11.19.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:13 pm by Greg Landgraf
American Libraries is now accepting submissions for our annual Library Design Showcase, to be published in the April 2010 issue.
This is a showcase of new and newly renovated or expanded libraries of all types. Roughly 30 of the best construction projects of the year will be highlighed in this major AL feature.
To be considered, send the completed submission form ([PDF] or [Word] format), along with color photos, 35mm slides, or high-resolution digital images, to: American Libraries, Attn: Architecture Showcase, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. The deadline is February 1, 2010, and to be eligible, projects must have been completed after October 1, 2008.
Online Submissions
You can also submit online via YouSendIt.
First, I recommend you use WinZip or a similar compression application to compress your files into a single file. YouSendIt only allows one file of up to 100 MB to be sent at a time on a free account, so you may need to make a couple different files if they are very large.
Second, you will need to sign up for a free YouSendIt account to use the system. To do so, go to www.yousendit.com, click the “Sign Up” button, and sign up for the free “Lite” account. The system will ask you fairly standard account-creation questions (username, password, real name, and the like) and send you a conformation e-mail with the activation link.
Once you’ve activated your account, log in and click the “Send” button. In the “To:” field, enter my address, glandgraf@ala.org. Input a subject and message if you wish, and click the “Browse” button to find and attach your file. Then click “Send It” and your files will be on their way. (You’ll be given premium, and paid, delivery options; they are not required to send the files and I suggest you ignore them.)
What We’re Looking For
Shortly after the February 1 deadline, a group of editors and designers will meet to go through all of the submissions—we’ve received about 70 each of the past three years—to select the approximately 30 projects that will be featured in the pages of American Libraries. We’re looking for visual appeal, interesting stories, and variety in the libraries we include. In other words, the quality of photos and the project description are the most important parts of the submission form. For digital photos, this means a resolution of 300 dpi is critical, and they need to be large. The smallest photos that we ran last year, with the exception of shots of architectural details, were about 4 inches by 3 inches.
The best way I can describe what the project descriptions should entail is: They should be what you’d tell a friend or a colleague when you’re bragging about your new library. Interesting construction details, favorite features, or intriguing snippets about how the space gets used are all good things to include. I’ll be distilling those facts into the descriptive text that accompanies each photo.
If you have a new or renovated facility, I hope you’ll consider submitting it. If you have any questions, or if you have a facility that’s still in progress and you want to receive an e-mail notification when we’ve opened submissions for 2010, please leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.
I
Permalink
11.18.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:56 pm by Sean Fitzpatrick
Children, teens, and adults showed up in droves to play board games and video games at the biggest National Gaming Day yet November 14, with 1,365 registered libraries participating, easily doubling the number of participants from last year, NGD mastermind Jenny Levine told American Libraries.
Libraries who participated in the massive, nationwide, ALA-sponsored event received board games donated by Hasbro, and also provided their own. Eli Neiburger, author of Gamers… at the Library?! and director of IT and production at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Library District Director who headed up his library’s efforts at interlibrary, simultaneous gaming, called the concept “a complex beast.” He told AL that “when the library becomes a place where patrons can be a part of something big, that’s happening all over the country, that they can’t get anywhere else, and that gives them a chance to represent their library and their hometown on a larger stage, that’s a transformative moment!”
As gaming in the library continues to evolve and mature, Levine argues, it can further engage the library and its patrons with their community. Echoing that sentiment, Neiburger maintains that gaming “gives kids who already carry an access point to the world of information around in their pocket a chance to feel that they’ve taken their first steps into a larger world–at the library.” He adds that “National Gaming Day is a powerful way for potential patrons to discover the joy and the appeal of socially consuming beloved content.”
A patron at the Skokie (Ill.) Public Library playing rock band during National Gaming Day. Photo by Ruth Sinker for Skokie Public Library.
The Skokie (Ill.) Public Library attracted more than 300 people to its Gaming Day events, of which about 35 participated in the library’s Beatles Rock Band Tournament (right). According to the November 18 NGD blog post, “the Rock Band High Score contest included 14 events on or around National Gaming Day and 70 performances were scored.” Nintendo Wii games were also popular among participants. The Super Smash Brothers Brawl Tournament included 42 libraries across the country connecting up to play.
But not all the gaming was high-tech. The Mammoth (Ariz.) Public Library’s treasure hunt was a big hit among patrons. The hunt, which served as entertainment and also as a way of giving patrons an in-depth look at how the library works, took no more resources than just some staff time and scraps of paper, according to Library Director Diana Stirling. “Entire families did the treasure hunt together, and invariably the people who had already finished helped others,” she said.
Permalink
11.13.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:27 pm by Greg Landgraf
The state of Maharashtra in western India is the nation’s wealthiest and home to Mumbai, the country’s financial center. In the rural areas of the state, however, many children have no access to books until they begin their schooling. And with no preparation for school, many children drop out early in frustration or boredom.
An organization called PaanPoee Vachanalaya was founded in 2003 to bring books to pre-school children in rural Maharashtra. With the assistance of Vanasthali Rural Development Center, which operates rural pre-schools in the state, PaanPoee Vachanalaya began lending books to young children in the area.
The PaanPoee project got a big boost in 2007, when Home of Hope, a San Francisco-based charity whose projects primarily focus on aiding children in India, began funding it. The contributions allowed the project to purchase far more books, to its current total of 4,500, and open libraries in all eight of the VRDC’s school centers; only one of the schools had a library prior to Home of Hope’s involvement. HOH funds also help to pay for fuel and van rental to deliver books to community centers.
A teacher delivering books by bicycle from a school center to her village school.
The VRDC operates school centers in eight of Maharashtra’s 31 counties, and PaanPoee vans deliver books to these school centers, explained Home of Hope spokesperson Jennifer Neale. Teachers collect books and deliver them by foot or bicycle to their balwadis—the 206 village nursery schools throughout the eight counties that teach more than 10,000 children the basics of reading and arithmetic. Handwritten ledgers track which books are on loan to which school at any given time.
There is no data yet on the effectiveness of the program, but Home of Hope has gathered anecdotal evidence of educational improvements. Jayashree Nangude, librarian at the primary school in Jejuri, reports that students, teachers, and some parents borrow books for home reading. And Chhaya Pawar, deputy manager of the VRDC school center in Shirwal, said that the books help to keep students’ attention and interest. “One of our teachers asked students to tell a story every day,” she said. “It was difficult for a student to tell a story. But now with so many strong books available to read, children clamor for an opportunity to recite a story, or begin a tale on their own.”
Permalink
11.10.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:20 pm by Leonard Kniffel
ALA President Camila Alire posted information to the ALA Council electronic discussion list October 23, regarding a boycott of the Hyatt in Boston, one of the ALA Midwinter Meeting hotels. Clearly President Alire’s message did not reach the union organizers or it fell on deaf ears, since today we received an e-mail blast urging ALA leaders to take a stand. ALA members who are concerned about this issue need to understand that while ALA as an organization cannot participate in organizing a boycott of this nature, individual ALA members are free to vote with their feet. The decision of whether or not to stay at the Boston Hyatt belongs to you.
President Alire’s explanation:
“Over the past week, several reports have emerged related to a staffing change made by the management of the Hyatt Hotels in Boston. One of those hotels–the Hyatt Regency Boston–is on the list of hotels ALA is using at the 2010 Midwinter Meeting in Boston.
“ALA staff have read the wide range of communications from members, as well as the official hotel communication. Staff have shared member comments with the management of Hyatt nationally, as well as with the management in Boston.
“ALA provides a wide range of hotels for members at its conferences and recognizes that individuals selecting hotels will make different choices, for many reasons. ALA has made sure that Hyatt is aware that some of its members may choose not to stay at the Hyatt Regency Boston because of the recent outsourcing of housekeeping. ALA does, however, have a contract with the Hyatt Regency Boston for the 2010 Midwinter, which is rapidly approaching, and will honor that contract.
“Members are also reminded that ALA, like other associations, cannot engage in practices which would be viewed by the law as “restraint of trade.” ALA cannot encourage a boycott of a specific vendor, product or service. This does not mean that there cannot be discussion of a specific product, service or vendor at ALA meetings or in ALA publications, including discussion lists. But, as relates to antitrust considerations, such discussion may not seek to fix prices, regulate the availability of services or products, encourage unfair practices, encourage non-competition, or encourage boycotts. ALA members must refrain from using ALA resources, including discussion lists, for these purposes.”
Today’s e-mail blast from a Jaimie McNeil, in part:
“I work with UNITE HERE Local 26 in Boston. For the last two months we have been working alongside the fired Hyatt housekeepers in Boston order to win their jobs back. As you may know, on August 31st, all three Boston Hyatt hotels called their housekeeping staff together and fired them on the spot, replacing them with temps making half the wage. The workers have called for a boycott of all three hotels until they get their jobs back. Many of the housekeepers had worked for Hyatt for over 20 years. The housekeepers were made to train their own replacements. The outsourced housekeepers make about half of what the Hyatt workers made.
“We have been contacted by a number of you in regard to the ALA midwinter meeting this January in Boston. The Hyatt workers have also reached out to the conference planner. While it is encouraging to hear from members who are boycotting the hotel, the ALA leadership has not made a decision yet in regard to moving the current room block to a responsible hotel. Other Academic & Professional groups such as the Eastern Sociological Society have done the right thing and moved their large event to another hotel. The Hyatt 100 would like to thank the ALA members for taking a stand and are eager to meet with a local representative from ALA to share their story and find ways to work together.”
But ALA leadership has made a decision and it is informed by law. The Association will not be working with the union to organize or encourage the boycott. Individual ALA members are, of course, free to do as they wish.
Permalink
11.07.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:26 am by Pamela Goodes
Authors Charles R. Smith Jr. and Laurie Halse-Anderson generated laughs and cheers from the capacity crowd attending the Author Banquet November 6 during ALA’s American Association of School Librarians national conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Smith talked about his experiences in writing, photography, and sports in his work of creating children’s books by mixing presentations of his poetry. He reiterated his desire to show boys that there are many ways to pursue their interests, no matter what they may be. His books include Rimshots, Hoop Kings, Hoop Queens, I Am America, and his latest endeavor Twelve Rounds to Glory. He told the crowd that his initial desire to writing was to be “an engine for kids to be motivated to learn.”
Anderson, who said she never intended to be an author, began her presentation by discussing how she grew up as a shy child who escaped in her school library. Her first novel, speak, was a National Book Award finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor book, a New York Times bestseller, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The book is under consideration for a movie.
Because the library “saved her life,” Anderson was adamant about book banning, calling it ”a profoundly un-American activity.”
“Censorship is a devil’s brew of fear, frustration, and power,” she maintained, calling recent increases in book challenges ”definitely political.”
“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance,” Anderson continued. “Every time a library budget is cut or a librarian position eliminated, it is another form of censorship. It’s stealing from children and interfering with education.”
“People who don’t value libraries or librarians have picked a fight with me.” she said. “When they rip the roof off the library, they are weakening our country. Libraries are not luxuries, but the foundations of our country. Libraries are a holy place, a sanctuary; saving lives, saving our country, and changing the world for the better.”
Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:12 am by Pamela Goodes
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) released the Milestones for Improving Learning and Education (MILE) Guide, a hands-on tool designed to help districts and schools evaluate their integration of 21st century skills into current and future practice, November 6 during ALA’s American Association of School LIbrarians (AASL) national conference in Charlotte. North Carolina.
“The MILE Guide is another example of the Partnership’s goal to provide practical resources to help educators,” said Kathy Hurley, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for the education services and technology company Pearson and P21 executive board and strategic council chair. “While the recently released Implementation Guides were geared largely toward state leaders, the MILE Guide supports educators at the district and school level.”
The guide includes a self-assessment tool that provides three benchmarks- early stage, transitional stage, and 21st century- for how far along schools and districts are in terms of student knowledge and skills; education support systems; leading and teaching; policy-making; partnering; and continuous improvement/strategy planning.
In addition to the self-assessment tool, the MILE Guide includes a set of recommendations organized around given support system areas: Assessment; Professional Development; Curriculum and Instruction; Learning Environments; and Standards.
The MILE Guide is available online at www.21stcenturyskills.org/mileguide.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. AASL is one of several member organizations.
Permalink
11.06.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:26 pm by Pamela Goodes
Best-selling author James Patterson addressed a special general session, “Turbocharge Your Day with James Patterson!-Read Kiddo Read! Parents and Librarians Band Together to Make Kids Lifelong Readers,” November 6 during ALA’s American Association of School Librarians national conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It’s time for librarians to start making a lot more noise,” Patterson told the packed crowd. “School libraries are not a luxury, they are a necessity.”
The author of young adult books as well as adult novels, some adapted to movies, Patterson said, “Right now, books are the best and most advanced media to practice in a wide-ranging point of view, not television, not the movies.”
He talked about the recently released movie Precious, adapted from the book Push by Sapphire. “Although it uses some bad language, it gets you to feel this black girl who no one would care about or pay attention to and was mocked. You will care so much about that girl from reading the book, if you can get pass the language, which you should, to step into another person’s shoes. People should read all kinds of books; books are the best we have in looking at the world.”
Patterson has launched a new website, ReadKiddoRead.com, designed to help parents, teachers, and librarians find books that will appeal to kids at all reading and interest levels. It includes reviews targeted toward identifying books with high kid appeal and interviews by Patterson with leading authors.
“If we raise a generation of non-readers, we will be raising a generation of narrow-minded nincompoops,” he said. “When you turn kids on to reading, it is the most satisfying thing that you can do on the planet.”
Patterson also had a message for parents: “If you child isn’t reading and their brain is turned off, this is not good. It is the parents responsibility to find books that will turn their kids on. There shouldn’t be a holiday that goes by that you don’t buy your kid a book.”
“Kids need to have positive experiences with books,” Patterson explained. “Right now, there are millions of kids in this country that have never read a book and that is a national tragedy. The good news is that it is fixable and the people who can help are right here.”
An exclusive interview with Patterson is available online to all conference registrants at b there- Your Virtual Track Pass.
Permalink
11.05.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:57 pm by Pamela Goodes
dana boyd, called the “high priestess” of networked social media and an internationally recognized authority on online social networking sites, said school librarians can play a crucial role in “keeping the digital doors open to help young people think about learning beyond the classroom.” She delivered the opening session keynote address November 5 during the 14th national conference of ALA’s American Association of School Librarians in Charlotte, North Carolina, which carries the theme “Rev Up Learning @ your library.”
A doctoral candidate at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Information and fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, boyd has unique and controversial perspectives on how America’s youth are engaging in sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.
“There is a lot of social learning that goes on in schools that we need to figure out how to support,” boyd explained. “You can play a tremendous role in helping children think through the kind of environment they are living in.” In doing this, boyd told school librarians that they “need to be as public and transparent as possible in every way” when dealing with children and social networking, “In the same way that you keep the doors open in schools, you need to keep the digital doors open online,” she urged, providing such tips as sharing passwords with principals.
“Digital media makes visible what is going on in the everyday lives of children and that’s not always pretty,” boyd said, “Social media helps kids make sense of things. Young people are getting access to more information than ever before, often unstructured and with no easy way to make sense of it.”
More than 3,000 school librarians, educators, publishers, and guests are expected to attend the only national conference dedicated entirely to the needs of school library media specialists probing such issues as information literacy, technology, 21st-century learning skills, and how to advocate for school library media centers.
In addition to two full-day and five half-day preconference workshops, as well as school and educational tours, Thursday’s conference business began with the Exploratorium, which showcased new practices that are transforming the library media center. The two-hour educational session showcased best practices from the school library media community, including a presentation from ALA President Camila Alire, “Presidential Initiative: Libraries: The Heart of All Communities” that focused on advocacy for 21st century literacies and libraries.
After boyd’s address, it was party time in the exhibit hall, complete with refreshments. More than 200 exhibitors welcomed conference participants for the first chance to get a glimpse at their products and services.
The evening ended with “A Storytelling Extravaganza” featuring the original and traditional stories of Steven Henegar, the heartfelt stories using handmade masks and stylized movement of Kuniko Yamamo, and musical programs presented in the tradition of Griot of Madafo.
AASL is also reducing the conference footprint by going green. To reduce paper waste, the ALA division’s virtual component, “b there-Your Virtual Track Pass,” is housing all session materials and speaker resources online at www.ala.org/aasl/bthere, including boyd’s presentation as well as an exclusive interview. All registrants have free access to these resources for an entire year.
In addition, conference signage is made of recyclable materials and printed with eco-friendly inks. Attendees are also receiving eco-friendly conference bags, which they may donate to a local charity at the end of conference. Surplus promotional items and books from exhibitors will also be donated to local charities. The Charlotte Convention Center has placed recycling stations in convenient places and employees are encouraged to minimize energy consumption by powering down unused convention areas and machinery. Caterers are buying locally grown and organic foods, using recyclable papers and plastic, and will donate surplus food to local food banks. For a complete list of conference green initiatives, visit www.ala.org/aasl/charlottegogreen.
Permalink
10.30.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:43 pm by Leonard Kniffel
ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels announced this morning at an all-staff meeting at ALA Headquarters in Chicago, that expense reductions during the last six months of FY2009 (which ended August 31) had exceeded target and resulted in a modest surplus that would be used to return about half of the money all ALA employees lost during a mandated week of unpaid furlough, which amounts to about $650 per employee.
Fiels noted that this year there would be no money for annual pay raises or individual incentives and that the $650 payment would not be enough to compensate completely for the furloughs but would benefit employees with the lowest salaries most, since every staff member would receive the same amount. There was enthusiastic applause.
Fiels also acknowledged that what has happened to the U.S. economy is no secret to anyone, but news that the economy is out of recession is no cause for celebration yet. “I’m happy for the economy,” he quipped, but there is no forseeable relief for libraries until 2012. The next two years will be lean; libraries are cutting expenses, cutting staffs, and threatened with closure. The impact on ALA is clear. He added that furloughs for 2010 are still on the table, but no final decision would be announced until April, when the FY2011 budget is in place.
The other good news for ALA staff was that no increase in the employee share of health insurance costs is anticipated for 2010.
Fiels then commended staff and expressed the appreciation of ALA President Camila Alire and the Executive Board.
In a separate statement prepared for ALA member leaders, Fiels and ALA Treasurer Rod Hersberger explained the decision to pay back part of the furlough money. Their statement in its entirety:
“Last April, the Association was forced to take a number of extraordinary measures in light of the fiscal crisis that began last fall. Facing a projected revenue shortfall of nearly $3 million, we instituted a series of cost cutting measures that included spending cuts, a one week staff furlough, and the elimination of a number of positions at ALA.
“We are pleased to report that, based on preliminary year-end figures, these efforts were successful. Thanks to the cost cutting measures implemented in April, we were able to end the year with a balanced budget and small surplus despite a revenue shortfall that did ultimately hit $3 million. This outcome has allowed us to provide some one-time, partial compensation to furloughed staff, and to make a modest contribution to the Association’s reserve.
“This year-end news is particularly welcome because all indications are that the next two years will be very difficult for libraries, our members and the Association. For 2010, we have already implemented additional spending reductions in anticipation of further revenue softness. With library budgets all over the country being cut and furloughs, hiring freezes and travel and materials budget reductions common occurrences, we anticipate a further decline in overall revenue before the situation for libraries and the Association stabilizes and ultimately rebounds.
“Even more encouraging is that, despite the economy, we had record-breaking conference attendance in Chicago, and do expect to have very successful and well attended meetings and conferences in Boston and Washington, as well as successful AASL and PLA conferences this year. Our membership, while slightly down, is remarkably stable in an environment where many associations have seen dramatic drops. Advertizing, which suffered most dramatically last year, has stabilized.
“Most importantly, we believe that the Association has been able to maintain a strong focus on serving libraries and our members. Despite budget cuts, we have continued and will continue to move ahead on important initiatives such as ALA Connect and those related to increased advocacy for libraries The first and foremost goal will continue to be service to members, libraries and the public.
“More detailed information on the 2009 and 2010 budgets will be provided as part of the Treasurer’s report at Midwinter; this report will also be distributed to the membership at that time.”
Permalink
10.29.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:53 pm by Leonard Kniffel
How do you maximize the value of membership in the American Library Association during tough financial times? I’ve had several discussions with ALA staff recently, prompted by communications I’ve received from non-members who are exasperated by the employment prospects in the field or frustrated about just exactly how they are supposed to pay membership dues when they are unemployed or afraid of losing their jobs.
While ALA has member retention rates that are the envy of the association world, it does trouble me and many members of the ALA staff that the benefits of membership are not obvious to all library professionals. If they aren’t, however, I have to believe that it isn’t because they don’t exist, it is more likely because we haven’t communicated them as effectively as we should.
Do you know, for example, that ALA has a special membership category at $46 for non-salaried library employees who make less than $25,000 a year or are unemployed? I’m committed to making American Libraries a better communicator of the benefits of membership in ALA, but in the meantime, here is a link to membership at reduced rates, which also includes the $46 rate for support staff and retirees.
ALA does important work. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t be here. But ALA is its members, and we the staff and member leaders need your support, at whatever rate you can afford, in order to do that work. If you can afford zero dollars, your moral support matters too. I’m curious about what else ALA should be doing to strengthen its value to members who are going through a job crisis, and I welcome your comments.
Permalink
« Previous entries