ARSL Professional Development Book Club Registration for book club discussion groups is now open! Click below to register, or read on for more information about this quarter's PD Book Club selection. [Register for a Discussion Section] The ARSL Continuing Education Committee is pleased to announce the inaugural discussion selection for the ARSL Professional Development Book Club! Everyone, regardless of ARSL membership status, is invited to join us for a quarterly discussion about a professional development title that is relevant to the needs of library professionals working in rural and small libraries. Our winter quarter (January-March) meeting will be held on March 29th, 2022, featuring an interactive discussion of Rebekkah Smith Aldrich's landmark book Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library's Future in an Uncertain World. In order to accommodate those of us in different time zones two discussion groups will be held at the times indicated below. March 29, 2022 | Registration will open in mid-January Discussion 1: 3:30 pm PT / 4:30 pm MT / 5:30 pm CT / 6:30 pm ET Discussion 2: 6:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm MT / 8:30 pm CT / 9:30 pm ET Both discussion groups are free, and open to both ARSL members and nonmembers. Discussion Selection: Sustainable Thinking: Ensuring Your Library's Future in an Uncertain World by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich Sustainability may seem like a "pie-in-the-sky" idea, suitable only for larger libraries with bigger budgets to contemplate. However, much of sustainable thinking and action already takes place within the walls and communities of small libraries. As Smith Aldrich states, "How fortuitous for us all that what the world needs most right now is what libraries are already very good at." How can we leverage our skills and our knowledge to create and support thriving and resilient communities? Discussion groups will not be recorded to encourage open, honest dialog about the selected book. ARSL TRAIN February Roundtable: Food Insecurity in Your Community Thursday, February 17, 2022 | 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET Roundtable attendance is free and open to all ARSL members. The ongoing impact of the pandemic, intense winter weather, and systemic inequities are making food insecurity a more urgent issue than ever in communities all over the country. Join librarians working in rural settings to share and discuss ways public libraries can support affected people in their communities through partnerships with other organizations, positioning the library as a food distribution center, and disseminating information. Examples of potential national and regional partners and tips on how to incorporate this work into your library's mission and manage the associated workload will be shared in this interactive, facilitated round table. Facilitator: Erin Silva, Youth & Teen Services Librarian, North Liberty Library, North Liberty, IA [February Roundtable Registration] March Workshop: Budgeting Doesn't Have to Feel Like a Root Canal! Thursday, March 17, 2022 | 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET Registration Cost: $15 for ARSL members, $25 for nonmembers This workshop will help library staff enter the sometimes-daunting world of budgets with confidence. Topics covered will include the budget cycle, basic characteristics of annual budgets, accounting terms, reports, and tenets of ethical money management. Participants will learn how to use the library's strategic plan as a foundation for budget planning and leave with an understanding of the essential "must dos" to manage their organization's budget competently and safely. This workshop will cover aspects of library budgeting applicable to libraries in any state, relevant to both municipal and non-profit/incorporated libraries, and share timelines that can be adapted to differing fiscal years. Presenter: Gary Deziel, Extension assistant professor for the University of Vermont (UVM) Extension. Diezel's work focuses on public library budgeting and human resource management, as well as non-profit and municipal officer training. [March Workshop Registration] Cathy Lancaster Youth Services Coordinator Library of Michigan 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Lansing, MI 48915 My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org<http://www.mypronouns.org/> to learn more. LancasterC5@michigan.gov<mailto:LancasterC5@michigan.gov> | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan<http://www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan> Follow us: Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/libraryofmichigan/> | Twitter<https://twitter.com/libraryofmich> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/libraryofmichigan/> Join the MiYouth<https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmail2.mcls.org%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fmiyouth&data=02%7C01%7CNorrisS2%40michigan.gov%7Caf51448f1e92415533aa08d6f4b53328%7Cd5fb7087377742ad966a892ef47225d1%7C0%7C0%7C636965456410852648&sdata=nModcBWFyzGoDGK%2FtwsSeAXV%2F85AQKEtzzQQj%2FV%2B5fM%3D&reserved=0> Listserv, created for Michigan public library staff to share and discuss children and teen programming and services.
