A Word From the President

Hello Everyone!

2023 is off to an amazing start; here are a few highlights thus far! Planning for our 2023 conference, “Connections and Confections”, is in full swing! I hope you are making plans to join us October 9-11 in Hershey, PA - The Sweetest Place on Earth! Watch for more information and registration coming soon.

In January, we welcomed a new 2023 Board of Directors, who are all passionate about what we do as an organization. In February, our Communications Committee organized and celebrated Little Free Library Week. Thank you to all that submitted your Little Free Library photos for this event and to our Communications Committee for all of their hard work. We are excited to see all of your submissions for the Virtual Bookmobile Parade April 23rd-29th. Watch for all of our special celebrations throughout the year for the various aspects of Outreach. We want to celebrate what you are doing in the field.

On April 19th-21st, our Executive Director, Cathy, and I will be visiting the Hershey Lodge to finalize our Conference plans. Please follow our socials to get some behind the scenes information and photos. We are so excited to make this Conference the Sweetest one yet! I am happy to announce that our guest author this year is Tiffany D. Jackson, who will speak about her writing process, books, and so much more. Tiffany will also be available for a book signing after her talk. Look for a selection of her books that will be available for purchase when you register for the conference.

As a reminder, if you are not already a member, please consider joining to get a discount on Conference Registration. If you are already a member, please consider sharing ABOS with a colleague as part of our “Sweet on Outreach” campaign.

Thank you for all that you do for our organization and your communities, I am so proud to serve all of you as your 2023 ABOS President.

Best Wishes,

Save the Date for ABOS 2023 Conference - Confections and Connections

Make Your Plans to Join ABOS in Hershey, PA!

Planning for our annual conference is in full swing. We're still looking for presenters (see the article below), but we know we'll have great presentations about all types of outreach. More information will be released soon so you can start planning for your trip to Hershey!

Check It Out

Last Call for Proposals

ABOS Friends, we need you and your expertise for this year’s conference, “Connections and Confections.” The deadline is fast approaching and we don’t want you to miss out on this opportunity. Up to two conference speakers per presentation will receive our discounted conference rate of $275.00.

Topics include:

Outreach Basics
Low Income
Marketing and Networking
Technology in Outreach Services
Safety and Legal Issues
Home Delivery Services
Neighborhood and Family
Older Adult Services
Youth Services
Incarcerated Populations
Patrons Experiencing Homelessness
Outreach Vehicles (bookmobiles, sprinter vans, bookbikes)

Other topics are encouraged!

Submission deadline is April 28, 2023. Submit your proposal HERE.

Upcoming CE Opportunities!

Did you know? As a member of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) you have access to continuing education opportunities at no additional cost!

We offer webinars and Driven Discussions throughout the year on a variety of outreach topics. For a current listing of upcoming courses, visit the Continuing Education page of the ABOS website.

All ABOS Continuing Education opportunities are presented live and are recorded, allowing access to these educational opportunities at a later time. Recordings can be found on the Continuing Education page of the ABOS website.

Nominate Your Colleagues for ABOS Awards

Every year, ABOS members honor the best of Outreach through the following awards and scholarships:

Bernard Vavrek Scholarship
Book Bike Community Impact Award
Carol Hole Conference Attendance Award
Innovation in Outreach Programming Award
John Phillips Excellence in Outreach Award
Karen Hake Outstanding Bookmobile Librarian Award
Pattie Johnson Outreach Award
Preschool Outreach and School Services Inspirations Award
Rising Stars Award
Senior Services Super Star Award
MMI (Me, Myself and I) Award

More information on the awards and how to nominate someone is on our website.

Submit Your Story for Youth Services Week

We want to hear about the youth services work you do in your community!

Submit pictures and stories from your youth services programs at bit.ly/3lQ5Kk5 to be featured on social media during ABOS Youth Services Week! The deadline to submit is April 22nd.

Vendor Spotlight

ABOS is very proud to announce our current vendor list for the 2023 Connections and Confections conference in Hershey, PA! We are continuing to work with additional vendors and we expect to have a full house at the Hershey Lodge Aztec Room!

Those currently committed are:

PLATINUM level - AARP, Farber Specialty Vehicles, Matthews Specialty Vehicles, and TechOps Specialty Vehicles.

GOLD level - MEternally, Odyne, and EdTechnologiesFunds

PREMIUM level - Specialty Vehicle Services, Acore Shelving, Emporia State University, and Barking Dog Exhibits

LOYAL level -LDV, A.Rifkin

AFFILIATE level - FTC and ALA/ODLOS

TMeescan(also a virtual booth) and OverDrive are additional vendors who cannot attend in person. They have generously offered to send items for our attendee bags. 4Imprint will be providing lanyards.

This is just the beginning of a wonderful lineup in our exhibit area. We greatly appreciate the support and generosity of these vendors. A big thank you to each of them!

Please start making plans now to join us in Hershey, PA.

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 9-11, 2023

Outreach Spotlights

Fidget Quilts as Part of Martin Luther King Day of Service

The Olathe Public Library in Olathe, KS held a day of service to honor Martin

Luther King, Jr. on January 16, 2023.

The library invited members of the community to join in on several projects, including making dog toys for the Olathe Animal Shelter, decorating bags and holiday cards to be used for Meals on Wheels deliveries, and making fidget quilts for a local memory care center.

A Case Study in Growing Organizational Partnerships: High Plains Library District and the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado

It takes a gardener’s patience, persistence, and faith in potential growth to cultivate productive partnerships.

Over the past 18 years, a once small seed of collaboration has blossomed into an active, sustained effort between the High Plains Library District (HPLD) and the Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado (IRCNoCo), allowing our library district access to a sizeable newcomer population and helping the IRCNoCo advance their goals in adult education and immigrant integration...

Out & About Newsletter

Brought to you by the ABOS Communications Committee

To submit a story for the next issue, email communications@abos-outreach.com

www.abos-outreach.com