On October 3, The University of Kansas Medical Center began hosting the “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians” traveling exhibit at Dykes Library. Along with displaying the exhibit’s accounts of outstanding female contributions to medicine, the library has organized complementary events throughout the city. 
November is Native American Heritage Month, and EDSITEment is celebrating by featuring the recent five-part PBS series We Shall Remain, which was partially funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This series spans four centuries and shows Native American history as part of the national experience from the Mayflower to the Wounded Knee occupation of 1973. 
Planning Ahead
January
January is Financial Wellness Month! As the Madison (Wisc.) Public Library notes, “The new year is a good time for people to establish financial balance after credit card bills pour in from the holidays. This is a time to set new goals for financial freedom and moderation in spending.” Read more...
What's New?
Online Learning Opportunities
Picturing America for Public Libraries will be offering several online learning opportunities this fall offered free of charge and open to public librarians and public library staff involved in developing programs that incorporate the Picturing America collection. Read more...
Poll
Making the Case for Library Programming
Even though library programming is widespread, programmers still find themselves faced with having to persuade the library administration, board members, colleagues, and even patrons and the public of its value. As different agencies and library departments compete for limited funding, it’s important to be able to articulate why cultural programming is worth the investment.
One of the strongest arguments is that programming puts the library in the spotlight, and is a way to attract additional funding and support rather than a drain on the library budget. Programs that reach beyond the library’s traditional services and draw diverse audiences are the ones most likely to get coverage in local media and garner other types of attention.
An interesting case in point is the recent allocation of more than $4 million to libraries in Minnesota specifically for cultural programming as part of statewide revenue dedicated to the arts and the environment. The funds could not be used for general library services, so if a library wasn’t in a position to present programming, it didn’t have access to the funds.
Don’t think of making a case as an extra job—it’s really the résumé for your library’s programming, a way to sell people on its strengths and build a stronger base for more and better programs to come. Use this outline to get started: Read more...