2020’s Critical Conversations – Building Empathy to Build Community was canceled when the pandemic began.  Because it is still not possible for us to meet in person and because we think empathy is such an important aspect of building community, we decided to go ahead and feature many of our originally scheduled speakers from last year for live webinars this March, April and June.  We are excited to have Ally Dowds with us on March 17^th to speak about Virtual Outreach: Social Services and Public Health during COVID-19.   On April 15^th we are featuring An Empathic Approach to Customer Service.   On the 21^st of April, Carrie Girton from Miami University will talk about Empathetic Marketing: Connecting with Users through Marketing.   Tamra King, from Richland Library (Columbia, SC), will present What Can I Do?  How Libraries Can Support and Heal Communities in Conflict on April 22^nd.  On April 28^th Dr. Meghan Harper from Kent State University’s iSchool will speak about Building Empathetic Collections: Fostering Empathy and Kindness in Your Community.  Our last speaker, specifically focused on the topic of empathy, is Carol Jackson on June 2^nd who will present on Voices of the Community:  Asking and Listening at the Library. We hope you will join us in building empathy to build community.  Thanks and have a safe and healthy week!

Betsy Lantz

Don't forget about CE @ a Glance.  A simple one-page flyer to share with your staff.

5/4/2021
Escape Rooms at Your Library
5/5/2021
Crash Course in Using TikTok
5/5/2021
Book Discussion Networking Meeting
5/12/2021
Outreach and Reference in the Land of Wikimedia
5/19/2021
Assertiveness for the Unassertive
Watch for more!

NEO-RLS Adds Closed Captioning (CC) to Live Webinars We are pleased to announce that starting in mid-February we began utilizing the closed captioning (CC) feature available to us on Zoom.  All of our live webinars from now on will include CC.  Individuals may disable the CC if they so desire.  We hope this is an enhancement that will make our live webinars even more accessible to our members.  We are now working on providing transcription for our archived webinars and will let you know when that is in place.

The 2021 Virtual Emerging Technology Symposium is Around the Corner! This year the Emerging Technology Symposium will be a statewide virtual event sponsored by NEO-RLS, NORWELD, SERLS, SWON and the State Library of Ohio.  Our theme is Exploration | Adaptation | Transformation and we will be celebrating YOUR innovation.  A Call for Poster Sessions, live or recorded, is now open and we invite you to submit your ideas by May 31st.  Share how you have used technology to explore, adapt and transform your library.  Mark your calendar for September and plan to join us!

Next Live Ryan Dowd Webinar: Service Animals: Your Obligations Under the ADA      Some of the issues covered: Which types of animals are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? What are the two questions you can legally ask? (Yes, there are only two!) Can you legally exclude a service animal if it growls, poops, sets off someone's allergies, or scares someone with a phobia?

April is Citizen Science Month. Check out this mini-grant opportunity, funded by the National Library of Medicine, to help increase awareness of and engagement in Citizen Science Month events and supplemental programs. Thirteen libraries across the US will each be awarded $5,000 mini-grants. Learn more about this opportunity and apply here by next Friday, March 5: To learn more about Citizen Science Month and how you can participate click here.

See what's new!  View Job Postings on the NEO-RLS website. 

The Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) announces a new
mini-conference:  What's New in 2021? Books, Books & More
Saturday, March 6, 9:00 am - Noon
 
This event will feature author Mindy McGinnis talking about her new book, The Initial Insult. Join us and be one of the first to have a chance to purchase an autographed copy!
 
You will also hear from librarians from Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library as they introduce newly published books for 2021. In addition, Lori Lee, OELMA’s Director of Teaching & Learning and Assistant Director of INFOhio, will unveil professional development opportunities for librarians this year. The event will conclude with a roundtable discussion on topics including the state of school libraries.
 
The cost is $25 for OELMA members and $45 for others. Register for this event here: