Learning something new can be a diversion from the news; you can go to the NEWI list of free webinars to find online continuing education opportunities in which you can participate while your library is closed and you shelter in place. Most sessions are 60 minutes long, and are provided – at no charge to you – by associations, agencies, companies, and library systems.
 
Here are webinars related to COVID-19; click on a title to register:

• Pandemic Mini-Conference: Libraries Stepping up to Serve the Needs of Communities in Crisis (4 webinar sessions) – March 26
  • Self-Care During A Crisis: Breathe, Think, And Grow
  • Why and How to Promote Your Online Services During the Quarantine
  • Serving Patrons In A Crisis
  • Preparing Your Digital Branch for Increased Use
• Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19 series of 4 webinars:
  • The Current Landscape – March 26
  • Successful Ways to Work Remotely – April 2
  • Managing Stress and Anxiety – April 9
  • Innovative Solutions in Times of Crisis – April 16
• Coronavirus Frauds and Scams: What You Need to Know – April 8

 
Need a break from pandemic news? Here’s a sample of webinars on other topics; click on a title to register:

Join facilitators Tessa Schmidt, Laurie Freund, Angela Meyers, and Caitlin Schaffer as we explore the needs of the youth we serve and how to apply Connected Learning theory into your existing programs.
 
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Time: 9am - 3:30pm
Location: Green Bay Botanical Garden, Green Bay
Register at https://newilibraries.org/ce/ConnectedLearning
CE contact hours for the full day: 6.5
 
Connected Learning happens when a peer or adult can connect a young person’s interests and skills to real world opportunities. Whether it’s coding, cooking, or comic-con, libraries can easily nurture these interests through programming, and are well-positioned to connect kids and teens to future career possibilities through community relationships. In fact, most libraries are already doing this — they just don't realize it!

Below are the headlines from the 03/06/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Register for WAPL 2020 - and Win Prizes!
• CSLP 2020: Additional Online Manual Content
• OverDrive's New Hold Redelivery is Live
• Customer Service Webinar Series
• Streamline for Success: Library Programs and Services Reboot - Registration is Open!
• NEWI: Free webinars on going fine-free, marketing your events, makerspaces on a budget & more this month
• TODAY: Summer Food Service and Public Libraries

Go to the NEWI list of free webinars to find continuing education opportunities in which you can participate without leaving your library; most sessions are 60 minutes long, and are provided – at no charge to you – by associations, agencies, companies, and library systems.
 
Here’s a sample of webinars offered this month; click on a title to register:

• Body Odor: The Most Dreaded Conversation of All Time – March 5
• Marketing Crash Course for Librarians: The Beginner’s Guide to Promoting Your Collection and Events – March 10
• Services for Older Adults: Library Programs for Any Time and Any Place – March 11

Go to the NEWI list of free webinars to find continuing education opportunities in which you can participate without leaving your library; most sessions are 60 minutes long, and are provided – at no charge to you – by associations, agencies, companies, and library systems.
 
Here’s a sample of webinars offered this month:

• Activate Your Rural Community – Feb 5
• Free Tools for Working with Social Media – Feb 5
• Rural & One-Person Libraries: Safety & Security for Staff, presented by Dr. Steve Albrecht – Feb 6
• A Deeper Understanding of the Lives of People Experiencing Homelessness by Ryan Dowd – Feb 6
• Hiring & Recruiting Library Workers: A Guide for Small and Rural Librarians – Feb 7
• How to Create Video for Social Media on a Shoestring Budget: Tips & Tools – Feb 11
• Intro to Creating a Library Marketing Plan (includes a customizable template) – Feb 13
• Fine Free: How Libraries Are Increasing Equity, Engagement and Access for Their Communities – Feb 13
• Financial Literacy at Small & Rural Libraries: Little Library, Big Impact– Feb 18
• Outreach Programming: Finding & Serving Hidden Patrons – Feb 26

Because we want to provide the best possible service to all people – and some patron interactions require a thoughtful and deliberate approach – you now have anytime access to online training from Ryan Dowd that will give you practical tools you can use every day. Through this training, you will learn how to compassionately manage problems and prevent conflicts with all patrons who enter your library, including those who are experiencing trauma such as mental health issues, homelessness, and substance abuse issues.
 
The online training is 3½ hours long and is on-demand, so you can watch it little by little or in bigger chunks, whenever works for your schedule. The subscription runs from January - December 2020.
 
Supervisors & Department Heads: please share this info with your staff. If someone on your staff does not have a work email address, please contact Joy Schwartz with their alternate email address and she’ll send them a personalized invitation.

There's still time to register: you have two opportunities to attend our Youth Services and SLP 2020 workshop!

• Wednesday, February 12, 2020
  Brown County STEM Innovation Center, Green Bay
  Register at: https://newilibraries.org/ce/YouthServicesFeb2020-GreenBay


• Tuesday, February 18, 2020
  EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh
  Register at: https://newilibraries.org/ce/YouthServicesFeb2020-Oshkosh

Schedule for each day:

Below are the headlines from the latest 📣 Nic News Weekly newsletter.

• New Mileage Reimbursement Rate for 2020
• FREE Courses on Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Free webinars on teen outreach, guiding staff through change, programs for babies & more this month (NEWI)
• Website Accessibility Checks Anyone Can Do
• Are You Using Images Legally? Get FREE Sources Below!
• Time to Register for Library Legislative Day

The Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference is a state-wide web conference developed by the Nicolet Federated Library System and supported by 15 other library systems in Wisconsin since 2013.

This year, we welcome two new session tracks in Adult Services and Library Management. ​

​Go to the NEWI list of free webinars to find continuing education opportunities in which you can participate without leaving your library; most sessions are 60 minutes long, and are provided – at no charge to you – by associations, agencies, companies, and library systems.
 
Here’s a sample of webinars offered this month:

• Say Yes to Census 2020 – learn how your library can help your community be counted; this census has the potential  to create changes to political representation and Federal funding; (December 3)
• Getting Ready for an Audit: Everything You Need to Know (December 3)
• Summer Library Program and Early Literacy (December 5)
• PR + Media Relations 101 (December 10)
• Celebrate Computer Science Education Week with CodeSciGirls (December 11)
• eBooksForAll Campaign Update on Macmillan Publishers’ embargo on new eBook titles for public libraries (December 17)
• Recruiting and Retaining Younger Generations as Trustees and Friends: Advocates of All Ages (December 18)
• Summer Reading Program 2020: Imagine Your Story (December 31)

Missed a webinar? It might have been archived, so check NEWI’s list of webinar recordings you can watch for free, anytime.
 
NEWI is a continuing education (CE) partnership of library systems located in North Eastern Wisconsin.  The NEWI website aims to be a central source of CE info for staff working at libraries in four library systems: Manitowoc‐Calumet Library System (MCLS), Nicolet Federated Library System (NFLS), Outagamie Waupaca Library System (OWLS), and Winnefox Library System (WLS).

Below are the headlines from the latest 📣 Nic News Weekly newsletter.

• ​SAVE THE DATE: NFLS Regional Training December 5
  
• 2019 Library Improvement & Innovation Grant Purchase
• NFLS Website Updates
• Happy Thanksgiving!
• Super Search Training Materials Updated (BadgerLink)
• LearningExpress Library: New and Updated Content (Badgerlink)
• Library Census Equity Fund Mini-Grant: APPLICATIONS DUE TODAY (ALA)
• 3-Question Survey: Feb. Youth & Teen Services Workshop (NEWI)
• NFLS Librarians' Advisory Committee Meeting @ Gillett December 6th

Below are the headlines from the latest 📣 Nic News Weekly newsletter.

• WLA Conference Keynote and Streamed Recordings
• MyVote WI - Offline Nov 14-16, 2019
• ALA Accepting Applications for Library Census Equity Fund Mini-Grants
• OverDrive Big Library Read Now Available
• Hiring: Maintenance Technician, Library (Sturgeon Bay)
• NEWI List of FREE WEBINARS

Below are the headlines from the 08/23/2019 - 📣 Nic News Weekly newsletter.

• ​Updates to NFLS Travel Voucher & Expense Report Forms
• Now Hiring: Pages at Sister Bay / Liberty Grove and Sturgeon Bay Libraries
• NEWI Youth Services Grassroots Meeting
• iSchool CE Payment Policy Change
• Annual End-of-Summer Survey: Due Date Extended

Date: Thursday, September 26, 2019
Time: 10am - 12:30pm
Lunch: free pizza!
Location: Green Bay Botanical Garden, 2600 Larsen Road, Green Bay, WI 54303 (map)
Register: https://newilibraries.org/grassroots2019

This will be your opportunity to talk about this year's Summer Library Program:

• Things that worked well
• What you learned from things that didn't work the way you planned
• Programs that could be offered in the future, regardless of theme
• How you structured your programs and events
• Things you'd like changed or improved
• Ways you found to gather donations for prizes
• Outreach success stories

Below are the headlines from the 07/19/2019 - 📣 Nic News Weekly newsletter.

• #SummerLearning, Programming & Resources - Let's Get the Word Out!
• Library Manager - Brown County Library's Kress Family & Wrightstown Branches
  
• Call for Poster or Visual Display: Share your ideas at WLA 2019
  
• Tech Days Workshop Series: Registration Open
  
• DigitalLead: Hotspot Lending at Your Library (Webinar July 30 @ 1PM CST
  
• ALA Seeks Nominations for 2020 Election
  
• WLA Awards and Honors: Applications due Aug 1
  

6 opportunities to attend:
   Tech Days East: September 10 – 12, 2019
   Tech Days West: November 5 – 7, 2019


​Tech Days is a series of full-day workshops held at locations around Wisconsin. Each day includes a keynote / plenary session by a guest presenter, and a variety of breakout sessions of presentations & hands-on learning activities.

​Breakout session topics and presenters vary with venues, so check the complete list to see what & who will be where & when. There is no charge to attend a Tech Days workshop.
​
Registration is open for Tech Days East workshops:

Below are the headlines for the 06/14/2019 - 📣 Nic News Weekly newsletter.

• 2019 Library Improvement & Innovation Grants Awarded
• NEWI-Area Library Staff Named Members of 2019 Youth Services Institute Cohort
  
• WLA 2019 Awards: Now Accepting Applications
  
• Door County Library is Hiring
  
• WiLS Ideas to Action Fund: Applications Due Today
  

Congratulations to these staff at NEWI-area libraries for having been chosen as members of the 2019 Youth Services Institute Cohort:

• Kirsten Smith, Manitowoc Public Library, Manitowoc-Calumet Library System
• Lara Lakari, Stephenson Public Library (Marinette), Nicolet Federated Library System
• Braelyn Spencer, Algoma Public Library, Nicolet Federated Library System
• Sarah Read, Kaukauna Public Library, Outagamie Waupaca Library System
• Sheri Dunham, Neenah Public Library, Winnefox Library System

​The Wisconsin Youth Services Development Institute provides professional development and networking for Wisconsin public library staff who serve babies, children, and teens in smaller public libraries. The Institute targets library staff who have no graduate degree in librarianship and/or work in rural/isolated library communities. For these individuals, there is a need to improve skill and knowledge base, foster a supportive network, and develop stronger peer-to-peer and professional community connections within the Wisconsin public libraries infrastructure.

The Institute is supported through an LSTA grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) administered by the Public Library Development Team at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

View the entire list of participants at https://dpi.wi.gov/wilibrariesforeveryone/announcing-2019-youth-services-institute-cohort.