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“One afternoon after filming [for the TV show] “House,†Olivia Wilde asked me to come to an event for Obama. That’s not really something I wanted to do, but she said it’s an open bar and I was totally in.†He figured everyone would talk to the presidential candidate about arts funding, so “I thought, I want to ask a smarty pants question.†He asked about ethanol fuel and the effect on corn prices in developing countries. After getting the famous Obama smirk because he hadn’t read the whole of what Obama had to say about the issue, he signed up to work on his campaign.
He had no idea what the next step would be after Obama won the election. He had a job that he really loved, but politics drew his interest. He went to the website change.gov and applied for a job in the administration and didn’t tell anyone, except his manager. He did not hear back from the White House. “I figured they weren’t interested in me and so that took the pressure off of having to make a decision about my future. Then I had a missed call from area code 202 and thought, ‘this is it!’ But all they wanted was to invite me to the inaugural event.â€
It was Penn’s first time to meet Mrs. Obama. She was very gracious and as she walked by and shook his hand to thank him for his campaign work, she said, “I hope you’ll continue to stay involved.†My manager blurted out, “You know Kal applied for a job at the White House and no one even called him back.†Penn was mortified. “She gave me that look and said, ‘tell me.’â€
“It’s nothing,†he replied. “I went to change.gov and didn’t expect to hear back,†I told her. “Hey Barack!†called Mrs. Obama to her husband. “This was the worst possible of all outcomes,†said Penn. “She said to the President, ‘tell him what you just told me.’â€
Eventually Penn was put me in touch with Obama’s personal aid and he was called by the White House the next day. He was interviewed by Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s senior advisor. “I just want to be sure I’m not being hired because I’m an actor,†Penn told her. “No, you were hired in spite of it,†said Jarrett. “I am not unique in that a lot of people take a leave of absence from their primary job to work in public service.â€
“I learned some valuable lessons,†said Penn. “Despite being qualified, if you don’t utilize your networks, you might not be hired. And because of all the books I’ve read over the years, it meant that there were immense possibilities. That was made possible because of the work that you do,†he told the audience. “Thank you for having me and for yelling at me on the street the last two days.†â–
Discord started as a platform for gaming, specifically developed to use in large multiplayer games. It is used for people to connect with others about many things; gaming, hobbies, interests, and even for specific age groups. It can be used by any group based around a shared topic of interest. During the Friday session (Mar. 25), Connecting with Teens Using Discord, Cassie Leclair-Marzolf, and Mieke Nielson explained how Salt Lake County (UT) Library Services uses this platform in programming for teens.
“A good way to connect teens with other teens -- and with the librarians -- is by setting up a teen lounge,†said Nielson. “In our lounge server group, teens shared pictures of pets, school, and art work.†Nielson added that other popular “programs†include a Cosplay club, InkTober, Dungeons and Dragons, and an Anime club. “It takes a lot of relationship building to make it successful, but it is so worth it.â€
There were a number of reasons Salt Lake County Library Systems settled on using Discord.
- It is a versatile platform that allows for a lot of different uses.
- Discord is available on most devices, easing the digital divide.
- It is very customizable.
- There are multiple levels of safety.
- Teens are already there. Teen programming often works best if you go to where the teens are, rather than asking them to come to you.
Leclair-Marzolf suggested that one way to get buy-in for this type of programming is to tie it to your library’s mission, values, and goals. “Learn enough about the product to answer questions, be willing to compromise, and start with your immediate supervisor.â€
A Discord server is an invitation-only area where people can talk, share photos and links, listen to music, or play games together. In essence, it is a group. You can be invited to a server or create your own. “One way to get familiar with Discord is to create a practice space and start playing around with permissions, colors, and bots. That way you can get messy and figure it all out before going live,†said Leclair-Marzolf. “When we open a server, we turn our permissions on. When we close it, we turn them off. This way we can be sure an adult is in the room whenever teens are in the room.†She noted that you will want to determine ahead of time how many moderators should be present in a group and how you want them involved. “Anything used as a voice channel you will want your librarians involved.â€
Go to discordapp.com to develop your own server. â–
