Dear Brad,

It seems to come around faster every year! Yes, we're already thinking about the 2025 NEFLIN Annual Meeting, and we'd love to see you there.

Registration will open next month, but it's not too early to Save the Date. This year's Annual Meeting will take place on Friday, September 19th, at UNF's Adam W. Herbert University Center.

Wondering what a NEFLIN Annual Meeting is like? Take a look at these photos from last year's event: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBJfPK

Jenny Eason

jenny@neflin.org

Member Services Coordinator

We invite you or your library to donate a basket to be auctioned off at this year's Annual Meeting.

All proceeds benefit the Jim Morris Continuing Education Fund, which provides scholarships for NEFLIN members to attend conferences and other professional development opportunities.

To Contribute a Basket:

1. Choose a theme and begin to assemble your basket.
2. SUBMIT the Online Form by Friday, September 5th.
3. Bring your completed basket to the NEFLIN Annual Meeting on September 19th.

To Make a Donation:

Don't have time to donate a basket and would like to make a tax-deductible donation? Click here.

Looking for a way to connect with others who share your interests? Maybe it's time to try an Interest Group! Check out our complete list of groups and add your name to their email lists so that you will stay in the loop about upcoming meetings.

Wed., August 13

9:00 - 10:00 am

Online

Tues., August 19

11:00 am - noon

Online

Thurs., August 28

2:00 - 3:00 pm

Online

Thinking about a career in libraries or taking the next step professionally? Check out this recent webinar with the University of South Florida’s School of Information for an introduction to the Master of Arts in Library and Information Science (MA-LIS) program. Learn about the application process, online learning, specializations, and how the MA-LIS can support your goals.

Access the recording at https://my.nicheacademy.com/neflin-staff/course/84537.

One of our most popular trainers, Diana Silveira, is the perfect person help you become AI-fluent with this series of webinars:

• AI @ the Reference Desk
• Boosting Productivity with AI
• Getting Productive with AI

Access this AI Collection at https://my.nicheacademy.com/neflin-staff?category=36717.

Need to set up your Niche Academy account to access NEFLIN's On-Demand Training and Archived Webinars?

Go to https://my.nicheacademy.com/neflin-staff and use your library email address to create your free account.

Rebecca Harrington is Head of Resource Acquisition and Discovery at the Thomas G. Carpenter Library, University of North Florida. She has spent over 20 years cleaning up library messes, from negotiating licenses, managing deaccession projects, implementing systems and tools, and spending quality time with technical support.

Susan Epstein is Head of Library Access Systems at the FSU Charlotte Edwards Maguire Medical Library. In her 10+ years of troubleshooting and resolving access issues, she has “strongly encouraged” accurate and clear testing, communication, and documentation from both her library colleagues and vendors.

For the next few months, we'll be highlighting the ten NEFLIN member libraries who are recipients of a 2025 Innovation Project Award. These libraries submitted their innovative ideas to the NEFLIN Board, who then awarded up to $7,500 for each winning idea. All of the libraries are now at work putting their projects into action, and at the NEFLIN Annual Meeting on September 19th, they will share their progress and results. The project descriptions below were submitted as part of each member's Innovation Project application.

High Springs Middle School:

Reward Good Works with Good Books (Book Vending Machine)

"We serve a mostly rural community where the nearest bookstore is 15-20 miles away. We do have a branch library of the Alachua County Library District, but it is located on the other side of two major highways and not easily accessible to many students without transportation. For many of our residents, we are the primary source of reading material. Through donations, we manage to give away new or gently used books three or four times a year. Being able to let students “buy” books from the Book Nook would have great allure. 

When our students transition from elementary school to middle school (same campus), interest and excitement about reading books decreases. With the Book Nook, we can elevate book ownership to a new level of “Cool”. Getting a book from the Book Nook will increase the perceived value of the reward. Students who wouldn’t normally consider picking out a free book from a shelf as a reward will want to use the new Book Nook.  Our Behavior Resource Teacher is also very excited about using the Book Nook as a tangible reward in her PBIS program and will help us to fund refills."

Nassau County Public Library: Robot Revolution

"Nassau County Public Library recognizes the importance of providing lifelong learning opportunities. While our current programming serves younger children well, we seek to address the unique needs of middle and high school students by implementing new initiatives that foster critical thinking, creativity, and academic achievement.

By incorporating VEX IQ robots into our library programs, we aim to bridge the gap between our current Ozobot offerings and the STEM needs of older students. This initiative will provide a stimulating and relevant learning environment that fosters critical thinking and prepares students for future academic and career success."

Follow us on Social Media!

These projects are funded under the provisions of the State of Florida Library Cooperative Grant program and by NEFLIN. Florida’s Library Cooperative Grant Program is administered by the Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services. For FY2024-25, 91% of the total costs for NEFLIN's Library Cooperative Grant program ($400,000) is supported by State of Florida money.  The total budget of the project is $440,000.