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Library Consultants: An invitation to get involved with ASCLA

Attention consultants and independent librarians! Carol Desch, chair of the ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group, invites you to join ASCLA’s Library Consultants Interest Group, and to participate in this group’s many activities, including programs and social events at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. If you have any questions about the information below, contact Carol at cdesch@mail.nysed.gov.

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Dear Colleague:

On behalf of the ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG), I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to join us. Whether you are a practicing library consultant, an occasional consultant, just beginning your career as a consultant, or thinking about whether consulting is for you, we hope you will consider joining the ALA Connect community for the ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group.

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 ALA members at your earliest convenience. Join ASCLA now.

JOIN US if you are interested in sharing information and expertise with and learning from other library consultants. Join us if you are interested in learning about and addressing issues of concern to library consultants.  For example, under the leadership of longtime expert consultant Nancy Bolt, the LCIG developed a Library Consultant Code of Ethics which is now being considered for adoption by ALA.

JOIN US if you would like to be kept informed about, or participate in planning ASCLA activities and programs of interest to library consultants such as these events occurring at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim:

  • ASCLA/COSLA Networking Party and Awards Reception, Saturday, June 23, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
    A great opportunity to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones! Build your consulting network at this free reception attended by many of the movers and shakers in the library world.
  • Program: “Consultants Give Back”, Sunday, June 24, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
    CGB is happening throughout conference, but this Sunday time slot is the open “office hour” time set aside for consultants who want a designated time and place to meet. See the list of participating consultants. Are you a consultant interested in providing services as a part of this event at a future ALA conference? Please contact Nancy Bolt (nancybolt@earthlink.net) for more information.
  • Program: “Essential Facilitation: Practical Tools for Guiding Groups”, Monday, June 25, 10:30 a.m.- 12 noon
    The featured speaker, Patty McManus from Interaction Associates, will speak on “Decision Making Without Pain: Tips and Tools for Leading Groups to Success.” She writes: “Everyone knows the agony of endless efforts to reach decisions in groups. Join LCIG and Interaction Associates to learn some practical tools for leaders and consultants. In this session, we’ll cover: Setting up decision making for success; Choosing a decision-making process that fits the situation; Structuring group discussions that make progress; Finally, hear how a state library and a library consultant have implemented this material for greater effectiveness in their groups. Sharing the podium with McManus will be Ann Joslin, Director of the Idaho Commission for Libraries and Nancy Bolt, President of Nancy Bolt & Associates. Both Ms Joslin and Ms Bolt have had extensive Interaction Associates training and use it in their daily work.

HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN LCIG

In addition to becoming a member of LCIG on ALAConnect you are also invited to assist us in shaping the future of the Library Consultants Interest Group by participating as a full member of the LCIG leadership team. Members of the LCIG Leadership Team must be ASCLA members.

There are also multiple opportunities to initiate and work on special projects.  For example, volunteers are needed to moderate discussion forums at ALA Midwinter, to assist with conference programs, to post information and questions on the ALAConnect site and much more.

If you are interested in participating on the Leadership Team, have an idea for a special project or are interested in volunteering, please contact incoming 2012-2013 LCIG Chairperson Jeannette Smithee at smithee@seflin.org.

I hope to see you on ALAConnect…and in Anaheim!  Questions?  Don’t hesitate to contact me or one of the other members of the LCIG Leadership Team.

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2013 Programs, Preconferences and Institutes: Proposals due June 1, 2012

The deadline for a call for ASCLA proposals for institutes at the ALA 2013 Midwinter Meeting in Seattle and programs and preconferences at the ALA 2013 Annual Conference in Chicago has been extended to June 1, 2012.

What’s this all about? Midwinter Institutes are ticketed full or half-day workshops held the Friday of the Midwinter Meeting. Annual Preconferences are ticketed full or half-day workshops held the Friday of Annual Conference. Programs are part of the ALA Annual Conference, are included with conference registration, and are held Saturday through Monday of the conference. Check out what ASCLA’s doing at this year’s Annual Conference.

What’s the best way to propose a program? We encourage members with programming ideas to partner with one of our ASCLA interest groups to sponsor the program. Review our list of interest groups and learn how to join a group at the ASCLA website.

More information about the proposal process–including some important notes about overall scheduling changes to both Midwinter and Annual–is in this post in ASCLA’s ALA Connect space. Please check out this post before making your submission.

Learn more about ASCLA, and join this small and mighty group of ALA members who are making a difference for library users from all corners of the world!

We look forward to receiving your proposals!

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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.