect way to know if a book is sensitive and accurate, there are good resources to help us sift through books for children and teens and pick the ones that will help young members of minority groups feel seen while also teaching young people outside of those minority groups to better understand and empathize with what their peers experience. 

Learning objectives:
Participants will learn how to use good resources to select young adult & children's books that accurately depict diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions, etc. 

All kinds of ideas to get kids and teens in the library and entice them to stick around for a little while--interactive displays, movie "binge bundles", fan quizzes, self-directed craft stations and more! Attendees will be encouraged to brainstorm and exchange ideas.

Learning objectives:
Fresh passive program ideas for kids and teens
What passive programming can do for your library
Suggestions how to incorporate more diverse and inclusive titles into passive programming

Books are our happy place--and they’re also mirrors to reflect our identities and windows to allow us to look outward into the lives of others. In this session, we’ll share the joy of reading as we talk about our favorite new diverse books for readers 0-14. Our fun, fast-paced session concludes with a prize drawing!

Learning objectives:
Participants will improve their reader's advisory skills by learning about new books featuring diverse protagonists.
Participants will learn about the value of sharing diverse books with children.
We will highlight new books participants can use in storytimes, book clubs, and reading engagement programming.

A tell-all look at Children's Literature "behind the scenes"--controversy, scandal, secrets, anecdotes, trivia and gossip. Everything you may not know about beloved children's authors and the enchantment behind the children's book business.

Learning objectives:
A richer, more in-depth, understanding of the history of children's literature.
More confidence making children's book recommendations.
More thoughtful insights into the children's books--censorship, racism, and the necessity of diverse stories.

A panel of Utah librarians who have served on Youth Media Award committees including Newbery, Caldecott, Odyssey, Early Learning Digital Media, Sibert, and Geisel will share insights about committee service, evaluating books, and what the awards mean to us.

Learning objectives:
Participants will become more familiar with ALA Youth Media Awards
Participants will be inspired to consider volunteering to serve on YMA committees
Panelists will share tips on evaluating books and media

Around the country, laws are being passed shaping how schools teach reading. This session helps participants understand this movement with its emphases on scientific research, terminology such as “core” reading instruction, shifts from “leveled” books to “decodable” books and the belief that all children learn in the same way. As literacy educators, children’s librarians need to understand how values of equity, diversity, and inclusion are affected by these approaches, to communicate with concerned parents, and to continue creating lifelong readers. Included are an overview of the current situation, ways that libraries may be affected, and how library staff can prepare.

Learning objectives:
Understand the current basic approaches to primary reading instruction in Utah
Examine the equity, diversity and inclusion aspects of different approaches to the teaching of reading and the “scientific” and “evidence-based” claims behind them
Respond to parent and educator requests resulting from new classroom emphasis on elements such as phonological awareness, phonics, and decodable books

A discussion of how to discover, recommend and promote story-telling, writing and literary podcasts available for children and young adults, with particular attention to diverse voices, what to listen for in a successful podcast, and how to launch the podcast you can't find.

Learning objectives:
Knowledge of Literary Podcasts available for Kids and YA
How to launch a podcast
Diverse voices in podcasts for kids and YA

Ancient history comes alive in STEAM programs at our library where families can see, touch, and experience a piece of ancient cultures. Learning about diverse cultures helps us to better understand our own and appreciate the culture of others. Experience our Ancient Rome program first hand, always educational, fun and sometimes gross. How did people go to the bathroom? What did they eat? What did they wear? How are they like and unlike we are today?

Learning objectives:
Learn about our best tips and practices and what lessons we’ve learned.
Get tips on teaching STEM concepts related to the culture.
How to add art projects and be creative with recycled materials.