Librarian Relief Fund – Now Accepting Applications

The Vermont Library Association is now accepting applications for the Librarian Relief Fund. The deadline to apply is February 15th, 2012. Please contact VLA President Joe Farara with any questions, Joseph.Farara@jsc.edu.

Librarian Relief Fund Application (PDF)
Librarian Relief Fund Application (DOC)

The Vermont Library Association Librarian Relief Fund assists librarians who suffered personal property damages as a result of Hurricane Irene.  Many of our colleagues need support beyond what is offered them by governmental agencies, so please donate generously to their cause.

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eHealth: Finding Credible Health Information Online

How do you find the best health information without spending hours searching the Web? Join us for a 30 min webinar to review some basic strategies to help you find high quality health information online. We will also review some of the best health websites on the Web. Presented by Vermont State Colleges librarian, Larraby Fellows.

Tune in to one of the 30 minute January sessions.

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Vermont Library Conference Workshop Proposals Due Nov. 1

Workshop proposals for the 2012 Vermont Library Conference are due to the conference committee by November 1.  There is no set theme as of yet, so proposals could be on any topic that might be of interest to academic, public and school librarians.  Please send your ideas and proposals to jnapier@kellogghubbard.org Let us know what you’d like to see and we’ll do our best to get it on the schedule!

Free RDA Cataloging Webinars

The American Library Association is hosting several free webinars about the new cataloging code, RDA (Resource Description and Access), which will be implemented within the next year. The webinar “Introducing the RDA Toolkit Virtual User Group” will be held on Wednesday October 5, 2011 and is designed for beginners who need an introduction to the new code and toolkit. “RDA Toolkit Essentials” will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 and is designed for those who already have some familiarity with RDA and would like to learn more. For information about the new code and webinars, refer to the RDA Toolkit website at:http://www.rdatoolkit.org/

Now's the Time to Register for the NELA Annual Conference in Burlington!

Education! New and useful product and services! Networking! Inspiration!  Innovations! Authors! Social Events! Colleagues!
All this and more is available at the New England Library Association Annual Conference, October 2 – 4, in Burlington. Learn about Navigating the New Normal in your library. Register by September 23 for lower Early Registration rates. Vermont Library Association and ACRL-New England members receive NELA member pricing. This is a great, affordable professional development opportunity close to home. The deadline to reserve hotel rooms has been extended to Friday, September 9 – get your arrangements made now! Ride Share is also available for folks who want to carpool to and from Burlington.
There are plenty of offerings for academic and special librarians, including a keynote from R. David Lankes on Sunday afternoon that’s sure to please. Check out the program and register today!

National Speaker on Digital Marketing and Privacy

Burlington Area Access TV Organizations Bring National Speaker on Digital Marketing and Privacy
Contact Lauren-Glenn Davitian, davitian@cctv.org 802-862-3966 x12

On Thursday, September 22, 2011 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Champlain College, Alumni Auditorium, Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy will speak on how marketers track online and digital footprints, threats to privacy and dramatic changes in the delivery of news, information and entertainment. Digital Media at the Crossroads: Content & Control in the Internet Era is free and open to the public. Chester explores the latest developments in technologically advanced personalized data targeting, the role of the leading online marketing companies, new approaches to policy, its impact on diverse and progressive media content, and implications for the future of democracy and human rights.

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VLA Members Craft ALA Resolution to Enhance Reader Privacy Protections

VLA members Trina Magi,  UVM Bailey Howe Library,  Gail Weymouth, Director of  Killington’s  Sherburne Memorial Library and Nancy Wilson, Director of Bristol’s Lawrence Memorial Library played  major roles in the creation  and adoption of  an ALA Resolution to better protect reader privacy.

  The Intellectual Freedom Committee and the IFC Privacy Subcommittee developed the “Resolution to Protect Library User Confidentiality in Self-Service Hold Practices” after receiving requests from librarians and library users to examine the issue of reader privacy and self-service holds.  Prior to last month’s ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans, the Office for Intellectual Freedom distributed the resolution for comment, and an open hearing was held during Conference for comments.  That process led to a revision of the resolution and what the IFC believes to be an improved version.

The final resolution as presented by the Intellectual Freedom Committee was adopted by the ALA Council on June 28.

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