LYRASIS helps libraries operate more effectively by providing expanded access to valuable resources and professional expertise in content creation and management. Created in 2009 by the mergers of various regional library consortia, LYRASIS is the nation’s largest regional non-profit membership organization serving libraries.

With a collective history that dates back to 1936, LYRASIS continues its mission of supporting libraries and information professionals by offering creative solutions and increased savings opportunities through collaboration, consulting, digital and preservation services, professional development, and group purchases.

The LYRASIS   2011 Annual Member Meeting will provide an opportunity for members to collaborate and learn together, both in-person and online.

Agenda (all times listed are Eastern Time)

1:30 Connected Libraries: Creating & Accessing Content with LYRASIS

(Kate Nevins, Executive Director, LYRASIS, and Elizabeth Hammond, Dean of University Libraries,Mercer University, and Chair, LYRASIS Board of Trustees)

2:00 Q & A

2:10 Keynote (Siva Vaidhyanathan): The Googlization of Libraries

2:40 Q & A

3:00 Lightning Panel: Quick Thoughts from Library Leaders

3:30 Conclusion and move to Community Discussions

Free and Open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

The Library is open Monday-Wednesday, 10 to 9; Thursday, 1 to 6; Friday, 10 to 6; and Saturday, 10 to 2.

For more information, contact Brooks Memorial Library at 802.254.5290 or send us an email tobrattlib@brooks.lib.vt.us

The LYRASIS 2010 Excellence Award will honor one individual who has made a significant and exceptional contribution in areas central to LYRASIS’ vision of strengthening libraries through collaboration, creative solutions, and leadership for libraries. The 2010 Award includes a $2500 award and a one-year free membership to LYRASIS for the recipient’s institution.

The LYRASIS 2010 NextGen Librarian Award will honor three librarians new to the library profession who demonstrate an innovative and fresh approach to the profession and are leaders in our rapidly changing world. They will receive an honorarium to cover registration and hotel accommodations to a library conference of their choice.

The deadline is April 30, 2010. Self-nominations are not accepted. The winners will be announced in June 2010 and presented at the ALA 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. For more information, please visit the awards page on the LYRASIS website, www.lyrasis.org.

About LYRASIS

Created in April 2009 by the merger of PALINET and SOLINET and joined shortly thereafter by NELINET, LYRASIS is the nation’s largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals – providing opportunities for networking and collaboration, offering innovative solutions, and significant cost savings through group purchasing for products and services. For more information, please visit www.lyrasis.org.

“This is LYRASIS’ own economic stimulus package,” said Heather Dray, director of educational services for LYRASIS. “It is critical for librarians to upgrade and expand their skills to stay marketable in 21st century libraries and LYRASIS is equipped to help.”

LYRASIS classes are offered in live online and self-paced online formats, enabling librarians across the country to participate without incurring the cost of travel. A wide array of topics include: Metadata & Cataloging; Digitization & Preservation; Technology Trends & Applications; Reference and Resource Sharing; Internet and Web Design; and many more.

To participate in the program, unemployed librarians may call LYRASIS Member Support at 800.999.8558 and request the promotional code for the discount.

About LYRASIS
Created in April, 2009 by the merger of PALINET and SOLINET and joined shortly thereafter by NELINET, LYRASIS is the nation’s largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals – providing opportunities for networking and collaboration, offering innovative solutions, and significant cost savings through group purchasing for products and services. For more information, please visit www.lyrasis.org.

Open Source in Your Library
October 9th, 2009 – Olin College, Needham, MA

Hello All!

I am so excited to be joining the library community at such a pivotal time in the history of library technology management. As an early adopter of open source solutions, I sometimes take for granted the great advantages of sharing knowledge resources. Now, being at the junction of two worlds of information science – both as it relates to computer science and to library science, my role as Open Source Guy is a dream come true.

Dare to dream…

• What if you could have a truly cost-effective, scalable, customizable ILS solution that takes advantage of the cooperative power of open source?
• What if you could get total control of your website content and engage your patrons interactively?

This year’s NELINET/LYRASIS IT Conference will provide fantastic insights on open source solutions for libraries and provide clarity to some “what ifs?”. Featured are Joe Lucia who led the development of VuFind, Dan Scott, the Evergreen guru, and Karen Coombs who will talk about all things Drupal.

I know I am biased, but whether you are a geek like me or a library director looking to get a broad knowledge of open source solutions, this conference covers all the bases.

Cost for the program for Unlimited Members is $85. To register, visit: http://www.nelinet.net/eaccount/EventDetail.aspx?eventid=00000998

I hope you will join me there!

Steve Wills
Open Source Guy
NELINET (soon to be Lyrasis)
153 Cordaville Road, Suite 200
Southborough, MA 01772
(508) 597-1923

Map Cataloging

08/18/2009, 9:00am-4:00pm CMT
Hosted at University Of Alabama – Birmingham

Using Batch Processing in Connexion Client (Live Online)
08/18/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Classroom Management for Librarians (Live Online)
08/18/2009 – 08/19/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST two consecutive days

Advocacy: What is it? (Live Online)
08/18/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Acquiring & Understanding E-Resources Usage Statistics (Live Online)
08/18/2009 – 08/19/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST, two consecutive days

Fundamentals of Book Repair
08/19/2009 – 08/20/2009, 9:00am-4:00pm EST, two consecutive days
Hosted at Lyrasis- Philadelphia Office

Evergreen Cataloging Module (Live Online)
08/19/2009 – 08/20/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Online Cataloging Resources and Tools (Live Online)
08/19/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST
SAVE $25 when you register. Enter discount code OCRT090819
*This class is recommended for staff new to cataloging.

Disaster Recovery for Museum Collections
08/20/2009, 9:00am-4:00pm EST
Hosted at Lyrasis- Atlanta Office

Status Discarded: The Who,What, When, Where and How of Weeding
08/20/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Using Technology in Information Literacy Programs (Live Online)
08/20/2009 – 08/21/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST two consecutive days

20 Questions: Art Resources (Live Online)
08/20/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Management 101: Human Resources (Live Online)
08/20/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

RDA Overview and Update (Live Online)
08/20/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST
SAVE $25 when you register. Enter discount code RDA090820

Making the Most of Social Bookmarking in Your Library (Live Online)
08/25/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Advocacy: Public Officials (Live Online)
8/25/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

The Resource Sharing Detective (Live Online)
08/25/2009 – 08/26/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST two consecutive days

Mass Digitization Collaborative Information Session (FREE! Live Online)
08/25/2009, 1:00pm-2:00pm EST

Caring for Originals During Scanning Projects (Live Online)
08/25/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

OCLC Connexion Browser Searching Skills (Live Online)
08/25/2009 – 08/26/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST two consecutive days

RSS and Other Internet Feeds in the Library: Making Content Convenient (Live Online)
08/25/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST
SAVE $25 when you register. Enter discount code RSS090825.

OCLC WorldCat Resource Sharing Basics (Live Online)
08/25/2009 – 08/27/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST three consectutive days

Demonstrating Value Evaluating Library Services (Live Online)
08/26/2009 – 08/28/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST three consecutive days
SAVE $25 when you register. Enter discount code DMV090826.

MediaWiki Administration for System Administrators (Live Online)
08/26/2009 – 08/27/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST two consecutive days

Turning Community Partnerships into Dollars (Live Online)
08/27/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

OCLC WorldCat Collection Analysis (Live Online)
08/27/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Marketing Your Library Reference Service (Live Online)
08/27/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

For more details about any of the classes listed above or in our catalog please contact Lyrasis at 800-999-8558. I’ll be happy to help with any explanations of classes as well. Thanks!

JENNIFER BIELEWSKI
Educational Services Librarian
Lyrasis
jennifer.bielewski@lyrasis.org
404.892.0943 x3848

1438 West Peachtree Street NW
Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30309
Toll Free: 800.999.8558
Fax: 404.892.7879
www.lyrasis.org

“It is the right time in our profession to take this step. Together, we have one of those rare and special opportunities to affect the changes needed to face our challenges today and into the future,” said Joseph Lucia, Chair of the Lyrasis Board of Directors, and University Librarian at Villanova University.

W. Lee Hisle, Chair of the NELINET Board of Directors, and Vice President for Information Services and Librarian of the College at Connecticut College agreed. “The timing is right. This is important strategically and from a fiscal standpoint. Both organizations are committed to their members and to the quality of their services. We want to bring Lyrasis to New England because we share the vision of balancing ‘local touch’ and ‘national reach and strength,’ particularly in the difficult economic times our members are facing.”

Lyrasis was created from the merger of two well-established regional library networks, PALINET and SOLINET. Members voted to approve the merger in February 2009 with the effective date for the new organization of April 1, 2009. The new organization expands collaboration, education, leadership development, technology, and savings opportunities available to members, while adding critical new initiatives for the future.

Kate Nevins, Chief Executive Officer of Lyrasis, said “This integration will allow both organizations to continue to provide our current broad range of services as well as implement new and innovative ones to meet the evolving needs of our members.” Arnold Hirshon, Executive Director of NELINET, added that, “With Lyrasis in New England we can vastly accelerate expanded programmatic opportunities for our members and achieve greater operating efficiencies.”

The Boards have already completed due diligence. Final action for the organizations to combine must be approved by an affirmative vote from both organizations. The member vote will take place in early June. If approved, NELINET would become part of Lyrasis by the Fall of 2009.

Members of both organizations will have the opportunity to participate in open discussions prior to the vote. A series of live and virtual town meetings are scheduled for May and information will also be provided at NELINET’s Annual Conference on June 1, 2009, and at SAMM ’09 on May 14 & 15, 2009. Information will also be available at www.nelinet.net and www.lyrasis.org.

About Lyrasis

A regional membership organization for libraries and information professionals, Lyrasis helps ensure their success today and tomorrow by providing access to more of the shared knowledge and expertise, innovative products and services, and customized solutions to serve their communities most effectively and, by working together, advance the profession. Lyrasis is the new organization resulting from the merger of PALINET and SOLINET, and currently serves nearly a third of the U.S., including 16 states east of the Mississippi, plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, please visit www.lyrasis.org.

About NELINET

NELINET, a member-owned and governed regional library network, founded in 1966 and incorporated in 1979, is one of the largest U.S. networks, serving 500 member libraries and cultural heritage organizations throughout the six New England states and internationally. NELINET provides innovative educational programs, support and services for emerging technologies (including open source software), expert library leadership and consultation services, and a regional depository. For additional information visit www.nelinet.net.

CONTACT:

Stephen Sanzo, Manager of Communications, NELINET, 508-597-1948, sanzo@nelinet.net
Donna Vito, Manager of Communications, Lyrasis, 800.233.3401, ext. 1235 donna.vito@lyrasis.org

Sponsored by the College & Special Libraries Section