Trustees, Friends, & Foundations |
March 2024 | |
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Welcome to the Trustees, Friends, & Foundations Newsletter!
A monthly update on items relevant to those who work as or with Library Trustees, Friends, and Foundations.
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| From March 5, 2024
With Super Tuesday, March 5, the 2024 election season kicks into high gear. To help break down the relevant library issues in this election year, LJ convened a roundtable of experts including John Chrastka of EveryLibrary; Nick Grove of Meridian Library District, ID; Jason Kucsma of Toledo Lucas County Public Library, OH; and Representative Ashley Hudson from the Arkansas House of Representatives. They covered everything from voter engagement strategies for libraries on the ballot to book ban advocacy in challenging districts to engaging the electorate in an important presidential election year... |
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| From March 18, 2024
On March 14, the American Library Association (ALA) released its most recent book challenge data for 2023. According to ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF), which tracks challenges and acts of censorship in public schools and libraries across the United States, the number of targeted titles rose 65 percent from 2022—once again, the highest levels ever documented by ALA. In public libraries, numbers increased 92 percent over the previous year; school libraries saw an 11 percent increase. Challenged titles featuring the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47 percent of those targeted in censorship attempts... |
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Sign Up with the Virginia Library Association as an Advocate! |
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Click HERE and sign up for the VLA Advocacy Center Mailing List to make sure you're receiving Virginia action alerts and updates on policy issues related to the library field. This will help you keep abreast of legislation that could affect your local library and community.
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UNITED FOR LIBRARIES RESOURCES |
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Virginia library staff and stakeholders (folks like you!) have access to a whole host of resources from United for Libraries.
Click to get the CHEAT SHEET signed up and in.
| Already signed up? Click HERE to access everything through the ALA eLearning Platform! |
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A Practical Guide to Evaluating Your Library Director
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 -- 2:00p-3:00p
Part of a Trustee's responsibility is to evaluate the library director, yet many organizations do not have an annual review procedure in place. During this Learning Live, library Trustees will acquire the tools needed to conduct an annual evaluation. This session is designed with the understanding that many Trustees do not have HR experience. We'll offer practical strategies and tools to effectively assess the performance of library directors, with insight from a variety of library stakeholders. Trustees will gain the knowledge and confidence they need to conduct meaningful evaluations of their library directors. Especially when things are going well! |
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SAVE THE DATE -- United for Libraries Virtual 2024 Tuesday, July 30 - Thursday, August 1, 2024 -- 11:00a- 4:00p
FREE FOR ALL VIRGINIA LIBRARY STAFF, TRUSTEES, FRIENDS, and FOUNDATION MEMBERS
This interactive three-day virtual event will feature expert speakers on current topics facing library Trustees, Friends, Foundations, and staff who work with them. Programming runs from 11:00 am Eastern to approximately 4:00 pm Eastern daily with scheduled breaks. Registrants may participate in some or all program sessions live, and/or watch recordings on-demand.
Participate in live Q&A sessions with presenters.
Network with colleagues across the country in roundtable discussions.
Enjoy exclusive access to keynote speakers and authors.
Receive a certificate of attendance (for live participation or on-demand viewing). | CELEBRATIONS |
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National Library Week 2024
April 7-13, 2024
Award-winning author Meg Medina will serve as the Honorary Chair for National Library Week 2024
Dates to Note: April 8 - Right to Read Day
April 9 - National Library Workers Day
April 10 - National Library Outreach Day
April 11 - Take Action for Libraries Day |
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| Inclusive Survey Design: Crafting Questions for Community Representation |
This engaging workshop focuses on equipping nonprofit professionals with the skills to create surveys that effectively reach and respect all communities. We'll cover essential topics like question framing, using inclusive language, and ensuring survey accessibility. Participants will also engage in a hands-on activity to practice developing survey questions that are both inclusive and effective...
(Occurs 3.27.24 - 12p EST) |
Register Here
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A Higher Purpose: Censorship and Intellectual Freedom Today |
This webinar will discuss some of the motivations behind censorship and book banning in America. We will discuss the impact of moral belief and organized thinking on efforts to remove materials from schools and public libraries, as well as historic examples of tactics being used today. We’ll also examine the difficulties in having conversations from two very drastic viewpoints and obstacles to reach a common understanding. Participants will gain a better understanding of the historic underpinnings of today’s attacks on materials related to the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC experiences.
(Occurs 3.27.24 - 2p) |
Register Here
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Financial Forecasting Model |
...a webinar covering a financial forecasting model for libraries. This will include forecasting the library's property tax levy, giving as an example a library district in an Illinois county subject to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. Additionally, we will be discussing the forecasting of your library's major funds, including its Corporate Fund and Capital Project Fund. We will also be exploring how to incorporate a potential major capital project into the forecast to determine how large a project your library can afford...
(Occurs 3.28.24 - 2p) |
Register Here
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Trustee, Friends, and Foundation members have access to the Library of Virginia's Niche Academy, a place for online learning.
Please note, if you register with a non-library issued e-mail address, someone from the Library of Virginia will follow up with you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library before you can access the content. |
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Click on the image to learn more about each title, and then use your local library to request them from the Library of Virginia.
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| March 1, 2024
..."The library really lets you try something maybe new before you determine if it's something you want to explore more,” she said. "At our Princess Anne Area Library, we have a library of things. And so, you can go and check out a surfboard or we can check out technology. So, things you might want to try before you buy, the library is really great for that.”
Virginia Beach’s libraries offer a wide variety of programming, events and resources. You can rent out gardening tools to go along with free seeds you can snag from the seed library, hang out in a safe place with your kids or even create something new with their 3D printers... |
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| March 11, 2024
On a bone-chilling Wednesday evening in February, the Century Room on the lower level of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library’s Gordon Avenue branch is set up for what looks like an average craft group meeting. People filter in, say hello, and catch up with one another as they dig through a tub of yarn, grab a pair of needles, or browse the selection of knitting books displayed on a cart. As seats fill up around the large table in the center of the room, participants start focusing on the projects they brought to work on—sweaters, scarves, baby booties, embroidery. Branch Manager Camille Thompson finds the folks who are new to knitting, or have questions, and helps them get started on a basic project with supplies provided by the library...
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"Inside public libraries you see the people, programs, problems, and answers that offer a genuine look into the heart and soul of a town."
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- Deborah Fallows, Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America
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This newsletter is brought to you by the Library Development & Networking Division of the Library of Virginia. Funding for this is provided through the Virginia General Assembly and the Institute for Museum and Library Studies (IMLS).
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