In January, I started advertising webinars on Humantix. Having individual sign-ups is very different than being hired by a library system to run a webinar for them. Since I have just started doing this, the groups that participate are small, and there is a lot of interaction.
One of my trainings has been for the Mother Goose on the Loose: Hatchlings programs. Three librarians from the Orange County Library System in Orlando signed up and the conversations have been inspiring. They have already been presenting Mother Goose on the Loose to the public for years, and they recently started offering MGOL Goslings for parents with babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Now that have started adding Hatchlings and adapting it to fit in with their regularly scheduled Mother Goose on the Loose programs.
Emily Gringas, one of the librarians who is part of the cohort, said:
I’m trying to think of ways to bring this awesome program to more people because everyone who has experienced it, at least with us, has really found benefit … Just as a sidebar: [Natasha and Emily used to present MGOL together at a different location.] The kids who we used to have at this location are now coming back and they can say my name now, and Miss Woxie and Miss Emily, it’s so adorable. And they’ll look for us. It’s so sweet.
I’ve even had some parents come up and say, “My child learned to talk, learned to do this specific skill because of you.”
And I have to turn around and say, “No, it’s because of what you are doing. You’re their parent, you’re their teacher.” And they answer, “No, it’s the information that you’re bringing to us.”
So I want to get this information to as many people as possible, and I’m trying to think of more people to bring in whether it is having them help spread the word of mouth and the resources, or having them join us or bring us a location to bring this information.
Emily sent me the following article about the celebration for 100 years of the Orange County Library System and it the photo is of one of her MGOL participants who made up a happy song about coming to the library.
It’s great to see how MGOL has spread its wings!!!!
https://www.cfpublic.org/2023-11-08/orange-county-library-system-turns-100-still-finding-ways-to-be-an-agent-of-service