Building Community-Based Summers (BCBS) Podcast

In this episode we talk with Beth Yoke, Executive Director of the Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio about what it means to be a public servant, why library staff need to move from a library servant mindset to a public servant mindset, and how the concept of vocational awe can hinder that change in mindset.

Materials related to this podcast:

• Changing the Mindset of Pre-service Librarians: Moving from Library Servant to Public Servant 
• Library Staff as Public Servants: A Field Guide for Preparing to Support Communities in Crisis
• Serving Your Community During a Crisis: It Doesn’t Require Doing More It Requires Doing Different - Public Libraries Magazine Jan/Feb 2021
• The 21st Century Public Servant

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In this episode we talk about the importance of taking a pause to reflect on the ways in which summer practices are and are not working towards equity. 

You may also want to listen to our episode devoted to the topic of time as pausing and reflection require taking time for those activities.

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In this BEBS podcast episode we talk with  Isabelle, Briggs, the Arts and Culture Program Coordinator at the Los Angeles County Library.  Our conversation about equitable teen services covers the importance of authentic relationships that dig below the surface, creating spaces that truly create a sense of belonging, and the importance of acknowledging teen lived experiences in building equitable teen practices. 

From the episode:

• Melissa Stanton Belonging Framework

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In this podcast episode we talk with Altadena (CA) Library District staff Ashley Watts and Fin Lee about the ways in which they are integrating equity ideas and practices into summer services and beyond.  Ashley and Fin are bringing in community and staff voices into the design, planning, and implementation of equitable summer services. 

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

• Project Ready

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In this podcast episode we talk with Los Angeles Public Library librarian (retired) Teri Markson.  Teri  talks about how she built her own equity practice and now knows the value of being comfortable with discomfort. 

The transcript of the podcast is also available. 

Mentioned in this episode
Public Servant/Library Servant Video
This video was recorded as a part of the Library Staff as Public Servants initiative that launched in 2020 and is now continuing as the Ready NOW initiative funded by IMLS funding.  

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In this episode we talk with Caitlin Martin, our BEBS evaluator. In our conversation we highlight the value of assessment and evaluation in order to understand how well projects are reaching equity goals. We also consider how to work with vested partners in all aspects of assessment and evaluation from determining methods, to coming up with questions, to analyzing results.

The recording transcript is also available.

Links related to this podcast:

• Youth participatory action research
• Guide to data chats: Convening community conversations about data: 

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In our latest podcast we talk about all aspects of time and ask listeners to think about their relationship with and connection to time. We'll explore how we can work alongside time to see our summer whys come to life, to cultivate equity in all we do, and to re-envision summer services.

The recording transcript is also available. 

Quotes mentioned in the episode:
"The best thing about time is we can use it however we want to use it and when we start to look at time from an abundance state we can relieve the stress we put on ourselves to get everything done. - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-your-relationship-time-dinos-stamoulis/"

"Start to monitor how you think and speak about time. As we know, our thoughts are incredibly important what we think, we manifest! In my case, if I always talk about time going by so fast, of course I’m going to feel like time is going by fast.  Now, I will start to remind myself that time is unfolding at just the right speed. Everything is coming together exactly as it should, and I am always at the right place at the right time. That feels much better" - https://peacefulmindpeacefullife.org/creating-healthy-relationship-with-time/

"One of the most important things is that you get clear on your relationship with the energy that you’re bringing to your time, so that you can make a shift in your relationship with time right away. When you focus on time and you focus on something you can’t control, it creates stress. We need to focus on the things that we can control and then we bring our best energy. That is managing how we show up, how we interact with others, how we get our attention on the things that are most important for us to do." https://pennyzenker360.com/what-is-your-relationship-with-time/

"Busyness is not only about packing each day with as much as possible, but also the value placed on doing so: Being busy makes people feel good about themselves, and they use busyness, voluntarily, to signal their worth to others. “Working in TV production, I have always thought that being busy is a good thing,... It means that the people around you trust you. I definitely have this feeling that being busy means you are important.” - https://www.vice.com/en/article/k78wpz/covid-changed-our-relationship-to-busyness-can-we-keep-it-that-way-v28n2

Learn more about BEBS on our website and our YouTube channel. 

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..

In our inaugural podcast, LaKesha Kimbrough and Linda W. Braun provide an overview of: the Building Equity-Based Summers initiative and discuss why equity must be foundational to library summer services, the systems in place that put up barriers to those services, and ideas for overcoming systemic challenges.

The recording transcript is also available. 

Learn more about the BEBS initiative on our website and our YouTube channel.

Building Equity-Based Summers is funded in part through the Institute of Museum and Library Services..