Add some signs to your storytime toolbox!
Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Group Coaching Session
Tuesday, July 6, 2021, 1:30-2:45 PM Eastern/12:30-1:45 PM Central/11:30 AM-12:45 PM Mountain/10:30-11:45 AM Pacific
1 hour and 15 minutes, Online via Zoom
Here’s your chance to get live feedback on your storytime activities using American Sign Language! In this interactive small-group session, each participant will demonstrate a story, song, rhyme or other activity they plan to use with signs in storytime, and storyteller and nationally certified ASL interpreter Kathy MacMillan will give live feedback on vocabulary choices, sign production, presentation, and introducing ASL vocabulary in context. Expand your storytime toolbox with ideas from your peers and enhance your storytime confidence!
Each session is capped at 12 participants, so register now!
Pricing:
- Individual: $40 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
- Group rate (10 people): $300 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
- Optional Add-on: Individualized video feedback: $25. Submit a video (up to 10 min) demonstrating more planned signing activities for storytime and receive individualized feedback on sign choices, production, and more from Kathy MacMillan via return video within 14 days. Must be used within 6 months of purchase.
About the Instructor:
Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press, Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press) as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators.
Register now for ASL for Library Staff, Level 2 – begins June 28!
American Sign Language for Library Staff: Level 2
Asynchronous eCourse beginning Monday, June 28, 2021 (6 weeks of lessons; Participants will have a total of 12 weeks to complete course materials)
Instructor: Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S.
Cost: $250.00 (discounts available for American Library Association members and bulk registrations); Estimated Hours of Learning: 30
Level up your knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) along with your library’s services to deaf and hard of hearing library users. Designed to provide more in-depth learning, practice, and feedback for those who have completed American Sign Language for Library Staff Level 1, this course will use readings, multimedia resources, online discussion boards, and hands-on assignments to introduce more ASL vocabulary, grammar, and culture topics relevant to the library setting. Instructor Kathy MacMillan is a librarian and ASL interpreter and will provide individualized feedback via a video project customized to your learning goals. You will also have the opportunity to participate in two live online class sessions to interact with the instructor and peers. The live sessions will be recorded for those who do not attend.
This 6-week, asynchronous online course will introduce more American Sign Language vocabulary and grammar appropriate for use in a library setting and place that information within a linguistic and cultural context to aid participants in improving library services to patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Each week will focus on a different aspect of library services and will take approximately 5 hours to complete.
Please note that ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions eCourses on learning American Sign Language focus on library-specific vocabulary and Deaf Culture topics. Even if you have taken a conversational ASL course elsewhere, we recommend that you begin with American Sign Language for Library Staff Level 1 (called Basic American Sign Language for Library Staff in past iterations), as it covers library-specific vocabulary not usually taught in community ASL courses.
Also open for registration:
Sign Language for Children in Storytime or in the Classroom: A Practical Guide eCourse
Asynchronous eCourse beginning Monday, August 23, 2021 (6 weeks of lessons; Participants will have a total of 12 weeks to complete course materials)
Instructor: Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S.
Cost: $250.00 (discounts available for American Library Association members and bulk registrations); Estimated Hours of Learning: 30
American Sign Language is most commonly used in storytimes for babies, but the applications can go much further. In this 6-week eCourse, expert Kathy MacMillan explores the benefits of signing with all children. In addition to learning basic American Sign Language (ASL) vocabulary appropriate for use with children in library and classroom settings, you will also learn to teach stories, songs, and other activities that incorporate ASL. MacMillan provides you with a linguistic and cultural context to help make your programming more accessible.
A few of your assignments will be to create videos of yourself signing, so that you can get direct feedback from the instructor.
Reviews
“Sign Language for Children in Storytime or in the Classroom: A Practical Guide is one of the most well-organized and rewarding professional development courses I’ve taken. I really appreciated the topics covered and all the additional tips the instructor contributed to the discussion forums.”
“Your methods for teaching, quizzing, and giving feedback for assignments were more responsive than any ecourse I’ve taken so far (on this site or in grad school!)”
“Kathy MacMillan was an outstanding teacher, and I would highly recommend this class to my colleagues.”
“This course was appropriately named. It was practical and extremely informative.”
Register now for Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Group Coaching Session
Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Group Coaching Session
Tuesday, July 6, 2021, 1:30-2:45 PM Eastern/12:30-1:45 PM Central/11:30 AM-12:45 PM Mountain/10:30-11:45 AM Pacific
1 hour and 15 minutes, Online via Zoom
Here’s your chance to get live feedback on your storytime activities using American Sign Language! In this interactive small-group session, each participant will demonstrate a story, song, rhyme or other activity they plan to use with signs in storytime, and storyteller and nationally certified ASL interpreter Kathy MacMillan will give live feedback on vocabulary choices, sign production, presentation, and introducing ASL vocabulary in context. Expand your storytime toolbox with ideas from your peers and enhance your storytime confidence!
Each session is capped at 12 participants, so register now!
Pricing:
- Individual: $40 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
- Group rate (10 people): $300 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
- Optional Add-on: Individualized video feedback: $25. Submit a video (up to 10 min) demonstrating more planned signing activities for storytime and receive individualized feedback on sign choices, production, and more from Kathy MacMillan via return video within 14 days. Must be used within 6 months of purchase.
About the Instructor:
Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press, Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press) as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators.
Jump into summer reading with ASL!
Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Summer Reading Special
1 hour webinar, recorded.
Learn basic American Sign Language vocabulary for summer and animals and how to use it in storytime! This session teaches themed vocabulary while demonstrating storytime activities and best practices for signing with young children. Includes storytime demo and language and culture notes to help you present American Sign Language to hearing audiences in context. Purchase includes access to the webinar for 30 days, plus access to webinar resource page. Certificate of completion available upon request with successful completion of post-test.
About the Instructor:
Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press, Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press) as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators.
Register Now for Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Summer Reading Special
Little Hands Signing Professional Development: Summer Reading Special
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 2 PM Eastern. 1 hour, Online via Zoom.
Add some American Sign Language to your summer reading toolbox! In this interactive session, we’ll focus on basic ASL vocabulary for summer and animals, to go with the Collaborative Summer Library program theme of Tails and Tales. Learn how to incorporate ASL into storytime songs, rhymes, and stories in a respectful and effective way. Certificate of completion available upon request with successful completion of post-test.
Pricing:
- Individual: $40 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
- Group rate (10 people): $300 (includes live webinar and recording access for 30 days after the live event)
- Optional Add-on: Individualized video feedback: $25. Submit a video (up to 10 min) demonstrating your planned signing activities for storytime and receive individualized feedback on sign choices, production, and more from Kathy MacMillan via return video within 14 days. Must be used within 6 months of purchase.
About the Instructor:
Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press, Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press) as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators.
Intermediate ASL Practice for Library Staff Starts May 11! Register now!
Hands Up! Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Intermediate)
Practice and gain confidence in your American Sign Language skills for library settings in this interactive series.
Tuesdays, May 11-June 15 from 10-11 AM Eastern/9-10 AM Central/8-9 AM Mountain/7-8 AM Pacific. Online sessions via Zoom (6 weeks, 1 hour per week). Recording access will be available to those who cannot attend the sessions live.
This series is appropriate for those who have taken previous Hands Up! sessions, ASL for Library Staff eCourses through the American Library Association, or anyone who already knows some library vocabulary in ASL and wishes to polish their skills.
Pricing:
- Individual: $240 (includes live webinar and recording access for the for the 6-week series)
- Group rate (10 people): $2000 (includes live webinar and recording access for the for the 6-week series)
About the Instructor: Kathy MacMillan (she/her) is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, instructor, consultant, writer and signing storyteller. Kathy is the author of the Little Hands Signing board book series (Familius Press) and Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press), as well as many other books for children, teens, and adults. She has worked in public libraries for over twenty years, and was the Library/Media Specialist at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Campus from 2001 to 2005. Kathy presents American Sign Language programs for families and workshops for library staff and educators. She also serves on the board of Deaf Camps, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides camps for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and children learning American Sign Language. She lives in Baltimore, MD.
Next session of Beginners series starts June 30!
Hands Up! Live ASL Practice for Library Staff (Beginner)
Learn and practice American Sign Language for library settings in this interactive series.
Wednesdays, June 30-July 21 from 1-2:30 PM Eastern/12-1:30 PM Central/11-12:30 PM Mountain/10-11:30 AM Pacific. Online sessions via Zoom (4 weeks, 1.5 hours per week). Recording access will be available to those who cannot attend the sessions live.
Register now for Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library
Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library
A two-part online workshop, each session lasting 90 minutes, on Thursdays, April 29 and May 6, 2021, 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 Central/12:30 Mountain/11:30am Pacific
Library services are for everyone, and that includes the deaf and hard of hearing community. In this workshop, Kathy MacMillan, librarian and certified American Sign Language interpreter, guides you in making your library a more welcoming place for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. You will gain an understanding of Deaf culture, learn library-related signs, and become prepared to confidently work with interpreters for your programs.
$75 per person; discounts available for groups and American Library Association Members.
New sessions of popular ASL for Librarians ecourses begin May 3!
Announcing new sessions of my popular eCourses from the American Library Association! Register for one or bundle them all and save! Discounts available for groups and ALA members. See below for details.
American Sign Language for Library Staff: Level 1
Asynchronous eCourse beginning Monday, May 3, 2021 (6 weeks of lessons; Participants will have a total of 12 weeks to complete course materials)
Instructor: Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S.
Cost: $250.00 (discounts available for American Library Association members and bulk registrations); Estimated Hours of Learning: 30
American Sign Language (ASL) is an invaluable skill for library professionals. A basic grasp of ASL enhances your ability to serve deaf and hard of hearing library users and opens up a new world of possibilities for programs. It’s also a marketable professional skill that can translate to public service jobs beyond the library world.
This course is ideal for those without previous experience, or those who have taken basic ASL courses but are unfamiliar with library-specific vocabulary in ASL. Taught by librarian and ASL interpreter Kathy MacMillan, the course will use readings, multimedia resources, online discussion boards, and a customized video project to introduce basic ASL vocabulary and grammar appropriate for use in a library setting. MacMillan will place ASL within a linguistic and cultural context, aiding participants in improving library services.
This 6-week, asynchronous online course will introduce basic American Sign Language vocabulary and grammar appropriate for use in a library setting and place that information within a linguistic and cultural context to aid participants in improving library services to patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Each session will focus on a different aspect of library services and will take approximately 5 hours to complete.
This eCourse can also be purchased as part of the American Sign Language for Librarians eCourse Bundle.
Past attendees say:
“This course has been invaluable to me. I have spent countless hours reviewing all of the video, re-reading the lessons, and just generally trying to absorb as much knowledge as I could. The instructor was a gem in the way that she provided comprehensive answers to questions, feedback, tips and resources.”
“While I had taken ASL many years ago, this class has expanded my vocabulary and boosted my confidence in my abilities. I think it helped that this class specifically addressed situations I might encounter here at work.”
“This has been a great introduction to both the language and the culture!”
“This class was interesting, informative, and entertaining. It opened my eyes to a variety of ideas and concepts that can only make me a better librarian as well as a better person. I thought things were well organized and presented in an ordered and logical fashion, each lesson building on the one before.”
“Ms. MacMillan provided timely feedback to all responses, questions, and comments during the entire course. Her answers show the mastery of content knowledge and her response time shows how much she cares about her students and the topic she is teaching. This was one of the best online courses I have taken, and I will highly recommend this course to others.”
American Sign Language for Library Staff: Level 2
Asynchronous eCourse beginning Monday, June 28, 2021 (6 weeks of lessons; Participants will have a total of 12 weeks to complete course materials)
Instructor: Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S.
Cost: $250.00 (discounts available for American Library Association members and bulk registrations); Estimated Hours of Learning: 30
Level up your knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) along with your library’s services to deaf and hard of hearing library users. Designed to provide more in-depth learning, practice, and feedback for those who have completed American Sign Language for Library Staff Level 1, this course will use readings, multimedia resources, online discussion boards, and hands-on assignments to introduce more ASL vocabulary, grammar, and culture topics relevant to the library setting. Instructor Kathy MacMillan is a librarian and ASL interpreter and will provide individualized feedback via a video project customized to your learning goals. You will also have the opportunity to participate in two live online class sessions to interact with the instructor and peers. The live sessions will be recorded for those who do not attend.
This 6-week, asynchronous online course will introduce more American Sign Language vocabulary and grammar appropriate for use in a library setting and place that information within a linguistic and cultural context to aid participants in improving library services to patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Each week will focus on a different aspect of library services and will take approximately 5 hours to complete.
Please note that ALA Publishing eLearning Solutions eCourses on learning American Sign Language focus on library-specific vocabulary and Deaf Culture topics. Even if you have taken a conversational ASL course elsewhere, we recommend that you begin with American Sign Language for Library Staff Level 1 (called Basic American Sign Language for Library Staff in past iterations), as it covers library-specific vocabulary not usually taught in community ASL courses.
This eCourse can also be purchased as part of the American Sign Language for Librarians eCourse Bundle.
Sign Language for Children in Storytime or in the Classroom: A Practical Guide eCourse
Asynchronous eCourse beginning Monday, August 23, 2021 (6 weeks of lessons; Participants will have a total of 12 weeks to complete course materials)
Instructor: Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S.
Cost: $250.00 (discounts available for American Library Association members and bulk registrations); Estimated Hours of Learning: 30
American Sign Language is most commonly used in storytimes for babies, but the applications can go much further. In this 6-week eCourse, expert Kathy MacMillan explores the benefits of signing with all children. In addition to learning basic American Sign Language (ASL) vocabulary appropriate for use with children in library and classroom settings, you will also learn to teach stories, songs, and other activities that incorporate ASL. MacMillan provides you with a linguistic and cultural context to help make your programming more accessible.
A few of your assignments will be to create videos of yourself signing, so that you can get direct feedback from the instructor.
This eCourse can also be purchased as part of the American Sign Language for Librarians eCourse Bundle.
Reviews
“Sign Language for Children in Storytime or in the Classroom: A Practical Guide is one of the most well-organized and rewarding professional development courses I’ve taken. I really appreciated the topics covered and all the additional tips the instructor contributed to the discussion forums.”
“Your methods for teaching, quizzing, and giving feedback for assignments were more responsive than any ecourse I’ve taken so far (on this site or in grad school!)”
“Kathy MacMillan was an outstanding teacher, and I would highly recommend this class to my colleagues.”
“This course was appropriately named. It was practical and extremely informative.”
American Sign Language for Librarians eCourse Bundle
Includes all 3 eCourses described above
Instructor: Kathy MacMillan, NIC, M.L.S.
Cost: $599.00 (discounts available for American Library Association members and bulk registrations); Estimated Hours of Learning: 90
Register now for 2-Part Webinar: Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library
Serving Deaf Patrons in the Library
A two-part online workshop, each session lasting 90 minutes, on Thursdays, April 29 and May 6, 2021, 2:30pm Eastern/1:30 Central/12:30 Mountain/11:30am Pacific
Library services are for everyone, and that includes the deaf and hard of hearing community. In this workshop, Kathy MacMillan, librarian and certified American Sign Language interpreter, guides you in making your library a more welcoming place for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. You will gain an understanding of Deaf culture, learn library-related signs, and become prepared to confidently work with interpreters for your programs.
$75 per person; discounts available for groups and American Library Association Members.
Signing with Babies and Toddlers, Signing in the Library – 3 New Webinar Series!
Little Hands Signing Professional Development Series: Babies and Toddlers
Learn engaging storytime activities for babies and toddlers that incorporate basic American Sign Language!
Join us for weekly interactive workshops that teach basic American Sign Language vocabulary and demonstrate how to use the signs in storytime activities and the early childhood classroom. This series will focus on vocabulary and best practices for baby and toddler programs. Each session will focus on specific thematic vocabulary:
- March 30: Getting Started
- April 6: Playtime Signs
- April 13: Mealtime Signs
- April 20: Diaper and Potty Signs
- April 27: Safety Signs
- May 4: Our Signing Day
Register for Little Hands Signing Professional Development Series: Babies and Toddlers Now!
Get live, hands-on practice with American Sign Language vocabulary for library settings and improve your ability to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing patrons!
Tuesdays, March 30-May 4, 2021 from 10-11AM Eastern/9-10AM Central/8-9AM Mountain/7-8 AM Pacific | Online sessions via Zoom (6 weeks, 1 hour per week)
Learn how to improve your service to deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons in this interactive series. We’ll cover basic information about American Sign Language and Deaf Culture, as well as specific vocabulary for the library setting. Each session will build on those before it to reinforce your knowledge and expand your ability to communicate with members of the Deaf community, and you’ll get plenty of interactive signing practice! Recording access will be available to those who cannot attend the sessions live.
Who it’s for: Library staff who are new to ASL; Library staff who have taken an ASL class but are unfamiliar with library-specific vocabulary; Library staff who have learned basic ASL library vocabulary in the past and need a refresher.
Register for Hands Up!: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff Beginner Series Now!
Tuesdays, March 30-May 4, 2021 from 1:30-2:30 PM Eastern/12:30-1:30 PM Central/11:30 AM-12:30 PM Mountain/10:30-11:30 AM Pacific | Online sessions via Zoom (6 weeks, 1 hour per week)
Practice your ASL for the library setting in these interactive sessions! The instructor will design sessions to meet the specific review and practice needs of participants. Join us to reinforce your library signing skills and increase your confidence in your ability to communicate with members of the Deaf community. Recording access will be available to those who cannot attend the sessions live.
Who it’s for: Those who have taken ASL for Library Staff eCourses through the American Library Association; Anyone who already knows some library vocabulary in ASL and wishes to polish their signing skills.
Note: If you have taken ASL courses before, but are not familiar with vocabulary specific to the library setting, we recommend you register for the Beginner session rather than Intermediate.
Register for Hands Up!: Live ASL Practice for Library Staff Intermediate Series Now!
Webinar Series Pricing:
- Individual: $240 (includes live webinar and recording access for the 6-week series)
- Group rate (10 people): $2000 (includes live webinar and recording access for the 6-week series)
Certificate of completion available upon request with successful completion of post-test.
About the Instructor:
Kathy MacMillan (she/her) is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, instructor, consultant, writer and signing storyteller. Kathy is the author of the Little Hands Signing board book series (Familius Press) and Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press), as well as many other books for children, teens, and adults. She has worked in public libraries for over twenty years, and was the Library/Media Specialist at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Campus from 2001 to 2005. Kathy presents American Sign Language programs for families and workshops for workshops and educators. She also serves on the board of Deaf Camps, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides camps for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and children learning American Sign Language. She lives in Baltimore, MD.
