NSLA News - August 2018

Hello NSLA Members & School Librarians in Nebraska!
My name is Courtney Pentland, and I will be serving as the Nebraska School Librarians Association president this year.  I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am to be working with our current executive board, liaisons, and committee members.  This group of fabulous education professionals is passionate about school libraries and school librarians in Nebraska.  We wanted to give you just a few updates on what you can look forward to from your professional organization this year.  (Many of the items below are based off of feedback that we received from over 400! school library folks who answered our survey in the fall of 2017.)
For a full list of our board members, liaisons, and committee chairs, please visit our website.  www.neschoolibrarians.org
Now is a great time to become a member or renew your membership!  Membership fees will continue at the same rates.  $30 general member, $15 student, $10 for retired.  Beginning in 2019, we will have a general due date for memberships—September 30th.  You can register and/or check your membership status online on our website. Current members will be emailed a copy of a membership certificate to print and fill out on their own in the beginning of September.
Your membership fees will gain you access to our listserv, provide a discount to the fall NLA/NSLA conference, give you free admission to Nebraska School Librarians Day, and help provide funding for scholarships and professional learning opportunities across the state.  Check out a few of the benefits below.

• The NLA/NSLA Conference is October 5-6, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Early bird registration ends August 15th.  Get in on the fun today!  We have 20 school library focused sessions (10 each day) with our keynote and NSLA business meeting (free lunch!) on Saturday.  Plus, with your registration, you can attend the Golden Sower Gala on Friday night.  We hope to see you there!https://www.nebraskalibraries.org/general/custom.asp?page=Neblib2018
•  Mark your calendars!  Nebraska School Librarians Day will be held on April 6, 2019 from 9:00-12:30 in Omaha, Kearney, Norfolk, and Scottsbluff.  NSLD is free for NSLA members. 
  
• We are looking for recommendations for a keynote speaker for the NETA conference March 27-29, 2019 in Omaha, NE.  If you would like to nominate someone, please email me at mrspentland@gmail.com
  
• There is still time to submit a scholarship application or to nominate someone for an award.  The deadline is August 15th, so don’t delay!  http://www.neschoollibrarians.org/awards-and-scholarships.html
  
• Ongoing communication.  Each month a board member will share a blog post about a topic relevant to school libraries.  You will also continue to see posts on the listserv and our social media about topics relevant to SLs.
  
• We are setting up a mentor network for new school librarians in Nebraska.  We will match new SLs with veteran SLs in their area.  If you would like to volunteer to be a mentor or are a joining us as a new school librarian (Congrats!!), please fill out one of the forms below.
  
• Mentees:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevURDvPT7AVJFMO4t_VdL9f3YNut_cZAS5teSpKrssmplP6g/viewform?usp=sf_link

•  Mentors:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeih_RYl5p6oExHQVa5vsd-kaZku1rq5E6CGcdTenukxvhKRQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

• We are also looking to spotlight some of the fabulous school libraries in our state.  If you would like to see your school featured on our social media, please fill out the form below.  Our goal is to feature at least one school each month, but we will gladly do more if we get more entries!  All featured libraries will go into a drawing to win a fun prize each semester.Spotlight:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHSGqXkJV0jz3LOIfBigKo5ogzI2Lesy-2Y-tJX3R4CD__bw/viewform?usp=sf_link

•  Would you like a copy of the AASL Standards book, but you aren’t a member of ALA and would love to get it at the discounted $99 member price?  You’re in luck!  We are able to order the books at the member price as an affiliate organization.  You will be able to order the book online soon for $99 and possibly a small shipping fee.  More information coming in a separate email!
  
• We are once again teaming up with Midwest Library Chat on Twitter!  We will have one date during the fall semester and one during the spring where we join forces to discuss relevant issues about school libraries.  More info coming soon!
  
• We also plan to continue offering webinars for professional learning.  You have the following webinars to look forward to this year!  We will provide more information on how to attend as each webinar’s dates draws near.  Please email me if you would like to suggest a topic OR if you would like to host a webinar!
  
  • Lesson Plan Support--Courtney (Tues Sept 25 7:00 PM CST, Thur Oct 25  7:00 PM CST)  This webinar will be discussion based.  Come with a lesson plan you’d like to share or a lesson plan you would like feedback on from other SLs. 
    
  • Classroom management--Courtney (September 9 3:00 PM CST)
    
  • Makerspaces
    
  • Copyright
    
  • OER
    
  • Collection Development
    
  • Policy & Data support
    
  • Future Ready
    
  • Indie Authors

I can speak for all the board members in saying that we are so proud to serve as your volunteer board for the Nebraska School Librarians Association.  We are here if you have any questions or have any feedback.  Have a wonderful start to the school year, and we hope to see you at one of our professional learning opportunities this year whether in person or online!