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Trustees, Friends, & Foundations |
August 2023 |  |
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Welcome to the Trustees, Friends, & Foundations Newsletter!
A monthly update on items relevant to those
who work as or with Library Trustees, Friends, and Foundations.
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| From July 25, 2023
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — Melody Hotek watched the library board room filling up and knew she was in for a tough night. Soon every seat was taken and people lined the walls, some 120 in total, with two sheriff’s deputies on hand for any trouble.
“This is quite a crowd, and I am nervous,” Hotek said into the microphone as she convened her first meeting as chairwoman of the Samuels Public Library trustees. In the two years she’d been a member of the board, the 70-year-old grandmother was used to quiet sessions with zero spectators... |
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| From August 11, 2023
...It's something of a "new normal" here — as it is around the nation. No longer are just books under fire, but also the library administrators, teachers and long-beloved librarians who are defending them. They're being shouted down by parents, vilified on billboards, reported to the police, and trolled online, leaving many fearing for their safety.
"I had an actual death threat," says Livingston Parish school librarian Amanda Jones, her voice breaking as she recalls one particular post: "We know where you work + live....u have a LARGE target on ur back. Click... Click... See you soon."... |
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Sign Up with the Virginia Library Association as an Advocate! |
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Click HERE and sign up for the VLA Advocacy Center Mailing List to make sure you're receiving Virginia action alerts and updates on policy issues related to the library field. This will help you keep abreast of legislation that could affect your local library and community.
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UNITED FOR LIBRARIES RESOURCES |
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Virginia library staff and stakeholders (folks like
you!) have access to a whole host of resources from United for Libraries.
Click to get the CHEAT SHEET signed up and in.
| Already signed up? Click HERE to access everything through the ALA eLearning Platform! |
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Now Available on the ALA eLearning Platform! |
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You know the value of your library, but elected officials, donors, community leaders, funders, and other important stakeholders may not. How can you make the library a priority for these groups, who may have preconceived notions about what the library does, as you compete with other important community organizations for funding? In this eCourse you'll learn about using The E’s of Libraries® (Education, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Engagement, and Empowerment) to quickly demonstrate why your library is essential and worthy of funding. With the help of worksheets, charts, and prompts, you will learn how to:
- use language designed to win over stakeholders, funders, and partners;
- craft custom messaging in several formats that is easily accessible and memorable, including elevator speeches, budget presentations, and annual appeals; and
- create presentations and other materials tailored to any audience based on the sample documents included.
This package includes the eBook, an introductory webinar, a learning/action plan to facilitate focused work and outcomes, and additional resources. All webinars and resources are accessible through this course. |
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| Welcome to the Board - Understanding Library Budgets |
One of the most important things you’ll participate in as a board member is library budgeting. The director and staff will draft the budget, but you’ll play a key role in reviewing and approving allocations and expenditures...
(Self-paced through Niche Academy -- see below for access info) |
| Access Here
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AI and Libraries: Enhancing Services and Engaging Communities |
Learn about AI fundamentals, its relevance to libraries of all sizes and types, and how it can enhance services and engage communities. Discover various uses of AI, such as data analysis and service development, and gain practical tips on integrating AI using affordable and accessible tools...
(Recorded 8.9.23) |
| View Here
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| Writing Policy Without Worry |
Good policies are an essential part of library operations. They help to create and enforce expectations and rules as well as serving as a guiding framework for decision making. Unfortunately, writing policies can sometimes be very stressful and time consuming...
(Occurs 8.30.23 - 10a) |
| Register Here
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Trustee, Friends, and Foundation members have access to the Library of Virginia's Niche Academy, a place for online learning. Please note, if you register with a non-library issued e-mail address, someone from the Library of Virginia will follow up with you to verify with which library you're affiliated before you can access the content.
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Click on the image to learn more about each title, and then use your local library to request them from the Library of Virginia.
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| July 20, 2023
During the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors Meeting on Monday, July 17, 2023, the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution supporting BOCO Library Director Julie Phillips and her staff. In recent months, Ms. Phillips and the BOCO Library staff have come under personal attack by members of our community, both in person, in local media and online. The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors has the utmost confidence in Ms. Phillips and her staff to lead the Botetourt County Libraries and the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors will not allow Ms. Phillips or her staff to be persecuted for doing the job that they are tasked to do, and that job is to serve all citizens of Botetourt County...
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Has your library had some outstanding work featured lately in your area that you'd like to share it with the wider Virginia library world?
Share that "Good News" with Public Library Consultant, Reagen Thalacker by sending an e-mail to reagen.thalacker@lva.virginia.gov with the link to the article to be highlighted in the next monthly newsletter!
| QUOTED |
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"Libraries offer much more than books on the shelf, and when you attack libraries, you're ultimately jeopardizing everything libraries do in service to and in support of their communities."
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Sonia Alcántara-Antoine, President of the Public Library Association, "The Plot Thickens: The Battle Over Books Comes at a Cost", NPR, August 11, 2023
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This newsletter is brought to you by the Library Development & Networking Division of the Library of Virginia. Funding for this is provided through the Virginia General Assembly and the Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS).
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