ASCLA Forum offers tour of prison library at Annual Conference

ASCLA will offer a unique opportunity to gain insider access to a prison library thanks to the Library Services to Prisoners Forum (LSPF), a special interest group within ASCLA.

“Have YOU Ever Been to Prison? An Insider’s Look at a Prison Library” is an off-site professional development program that will be held Monday, June 28, 2010 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. The tour is open to all conference participants, and would be of interest to anyone considering a career in correctional librarianship, current correctional library staff, and public library staff who provide outreach services to jails and other detention facilities.

Participants will be transported from the Washington Convention Center to the Jessup Correctional Institution Library in Maryland, where they will have an opportunity to both see the facility and discuss current correctional library events and issues with leaders in the field. Speakers include Glennor Shirley, Maryland Correctional Libraries coordinator; Diane Walden, correctional libraries senior consultant, Colorado State Library, and chair of LSPF; and Erica MacCreaigh, correctional libraries senior consultant, Colorado State Library, and co-author of “Library Services to the Incarcerated.”

Space at the event is limited, and RSVP’s are required by June 3, 2010. Participants will be required to provide the following information for a background check in order to receive the security clearance required for prison entry: full name, date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number and license state of issue. RSVP’s that include this information may be sent to Diane Walden at diane.walden@doc.state.co.us, or provided to her by phone (719-269-5607). Participants will cover the cost of transportation to the facility, which is estimated at $20 per person.

ASCLA releases guide to division programming and events at Annual

ASCLA has released a comprehensive guide for the division’s activities at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference, including preconferences, programs, discussion groups and special events.

The guide, which is now available for download, includes information about two workshops hosted by ASCLA from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 25 in Washington, D.C. “Giving People What They Want: Information Access in Libraries and Beyond” features a thought-provoking examination of technology and how its pervasive development is challenging traditional approaches to resource-sharing and content access. Attendees will examine users’ different information-seeking behaviors and how they differ significantly from how libraries have traditionally provided information. The sell-out workshop “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to Become a Successful Library Consultant” is also scheduled and offers a chance to prepare for library consulting success with this full-day workshop. Seasoned consultants Nancy Bolt, Sara Laughlin and Beth Bingham will present an overview of the consultant’s role and guide you through a self-assessment to uncover your consulting potential. Participants will work together to identify consulting opportunities and how to align them with their experience and skills. Each of these events requires advance ticket purchases; participants may register for preconferences without registering for the entire ALA conference. Registration instructions can be found in this ASCLA blog entry.

The guide also lists ASCLA’s 2010 programs and discussion groups, which cover topics relevant to all types of libraries. Highlighting this year’s programs is a joint President’s Program sponsored by ASCLA, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Library Leadership, Administration and Management Association (LLAMA): “Capitalizing on Crisis: Leading Libraries in the Post-Recession Era.” Other programs slated for 2010 will cover topics such as revenue generation for networks, cooperatives and consortia; innovative services for incarcerated populations and ex-offenders; and transforming library workplace cultures. ASCLA’s discussion groups provide an opportunity for colleagues to gather and discuss hot topics and ongoing professional challenges. They also offer a forum for collaborative problem-solving. Discussion group topics include collaborative digitization, library consulting, physical delivery, virtual libraries, youth consulting and LSTA coordination—a complete listing is available in the guide.

Download the guide now from the ASCLA Web site, or learn more about the ALA Annual Conference at the conference Web site. Interested participants are encouraged to register before Advance Registration closes on May 14 and event prices increase.

How do I register for preconferences and ticketed events at Annual 2010?

Annual Conference is a fun and exciting event, but we know it’s not for everyone, their budget or their schedules. Did you know, though, that you can register for ASCLA’s preconferences without registering for the entire Annual Conference?

We welcome any non-conference participants to these events, which will be held in Washington, D.C. as a part of ALA’s 2010 Annual Conference.

ASCLA’s 2010 ticketed events include:

Giving People What They Want: Information Access in Libraries and Beyond, Friday, June 25, 9a.m.-5p.m. Join us for a thought-provoking examination of technology and how its pervasive development is challenging traditional approaches to resource-sharing and content access. We’ll examine users’ different information-seeking behaviors and how they differ significantly from how libraries have traditionally provided information.

Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to Become a Successful Library Consultant, Friday, June 25, 9a.m.-5p.m. Considering consulting as your next career? Prepare yourself for library consulting success with this full-day workshop. Seasoned consultants Nancy Bolt, Sara Laughlin and Beth Bingham will present an overview of the consultant’s role and guide you through a self-assessment to uncover your consulting potential. Participants will work together to identify consulting opportunities and how to align them with their experience and skills. Takeaways include marketing tips, pricing your services and business management strategies.

Here are step-by-step instructions for the online form:

  • ACCESS THE ONLINE FORM. You will need to login–this will be your ALA website login. If you don’t have a login, follow the steps for creating a profile.
  • Complete the requests for profile information and badge information.
  • Under “Step 4: Registration Type”, select “SO Preconference and Special Events” if you are registering only for preconferences. *If you’d like to register for conference, select the registration that is most appropriate for you.
  • Add any guests who will be attending the event with you under “Step 5: Guest,” and complete the demographic info under Step 6.
  • Under “Step 7: Your Events” you will find a list of all events at conference that require a ticket purchase. Scroll down to ASCLA’s events to find our preconferences.
  • Select your desired event(s), then proceed through to payment.

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If you’d prefer to register via mail or fax, then download the printed registration form, and use the event codes listed above to register. Click on the linked event names above to get more info about the ticket prices for your membership type, event speakers and more.

REMEMBER! Advance registration ends May 14, and registration for all ASCLA events will close one week prior to the event.

Contact the ASCLA office with questions at ascla@ala.org.

ALA Diversity and Outreach Fair @ Annual – Application Deadline Approaching

The deadline for the 2010 Diversity and Outreach Fair is rapidly approaching. This popular event will be held on Saturday, June 26, 2010, during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Applications will be accepted through Friday, April 16.

Sponsored generously by DEMCO and coordinated by the ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, the Diversity and Outreach Fair provides an opportunity for libraries and member groups to share their successful diversity and outreach initiatives with ALA Annual Conference attendees.  The Fair celebrates examples of diversity in American libraries and demonstrates possibilities for libraries seeking “diversity in action” ideas.  Selected applicants will have the opportunity to present posters and converse with conference attendees about their diversity initiatives.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities act, this year’s fair will celebrate accessible library services for all patrons and highlight innovative services to underserved communities. Additional available topics include services to underserved or underrepresented communities and mobile library services.

For more information, and to apply, please visit www.ala.org/divfair.

Questions about the Diversity and Outreach Fair? Contact John Amundsen, OLOS Communications Specialist, at 312.280.2140, or email jamundsen@ala.org.

Consulting Toolkit workshop from ASCLA offered again at Annual Conference

The wildly successful workshop “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to Become a Successful Library Consultant”, which sold out at the 2010 Midwinter Meeting, will be offered again at the 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

“Assembling a Consulting Toolkit” is a full-day preconference offered by ASCLA, a division of ALA. It’s the perfect event for librarians looking to strike out on their own in the library profession or those library professionals approaching retirement and seeking a flexible way to maintain employment. The summer workshop will be held 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, Jun. 25, at one of the ALA conference hotels and is designed to prepare participants to begin – or advance – a successful consulting career.

Seasoned consultants and ASCLA members Nancy Bolt, Sara Laughlin and Beth Bingham will present an overview of library consulting for attendees, who will discover through  self-assessment their personal consulting potential.  Participants will work together in an active and engaging format to explore different roles that consultants play, services consultants may deliver to clients, marketing consulting services, managing a consulting business and finding clients.

Interested participants can register for this event only (event code ASC2), or can register in conjunction with Annual Conference registration by adding it as a ticketed event. For institute-only registration using the online form, select “Institute and Ticketed Events Only” as the registration type and proceed to select this event from the list. Advance registration ends May 14, 2010. Advance registration prices for this event start at $185 for ASCLA members. On-site registration starts at $215 for ASCLA members and will be available online until Sunday, June 20. All interested participants must register by June 20—there will not be seats available at the door on the day of the event.

Save the Date: June 29, 2010 is Library Advocacy Day!

When making your travel plans for the 2010 Annual Conference, be sure to stay long enough to participate in Library Advocacy Day! Keep an eye on the ALA Washington Office page for more information in coming months; basic details are below.

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For one year only, Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The event, which will begin at 11 a.m., will feature guest speakers, photo ops, and a chance to cheer on libraries! After the rally, participants will meet with their elected officials and their staffs.

Your NLLD coordinator will be running point for your state, so please get in touch with them if you plan to attend. To find out whom your NLLD coordinator is, please click here.

The states with the most people will be featured front and center, which means they are the ones that will be in the majority of pictures. Make sure your state is the most represented so your group can be in the most pictures!

ASCLA consulting institute sold out; summer event registration opens Jan. 4

The Midwinter institute “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to Become a Successful Library Consultant” has sold out, and registration for the next offering, scheduled for June 25, 2010 in Washington, D.C., will open on Jan. 4, 2010.

“Assembling a Consulting Toolkit” is a daylong workshop hosted by ASCLA, a division of ALA. The event will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, in conjunction with the ALA 2010 Annual Conference. Designed to prepare participants to begin – or advance – a successful consulting career, it is the perfect professional development event for librarians looking to strike out on their own, or those library professionals approaching retirement and seeking a flexible way to maintain employment.

Seasoned consultants and ASCLA members Nancy Bolt and Sara Laughlin will present an overview of library consulting for guide attendees, who will discover through self-assessment their personal consulting potential.  Participants will work together in an active and engaging format to explore different roles that consultants play, services consultants may deliver to clients, marketing consulting services, managing a consulting business and finding clients.

Registration for the Annual Conference and this workshop opens Jan. 4. 2010. Advance registration prices for this event are $185 for ASCLA members, $195 for ALA members, $145 for retired and student members and $225 for non-ALA members. Workshop participants do not have to register for Annual Conference in order to participate in this meeting. Information about registration is available at www.ala.org/annual.

Reminder: LSSPS Annual Dinner tickets–get yours now!

Just a reminder that we still have tickets available for the Libraries Serving Special Populations Section (LSSPS) Annual Dinner. All current LSSPS members as well as those special populations librarians who are interested in meeting others in the field and networking with peers are invited.

The dinner will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, 2009 at Emilio’s Tapas Sol y Nieve, 215 East Ohio St., Chicago, and is an opportunity to visit with old colleagues and meet new ones who are employed in library services for special populations, including patrons with visual or physical impairments, the deaf and hard of hearing, incarcerated adults and youth and those with other special needs. Regular (“on-site”) registration rates for the event are $50 for ASCLA members, $55 for ALA members, $60 for non-members, and $40 for students.

Those interested in registering for the dinner and conference—or adding the dinner to their current meeting itinerary—can do so through Step 6 (“Your Events”) of the online registration form or by calling 1 (800) 974-3084. Those who are interested in only attending the dinner (event code SL3) should choose the “Preconference and Events Only” registration type from Step 5 of the online registration form, then scroll down to the dinner under Step 6. Events in Step 6 are sorted by day and time.

Learn more about Emilio’s at the restaurant website. The restaurant is fully accessible, and is located just east of the intersection of North Michigan Avenue and East Ohio Street. The nearest El stop is Grand-Red Line, and a number of Michigan Avenue buses can also get you there. Plan your trip at www.transitchicago.com.

The complete schedule of ASCLA events at Annual is available on the ASCLA website.

Not an ASCLA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, ASCLA preconferences and other ASCLA events? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership at www.ala.org/membership.

ASCLA Annual Conference programs highlight division’s areas of expertise

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) invites all participating in the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago to its programs addressing important topics such as services to special populations, collaboration and resource sharing.

By sharing the expertise of its members with conference attendees, ASCLA, a division of the ALA, provides opportunities for librarians and library staff in all types of libraries to acquire new skills to improve service delivery at their libraries, as well as gain information and learn about tools that will help them solve challenges they or their library may be facing.

    This year’s ASCLA programs include:

Moving Mountains: Latest Trends in the Physical Delivery of Library Materials
Saturday, July 11, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.

How do you move 5, 10, or even 20 million items a year between libraries? The 2008 Moving Mountains Symposium in Cincinnati explored the best methods for delivering materials between libraries as well as new trends in home delivery. A panel will present Symposium highlights including best practices in current delivery, future trends, home delivery, automated material handling systems, and ways to collaborate.

What Can $930 Million Do for Library Services Nationwide? The Impact and Future Directions of LSTA
Saturday, July 11, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.

How do states use their LSTA dollars to improve library services? An IMLS study examined all of the states’ five-year evaluations and reported on the observed major trends. A panel of speakers will present new state projects in technology infrastructure, reference and information services, special populations outreach and literacy and reading development.

Large Print for All: Bigger is Better
Sunday, July 12, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Aging baby boomers, struggling young readers, individuals with reading disabilities and persons with low vision are increasing demand for large print materials. Learn what publishers are producing in large print, how to display and promote large print collections for all ages and current research findings on the uses and benefits of large print.

ASCLA President’s Program: Revitalizing the Library Experience
Sunday, July 12, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

In a world where information is an off-shored commodity, where Google handles more questions in a second than a reference librarian will answer in a career and where social gatherings have migrated to online networks, how can our libraries thrive, how can we demonstrate the greatest return on funders’ investment? ASCLA President Carol Desch invites you to the President’s Program to discuss these questions with library pundits Joan Frye Williams and George Needham, who will challenge you to rethink library services, turning some old stereotypes on their ears while making our work more valuable and more fun.

Future Perspectives: Collaboration and Innovation
Sunday, July 12, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

How do we nurture innovation? How do we advance library services that meet patron needs today and in the future? Join Brenda Bailey-Hainer, executive director, BCR, Lorcan Dempsey, vice-president of research and chief strategist, OCLC, and Veronda Pitchford, vice-president, membership and communications, Urban Libraries Council, in a panel presentation and discussion of the role of collaboration in strategic innovation as libraries strive to respond to the rapidly changing environment in which they now operate.

Multiple Intelligences @ Your Library: A Tool for Better Services
Monday, July 13, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences can empower you to reach out and more effectively serve your entire community, including special populations. This panel discussion will present a brief theoretical overview and a practical showcase of services to children and youth. Attendees will learn how to improve readers’ advisory, programming outreach, reference, book discussion and collection development in public, school and academic libraries. Patrick Carman, award-winning author of the best-selling series The Land of Elyon, will speak about using technology with literature.

Libraries and Hospice: Developing a Vital Community Partnership
Monday, July 13, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

As hospice care becomes an integral part of American family life, opportunities arise for program alliances with both academic and public libraries. This program highlights these partnerships and will feature representatives from hospice organizations as well as a panel of librarians who have worked with hospice on programs, collection development, and community education.

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Participation in any of these programs is included with annual conference registration. Register for the Annual Conference using the online registration form, by calling 1–800-974-3084, or by downloading a printed registration form, which can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form.

Not an ASCLA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, ASCLA preconferences and other ASCLA events? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership at www.ala.org/membership.