The four Ohio regional library systems and the State Library of Ohio held a statewide directors’ meeting last Wednesday to discuss issues being faced due to COVID.  There were 86 directors present from all sizes and types of libraries.  As I listened to the directors and read the comments in the chat I was struck, once again, by the dedication and compassion that the directors expressed regarding the health and safety of their staff and the commitment to their communities.   Staying on top of all of the various changes including safety requirements, health concerns, problematic patrons, lack of resources, etc. is a difficult and stressful job.  Doing so combined with care for staff and community is commendable but oftentimes without thanks.  I know that many of you have heard the thanks from patrons but I also know that there have been confrontations about masks, services, etc.  I just want to say thank you personally for all that everyone working in our libraries has been doing.  My 82 year old mother is by herself in Columbus and the Worthington Public Library and the Columbus Metropolitan Library have been her lifeline.  She is completely adept in terms of technology and has continued to borrow eBooks, DVD’s and uses curbside services for print materials.  In addition, she has been engaging intellectually since the beginning of November in the “Let’s Talk About Race – One Book, One Community” lecture series.  I am so grateful that during this period of time, when our family is spread out across the state and country, she has the library to keep her connected.  My mom’s story isn’t unique.  The mother of another NEO-RLS staff member is also alone and she has a one hour appointment online each week with a staff member at the Salem Public Library to help her out with anything she needs related to technology.  It is the highlight of her week.  So, when you are having a day filled with guilt, indecision, stress or worries about your health, know that there are many people out there for whom you are making the difference between isolation and survival.  I am truly grateful for all that you are doing.  Thanks and have a safe and healthy week!
 
Betsy Lantz

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

4/1/2021
LGBTQ+ Reader’s Advisory
4/14/2021
Gaming & Esports in Libraries
4/15/2021
An Empathic Approach to Customer Service Training
4/22/2021
What Can I Do? How Libraries Can Support and Heal Communities in Conflict
4/27/2021
Professional Writing Online Workshop Series - 10:00 am
4/28/2021
Building Empathetic Collections: Fostering Empathy and Kindness in your Community
4/29/2021
Dealing with Hostile and Potentially Dangerous Library Users' Behaviors
4/21/2021
Empathetic Marketing: Connecting with Users through Marketing

Let’s Get Digital: E-Health Devices and How They Can Help Track and Motivate
Thursday, January 21st at 10 am
 
Learn about some of the newest emerging tech devices and services available to you, your staff and your patrons right now and how they can be used to understand their wellness, take charge of their health, and motivate to get e-healthy!
 
Learning Objectives: 

• Use part or all of the material in this presentation to put on your own patron programming (PowerPoint will be provided) 
• Discover the type of health information these devices can now track and how they can be vital to understanding and improving aspects of your health and wellness 
• Learn ways these devices and services can work together to analyze your overall health and create goals and challenges to motivate you and take charge of your health

We now have a Tapas Learning page dedicated to Summer Reading.  Currently we are featuring videos about choosing  your own adventure, mindfulness, snacks and owl pellets.  Be sure to take a look at these great program ideas.  We would love to have more for all age groups: adult, children and teen.  The videos can be from 2 minutes to 45 minutes.  Please email Holly Klingler if you are interested in sharing your summer reading ideas.  

From INFOhio: Happy New Year! It’s not too late to join a network of partners committed to sharing quality instructional materials available at no cost with Ohio teachers, parents, and students.   INFOhio, Ohio's PreK-12 Digital Library, would like to invite you to join the INFOhio Integration Partner (IPartner) program for education-based agencies, including public libraries.

The Dollar General Family Literacy Grant program is open for applications through February 18. These grants support Adult Education Instruction, Children’s Education, and Parent and Child Together Time (PACT). Learn more: www.dgliteracy.org/#family-literacy-grants   The Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant application will be released in February 2021.

Congratulations to Conneaut Public Library, and Fairport Harbor Public Library, for being awarded Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Focus on Small and Rural Libraries grants.
 
ALA has just opened a second application round for this grant and will be giving out 450 additional grants to small and rural libraries.  Libraries are encouraged to apply for funding by March 4.

Patron Point received the Platinum Award in 2021 Modern Library Awards from LibraryWorks.
Dublin, OH - January 14, 2021 - Patron Point is delighted to announce it has received a Platinum award in LibraryWorks’ seventh annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs.) The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry in a truly unbiased format. Products and services were submitted in the Fall using a simple application, and then were posted on a private site with an enhanced description and attendant materials. These products were batched into small groups and sent to the LibraryWorks database of more than 80,000 librarians at public, K-12, academic, and special libraries. Only customers with experience with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge the products/services, resulting in a truly unbiased score. 

Each judge scored the product on a numeric basis from 1-10 on a series of questions regarding functionality, value, customer service, etc.  Judges comments can be viewed here www.patronpoint.com/mla