Category Archives: Communication

Advocacy, Communication

Record Number of Senators Sign LSTA Letter (Thank You!)

Letter from Julie Todaro, ALA President:

Dear Members:

I never cease to be amazed by your passion, your tenacity, and your dedication. You are tremendous! Because of your efforts, I am pleased to report that last night Senator Reed’s staff delivered to the Appropriations Committee the LSTA letter of support with the signatures of 45 Senators along with the IAL letter supported by 37 members! The LSTA total sets a new record and the IAL total equals our previous record set in 2013. Thank you for staying with us every step of the way in this critical fight for funding.

It’s clear from these results and direct feedback from many Senators’ offices that ALA’s advocacy (more than 20,000 emails were sent to the Senate through our Legislative Action Center) led to this unprecedented showing of Senate support for LSTA and IAL, and implicitly IMLS. It could not have happened without the tremendous support of COSLA’s leadership and membership, along with the help of the Corporate Committee for Library Investment (CCLI) companies. This powerful combination of grassroots, grasstops and professional advocacy in both the House and the Senate—mounted and maintained intensively over the past two months—has placed LSTA and IAL in the strongest position possible at this point in the appropriations cycle. While we still have much more to do, these results are worth celebrating!

A few highlights to consider:

  • This year’s LSTA total of 45 tops last year’s support level by 33% and IAL’s by just under 20%.
  • Both the LSTA and IAL letters were bipartisan. You can find out which Senators supported the letters on our online tracker.
  • Every Democrat on the critical “Labor H” appropriations subcommittee signed both letters (Ranking Member Patty Murry of WA, given her position, was not expected to sign.)
  • 10 returning senators signed the LSTA letter who had not signed last year: Feinstein, Bennet, Carper, Nelson, Donnelly, Heitkamp, Udall, Casey, Kaine, and Warner.
  • All 5 freshman Democrats signed the LSTA letter (Harris, Duckworth, Van Hollen, Hassan, and Cortez Masto), and all but Duckworth also signed the IAL letter.
  • Every Democrat not in an “abstaining” leadership position signed the LSTA letter, other than Claire McCaskill of MO (she is supportive, but generally does not sign such letters).
  • 6 returning senators signed the IAL letter who had not signed last year: Coons, Collins, Merkley, Warner, Cantwell, and Manchin.
  • We did lose 2 signers from last year (Burr on LSTA and Wicker on IAL), but both stated that they continue to be supportive.

I want to thank the incredible staff of ALA’s Washington Office, particularly the Office of Government Relations, for their tireless dedication to this process. They, in partnership with their colleagues throughout ALA, helped us meet and exceed expectations as we faced the first few chapters in what’s sure to be an epic quest to protect this absolutely essential funding.

I’ll be in touch soon with everything you need to help us face the next challenge—the upcoming appropriations process. Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Thank you,

Julie Todaro

ALA President

Academic, Communication, Conference

Call for First-Time ALA Annual 2017 Attendees: ACRL Buddy Program

“Are you planning to attend your first ALA Annual Conference? First-time attendees are invited to sign up for a conference buddy who can guide you through selecting conference sessions, navigating conference venues, and answer any other questions you might have. This is a great way to learn about ACRL and expand your professional network!

How much time are we talking? It’s up to you. We suggest the buddy/mentor make the first contact after initially signing up and go from there. You may want to meet up at the ACRL 101 on Saturday, June 24, from 8:30-10:00 a.m. at the Hilton Chicago, Continental C (a great start for newbies, and refresher for veterans), the Exhibit Opening Reception on Friday, June 24, from 5:30-7:00 p.m., or meet for coffee.

You might meet up with your buddy just once, or a few times throughout the conference. The intent is primarily for helping orient the new person to the event and helping them feel comfortable (we were all new once!).

Interested? Sign up now! The deadline is Wednesday, June 14.​

Want to be a buddy/mentor for a first-time attendee? Stay tuned. A call for mentors will be coming soon.

Steven Bell
Associate University Librarian

Temple University Libraries

Member, ACRL Membership Committee”

Advocacy, Communication, Conference, Training

How to Be an Influential Librarian – Leading and Mentoring from Wherever you Are

Dear Colleagues,

As you begin to build your schedules for ALA, please consider including this excellent program:

How to Be an Influential Librarian – Leading and Mentoring from Wherever you Are

Sponsored by: ALCTS Leadership Development Committee

Cosponsored by: LLAMA Mentoring Committee and the ALA New Members Round Table (NMRT)

Saturday, June 24th from 1:30-2:30 pm

Librarians in any stage of their career can learn to be influential leaders in not only their own organization, but the library world as a whole. Attendees will learn how to build and leverage strong mentor/mentee relationships, both formal and informal, allowing them to connect and influence from either role. By focusing on interpersonal and communication skills, attendees will be able to effectively support their colleagues and organization by leading from wherever they are.

Our speakers represent librarians from early, mid, and late career points. We have Madison Sullivan (a new librarian at the University of Washington and formerly a fellow at NCSU), Rachel Fleming (the Collections Initiatives Librarian at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), and Maureen Sullivan (leadership consultant and past president of ALA). We’re hoping this session will be engaging, allowing both speakers and attendees to connect and share their experiences.

Catherine Soehner

LLAMA Mentoring Committee

Academic, Communication, Programs, Tech

UC Merced Library Chosen to Digitize AIDS Historical Archives

Gary Fisher (1961-1994) was a gay African American man who enjoyed writing and drawing and was a dedicated diarist who died of AIDS at the age of 32 in San Francisco. This page, dated February 7, 1991, is from one of his journals and it illustrates the fear, uncertainty and hope that surrounded the use of new medications to treat HIV and AIDS. (Gary Fisher Papers, San Francisco Public Library)
Gary Fisher (1961-1994) was a gay African American man who enjoyed writing and drawing and was a dedicated diarist who died of AIDS at the age of 32 in San Francisco. This page, dated February 7, 1991, is from one of his journals and it illustrates the fear, uncertainty and hope that surrounded the use of new medications to treat HIV and AIDS. (Gary Fisher Papers, San Francisco Public Library)

 

(From UC Merced website, by By Lorena Anderson, University Communications)

“The UC Merced Library Opens a New Window. ’s digital assets team is playing an important role in providing access to a swath of modern history that will contribute to research and society.

The team has been asked to digitize about 127,000 pages from 49 archival collections related to the early days of the AIDS epidemic in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of the AIDS History Project, which is being funded by a two-year, $315,000 Implementation Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The project is a joint effort of the Archives and Special Collections department of the UCSF Library, the San Francisco Public Library, and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.

Continue reading UC Merced Library Chosen to Digitize AIDS Historical Archives →

Communication, Conference

Thirty AASL members receive Bound To Stay Bound grants to attend first national conference

Image result for bound to stay bound

Contact:

Jennifer Habley
Manager, Web Communications
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
312-280-4383
jhabley@ala.org

CHICAGO – Thirty members of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) have been awarded a $750 travel grant to attend their first AASL national conference. Generously sponsored by Bound To Stay Bound Books, Inc. (BTSB), the grants will allow recipients to secure housing, transportation and/or registration for the AASL National Conference & Exhibition taking place Nov. 9-11, 2017, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Grant recipients include:

  • Lisa Beal, West Liberty Elementary, West Liberty, Iowa
  • Susan Bloom, Peabody Primary School, Washington, DC
  • Sherri Bryan, San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara, Ca.
  • Tracey Cain, Reams Road Elementary School, Midlothian, Va.
  • Janet Hamilton, K-8, Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District, Wilbraham, Mass.
  • Amy DeNomme, Harrisburg Explorer, Sioux Falls, S.D.
  • Melanie Downie, Auburn Elementary, Auburn, Kansas
  • Christine Drysdale, Somers High School, Lincolndale, N.Y.
  • Valerie Ehlers, Gladbrook-Reinbeck/Grundy Center, Reinbeck, Iowa
  • Terri Gaussoin, Janet Kahn School of Integrated Arts, Albuquerque, N.M.
  • Susannah Goldstein, Bronx School for Law, Government & Justice, Bronx, N.Y.
  • Brenna Greer, Robertsville Elementary, Morganville, N.J.
  • Rebecca Gullans, Albert Einstein Academies Elementary School, San Diego, Calif.
  • Anastasia Hanneken, Indian Mills Memorial School, Shamong, N.J.
  • Julie Hengenius, Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School, Corfu, N.Y.
  • Erica Leu, Pflugerville Elementary, Pflugerville, Texas
  • Joan Maybank, Lynnwood High School, Bothell, Wash.
  • Christina Northrup-Thompson, Ritenour High School, St. Louis, Mo.
  • Alexandra Quay, Sinai Akiba Academy, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Emily Ratica, Arroyo Valley High School, San Bernardino, Calif.
  • Kate Ricter, Bridge Point Elementary, Austin, Texas
  • Lea Roberts, Hollywood Hill Elementary, Woodinville, Wash.
  • Camille Rodgers, Pontotoc High School, Pontotoc, Miss.
  • Alicia Rogers, Christensen Elementary, Tacoma, Wash.
  • Leslie Roy, Maury High School, Norfolk, Va.
  • Jennifer Sharp, John Overton High School, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Georgina Trebbe, Minnechaug Regional High School, Wilbraham, Mass.
  • Paula Tonn, Lodi Middle School, Wis.
  • Stacy Udo, Tumwater High School, Tumwater, Wash.
  • Laurie Vitt, Firgrove Elementary School, Puyallup, Wash.

“At Bound To Stay Bound we recognize the value of the professional school librarian in our schools and take pride in being able to offer these grants to help further their knowledge and give them an opportunity to share their experiences with other professionals,” said Bob Sibert of Bound To Stay Bound Books.

“AASL is so grateful to Bound To Stay Bound Books for their continuing support of the first-timer grant,” said AASL President Audrey Church. “Through their generosity, BTSB is allowing thirty school librarians a chance to see ‘beyond the horizon’ and attend the national conference where AASL’s new ‘National School Library Standards’ will launch. These professionals will be among the first to explore the new standards and will return their schools ready to implement them on Monday.”

The AASL National Conference & Exhibition is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. “Beyond the Horizon,” taking place Nov. 9-11, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona, will feature preconference workshops, concurrent sessions and an exhibition featuring companies relevant to the profession. Those communicating about the national conference are encouraged to use the official hashtag, #aasl17.

For more than 95 years Bound To Stay Bound Books, www.btsb.com, has supplied children’s and young adult library books, both fiction and nonfiction, to school and public libraries. It provides books that stand the test of time in both content and durability and services exceeding your expectations.

The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.