NEFLIN offered ten Interest Groups in 2019-20: Academic Libraries, Children’s Services, Genealogy, Makerspaces, Leadership, Marketing and Outreach, Public Libraries, School Libraries, Technology and Teen Services.   Although the Technical Services Interest Group was considered active, it did not meet this year because there were no volunteers to facilitate this group.

A total of 32 Interest Group meetings were held with 357 attendees. Of those meetings, 25 were hosted online and 7 were held face-to-face.  This year marked a 27% decrease in number of meetings held from the 44 meetings held in 2018-19.  In spite of this decrease in meetings, the overall attendance rate remained almost the same as the 2018-19 attendance of 367.

2019-20 highlights included outside guest speakers at School Libraries, Genealogy and Public Libraries meetings; presentations by NEFLIN members (personal genealogy research, genrefication, integrating technology in school libraries, etc.); Hands-on experiences such as sewing with conductive thread, creating sensory bins and escape rooms; a book discussion group in the Leadership group (formerly Management); and many connections made between NEFLIN members from a broad spectrum of libraries.  A NEFLIN member facilitated each group and the facilitators represented eight separate library systems.  In addition, a face-to-face training session and an online mid-year meeting were held for the Interest Group facilitators.

The following quotes from the 2020 NEFLIN Annual Survey provide a snapshot of the value of NEFLIN Interest Groups (a change in survey methodology does not allow us to properly attribute these quotes):

“The interest groups are a fantastic way to meet colleagues and exchange ideas - I know I've used books, finger plays, and other program ideas that I learned about at an interest group.”

“NEFLIN training has been invaluable to our library system. It's where we get most of our best ideas from! And not just the facilitators... the other participants. There's almost always some group work or an opportunity to network and share ideas. That's especially true for the Interest Groups.”

“I love the children/teen interest groups. It's great to get together just to bounce ideas off of each other and get feedback on performers and programs people have tried and whether it was a positive or negative experience.”

“I know how to sew but wasn't sure how to go about teaching it in a Public Library. I attended the Makerspace Interest Group meetings, and one of them was about teaching a sewing introduction class. I have now taught that class at least a dozen times since then in our district. Sewing classes are very popular here. Thank you!”

NEFLIN purchased ten new titles for its Lending Library.  The loan period is one month, and some of the items come with a teacher's edition or curriculum guide that can be used during interest group or other small group activities.  Titles also were purchased so that after a training session by the author, staff can get more in-depth information on the topic that was presented.

2. 60 Ready to Use Coding Projects by Ellyssa Kroski

3. Gather ‘Round the Table by Hillary Dodge

4. 50+ Programs for Tweens, Adults, and Families by Alessio, LaMantia & Vinci

5. Cultivating Civility by Henry, Eshleman, and Moniz

6. Becoming a Library Leader by Freedman & Freedman

7. STEAM Activities in 30 Minutes by Deborah Rinio

8. 52 Ready to Use Gaming Programs for Libraries by Ellyssa Kroski

9. Libraries and the Substance Abuse Crisis by Cindy Grove

10. Proving Your Library’s Value by Fishel & Wentworth

NEFLIN provides an annual conference for library staff to share information and network. This year was our biennial Hot Topics Conference, with the selected topic being @Your Service. Focusing on the Library Services competency (Library Programming), libraries shared their successful programs that brought unique services to customers. It was held July 24, 2020, online using Zoom. 74 attended the conference.

Miguel Figueroa from the American Library Association Center for the Future of Libraries delivered the keynote address. The conference featured 11 breakout session presentations. Breakout sessions included presentations from public and academic libraries throughout Florida, from as far away as Orange and Bay Counties. The keynote speaker also presented a breakout session following up on concepts from his address to the conference body.

Some quotes from the evaluations of this event:

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to present on the creation of Local Wanderer, our culture pass program. It is truly our hope to 'pay it forward' by helping other library systems who might want to start a similar program and the NEFLIN conference gave us such an opportunity.” Scottie Campbell, Orange County Library System

“The Keynote Speaker was fabulous! He knew his subject, was articulate, and offered good predictions on the impact ... on libraries.” – Marian Griffin, Brevard County Public Libraries

“Getting to see and interact online with colleagues from other Library Systems was a refreshing change from what life has been like since March. Seeing new presenters like the gentleman from ALA and hearing firsthand accounts from other Librarians in North Florida about initiatives that their Libraries have undertaken was great! ... We deeply appreciate NEFLIN's efforts to keep our library staff members motivated and inspired to offer patrons relevant services while keeping us up-to-date on developments in our industry.” Jennifer Parker, Clay County Public Library System

“The NEFLIN Hot Topics Conference allowed me to find out about different or new to me resources that I can potentially utilize for my library community.” Karen Cole, Melbourne Public Library

“I am working on a grant and I received some great ideas for my grant application … The online experience was excellent! Great job!” – Ann Collins, Volusia County Public Library