The program for our 2018 Annual Conference: Smooth Sailing through Rough Waters on May 7 is almost finalized. We currently have over a dozen talented and inspiring speakers scheduled from public, academic, and provincial libraries and community organizations. You can visit our conference webpage for more details.
Have you registered yet? Online registration is open, plus we have a conference bursary available to assist you with attending this year’s conference.
Online Registration is available for our 2018 Annual Conference: Smooth Sailing through Rough Waters. Our conference takes place on Monday, May 7, at the Newfoundland & Labrador Housing & Homeless Network Provincial Learning Centre in St. John’s.
Conference registration fee is $50.00 for NLLA members and $75.00 for non-members. An optional post-conference dinner will be held at Piatto Midtown (not included in conference fees).
We look forward to seeing you this year!
The NLLA is pleased to announce the second year for the Conference Bursary for our 2018 Annual Conference: Smooth Sailing through Rough Waters. This bursary will be open to all members of the NLLA currently residing in Newfoundland and Labrador. The bursary can be used for travel expenses, accommodation and conference registration. Funds will be awarded on an as-needed basis. Please read our bursary guidelines for more information.
To apply, please complete our application form and submit it to Bursary Committee Chair, Melissa Feaver (melissa_feaver@hotmail.com). The deadline for applications is April 16, 2018.
The NLLA is pleased no further cuts were announced for the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries’ operating budget and that the amount is back to its pre-2016 budget of $11.3 million. We are especially thrilled that Minister Kirby confirmed that the closing of 54 Public Libraries is officially off the table and is instead optimistic that new libraries will open.
This is a big relief to library workers and supporters throughout the province and beyond. From the moment the budget came down in 2016, there was an outpouring of support for libraries and a real fight to make sure something so unfathomable would not happen. The unmeasurable support and determination to prove the value of public libraries actually lead to a reprieve until a review could be completed.
Once the review was complete, an uncertainty for the Public Libraries has continued to linger, so the news that mass library closures is “shelved” is a fresh breath of air. The NLLA is so thankful to its members and the community at large for the magnificent advocacy work and the determination to save the Public Libraries.
Even with this good news, the NLLA is still concerned about the current level of funding. According to the EY (Ernst & Young LLP) Review, NLPL is 42% below the national per capita average, and is not enough to sustain the province’s library system. This review gave several recommendations on funding, and the NLLA remains confident that this, along with the other areas highlighted in the EY Review, are being investigated further by the Provincial Information and Library Resources Board (PILRB). The NLLA looks forward to assisting with consultations, planning and researching the ‘Way Forward’ for the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Library system.
The 2018 Annual NLLA Conference will take place on Monday, May 7. This year, our theme is Smooth Sailing through Rough Waters.
The tough economic times happening in our province have hit libraries hard. Our budgets have been slashed, our workforces reduced, and libraries are doing even more with less than ever before. However, despite such uncertainty, libraries are thriving because of the commitment and dedication of library workers in Newfoundland and Labrador. We continually strive to ensure that our communities have access to information, technology, and resources for learning, and to build and share collections that support and preserve the history and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Our theme for this year’s conference is Smooth Sailing through Rough Waters. This theme acknowledges the difficult times for libraries in our province, and points toward how we come together to recognize the needs of library workers as well as the community members who patronize our unique workplaces.
How is your library navigating these rough waters? How are you collaborating with colleagues, asking new questions, or developing new solutions to continue serving the needs of library users in our province? How are libraries managing stress in the workplace, and how are we caring for our users and each other in this time of economic turmoil? Whether you are in a public, academic, school, or special library, our theme relates to the work that you do. What does Smooth Sailing through Rough Waters mean to you?
We are seeking proposals for the following presentation types:
The deadline for proposals is Friday, March 30. Please submit your proposal using our online form and remember to include:
For questions or comments, please contact Emily Blackmore (eblackmore@nlpl.ca) or Janet Goosney (jgoosney@mun.ca) of the 2018 NLLA Conference Program Committee.
Spock will be in attendance
One of our featured presentations at this year’s Library Technicians and Assistants Interest Group (LTAIG) annual one-day conference is “Paws for Stories”with Cindy Foote and Roberta Hewitt. Roberta is the Director of Marketing and Community Relations with St. John Ambulance and as part of this role, she oversees the Therapy Dog Program, which has recently partnered with two branches of Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries to bring the Paws 4 Stories program to our province. Cindy Foote is a Library Technician II/ED ILL Manager with Mount Pearl Public Library.
The Paws 4 Stories program provides children the opportunity to practice their reading skills aloud to a SJA certified Therapy Dog. Research has shown that children who read to Therapy Dogs show improvement in their reading skills, as they feel more comfortable practicing around a loving, non-judgmental animal. Roberta will speak to the volunteer requirements to participate in Paws 4 Stories and the success of the pilot programs.
Join us on on Monday, November 20, to meet Spock and some of the other, equally adorable, St. John Ambulance therapy dogs! There’s still time to register online for this great one-day conference which is free to current NLLA members.
Our annual poetry contest for Canadian Library Month brought in a lot of entries from all over the province, and we want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone that took the time to submit a poem. It was EXTREMELY difficult to choose just one winner per age category, because they were all so good! Our NLLA President, Kate Shore, announce all of the winners this week on CBC Radio.
The following are the winning poems;
Primary
Stokesley Boland, Gr.3
St. Francis of Assisi School, Outer Cove
THE GHOSTS AND GOBLINS COOKING BOOK – FOR KIDS
Ghosts and goblins will give you good looks
for the coolest cook book.
The goblin will cook and
the ghost will read the best cook book
you ever believed!
Elementary
Lacey Blanchard, Gr. 5
St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary, Port au Port
A VISIT TO THE LIBRARY!
You walk into a library,
Many books you will see,
Mysteries and poetry,
Sometimes even me!
I am filled with fairy tales,
Many different kinds,
I have way too many pages,
With lines and lines and lines!
My pages you will turn,
My stories will keep you blinking,
It’s truly really crazy how,
A visit will get you thinking!
Intermediate
Rebecca Sellers, Gr. 8
Carbonear Academy, Carbonear
A VISIT WILL GET YOU THINKING
As I enter the door
and find my favorite, cozy chair,
I sit and look around
to see just what is here!
I look at all the shelves,
and all the things they hold
there are so many different books,
with so many stories told.
Each visit gets me thinking,
of what each book reveals.
Of stories of truth and fiction,
love and laughter too.
The library is the place for me
so many things to see and do!
So for at least one hour everyday,
let’s put away our phones,
our laptops and computers,
and read a book of poems!!
Secondary
Mira Buckle, Gr. 9
Corner Brook Intermediate School, Corner Brook
TRUE
Warm strong fingers reach around my weathered spine.
Lift me up from my resting place.
Alone on a bookshelf stuck in a time,
When my stories bring a smile to a child’s face.
Although I look tattered, although I look torn,
My stories, my pictures will draw you in close.
A world full of magic, where heroes are born.
The princess, the dragon, an excitement dose.
You can pick up your phone and leave me behind.
Please remember those adventures wrapped up in lace,
Soon I promise you will come to find.
A book will bring a true smile to your face.
Honorable Mentions;
Youngest Poet
Victoria Margaret O’Leary-Brophy, Kindergarten
Most Inspiration poem
Alex Abbot, Gr. 9, Mount Pearl Senior High
Most Literary References
James Burt, Gr. 5, St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary
Congrats to all our winners!
