Academy Award-winning actress, author and activist Natalie Portman to appear as Closing Session Speaker at ALA Virtual<https://bit.ly/2TnDHqx> Natalie Portman, whose credits include “Leon: The Professional,” “Cold Mountain,” “Closer,” “V for Vendetta,” the “Star Wars” franchise prequels, “A Tale of Love and Darkness,” “Jackie,” the forthcoming “Thor: Love and Thunder” and her debut picture book, “Natalie Portman’s Fables,” will speak on Friday, June 26, 2020, from 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. Registration is now open for the American Library Association’s (ALA) Virtual - Community Through Connection, June 24 - 26, 2020. The three-day, online event will send a strong message that the library community can—and will—remain connected during this unprecedented time. Through the generous support of a select roster of event sponsors, ALA will lower registration fees from $175 for ALA members to just $60. Library professionals who have recently been furloughed, laid off, or are experiencing a reduction of paid work hours, are welcome to attend at no cost. Registration will close on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at noon Central time at https://2020.alavirtualevent.org/registration/register-now. And if you've recently been furloughed, laid off, or are experiencing a reduction of paid work hours, we invite you to join us for no cost at all. During the registration process, you can indicate your circumstance to receive your complimentary registration. Read more<https://bit.ly/2TnDHqx> ACRL, ARL, ODLOS, and PLA announce joint cultural competencies task force<https://bit.ly/3dZNQ4t> The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), the American Library Association’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS) and the Public Library Association (PLA) announce the formation of the Building Cultural Proficiencies for Racial Equity Framework Task Force. The task force is charged to create a framework for cultural proficiencies in racial equity that can be used in public and academic libraries. Read more<https://bit.ly/3dZNQ4t> House Speaker unveils plan for fifth COVID-19 relief bill<https://bit.ly/3gbjz4X> On May 12, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, a $3 trillion COVID-19 relief plan focused on emergency funding for states. The 1,800-page legislation is the latest proposal in Congress for what will eventually become the fifth economic stimulus bill. ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office continues to review the lengthy HEROES Act to identify all substance relevant to libraries and maximize opportunities for libraries to benefit from the bill. ALA submitted a letter to the Speaker of the House urging more funding for libraries to be included in the House bill. The full House plans to vote on the package as early as Friday, May 15. The Senate has not announced a timeline for its next relief package. ALA will continue to urge additional support for libraries, including a $4 billion Senate proposal for home broadband access. Additional COVID-19 relief and recovery bills are likely in the coming months as the full impacts of the pandemic begin to surface in various sectors. Read more<https://bit.ly/3gbjz4X> Milwaukee Public Library awarded ALA’s first Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant<https://bit.ly/2TlqEWC> The American Library Association (ALA) has awarded its first Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant to the Milwaukee (Wis.) Public Library for Deaf Storyslam, a free community event in which Deaf individuals of varying backgrounds share personal stories and experiences with the broader community. The $2,000 grant, part of ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC) community engagement initiative, is open to school, public, academic, tribal or special libraries to help them expand upon community engagement efforts. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members — be they library users, residents, faculty, students or local organizations — to address issues for the betterment of the community. In May 2019, ALA announced that it had surpassed its original $50,000 fundraising goal to support the creation of the Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant, raising a total of $70,000 from 130 individuals. The initiative was made possible by a matching grant from former ALA president and longtime generous supporter Nancy Kranich. Read more<https://bit.ly/2TlqEWC> AWARDS AND GRANTS California, Michigan and Illinois Libraries receive ALSC Bookapalooza collections<https://bit.ly/3gbms5N> Dr. Jian Qin wins 2020 LITA/OCLC Kilgour Research Award<https://bit.ly/3dYQgjW> Shawna Ward receives AASL Inspire Special Event Grant<https://bit.ly/2z3t1Xm> Denise Gadson receives AASL Inspire Collection Development Grant<https://bit.ly/2yfRCHN> Pamela Hubert receives AASL Inspire Collection Development Grant<https://bit.ly/2ABuwfx> Samantha Kennedy receives AASL Inspire Collection Development Grant<https://bit.ly/3g4HKlc> Ali Lauer receives AASL Inspire Collection Development Grant<https://bit.ly/3g4rxMR> ALA PUBLISHING AASL’s guide to 30-minute STEAM activities for elementary learners<https://bit.ly/2WKSo99> WEBINARS ETS Discovery Webinar Series<https://bit.ly/2z3DeTF> Jennifer L. Dean - PhD, MLIS - she, her, hers MLA Board of Directors and ALA Councilor Dean of Libraries and Instructional Technology Distance Education Coordinator University of Detroit Mercy Libraries / Instructional Design Studio 4001 West McNichols Rd Detroit, MI 48221 313-993-1090 deanjl@udmercy.edu [cid:15c75320-4964-418e-9d4c-99de690a23c7]