Each month we’ll bring you a compiled list of fun national holidays, birthdays of authors, and publication dates of favorite books. You can use these for your own personal use or for some library inspiration! Share what inspired you in the comments.
December is Read a New Book Month!
Other things to celebrate in December. . .
We always have fun during group visits to member libraries, and we think a visit to SCSU’s library would be both fun and valuable!
Being able to tour a member library can give you some inspiration and ideas for your own library, and introduce you to other members in the CMLE system. Plus, you will get a chance to meet the new library Dean!
Let’s narrow down some dates to see what will work best for people who want to attend. Right now we are thinking late December, after the semester ends, or early January before everything gets moving too fast. Give us some idea of your preferences, and we can set up a date for a visit.
Please vote! Looking forward to seeing you!
Library science is an enormous field, home to every interest you could imagine! This means that there are many organizations out there for you to join, in order to connect with other people who share your professional interests.
So even if you work alone in your library, there are other people out there doing work similar to yours! Each week we will highlight a different library association for you to learn more about, and depending on your work, potentially join! You can also check out our page dedicated to Library Associations.
This week we’ll take a look at the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). This association was founded in 1980 and is “organized and founded by librarians of diverse Asian and Pacific ancestries committed to working together toward a common goal: to create an organization that would address the needs of Asian Pacific American librarians and those who serve Asian Pacific American communities.” To learn more about the organization’s history, check out this article.
According to their website, the purpose of APALA is:
APALA gives out several different scholarships and awards each year, including a travel grant, an Emerging Leader Sponsorship, and the Talk Story program. APALA offers a newsletter and archived webinars to members on their site. They also offer a mentoring program.
To learn more about membership to APALA, or to find out ways to get involved, check out their website!
Do the dropping temperatures make you itch to get away for awhile? And what would be better than a trip to an interesting location with fellow library colleagues? Even if you can’t go on either of these trips, it’s great to know these opportunities are available!
If you’ve ever thought about going to Ireland, this is your chance! The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) is a division of ALA and “is the premier destination for members to find information and build capacity to serve populations that are served by state library agencies, specialized libraries, library cooperatives, library networks and library consultants among others.” ASCLA is traveling to Ireland May 10th – 17th 2018 and the itinerary looks amazing. You’ll get to visit several different cities, take a literary city walk, go on a writer’s museum tour, visit famous landmarks and even spend a night in a castle! Find more info here.
This next trip is one you may have to enjoy from afar, since the deadline to register was Oct. 20th. Still, it looks like a great opportunity! ALA will be sponsoring a trip to Cuba on March 3rd – 10th 2018. This is a study tour put together especially for U.S. librarians, and of course this itinerary looks incredible too. You’ll get to visit the Provincial Library in Old Havana to learn about Cuba’s library system, tour fortresses and museums, visit publishing houses, and meet members of the Cuban Association of Librarians. If you’ve already signed up for this trip, please send CMLE photos of your adventure!
Have you ever gone on a library sponsored trip? Share your experience in the comments (pictures welcome!)
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/ala-havana-book-fair-tour
Welcome to November! You survived Halloween and hopefully enjoyed some good treats or fun scares, if you like that sort of thing!(if you missed our Books and Beverages episode all about the genre of Horror, listen now!) If you are looking for an exciting and creative project to work on this month, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) may be for you!
What is NaNoWriMo? I first heard about it while reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, when she read the book No Plot, No Problem and was motivated to write a novel, (meaning 50,000 words) in thirty days. It’s really that simple!
From the NaNoWriMo website: “On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel.”
I definitely recommend getting (or borrowing from your local library!) a copy of No Plot, No Problem to be your guidebook during this month of excitement, but of course there are tons of other resources available out there to help keep your creativity flowing!
And of course, a wonderful place to do your writing or connect with other participants is your local library! Great River Regional Library is hosting events at several of its branches.
If you, your students, or your patrons are taking part in this month long activity, let us know! We’d love to hear about your novel-writing adventures!
