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ALA Councilor Report from ALA Midwinter Dallas

Steve Butzel | January 28, 2012 | 0 Comments

Greetings from your ALA Councilor,

My trip to Dallas for ALA Midwinter was a busy one as usual. Here are some of the issues which I feel you should know about. If you’d like more information about these issues or other ALA topics, please do not hesitate to contact me. The more I get to know ALA, the more I am impressed, so I would enjoy speaking with you about your concerns.

Resolutions Passed

There were two significant resolutions passed by the ALA Council. The first was a Resolution on Publishers and Practices Which Discriminate Against Library Users. It stated that ALA opposes any discriminatory policies of publishers and distributors that adversely impact access to content by library users; and that the Working Group on Digital Content in Libraries be directed to review the situation and recommend appropriate action and/or appropriate parties who should be informed of this resolution.

While this resolution might sound like a no-brainer, there was some debate both in Council forum and on the floor. Some were concerned that the resolution, if too strongly worded, might offend the publishers with whom ALA is scheduled to meet next week. In the end, the Council stuck with the original, forceful language and the resolution passed.

The second was a resolution condemning the restriction of access to materials in Arizona schools following state legislation that led to the elimination of a Mexican American studies program in the Tucson Unified School District. While it took some time to sift through the numerous layers of the controversy and identify the real culprits, the resolution passed. For more info, contact me or visit any number of websites including http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=3157, http://saveethnicstudies.org, http://nyti.ms/yd6mfp, http://huff.to/xm4AHq.

ALA Fighting For Libraries, Librarians and Library Patrons

Elsewhere in the Association, a great deal is happening. As I referred to above, leaders of ALA will be meeting with top executives from Macmillan, Simon & Schuster (S&S), and Penguin publishing houses, (which all do not allow libraries to circulate their ebooks,) on January 30^th,January 31^st and February 2^ndto voice the concerns of the Association. For more info, read this article from LJ, http://bit.ly/zr9qS8. In addition, the Working Group on Digital Content and Libraries (http://connect.ala.org/node/159669) will be meeting frequently throughout the year to study the issues and develop advocacy strategies.

The entire organization is also working hard to raise awareness of the White House Petition on School Libraries, http://wh.gov/Wgd, which asks that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. 25,000 signatures are needed by February 4, 2012, in order for this petition to reach the desk of the President. We are more than halfway there, but time is running out!

A few other advocacy initiatives/resources to be aware of are:

The updated “The Small but Powerful Guide to Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library,” http://www.ala.org/offices/olos/toolkits/rural,
“Keeping Public Libraries Public: A Checklist for Communities Considering Privatization of Public Libraries.” http://www.ala.org/tools/outsourcing.
Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit, http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/toolkit.

A whole host of additional advocacy tools can be found on ALA’s Advocacy University website, http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/advocacyuniversity/.

I could go on, but I’ll stop for now. Please let me know if you’d like me to come speak with your library co-op about ALA. I’d be happy to try and do so.

Respectfully,

Steve Butzel, NH Chapter Councilor on the ALA Council
skbutzel@cityofportsmouth.com

ALA, Reports

State Librarian’s report to the NH House Finance Committee

Lori Fisher | December 8, 2011 | 0 Comments

Please click on the link below to access a pdf version of Michael York’s report to the NH House Finance Committee, submitted on 11/30/11. This report was created in response to a NH legislative request to examine the possibility of reallocating federal funding away from the ILL van service to other unspecified areas.

State Librarian report to NH House 11 30 2011

ILL Van Service, IMLS, LSTA, NH State Library, Reports

Young Adult Library Services (YALS) 2011 Annual Report

Lori Fisher | November 10, 2011 | 0 Comments

YALS officers for 2010-2011 were: Amy Friedman, Hudson (President), Sharon Taylor, Greenland (Vice President), Alex Estabrook, Merrimack (Treasurer), Kate Norton, Manchester (Secretary), and Lisa Houde, Rye (Past President)

The YALS officers for 2011-2012 are Letty Goerner, Henniker, (President), Kirsten Corbett, Hampton (Vice-President), Alex Estabrook, Merrimack (Treasurer), Kate Norton, Manchester (Secretary),. Amy Friedman, Hudson (Past President)

There are currently 50 YALS Members.

YALS planned a number of programs for the NHLA conference in May including presentations on the nominees for the Flume: NH Teen Reader’s Choice Award and Isinglass Awards, Internet Safety & Youth Today, Including and Serving Patrons with Autism and Asberger’s (with CHILIS), Teen Volunteers in the Library: and a Teen Programming Roundtable.

There are two book awards chosen by young adults in NH. The Isinglass award for middle school readers and the Flume Award for high school readers. The 2011 Isinglass award went to “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner and the 2011 Flume award went to “Paper Towns” by John Green.

The Young Adult summer reading theme from the Collaborative Summer Library Program was World Culture/Travel and the YA slogan was “Your are Here”.

The first YALS mini-conference was held on September 29 at the Lane Library in Hampton. Guest presenters were Beth Gallaway from the Haverhill, MA Public Library, who spoke about teen book discussion books and Bobbi Slossar from the State Library who talked about teens and technology specifically how to deal with mobile devices (IPods, cell phones, etc), how to integrate technology into library service, how to promote programs with technology, pros and cons of various devices including cost and promoting Ereaders. Author Jo Knowles was the luncheon speaker. There was a YALS business meeting in the afternoon. Fifty-five people attended the conference.

Submitted by: Amy Friedman, President YALS 2010-2011

Reports, YALS

READS 2011 Annual Report of the President

Lori Fisher | November 10, 2011 | 0 Comments

READS membership continued to increase in 2011, with a new membership total of 203, up from 184 in 2010. Welcome to our new members!

The READS Executive Board began its year with change. Gaye Kulvete, READS president, resigned when she moved to North Carolina. VP/President-elect Pat Fickett filled the position of President, and a special election was held for a new VP/President elect. Myra Emmons of Brookline Public Library was elected to that position.

In 2011 the READS programming committee offered three spring Roundtable Discussions titled Purchasing and Weeding: How do you grow your collection? The sessions, held in Wilton, Rye and Franklin were well attended.

The spring NHLA conference included four sessions sponsored by READS:
When to Call the Police, moderated by Lori Fisher
Read Any Good Books Lately by the Reads-To-Go Committee
Reading Woman: a Guide to Women’s Fiction presented by Nanci Milone Hill
“But I’ve Never Fixed a Carburetor! Readers’ Advisory Training for the General Practitioner” – presented by Nanci Milone Hill

These sessions were also well attended, and the evaluations gave positive feedback to all of them. Many thanks to those who planned and implemented these programs.

In reviewing its Mission Statement, the READS Executive Board has developed a plan for the implementation of “Pop Up Roundtables” to address current concerns of librarians in a timely manner. In addition to our regular Spring Roundtable programs, Pop Up Roundtables could occur any time a group of librarians wish to convene to discuss issues of immediate concern to the membership. Monitoring the NHAIS listserve, and responding to the requests of READS members will be the methods used to identify topics for discussion.

READS-T0-GO added 10 new book discussion kits in 2010. In addition, they submitted a proposal to NHLA for funds to add 3 additional kits. NHLA responded by voting to fund 10 new kits.

The Nominating Committee has had four nominations for the 2011 READS award of excellence. The winner announced at the READS Fall Business Meeting is Thelma Tracy of the Weare Public Library.

The 2011 Executive Board includes:
President: Pat Fickett, Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library
Vice President/President Elect: Myra Emmons, Brookline Public Library
Secretary: Mary Cronin, Madision Library
Treasurer: Deann Hunter, Laconia Public Library
Past President: Linda Taggart, Nashua Public Library
Public Relations: Lori Fisher, Baker Free Library (Bow)
Membership: Emily Weiss, Bedford Public Library
Programming: Erin Apostolos, Meridith Public Library
READS To GO: Diane Mayr, Nesmith Library (Windham)
Conference Liason: Caitlyn Stevens, Bedford Public Library

Many thanks to the Executive Board for all their work This year. Linda Taggart is completing her three year comittment to the board as VP, President and Past President. Thank you, Linda.

Emily Weiss, the Membership Chair is stepping down, having completed her term. She will be replaced by Kersten Matera. Thank you, Emily, for your years of service.

If you would like to serve on any of the READS committees please see Erin Apostolos (programming), Lori Fisher (public relations), Diane Mayr (READS TO GO) or Kersten Matera (membership)

Respectfully submitted

Patricia Fickett
–
Pat Fickett, Director
Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library
Wilton, NH

READS, Reports

CHILIS Annual Report 2011

Amy Lappin | November 9, 2011 | via CHILIS: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire

The 2011 Spring Conference was held in March at SNHU in Manchester. We have found this to be a great place for showcasing the performers for the Kids, Books and the Arts grant. This past year, we weren’t able to work around the college’s spring break, but found we were able to successfully work around classes in session. 155 people attended the conference.

At the Spring Conference, Gail Zachariah from the Keene Public Library was named the 2011 CHILIS Librarian of the Year. In her nominating letter, Gail’s director, Nancy Vincent, wrote, “Gail is at the heart of the library….She works tirelessly fueled only by her ever present cup of coffee. She is deeply, deeply committed to the idea of intellectual freedom and especially committed to the youth of our community. She is their advocate and support. She is intuitive to their needs and concerns, she knows hundreds of our teens and children intimately and they are moved by her compassion and care for them.”

The 2012 Summer Reading Program theme is a night theme following the slogan, “Dream Big—READ!” CSLP Manuals and Upstart supply catalogs were handed out at the Fall CHILIS Conference. Ann Hoey and Amy Lappin represented NH at the CSLP business meeting in Scottsdale, AZ in April. Many items were discussed and voted on at the meeting including the slogan for the 2013 Underground children’s theme, “Dig into Reading.”

The Great Stone Face Committee has once again created a great list of 25 nominees for school year 2011-2012. The GSF Award spans grades 4-6, and maintains a standard of excellence in writing and kid appeal. The 2010-2011 GSF Award was presented to Avi for his book Murder at Midnight. A letter of appreciation from Avi can be found at http://chilis.nhlibrarians.org/.

Maze Runner by James Dashner was the recipient of the 2010-2011 Isinglass Award. The Isinglass Award Committee is chaired by Amy Inglis, Barrington Public Library. The purpose of the award is to encourage middle school level students to read for enjoyment and promote a life-long love of reading.

The 2011 Fall Conference was hosted by the Keene Public Library at the Keene Marriott on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Programs included presentations by NH author Lita Judge and the musical group, Hunt and Allison who sang and encouraged us all to use music in our library programs and story times. The day ended with a charming presentation by GSF winner, Avi, who flew in from Denver, attending our conference waiving his speaking fees. The 74-year old author has written 72 books and continues to write every day.

During the morning’s business meeting the 2011-2012 slate of officers was voted in. The current President is Kathy Tracy from the Tracy Memorial Library in New London. Our new Vice President is Gail Zachariah, Keene Public Library. Nancy Lang, Dunbarton Public Library, continues to serve as the CHILIS Treasurer. Yvette Couser, Merrimack Public Library, is our secretary. Amy Lappin, Lebanon Public Libraries is the Past President. 105 people attended the meeting.

This past year, CHILIS awarded $500 scholarships to members, Lisa Houde and Patty Falconer. Both were for reimbursement of tuition and materials towards MLS degrees.

The 2012 Spring Conference and KBA Performers Showcase will be held on March 8, 2012 at SHNU. The Summer Reading Committee has chosen 10 performers for the roster.

CHILIS Membership stands at a healthy 187 with 44 new members this year.

Respectfully submitted,
Amy Lappin, CHILIS President 2010-2011, Lebanon Public Libraries

CHILIS, Reports

ALA Conference Report

Steve Butzel | July 1, 2011 | 0 Comments

Greetings from your ALA Councilor, Steve Butzel. Here is my report form the 2011 ALA Annual Conference which was held in New Orleans, LA this past week.

Given the numerous Council and Chapter meetings I am required to attend, I didn’t get to many programs at Annual, but I did enjoy attending the General Opening Session which was keynoted by Dan Savage. Also at the opening session, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced they had donated $300,000 to the ALA Spectrum Presidential Initiative which raises money for ALA’s national diversity and recruitment efforts. More info available here, http://spectrum.ala.org/. Of the $300,000, $100,000 will be used as matching funds.

There were four resolutions that came forward to Council in advance of Annual. All four were eventually passed. The four resolutions were:

1. Resolution to Recognize ALA Conference Services and Gale Cengage Learning for Providing Shuttle Bus Service Accommodating Attendees with Disabilities

I voted in favor of the resolution.

2. Resolution on Out of School Time Library Programs

This resolution called for support from national and local government bodies (as well as funding) for library programs designed to continue the learning opportunities available to youngsters beyond the school day. I voted in favor of the resolution.

3. Resolution to Protect Library User Confidentiality in Self Serve Hold Practices

This resolution generated the most discussion both in Council Forum and on the Council floor. Debate centered around the tension between theory and practice. The Intellectual Freedom Committee (which brought the resolution forward) listened to feedback and accepted a lot of input from the Public Library Association. As a result, a revised version of their original resolution passed with only a few dissenters. I voted in favor of the resolution.

4. Resolution on Revised Guidelines for the ALA Intern Program

I voted in favor of the resolution.

There were a few resolutions that came from the ALA Membership Meeting to Council. Two resolutions dealt with WikiLeaks, and a third was a related resolution on Bradley Manning. The first resolution was rejected by a close vote, and the other two did not come to an official vote because quorum had been lost.

An important report was given to the Council by the ALA Presidential Task Force on Equitable Access to Electronic Content. The report included a series of action items including allocating $200,000 to sustain staff efforts to address issues surrounding promoting equitable access to electronic content. The need for urgent action on this issue prevailed in discussion and in the vote, and the report was referred to ALA’s Executive Council.

ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels reported to the Council that on June 1, 2011, ALA held its first Virtual Town Hall Meeting which drew as many as 530 attendees from across the country and from around the world. Questions submitted by attendees and a polling feature helped make this an interesting and successful virtual meeting. Fiels indicated that Virtual Town Hall Meetings will become a regular feature of ALA. He also warned that ALA will be dealing with the trend towards privatization of public libraries and developing initiatives to discourage this move away from public governance of libraries.

Finally, although attendance was lower than that of many other conferences in more heavily populated sites such as Chicago and Washington, it was markedly higher than the New Orleans Conference of 2006 and gave witness to the restored confidence in the City five years after the devastation of Katrina.

Please contact me if you would like more details about any of this, skbutzel@cityofportsmouth.com

Thanks,
Steve

ALA, Reports

Report from ALA Midwinter Conference

Steve Butzel | January 21, 2011 | 0 Comments

Hello from your ALA Councilor, Steve Butzel. As the New Hampshire Chapter Councilor on the ALA Council, I recently attended the 2011 ALA Midwinter Conference. Today I’d like to give you an update on the report councilors received from Roberta Stevens, President of ALA.

At the ALA Council/Executive Board/Membership Information Session, President Stevens provided a brief overview of her complete report to the Association. In particular, she highlighted her presidential initiatives, which you can learn more about at her website, http://www.robertastevens.com/initiatives.html. The first initiative she discussed was “Our Authors, Our Advocates”, which is an effort to enlist well-known and beloved authors to speak out for libraries through video and audio PSAs and quotes. Authors who have participated to date include Laurie Halse Anderson, David Baldacci, Carmen Agra Deedy, Sharon Draper, Sara Paretsky, Scott Turow, and Mo Willems. More have been contacted and are expected to confirm their participation. Visit www.ilovelibraries.org/ourauthorsouradvocates for more information.

She next reviewed her Frontline Fundraising initiative. This initiative will provide librarians with tools and skills needed at the local level to supplement their budget regardless of the size and type of library. An online toolkit will be launched in February and will provide information on developing a fundraising plan and online giving, establishing a planned giving program, and conducting an annual fund drive.

Finally she reviewed the "Why I Need My Library" Contest for teens, which will be soft-launched in January. This contest is intended to use young people to communicate why libraries are needed now more than ever. The initiative takes immediate-past-President Camila Alire’s member-driven, grassroots advocacy and Jim Rettig’s experimentation with social networking a step further with the aim of adding to the arsenal techniques for frontline advocacy and engaging a new constituency in supporting libraries. The products will be short videos by children and young adults made available on YouTube and the ilovelibraries and @yourlibrary websites. The winners will identify either their school or local public library as the beneficiary of cash prizes for the best videos in the contest.

Overall, I was very impressed with President Stevens throughout the entire conference. She did an excellent job facilitating what can be contentious Council sessions, and proved herself to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a wide range of ALA initiatives.

I’ll share more about the conference in future blog posts, but feel free to send me any questions you may have about the Midwinter Conference or about ALA in general. The more familiar I get with ALA’s numerous sections, roundtables, task forces and professional staff, the more I am impressed.

Thanks,
Steve Butzel, ALA Councilor, skbutzel at cityofportsmouth.com

ALA, Reports