"Jessica is a passionate advocate for libraries with a particular focus on accessibility. She has an infectious enthusiasm and is a true asset to ArLA and the library community." This quote is from Lacy Wolfe.

Ann Lightsey Award - Kirsten Blake
Arkansiana Award:
     Adult Fiction - Marla Cantrell
     Adult Non-Fiction - David Hill
     Juvenile Literature - Darcy Pattison & Eileen Hutcheson
Bessie Moore Trustee Award - Dr. Jeff Whittingham
Distinguished Service Award - Ruth Hyatt
Frances P. Neal Award - Rachel Shankles
Lorie Shuff Paraprofessional Award - Katherine Blake
Retta Patrick Award - Sloan Powell
Rising Star Award - Amanda "Mandy" Bashaw
Suzanne Spurrier Academic Librarian Award - Lacy Wolfe
President's Award - Janice Weddle
Intellectual Freedom Award - Mary Spears Polk, John McGraw, and the Faulkner County Library staff
ArLA Scholarship Winner - Heather Reinold

Applications for the Arkansas Library Leadership Institute (ALL-In) 2022 program are now open. ALL-In is an intensive professional development opportunity for library workers in the state of Arkansas who want to grow as leaders by:

• ·         Identifying both personal strengths and areas for development;
• ·         Improving the ability to communicate and connect with coworkers and library stakeholders; and
• ·         Growing one’s vision of excellent library service through a peer learning experience.

The Institute is not just for library workers with an MLS or with “Director” or “Manager” in their titles or for those who work in public services. Past participants have included catalogers, reference librarians, archivists, directors, paraprofessionals, and more. No title is too large or too small to be considered for the Institute.

Library staff from all types of libraries are encouraged to apply. Past participants have come from academic, public, school, and special libraries, and from both public and private institutions.

Applications will be accepted until October 1, 2021 at 10 a.m. CDT. There will be an informational webinar on Wednesday, August 25 at 3:30 p.m. The webinar will be recorded for those who aren’t able to attend. Attending or viewing the webinar before submitting your application is encouraged.

More information about the Institute is available on the ASL website: https://www.library.arkansas.gov/services/professional-development-for-librarians/arkansas-library-leadership-institute/all-in-2022/.

 

ArLA Presidential Initiatives

ArLA Executive Board Structure 2021

As with 2020, this year is already presenting its own unique set of events and challenges. We will continue to be faced with important questions and decisions related to how we and our libraries navigate these challenges, but through it all our mission remains the same - to provide valuable resources and a supportive environment where our students, patrons, and communities can learn and grow.

Despite these difficult times, I believe that the future of the Arkansas Library Association is a bright one. Over the past couple of years we have seen our organization look to the past for lessons and wisdom, move forward towards progress, and chart new waters as we have faced unprecedented challenges but also worked hard to lay a solid foundation for future success. It is my belief that now the time has come for us to build on these valuable efforts and embark towards new horizons, to be ambitious on purpose, and to boldly go where our members – the hardworking librarians of Arkansas and the communities that we serve – need us most.

Attached you fill find some thoughts that have been on my mind in recent years – ideas and priorities that I feel, as an association, we should emphasize in the months ahead. These initiatives represent important responsibilities that I will actively pursue during my time as your president, but they are certainly beyond the scope of one person’s capacity to achieve alone. It is important to remember that ArLA is NOT just the Board, ArLA is NOT just the conference, nor indeed any one group or activity that our members pursue. ArLA is ALL of us. The future is in all of our hands, and I look forward to traveling on this journey together.

Towards new horizons!

Philip C. Shackelford, ArLA President

ARKLIB-L is an online mailing list for those interested in Arkansas Libraries and related topics. It is free and open to the public. It has also been used to disseminate information to ArLA Members. For more information and to sign up, go to http://mail.arlib.org/mailman/listinfo/arklib-l_arlib.org. You can also use that page for maintaining your subscription.