New Feature!

If you look at the end of the menu bar above ↗, you might notice a new feature: "Webinars, Tutorials, & Presentations".

I've given several trainings related to literacy and storytime programming in the past for volunteers, child care staff, and paraprofessionals in the school system, and I always enjoyed creating the slides. After recently having the occasion to record a presentation with voiceover in PowerPoint, I realized just how easy it is.

So, I decided since I have so much free time while the library is closed for the Covid-19 pandemic and I'm on paid administrative leave with no programs to write up, I would try my hand at recording a few webinars, tutorials, and the like. (My library system is doing some virtual programming, but only the full-time librarians have been asked to participate so far. I'd certainly be willing, but as a part-timer I haven't been looped in at this point.)

I started with adapting the training presentations I had done previously, since I had the slides already made, so there are currently two recorded webinars available, one on everyday practices to develop early literacy meant primarily for parents, childcare workers and people new to the field. The second is on ways to encourage reading and promote literacy in school-age children, with a focus on reluctant readers.

Next I plan to do one or more on tips for planning and presenting early literacy programming, a.k.a. storytimes, specifically for children's librarians and paraprofessionals, which I might be able put together using existing slides, but most likely will start from scratch. I'll also probably venture from just doing voiceover for a slideshow to doing some actual videos to force myself to get used to being in front of the camera.

If you have any feedback, suggestions, or requests for topics, anything from webinars to quick tutorials or demonstrations of things I've done in my programs, just leave it in the comments below, or send me an email at AdventuresInStorytime@gmail.com.