Here are the headlines from the March 25, 2022 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Nominate someone for the SSCS Paralibrarian of the Year Award
• June National Pollinator Month Workshops for Public Libraries
• WiLS Ideas to Action Fund application period opens April 11
• Continuing Education:
  • April Webinars from OverDrive
  • Wisconsin Libraries Talk About Race: Sensitive Conversations & Handling Pushback

Here are the headlines from the February 25, 2022 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Last call for WAPL 2022 for program proposals
• OverDrive App No Longer Available to Download
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Hiring: Director, Door County Library
• Compassion Resilience Tool Kit: Training available to NFLS member library staff

Here are the headlines from the February 11, 2022 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• DPI Hiring Data Analyst
• Wisconsin Magician Nickey Fynn
• Continuing Education
  • Library Marketing Strategies That Get Results
  • ARSL Professional Development Book Club
  • Transitioning from OverDrive app to Libby

Please check the NEWI list of free webinars to find online continuing education opportunities you may attend from where you are. Most sessions are 60 minutes long, and are provided – at no charge to you – by associations, agencies, companies, and library systems. There’s a lot to choose from, so here’s a sample of topics that may be of interest to you. Just click each title to register.

Managing stress & building resilience:

• Be a Burnout Mastermind: Lessons Learned from an ICU Nurse - Noon on Thursday, Feb 3
• We Are NOT Okay: Library Worker Trauma Before and During COVID-19 and What Happens After - Noon on Tuesday, Feb 8
• Leading with Happiness: Proven Ways to Lead Positive Change and Embrace the New World of Work Well-being - 11am on Tuesday, Feb 15
• Creating a Culture of Wellness and Connection: A Trauma-Informed Approach - 2pm on Wednesday, Feb 16
• Finding Joy in Your Work - Noon on Tuesday, Feb 22
• How to Create Psychological Safety in the Workplace - 1pm on Tuesday, Feb 22
• Build a Better World at Work and in Life with Kindness and Gratitude - 9am on Wednesday, Feb 23

Equity, diversity, and inclusion:

• The Hidden Biases of Good People - 11am on Wednesday, Feb 2
• Growing Digital Equity Through Community Partnerships - 2pm on Thursday, Feb 3
• Dismantling Racial Inequity in the Workplace and Diversity in Collection Management - 1:30pm on Wednesday, Feb 9
• Let's Talk About Race At Work - 10am on Tuesday, Feb 15
• Building Belonging: Pronouns at Work - 1pm on Tuesday, Feb 15
• Creating Safe and Inclusive Spacing for 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth in Public and School Libraries - 1pm on Wednesday, Feb 16
• "Let's Talk Race" Toolkits - 2pm on Tuesday, Feb 22
• Promoting the Positive Racial Identity of Black Infants and Toddlers in Early Childhood Programs - 1pm on Thursday, Feb 24
• Welcoming Immigrants Through Cultural Programming: Lessons from the Field - 3pm on Thursday, Feb 24

A sample of webinars on other topics:

• Transitioning to Libby: Tips for Winding Down the OverDrive App and Welcoming More Readers to Libby - 1pm on Wednesday, Feb 2
• Five Facts to Publishing Your Children’s Picture Book - 6pm on Wednesday, Feb 2
• Canva Design Basics - 2pm on Thursday, Feb 10
• Event Preparedness: Active Shooters and Hostile Activity at Your Venues - 1pm on Tuesday, Feb 15
• Calming the Storm: Foundational Skills in Verbal De-escalation - Noon on Wednesday, Feb 16

Special event this month:

• Big Talk From Small Libraries Conference - 8:45am to 4:50pm, Friday, Feb 25
  • Schedule: http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/bigtalk/schedule/
  • Registration form: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventreg.asp?ProgID=21049​

In 2021, Wisconsin’s Digital Library, a collaboration of all 16 of the state’s public library systems, broke records by lending over 7.2 million digital books and audiobooks. Since its inception in 2016, Wisconsin’s Digital Library has seen steady and occasionally explosive usage growth, demonstrating the ongoing value of public libraries lending ebooks and digital audiobooks. Even as physical library buildings reopened and collections were once again accessible, usage of the library continued to climb.

To meet last year’s growing demand from patrons, Wisconsin’s Digital Library added more copies of popular titles and collections of always-available ebooks and digital magazines for readers who want to avoid the line and start reading right away.

Of the more than 115,000 titles in the collection, the following were the most popular in 2021.

Here are the headlines from the January 21, 2022 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Employment Opportunities:
  • Now hiring: Head of Circulation - Door County Library
• Grants & Scholarships:
  • Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grants
  • Memory Lab Network final call for applicants
  • Juvenile Justice Positive Youth Development: Mentoring Programs
• Continuing Education:
  • NEXT WEEK: Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference
  • Transitioning to Libby: Tips for winding down the OverDrive app and welcoming more readers to Libby
  • Summer Library Program Learning & Fun: Catch the Wave

Below are the headlines from the August 27, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• WLA Announces New Membership Payment Option
• Sunsetting of the OverDrive App
• Library Director Position Open at Oconto Falls Public Library
  
• NEWI Youth Services Grassroots Meeting Recording
• Introducing Beanstack for School Libraries
• In-Person ARSL Conference to Require Proof of Vaccination
• Youth Library Leadership Conference - Call for Proposals

Below are the headlines from the July 2, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Big Library Read
• Library Director Position Open at Marinette County Consolidated Library System
• Grant Opportunity ALA LTC: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries
• Libraries & Veterans National Forum: September 13 - 24, 2021
• Fundamentals of Creating and Managing Digital Collections

Below are the headlines from the February 19, 2021 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Wisconsin's Digital Library Sees Almost 7 Million Checkouts in 2020
• Submit Your Program Proposal for WAPL 2021
• Library Legislative Day 2021 Recap
• Free Summer Coding Program from Girls Who Code for Nicolet Federated Library System Students
• March Beanstack Challenges

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

• NFLS Libraries' Beanstack Sites
• WPLC Library Staff Survey Due January 8
• Employment Opportunity: Technical Assistant/Branch Librarian at Marinette County - Stephenson Library Branch

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

• A Thanksgiving Message from Tracy
• WPLC Digital Library Patron Survey
• Become a WLA Volunteer
• Recollection Wisconsin Steering Committee: Call for Nominations
• Register for Beanstack's #WinterRead2021

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