Maryland State Department of Education Access Portal Upgrade coming April 26

 The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) will be releasing The Educator Application and Certification Hub (TEACH) in April!  TEACH will replace the current certification portal, which will be shutting down on April 20, 2022.  TEACH is expected to be released on April 26, 2022.  

All Maryland educators will have access to an online Dashboard where they may apply for certification, make payments, download their certificate, access various online services, and update their contact information.  With the release of TEACH, all certification applications will be submitted online!

 

Applicants and certificate holders will not be able to access their online portal accounts while the system is down from April 20th through April 26th.  We apologize for this inconvenience.

 

Existing applicants and certificate holders will need to complete a one-time registration by visiting TEACH after April 26, 2022.  

 

ALA announces 2021 Annual Meeting will be Virtual

 The following message is sent on behalf of American Library Association President Julius C. Jefferson, Jr.

CHICAGO — The American Library Association’s Executive Board announced today that the 2021 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition scheduled for June 23-29 in Chicago will take place virtually.

“We hoped that by this summer, it would be safe to meet again in person. However, that is clearly not the case. Despite the promise of vaccines, the pandemic continues to devastate our country. For the safety of everyone involved, we will be moving our Annual Conference to a virtual format,” said Julius C. Jefferson, Jr., ALA president.

Jefferson continued: “Given the success of our just-wrapped virtual Midwinter meeting, I am confident that Annual will be just as dynamic, engaging and inspiring. As always, we will have big name speakers, a full online exhibit floor, and more events and opportunities to network, learn and grow that I know participants will love.”

ALA Annual attracts some of today’s most highly regarded keynoters and authors, and speakers will be announced early this spring along with additional information on programs, sessions, meetings, and exhibits. Registration will open March 1, 2021, and advance rates end April 16. In the coming weeks, presenters who submitted program proposals will be contacted by ALA representatives with more information about next steps for the online format.

“COVID-19 has profoundly changed the library world – and, of course, the wider world around us. But I’m buoyed by the incredible determination, resilience and community-building I’ve seen in the past year,” ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall said. “As a body, ALA has proven nimble and unflappable in the face of adversity and we will continue to prioritize safety, even as we strive to innovate the digital conference experience to widen attendance and deepen engagement well after this period. Based on the incredible response that Virtual Midwinter 2021 received, we look forward to a dynamic Annual Conference program guaranteed to illuminate, inform and inspire.”

Julius C. Jefferson Jr.

2020-2021 ALA President

Access and Equity resources on WebJunction.org

Our access to WebJunction includes their list of resources for libraries that are looking for ways to "stand in solidarity, to take action, and to ensure library services and programs are equitable and safe for all."  

WebJunction has their page sorted by the following categories.  Some items are articles, some are webinars, and some are links to other pages.  There is a wide variety of information for library staff.

Take a look, there is a lot of great information.

On WebJunction

Statements and Resources from Libraries

Online Resources

For Supporting Youth

Creating Diverse Collections

Articles

Booklists and Books

Multimedia

On Accessibility

https://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/access-equity/see-also.html?utm_source=SFMC&utm_medium=email&utm_content=June+17+2020+Crossroads&utm_campaign=&utm_term=WebJunctionCrossroads_COMM

A helpful blog for leadership skill development

I found this site, which has a lot of useful information, particularly about leadership skills.  It is very "business"oriented, but the leadership section has a lot of useful informaiton.

https://thoughtleadershipzen.blogspot.com/search/label/Leadership

Here is their description from the "about us" page:

Welcome to The Thought Leadership Zen blog, it is a FREE comprehensive site dedicated to help you keep you updated with the current trends in Management and excel in business and life. On this site we are going to share with you some tips, ideas, strategies and suggestions on how to get the best out of business, Work and personal life. We will also aim to keep you'll updated about the best practices in the world of management and self development around the world.

Twitter #publibchat on harassment

Have you joined the Maryland Library List Serv?

Maryland's electronic discussion list for librarians

MARYLIB is an electronic discussion group intended to provide Maryland area librarians with a fast, convenient way to interact on problems and opportunities of local interest. Keep up with ALA/MLA events. Share job openings with colleagues. Offer weeded items from your collection to others. Ask a question. Hear about new issues of The CRAB first!

This list is open to all who are employed by a library such as librarians, library associates, paraprofessionals, circulation and support staff. It is also open to library school students, library volunteers and trustees.

Subjects for this list should be related to Librarianship in general and to the Maryland area in particular. Requests for assistance, offers of material, and legitimate library job postings are all fair game. This is a professional forum. Persistently sending off-topic posts and violations of common courtesy may result in removal from the list.

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Questions?

 Contact: Brian Oberle (Anne Arundel County Public Libraries), boberle@aacpl.net; Audrey Schadt (Salisbury University), ahschadt@salisbury.edu; or Tim Van Fleet (Anne Arundel County Public Library), tvanfleet@aacpl.net .

Learn more about MLA on their website www.mdlib.org