LibraryAware

In this Issue:

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

UPCOMING EVENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW

FEATURED NCLA SECTION

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

August has arrived, signaling the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year. Many of us have opened our libraries, if only to a limited number of patrons, but some have not opened yet. Public libraries are offering curb service and hosting virtual story times, library staff are working staggered schedules, academics are making plans and figuring out what the fall semester is going to look like for their students. NCLA has been busy all summer long with Zoom sessions, keeping members connected. Our first virtual conference, “Uncancelled,” was a huge success in July, thanks to an awesome planning committee chaired by Amy Harris Houk.

The Executive Board held its quarterly meeting via Zoom on July 31...here are some highlights...

Timothy Owens appointed a task force during the State Library Commission meeting in May to come up with some guidelines for a second-wave response. Michael Roche, James Ryder and I have met to create a document which will be shared on the State Library’s website soon. I talked about this document with the board and led a discussion on what things have been like at our libraries since the shutdown and the slow re-opening of facilities.

Treasurer Amy Harris Houk gave us a refresher on the handling of NCLA finances, explaining that each section receives $5 for each member and that money allows them to hire speakers and offer scholarships for conference attendance. Many sections sponsored attendees for last month’s virtual conference. Our Endowment experienced a bit of a loss (as was expected given the stock market) during the 1st quarter, but we are hopeful that it will start to grow again!

This fall, CJCLS will continue to partner with NCCCLA to host monthly socials for discussions concerning all things “library” during these uncertain times. All are welcome. PLS is planning a virtual Fabulous Friday Conference scheduled for Oct 2, 2020. PLS will send out a request for proposals in mid or late August. Librarians Build Communities has been busy supporting health care workers: so far about 75 meals have been delivered to two different hospitals. All the sections have been quite active – there is not enough room here to include them all!

Teleworking and meeting virtually are not our norm. We have all attended so many webinars and online workshops for professional development this summer, most of us are ready to see each other in person again! We want to prevent the spread, so we do what we must, but hopefully a vaccine will be successful, and we can get back to work and back to having in-person conferences and meetings again! Today on NPR, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated, "From everything we've seen now — in the animal data, as well as the human data — we feel cautiously optimistic that we will have a vaccine by the end of this year and as we go into 2021. I don't think it's dreaming."

Stay well,
Libby Stone
NCLA Vice President

UPCOMING EVENTS

IRRT (International Relations Round Table) Webinar

Thursday, August 13 • 1pm

Julie Ann Winkelstein, Lecturer: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Creating Social Change through Library Education;

moderator, Dr. Clara Chu, Director of the Mortenson Center for International Library Programs

Register here

ANCHASL (Association of NC Health and Science Libraries) online meeting

Friday, August 28 •1 pm
Online Webinar

Please plan to join ANCHASL for our first online meeting and CE course presented by Connie Schardt, AHIP, FMLA, “Not All Systematic Reviews are Created Equal," a 90-minute session for 1.5 Medical Library Association CE credits. This CE course will be free to all current ANCHASL members. To join ANCHASL, and for meeting updates as they become available please visit this link.

Information literacy sessions in the sciences that focus on basic search techniques can be helpful to students, but often leave the librarian instructor wishing for more--more critical thinking, more substance, more information literacy at a deeper level. Take heart! We think carving even 5-15 minutes out of a session for a metacognitive activity can make a difference to you and the students attending the session.

In this workshop, participants will experience a variety of activities from a student’s vantage point, then discuss goals, implementation, and adaptation from the librarian’s perspective. Each activity is adaptable, has been utilized in science and other research based courses, and helps students think critically about information access, consumption, dissemination, or creation. Participants will leave with several substantive, Framework-based, adaptable activities to use with their students.

Please register here.

Save the Date, the Youth Services Section Fall Retreat is moving online. Join us for a series of sessions held on October 15th, 22nd, 29th, and November 5th to Connect and Collaborate with colleagues in order to Create new ways to serve youth in NC.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Attention PLS members! We are looking for presenters for this year’s Fabulous Friday Mini-Conference. If you are interested in presenting, please fill out the Google Form by August 29, 2020. All sessions will be presented virtually.

Thank you to everyone who helped to plan this conference, those who presented, and to the 270+ registered attendees!

You can view conference presentation recordings here (captions are coming soon!).
Session descriptions are available here.

Thanks to your generous support, LBC was able to feed healthcare workers in Lumberton and Charlotte - donate today at paypal.me/NCLALBC.

The Public Library section of the Southeastern Library Association (SELA) is seeking new members and committee members. Membership is affordable, only $10 per year for students and new members. More information and other dues categories are here.

What SELA can do for you at the public library:

leadership development and presentation experience
opportunities to network outside your state
mentor support
conference discounts

Open positions in the Public Library section include:

Secretary: duties include attending meetings and taking notes

Open projects in the Public Library section include:

Membership: promotes the Public Library section and encourages library staff to join, answers questions from potential members, helps create social media content to reach out to new members
Programs/Events: collects program/event ideas, tracks programs and events of the section, solicits presenters, helps to schedule and promote programs and events

And we are always open to new ideas! If you have a project looking for a home and of interest to public libraries let us know. If you'd like to get involved please e-mail Kate Engelbrecht, Chair.

The North Carolina Genealogical Society sponsors awards every year recognizing publications focusing on North Carolina records and family history. They also recognize an individual for outstanding contributions to North Carolina Genealogy. Please consider submitting nominations for the awards. The deadline is August 15th. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Daugherty, Awards Chair here.

Nomination forms can be found here.

COVID-19 and Libraries

How is your library responding to the COVID-19 pandemic? Do you have valuable resources to share? We’re compiling information in a document for all to use - feel free to add things!

Do you have an upcoming NCLA meeting or event? Even informal meetups with other NCLA members? Be sure to take a photo and share it with the NCLA Marketing Committee. You can email images to nclibraryassociation@gmail.com or tag them on social media using #NCLA. Maybe you'll see your photo on the website!

Check out this guide to voting & elections in NC, courtesy of GODORT (Government Documents Roundtable, ALA).

“We're so excited to have the Smithsonian WaterWays exhibit up at our library! In support of the exhibit we'll show some documentaries by appointment to allow for safe numbers and distancing, and we'll have a discussion out on our patio about the explorer William Bartram who travelled through here in the 1700's. We're also creating a film about our local river and its history, protectors and enthusiasts called "A Bird's Eye View of the Little Tennessee" which we hope to make available later this summer!"

LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW

Lisa Coats

Humanities Librarian

Randall Library, UNCW

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!”

From the age of 20, I ended up working in a variety of libraries such as the AIDS Library in Philadelphia, a law library in Washington D.C., a non-profit organization library, and more. Every time, I thought they were just "jobs" to pay the bills as I worked on my education, but clearly there was a trend and I was drawn to libraries. When I started working at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ in the library and archives there, I decided it was high time I get my library degree. Once I completed my MLIS at Rutgers, my first job as a professional was at a small public library branch. The best part of my day was at 3pm when all the local high school students would come in asking for help with their research. That's when I realized I really wanted to work in academia. I am so glad I made it to Randall Library at UNC Wilmington 9 years ago, which I am delighted to call home.

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?

I love helping students and faculty find resources they need -- and assist them in how to research for themselves. I find a combination of fishing a bit for people, and teaching them how to fish, works best for my style of assistance. This way, I can provide some resources, which makes most folks very happy, and I can send them along equipped to do it for themselves later.

3. Who are your library heroes in North Carolina and beyond?

My only "hero" was my father, Reed Coats, who was a public librarian for his entire career, so I guess you could say librarianship is in my blood. He used to bring home books, posters, and swag from ALA and PLA conferences from when we were very little. One poster that my sister and I had on our bedroom wall for years was the American Sign Language alphabet, so we were able to secretly communicate each other for years over dinner tables, at school, etc.

Someone I highly respect and has been an excellent mentor for me in NC is Anne Pemberton, Associate Director, Research and Instructional Services and Library Assessment at Randall Library, UNCW. She is the best supervisor I have ever had (for any job), and I've learned so much about librarianship and instruction from her. Anne also helped me to re-adopt a calmer, more southern demeanor after living in the Northeast for so many years, even though I grew up in Richmond, VA. I am so happy to feel comfortable saying "y'all" again!!!

4. Tell us a little about your interests and hobbies outside of the library.

Stereotypically, I love to read, but more, I like to discuss what I read so I have been in book clubs and studies for most of my adult life.  I'm currently in 3  -- two are on social justice and racial equity, while another is through the New Hanover County Public Library where we mostly focus on fiction.

I also practice yoga, and love to walk and swim for exercise.  While I try to meditate, I am more of a mindful movement personality, so the yoga, swimming, and walking are great ways to practice being in the present moment.

I enjoy the theatre, and have missed going to live performances of films, plays, music, and dance during the pandemic.  I do feel grateful for all the virtual options that have been made possible, many of them through libraries and museums.  The most recent event I "attended" was an interview with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi sponsored by the Prince George's County (MD) Public Memorial Library with 75K other viewers on YouTube!

Are you interested in being featured in the “Librarian Interview” section of the NCLA Newsletter? We are looking for members who want to share their experiences and advice with our membership. If you would like to be considered, please provide your name and contact information on this form.

FEATURED NCLA SECTION

Featured section of the month:

Special Collections Roundtable
Jennifer Daugherty; Head, NC Collection, Joyner Library, ECU

1. Who are the primary people that your section serves? Who should join?

The section serves anyone with an interest in Special Collections. Our members come from a variety of backgrounds: professionals and paraprofessionals working in academic libraries, public libraries, archives, manuscript repositories, and historical societies. We welcome any current member of NCLA to join. We are always looking for new members to contribute to discussions about Special Collections.

2. What's the history of this section? When and why was it created?

The Roundtable was established in 1989.

3. What types of programming do you offer?

During NCLA Conference years, the section puts together presentations and panels. In 2019, a preconference session focused on community scanning days and a conversation starter centered around community-led archiving. Webinars have also been offered in the past. The Roundtable is always looking for new speakers and topics for future webinars.

4. What's one thing you want people to remember about your section?

Not all members work in Special Collections. The section welcomes anyone with any level of interest to join and participate.

BOOK PICK

Practicing Mindfulness
by Matthew Sockolov

Mindfulness meditations are a great way to cultivate awareness and acceptance of the here and now―Practicing Mindfulness makes it easy and accessible with 75 evidence-based exercises designed to bring calmness and compassion into your day-to-day.

From finding focus with a 5-minute The Power of the Mind exercise to embracing the experience with a 25-minute Open-Awareness Meditation, Practicing Mindfulness provides the tools you need to relieve stress, improve wellness, and practice peace of mind moment to moment and throughout the daily grind.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Virtual Non-Fiction Book Talk
Wednesday, August 12 • 7 pm
High Point Public Library, virtual

Zoom in and share the joy of reading with the Virtual Non-Fiction Book Talk. The title you select is up to you, but this month’s genre for discussion if Racial Equality. Why or why not would you recommend your selected book? We will meet via Zoom at 7 pm the second Wednesday of the month. Please contact Maxine Days at 336-883-3646 or maxine.days@highpointnc.gov for the Zoom link.