Creating a Welcoming Space for Immigrant and Refugee Families

When: April 7 – May 4, 2025  (4 weeks)

Where: Online, asynchronous (see more info)

Cost: $165 (10% off when you register two weeks in advance)

CE Credit: 1.4 CEUs/14 LEUs

Program #: 315925

REGISTER ONLINE


Payment and Cancellation Policy

Questions? Email the CE Team

While immigrant and refugee children and families are a growing presence in many of our communities, it is difficult to know how we can best serve them. Through this course, you will learn about and explore best practices for cultivating a welcoming space and supportive library services to immigrant and refugee children and families both in and beyond the physical library walls.  

Learning outcomes:

  • Understand how to create a welcoming library space for immigrant and refugee families.
  • Explore strategies for cultivating trust and building relationships between immigrant families, the community, and the library.
  • Learn best practices and approaches for providing services, resources, and programs to immigrant and refugee children and families.
  • Identify and assess opportunities for community partnerships to help expand and support services to immigrant and refugee families.

Course Audience: This course is designed for library staff who are interested in learning more about how to connect with and design library programs, services, and resources for children and families who are New Americans, immigrants, and/or refugees.

Instructor

Headshot of Jacquie KociubukJacqueline “Jacquie” Kociubuk, MLIS/MEd, is a PhD student in the Information School at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on understanding the role of the public library as an informal learning and community space for children and families. Most recently she has been involved in the Association of Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) Welcoming Spaces project which explored ways libraries and museums can become more welcoming to immigrant and refugee families. She has also been involved in both Project VOICE and Project LOCAL, two IMLS grant projects centered around exploring how public libraries are using outreach programs and services to support children and families from underserved communities. Her work has been published in the Library Quarterly, Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, and Library and Information Science Research, among others. Previously she worked as children’s librarian and PreK-12th grade educator.