NETSL Spring Conference Registration Open

Registration is now open for the New England Technical Services Librarians’ 2009 Spring Conference.

Visit http://www.nelib.org/netsl/conference-2009.htm for the complete program and a link to the mail-in registration form. Online registration will be available very soon. (We’ll post another announcement to this list as soon as it’s available.) We look forward to seeing you there!

NETSL Annual Spring Conference Program 2009:

Working the Cataloging Landscape: Fishing, Mining, and Harvesting

Friday, April 17, 2009
9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Sign-in begins at 8:30 a.m.

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NETSL Award 2009–Last Call for Nominations

Deadline for nominations is February 4, 2009

Is there a technical services librarian in your life who has inspired you? Do you have a colleague who has tackled today’s challenges in technical services and triumphed? Do you know a person who leads the way in innovation, collaboration, or data integration? Is there someone you know who puts the service in technical services? If you know of a person who merits any or all of these descriptions, please tell us. We ask you to include documents of support along with the name of your nominee. The requirements are outlined below. The successful nominee will be presented with the Award at the annual NETSL conference to be held on April 17, 2009 at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

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Leonard Marcus Lecture in Rhode Island

This seems like an interesting event for some adventurous children’s librarians to attend. And if not, the book sounds great:

In conjunction with the current exhibition Building Books: The Art of David Macaulay (description below), we invite you and your colleagues to this lecture Wednesday, January 21, 7pm:

Leonard Marcus Lecture

Noted writer, critic, and historian of children’s literature, Leonard Marcus, on his Minders of Make Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature (2008), the first-ever history of children’s book publishing from colonial times to Harry Potter; co-presented with the Providence Athenaeum. More about Mr. Marcus: http://www.leonardmarcus.com/.

Free and open to the public!

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NETSL 2009 Spring Conference

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for NETSL’s 2009 Spring Conference.

WHEN: April 17, 2009

WHERE: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA

Watch for further announcements with program and registration details
coming after the first of the year.

Questions, suggestions, or other feedback? Contact Amy Benson at
netslpresident@nelib.org.

NETSL: New England Technical Services Librarians is a section of the New
England Library Association. For more information about NETSL see http://www.nelib.org/netsl/

NETSL AWARD 2009: Call for Nominations

New England Technical Services Librarians (NETSL) Executive Board is seeking nominations for its annual NETSL Award for Excellence in Library Technical Services.

The NETSL Award recognizes and honors significant New England-based contributions to the field of library technical services. Contributions may have been made in New England by librarians from throughout the United States, or nationally by librarians residing in New England, through publications, service, or innovations in practice. The NETSL Executive Board members select a recipient at their February meeting based on nominations received. The Board reserves the right to suspend the Award for a year if no suitable candidate is nominated.

The next NETSL Award will be presented at the annual NETSL Spring Conference, April 17, 2009, at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

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Energy Grants for Vermont Libraries Perhaps?

Hi All,

I saw this article in my Burlington Free Press feed today:

Grants to Help Communities Reduce Energy Use, Save Money

It got me thinking about all the libraries around the state who want/need to upgrade or build new, and maybe this kind of grant, which is a matching funds grant, could be help those project along and promote the cause of green libraries at the same time.

I happened to blog the session at the New England Library Association Conference about green architecture and my notes/summary can be found by linking to the NELA Conference Blog:

Leading by Example: Toward More Sustainable Communities

The session was great because it was with not only a green architect, but with two New England libraries in different phases of planning/construction. I checked the NELA Conference materials area but no one from this session posted their presentations. However, I’m sure if you ask the presenters, they’d probably be happy to share. The architect had some really beautiful slides of new libraries that would make your mouth water. If you’re not familiar with the green library movement, it’s pretty awesome and gaining in momentum. Check out some of the projects at the Green Libraries website:

Green Libraries

I’m curious what people think about piggy-backing these kinds of projects, in part because I know very little about the grant process so I don’t know if it would work, but also because it seems like a really good time, what with our troubling economic times, to think creatively about how to lay hands to non-traditional revenue streams.

Helen Linda

Vermont Librarian needed as NERTCL Committee Member

As your New England Library Association (NELA) representative, I’ve been asked by the chair of the New England Roundtable of Teen and Children’s Librarians (NERTCL) to find a Vermonter to join the committee.

 Who is NERTCL? NERTCL is a group of librarians from all over New England who are dedicated to providing continuing education programs for librarians working with children and young adults through conferences and workshops. NERTCL sponsors the youth programs at the NELA Fall Conference and host an annual Spring Symposium comprised of a panel of children’s and teen authors and/or illustrators. NERTCL also hosts the Jordan Miller Storytelling Workshop on alternate years with the Massachusetts Library Association. At NERTCL meetings, members exchange news of library events and programs throughout New England; members benefit from the ideas and experiences of their colleagues.

Participation in this committee will require energy, enthusiasm, time committments, and travel to meetings throughout New England. Vermont is underrepresented in NELA committees so it would be nice if we could start interjecting this committee with all of the great stories, successes, and best practices of our state’s great children’s librarians.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the chair of the NERTCL committee, April Mazza, at (508)358-2308 or amazza@minlib.net. For further information on the NERTCL committee, check out their website at http://www.nelib.org/nertcl/index.htm.

 Thanks,

Kip M. Roberson, VT NELA Representative

NELINET Launches New Web Site Using Open Source Platform

SOUTHBOROUGH, MA, November 13, 2008 – For the past few years NELINET, a non-profit library consortium serving New England, has been championing the benefits of open source software to the library community. The rise of interest in open source solutions in the library world reflects the needs of many organizations to easily develop customized and cost effective solutions for everything from integrated library systems to web sites.

NELINET is truly committed to the open-source movement. To underscore this commitment, NELINET just launched its new web site (www.nelinet.net) powered by the Drupal, the open source Web 2.0 content management/portal system. NELINET Executive Director Arnold Hirshon is excited for what the future of open source offers for libraries. “By developing our new website with Drupal, we are able to show our members the possibilities of what you can do with open source software – even those who have limited resources – and advance a key strategic objective of providing our members with technologies that enable them to work together as a community and exchange ideas.”

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