ASCLA Interface

Dear ASCLA Members,

I invite you to volunteer for one of ASCLA’s committees or interest groups.

If you are already a committee or interest group volunteer, thank you for your service: you are so much appreciated!  Because of your contributions, our division accomplishes much. ASCLA, through its volunteers, has provided:

•Member expertise on accessibility and diversity for ALA committees and work groups, such as the Advocacy Coordinating Group and the Working Group on Digital Content and Libraries

•Standards and guidelines, such as those for libraries serving the blind and physically handicapped and for state library agencies

•Outstanding conference programming

•A great member newsletter

•Assistance vetting online learning opportunities of value to ASCLA members

•Special recognition of people and library services such as awards for specialized library services for people with disabilities or the homebound.

This is just a small sampling of what our volunteers plan and take part in, and what makes ASCLA a terrific place for opportunities for service, your professional growth, and networking with colleagues.

If you are not yet a member of any of our committees or interest groups, please join:

Committees: All current members may volunteer for ASCLA committees here: http://www.ala.org/cfapps/committee/volunteerform (you will be asked to login using your ALA login).

Second, write to the ASCLA vice-president, Sara Laughlin (mailto://saraglaughlin@gmail.com), our ASCLA president-elect, who will appoint the committees for 2014.  Tell her about your experience and why you can be of help to these groups.

Interest Groups: To join a free interest group, all current ASCLA members may call MACS (ALA’s member services department) at the following number: 1-800-545-2433, x5 and request to have the interest group added to their membership; or send an email to membership@ala.org with your request to be added to the interest group with subject line: ASCLA free interest groups.

Second, write to the specific interest group leader.  You will find a list of Interest Groups and their leaders in the Interest Groups section of Interface. Tell the leader about your experience and how you can be of help to the group.

Thank you again to all our current, past and future volunteers – you are truly what makes ASCLA such a wonderful, and fun, place to be!

Best Wishes,

Susan Hornung, ASCLA Executive Director, shornung@ala.org

Say au revoir to the gloomy fall weather and bonjour to lavender fields, vineyards and outdoor markets! Destinations for this Mediterranean adventure include Nice, Cannes and Monaco. This is the fourth fundraising trip hosted by ASCLA. Previous adventures include Paris, Ireland and the upcoming trip to Italy in April 2013, which is sold out. This adventure is open to the library community; there are no membership requirements in order to participate. Previous travelers have brought spouses, siblings and friends along.

Travelers will arrive in Nice on October 6, then transfer to Les-Baux-de-Provence. From Les Baux, the trip will explore the Luberon Valley, full of vineyards, lavender fields, olive groves and charming towns like L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and Gordes; Arles and the St. Paul de Mausole; Avignon and the Palace of the Popes; and St. Remy. On October 10, the group will depart for Cannes, visiting St. Tropez en route. From Cannes, travelers will visit Antibes, Juan les Pins, Vence and Eze. There will also be tours of the Monaco Library, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco, the neo-Romanesque cathedral where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier are entombed; and Jardins St. Martin.

You can download a complete trip itinerary here. (http://www.ala.org/ascla/sites/ala.org.ascla/files/content/asclaevents/asclafrancefall2013.pdf)

Those interested in making a reservation should contact Michael Stillwell at Lyceum Tours (lyceum46@yahoo.com) or ASCLA Executive Director Susan Hornung (shornung@ala.org) for information. The cost of the trip is $2,869 plus airfare. A deposit in the amount of $500 is due by May 1 to reserve your space, with the balance due by July 15.

A bientôt!

REGISTER NOW!

All webinar times are Central (Chicago) Time. We use Blackboard Collaborate for our webinar presentations.

May 1: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Positive Interactions: Making the Library Welcoming for People with Disabilities 

May 15: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Creating a Latino Friendly Library 

May 31: 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. Accessibility is Usability

August 14, 21, and 28: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Understanding Personalities in the Workplace***

September 18, 25 and Oct. 2: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Emotional Intelligence in Your Workplace***

 ***Register for BOTH of these webinars and save 15%.

Individual Registration Fees:

•$40 for ASCLA members

•$50 for ALA members

•$65 for non-ALA members

•$45 for ALA student members and retired members

Group Rates:

To qualify for a group rate, you must have a minimum of 2 people registering from the same library, library system or network.

•$99 single login

•$38/person for multiple logins (min. 2 people)

State Library Group Rates:

State Libraries who are members of ASCLA receive the following rates:

•$69 single login

•$29/person for multiple logins (min. 2 people)

ASCLA is now accepting proposals for institutes for the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia and preconferences and programs for the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

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.

Any current ASCLA member can propose one of these events, however we strongly encourage support and sponsorship from one of the interest groups. If you are not yet an interest group member, consider joining one and using the group as a springboard for your conference event ideas. Check out the list of interest groups in this issue of Interface.

For more information about making the actual program submissions, check out the ASCLA Blog:

http://ascla.ala.org/blog/2013/04/call-for-proposals-ascla-2014-programs-preconferences-institutes/

There’s a link to both the online submission form and a PDF download of the form that you can use to prepare your submission.

Have you visited the ASCLA Resources page recently? This blog post covers all the recent updates. Go directly to the page–and visit it often–for new information about library services related to the following topics: blind and physically handicapped; certification; cooperative library organizations; deaf/hard of hearing; equity of access; impaired elderly library users; independent librarians and library consultants; learning disabilities; prison libraries; state libraries; students with disabilities; and website accessibility. Visit the ASCLA Resources page.

 New Interest Group

ASCLA has a new Interest Group: Serving Those with Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias.  The leader of this new group is Mary Beth Riedner.  Please contact Mary Beth for more information (mbried@comcast.net).

Library Consultants Interest Group  –  Seattle Wrap-up

ASCLA and ALA members enjoyed Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG) interactive events and a membership meeting during the recent Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. Experienced consultants, new consultants, and those interested in becoming consultants, joined LCIG members at the first Library Consultants Networking Lunch on Saturday and at the Library Consultants Discussion Forum on Sunday.

Forty-one people attended the Library Consultants Networking Lunch in the Visions Room at the top of the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. Participants were treated to a spectacular view of the city, a great lunch, and active learning activities. Attendees received a penny at sign in. As the lunch began, everyone shared a Penny Story with tablemates. For this icebreaker, the date on each person’s penny was the key for describing significant events from that year. Nancy Bolt introduced the Penny Stories exercise. She explained that having people talk about the events from a random year could be useful for groups of colleagues who regularly work together as well as for groups getting to know each other. The next activity involved Elevator Speeches. Nancy Bolt, Jeannette Smithee, and Carson Block role-played airline passengers responding to the “what do you do” question. After their demonstrations, everyone in the room circulated and shared short introductions with several others. For the final activity, Carson Block described, used, and coached the audience in using Twitter. He described how presenters and attendees utilize Twitter for event promotion, for taking quick notes, for prompting presenters, for back-channel comments, etc. Attendees used the tag #asclalunch to post comments such as — #asclalunch #alamw13 Library Consultants Networking Lunch very energizing

The Library Consultants Discussion Forum focused on ethical issues confronted by library consultants in their work. This discussion built on the ASCLA Library Consultants Code of Ethics. Panelists Gary Pitkin, Nancy Bolt, and Liz Bishoff each presented a consulting situation where they encountered information where they needed to make a decision about whether and how to act on the information in an ethical manner. After each panelist presented the situation, the audience was invited to give reactions on how they would handle the situation. The panelist then described how the situation was actually resolved. The Forum provided lively discussion for twelve attendees.

The Discussion Forum immediately followed the LCIG Leadership and Member meeting where several guests joined the Leadership Team. Jeannette Smithee, LCIG Leader welcomed guests and invited them to participate in the Discussion Forum and to become involved in the Library Consultants Interest Group. The team discussed nominations for the 2013-2014 team, plans for programs at the Annual Conference, plans for using a new database to manage the Consultants Giving Back program offered at ALA, PLA, and possibly other conferences, plans for pursuing a preconference on facilitation skills in 2014, and needs for other continuing education for consultants. Members of the leadership team at the meeting included Jeannette Smithee – leader, Allen Kleiman – leader-elect, Carol Desch – past-leader, Nancy Bolt – member-at-large and Stephanie Gerding – member-at-large. Jean Porter -secretary, was not in attendance.

Here is the list of current interest group leaders.  For instructions on how to join an of the Interest Groups, see http://www.ala.org/ascla/asclaourassoc/asclainterest/list or contact the Interest Group leader.

ASCLA Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias Interest Group

Leader: Mary Beth Riedner, mbried@comcast.net

 ASCLA Future of Libraries Interest Group

Leader: Peggy Cadigan, pcadigan@njstatelib.org

 ASCLA Consortium Management Discussion Interest Group

Leader: Sheryl Knab, sknab@wnylrc.org

ASCLA Collaborative Digitization Interest Group

Leader: Rhonda Marker, rmarker@rci.rutgers.edu

 ASCLA Interlibrary Cooperation Interest Group

Leader: Scherelene L. Schatz, slschatzie@aol.com

ASCLA Physical Delivery Interest Group

Co-Leader: Gregory Pronevitz, greg@masslibsystem.org

Co-Leader: Mr. James E. Pletz, jpletz1968@hotmail.com

ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group

Leader: Jeannette Smithee, smithee@seflin.org 

ASCLA Library Services for Youth in Custody

Leader: Camden Eadoin Tadhg, Tadhg_C@cde.state.co.us

ASCLA Bridging Deaf Cultures @ your library Interest Group

Leader: Alec Mcfarlane, alec.mcfarlane@gmail.com

ASCLA Library Services to People with Visual or Physical Disabilities that Prevent Them from Reading Standard Print Interest Group

Leader:  Carli Spina, carli.spina@gmail.com

ASCLA Library Services to the Incarcerated and Detained

Leader: Diane Walden, diane.walden@doc.state.co.us

ASCLA Universal Access Interest Group

Leader: Marti Goddard, mgoddard@sfpl.org

ASCLA State Library Agencies – Library Development Interest Group

Leader: Gina Persichini, Gina.Persichini@libraries.idaho.gov 

ASCLA State Library Agencies – LSTA Coordinators Interest Group

Leader: Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer, kpeiffer@njstatelib.org

ASCLA State Library Agencies – Youth Services Consultants Interest Group

Leader: Sharon Rawlins, srawlins@njstatelib.org

ASCLA Tribal Libraries Interest Group

Leader: Lillian Chavez, mescalero_library@yahoo.com

Ruth J. Nussbaum retired Dec 31, 2012 after 25 years, as reference librarian at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS/BPH), Library of Congress. She continues to be active in ASCLA remaining on two committees, and is a new member of Retired Members roundtable.

 Rand Simmons was appointed Washington State Librarian.

Robert Maier retired as director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners on March 15.

Please send your news to the ASCLA Interface Editor for the next issue.

We welcome the following new members to ASCLA! Do you recognize anyone here? We encourage you to connect with these new colleagues! Send them an email or, if they happen to be in your office, drop by their workspace and say hello!

Alexander Andrasik

Alicia V. Zuniga

Andrea G. Barkley

Art Spanjer

Basheer L. Kareem

Brandon Cal

Brenda Carrillo

Cari Pat Rerat

Caroline Dechert

Charlotte Roh

Cindie Gaither

Claudia A. Perry

Connie F. Thompson

Corey Christians

Courtney L. Young

Dawn Amsberry

Diana Maria Rojas

Elissa Skye Corey

Elizabeth Jean Brumfield

Eva M L Rios-Alvarado

Ivelisse Maldonado

James C. Clifford

Jami Shafer

Janet McKenney

Jeanette Mancusi

Jordan Boaz

Julie Ann Winkelstein

June P. Thammasnong

Justin D. Mitchell

Kate Laughlin

Katherine Kimball Adelberg

Keith Gresham

Kelly Jean Knudsen

Kimberly A. Kelly

Kirk G. McLeod

Krystin Mavity

Laura J. White

Laura K. Probst

Lauren Mae Peters

Leonor Mabel Cortina

Levertes Ragland, Jr

Linda M. Barbero

Liza Booker

Lori E. Harris

Marcia C. McIntosh

Marisa L. Mendez-Brady

Melleny Alene Thomasson

Orolando Augustus Duffus

Patricia A. Wand

Raina Uheina Tuakoi

Robert Cale Oldfield

Robert M. Baker

Rosa Cesaretti

Saira Raza

Samantha L. Hager

Sylvie Merlier-Rowen

Tony Landolt

Vivienne E. Layne

Wilhelmina Hargrave

Submitted by Lisa Priebe, Assistant Director, Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC), lpriebe@clicweb.org

The Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC) was awarded a 2012-2013 LSTA grant to help pay migration costs for several small rural libraries to AspenCat, a union catalog of 35 small public, school, academic, and special libraries. AspenCat runs on an open source Koha system that collectively shares over 600,000 items, plus an eBook collection on the 3M Cloud platform. The new libraries will be migrated from December 2012-September 2013. They include Northern Saguache Library District, Conejos County Library District, Berthoud Community Library, La Veta Public Library, Lyons Depot Library, and Norwood Public Library. We anticipate another one to three libraries will also take advantage of this unique opportunity. The Lyons Depot Library conversion will be done manually using library school students, library, and CLiC staff. For more information contact Lisa Priebe, lpriebe@clicweb.org.

Submitted by Diantha Dow Schull, DDSchull Associates, www.ddschull.com

It is my pleasure to announce publication of 50+ Library Services: Innovation in Action, published by ALA Editions. This book examines the key issues driving change in how libraries work with older adults, and explores the implications of these changes for the library profession. The research involved documentation of hundreds of projects and programs and I thank all of you who contributed ideas and examples.  

If you would like to order a copy of the book see:  http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3311 . The coupon code SLSA13 will reduce the cost by $5 and can be used on the online store, or via phone or fax orders. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in circulating information on the new book, and the discount, to members of your library community.  

For information on other new trends in libraries and museums – and the grantmakers that support their work — please visit my new website: www.ddschull.com.   You will find posts on the California Reads program, on expansion of the Family Place Libraries model for early learning and parent support, and on how libraries across the country are adopting creative aging programs. You will also find information on the upcoming preconference on Creative Aging (http://www.ala.org/offices/ppo-ac2013) at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago in June.

It is an exciting time to be working with institutions that promote knowledge, imagination and access to information, and I am looking forward to reporting my observations on the visions, challenges and accomplishments of these institutions in the coming years.  As one example, I plan to use the website to highlight new examples of innovative 50+ services, which are being continuously developed as libraries respond to demographic change. 

For those of you with whom I have worked in the past, this message serves as an opportunity for re-connection.  For the last four years I have been much occupied with writing, consulting, teaching and two wondrous little granddaughters.  Although I am not on Facebook, nor do I Twitter, I hope to stay in closer touch with you.  I look forward to your comments on the book and the website and to learning your thoughts on new developments on the library landscape.

Submitted by Jason LeDuc, Director of Sales, Counting Opinions, jleduc@countingopinions.com

The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records is a multi-faceted organization with six divisions. The Library Development Division provides consulting and best practices services, continuing education, and summer reading and early literacy programs, as well as administering LSTA grant funding and collecting public library statistics.

The organization faced the challenge of collecting and managing a variety of data. According to Laura Stone, Grants Administrator, the library wanted more control over how data collection for the annual Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) survey was set up and more flexibility in accessing the data for reporting. They also wanted to collect data in areas beyond what was required. “We were using a tool to help collect data but we didn’t feel it offered the flexibility we needed. We wanted to add questions and collect data other that what IMLS requires and the tool we were using didn’t give us the control over how our data was set up in order to get what we wanted.”

Stone says Library Development was attracted to LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service because of the versatility in managing the collection of statistics as well as the creation of reports and data products that they could share with their libraries. Although initially interested in LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service because of the data collection they could do for IMLS, they wanted to explore how the product could also be used to gather and manage other types of data from their libraries. “Library Development has so many programs for which data needs to be collected,” says Chris Guerra, Project Specialist. “We saw in LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service the functionality and flexibility to incorporate multiple sets of data that otherwise don’t have any relation to each other.”

Fiscal year 2010-2011 was the State Library’s first full year of data collection using LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service. For fiscal year 2011-2012, the library added two large question sets. The first focused on the programs in the State Library’s five-year LSTA plan. “We have 20-plus different programs outlined in our plan,” says Stone. “We wanted to gather data from the libraries on how involved they are in each of those programs so that we can prioritize our resources. We were able to add these questions in-house and that was really important to us. We will use the data to drive our decisions on which programs to pursue actively. When we evaluate our plan we’ll have this comparison data to draw upon.”

The second question set focused on ebooks. Stone says this is such a big initiative for the State Library that it is important to get a better picture of what libraries are doing to make ebooks available to their patrons. They were able to drill down and ask very specific questions and to produce reports looking at ebook data that was used with the statewide planning committee. She expects that the questions about ebooks will continue to evolve so the ability to add and change questions to collect the type of data that is important for the State Library to be tracking is a tremendous time-saver.

“Being able to ask these two question sets within our traditional statistical gathering was really important to us,” Stone says. “This was the kind of flexibility we were looking for when we selected LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service. Having this tool gives us the data to support good decisions going forward.”

Stone says the library also was able to use the tool outside the scope of standard data collection. The State Library received two BTOP (Broadband Technologies Opportunity Program) grants from the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The first – BTOP 1 – was to put computers in 84 libraries across the state. It was not difficult to track the statistics from this first grant, says Stone. But BTOP 2 was a more complex project with two components: Job Help Hub and Virtual Workforce Workstations. The goal of BTOP 2 was to position libraries to help job seekers by providing both computers and trainers. The State Library needed a way to collect information from the approximately 200 participating public libraries on a monthly basis.

The solution was to provide participating libraries with separate IDs and passwords in LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service to log in to record their BTOP statistics. “This was completely separate from our IMLS data collection,” Stone says. “We needed this data on a monthly basis, not annually as with IMLS. It needed to be easy for the libraries to enter their own data on programming, attendance, topics, computer usage, and more. Getting this project up and running and managing it has been a fast and furious undertaking. This solution made it possible for us to meet our BTOP reporting requirements while also addressing the libraries’ needs.”

Stone stressed how the ability to use LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service to streamline data gathering for BTOP has made a huge difference for Library Development staff as well as for participating libraries. “It is a big deal for us that people have a consistent place to enter and retrieve data for reports. Something like SurveyMonkey would require a survey to be developed and implemented every month with a new URL for collecting responses and we wouldn’t have a good way to tie those statistics together from month to month. LibPASLibrary Performance Assessment Service cumulates the data and makes it accessible all in one place.”

Submitted by Jessica Stewart, Master’s Degree Candidate, Library and Information Science-School Media

Librarians who are well trained in providing high level services to their patrons with disabilities results in patrons who will have access to information resources and technologies for learning equal to their non-disabled peers. The ultimate consequence to these patrons is the enhanced aid in becoming well-informed, well-educated, literate citizens. An online survey was posted by the Center for Digital Literacy to three school library listservs (LM_NET, AASL forum, schmedia@syr.edu) from November 6-14, 2011. A total of 331 school librarians nationwide responded. Results indicated that respondents rated their knowledge from minimal to nonexistent in the following areas:

(1) types of disabilities (25.7%; 85),

(2) disability law (55.3%; 183)

(3) assistive technology (59.8%; 198)

(4) IEPs/IEP process (30.8%; 102)

(5) accessibility (42.3%; 140)

(6) Universal Design/UD for Learning (69.2%; 229),

and from barely effective to totally ineffective (60.1%; 199) in policies for modifying programs/resources. These results further indicate the need for training available nationwide to those working with students with disabilities.

Project ENABLE (Expanding Nondiscriminatory Access By Librarians Everywhere), funded by grants from the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS), provides high quality, comprehensive, and free train-the-trainer professional development to New York State school librarians. This training helps these professionals develop and deliver effective library and information services to students with disabilities. In the summer of 2011, we provided face-to-face professional development for 35 teams of educators (school librarians, special educators and classroom teachers) from New York State. In November 2012, we launched a comprehensive, multimedia, freely accessible training website.

An IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Continuation Grant is allowing the expansion of face-to-face workshops nationally this summer. Recruiting has begun for three-person teams (librarian, general educator, special educator), as well as fifteen school library faculty from graduate school library programs, to attend a four-and-a-half-day workshop on the Syracuse University campus –  either June 22-26 or August 5-9 in 2013. Applications and detailed information for these workshop opportunities are available on the Project ENABLE site (http://projectenable.syr.edu/WORKSHOPS/Applications). The workshop curriculum will expand on the same curriculum areas addressed during the 2011 summer workshops, integrate content from the training website, and incorporate collaboration and hands-on learning experiences (e.g., assessing accessibility of a library design, using legal standards, assessing lesson plans using UDL standards, etc.).

The Project ENABLE training Web site (Register for free at http://projectenable.syr.edu) targets educators, but this training is believed to be beneficial to public librarians, academic librarians, parents, administrators, instructors supporting diverse learners, and pre-service librarians and teachers.

To participate in the Project ENABLE training, register for free at http://projectenable.syr.edu to engage in five interactive, self-paced learning modules. These modules are jam-packed with useful information in a variety of formats (text, video, photos, graphics, audio over PowerPoint and more). You can even use our in-text editor to record your ideas and save these to Your Profile to review or edit later. Need to redesign your space to meet accessibility standards under laws you will learn about in our training? We offer an interactive room design activity to redesign your space.

Are you looking to embed this training in your institution’s professional development plan, or host your own course, training, or workshop to further educate librarians in working with individuals, specifically students, with disabilities? The website offers the ability to create group accounts, which allow instructors, administrators, and supervisors the opportunity to host a class and track the progress of colleagues and staff. Anyone completing all five learning modules and scoring at least 3 out of 5 on each module quiz will automatically receive a certificate of completion. For example, at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, the School Media Specialization program offers a course entitled “Library Services to Students with Disabilities,” basing its content and discussions upon the Project ENABLE training site. The instructor of the course uses the Project ENABLE website extensively to support and enrich in-class instruction and discussions. Students take what they have learned from the Project ENABLE training site and engage in thought-provoking, candid, and invaluable discussions and reflections on how pre-service educators can accommodate students, preK-12, with disabilities both in and out of the library.

This organic site is constantly adding more information and ideas for librarians. We are currently working on adding information for practitioners, administrators, and supervisors who may be interested in providing face-to-face workshops and sessions to their colleagues and employees. This will include workshop outlines, face-to-face exercises and activities, handouts, and other materials that facilitate this type of teaching and learning.

Visit http://projectenable.syr.edu to register for the Project ENABLE training to make a difference in your school or community, as well as develop your personal growth as a future or practicing librarian. Just click on the pink Login/Register button in the top right corner of the home page. Registration is required, but everything on the site is free for you to use as much as, and when you need it. After registering, you will have access to your personal information, any notes you take, and any test scores or certificates you receive just by viewing Your Profile.

We welcome your feedback and questions at any time. Just contact us at cdl@syr.edu.

Dr. Ruth V. Small, Ph.D., Laura J. & L. Douglas Meredith Professor and Founding Director, Center for Digital Literacy

Co-Author Jessica Stewart, Master’s Degree Candidate, Library and Information Science-School Media

Project ENABLE, projectenable.syr.edu

Center for Digital Literacy, digital-literacy.syr.edu

School of Information Studies

Syracuse University

cdl@syr.edu

Submitted by Carrie Banks, Supervising Librarian, The Child’s Place for Children with Special Needs/Kidsmobile, Brooklyn Public Library

The Office of Budget and Management has issued new proposed rules for web accessibility.  Please see the link below for additional information.

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201210&RIN=1190-AA65

Along the same lines, Raising the Floor is a great source for information on these types of topics. Raising the Floor brings together like-minded people from many different disciplines and backgrounds who share the accessibility goal under whatever label. This includes people from software development, academia, industry (mainstream and Assistive Technology), consumers, non-governmental organizations, governments and activists.  You can learn more at:  http://raisingthefloor.org/

Submitted by Christina C. Wray, Librarian, Center for Disability Information and Referral, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University, Bloomington, ccwray@indiana.edu

With the advent of the iPhone in July of 2007, the idea of what mobile computing is and could be was forever changed. Since that time, not only have the choices of smart phone technology expanded, but lightweight tablet computers which can access the internet using Wi-Fi or cellular networks have burst onto the market. Mobile devices are well on the way to becoming ubiquitous in our society. The Pew Institute reported that 83% of U.S. adults have cell phones, and 42% of those adults own smartphones. Libraries are also increasingly adding mobile devices to their circulating collections. Creating a core collection of apps for those devices with all patrons in mind can be a daunting task. One group of patrons who may find the ability to borrow mobile devices especially fulfilling are people with disabilities. Mobile applications are being developed that give people with disabilities the tools to live independently and connect to the world around them, but how do you choose which apps will be most useful for your patrons? In July of 2012, 793 apps a day were added to the iTunes App store. This can be very overwhelming for librarians who are tasked with choosing which apps to purchase for their circulating mobile devices. Finding and choosing apps to include so that people with disabilities can fully engage with devices adds another layer of complexity to the selection processes.

While apps are generally inexpensive compared to traditional software or assistive technology devices, there are rarely demos available for users to test full versions of the app before buying. This can make for a frustrating mobile experience as well as costly experimentation. Librarians are in a position to help guide user experiences and provide an opportunity for patrons to experiment with apps as well as the device to see if it will meet their needs. Developing a core collection of apps that can be used to help people with disabilities can be a valuable addition to libraries’ iPad programming. Word of mouth is one way for users to get more information about how specific apps work for people with disabilities; however it is often hard for people with disabilities to connect with others who have the same needs as they do. Luckily, social media has made it significantly easier for interested parties to connect with each other. For this study, a selection of 287 applications were identified as apps for people with disabilities by compiling a list of apps recommended through blogs and Facebook by parents, educators and service providers who work with people with disabilities. The apps were examined in an effort to ascertain what types of apps were being marketed for people with disabilities, how the apps were classified, and to identify areas in which further development would be appreciated.

For this study, applications were gathered from 5 different sources in August of 2011:

ITunes Special Education Subcategory:  In October of 2010, Apple added a sub-category to the Education apps for apps developed for people with disabilities.  This does not appear to be an active subcategory.

Apps for Children with Disabilities top 100 Apps: This list was developed by a very active Facebook community of the Apps for Children with Special Needs website. It is a compilation of the “the most popular among special needs parents and professionals”.

Autism Epicenter: The Autism Epicenter is a website maintained by parent, Shane Nurnberg, who also works in the disability field. The apps are reviewed on a five star scale and are not specific to autism.

Mobile Learning for Special Needs Wiki:  This wiki was developed and is maintained by Luis Perez, a doctoral student in special education at the University of South Florida. 

Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence Apps Guide: This list of resources was developed by Heather Bridgman and Nick Weiland at the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence.

These five sources were chosen for the diversity of backgrounds of the list developers. With this selection, the final list is influenced by app developers, professionals in the field, educators, parents and people with disabilities. By ensuring that interested parties from a variety of perspectives had a role in compiling the source lists used to create the list of apps that were evaluated, it was hoped to limit the biases that each group inherently contributed to their recommendations. Each application was assigned one of 10 categories based on their primary function. The categories are:

Communication: Apps assigned to the communication category are designed to help people communicate with others either as an alternative communication device or in a therapeutic role including ASL acquisition.

Daily Living Skills: Apps assigned to the daily living skills category help users develop skills and routines for day to day activities.

Literacy:  Literacy applications help users improve reading and writing skills including braille.

Motor skills: These apps help users improve their fine motor skills.

Organization & Study:  The apps categorized as organization & study apps support users with scheduling, note taking, visual thinking and other day to day tasks.

Reinforcement/Data:  These apps help users and caregivers model, reward and reinforce behaviors as well as track and record behavior patterns.

Sensory: Sensory applications help users enhance and understand their senses.  This category also includes apps that are targeted for users with sensory processing disorders.

Social Competence:  The social competence apps are apps that are specifically designed to help users develop social skills.

Specific Learning: These apps are designed to enhance users learning in a specific skill set.  Each app assigned to the specific learning category was assigned one of nine subcategories to identify the focus of the app. The subcategories are: Art, Fundamentals, Geography, Math, Music, Pattern Recognition, Storytelling, Transition and Trivia.

Other: The apps in the other category are a collection of apps that did not clearly fall into one of the other categories.  These apps were also assigned a subcategory.  The subcategories were: Assessment, IEPs, Games, Reference and Classroom Management.

A list of core apps determined by comparing the number of source lists on which a specific app appeared was also developed.  This list is comprised of those apps which appeared on three or more of the source lists.  This ensures that the app is popular with a diverse group of people who have different roles in the lives of people with disabilities.

Of the 286 apps analyzed, 49, or 17% of the apps were only available on iPad, the rest of the applications would work on any up to date apple platform. Communication (23%), Specific Learning (18%) and Literacy (18%) were the most popular categories. 

 Within the specific learning category, apps that focused on math skills (31%) and fundamentals (25%) such as learning colors, shapes, the alphabet, etc. were the most frequent subcategories.

Only one app, Proloquo2Go, appeared on all five source lists. Five apps appeared on four of the lists, 19 apps appeared on three of the five lists, 43 apps appeared on two of the five lists and 218 apps appeared on only one of the lists. Of the 25 apps which appeared on three or more lists, 10 were marketed to the autism community. The majority of the apps listed on three or more lists were Communication apps (17), followed by Organization & Study Skills apps (5).

It is not surprising that apps that help users communicate and interact with the world around them are the most popular apps with the professionals, parents and caregivers who contributed to the development of the lists of apps utilized for this project. iPads as well as the even smaller and more portable iPhones/iPod Touches are more affordable and more mobile than traditional communication devices. The additional functionality of the devices may make them more appealing than some of the traditional devices which only serve one function. However, like any multitasking devices, it may not be a good fit for some users with disabilities because they are not designed specifically to be used by people with disabilities. The majority of the apps included in this study do not seem to be targeting users with severe cognitive or motor disabilities. Only two of the apps, Tap to Speak and RadSounds were specifically designed with switch users in mind. 

The most frequently listed apps in this study, identified as those listed on three or more lists, tend to serve a supportive role rather than a skills acquisition role. In fact, none of the specific learning apps appeared on three or more lists. One reason for this could be that there are many more choices of apps that serve the same basic functions in the skills acquisition categories, versus the more specialized apps in the other categories. Communication supports are the most popular apps by far, followed by apps that help users stay organized and act as memory aids. 

Mobile devices and applications are being utilized in innovative ways to help improve the lives of people with disabilities and create avenues for greater inclusion in school, work and community life. This project provides a glimpse into which apps people with disabilities, their caregivers and service providers are finding to be most helpful in achieving this goal.  Apps are being utilized to help people with disabilities communicate as well as to help them access the information they need to live more independently. 

When selecting apps for circulating mobile devices for people with disabilities, libraries should focus primarily on apps which will help patrons: communicate, remember things and organize tasks. Including apps that will act as assistive technology tools on circulating mobile devices will not only make it easier for patrons with disabilities to fully enjoy these devices, it will also allow for patrons with limited resources to try popular assistive technology apps before investing in technology that may not fit their needs. The nature of apps markets means that the specifics of this study are merely a snapshot in time of the app market; however, identifying the key characteristics of popular apps can help librarians evaluate new apps to gauge how well they will meet the needs of users with disabilities.

Here is the complete list of apps that were included on three or more source lists:

Proloquo2Go    

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/proloquo2go/id308368164?mt=8#

TapSpeak Sequence for iPad     

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tapspeak-sequence-for-ipad/id379541810?mt=8#

Grace – Picture Exchange for Non-Verbal People              

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grace-picture-exchange-for/id360574688?mt=8#

ArtikPix – Full     

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/artikpix-full/id356720379?mt=8#

First Then Visual Schedule          

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/first-then-visual-schedule/id355527801?mt=8#

Model Me Going Places

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/modelmegoingplaces2/id375669988?mt=8#

Scene Speak     

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scene-speak/id420492342?mt=8#

TapSpeak Button Plus for iPad  

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tapspeak-button-for-ipad/id364806507?mt=8#

Typ-O HD – writing is for everybody        

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/typohdwritingisforeverybody/id372971659?mt=8#

Articulate it!      

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/articulate-it/id391296844?mt=8#

Assistive Chat   

http://itunes.apple.com/app/assistive-chat/id379891874?mt=8#

Dragon Dictation             

http://www.nuancemobilelife.com/apple/dictation.html

FirstWords: Deluxe        

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/firstwordsdeluxe/id337462979?mt=8#

Look2Learn – AAC           

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/look2learnaac/id319600029?mt=8#

OneVoice           

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onevoice/id412448074?mt=8

Pictello

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pictello/id397858008?mt=8

Speak it! Text to Speech

http://itunes.apple.com/app/speakittexttospeech/id308629295?mt=8#

TapToTalk™       

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/taptotalk/id367083194?mt=8#

iDress for Weather         

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/idressforweather/id385227220?mt=8#

Sentence Builder            

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sentencebuilder/id344378741?mt=8#

iPrompts             

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iprompts-xl/id410386084?mt=8#

Picture Scheduler                           

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/picturescheduler/id315050461?mt=8#

Visules 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visules/id322543961?mt=8#

Time Timer        

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/time-timer/id332520417

IEP Checklist      

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iepchecklist/id348702423?mt=8#

We are delighted to include so many interesting projects from the field in this issue of Interface. It’s exciting to learn about the great things being done by ASCLA members across the country. I especially want to thank Sara Laughlin for throwing for many of these authors in our direction.

Please let us know what you are doing!  The deadline for the next issue is coming up soon. Get your stories in as soon as possible.  The next issue will feature more previews and announcements of events and happenings at this summer’s ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

Anne K. Abate

ASCLA Interface Editor

Dear ASCLA Members:

The Midwinter conference in Seattle is beckoning this year and I hope those of you who will be there will take time to visit with us at the ASCLA/COSLA Dessert Reception, Sunday, January 27, 2013, from 8:00-10:00 p.m. Renaissance Seattle Hotel, East Room. One of ASCLA’s strengths is that our small size allows us to network and connect with each other better than some of the bigger divisions, and with more fun! All members and visitors are welcome.

One other event is sure to be of interest to all ASCLA members and also promises to be stimulating and fun: the ASCLA leadership session, which will take place 10:00a-11:30 a.m. in the Washington State Convention Center, Room 201. We have a great facilitator this year, Carson Block (http://www.carsonblock.com/). Come to this interactive session on technology visioning and planning and learn about different ways to successfully gather and connect using technology, tips on best practices, plus a chance to put together your own!

Our next ASCLA trip will be announced at the Seattle conference, with more details forthcoming. But, here’s a preview: it will take place in October 2013 and we’ll be going to Provence and the French Riviera! Stay tuned for more information that will appear on the ASCLA website (www.ala.org/ascla) and blog (http://ascla.ala.org/blog/). 

Last but not least, the ASCLA board will meet twice in Seattle. Please feel free to join us as our honored guests. The meetings will be held:

Board of Directors I (ASCLA)

Saturday, January 26, 2013

8:00-10:00 a.m. Washington State Convention Center, Room 201

Board of Directors II (ASCLA)

Monday, January 28, 2013

8:00-10:00 a.m. Washington State Convention Center, Room 310

It has been a wonderful year and I want to thank every ASCLA member for all their dedicated work and loyalty in helping to make our division successful. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to work with you! Have a happy new year!

Susan Hornung

Executive Director, ASCLA

shornung@ala.org

ASCLA Awards: Nomination deadline extended to January 31, 2013

Please consider nominating yourself or someone you know for one of ASCLA’s awards! The deadline has been extended to January 31, and we eagerly await your submissions.

Visit the ASCLA Blog for more information and links to nomination forms.

Awards offered:

• The ASCLA/KLAS/NOD Award recognizes an innovative and well-organized project that successfully developed or expanded services for people with disabilities; $1,000 cash prize and a citation.
• 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.
• The Exceptional Service Award is a citation that 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 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.
• The Cathleen Bourdon Service Award is a citation presented to an ASCLA personal member for exceptional service and sustained leadership to the division.

ASCLA Events at ALA Midwinter Meeting, Seattle

• ASCLA’s Library Consultants Interest Group is hosting a networking luncheon in Seattle! The luncheon will be held Saturday, January 26th from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at an ALA conference hotel in Seattle. Tickets start at $75 for ASCLA members; ALA Midwinter Meeting registration is not required in order to purchase tickets for this event. In addition to lunch, attendees will have a chance to develop and practice their elevator pitches and learn more about using Twitter to benefit their consulting business. Get more information.
• ASCLA’s fun and interactive Leadership Session begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 26th, immediately following ASCLA Board I. Library technology consultant Carson Block will present different ways to successfully gather together and connect with colleagues using technology, as well as tips on best practices for these tools. Add it to your schedule.
• The ASCLA/COSLA Reception will be held Sunday, January 27th from 8:00-10:00 p.m. We have some delicious desserts on the menu and a cash bar. Come and unwind from your whirlwhind conference tour with your colleagues. Guests are welcome. Add it to your schedule.
• Access a full list of ASCLA events in Seattle by using the ALA Midwinter Scheduler. You can search by keyword, or click the “Browse Sessions” button, then search for event sponsor: ASCLA. Login using your ALA Connect information to save events to your schedule.

The Consortia Management Discussion Interest Group will not be meeting at Midwinter.  Our next planned meeting will be Sunday, June 30 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. 

Submitted by Sheryl L. Knab, Executive Director, Western New York Library Resources Council (WNYLRC)

The Physical Delivery Interest Group will meet on Sunday, January 27th at 8:30-10:00 a.m. in Room 306 at the Washington State Convention Center.  Join your colleagues for the latest updates and top issues in this area.  We’ll be reviewing the agenda for our Interest Group’s joint Preconference in June on Discovery to Delivery:  Rethinking Resource Sharing.  Please contact co-chair Greg Pronevitz with questions or topicsmailto:greg@masslibsystem.org.

Submitted by Greg Pronevitz, Executive Director, Massachusetts Library System, Inc.

The Library Services for Youth in Custody Interest Group will be having a networking and problem-solving session on Sunday, January 27th from 10:30-11:30 a.m.  Everyone who is interested in library services for youth in jail, prison, juvenile detention, etc., is welcome to attend. You don’t need to be an LSYC member.

Submitted by Camden Tadhg

The Bridging Deaf Cultures @ You Library Interest Group will be meeting on Saturday, January 26th from 10:30-11:30 a.m. in Room 310 of the Washington State Convention Center.  We will be discussing formal motions to put before the ALA Council in support of a National Deaf Cultural Digital Library as has been proposed in Maryland (See: http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/billfile/sb0571.htm)

Submitted by Alec McFarlane

The Midwinter Meeting in Seattle has several opportunities for Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG) members and those who are interested in learning more about being a consultant or independent librarian. On Saturday,, January 26th, LCIG will host the first ever Library Consultants Networking Luncheon. This ticketed event ($75) will be held at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. Jeannette Smithee, Nancy Bolt, and Carson Block will lead networking and learning activities, include tips and techniques for improving an elevator speech for your unique services as well as demonstration and discussion of using Twitter and social networking as part of your consulting business. If you have already registered for the Conference you can modify your registration to add the luncheon.

On Sunday January 27th, LCIG will host both a membership meeting and a discussion forum. The membership meeting (open to all) will be held at 3:00 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in the Discovery Room. This will be followed at 4:30 p.m. by the Discussion Forum at the same location. The Discussion Forum Topic will be Ethical Issues Faced by Library Consultants. Nancy Bolt, Liz Bishoff and Gary Pitkin will present the ASCLA Library Consultants Code of Ethics adopted in 2012. They will give short stories about issues faced as consultants and then open it up for other stories or questions. This promises to be an interesting and lively discussion.

Current LCIG members and those interested in learning more about being a library consultant are welcome to join us in Seattle. It is not too early to plan on the Annual Conference in Chicago, where LCIG will be sponsoring two programs, Beyond Brainstorming: Making More Effective Decisions (Saturday June 29) and Do Those Evaluation Statistics Mean Anything? (Sunday June 30) as well as co-sponsoring the popular Library Consultants Giving Back (Sunday June 30). Please join us in Chicago, for these stimulating programs.

To join the Library Consultants Interest Group (LCIG) go to ALA Connect (http://connect.ala.org/node/151445). For additional information contact Interest Group Leader Jeannette Smithee (Smithee@seflin.org)

Submitted by Jeannette Smithee, Executive Director, SEFLIN (Southeast Florida Library Information Network)

The State Library Agencies Library Development Interest Group is seeking a new leader for 2013-14.  This is an excellent opportunity to build experience in ALA and network with peers.  The Library Development Interest Group will be meeting as part of the ASCLA All Committee meeting during the ALA MidWinter meeting on Saturday, January 26th, at 3:00 p.m.  Join us at the Grand Hyatt Seattle (Leonesa II & III Rooms).  Discussion topics will include upcoming projects for 2013, promoting statewide electronic resources, and any other burning issues participants want to explore.

Submitted by Gina Persichini

The LSTA Coordinators’ Interest Group will be holding their usual meeting, which includes a report from IMLS and a round robin of reports regarding the use of LSTA funds by the states represented at the meeting. We will be meeting on Sunday, January 27th from 1-2:30 p.m. at a location to be determined. Check your program booklet for details.

Submitted by Kathi Peiffer

The Youth Services Consultants Interest Group will be meeting at ALA Miswinter in Seattle on Sunday, January 27th from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. in Room 202 of the Washington State Convention Center. We have no set agenda but we do discuss what programs our states are doing or planning on doing.

Submitted by Sharon Rawlins, Youth Services Consultant, NJ State Library

Here is the current list of ASCLA Interest Groups and their leaders. For more information on the plans and activities of any group, please contact the leader. Can’t find something in your area of interest? Think about starting an Interest Group!

ASCLA Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias Interest Group

Leader: Mary Beth Riedner, mbried@comcast.net

ASCLA Future of Libraries Interest Group

Leader: Peggy Cadigan, pcadigan@njstatelib.org

ASCLA ICAN Consortium Management Discussion Interest Group

Leader: Sheryl Knab, sknab@wnylrc.org

ASCLA ICAN (InterLibrary Cooperation & Networking) Collaborative Digitization Interest Group

Leader: Rhonda Marker, marker@rci.rutgers.edu

ASCLA ICAN (InterLibrary Cooperation & Networking) Interlibrary Cooperation Interest Group

Leader: Scherelene L. Schatz, slschatzie@aol.com

ASCLA ICAN (InterLibrary Cooperation & Networking) Physical Delivery Interest Group

Co-Leader: Gregory Pronevitz, greg@masslibsystem.org

Co-Leader: Mr. James E. Pletz, jpletz1968@hotmail.com

ASCLA Library Consultants Interest Group

Leader: Jeannette Smithee, smithee@seflin.org  

ASCLA Library Services for Youth in Custody (LSSP)

Leader: Camden Tadhg, Tadhg_C@cde.state.co.us

ASCLA LSSP Bridging Deaf Cultures @ your library Interest Group

Leader: Alec Mcfarlane, alec.mcfarlane@gmail.com

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

Leader: Carli Spina

ASCLA LSSP Library Services to the Incarcerated and Detained

Leader: Diane Walden, diane.walden@doc.state.co.us

ASCLA LSSP Universal Access Interest Group

Leader: Marti Goddard, mgoddard@sfpl.org

ASCLA SLA State Library Agencies – Library Development Interest Group

Leader: Gina Persichini, Gina.Persichini@libraries.idaho.gov  

ASCLA SLA (State Library Agencies)/LSTA Coordinators Interest Group

Leader: Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer, kpeiffer@njstatelib.org

ASCLA SLA (State Library Agencies) Youth Services Consultants Interest Group

Leader: Sharon Rawlins, srawlins@njstatelib.org

ASCLA Tribal Libraries Interest Group

Leader: Lillian Chavez, mescalero_library@yahoo.com