ALA Unveils New Web-Based Advocacy Tool

Listen up library advocates: the American Library Association has just unveiled a new Web-based resource that will help make the case that libraries make a difference in the lives of children and teens.

“Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference in Youth Development and Education” is divided into three age groups: preschool, kindergarten to middle school, and teens, and it offers talking points, statistics to back them up, and links to the several important studies that show the impact of libraries on improving literacy skills and student achievement. more » » » 

Loss of Denver Libarians

 

Librarians Kate McClelland, Kathy Krasniewicz Killed in Crash

Kate McClelland, vice-president/president-elect of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and Kathy Krasniewicz, the head of youth services at the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich, CT, were killed yesterday morning en route to the Denver airport when their cab was struck by a hit-and-run driver, reports the Greenwich Time.

McClelland, 71, and Krasniewicz, 54, were returning from the American Library Association’s (ALA) midwinter meeting in Denver and had worked together at the Perrot Memorial Library. McClelland had been assistant director/director of youth services at the library since 1980 and following her retirement in 2007, she remained at Perrot in a part-time, youth services position. 

more » » » 

Just red tape?

From LIS News

Anti-nuclear Ordinance Imperils Library Self-Check Systems

http://www.lisnews.org/anti_nuclear_ordinance_imperils_library_self_check_systems

Obama and libraries

[From RobertThompson (robert DOT thomson at bluescopesteel dot com) and the ALIALIBTEC list]

The following link will take you to the address now US President Barack Obama made back in 2005 when he  keynoted the opening general session at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, June 23–29, 2005, while a U.S. senator from Illinois.

 

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/resources/selectedarticles/obama05.cfm

Librarian of the Year Award Already Paying Dividends in Cedar Rapids

• City Council lauds library
• Budget remains a challenge
• Wrangling with FEMA continues

It’s been little over a week since the public announcement that Team Cedar Rapids–the management team of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA–won Library Journal‘s Librarian of the Year award for its efforts to recover after a flood devastated the main library.

But that award is already paying dividends.

…. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6631938.html?rssid=191

The Collaborative Summer Library Program

The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries. … more 

Librarians Become Unofficial Job Counselors

The economy is putting more stress on libraries and the people who work there.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99800264

Kidz Book Club – Australia

Australian childrens authors Deb Abela and Phil Kettle are working on a show , called Kidz Book Club,  made for the Internet that will review primary aged books, interview authors and illustrators and generally promote a love of books and reading in kids.  The authors along with two children will host the show. 

 

They are filming the first show in February and it will be delivered via an online subscription to schools and libraries all over the country. The first show will be ready in March. 

There is a splash page with information at: www.kidzbookclub.com.au
The finished website is being created now and will be online from late January.

Their main aim in doing this project is to create fast-paced, fun program that will appeal to kids from the reluctant reader to the avid bookworm.

ALIA Information Online 2009 is only one week away.

 

Some places are available for the ALIA Information Online satellite workshops (but  they are filling fast).

Register now at www.information-online.com.au to avoid disappointment.

Writing for the web presented by Dey Alexander
Date: Monday 19 January 2009
Price: $350 for ALIA members, $450 for Non-members
Hands on, practical tips and tricks for anyone who contributes web or intranet content.

Managing Digitisation Projects presented by Mal Booth
Date: Monday 19  January 2009
Price: $200 for ALIA members , $300 for Non-members
Look at issues relevant to libraries like what to digitise and why you’d consider (or not) doing it.

Thinking About the Future presented by Andy Hines
Date: Friday 23 January   
Price: $200 for ALIA members,  $300 for Non-members
Prepare for the future in a way that identifies and avoids risks AND uncovers a wide-range of potential opportunities.

Train the Info Pro Trainer presented by Maree Lipschitz
Date: Friday  23 January 2009
Price: $350 for ALIA members, $450 for Non-members
Learn methods for  interacting with your audience to maximise their learning experience and make it easier for you!

NY Library Coordinator Wins Maybelline Education Award

 
Jessica Fenster-Sparber, CEO of Literacy for Incarcerated Teens and a library coordinator who works with New York City’s incarcerated youth, is among 10 winners of the Maybelline New York Beauty of Education award, given to those who have made a difference in their community by supporting educational initiatives.

At a ceremony held this week at the historic New York Public Library in Manhattan, Fenster-Sparber was honored for her work with Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, the only nonprofit organization that raises money to build libraries and literacy programs in the city’s juvenile detention centers. The program works with the New York City Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice to ensure that all of the city’s detained youth have access to high-quality library materials and services. more » » »