Below are the headlines from the November 20, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• ALA Midwinter Virtual: Registration Open
• SIJO: A Ready-to-Go, Virtual Library Program and Contest for People of All Ages
• WiLS Helps Small Libraries Develop Strategic Plans - Together!
• Apply for Compassion Resilience Facilitator Training
• Annual Grant: American Dream Literacy Initiative
• Promote Digital Resources Using OverDrive's Resource Center
• On-Line Music Programs for Your Library Community

Below are the headlines from the November 13, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Fill Up Your Fuel Tank With Compassion Resilience
• Free Unique and Fun Tools to Help Keep You Sane
• Brown County Library Receives $1,000 Grant
• Colossal Fossils 2021 Summer Reading Program: Whale of a Tale
• BadgerLink Updates:
  • Britannica School Webinars Highlight New Look
  • TeachingBooks' Webinar Spotlights for Winter 2020-2021

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) has today awarded Brown County Library a grant of $1,000 as part of the new East Asia in Wisconsin Library Program.

​CEAS, a federally-funded National Resource Center for the study of East Asia, created the program to encourage Wisconsin libraries to augment their collections with East Asia-related materials, and to design new book clubs and other programing with an East Asian theme. This program is part of the center’s focus on promoting understanding of East Asian histories and cultures, and also aligns with the Wisconsin Idea mission of service to Wisconsin citizens beyond the boundaries of the classroom. CEAS partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Library Association, and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center to plan and promote the new program, which was launched in August.

​Brown County Library’s grant was one of 38 awarded to libraries across Wisconsin, totaling $32,765 is awards. The grants will be used to purchase books and films about China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and also to host book clubs, speakers and other related library programs. 

Below are the headlines from the October 30, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• What’s News
  • New and Upgraded EBSCO Resources in BadgerLink
  • RB Digital Audiobooks Move to Libby/OverDrive
  • Government Information Day Goes Virtual
  • Virtual Trivia Fundraiser by WLA
• Grant Opportunity
  • Science Kits for Public Libraries Grant Opportunity
• Library Programming & Resources:
  • Magic Village Shows: Magician & Ventriloquist

Below are the headlines from the September 25, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• TeachingBooks' Diverse Books Toolkit: Recording Now Available
• WiLS Cooperative Purchasing Advisory Committee Seeks New Members
• $3,000 Grant Opportunity for Rural and Small Libraries

Below are the headlines from the September 18, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Gillett Public Library has a New Website
• Professional Development Scholarship: 2020 Local History and Historic Preservation Conference

Below are the headlines from the August 28, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Mental Health Resources (HOPELINE & Crisis Text Line)
• Menominee Public Library Awarded Native American Library Services Enhancement Grant
• Libraries Transform® Newsletter
• WLA 2020 Summer Newsletter
• Grants & Scholarships:
  • Beanstack Black Voices Microgrants
  • East Asia in Wisconsin Grant​

Congratulations to the Menominee Public Library on being awarded a $149,889 Native American Library Services Enhancement Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services!

With this grant, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin will create and self-publish a series of books to encourage fluency in and preserve the Menominee language. Library staff will work with a trained immersion teacher to create eight simple books, four picture books, and one book of short stories with phonetic pronunciation and English translation for juvenile readers. The book of short stories will consist of original content from the Menominee people, collected from two Kataes esehcekasiq (Let's Do Things Together) Family Program (KEFP) writer's workshops hosted by the library. The project will allow books to be purchased and made available to the library, families with infants attending the immersion rooms at the Menominee Tribal daycare, elementary children attending reservation schools, and families that participate in KEFP. (Source: NAE-246595-OLS-20)

Read more at: ​IMLS Invests $5.2 Million in Library Services for Tribal Communities, Native Hawaiians

Below are the headlines from the August 21, 2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• 2021 County Tax Exemption Calculation Guide Available
• "Lead the Way" Conference Scholarship
• Getting Hit On By Customers: Women (and Men) Share Their Tools for Stopping Unwanted Attention
• Register for Tech Days 2020
• Library Journal’s Summit: What’s Next? Libraries Adapt to the New Abnormal
• Attention NFLS Directors: We're Trying Something New

Below are the headlines from the 7/31/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Nominations for WLA Awards 2020
• WLA Legislative Newsletter: Fall Election Dates, Budget Discussions, Broadband Bills and More
• Quarantine Increased to Four Days
• Two New Grant/Scholarship Opportunities
  • Scholarship: 2020 Strategic Planning Cohort for Small Public Libraries
  • Grant: 2020 WLA Leadership Development Institute
• Continuing Education
  • Racial Justice Challenge: August 3-7
  • REALM Project Update Webinar
  • HR Issues in the Time of COVID-19
  • Job Center of Wisconsin for Job Seekers
  • Healing Reading Trauma: Rebuilding a Love of Reading Through Libraries for Liberation
  • How to deal with problem behaviors related to COVID-19: Ryan Dowd's 1-Hour Live Webinar
  • Virtual Training on BadgerLink Resources: Recordings Now Available

Below are the headlines from the 7/24/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Be Ready to Help Patrons Prepare for the InfoSoup Update
• Closed Captioning Library YouTube Videos
• COVID-19 Recovery Resources Guide
• Upper Midwest Digital Collections Conference Call for Proposals
• Rural Libraries Invited to Apply for Digital Access Grants
• Register for September 23-24 Tech Days
• The Public Library's Role in Elections: Voter Education in a Post-Truth Era
• Lead the Way: Libraries at the Heart of Community Engagement
• PLA 2020 Virtual Conference: Available On-Demand

Below are the headlines from the 7/10/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Annual Report Summer Programming Update
• Opportunity Out of Adversity: Digital Access in Rural and Small Libraries
• Professional Development: Digital Bytes in the Time of COVID-19
• Tips for Leading Productive Meetings with Microsoft Teams
• Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change
• Mini-grant Opportunity: Support Health Insurance Enrollment in Your Community
• IMLS Opens Library Grants for National Leadership, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Programs
• Simple Animations in Canva for Social Media Posts

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting FY 2021 proposals for National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L) and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program (LB21). 

Applicants have through October 2, 2020, to submit their two-page preliminary proposals.

Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA), will help libraries engage their communities in programs and conversations that address the climate crisis.

The pilot program project will fund film screenings, community dialogues and related events based on local interest in 25 public and academic libraries in 2020, and it will fund the creation of a suite of free programming resources about the climate crisis that will be available to all libraries. 

​Public and academic libraries are invited to apply between July 1 and August 28, 2020.

Learn more and apply here.

Below are the headlines from the 06/26/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• InfoSoup Placing Holds Update
  
• Update to the WLA COVID-19 Response
• Palaces for the People Virtual Discussions
• 2020 Census: Last Chance for a Complete Count
• Advancing Racial Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace Symposium
• Wisconsin Humanities CARES Grant, Round 2

The 2020 Leadership Development Institute live event will be postponed to December 8-10.
​More details and application information will be shared in the coming weeks.
​Read more details in the Update to the WLA COVID-19 Response.

Original Post: 4/28/2020

The second round of CARES grant funding opened June 15. Applications will be due July 15. For more information, see details below or visit Wisconsin Humanities CARES Relief Grant.
 
***
The Wisconsin Humanities Council is providing rapid-response funding to nonprofit humanities and cultural organizations that are facing financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 coronavirus. 

• How to apply
• Guidelines
• FAQs

Below are the headlines from the 05/29/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Wisconsin Youth Services Program Palooza Webinar
• NFLS Sponsoring Pulitzer Prize Nominee Nigel Poor at WLA Fall Conference
• Census 2020 Activities Resume
• Beanstack Tips
• Compassionate Accountability: Dealing with Problem Behaviors in the Library
• Free Recorded Webinars from Information School, UW-Madison
• Unemployment Insurance Basics: Assisting Library Patrons (Webinar)
• Upcoming WebJunction Webinars
• REMINDER: WiLS Ideas to Action Fund Applications are Due Monday, June 1st

Below are the headlines from the 05/22/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Palaces for the People: Part 4
• IMLS CARES Act Grant Reminder
• Register for Trustee Training Week
• Virtual Training: BadgerLink's TeachingBooks & Book Connections
• Record-setting Learning on WebJunction
• June is Rainbow Book Month
• Color the Great Lakes

Below are the headlines from the 05/15/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Palaces for the People/Libraries as Social Infrastructure Discussion
• WiLS Ideas to Action Fund: Apply by June 1st
• IMLS CARES Act Grants Available: Apply by June 12th
• Virtual & Remote Programming Resources from YSS & ALSC

On May 8, 2020, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced two new funding opportunities for museums, libraries, federally recognized tribes, and organizations that primarily serve Native Hawaiians. The combined $15 million federal investment will provide direct support to these institutions, equipping them to respond to community needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

• IMLS CARES Act Grants for Museums and Libraries support museums and libraries in addressing their communities’ immediate and future needs caused by the pandemic. Projects may focus on preserving jobs, training staff, addressing the digital divide, planning for reopening, or providing technical support and capacity building for digital inclusion and engagement. Applicants are encouraged to prioritize services for high-need communities.
• IMLS CARES Act Grants for Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum and Library Services assist tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians in responding to the urgent and future needs of their communities. Applications focused on digital inclusion, technical support, rehiring or retraining staff, reopening planning, and other pandemic-related priorities are welcomed.

The deadline for submitting applications to either funding opportunity is June 12, 2020, with award announcements anticipated in August.

Below are the headlines from the 05/08/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Welcome, Kim Meyers!
• Grant Opportunities
• Crossroads: Libraries and COVID-19
• In Times of Crisis: Managing Key Relationships
• Latest Youth Services Blog Posts on Youth Services During COVID-19 (WLA)
• Modified CSLP Summer Library Program Materials
• Miss Wisconsin Summer Library Program
• Ben's Bubble Show