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NEWS: Innovation at your library: ASCLA workshops, programming and events at the ALA Annual Conference

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a small and mighty division of ALA, will offer innovative and insightful preconferences, programs and events at the 2013 ALA Annual Conference; this year’s topics include disaster response, leadership development, effective decision-making, accessibility, services to older adults, arts programs for incarcerated youth and service evaluation.

Participants in ASCLA’s preconferences will find themselves at the forefront of library trends, advocacy and self-empowerment. “Ports in a Storm: Your Library as Disaster Recovery Center” will revitalize the role libraries play in their community following a disaster and show you how to build partnerships and access resources to achieve this goal. Librarians can cultivate loyalty from employees and library users as they develop their servant leadership persona with the help of professional library trainer Linda Bruno at the “Servant Leadership in Your Library” preconference. “Discovery to Delivery: Rethinking Resource Sharing” will bring together resource sharing librarians from public and academic libraries to discuss innovations in discovery, trends in physical and virtual delivery, e-books and ILL finances. Review pricing and event details and register for these preconferences at the ASCLA website.

At the ASCLA’s President’s Program, ”Storytelling Mojo: Creating the 21st Century Library Narrative,” speaker Michael Margolis, CEO of Get Storied, will revolutionize your approach to promoting, communicating about and advocating for your library. The 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. The ASCLA President’s Program will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Sunday, June 30, 2013 at McCormick Place Convention Center. Get program details and add the program to your schedule.

ASCLA’s conference programs will also offer a multitude of valuable, cutting edge ideas to transform libraries, librarian careers and the way we think about library services:

  • School and youth services librarians won’t want to miss “Arts + School Libraries Inside,” where we’ll discuss how school libraries serving incarcerated youth can create partnerships with arts organizations and non-profits and collaboration with art teachers. We’ll also cover collection development, programming and professional development.

  • Hear from the Institute of Museum and Library Services Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation how to improve the quality of program evaluation at “Do Those Evaluation Statistics Mean Anything?” Topics for discussion include strategies for improving the capacity of libraries to use evaluation by creating a network linking those producing evaluation with those who use the information to make better decisions.

  • Learn how to make decisions more nimbly and confidently with speaker Joan Frye Williams at “Beyond Brainstorming: Making More Effective Decisions.” Williams will present new strategies for decision-making that address modern pressures of time, finances and transparency, as well as the increased pace of change in our professional environments.

  • Help your library serve all people, regardless of abilities, with the tools and tips presented at “Easy and Affordable Accessibility.” Libraries of all sizes will benefit from hearing the lists of go-to resources, easy-to-use adaptive equipment and ways to make your library environment more user-friendly to everyone that will be shared at this session.

  • Interested in new programming ideas for serving older adults? Add “Boomers to Seniors: Library Models for Serving and Engaging Older Adults” to your schedule.The program will highlight two complementary IMLS-funded model programs targeting Baby Boomers–adults born between 1946 and 1964–in a variety of settings inside and outside the library.

Conference participants are also invited to celebrate ASCLA’s 2013 award winners and network with the vibrant membership community at the ASCLA/COSLA Reception, 5:45 – 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. Register for the ALA Annual Conference now to participate in conference programming and events. Conference registration is not required in order to register for preconferences–select “Ticketed Events and Preconferences Only” as your registration type.

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.

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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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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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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 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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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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Final Call for ASCLA Preconference Registration!

This is it–it’s the final 48 hours to get signed up for ASCLA preconferences!

We’ll be closing registration for our preconferences on Friday, June 15–that’s tomorrow! If you want to reserve your seat at the learning table, you’ll need to act now. We will not be selling tickets at the door for either of these events.

Our innovative half-day workshops deliver information from experts on the following topics:

  • Marketing the value of your library to your community, and developing a fundraising strategy that engages your entire staff in the financial future of the library. The marketing and development staff from the New Jersey State Library will review how they launched their successful Library Champions campaign to achieve both of these goals.
  • Creating literacy and reading programs for incarcerated adults and youth by cultivating partnerships between public libraries, prisons and jails. Hear from librarians who have developed these sorts of partnerships in their communities, with outstanding results.

More information about each event is below. You do not need to be registered for the Annual Conference in order to join us–simply select “Ticketed Events and Preconferences Only” as your registration type. If you’re already registered for the conference, you can add any of these events to your registration.

REGISTER FOR THESE PRECONFERENCES NOW. If you’re not able to join us in Anaheim, we offer many other ways to engage with ASCLA colleagues from around the world: check out a complete list of our member-driven interest groups to find one or more that suit you, and join today!

A Marriage Made in Heaven: Combining Marketing and Development to Ensure the Future of Your Library

Friday, June 22, 8a.m.-12p.m.
REGISTER NOW.

Develop a fundraising strategy and raise the awareness of the value your library with a library champions campaign! Learn how the New Jersey State Library launched a public awareness campaign designed to attract famous athletes and authors to serve as Library Champions, and with the help of marketing and development teams, leveraged those champions into an effective fundraising vehicle. We’ll cover how to recruit celebrity champions and local heroes; how to raise big money for your library; how to build a donor development strategy; and the essential publications your library must produce to secure funders.
Registration starts at $129 for ASCLA members. REGISTER NOW.

The Nuts & Bolts of Building a Public Library/Jail/Prison Partnership

 

Friday, June 22, 8a.m.-12p.m.
REGISTER NOW.
Hear from speakers who’ve successfully built public library/correctional setting partnerships, and learn how to build these kinds of relationships step-by-step. Public librarians and correctional librarians interested in creating literacy and reading program partnerships for youth in detention centers and adults in jails or prisons will not want to miss this half-day workshop that will cover such difficult issues as collection development, security, and staff interactions.
Registration starts at $129 for ASCLA members. REGISTER NOW.

See you in Anaheim!

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Prison Librarians @ Annual Conference: Interest group meetings moved to Sunday morning

NEW DATE, TIME & LOCATION at ALA Annual Conference!! ASCLA’s two interest groups for prison librarians will now be meeting Sunday, June 24, 8-10a.m. in the Palm East room of the Sheraton Park Hotel.

The Library Services to the Incarcerated and Detained Interest Group and the Library Services for Youth in Custody Interest Group will meet together during this time. This session is an opportunity for open discussion among librarians and staff who serve–or want to serve–adults and youth who are incarcerated or detained. LSYC agenda includes new resources, review and award program, sharing of ideas and resources. LSID agenda includes future leadership and work products, sharing of ideas and resources.  The groups are co-hosting a tour of a local juvenile detention facility on the afternoon of Monday, June 25–learn more here (scroll to the bottom of the page) and register by June 5!

Other prison library-related programs and events in Anaheim:

PRECONFERENCE: The Nuts & Bolts of Building a Public Library/Jail/Prison Partnership
Friday, June 22, 8:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Hear from speakers who’ve successfully built public library/correctional setting partnerships, and learn how to build these kinds of relationships step-by-step. Public librarians and correctional librarians interested in creating literacy and reading program partnerships for youth in detention centers and adults in jails or prisons will not want to miss this half-day workshop that will cover such difficult issues of collection development, security, and staff interactions.
Registration Rates: ASCLA members, $129; ALA members, $149; non-members, $169; Student and Retired ALA members, $109.
Who should attend: Public librarians and correctional librarians interested on creating literacy and reading program partnerships for youth and adults in jails or prisons.

Speakers:

  • Kathleen Houlihan, youth outreach librarian, Austin Public Library, Second Change Books
  • Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Write to Read program Juvenile Hall Literacy

REGISTER NOW.

Writing a Way Out: The Success of Writing Programs in Correctional Settings
Saturday, 8:00-10:00
Writing programs in correctional settings have produced dramatic results for those who experience them. This program will include successful inmate writers, program instructors and correctional librarians who manage or assist in the programs. Speakers: R. Dwayne Betts, Perry Gaidurgis

Touching Literacy:  iPads in the School Library Serving Incarcerated and Detained Youth
Sunday, 1:30-3:30p.m.
Are tablets available to your patrons yet? This program introduces you to three library staffers and their project to bring iPads to school libraries serving detained youth in New York City.  We will examine the practical “how to’s” of technology pilots; the process of collaborating with multiple institutions; and maintenance, marketing, funding and collection development for tablets. This session will appeal to all librarians who have not yet integrated tablets or e-readers into their libraries. Speakers: Jessica Fenster-Sparber, Anja Kennedy, Claudio Leon