After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the annual in-person Arizona Library Association Conference will resume October 27-28, 2022, in Prescott. Preconference sessions will take place the day before. More details and registration will be coming out soon. In the meantime, please save the dates on your calendars and fill out the 2022 AzLA Conference Survey to help AzLA’s Conference Committee with planning.

There are many opportunities for library supporters and library staff in all positions from all types and sizes of libraries across the state of Arizona to be involved. Attending, presenting, sponsoring and volunteering to help are just a few of those ways. See the articles below for more information about the conference and how to apply to present a session. Remember that State Library CE scholarships may be used for AzLA conference attendance.

Mark your calendar for upcoming Training Opportunities, Wisdom Wednesdays, Grant Deadlines and Events.

Reading into the Past with Census Records

Are you ready to invite your community to visit your library this summer? To support the goal of encouraging literacy at a time when reading tapers off for many students, the Arizona State Library is embarking on a statewide Summer Reading Marketing Initiative to promote the importance of summer reading programs. The objective is to increase the number of library patrons that engage in summer reading across Arizona, with a specific goal to increase involvement to 100,000 participants – up from 75,000 in 2021.

Help us create a thunderclap moment to increase awareness of the variety of summer reading programs available in Arizona Libraries by:

For questions about the Arizona Summer Reading Program, please contact dthrockmorton@azlibrary.gov.

Vote for the Arizona Archives Month Poster theme! Each year, archives, historical societies, museums, special collections, and other repositories from around the state submit photos for the poster. We need your help deciding on this year's theme. Round three opens on May 10, 2022. Visit Arizona State Archives to vote.

Dr. David H. DeJong will present a talk "Diverting the Gila: The Pima Indians and the Florence-Casa Grande Project, 1916-1928" as part of the State of Arizona Research Library’s 2022 Arizona Author Series. The talk is at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, May 18, and will be held virtually on Zoom. 

Diverting the Gila explores the complex web of tension, distrust, and political maneuvering to divide and divert the scarce waters of the Gila River. Residents of Florence, Casa Grande, and the Pima Reservation fought for vital access to water rights. Into this political foray stepped Arizona’s freshman congressman Carl Hayden, who not only united the farming communities but also used Pima water deprivation to the advantage of Florence-Casa Grande and Upper Gila Valley growers. The result was the federal Florence-Casa Grande Project that, as legislated, was intended to benefit Pima growers on the Gila River Indian Reservation first and foremost. As was often the case in the West, well-heeled, nontribal political interests manipulated the laws at the expense of the Indigenous community. 

For more details and to register for this free virtual event, please click here.

The IMLS-funded, professional development program on Media Literacy is underway. (https://www.imls.gov/grants/awarded/re-250096-ols-21) and we are excited to share that the Chandler Public Library was selected as an official partner for the project with Kristain Johnston as its representative helping with curriculum development. In addition, the following librarians were selected as participants:

Congratulations to this impressive group that will be participating in the Erikson Institute TEC (Technology in Early Childhood) Center’s pilot training on Media Literacy in Early Childhood for Youth Library Staff.

The goal of this professional development training is to empower Youth Service Librarians to see themselves as guides in implementing media literacy in early childhood. Media Literacy is the emerging ability to access, engage, explore, comprehend, critically inquire, evaluate, and create with developmentally appropriate media. (Herdzina, Lauricella, 2020).

Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) Celebrates the 2022 Youth Services Outreach Week. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abosoutreach

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABOS_Outreach

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abos.outreach/

To learn more about ABOS and to join! https://abos-outreach.com/

The 2022 ABOS Conference will be held October 4-6, 2022, in Scottsdale. Check their website for more details.

We’re moving forward in our libraries and in AzLA. It’s a new day to start fresh with

innovative programming, expand our reach, inspire future leaders, and overcome

challenges. Let’s go beyond expectations!

Send us your Program Proposals Today AzLA 2022 Call for Proposals

For more information about the submission form, program tracks, presentation requirements, and conference please contact conference.programs@azla.org

Facebook: Arizona Capitol Museum, Arizona State Archives, Arizona Talking Book Library, Library Development, State of Arizona Research Library

Instagram: Arizona Capitol Museum

Pinterest: Arizona Capitol Museum

Twitter: Arizona Capitol Museum, State of Arizona Research Library

WordPress: State of Arizona Research Library

YouTube: Arizona Capitol Museum

Available awards range from $200 to $4000 and grant applications are due June 1, 2022. 

Please visit https://azlibrary.gov/about/boards-and-commissions/arizona-historical-records-advisory-board for application instructions or contact Laura Palma Blandford at lblandford@azlibrary.gov for more information. 

Click here to apply for a 2022 Youth Literacy grant.

Deadline to apply: May 19, 2022 (by 10 pm CST)

Grant announcement: September 8, 2022

Maximum grant amount: $4,000

For registration information visit the webpage Wish You Well Foundation.

Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-qgV-y59RF6QskKqDZq8IQ

If you are interested in taking any of these courses, contact Ann Marie Creegan.

It’s a new day for AzLA--starting fresh with innovative programming, expanding our reach, inspiring future leaders, and overcoming challenges for Arizona libraries.

Let’s go beyond expectations!

Our AzLA Annual Conference is back. Please join us October 27-28, 2022 at the Prescott Resort and Conference Center in Prescott, Arizona for the return of AzLA's in-person annual conference. Early bird registration opens soon; AzLA member registration starts at $200 and includes breakfast and lunch daily. Pre-conference sessions will be held on October 26, 2022--details coming soon. 

Please take a moment to fill out this short survey to help our Conference Committee gather attendance information. 2022 AzLA Conference Survey

The ALA Annual Conference invites library professionals at all levels of their careers and from all library types to engage in top quality professional development opportunities, including more than 160+ education sessions, and to have access to the latest insights from experts on policy, research, and technology at the News You Can Use sessions. There will be more than 12 memorable thought leaders and celebrity speakers who will share their unique insights on the main stage. More information is available on their website https://2022.alaannual.org.

The Digital Experience. Registrants of this virtual offering will have access to 42 education sessions, 14 News You Can Use sessions, and four main stage speakers. These sessions will be live-streamed directly from the conference in Washington, D.C. Registration for the Digital Experience includes on-demand access to the full list of 60 sessions through August 31, 2022.

Scholarships are available to full-time library personnel in Arizona. To request a Continuing Education Scholarship, all applicants must submit a scholarship application and W-9 (for the individual or organizational payee) at least 60 days prior to the date of the event. For more information, check out Scholarships on our website or contact Ann Marie Creegan.