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ASCLA hosts prison library tour at 2013 ALA Annual Conference

Going to ALA Annual 2013 in Chicago? Want to find out more about the world of juvenile corrections & juvenile correctional librarianship in general? Are you already working in the field, and interested in seeing how another juvenile correctional facility library operates?  ASCLA and Library Services for Youth in Custody (LSYC) are co-sponsoring and hosting a Juvenile Detention Facility Tour at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and its library on Monday, July 1st, from 8:45am-12:30pm.

The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and its library, operated by Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School, are located on the west side of Chicago. Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center is one of the largest youth detention centers in the country. The school and library are operated by Chicago Public Schools and the library is staffed by a full-time, certified school library media specialist. Megan Cusick, Nancy B. Jefferson school librarian, and Camden Tadhg, logistics team chair of LSYC, will be running the tour.

TO REGISTER FOR THE TOUR, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM BY 5PM CENTRAL TIME ON FRIDAY, JUNE 7.

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Contribute to the discussion: Consortium Management Interest Group meeting at ALA Annual Conference

If you are interested in sharing an update on your library consortium at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference–whether it is a new direction, a new service or a new approach to providing services, or even to demonstrate the challenges you are facing–please contact Sheryl Knab, chair of the ASCLA Consortium Management Interest Group and executive director of the Western New York Library Resources Council, at sknab@wnylrc.org. Sheryl will be providing an update on the NY 3Rs and their I2NY project–an investigation into the proposed New York State Information Infrastructure initiative.

The Consortium Management Interest Group will be meeting Sunday, June 30, 2013 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm in the Hilton Chicago, Grand Tradition room, 720 South Michigan Ave–add the discussion to your schedule. Presentations should be no more than 10-12 minutes long. A projector will be available for those who wish to use PowerPoint slides; you’ll need to bring your own computer for your presentation. (If you plan to bring a Mac laptop, you’ll need to bring your own dongle to connect to the projector.)

Contact Sheryl ASAP if you’d like to make a presentation.

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“Ports in a Storm” Preconference: A new, community-focused approach to library disaster planning

When disaster strikes, where can the members of your community go for assistance?

What does your community need in the wake of a hurricane, an earthquake or terrorist attack?

How can you prepare your library to provide the answers to both of these highly relevant questions?

On Friday, June 28, the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) will host a revolutionary workshop ALA Annual Conference Chicago logothat takes a completely new approach to disaster planning: it focuses on how your library can serve as an ad hoc Disaster Response Center, providing information, services and respite to those in need after any kind of disaster.

The valuable content of this preconference, “Ports in a Storm: Your Library as a Disaster Recovery Center”is even more relevant in light of the recent emergency events in Boston and in West, Texas. The event connects librarians with the emergency planning community, first responders, public health workers and community-based and faith-based groups with disaster-related responsibilities, and discusses the roles libraries and information professionals can play in supporting future disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts.

The New Jersey State Library–the developers of this preconference content–recently ran this event in New Jersey and received rave reviews from FEMA representatives:
“You librarians really get it. We couldn’t have done it better ourselves.”

Register for the event now (event code ASC2).

At “Ports in a Storm”, library directors and branch managers will learn how to position their staff and facility to serve as an unofficial disaster recovery center after an incident, and hear about collaborative projects between librarians and community partners tasked with disaster-related responsibilities. Reference staff will especially be interested in learning about free health information tools and resources developed by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) to assist the public after a disaster. Check out these photos collected by the New Jersey State Library to see how people flocked to libraries following Hurricane Sandy.

Speakers at this event have firsthand experience providing these services after Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey and New York in late October 2012, and expert knowledge of the subject:

  • Thomas W. Galante, president and CEO of Queens Library, Queens County, NY
  • Michele Stricker, associate director, Library Development Bureau, New Jersey State Library
  • Lori Foley, vice president of emergency programs at Heritage Preservation
  • Dan Wilson, associate director for collections and library services at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Library.

You–and your community–can’t afford to miss this event.

Register now.

Additional event details:
Ports in a Storm: Your Library as a Disaster Recovery Center
Friday, June 28, 8am-12pm
McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL
Registration Rates: $179, ASCLA member. $209, ALA member. $249, non-member. $159, ALA Retired and Student members.
You must register in advance, however you can register for this event without registering for the entire ALA Annual Conference–simply selected “Preconferences and Ticketed Events Only” as your registration type.

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Call for Proposals: ASCLA programs, preconferences and institutes for 2014

ASCLA is now accepting proposals for:

  • Institutes for the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia
  • Preconferences for the 2014 Annual Conference in Las Vegas
  • Programs for the 2014 Annual Conference in Las Vegas

Institutes and preconferences are ticketed events held on the Friday of the conference. Programs are held throughout the Annual Conference and are included as a part of conference registration.

You can access the online program proposal form here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ascla2014progpreconproposal

You can also download a PDF of the form in preparation for submitting the online form. Only online submissions will be accepted!

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, May 15 Saturday, June 1!

We have a limited number of slots available for each type of event, so put your best foot forward when submitting a proposal.

Who can propose a program, institute or preconference? Any current ASCLA member can propose one of these events, however we strongly encourage support and sponsorship from one of our interest groups! If you’re not an interest group member, consider joining one and using the group as a springboard for your conference event ideas. Check out the list of our interest groups, contact information for interest group leaders and instructions on how to join.

What sorts of topics are of interest? The best topics represent ASCLA’s core member areas–state library agencies, special populations librarians, independent librarians and library consultants, and resource-sharing librarians at networks and cooperatives–but are also of interest to librarians throughout the profession from all types of libraries. Keep in mind that topics should still be relevant in January and June 2014 when they are finally presented! You can browse our interest group list here for inspiration.

If my event is accepted and approved by ASCLA, what will I be responsible for? You will be responsible for recruiting and serving as a liaison to the event speakers, as well as being on-site the day of the event to help coordinate event details. You will work with the ASCLA office to set up the event details with ALA Conference Services. The ASCLA office will promote your event, and will give you the tools to help spread the word.

I’m not an ASCLA member, but I’d like to get involved with program planning. The best way to do this is to join ASCLA, and then join one of our many interest groups.

Anything else I should know? If you’re going to go through the trouble of planning an in-person event, we want to maximize the reach of that information! Consider offering a webinar or other online learning opportunity in conjunction with the in-person event that will enhance the learning experience! So for example, you might offer a webinar in early May as a teaser for the content that will be covered at your conference program in June. In late July, you might host a follow-up discussion using a tool like ALA Connect, Google Hangout or Blackboard Collaborate that brings program attendees together to continue the conversation about what you’ve discussed at the previous two events.

Questions about the program planning process? Please contact Liz Markel, ASCLA marketing & programs manager at lmarkel@ala.org.

We look forward to receiving your proposals!

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Online Course: Sign up today for “Improving Library Services for People with Disabilities”

The next session of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies’ (ASCLA) valuable online course “Improving Library Services for People with Disabilities” will take place April 22 – May 19

This course includes two live online chat sessions, scheduled for Thursday, May 2, 3-4 pm Central Time and Thursday, May 16, 3-4 pm Central Time.

Registration will end at close-of-business on Thursday, April 18.

During this course, participants will identify library users with disabilities at their library and the resources and assistive technologies available to assist them; examine changes in attitudes, laws and technologies that have impacted people with disabilities; and will be able to recommend changes in personal and organizational behaviors to improve services for people with disabilities at their library. This course is truly designed for all library staff, including support staff, general professional staff, age-level or subject specialists, managers and administrators.

Act now, and register for this course.

Registration rates for this course start at $150 for division members; this rate includes the $20 fee for continuing education units (CEUs). Group rates are available–check the ASCLA online learning page for more details.

Here’s what some of our previous course participants had to say:

  • Several of our staff enrolled as a group, and used the course as a launching pad to have further discussion across the library. We all agree that there is much for us to do. It created momentum for us around the library about many issues of accessibility.  
  • We implemented a team to begin looking at all aspects of how our library assists people with disabilities. We have already begun making recommendations for improvement to our department heads.
  • We have already begun to look at programs and services in light of what we’ve learned and will be setting up a process that will prioritize new work to implement enhancements and improvements. Several recommendations have already been made in the areas of staff development and training, modifications to web pages and program statements and adoption of new technologies.
  • I feel I have a much more open mind about my programming and I definitely keep accessibility issues in mind when I plan now. The most valuable thing I learned in this course is to not be afraid to offer help and services to someone different to me.
  • The most valuable thing I learned was how to use “Person First Language.” Sharing ideas and having an open forum really helped my understanding of the public library’s goal of making things functional for everyone through technology, words and programming. I shared the information I learned from the course with the children’s staff at our annual meeting; as a library system we plan on doing more Sensory Storytime programs.

Are you part of a state library or a large public or university library network? We can arrange for a private offering of many of these courses for groups of 20 or more participants. Contact our web manager, Andrea Hill, at ahill@ala.org for more information. Group discounts for two or more participants from the same library are also available; links to rates and registration forms are included below.

Register now!

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BREAKING NEWS: Strategies for Storytelling: Get Storied’s Michael Margolis empowers libraries at ASCLA President’s Program

CHICAGO — Michael Margolis, CEO of Get Storied, will offer strategies for crafting powerful stories about the value of libraries at “Storytelling Mojo: Creating the 21st Century Library Narrative” – the 2013 President’s Program hosted by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of ALA.

The ASCLA President’s Program will focus on how we can think strategically about how we communicate within and outside of our libraries more effectively. Through this engaging and interactive session, Margolis will provide simple ways to help design and deliver powerful messages.

“As humans, we have used stories throughout time to help us communicate with each other. In a world of information overload, we must be able to share compelling stories with each other in our organizations and with our communities to be successful,” said Stacey Aldrich, ASCLA president and deputy secretary for the Office of Commonwealth Libraries in Pennsylvania.

The ASCLA President’s Program will be held Sunday, June , 2013 from 10:30 a.m. – noon in Chicago as a part of the 2013 ALA Annual Conference. The online scheduler for the conference will launch in late April, at which point attendees will be able to add this exciting event to their personal conference schedule. Register for the conference now. Learn more about ASCLA, a unique, diverse and dynamic division of ALA at www.ala.org/ascla.

Margolis is the CEO of Get Storied, an advisory and learning company devoted to transformational storytelling. For more than a decade, he has worked as a story architect – helping CEOs and CMOs redefine how the world perceives their brand, cause or message. Clients include AARP, Audubon, Bloomberg, NASA and Zappos. He is an anthropologist by training and an entrepreneur by trade. The son of an inventor and artist, he is committed to the biggest stories of our age – the cultural inflections that are reshaping reality. His work and ideas have been featured in Fast Company and Storytelling Magazine. He is also an evangelist for the global storytelling movement, serving a community of 15,000 change-makers who believe in the future of storytelling.

ASCLA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is a diverse organization of librarians and support staff who work in academic and public libraries, state agencies, specialized libraries and cooperatives, as well as those who are self-employed. Our division’s work centers on member-driven interest groups that represent the diversity and important work of our engaged and active members. Not an ASCLA member, but interested in forming new interest groups, receiving discounted registration rates on ASCLApreconferences and online courses, and other important membership benefits? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership atwww.ala.org/membership.

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ASCLA Online Learning: Topics for upcoming offerings include services to Latinos, people with disabilities, youth in detention

Our calendar is overflowing with online learning events–keep reading to find one or more that fits your needs. Whether it’s grabbing some quick tips or best practices from a webinar, or gaining a new perspective or relevant skills from an online course, there’s something here to improve your resume and directly impact service delivery at your public, academic or special library.

Interested in proposing a webinar? Details about topics of interest and the submission procedures can be found here. Questions about the submission process, or about any of ASCLA’s online learning? Contact ASCLA Web Manager Andrea Hill at ahill@ala.org.

Online Courses:

Register for courses now!
Registration information for ASCLA, including groups
Questions about registration? Contact registration@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, option 5.

Improving Library Services to People with Disabilities: April 22 – May 19, 2013
CEUs now available for this course!
Two live course chat meetings: Thursday, May 2, 3-4 pm Central Time and Thursday, May 16, 3-4 pm Central Time.
During this online course, participants will identify library users with disabilities at their library and the resources and assistive technologies available to assist them; examine changes in attitudes, laws and technologies that have impacted people with disabilities; and recommend changes in personal and organizational behaviors to improve services for people with disabilities at their library. Get more information or register now.

Webinars:

Register for webinars now!
Registration information for ASCLA, including groups
Questions about registration? Contact registration@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, option 5.

Creating a Latino Friendly Library
April 10, 2:00-3:30p.m. Central
Latino communities continue to grow and we continue to puzzle over how to get this significant segment of our communities into the library. This webinar will introduce practical and simple techniques that libraries of all sizes can use to begin the process of making Latinos feel welcome and comfortable in the library. Participants will learn how to work with and challenge the language and cultural barriers that keep Latinos from using the library. Learn more or register now.

Detained and Forgotten: Informational Needs of Youth in Detention
April 17, 4:00-5:00p.m.
Knowing that recidivism is a chronic and persistent problem among youth who have been incarcerated, our presentation will take a fresh and exciting look at methods and ideas that will help support the youth offender both inside the detention and upon the youth’s release from the detention center. We’ll cover the informational needs of the incarcerated and recently released youth; how the library can support these needs inside and outside of the detention center; and the responsibility of the library to develop relationships with outside organizations and libraries that will continue to provide support to the youth upon release from the detention center. Learn more or register now.

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Seeking Beta Testers: Webinar for ASCLA Accessibility Academy

ASCLA is developing an online interactive module on help improve library staff communication and interactions with people with disabilities. “Positive Interactions: Making the Library a Welcoming and Empowering Place for People with Disabilities” is the first presentation in our Accessibility Academy series.

We’re seeking a small group of “beta testers” who would be interested in attending a free preview version of “Positive Interactions”. The webinar is scheduled for March 14, 2013, and will run from 11:00a.m.-12:00p.m. Central/Chicago Time.

For more information about the webinar, visit the webinar page at the ASCLA website.

Participating in this webinar is free, but you must register in order to receive login information! Register now.We will be limiting this initial beta testing group to 25 people. Another webinar will be available later on the same topic for all ALA members, revised according to the feedback we recieve from the beta testers.

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CEUs now available for ASCLA online course “Improving Library Services for People with Disabilities”

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) is now offering continuing education units (CEUs) for its online course “Improving Library Services for People with Disabilities.” The next session of this course begins Monday, Feb. 18; registration will end at close-of-business on Thursday, Feb. 14 Friday, Feb. 15.

Providing library services to people with disabilities is a role filled by all levels of library staff. From the part-time aide checking out library materials to the library director determining policies, staff skills and attitudes are crucial for a satisfactory library experience. During this course, participants will identify library users with disabilities at their library and the resources and assistive technologies available to assist them; examine changes in attitudes, laws and technologies that have impacted people with disabilities; and will be able to recommend changes in personal and organizational behaviors to improve services for people with disabilities at their library.

Register now!

This course is truly designed for all library staff, including support staff, general professional staff, age-level or subject specialists, managers and administrators. Here’s what some of our previous course participants had to say:

Several of our staff enrolled as a group, and used the course as a launching pad to have further discussion across the library. We all agree that there is much for us to do. It created momentum for us around the library about many issues of accessibility.  

We implemented a team to begin looking at all aspects of how our library assists people with disabilities. We have already begun making recommendations for improvement to our department heads.

We have already begun to look at programs and services in light of what we’ve learned and will be setting up a process that will prioritize new work to implement enhancements and improvements. Several recommendations have already been made in the areas of staff development and training, modifications to web pages and program statements and adoption of new technologies.

I feel I have a much more open mind about my programming and I definitely keep accessibility issues in mind when I plan now. The most valuable thing I learned in this course is to not be afraid to offer help and services to someone different to me.

The most valuable thing I learned was how to use “Person First Language.” Sharing ideas and having an open forum really helped my understanding of the public library’s goal of making things functional for everyone through technology, words and programming. I shared the information I learned from the course with the children’s staff at our annual meeting; as a library system we plan on doing more Sensory Storytime programs.

The course will begin Monday, Feb. 18 and finish on Sunday, Mar. 17. Two live online sessions using the FlashChat feature of Moodle, the online course management system, will take place on Thursday, Feb. 28 and Thursday, Mar. 14, from 3-4 pm CENTRAL/Chicago Time. Students complete the remainder of the weekly coursework at their own pace.

Interested participants can register online now, register via fax or mail, or learn more about the course at the ASCLA website. Registration fees start at $150 for ASCLA members. Discounted group registration rates for two or more registrants from the same library, library system or network are available. Contact ALA’s Membership and Customer Service Team with any questions about registration for this course at registration@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, option 5.

“Improving Library Services for People with Disabilities” is taught by Kate Todd, who has worked as a children’s librarian for The New York Public Library and as emerging technologies librarian for Manhattanville College. At Manhattanville College, she taught “Technology for Special Education” in the graduate school of education. She has also taught several online courses for the Association of Library Services to Children (ALSC), including “Children with Disabilities in the Library”—this new ASCLA course is the general staff counterpart to that course.

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ASCLA preconferences at ALA Annual Conference cover disaster response, servant leadership and resource sharing

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of ALA, will host three workshops at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in Chicago covering important topics like disaster response, servant leadership and resource sharing.

Add any of these events to your conference registration *or* you can register for this event without attending the ALA Annual Conference (Reg. Type: Ticketed Events and Preconferences Only). Register here.

This year’s preconferences include:

Ports in a Storm: Your Library as a Disaster Recovery Center
Friday, June 28, 8am-12pm
This workshop focuses on community needs after an emergency, and will prepare libraries to actively function as disaster recovery centers by partnering with emergency responders and providing vital resources to the community. Hear firsthand how libraries in Queens County, NY and New Jersey responded to Hurricane Sandy. Learn what role your library can play in educating communities on disaster preparedness, and review the resources available via the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) Emergency Preparedness & Response Initiative.
Speakers: Thomas W. Galante, president and CEO of Queens Library, Queens County, NY; Michele Stricker, associate director, Library Development Bureau, New Jersey State Library; Lori Foley, vice president of emergency programs at Heritage Preservation; Dan Wilson, associate director for collections and library services at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Library.
Registration Rates (thru April 12): $169, ASCLA member. $199, ALA member. $239, non-member. $149, ALA Retired and Student members. Rates increase after April 12.
Register now.

Servant Leadership in Your Library
Friday, June 28, 9am-4pm
Servant leadership can change the dynamics of a library–large or small–by cultivating strong loyalty from both employees and library users. Servant leaders focus outwardly and work in partnership with their staff and communities. Through exercises, group discussion, real-world stories and personal reflection led by professional library trainer Linda Bruno, participants will develop their servant leader persona.
Speaker: Linda Bruno, expert trainer and workshop facilitator
Registration Rates (thru June 21): $279, ASCLA member. $299, ALA member. $319, non-member. $239, ALA Retired and Student members.
Register now.

Discovery to Delivery: Rethinking Resource Sharing
Friday, June 28, 9am-4pm
Sponsored by ASCLA’s Physical Delivery Interest Group and RUSA’s Rethinking Resource Sharing Steering Committee
This event will bring together discussions of the critical components of resource sharing in the academic and public library environments, including innovations in discovery and ILSs as well as trends in both physical and virtual delivery of library materials to users. Attendees will learn about radical resource sharing theories, the finances of interlibrary loan (ILL) and e-books, and the latest trends in physical delivery that will provide efficient, fast and comprehensive access to patrons. In addition to panels and presentations, attendees will participate in breakout groups to further pursue ideas presented by the event speakers.
Speakers: Marshall Breeding, Jamie LaRue, Jason Kucsma, Lori Ayre and other representatives from public and academic library consortia.
Registration Rates (thru April 12): $159, ASCLA member. $189, ALA member. $209, non-member. $209, ALA Retired and Student members. Rates increase after April 12.
Register now.