In this Issue:

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
UPCOMING EVENTS
LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW
SUCCESS STORY
BOOK PICK
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
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
Happy Back-to-School,
 
Going back to school is so familiar to us all but in very different ways. Academic libraries, which typically start sooner, are over the beginning humps. Public libraries have concluded their summer reading activities and begun to transition into fall events and holidays, and schools are in the process of getting kids, teachers, and librarians acclimated to the new school year.
 
Returning to school can have a large personal impact, especially depending on where you work, how old your kids are, and what stage of life you are at. However, going back to school can be an exciting and refreshing time as the academic cycle is renewed, so I encourage you all to find a way to enjoy it!
 
The impact to NCLA is significant as well, as we are hosting a wonderful array of events across many of our sections, and recruitment for the next crop of library school students has begun as well. In this cycle of renewal and refreshment, we want our members to take advantage of program options that we are providing and encourage those who aren’t members to join our network of experience in order to learn and enhance professional skills. And sometimes we like to just have FUN!
 
Planning has also started for next year’s big events such as National Library Legislative Day and our 2019 Annual Conference. Please register for events from the website or from Facebook links, and volunteer to get involved. You will be working with some great colleagues.
 
Another note of interest is that we were represented this year at the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) by Lynda Kellam, our ALA Councilor and Wanda Brown, ALA President-Elect. Both Lynda and Wanda serve on the NCLA Executive Board. We hope to hear more about their experience later this year, and you can see more about the IFLA Conference at https://2018.ifla.org/.
 
Hope to see you at a meeting or event soon,
Mike
UPCOMING EVENTS
Help! I'm an Accidental Government Librarian:
The Current Population Survey: Methodology and Content
Thursday, September 13 • 12 pm
Online Meeting
 
The Government Resources Section of the North Carolina Library Association welcomes you to a series of webinars designed to help us increase our familiarity with government information. All are welcome because government information wants to be free. 
 
From its original purpose in providing national employment data, to data on voting patterns and internet usage, the Current Population Survey offers terrific breadth and depth of statistics about the U.S.  This presentation by members of the CPS staff at the Census Bureau will go in-depth on the topics included and the methodology used to collect the data for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the main sponsor of the surve
y.
 
To register please visit this link.
 
NCLA DLS Discusses!:
Creating Partnerships in Distance Learning
Monday, September 17 • 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 elearning.  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. This session will be moderated by Nora Burmeister.
 
To register please visit this link.
 
Triad OER Workshop
Tuesday, September 4
Librarian Session • 10 am-12 pm
Instructor Session • 1-2:30 pm
UNC-Greensboro
 
Triange OER Workshop
Tuesday, September 11
Librarian Session • 10 am-12 pm
Instructor Session • 1-2:30 pm
North Carolina State University
 
NC LIVE is holding workshops around the state to give faculty, instructors, and the library community an introduction to open education in general and the Open Education North Carolina initiative specifically. Attendees will leave with an actionable understanding of the initiative, resources available to them for promotion and adoption, and readiness to apply for a grant.
 
To register please visit this link.
 
NC Live Regional Workshop
Friday, September 28 • 10 am-4 pm
Martian Memorial Library; Williamston, NC
 
Finding the time and funding to develop your leadership skills can be challenging. That’s why NC LIVE is offering a free Leadership Development regional workshop series this fall. Guest facilitators will share their knowledge on specific leadership competencies through active learning exercises that will give you the opportunity to experience and learn to navigate common leadership challenges. Some of the competencies we will cover include:
 
• leading organizational change
• managing conflict
• finding talent
• developing strategy
• navigating workplace politics.

Whether you are in a leadership position already, or aspire to be, consider registering for an upcoming NC LIVE regional workshop and earning an NC LIVE Leadership certificate!
 
To register please visit this link.
 
LIBRARIAN INTERVIEW
Chelsea Brantley
Media Coordinator 
Dare County Public Schools
 
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 my earliest memories checking out towering stacks of books, I have always loved the library. Despite this devout dedication as a patron, it did not originally occur to me to become a librarian. I was a classroom teacher. This all changed, though, when I moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When I arrived at my new home, I saw a job listing for a children’s librarian at one of the Dare County Libraries. At that time, I considered how much fun it would be to bring the same love of free reading that I possessed to new generations of children! Once I was in my position, I was hooked. There was nothing more rewarding than seeing kids in my new community enjoy programs and check out their favorite books with such enthusiasm! I loved having the ability to be creative in my approach to storytime, and I especially loved seeing the community come together to support our summer reading program. Now, as a teacher-librarian, I am able to combine the expertise that I have been working my entire academic career to develop. I love working in the school system where I can reach so many kids! Still, I will always be grateful for my first opportunity to become a librarian and find the perfect career for me!
 
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 go to work every day for my students. They inspire me through their positivity, inquisitiveness, and desire to make a difference. In order to serve all students to the best of my ability, I listen thoroughly to their interests and show them that the library gives them new opportunities to grow and share. They have voices that need to be heard! They count on me to know them and their preferences, and I take great pride in developing relationships with them. My ultimate desire is that students will associate the library with a feeling of acknowledgement and appreciation, so they will continue to return to the library throughout their lives.
 
3. Who are your library heroes in North Carolina and beyond?
 
I am so inspired by the amazing librarians in North Carolina! I give so much credit to my amazing professors at East Carolina University that have strengthened my passion for librarianship and helped me establish international connections within the field. Dr. Barbara Marson and Dr. Kaye Dotson were expert leaders on international educational experiences in both Lisbon, Portugal, and Paris, France. Learning about school, family, and community partnerships provided such valuable outcomes for my own community, as I realized the importance of incorporating more global experiences into the classes I teach.
 
I am also constantly inspired by the leadership in the North Carolina School Library Media Association. Presidents of the organization, such as Brene Duggins, Bitsy Griffin, and Sedley Abercrombie, have served as the type of school librarians that I want to be. I am so grateful for their outstanding leadership and advocacy for our profession!
 
4. Tell us a little about your interests and hobbies outside of the library.
 
Outside of the library, I am a passionate world explorer. I love to travel and visit as many new locales as possible. This summer, in addition to traveling with East Carolina University to Paris, I visited Porto, Portugal, San Francisco, California, and Chicago, Illinois. I love learning about each of these cities and experiencing what makes them unique. Specifically, I love to find great hikes, vegan restaurants, and live music in each place I visit. Of course, no trip is complete without visiting the public library! I am so grateful for these experiences, and even more grateful that I can travel through literature at any given time!
SUCCESS STORY
Haywood County Public Library had its third annual LibraryCon on Saturday, June 23rd with 180 attendees. This year we expanded and partnered with the First Methodist Church next door to offer more programs. LibraryCon is a mini convention for lovers of comics and cosplay. This program is another way that the library is establishing itself as a community hub. One of the main goals was bringing people to the library that might not normally visit. LibraryCon brought in a variety of people,  locals and from out of town, young and old. We had attendees from Buncombe and Jackson County as well as a family who came up from South Carolina.  Local shops donated comics and door prizes for the con goers. We held workshops, live gaming demos, and a costume contest.
 

US Environmental Protection Agency Library in Research Triangle Park was named the 2017 Federal Library of the Year by the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) at the Library of Congress. The EPA-RTP Library is staffed under contract by the UNC-CH School of Information and Library Science.
 
The EPA-RTP library provides access to accurate, timely, and usable information to support the research mission and policy decisions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The library serves as a vital tool to the EPA staff and contractors in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
 
For more information visit this link.
 
BOOK PICK
The Awakened Woman
by Tererai Trent

An educator, humanitarian and motivational speaker uses the idea of the sacred dream as the basis for nine essential lessons to encourage women to tap into their hidden power and use their wisdom, skills and visions to inspire, create and transform the world.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
Looking for something new to offer?  Check out these awesome programs!
 
ASC Cultural Blocks: Piano Jazz
Thursday, September 13 • 5:30 pm
Sugar Creek Library; Mecklenburg County

Dapper Street presents live Piano Jazz with history, dialog and storytelling.This event is sponsored by Culture Blocks, a community partnership between ASC, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation to bring arts and cultural experience closer to where residents live. Culture Blocks is funded by Mecklenburg County. 


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

www.nclaonline.org/