Greetings! As the NEO-RLS Board of Trustees strives to serve you, our members, we are reminded that the Board is representational and reflective of our membership. With that in mind, we would like to share with you highlights from our latest Board meeting on May 18th. This will be an ongoing effort, with a message from the Board following each of our bi-monthly meetings.  
First, it is with mixed feelings that we announce the upcoming retirement of our Executive Director, Betsy Lantz. Betsy is the embodiment of the NEO-RLS values: collaborative, professional, and proactive, and has been instrumental in the success of NEO-RLS. Under her 5 years of leadership, not only has the membership increased, but it has been strengthened with a growing diversity of libraries - academic, public, special, and school. In addition, Betsy has been a guiding voice in expanding the offerings and services of NEO-RLS.  She works, together with the entire NEO-RLS staff, to meet, often exceeding, the needs of our members. Her last day will be June 30, 2022, and the Board is already taking steps to begin the search for her successor. When the torch is eventually passed, the next Executive Director will be inheriting a solid foundation on which to continue strengthening NEO-RLS. While saddened that her time at NEO-RLS is coming to a close, we are equally excited to wish Betsy much joy and happiness on her well-deserved retirement!
Additionally, the Board resolved to change the Ad Hoc DEI Strategies Committee to a Standing Committee and the change to the Bylaws will be posted on the website for a 30 day review by members beginning today.  The Committee has worked on questions focused around diversity, equity and inclusion for the upcoming Membership Survey and is working on the creation of an exit interview for Board members and Board Committee members.  The Board also moved to accept NEO-RLS’ newly created Technology Plan, and a new Communication Etiquette policy to be used in conjunction with the Discord platform.  Discord is being rolled out for use by the various NEO-RLS Network Groups in order to maintain connections and communication between Network meetings.  Members currently affiliated with a Network Group will be invited into the conversation and new members can contact NEO-RLS if they wish to be added.  The Salary Survey closed with 136 participating libraries statewide and the results will be available for purchase beginning July 1^st.  The upcoming NEO-RLS Membership Survey will be distributed at the beginning of June and we hope you will complete it so that your ideas and suggestions inform our decisions regarding programs and services.   The Multi-type Libraries Committee is hosting the first Multi-type Libraries Network Group on June 23^rd featuring discussions about multi-type library collaborations.  And, lastly, strategic planning consulting services will resume in-person along with a continuation of our trial period for one-on-one management coaching. 
As you can see, there is a lot of activity underway, and everyone at NEO-RLS, Board and staff, continues to work towards maximizing library potential together!

Stay healthy. Stay safe.
William Rutger, President | NEO-RLS Board of Trustees
 

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

8/10/2021
Creating Standards for Successful Customer Service (For Frontline Staff)
8/18/2021
Disability 201: Disability in the Workplace: Let's talk about accommodations and boundaries
8/19/2021
What do we do with this? Managing artifacts in your Collection
8/25/2021
Rebuilding Our Why - For Managers
8/26/2021
Rebuilding Our Why - For Library Staff

ONLY 5.5 WEEKS LEFT TO NOMINATE YOUR RISING STAR, SHOOTING STAR OR LIBRARY ADVOCATE The deadline for NEO-RLS Award nominations is June 30th.  Please don’t let the year go by without nominating those persons who have made an impact on their libraries or communities over this past year.  The nomination forms are online and can be accessed on the website under the individual awards.  We know there are many in our region that are deserving of these awards.   Nominate someone TODAY!

NEO-RLS BYLAWS CHANGE POSTED FOR MEMBER REVIEW The NEO-RLS Board of Trustees has approved a change to the Bylaws pending a 30 day member review.  The change creates a standing Board Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategies.  This change reflects NEO-RLS long-term commitment to DEI and provides for organizational accountability.   The change is highlighted in yellow and can be found on page 9 of the document posted under NEWS on the website.  Please contact Betsy Lantz with any comments.

The Buckeye Children's and Teen Book Awards and Perma-Bound are proud to offer the 2021 Perma-Bound Buckeye Book Award Grant. This book grant is designed to give more children and teens access to great books, provide them opportunities to be actively engaged in reading, and encourage them to use their votes to determine the next Buckeye Book Award winners. The application period is open until June 4, 2021.

The Statewide Delivery Service System in Ohio is one of the premiere statewide multi-type resource sharing systems in the country.  Unfortunately, it has been one of the many core library services affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To help address these challenges, the State Library of Ohio is pleased to announce that this statewide program will receive approximately $1,000,000 in support from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) late last month.

Metadata Mini-Grants The State Library of Ohio is pleased to announce the second round of Metadata Mini-Grants. This grant will enable libraries to digitize and create new collections for the Digital Public Library of America. Applications are due by Wednesday, July 14, 2021. Through work with Ohio Digital Network, Ohio’s DPLA Hub, and support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, libraries can apply for up to $4,999 to remediate metadata for collections that have already been digitized and create new digital collections.

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

There will not be a newsletter the week of May 31, 2021.  Enjoy your Memorial Day!

 

Email Us or Follow Us on Facebook