YALSA MAE Award press release

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), seeks members’ application for the MAE Award for Best Literature Program for Teens, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust.  The winner receives $500 and an additional $500 for their library.  The award is open to all personal members of ALA/YALSA who have created an outstanding reading or literature program in the twelve months preceding the award deadline of December 1.

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Shirley Olofson Award: looking for funds to help pay for your trip to ALA Annual 2011?

Are you looking for funds to help pay for your trip to ALA Annual 2011 in New Orleans?

Apply by Tuesday, December 14, 2010 for the NMRT Shirley Olofson Memorial Award and you may receive a $1000 check to help defray the cost of attendance!

Applicants must:

  1. Be a member of ALA and NMRT
  2. Be active in the library profession
  3. Show promise for activity in the area of professional development
  4. Have valid financial need
  5. Have attended no more than five ALA annual conferences

To apply, please visit:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/nmrt/oversightgroups/comm/
awolofson/Shirley_Olofson_Award.cfm

Library Support Staff Certification Funding Available

The Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program is a national, voluntary certification program administered by the American Library Association-Allied Profession Association (ALA-APA). The LSSC Program is partially funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The Library Support Staff Certification Program is now accepting applications for 55 subsidies of $200 from LSSC Candidates to enroll in and complete LSSC-approved courses. Candidates who receive a subsidy award will receive a $200 reimbursement after they pay for, and complete, an LSSC-approved course.

To apply for a subsidy, candidates must be accepted in the LSSC Program by September 15, 2010.  Subsidy recipients must successfully complete one of LSSC’s Approved Courses by April 1, 2011.

Application information is available on the LSSC For Candidates page. Candidates must apply for the subsidy by September 15. The LSSC Program staff will select recipients using a random selection process and announce subsidy awards on September 27.

For more information, please contact LSSC Program staff.(lssc@ala.org).

Banned Book Week Poster

Each year ALA sponsors Banned Books Week to highlight our 1st Amendment right to read.

In the past two years the education committee of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Vermont chapter (on which I serve) has offered free ALA posters to 21 school, public and college libraries in order to help them use this week to draw attention to the dangers of censorship.

We have money to do this again this year.

The first ten libraries to email response to this post will receive the ALA Banned Book Week poster offered this year by ALA and shown in the ALA graphics catalog (p. 6) that was recently mailed.  The 2010 poster measures 24” by 32” and retails for $16.00.

See the 2010 poster at  http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=269

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ALA Councilor's Report #3

My third day representing Vermont at the ALA conference in Washington, DC was  busy and fun. I began the morning early at the Sunrise Speaker session featuring Dennis Lehane. He gave an interesting presentation about books to film and the writing life. He seemed like the kind of guy you would like to have a beer with; witty and self-deprecating. Because I had to attend my second council meeting a friend stood in line at the exhibit hall to score me an advanced reading  copy of his new Partick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro mystery!
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ALA Councilor's report #2

I am pleased to report on my second day at ALA in Washington, DC. Our first Council meeting was held in the morning and we heard reports from committees and officers. We adopted a resolution Reaffirming Equal Employment for GBTL library workers. We also passed a resolution on Non-Discrimination in Conference Contracts. These resolutions will be posted to the ALA website soon.
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ALA Councilor's Report #1

Greetings from hot and sunny Washington, DC! I am happy to report on American Library Association activities for Vermont. After a long train ride I made it to DC last evening.
I attended my first meeting of the Chapter Relations Committee this afternoon. The Chapter Relations Office at ALA in Chicago  is the office that helps state associations  work with the ALA office. At this meeting various board and committee members report on their initiatives and activities  that benefit state chapters. Joseph Egan, a member of the executive board mentioned that there is a virtual ALA conference on July 7th and 8th. More information may be found at the ALA website. This is a good opportunity for folks who can’t make it to national conferences.
Keith Michael Fiels, executive director of ALA, mentioned that the organization may be very close to getting funding to states for advocacy. ALA has made a huge commitment to training library advocates.
I will have more to report tomorrow.
Nancy Wilson, Vermont Chapter Councilor

YALSA Advocacy Webinar on May 20th, 2010

Advocating for library services has never been more important. Libraries across the nation face diminished budgets and staff cuts, while usage soars and the community expects more services and resources. Cultivating relationships with notable community members—including government officials and school board members—to help your library meet its mission is critical in the current economic climate. Librarians will learn tools to engage VIPs and get them to offer their support in YALSA’s May 20 webinar, “VIPs: Why You Need Them for Advocacy.” The webinar will take place May 20 at 2 p.m. EDT.

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The first-ever Choose Privacy Week May 2-8, 2010.

I am very excited to announce the first ever “Choose Privacy Week” to be held May 2-8, 2010.   Choose Privacy Week is a new initiative started American Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee (ALAIFC) and Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) to spark a national conversation about privacy.    Libraries are the natural centers for learning and talking about information issues so  they are the perfect place to invite users join the conversation about privacy rights a digital age.

ALA has developed a variety of resources to help libraries reach out to their communities.    The campaign gives libraries the tools they need to educate and engage users, and gives citizens the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy.  I hope you take time to explore the website www.privacyrevolution.org to learn more about what your library can do to spark thought and discussion around privacy issues today.  Whether you are considering creating a display, sponsoring a contest, hosting a program or workshop, or moderating a community dialogue about privacy, there are tools that can help.  

Help us spread the word about the importance of choosing privacy.  

Gail Weymouth

VLAIFC, chair