Greetings from cloudy Boston! I am beginning my second term as your ALA Councilor. I am honored to have this opportunity to represent Vermont at our national organization.
Yesterday I attended a Chapter Relation Committee meeting where I was surprised and pleased to hear that the Washington Office of ALA has included the cost of databases for all libraries in a recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus funds). We will need to wait to see if the grant is funded.
Today I am at my first council meeting where we are hearing about budget issues, endowment reports, and introduction of the ALA 2015 strategic plan draft. After breaking into small groups we have had a chance to comment on and suggest changes to the strategic plan. You may view the draft plan here. Please let me know if you have any comments on the draft.
As might be expected income for the organization has fallen, but some cutbacks in activities have made the loss less than it may have been.
The Executive Director presented his report this morning. American Libraries magazine is now online.
Later today I will attend a council forum and hear Yohannes Grebregeorgis who founded Nigeria Reads speak at the President’s program.
I will write more tomorrow.
Nancy Wilson
Tag Archives: ALA
URGENT ACTION: Out of Work Librarians Need Your Help!
Act NOW to Include Libraries in the Jobs Bill!
As you know, libraries are helping unemployed Americans get back to work not only by helping them acquire needed job skills, but also by offering no-fee access to the Internet for online job searching, computers for working on resumes, resources for building small business plans, and much more. Unfortunately, these very services are threatened by budget shortfalls in state and local funding; due to these budget cuts, many libraries may be forced to cut services that are so incredibly necessary during these tough economic times.
Crossett Library at Bennington College in the News!
Crossett Library director Oceana Wilson is one of 10 winners in ALA’s “I Love My Librarian” contest.
Librarian Honored with National Award (Rutland Herald)
Lovely Librarian (Bennington Banner)
Discount Pricing for ALA Midwinter
Hello all,
planning on going to ALA Midwinter this January in Boston? ALA has offered the Green Mountain Library Consortium access to a discounted rate, depending on the number of people entering into this group pricing.
If you are going, please let me know by replying to me at schase@stowelibrary.org by Monday, December 7; if we have enough folks interested in going in order to access the pricing, I will let you know ASAP. Let me know of your interest even if your library is not currently a GMLC member library — academic librarians, especially.
Thanks!
—
Stephanie Chase
Director
Stowe Free Library
Post Office Box 1029
90 Pond Street
Stowe, Vermont 05672
802.253.6145
YALSA is coming to Boston!
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is coming to Boston! In addition to our special events at ALA Midwinter Meeting (see them all at http://bit.ly/yalsamw2010), we have two pre-Midwinter events on Friday, Jan. 15 that you can attend without registering for Midwinter.
NMRT Shirley Olofson Memorial Award Announcement
Are you looking for funds to help pay for your trip to ALA Annual
2010 in Washington, D.C.? Apply by December 15, 2009 for the Shirley Olofson Memorial Award and you may receive a $1000 check to help defray the cost of attendance!
Applicants must:
- Be a member of ALA and NMRT
- Be active in the library profession
- Show promise or activity in the area of professional development
- Have valid financial need
- 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
Applicants Sought for 3M/NMRT Professional Development Grant
Deadline: December 15, 2009
We are excited to announce that members of ALA’s New Members Round Table (NMRT) can apply to receive a grant, sponsored by 3M Library Systems, which will cover expenses to attend the ALA Annual Conference, June 24-30, 2010, in Washington, DC.
2009-2010 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Survey
The 2009-2010 Public Library Funding & Technology Access survey (available for completion at www.plinternetsurvey.org) conducted by the American Library Association (ALA – www.ala.org/plinternetfunding) and the Center for Library & Information Innovation at the University of Maryland (www.liicenter.org/plinternet) closes Friday, November 6, 2009.
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Registration for PLA's 13th National Conference is Now Open
Registration for PLA 2010, the 13th National Conference of the Public Library Association (PLA), is now open. To register and request housing for PLA 2010, or to download registration and housing forms, visit www.placonference.org. A special early bird rate is available for PLA members and members of the Oregon Library Association who register by Dec. 16, 2009. All other advance registrations must be received by Feb. 19, 2010.
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2010 ALA Midwinter & RUSA Genealogy Event in Boston
The annual American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting will be held January 15-19, 2010 in Boston.
On Friday, January 15, ALA’s Reference and Users Services Association (RUSA) will host an all-day genealogy workshop at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. In addition to presenting basic genealogy research techniques, New England-specific resources will also be presented. The event includes lunch, sponsored by ProQuest, and a tour of the beautiful NEHGS facility.
All of the event details are located here: http://rusa.ala.org/blog/2009/10/09/mw10-genealogyinst1/
Important note: you do not have to register for the Midwinter Meeting in order to attend this genealogy event, and you do not have to be an ALA member. Even library patrons are welcome to attend. Registration instructions are at www.ala.org/midwinter.