If you’re reading this, first of all, thanks! It’s nice to know I’m not typing into the void. Secondly, this was supposed to be my April blog, but as we’re already into May, you’ll have to excuse the abundance of information this post will hold. The end of a school year is my least favorite time of the year with testing, book and technology inventory, and I thought having a book fair during this season was a good idea! What was I thinking?
Registration for Conference 2024 opens soon! Those whose conference proposals were accepted will be notified this week and I can tell you that we have some amazing sessions coming your way. Don’t forget that your registration includes breakfast and lunch both days as well as the 2nd annual party known as NCSLMAJama! Conference registration closes on September 13, 2024. Due to our location change and its lack of walkable food options, we will have to go up in price this year to accommodate the increased food budget (inflation - grrr), but we are doing away with Early Bird pricing. Everyone will pay the same rate, through September 13, when it will go up. After September 13, you will have to pay in person, on site. We heard you about having to get checks cut right around the closing of one budget year and opening of another. We don’t want you to stress about that. Just make sure your registration is paid by September 13, or we will have to cancel your registration and you will have to re-register at the higher rate and you must pay on site.
But we have found another way to reward you for registering early because there’s also some special swag coming your way this year…
You may remember that Amanda Jones is one of our keynote speakers. If you register for the conference before September 13, you’ll receive a copy of her new book That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America as part of your conference swag! We wanted to make sure that everyone had a book for her to sign after her closing keynote, so make plans to not only attend her keynote address that is sure to be stellar, but hang around a few minutes after to chat with her and have her sign your copy of That Librarian.
But we have another keynote speaker to announce and I’m fangirling as I type this…Darcie Little Badger!
She is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Nebula Award, an Ignyte Award, and a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist (not to mention it’s spot on the 2023-2024 high school Battle of the Books list! Her third book, Sheine Lende, is the prequel to Elatsoe and will be published in 2024. If you want a free copy of one of Darcie Little Badger’s books for her to sign at conference, make sure you register before August 1!
As we get excited about Amanda Jones, Darcie Little Badger, and seeing our school library friends at conference, we must also remember the other reason we all join our state’s professional organization…community. You may not be experiencing cuts, downsizing, or bans, but you know someone who is. We can be their Cardigan Crusaders (physical cardigans optional) and work to make sure to support our librarians next door. Take a moment to sign the petition to support librarians in Franklin County, and let us know if you’re experiencing cuts and would like help, or if you are ready and willing to stand up and speak up for our fellow School Librarians by filling out this Google Form.
I’m proud to be part of NCSLMA in all we do, from standing up for our profession across the state to curating an annual conference to feed our minds, bodies, and spirits. We are all better together. Jennifer Abel’s conference theme a few years ago reminded us all that we are not alone in the library, and though we may be strolling through Jurassic Park, just take a look around and you’ll see that your Jeep is packed with other school librarians supporting you. In the original Jurassic Park movie, Dr. Malcolm said, “Life finds a way.” Well, librarians find a way, too, as long as we stick together.
