Announcing the 11th Annual Agricultural Literacy Week 2020: Building Resilient Communities! 

November 16th-19th, 2020, 6-7:30 pm nightly 

Tune in for this week-long (virtual) celebration to inform, educate and create community around the topic of resiliency in all its forms. Each night will feature a webinar bringing together the voices of our community: farmworker rights group Migrant Justice, Abenaki chef Jessee Lawyer, students of gender studies and agriculture at Bennington College and organic farmers building healthy soil and feeding their communities. While we know community events will look a little different this year, we are thrilled to share the details of this year’s offerings. All events are free and open to the public.  

2020’s Featured Events

Monday November 16th, 6-7:30 pm

Workshop: Exploring Abenaki Foodways Cooking Class 

Guest Speaker: Chef Jessee Lawyer 

Description: Roll up your sleeves and gather in the kitchen for this virtual instructional cooking class taught by Abenaki chef Jessee Lawyer of Sweetwaters. Jessee will demonstrate how to create a seasonal dish showcasing Native techniques and pre-colonial, Vermont-grown ingredients. Recipes will be included so you can create the dish for your own family and friends.

Tuesday November 17th, 6-7:30 pm

Workshop: #MilkwithDignity: Advancing the Human Rights of Farmworkers while Fostering a Sustainable Northeast Dairy Industry 

Guest Speakers: Migrant Justice 

Description: The Milk with Dignity Program, created by Migrant Justice, brings together farmworkers, consumers, farmer owners and corporate buyers with the principal goal of fostering a sustainable Northeast dairy industry that advances the human rights of farmworkers, supports the long-term interests of farm owners, and provides an ethical supply chain for retail food companies and consumers. COVID-19 has further proven how essential farmworkers are, as they continue to work day in day out to produce the milk and dairy products to feed our communities. Join us for this workshop to learn more about the Milk with Dignity Program, farmworkers' continued struggle for justice and how you can get involved to help expand this powerful solution to the Hannaford supermarket’s supply chain.  

Wednesday November 18th, 6-7:30 pm

Workshop: Building Soil Health Resilience** 

Farmer Panel: Misse Axelrod (Drift Farmstead), Nic Cook (Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center), Tyler Webb (Stony Pond Farm), Kate Spring (Good Heart Farmstead) 

Description: Farms that build soil, sequester carbon and grow nutritious foods for their communities are webs of life. Mimicking the natural world and the deep ties of how we are all connected, resilience starts with soil, and builds out into whole-systems thinking. Join this panel of Vermont farmers as they share how their farms are an extension of the natural world that steward deeply interwoven systems for plant, animal and human communities to thrive.

**[Optional] Pre-Screen this Film: Rent the film Biggest Little Farm from your local library and watch the film before attending this workshop. This film is also available on Netflix. 

Thursday November 19th, 6-7:30 pm

Workshop: Gender, Agriculture, and Food Access  

Guest Speakers: Ike Leslie, Postdoctoral Researcher in Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire; Tatiana Abatemarco, Visiting Faculty of Food Studies, Bennington College; Bennington College students enrolled in Gender, Subsistence, and Agriculture class 

Description: In this workshop, students will share the results of an oral history project, interviewing farmers, gardeners, consumers, and advocates who work in a variety of local food access programs. Specifically, the research focuses on the intersections between food access projects and gender identity. The students will share their research results in conversation with local expert, Ike Leslie, who has researched and published on the topic of gender and agriculture. The students' research is part of their work in the class, Gender, Subsistence, and Agriculture at Bennington College. 

Are You a Library Interested in Hosting Your Own Agricultural Literacy Week Event?

• Host a “prepare at home” community supper. Details here for a virtual Simple Supper 
• Host a virtual book club or film viewing & discussion - using books and films available through your library or ILL 
• Find a list of themed books and films available here

Please let us know what you’re doing. We’d love to promote your event. 

Help us Spread the Word!

• Join and promote the week’s virtual events
• Share these events with your community through newsletters, event calendars and social media
• Post the events on your local Front Porch Forum 
• Create and host your own special event  

Agricultural Literacy Week is a project of The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT), Vermont Department of Libraries and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

Questions? Contact NOFA-VT.

Introduction and Project Background

Books can be wonderful tools to use with children who have experienced trauma or loss. Reading (or being read to) and talking with adults can help them understand and cope with their feelings in a developmentally appropriate way. Reading also offers a great way to spend time with a child, reinforce a sense of normalcy and security, and connect with them, all of which are important to recovery from a traumatic experience.

The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB), The Barre District of the Department for Children and Families, and UVM’s the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership (VTCWTP), have worked together to develop initiatives to create a path to healing and stability. The three agencies developed a book collection targeting grief, loss, and trauma for different age groups; 0-5, 6-12, and 12-18.

Other offerings include statewide training for librarians, kinship, foster, and adoptive parents regarding grief, loss, and trauma. The goal is for caregivers and librarians to gain a sense of increased skill as a trauma-informed caregiver/librarian in addition to caregivers and children/youth in care accessing their local libraries on the topics of grief, loss, and trauma.

For or more information about this project, or contact VTLIB: Jonathan Clark (jonathan.l.clark@vermont.gov), VTCWTP: Sharon O’Neill (sharon.oneill@uvm.edu), and the Barre District Resource Coordinators: Jaime Blouin (Jaime.Blouin@vermont.gov) 

Overview and Guide to Using the Free Resources Available from The Vermont Department of Libraries

Dealing with Loss, Grief, and Trauma Booklist – Compiled by The Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB), The Barre District of the Department for Children and Families, and UVM’s the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership (VTCWTP)

VTLIB has book sets for Dealing with Loss, Grief, and Trauma available for circulation through Clover. These book sets are organized by age range 0-5, 6-12, and 13-18- and intended for those targeted ages along with parents and caregivers. There are 5 sets available for each age range.

For libraries interested in making these books available, we recommend setting up a display with them so that patrons can see everything that is available. 

Ages 0-5 Book-set (Each set contains one copy of each title)

Ages 6-12 Book-set (Each set contains one copy of each title)

Ages 13-18 Book-set (Each set contains one copy of each title)

The image below shows how the book sets appear in Clover:

Other Resources and Booklists

Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers (samhsa.gov)

ALSC booklists for Tough Topics - Includes resources for young people and for parents

• Tough Topics - Inspiring Conversations in Difficult Times Grades K-2
• Tough Topics – Inspiring Conversations in Difficult Times Grades 3-5
• Tough Topics – Inspiring Conversations in Difficult Times Grades 6-8

Under construction

Overview - Training Resources - Promotional Materials - Training Registration

Training Sessions for Library Staff:

Recorded sessions:

• 5/03/22: Vermont Beanstack Summer Prep - 1 hour and 2 minutes (Recording)
• 1/20/21: Beanstack Orientation and Overview - 58 minutes (Recording)
• 1/21/21: Beanstack Promotion and Patron Experience - 59 minutes (Recording)
• 5/13/21: Beanstack Summer Reading Challenge Overview - 59 minutes (Recording)

Back to Children and Teens Main Page

*Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, there will be a collection of movies available to be shown outdoors on library property, included with the license for the remainder of 2020. Please see our Outdoor Performance page for more information about hosting an outdoor showing on your library property.

Please always familiarize yourself with the latest Stay Home, Stay Safe Order by the Vermont ACCD before showing a movie to make sure you are in compliance.

• Form to Request an Outdoor Showing
  • The outdoor form goes through all the guidelines that need to be followed. The form must be reviewed and completed to get permission for the outdoor events exception. Once completed, you can email the form to libraries@swankmp.com. As long as the guidelines are followed, you can host those outdoor showings as part of you annual license coverage through the end of 2020.
• Films Eligible for Outdoor Showing
  • Films NOT on the above list, but still covered by the license, can still be shown outdoors for a fee- $100 for 50 people or under, $250 for 50-250 people.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EQUIPMENT, ETC. COMING SOON

COMING SOON

Final Report

Survey Results

• 6/4: Using Canva to Create Accessible Graphics for Your Library  - Webinar (10:00am-12:00pm)

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

+1 802-828-7667   United States, Montpelier (Toll)

Conference ID: 817 155 313#

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Webinar Materials

• Pre-Reading (Canva article in Marketing Libraries Journal)
• Pre-Reading (Lens of Color, Lens of Font, Lens of Images & Icons, Lens of Readability)
• Webinar Handout
• Webinar Exercise
  • Make a graphic advertising your library’s book sale to your community.
    • The graphic will be posted on Facebook.
    • The graphic should have the date range and location of the sale, as well as the prices of different items.
    • The graphic should include one image or icon.
    • The graphic should follow concepts of accessible design through the lenses of font and color.
• https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
• https://webaim.org/techniques/fonts/

Additional Materials

• Smithsonian Guide to Accessible Publications
• Developing an Inclusive and Accessible Social Media Presence (Marketing Libraries Journal)
• Web Accessbility in Mind (www.webaim.org)

VTLIB provides StoryWalks® for circulation among Vermont libraries. Most of our collection of StoryWalks© were generously donated by Joanne Allen of Enosburg Elementary/Middle School.

Please note: As of May 1, 2024, we're in the process of transitioning circulation of StoryWalks® to our LibCal reservation system. Until we've launched, our reservation process is on hold. Please email Lilly Talbert with your questions or concerns and please stay tuned to this page for new reservation information.

If you've borrowed and have completed your StoryWalk© program, make sure to fill out the usage survey: https://libraries.vermont.gov/storywalk_usage_survey. Thank you.

General Resources:

• StoryWalk® FAQ & History

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.