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Woodlands Updates


Our cooperative's committees will be meeting in the coming weeks to plan training and programming opportunities for our membership for the next two years. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to serve. I am looking forward to the amazing things I know will be happening!

If you are hosting an event or program at your library and would like me to attend, please be sure to invite me (Facebook event invites don't count - please email or call!) and let me know so I can make the appropriate arrangements to be there. I really love visiting our libraries, but please know, I make it a policy to NOT just pop in unannounced. If I'm in the area, I may give you a call or send a message to see if you're available, but otherwise, I won't just show up at your building unless I'm there as a patron. When I served as a library director and as a branch manager, I found it frustrating when someone just stopped by and wanted to chit chat. Sure, lots of times it was that annoying salesperson making a cold call, but more often than not, it was someone I truly wanted to talk with but I was on my way out the door for a meeting,  we were short staffed and I was covering the circ desk, or the public restroom had flooded and I was on my way to fix it with plunger in hand. When I visit with you, whether it's at your library or at a nearby coffee shop, I want to be able to give you my undivided attention, and I'd like that from you as well. 

As always, I am available to come out and work with you and your board. I can customize a board orientation, which covers the basics for library trustees who are new or need a refresher on their roles and responsibilities. I can also speak on specific topics or issues (FOIA, Open Meetings Act, etc). you may be experiencing at your library. Considering district library formation? I can speak on that topic as well. If you're holding a staff in-service day, I can join you and your staff for all or part of your day and talk about the cooperative or other topics.  If you just need to talk and sort through library stuff, I can meet with you at your library or we can meet offsite. Just call or email and we'll make it happen. 
I'm constantly told, "remember to take time for yourself," but do I actually do it? Or, do you do what I do and wait until you're run down and fighting sickness to actually take time off?   I have a ton of accumulated vacation time, but wasn't actually using any of it. My excuse was that I was saving the time so I could go to Phoenix to visit with my parents, but let's be real: the time I have saved well surpasses what I'd need for that trip.  Then the sinus crud hit hard and at the same time, so did the realization that if I tweaked some things on my calendar, I could take the Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week off. Combine that with the holiday closures and I had a full week away. 

I slept in a little bit, and snuck in a few naps. The kiddo still went to preschool and the husband still went to work, so there were days when I had the entire house to myself. I got a haircut. I took myself to lunch. I experimented with my Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) and made some delicious breakfasts. I worked on genealogy projects, and at one point, I listened to three of my favorite albums in their entirety, very loudly, without interruption. I might have even danced around the living room. I visited with my oldest friend and her parents, attended a friend's surprise birthday party, and did some online shopping but avoided the chaos and crowds of Black Friday.

I'll admit, taking a staycation when I primarily work from my home office is kind of weird. I found it hard to avoid logging in to check my work email when I was near a computer, but I knew in the long run, it was the right thing to do, for me and for the cooperative. Our member libraries knew the office was closed, as Laura was on vacation as well. I was available via cell phone if a situation came up that couldn't wait until today. Last night, before I went to bed, I sorted through the work things that were sitting on my desk, so that when I started work this morning I was ready and refreshed.  What are you doing to take care of yourself so that you're at your best and brightest? Are you using your vacation time, even if you don't leave town? 

Tech News

Woodlands will reimburse member libraries the cost of their MCLS membership - just email or fax a copy of your paid invoice. Since MCLS's budget year is different from the cooperative's budget year and likely different from your library's budget year, we are leaving it up to you to decide if or when to submit. MCLS's year is July 1 through June 30, so we're already almost halfway through their year. You are welcome to wait until spring, but if you want to take advantage of training or other MCLS offerings, you can submit now for your reimbursement. 

Goodwill Community Foundation Learn Free offers a huge collection of free courses on nearly any tech topic, including Windows 10, digital devices, and the latest versions of MS Office. This is a great resource to use when it comes to making sure you and your staff have updated skills to meet the continually changing skill needs of our patrons. 

Nonprofit Websites: 5 Ways to Keep Them Fresh - this applies to libraries (and cooperatives!) as well!  Easy things you can do to keep drawing traffic to your library's web page.

Grant Opportunities

With a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the American Library Association (ALA) is launching the sixth round of American Dream grants to public libraries to expand services to adult English language learners and/or adults in need of basic education and workforce development. For Round Six we are offering one-time $10,000 grants.  To be eligible for funding, the applicant institution must be a public library within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store, distribution center or corporate office. The application deadline is January 2, 2018

Arts Midwest partners with the National Endowment for the Arts to offer BigRead grants to libraries and other nonprofits to host a community-wide book club in their local area with the goal of inspiring readership.  Deadline: January 24, 2018

Public libraries that serve small and/or rural communities are invited to apply for a travel stipend to attend a one-day dialogue and deliberation pre-conference workshop at the 2018 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in New Orleans. “Libraries Transforming Communities: Conversation Café Workshop for Public Libraries Serving Small, Mid-Sized and/or Rural Communities” will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 22, 2018, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Attending the pre-conference is free, though space will be limited to 50 participants. Twenty-five participants from public libraries serving small and/or rural communities will be selected to receive an $800 stipend to help cover travel costs for one library employee.  Those interested in applying for a travel stipend should read the project guidelines and submit an online application by March 9, 2018. Applicants need not be ALA members.
The Library of Michigan has announced the new Ready to Read Michigan, a program designed for public libraries to encourage families and caregivers to read aloud regularly to children during the early stages of life (birth up to age 5), as it ensures the development of early literacy skills and instills a love of reading. The program is designed for public librarians to model early literacy skill development directly to families and engage in outreach to early childhood centers, Great Start & Head Start classrooms, and daycares throughout their community.
 
The first book selected for public library outreach is I Got the Rhythm by
Connie Schofield-Morrison and illustrated by Frank Morrison.  The author/illustrator tour is hosted by public libraries during “March is Reading Month” to promote the importance of reading aloud to young children throughout the state.  
 
The Library of Michigan is looking for public libraries which would like to have the author and illustrator visit on March 19-22, 2018. Libraries must be able to coordinate the event with a local early childhood center, daycare, Great State, Head Start, preschool or kindergarten class(es). If you would like your public library to be considered as a host, please complete the
Ready to Read Michigan Tour Visit 2018 form by December 8, 2018.

Awards & Recognition Opportunities


Do you know someone at a small or rural library who is a leader in our profession?  Do you have a Trustee or Friend who goes above and beyond the call of duty to promote and advance your library? Do you know a small or rural library that truly excels?  It’s time again to nominate libraries, staff, trustees, and friends of small and rural libraries for a Loleta Fyan Small and Rural Libraries Conference Award. The conference will be held at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme outside Traverse City, from April 30-May 2, 2018. Nominations are due by Friday, January 12, 2018 to norriss2@michigan.gov or by post to Sonya Schryer Norris, Library of Michigan, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI 48909.
 
Did your Friends of the Library group carry out an outstanding project or a number of successful activities in your community during 2017 that had a significant impact on your library’s services to the community? It could be for a specific project you carried out in 2017 or based on the full scope of the group’s activities during 2017. The FOML Merit Award will be given to two different Michigan Friends groups: one award will go to a library that serves a population of under 12,000 people and one to a library that serves a population of 12,000 or more. The winning Friends group will receive $400 and a plaque, along with an invitation for 2 of your members to attend the FOML Annual Membership Meeting in 2018 to receive the award. Applications for this award must be postmarked or emailed by January 15, 2018.
The three albums, in order:  The Cure- Disintegration. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Toward Ecstasy. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman.
Copyright © 2017 Woodlands Library Cooperative, All rights reserved.


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