Did you know that young children begin to notice and point out the differences they see in people as early as six months? This ability to put things into categories like "safe to eat" and "hungry animal to run away from" has helped humans survive over hundreds of thousands of years. But if we aren't paying attention, it can also lead to making oversimplified generalizations about people, and those stereotypes can be harmful. 

Because even babies are starting to sort people into categories, it's never too early to start talking with children about the stereotyping they will observe in the world around them, and help them question and push back against it. Here are some ideas for talking about stereotypes in a very kid-friendly way:

• Ask your child to draw or describe someone from a specific category, such as "girl" or "boy". Chances are you'll hear things like, "girls have long hair" or "boys are messy" which gives you an opportunity to talk about people you know who may not fit those stereotypes. For example in my family, mom is a messy woman with short hair! 
• Children's books can be a great way to start conversations, so as a family, do a "diversity audit" on books in your own home! Look for stereotypes and bias in your own books, or books you have checked out from the library, using some of these criteria. Be sure to talk about it as you go. You can use words like “fair/unfair” when talking about stereotypes you find in your books. For instance, “Wow, this picture book only included white male inventors. That’s unfair. Black women invented lots of things, too. Let’s read about some African American women inventors.” I guarantee you will learn a lot from the experience!
• Look for books specifically written to talk with young children about stereotypes and how to celebrate differences: Here is a book list to help get those conversations started. 

These activities can be done any time of year. Here in the U.S, November is a time when we celebrate Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving, which gives extra opportunities for non-Native families to talk about stereotypes specific to Native Americans and Indigenous people. For example, ask your child to draw a Native American dwelling or home. Talk about how most Native and Indigenous families live in houses and apartments. They are modern, vital people in our society, not just historical figures. 

For some additional resources, I recommend this article about teaching preschool and kindergartners about Native and Indigenous peoples. You can also find info in this A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving to help you tell the factual story of the holiday. We also have more book lists in this post Celebrating Native American Heritage month!

Like language, stereotyping is learned over time. It is never too early - or too late - to talk with children about kindness and fairness and diversity, and to demonstrate the many ways we can treat all people with respect and dignity.

This post is part of our "Talking with kids" series, and was featured in our monthly Family Newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter here, and email us at learning@multcolib.org if you have any questions.

Gun rights and gun control are topics that come up often these days. It can be hard to find good resources that present multiple viewpoints on issues like this, and provide quotable sources.

An excellent electronic resource is Opposing Viewpoints in Context. It provides links to articles, videos and audio files from multiple viewpoints (you will need a library card # and password in order to access this electronic resource from outside of the library).

 For the legal history of gun control, check out Infoplease’s Milestones in Federal Gun Control Legislation  which covers laws up until 2013.

L.A.R.G.O. Lawful and Responsible Gun Owners and the N.R.A. National Rifle Association both support gun ownership in America. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and The Violence Policy Center both work to reduce gun violence. The Violence Policy Center is also a good resource if you’re looking for statistics related to gun violence (including drive by shootings and suicide).

This Guardian article compares gun crime in individual states and FindLaw shares Oregon Gun Control Laws. FactCheck looks at statistics in the media after the Newtown shootings, and reports on Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts.  Looking towards changes in the law, gun control is supported by more women than men, and that may have an effect on future legislation.  But right now,  despite repeated pleas for change after every mass shooting, nothing seems to change. 

Need some specific gun facts or laws we haven’t covered? Contact a librarian and we’ll be glad to help

Ah the stories of King Arthur and his knights, the cute thatched cottages, the banquets, the country life, and the bustle of growing cities!  What’s not to like about the Middle Ages and Medieval period in history?  Well, the smell for one.  And let’s not forget the plague. Get all the dirt on what life was really like in Europe during this time.

 Click on the different people in the street in the Camelot International Village to learn more about their craft or trade and how they lived in the Middle Ages. Find out about entertainers, peasants, traders, thieves, knights, church and religion, women, and lords of the manor.

For a funny and informative video series about the Middle Ages, watch Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives.  Each 30 minute episode examines a different type of person important during the time period like kings, knights, monks and damsels.

For a video and interactive introduction to medieval life, watch Everyday Life in the Middle Ages and see if you could survive way back in the day!

The Internet Medieval Sourcebook is super boring to look at, but amazing in its amount of primary source material (letters, legal texts, religious documents etc.).  It’s a comprehensive collection of online texts from the entire medieval era, organized by topic and chronologically.

Now that you’ve learned a lot about the Middle Ages, test your knowledge here.

Sarah E. Goode

In 1884, a Chicago furniture store owner named Sarah E. Goode invented a folding cabinet bed to fit in small homes. Goode wanted to make it possible for people living in small homes to have furniture that fit in restricted space. When folded, the cabinet bed looks like a desk. Goode is now known as the first African American woman to receive a patent, on July 14, 1885. Today, there’s a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education school in Chicago named after Sarah E. Goode.

Further Exploration at BlackPast.org.

Available at Multnomah County Library: Sweet Dreams, Sarah by Vivian Kirkfield 

Jody Redifer is redefining what he thought working at the library was about. 

He spends a fair amount of time roaming Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center delivering books -- yes, books -- to youth. There’s a Multnomah County Library location at the detention center, and Jody fills the role of librarian. 

The setting -- engaging exclusively with teens at Multnomah County’s Juvenile Justice Complex -- generally is not thought of as traditional library work. And Jody is unique in this moment in time among library staff, with patrons not allowed in other libraries due to COVID-19 safety precautions.

Indeed, his presence isn’t lost on Jennifer Studebaker, youth services manager for Multnomah County Library. "He really strongly advocated for the ability to go back to direct service at Donald E. Long during COVID," she says. "So, he is one of the only library employees that I know of that’s doing direct service with youth in person."

Often during rounds in the halls of Donald E. Long, he catches the attention of youth in class. One recent day, a student waves, and points behind Jody. He wants to know when Jody will be back in the library. Jody smiles.

"I’ve been through and experienced some of the things these kids have done," he says, referring to an overnight stay at the detention center when he was 15-years-old.

"And I remember, even if I didn’t listen to the person - or if I didn’t really heed anybody’s advice or follow any good examples - I definitely remember the people who set positive examples for me in my delinquent days.’"

He says his detention center stint was a one-off; he didn’t plan on returning. Now, flash forward to late 2019, when he accepted the job at the detention center’s library. He’s been in the position nearly a year, and is glad to be back at Donald E. Long.

"It seems like I can do the most good for library services dealing with a population that’s marginalized, but that I can totally relate to in many ways, just having been there," he says. Jody notes that youth of color are disportionately over-represented in the detention center, a problem that Multnomah County Department of Community Justice seeks to address through a number of focused initiatives.

Jody says as a library assistant with Black Cultural Library Advocate knowledge specialty, he addresses community needs that are in line with the library’s mission to better serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color populations, and with more direct service from staff who look like them and often share similar life experiences.

"I can help the Black community in and around Portland and Multnomah County,’" he says. "It’s really kind of specific work.’"

He says detention center youth range from age 13 and older, and serves some into adulthood probation up to age 25. He says he primarily works with youth ages 15 to 19.

Daily duties include some of the same routines as his first library job in 2017 as an access services assistant at Fairview-Columbia Library (and later St. Johns and Gregory Heights libraries), and as a library assistant at Central Library immediately before going to Donald E. Long.

“I bounced around a lot,’’ he says, “until I finally settled in to, maybe, where I’m supposed to be.’’

Studebaker agrees with that assessment of Jody’s current place in the library system, having seen his impact when accompanying him during visits to Donald E. Long.

"The youth there really bond with the people that provide service to them," Studebaker says. "They do it because there is an adult giving them positive attention, which doesn’t always happen for kids who are in those kinds of situations.

"Not speaking against Donald E. Long,’’ she clarifies, “but thinking about life experiences for some of those youth."

To this end, Jody rejoices in achievements he witnesses, including those in motion before he started his position in January. One example is an 18-year-old and frequent library user, who in September earned his diploma.

“Before I came here, he was on track to do that," Jody says. "I was super excited because he’s one of my favorite kids that I have a pretty good relationship with, and he comes to current events and I order books for him personally. I’m very proud of him."

Part of Jody’s job involves overseeing a library volunteer program for detention center youth. He says youth who meet a standard amount of volunteer hours can earn high school elective credits, and also fulfil community service and probation requirements.

Studebaker says the program gives “youth the opportunity to be the owners and the deciders of something in their life.’’

"You don’t just show up and know how to volunteer, or know how to organize a community space. You have to learn,’’ she says. "For youth, they need it to be through their own lens."

Jody also engages youth in new programming, including a constant in his adult life. Working with library Outreach and Programming, he’s setting up a recording studio in the library to educate youth about the music-making and recording process.

He says he began drumming at age 18, and for many years has played in bands and as many as 150 live shows yearly around Portland. Until 2020. COVID-19 has all but put the brakes on live music performances.

He teaches a current events class, too, which, he says, fills a particular void. For a variety of reasons, he says, detention center residential youth aren’t allowed to access any media.

"So, I bring them current events once a week, just to try to get them caught up on things that are important. We try to keep an eye on culture and diversity; try to keep the news fairly unbiased but to look at it realistically."

He says he’s progressed more swiftly in his position because of his partnership with Daniel Carter, a juvenile custody services specialist at Donald E. Long.

"I work really closely with him with a lot of what I do,’’ Jody says. “So, I’m not doing it all by myself."

Studebaker refers to Carter as a “champion,’’ of sorts: “Someone who cares very deeply about meeting the needs of the youth, and has really helped Jody navigate … within Donald E. Long," she says.

Conversely, Jody says, Studebaker is equally supportive.

"I go to work, and the needs are just jumping out at me left and right. Jennifer has allowed me a lot of latitude to find solutions, and to establish relationships with the other moving parts inside Donald E. Long that the kids interact with, to where we can really offer the services that the library has available - what we specialize in."

And, for Jody, to also reimagine where he sees his place in the library.

---
Written by Wade Nkrumah

Enseñar a los niños cómo funciona el gobierno desde una edad temprana ayuda a fomentar la responsabilidad cívica en el futuro, especialmente cuando se trata de votar. Las familias pueden ayudar a los niños a aprender a través de juegos explicativos, información sobre las elecciones así como llevar a los niños a las urnas o mostrarles la boleta para votar y la guía para votantes que contiene información general de los candidatos y las propuestas de ley.

Otra forma de educar a sus niños sobre el sistema político es hablar con ellos sobre las elecciones actuales. Empiecen por lo que sus niños saben o han escuchado a través de las noticias, amigos y familiares; luego busque momentos de enseñanza durante la campaña que reflejen los valores que desea para sus niños, como el respetar diferentes puntos de vista y buscar la verdad.

Las conversaciones sobre los derechos y responsabilidades cívicas no terminan con la votación, su familia puede continuar aprendiendo durante todo el año sobre las votaciones y el sistema gubernamental en Estados Unidos y lo que significa ser un buen ciudadano.

Escrito por Delia P.

Jade Newgaard was the wary-eyed student. 

“I never cared a lot about school,’’ she says. “It was not on my radar.”

Then she met Colleen Latimer, General Educational Development (GED) Educator for Multnomah County’s Library Outreach Services. They communicated often while tackling math equations, and gradually, this school thing started to click for Newgaard.

“Without her, I don’t think I would have done everything I needed to do,’’ Newgaard says. “I was always second-guessing myself. And she was like, ‘You can do it! You can do it!’ ”

Now Newgaard is taking her first college classes, starting this month at Portland Community College Sylvania Campus in Southwest Portland. She says she’s pursuing an associates degree in applied science, and with an interior design focus.

“I’m so nervous,’’ Newgaard says, her voice a mix of accomplishment and anticipation.

She’s succeeding, in part, by staying the course: working with library staff and volunteers that helped keep her GED goal in sight when libraries were closed in mid-March. Growing concern over COVID-19 infections required the drop-in, volunteer tutor-based GED program to pivot from in-person sessions at libraries to a largely Zoom- and phone-centered virtual format, Latimer says.

The program is part of the library’s adult literacy offerings, which aim to meet wide-ranging literacy needs of marginalized adults, fill gaps in community resources, and engage a diverse community. Support includes GED exam tutoring in math, social studies, science, and language arts. Prior to library closures due to COVID-19, the GED program operated out of Central, Gresham, Midland, North Portland, Rockwood, and St. Johns libraries. These branches serve higher proportions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as immigrant communities.

Tutoring is an essential bridge to the critical next step of passing four tests to obtain the General Education Development certificate. To this end, Latimer says, students have benefited from a $16,000 grant that helped fund Latimer’s position and vouchers provided by the library to cover the costs of the tests. The library also pays the $6 practice test fee, she says.

“It’s a big part of why people come to the library’’ for tutoring, Latimer says.

“If they are working on it on their own, the tests are $38 each. And, at minimum, they’re going to take each of the four tests to pass. So, that is $152, at minimum, because people frequently need to retake a test.’’

Latimer teams with Lisa Regimbal, Multnomah County Library Adult Literacy Coordinator. She connects tutors and students, and paired Newgaard with tutors that helped her through the program.

About 100 participants completed orientation over the course of the past year, Latimer says, with Newgaard among roughly 35 actively involved when libraries closed. At each drop-in session before libraries closed, volunteer tutors with a variety of skills were available for patrons.

“The tutors definitely are the backbone of the program,’’ Regimbal says. “We’re able to meet the needs of many more learners because the tutors willingly give their time.’’

Regimbal says the program currently is supported by about 20 tutors, their commitments ranging between two and six hours a week. The consistent participant numbers underscore the program’s ability to adapt during the pandemic, with library buildings not yet open to patrons due to COVID-19-related physical distancing and other safety protocols.

“People have come to a point of acceptance that this is going to happen for a long time,’’ Latimer says, referring to the ongoing worldwide pandemic and many resulting lifestyle changes, including at work and home.

They include tutors, too, such as Jerry Hanson, a retired high school math teacher and tutor for three years. He says he’s tutored 10 hours a week since spring, and finds the new arrangement more convenient than drop-in tutoring at the library.

“Doing the remote thing is actually better in some ways for some students,’’ he says, noting that the student he currently tutors works weekends. So, they connect between Mondays and Fridays. “That works because I’m really flexible with time.’’ 

Latimer says 28 students currently are active in the program, citing Newgaard as an example of the program as a gateway to community college and, eventually, four-year colleges and universities.

“It’s more common and accepted today than it was in the past to attend college after getting a GED,’’ Latimer says.

Newgaard’s journey to this point started in late-winter 2019, after, she says, she “stumbled across the program on a Google search.”

“I just really wanted to do it for myself,’’ she says. “I just felt ready.” Her mantra was: “I want to graduate.”

But Newgaard knew her commitment would be tested. She was working part-time, and primarily responsible for running the family household of two elementary school-aged children and her husband, who works full-time.

So, in addition to Latimer, Newgaard says, she’s been grateful for Regimbal. “I never felt like I wasn’t getting help.’’

“They make it easy,’’ Newgaard says “Not easy on what you need to do. They make it easy to show up.”

That’s high praise from a once-reluctant-student-now-turned-GED-graduate.

“She called me a trail-blazer the other day,’’ Newgaard says, referring to Latimer. “It almost made me cry.”

Learn more about the library's GED tutoring program. 

The library announced in July that, due to COVID-19, it would conduct a process to reduce its pre-pandemic staffing model. That service model existed for a time when we could provide in-person services within our small library spaces and out in the community in settings like schools, daycares and retirement homes. 

Our world has changed and so has our work. The library’s priorities focus our work around offering services and resources to meet heightened community needs, safely and within COVID-19 limitations, like supporting home learning for students and families, providing online GED tutoring, offering virtual tech help in languages other than English, and more. 

As noted in a public update last month, we have worked hard to mitigate the impact of staffing reductions to individual staff members. I can report today that we are nearing the end of this process and no union-represented library personnel will be involuntarily laid off from Multnomah County employment on September 30. 

Through a collaborative process with AFSCME Local 88 and Multnomah County partners, and by creating new community-focused positions based on the input of library staff, we have greatly reduced the number of affected employees. Our latest information indicates we will be able to retain all but approximately 26 employees at the library. All of these employees will be offered positions within Multnomah County, including working to support the county’s pandemic response efforts. We are working with our County partners to finalize details of those positions.

This creative and collaborative approach to reduce the impacts for library workers has been the library’s goal and expectation throughout the process. 

To reduce the number of total union-represented layoffs, the library eliminated current vacancies (43 positions); offered incentives for voluntary retirement and voluntary layoff (26 positions); and created new permanent and temporary positions that better align with the work we can provide now within COVID-19 limitations (27 positions), which current library staff will fill. 

This has been an anguishing and difficult process for everyone at the library. COVID-19 has revealed a unique moment in history; one we have never before experienced and one I hope we never see again after it’s over. As we conclude this difficult stage, all of us at the library will work together to focus on serving and supporting our community as it works to recover from the virus and strive toward a more equitable and just future.

Vailey Oehlke
Director of Libraries

Ngày 13 tháng 8 năm 2020

Đại dịch COVID-19 đã thay đổi mọi thứ. Giờ đây mỗi người, mỗi gia đình, mỗi tổ chức phải nghĩ khác đi, kể cả Thư viện Hạt Multnomah.

Một số thay đổi theo yêu cầu của thực tế mới này bao gồm thay đổi về nhân sự. Trong khi sống chung với đại dịch, chúng tôi có những giới hạn đáng kể đối với dịch vụ trực tiếp và ít người sử dụng thư viện trực tiếp hơn nhiều so với trước đây. Vì vậy, chúng tôi đang gặp khó khăn trong việc giảm bớt một số việc làm trong thời gian đại dịch diễn ra . (Tôi đã viết ở đây để giải thích tại sao).

Đã có thông tin không chính xác về những gì đang xảy ra tại thư viện và tôi muốn đảm bảo rằng công chúng được cập nhật và có thông tin chính xác.

Thư viện này đã thực hiện những điều chỉnh lớn trong vài tháng qua, bổ sung thêm các dịch vụ mới như truy cập trực tuyến mở rộng và nhận sách lề đường - và nhiều bản điều chỉnh đang được tiến hành. Chúng tôi biết cộng đồng của chúng tôi đánh giá cao các nguồn tài nguyên thư viện và đội ngũ nhân viên thư viện chăm chỉ và tận tâm,là nhịp tim của Thư viện Hạt Multnomah.

Chúng tôi đang làm việc với công đoàn đại diện cho những người làm công tác thư viện - 
AFSCME Local 88 - để giúp những người cuối cùng sẽ bị sa thải khỏi công việc thư viện của họ. Trong khi chưa có ai bị sa thải, hợp đồng công đoàn giữa Hạt Multnomah và Địa phương 88 hướng dẫn quy trình này và đặt ra các quy tắc, chủ yếu dựa trên thâm niên, về ai có thể ở lại và ai phải rời đi khi các vị trí bị cắt.

Khi chúng tôi giảm quy mô lực lượng lao động, chúng tôi đang hợp tác chặt chẽ với công đoàn để giảm thiểu tác động của việc sa thải theo những cách sau:

• Cung cấp các ưu đãi cho nghỉ hưu tự nguyện và sa thải tự nguyện
• Xác định các dịch vụ mới có tác động có thể được cung cấp trong các ràng buộc COVID
• Tìm kiếm các lựa chọn vị trí việc làm tại Quận  Multnomah để ứng phó với đại dịch và các loại công việc khác

Một số đã phóng đại quy mô kế hoạch sa thải của thư viện và bày tỏ lo ngại về tác động đối với các nhân viên người da đen, người bản địa và người da màu. Thư viện có khoảng 580 nhân viên. Chúng tôi hiện dự kiến ​​sẽ giảm 79 nhân viên đại diện, với thêm 6 vị trí chuyển từ toàn thời gian (full-time) sang bán thời gian (part-time). Chúng tôi hy vọng và kỳ vọng rằng ít nhất một số người đang đảm nhiệm các vị trí này sẽ không bị mất việc, mà bù vào các vị trí khác tại Quận Multnomah. Con số này thấp hơn so với dự đoán ban đầu của chúng tôi và là kết quả của các cuộc thảo luận hợp tác của chúng tôi với ban lãnh đạo công đoàn và nhân viên thư viện.

Chúng tôi hy vọng số lượng sa thải sẽ giảm hơn nữa và sẽ biết con số cuối cùng vào cuối tháng 8. Chúng tôi sẽ xem xét các lựa chọn cho từng người và cố gắng hỗ trợ họ trong suốt quá trình khó khăn này.

Thư viện của chúng tôi đã làm việc chăm chỉ để thuê thêm nhân viên là Người da đen, Người bản địa và Người da màu (BIPOC) đặc biệt là trong những năm gần đây. Một số vị trí của người lao động đó có các biện pháp bảo vệ bổ sung về Kiến thức, Kỹ năng và Năng lực (KSA), gắn liền với ngôn ngữ và văn hóa. Các nhân viên khác của BIPOC có công việc mà không có sự bảo vệ đó và có nhiều khả năng bị nhân viên có thâm niên hơn “đẩy đi”. Đó là những yếu tố chúng tôi không thể thay đổi vì chúng được điều chỉnh bởi hợp đồng với công đoàn. Chúng tôi đã giới hạn nghiêm ngặt việc cắt giảm các vị trí KSA đó xuống còn bốn vị trí vì các ưu tiên của chúng tôi tập trung vào việc phục vụ các cộng đồng BIPOC và những người khác bị ảnh hưởng nhiều nhất bởi đại dịch.

Kể từ khi đại dịch bắt đầu, thư viện đã sử dụng các góp ý của nhân viên để làm việc theo những cách mới. Thông qua các sáng tạo chương trình trực tuyến, đọc sách mùa hè được sửa đổi, mở rộng khả năng tiếp cận các chủ đề quan trọng, bữa trưa mùa hè miễn phí, tiếp cận với người cao niên và người bị hạn chế ở trong nhà, tiếp cận với các đối tác cộng đồng và hơn thế nữa, chúng tôi đã mở rộng công việc của mình.

Thư viện sẽ tiếp tục xem xét và lắng nghe nhân viên của mình để có những ý tưởng và đề xuất có tác động mà chúng tôi có thể đưa ra nhanh chóng và theo thời gian để giúp đỡ cộng đồng của chúng tôi. Tuần này, thư viện sẽ bắt đầu các phòng máy tính ngoài trời. Tiếp theo là in ấn di động miễn phí tại tất cả các địa điểm. Chúng tôi sẽ cho mượn Chromebook và điểm phát sóng wi-fi và cung cấp trợ giúp về công nghệ từ xa. Chúng tôi đã nhận được rất nhiều ý tưởng và đề xuất khác mà chúng tôi sẽ phát triển và hành động.

Thư viện sẽ làm mọi thứ có thể ngay bây giờ để đưa ra các lựa chọn, hỗ trợ và lòng trắc ẩn trong quá trình này. Chúng tôi sẽ tập trung vào việc giúp cộng đồng của chúng tôi phục hồi, với lực lượng lao động phù hợp để làm điều đó. Chúng tôi cũng sẽ luôn dõi theo đường chân trời với tầm nhìn để phục vụ tốt hơn các thế hệ tương lai.

Vailey Oehlke, giám đốc thư viện