For more information and to register, go to https://2022.alaannual.org/.

Are you a library worker with a mental illness? Or do you want to learn more about how your colleagues work while living with one? Megan Toups from Saint Louis University will share her experience living with a mental illness while working as a librarian. Bring your own experiences, your questions, and any strategies for working with a mental illness, and engage in a discussion about the challenges and needs of this vulnerable group. 

Register at https://nwacc.libcal.com/event/9110302

Learn techniques for using the time before a session to warm up the participants in any workshop, class, or public event.  A warm up can start your audience thinking about the topic, help you determine what they want from your session, and develop a personal connection which can turn a good session into a great one. Discover numerous free online tools that can help identify who is in your audience, what they expect, and what questions they are bringing. Victor Baeza from Oklahoma State University reprises this presentation from ALA's 2022 LibLearnX. Victor's tips and tricks are applicable to all library settings in which a public event is being hosted and can be applied to audiences of all ages.

Register at https://nwacc.libcal.com/event/8828891

The ALSC National Institute will take place in Kansas City, Missouri, from September 29-October 1, 2022, at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown.

Institute is a key professional development opportunity specifically for individuals serving children and families in libraries; this year, ALSC is thrilled to announce this year’s Opening General Speaker as Christina Soontornvat, dual Newbery Honoree, Sibert Honoree, and Kirkus Prize recipient, whose debut graphic novel will be released this fall with Scholastic; other general session speakers will be announced throughout March and April!

ALSC also just released the Institute Education Program line up, with programs like “Applying Improvisational Skills in Public Librarianship,” “More Than a Checkbox: APALA’s Evaluation Rubric for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Youth Literature,” and “Strengthening Community Through Collections: Satellite Collections for Schools and Beyond.” We are all excited to come together again to learn, grow and connect with each other!

This is a wonderful opportunity for children’s librarians, educators, and other youth literacy specialists in Arkansas to hear from leading creators and thought leaders in children’s literature and librarianship; attend top level education programs; and connect with their colleagues from the area and across the country. To register go to https://www.ala.org/alsc/confevents/institute/institute-registration.

For 2022 we’re back in person and better than ever! This year’s MLA/SELA joint conference will be held at the MSU Riley Center in Meridian, MS, from October 11^th – October 14^th, 2022. We are so excited to be back together again and to welcome SELA members to Mississippi!

The theme for this year’s conference is “Libraries Uncensored”. One of the basic principles of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights states that “libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment” (ALA Council, 1939). While censorship challenges of library materials, resources, and services have been happening for many years we are seeing a resurgence of challenges as of late. ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) recorded a total of 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021, which resulted in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. This is the highest number of attempted book bans in 20 years. Now, more than ever, libraries play a critical role in making knowledge and ideas available to everyone so that people are free to choose what to read. “Libraries Uncensored” doesn’t just refer to book challenges/bans, rather, it encompasses all the ways that libraries uphold intellectual freedom.

The 2022 Annual Conference of the Arkansas Library Association, The New Normal, will take place October 14-16 at the Fort Smith Convention Center. Registration opens on June 1, 2022. Early Bird registration will be available from June 1 through August 31 and late registration will be available September 1 through 30. Registration closes after September 30. The fee schedule is listed below:

Please contact Carol Coffey, Conference Chair (president-elect@arlib.org) with any questions or for more information.