Acceptance letter : Harvey D. and Helen J. Cohen PFLAG Scholarship

Hello! My name is Cynthia Parkhill and I live and work in Santa Rosa, California. I want to thank donors for awarding me the Harvey D. and Helen J. Cohen PFLAG Scholarship for 2023-2024.

SOLIS : Social Media Coordinator for 2023-2024

SOLIS elections closed on April 28, 2023, and I’ve been appointed for 2023-2024 to Social Media Coordinator. My appreciation to everyone who affirmed my place among the slate of officers. SOLIS is the Student Organization for Library and Information Services at the University of Central Missouri, and I’ve served in the role of Social Media Coordinator since October 2022.

First-chapter Friday : Alice Austen Lived Here, by Alex Gino

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for April 28, 2023 is Alice Austen Lived Here, by Alex Gino.

Books for Earth Day

Here are some books that address themes related to Earth Day, to conservation, and the environment. Happy reading!

First-chapter Friday : Tumble by Celia C. Pérez

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for April 21, 2023 is Tumble by Celia C. Pérez.

Soul Matters : My ‘Resistance’ must oppose book censorship

As part of a “Soul Matters Sharing Circle” through my church, I receive a monthly packet to facilitate reflections around the theme for the month. Something that especially resonated for me with this month’s theme of “Resistance” actually came via my American Library Association membership.

April 25, 2023 is National Library Workers Day

April 25, 2023 is National Library Workers Day, a time to recognize library staff for their contributions in changing lives and supporting their communities. From the April 2023 issue of Library Worklife, here is an invitation to celebrate your library “stars.”

https://ala-apa.org/newsletter/2023/04/12/time-to-celebrate-library-workers/

Digital inclusion : Libraries provide access to Internet, technology

Hotspot, available from Sonoma County Libray

For LIS 5804, my studies this week focused on technology: specifically on “digital inclusion.” This subject is important to me because, through personal experience, I recognize how important it is for people to have access to the Internet in our ever-more-connected society.

First-chapter Friday : In the Key of Us, by Mariama J. Lockington

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from SRCSA library. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for April 14, 2023 is In the Key of Us, by Mariama J. Lockington.

Acceptance letter: UCM’s Suzanne Foster Scholarship in Library Science

Hello! My name is Cynthia Parkhill and I am writing to say thank you for being awarded UCM’s Suzanne Foster Scholarship in Library Science for 2023-2024. Along with my gratitude at being selected for this honor, I appreciate the gifts and the book-sale royalties that make this scholarship possible.

I am in my third semester in UCM’s graduate program in Library and Information Science. (As I indicated when applying for the UCM scholarships, I work full-time and I take one course per semester.)

About two-thirds of my time spent working is in library-related fields: I am an Instructional Materials Technician and a Library Technician at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. What I am learning through the UCM graduate program, I immediately put to use as a Library Technician.

I am pursuing this degree to further my development as a Youth Librarian. I live out-of-state, but UCM met my needs with its asynchronous online program. I view this scholarship as an investment in my future through helping to pay for my education.

Among extracurriculars, I am social media coordinator for the graduate program’s student group, SOLIS (Student Organization of Library and Information Services). I use this platform to uplift the program, as well as the profession and the core values of librarianship.

I also utilize online platforms in the day-to-day for my job: communicating to stakeholders about my library and its resources.

In my scholarship application, I expressed an interest in reviving “One Campus, One Book” at UCM, so one of the things I’m excited about for the fall is that SOLIS is going to hold a “Book Club” discussion of All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. I look forward to lending my support for the scheduled discussion(s).

In addition to SOLIS membership, my professional affiliations include the Association for Library Service to Children and the American Library Association. I volunteer as committee chair for a small lending library at a Santa Rosa church.

In conclusion, I simply want to thank you, once again, for awarding me the Suzanne Foster Scholarship in Library Science.

Sincerely,

Cynthia M. Parkhill
https://sites.google.com/view/cynthiaparkhill-studies-in-lis/

Library resource sharing: My hands-on experience

Circa March 2011: Locating “holds” at Lakeport library

The focus of my studies this week, for LIS 5804, is on library resource sharing and consortia. As a prior volunteer for a library system that contributed to a three-county shared catalog, I’ve had direct involvement with the sharing of resources among libraries.

Book-Talk : Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess

As an autistic reader and librarian, I like to commemorate Autism Acceptance Month by drawing attention to a book that features an autistic main character. For April 2023, here is Speak Up!, a graphic novel by Rebecca Burgess, featuring an autistic main character, from a creator who is themself autistic. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you are enjoying my videos.

Character education : Compassion

SRCSA’s character-education focus for April 2023 is “Compassion.” Here are books from our school library and from the Social Emotional Learning collection, which address compassion.
https://youtu.be/84RV4DSDuP8

April is School Library Month

Did you know? April is School Library Month, the American Association of School Librarians’ annual celebration of school librarians, library workers, and school libraries.