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In this Issue:
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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.
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In the August newsletter, I wrote, “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.’” We are getting closer, but we are not there yet. The conference planning committee has been discussing whether we can plan some type of hybrid conference for October 2021 that includes some in-person sessions but perhaps mostly virtual sessions. Our next conference planning committee meeting is December 1st. We are developing a survey so that our members can have a say in how they want our next conference to happen. This is YOUR conference, and we want to make it the best one yet. Stay tuned for the survey in the January newsletter... I hope you all have a wonderful (if different) holiday season and stay well! NCLA 2021 Conference Chair, VP/PE
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NCLA along with the Leadership, Administration, and Management (LAMS) Section is pleased to partner with NC LIVE on virtual workshops for library leaders. Guest facilitators will share their knowledge on specific leadership competencies and guide you through common leadership challenges. Whether you are in a leadership position already, or aspire to be, consider registering for an upcoming Leadership Development workshop. Is there a local library leader that you'd like to suggest as a session facilitator? Send a message to help@nclive.org. To register for an upcoming workshop visit this link.
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North Carolina Libraries: Latest Issue Now Available! View the latest issue here.
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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!
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Lisa Gregory Program Coordinator NC Digital Heritage Center 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!” The first library job I had that made me feel like I had found the profession for me was in the visual resources library at the University of New Mexico. I worked the front desk, serving up slides and slide trays to the faculty and graduate students. Thanks to some amazing coworkers, I also tried my hand at other tasks – copy cataloging, mounting and labeling slides, entering metadata, and scanning. I was introduced to ideas around the transition from analog to digital, and the challenges of copyright and open access – all things that play a key role in my job today. I loved that job and the coworkers I had there and am so grateful that they allowed me to explore different parts of librarianship. 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? There are a couple of things that keep me going to work every day. I love working with professionals around the state who want to see their special collections online but are wearing approximately 18 hats and that’s where we come in. Sometimes it’s the first exposure they might have to digitization, sometimes they’re experts, but regardless being able to provide that service for them gives me a lot of enjoyment. Library jobs aren’t the easiest – budgets are cut, people don’t understand what we do and they question why we’re doing it. I get inspiration from the people I work with who are passionate about access and preservation and equity. I have some of the best colleagues you can imagine and they keep me going when I get frustrated or discouraged. I always tell students interested in a library career that the people you work with can make or break a job. 3. Who are your library heroes in North Carolina and beyond? This is a hard one – I have a lot of them! I really admire the library heroes who are questioning the status quo in libraries and working to make change, particularly related to white dominance and the lack of equity in collections and services. I also admire the people working in public libraries. Those jobs are some of the most demanding I can imagine, and I am in awe of the compassion, professionalism, and perseverance of those staff. They’re asked to do so many things – whether it’s help individuals look for jobs, work with children who need help with literacy, or support seniors looking for engagement – and for so little money or recognition. 4. Tell us a little about your interests and hobbies outside of the library. This will shock everyone, but I like to read (ha). Mostly fantasy and science fiction, some non-fiction. I just finished The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemisin and am looking forward to reading Brandon Sanderson’s new release. During the pandemic I’ve been spending too much of my money on LEGO and I enjoy the modular building and Creator sets. I picked up that hobby recently from my spouse and my 7-year-old son, and I expect that’ll be how we will spend much of this winter! 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.
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Featured section of the month: Library Advocacy & Legislation Section Submitted by Martha McGehe 1. Who are the primary people that your section serves? Who should join?
Our section supports all libraries- school, academic, public, special collection and beyond. We are here to assist with existing advocacy and spark new initiatives to help stakeholders recognize the vital importance of thriving libraries. Any librarian or library supporter should feel free to join and will be of enormous value to our section and our efforts. Our committee feels that library advocacy is a fundamental part of every library employee’s job on both a small and large scale. Learning to advocate for yourself and your library will benefit both your own career and the career of every librarian in the state. One thing we have learned over the years is that ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL. While we can facilitate meetings with legislators it is imperative that librarians join us to represent their local congressional districts (NC1-NC13). Please consider our new section as we may need to call upon you to represent your congressional district. 2. What's the history of this section? When and why was it created?
The committee was founded many years ago to support and strengthen the advocacy efforts of libraries and librarians in North Carolina at both the state and federal level. Seven years ago Anthony Chow (UNCG) and LaJuan Pringle (Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System) were asked to become the leaders and they have been at the helm since that time. The committee has annually supported libraries by attending State Library Legislative Day (Raleigh) and National Library Legislative Day (Washington D.C.) as well as recruiting student ambassadors to meet with stakeholders in libraries throughout the state. In the spring of 2020 the committee began the process of becoming a formal NCLA section. 3. What types of programming do you offer? We meet with legislators and library stakeholders and help facilitate a ripple of additional meetings. We attend National Library Legislative Day in Washington D.C. and State Library Legislative Day in Raleigh annually. Now that we are a new section we will be offering an advocacy workshop at least once a year. 4. What's one thing you want people to remember about your section?
Advocacy is all about relationships. As you might expect most legislators do not have an accurate view of what libraries do or are in modern times. Building those relationships is not about whether you are advocacy or not it is about making the time to build and maintain those relationships. Advocacy is for everyone and it is VITAL. Everyone benefits from library advocacy and everyone has what it takes to be a library advocate. You may not think that you have the personality required to be an advocate for libraries but you will find that all that is needed is the conviction that libraries are essential and a story to tell to that effect. Library advocacy takes many forms- it may mean speaking to your boss about what you need to be successful or it may mean meeting with your senator in their chambers on Capitol Hill, both conversations are essential and can be supported by our section. Good advocacy and legislation is 12 months a year and is not as effective as it could be if it is only done once a year at a legislative day. You MUST reach out to your local legislators and have them visit your library as often as possible and at least once.
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My True Love Gave to Me:Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins
Collects twelve holiday-themed romances featuring relationships that blossom during Christmas, Hanukkah, the winter solstice, and Kwanzaa by such young adult authors as Jenny Han, Holly Black, and Myra McEntire.
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North Carolina Library Association 265 Eastchester Drive Suite 133, #364 High Point, North Carolina 27262
www.nclaonline.org/ |
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