It was with great dismay last week that I had to inform registrants for “Whose Lives Matter” that we could not hold the program scheduled for October 1^st.  The presenters from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service were prohibited from providing the training pursuant to the two memoranda here.  In addition, it came to my attention that IMLS may provide new guidelines around the use of LSTA funding for such training.  Difficult conversations around diversity and anti-racism are paramount to ensuring that, as a profession, we are adhering to the ALA Code of Ethics.  As one registrant remarked after receiving the cancellation notice, “We were looking forward to what seemed to be a useful session about understanding people and being an ethical mediator. Who knew that was problematic behavior?”  Another registrant wrote, “Are we protesting this in some way, shape, or form?  "We" being librarians who do not believe in censorship and I cannot help but see this as the first step....”  Please be assured that NEO-RLS is committed to offering training that is socially relevant and responsible and that enables librarians and library staff to perform in accordance to our Code of Ethics.  The scheduled program could not proceed but we immediately contacted a variety of other speakers and will be adding new anti-racism training programs to our schedule as soon as we possibly can.  Have a great week and stay well! 

Betsy Lantz

Please take a moment to share CE at a Glance with your staff.  There is something for everyone.

11/4/2020
Leveraging Libraries as a Resource for Immigrant and Refugee Neighbors
11/10/2020
Marketing Automation in Public Libraries
11/18/2020
Just Right Books-How to use text complexity and reading levels in your readers' advisory for kids
11/19/2020
Coping in a New World: How to continue to thrive and cope while providing public service
11/20/2020
2020 Hottest Tech Toys for the Holidays

Click the calendar to see all of our continuing education opportunities.

Customer Service Academy Please remember to let us know if you have completed the required 8 webinars during 2020 in order to earn your Online Training Certificate for Customer Service by emailing Melissa Lattanzi.  Those who have completed the requirements will be recognized in our newsletter at the end of the year and will receive their certificate in the mail.

Mark your calendars to attend the NEO-RLS 2020 Annual Membership and Appreciation Meeting on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.  Although we can’t bring you breakfast virtually, we promise the meeting will be informative and will provide you with time to network with colleagues around a variety of table topics.  We will use Zoom for the meeting and then will use a new software platform, the Remo Conference software, for the networking aspect of the meeting.  Remo will allow us to try out some fun, new features not available on Zoom...

Staff Week We are excited to bring you a week-long staff development opportunity.  The week-long event, "Positive, Proactive and Prepared," will feature an opening Keynote speaker, a closing Keynote speaker and 7 breakout sessions.  Network Group Meetings will also be held daily.  Breakout sessions will cover a wide variety of topics aimed at all staff.  HOW MUCH:  Cost for the day is FREE for Gold Members; $10.00 per person for Silver Members;  $25.00 per person for Bronze Members; and $50.00 per person for Geographic Members ..

Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is a special grant opportunity exclusively for small and rural libraries. LTC is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) that provides community engagement resources and opportunities specific to the needs of library workers serving small and rural communities. Libraries can use this grant to develop and offer a conversation series in their community, using a model such as Turning Outward, Great Stories Club, or One Book One Community, or design their own conversation program around local or national issues or a book or film discussion...

There’s no debate about it: metadata is great, and grant money is even better! So if your library or archive could use up to $4999 to clean up your metadata and join the Ohio Digital Network to share your collections with the Digital Public Library of America, you’ll want to apply for our Metadata Mini-Grant. And if you think you might have questions or want to learn more about it, you’ll want to attend our informational webinar. It’s just one week from today on Wednesday October 7 at 11:00. Registration is quick and easy, see you there!

From OPLIN: It's now time to register for the Fall 2020 E-rate (Basics/Updates) and Form 470 webinar. In this workshop Lorrie Germann, State E-rate Coordinator, will cover changes to E-rate and a line by line review of the Form 470. Plan on attending to make sure you have the most up-to-date information.   This public library-specific session is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28.   Register HERE.

From Library Journal: When we talk to students, parents, educators, and librarians, they all share many of the same concerns:  How will schools and libraries support students from afar? How will parents become instant experts in algebra? How will students learn remotely? That's why libraries across the U.S. and Canada partner with us to provide 1-to-1 tutoring that engages students, makes sure they stay on track, and reduces the stress levels of students and parents alike. We've been doing this for two decades—and now more than ever, on-demand support is a lifeline for families. Join us at the Library Journal Virtual Summit (registration is free) Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2020