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.”

“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.

“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 at www.ala.org/aasl/bthere,  

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.

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.”

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.

Truth be told, library officials who aren’t feeling beleaguered this fall are the exception rather than the rule. In at least three states—Connecticut, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—one can’t help but wonder whether the legislative horse trading done to balance the budget will end before FY2010 does.

After enduring a budget battle that ended 101 days beyond the July 1 start of FY2010 in a loss of almost $25 million, weary Pennsylvania library advocates began making lemonade from the $68.3 million in state support that was left for libraries for FY2010—a 26.7% cut from the $94.6 million appropriated in FY2009. The fiscal bloodletting could have been much worse; in July, the state Senate had passed a bill slashing library aid by 55%. Glenn Miller, executive director of the Pennsylvania Library Association, astutely observed, “There are a number of moving pieces—companion bills—that also make up the overall state budget. This includes a bill (or bills) to raise revenues and bills that spell out in more detail how money in the budget is to be spent.  I note this only to point out that some other key votes also take place that affect the makeup of an overall state budget.”

In Connecticut, it seemed at summer’s end that lawmakers were more readily heeding the call of their constituents and maintaining library support at last year’s funding levels. But Gov. Jodi Rell turned the tables at the end of the summer by announcing that state agencies would have to absorb a total of $473 million in “outside vendor” holdbacks—a fiscal legerdemain in which the state doesn’t distribute expected payments even though it hasn’t actually reduced appropriations. In the case of the Connecticut Library Consortium, the sudden $950,000 blow to statewide resource sharing meant the abrupt discontinuation September 30 of InfoAnytime, a popular 24/7 online reference service that brings Tutor.com access to 162 public and academic libraries, as well as the iCONN digital library. Connecticut Library Association President Randi Ashton-Pritting responded with a September 29 letter to Gov. Rell that asks for library-vendor contracts to be exempted from the directive. On another front, former CLA president Carl A. Antonucci, Jr. told American Libraries, “We are still fighting to have the [state] Office of Policy Management restore what has been cut.”

The fight for libraries’ survival continues in Michigan as well, where funding for the statewide library book and electronic material-sharing programs has gotten caught in a budget standoff between Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the legislature. Despite her September 9 Executive Order amendment to prioritize funding for the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) and Michigan eLibrary Catalog (MeLCat),  Gov. Granholm signed into law October 12 a 40% cut to to libraries’ $10-million resource-sharing budget, although she urged lawmakers to “find the funding for libraries.” The $4-million loss at the state level is expected to trigger the withholding of another $4 million in federal aid to libraries.

Let the strategizing begin
Before the budget ink was dry, determined library communities were strategizing about how to regain their collective buying power.

Shortly after legislators passed the 40% cut out of committee, Michigan Library Association Executive Gretchen Courand told the September 29 Lansing State Journal that the association was considering a lawsuit to force the state to abide by a statute mandating that the Library of Michigan receive $1.50 per person annually for library resource sharing; according to Courand, the $6 million for FY2010 amounts to approximately 60 cents per person.

Connecticut librarians issued a call in the Connecticut Library Consortium’s October newsletter to colleagues interested in “a cost-sharing proposition” to save InfoAnytime.

As for the Keystone State, PaLA’s Glenn Miller told American Libraries he was analyzing “how far you can stretch $3 million to cover $11.1 million of resource-sharing services.”

“We don’t want to trust the cloud, but we’re sucked in anyway,” said Fujiuchi. Budget issues in libraries and patron expectations for certain types of services make moving data and services to the cloud pretty enticing. The bottom line is that cloud computing is more efficient, flexible, and portable. Their examples ranged from storing bib records on cloud servers to speed ILL among institutions that share the records (wait, aren’t we already doing that?) to Google Sites for statistics to speculations that maybe one day library cards can be standardized to simplify borrowing outside one’s own library–just as OpenID does it on the web and ATMs do it with debit cards. I was particularly interested in libraries’ using Google Sites for statistics because of how well Google’s forms interact with Google Docs and then output basic analytics–a perfect fit for keeping track of stats on reference transactions, it seems.

Of course, privacy is a concern, but OCLC’s Matt Goldner reminded the audience that sales units have been trusting the cloud for years with customer relationship management tools like salesforce.com. “It’s been done,” Goldner said. “Librarians just need figure out what needs to be in the cloud for us.”

The discussion led to ideas about what could happen if libraries refused to turn to the cloud for their computing infrastructure. The speakers suggested that librarians will risk losing patrons, saying that the cloud is to IT what Google is to libraries–motivation to maintain relevance.

eligerman first step is to admit you have a problem (On changes to organizational cultures in IT)

vkline Running naked through the stacks? Ah… IT perceptions of rogue librarians!

mfrisque If you are are always chasing your users you will not catch them. Make environments they want to be in and they will come. (Highly retweeted comment from Liz Lawley’s closing keynote. Her library has an eclectically furnished, locally run coffee shop with *real* furniture, not stuff from Demco)

bmljenny I would like to propose a moratorium on dumping on reference librarians. Let’s dump on gov docs libns instead

kurtwagner I was confused whether the session “A Hands On Approach to Conversion” was for lib-tech/LITA or LDS folks

mgoldner gave up on tweeting because good info and ideas are coming too fast

lisacarlucci i’ll be ordering dessert first at the #litaforum networking dinner.

mosylu what about the things that we’re afraid of finding? they’re out there too. apropos of nothing, Banned Book week ends today

vkline Wouldn’t it be nice if our new ideas excited others rather than alarming them. (The future of libraries is IT)

jaimebc: At what point will ideas be serious, not “young”?

lisacarlucci “dont get caught thinking technology is the answer- its the innovative use of tech thats the answer”- @mgoldner (Likely the most-tweeted quote of the conference came out of a last-minute Lightning Talk by OCLC’s Matt Goldner)

andrewkpace #litaforum heard at the Forum: “best Forum ever…best *conference* ever…”

In their talk, they presented findings from research they conducted on future leaders’ perceptions of organization in libraries. The report, Future Leaders’ Views of Organizational Culture, shows that “future leaders of academic libraries perceive a significant gap between their current and preferred organizational cultures, and that current organizational cultures limit their effectiveness.”

The researchers interviewed 240 future leaders in libraries and got a 72% response rate. Results showed that overall, these librarians prefer more flexible and externally focused culture, feeling thwarted by their current organizations and tending to prefer adhocracy overwhelmingly. Compelling visuals from the study’s findings showed that the more people felt their organization’s IT department was hierarchic, the more they preferred adhocracy.

Study participants clearly showed discontent toward hierarchic organizations’ overdeveloped processes, not valuing risk taking, lack of technical proficiency, and “newly minted” librarians who have more technical proficiency than those who have been in the profession for a long time.

As a deeply conservative profession, according to the presenters, librarians have been slow to react to technological change. They further concluded that we don’t employ technologies intelligently, we fail to develop technically proficient professionals, we don’t invest enough in areas of future growth while continuing to invest in low-value functions (such as print-based processes that don’t translate well into an electronic environment), and traditional organizational hierarchies and management styles thwart younger librarians’ efforts to make an impact (a few audience members were quick to point out that it’s not just the younger librarians who feel thwarted).

The presenters didn’t have a quick solution to fix all our organizational cultures. At least the packed room of LITA attendees understood the problem; the presenters told the crowd that they get a strong reaction from some crowds when they present their findings. “The first step is to admit you have a problem,” they said.