194: Carrie Rogers-Whitehead

Steve chats with Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, founder of Digital Respons-Ability, library consultant and author of Serving Teens and Adults on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide for Libraries, about her work with libraries, why she founded Digital Respons-Ability, using person-first language, and how libraries can better serve teens and adults on the autism spectrum.

Carrie Rogers-Whitehead worked in libraries for nearly a decade and now consults and trains with librarians around the nation. As a librarian in Utah, she created the first library program aimed at individuals on the spectrum in the state. She later expanded that work to teens and adults on the spectrum. Carrie is the author of the book Teen Fandom and Geek Programming and Digital Citizenship: Teaching and Practice from the Field (Rowman & Littlefield) She is the founder of Digital Respons-Ability, a mission-based company that educates students, parents and educators on digital citizenship. She continues to work with individuals with autism in her current work.

SHOW NOTES:

Serving Teens and Adults on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide for Libraries
Digital Respons-Ability

188: Shauntee Burns-Simpson

Steve chats with Shauntee Burns-Simpson, 2020-2022 President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), about BCALA’s 50 anniversary, how libraries can help facilitate hard conversations about race, and inspirational African American librarians.

Shauntee Burns-Simpson is currently the Manager, School Support and Outreach at the New York Public Library (NYPL) where she has held several positions. She was formerly an Outreach Librarian for MyLibraryNYC and Outreach Specialist for HomeworkNYC. She has been a NYPL employee since 1996.

As a Young Adult Librarian Mrs. Burns- Simpson had a great interest in children and their education. She implemented programs that NYPL adopted as programming for young adults. Outreaching to schools and other community agencies is very important to her. In her career path she visits schools and community based organizations to talk about library resources, the importance of having a library card, and provides professional development opportunities to educators on using the library.

She is currently the President of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and is proud to hold the position during the organization’s 50th anniversary. She is the former Chair of ALA’s Committee on Diversity, member of the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) & the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Train the Trainer project. Past President of the Reference Adult Services Section of the New York Library Association (NYLA) 2012-2013 and New York Black Librarians Caucus 2013-2015.

Mrs. Burns-Simpson holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Long Island University and a Masters of Information & Library Science from Queens College.

172: Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders, with Amanda Clay Powers, Martin Garnar, Dustin Fife

Guest host Sarah Clark chats with Amanda Clay Powers, Martin Garnar, and Dustin Fife, authors of A Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders: Advice in Conversation, about learning through conversation, fundraising, and how white leaders can initiate diverse, equitable, and inclusive change at their place of work.

Amanda Clay Powers is dean of library services at Mississippi University for Women, email: acpowers@muw.edu, twitter: @AmandaClay

Martin Garnar is dean of Kraemer Family Library at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, email: mgarnar@uccs.edu, twitter: @MartinGarnar

Dustin Fife is director of library services at Western State Colorado University, email: dfife@western.edu, twitter: @DustinTheFife

Sarah Clark is Dean and University Librarian at La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA. in her spare time she knits, cooks, and is currently attempting to learn pottery. Sarah writes about issues in educational and library leadership at the Kind Leadership Guild.  

SHOW NOTES:

A Starter’s Guide for Academic Library Leaders: Advice in Conversation [ALA Store]

166: Stephanie Chase and Hillary Ostlund

Steve chats with Stephanie Chase and Hillary Ostlund from Hillsboro (OR) Public Library, about their paths to librarianship, working with a diverse community, going deskless, and blowing up their organizational structure.

Read the transcript.

Stephanie Chase (l.), Hillary Ostlund (r.)

Stephanie Chase is the Director of Libraries for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon. 

With more than twenty years of experience in local and municipal government, serving communities ranging from the small and rural in New England, resort communities, and some of our largest urban centers on both the east and west coasts, Stephanie is an accomplished innovator and change leader, with significant experience leading organizational design and effectiveness and community engagement initiatives.

Prior to Hillsboro, Stephanie coordinated service strategies to libraries for BiblioCommons, was the Director of Library Programs and Services for The Seattle Public Library, a founding member and inaugural chair of national advocacy organization LibraryReads, and founded the Green Mountain (VT) Library Consortium, a statewide consortium serving 150 member libraries. In addition, Stephanie  currently serves on the Public Library Association’ Board of Directors and the American Library Association’s governing Council.

Hillary Ostlund is a Manager for the City of Hillsboro’s Library department. She currently leads the library’s Cultivate team, focused on staff development, training, and employee engagement. A continuous learner with a background in design thinking, Hillary is always looking for ways to bring inspiration and ideas into the workplace while matching people’s strengths to their work. 

Hillary is extremely passionate about public services – especially the role libraries play in communities – with notable training in leadership and development. She is excited to hold a leadership position at the City of Hillsboro’s Library and loves being part of an innovative and inspiring municipal government.

SHOW NOTES:

Hillsboro Public Library
“Going Deskless” [PDF]
“No More Silos” [PDF]
“Hillsboro unveils tiny library kiosks across city parks”

This episode of Circulating Ideas is brought to you with support from Becky Spratford and RA for All. Readers’ advisory is a core concept for libraries and you want your staff trained by the best. Back in 2007, librarian Becky Spratford was working at a public library and teaching the readers advisory class at Dominican University but wanted to do more to compile her best ideas and save the very best of her students work, so she started a blog, RA for Allas a way to showcase and catalog it all. The blog is now one of the most trusted and respected RA tools available. After 15 years of public service, Becky transitioned into being a full time consultant in 2015 and provides RA training to library workers all over the world. If you are interested in hiring Becky to present at your library’s staff day, your state library conference, or wherever library workers are learning (either in person or virtually), go to raforall.blogspot.com to preview sample past programs, see her current schedule of events, listen to Becky talk about RA service, and obtain basic pricing. Click the RA for All logo at the top of the blog to find her contact information and if you mention Circulating Ideas, you will get 10% off if you book by the end of 2019.

164: Read Woke, with Cicely Lewis

Steve chats with Cicely Lewis, library media specialist at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, GA, about Read Woke and other projects she has created for her students, her path from teaching to libraries, and how it feels to win so many awards in such a short period of time.

Cicely Lewis is the library media specialist at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, GA and is a 2019 Library Journal Movers & Shakers award winner for her work creating the Read Woke project. She is a lover of books first and her passion for technology has provided an opportunity to explore ways to help make learning more meaningful while integrating technology. She was a classroom teacher for the past twelve years and is now excitedly stepping into a new role as a leader in Literacy and Information Technology. She is currently working on a children’s book and many more exciting projects.

This episode of Circulating Ideas is brought to you with support from Becky Spratford and RA for All. Readers’ advisory is a core concept for libraries and you want your staff trained by the best. Back in 2007, librarian Becky Spratford was working at a public library and teaching the readers advisory class at Dominican University but wanted to do more to compile her best ideas and save the very best of her students work, so she started a blog, RA for Allas a way to showcase and catalog it all. The blog is now one of the most trusted and respected RA tools available. After 15 years of public service, Becky transitioned into being a full time consultant in 2015 and provides RA training to library workers all over the world. If you are interested in hiring Becky to present at your library’s staff day, your state library conference, or wherever library workers are learning (either in person or virtually), go to raforall.blogspot.com to preview sample past programs, see her current schedule of events, listen to Becky talk about RA service, and obtain basic pricing. Click the RA for All logo at the top of the blog to find her contact information and if you mention Circulating Ideas, you will get 10% off if you book by the end of 2019.