May 15, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 10): ASSOCIATION NEWS

Leadership Committee Scholarships Available

Are you looking to grow in your profession? To become more of a leader? To explore learning opportunities? 

Apply for a scholarship from the Leadership Committee of OLA. These scholarships support leadership development and contribute to the growth of leadership potential within OLA and libraries statewide.

The committee offers scholarships of up to $1000, available to all members of OLA regardless of employment or job title. You do not need to be a manager, or aspire to a management position, to qualify for a scholarship. In the past, recipients have used the scholarship to attend conferences, diversity training and OLA’s own Leadership Institute (LIOLA).

Scholarships are awarded three times each year. Priority for at least one scholarship will also be given to individuals from diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds and/or historically marginalized groups. Scholarship winners agree to provide service to OLA as a condition of receiving a scholarship. For example, join a committee or roundtable, present at a conference or division workshop, write an article for the OLA quarterly. It doesn’t matter so much what you do, but we encourage you to step outside your comfort zone.

For further information, please review the FAQ and scholarship application form. The next application deadline is June 30, 2022.

Our February scholarship of $1000 was awarded to Jen McKenzie. She will use her scholarship to attend and present at ISTE Live22! in New Orleans. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) focuses on the power of technology to transform teaching and learning, accelerate innovation and solve tough problems in education. Jen’s session is titled Start with Cats! Virtual Opportunities That Bring the Community into the Classroom. Please join us in congratulating Jen on taking advantage of this opportunity.

Jen is the K12 District Teacher Librarian for Siuslaw School District 97J in Florence, Oregon, and has been an educator for 20 years.  She was the Oregon Teacher Librarian of the Year in 2019, a current Fulbright Scholar,  and the current Region 3 OASL Board Representative. She has led hundreds of professional development sessions for thousands of educators and has presented for national Future Ready Librarian summits.

Jane Corry

OLA Leadership Committee member

May 15, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 10) ASSOCIATION NEWS

“Handmaid’s Tale”  graphic novel book drive

Following Medford School District’s recent decision to remove the graphic novel version of “The Handmaid’s Tale”, the Oregon Intellectual Freedom Committee would like to encourage intellectual freedom advocates everywhere to contribute copies of the book to provide free access to the book. The goal is to ensure that every Medford resident interested in reading the book can easily obtain a copy, as well as to demonstrate to school officials that local families object to one parent taking away their opportunity to decide what is appropriate reading for their students.

This kind of book drive was a success in Katy, Texas, where the school district removed “The Hate U Give”, then later returned it to library shelves. Local volunteers will stock Little Free Libraries with the novel as well as hand them out to the Medford community. The public libraries will also have a chance to take as many as they need for their collections. We will add stickers to the books to explain why they are available! 

To help:

1.      Send copies of “The Handmaid’s Tale” (graphic novel version) to: Ryan Bradley, 205 S. Central Ave, Medford, OR 97501 for distribution in the community.

2.      If you live in the Medford area, volunteer to hand out and distribute books. Contact OASL Intellectual Freedom Advocate Miranda Doyle at intellectualfreedom@oasl.olaweb.org.

3.    If you have students in Medford schools, tell the Medford School Board why returning the book to the High School Library collection will meet your needs. Public Comment can be made at Board Meetings or submitted in writing to msdschoolboard@medford.k12.or.us be read into the record. The next school board meeting is May 19, 2022.

Thank you for your support of intellectual freedom and the Freedom to Read.

Oregon Intellectual Freedom Committee 

May 15, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 10) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Call for Proposals: OLA Quarterly Fall Issue

The Oregon Library Association Quarterly (OLAQ) is seeking submissions for the Fall 2022 issue. Article proposals are due by June 2, 2022. 

The OLAQ’s editorial mission is to showcase the innovative work of Oregon library workers, students, partner organizations, and volunteers. Editorial guidelines have recently been updated to reflect OLA’s values and equity, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism efforts. To learn more, see the OLAQ website. 

The theme for the fall issue is Accelerated Change: What to Keep and What to Leave Behind.

The restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic required library workers to reconsider library policies and services as barriers to access and services were quickly exposed. While the limits on services were daunting, there was an opportunity to reimagine how libraries could use space, programs, technology, and collections to improve access and address equity concerns. In this issue, we hope to explore the ideas coming out of pandemic restrictions that have broadened the reach and improved library services. We also welcome examples of changes to policies and services that did not have the expected outcomes. Some examples of topics that could be covered are the elimination of fines, curbside and other forms of delivery of materials, virtual or mobile collections and services, outreach to underserved communities, or outdoor or virtual programming. We want to hear about how all those “pivots” during the pandemic have worked and what they mean for the future of library services. 

Guest editor for this issue will be Arlene Weible, OLA President and Electronic Services Consultant at the State Library of Oregon.

Potential authors are invited to submit proposals to Arlene at olapresident@olaweb.org by June 2, 2022.

Proposals should include the author’s name and contact information, proposed topic, and a brief description (300-500 words). 

Article length averages 1,000 to 2,500 words, and images and creative work are welcome.

Please also include answers to the following questions: 

• How does the proposed topic relate to the theme? 
• What is your connection to the policies or services described in your proposal?
• How will you address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in your article?

May 15, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 10) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Save the date for the OLA SSD Conference

Theme: Rise Above 

July 22, 2022 at Timberline Lodge

Registration opens soon (as soon as we lock down our sessions!)

Check for updates at our website : https://www.olaweb.org/ssd-conference

While you wait for the registration to go live…

You can get a head start on reserving your room at Timberline for July 21st.

The block of rooms is under OLA SSD Annual Conference

Twin Room $180.00

Queen Room $255.00

Queen Twin Room $285.00

Chalet Small $155.00

Chalet Medium $175.00

Rates shown are per night  single or double occupancy. Add  $30 for each additional person.  Plus 7.5% county tax. 

More information available here.

May 15, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 10) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Join the Staff Training Round Table!

The Staff Training Round Table is looking for OLA members to serve in a leadership position for the upcoming year. There are open positions for chair, chair-elect and secretary. If you aren’t already a member of the Staff Training Round Table, you can join for free at any time!

This is the charge of our round table: The Staff Training Round Table (STRT) is a resource for any library staff member who is involved with staff training at their library. Membership in this group will allow libraries across the state to discuss current training issues and best practices, share resources, and collaborate on building future training to meet the needs of an ever-evolving profession.

We are looking for individuals at all levels and from all backgrounds of the profession who enjoy staff training and development and are interested in a leadership opportunity. Consider this a great opportunity to learn some leadership skills, and offer your expertise.

Duties of officers: The Chair attends meetings, organizes and announces meeting dates, develops the agendas, and chairs the meetings. The Chair-elect can assist with any or all of the duties of the Chair, and will be the Chair in the following year. Secretary takes notes at the meetings, shares the notes, and manages the STRT page on the OLA website. The chair-elect is a two year commitment, which serves as the chair in the second year. The Secretary is a one year commitment. 

According to the OLA bylaws, the responsibilities of every Round Table are to hold at least one meeting annually, and to submit an annual report to the OLA Executive Board at the end of the Association year. Additional meetings and activities are at the discretion of the Round Table members, who in practice perform much of the work of the group.

If you are interested in one of the positions, please send an email to Holly Freewynn

hollyf@multco.us by Wednesday, June 29th, 2022, stating your name, your job position, and why you are interested in your stated position. 

Or, contact one of the current leadership team to learn more about STRT:

Holly Freewynn hollyf@multco.us or Darci Hanning darci.hanning@state.or.us.

Best regards,

Holly Freewynn, Chair, Staff Training Round Table

May 15, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 10) ASSOCIATION NEWS

2023 OLA Conference Committee Volunteers Still Needed!

If you’ve been considering getting involved with OLA, then this is a great way to get started. There are still several positions open on the 2023 OLA Conference Planning Committee. If you are interested in getting actively involved in the biggest “party” planning activity OLA does, then this is the committee for you! Here are the current open positions:

·       Local Arrangements – ideally this person will be from Central Oregon.

·       Exhibits – generally there are co-chairs for this area working closely with Fundraising

·       Fundraising/Sponsorships/Ads

·       Webmaster/Online Program

Most meetings will be done virtually, however the first meeting will be onsite at the Riverhouse in Bend sometime in mid-July. Please note that to serve on an OLA committee you need to be a current member of OLA.If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, please contact Liisa Sjoblom at liisas@deschuteslibrary.org or 541-617-7093.

May 1, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 9) ASSOCIATION NEWS

ORCA Winners Announced! 

The ORCA — Oregon Reader’s Choice Award — winners and newest list of nominees will be on the ORCA blog today, May 1. 

Go to https://oregonreaderschoiceaward.wordpress.com/ to see the best books selected by Oregon students, teachers, and librarians and voted on by Oregon youth!

May 1, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 9) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Podcast Episode 2 is Live!

Episode 2 of Overdue: Weeding Out Oppression in Libraries is available for download.  This episode features a great discussion with Oregon library leaders Adrienne Doman Calkins and Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney, about staff training, tool-kit implementation, and barriers to EDI in library settings is officially live. PLEASE share far and wide!!!

Thank you to Kirsten and Adrienne for agreeing to be guests on our show. Your experiences and perspectives are so valuable and appreciated. A huge shout out to Brittany Young, Yeli Boots and Krista Neth who interviewed, recorded, edited and put a lot of time and effort into this episode. And, as always, an immense thank you to the entire EDIA Committee for your immense dedication to this podcast and to this work—you are amazing and I am so honored to work alongside you all.  

Lastly, thank you to Shirley, OLA and SLO for your support and funding so that we can see this dream of ours unfold!

Next month, we hope to have a 2-part episode with Dr. Debbie Reese on Indigenous representation in literature, classrooms and libraries. This might mean one is published on the last week day of the month (like usual) and the other mid-June, or if we can make it work with time and capacity levels, maybe mid-May and the last day of May.

Happy Listening!

May 1, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 9) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Children’s Services Division Position Openings

Why join the Children’s Services Division?  Here is what two former board member said:

“I met incredible people, many of whom I am still in contact with and are go-to people when I have questions (and vice-versa).”

“Meeting colleagues and hearing what they do in their libraries to get new ideas.”

CSD 2022-23 Position Openings

• Incoming CSD Chair
• Communications Chair
• Mock Workshop Chair

Committee members to various committees

This is a great year to be a committee member, learn a position, and see if it is a good fit for you for the following year.

2022-23 Filled Positions

• Chair
• Past Chair
• Secretary
• Lampman
• Summer Reading
• Performer’s Showcase
• Scholarships

Another board member shared how being on the CSD board can help you: “If a person has aspirations to change positions within the state, become a library director in Oregon, or to do some amazing things in the Youth Services field, this is a great way to gain leadership skills and position yourself for the next adventure.”

For more information, check out our open positions blog post.  For more information about the filled positions, see the CSD Board webpage that includes job descriptions for all positions.  If you would like to join the CSD board, please email CSD@olaweb.org.

May 1, 2022 (Vol. 30, No. 9) ASSOCIATION NEWS

Drop in Meeting 

Arlene Weible, OLA President, and Shirley Roberts, OLA Association Manager, will be hosting a drop in meeting on May 6, 2022, from 10:00 -11:00 am.  This is an informal meeting to ask questions, share information, and discuss topics of interest for OLA members. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85726379152 All OLA members are welcome!