The Official Blog of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
Please join us at our ASCLA Fund Raising event, if you will be attending the Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia this year, Nancy Bolt, former ASCLA president, and Kathleen Imhoff, an award winning artist, will have beautiful jewelry and scarves, fine art photography, vintage book covers, EcoArt collage, and more for sale. 20% of all Nancy’s sales goes to ASCLA. Please see the flyer here for more information.
Hope to see you in Philly!
Dear ASCLA Members,
The Midwinter conference will be in Philadelphia this year and I hope those of you who will be there will take time to visit with us at an informal gathering at the Sheraton Lobby Bar, (cash bar), 201 North 17th Street, to mingle, meet the ASCLA board members, committee chairs, and interest group leaders, and have a little bit of fun to start the conference (and the new year!) off right. This informal Happy Hour takes place on Friday January 24, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. One of the great things about ASCLA is that our small size allows us to network and connect with each other better than some of the bigger divisions, and with more fun! All members and visitors are welcome.
One other event is sure to be of interest to all ASCLA members: the ASCLA leadership session, which will take place 10:00am – 11:30am, in the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 115 A, directly after ASCLA board meeting I. We’ll review ASCLA’s current strategic plan and results through 2013. Past-President Stacey Aldrich will facilitate as you learn how you can contribute to reaching ASCLA goals during 2014. Come to this interactive session and help us attain greater success as we look forward to the future!
Don’t forget about our Midwinter institutes – advance registration ends January 15, 2014 so now is the time to register:
Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to be a Successful Library Consultant – 2 day Institute
Thursday, January 23, 1:00pm-5:30pm and Friday, January 24, 8:30am-1:00pm
ASCLA–the home to library consultants and independent librarians–is bringing back its wildly successful, sell-out workshop! Seasoned consultants Nancy Bolt and Liz Bishoff are the presenters. Takeaways include marketing tips, pricing your services, responding to RFPs, finding clients, business management strategies and more. More information is here. REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA members, $279; ALA members, $299; non-ALA members, $339; Student/Retired members of ALA, $229. Event Code: ASC1. Register now!
Designing Online Courses for Significant Learning Experiences
January 24, 8:00am-4:00pm
If you’re a trainer, instructor or teacher don’t miss attending this valuable workshop co-sponsored by ASCLA and RUSA, and presented by international consultant Dr. Stewart Ross on the most effective practices designing and teaching online courses. More information is here. REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA and RUSA members, $279; ALA members, $299; non-ALA members, $349; Student/Retired members of ALA, $229. Event Code: ASC3. Register now!
Consultants Networking Luncheon hosted by ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group
Saturday, January 25, 12:00-2:00pm
The Library Consultants’ Networking Luncheon is an opportunity to meet others and discuss the skills, craft, and business of consulting. Jamie Hollier will share tips and exercises for relaxation and focus in Preparing to Speak; Brenda Hough will offer techniques for presenting online. More information here. REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA members, $79; ALA members, $95; non-ALA members, $99; Student/Retired members of ALA, $79. Event Code: ASC4. Register now!
In addition, the ASCLA board will meet twice in Philadelphia; please feel free to join us as our honored guests. The meetings will be held:
Board of Directors I (ASCLA)
Saturday, January 25, 2014 – 8:00am to 11:30am
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 115 A
Board of Directors II (ASCLA)
Monday, January 27, 2014 – 12:00pm to 1:30pm
Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 115 B
Travel with ASCLA: Last but not least, if you’re looking for a trip of a lifetime this year, persuade your colleagues at Midwinter to travel with you to Spain, March 26 – April 4, 2014. We’ll visit Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville. Included will be tours of the Barcelona Public Library, Archivo General de Indias and Biblioteca Colombina and the Mezquita, an incredible Church that has been a Mosque, Synagogue and Catholic Church. There are no membership requirements to travel with us so bring your spouses, partners, siblings and friends! And librarians are so much fun to travel with! More details are here: http://www.ala.org/ascla/travel-ascla.
This past year has been especially good as we’ve seen new products created like the first module of ASCLA’s AccessAbility Academy: Positive Interactions: Making the Library a Welcoming and Empowering Place for People with Disabilities and the growth in ASCLA membership. We couldn’t have done this without the invaluable advice and assistance of our member leaders and volunteers. I want to thank every ASCLA member for all their dedicated work and loyalty in helping to make our division successful; it’s a pleasure and a privilege to serve you! Best Wishes for a happy new year!
Susan Hornung
Executive Director, ASCLA/RUSA
Kara Riley, customer development librarian at the Braille and Talking Book Library in Daytona Beach, FL has been selected as the 2014 Emerging Leader for the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA). The ALA Emerging Leaders (EL) program is a leadership development program which enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain insight of the ALA structure and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity.
Beginning at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, ELs will meet for a daylong introductory session followed by six months of project engagement through online learning and networking environments. At the end of the program, ELs will present their project results with a poster session display at the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. As the ASCLA Emerging Leader, Riley will collaborate with other ELs on the project of their choosing. Riley will also have the opportunity to work closely with ASCLA leadership throughout the year.
Riley received her MLIS in 2013 from the University of Alabama, and her BA double major in Mass Communication: Radio/Television/Film and Theatre Performance from Auburn University in 2010. Prior to her current position she worked as an intern and Librarian Specialist at the Braille and Talking Book Library where she was quickly promoted with more responsibilities. Riley participates in endless events and activities designed to disseminate information to people who need it; and most recently she has joined the local group, One Voice For Volusia, which unites non-profits in the Daytona Beach area to achieve county-wide goals. Riley, on the EL program, said, “I am very passionate about my field, I know that having diverse experiences will allow me to better serve my community.”
On behalf of the ASCLA community, welcome, Kara! We look forward to working with you!
A note from the speaker, Linda Bruno:
In this age of new leadership books being released every few hours (it seems!), it’s easy to get the impression that to be a great leader, you just follow a particular checklist of do’s and don’ts. Some seem to think it’s more about tactics. I think it’s about relationships!
I think you’ll agree that beginning with a deep understanding of you and those who follow you is the basis of effective leadership.
That’s why I would like to personally invite you to attend the ASCLA-sponsored workshop, “Knowing You, Knowing Them: The Secret to Successful Leadership,” which will be held at the Leadership Institute of the ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia (9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, 2014). You can register here: http://alamw14.ala.org/register-now.
In this fun and interactive workshop, we’ll look at leadership through the “fuzzy” (and fun!) lens, rather than the “fact” lens: Do you really know yourself and how you lead? Do you understand those who work for you –how they move through this world? How is their perception different from yours?
Are you aware of your emotions and are you able to manage those emotions so that you can lead well?
Are you always frustrated trying to figure out how to “motivate them?” What if you can’t?
I hope you’ll get your conference experience off to a great start by joining me for this fast-paced program ~ I’d love to see you there!
–Linda Bruno
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. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/ascla.
Designing online courses, the secrets to successful leadership and how to become a library consultant are some of the exciting topics to be addressed at institutes offered by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) at the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.
ASCLA, a small, mighty and innovative division of the American Library Association, is known for high quality educational events that offer skills and information to transform your library or your career. These 2014 Midwinter institutes continue this outstanding tradition with three institutes and one networking luncheon scheduled between Thursday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 25.
All of these events require advance ticket purchase, however registration for the 2014 Midwinter Meeting is not required in order to purchase a ticket. Bundle registration for 2014 Midwinter institutes, the 2014 Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference will open on Sept. 9. Regular Midwinter meeting registration will open on Oct. 1. ASCLA members receive the best registration rates on all of these events; learn more about ASCLA and join today.
Visit www.alamidwinter.org/bundle beginning Sept. 9 for more information about Bundle registration. Additional meeting information can be found at www.alamidwinter.org.
This year’s Midwinter institutes and events hosted by ASCLA are:
Designing Online Courses for Significant Learning Experiences
8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 24
Are you a teaching librarian currently offering an online course but looking for ways to enhance the course structure and content? Are you a seasoned professional with special skills and expertise that you see a market for via an e-course? Developing and teaching online courses that create the best possible learning experiences for student participants is both an art and a science. Using a collaborative, hands-on approach, presenters Dr. Stewart Ross and Linda Jacoby of internationally known consulting firm Dee Fink and Associates will guide institute participants through the (re)design of an online course using an integrated course design template. At the end of the workshop, participants will have the skills and confidence to assist others in the development of online courses, or to develop their own online training modules or courses. The techniques applied in this session can also be applied to face-to-face course development. All participants will receive certificates of participation. REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA members, $279; ALA members, $299; non-ALA members, $349; Student/Retired members of ALA, $229.
Knowing You, Knowing Them: The Secret to Successful Leadership
9 a.m. – 4 p.m, Friday, Jan. 24
One of the biggest challenges of leading others is understanding what makes them tick. This full-day workshop will help you understand both yourself in light of your leadership responsibilities and those who work for you. Instead of offering a checklist or template of how-tos, presenter Linda Bruno, MBA, will focus on the human element of leadership. You will leave this session with insights into personalities, emotional intelligence, dealing with change and creating a motivating environment – secrets that can help you be a more successful leader! Linda has presented several workshops for ASCLA and receives rave reviews for her content and presentations. REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA members, $279; ALA members, $299; non-ALA members, $339; Student/Retired members of ALA, $229.
Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to be a Successful Library Consultant
1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 23 and 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Friday, Jan. 24
ASCLA – the home to library consultants and independent librarians within ALA – is bringing back its wildly successful, sell-out workshop! Seasoned consultants Nancy Bolt and Liz Bishoff will present an overview of the consultant’s role and guide you through an active and engaging self-assessment to uncover your unique consulting potential and strengths. Takeaways include marketing tips, pricing your services, responding to RFPs, finding clients, business management strategies and so much more. Note that this event is held over two days–Thursday afternoon and Friday morning–with an opportunity for networking on Thursday evening. This institute will not be offered in Las Vegas, so don’t miss out on this opportunity! REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA members, $279; ALA members, $299; non-ALA members, $339; Student/Retired members of ALA, $229.
Consultants Networking Luncheon hosted by ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group
12 – 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 25,
Lunch and learn with colleagues! This event provides an opportunity for consultants and independent librarians to make connections with other professionals. We’ll also have an hour of education focused on valuable skills for consultants; last year’s event covered icebreaker activities, refining your elevator speech and Twitter. The event is hosted by ASCLA’s Library Consultants Interest Group (http://connect.ala.org/node/151445). Whether you’re new to consulting or have decades of experience, please join this fun group for some peer-to-peer networking and education. REGISTRATION RATES: ASCLA members, $79; ALA members, $95; non-ALA members, $99; Student/Retired members of ALA, $79.
ASCLA, a small, mighty and growing 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. Learn more about ASCLA and how to join this innovative division.
Now that the 2013 Annual Conference is over, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2014!
The ASCLA Conference Programming Committee is accepting proposals until July 31, 2013 for the following types of programming:
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! (If you run into accessibility challenges with either version of the form, please contact us so we can help you out!)
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 Rosario Garza, committee chair at rgarza@socallibraries.org and Liz Markel, ASCLA marketing & programs manager at lmarkel@ala.org.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
ASCLA is now accepting proposals for:
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!
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!
CHICAGO–Tickets are now on sale for a networking luncheon at ALA’s 2013 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle hosted by the Library Consultants Interest Group, one of the member interest groups of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA).
The Library Consultants Interest Group supports the work of library consultants nationwide, and is offering this event as a forum for face-to-face networking among consulting colleagues. In addition to networking with other luncheon attendees, this event will also feature educational content that will benefit library consultants, as well as other library professionals who are promoting their own freelance services and skills. This content will include learning new icebreakers, refining elevator pitches and using Twitter for self-promotion. Participants will also have the opportunity to win some fantastic career-related raffle prizes.
The luncheon will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at an ALA conference hotel in Seattle, Wash. Tickets start at $75 for ASCLA members; ALA Midwinter Meeting registration is not required in order to purchase tickets for this event–simply select “Ticketed Events Only” as your registration type. If you have already registered for the meeting, you can login and add the event to your registration. Access registration information here.
The Library Consultants Interest Group will also host several other events in Seattle, and Midwinter Meeting registration is required in order to participate in the following:
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 ASCLA preconferences and online courses, and other important membership benefits? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership at www.ala.org/membership.
The deadline for a call for ASCLA proposals for institutes at the ALA 2013 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle and programs and preconferences at the ALA 2013 Annual Conference in Chicago has been extended to June 1, 2012.
What’s this all about? Midwinter Institutes are ticketed full or half-day workshops held the Friday of the Midwinter Meeting. Annual Preconferences are ticketed full or half-day workshops held the Friday of Annual Conference. Programs are part of the ALA Annual Conference, are included with conference registration, and are held Saturday through Monday of the conference. Check out what ASCLA’s doing at this year’s Annual Conference.
What’s the best way to propose a program? We encourage members with programming ideas to partner with one of our ASCLA interest groups to sponsor the program. Review our list of interest groups and learn how to join a group at the ASCLA website.
More information about the proposal process–including some important notes about overall scheduling changes to both Midwinter and Annual–is in this post in ASCLA’s ALA Connect space. Please check out this post before making your submission.
Learn more about ASCLA, and join this small and mighty group of ALA members who are making a difference for library users from all corners of the world!
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
Dear ASCLA Members:
ASCLA has a renewed passion and energy under our new reorganization. Members are doing some great work and I invite you to join in if you will be in Dallas for the Midwinter meeting. Don’t miss these events:
• ASCLA Board of Directors I. Saturday January 21, 8:00 – 10:00am, DCC – D161. Session one of the ASCLA Board of Directors meeting. Open to all ASCLA and ALA members.
• ASCLA Board of Directors II. Monday, January 23, 8:00 – 10:00am, DCC – D161. Join us for the second session of ASCLA Board of Directors.
• ASCLA Leadership Session. Saturday, January 21, 10:30am – 12:00pm, DCC – D224. We’ll be looking at how to shape ASCLA’s future, our strategic plan and early results of the ASCLA member loyalty survey. All ASCLA members are invited to participate.
• Open Hearing on Library Consultants Code of Ethics. Sunday, January 22, 4:00 – 5:30 pm, DCC – D224. Discussion/Interest Group. Nancy Bolt of Nancy Bolt & Associates will moderate an open hearing on a new draft “Library Consultant Code of Ethics”. Should it be adopted by ALA? It’s open to all ALA members. Discussion will be followed by a business meeting of the ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group Leadership Team.
• Interest Groups Meetings. There are 13 new ASCLA interest groups looking for members! Many of these new groups will be meeting in Dallas. Download the list of all ASCLA meetings here and feel free to connect with these groups by joining their meetings if you’re in Dallas. See the complete list of interest groups and how to join and interest group here: http://www.ala.org/ascla/asclaourassoc/asclainterest/list.
And after all the hard work is done, please join us for a party! Come to the ASCLA/COSLA Dessert Reception, Sunday, Jan. 22, 8-10pm to relax, network and make new friends. It’s open to all ALA members, so bring a friend, mingle and try some of the delicious food and beverages at our dessert reception and open bar, co-sponsored by COSLA.
See you there!
Sincerely,
Susan Hornung
ASCLA Executive Director
shornung@ala.org