In this Issue:
Sharing Information in Times of Need:
St. Louis Librarian Builds Ferguson LibGuide
Katie Voss, a school librarian at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS), was feeling powerless in the days after the Michael Brown shooting and the unrest in Ferguson. Feeling awash in information and knowing that others in her community must be feeling the same way, Katie built a Ferguson Resources LibGuide.
Her goal is to reduce information overload by providing an authoritative list of resources for teachers.
"There is and was so much conflicting information available that I wanted to point teachers to some of the best, most authoritative resources out there."
Katie's hope is that her LibGuide helps students and teachers within her community, and beyond, to have productive conversations about Ferguson. "Creating the LibGuide was a way for me to feel like I was doing something helpful and productive - both for myself and possibly for other educators."
When asked about the overall feedback and response to her LibGuide, Katie shared these kind words from a librarian in Kansas City,
"THANK YOU for sharing this wonderful resource with the world. We, too, in Kansas City, sat and waited but my students have needed to have these conversations for years. Now, thanks to you, my teachers will have somewhere to start. You have inspired me to get going on other LibGuides we need."
Katie has big plans for her Ferguson LibGuide, to include information on law enforcement, race relations, protest movements, and social media's role in all of the above. "The events in Ferguson have impacted our community in a profound way, and we are going to see the effects reverberate for some time to come."
If you'd like to copy Katie's Ferguson LibGuide into your LibGuides system, contact Katie and give credit on your copied LibGuide.