Annual Public Libraries Report mailing this week

Public Library Directors,

This week the Department of Libraries will mail you information about completing this year’s Public Library Report and your library’s annual Standards Application. Please remember that this year you will complete and file these reports online via a web-based product called Bibliostat Collect. You will not receive any paper forms in the mail.

When you receive your letter, please read through the instructions carefully and make note of your library’s unique login and password. You will need this information to access the Bibliostat Collect site.

The deadline this year for submitting the Public Library Report and Standards Applications is November 23, 2009 (postmark date). If you have any questions as you work on your reports, please contact our State Data Coordinator, Rob Geiszler, Information Technology Manager, Sheila Kearns, or your regional library consultant.

Association of Christian Librarians Conference

Association of Christian Librarians 54th Annual Conference, June 7-10, 2010
Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN.

Our theme is “True North: Illumination, Inspiration, Information” with keynote speaker Erin Walsh, National Institute on Media and the Family, presenting “Understanding students who are growing up in a media saturated culture.”  ACL is an association of librarians who embrace the Christian faith and has over 500 members! Contact April VanPutten,
conference@acl.org, or 937-766-2255; http://www.acl.org/conference.cfm

Call for Speakers: NERCOMP Shifting Models of Discovery & Access Day-long Workshop

NERCOMP Shifting Models of Information Discovery and Access SIG
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA February 1, 2010
Deadline for proposals: October 20, 2009

SESSION DESCRIPTION

Libraries continue to migrate from out-of-the-box interfaces that search single collections to new products that promise, in various ways, to do a better job connecting people with the information they desire. OPACs are applying layers of lipstick, going open source, or fading away altogether, supplanted by new types of discovery tools. Federated search is mounting a comeback. Next-gen discovery tools promise to deliver the fabled single search box. Massive digitization projects are opening up the contents of books for discovery and–sometimes–retrieval. At the same time, proprietary, centralized projects like Google Books and OCLC’s WorldCat Local are developing alongside less centralized, more open initiatives like the Open Content Alliance, eXtensible Catalog project, VuFind, and LibraryFind.

Read more→

2009 Public Libraries and the Internet Study

The 2009 Public Libraries and the Internet Study (as part of the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study) funded by the American Library Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was opened to libraries for participation September 8, 2009. The project is managed and directed by Denise Davis and Larra Clark of the ALA Office of Research and Statistics, and the survey is directed by John Bertot at the University of Maryland College Park’s Center for Library & Information Innovation.

Results from the 2008 survey have already been coming out these last months to inform the Broadband Stimulus debates, library assistance with jobs, and library assistance with e-government. You can find recently released issue briefs and other useful data at the study website (http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding). The current context makes the data from these surveys even more important, and we hope you will participate in this year’s survey so that this information is complete and widely available.

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ACRL/NEC Spring 2010 Conference

The Association of College and Research Libraries – New England Chapter (ACRL/NEC) announces its Spring 2010 Conference!

Embracing Our Electronic World: Challenges and Promises for Academic Libraries

Friday, May 14, 2010 @ College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

Spend a day discussing the impact of our shifting information landscape, the evolving roles of academic libraries and librarians in a networked world, and the opportunities for innovation that come with rapid change.  The conference will feature speaker, Lisa Hinchliffe (Vice-President/President-elect of ACRL), presentations from ACRL/NEC Special Interest Groups (http://www.acrlnec.org/sigs/index.php), and will offer opportunities to network with your colleagues and discuss the latest library products and services with our sponsoring vendors.

VLA Resolution Included in Official Record Of Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Patrick Leahy entered the VLA’s Resolution on the 2009 Reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act into the official record  during the September 23, 2009 hearings of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the reauthorizations of the sections scheduled to sunset December 31, 2009.  Following questioning by Senator Franken of Inspector General Fine  about the temptation to use national secuirty letters insead of  going to the FISA Court for Section 215 orders, Senator Leahy submitted the VLA resolution and two other supporting documents that raised the same concerns referring to Inspector Fine’ s documented  example in his  March 2008 report on National Security Letters. 

All 177 + minutes are available for continued viewing via  Webcast  available http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4062.

VLA Board adopts Resolution on 2009 Patriot Act Resolution

On September 15th, the  VLA Board Meeting unanimously and enthusiastically adopted a Resolution on the 2009 Reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act.the following resolution. Unlike a resolution passed by ALA Council in July 2009, VLA’s resolution goes beyond Section 215 and address grave concerns raised by the use and abuse of Section 505, National Security Letters.

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NELA 2009 – Register Now to Get Early Bird Discounts!

NOW IS THE TIME!

It’s time to register for the New England Library Association Annual Conference in Hartford, CT on October 18 – 20, 2009.

Why? Just take a look at the great program lineup at www.nelib.org/conference to see the details on this dynamic educational event and networking opportunity.

Why now? Both the Early Bird registration discount and the special NELA rate at the Marriott hotel are good until October 9. Take advantage of the savings by registering now.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN HARTFORD!