Hi Everyone,

It’s that time of year again … no, no, not the holidays, but a time to take advantage of professional development opportunities. Fall is traditionally when many of the professional organizations that librarians and staff belong to, hold annual or biennial conferences, workshops and presentations. We take professional development and collaboration within the profession very seriously and need this interaction to stay on top of our game. This includes all employee types; librarians and staff can participate in a variety of activities that enhance skills and experiences, as well as learn new techniques and methods.

As part of the tenure-track/tenure experience, librarians must develop and share research, scholarly works, collaborative efforts and service activities. This research comes in the form of assessments, instructional methods, professional acumens, technology enhancements and cultural insights. This research manifests itself for sharing as scholarly works, through publications, presentations, panel discussions, group interactions and content delivery with workshops and seminars. Information and knowledge sharing are important parts of our professional growth and relevancy.

The opportunities for collaboration are important, as well as whether it is cross-disciplinary or within components of the same professional experience. In our case, we collaborate with the Department of Library and Information Science (LIS) to inform both faculty -- teaching future librarians on the foundations, ethics and merits of this profession -- and practitioners, who are applying those skills in a changing and dynamic environment. We all come out ahead with these joint ventures.

These professional development opportunities help develop leadership opportunities for librarians and staff, who work in libraries to become better community citizens and navigate career paths, that will grow individuals and organizations. Support for professional development activities is a great investment for the future.

A few examples of professional development opportunities occurring this fall, include the North Carolina Library Association's biennial conference which begins on October 20. This is our highest attended event with no fewer than 18 presentations, posters or discussions being facilitated by UNCG librarians and staff. Earlier this month, the North Carolina School Library Media Association held its annual conference, with heavy participation from faculty and students in the LIS Department.

Last month, I participated in a panel discussion for the Association of Library and Information Science Educators (ALISE), in which four of the LIS Department's practitioner adjunct instructors led a discussion about the value of applying the practical experience into the profession’s educational experience. We believe that discussion helps others understand that value and what it means to students.

Explore our resources for the month online and learn about the stories, histories and cultures of Latinx communities. Visit our themed content resource page for more information. LEARN MORE.

“Bars and nightclubs have been really important to the LGBTQ community over the years,” said David Gwynn. “Historically, their function has been somewhat akin to that of church in the African-American community, a place for dissemination of information and activism.”

“Stonewall is an example of that kind of activism,” said Stacey Krim, “but they were also safe social spaces going back to before the Greensboro Gay Purge of 1957 when the sheriff targeted the gay community, and you could be arrested at your workplace just because he had received a tip that you were gay.” READ MORE.

University Libraries will host a webinar series on "Research and Applications" for UNCG students, staff, faculty, instructors and librarians. The series will cover topics on library resources and research tools. These webinars are all 30 minutes in length and are hosted via Zoom. Once participants sign up, they will get an email with a link to the session the day before the webinar. LEARN MORE.

Join us on Thursday, November 4, 2021, from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. via Zoom for a viewing and discussion of "The Promise of Biomimicry." Registration information will be coming soon! Head of the Harold Schiffman Music Library, Associate Professor and Sustainability Faculty Fellow Sarah Dorsey is looking for discussion leaders for this film. If you are interested, email her at sdorsey@uncg.edu. READ MORE.

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