Classes, Presentations, and Workshops

2024-2025 Events

Library Advocacy and Storymaking: The Hero's Journey from Community to Page
(And Beyond)

July 29, 1-4PM

Winnefox Library System

If you’re not telling your library story to community members, library users or policy makers, who is? This workshop is for anyone who wants to ensure the great work their library is doing is known by decision makers. It will help you tell your story year-round, with a timely emphasis on advocating for the library’s 2026 budget and activities.

In this workshop, learners will:

•Identify the elements of powerful library stories

•Recognize ways humans are wired to engage in story

•Evaluate an advocacy storytelling model and examples of its use

•Craft and share a short story draft that applies to your library to take with you

•Learn where you can find resources on recommended storymaking policies and procedures for your library

All-WALS Meeting - July 29, 2025 | Winnefox Extranet

Library Advocacy and Storymaking
Webinar Training

August 21, 2025; South Central Library System (WI)

In this webinar, attendees will learn to:

Identify the elements of powerful library stories
Recognize ways humans are wired to engage story
Evaluate an advocacy story model and examples of its use
Craft short story drafts
Assess resources on storymaking policies and procedures for their library

Library Advocacy and Storymaking Workshop

August 22, 2025; Bridges Library System (WI)

In this workshop designed for library directors, participants will learn to:

Identify the elements of powerful library stories
Recognize ways humans are wired to engage story
Evaluate an advocacy story model and examples of its use
Craft and share short story drafts
Assess and adapt resources on storymaking policies and procedures for their library

Past Events

Sustainably Grow Your Summer Library Program

April 30-May 2, 2025; WLA/WAPL Annual Conference

Looking for ways to keep your Summer Library Program (SLP) energized and transformative? This session will inspire you with tips and strategies to align your programming with ALA’s sustainability values. Bring environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable practice to your library through hands-on program and policy fun! Through arts and science activities, community collaborations, summer self-care, and more, learn how a sustainability mindset and the unique characteristics of your community can transform your SLP and nurture community resilience. You'll leave with creative ideas of ways to strengthen summer engagement and lead your library to a more just and sustainable future.

Evolving Your Read: Engaging Communities from City to System

April 21, 2025; Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement Conference

Ready to deepen the impact of your library’s Read program? A community Read is a powerful way to spotlight societal concerns for local viewing with book choice and programming. Learn how you can expand the scope of your library Read by creatively engaging area organizations and building regional partnerships in innovative ways... Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement: Evolving Your Read: Engaging Communities...

Sustainably Grow Your Summer Library Program

March 26, 2025; Public Library Association Webinar

Learn tips and strategies to actualize a sustainability mindset and ways the unique characteristics of your community can transform your SLP endeavors and bring resilience, potential, and change to your community. Then apply this knowledge and a wealth of ideas on nature-based programming, sustainably-minded incentive strategies, innovative community collaborations, and beyond to develop a program that will fit into your upcoming SLP plan...Sustainably Grow Your Summer Library Program

Sustainably Grow Your Summer Library Program Continuing Education Course

February 10-March 9, 2025; UW-Madison iSchool

Looking for ways to keep your Summer Library Program (SLP) energized and relevant? This course will help you rework your programming in accordance with ALA’s sustainability guidelines, bringing environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable policies to your library...Sustainably Grow Your Summer Library Program – The Information School – UW–Madison

Workshop: Library Advocacy and Storymaking: The Hero's Journey from Community to Page

December 4, 2024; Winding Rivers Library System

In this workshop, learners:

Identified the elements of powerful library stories
Recognized ways humans are wired to engage story
Evaluated an advocacy story model and examples of its use
Crafted and shared short story drafts
Learned about resources on storymaking policies and procedures for their library

Library Advocacy: Telling Your Story with the Voice of Place

August 14, 2023, University of Wisconsin-Madison Webinar

As librarians, we’re surrounded by stories—the stories of our communities, our patrons and, of course, our collection holdings. But do we know how to tell our own library’s stories? This skill is an essential component of library advocacy. Library Advocacy: Telling Your Story with the Voice of Place explores the elements inherent in a “sense of place,” or the modes by which local places and communities are known and experienced by diverse groups in meaningful ways, and ways those elements can inspire and help us craft effective advocacy stories. This webinar will include an overview of the elements of place and the elements of story.

Advocacy Crash Courses: Champion Your Public Library! – The Information School – UW–Madison