January 15, 2023 (Vol. 31, No. 02) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Public Library Division of OLA is seeking nominations to fill an Executive Board position

Greetings, Oregon public library workers! The Public Library Division of the Oregon Library Association is seeking nominations to fill a vacancy on our executive board:

Chair-elect (3-year term; one partial year as chair-elect, one year as chair, one year as past chair)

All Public Library Division members are eligible to serve on the executive board. The board year runs from September 1st through August 31st. This position will begin its term as soon as the election results are certified.

For more information on the Public Library Division executive board, and to nominate yourself or a colleague, please fill out and submit this form by Friday, January 27, 2023: https://forms.gle/8uWX7Ma4K7mQxvha9.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Haley Lagasse, current Public Library Division Chair, at pld@olaweb.org.

January 15, 2023 (Vol.31, No. 02) ASSOCIATION NEWS

OLA Quarterly (OLAQ)
OLA seeks a managing editor for the OLA Quarterly (OLAQ). OLAQ showcases the innovative work of Oregon library workers, students, partner organizations, and volunteers. It seeks to: 

  • Provide an entry-level outlet for professional publication to the Oregon library community.
  • Treat each other according to the ALA Code of Ethics and principles of equity, diversity, inclusion (EDI) and antiracism (OLA EDI Antiracism Committee, 2020).
  • Publicize new ideas and initiatives that can be replicated in libraries in Oregon and around the world.
  • Represent the needs and interests of Oregon libraries of all types, organizational structures, and sizes, from all corners of the state.

Duties

A detailed list of duties is available in the OLAQ Editorial Guidelines

Compensation

  • $1,000 per issue (each issue averages 40 pages, 5-7 articles)
  • Previous managing editors report spending an average of 10 hours per month on editorial duties.

 Qualifications

  • Evidence of ability to manage projects, meet deadlines, and communicate effectively. 
  • Experience with reviewing the work of others.
  • Evidence of ability to coach and provide constructive feedback about written work with new and experienced writers.
  • Involvement in EDIA work including experience with respectful conversation about EDIA values as they apply to written work.
  • Familiarity with the Oregon library community.
  • Experience with the publication production process is helpful, but not required.
  • Copy editing experience helpful, but not required.

To Apply
See the recruitment announcement for more information and application instructions. Priority will be given to applicants who submit their materials by January 17, 2023.

January 15, 2023 (Vol. 31, No. 02) ASSOCIATION NEWS

CSD Scholarship Application is now open!

The Children’s Services Division (CSD) of the Oregon Library Association (OLA) is offering scholarships of up to $1,000 for members of CSD to attend the 2023 OLA Conference in Bend, OR, April 19-22.  Funds are intended to cover the cost of registration, hotel lodging for Tuesday night if attending a pre-conference and Wednesday and Thursday night for regular conference attendance, travel, and meals.


The first deadline is January 21, 2023 for notification of award around February 1st. Application will remain open until all funds are awarded or 2 weeks before conference registration deadline, whichever comes first.

To be eligible, applicants must be a current/become a member of the Children’s Services Division of OLA. They can receive one CSD scholarship per year (September-August), and agree to share information with other CSD members in a CSD Board-approved manner, such as presenting at a workshop or conference, writing an article for the OLA Quarterly, Hotline, or CSD blog, coordinating a Mock workshop, etc. Recipients will also complete a short survey upon completion of the funded professional development opportunity. Recipients are required to pay any extra costs of family members or friends who accompany them to the event and they must provide receipts for reimbursement of travel and meal expenses.

In awarding scholarships, preference is given to:1. Applicants from diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds and/or historically marginalized groups,2. Applicants employed at institutions or in positions serving under-represented groups, 3. Applicants who have not previously been awarded a CSD scholarship, and/or,4. Applicants employed at small or rural institutions with limited funding
To apply, click here.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact:
Deborah VanDetta, CSD Scholarship Chair – csdscholarships@olaweb.org
Tara Morissette and Emily West, CSD Co-Chairs – csd@olaweb.org 

January 15, 2023 (Vol. 31, No. 02): HAPPENINGS

Book Buzz
The Children’s Services Division presents our virtual winter workshop, Book Buzz.  Gather together with your fellow youth library workers and chat about new and noteworthy titles from 2022.  Please add your five favorite books from 2022 to our sign up form and be ready to talk about your choices.  We will compile the list of favorites and send it to you.For more information and to sign up:  https://www.csdola.org/workshops-2022-23.html

Emily West and Tara Morissette
CSD Co-chairs, 2022-23

January 15, 2023 (vol.31, No. 02): ASSOCIATION NEWS

2nd call for Nominations! OLA Awards
Reminder!! Yes, it’s time to nominate your colleagues for OLA Honors & Awards!

Who has done an outstanding job or taken on a project or been responsible for a success in our libraries this year?  Tell us about those talented, dedicated individuals whose commitment to excellent library service has made a difference.  The OLA Honors & Awards Committee wants to know who those individuals (or groups) are and we want you to tell us!

Nominations may come from all types of libraries and from all kinds of librarians, staff and supporters.

Nominations are open for the following awards:

  • Oregon Librarian of the Year
  • Library Employee of the Year
  • OLA Distinguished Service Award
  • OLA EDI Anti-Racism Recognition Award
  • Library Supporter of the Year

Nomination letters (with no more than six letters of support) are due Friday, March 17, 2023

These awards will be presented to recipients at the 2023 OLA Conference Luncheon Banquet in Bend on Friday, April 21, 2023

Here are the details on each award:

  1. Oregon Librarian of the Year may be awarded to any Oregon librarian who has been working in an Oregon Library for at least two years in a paid professional position.  The nominee must demonstrate excellence in library service in their community and to Oregon libraries.  The nominee must be a member of OLA.
  2. Oregon Library Employee of the Year may be awarded to any Oregon library staff member who has worked in an Oregon library for at least two years as a paid staff member and demonstrated excellence in library service in their community.
  3. Oregon Library Association Distinguished Service Award may be awarded to any Oregon librarian or library staff member, who has been in the profession for 15 or more years, has worked in Oregon libraries for at least ten years, and is currently a member of OLA, for exceptional service over a period of years.
  4. OLA EDI Anti-Racism Recognition Award may be awarded to any Oregon Library or library employee with an outstanding commitment to anti-racism. Nominee must show a proven track record of creating antiracist change in their library or library system in at least one of the areas: 1) contribute to the success of an initiative that empowers oppressed minorities and disadvantage individuals; 2) help destroying systematic/structural racism in their library or library systems; 3) inspire and encourage Anti-Racism culture at their libraries, presenting, implementing or revamping EDI processes, procedures, terms, conditions and code of conduct to better reflect anti-racism principles; 4) advocate, participate in outreach and community work dedicated to oppressed minorities and disadvantaged individuals; or 5) create a pipeline for BIPOC to become library staff. 
  5. Oregon Library Supporter of the Year may be awarded to any volunteer, volunteer group, library Friend, board member, government official, or other individual who is not a paid library staff member and who has demonstrated excellence in supporting and promoting Oregon libraries.

If you need more info, read the awards guidelines and let us know if you have questions.  Take a look at https://www.olaweb.org/awards#

Your letter (e-mail) of nomination should include the following information, if pertinent, and be as informational as possible:

   * Name, contact information, current position for nomine
* Award for which you are nominating the person or group  
* Description of why your nominee should be selected for an OLA Award  
* OLA activities: committee appointments, etc.

* Past positions held and summary of major accomplishments  (for Distinguished Service Award
* Your name and how you can be reached if the committee has questions

Please send nominating letters and supporting letters by Friday, March 17, 2023, to:
        Elsa Loftis and Karen Muller, HAS Co-Chairs 
e-mail:   olaawards@olaweb.org
           
We prefer e-mail, but you can also send via mail to Elsa Loftis at:
Elsa Loftis, ACQ
 951 SW Hall St.  
Portland,  OR  97201

E-mail or call  503-725-5780 if you have any questions. We will be looking forward to your nominations.

Elsa Loftis, eloftis@pdx.edu (co-chair)
Karen Muller, karen.muller@hillsboro-oregon.gov (co-chair)
Sonja Somerville, SSomerville@cityofsalem.net
Emily O’Neal, emilyo@dpls.lib.or.us
Jessica Lorentz Smith, president@oasl.olaweb.org
 
Elsa and Karen
OLA Awards Committee

January 15, 2023 (Vol.31, No. 02): CONFERENCE

Wednesday, April 19 – Saturday, April 22
Riverhouse on the Deschutes in Bend

Conference theme: Rekindle | Rejuvenate | Reimagine

Join your colleagues in beautiful Bend, Oregon for four days of workshops, presentations and networking. Some elements of the conference will available virtually and there will be some virtual-only sessions for those who can’t make it to Bend! 

The conference theme is Rekindle | Rejuvenate | Reimagine. We are looking to both acknowledge the challenges of the last three years and also find fuel to help us move forward as we deliver library services in a changed world.

Be sure to visit the conference website for all the latest updates including lodging information:

  • Make your hotel reservations now by visiting the Local Information section of the conference website. Reservations for the conference dates can be made online; if you are interested in bookending your trip with an additional night’s stay, you can receive the conference rate by contacting Riverhouse lodging services at 458-281-0306. Pre- and post- conference evenings are not included in the standard reservation block so you must contact the Riverhouse directly.
  • Early-bird Registration: Conference registration will open by February 1 and go through March 17, 2023. Be sure to check the conference website in February for additional information.

Special events will be hosted each evening during the conference! Plan to attend one or more:

  • Wednesday evening: Public Library Division’s Reception
  • Thursday evening: Virtual Bingo for onsite and remote conference attendees
  • Friday evening: President’s Reception

Stay tuned for more announcements soon!

January 1, 2023 (Vol. 31, No. 01): ASSOCIATION NEWS

OLA Treasurer Report

In an effort to improve communication and transparency for members, the OLA Board has asked that the OLA Treasurer provide regular updates on the finances of OLA.  This is just a summary. If you want more specifics, you can view them on the OLA website.

As of November 30th, our current checking account balance was $172,727.61 and our total assets were $1,049,531.48. (The total assets include our investment accounts, as well as those controlled by our divisions.)

Our current investments have increased in value as of September 1st, but we expect that to fluctuate over time. Our investments in general have outperformed the overall market, so we feel pretty good about our current allocations. In fact, the 10 year forecast for our long-term investments is expected to be 5%, so, using our investment policy, the OLA Board approved a 1.5% distribution of our long-term investments to help pay for our annual expenses.

Detailed financials can be found on the OLA website (have to be logged in to view)

——-

Stuart Levy
OLA Treasurer 2021-23
olatreasurer@olaweb.org

January 1, 2023 (Vol. 31, No. 01): ASSOCIATION NEWS

OVERDUE: Weeding Out Oppression in Libraries Podcast

The newest episode of OVERDUE: Weeding Out Oppression in Libraries, a conversation with Brandace Rojo and Eduardo Arizaga, just launched this morning! Feel free to share the link far and wide J I apologize I didn’t send this out last night to give everyone notice, but this week has been filled with surprises and turns for me and, regretfully, I dropped the ball.

Below is an overview of the episode. Many thanks to everyone that made this episode happen: our wonderful guests, our hosts Kristen and LaRee, our producer for this one, Bryan, and Matthew who went above and beyond helping us stitch together audio and ultimately saving us from having to possibly record again. And, as always, a huge thank you to all the members of the EDI & Antiracism Committee, OLA and to the State Library of Oregon.  

Episode 11:  Centering Equity in Oregon Libraries with Brandace Rojo and Eduardo Arizaga

*There were technical issues during the recording of this episode. We apologize for any minor disruptions.

In this episode, we talk with leadership from REFORMA Oregon about centering equity work as the foundation of library work, how to begin shifting Oregon library culture to better serve diverse communities as well as how a culture shift can support library workers of color. We also talk about how REFORMA Oregon supports EDI Antiracism work in the state and how this organization serves as a structure of support for library workers who identify as Latinx, speak Spanish or serve Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities. 

Brandace Rojo is the Current President of REFORMA Oregon and the Communications and Partnerships Manager at Josephine Community Library District.

Eduardo Arizaga is the Past President of REFORMA Oregon and the Community Engagement Manager at Multnomah County Library. REFORMA Oregon is a division of the Oregon Library Association as well as the Oregon chapter of REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, an affiliate of the American Library Association. REFORMA Oregon is a professional organization for librarians and library staff who serve the Spanish-speaking and Latino communities.

Date of interview: November 18, 2022

Hosts: LaRee Dominguez and Kristen Curé

January 1, 2023 (Vol. 31, No. 01): ASSOCIATION NEWS

OLA Leadership Development Scholarships Awarded

The Leadership Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the Fall round of Leadership Development Scholarships.

·       Michele Diaz, student library assistant at OHSU and MLIS candidate at the University of Southern Mississippi, is the recipient of a scholarship to attend the OLA Support Staff Division conference in July.

·       Monica Hoffman, Take Off! Program Manager at the Umatilla County Special Library District and OLA’s Children’s Services Division Chair-elect, is the recipient of a scholarship to attend the OLA Annual Conference in April.

Congratulations to Michele and Monica!

Applications for the next round of scholarships will open in late January with a deadline of February 28th.