by Larry Warner, Curator of Exhibits, Pueblo Grande Museum

The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records was awarded the 2008 Community Support Award from the Museum Association of Arizona. Recognized internationally for excellence, this state agency serves the information needs of Arizona citizens and has provided unprecedented support to the state’s museum community on many levels. Through their annual Convocation, they offer professional resources for libraries and museums. Through workshops, partnerships, grants, and public access, they have assisted numerous museums and museum organizations to reach higher potential.

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The final report of the New York Statewide Spanish Language Outreach Partnership project �Spanish Language Outreach Connects New York’s Libraries with Communities,� funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Libraries Program and WebJunction is on the New York State Library�s website and print copies will be available soon. The report is also posted to WebJunction.

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by Bill Dougherty, Head, Assistive Technology Loan Program and Adam Szczepaniak, Jr., Director, New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped

Each year, more than 100 blind or visually impaired citizens of New Jersey receive personalized computer literacy training on loaned computers as a result of a unique partnership between the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped (LBH) and The New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI).

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by Ted Hale, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records a grant to digitize historic Arizona newspapers. The project, titled Arizona Newspapers, 1880-1912, allowed Arizona to become one of only six states and one of only two State Libraries in 2008 to be successfully awarded a grant through the NEH nationwide program.

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by Peyton Stafford, Director of Global Library Services, ReadHowYouWant

ReadHowYouWant is a new technology company that partners with publishers to convert trade books into large print, braille and DAISYi editions. The Australian company’s goal is to make all books accessible to all readers.

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by Danielle H.M. King, Program Manager, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

“The world at large is now gaining an additional one million older persons each month.”¹ In a recent assessment of our patron profiles at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), we found that over 60% of our patrons are 65 years or older.  In fact, 29% are between the ages of 65-84, 30% are between the ages of 85-99, and 1% (85) is patrons who are 100 years old or older.  Recent profiles of library patrons, coupled with the fact that the 65 and over population is growing faster than any other segment of the population, requires some serious consideration of the needs of the older population, their role in society, and the implications for library service.

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by Caleb Tucker-Raymond

At least nineteen United States and three Canadian provinces offer a statewide virtual reference service in order to reach out and meet their citizens’ information needs, and build collaboration between libraries. The catch is that all of them have to license or purchase software to provide it.

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by Glennor Shirley, 2008 LSSPS Chair, Library Coordinator, Maryland State Department of Education, Correctional Education Libraries

Prison librarians face many of the same issues as their counterparts in public, special, and academic libraries. They are serving an increasingly diverse population, have to deal with constantly changing technology, budget constraints, and more than any other group, their modus operandi is significantly affected by the political climate.

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by Tina Keresztury, Associate State Librarian, New Jersey State Library

“The world is changing so rapidly the State Library believes it is imperative that libraries consider the future in a thoughtful, organized way in order to meet the challenges and exciting changes the future holds for us,” declared New Jersey State Librarian Norma Blake, who is also Library Journal’s “2008 Librarian of the Year.”

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by Carol Desch, ASCLA President, New York State Library

These days, nothing seems more constant than change. Change in the seasons, change in government, change in the economy, change in technology, change in our libraries and of course, change for ASCLA!
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