Newsletter
March
2022
Registration is now open!
Hot Topics 2022: Fun & Games
For Hot Topics 2022: Fun & Games, we're returning to an In-Person format - make your plans to join us for this exciting day!

Libraries have turned to some innovative concepts to attract new audiences and inform existing users on how best to utilize library resources.

At Hot Topics 2022, we're showcasing the ways libraries have integrated games and gamification into programs and services.
When: Thursday, April 28th, from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Where: World Golf Village Renaissance Resort (St. Augustine)
Keynote: "Library Gaming in 2022 - Dungeons, Discord, and Twitch!" with Mickey Boyd

Cost: $35 (includes a catered lunch)
Nominate a Colleague for a
NEFLIN Award
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 NEFLIN Awards! This is the perfect opportunity to honor a colleague whose work and dedication deserved to be noticed.
Nominations are due by Friday, April 29th, 2022, and award winners will be announced at the 2022 NEFLIN Annual Meeting. Use the links below to download applications.

  • Member of the Year - The NEFLIN Member of the Year Award recognizes a current employee of a NEFLIN library who has made a significant positive impact on his/her library and the community it serves.
  • Distinguished Career Award - The Distinguished Career Award is for an individual who has displayed exemplary achievement and leadership throughout his/her career in the library field.
  • Library Innovation Award - The NEFLIN Innovation Award recognizes an innovative program or service that has demonstrated impact on the community a NEFLIN library serves.
  • Library Champion Award - This award is for any individual who has demonstrated exceptional support for a NEFLIN library. (Current employees of NEFLIN libraries are not eligible.)

See past NEFLIN Award winners here.
Celebrate National Library Week
with NEFLIN and JPL!
If you live in the Jacksonville area, you'll want to join us on Sunday, April 3rd at 1:00 at the Sun-Ray Cinema. We'll be celebrating National Library Week with a free screening of Emilio Estevez's feature film The Public, which highlights an issue so many of our member libraries face: patrons experiencing homelessness.

This event is being co-sponsored by Jacksonville Public Library, NEFLIN, and Sun-Ray Cinema. Reserve your free tickets at https://bit.ly/3w4ZuHC.
The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute is Back!
It's been two years since we've been able to offer the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute, and we are SO excited to announce that SSLLI is back! The 2022-23 program will take place at two cohort locations: the Eastside Branch Library in Leon County and the Riverview Public Library in Hillsborough County.

SSLLI is a 10-month program designed for library professionals at any point of their career who want to develop their leadership skills. Participants will gather once a month between October 2022 and June 2023 for daylong cohort sessions led by a leadership expert. Between sessions, participants work one-on-one with a mentor, complete practical application assignments, and develop a leadership project that addresses a need within the participant's library or community. Upon completion, participants travel to Tallahassee for a graduation celebration at the Division of Library and Information Services.

The application period opens on April 1st, so now is the time to consider whether this is the right time for you to take this step in your leadership journey.
Featured Webinar:
NoveList: Collection Promotion Deep Dive

This course is designed to help all library workers create strategies for promoting their resources and collection no matter the size of their population or the marketing experience of their staff.

Participants will get an overview of the most effective approaches for different promotion channels, along with guidance for keeping up with best practices, proven methods for tracking success, and ways to find collection promotion ideas.  
Meet the Trainer: Angela Hursh
Angela is Senior Engagement Consultant with NoveList. She helps libraries create effective marketing strategies for print and digital platforms that engage the community and advance the library's overall strategic goals. She also helps create interactive professional development courses that build skills and confidence for library staff. 

In her previous role, Angela lead content marketing for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library. She was also an Emmy-award-winning television news producer. Angela is the author of SuperLibraryMarketing.com and has a YouTube channel where she shares quick weekly tips with library marketers

Angela is usually reading two books at a time—one in print and one in audiobook form. Her favorite book as a child was Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Today you're likely to find her reading one of her favorite genres, including historical fiction, space adventures, memoirs, and classics. She attends the Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, Kentucky every summer with her daughter, both dressed in full Regency attire.
Scholarships for Conference Registration and Travel Now Available
The Jim Morris Continuing Education Fund helps NEFLIN members attend conferences and other professional development opportunities. NEFLIN members are eligible to apply for up to $500 for out-of-state travel and $250 for in-state travel. For events happening between June 1st and December 31st, 2022, submit your application by April 30th.
You'll find more information about the JMCEF and a link to apply at http://neflin.org/jmcef.

We also welcome donations to help this program thrive! Make your tax-deductible donation here.
Innovation Project Spotlight
Over the next few months, we'll be highlighting the 8 NEFLIN member libraries who are recipients of a 2022 Innovation Project Award. These libraries all submitted their innovative ideas to the NEFLIN Board, who then awarded up to $10,000 for each winning idea. All of the libraries are working now to put their projects into action, and at the NEFLIN Annual Meeting on September 14th, they will share their progress and results.
Our first highlighted winner is Suwannee River Regional Library System. Their project is to create a Discovery Trail in Live Oak’s Heritage Park, available 24/7. 
Twenty-two display stands will provide an innovative and enjoyable way for everyone to experience educational, artistic, and fun activities outdoors. Each year a variety of books, local art, science, and local history displays will be designed and printed by library staff. Schools and organizations in the communities will be invited to collaborate. Each new exhibit will kick off with an opening event including various activities, organizations, artists, and local entertainers along the Trail, and related programs and displays in the libraries.
Thank you for taking the
2022 NEFLIN Annual Survey!
We appreciate all of you who took the time to complete this year's NEFLIN Annual Survey. Your feedback will be a great help to us as we make plans
for the year ahead! 
We also want to give a special shout-out to these 5 NEFLIN members who won a $25 Amazon.com gift card for taking the survey - congratulations and enjoy!
Erin Arnold
Marion County Public Library
Bess de Farber
University of Florida
Karen Kaufmann
Seminole State College
Kate Neff
St. Johns County School District
Sophie Vinik
Alachua County Library District
These training opportunities have been funded in part under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State, Division
of Library and Information Services.
For FY2021-22, the total state and federal budgets for NEFLIN's programs are $676,872. 41% of the total costs ($276,872) are supported by federal funds, and 59% of this program ($400,000) is supported by state funds.
Jenny Eason | Member Services Coordinator | NEFLIN
2233 Park Avenue, Suite 402, Orange Park, FL. 32073
904.278.5620 | www.neflin.org | jenny@neflin.org