The dinner will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, 2009 at Emilio’s Tapas Sol y Nieve, 215 East Ohio St., Chicago, and is an opportunity to visit with old colleagues and meet new ones who are employed in library services for special populations, including patrons with visual or physical impairments, the deaf and hard of hearing, incarcerated adults and youth and those with other special needs. Tickets for the event are $40 for ASCLA members, $45 for ALA members, $50 for non-members, and $35 for students.

Those interested in registering for the dinner and conference—or adding the dinner to their current meeting itinerary—can do so through Step 6 (“Your Events”) of the online registration form or by calling (800) 974-3084. Those who are interested in only attending the dinner (event code SL3) must register using a printed registration form, which can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form.

Do you have something to donate, or perhaps you know someone in your professional or personal network who would be willing to contribute an item or service? If so, we’d love to have your help in obtaining those items.

Want to help but not sure where to start? All contributions are welcome, but here are some ideas for hot auction items we’d love to have on the table:

• Items from library vendors for personal use (e.g. a subscription to a trade publication such as Library Journal)
• Accessories such as handmade jewelry or handbags
• Artwork, e.g. ceramics, painting, photography
• Tickets to sporting events, cultural events, or museums and historical attractions located in Chicago, the Great Lakes region, or near future meeting locations: Boston (Midwinter 2010) and Washington, D.C. (Annual 2010)

To donate, the contributor must complete a silent auction donation form, available from Liz Markel. Instructions for donation submissions are included on the form. The deadline for donation delivery is Monday, June 22, 2009. Questions about the auction or ideas for where to get donations? Contact Liz Markel, ASCLA marketing specialist, at lmarkel@ala.org.

Save the date! The reception and auction will be held from 9 to 11:30 p.m., Sunday, July 11, 2009. The exact location will be announced on the ASCLA blog later this spring.

For more information contact Liz Markel at lmarkel@ala.org.

By sharing the expertise of its members with conference attendees, ASCLA provides opportunities for librarians and library staff in all types of libraries to acquire new skills to improve service delivery at their libraries, as well as gain information and learn about tools that will help them solve challenges they or their library may be facing.

This year’s ASCLA programs include:

Moving Mountains: Latest Trends in the Physical Delivery of Library Materials

Saturday, July 11, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. How do you move 5, 10, or even 20 million items a year between libraries? The 2008 Moving Mountains Symposium in Cincinnati explored the best methods for delivering materials between libraries as well as new trends in home delivery. A panel will present Symposium highlights including best practices in current delivery, future trends, home delivery, automated material handling systems, and ways to collaborate.

What Can $930 Million Do for Library Services Nationwide? The Impact and Future Directions of LSTA

Saturday, July 11, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. How do states use their LSTA dollars to improve library services? An IMLS study examined all of the states’ five-year evaluations and reported on the observed major trends. A panel of speakers will present new state projects in technology infrastructure, reference and information services, special populations outreach and literacy and reading development.

Large Print for All: Bigger is Better

Sunday, July 12, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Aging baby boomers, struggling young readers, individuals with reading disabilities and persons with low vision are increasing demand for large print materials. Learn what publishers are producing in large print, how to display and promote large print collections for all ages and current research findings on the uses and benefits of large print.

ASCLA President’s Program: Revitalizing the Library Experience

In a world where information is an off-shored commodity, where Google handles more questions in a second than a reference librarian will answer in a career and where social gatherings have migrated to online networks, how can our libraries thrive, how can we demonstrate the greatest return on funders’ investment? ASCLA President Carol Desch invites you to the President’s Program to discuss these questions with library pundits Joan Frye Williams and George Needham, who will challenge you to rethink library services, turning some old stereotypes on their ears while making our work more valuable and more fun.

Future Perspectives: Collaboration and Innovation

Sunday, July 12, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. How do we nurture innovation? How do we advance library services that meet patron needs today and in the future? Join Brenda Bailey-Hainer, executive director, BCR, Lorcan Dempsey, vice-president of research and chief strategist, OCLC, and Veronda Pitchford, vice-president, membership and communications, Urban Libraries Council, in a panel presentation and discussion of the role of collaboration in strategic innovation as libraries strive to respond to the rapidly changing environment in which they now operate.

Multiple Intelligences @ Your Library: A Tool for Better Services

Monday, July 13, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences can empower you to reach out and more effectively serve your entire community, including special populations. This panel discussion will present a brief theoretical overview and a practical showcase of services to children and youth. Attendees will learn how to improve readers’ advisory, programming outreach, reference, book discussion and collection development in public, school and academic libraries. Patrick Carman, award-winning author of the best-selling series The Land of Elyon, will speak about using technology with literature.

Libraries and Hospice: Developing a Vital Community Partnership

Monday, July 13, 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. As hospice care becomes an integral part of American family life, opportunities arise for program alliances with both academic and public libraries. This program highlights these partnerships and will feature representatives from hospice organizations as well as a panel of librarians who have worked with hospice on programs, collection development, and community education.

Participation in any of these programs is included with annual conference registration. Register for the Annual Conference using the online registration form, by calling (800) 974-3084, or by downloading a printed registration form, which can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form.

Not an ASCLA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, ASCLA preconferences and other ASCLA events? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership at www.ala.org/membership.

For more information contact Liz Markel at lmarkel@ala.org.

Directors and managers of library networks and cooperatives involved in or considering collaborative digitization projects will benefit from this 2009 ALA Annual preconference offered by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) Interlibrary Cooperation and Networking Section (ICAN) Collaborative Digitization Interest Group. Speakers will explore how to cultivate diverse revenue streams for funding sustainable collaborative digitization programs, including membership fees, fund raising and operating budgets.

The event features a group of presenters with extensive experiences and success in the field, including Kenning Arlitsch, University of Utah; Jim Neal, Columbia University Library; Dreanne Belden, University of North Texas Library; Liz Bishoff, BCR; Lucy Barber, National Historical Publications and Records Commission; Beth Joffrion, National Endowment for the Humanities; and Rachel Frick, Institute for Museum and Library Services.

The preconference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, 2009 in Chicago. Advance registration rates, available until May 22, are $135 for ASCLA members, $180 for ALA members, $225 for non-members and $70 for students and retirees.

Annual Conference attendees interested in registering for the meeting and institute—or adding the institute to their current meeting itinerary—can do so through Step 6 (“Your Events”) of the online registration form or by calling (800) 974-3084. Those who are interested in only attending the preconference (event code AS1) must register using a printed registration form, which can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form. On-site registration will be available the day of the event. Lunch is included.

For more information contact Liz Markel at lmarkel@ala.org.

What do libraries have in common with casinos? To succeed, each must keep their customers happy and keep them coming back. Library directors and management can learn how to cultivate happy customers by attending “Be My Guest: Customer Service from the Best.”

This half-day preconference, offered by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and held in conjunction with ALA’s Annual Conference, addresses what libraries can do to ensure a welcoming and positive library experience for patrons. Using models derived from the hospitality industry, participants will take away a variety of customer service models they can apply to their library to enhance the patron’s experience as a guest of the library. The content is based on a highly successful program previously hosted by the New Jersey State Library in partnership with Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, N.J., and will be presented by Jennifer Babcock of the Trump Entertainment Resorts Human Resources Department.

The preconference will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, July 10 in Chicago. Advance registration rates, available until May 22, are $90 for ASCLA members, $135 for ALA members, $210 for non-members and $50 for students and retirees.

Annual Conference attendees interested in registering for the meeting and institute—or adding the institute to their current meeting itinerary—can do so through Step 6 (“Your Events”) of the online registration form or by calling (800) 974-3084. Those interested only in attending the preconference (event code AS2) must register using a printed registration form that can then be submitted via mail or faxed per the instructions on the form. On-site registration will be available the day of the event.

For more information contact Liz Markel at lmarkel@ala.org.