There is nothing quite like a conference for making me feel connected to colleagues, inspired to try new things, and excited about my profession.  There are two amazing conferences coming up in October that will be relevant and wonderful for Wisconsin librarians, and I just found out that both of them have scholarship opportunities!  For those of you who wish you could afford to attend a conference, this is a great chance to take away some of the barriers that might keep you from doing so!

Northwoods Children’s Book Conference – October 18 and 19th at the Heartwood Conference Center and Retreat near Minong, WI, with speakers like Rob Reid, Marge Loch-Wouters, and a variety of authors (Ann Angel, Lisa Lunge Larsen, Margi Preus, and more), this is a really great opportunity to learn in a beautiful setting.  To apply for a scholarship, simply send a brief message indicating your interest to Bev Bauer bev@sitespark.com by September 19th.  Names will be drawn at random. Winner will be notified Sept. 21st. The scholarship must be used for the conference and has no cash value. Check out the conference facebook page   to learn about scholarship opportunities.

The Wisconsin Library Association’s Annual Conference–October 24-26 in LaCrosse is chock-full of awesome sessions (more on this later), exhibits, and chances to let down your hair with your colleagues.

The Penworthy Company is happy to announce our 20th annual WLA Conference Attendee Sponsorship. Every year, we sponsor a Wisconsin youth services librarian to attend the Wisconsin Library Association’s annual conference, which holds programs to refresh library services, boost professional skills, and help librarians make connections (and have fun!). This year’s conference is October 23-26th in La Crosse.
 
The winner will receive a $400 sponsorship to attend the conference, presented at the YSS board meeting at the WLA conference. If you are interested in winning this year’s award, please email your name, library name, and phone number to penworthy.bear@penworthy.com. We will randomly select a winner on Ocotober 1st.

Email penworthy.bear@penworthy.com by September 30th for your chance to win!