Tina Here To Help Internationally
Tina Here To Help Internationally: My Dream
What I will do…
Create new presentations for librarians and organizations. The more I learn, the more I can help others in my library, in my community, and all those within my current and future network.
Write about my journey and share what I learn. I will create a blog post dedicated to the conference journey. I will create future blog posts on the topics I will learn.
Help more people. By attending this unique library conference I can attain my goal and expand my knowledge base and network of librarians.
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The conference…
There are conference opportunities for librarians a couple of times per year. My library’s budget constraints do not allow me to expense an extraordinary opportunity coming, for the first time, to the USA. I don’t expect this conference to return to the USA in my lifetime. The degree of information, networking, and opportunities conferences offer my field are tremendous. Anytime you can learn how others are helping their communities, thinking outside the box, and being creative – I want to hear about it. It is a dream to attend this conference and a passion to discover its wealth of opportunities that I’m starting this GoFundMe campaign.
The 82nd IFLA Congress will be held in Columbus, Ohio from August 13-19, 2016.
“The IFLA World Library and Information Congress is the international flagship professional and trade event for the library and information services sector. It brings together over 3,500 participants from more than 120 countries. It sets the international agenda for the profession and offers opportunities for networking and professional development to all delegates. It is an opportunity for the host country to showcase the status of libraries and information science in their country and region as well as to have their professionals experience international librarianship and international relations in a unique way. The congress also offers an international trade exhibition with over 80 exhibitors. The combined buying power of all delegates can be estimated at more than 1.2 billion dollars.”
Source: http://2016.ifla.org/congress-information
The funding... GoFundMe Goal $3,000
To attend this 7-day, 6-night conference, I would travel to Columbus, OH with my car.
Congress $918 (7 day conference)
Hotel $1,300 (6 nights)
Money raised above $2,218 will go towards one or more of the following:
Laptop $1,500
Rental Car $400, Gas $100
A little about me…
Since I was a little kid, all I ever wanted to do is write, teach, and help others. I have worked in public libraries for over 27 years, with many odds and ends jobs along the way. I graduated from DeVry University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems and recently earned my Master of Library and Information Systems degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Because helping people is important to me, I have been in leadership roles that allow me the opportunities to help others. For the past four years, I have been the Outreach Services Manager at the White Oak Library District in Illinois. Reaching out to one’s community is a vital part of any library job. Working in Outreach Services means my entire job is about finding ways to serve those in my community. I have the privilege of working with passionate and talented people. Take a look at a little of what we are doing in our community to assist seniors with library services.
There is an amazing network of those working in Outreach Services in libraries through the national organization, Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS). ABOS is an affiliated organization of the American Library Association. These talented people’s mission is to reach the underserved members of their communities. I have been so inspired by the ABOS network of people that I am currently serving as a Board Member.
In July I started a blog, Tina Here To Help . I offer advice and assistance to people on a daily basis. And I kept thinking, I wish I could put my knowledge and resources in one logical place. Check it out . I have written on many topics pertaining to the library, to customer service, and to the work place. My most popular post to date is about The Elevator Speech. Another popular post concerns the many citizens who have mental health problems and how librarians can help them out.
Recently I have been involved with groups who are making strides in assisting senior citizens. One of the groups is the local Will County Sheriff’s TRIAD organization whose mission is to work with local law enforcement and local senior leaders to develop and expand safety and security knowledge. We work together to bring information to the senior citizens in a meaningful and effective manner and to improve their quality of life. The other groups are library groups focused on serving those with Alzheimer’s, dementia related diseases, and their care takers. On the national level, the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (a division of the American Library Association) formed a special interest group, iGARD (interest group for Alzheimer’s and related dementia). I have started and co-lead the local organization through the help of our regional library system, Serving Patrons with Dementia Group. We hold meetings with librarians and have support materials and speakers from the Alzheimer’s Association. We also showcase libraries with established programs and collections and share their experiences through Efforts in Action meetings.
How thankful I would be...
I cannot express how important I feel this once-in-a-lifetime conference experience means to me. If you know me, you know I do not ask for help or anything for myself. Even asking for a donation for this project, the end result is that I can help more people. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me realize my dream.
Reward For Your Donation:
$5-24: Thank you for helping me realize this dream. I have a passion for public libraries and the communities we serve. As a lifelong learner, I am anxious to discover more about the world of libraries.
$25-49: Personalized Thank You, Tina Here To Help Pencil, Tina Here To Help Sticker
$50: Two hour resume help session (in-person within a two hour drive from Romeoville, IL or online). This reward will be scheduled with a mutual date/time to be determined.
$100: Four half-hour career mentor sessions to be redeemed once per month (in-person within a two hour drive from Romeoville, IL or online). This reward will be scheduled with a mutual date/time to be determined.
$200: Six half-hour career mentor sessions to be redeemed (in-person within a two hour drive from Romeoville, IL or online) with a mutual date/time to be determined. I will dedicate a blog post with a topic of your choosing (within my knowledge base) with a ‘shout out’ (to you, your library, your organization, or your company).
$250 - one-hour presentation in 2017* within a 2 hour drive distance of Romeoville, IL
$250 + plus cost of one night stay hotel - 2017 one-hour presentation*, within a 6 hour drive distance of Romeoville, IL. This reward will be scheduled with a mutual date/time to be determined for 2017.
$500 - ½ day presentation in 2017* & workshop within a 2 hour drive distance of Romeoville, IL
$500 + plus cost of one night stay hotel - 2017 ½ day presentation* & workshop, within a 6 hour drive distance of Romeoville, IL. This reward will be scheduled with a mutual date/time to be determined for 2017.
$1000 - all day presentation in 2017* & workshop within a 2 hour drive distance of Romeoville, IL
$1000 + plus cost of one night stay hotel - 2017 all day presentation* & workshop, within a 6 hour drive distance of Romeoville, IL. This reward will be scheduled with a mutual date/time to be determined for 2017.
* For those contributing from a library or business with a commitment to customer service, presentations can be customized to fit your needs pertaining to outreach services, customer service, or any of the topics on my blog for your library, organization, or business.
