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Facing the Future: Facilitating Climate Change Conversations at Your Library

From the news that earth surface temperatures hit a record high in 2016, to a presidential administration that denies the effect fossil fuels play in climate change, we are inundated with stories and images about climate change. And yet authentic face-to-face conversations about climate change (with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues) are rare. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, “more than half of those who are interested in global warming or think the issue is important ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ talk about it with family and friends.”

In this experiential, interactive training, participants will learn why dialogue about climate change is critical to creating a brighter future, and how librarians can facilitate dialogues that empower our communities to be better equipped to respond, adapt, and mitigate the effects.

You will be guided through the creation of a “Climate Communications Toolbox” to facilitate dialogue and host “Climate Conversations” within your library community.

You will:

  • Learn how to create and host “Climate Conversations” at your library.
  • Share ideas for archiving and exhibiting artifacts created in workshops.
  • Brainstorm ideas for building community partnerships.
  • Learn why resilience and social capital are critical for communities to thrive and endure, and how libraries can help communities build both.
  • Experience mindfulness exercises as a tool for “re-wiring” the brain to stabilize the nervous system.
  • Explore your own thoughts and feelings about climate change through storytelling and reflective writing.
Date:
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Time:
10:00am - 3:00pm
Location:
Cumberland Public Library
Presenter(s):
Madeleine Charney, Research Services Librarian, W.E.B. DuBois Library, UMASS Amherst
Event Type:
OLIS Continuing Education
Categories:
  Trends & Special Topics  
Registration has closed.

About the instructor
A 2017 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, Madeleine Charney is the Sustainability Studies Librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. She helped launch Talking Truth: Finding Your Voice Around the Climate Crisis, a collaborative, campus-wide project that facilitates contemplative experiences in which to explore this global threat. She is co-founder of SustainRT: Libraries Fostering Resilient Communities, the newest round table under ALA. She is a Master Gardener, certified in Permaculture Design, and helped start up her local chapter of Mothers Out Front: Mobilizing for a Liveable Climate. Madeleine holds an MLS from University of Rhode Island (1991) and an MA in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design (2003).