Presenter: Name: April Dawkins

Title: Associate Professor
Organization/School: UNC Greensboro

Program Description
This session is intended to introduce the IMLS-funded READCON curriculum. READCON stands for Library Readiness, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment During Challenging Conditions. The curriculum equips library workers with soft skills to develop relationships with their communities to partner for advocacy more effectively. Library and Information Science (LIS) educators can also use this timely and relevant curriculum to support their own teaching, linking professional and educational practices. Building on the highly successful Get Ready Stay Ready Community Action Toolkit (GRSR), this curriculum builds foundational skills for library workers to engage in constructive dialogue on potentially divisive aspects of library programming, service, and material challenges. READCON takes Get Ready Stay Ready a step further by providing library workers with the soft skills needed to encourage community members to use the action steps included in the GRSR toolkit. Both of these resources are highly adaptable, multi-lingual, open-source learning tools developed by experts in academic, public, and school librarianship, education and family law, crisis communications, community advocacy and relations, and youth leadership. The READCON project became publicly available on the internet after its public debut at the American Library Association annual conference in late June 2024.
The presenters will provide a very brief overview of the READCON project along with its six areas of curriculum. The six curriculum areas include:
1. Book Banning Basics - An overview of book banning, current trends, the role of bias, diversity & cultural literacy.
2. Crisis Communications - Social media for public employees, crisis management planning, communication during crisis, media interviews, vulnerability audits.
3. The Legal Landscape - Censorship & the first amendment in libraries, privacy and the library, FOIA requests, K-12 students and parent rights, locating legal resources & support.
4. Civic Engagement - What are civics?, community organizing and activism, public speaking, editorials & media campaigns.
5. From Conflict to Communication - Responding to conflict, handling emotion in difficult conversations, sustaining open & respectful dialogue.
6. Youth Advocacy for Literacy - Youth as literacy advocate, community service group, & book club, anti-censorship activities, self-care & youth advocates, mentorship.
Through this overview, the presenters will explain how the curriculum can help school librarians and educators engage in constructive dialogue on potentially divisive aspects of library programming, service, and material challenges. Scenarios from the toolkit will be used to guide participants in responding to and engaging in de-escalation of confrontational situations. Exploration of the crisis communications and community dialogue aspects of READCON will guide these scenario responses.
The presenters will discuss a variety of models to customize training for both individual and district-level professional development. Additionally, participants will discuss how the Youth Advocacy for Literacy materials could be a springboard for teens to participate in their own advocacy for the freedom to read.
There will also be designated time for questions and answers, discussion, and feedback about the curriculum.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify how the READCON curriculum can help school librarians engage in constructive dialogue on potentially divisive aspects of library programming, service, and material challenges.
2. Explore the crisis communications and community dialogue aspects of READCON to empower school librarians to de-escalate confrontational situations and build trust with and between members of diverse communities
3. Identify the best methods for adapting and implementing the professional development modules for individual and district-level professional development
4. Develop a plan to share the learning tools for teens with teens in their communities

Program Outline
I. Introduction to the READCON Curriculum
II. Overview of the Crisis Communications and Community Dialogue tools
III. Scenario-based discussion of de-escalation tactics
IV. Discussion of Youth Advocacy for Literacy and empowering teens for self-advocacy
V. Participant discussion of different ways to use curriculum
VI. Close with questions and suggestions for other needed areas of curriculum
READCON: A Curriculum for Library Readiness, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment During Challenging Conditions

Grade Level: Not grade specific

Session Strand: Leadership & Advocacy

Description: After several years of organized efforts to remove books from libraries, librarians can no longer simply react to challenges to materials. Instead, librarians need to proactively engage with their communities to develop a strong network of support for diverse library services, programming, and materials. Building on the Get Ready Stay Ready Toolkit, the IMLS-funded READCON curriculum is a highly adaptable suite of professional development that will assist librarians and district-level leaders to create targeted policies, develop effective messaging, and train for community action. The overarching goal of the curriculum is to equip librarians with the culturally responsive professional soft skills to build strong civic networks that bring together and empower different communities for proactive support of diverse library services, programming, and collections. Learn about this highly-adaptable, open source learning tool developed by library experts, education and family law, crisis communications, community advocacy and relations, and youth leadership.