Below are the headlines from the 04/03/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly:

• Library Card Registration, Renewal and Digital Services Available to Community
• Supporting Parents and Caregivers of Young Children
• Wisconsin PBS Stations' At-Home Learning Launch
• Collaborative Summer Library Program Newsletter
• CCBC Choices: Great New Books Webinars
• Recollection Wisconsin Digital Projects Toolkit & other Digitization Professional Development Opportunities
• Events Canceled or Postponed

Due to the COVID-19 closures, CCBC Librarians are presenting their Great New Books presentations as webinars this spring:
 
April 8 from 9 - 10 a.m.: Great New Books for Birth - Grade 5

• Join CCBC librarians as they highlight some of the books in CCBC Choices 2020, the most recent edition of the library's annual best-of-the-year list, for children from birth through grade 5.  A copy of  the CCBC Choices 2020 booklet may not have reached you prior to the COVID-19 closures; you can access the citation list of Choices 2020 titles here.  

April 15 from 9 - 10 a.m. Great New Books for Older Children & Teens

• Join CCBC librarians as they highlight some of the books in CCBC Choices 2020, the most recent edition of the library's annual best-of-the-year list, for older children and teens in grades 6-12.  A copy of  the CCBC Choices 2020 booklet may not have reached you prior to the COVID-19 closures; you can access the citation list of Choices 2020 titles here.  

There will be no CCBC Shorts in April. The next scheduled episode of CCBC Shorts will be on May 13.

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

• Additional Funding for Wisconsin's Digital Library
• Ezra Jack Keats Mini-Grants: Apply by March 31
• Library 2.0 Webinars with Dr. Steve Albrecht
• Remote & Online Services to Children (Webinar Recording)
• Learning While Away from the Library
• Ancestry Library Edition: Remote Access Available while Libraries are Closed
• Wisconsin Newspaper Archive Expanded to Include Entire Collection while Libraries are Closed
• Online Storytime Resources
• For Libraries Offering Online Storytimes
• Events Cancelled or Postponed
• NFLS Librarians' Advisory Committee Meeting: April 3

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:

Below is a press release issued by Charter Communications, Inc.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is dedicated to supporting arts and literacy programs in public schools and libraries across the country. It has announced its annual call for proposals.

Approximately 70 grants, up to $500 each, will be awarded to teachers and librarians in public schools and libraries whose proposals reflect imagination and a desire to make learning fun. The foundation welcomes mini-grant proposals focusing on any subject.

View examples of exemplary mini-grants here. Applications are due by Tuesday, March 31, 2020.

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!

Please see below the call for program proposals from the WLA Conference Program Committee:

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

Event: PBS KIDS Early Childhood Edcamp Fox Valley
Date: Saturday, February 15, 2020
Time: 8am - 12:30pm
Location: Community Early Learning Center Fox Valley, 313 South State Street, Appleton, WI 54911
Register here
 
PBS Wisconsin Education and Community Early Learning Center Fox Valley have partnered to bring a free professional learning experience to librarians and others who care for young children. A PBS KIDS Edcamp is a local gathering of educators connecting through shared experiences and peer-led conversations with a PBS twist.
 
Here are a few things you can expect to find at PBS KIDS Early Childhood Edcamp Fox Valley:

• You will enjoy a free breakfast. Sharing a meal leads to shared conversations, shared ideas and shared fellowship. Sounds like a great way to start the day!
• You will meet PreK-3 Educators. PBS KIDS’ focus is early childhood, so naturally our PBS KIDS Edcamp is designed for the PreK-3 adults who teach them … like you! Expand your professional learning circle and make some new friends!
• You will discover free educational media. Classroom-ready, standards-based, PBS resources will be shared. Who doesn’t love free lesson plans?
• You could win fun stuff. Whether you call it swag, giveaways, tchotchke, whatever – PBS has fun stuff! And we all know teachers like fun stuff.

Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance.

Questions? Contact Katy Kraemer at katy.kraemer@pbswisconsin.org

Check out the headlines from the 01/24/2020 - 📢 Nic News Weekly.

• Free Programming Resources for Earth Day
• Join the WLA Mentorship Program!
• 2020 Collection Development Grants: Coming Soon
• Now Hiring: Youth Services Manager for Brown County Library (Central Library)
• An Introduction to Creating a Library Marketing Plan
• Voices of Women in America: Survey Due January 31

Below are the headlines from the latest 📢 Nic News Weekly

• Youth Services Support Grants
• Collection Development Grants
• Supporting Child Care Providers & Maximizing Maker Efforts
• New Customer Service Online Training, via Ryan Dowd
• Continuing Education Funding
• Library Legislative Day: Registration Closes TODAY
• January 22-23: Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, wrote a post for the Wisconsin Libraries for Everyone blog regarding two distinct national projects with resources to help us and our community:

• The Growing Providers Tool Kit includes lots of ideas and program models for how libraries can support child care. It also includes a Child Care Provider Resource Guide. 
• Opportunities and Vignettes for Library Makerspaces is a white paper informed by the participants of the National Forum on Research and Assessment in Library Makerspaces.

​Both projects have recently published the results, and Tessa feels the content is high-quality and valuable. Regardless of the size of your library or scope of service, she hopes you will consider these tools. ​

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