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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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ASCLA seeks proposals for 2013 webinars

ASCLA invites subject matter experts and experienced librarians with knowledge to share to submit proposals for ASCLA webinars to be presented in 2013 as a part of ASCLA’s outstanding online learning offerings.

ASCLA welcomes proposals on topics that will assist our diverse membership in improved service delivery and job performance, as well as topics that reflect ASCLA’s expertise and are valuable for all types of libraries, librarians and library support staff across the profession. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available presentation slots for 2013 are filled. Webinar presenters are compensated for their work and will receive training and support for Blackboard Collaborate, the webinar technology platform used by the division.

More information about the submission process and ASCLA’s online learning offerings is at the ASCLA website under the Online Learning section. Access the proposal form now.

Proposal topics for courses and webinars may include, but are not limited to the following:

ADA updates for libraries; adult programming in a correctional library; eBooks; assessing accessibility knowledge; benchmarks and evaluation measures; best practices, standards and guidelines to improve library service; innovative services for an aging population; budgeting; collaborative digitization; correctional librarianship 101: covering the basics of a good prison/jail library; data analysis and assessment; dealing with learning disabilities; designing effective surveys; cultivating member loyalty through relationships in cooperative organizations; download training for patrons who use screen readers; emerging technologies for those with special needs, including apps and iPads; evaluating and improving cooperative services; evaluation content analysis; financial literacy; future trends in library service; GIS training; grants: how to find grant funding and write your proposal; group purchasing; health literacy; how to be a consultant; how to be a futurist; how to deliver online training; how to hire a library consultant; nonprofit leadership; increasing public understanding of the value of libraries; innovations in library service; law librarianship for correctional librarians; managing and improving services in a library cooperative; marketing library services to special needs populations; marketing on a shoestring budget; navigating book selection sources; outcomes-based education; outreach skills; outreach to visually or physically handicapped populations; partnering with community organizations; project planning; public education as a marketing tool; recognizing great service in member libraries; seeking grants for consultancy work; services to library patrons with cognitive or mental impairments; low-literacy adults; diverse populations, including special needs populations; tablet computers; training staff to confidently serve library users with disabilities, and raising awareness of this important population; technology trends for special needs populations; utilizing focus groups to prioritize services to the disabled; and working with refugees.

Questions about submissions or about ASCLA’s online learning programs should be sent to Andrea Hill, ASCLA web manager and primary online learning contact at ahill@ala.org.

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ASCLA Interest Groups: New groups for tribal librarians and the future of libraries

Two new ASCLA interest groups are now welcoming members: the Future of Libraries Interest Group and the Tribal Librarians Interest Group!

Descriptions for these new groups, as well as all of ASCLA’s existing interest groups, are below! Click on the group name to be taken to their group page in ALA Connect. You can join the group by logging into ALA Connect, accessing the group page, then clicking “join” on the right side of the page. You do not need to be a member of ASCLA for the first year of your interest group membership, however we encourage you to join this amazing community of members at your earliest convenience!

Learn more about how to start a new interest group here.

New Interest Groups:

ASCLA Future of Libraries Interest Group

This group is open to anyone with an interest in the future of libraries.  Changes in the world around us, different service models, new technologies, determining what our customers value and what our non-customers are finding elsewhere will be examined.  This group will submit an annual recommendation to the ASCLA President for two areas that we think libraries should focus on to increase their value and insure their viability in the future.

ASCLA Tribal Librarians Interest Group

The purpose of this new interest group is to increase knowledge and networking among library leaders with tribal libraries. The goal is to foster new relations and begin lifelong partnerships with community library leaders and Tribal Librarians. This interest group is not just for “Tribal.” Tribal librarians and employees of tribal libraries as well as librarians and library leaders interested in knowing more about tribal libraries are welcome.

Other ASCLA Interest Groups:

ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group The ASCLA Library Consultant Interest Group supports professional development by providing programs, information exchange and networking opportunities of interest to independent librarians, library consultants, state library and regional library consultants, and anyone who wants to push the boundaries of librarianship.

ASCLA LSSP Universal Access Interest Group Interest group purpose is to promote inclusive library services – sharing information and resources.

ASCLA ICAN Consortium Management Discussion Interest Group This interest group is focused on consortial funding, advocacy, services, etc., plus discussion group on topics of interest to library cooperatives statewide, multi-state, national cooperatives, and multitype library systems.

ASCLA ICAN (InterLibrary Cooperation & Networking) Collaborative Digitization Interest Group Interest group for library cooperatives which are combinations, mergers, or contractual associations of one or more types of libraries (academic, public, special, or school) crossing jurisdictional, institutional, or political boundaries, working together to achieve maximum effective use of funds to provide library and information services to all citizens above and beyond those which can be provided through one institution. Such cooperative organizations or agencies may be designated to serve a community, a metropolitan area, a region within a region, or may serve a statewide or multi-state area.

ASCLA ICAN (InterLibrary Cooperation & Networking) Interlibrary Cooperation Interest Group Provides a forum for discussion of interests in interlibrary cooperation and the statewide development of library service, emphasizing the interdependence of all types of libraries.

ASCLA ICAN (InterLibrary Cooperation & Networking) Physical Delivery Interest Group The focus of this interest group covers the physical delivery of library materials for resource sharing and related issues.

ASCLA Library Services for Youth in Custody (LSSP) The purpose of this Interest Group is to advocate, promote, and improve library services for youth who have been detained in correctional facilities of various kinds.

ASCLA LSSP Bridging Deaf Cultures @ your library Interest Group Primary focus is building support for the nation’s libraries to work with organizations serving the deaf (OSD) in forming a Deaf Cultural Digital Library.

ASCLA LSSP (Libraries Serving Special Populations) LSSP Library Services to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities that Prevent Them from Reading Standard Print Interest Group This interest group focuses on assistive technology and accessibility services for people with visual or physical disabilities.

ASCLA LSSP Library Services to the Incarcerated and Detained Supports ALA members who serve patrons of any age who are held in jail, prison, detention or immigration facility.

ASCLA SLA State Library Agencies – Library Development Interest Group An interest group for State Library Agencies staff to network and discussion matters relating to library development services, activities, and needs.

ASCLA SLA (State Library Agencies)/LSTA Coordinators Interest Group For staff responsible for procuring and administering LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds and programs. LSTA is a federally funded state based program generally administered by the state library of each state.

ASCLA SLA (State Library Agencies) Youth Services Consultants Interest Group The group’s purpose is to allow each state’s Youth Services Consultant or staff member responsible for working with youth services to keep abreast of topics of interest to the group and the constituents they serve in their states through listservs, and in-person networking meetings at ALA Midwinter and Annual Conferences.