On Friday, Feb. 22, 2008, the Vermont Senate passed S. 220, “An act relating to the confidentiality of library patron records.”  The bill as passed largely reflects the language proposed by Vermont Library Association and Vermont School Library Association, except that it grants parental access to records of public library patrons under the age of 16.  We expect the House Judiciary to take up consideration of the companion House bill (H. 745) soon.   To track these bills, please visit the Vermont Legislative Bill Tracking System at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/status.cfm

Workshops for public library trustees and directors around the state begin March 24, in conjunction with the UVM Town Officers Educational Conferences. To register for any of the TOECs, Read the rest of this entry »

The University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science is pleased to announce that openings are available, as well as a number of full scholarships, in the school’s graduate certificate program in Digital Information Management. The program is scheduled to begin a new series of courses starting this summer. Prospects have until April 1, 2008 to apply for one of the openings and available financial aid.

DigIn, as the program is known, provides hands-on experience and focused instruction supporting careers in libraries and archives, cultural heritage institutions and digital collections, information repositories in government and the private sector and similar institutions. The certificate is comprised of six courses covering diverse topics including digital collections, applied technology, technology planning and leadership, policy and ethics, digital preservation and curation, and other subjects relevant to today’s digital information environments.

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Author T.A. Barron¹s Prize for Young Heroes is happy to share the following information:

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2008 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, ten winners across the U.S. and Canada each receive $2,000 to support their service work or higher education. Nomination deadline is April 30. For more information and to nominate, visit http://www.barronprize.org/. Additionally, the Barron Prize is excited to offer librarians a comprehensive set of heroes materials, including a brand new documentary film, Dream Big, and a corresponding Young Heroes Activity Guide. For more information, visit http://www.tabarron.com

On Friday, Feb. 15, the Vermont Senate Government Operations Committee voted in favor of S. 220, “An Act Relating to the Confidentiality of Library Patron Records.”  The bill now goes to the full Senate on Tuesday, Feb. 19.  VLA members are encouraged to call or send e-mail messages to their senators asking them to support the bill.  S. 220 is quite similar to our proposed bill, except that the committee amended it to allow parental/guardian access to the records of children under 16–even for materials that are not overdue.  FYI, here’s the VLA statement explaining the importance of confidentiality for minors:  Statement on the importance of protecting the confidentiality of minors

If you have the desire to further your education but feel that you don’t have the time to do so, Drexel Online is the perfect solution. Read the rest of this entry »