July 2023
A Message from the State Librarian
Greetings!
 
The commitment of Arizona libraries to digital inclusion and equity is evident through the work you’re doing day-to-day, such as providing reliable internet access to your customers, offering computer and technology classes, and making available trusted information from online databases. We at the State Library want to be sure that library staff statewide are aware of the work of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) as it is leading the creation of the Arizona Digital Equity Plan. This statewide plan is “an initiative to promote digital equity and inclusion and ensure that all people and communities have the skills, technology and capacity needed to reap the full benefits of our digital economy.”  Arizona Digital Equity Plan (azcommerce.com)
 
As part of this initiative, the ACA is hosting online monthly Community Roundtable Conversations that bring together community and non-profit organizations, industry leaders, local governments, and other key stakeholder groups from around the state. These sessions are designed to help ACA understand the needs of Arizonans and shape the state’s Digital Equity Plan to address those needs. Registration is online at the link above. 

There is also a series of statewide in-person community forums scheduled to discuss internet access and technology. During the forums, the community will have the opportunity to share thoughts about what programs and services would be helpful. The information provided will be used in developing the Digital Equity Plan, the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Five-Year Action Plan, and the BEAD Initial Plan. 
Still another opportunity for input is a survey designed by ACA in coordination with the Digital Equity Institute to gather information about how individuals, community organizations, and businesses use the internet and technology. This is an anonymous survey, requiring 15 minutes or less to complete. One version is for representatives of organizations, and the other is for individuals. Participants will also have the option to provide their contact information if they would like to participate in a follow-up interview.
 
There’s a way for all Arizonans to have a voice in our state’s Digital Equity Plan! For more information, contact Erin Lorandos, the State Library’s Digital Inclusion Library Consultant.
 
Holly Henley
State Librarian
Events and Deadlines
Mark your calendar for upcoming Training OpportunitiesWebinar Wednesdays, Grant Deadlines and Events.

JULY

July 13, 12:00pm - 1:00pm

July 18, 2023 11:00am-12:00pm

July 19, 11:00am - 12:00pm

July 26, 11:00am - 12:00pm

AUGUST

August 2, 11:00am -12:00pm

August 9, 11:00am - 12:00pm

August 16, 11:00 - 12:00pm

August 23, 11:00 - 12:00pm

August 30, 11:00 - 12:00pm

August 31, 11:59pm
Deadline to file Intent to Apply for State Grants-in-Aid Construction (SGIAC) funds.

SEPTEMBER

September 18, 9:00am - 4:00pm

September 19, 9:00am - 4:00pm

September 20, 9:00am - 4:00pm
Highlights
Arizona Libraries Awarded Funds to Host Digital Literacy Workshops
Congratulations to the Desert Foothills Library, Navajo Nation Library and Yavapai County Free Library District! They were all recently awarded funds from the Public Library Association (PLA) to host digital literacy workshops.  
 
According to the press release, “Workshops, available in English and Spanish, will be offered on 8 digital literacy topics, as well as how to apply and use the ACP benefit. Courses cover basic technology skills which include topics such as internet use, video conferencing, cybersecurity, and mobile device basics and ACP basics.” 
 
Learn more about this award, and see the full list of libraries here.
 
AzLA Service Award Nominations Due
August 11
Each year AzLA gives Service Awards to individuals and groups making a difference in Arizona libraries. This year the committee is offering new Service Awards to be more inclusive of all library workers and the diverse library communities they serve.
AzLA Membership is not required to nominate or receive an AzLA service award.
These awards are presented at the AzLA Awards Luncheon at the Annual Conference.
Categories include:
•         Emerging Leader Award
•         Excellence in Academic Libraries Award
•         Excellence in Special Libraries Award
•         Excellence in Tribal Libraries Award
•         Extraordinary Program Award
•         Follett School Librarian of the Year Award
•         Innovator Award
•         Library Leadership Award
•         Library Volunteer of the Year Award
•         Newton & Betty Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award
•         Outreach Services Award
•         Outstanding Adult Services Award
•         Outstanding Volunteer Coordinator Award
•         Outstanding Young Adult Services Award
•         Outstanding Youth Services Award
•         Sharon G. Womack Outstanding Library Technician Award
•         Louise A. Stephens Memorial Scholarship

Deadline to submit nominations is August 11, 2023. For more information, visit the AzLA Service Awards page.
AMPlify Your Research Webinar Series
Are you ready to take your research skills to the next level? Look no further than the Arizona Memory Project (AMP) and the State of Arizona Research Library's "AMPlify Your Research" sessions! 
 
Join us for these free, 30-minute Zoom sessions where you can learn how to access and explore various content types available on AMP: 
 
 
Ready to AMPlify your research? Register today https://azsos.libcal.com/calendar/starl 
2023 Archives Month Poster Theme & Update
With the help of our social media followers, the Arizona State Archives selected the 2023 Archives Month poster theme. In May, the Archives’ Social Media Team created a bracket and poll for followers on Facebook and the winning theme is Road Signs and Billboards!  

Every year, the State Archives collaborates with repositories in Arizona by requesting photograph submissions from their collections. State Archives staff will spend the next few months selecting photos from these submissions and designing the poster. Keep a look out for the 2023 Arizona Archives Month Poster, Arizona’s Roadsides Speak, debuting in October.  

American Archives Month is an annual event and raises awareness of Archivists and Archives throughout the nation. Each state creates a poster according to their own theme and presents it during American Archives Month. Archives Month posters are made possible through generous funding from the Arizona Historical Records Advisory Board and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.  

If your organization wants to submit a photograph based on the theme Road Signs and Billboards, we encourage you to send submissions until July 14, 2023. Please contact archives@azlibrary.com for more information.   
Grants and Awards
State Grants-in-Aid Construction Grants: 2024 Intents to Apply Now Open
All eligible Arizona public libraries are invited to apply for State Grants-in-Aid Construction (SGIAC) funds. 

Libraries may apply for up to $50,000 with a 1:1 cash match provided by the library, its administrative agency or other local sources. This is a reimbursement grant. Funds for this program are awarded on a competitive basis. Please review information about SGIAC on https://azlibrary.gov/libdev/funding/sgia before submitting your application. The link to the Intent to Apply form is also available on this webpage.

The application process is in two stages: an Intent to Apply and a full application. The deadline for submitting the online Intent to Apply form is 11:59PM on Thursday, August 31, 2023. After reviewing the Intents, the State Library will invite a limited number of applicants to complete a full application. The full application requests detailed information such as a needs assessment, timeline and proposed project sketch/drawing.   

Please contact Jaime Ball at jball@azlibrary.gov if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing your construction project ideas!   
AZ Librarians Enhancing Resilient Rural Communities mini-grant
The Arizona Center for Rural Health (AzCRH) in partnership with the Arizona Library Association (AzLA) is pleased to announce a second mini-grant opportunity for Arizona “rural and small” public libraries, part of the initiative – AZ Librarians Enhancing Resilient Rural Communities – that aims to support rural libraries in community efforts that promote local resilience, address inequities, and build community cohesion through capacity-building.

Available funding for this opportunity encompasses priority areas that seek to reduce health and health-related disparities in rural populations in Arizona that may be disproportionately affected by inequities related to geographic isolation, limited resources, and structural policies.

Mini-Grant Details:
  • Award amount – $4,000/grantee
  • Anticipated number of grantees – 24
  • Applications are being accepted through Monday, August 14, 2023, 11:59PM (MST)
  • Selection notification will be sent via email on Monday, August 21, 2023
  • Grant project period – September 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024

Upcoming Q&A Sessions via Zoom (click to register):

For more information, please access the Mini-Grant AzCRH webpage and the Request for Proposals Guide, or contact Lisa Lewis (president@azla.org) or
Laura Schweers (schweers@arizona.edu520-621-6587).
Thinking Money for Kids Program Kit
Thinking Money for Kids, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, strives to teach children and their parents, caregivers and educators about financial topics — like saving, spending, sharing and budgeting — in a way that is both meaningful and fun. 

ALA and the FINRA Foundation invite public libraries to apply to receive a Thinking Money for Kids Program Kit, a collection of expertly vetted resources to help libraries offer financial education for children ages 3 to 12, both in the library and in children’s homes. 
Approximately 200 public libraries will be selected to receive a Thinking Money for Kids Program Kit (estimated kit value: $2,000). Libraries will keep all kit contents after the grant period ends. 

ALA will accept online applications for this opportunity until September 8, 2023. The programming period will run from September 2024 through December 2025. 
Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office present Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition that examines the motives, pressures and fears that shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism, war and genocide in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s.  

The special library exhibition — based on the exhibition at the USHMM in Washington, D.C. — will travel to 50 U.S. public and academic libraries from 2021 to 2023. The extension of the exhibition will travel to another 50 U.S. public and academic libraries from 2024 to 2026. 

Applications must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Friday, October 13, 2023. For more information, visit https://www.ala.org/tools/programming/USHolocaustMuseum.  
Microsoft Technology Grants and Discounts for Public Libraries
This program offers grants and discounts across Microsoft cloud products for the purpose of providing affordable and accessible technology and tools to help eligible organizations of all sizes achieve their missions. Eligible organizations such as public libraries must demonstrate a mission to benefit the local community, including providing relief to the poor, advancing education, improving social welfare, preserving culture, preserving or restoring the environment, promoting human rights, and establishing a civil society. 
Grants and discounts are available on a rolling basis. Go to https://nonprofit.microsoft.com/en-us/getting-started to learn more. 
Training Opportunities
ATALM 2023 Registration Now Open
  • This year's conference features: Four tours to Oklahoma attractions of significance to Native peoples, including opportunities not available to the general public.
  • Seven full-day and 12 half-day workshops taught by the nation’s leading experts in their respective fields
  • Two full conference days featuring more than 200 concurrent sessions, hands-on labs, forums, listening sessions, posters, and Round Table discussions
  • 11 FREE certificate-based Professional Development Certificate opportunities in Archives Development and Management, Building Organizational Capacity, Collections Care, Exhibits, Historic Preservation/Repatriation, Library Services and Programs, Marketing and Community Outreach, Native Arts and Culture Bearers, Oral History, Partnerships and Collaborations, and Technology.
  • Art Rush and Welcoming Reception
  • One Place, Many Nations: An Evening at the First Americans Museum
  • Closing Gathering
The conference will take place October 23 - 26 in Oklahoma City, OK. Early Bird registration closes August 1.
WebJunction Webinars

  • July 18, 12:00pm - 1:00pm Sustainability 101. Part of a series, this webinar with the Sustainable Libraries Initiative will introduce characteristics of a sustainable library.


  • August 16, 11:00am - 12:00pm Climate Actional Planning (Part1): An Introduction. Part of a series, this webinar with the Sustainable Libraries Intitative will inform where your time and energy can be best spent in the face of the overwhelming nature of climate action.


Mental Health and Libraries Webinar
 Nearly one in five adults in the U.S. live with a mental illness in any given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. While libraries cherish our privilege to serve all, we often struggle in responding to our patrons experiencing mental health disorders. Learn to provide the best response to people having a mental health crisis, including advice on how to improve workplace policies and procedures from a librarian/certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor. 
 
Originally recorded in April 2020, this Niche Academy webinar will increase your knowledge of mental illness, equip you with techniques for effective communication and de-escalation, and provide concrete examples in developing or enhancing positive workplace policies and procedures surrounding mental health. 
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