February 2017 – ASCLA Blog

February 17, 2017February 17, 2017

Sign up for National Library Legislative Day 2017.

Registration for National Library Legislative Day 2017 is open! To find information about the event, to register, or to book a room in the hotel block, please visit ala.org/nlld.

As with previous years, National Library Legislative Day 2017 will be held at the Liaison Hotel in Washington, DC. Briefing day will take place on May 1st, and includes informational sessions about each of the most important legislation issues libraries are facing, as well as advocacy training with experts from the Campaign Workshop. On May 2nd, each state delegation will go to their meetings on the Hill with their elected officials.
Featured issues include:

Library funding
Privacy and surveillance reform
Copyright modernization
Access to government information
Affordable broadband access
Net neutrality protection

Registration this year is $50 and includes entry into a reception held on Capitol Hill, along with a folder full of briefing materials, talking points, and other resources.

To learn more about the event, check out our blog post on District Dispatch.

As always, please feel free to reach out to Lisa Lindle at llindle@alawash.org if you have any questions!

February 3, 2017April 3, 2017

ASCLA and FAFLRT Merger: Open Forum Set

Update: the recording of the 2/14 open forum can be viewed here.

Dear FAFLRT and ASCLA Members,

As you may be aware, last year ASCLA and FAFLRT began holding conversations about merging our two units. The discussions have been very productive, fostering a cordial environment, encouraging collaboration.

FAFLRT is moving the process further by having their members vote on the merger during the 2017 ALA Elections.

Before the referendum occurs, we want to hold an open forum for members of both organizations to learn about our two groups. This forum will be online, via Adobe Connect, and will feature the presidents of both ALA units. They will provide information about both organizations, give a synopsis of the current situation, outline what a merged unit would look like, and discuss future steps.

Most important is that this will offer an opportunity for you, members of both units, to ask questions and offer feedback.

Here are the details for the forum:

Date: Tuesday, February 14.
Time: 3:00pm EST/2:00pm CST/ 1:00 MST/ 12:00pm PST
PowerPoint Presentation: FAFLRT and ASCLA Proposed Merger_2-13-17 .
Link to log join: https://ala.adobeconnect.com/r6ybsqkoo25/

If you want to join the forum via phone, call:
1-866-718-7314
Participant Code: 91920045#

Also, we want to give people a chance to ask questions anonymously. You may do so by using the Google form linked here: http://bit.ly/2kqWq48. We will attempt to answer as many questions as possible during the time allotted.

The merger proposal from ASCLA can be found here: Proposal for Merger of FAFLRT and ASCLA_2-13-17. We encourage members of both units to read through it and also learn about both organizations through their web sites:

ASCLA: http://www.ala.org/ascla/
FAFLRT: http://www.ala.org/faflrt/

Thanks so much for your membership to both organizations. We’re looking forward to speaking with you on the 14^th!

Sincerely,

Karl Debus-Lopez
FAFLRT President

Michael Golrick
ASCLA President

February 2, 2017February 3, 2017

Join Division-Wide Committee for 2017-2019

A great way to enhance your experience with ASCLA is to join a division-wide committee! We are looking for committee members for 2017-2019. ASCLA committees offer a great way to get involved at the national level and make an impact, while meeting new people and having lots of fun. You can participate even if you can’t attend conferences; ALA’s online community, ALA Connect and other tools offered by the division make virtual participation easy and engaging.

ASCLA is seeking volunteers for committee terms beginning July 1, 2017 for one and two year terms (all terms start July 1 and end June 30)!

Below is a list of committees with current openings. There are lots of ways to share your talents, influence major decisions for the association and make a difference in the library profession. Choose a place where you fit!

If you are interested in serving on one of the committees listed above, login here with your ALA login, choose ASCLA from the drop-down list and complete the form.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Jeannette Smithee
ASCLA president-elect
smitheejp@gmail.com