ASCLA members have approved a petition to create the new Interest group: Consortial eBooks.

The purpose of ASCLA’s Consortial eBooks Interest Group is to provide a regular forum for consortial discussion and to meet at Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings. ASCLA believes that consortia represents a large segment of libraries and that by acting as consortia, ASCLA can be influential with publishers and vendors to benefit libraries and library users as the e-book landscape evolves. ASCLA welcomes any type of library or library agency as well as consortias.

The Consortial eBooks Interest Group leadership team for 2014-2015 is: Deirdre Brennan, Executive Director of the RAILS Reaching Across Illinois Library System and Veronda Pitchford, Director of Membership Development and Resource Sharing, RAILS Reaching Across Illinois Library System. To join this new interest group, complete the form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/con_ebooks.

Online discussion groups are open to all. To subscribe, send an email to sympa@ala.org with the following subject: subscribe ascla- first name last name. Please do not put anything in the body of the message.

Online discussion groups or listservs are a great way to connect with others, share experiences, network and get advice. Only subscribers may post to the lists. The lists are open to all, as well as interest group members, so members can invite colleagues in the field or with that special interest to join the listserv. Listservs are also helpful for making announcements, such as for conferences, workshops, new publications and position openings appropriate to the lists. All messages should relate to the general topic of the list and all postings must be free of copyright restrictions that limit distribution.

See the complete list of ASCLA interest groups and their leaders here. Learn more about ASCLA’s core interests on the ASCLA website

ASCLA presents its first ASCLA 101!

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) will host ASCLA 101, a networking and orientation event for interested, new and current members from 10:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the Las Vegas Hotel in conjunction with the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

ASCLA, a division of ALA, represents librarians serving special populations; independent librarians and consultants; state library agencies; and library networks, cooperatives and consortia. Conference attendees involved or interested in these areas of librarianship are encouraged to attend ASCLA 101 where they can learn more about the division activities and special interest sections representing each of these topics. ASCLA member leaders will be on hand to answer questions about the division and help attendees best identify how they can be involved with ASCLA projects and activities.

“ASCLA 101 is an incredibly valuable event that supports member involvement and engagement,” said ASCLA President Sara Laughlin, “We’re excited for our first ASCLA 101 program. It’s a great opportunity to meet colleagues, find a home within ASCLA’s special interest groups and connect with other members. Any new, longtime or potential members of ASCLA should make ASCLA 101 the first official event of their conference experience.”

The event agenda includes a brief presentation about ASCLA, a raffle for fun prizes and significant time for networking. RSVPs are not required, however interested attendees are encouraged to add ASCLA101 to their schedule.