Jenn Carson is a professional yoga teacher and the director of the L.P. Fisher Public Library in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada.
She is the creator of the website yogainthelibrary.com and has been delivering movement-based programs in schools, libraries, and museums for over a decade.
She also blogs about her physical literacy adventures at the ALA’s Programming Librarian website: programminglibrarian.org.
News & Updates
• Now Available! Beyond Books: Adult Library Programs for a New Era. Jenn's new book takes us out of the stacks and past the traditional walls of the library to reach underserved and overworked adults in our communities — adults who might not think they need the library in their lives. This book provides clear, step-by-step models and strategies for delivering adult programs (both in-person and online), including where to find funding, getting administrative and municipal buy-in, creating partnerships in the community, addressing possible legal issues, marketing tactics, training staff and volunteers, and how to evaluate programs. An invaluable resource for libraries looking to expand their services and meet the broader needs of their patrons.
Order from Rowman & Littlefield at this link and use this discount code (RLFANDF30) for 30% off.
• Coming up November 7th, Literacy, Creativity and Mental Health Workshop by Jenn at Sunbury Shores Art & Nature Centre in Saint Andrews. Explore connections between physical literacy, creativity, & mental health when Jenn presents a movement-based program that serves the whole person’s mental and physical health needs. The workshop is in conjunction with the exhibition Art in Mind.
• It's a great time to head to St. Andrews to check out Jenn's artwork at Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre in the show Stars, Air, Noises Everywhere featuring six contemporary artists who embrace the emergent creative potential of play, imagination, and speculative storytelling that is often associated with childhood. The show runs until October 29th.
• Women of the River – White Water Kayaking in New Brunswick. Check out the promotional video for Jenn's new article in Maritime Edit Magazine. Then grab a copy of the new 5th anniversary issue and read all about her fascinating kayak adventure!
• Jenn's free webinar on how to deliver trauma-sensitive programming in libraries at the US National Library of Medicine's Trauma-Sensitive Programming: Using Mindfulness to Create Safe Space is now available to view on YouTube.
This one-hour webinar includes topics such as yoga, meditation, self-defense, mindfulness, self-care, non-violent intervention, and mental health first aid training. She explores different populations that may be living with trauma and how to make programs accessible for everyone. View here.
• The next installment of Rhythm & Flow is now available. Jenn Carson teamed up with musician Alex Bragdon to record an hour-long class for you to practice at home! All you need is a mat and a block. Join them at the LP Fisher Public Library via YouTube and enjoy this class at your convenience.
• Check out Jenn's review of David Huebert's fabulous collection of short stories, Chemical Valley, in Hamilton Arts & Letters.
Jenn says the book is "A journey that finds you wound-up, wrung out, but somehow left buoyant and comforted at the same time." The link above allows you to read the full article. (hit "forward" at the bottom to move to the next page)
• Are you missing yoga at your library due to COVID restrictions? Jenn teamed up with musician Alex Bragdon to record an hour-long class for you to practice at home! All you need is a mat and a block. Join them at the LP Fisher Public Library via YouTube and enjoy this class at your convenience.
• Join Jenn on October 27th from 9:00-10:00am as she presents her talk Feel Good, Do Good: How Offering Physical Literacy Programs Can Change Your Community at the 2021 Libraries, Archives, and Museums of Nova Scotia Virtual Conference. Hear the triumphs and challenges of getting these programs off the ground. Learn self-care tips when implementing these programs. Learn how you can take these principles and create a new physical literacy program in your library. Register here.
• Moving beyond their traditional offerings, many libraries are embracing the practice of lending useful objects including sport and excercise oriented items. Check out this article at Active for Life detailing the practice, it's growth, and ever-growing popularity. Find out how different libraries are incorporating movement-based programs to promote and expand the use of objects including bicycles, snowshoes, yoga mats, walking poles, gardening tools, birdwatching gear, and even canoes!
• Jenn will be teaching a workshop at WFNB's WordSpring this year. It's called: "A Librarian is Your Best Ally: How to Promote Your Work to Libraries." WordSpring is the Writer's Federation of New Brunswick's main annual writing festival offering a virtual festival over a three week period that includes workshops on creativity, spoken word, the business of writing, and panel discussions on publishing, libraries and gaming narratives. Join us!
• Jenn and Little Cloud Kites partnered a few years ago to bring free organic-cotton kites to families through the Kite Library at the LP Fisher Public Library. You can borrow them for 3-weeks at a time with your library card. Read more about the project, as featured in an article by Noah Lenstra in Children & Libraries Magazine.
• Ride The Chaos - All Season Surf. Jenn went surfing in Nova Scotia in the winter and lived to write the featured cover article in Maritime Edit! Get a taste of her adventure in this video by Ebony Scott. Pick up a copy of Maritime Edit's spring issue to read Jenn's story and see how Ebony's photos bring her experience to life. The new issue is available here or check your local library.
• BLOSSOM: Building Life-long Opportunities for Strength, Self-Care, Outlook, Morale, and Mindfulness. The National Library of Medicine presents a free virtual symposium for library staff focused on their health and wellness. March 24 – 26, 2021. Jenn shares her guided practice on March 26th at 1pm ADT. Reserve your spot for her session here.
• Non-Negotiable Care Tactics: A Keynote Panel on Essential Wellness for Library Staff. Jenn was in the opening Keynote Panel of The 2021 Electronic Resources and Libraries Conference on March 8th. In their 16th year, the conference was all on-line and you can check out a recording of the full panel here.
• Sometimes Jenn writes poems. Sometimes she writes poems about jiu jitsu. Sometimes one gets published in a literary magazine that seem to have nothing to do with martial arts. Check out Jenn's poem about jiu jitsu in Hamilton Arts & Letters magazine.
• Jenn contributed to this 2020 reading list – check out her recommendations for a family-friendly chapter book about the end of the world! A Very 2020 Book Club Reading List from Programing Librarian.
• Join Jenn at the Occupy Library 2020 Online Conference.
The Whole-Person Library: Meeting Lifelong Needs through Community Partnerships
As mounting fears and realities around climate change, pandemics, economic recession, and political corruption overwhelm our citizens, they are increasingly turning to their libraries for information, shelter, and support.
Overwork is a systemic and learned cultural issue, not the fault of any one librarian. This talk will show how we can lead with compassion, for our patrons, and the most important, for ourselves, and discuss positive steps we can take towards healing, while also acknowledging the grief, trauma, and guilt that the librarians experience every day on the front lines.
Jenn's talk is on September 24th from 8:30am–9:30am EST.
• Jenn to give Keynote Address at the Stronger Together Virtual Conference. This online gathering will help to answer our need to socially connect while physically distancing and explore the ways connection helps libraries become more resilient and better able to serve our communities. Dates: October 1 & 2, 2020. Jenn's Session is Oct 1 at 8:45am. Registration opens August 7, 2020.
• In this interview in Knovvmads Magazine, Noah Lenstra talks about his project Let's Move in Libraries, including it's origins in conversations he had with Jenn about the importance of movement-based programing in libraries.
• Here is an interview with Jenn featured on the BJJ Globetrotters Blog about training, travelling(or not during the pandemic), and the value of experience on the road.
• Check out Jenn's conversation with Rich Sab, host of the Sab-Jits Podcast, as they discuss the impact of the COVID crisis on the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community and their lives in general.
• Summertime DIY: Crafts & Gardening Titles and Tips Webinar Join Jenn and others on June 2 at 1:00 PM CST for a look at fun craft projects you can do at home as well as home garden how-tos. Find out more about this American Library Association webinar here.
• Special Webinar #2: Putting the Self back in Self-Care: Wellness in the time of COVID-19. The recording of Jenn and five other distinguished panelists from April 28. Whether you are working remotely or within the library building, COVID-19 has changed the way we work and live. In a profession where the desire to serve the public often subsumes the needs of library workers, the panelists of this webinar share strategies for self-care as well as tips for overcoming challenges related to (re)creating a work-life balance that can be done for free, remotely or in the building. Presented by The Kernel of Knowledge webinar series from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.
• Jenn's webinar, Feel Good, Do Good: How Offering Physical Literacy Programs at your Library Can Change Your Community, from April 23rd is now available to view. The session covers the challenges of getting programs off the ground, self-care tips while planning, and how you can take these principles and create new physical literacy programs in your library. Part of the SirsiDynix Power of Libraries Webinars.
• Special Webinar #1: Leading with Compassion During the COVID-19 Crisis. Jenn's webinar from April 22 is now available for viewing. Three library leaders discuss how they are leading with compassion, making decisions, and what challenges they have experienced along the way. Presented by The Kernel of Knowledge webinar series from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.
• Adriane Herrick Juarez talks with Jenn about how librarians (and everyone!) can take care of themselves and unwind even in these troubled times on the latest Library Leadership Podcast.
• Special Webinar #2: Putting the Self back in Self-Care: Wellness in the time of COVID-19. Join Jenn and five other distinguished panelists for this special event on April 28 at 11am CT. Whether you are working remotely or within the library building, COVID-19 has changed the way we work and live. In a profession where the desire to serve the public often subsumes the needs of library workers, the panelists of this webinar will share strategies for self-care as well as tips for overcoming challenges related to (re)creating a work-life balance that can be done for free, remotely or in the building. Presented by The Kernel of Knowledge webinar series from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.
• Check out Jenn's new poem "Standard Tuning for Social Isolation" just published by Understorey Magazine.
• Taking Care of Us: Inreach for Library Staff. Jenn's webinar on self-care routines for staff members, hosted by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, is now available to view. Find out methods that help reduce stress and leave you feeling recharged instead of drained. Follow this link to find out more.
• Jenn's first book, Get Your Community Moving, has been named book of the month by the North Carolina Library Association! Read what they have to say about it here.
• Hear Jenn speak about physical literacy programs in libraries on the new podcast from Princh Library Lounge.
Ep.6 – Libraries & Fitness with Jenn Carson and Noah Lenstra
• Jenn's Cursive Writing Program at the L.P. Fisher Public Library is featured in American Libraries Magazine! Did you know learning to write in cursive lights up the same areas of the brain as learning math because you are building sequences? It also improves physical literacy!
• Check out this new Booklist Review of Jenn's New book Yoga and Meditation at the Library.
• Jenn was the keynote speaker at Healthy Habits: Cultivating Health and Wellness in Libraries online conference on Thursday, October 10th. Presented by Amigos Library Services. Jenn's presentation was "Taking Care of Us: Ergonomic Advice for Library Staff."
• Read Jenn's latest article on physical literacy, this time in Reference & User Services Quarterly.
• Jenn's new book Yoga and Meditation at the Library: A Practical Guide for Librarians is now available from Rowman & Littlefield.
"Jenn Carson clearly and engagingly explains how and why to integrate yoga and meditation into your library’s spaces, programs, and collections. Interest in how to serve the whole person, including mental and physical health needs, has never been higher. This book contains the practical information you need to make a difference."
– Noah Lenstra, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• If you missed Jenn's Booklist Webinar Yoga & Meditation in the Library: Outreach & Inreach on June 7th, you can still watch the recording and learn about programs you can start using to improve the health and wellness of library patrons, your staff, and yourself. Made possible by Rowman & Littlefield.
• Check out Jenn's just-published poems in Hamilton Arts & Letters!
• Congratulations to Jenn for receiving the 2019 Advocacy Award from the Atlantic Provinces Library Association for her integration of physical literacy and library services, bringing much needed programs to some of the library's most vulnerable patrons.
• Check out Jenn's book review of Grass-Fed by Aaron Schneider in Hamilton Arts & Letters 10th anniversary issue.
• Google Books has posted a preview of Jenn's forthcoming book Yoga and Meditation at the Library: A Practical Guide for Librarians. Check it out on Google Books and pre-order a copy from Rowman & Littlefield.
• Jenn has been honored with Library Journal's 2019 Movers and Shakers Award. Check out her profile and all the other Movers and Shakers at Library Journal's website.
• Check out Jenn's profile featured on Active for Life's website about her work to help her library become a spot for the community to come together to be physically active and to have fun. Active for Life is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to physical literacy.
• Now available to order from ALA Editions: Recipes for Mindfulness in Your Library: Supporting Resilience and Community Engagement editied by Jenny Colvin, Richard Moniz, and Madeleine Charney. An important new book filled with wonderful resources including Jenn's contribution, Chapter 10, "Outreach for Inreach: Using Digital Resources to Promote Mindfulness"
• Jenn's book, Get Your Community Moving is included in School Library Journal's list of 45 Phenomenal Titles, November 2018 Stars.
• In the new issue of American Libraries Magazine Karen Muller Looks at books that expand and reimagine the roll of libraries—including Jenn's book Get Your Community Moving. Check out the review here.
• Interested in physical literacy, yoga, and libraries? How about paddleboarding, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and sharks? Jenn gave a podcast interview this summer to HEPAC on those very topics!
• See Jenn's profile on Amplify East, a site dedicated to recognizing women of significance in Atlantic Canada.
• Check out this review of Jenn's book at Midwest Book Review.
"Thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, Get Your Community Moving is unreservedly recommended for college and university library 'Library Science" collections, as well as community library in-service training manual for librarian instructional curriculums."
Physical Literacy Programs for All Ages
Jenn's new book on physical literacy is now available from ALA Editions.
By helping patrons view the library in a new way, movement-based programs bring new people into libraries, help promote community health, and stimulate literacy for children and adults alike.
This book is essential reading for any programming librarian, administrator, or community coordinator looking to boost circulation stats, program numbers, literacy rates, and foster joy and wellness in their community.
Follow these links to get your copy.
Next Library Conference – Berlin
Jenn in Germany Presenting on Physical Literacy
Jenn was in Berlin, DE, Thursday September 13th presenting the interactive session Get Your Community Moving: Physical Literacy Programs for All Ages as part of the Next Library Conference.
On that same day Jenn also took part in a public art project called Libraries for Democracy to promote physical literacy worldwide. Her session was broadcast live to Gaza, Palestine in a golden shipping container. To learn more about the project, please visit: www.sharedstudios.com
Get Your Community Moving:
Physical Literacy Programs for All Ages
A webinar by Jenn Carson and Noah Lenstra in February 2018.
This is a multimodal production that includes a PowerPoint presentation, videos, handouts and some (optional) yoga stretches to get the audience into a body-positive state of mind.
Movement-Based Programs
in Public Libraries
Best Practices from the U.S. and Canada
A webinar by Jenn Carson, Gwen GeigerWolfe, and Noah Lenstra in August 2017. More and more libraries offer programs and services that encourage and enable people of all ages and abilities to engage in and to learn about the importance of regular physical activity. Jenn shares how she became a driving force within this transformation.
Jenn's Books
Now Available!
Beyond Books: Adult Library Programs for a New Era.
Get Your Community Moving: Physical Literacy Programs for All Ages.
Follow these links to get your copy:
Follow this link to get your copy of Yoga and Meditation at the Library: A Practical Guide for Librarians
Latest Blog:
Digital Storytelling
in 6 Steps
As I write this, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like online programs are the only way for librarians to connect with their patrons. Digital storytelling is a creative way to engage patrons virtually right now — and as a bonus, you will learn some fantastic skills you can take back to your libraries when this is all over, for intergenerational workshops or homeschooling projects to improve digital literacy. So let's get started! 2020/03/31
For more blogs go here.
Everything yoga:
Helping teachers, librarians, and volunteers plan yoga programs in
their school and public libraries.
