NHLA Blog

April 12, Storytelling for Children Conference at Keene State College:  Why are Stories Powerful? Family Stories and Early Education

Note: Conference has a focus for Early Childhood as well as one for the deaf community, interpreters will be signing.

Keynote: Laura Simms - Laura will explore the power of narrative to heal and transform us all. Telling her own inspiring family story about her son, Ishmael Beah (author of A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Child Soldier), Laura will help us understand the process of reciprocal listening and how it empowers our youth to strengthen their lives. Also choice of 2 workshops  + storytelling session featuring the day's speakers.  Reasonable price and student discount.

Workshops: 

Laura Simms:  Making Fairy Tales with Children: Finding the Hidden Story 

K. R. Glickman and Tony Toledo:  Unseen Borders: Stories in Sign and Voice 

Norah Dooley :  Story Bridges: Story, Community, and Cross-Cultural Communication 

Motoko : Bodystories: Mime and Movement for Storytellers 

K. R. Glickman : Signing Your Life Away! Sharing Your Story the Deaf Way 

John Porcino: the Magic of Storytelling to Preschoolers 

Tony Toledo: Learning How to Tell a Story 

$90 covers all of the day's events.    $45.00 for students.   

event website:  www.keene.edu/events/storytelling  

contact: phone: 413 398 4484    email:  mary.maysharkstavely@gmail.com

Posted by Amy T. at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The NHLA websites have continued to get significant numbers of visits. I hope to bring aboard the CHILIS and URBANS sites in the next 6-12 months.

As of March 9:

• The NHLA website had been visited 3,725 times in the past 30 days.
• Our blog has 47 email subscribers, 11 Bloglines subscribers, 25 Google Reader subscribers, 5 NetVibes subscribers

Top 10 webpages (excluding the home page) based on the number of hits within the last 4 weeks, (see bar graph below as well.) Congratulations to the READS-TO-GO folks for having the #1 page.

Posted by Steve B. at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ALA Midwinter was held in Philadelphia from Saturday, January 12, through Wednesday, January 16.  As the New Hampshire Chapter Councilor, I attended several meetings and forums over the five days. 

There was a presidential candidate's forum as well as an executive board candidate's forum.  All ALA members vote for the president, but only councilors vote for the executive board.  Two of the three candidates for whom I voted were elected.

There were two information session that I attended: one for the council, executive board, and membership; the other for the ALA-APA (Allied Professionals Association).  Both of those sessions include the reading of reports from the president, treasurer, and various committee heads.  Additionally, there are three council sessions where action is taken.  Members are allowed to attend those sessions, but only councilors may speak and vote.

Of the actions discussed, the most memorable were providing accessible workstations at conferences (which passed) and a graduated dues study (which was referred to committee.)  At each conference, there are a number of political and social issues discussed.  In Philly, there was discussion on the crisis in Kenya and the confiscation of Iraqi documents. 

Also, I attended two council forums and one chapter councilors forum at which actions are debated and strategies devised for the full discussion at council sessions.

I managed to spend about ten minutes at the mammoth vendors' hall, but not being much of a shopper, it was too overwhelming for me.  My meeting schedule did not permit me to attend any of the conference programs.

ALA Annual will be in Anaheim at the end of June.

Respectfully submitted,

Rob Sargent

Posted by Steve B. at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Despite winter storms and illnesses, READS has moved toward its goals.  Because the February meeting was rescheduled to February 29, we were unable to have a quorum and tabled some of the business we intended for that date. We did move ahead on preparation of a handbook describing the duties of each office and committee and will continue to work on this project in April.

A newly revised mission statement has gone to our vice-president to see what Parliamentary procedures address its adoption.

The Program Committee is offering roundtables at three locations March 25-27. The topic is “Overdues: Due You or Don’t You?” and will look at fines, collection procedures and policies. The Local Government Center has reserved October 27 for the fall READS meeting.

Thanks to some extra time and effort on Steve Butzel’s part the READS-to-Go page on the website is updated to include the kits that are catalogued, as well as live links to OPACs where the kits are housed. If the library that owns a particular kit does not have an online catalog, the site still lists a phone number to call. The kits can be searched by title, author or genre. Other web page responsibilities have been taken over by Jon Kinnaman at Nichols Library, who posts meeting minutes, reports and other items.

The Nominating Committee is on schedule with its activities. Claudia Mayer has visited one co-op and would like other READS members to go to the co-ops to tell about READS activities and committees.

READS is on schedule for NHLA spring conference activities, with new inventory of READS pens and other items on the way. Workshop presenters have been notified of the time slots for their presentations.

At the April READS meeting, brainstorming for a READS brochure will begin.

Posted by Steve B. at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Spring CHILIS Conference is scheduled for Thursday, March 27th at Southern NH University in Manchester.  The focus of the conference will be a showcase of the artists/performers on the  Kids Books and the Arts Roster. 

Posted by Steve B. at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have confirmed a location for the November 2008 Annual Business Meeting. We will be meeting at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua just off Exit 8 of the F.E. Everett Turnpike. For one of the three sessions, I have asked Bobbi Slossar (and perhaps some others from the new NHLA Information Technology Section) to discuss and illustrate open source content management systems (CMS). In particular, she will highlight the IT Section’s implementation of either Drupal, Joomla or WordPress. I am also trying to get in touch with Pamela Soren Smith at The Howe Library in Hanover to see if she would like to present her library’s experience implementing a different CMS.

Another possible topic I am considering for one of the three main sessions is a debate and discussion on the general topic of whether or not annual professional development requirements should exist for librarians. Should librarians need to earn a certain number of continuing education credits in order to maintain a certain status or licensure? How could such a system be designed and who should be involved? Should allowances be made for librarians from smaller libraries and/or those with potentially smaller professional development budgets? Do other states have continuing education requirements and systems?

As for a third session topic, I am still looking for more good ideas, so please feel free to forward me your ideas and suggestions. One idea that was suggested recently that I think sounds good is a panel discussion on literacy programs at libraries. How to start a program, what resources to use, what community organizations to partner with, etc.

Please feel free to submit comments to this blog entry or contact me directly. 

- Steve Butzel 

Posted by Steve B. at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am actively looking for a new chair for the Continuing Education Committee, and have a few leads.  I am also looking for an Intellectual Freedom chair and a NHAIS liaison and would love some ideas. To learn more about these positions, visit http://www.nhlibrarians.org/jobdescriptions.html.

Posted by Steve B. at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Steve B. at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Order your "G'Day for Reading" t-shirts today!  This year's t-shirt will be white, heavyweight cotton with a graphic on both front and back.  Designed by artist Stephanie Piro, the t-shirt artwork can be viewed at the following website: http://nhsrp2008.wetpaint.com/page/Artwork

To get more information and an order form, please visit the CHILIS website and click on the links for SRP 2008 T-shirt Info and SRP 2008 T-shirt Order Form.  The CHILIS website is at http://www.chilisnh.org/. 

T-shirt orders must be accompanied with a check payable to CHILIS and should be sent to Jane McCue at the Nesmith Library in Windham.  Orders must be received by her by Friday, April 11, 2008.  Purchase orders cannot be accepted. 

CHILIS depends on t-shirt sales to fund the Summer Reading Program, so send in your order soon.

Posted by Ann H. at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)