Here's a video clip from the Library Advocacy Rally down in Washington, DC on June 29th. Over 1,600 ALA members and advocates of all ages braved the 90-degree heat to take part in the largest federal advocacy event in ALA history.

At the rally, ALA President Alire emphasized the main themes of the advocacy day including increasing Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding to $300 million for FY2011 and including support for school librarians in the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Pumping up the crowd for their meetings on the Hill following the rally, she led the group with the rally cry, “We’re going to tell them!”

Library Advocacy Day Rally from ALA Washington on Vimeo.

Posted by Steve B. at 06:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From ALA Dispatch...

Libraries were well represented in the 66 BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program) and BIP (Broadband Initiatives Program) awards that the White House announced today.  Several libraries were named as grantees, and a number of the awards include libraries as key components of the projects.  

“It is tremendously satisfying to see libraries receive badly needed support for improving their broadband connectivity,” said Dr. Alan Inouye, director of the ALA’s Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP).  “ALA and others invested a lot in advocacy and education for the library community in the past year, and we’re pleased that our efforts helped to lead to a beneficial outcome for the library community.

Download a PDF of the Broadband Award Roster which includes the University System of New Hampshire, see below.

"The University System of New Hampshire will receive $44.5 million and estimates it will directly create almost 700 jobs by making broadband service more readily available to the state's households and businesses. Almost 1 million people and approximately 12,000 local businesses and 700 community institutions stand to benefit from up to 10 Gbps as well as dark fiber IRUs. Partners seek to use this opportunity to create a "tech corridor" in New Hampshire."

Posted by Steve B. at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is the first of what I hope will be a couple of reports about my time down in DC as NH’s Chapter Councilor at ALA Annual. Rather than try to walk you through every resolution and discussion item that was brought before the Council, I'll try to highlight some of the more interesting or controversial topics. If you would like more details, feel free to contact me, skbutzel (at) cityofportsmouth (dot) com.

Equal access to library services for all regardless of immigration status

Perhaps the most passionately discussed resolution was offered by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. (REFORMA is an affiliate of ALA.) Their resolution urged Congress to enact comprehensive immigration legislation reform that would ensure equal access to library services for all, regardless of immigration status. 

As their councilor explained, REFORMA was concerned about Arizona's law S.B. 1070 and how it would impact libraries. In particular, they were concerned that librarians at those public libraries which are part of city governments might be required to ask patrons or visitors to prove their U.S. citizenship before they would be granted a library card or perhaps receive library services. They also expressed concern that members of their communities are not going to public libraries or other public places as often for fear of being confronted by public officials and potentially arrested.

In a Council discussion forum, councilors from across the country reported legislative efforts in their states similar to the one that produced S.B. 1070 in Arizona. The clear message was that these issues are not limited to librarians in Arizona or even border states.

While some councilors wanted to refine the language of the resolution, the resolution was voted on and passed.

Other resolutions that passed

• To increase funding for the “Improving Literacy through School Libraries” program to $100 million
• To include school librarians in the re-authorization of the elementary and secondary education act
• To ensure equitable access to all formats of electronic content through libraries/equal access to 21st century communications (more details to follow on this one)
  
• To increase the composition of the conference committee to include a representative from the Accessibility Assembly
• To establish a retired members roundtable
• To ensure non-discrimination in ALA conference contracts, (added transgendered persons as an additional criteria)
• To support a joint digital pilot project by the Library of Congress and the Government Publishing Office

Posted by Steve B. at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Steve B. at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The newly revised and updated 8th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual made its debut yesterday at the ALA Store at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.  The Manual also is available online at www.alastore.ala.org (search for Intellectual Freedom Manual).

And due to popular demand… a revamped and revised website to supplement and update the print edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual also debuts during Annual. Online at www.ifmanual.org, the new site provides access to new policies and policy revisions as well as expanded online resources for academic and school librarians.

- Steve at ALA in Washington, DC

Posted by Steve B. at 06:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you may have heard already...

"Molly Raphael, former director of libraries at Multnomah County Library in Portland, Ore., has been elected president-elect of the American Library Association, defeating Sara Kelly Johns, school library media specialist for grades 6-12 at Lake Placid (N.Y.) Middle/High School.

James Neal, vice president for information services and university librarian at Columbia University, was elected treasurer, defeating Alan Kornblau, director of the Delray Beach (Fla.) Public Library.

Raphael received 5,857 votes. Johns received 4,399 votes. Neal received 6,891 votes. Kornblau received 2,756 votes."

Read more of the ALA press release here...

For complete election results, go here...

To learn more about Molly Raphael, visit her website

Posted by Steve B. at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From ALA...

"Budget tight? Can't attend the ALA 2010 Annual Conference in Washington, DC? Going to DC and ready for more? Not a problem-just register for the ALA Virtual Conference, July 7 and 8, 2010.

A full series of 11 interactive one-hour Web sessions right at your own computer! The sessions are listed at www.ala.org/annual. Each interactive program session focuses on some aspect of how to do your job better, and you will learn creative solutions for working smarter in this economy. You will have the opportunity to interact with speakers and other attendees during each session..."

Learn more here, http://bit.ly/b7KQNU

Posted by Steve B. at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Janet Elkund at the State Library via NHAIS:

The White House Domestic Policy Office has asked IMLS to survey the nation's libraries about any public library programs that assist patrons with ordering groceries or similar such services as the one described in this story in the Baltimore Sun:

"Libraries help fill city nutrition gaps
Virtual Supermarket serves residents of areas without grocery stores"
http://bit.ly/ablXX6

The Institute of Museum & Library Services would like a response from New Hampshire as soon as possible, so Janet would like to be notified if you know of libraries providing this or similar services.

Janet can be reached at 603-271-2393 or janet.eklund at dcr.nh.gov

Posted by Steve B. at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Voting for the next president of ALA has recently begun. I've provided some info about the two candidates below including links to their electoral websites. Please vote if you are a member.

Sara Kelly Johns, http://www.skj4ala.com

• Library Media Specialist, Lake Placid Central School District. Middle/High School (grades 6-12), September 1999-present, Supervisor of Elementary Library Media Program, September 1999-September 2001.
• Library Media Specialist, Beekmantown Middle /Senior High School, Library Media Center (grades 6-12), September 1972-June 1999
• Served on two public library boards (president of the Board of Trustees for one)
• Served on state-wide policy making commissions and committees for all library types

• Director of Libraries, Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon, 2003-2009
• Director, District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) and DC State Librarian, 1997-2003
• President, Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), 2008-09
• ALA Budget Analysis and Review Committee (BARC), 1993-97 and 2000-02, (Chair 1996-97)

Posted by Steve B. at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've survived the first two days of orientation at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Boston. I spent just about all of Friday at an orientation/workshop for chapter leaders including state association presidents, president-elects and ALA councilors. We heard excellent presentations from a number of librarians and library association executive directors. I hope we can send our President and/or President-Elect to this orientation/workshop in the future.

Today I attended orientation for ALA councilors. I got to hear from the current ALA President and ALA's executive director. I also learned more about my role as a councilor and what my life will be like for the next three days, (pretty much solid council meetings and forum discussions...and some receptions.)

The highlight for me today was sitting in the dead center of the second row of the grand ballroom where I got hear Al Gore give a riveting 75 minute talk about his new book on the environmental crisis which is written for children and young adults, (unlike An Inconvenient Truth.)

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a little something about the exhibits. As you might imagine, the major vendors put together truly luxurious displays, mini-auditoriums and meccas to draw you in, but I must confess, their actual sales people or reps often seem more interested in talking to each other than welcoming conference attendees. It would be like if you approached the welcome desk at your library and the handful of librarians at the desk were all wearing Armani suits and chuckling amongst themselves. I really don't get it!

I'll be uploading some photos I took today to our Flickr account, so feel free to take a look if you'd like, http://www.flickr.com/photos/nhlibrarians.

One last thing for tonight. I'm also doing some tweeting during the day. You can read my tweets at http://twitter.com/nhlibrarians. In one of my tweets today, I discussed my initial inclinations as to who to support in the current ALA presidential election.

Posted by Steve B. at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I was asked by YALSA to post so here it goes. It's kind of long...

YALSA is coming to Boston! In addition to our special events at ALA Midwinter Meeting (see them all at http://bit.ly/yalsamw2010), we have two pre-Midwinter events on Friday, Jan. 15 that you can attend without registering for Midwinter.

Libraries 3.0: Teen Edition: Join YALSA from 9-4:30 p.m on Jan. 15 to learn how you can take advantage of free online tools and social networking options to enhance and expand the services for teens, discover strategies to gain funding for technology initiatives and buy-in from administrators, and hear speakers like Stacy Aldrich (futurist & acting California State Librarian), Cory Doctorow (BoingBoing.net, Little Brother), Laura Pearle, Wendy Stephens, and Buffy Hamilton. Lunch included! Libraries 3.0 costs $195 for YALSA members, $235 for ALA members, and $285 for nonmembers. Full details on this event, and all of YALSA’s plans for Midwinter, are available online at http://bit.ly/yalsamw2010.

Games, Gadgets & Gurus: Join us from 8-10 p.m. on Jan. 15! Spend a fun evening networking with colleagues and learning new skills to take back to your library! Come play games - both board and video; demo gadgets like e-readers, mobile phones, digital audio recorders, video cameras and the latest software; and take advantage of the opportunity chat one-on-one with a tech guru. Other participants include Galaxy Press, PBS' Digital Nation, and Tutor.com. Mingle with colleagues! Enjoy some refreshments! Play with neat tech toys! And go home with great swag! Tickets cost $40; full details online at http://bit.ly/yalsamw2010.

Sign up for both and save! Tickets for both cost $215 for YALSA members, students and retirees; $255 for ALA members; $300 for nonmembers.

If you have already registered and would like to add this special event to your registration, you have two options: (1) By phone: Call ALA Registration at 1-800-974-3084 and ask to add a workshop to your existing registration; (2) Online: Add an event to your existing registration by clicking on this link. Use your log in and password to access your existing Annual registration and add events in the “Your Events” section (screen 6). Then simply check out and pay for the events you have added.

To register only for the "Libraries 3.0: Teen Edition" Midwinter Institute, and/or Games, Gadgets & Gurus, please fill out the form at http://bit.ly/mwregform (skip Section I) and either mail or fax it to 800-521-6017 or mail it to: ALA Registration and Housing Headquarters
568 Atrium Dr.
Vernon Hills, IL 60061

Questions? Contact us at yalsa@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4390. Hope to see you in Boston!

Stephanie (Stevie) Kuenn
Communications Specialist
Young Adult Library Services Association
skuenn@ala.org
v: 312.280.2128
f: 312.280-5276

--

Check out YALSA's new book, Cool Teen Programs for under $100, edited by Jenine Lillian
http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=2757

Posted by Steve B. at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) and EBSCO are partnering to offer five scholarships for librarians to attend the 2010 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston. The meeting takes place Jan. 15-19, 2010, and offers an opportunity for continuing education, meetings and interaction with colleagues.
Each EBSCO scholarship will be in the amount of $1,500, and one of the five scholarships will be awarded to a first-time conference attendee. The scholarship money is to be used for conference registration, travel and expenses.

Deadline for entry is Nov. 23, 2009, and the application information can be found at: http://bit.ly/28k8sJ.

Scholarship recipients will be notified no later than Dec. 15, 2009.

To apply, candidates must complete the application criteria and submit an essay that answers the following question: “What do you believe to be the biggest challenge in managing electronic resources in libraries today, and what solutions do you envision?” Essays and applications will be judged by a jury designated by ALA.

Source: http://bit.ly/1kg4DH

Posted by Steve B. at 04:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From ALA's Washington Office...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s passage of the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845) yesterday put Congress back on track to achieve comprehensive reform of our nation’s surveillance laws, say the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

“Chairman Conyers and other leaders in the House Judiciary Committee conducted a thorough, open debate of H.R. 3845,” ALA President Camila Alire said. “The weak bill the Senate released after closed-door negotiations would not provide library patrons with privacy online, but H.R. 3845 includes many provisions that will re-establish the balance between the needs of law enforcement and the rights of the American public.”

Read more here...

Posted by Steve B. at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting applications for the 2010 class of Emerging Leaders.  Applications can be found at http://www.ala.org/cfapps/emergingleaders. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2009.

An ALA division, round table, ethnic affiliate, state chapter or school library media affiliate will sponsor approximately one-third of the selected applicants.  Each sponsor will contribute $1,000 toward expenses ($500 for each conference).  Sponsorship is not required for participation in the program. 

Applicants can indicate on the application which groups they want to consider them for sponsorship.  A list of sponsoring units is included as part of the online application. You can also check with your state association and/or state chapter to find out if they are participating and how to apply for their sponsorship.

No more than one person from any institution will be selected for participation in the program.  In order to be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be under 35 years of age or be a library worker of any age with fewer than 5 years experience working in a library.
• Be able to attend both ALA conferences and work virtually in between each.
• Be prepared to commit to serve on either an ALA, division, chapter or round table committee, task force or work group, or in your state or local professional library organization upon completion of program.
• Be an ALA member or join upon selection if not already a member.

Program information will be available and updated at: http://www.ala.org/cfapps/emergingleaders/

For questions or more information regarding the program, contact Beatrice Calvin at bcalvin@ala.org

Posted by Steve B. at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ALA and ALA Chapters, including state and regional associations, are very interested in are interested in finding out more about "millennial" generation needs and wants from a professional association.

If you were born after 1978 we want to hear from you! You can get to the survey by clicking here.

We invite you to spend the next 15-20 minutes completing a brief 35-question survey about ALA and ALA Chapter membership.  All responses to the survey will remain absolutely confidential and will be used only in aggregate with all other responses received.

Posted by Rob S. at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The American Library Association (ALA) is beginning work on the development of its 2015 strategic plan. The first step in the process is to conduct an evaluation of current programs and services, and members are invited to share their feedback. An online member survey is available through March 22, 2009. So, if you are an ALA member, why not fill out the survey before the deadline passes.

To take and/or learn more about the survey, go here (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/missionhistory/plan/2015/index.cfm). A FAQ about the survey is available here (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/missionhistory/plan/2015/2015membersurveyfaq.pdf).

Posted by Steve B. at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For Immediate Release from ALA,
February 24, 2009

At the American Library Association (ALA) 2009 Midwinter Meeting in Denver, the ALA Council passed a resolution defining the core competences of librarianship.

The core competences document represents the work of a special Presidential Task Force on Library Education and builds on the efforts of several previous groups.

The document defines the basic knowledge to be possessed by all persons graduating from an ALA-accredited master’s program in library and information studies. Librarians working in school, academic, public, special and governmental libraries will need to acquire special knowledge beyond that specified in the resolution.

It states that everyone graduating from an ALA-accredited master’s program in library and information studies should know and, where appropriate, be able to employ:

• Foundations of the Profession.
• Information resources.
• Organization of recorded knowledge and information.
• Technological knowledge and skills.
• Reference and user services.
• Research.
• Continuing education and lifelong learning.
• Administration and management.

The core competency requirements stress the role of library and information professionals in promoting democratic principles and intellectual freedom, knowing and applying the legal framework guiding libraries and information agencies – including laws relating to copyright, privacy, freedom of expression, equal rights and intellectual property – and attaining competency in identifying and analyzing emerging technologies and innovations.

To learn more about the core competences of librarianship, please visit:

Core Competences Web site

ALA's Core Competences of Librarianship (.pdf)

Posted by Steve B. at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In my previous blog, I reported that several resolutions were passed by Council without much discussion.  There were, however, a few resolutions that were debated.

The Resolution Supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act was debated because not all Councilors understood the definitions of "gender identity" and "gender expression" or the difference between them.

 The Resolution Concerning ALA Policy Opposing Sweatshop Labor was debated because not all Councilors understood who would decide what qualified as a sweatshop, where that information would be obtained, whether or not subcontractors would need clearance, and whether or not vendors would be held accountable.

 The Endorsement of a Living Wage for all Library Employees and a Minimum Salary for Professional Librarians was debated because of its specified universal figures ($13 an hour for allied professionals and $41, 680 for professionals). 

Rob Sargent, ALA Councilor

Posted by Rob S. at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NHLA has received copies of Oprah book club book, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.  The first 6 libraries to respond will get a copy delivered to them on the van.

Amy Thurber

President, NHLA

athurber@canaanlibrary.org

Posted by Amy T. at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

To read Lois Ann Gregory-Wood's summation of ALA Council Resolutions from the 2008 Annual Conference in June, download this Microsoft Word file.  Lois Ann is the secretary general of the Council and a real dynamic lady.  If you have any questions or comments about any of the resolutions, please contact me at rob.sargent@franklin.lib.nh.us.

Posted by Rob S. at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2007 ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition was held in Washington, DC in June.  As your NH Chapter Councilor, I attended Council meetings and forums, membership meetings and forums, and the President's reception.  I also attended a few author lectures and a film premiere which I will detail later.  But first, I will update you on ALA business.

There were two membership forums which were immediately followed by membership meetings.  The theme of the first forum was "Should ALA take stands on non-library issues?"  The issue was debated by Councilor Steve Matthews and Past President Michael Gorman, and any member present was able to speak on the matter.  The issue was not resolved, but I can tell you from experience that a lot of time and effort is spent on issues like whether the American president should be impeached or if torture is a bad thing.  The second forum was held to determine if ALA is adequately meeting the needs of its members.  Several members spoke about their frustrations with a large conference: trying to find housing, too many programs at the same time, being turned away from well-known speakers, etc.  No resolutions were introduced at either meeting, although the Resolution Committee was available and willing. 

 There were several resolutions presented at the three Council meetings, however.  The most significant resolution was a unanimous vote to include school media specialists as "highly qualified" in any future incarnations of the No Child Left Behind act.  (This resolution, and most of the others, of course, are non-binding since they serve as requests for Congress, but Congress is not required to take the action.)  Other resolutions included funding for the National Library Service at $19.1 million, funding for the Government Printing Office Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations at $182 million,  and granting the Catholic Library Association affiliate status.  Other business at the Council meetings included reports from various committees and sections, various proclamations, and daily annoucements.  (By the way, did you know the annual ALA budget is in excess of $60 million?)  For complete text and other information on the resolutions, you can visit www.ala.org. 

The conference in DC set a record for attendance.  Over 28,000 people were there, and some of them were there to see Ken Burns, Patricia Cornwell, David Baldacci, and Judy Blume.  There were several other authors throughout the four days, but those are the four I got to see and hear.  Ken Burns premiered his documentary, "The War," which will air on PBS in September.  Based on what I saw, I'm sure it will be his biggest hit to date.  The other premiere I attended was for "Hollywood Librarian."  This documentary was created to abolish the stereotype of librarians as portrayed in the movies and on tv for the last century.  Real librarians were portrayed as strong, courageous advocates of library access and ideals.  Over 5,000 people attended that premiere.

Thank you for the privilege and honor of serving as your ALA Chapter Councilor.  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at rob.sargent@franklin.lib.nh.us.

Posted by Rob S. at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rob Sargent is NHLA's ALA Councilor, and what follows is his report from his trip to ALA Midwinter in Seattle, Washington this past January.

"ALA Midwinter in Seattle was my first meeting as the NH Chapter Councilor.  Before departing for Seattle, I was in constant contact with my predecessor, Diane Tebbetts, whose guidance and support made the prospect of several meetings, numerous participants, and strict policies and procedures less intimidating.  Thanks to Diane and the official ALA Council-mentoring program, I was able to relax and get down to business (and even to enjoy myself).

The first day, Saturday, was a day of orientations and a reception.  The day began with an 8:00 a.m. orientation for new councilors.  There are chapter councilors, councilors at-large, and councilors representing various ALA round tables and committees for a total of 160.  Each councilor serves a three-year term, so one-third of the Council body was new.  The orientation offered navigation through Midwinter and served as a tutorial on parliamentary procedure.  In fact, all Council meetings and forums are presided over by a licensed parliamentarian.  With a council of 160, it is necessary to follow a procedure or discussions would go on forever.  (At times, it feels as though they do!)  Another orientation for chapter councilors only followed.  That evening, Joseph Eagan, the Maryland Chapter Councilor and my official mentor, hosted a reception for all councilors.  It began at 9:00 p.m. and lasted for a couple of hours.  There were not a lot of attendees, but I very much enjoyed talking with those who did attend and the desserts were very good.

Also on Saturday (or maybe it was Sunday), there was a presidential candidates forum.  The two candidates made opening statements and then took questions from the Council.  There was another forum for executive board candidates on either Saturday or Sunday.  Although the entire ALA membership votes for president, only the Council selects the executive board members.  There were six or seven candidates, and each councilor votes for two.  I cast my ballot on behalf of NHLA for Charles Kratz of Pennsylvania and Melora Norman of Maine.  (Charles was one of the two elected, but Melora was not.)  To be honest, at both forums, all of the candidates sounded alike and deciding for whom to vote seemed to be a case of "six of one, a half dozen of the other."

To read the rest of Rob Sargent's report, download the complete report here.
           

Posted by Steve B. at 05:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)