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Call for ASCLA Online Learning Proposals!

Submit by March 8, 2016 

Access the online course submission form here.

Download this PDF of the online course form to help you prepare your submission.

ASCLA invites ALA members who are subject matter experts and experienced librarians with knowledge of interest to ASCLA members, to submit proposals for ASCLA online learning to be presented between April 2016 and August 2016, as a part of ASCLA’s outstanding online learning offerings. See the list of suggested hot topics below. All proposals must be submitted electronically.

ASCLA members include, but are not limited to: 

  • Library staff providing services to special populations, including library users with disabilities and adults and youth who are incarcerated or detained
  • Independent librarians and consultants
  • State libraries and their employees
  • Public libraries serving or working with the populations above
  • Library networks and cooperatives

What courses are we currently offering? Check them out at the ASCLA online learning webpage.
Webinar presenters and online learning instructors are compensated for their work and will receive training and support for Adobe Connect, the webinar technology platform used by the division.

Proposal topics for courses and webinars may include, but are not limited to the following:

  • ADA updates for libraries
  • Assessing accessibility knowledge
  • Basics and best practices for prison/jail libraries
  • Basics of running a hospital/medical library
  • Benchmarks and evaluation
  • Budgeting for the first time manager
  • Collaborative digitization
  • Adult programming in correctional libraries
  • Correctional/prison librarianship 101
  • Creating training for patrons who use accessibility tools
  • Data analysis and assessment
  • Designing effective surveys
  • E-books and cooperatives –  best practices
  • Future trends in library service
  • Grants: how to find grant funding and write your proposal
  • Helping library users with learning disabilities
  • How to be a consultant
  • How to be a futurist
  • How to deliver online training
  • How to hire a library consultant
  • Innovative service ideas for library cooperatives
  • Law librarianship for correctional librarians
  • Library cooperatives: basics of managing services
  • Low-literacy adults
  • Marketing library services to special needs populations
  • Marketing on a shoestring budget
  • Mobile and emerging technologies for those with special needs, including apps and ipads
  • Nonprofit leadership
  • Outcomes-based education
  • Outreach to visually or physically handicapped populations
  • Partnering with community organizations
  • Serving library patrons with cognitive or mental impairments
  • Standards and guidelines to improve library services
  • Training staff to serve library users with disabilities
  • Utilizing focus groups to prioritize services for people with disabilities
  • Working with refugees

Questions about submissions or about ASCLA’s online learning programs should be sent to Andrea Hill, ASCLA web manager and primary online learning contact at ahill@ala.org

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Board & Committee Meetings at the 2016 Midwinter Meeting.

Board of Directors Meeting I and II

  • Board I – Saturday, January 9, 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 205 A
    Board II – Monday, January 11, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 203

ASCLA Board of Director meetings are open and any individual registered for the Midwinter Meeting may sit in on the meetings. The meeting’s topics are set aside for visitors and board members to use as an ‘open forum’ where anyone can share information, ask questions, etc. The agenda and documents are completed prior to the conference. Anyone interested in viewing the agenda for the meeting, as well as the documents that accompany the agenda items, may view or download them from ALA Connect. If you or your constituency develops a document for board consideration, please give it to the ASCLA staff at least two hours before a board meeting. Hope to see you there!

Leadership Session – Special Guest, Stephanie Capparell
Saturday, January 9, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 205 B
All members are invited to join us for a riveting discussion with Stephanie Capparell, coauthor of the international bestseller Shackleton’s Way.

Revision of Standards Meeting I, II* & III 

  • January 9, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Hyatt Regency Boston, Quincy, lower level
  • January 10, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Hyatt Regency Boston, Quincy, lower level* 
  • January 11, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Hyatt Regency Boston, Rockport Room, lower level
Note that the Revision of Standards Meeting II is a Team and Advisory Committee Meeting* 

Finance and Planning / All-Committee Meeting
Saturday, January 9, 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 254 A
Meeting to review, recommend and plan goals, objectives, and priorities for the division as they relate to the ASCLA’s budgetary matters.

Interest groups and committee meetings scheduled during All Committee:

  • Accessibility Assembly
  • Finance and Planning
  • Conference Programming Committee
  • Membership Promotion Committee
  • Library Consultants Interest Group
  • Web Presence Committee Group
  • LSTA Coordinators Interest Group
  • Awards Committee
  • Future of Libraries Interest Group
  • Library Services to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities that Prevent them from Reading Standard Print Interest Group
  • Intellectual Freedom for Youth in Custody Discussion forum

Various Committee & Interest Group Meetings

Friday, January 8

  • Consortial e-books Interest Group
    2:30 – 4:00 p.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 152

Saturday, January 9

  • Universal Accessibility Interest Group, (ASCLA, LITA, ACRL)
    1:00 – 2:30 p.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 153 C
  • Library Services for the Incarcerated and Detained Interest Group
    2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 254 B

Sunday, January 10

  • Physical Delivery Interest Group meeting
    10:00 – 11:30 a.m., Seaport Hotel,  Harborview 2
  • State Library, Library Development Interest Group Hot Topic Discussion Group
    10:00 – 11:30 a.m., Seaport Hotel, Congress Boardroom
  • Youth Services Consultants Interest Group meeting
    3:00 – 4:00 p.m., Seaport Hotel, Congress Boardroom
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ASCLA 2016 Midwinter Meeting Institutes!

*Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to be a Successful Library Consultant
Ticket Purchase Required
Our full day workshop will help the current and prospective library consultant create a business that is sustainable and most of all useful to the profession.

Sponsored by the Association of the Library Consultants Interest Group of  ASCLA.
Read more. Purchase a ticket.

Friday, January 8, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 155

*Sustainable Staff Development: 5 Steps to Create a Culture of Learning
Ticket Purchase Required
ASCLA’s interactive half day workshop addresses the ongoing need that all libraries face to encourage professional development and growth amongst staff.

Sponsored by the State Library Development Interest Group of ASCLA.
Read more. Register here.

Friday, January 8, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, room 156 C

*You do not need to register for the 2016 Midwinter Meeting in order to purchase a ticket for this event! Select “Ticketed Events and Institutes Only” as your registration type to buy tickets for just this event. Register now

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ASCLA Institutes, “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit” & “Sustainable Staff Development,” @ 2016 ALA Midwinter Meeting!

ASCLA’s full-day Institute, “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit” will be held from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 8 and is designed to prepare participants to begin – or advance – a successful consulting career. Seasoned consultants Nancy Bolt and Liz Bishoff will present an overview of the consultant’s role and guide participants through a self-assessment. This Institute will appeal to librarians from all realms: School, Public, Academic, and Special, with varying degrees of experience. Sponsored by the Association of the Library Consultants Interest Group of the Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, (ASCLA) Division. Purchase ticket here.

ASCLA’s half-day Institute, “Sustainable Staff Development” will be held from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 8. Push boundaries, drive change and transform your library! This interactive workshop will show how to implement five simple, practical steps to grow and sustain a learning culture in your library. ASCLA’s half day workshop addresses the ongoing need that all libraries face to encourage professional development and growth amongst staff. This workshop will appeal to those working in Public, Academic, State and Cooperative Library Agencies, as well as those with Library Directors, Managers, Supervisors, Continuing Education/Professional Coordinators, Librarian Trainers, Training Consultants and HR Specialists positions. Sponsored by the State Library Development Interest Group of the Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, (ASCLA) Division. Purchase ticket here.

Both Institutes will take place at an ALA Conference hotel, which will be determined by early December. These events require advance ticket purchase, but registration for the 2016 Midwinter Meeting is not required in order to purchase a ticket. Membership in ASCLA is not required in order to participate, but ASCLA members receive the best registration rates on all of these events

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ASCLA is now accepting nominations for its 2016 awards!

ASCLA recognizes projects focused on library services to people with disabilities; the advancement of library services for the blind and physically handicapped; exceptional achievement in extension and outreach services; exemplary leadership and achievement in consulting, state library services and library cooperatives; and service to ASCLA. Read more here: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/09/ascla-now-accepting-nominations-its-2016-awards

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ASCLA Board & Committee Meetings at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference

Barring executive sessions, all of the following meetings are open and any individual registered for the 2015 Annual Conference may sit in on the meeting.

Board of Directors
All conference registrants are invited to attend the board meetings as our honored guests. The agenda and documents are completed prior to the conference. Anyone interested in viewing the agenda for the meeting, as well as the documents that accompany the agenda items, may view or download them from ALA Connect group for ASCLA board. If you or your constituency develops an action item or document for board consideration, please give it to the ASCLA staff by noon the day preceding the board meeting.

Hope to see you there! Add to my schedule

Board I – Saturday, June 27, Time: 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM. Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Continental 6
Board II – Monday, June 29, Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM. Location: Moscone Convention Center, 200 – 212 South

All Committee
ASCLA committees may meet during this time to conduct business to review, recommend and plan goals, objectives, and priorities for the division as they relate to ASCLA. Add to my schedule

The following Committees and Interest Groups will be meeting at the scheduled All Committee scheduled day/time/location: Please check with your Interest Group Leader or Committee Chair if you do not see yours’ listed below.

Committees:

  • ASCLA Awards Committee
  • Membership Promotion Committee
  • Web Presence Committee

Interest Groups:

  • Future of Library Interest Group
  • Library Services and Technoloy Act Coordinator’s Interest Group.
  • Library Services for People With Visual or Physical Disabilities
  • Youth Services Consultants Interest Group

Date: Sunday, June 28, Time: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM. Location: Moscone Convention Center, 200 – 212 South 

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Exclusive ASCLA Programs at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference

Gaming for All:  Level the Playing Field for People with Disabilities
As gaming becomes a common item on the menu of library programs, we need to look at how to include all of our patrons and how to reach emerging audiences such as people with disabilities, aging baby boomers, veterans, and many others can enjoy getting their game on with a few tweaks and some planning if we are willing to try it.At the end of the program, attendees will be able to identify the barriers facing potential gamers, as well as identify proven strategies for marketing barrier free gaming.
Brought to you by the ASCLA Universal Access Interest Group, ASCLA Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias Interest Group, ASCLA Bridging Deaf Cultures @ your library Interest Group, ASCLA Library Services to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities that Prevent Them from Reading Standard Print Interest Group.

Speakers:
  • Judy Kamilhor, Coordinator Older Adult Services, Brooklyn Public Library,
  • Mark Barlet, Executive Director/Founder, AbleGamers Foundation
  • John Huth, Teen Librarian, Services for Children and Youth with Disabilities, Brooklyn Public Library
  • Rachel Meit, Regional Librarian-DC Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped,
  • Manger – Adaptive Services Department, DC Public Library
Moderator:    Carrie Banks, Supervising Librarian, Brooklyn Public Library
Date: Saturday, June 27, Time: 8:30 – 10:00 AM. Location: ​Moscone Convention Center, 2010 West, Add to my schedule.

Tour of the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center
Join us for a library tour of the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center (JJC), led by public librarians who work at the facility. SF JJC houses incarcerated young men and women from 12-18 years of age and includes a San Francisco Public Library program. Learn about juvenile justice in the Bay Area and tour our extensive, hand-picked collection. Brought to you by the Library Services to Youth in Custody interest group (LSYC).

Cost: Free

Date: Saturday, June 27, Time: 9:00 – 10:30 AM. Location: 375 Woodside Ave.
Tour meet CHANGE TO: meets at the main entrance, marked JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER, (not the Superior Court entrance) at 9 am. The tour will end at the same location at 10:30am.

Transit Directions: Take BART to Glen Park station, then take MUNI route 44 or 52 outbound CHANGE TO: inbound and get off at the intersection of Woodside and Portola. Upon boarding, ask the driver to announce the Juvenile Justice Center stop.

Parking: Limited free parking is available on the surrounding streets.

*Each individual must complete a registration form in advance and must bring photo ID to be admitted to the facility*

Tour Registration Here.

Please note: No purses, keys, phones, cameras, or bags are allowed in the facility. Very limited locker storage space may be available. All participants must pass through a metal detector. All participants must carry a photo ID on them.

Next Chapter Book Club, (NCBC): A Community-based Model for Engaging People with Disabilities
This presentation is timely in that it is responsive to numerous inquiries received by NCBC from libraries seeking an alternative approach to engaging people with developmental disabilities. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the importance of literacy/lifelong learning, socialization, and community participation for people with developmental disabilities and can begin to take necessary steps in establishing an NCBC program in their community.

Speakers:
  • Thomas Fish, Ph.D., Director of Social Work and Family Support Services, (Founder/Director, Next Chapter Book Club), The Ohio State University Nisonger Center
  • Linda Holtslander, Division Manager – Programming, Loudoun County Public Library
  • Jillian Ober, Program Manager, The Ohio State University Nisonger Center
  • Deborah Motley, Independent Consultant
  • Mary Pellicano, Librarian, Loudoun County Public Schools
  • Pam Brooks, Head Librarian Adult and Teen Services, Scotch Plains Public Library
Date: Saturday, June 27, Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Location: Moscone Convention Center, 2000 West, Add to my schedule

What is a Consultant, Really?

Gain a better understanding of what library consulting is and the many types. The field of Library Consultant is a growing field in the library profession and a viable career choice not just for retirees anymore.  Contract consulting is more popular in this time of tightening budgets allowing libraries to hire project specific library professionals for short or long term projects such as:

  • building or remodeling their buildings or
  • completing cataloging projects or
  • creating software specific to that library or
  • creating unique webinars at less cost than expensive “canned” programs and many more.

State libraries and consortia are hiring consultants as permanent staff, offering their services to libraries on a case by case basis.  The unique and often complicated definition of consultant is a moving target and this panel discussion will help solidify what this often misunderstood sector of the library profession really is. Ideal for anyone currently consulting or interested in becoming a consultant. Brought to you by the Library Consultants Interest Group, (LCIG).

Date: Saturday, June 27, Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Location: Moscone Convention Center 131 North, Add to my schedule

Introduction to Conference & Event Planning for Librarians
Attendees will be learn to how to identify basic evaluation characteristics of a potential conference site;  create a checklist of planning activities to ensure a successful event;  be able to implement a competitive application process; and  know common negotiation issues involved with conference centers, hotels, and other related vendors. Ideal for those who have responsibilities in planning an event from start to finish; identifying site locations to holding of final event. Brought to you by the State Library Agencies – Library Development Interest Group, (LDIG).

Speaker: Jeff Slagell, Dean of Libraries at Delta State University

Date: Saturday, June 27, Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Location: Moscone Convention Center, 132 North,  Add to my Schedule

AIDS in the End Zone: Working with Incarcerated Youth to Create a Graphic Novel on HIV/AIDS Prevention
An easily replicable program for librarians working with incarcerated youth and adults. The program being presented was based on working with incarcerated youth to create an HIV/AIDS prevention tool. Attendees will learn how they can work with teens and adults to create graphic novels on any topic in their libraries and / or classrooms. At the end of the program, interested attendees will learn how incarcerated youth in their facilities can participate in a future phase of the AIDS in the End Zone project.

Speakers:
  • Karen Gavigan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina
  • Kendra Albright, Associate Professor,School of Library and Information Science, University of South Carolina
Date: Saturday, June 27 Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM. Location: Moscone Convention Center, 122 North, Add to my schedule.

Transforming the Sense of Wonder: The Library as a Community Science Center
Gain an understanding for the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and collaboration of State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAA) and partner organizations. At the end of this program attendees will understand how to collaborate with outside non-profits for STEM programming. Brought to you by the State Library Agencies – Library Development Interest Group, (LDIG).

Speaker: Cynthia Randall

Date: Sunday, June 28, Time: 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Location: Moscone Convention Center,  2022 West,  Add to my Schedule

Everything You Wanted to Know about Library Consulting, but were Afraid to Ask
Have you always wanted to share your mad library skills as a consultant, but didn’t know quite how to start?  Please join members of ASCLA’s Library Consultant Interest Group (LCIG) for this informal meet and greet to network and explore. Brought to you by the Library Consultant’s Interest Group, (LCIG).

Speaker: Carson Block

Date: Sunday, June 28, Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM. Location: Moscone Convention Center, 3000 West, Add to my Schedule.

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Network, Socialize and Celebrate at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference!

Awards Ceremony & Reception
Hang out with your ASCLA colleagues and celebrate this year’s award winners at the ASCLA/COSLA awards and networking reception. All conference attendees and guests are invited to this event! Co-sponsored by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA). Add to my schedule.

Date: Saturday, June 27, Time: 5:45 – 7:15 PM, Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Imperial A