Adult Services

Program Spotlight: Arapahoe Libraries’ Higher Education in the US 3-Part Series

By Cristy Moran: Published on
Adult Services

We’ve asked libraries across Colorado to submit program they’ve run in the last year that they’re proud of and they want the rest of us to see and celebrate. Sharing stories in books is great… but what about our stories? The stories of the ways our libraries bring the community together, enrich the lives of our neighbors, and serve the people who live and work in our cities and towns.

Natalia Devlin, Language and Immigrant Services Coordinator, answered our call and we’re excited to let them tell you about Arapahoe Libraries’ “Higher Education in the US” 3-part program in their own words.

Higher Education in the US Flyer from Arapahoe Libraries

Library Name: Arapahoe Libraries

City/ Town: Centennial, CO

Program Name: Higher Education in the US

Date/ Date Range of Program: Three Saturdays from September to November 2022

Intended Audience: Immigrants and nontraditional learners, adults

Description:

“Higher Education in the US” is a mini-series of 3 workshops on the following topics:

  • Selecting a degree
  • Applying for college
  • Financing your education

How did you come up with the idea for this program?

The idea came from our immigrant patrons who suggested that Arapahoe Libraries host a workshop on higher education.

What partners (if any) did you work with in developing or implementing this program?

For the 2nd and 3rd topic, we invited guest speakers from the Community College of Aurora.

What about this program did you find successful? How did you measure the success of this program?

This program was co-facilitated by Career Services librarian and two Language librarians. All librarians got referrals for one-on-one appointments as a result of this program.

Final Thoughts:

Next year, Arapahoe Libraries intends to offer this program in English, Spanish and Russian as three separate event series.

Natalia has permitted us to share their contact information so that anyone interested in reaching out to them about their program can do so. It is an incredibly generous offer of which you are invited to avail yourself if you’re inspired by their work and want to celebrate them or if you have questions about ways you can follow their lead.

To reach Natalia Devlin, Language and Immigrant Services Coordinator, email them at ndevlin@ald.lib.co.us

Resources shared in this post include:

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Colorado State Library (and the readers of this point as well, no doubt) understands how time consuming, emotionally draining, costly (in so many ways), and challenging it can be to run a program or project. Sometimes they fail gloriously… sometimes they fail with barely a whisper. It can be hard to recover from that. You’ve worked so hard!… and it just didn’t work out. Be gentle with yourself. Self-reflect. Pick up the pieces. And then get to the next thing. It’ll be worth it.

For all those other times, be sure to celebrate. Brag about it! Feel good about yourself, the team that collaborated on your work, and the community members who participated with it. Celebrate your hard work and the value that you contribute to your community.

Tell us the story of your program just like this library did here. Submit your library’s program for a Program Spotlight featured here and shared as far as Colorado State Library news reaches.

Cristy Moran
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