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In the news: School partners with library to record audio books

Check out this story from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about a partnership between The Ellis School (Shadyside) and the Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

From the story:

Students are recording digital audio books for young readers who can’t see print.

“It was a very rewarding experience,” said Malik, 17, a junior at the school. “The cause is so great.”

Melissa Dodge, a French and English teacher at the school, volunteers at the library narrating and editing audio books. She coordinated with the library to get equipment at the school so students could participate. Audio files are recorded in the classroom, then sent to the library digitally.

“There is a shortage of young readers in audio recording,” Dodge said.

For the project’s first year, the school’s faculty chose one student to participate. Malik used her background in theater to bring life to the characters. She’s performed with Pittsburgh Musical Theater in shows including “Les Miserables” and “Grease.”

“I’ve always listened to audio books,” she said. “It’s a really nice thing to share with others.”

Are there similar programs in your community? Let us know about them by leaving a a comment on this post.
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2012 program, preconference, institute proposals: due May 1

The  deadline for submitting proposals for 2012 institutes (Midwinter/Dallas), preconferences and programs (Annual/Anaheim) is MAY 1, 2011.

PROGRAM proposals must be submitted by this date using this online form: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ASCLA_Program_Proposals

PRECONFERENCE/INSTITUTE proposals must be submitted by this date using this online form: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ascla_preconfinst_proposal

We have posted a Word document version of both of these forms at the ASCLA website under Our Association>ASCLA Forms. The Word doc should be used to help prepare submissions, however all final proposals should be sent via the online form.

Any problems with the forms or website should be sent to Andrea Hill, RUSA web manager (ahill@ala.org).

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All sorts of accolades for ASCLA member Diane Walden

ASCLA member Diane Walden has been named a 2011 Mover & Shaker by Library Journal!

Get the full story here: http://www.libraryjournal.com/csp/cms/sites/LJ/LJInPrint/MoversAndShakers/profiles2011/moversandshakersWalden.csp

We’re also excited to announce Diane as the winner of the 2011 ASCLA Leadership & Professional Achievement Award! The official press release is here and also pasted below.

Congratulations Diane! We’re proud and honored to call you an ASCLA member!

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The 2011 ASCLA Leadership & Professional Achievement Award winner is Diane Walden, correctional libraries senior consultant for the Colorado State Library and a longtime member of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), the Librarians Serving Special Populations Section (LSSPS) and the Library Services to Prisoners Forum (LSPF).

The ASCLA Leadership and Professional Achievement Award is presented to Diane Walden for her exemplary leadership and achievements at the Colorado State Library and at the Florida Department of Corrections in delivering high quality consulting and statewide library services for offenders. Her passionate leadership has positively impacted the offenders who use correctional libraries and those who work in them. ASCLA salutes Diane’s leadership in the creation of the Prisoners Right to Read: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights, a clear example of both professional leadership and pioneering activity. Prior to the adoption of the Prisoners Right to Read, there was no ALA policy statement that addressed prisoner rights on a national level. Her tireless efforts with the Right to Read statement are but one of many examples of leadership, initiative and professional achievement demonstrated by Diane in her statewide and national work.

Walden is the Colorado State Library’s coordinator for the highly successful “Read to the Children” program in the Colorado Department of Corrections, which allows parents and other close relatives to make a recording of themselves reading a book, then send the recording and book to the child.  The program increases the literacy skills of both the offenders and their children, strengthens the parent-child relationship and creates a home environment supportive of reading. She also initiated and coordinated a StoryCorps program in the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC). Through this national project that strives “to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening,” Walden aimed to build offenders’ self-esteem and self-awareness; highlight voices often missed in our society; and portray an honest voice of the imprisoned.

“In spite of staff and budget reductions, Diane has forged ahead with an optimistic attitude of getting done what needs to be done,” said ASCLA President Diana Reese. “She is a consistently positive person no matter the situation or hurdles encountered. Her passion for improving library services to offenders drives her to accomplish something every day that will have positive impact. Her internal fire is the power supply that continuously causes her to set the pace and get started on new challenges. This drive to achieve is not only moving the correctional librarianship field forward, it is profoundly impacting the offenders who use correctional libraries and those who work in them.”

Walden received her MLS from the University of Arizona. She previously spent 10 years working in the Florida Department of Corrections, with progressive responsibilities – from a solo correctional librarian to a coordinator of 60 institutional libraries, where she developed library-based literacy, educational and cultural programs. She has worked with the Colorado State Library since 2004 as a senior consultant for the state’s correctional libraries, and is currently responsible for start-up of the library for Colorado Department of Corrections’ newest high security facility.

Reese will officially present the award to Walden at the ASCLA/COSLA Reception on Sunday, June 26, 8-10 p.m. at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. This event, open to all ALA Conference attendees, will be held at an ALA Conference hotel. The exact room location will be announced in late spring.

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Final chance to experience ASCLA “Consulting Toolkit” workshop

Experienced, unemployed or retired librarians hoping to attend the preconference “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to be a Successful Library Consultant” should make sure to register promptly at www.ala.org/annual for the final offering of this workshop at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans.

The preconference, which will be held 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, Jun. 24, marks the fourth and final time this topic will be presented. Previous attendees agree that the session is “fantastic”, “extremely useful” and “confidence-boosting”, and is hands-down 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 workshop is appropriate for both new consultants 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 workshop attendees, who will then conduct in a 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 ASC3) or can register in conjunction with Annual Conference registration by adding it as a ticketed event. For institute-only registration using the online form (login required), select “SO-Institute and Ticketed Events Only” as the registration type and proceed to select this event from the list. Registration for this ASCLA event will close Sunday, Jun. 19. Advance registration rates start at $185, depending on membership status.

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Write a love note to ASCLA–help us win $5,000!

ASCLA needs your help! We have an opportunity to win the $5,000 prize that GuideStar USA, Inc., the leading source of nonprofit information, and KIMBIA, a group that empowers nonprofits and other organizations to increase giving, are making available through their Winter 2011 GuideStar-KIMBIA Nonprofit Giveaway.

Anyone with firsthand knowledge about and who is not a paid employee of ASCLA—donors, volunteers, board members, recipients of our services—can write a review about ASCLA on GuideStar or GreatNonprofits.org. The organization that receives the most number of reviews on www.guidestar.org and www.greatnonprofits.org during this period will win a grand prize of $5,000.

To write a review, please click on:

http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/36-2166947/american-library-association.aspx

-OR-

http://www.greatnonprofits.org/reviews/profile2/american-library-association

We are incredibly fortunate to have passionate and committed members. If every supporter would take the time to write a review, ASCLA could be a contender for the GuideStar-KIMBIA Nonprofit Giveaway and could do great things with the prize money. Any one of the following things on our wish list could be funded by this gift:

  • Fund an online advocacy toolkit, public rallies, educational online events about doing advocacy right, etc.
  • Create a buyer’s guide with a review database that gives the seal of approval from ASCLA for accessibility products.
  • Hire a famous or well-known presenter/instructor for an online course/webinar, preconference, or institute on a hot topic of interest to ASCLA members.
  • Start a new membership drive with give-aways for new members (discounts on conference registration, free night at a conference hotel, money towards a flight, etc.).
  • Start a traveling ambassador program: have volunteers in the regions visit library schools, state libraries, library co-ops and other potential ASCLA members to recruit into ASCLA.
  • Create a total package for ILEX: hire someone to help develop an online version of the consulting institute, additional educational courses/preconferences for library consultants, or a business plan to reach out and recruit library consultants.
  • Hire a consultant to plan and implement ASCLA online courses.

(If you have any ideas about how to use the prize money to benefit members and carry out our mission, send them to ASCLA Executive Director Susan Hornung, shornung@ala.org, and we’ll add them to the list)

There is no charge for writing a review, but you are limited to posting only one review per organization.

The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. EDT February 28, 2011, so please don’t waste any time: help spread the word about ASCLA by writing a review and forwarding this message to anyone else who can write a great review of ASCLA.

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ASCLA webinar series launched, registration still open for last sessions

Today, ASCLA launched the inaugural Virtual Convergence, a four-day webinar series offering affordable online learning for a broad variety of librarians and library types.

The Virtual Convergence was designed to provide an affordable mid-year professional development opportunity for librarians who might not be able to afford the cost of conference travel. Webinar topics included grant writing, providing services for at-risk teens, contract librarianship, library accessibility and other issues of interest to public, academic, state, special and other types of libraries.

Registration for the webinars to be held Thursday, Jan. 20 will end at close-of-business Tuesday, Jan. 18. Those webinars are:

  • “Libraries and Information Access for Differently-able Patrons: What We Can Do to Ensure Equality”, 11a.m.-12:30p.m. While “diversity” remains critical, many libraries remain inaccessible. Financial limitations, limited knowledge, organizational culture, social construction of disability, and even complacency are arguable contributors to this reality. Join us for an interactive discussion exploring accessibility’s dimensions and solutions.
  • “Extending Our Reach: Using Extension Programs to Promote Statewide Resources”, 11a.m.-12:30p.m. Though online tools such as blogs, twitter and webinars we educate Extension staff about resources they can use out in the field with the public along with professionally for their own research
  • “Attracting Latinos to the Library: It’s All About Relationships”, 3-4:30p.m Getting Latinos into the library is not a mystery—many libraries are successfully drawing capacity crowds to their programs and building relationships that continue to reap benefits for the Latino community and the library. This session prepares attendees for the same success at their own libraries.

Registration for the webinars to be held Friday, Jan. 21 will end at close-of-business Wednesday, Jan. 19. Those webinars are:

  • “Conducting Successful Virtual Meetings”, 9-10:30a.m. A not-to-miss session for anyone working virtually…which is most of us, these days! Together, let’s: raise expectations and standards for all online meetings; learn from each others’ experiences through questions and sharing; and improve effective use of software features to increase interactivity and collaboration.
  • “Careers in Federal Libraries”, 9-10:30a.m. Live from the Library of Congress, we’ll hear from a panel of Federal librarians about the types of jobs available to you, and hear about the type of work being done in federal libraries all around the world.
  • “How to Find a Federal Job”, 11a.m.-12:30p.m. Join us to discover the types of Federal library jobs that are available, and how to navigate the Federal hiring process and be alerted when new jobs are announced.
  • “Managing Library Adult and Family Literacy Programs”, 11a.m.-12:30p.m. This session will provide an overview of the types of literacy programs found in public libraries with an emphasis on volunteer literacy. Topics include adult literacy statistics; family and health literacy; how to start up or improve volunteer literacy programs, working with adults who lack basic reading skills and with English language learners; and considerations for starting an adult literacy collection.
  • “Resume Writing and Interviewing Techniques”, 1-2:30p.m. Join Robert Newlen, renowned author, for a lively and witty look at job hunting. These tips on resume writing and interviewing are not to be missed!
  • “Saks Fifth Avenue Service on a Dollar General Budget”, 3-4:30p.m. This session will discuss and compare the techniques used in high end customer service oriented retail environments and how we can apply them to our libraries to give patrons a ‘superior’ experience.

A full PDF schedule with descriptions is available at www.ala.org/virtualconvergence. Registration is available online—click on “Register” next to Virtual Convergence at this registration page (login required)—or by mail and fax. When registering for a single webinar from the series, ASCLA and Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) members pay $40, ALA members pay $50, non-members pay $65 and student and retired members of ALA pay $45. Those registering for two or more sessions will receive a reduced rate on each session.

Group registration rates for this event are available—those interested in more information should contact the ALA registration team at registration@ala.org or 1-(800)-545-2433, option 5.

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 multi-type cooperatives, as well as those who are self-employed. 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.

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Virtual Convergence webinars: registration starts closing Thurs., Jan. 12

Just a friendly reminder that we’ll start closing registration for our ASCLA Virtual Convergence webinar series tomorrow (Thursday)!

The series begins on Tuesday, so as of close-of-business Thursday, Jan. 13, registration will end for the following webinars, all of which will be held on Tuesday:

  • “Grant Writing 101”
  • “Presenting Topics to People who are Autistic, Deaf, Disabled, and Non-Disabled”
  • “Teaching Ophelia: Assisting At-Risk Teenagers”
  • “Why Reinvent the Wheel? Tools For Serving the Fast-Growing Teen Population”
  • “Knowledge Management: Process and Tools for Convergence”
  • “Using Learning Objects to Enhance Distance Reference Services”

Access registration links, information and a complete schedule at www.ala.org/virtualconvergence

These webinars are open to everyone regardless of membership status, and we’re covering topics relevant to all types of libraries and librarians.

This is a great way to meet your professional development needs without the cost of travel to a conference.

INDIVIDUAL PRICING: 1 session: ASCLA & FAFLRT members: $40. ALA members, $50. Non-members, $65. ALA Student/Retired members, $45.

2 or more sessions: Members can save on session prices when registering for two or more sessions. ASCLA & FAFLRT members: $35 per session. ALA members, $48 per session. ALA Student/Retired members, $43 per session.

GROUP PRICING: $99 for a single login—a great way to share these sessions with a team of colleagues in a presentation room

For more than one login for a group, it’s $38 per login.

Don’t miss out on these excellent learning opportunities!

Access registration links and information at www.ala.org/virtualconvergence

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Upcoming ASCLA webinar sessions of interest to students and library schools

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) invites students and library school faculty to take advantage of the affordable and convenient learning opportunities offered by the ASCLA Virtual Convergence—a webinar series that will be hosted online by ASCLA Tuesday, Jan. 18-Friday, Jan. 21.

The Convergence offers webinars addressing topics that go beyond classroom learning, including:

  • Grant writing: where to find out about grant opportunities and how to prepare effective grant applications.
  • Services and information access for disabled and differently-abled patrons, including copyright policy affecting persons with print disabilities and Web 2.0 tools
  • Services to teens of all types, including at-risk teens
  • Providing effective distance reference services
  • Effective library programming for Latino populations
  • Federal library jobs: careers in federal libraries; how to find a federal job; and resume writing and interview techniques

Attending a session is a great way for students to acquire information that will enhance their library school experience, and also give you a leg up in this highly competitive job market for internships and full-time employment. Library school faculty looking to add something extra to their courses or raise awareness of a specialized area of library services should share this information with students or arrange for a group of students to participate in sessions.

A list of relevant webinars can be found in  download here. It contains the complete descriptions, dates and times for the sessions. There are a handful of other sessions not included in this flyer—to learn about them, download the complete schedule here. Webinars will be held throughout the day, and will last approximately 60 minutes, with time for Q&A afterwards. Interested participants are welcome to choose any number of webinars to participate in.

Student member registration is just $45 for a single webinar, and $43 each for two or more webinars. Group registration rates are also available, which makes signing up an entire group of students easy and affordable. To broadcast the webinar for a room full of participants, it’s just $99 per webinar. For multiple logins at a discounted group rate, it’s $38 per person per webinar, with a minimum of two people registered for a single webinar.

To register, go to the registration page. Scroll down to Virtual Convergence and click on “Register” to the right (ALA login required). A downloadable registration form is also available to sign up by fax or mail. Contact Membership and Customer Service with any questions at registration@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, option 5.

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Virtual Convergence: Webinar series registration now open!

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) invites all members of the library community to engage in online learning with the 2011 Virtual Convergence: a series of professional development webinars that will be held in January 2011 immediately following the ALA 2011 Midwinter Meeting.

Registration is now open for this exciting event, which provides an opportunity for librarians to kick off 2011 with online learning they can conveniently pursue from the comfort of their work or home computer. The Convergence will offer webinars throughout the day from Tuesday, Jan. 18 through Friday, Jan. 21. Session topics will appeal to a broad range of library types and job functions, and are open to all interested librarians, library staff and library supporters. Webinars will last approximately one hour and include opportunities for Q&A.

Scheduled webinar sessions include:

  • “Grant Writing 101”
  • “Presenting Topics to People who are Autistic, Deaf, Disabled, and Non-Disabled”
  • “Teaching Ophelia: Assisting At-Risk Teenagers”
  • “Why Reinvent the Wheel? Tools for Serving the Fast-growing Teen Population”
  • “Knowledge Management: Process and Tools for Convergence”
  • “Using Learning Objects to Enhance Distance Reference Services”
  • “The Disability Experience in a Post- 2.0 World: Implications for Libraries”
  • “Contract Librarianship: Concepts and Strategies”
  • “Accessibility 101: Assure That Your Library Is Welcoming & Usable for Persons With Disabilities”
  • “A Copyright Policy Update on Access to Information for Persons with Print Disabilities”
  • “Public Computer Conundrums: Policy and Program Choices That Improve Patron Outcomes”
  • “How to Build a Bridge:  Connecting Different Types of Libraries”
  • “Starting a New Library for At-risk Young Adults in a Digitally Divided Community”
  • “Libraries and Information Access for Differently-able Patrons: What We Can Do to Ensure Equality”
  • “Extending Our Reach: Using Extension Programs to Promote Statewide Resources.”
  • “Attracting Latinos to the Library: It’s All About Relationships”
  • “Conducting Successful Virtual Meetings”
  • “Careers in Federal Libraries”
  • “How to Find a Federal Job”
  • “Managing Library Adult and Family Literacy Programs”
  • “Resume Writing and Interviewing Techniques”
  • “Saks Fifth Avenue Service on a Dollar General Budget”

A full PDF schedule with descriptions is available for download from the ASCLA website. Registration is available online—click on “Register” next to Virtual Convergence at this registration page (login required)—or by mail and fax. When registering for a single webinar from the series, ASCLA and Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) members pay $40, ALA members pay $50, non-members pay $65 and student and retired members of ALA pay $45. Those registering for two or more sessions will receive a reduced rate on each session.

Group registration rates for this event are available—those interested in more information should contact Liz Markel, marketing specialist, at lmarkel@ala.org.

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Call for proposals for ASCLA online professional development series

ASCLA seeks proposals for presentations for its 2011 Virtual Convergencea series of professional development webinars that will be held in January 2011 immediately following the ALA 2011 MidwinterMeeting.

The Virtual Convergence is an opportunity for librarians to kick off 2011 with an intensive professional development opportunity they can conveniently pursue from the comfort of their hometown. The Convergence will offer webinars throughout the day from Tuesday, Jan. 18 through Friday, Jan. 21, that are open to all interested librarians, library staff and library supporters. ASCLA is currently seeking proposals for those webinarsessions.

Successful proposalswill:

  • Show plans for presentations that fit within the 90-minute session blocks, including at least 15 minutes forQ&A.
  • Show how the presentation addresses a topic either of interest to ASCLA members, or represents an area of ASCLAs expertise that benefits other types of librarians. This may include but is not limited to: financial management; strategic planning; grant writing; services to special populations including the blind, deaf and hard of hearing and the incarcerated; and library consulting. Past topics addressed by ASCLA programming are listed in the ASCLA @ Annual 2010 guide (PDF), as well as the version of the guide that covers 2009 Annual Conference programming (PDF).
  • Include an outline of the points the presentation willcover.
  • Outline the audiences that will be interested in thistopic.
  • Include a description of the presenter and their relevant experience, e.g. education, job history, that illustrates their expertise in the proposed topicarea.

Proposals may be submitted using the online submission form no later than close of business on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010. Presenters for accepted proposals will receive compensation for their time and will also receive training for the webinar software. Questions about ASCLA or the Convergence can be directed to Liz Markel, ASCLA marketing specialist or Susan Hornung, ASCLA executive director at lmarkel@ala.org and shornung@ala.org,respectively.

More information about the Virtual Convergence schedule, registration rates and other event details will be posted on the ASCLA blog and ASCLA website in mid-October,2010.