Brrrr...it's cold outside! Winter has finally arrived in North Carolina, and I couldn't be happier. I love cold weather! If you look closely, you can still see a little snow on the ground. Will we have more winter weather in February? I have no idea, but I have enjoyed being inside these last few weeks, binge watching Netflix and sipping hot beverages.
 
We held our first Executive Board meeting on January 28th via Zoom. Our sections and committees have been busy since our conference! You can view all of the reports and meeting minutes on our Executive Board webpage.  During the meeting, we offered an orientation for our new board members. In April, we are planning an all day, in person EB meeting for a deep dive into our bylaws, breakouts on self care and time for discussion. Traditionally, the EB has always held meetings quarterly and in person around the state. Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, our meetings have been on Zoom. We want to be safe, but we have sorely missed being together! To quote a past conference theme, we are "stronger together."
 
The numbers are in, our bills have been paid and I am happy to report that our conference was a financial success. We didn't break any records, but we did make a little money. With the pandemic and the uncertainty that came with it, we knew that this conference would not be a big money maker, but I'm so pleased that our conference planning committee put together a successful program. Conferences are what keep our association financially healthy and allow us to meet our goals by offering our members more opportunities for discussion of important issues facing libraries, networking and professional growth. Recordings of many of the 64th biennial conference sessions will be available for registrants until April 22, 2022 in Whova. 
 
In the next few months, I will be appointing a new special committee to work with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). If you are interested in volunteering, email me as soon as possible. If you are looking for other ways to get involved, reach out to one of our sections or committee chairs!
 
You may have noticed that we have a new listserv through Simplelists! Special thanks to former TNT Section Chair, Chad Haefele for his work on getting that set up for us. All NCLA members will automatically be added to the listserv (you can unsubscribe if you wish). Please add the address to your allowed, non-spam list: ncla-all-members@ncla.simplelists.com. If you are not receiving any messages from NCLA, please check your spam folder or reach out to our web team or administrative assistant.
 
Enjoy every day, take time for yourself, and take time to make connections with other NCLA members. Stay warm, stay healthy and stay well!

I'm actually one of many library-and-literacy folks on both sides of my family. I suppose you could say I grew up in libraries! My great-aunt Georgia Taylor was a middle school librarian in east central Mississippi and I spent at least a couple of weeks every summer with her and at least one or two days of that time was spent updating her catalog and rearranging shelves. She would let me read the new arrivals to get my reviews! My first official job in libraries was as the student administrative assistant to the University Librarian while getting my degree at UNC Asheville. I very quickly realized that I found my "happy place" again. Leah Dunn, my first director and long-time NC librarian who is now at Columbia University, introduced me to the whole myriad possibilities about pursuing libraries as a career. I can happily blame her for getting me into this field officially! 

I love the fact that my job never looks the same two days in a row! For example, I've spent time today working on grant application narratives, meeting with undergraduate students about their research, troubleshooting a 3D printer with an attitude, reading reviews for collection development, working on my biography for a publication…it's such a fun variety of work! I find such inspiration in my fellow librarians and library staff across the entirety of our field, from public to school to academic to archives and beyond! We can share so many ideas and be such cheerleaders for each other.

Oh gosh, narrowing down a list is hard! I've already mentioned Leah Dunn, who I owe so much to and admire her kindness and determination SO MUCH. Brandy Bourne, my long-time supervisor/mentor/sounding board, inspires me to continue to be creative and innovative and to be confident that being me is the best thing I can be. I could name so, so, so many folks that I get inspired by daily and that keep me doing what I'm doing, but this column would stretch on for pages on pages! I will end by saying that my participation in the Leadership Institute has given me an incredible community of heroes, colleagues, and friends that inspire me to be the best person and library professional I can be.