Here are the headlines from the January 14, 2022 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• WLA Intellectual Freedom Special Interest Group Meet-up: January 24
• "Blowing in the Wind" Concert by David HB Drake
• REMINDER: Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference is Jan. 26-27
• Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race

When the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) was looking for sponsors for its annual conference, Nicolet Federated Library System (NFLS) jumped at the chance to sponsor keynote speaker Nigel Poor.
 
Nigel is a woman of many talents: visual artist, author, professor, and podcast co-host. In her keynote address at the WLA Annual Conference, Nigel spoke about podcasting as a form of storytelling, the creation and evolution of her podcast, Ear Hustle, and connecting with underserved communities.

NFLS Trustee Kathy Pletcher said “I especially liked her "key components" of storytelling and how she used Ear Hustle stories to illustrate the components.”

"In her powerful keynote, Nigel Poor shared poignant anecdotes about her work with prisoners and the importance of storytelling," recalled Laura Sauser, WLA Executive Director.

Ear Hustle was the first podcast created and produced in a prison. It features first-hand stories from those incarcerated about the daily realities of life inside California’s San Quentin State Prison. In 2020, Ear Hustle was named a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting for bringing audiences “a consistently surprising and beautifully crafted series on life behind bars.”

Signed copies of Nigel’s books, The San Quentin Project (June 2021) and This Is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life (October 2021), were available after her keynote and sold out quickly.

The Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) announces new board members and officers for 2022. These leaders represent a variety of roles and types of libraries from across the state:

• Nyama Reed, Director of the Whitefish Bay Public Library, will serve as Board President.
• Kristopher Turner, Associate Director, UW-Madison Law Library, will serve as President-Elect.
• Rachel Arndt, Library and Special Collections Consultant, Rachel Arndt Consulting, LLC, will serve as Treasurer.
• Maureen Olle-LaJoie, Director, Chalmer Davee Library, UW-River Falls, will serve as WLA Board Liaison representing the Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians (WAAL) division.
• Carrie Doyle, Academic Librarian; Head of Acquisitions & Serials, UW-Madison Law Library will serve as WLA Board Liaison representing the Association of Wisconsin Special Librarians (AWSL)

“I am thrilled to welcome such talented individuals into these leadership roles!” said WLA Executive Director Laura Sauser. “Their unique backgrounds and diverse experience will help elevate our already strong board of directors and our organization overall.”

Here are the headlines from the December 17, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Holiday Break
• Registration Open for Library Legislative Day 2022
• CSLP Summer Symposium Recordings
• Exciting Updates from Beanstack
• One-on-One Job Search Assistance & Career Guidance from Job Center of Wisconsin
• Applications Now Being Accepted for NEA Big Read
• PLA 2022 Conference Updates
• Learning Gaps and Local Partnerships Webinar

Here are the headlines from the December 3, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• WLA Library Legislative Day 2022
• National Library Week is April 3-9, 2022
• Apply Now: Inclusive Financial Literacy Programming Kit
• Grant Opportunity for Public and School Libraries
• Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference: January 26-27, 2022

Here are the headlines from the November 5, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• ALA Seeks Applicants for National Policy Corps
• The Children's Book Award Committee Wants YOU!
• Apply for Transformation for Libraries: The Futures School
• NEA Big Read Grants: Apply by January 26
• Wisconsin Author Rochelle Melander Releases New Book
• CSLP Newsletter, Program Manual & Product Catalog

Here are the headlines from the October 29, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• WLA Mentorship Program: Be a mentor. Find a mentor.
• ARSL Virtual Conference Registration Still Open
• Library Marketing Plan Workshop
• PLA 2022 Offers $280 Early Bird Discount
• New Job Openings at Door County Library

Here are the headlines from the October 8, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• DPI Accepting Grant Applications for $3 Million in ARPA Library Pandemic Relief Funding
• Wisconsin Humanities Recovery Grants Deadline October 15
• ARSL In-Person Conference Registration Closes October 13
• PLA 2022 Conference Registration Now Open
• WLA Annual Conference Updates
• Webinars in October (NEWI)
• Possibilities of Polka Endless in 2022
• CSLP Newsletter: September 2021

Here are the headlines from the October 1, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• WLA News Fall 2021 Edition
• Let’s Talk About It: Women’s Suffrage Humanities Discussion Project
• Creating a Healthy Culture with Conduct, Communication, and Conflict Resolution
• Registration Opens Soon for LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience

Here are the headlines from the September 24, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Welcome, Karin!
• Ayad Akhtar’s Homeland Elegies Receives the WLA’s Literary Prize for 2021
• Beanstack Announces Winter Read 2022
• Building Projects 101

Here are the headlines from the September 17, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Kewaunee Public Library Hiring Student Library Aide
• Libraries and Veterans Microgrants
• WHRAB Professional Development Scholarships
• Registration is open for WLA 2021

The following is from a press release from the Wisconsin Library Association.

​Governor Evers Issues National Library Card Sign-Up Month Proclamation

(Madison, Wisconsin) The Wisconsin Library Association thanks Governor Tony Evers for his proclamation in recognition of Library Card Sign-up Month this September. The Governor’s recognition of libraries as an essential community resource and library cards as a critical tool for empowering students and fueling academic success is much appreciated. A copy of the proclamation can be found here.

Throughout the month of September, Wisconsin libraries will join Governor Evers, the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide to remind parents, caregivers and students to get the school year off to the best possible start by signing up for a library card - the first step on the path to academic achievement and lifelong learning. In a separate proclamation, Governor Evers also established September 6 as National Read a Book Day throughout the state of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin libraries offer a wide range of resources - from early literacy programs to virtual homework help and GED classes, helping transform lives and communities through education. Want to learn more? Visit your local library, sign up for a library card, and support your local library today!

Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the ALA and libraries work together in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for their own library card. To learn more, visit www.ala.org.

The NFLS News is a bi-monthly newsletter highlighting all the great things the member libraries of the Nicolet Federated Library System are doing throughout our communities. 

​Read the September 2021 NFLS News for the latest news from a few of our member libraries. Topics include:

• WLA Member Spotlight on Emily Rogers, Brown County Library
• Oneida Community Library Receives Two Grants
• Gillett Schools: A Century of Learning
• Oconto Falls Community Library at the Fair
• UntitledTown Literary Arts Programming Makes Comeback