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Carole Rose wins ASCLA Campbell Award for notable contributions to library services for the blind and physically handicapped

Read the official ALA press release here.

Carole Rose, who recently retired as a librarian at the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library, is the 2012 winner of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies’ (ASCLA) 2012 Francis Joseph Campbell Award.

The award, which includes a citation and a medal, is presented to a person or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of library service for blind and physically handicapped people. ASCLA, Keystone Automated Systems (KLAS) and the Southern Conference of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped co-sponsor this award.

Rose was selected for her significant contributions over 46 years to the advancement of library service for blind and physically handicapped people throughout the state of Indiana, and also for her outstanding advocacy on behalf of the Indiana low vision community. The award also recognizes Rose’s dedicated leadership in creating Indiana Talking Book & Braille Library programs that embraced change and positively touched the lives of generations of Hoosiers with vision loss.

Rose also played a crucial role as editor (1978-2011) of both Indiana Insights, the Indiana Talking Book & Braille Library newsletter; and IN Touch, a newsletter dedicated to teachers and parents of students with disabilities. These publications have become the most valuable medium of communication for the Indiana Talking Book & Braille Library and were crucial to promoting and advocating the new digital player from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLSBPH). The copious articles she has written for both in-house and other state and national low-vision communiqué have contributed to Indiana’s success in  moving over 80 percent of its Talking Books patrons from the old cassette player to the new digital player.

“Carole embodies many of the qualities and characteristics recognized by the ASCLA Francis Joseph Campbell Award,” said Norma Blake, ASCLA president. Her “contributions to the advancement of library service for blind and physically handicapped people” are unparalleled in Indiana history, according to her State Library colleagues.

Rose served as a librarian at the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library from 1965 until her retirement in 2011. Since 1972, she coordinated the library’s summer reading program. She also served as coordinator for the Indiana Vision Expo, the largest low-vision tradeshow in the Midwest, from 2006-2011. She was a grant writer for two successful grants: $950,000 from the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation to support the recording of books and magazine articles with Indiana connections; and a $2,000 Choose Children grant from Alpha Xi Delta Foundation to expand the large print and Braille book collections.

Rose will receive her award at the ASCLA/COSLA Networking Party and Awards Reception, which will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 2012 at one of the ALA Annual Conference hotels in Anaheim, Calif. All conference attendees are invited to this event, which will celebrate this year’s ASCLA award winners and also feature peer-to-peer networking activities. More information will be available at www.ala.org/ascla in late spring.

 

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New Jersey State Library’s Moeller-Peiffer honored with Cathleen Bourdon Service Award for contributions to ASCLA

Read the official ALA press release here.

Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer, associate state librarian, New Jersey State Library, is the 2012 recipient of the Cathleen Bourdon Service Award, an annual achievement award given by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of the American Library Association.

The award, which is named for former ASCLA Executive Director Cathleen Bourdon, is 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 government agencies.

As an ASCLA member, Moeller-Peiffer has worked tirelessly on programs and activities that inform and strengthen the professional contributions of ASCLA and its members in the community at large and within ALA. As a part of ASCLA’s Legislative Advocacy Committee and ALA’s Advocacy Coordinating Group, she has communicated with policy makers at all levels of government on the value and strength of libraries. Through her role on ALA’s E-rate Task Force she has conveyed to federal officials the concerns of libraries and schools on the discounted telecommunication rate program.

Moeller-Peiffer has also strengthened ASCLA as an organization through her service as chair of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Coordinators Group and chair of ASCLA’s State Library Agency Section (SLAS), and her membership on numerous committees, forums and programs. During her time as chair of ASCLA’s Membership Committee, she developed the Value Proposition Report that analyzed the benefits of ASCLA membership and developed proposals for promoting and expanding membership.

Moeller-Peiffer will receive her award at the ASCLA/COSLA Networking Party and Awards Reception, which will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 2012 at one of the ALA Annual Conference hotels in Anaheim, Calif. All conference attendees are invited to this event, which will celebrate this year’s ASCLA award winners and also feature peer-to-peer networking activities. More information will be available at www.ala.org/ascla in late spring.

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Washington State Library’s Laura Sherbo receives leadership award from ASCLA

Read the official ALA press release here.

Laura Sherbo, branch library services program manager at the Washington State Library, is the 2012 recipient of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) Leadership and Professional Achievement Award – an annual award presented to an ASCLA member who exemplifies leadership and achievement in consulting, library cooperation, networking, statewide service and programs and/or state library development.

According to her colleagues at the Washington State Library and leaders of institutional libraries in the State of Washington, Sherbo has accomplished miracles in the world of library services for incarcerated populations with her tenacity, her calm and focused negotiation and strategic communication skills.  Her leadership skills and her efforts to foster collaboration and engineer change have helped maintain a high level of service and staff performance even in the face of seemingly insurmountable changes. For two decades, the Institutional Services Division of the Washington State Library has endured budget cuts that laid off staff and closed branches. Despite these challenges, Sherbo inspired her team to re-prioritize library functions to meet the most critical needs of those institutionalized in correctional facilities, including uniformity of branch library procedures and an emphasis on collection development in parenting, substance abuse recovery, job training and employment.

During her tenure, Sherbo has also encouraged her staff to pursue training and projects that would benefit host institutions and library services. This encouragement has produced presentations at library conferences, visiting institutional services librarians, volunteering at host institutions for reading programs and historical preservation efforts, a library-sponsored book club and a pilot law library program. Under her leadership, Sherbo’s division team has achieved goals that exemplify the Library Bill of Rights, including privacy protection and access to interests, information from various viewpoints and enlightenment for all persons of the library community. For her successful efforts, she is well respected by the prison administrators and among the offender populations served by the libraries.

“Laura Sherbo has dedicated her professional career to ensuring that inmates of correctional centers and patients at two state hospitals receive the highest quality library services,” said ASCLA President Norma Blake. “Because of her inspirational leadership, libraries flourish in Washington’s major prisons.”

Sherbo earned her MLS from Western Michigan University. She worked as the head librarian at Logan Correctional Center, Lincoln, Ill. (1978-82) and subsequently as a librarian and branch manager at McNeil Island Corrections Center, McNeil Island, Wash. until 2002, when she took on her current role as branch library services program manager.

Sherbo will receive her award at the ASCLA/COSLA Networking Party and Awards Reception, which will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 2012 at one of the ALAAnnual Conference hotels in Anaheim, Calif. All conference attendees are invited to this event, which will celebrate this year’s ASCLA award winners and also feature peer-to-peer networking activities. More information will be available at www.ala.org/ascla in late spring.

 

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Kathleen Hegarty named 2012 winner of ASCLA Exceptional Service Award

Read the official press release from ALA here.

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) will posthumously honor Kathleen Hegarty, Boston Public Library (retired), with the 2012 ASCLA Exceptional Service Award.

The ASCLA Exceptional Service Award is a citation presented to recognize exceptional service to patients, to the 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 of experimental projects. Hegarty was notified of winning the award prior to her death on Jan. 28, 2012.Read her American Libraries Magazine obituary here.

Hegarty earned her MLS from Simmons College. She spent the duration of her library career at Boston Public Library, where she served as the coordinator of adult services (1962-74), staff officer for programs and public relations (1974-85) and the founder and director of the Access Center for People with Disabilities from 1985 until her retirement in 1999. An active member of ASCLA and LSSPS since 1985, Hegarty served as chair of many Division and Section committees and forums, as well as chair of the Task Force on Libraries Serving Special Populations Section (LSSPS) Bylaws, and was one of the founding committee members of the ASCLA Century Scholarship. She was most recently elected as ASCLA Secretary.

Hegarty left her mark on BPL and the library community with her innovative and groundbreaking services and programs. Making creative use of federal Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) funds, she forged numerous new cutting-edge services for special populations during her tenure at Boston Public Library, including the “Homesmobile” library services to nursing homes and the homebound, which continues to operate to this day. She also served as director of the Boston Public Library’s NEHLearning Library, the first such learning library in the United States. For more than 30 years she coordinated special programs and services which included weekly educational programs for older adults.

“Kathleen’s pioneering efforts at the Boston Public Library and her dedication to improving services for older adults and persons with disabilities has insured continued leadership, professional growth and sustainability within the profession,” said Norma Blake, ASCLApresident. “She also worked tirelessly to enhance the stature, reputation and overall strength of ASCLA, and we are so grateful for her investment in our organization.”

Hegarty will be honored at the ASCLA/COSLA Networking Party and Awards Reception, which will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 23, 2012 at one of the ALA Annual Conference hotels in Anaheim, Calif. All conference attendees are invited to this event, which will celebrate this year’s ASCLA award winners and also feature peer-to-peer networking activities. More information will be available at www.ala.org/ascla in late spring.

 

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Library consultants! Sign up now to offer free services as part of “Consultants Give Back” at ALA Annual Conference

The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and the Public Library Association (PLA) are teaming up to offer “Consultants Give Back” at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif.—an opportunity for libraries to receive free 30-minute consultation sessions from professional library consultants.

This event features consultants with expertise in a wide variety of topics like RFID, marketing and communications, executive searches, buildings and facilities, strategic planning and library trends, among many others. Participating consultants will be available during the “Consultants Give Back” office hours, 1:30-5:30 p.m. in room 203B of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, June 24 or at other times throughout the conference. Registration is now open for consultants wishing to offer services as a part of this exciting event. Access the consultant registration form here.

For those seeking consulting services, a list of participating consultants and their availability will be available on the ASCLA website in early May, and will be promoted via the ASCLA blog, ASCLA Facebook page and ASCLA Twitter feed. Those interested in booking a session should contact the consultant of their choice no later than Monday, June 20, 2012.

Questions about the consultation sessions should be directed to Nancy Bolt at nancybolt@earthlink.net or Paula Singer pmsinger@singergrp.com. Consultants interested in engaging and networking with library consulting peers for the benefit of all independent library professionals should join ASCLA’s Library Consultants Interest Group.

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ASCLA Workshop: Marketing, Development and Building a Library Champions Campaign

There has never been a better time to pursue a Library Champions campaign! Library Champions can promote the value of your library to your community while delivering maximum fundraising impact. Participate in this ASCLA workshop and you’ll learn from the experts how to execute a successful marketing and development campaign, from soup to nuts.

“A Marriage Made in Heaven: Combining Marketing and Development to Ensure the Future of Your Library”
Friday, June 22, 8:00a.m.-12:00p.m.
Anaheim, Calif. in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conferece
REGISTER NOW.
This workshop will be an incredibly valuable experience for public and special library directors, development staff, public relations staff, foundation members, and library trustees.

Two years ago, 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. Nancy Dowd, former NJSL director of marketing, and Erin MacCord, NJSL development director, will present on the following topics:

  • How to recruit celebrity champions and local heroes to promote your library;
  • How to leverage library champions, build a donor database and raise big money for your library;
  • How to build a donor development strategy for everyone in your library;
  • The essential publications your library must produce to secure funders.
Registration Rates: Through May 13: ASCLA members, $109; ALA members, $129; non-members, $149; Student and Retired ALA members, $99.
May 14 through June 15: ASCLA members, $129; ALA members, $149; non-members, $169; Student and Retired ALA members, $109.REGISTER NOW.

ASCLA Conference Events

There’s lots happening with ASCLA in Anaheim! Access our conference information page on our website, which will provide you with access to our other preconference offerings; our exciting programs which include the ASCLA President’s Program, featuring John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing; and fun events like the ASCLA/COSLA Awards Reception and Networking event.

ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition–Transforming Our Libraries, Ourselves

Find out about the many other ALA Annual Conference & Exhibits highlights as they’re added–speakers, events, networking opportunities, and more. And for general information about the meeting in Anaheim, CA, June 21-26, 2012, visit us at www.alaannual.org. Save money with Early Bird Registration, open until midnight, Sunday, May 13, 2012.

ASCLA Conference Events

There’s lots happening with ASCLA in Anaheim! Access our conference information page on our website, which will provide you with access to our other preconference offerings; our exciting programs which include the ASCLA President’s Program, featuring John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing; and fun events like the ASCLA/COSLA Awards Reception and Networking

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ASCLA Webinar: “Serving Blind & Visually Impaired” registration ends TONIGHT!

There are just a few hours left to reserve your seat at tomorrow’s webinar “Serving Blind and Visually Impaired in Your Library”, brought to you by the accessibility experts at the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and presented by internationally acclaimed Leadership Strategist and ADA consultant Buna Dahal.

This awesome webinar will be valuable for:

  • public and academic librarians;
  • library staff who want to learn how to effectively communicate and provide outstanding customer service to this community;
  • reference librarians who identify and delivery materials in the most appropriate format for this community;
  • web developers who want to gain a practical understanding of Section 508.

The webinar will cover the Service Frontiers in BVIP Initiative for blind and visually impaired patrons; the legal and functional definition of blindness; the do’s & don’ts of blindness while serving blind and visually impaired patrons; how to identify 3 key resources—and potential partners—who serve the blind in your communities; and how to match your current library materials and services to the needs of the blind and visually impaired.

 

Webinar details: Thursday, April 5, 2012, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Central Time

Individuals can register online now.

Individual rates start at $40 for ASCLA members.

We also offer group rates: $38/person for multiple logins, and $99 for a single login.

State Library Agencies who are members of ASCLA save even more on these group rates!

>>>>>More group rate information and registration forms available at the ASCLA Online Learning page.

Registration will remain open through midnight tonight (Wednesday)!


Questions about registration? Contact registration@ala.org or 800-545-2433, option 5.

And if this topic is of interest to you, why not join ASCLA’s Universal Access Interest Group? ASCLA membership isn’t required in order to participate in this or any of our other interest groups, but we’d love to have you as a member if you aren’t already. Add ASCLA to your membership at www.ala.org/membership.

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Member Signatures Wanted: Petition to establish tribal librarian interest group

A note from ASCLA Executive Director Susan Hornung:

We have a new e-petition started for a Tribal Librarian Interest Group. Lillian Chavez, the Librarian for Mescalero Community Library in Mescalero, NM, and ASCLA member, has started this petition.

This group is open to anyone with an interest in Tribal Libraries.  The purpose of this group is to increase knowledge and networking among library leaders and tribal libraries possibly by producing a listserv, conference programs, webinars, discussion forums and any other types of educational events (activities to be decided once the group has started). Hopefully, these new relations will begin a lifelong partnership within our tribal librarians interest group. Another note to add is that this interest group  is not just for “Tribal,” it is for everybody to learn more about tribal libraries within their communities. Ms. Chavez says that she always get patrons who come into the library asking if they have to be a “Tribal Member” to use the library; the answer is “No, we are a public library and we are here for everybody to use.” She hopes that her fellow ASCLA members/librarians will sign the e-petition and gain a new world of information from a specialized perspective through this petition.

I encourage you to sign the petition here: http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/epetition/index.cfm&pid=D2F146AFEBB34405.

You do have to be an ASCLA member to sign the petition.

If you’re not a member but would like to join so that you can sign the petition and take advantage of our other membership benefits, you can do so by visiting www.ala.org/membership or calling 800-545-2433, option 5, and adding ASCLA to your ALA membership. Interest Group leaders must also be members of ASCLA.

Once we’ve acquired 10 signatures, the petition will go to the ASCLA Interest Group Coordinating committee for approval and then we will let you all know how to join the interest group.

You can check out the rest of our established interest groups on the ASCLA interest groups page of our website.

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Member Feedback Needed! 5 minute online learning survey

ASCLA is in the process of upgrading its online training offerings in order to better serve the diverse needs of the members. We need your input now to be able to meet your specific online training needs. Even if you don’t ever expect to attend sessions, we would like your opinions.

The following survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. Any information you include will be managed confidentially. We are committed to continuous improvement in all areas of our association and your participation in this survey is very much appreciated.

Thank you for your support and please feel free to contact the ASCLA office (ascla@ala.org) if you have any questions.

Survey Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3F2MYGC

 

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Transform Your Library: Top-Notch Service for All Users!

Is your library reaching all of its users with effective services, a welcoming environment and knowledgeable staff? ASCLA, a division of ALA, offers expertise in serving special populations. Take advantage of this expertise: enroll in one of our upcoming webinars or online courses to gain valuable knowledge that will help transform your library’s services to Latino populations, the blind and visually impaired, and people with disabilities. Learn more below, or visit our online learning page to find out about all of our upcoming opportunities.

Questions? Contact registration@ala.org or (800) 545-2433, option 5.

WEBINAR: Serving the Blind and Visually Impaired in Your Library
Thursday, April 5, 2012, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Central Time
REGISTER NOW.
The need for services to the blind and visually impaired is relevant to all libraries. This webinar will introduce the Service Frontiers in BVIP Initiative for blind and visually impaired patrons. During the session we will review the definition of blindness; explore disability etiquette; and learn where the blind are and how to attract them with our library services. Service Frontiers in BVIP is a first-of-its-kind in the U.S. and we will create a successful model for public libraries around the country. This program will focus on developing partnerships –between libraries and the blind & visually impaired community– which will promote an ongoing exchange of needs, ideas and solutions for improving library services to this underserved population.
Who Should Attend: Public and academic Librarians; library staff communicating and serving this community; reference librarians identifying and delivering information materials to this community; web developers interested in gaining a practical understanding of Section 508.
Instructor: Buna Dahal, internationally acclaimed leadership strategist, ADA consultant, and secretary for the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado
Registration starts at $40 for ASCLA members. Single-login group rates are $99.

ONLINE COURSE: Improving Library Services to People With Disabilities
Apr. 23 – May 18, 2012
Two live course chat meetings: Thursday, May 3 & 17, from 3-4 pm CENTRAL/Chicago Time
REGISTER NOW. Previous course offerings have sold out!
Library services to people with disabilities are provided by all levels of library staff.  From the part-time aide charging out library materials to the library director determining policies, staff skills and attitudes are crucial for a satisfactory library experience. All libraries have a plan for serving people with disabilities, whether it is the installation of ramps or the creation of special needs story times. But improvements are always possible. Library staff who enroll will review the current level of service to people with disabilities then explore materials and sources that provide additional support or new ideas.
Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for all library staff, including support staff, general professional staff, age-level or subject specialists, managers and administrators.
Instructor: Kate Todd has worked as a children’s librarian for The New York Public Library and as Emerging Technologies Librarian for Manhattanville College, where she also taught “Technology for Special Education” in the graduate School of Education. She also taught the popular ALSC online course “Children with Disabilities in the Library.”
Registration starts at $130 for ASCLA members. Group rates for multiple registrations from the same library, library system or network are available!

WEBINAR: Creating a Latino Friendly Library
Thursday, May 17, 2012, 2:00 – 3:30pm Central Time
REGISTER NOW.
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.
Who Should Attend: Anyone whose library serves Latino/Spanish-speaking populations and who is interested in implementing a plan to bring more Latinos into the library and make them feel welcome.
Instructor: Yolanda J. Cuesta, lead consultant at Cuesta MultiCultual Consulting
Registration starts at $40 for ASCLA members. Single-login group rates are $99.