ALA has published a free report entitled, “Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2006-2007.” This study is part of a “sustained effort to provide current information that describes access to computers and the Internet in U.S. public libraries.” Here’s the link to the over 200 page report (which is also broken down into smaller sections including an executive summary.)
http://tinyurl.com/yv9boz
or
http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/publiclibraryfundingtechnologyaccessstudy/0607report.htm
Friday, September 21, 2007
Banned Books Week - Freedom to Read
From ALA Direct:
"According to the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), more than a book a day faces removal from free and open public access in U.S. schools and libraries. During Banned Books Week, September 29 - October 6, 2007, thousands of libraries and bookstores throughout the nation will celebrate a democratic society's most basic freedom -- the freedom to read.In Chicago, the ALA will co-sponsor a national kickoff Read-Out! event, on September 29, with numerous authors performing readings from their banned or "challenged" books. Joining such authors as Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, authors of "And Tango Makes Three," the most challenged book of 2006, will be local Chicago celebrities such as Haki Madhubuti, founder of Third World Press, and Mary Dempsey, commissioner of the Chicago Public Library. "
For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom's Banned Books Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks
"According to the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), more than a book a day faces removal from free and open public access in U.S. schools and libraries. During Banned Books Week, September 29 - October 6, 2007, thousands of libraries and bookstores throughout the nation will celebrate a democratic society's most basic freedom -- the freedom to read.In Chicago, the ALA will co-sponsor a national kickoff Read-Out! event, on September 29, with numerous authors performing readings from their banned or "challenged" books. Joining such authors as Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, authors of "And Tango Makes Three," the most challenged book of 2006, will be local Chicago celebrities such as Haki Madhubuti, founder of Third World Press, and Mary Dempsey, commissioner of the Chicago Public Library. "
For more information on book challenges and censorship, please visit the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom's Banned Books Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks
Friday, September 14, 2007
Special Bundled Registration for the 2008 Midwinter and 2008 Annual ALA Conferences
Special Bundled Registration for the 2008 Midwinter Meeting and 2008 Annual ConferenceThis year ALA is offering a special bundled price on the Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference if you register for BOTH during the month of September. You can save 20% over the advance registration price you would pay if you bought each event separately! This bundled price will be available from September 1 - September 30, 2007 through a link available on the Midwinter Meeting Registration page .
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
AASL Conference in Reno
AASL is sponsoring four Spectrum scholars at National Conference AASL will sponsor the attendance of up to four Spectrum scholars at its 13th National Conference & Exhibition. AASL will provide each of the four selected Spectrum Scholars with a full National Conference registration and a $750 travel stipend. Spectrum Scholars will be paired with a mentor for the duration of the conference and will receive special recognition at key events.
Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/september2007/aaslss.htm
Read more at
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2007/september2007/aaslss.htm
Teen Week at Your Library
Laugh Out Loud @your library!!
Teen Read Week is October 14-20, 2007. The Teen Read Week theme "LOL @your library" encourages teens to use the resources at their library to find entertaining or humorous books, magazines, comics and other media. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and ALA Graphics have partnered together to bring you official Teen Read Week products designed to help raise awareness of this event. Browse all Teen Read Week products Please submit your order by September 28th to receive your materials in time for Teen Read Week using standard shipping.
Teen Read Week is October 14-20, 2007. The Teen Read Week theme "LOL @your library" encourages teens to use the resources at their library to find entertaining or humorous books, magazines, comics and other media. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and ALA Graphics have partnered together to bring you official Teen Read Week products designed to help raise awareness of this event. Browse all Teen Read Week products Please submit your order by September 28th to receive your materials in time for Teen Read Week using standard shipping.
SKILLS ACT - We need to support our School Librarians
The SKILLS Act is a very important piece of legislation that is critical to the future of school librarians. Here are the positive outcomes if you ask your legislator to support it:
* Requires school districts, to the extent feasible, to ensure that every school within the district employs at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in each school library;
* Defines highly qualified school library media specialists as those who have a bachelor's degree and have obtained full state certification as a school library media specialist or passed the state teacher licensing examination, with state certification in library media in such state;
* Establishes as a state goal that there be at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every public school no later than the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year;
* Broadens the focus of training, professional development, and recruitment activities to include school library media specialists;
* Ensures that funds will serve elementary, middle, and high school students;
* Requires books and materials to be appropriate for and engage the interest of students in all grade levels and students with special learning needs, including English language learners.
ALA has made it very easy to contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the SKILLs Act.
Please go to this link. You can put in your zip code and they already have email messages ready to be sent to your legislator. All you have to do is write a few sentences asking your legislator to support this legislation.
http://www.capwiz.com/ala/home/
* Requires school districts, to the extent feasible, to ensure that every school within the district employs at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in each school library;
* Defines highly qualified school library media specialists as those who have a bachelor's degree and have obtained full state certification as a school library media specialist or passed the state teacher licensing examination, with state certification in library media in such state;
* Establishes as a state goal that there be at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every public school no later than the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year;
* Broadens the focus of training, professional development, and recruitment activities to include school library media specialists;
* Ensures that funds will serve elementary, middle, and high school students;
* Requires books and materials to be appropriate for and engage the interest of students in all grade levels and students with special learning needs, including English language learners.
ALA has made it very easy to contact your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the SKILLs Act.
Please go to this link. You can put in your zip code and they already have email messages ready to be sent to your legislator. All you have to do is write a few sentences asking your legislator to support this legislation.
http://www.capwiz.com/ala/home/
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Last Call for Councilor-at-Large Nominees
The ALA 2008 Nominating Committee has extended the deadline for nominees to run for Councilor-at-Large on the 2008 spring ALA ballot through September 21, 2008. After that date, those persons seeking to run may file by petition. Just to clarify, my appointment is as a Chapter Councilor for Colorado. Chapter Councilors and Councilors-at-Large all have equal standing on Council. A Chapter Councilor gets voted in by the Chapter (CAL) members. A Councilor-at-Large gets voted in by all ALA members who vote.If you are at all interested, please contact me for further information at swalchak@clicweb.org or use the contact supplied below.
The Nominating Committee will select no fewer than 53 candidates for the 35 at large Council seats to be filled in the 2008 spring election.
The first 34 candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the 2008 ALA election will serve three-year terms (2008-2011), which begins at the close of the 2008 ALA Annual Conference and ends at the close of the 2011 ALA Annual Conference. The 35th candidate receiving the greatest number of votes will serve a one-year term (2008-2009) to begin immediately upon election and end at the close of the 2009 ALA Annual Conference.
Members who wish to stand for election must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form available at https://cs.ala.org/potentialcandidates/. Nomination deadline is Friday, September 21, 2007.
If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact Lee Hisle (wlhis@conncoll.edu), chair, 2008 ALA Nominating Committee.
To encourage diversity and leadership development, the Committee will refrain from nominating any current Councilors for election to another term. However, the Committee encourages all Councilors who wish to continue their service to the Association to file as petition candidates. Petitions will be available from Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, Council Secretariat, ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, Email: lgregory@ala.org, or at the 2008 Midwinter Meeting. Petitions require 25 signatures for names to be included on the 2008 ballot.
The Nominating Committee will select no fewer than 53 candidates for the 35 at large Council seats to be filled in the 2008 spring election.
The first 34 candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in the 2008 ALA election will serve three-year terms (2008-2011), which begins at the close of the 2008 ALA Annual Conference and ends at the close of the 2011 ALA Annual Conference. The 35th candidate receiving the greatest number of votes will serve a one-year term (2008-2009) to begin immediately upon election and end at the close of the 2009 ALA Annual Conference.
Members who wish to stand for election must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form available at https://cs.ala.org/potentialcandidates/. Nomination deadline is Friday, September 21, 2007.
If you have any questions about the nomination process, please contact Lee Hisle (wlhis@conncoll.edu), chair, 2008 ALA Nominating Committee.
To encourage diversity and leadership development, the Committee will refrain from nominating any current Councilors for election to another term. However, the Committee encourages all Councilors who wish to continue their service to the Association to file as petition candidates. Petitions will be available from Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, Council Secretariat, ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, Email: lgregory@ala.org, or at the 2008 Midwinter Meeting. Petitions require 25 signatures for names to be included on the 2008 ballot.
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