ICfL staff members have had their eyes out for relevant stories, tools, and tricks so you don’t have to. Enjoy!

Calendar

• The Programming Librarian’s calendar lists national monthly/ weekly celebrations, observances, and library related conferences and book festivals.
• Calendar of Social Engagement Opportunities from the National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults (engAGED)

Programming

• FREE Falls Prevention Month webinars from the Idaho Commission on Aging – host them as a watch party at your library or encourage community members to watch on their own. Flyers with webinar details and statistics about falls in Idaho for you to use for your own promotion or share with community partners.
• Idaho Writer in Residence Kerri Webster will be presenting a series of free poetry workshops at Idaho libraries over the next ten months. Webster is currently scheduling the workshops and is available to travel to your library location to lead a workshop for high school students and another for adults, either on the same day or on consecutive days. There is no cost to participating libraries; all costs associated with the workshops will be covered by Webster’s 2024 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship. If you are interested in scheduling a workshop for your library, please contact Kerri Webster at websterkerriwade@gmail.com.
• The Latah County Library District library staff hid books for community members around Moscow to find as part of their Book Scavenger Hunt.
• Eagle Public Library partnered with Greater Idaho Alzheimer’s Association to present “Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body”.
• Coeur d’Alene Public Library held their monthly “Lawyer in the Library” event.

Professional development

• LITT: Adult Services – Friday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. MT/ 10 a.m. PT –  Join us as Frank Rodriguez from Your Health Idaho gives us an overview of the program, shares how libraries can connect community members to their resources, and answers your questions. This will be followed by open discussion and sharing if time allows.
• Webinar – “Building engagement: recruiting and retaining older adults for arts programming” on Tuesday, September 17th at 10am MT from Lifetime Arts. Hear from library staff in Wyoming and Missouri!
• Webinar – “Library customer service and adult programs for people living with dementia” is on-demand from WebJunction
• Webinar – “The Role of Libraries in an Aging Society: A Social Justice Imperative” on September 24, 1-2pm MT from the Network of the National Library of Medicine

Resources

• Article – “WHO promotes social prescribing to improve health and well-being in the Western Pacific”
• Toolkit – Wildfire Smoke resources from Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare. Though designed for children, these Activity Guidelines for Wildfire Smoke Events could inform decisions about library events for adults too.
• Tool – Skills Matcher is a tool from the US Department of Labor that rates a user’s level on 40 key workplace skills and shows careers that match.