IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ!
Course Overview:
Come learn alongside your library peers about Idaho’s federally recognized tribal nations – past, present, and future perspectives will be explored – and how public and school libraries can partner with, better serve, curate accurate materials, and celebrate Indigenous people and culture. The course was created in partnership with Mandi Harris, Cherokee Nation, former Coeur d’Alene Children’s Librarian, current doctoral student at the University of Washington, and distinguished Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship “Catalysts for Change.” This free course is four weeks in length and will utilize a blend of independent learning/reading via ICfL’ S Niche Academy, paired with four online, live meetings for a discussion and Q & A about the week's module content. The live webinars will be co-facilitated by Kristina Taylor and Mandi Harris.
Know Before You Register:
Course Objectives:
- To increase understanding by Idaho library staff of the world's Indigenous cultures, both historic and current, with an emphasis on the five federally recognized tribes located in present-day Idaho.
- To foster and increase relationships and partnerships between Idaho libraries and Idaho tribes and Indigenous peoples.
- To create Idaho library services, materials, and programs that are high-quality, relevant, and accurate regarding Native peoples, cultures, and histories.
- To improve library communication, promotion, membership, and outreach efforts with members of Idaho’s five tribes and other organizations that serve Native peoples.
More Course Information:
Registration Dates: September 2 - October 5
Participants: Seats for up to 40 participants (Idaho library staff 1st, then library staff from other states 2nd)
Cost: FREE
Course Timeframe: October 6 – October 31 (4 content modules in 4 weeks)
Niche Academy:
The weekly modules will be hosted in Niche Academy, with asynchronous viewing and content engagement (Participants must establish or use a free Idaho Niche Academy account/log-in.)
Zoom Webinars:
Weekly live, webinars with Mandi & Kristina are a part of this course and will be used as a time for participants to ask questions about course content and discuss the module for that week. Attendance is not required but highly encouraged. These webinars will not be recorded.
The webinars will occur once per week on Thursdays, during alternating lunch hours, with one special webinar in the middle of the month. The webinar are dates and times are as follows:
- Thursday, October 9, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Mtn) - Discussion and Q & A of Module 1
- Thursday, October 16, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Mtn) - Discussion and Q & A of Module 2
- OPTIONAL: Thursday, October 16, 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (Mtn) - Special virtual lecture by author-curator Cynthia Leitich Smith, in partnership with the Information School at the University of Washington, with Q & A moderated by Mandi Harris. Learn more about the optional webinar here.)
- Thursday, October 23, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Mtn) - Discussion and Q & A of Module 3
- Thursday, October 30, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Mtn) - Discussion and Q & A of Module 4
Registration Details:
- Participants are encouraged to commit to attending all four live webinars, to be held weekly between Oct 6 - Oct 31. Please mark off and set aside time on your work calendars for the live webinars as soon as you register for the course and the final dates/times are provided. Attending the live webinars is an important part of the course.
- The informal weekly webinars/meetings will NOT be recorded or shared with participants afterwards.
- This fifth round of the course is limited to up to 40 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority will be given first to Idaho library staff currently working in an Idaho public, school, or tribal library, and second, to active library staff in other states. (NOTE: This course is only offered once per fiscal year.)
- Idaho participants who complete the course will receive 10 new hardcover books for their Idaho library collection. The books participants can select from are newly published, for K-12 age ranges, and either written or illustrated by Indigenous authors or artists. Up to 2 library staff from the same library/branch may register for the course. If more than one staff member from the same library completes the course, the library will only receive one set of these books. Participants will self-select the top ten titles from a provided list of options based on guidance from their local library collection development policy.
- The course should take approximately 3-4 hours of your time per week, for 4 weeks. The 4 modules in Niche Academy can be completed in 2-3 hours each (though you could spend much more time exploring linked resources) and the webinars are 1 hour each week.
- It is recommended that one module is completed each week of the course, in the week prior to the live webinar (i.e. Participants are encouraged to complete Module 1 from Oct. 6-9, in preparation for the live webinar and discussion on Oct. 9.)
Questions? Please contact Kristina Taylor.