From the State Library

The State Library of Ohio and OhioNet are excited to announce the 4th installment in the Critical Conversations Series. What to know about Intellectual Freedom, Book Challenges and Libraries with ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom is a virtual event on April 6, 2022, at 3 p.m. The presentation is geared toward Ohio library staff of all types. Library staff strive to provide their communities with diverse resources, programming, and services to ensure that the library is a welcoming and inclusive institution for everyone. Attention is being turned toward access to materials on social-emotional learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as access to books by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and LGTBQIA+ authors. Yet many libraries are seeing an uptick in challenges to programs and resources, as well as to library workers' ability to serve their communities. Book challenges and censorship of library and/or classroom materials is unfortunately not a new phenomenon in librarianship, though headlines have been made in Texas, Philadelphia, Florida, Ohio, and many other states recently. Learn about these challenges and how to proactively respond via policy, procedure, and advocacy in order to build local and legislative support for your library. 

In this installment of Critical Conversations, we will learn about the current climate of Intellectual Freedom and Censorship from the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (ALA, OIF).  Gaining knowledge and preparing library policies and procedures can help staff and administration feel prepared and confident in the intellectual freedom process. In addition to resources provided through OIF, registrants will have access to a curated list of materials

After the presentations, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom, Megan Cusick, assistant director, state advocacy for ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, and Kristin Pekoll, assistant director of ALA OIF will be in conversation with Erin Kelsey, Library Consultant at the State Library of Ohio, about proactive strategies that prepare library directors, staff, and supporters to respond effectively to adverse issues and build a climate of support for their library.
 
Click here to register. Registrants will be sent a Zoom link via email and in a series of reminders prior to the event. A recording will be uploaded and available for viewing if you can't make the live event.  

In partnership with OhioNet, Critical Conversations is supported by the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  

We wanted to share with you some updated resources and training opportunities for the recently expanded Ohio Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project. The project is aimed at enhancing and expediting the pardon application process in Ohio for people meeting certain criteria who can show that they have been rehabilitated and have contributed positively to their communities after completing their sentences. The project was established in collaboration between Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Project Team members the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, and the Reentry Clinic at The University of Akron School of Law. The project was recently expanded to include additional service providers, including the University of Dayton School of Law, Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and Ohio Justice & Policy Center in partnership with the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

The Project Team has created an informational flyer to advertise the project, and Project Partners are available to host Q&A sessions with libraries in order to better educate the public about the project. We can provide further details about the Q&A sessions or create a program proposal if that would help.

We would appreciate it if you could print and post, or otherwise share the above flyer with your library communities and let us know if you would like to schedule a Q&A session. We have also created a library guide with additional information about the process located here [https://law.uakron.libguides.com/expeditedpardon]. Please feel free to share the link to the library guide on your website or other communications.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah Starnes at Akron or Emma MacGuidwin at Ohio State. We appreciate your help in increasing public awareness about this important project!

The Ohio Center for the Book, in collaboration with the State Library of Ohio, is hosting a virtual Wikipedia Edit-a-thon from March 26 through April 2 to add information about Ohio women to the online encyclopedia. Full details are at https://ohiocenterforthebook.org/2022/01/05/ohio-women-on-wikipedia-edit-a-thon-march-2022/ as well as our Wikipedia Project Page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Ohio/Ohio_Center_for_the_Book/Ohio_Women_on_Wikipedia_Edit-a-thon_2022. At the Wikipedia link, you can sign up as a participant, ask questions on the Talk page, and see lots of resources and tips.

If you haven't edited Wikipedia before, you'll find resources to get you started at the links above. We encourage people to take the next few weeks to learn, get comfortable with editing, gather information, then join us online March 26 through April 2.

The Ohio Center for the Book has also provided suggested articles to work on as well as places to find resources which can provide information to add. Don't forget your local library!

You can also sign up for the Edit-a-thon Dashboard at https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Ohio_Center_for_the_Book/Ohio_Women_on_Wikipedia_2022?enroll=zymuxfjc which will keep track of all participants' edits to share the work everyone does!

The Ohio Center for the Book is also looking for local libraries who would like to officially sponsor an in-person meeting during the week. Contact ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org if you'd like your library to be listed on the website as a local partner!

Questions? Feel free to email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org or post questions at our Project Talk Page.


From the State Library The State Library of Ohio and OhioNet are excited to announce the 4th installment in the Critical Conversations Series. What to know about Intellectual Freedom, Book Challenges and Libraries with ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom is a virtual event on April 6, 2022, at 3 p.m. The presentation is geared toward Ohio library staff of all types. Library staff strive to provide their communities with diverse resources, programming, and services to ensure that the library is a welcoming and inclusive institution for everyone. Attention is being turned toward access to materials on social-emotional learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as access to books by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and LGTBQIA+ authors. Yet many libraries are seeing an uptick in challenges to programs and resources, as well as to library workers' ability to serve their communities. Book challenges and censorship of library and/or classroom materials is unfortunately not a new phenomenon in librarianship, though headlines have been made in Texas, Philadelphia, Florida, Ohio, and many other states recently. Learn about these challenges and how to proactively respond via policy, procedure, and advocacy in order to build local and legislative support for your library.  In this installment of Critical Conversations, we will learn about the current climate of Intellectual Freedom and Censorship from the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (ALA, OIF).  Gaining knowledge and preparing library policies and procedures can help staff and administration feel prepared and confident in the intellectual freedom process. In addition to resources provided through OIF, registrants will have access to a curated list of materials After the presentations, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom, Megan Cusick, assistant director, state advocacy for ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office, and Kristin Pekoll, assistant director of ALA OIF will be in conversation with Erin Kelsey, Library Consultant at the State Library of Ohio, about proactive strategies that prepare library directors, staff, and supporters to respond effectively to adverse issues and build a climate of support for their library.   Click here to register. Registrants will be sent a Zoom link via email and in a series of reminders prior to the event. A recording will be uploaded and available for viewing if you can't make the live event.   In partnership with OhioNet, Critical Conversations is supported by the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.   We wanted to share with you some updated resources and training opportunities for the recently expanded Ohio Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project. The project is aimed at enhancing and expediting the pardon application process in Ohio for people meeting certain criteria who can show that they have been rehabilitated and have contributed positively to their communities after completing their sentences. The project was established in collaboration between Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Project Team members the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, and the Reentry Clinic at The University of Akron School of Law. The project was recently expanded to include additional service providers, including the University of Dayton School of Law, Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, and Ohio Justice & Policy Center in partnership with the University of Cincinnati College of Law. The Project Team has created an informational flyer to advertise the project, and Project Partners are available to host Q&A sessions with libraries in order to better educate the public about the project. We can provide further details about the Q&A sessions or create a program proposal if that would help. We would appreciate it if you could print and post, or otherwise share the above flyer with your library communities and let us know if you would like to schedule a Q&A session. We have also created a library guide with additional information about the process located here [https://law.uakron.libguides.com/expeditedpardon]. Please feel free to share the link to the library guide on your website or other communications. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah Starnes at Akron or Emma MacGuidwin at Ohio State. We appreciate your help in increasing public awareness about this important project! The Ohio Center for the Book, in collaboration with the State Library of Ohio, is hosting a virtual Wikipedia Edit-a-thon from March 26 through April 2 to add information about Ohio women to the online encyclopedia. Full details are at https://ohiocenterforthebook.org/2022/01/05/ohio-women-on-wikipedia-edit-a-thon-march-2022/ as well as our Wikipedia Project Page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Meetup/Ohio/Ohio_Center_for_the_Book/Ohio_Women_on_Wikipedia_Edit-a-thon_2022. At the Wikipedia link, you can sign up as a participant, ask questions on the Talk page, and see lots of resources and tips. If you haven't edited Wikipedia before, you'll find resources to get you started at the links above. We encourage people to take the next few weeks to learn, get comfortable with editing, gather information, then join us online March 26 through April 2. The Ohio Center for the Book has also provided suggested articles to work on as well as places to find resources which can provide information to add. Don't forget your local library! You can also sign up for the Edit-a-thon Dashboard at https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Ohio_Center_for_the_Book/Ohio_Women_on_Wikipedia_2022?enroll=zymuxfjc which will keep track of all participants' edits to share the work everyone does! The Ohio Center for the Book is also looking for local libraries who would like to officially sponsor an in-person meeting during the week. Contact ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org if you'd like your library to be listed on the website as a local partner! Questions? Feel free to email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org or post questions at our Project Talk Page.
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