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Library Consultants: Sign up by April 30 to participate in Consultants Give Back event at ALA Annual Conference

The ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG) will again be sponsoring Consultants Give Back (CGB) at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. We are currently seeking library consultants to participate in this event. This year’s sign-up process will be slightly different from previous years: we will now be using a website, www.consultantsgiveback.org, developed by Lori Ayre.

Using www.consultantsgiveback.org will be very helpful because:

  • You enter the information yourself on the website
  • You can include a photo of yourself
  • You write your own profile in any way you want
  • You can change it at anytime
  • Once you indicate you will be participating, your name will be listed as a CGB participant for 2013
  • You can indicate in your contacts need to make an appointment or if you are available at special times

CGB in Chicago will take place on Sunday afternoon from 1 – 5:30 pm, location TBA in May.  However, you can make appointments with contacts at other times as is convenient for both of you.

Publicity for the event begins May 1, so please sign up at the website by April 30! This includes registering yourself at www.consultantsgiveback.org, entering your information and indicate your availability for the Consultants Give Back event in Chicago. Only those consultants who will be available at CGB in Chicago will be listed on the website for now. (LCIG is also hoping to have a CGB at the next PLA Conference and next year at ALA in Las Vegas.)

Participation in CGB and registration at the website is free to all consultants, however you must register for the ALA Annual Conference in order to participate. Register for the ALA Annual Conference here.

While registration for www.consultantsgiveback.org is free, there are costs associated with maintaining the database–voluntary contributions are welcome to help offset these costs.

If you have questions about CGB, please email Nancy Bolt at nancybolt@earthlink.net.

If you have questions about or trouble with the website, contact Lori Ayre at lori.ayre@galecia.com.

Do you know about the ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group? Consider joining ASCLA and participating in this cutting-edge, entrepreneurial group.

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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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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.

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Volunteer for ASCLA! Plentiful leadership and virtual participation opportunities

Did you know that the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, as a small and mighty division of ALA, has excellent opportunities for you to become involved? There’s lots of room in our leadership ranks for you to collaborate, contribute and become a champion.

Are you a new member or even a non-member who wants to learn more about ASCLA? Stop by any of our events at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle–here’s an overview from the Scheduler. The ASCLA/COSLA Reception and ASCLA Leadership Session are excellent division-wide events for connecting with other members, and interest groups are good for meeting those in your field of work.

As an ASCLA volunteer, you’ll:

  • Support our advocacy efforts on behalf of the libraries, librarians and library users our members serve, including incarcerated adults and youth; the blind, deaf and hard of hearing; those with learning disabilities and other special populations.
  • Make direct contributions to the quest for equitable access to information and library services for all library users.
  • Participate in the development of online learning, conference programming, workshops, and other continuing education opportunities.
  • Help cultivate interest groups that represent the diverse interests of our membership.
  • Be a leader! It’s a great way to network with other influential colleagues and to gain valuable leadership experience.

Please consider volunteering for one or more committee to help us make our mission and vision a reality! Virtual members are encouraged and welcomed.

Volunteering can be done in just two quick and easy steps:

Remember, you must be an ASCLA member in order to volunteer for committee positions, with your membership current for the duration of your volunteer term. ASCLA dues are $52 annually plus the cost of ALA membership.

Visit www.ala.org/membership to update your membership record and add ASCLA, or call Membership and Customer Service at 1-800-545-2433, option 5.

We look forward to your participation!

Stacey Aldrich
ASCLA President

Sara Laughlin
ASCLA President-Elect

Carol Desch
ASCLA Past-President

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ASCLA Awards: Nomination deadline extended to Jan. 31, 2013

The Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) has extended the nomination deadline to Jan. 31, 2013 for its 2013 awards which recognize 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.

Each of these five prestigious awards–the Leadership and Professional Achievement Award, the Exceptional Service Award, the Cathleen Bourdon Service Award, the ASCLA/KLAS/NOD Award and the Francis Joseph Campbell Award–highlights the areas of work represented by ASCLA, a division of ALA. Most of these awards do not require ASCLA membership in order for a nominee to be considered. Click on the award names below to access the award’s webpage for more information about each award.

The ASCLA/KLAS/NOD Award is sponsored by ASCLA, the National Organization on Disability (NOD) and Keystone Systems, Inc. This $1,000 award and citation are given to a library organization that has provided services for people with disabilities. The award recognizes an innovative and well-organized project that successfully developed or expanded services for people with disabilities. The award can be for a specific service(s) program or for a library that has made its total services more accessible through changing physical and/or attitudinal barriers. Download the award nomination form(PDF).

The Francis Joseph Campbell Award honors a person or institution for outstanding and significant contributions in the field of library services to the blind with a medal and a citation. Contributions include but are not limited to: an imaginative and constructive program in a particular library; a recognized contribution to the national library program for blind persons; creative participation in library associations or organizations that advance reading for the blind; a significant publication or writing in the field; or imaginative contribution to library administration, reference, circulation, selection, acquisitions or technical services; or any activity of recognized importance. The award is sponsored by Keystone Systems, Inc. and the Southern Conference of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress.  Download the award nomination form(PDF).

The Exceptional Service Award recognizes exceptional service to patients, to persons who are homebound, to people of all ages who live in group homes or residences and to inmates, as well as to recognize professional leadership, effective interpretation of programs, pioneering activity and significant research or experimental projects. The recipient receives a citation. Download the award nomination form (PDF).

The Leadership and Professional Achievement Award is a citation presented to one or more ASCLAmembers (personal or organizational) exemplifying leadership and achievement in the following areas: consulting, library cooperation, networking, statewide services and programs and state library development. Download the award nomination form (PDF).

The Cathleen Bourdon Service Award is a citation presented to an ASCLA personal member for exceptional service and sustained leadership to the division. This includes participation in activities that have enhanced the stature, reputation and overall strength of ASCLA and have also cultivated the division’s relationship with other appropriate organizations, institutions or governmental agencies. Download the award nomination form (PDF).

Those interested in submitting a nomination may download the appropriate award nomination form(s) from theawards section of the ASCLAwebsiteor request the form(s) from Liz Markel, ASCLA marketing and programs manager, via e-mail at lmarkel@ala.org. Nominations for all awards must be received by Jan. 31, 2013. Submission information can be found on each nomination form.

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.

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Save the Date: ASCLA/RUSA preconference tackles innovations in resource sharing for academic and public libraries

Calling all resource-sharing professionals! ASCLA’s Physical Delivery Interest Group and RUSA’s Rethinking Resource Sharing Steering Committee have teamed up to bring you “Discovery to Delivery: Rethinking Resource Sharing”, a full day preconference to be held at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Save the date for this workshop, which will be held Friday, Jun. 28, 2013 from 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 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.

Current speakers confirmed for this event include Marshall Breeding, Jamie LaRue, Jason Kucsma, Lori Ayre and other representatives from public and academic library consortia. In addition to panels and presentations, attendees will participate in breakout groups to further pursue ideas presented by the event speakers.

Registration for this event will open with ALA Annual Conference registration on Jan. 7, 2013. Ticket prices begin at $159 for ASCLA members. You will be able to register for this event without registering for the Annual Conference by selecting “Ticketed Events and Preconferences Only” as your registration type on the registration form. Stay tuned to the ALA website for more information about the conference.

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Tickets now on sale for Midwinter networking luncheon hosted by ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group in Seattle

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:

  • Library Consultants Interest Group Leadership Team – Sunday Jan. 27, 2013 3:00 – 4:00 pm
    The Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG) Leadership team will review and plan for library consultant education and networking activities at conferences and throughout the year. All interested library consultants are invited to participate.
  • Library Consultants Discussion Forum  – Sunday Jan. 27, 2013  4:30 – 5:30 pm
    The discussion will focus on ethical issues confronted by library consultants in their work. This discussion builds on the ASCLA Library Consultants Code of Ethics, developed by LCIG and approved by the ASCLA Board in 2012. The discussions will be moderated by Stephanie Gerding and include presenters Nancy Bolt, Gary Pitkin and others. Library Consultants and those considering consulting are welcome to participate. LCIG welcomes new faces, ideas and suggestions.
  • ASCLA /COSLA Reception – Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013  8:00 – 10:00 pm
    Library Consultant Interest Group members are invited to join ASCLA members and others for a relaxing evening of conversation and networking.

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.

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ASCLA in Italy: Reservation deadline for tour of Rome and Amalfi Coast extended to Sept. 21

The last day to reserve your spot for “ASCLA in Italy”, a trip hosted by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of ALA, is Sept. 21, 2012.

This trip abroad will take place April 15-24, 2013, and all interested travelers are welcome—you do not need to be a member in order to participate. Voyagers will convene in Rome, then head to the Amalfi Coast, spending time in Sorrento, Puglia, Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, Sorrento and Capri. Upon returning to Rome, tour participants will visit  the National Library, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.

“ASCLA in Italy” follows a sold out adventure to Paris, taken earlier in 2012, and an upcoming tour of Ireland this October. A portion of all these trips benefits ASCLA, the division of ALA serving state library agencies, specialized libraries, library cooperatives, special populations librarians and library consultants.

The cost for this this trip is 8 nights for $2950 plus airfare. A portion of the trip’s proceeds benefit ASCLA. Download the trip brochure (PDF) for more information. The trip cost includes 8 nights accommodations, 8 breakfasts, 8 dinners, 2 lunches, a cooking class, guided tours throughout the trip, motor coach transportation, roundtrip ferry and funicular to Capri, Blue Grotto tour, cruise on the Amalfi coast and admission to the Vatican. Participants are responsible for their own airfare.

Deposits in the amount of $500 are due by September 21, 2012, with the balance due by January 15, 2013. Checks should be made payable to Lyceum Tours. Questions about the trip should be directed to the ASCLA office at ascla@ala.org or 312-280-4395, or Lyceum Tours at 856-795-9044 or lyceum46@yahoo.com.