Karen Sheek coordinates Local League Support at League of Women Voters Colorado . They’ve answered some questions below to help librarians around Colorado learn about their organization, agency, and/or services.
Below, you’ll learn about League of Women Voters Colorado (state and local/ county leagues) and their potential to help you serve your community. In addition, at the end of this post we’ve included some of their resources for you to view and/or use.
Check YouTube here or scroll down to watch the video of the Virtual Partner Forum for this Hidden Gem recorded live on December 20, 2022.
Tell us who you are and what you do for League of Women Voters Colorado.
My name is Karen Sheek. I am the past president of the Colorado League of Women Voters and currently serve on the Board as Director of Local League Support. In this role, I work with our 19 statewide Leagues at the county and regional level, providing information, sharing resources, and connecting League leaders throughout the state. The goal is to maintain a spirit of collaboration to enable Colorado Leagues to “work smarter, not harder” as they seek to fulfill the League mission, “Empowering voters. Defending democracy.”
How can League of Women Voters Colorado partner with a library to offer resources or programming to the local community of library visitors and users?
Leagues around the state offer both in-person and virtual programming on a variety of topics. Meetings are held in public locations; my local League in Montezuma County and the La Plata County League both hold meetings at the local library. The League of Women Voters of Colorado (LWVCO) offers virtual programming across the state which is free and open to the public via ZOOM. These programs usually require free registration; however, as we work together to partner with libraries on programming, we can discuss the easiest way to do this with our state Executive Director.
What needs or challenges can League of Women Voters Colorado help libraries address for their communities?
LWVCO and local Leagues have forged relationships with experts and government officials across Colorado and the United States. We can call upon these individuals to participate in panels and make presentations using our virtual platform which provides interested citizens around the state with access to programming on topics that may not be available in their local community.
What regions – cities, counties, areas – of Colorado does your organization reach?
There are 19 local Leagues in Colorado, serving in regions that hold about 90% of our state’s population. Visit this page to find where Leagues throughout the state are located.
Do the services or resources from League of Women Voters Colorado cost any money?
No.
Do libraries have to provide any funds or apply to any grants to work with League of Women Voters Colorado?
Our virtual programming uses the ZOOM platform. Local libraries would need the technology — computer, large monitors, and reliable wifi — to support ZOOM. It would be helpful to have library staff familiar with ZOOM for ease of set-up. Libraries would also need enough space for such programming. Promotion with flyers, announcing programming on Facebook and social media sites would also be helpful. I have attached the flyer our local library developed to promote Justin McBrayer’s presentation. Flyers were distributed through other local partners as well to promote the program.
Do libraries have to provide any staff, volunteers, or training in order to run your programs or provide resources or services with League of Women Voters Colorado?
We’re happy to connect libraries with any League contacts or partners regarding presentations or programs, and we’re happy to write letters of support for funding opportunities.
What support can you offer libraries to help them access additional resources or funding to bring Media Literacy Programming (like the January 19, 2023 “Fake News Marketplace” program from League of Women Voters Colorado to their library?
We’re happy to connect libraries with any League contacts or partners regarding presentations or programs, and we’re happy to write letters of support for funding opportunities.
Let’s say one of our librarians, directors, or staff contact you and says, “We want to bring ‘Fake News Marketplace’ and programs like it to our community!” What will the next step look like?
Hopefully, librarians wishing to provide such programming can fit the scheduled presentation into their calendar. If not, we can work with the speaker to determine their willingness and availability to schedule a presentation for a specific audience or locate another speaker with expertise in the topic.
You will be attending a Virtual Partner Forum with the Colorado State Library Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 11AM where you can answer questions directly from Colorado libraries who are able to attend. How else can people reach you?
I can be contacted via email, phone or text: karensheek@gmail.com (970) 759-4533
Not every resource or partner that we highlight will meet the needs or fit in with the mission of every library or community that will read this post. Furthermore, no single interview can include every available opportunity to work with League of Women Voters Colorado .
League of Women Voters Colorado and Karen Sheek participated in our Virtual Partner Forum on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 11AM where libraries asked questions specific to their library to get ideas or insights on potential avenues for engaging their services or resources. Video from that event is below.
If you have questions feel free to email me – Cristy Moran, Adult Library Services Senior Consultant at the Colorado State Library – at moran_c@cde.state.co.us or reach Karen directly at the contact information listed in the interview above.
Attachments included in this post are:
- League of Women Voters Colorado website
- Justin McBrayer’s webpage for “Beyond Fake News: Finding Truth in a World of Misinformation”
