Why now is the BEST time to renew your Mountain Plains Library Association Membership?

• 1.      MPLA is turning 75!

The next MPLA conference will be in Norman, Oklahoma from March 8 - 10, 2023. MPLA is excited to CELEBRATE our 75^th Anniversary!

• 2.      MPLA Chew & Chats
• This is another great opportunity to learn from librarians all over the region. These informal discussions are led by Jake Rundle from Colorado and Mary Soucie (I’m sure you know her). They take place on the 4^th Wednesday of each month. If you want to try one out before you renew your membership, shoot me an email at randi.monley@minotnd.org .
• 3.      MPLA Newsletter
• This newsletter is chock-full of information from around the MPLA region. Not only do I highlight what is going on in North Dakota, every representative from the 12-state region highlights cool programs that libraries are doing. I get so many great ideas from this part of the newsletter.

Now is the time to renew YOUR MPLA MEMBERSHIP OR get your first membership (did I mention your first year is half price???)!!

https://mpla.us/services/membership/

REPORT: Tri-Conference in Missoula, Montana

Hello, NDLA-ers! In August, I was fortunate to go to Missoula, Montana for the Mountain Plains Library Association, Montana Library Association, and Northwest Pacific Library Association Tri-conference.

We convened in the heart of downtown Missoula on August 3, 2022. First up was the MPLA board meeting. It was so nice to meet with the state representatives again. We were able to hear several ideas from the Membership Committee, which we hope to have in place next year. It was also encouraging to hear about the Leadership Institute, which will be happening May 7-12, 2023 at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO. Also, the Past Presidential Advisory Council was reinstated.

I went to a lot of sessions. Those of note included information on outreach and working with your community. It seemed like the presenter had a very good relationship with her community, and she stressed that she always says “yes” when asked to participate. She also has a strong relationship with her local Chamber of Commerce, which in turn helps her get donations for her library. Another session I found interesting was about the Science of Reading and how it affects those of us in the library world. The presenter talked about how reading programs are on a pendulum, and always go back and forth between phonics and whole word reading. I would suggest diving into the Science of Reading if you are in the Children’s Department, as it is in some North Dakota schools already.

The next MPLA conference will be in conjunction with the Oklahoma Library Association in Norman, OK from March 8-10, 2023!

THE TRI-CONFERENCE IS COMING!!!

By Randi Monley, Minot Public Library / MPLA Representative

I am so excited for the MPLA tri-conference, August 3-6, 2022, in the vibrant downtown area of Missoula, Montana. This conference brings together the Montana Library Association, Mountain Plains Library Association, and Pacific Northwest Library Association. We might see as many as 350 to 400 conference attendees! Can you imagine such a big conference just a state away from North Dakota?!

The conference theme is Building Bridges | Renewing Community, and will be held in the Holiday Inn-Missoula Downtown hotel. There will be over sixty speakers on the schedule from fifteen US states and Canada. The conference is located in downtown Missoula, just two blocks from the brand-new Missoula Public Library. Missoula Public Library has a unique organization model, where community partners are housed in the building. Library tours will be provided! In addition, receptions will be held at Missoula Public Library and the University of Montana’s Mansfield Library.

Conference registration is open (Remember, if you are a Mountain Plains Library Association member, you get the membership rate!)

Member Registration:               Early/Late                   Non-Member Rate

Full Conference (Wed – Sat)    $250/$300                      $300/$350

One day only                                $125/$150                      $150/$175

Student, Trustee, Friend          $150/$175                               -

If you have any questions about the conference or other great things MPLA has going on, email me (randi.monley@minotnd.org)!

3 Reasons why now is the BEST time to RENEW your Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA) Membership

By Randi Monley, Minot Public Library / MPLA Representative

1. 2022 Tri-Conference
   • The Montana Library Association, Pacific Northwest Library Association, and the Mountain Plains Library Association are having a Tri-Conference, Building Bridges/ Renewing Community in Missoula, Montana on August 3-6, 2022. This is going to be a BIG and informative conference for all three groups. As Missoula, MT is semi-close to North Dakota, this will be a great opportunity to expand your librarian network and learn about some new ideas.
2. MPLA Chew & Chats
   • This is another great opportunity to learn from librarians all over the region. These informal discussions are led by Jake Rundle from Colorado and Mary Soucie (I’m sure you know her). They take place on the 4th Wednesday of each month. If you want to try one out before you renew your membership, shoot me an email
3. MPLA Newsletter
   • This newsletter is chock-full of information from around the MPLA region. Not only do I highlight what is going on in North Dakota, every representative from the 12 state region highlights cool programs that libraries are doing. I get so many great ideas from this part of the newsletter.
     

Now is the time to renew your MPLA membership

OR Get your first membership

*Did I mention your first year is half price?!*

Follow this link for more membership details

I wanted to reach out to remind and encourage you to renew your Mountain Plains Library Association membership as the MPLA rep for the North Dakota Library Association. Renew your membership here. First year MPLA Membership Dues are half price for new members!

I would like to remind you that the next MPLA conference will be a Tri-conference in Missoula Montana in August 2022. This conference will be put together by the Montana Library Association, the Pacific Northwest Library Association, and of course the Mountain Plains Library Association.

Also, MPLA is now having monthly Chew & Chats virtually, which is a great opportunity to get involved in MPLA and learn from other librarians in the region. These are hosted by Jake Rundle in Colorado & our very own Mary Soucie.