November 7, 2024

A Message from Amigos President & CEO Miguel Figueroa
November is starting out with a feeling of gathering and coming together. We are pleased to host our next Board of Directors meeting this month on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The Board continues to shape the future of our organization with a focus on the needs of members.

Throughout the Fall, we have been opening our new Amigos Member Portal to library directors and administrative contacts at our member libraries. The Member Portal provides access to member library invoices, subscription information, current contacts lists, and other details that help us improve our connection to member libraries. We appreciate the many members who have already accepted their portal invitation and begun using its features – and we look forward to continuing its use to ensure easy access to your library’s member benefits. If you have questions about the Amigos Member Portal, please reach out to membership@amigos.org.   

Looking ahead, we are excited to revive our Community Conversation series with our next offering, Developing Community Support through Creative Partnerships (December 11). Community Conversations are free events available exclusively to members. We are also continuing our free Essentials series with Workplace Communication (December 18), and we are currently accepting proposals through December 13 for our next free Online Conference, The People-Powered Library (February 12).   

We are thankful for your continued engagement with Amigos and hope that you will reach out at membership@amigos.org or email me directly at figueroa@amigos.org to talk about how Amigos can partner with your library.

Congratulations to Metadata Management Tools Micro-Credential Recipients
Congratulations to the six recipients of Amigos’ Metadata Management Tools Micro-Credential. These individuals completed the three courses in the Metadata Management Tools series (Introduction to MarcEdit; Introduction to OpenRefine; and Programming with Python and PyMARC) and a capstone project to demonstrate their mastery of the series’ concepts.

• Jennifer Baugh, Illinois Heartland Library System

• Lora Ericson, University of North Texas Librariesa

• Toni Nietfeld, Georgetown (Texas) Library

• Alyssa Pope, The University of Texas at El Paso

• Virginia Rassaei, The University of Texas at El Paso

• Joy Urbina, The University of Texas at El Paso

Amigos' micro-credential programs provide library staff with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and gain practical experience with new skills. A micro-credential is a short, competency-based recognition that allows a library staff member to demonstrate mastery in a particular area and to record that mastery on a resume or CV.

Amigos Library Services Supports ILL Professionals with Scholarships to Attend Northwest ILL Conference
Amigos Library Services is proud to have sponsored scholarships for eight individuals from member libraries to virtually attend the recent Northwest Interlibrary Loan & Resource Sharing (NWILL) Conference, allowing them to participate virtually in sessions on the latest trends and best practices in ILL and resource sharing. View this article to read reflections from three of our scholarship recipients, each sharing insights gained from the conference that will benefit their libraries and patrons.

Registration Open for Amigos Community Conversation: Developing Community Support through Creative Partnerships
Registration is now open for Amigos' newest Community Conversation series installment, Developing Community Support through Creative Partnerships (December 11). Community Conversations are free events available exclusively to members.

Creating connections between libraries and local organizations is a foundational part of serving the community. For the new director or librarian, however, this kind of outreach can feel overwhelming and intimidating. In this Community Conversation, a panel of library directors will share their insights on the fundamentals of identifying potential community partners and creating beneficial relationships that bring in new users.

Plan Now for the Next Amigos Online Conference, "The People-Powered Library"
In almost any organization, it is often said, "People are our greatest resource." And that is especially true in libraries. Welcoming communities into our spaces, unlocking the power of our collections, and connecting users to the information and knowledge they need, people power the library.

The next Amigos Online Conference, "The People-Powered Library" (February 12, 2025), will explore the ways that libraries nurture and grow their staff and teams.

Amigos welcomes proposals for 45-minute individual or panel sessions. Sessions are presented online with technical support and moderation assistance from Amigos staff. Submit your proposal by December 13, 2024.

Continuing Education News

Amigos Online Learning - Free for Members

Online topical conferences, the annual member conference, Know & Go sessions, Community Conversations, and NISO member webinars are all no charge to Amigos members. Upcoming free opportunities include:

• Discover Hyku: Empowering Libraries with Open-Source Repository Solutions

• Know & Go: Mold Mitigation and Prevention 

• Using COUNTER to Optimize Usage Data Collection & Analysis for Libraries & Publishers

• Know & Go: Crafting Compelling Copy

• Community Conversations: Developing Community Support through Creative Partnerships

• Know & Go: Recovering from a Wind and Rain Event

• The Essentials: Workplace Communication