Welcome to NELA!

For 45 years, the New England Library Association has provided organizational and educational support for its member librarians from our six "down east" states.

Join NELA!

Download the NELA membership brochure
(PDF format, requires Adobe Reader)

It's easy to join NELA with our secure online registration and your credit card, or you can print a registration form and mail it with your check.

NELLS a Success !

08/05/2008

Congratulations to the 25 representatives of New England libraries who completed this year's NELLS (New England Library Leadership Symposium), held July 28 through August 1, 2008.

Silent Auction at Conference

08/10/2008

We will be running a silent auction this year at NELA in Manchester and would like to ask you to begin thinking about items you can donate. So, hit those closets, bookshelves, etc. and please keep us in mind for the silent auction at NELA's Annual Conference, Oct. 19-21 in Manchester, NH. More info to come.

Mary Ann Rupert, NELA's Executive Manager

07/02/2008

NELA has a new Executive Manager.

Contact information & location are:

Mary Ann Rupert, Executive Manager
31 Connor Lane
Wilton, NH 03086
603-654-3533 | 603-654-3526 fax
maryann+NELAsecure+nelib.org

Open Source Presentation at State Conferences

07/02/2008

As always, NELA sponsors a presentation each year that is made at the state conferences. This year's presentation was on Open Source Software. Siobhán E. Ross, from Providence College, was kind enough to allow us to share the PowerPoint she used at RILA.

• Open Source PowerPoint (PDF format)

Scholarships

07/01/2008

The New England Library Association Educational Assistance Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 NELA Scholarships:

Scholarships of $2000 for full-time students go to:

• Kimberly Giedd (Simmons College) - Ms. Giedd plans to be an academic librarian, with a strong interest in reference and user instruction, and hopes "to assist as many undergraduate students" as she can.
• Alison Messier (Univ. of RI) - Ms. Messier also plans to work in an academic library, in reference or technical services, preferably in the Boston area.

Scholarships of $1000 for part-time students go to:

• Patrick Borezo (Simmons College) – Mr. Borezo is planning a career in cataloging and the opportunities presented by emerging technologies.
• Marilyn Hines (Univ. of RI) – Ms. Hines' volunteer experience at her children's poorly-funded school library has led her to a clearly defined plan to become a School Library Media Specialist after completing her MLIS.

Congratulations to our winning scholars.

If you are interested in other NELA grant and scholarship opportunities, please visit our scholarships page.

NETSL Conference Materials Available

04/08/2008

Handouts, PowerPoints, and other materials from NETSL's Spring Conference are available for download.

• Conference program and links to materials
• NETSL Award for Excellence in Technical Services

NELA 2007 Resources Available

10/17/2007

NELA's Annual Conference was held last October 14-16 in Sturbridge MA.

• Conference blog
• Photos
• Program Materials

First-time Conference Attendees Hosted

11/25/2007

Did you know that NELA paid some people to attend their first Annual Conference? That's right – the following lucky people each received a $150 first-time attendee grant, just by checking the box on the registration form:

• CT, Sherry Gelbwasser
• MA, Amy Andreasson
• ME, Brooke Faulkner
• NH, Sara Weinberg
• RI, Angela Kneeland
• VT, Joe Toth

So if you haven't attended an Annual Conference yet, keep it in mind for this year – we might pay you to attend!

ALA Spectrum Scholars from New England

07/01/2007

Congratulations to this year's ALA Spectrum Scholars from New England. We are very pleased to be home to seven promising librarians, as honored by the American Library Association:

• Angela Bonds, Simmons College
• Tina Chan, Simmons College
• Lulu Chen, Simmons College
• Henrique B. Coelho, Simmons College
• Akunna Eneh, Simmons College (also selected for a NELA scholarship this year)
• Joi Sorensen, Southern Connecticut State University
• Michael Sean Creedon, Syracuse University (New England resident)

NELA also awards a small matching grant to each of these students. We wish them the best in their studies and their future as librarians.

"John Doe" Librarians are Recipients of Intellectual Freedom Award

10/15/2007

The Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) of the New England Library Association presented the 2007 ProQuest/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award of New England to the Connecticut "John Doe" librarians Janet Nocek, Barbara Bailey, Peter Chase, and George Christian on October 14, 2007 during NELA 2007. With great legal and personal risk to themselves the Connecticut "Joe Doe" librarians challenged the nondisclosure provisions of the NSL (National Security Letters) authorized under the USA Patriot Act because they believe that libraries in a democratic society must be a place where people can come to inform themselves on everything from "breast cancer to Wahabism," without fear that the government or police are looking over their shoulders.

The biennial award, sponsored by ProQuest/SIRS, recognizes the contribution of a group or individual who has actively promoted intellectual freedom in New England. The IFC is responsible for selecting the recipient. The person or group chosen receives a plaque commemorating the award and a check for $500. The Connecticut "Joe Doe" librarians have decided to donate the $500 to Library Connection Incorporated.

Staples Business Advantage Program

03/07/2008

The NELA/Staples Business Advantage Program, which was launched in August, 2005, is a member benefit which NELA provides to help members leverage their group purchasing power.

• Details of the Staples Business Advantage program