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WALE 2016 Preconference
& Postconference Workshops

Monday, 10/24 Morning Workshops
Time: 8:30 am-12:30 pm

Title: Service Excellence in Your Library
All library staff regardless of job title -- both internal and external are in a service position. What is it that sets an organization's level of service apart from others? How can employing these same techniques propel the good service we already provide in our libraries into great service? We begin by exploring our attitudes and motivations around service, and the importance of the customer* experience. We learn to recognize and build on your own service strengths and the strengths of those around us, while developing positive solutions to service obstacles in our libraries. Consistent approaches to service are emphasized in this training, and ample time is included for group discussions and skills practice. It is appropriate to anyone working in libraries.
Speaker: Robin Dye, System Administrator, Kitsap Regional Library

Title: Community in Literacy: Supporting our Early Childhood Learners and Families
In an age of tight budgets, collaboration may make possible a solution that would not have been realized if each member had attempted to do so alone. Libraries, working together with community partners including schools, nonprofits, and local agencies, can help children have the skills they will need when they enter Kindergarten. This preconference will make attendees aware of programs and partnerships that support effective collaborations including cutting-edge research from UW’s I-LABS; innovative programs from Pierce County; Thrive WA's many programs and resources; and an exciting new partnership between the Public Library Association and the Harvard Family Research Project.
Speakers: Sarah R. Lytle, Ph.D., Director of Outreach and Education, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS); Erin Bethel, Teacher Librarian Media Specialist, NBCT, Board Member, Pierce County Library Foundation; Holly Wyrich, Communications Manager, Thrive Washington 

Monday, 10/24 Afternoon Workshops
Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Title: Reader's Advisory or How to Help Someone Asking for Their Next Good Book
Using the concept of doorways, Nancy will offer a different way of thinking about books, in order to better help the library patron, your friends and relatives, and, of course, yourself!
Speaker: Nancy Pearl, Librarian & Official Model for the Original Library Action Figure

Title: Social Media Channels to Expand Patron Experience
Social media use by libraries continues to increase, and can be an excellent way to market your programs and services to your community. In this workshop, learn how to create social media accounts of all kinds and how to effectively maintain them. Get tips on best practices for following relevant social media and how to select and frame your posts. Walk away with a new appreciation of how social media can work for you and your library, and practical knowledge and tools to do it! A computer with WiFi capability is required for this workshop, but a few laptops will be available on loan for participants who are unable to provide their own.
Speaker: Nono Burling, Online Resources Consultant, Library Development, Washington State Library

Wednesday, 10/26 FREE Postconference Workshops
Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm

Title: Public Libraries and Patrons Re-Entering Society after Incarceration
Every year many thousands of Washington citizens are released from prisons and state hospitals around the state. Many of their needs are the same as any patron needs; access email, learn new technology, take their children to story time. Frequently, though, there are additional barriers they have to overcome that aren't obvious to the library staff who serve them. The stigma of being a felon, institutionalization, mental health issues in an unstable environment, being a parent to children they haven't parented in years are only a few of the difficulties they face. During this session library staff from the Institutional Library Services will discuss ways libraries and library staff can address issues that face the citizens of Washington Re-Entering society.
Speaker: Anna Nash, Institutional Librarian, Washington State Library, Washington Corrections Center; Adrienne Breznau, Public Services Supervisor, Kitsap Regional Library

Title: Introduce Coding Using Microsoft TouchDevelop in Your Library
Education is shifting to prepare kids for the future job market, and code literacy is just as essential to this generation as math, science, and languages. Coding encourages creative thinking, motivates problem solving, and builds confidence and perseverance in the face of challenges. Not only does coding build competency, but it also provides useful crossover skills in other disciplines outside computer science. And like solving any interesting puzzle, coding can be totally fun! Using Microsoft Imagine Academy coding curriculum kits and Microsoft's TouchDevelop simplified, tablet and smartphone friendly coding language, you'll have all the tools you need to teach coding at your library- from the basics to more advanced skills. The curriculum is fully built and scalable, so you and your coders can decide how deep you want to dive. Whether your goal is to host programs or even multi-day camps, Microsoft's resources can be used "out of the box" with little experience or preparation needed by library staff.
Speaker: Elizabeth Iaukea, Project Manager, Washington State Library- Microsoft Imagine Academy; Angela Carlson, Vega Consulting LLC

Boxed lunches will be provided for attendees of the Postconference Workshops.