In this Issue:

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
UPCOMING EVENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW
BOOK PICK
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Welcome to the North Carolina Library Association’s monthly eNewsletter! A production of the NCLA Marketing Committee, the eNewsletter is devoted to highlighting professional events and programs, librarians making exceptional differences in their communities, and how the association is working to serve YOU! Please subscribe and your feedback is always welcome.
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
 
Welcome Spring! Despite changes to the weather, such as thunderstorms and a wave of pollen that has settled over all of us, we want to welcome spring and endure those discomforts long enough to get to the other side of fun in the sun and summer. I use this analogy to talk about our transition to a new NCLA membership software, Wild Apricot. Our website development team led by Erin Holmes has been hard at work and we have begun the transition process.
 
With that said, we have disabled the links on the current website for membership renewals through April 15th, at which time you will receive a notification to renew if that is your usual annual time. Over the course of the next several weeks, you will receive more information about the new website, the tie-in with our upcoming conference, and the new software we are using for it. The next Executive Board meeting will be on April 26th at UNC-Greensboro and will be a working session for training board members on details of using Wild Apricot. This will be further rolled out to NCLA members including information sessions at conference in October.
 
Part of this transition includes changing the concept of the NCLA office. With Kim Parrott leaving, we need to reconsider how we interact and how best to move the business of the organization forward. Specifically, please update your contact information to reflect the following changes:
  • The current office number used by NCLA is (919) 839-6252 and will continue to be used for telephone communications. The other number that you might be using is Kim’s personal number. When calling the (919) 839-6252 number, it will rollover to my office phone for the time being so that I can direct calls as needed.
     
  • The physical address for NCLA will change as well even though we currently still have the physical office at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. We are directing association postal mail to a PO Box and can become movable as needed. Please start using the following address for any paper correspondence for NCLA:
North Carolina Library Association
265 Eastchester Dr
Suite 133, #364
High Point, NC 27262
  • Email will stay the same nclaonline@gmail.com as well as the listserv for now. As we learn more and dig deeper into Wild Apricot, other changes might occur down the road. We will keep you posted!
     
  • Kim will be around at least for the next three months in a part-time capacity, so we will still have her institutional knowledge to support us. She is also representing NCLA for Wanda’s preparation to become ALA president.
Overall, we are excited about Wild Apricot’s enhanced technology which will enable us to improve communications and event planning, and I encourage you to embrace these changes as we make this transition. Please call or email the NCLA office if you have questions—someone is still there.
 
For those of you who are planning on attending ALA in Washington DC this June, please consider signing up for the Inaugural Gala for Wanda Brown. This event occurs after the closing session on Tuesday and is fee based but we want to give a strong showing of support for one of our own as she starts her presidential year. We look forward to seeing you there.
 
Finally, on a very somber note, we lost two important folks to us over the last couple of weeks, Susan Nutter, long-time Dean of the NCSU libraries, and Brandy Burnette, a graduate of the 2016 NCLA Leadership Institute. These women represented both ends of the scale, a long time highly influential member of our profession and a young woman full of potential who embraced our profession whole-heartedly. They will be honored at conference this year along with others we have lost, but I wanted to share my reflection on how precious life is and how your influence might be stronger than you think.
 
Enjoy spring—we have a lot to look forward to this summer and fall and we need your energy!!
 
Mike
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
NCLA Seeking Scholarship Applicants
Deadline: Friday, May 31, 2019
 
 
 Every biennium, NCLA awards scholarships at the annual conference.  Whether you are about to be a library school student, currently in library school, or already a librarian seeking to continue your studies, if you are getting this newsletter you are probably eligible!  The deadline for applications is May 31, 2019.
 
For more information visit this link.
 
NCLA DLS Discusses!:
Inclusive Online Teaching
Monday, April 22 • 12 pm
Online Meeting
 
 NCLA Distance Learning Section has created a series of brown bag lunch virtual meetings for librarians to get together and have a conversation about topics to do with online learning and 
e-learning.  There will be a moderator of the session, but these sessions are meant to be a conversation between a group of librarians.  They are not recorded in order to encourage open conversation.
 
To register please visit this link.
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS 
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New website coming soon!
 
This year, NCLA is migrating our membership platform and website to Wild Apricot. It will take us a few months to completely transition and we plan to be fully migrated to the new platform by June 1, 2019. What does this mean for you? It mean a brand new website that makes it easier to find the information you need and a streamlined way to manage your NCLA membership and event registration. Stay tuned for more information!
 
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NCLA members Wanda Brown, also ALA President-Elect, and Dr. Anthony Chow, UNCG Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the NCLA Advocacy and Legislative Committee,  represented North Carolina at ALA's first ever Legislative Day Fly-In. Due to ALA annual taking place this summer in D.C. there will not be the regular Leg. Day in D.C. this year.
 
The primary goals were to provide in-depth training to a few advocates from each state and Wanda and Anthony held three legislative meetings with Senator Burr's Office, Senator Tillis' Office, and with Congresswoman Foxx who maintained her steadfast support for libraries.
 
Check out this article from American Libraries for more information about Legislative Day Fly-In. 
 
LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW
Evan Schmoll
Collections Coordinator
Teaching Resources Center | Joyner Library
 
1. What was the first library job you had that made the little voice in your head go, “Yes—I have found the profession for me!”
 
I was working at the library at the MCAS Cherry Point when I began grad school for my MLS. Everything clicked when I was helping patrons, planning story times, and applying what I was learning to my everyday duties and I haven’t looked back!
 
2. What part of your job keeps you going to work every day? How do you continue to find inspiration and passion in the library field?
 
Two big things keep me going: the people and the constant change. The patrons I serve are the number one reason I come to work. No matter how big or small a question is, the ability to help someone is rewarding. The second thing is the evolution of libraries and the library profession. The innovation we see, and get to be a part of, is exciting.
 
3. Who are your library heroes in North Carolina and beyond?
 
In North Carolina, Wanda Kay Brown is my personal library hero. Her journey in her career is inspiring, and I admire her passion for professional development and the advocacy she does for libraries and librarians. Plus, she’s a former NCLA president and about to be the ALA president! I am also inspired by librarians like Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and Dr. Carla Hayden and her staff in Baltimore, MD who put the library and community first in times of need.
 
 
4. Tell us a little about your interests and hobbies outside of the library.
 
Outside of the library, my sister is a huge part of my life. She has Down Syndrome and any time I spend with her is a good time! We go to a lot of movies and do arts & crafts together. Also, in stereotypical library fashion, I enjoy reading and playing with my two cats.
BOOK PICK
Dead on Arrival
by Jaki Shelton Green

Reissue of Jaki Shelton Green's acclaimed premier collection of poetry. Green's earlier works pulse with the intoxicating rhythms and fierce clarity of image that made her one of North Carolina's most popular poets. Here is an artist at turns angry and wickedly funny, demanding justice yet possessed of a refined grace.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Looking for something new to offer?  Check out these awesome programs!
 


North Carolina Library Association
1811 Capital Blvd.
Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
(919) 839-6252

www.nclaonline.org/