June 1st is the extended deadline date for the OLOS preconference in Atlanta. Learn from and with literacy and outreach library professionals at the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) Preconference that addresses 11 library outreach service delivery areas in libraries across the country!!
"Different Voices, Common Quest: Adult Literacy & Outreach in
Libraries, Thursday & Friday, June 13-14, 2002
Atlanta Marriott Marquis (downtown)
8:00 am - 8:00pm on Thursday, June 13
8:00am to 12:00 noon on Friday, June 14
(includes 2 continental breakfasts, two lunches and dinner with speaker
on Thursday evening)
$225 per person
Details at http://www.ala.org/olos
Participate in this 1-1/2 day interactive staff development session to systematically design effective service delivery strategies that promise to expand and enrich outreach services in libraries across the country.
Library Outreach Delivery Service areas covered:
Yes, the date has been extended until June 1st. Bring your library's resource materials. Join others who work in library outreach just like you! For details go to http://www.ala.org/olos . Register through OLOS at olos@ala.org or call 312-280-4294 for details.
FOR ALIRE, EXPERIENCE WITH DISASTER RELIEF MIGHT COME IN
HANDY
For the University of New Mexico, the hiring of Camila
Alire as dean of library services should put a swift end to
a reportedly bizarre and unstable situation in the library.
It came to a head when controversial tenured history
professor Richard Berthold allegedly suggested that then
dean Robert Migneault "should be shot" for his methods of
library management. Migneault took the remark literally,
filed a complaint against Berthold with local police and
with UNM officials, urging Berthold's firing. He then
allegedly threatened to go public with the university's
handling of the matter (see LJ Academic Newswire 11/13/01).
In response, UNM provost Brian Foster placed Migneault on
administrative leave. Prior to that incident, Migneault had
been asked to resign as dean of the libraries, effective
June 30, 2002, after an external report harshly criticized
his management of the UNM library. That report, cited staff
morale "lower than either external reviewer have ever
encountered on a site visit." In July 1999, Migneault
angered library staff by dissolving the library's staff
council after discussions over merit-based raises for
library staff became "adversarial." (see LJ Academic
Newswire 7/20/99). And in May 2001, the library came under
fire from faculty for discarding more than 800 math
journals (see LJ Academic Newswire 5/10/01), which were
ultimately reacquired.
Meanwhile, if reenergizing the UNM libraries is a challenging proposition, Alire herself was actively looking for her next challenge. In December of 2001, Alire resigned her post at Colorado State over "philosophical differences," with the CSU administration. After earning major plaudits for her efforts in leading the recovery of the CSU library after a devastating flood in July of 1998. The flood, which happened just after Alire had taken the helm, caused more than $120 million dollars in losses, damaging or destroying large parts of the library's collections. Alire told the LJ Academic Newswire in December of 2001 that she made the difficult decision to leave her post at CSU after differences arose over the final phase of the library's restoration from that flood. "It was a question of whether or not the library was funded to be completely whole," explained Alire, of her decision to resign. Despite the reports of controversy and low morale at UNM, Alire will have much to work with. In addition to its criticism of management, the independent report praised the work of UNM's librarians, noting that it was a "tribute to the employees' dedication" that library services did not suffer, given the library's travails. And despite the sharp criticism of Migneault's regime, UNM's library ranked 57th in the ARL's most recent ranking of research libraries, up from 103rd since Migneault took over as dean in 1987.
Just a quick and important reminder to all who will be attending the ALA Annual Conference in Atlanta, you will not want to miss this year's REFORMA Scholarship Fundraiser on Sat., Jun. 15th, 7-11 pm at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. After a day of meetings, programs, and exhibits, you will want to relax a little and join colleagues for an evening of celebration and fun.
Come to honor this year's Trejo Librarian of the Year recipient, Kathleen de la Peña McCook! We will also be honoring the REFORMA Scholarship recipients.
For entertainment, we will have author readings featuring Carmen Agra Deedy (featured on NPR; author of "The Library Dragon" and "Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, GA") and Judith Ortiz Cofer (author of "The Line of the Sun" and "An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio" which won the first Pura Belpre Award); there will be a book signing session following the readings for those who may want to purchase books and get them signed. We will close the evening with musica latina (brush up on your salsa dancing or get a quick lesson or two from colleagues!). Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Advance reservations are $30 ($40 at the door). Electronic rsvp's will be accepted till the day of the program. Reply to bocon@mail.slcpl.lib.ut.us
If you prefer to send your advance payment check, be sure to do so by Fri., Jun.7th. Send your check to: Ben Ocón, Day-Riverside Library, 1575 West 1000 North, Salt Lake City, UT 84116; for further information, or 801-524-8287. Make your check payable to "REFORMA Scholarship Fund" (Note: If you cannot attend, consider making a donation to the REFORMA Scholarship Fund; your contribution is tax deductible).
See you at the REFORMA Scholarship Fundraiser!
The Friends of Cuban Libraries
(HTTP://WWW.FRIENDSOFCUBANLIBRARIES.ORG)
JIMMY CARTER PROMOTES UNCENSORED LIBRARIES IN CUBA
When former U.S. president Jimmy Carter landed in Havana in mid-May to begin his historic visit to Cuba, he offered both moral and material support for the island nation's human rights organizations. Included in the former president's baggage were books destined as gifts for Cuba's rapidly growing independent library movement. Since the founding of Cuba's first independent library in 1998, volunteers throughout the island have used space inside their homes to inaugurate more than one hundred uncensored libraries open to the public; their goal is to challenge the government's system of censorship by offering the Cuban people access to reading materials which reflect all points of view. According to human rights monitors such as Amnesty International, the Cuban government has responded to the independent library movement with a campaign of harassment and persecution.
On May 16, during his historic meeting with dissidents and human rights activists in Havana, former President Carter expressed support for the island's uncensored library movement in a conversation with Gisela Delgado, the national director of the Independent Libraries Project. After presenting Ms. Delgado with the gift of books he had brought to enrich the collections of the libraries, President Carter stated that the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which he directs, will continue to supply Cuba's independent libraries with shipments of books, magazines and other materials. As a gesture of solidarity, President Carter signed and dedicated to Gisela Delgado one of the books he had brought to Cuba for the independent libraries, a Spanish translation of Vincent Roussel's biography "Martin Luther King: Against All Exclusions."
Radames Suarez, a member of the Friends of Cuban Libraries, an international support group for the island's independent librarians, commented: "Our organization briefed staff members of the Carter Center before their trip to Havana, and we greatly appreciate President Carter's generous actions to advance the cause of human rights. The island's emerging civil society is being strengthened by Mr. Carter's support for Cuba's brave independent librarians and their innovative movement to defend intellectual freedom as a universal human right."
BACKGROUND: The Friends of Cuban Libraries, founded in June, 1999, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit support group for Cuba's independent librarians. We oppose censorship and all other violalations of intellectual freedom, as defined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, regardless of whatever government may be in office in Cuba. We are funded entirely by our members and do not seek or accept funding from other sources. For more information, send e-mail to: rkent20551@cs.com or telephone (USA) 718-305-9201. Mailing address: 4-74 48th Avenue, #3-C, Long Island City, NY 11109 USA. Website: (www.friendsofcubanlibraries.org).
IMLS Seeks Comment on Draft Guidelines for Proposed Program
The President's budget proposes a $10 million initiative to recruit and train new librarians. The initiative recognizes the key roles libraries and librarians play in supporting both the formal education process and the independent learner. IMLS has drafted a set of goals for the proposed program and is in the process of developing draft guidelines. Your continued input on program development is welcome. IMLS invites ALA Annual Meeting attendees to join in discussion of program development in Atlanta on Monday, June 17, 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. GWCC room B207.
The goals, draft guidelines for the proposed program and an invitation to
provide additional input can be found at:
http://www.imls.gov/grants/library/lib_bdre.htm
Dear Colleagues,
I just wanted to bring to everyone's attention three programs that are
of special importance in terms of my Campaign for America's Librarians
Presidential Initiative, and the work being done on that initiative by
my Task force on Better Salaries and Pay Equity for Library Workers.
1. Saturday, June 15, 2-4PM. Library Support Services Interest Round
Table Program, "Role of ALA in Supporting Library Workers' Salaries."
The four speakers, all part of the Task Force on Better Salaries and Pay
Equity for Library Workers: Maurice J. (Mitch) Freedman, ALA
President-Elect; Patricia Glass Schuman, Task Force Coordinator; Gene
Kinnaly, Task Force Support Staff Working Group Coordinator; and Donna
Mandel, Task Force Union Working Group Coordinator.
2. Monday, June 17, 9-10AM. Speaker: Michael Moore, #1 Best-Selling
Author of "Stupid White Men" and the just-announced winner of the Cannes
Film Festival Special Prize for his movie, "Bowling for Columbine."
This program is sponsored by the ALA Task Force on Better Salaries and
Pay Equity for Library Workers, and by EpixTech Corporation.
3. Tuesday, June 18, 8-9AM. ALA Closing General Session Speaker:
Barbara Ehrenreich, Author, "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in
America."
Thanks for your attention.
Mitch
Poster Sessions Sought for MPLA/NDLA/SDLA Fall Conference Deadline June 30
Want to share your ideas? Describe a new library activity? Walk through a
building renovation? Show off a sample of your public display work?
Preview your research? (Or watch people do any of these?) A poster session
may be just right for you!
The Mountain Plains Library Association, North Dakota Library Association,
and South Dakota Library Association are seeking poster session
applications for the Fall 2002 Conference, Exploring New Pathways to
Information on Wednesday, October 2 Saturday, October 5, at the Ramada
Plaza Suites and Conference Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
Poster sessions may be on any topic related to libraries. The poster
should include items such as graphs, diagrams, pictures, photographs,
data, and narrative on boards to stand on a 4 x 6 foot table. The
submission deadline for poster applications is June 30, 2002. The forms
for submission are available at:
Subj: ALA Programs
Maurice J. Freedman, MLS, PhD
ALA President-Elect
http://www.mjfreedman.org
Director, Westchester (NY) Library System
410 Saw Mill River Road - Suite 1000
Ardsley, NY 10502-2605
Voice: (914) 674-3600 x223; fax: (914) 674-4193
freedman@wlsmail.org
www.westchesterlibraries.org
For all matters concerning the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian,
editor@unabashedlibrarian.com
Subj: Poster Sessions, Mountain Plains, North Dakota, South Dakota, Library Associations
The review committee will respond to submissions by July 30, 2002.
For questions, please contact one of the following people: Kathy Enger at North Dakota State University at Kathy.Enger@ndsu.nodak.edu or 701-231-8862; Lisa Dunn at the Colorado School of Mines at ldunn@mines.edu or 303-273-3687; Kathy McLellan at Johnson County Library at mclellan@jcl.lib.ks.us or 913-261-2344.
Latino Literary Hall of Fame 2002 Awards Honor University of Arizona Press Books
Five books published by the University of Arizona Press won first and second place awards at the Latino Literary Hall of Fame awards ceremony, held at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan on Thursday, May 2, 2002.
The Latino Literary Hall of Fame and the Edward James Olmos Latino Book and Family Festival sponsor the awards to recognize publishers and authors who serve the Latino market. Kathryn Conrad represented the press at the awards ceremony, held during Book Expo America, a conference that draws more than 25,000 participants from the book industry. Many people admired the beautiful, engraved awards as they stopped in to the University of Arizona Press booth at the conference.
First place in the Best Literary Short Stories category went to the University of Arizona Press’s Snapping Lines, by Jack Lopez, and The Ghost of John Wayne, by Ray Gonzalez, won second place. Giraffe on Fire, by Juan Felipe Herrera, was co-winner of first place for this year’s Best Book of Poetry. In an Angry Season, by Lisa Chávez, and Cue Lazarus, by Carl Marcum, tied for second place in the poetry category.
Snapping Lines, by Jack Lopez, touches on the forces that shape male identity—friends, family, and lovers; culture, place, and relationships—in “rich, moody Chicano adagios” (Kirkus Reviews). The Ghost of John Wayne is a “remarkable debut short-story collection” (Booklist) by the well-known poet, essayist, and editor Ray Gonzalez, blending contemporary culture with ancient tradition. Juan Felipe Herrera’s Giraffe on Fire is a poetic collage of voices, genres, and time-spaces by “the premier Chicano poet in America” (Bloomsbury Review). In Cue Lazarus, Carl Marcum writes about mixed-blood identity and coming-of-age with “a sophisticated and powerful voice” (Luis Alberto Urrea). In an Angry Season, by Lisa Chávez, re-tells American history in provocative poems that “compel careful, engaged reading” (Publisher’s Weekly).
The University of Arizona Press published each of these books within its acclaimed Latina/o literary series, Camino del Sol. This series, launched in 1996, includes poetry, fiction, and essays by noted writers including Ray Gonzalez, Juan Felipe Herrera, Patricia Preciado Martin, Demetria Martinez, Virgil Suárez, Sergio Troncoso, and Luis Alberto Urrea. Publishers Weekly praised Camino del Sol as "a strong and growing presence in Latino literature." New Mexico Magazine called it "notable series which brings the work of numerous talented poets and writers to a broad audience."
All University of Arizona Press books in print are available in bookstores, by calling 800-426-3797 or 520-626-4218, or by ordering through www.uapress.arizona.edu.
Source: UA PressSource: http://vivatucson.com
For Immediate Release
May 24, 2002
Contact: Lillian Castillo-Speed
510-642-3947
csl@library.berkeley.edu
Major Grant to Process Chinese American Scholar's Collection at UC Berkeley
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission has awarded $78,891 to the Ethnic Studies Library at the University of California at Berkeley to assist a major project to process the Him Mark Lai archival collection. The year-long project begins this June. The Asian American Studies Archives in the Ethnic Studies Library contain over 100 collections documenting the experience of Chinese Americans, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area. The recently acquired Him Mark Lai collection is a particularly significant addition to these collections. Often referred to as "the dean of Chinese-American studies," Mr. Lai has spent his life deeply involved in the Chinese American community and has constantly collected materials for posterity. This extensive collection covers all aspects of his commitment to documenting the Chinese American history and experience, from immigration to the United States, the establishment of community associations and foundations, creating communities, being represented in the media, succeeding as prominent professionals, and yearning to find one's roots in the ancestral homeland. These are themes significant not just to the San Francisco Chinese American community, but to our nation of immigrants, whose stories have been well-documented in some cases but not in the case of Chinese Americans. The story of Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area is beginning to emerge through the slow acquisition and processing of collections such as the Him Mark Lai Collection.
Project Director Wei Chi Poon was thrilled to hear of the Commission's award "because it will make the Him Mark Lai Collection accessible to all scholars and students." Currently Ms. Poon is recruiting trained Chinese/English bilingual personnel since major portions of the collection are in Chinese. For more information she can be reached at 510-642-2220 or at wcpoon@library.berkeley.edu.
Born in San Francisco in 1925, Him Mark Lai received a degree in engineering at UC Berkeley in 1947 and worked as a mechanical engineer at Bechtel Corporation for 31 years. However, during most of his adult life he has researched Chinese American history, has written key articles and books, and in 1969 co-taught the first college level course in America on Chinese American history. Very active in community cultural activities, from 1971 to 1984 he produced a weekly hour-long community-based Cantonese language radio program. In 1991 he became a coordinator of the Chinese Culture Foundation's "In Search of Roots" program, which organizes Chinese American youths to research their family histories and to visit their ancestral villages. Featured in the January 14, 2000 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education as "the scholar who legitimized the study of Chinese America," Mr. Lai collected everything about Chinese American history that he could, which has resulted in one of the richest and most extensive personal collections of its kind.
Colegas:
It gives me great pleasure to announce the forthcoming publication of Latin American Studies: An Annotated Bibliography of Core Works. Please help us by sharing this information with colleagues who may be interested in acquiring this collection development tool for their libraries. Thanks for your support.
Ana Lya Sater
Los Angeles City College
HQ76.3/New England: GLBT Librarians and Library Workers, a section of the New England Library Association, will be presenting the following program at the 2002 NELA Annual Conference:
Monday, October 21, 2002
1:30 - 3:00
Sturbridge Host Hotel
Sturbridge, MA
As today's libraries grapple with diversity issues, collections for special populations such as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people have become increasingly evident in both public and academic library settings. HQ76.3/New England is pleased to present our first program on GLBT collection development in libraries. Anne L. Moore, Resource Access Librarian and Selector for GLBT Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will provide the perspective of academic libraries. Cecil Hixon, Adult Programming Specialist at the New York Public Library, will cover the current issues in public libraries.
This promises to be an informative and stimulating program. In addition to their direct involvement with glbt collections in their respective libraries, both speakers have been associated with the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Book Award, Anne as a former Chair of the committee, and Cecil as a current member and Chair-Elect.
The program will also include HQ76.3/New England's annual brief business meeting. Please try to attend if you are interested in becoming more involved with HQ76.3 and/or NELA.
If you are not able to attend the program in Sturbridge, but would like to become more involved in our section, please contact our Chair, Katie McDonough, at: kmcdonough@LIBRARY.STATE.NH.US
Mark your calendars; hope to see many of you in Sturbridge!
John DeSantis
Program Chair
HQ76.3/New England
Greetings. The first set of PLUS marcapaginas is up at
http://www.sol-plus.net/bookmarks/bookmarkhome.htmfor your viewing & printing pleasure.
The great picture of the Virgen de Guadalupe reading a book, by the way, was found & provided by Oralia Garza de Cortes.
Bruce Jensen
flaco@sol-plus.net
S O L : Spanish in Our Libraries
www.sol-plus.net
June 3, 2002
COLD WAR-ERA CUBAN EXILE PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE ONLINECoral Gables, FL - An abridged version of the finding aid of The Truth About Cuba Committee, Inc. Records and a selection of this organization's publications are now available online through the Cuban Heritage Digital Collection of the Otto G. Richter Library of the University of Miami at http://www.library.miami.edu/chcdigital/chc0193_main.html. Founded in 1961, The Truth About Cuba Committee, Inc. (TACC) sought to disseminate information about communist Cuba and the threat it posed to the United States. Led by the inexhaustible Luis V. Manrara and with the support of contributing members from around the world, TACC published hundreds of bulletins, flyers, brochures, and other publications that it distributed to members throughout the world as well as to libraries, government agencies, and the media.
"The Truth About Cuba Committee was formed at a very heated moment during the Cold War," states Esperanza B. de Varona, Head of the Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC). "It was established as a response to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba and was most active at a time when the focus of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union revolved around Cuba. With titles such as 'Don't Worry, the Enemy Still is 90 Miles Away' and 'How Cuba was Communized,' the publications we are making available online vividly illustrate the language and imagery of the Cold War from a Cuban exile point of view."
The Truth About Cuba Committee, Inc. Records is one of several collections being made available online as part of the Cuban Heritage Digital Collection. To learn more about this project and view other digitized collections, visit http://www.library.miami.edu/chcdigital/.
For more information, contact Project Director Maria R. Estorino at 305-284-5854 or mestorino@miami.edu.
Score a wonderful webzine about children's books...a family-oriented guide to Internet safety, in Spanish...and all the news on the copa mundial. Twenty fun, fact-filled news items for your library's team are in SOL 75 at http://www.sol-plus.net/75.htm
Bruce Jensen
flaco@sol-plus.net
S O L : Spanish in Our Libraries
www.sol-plus.net
The Trejo Librarian of the Year Award Committee is pleased and honored to announce the Trejo Librarian of the Year, 2002.
Dr. Kathleen de la Pena McCook, Professor at the School of Library and Information science at the University of South Florida, has been selected as the 2002 Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the year.
Enthusiastically nominated by the President of the REFORMA de Florida Chapter, Dr. McCook's contributions to the Library profession are knowledgeably praised but her contributions to the Latino community of Florida are especially highlighted. She is lauded for her "efforts with migrant workers, REFORMA, library student recruitment, academic research, and the Trejo Institute".
Dr. Kathleen de la Pena McCook is a distinguished researcher and respected author with many significant publications to her name. She works professionally in the academic arena, yet her dedication and efforts to promote library services to Spanish speaking and Latino populations is far reaching. Among one of her many publications is Library Services to Youth Of Hispanic Heritage, which she co-edited in 2000.
She was a member of the REFORMA Board of Directors in 1997-98 and chaired the Committee for the 4th National Institute of the Trejo Foster Hispanic Library Education Foundation, held in Tampa, Florida in 1999. As stated by two strong supporters, Vicki Gregory and Derrie Perez, "Probably her most outstanding achievement in respect to her community building initiatives was an invitation from the President of the American Library Association to speak on the President's Program at the ALA annual conference in July 2000. Approximately 5,000 people attended this program at which Kathleen spoke on the topic, 'To Live in community is not a Matter of Choice but a Calling'."
Dr. McCook has had a strong impact on the graduate program of the School of Library and Information Science at the University of South Florida. She is ranked among the nation's top 20 researchers in the field of Library Science as shown by a study published by Library Quarterly. She has made special efforts to provide educational opportunities for Latino students, both in recruitment and in employment. Her leadership and mentoring activities are exemplified by being one of the founders of the ALA Spectrum Scholarship Program for Minority Students.
In addition Dr. McCook has worked to ameliorate salary and other equity issues unique to the library profession. She recently participated in a meeting of the ALA Better Salaries for Librarians Task Force and is currently writing a history of the salary issue for the American Library Association.
This outstanding record of achievement and leadership merits the honor of receiving the award of REFORMA's 2002 Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the year.
The three-judge panel issued a decision today holding that the CIPA statute is facially unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.
The three-judge panel permanently enjoined the FCC and LSTA from withholding funds from public libraries who have chosen not to install filters on all terminals. Public libraries thus are not required to install filters on their computers in order to receive funds from either agency.
The opinion was unanimous. The opinion was written by Chief Judge Becker of the Third Circuit and joined by U.S. District Judges Fullam and Bartle.
The Court held that the CIPA statute is unconstitutional because the mandated use of filtering on all computers will result in blocked access to substantial amounts of constitutionally protected speech.
The Court found that filters both overblock (block access to protected speech) and underblock (allow access to illegal or unconstitutional speech).
The Court held that less restrictive alternatives exist to allow public libraries to protect children from material that is illegal for them to access. The Court found that public libraries can - and indeed that many do -- use the following less restrictive alternatives: (1) filters offered as a choice for families to use for their own children at the public library; (2) education and Internet training courses; (3) enforcement of Internet Use policies by library staff; and (4) placement of terminals, use of privacy screens or utilization of recessed monitors.
For more information, see www.ala.org/cipa
Friday, June 14th - BCALA Benefit Dance - 9pm - 2am
WESTIN PEACHTREE PLAZA - Z Peachtree Ballroom Main Floor
Attire: Cosmopolitan
(A Light Fare & Cash Bar)
Donations are Tax Deductible!
SCOUG's 15th Annual Retreat, July 26-28th, 2002
La Casa de Maria, Santa Barbara, CA
REGISTER NOW!
Do our information settings enable or disable us from performing our jobs the way we know we could and should? Does the information infrastructure within which we work waste our time and energies as professionals doing tasks that don't need doing or, at least, not doing in the accustomed manner? Is it time to burst our bonds and move our talents and resources to new levels of service and new expanses of clients? Where can information professionals best invest their talents and energies? If we do not change the organizations within which we work, will the forces of change in the world bring new players that replace our traditional employers - with us or without us?
Come to the future - come join the winners at the 2002 SCOUG Retreat!REGISTER NOW!
SCOUG Retreats Shape the Online World!The information profession is in turmoil. Library schools close across the country though libraries report current and looming shortages of librarians. Some M.L.S. graduates deny the very name librarian as they morph their talents into new settings, new tasks, and new clienteles. Technology empowers information professionals to expand service far and wide, while institutions often confine service to narrowly defined constituencies.
Which developments will prevail?
Register for SCOUG's 15th Annual Retreat, July 26-28th, 2002
La Casa de Maria, Santa Barbara, CA
http://www.scougweb.org
The Southern California Online Users Group is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people take better advantage of information in electronic formats. SCOUG was founded 24 years ago by Barbara Quint, editor of Searcher magazine and still an active member. SCOUG's membership of 1,600 information professionals includes people from corporate, special, public, private, university, law, and medical libraries; information brokers; database vendors, producers; and content providers. SCOUG annually produces a spring workshop on a cutting-edge topic, the summer retreat, and a holiday program and vendor showcase.
Your retreat committee....This is our 15th Annual Retreat and we've learned a lot! Here's your 2002 Retreat Team: Patti Brown-Finie, Gale Group; Cherene Berkholz, R.R. Bowker; Caroline Bordinaro, Pasadena City College; Barbara Busch, DTIC; Lys Chuck, CQ&A; Steve Coffman, LSSI; John Dobbins, Occidental; Lynn Ecklund, SEEK Information Service; Eva Perkins, EPA Research; Barbara Quint, Searcher Magazine; Pearl Yonezawa, Los Angeles Public Library; Latonya Jefferson, KPMG; Merrill Lishan, The Benjamin Group; Mary-Ellen Mort, JobStar; Kathryn Louyse, Kathryn Louyse Design.
Bill and Melinda Gates have joined Mexican President and Mrs. Fox to announce a $30 million commitment to provide computers and Internet access, staff training, and technical support to approximately 1200, or 20 percent, of public libraries across Mexico. The grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation builds on the international library work underway in Chile, and completed in Canada and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the foundation expects to give approximately 40,000 computers to nearly 11,000 libraries in all 50 states by the end of 2003.
The first stage of the grant to Mexico is a planning period, which McKinsey & Company in Mexico will facilitate for the National Council for Culture and Arts, the administrating agency for Mexico's libraries. This planning process will include an assessment, recommendations for needed resources, a completed grant application, and a detailed three-year implementation schedule. The plan--scheduled to be complete in October 2002--will take into account sustaining the technology and maintaining technical assistance.
Source: Library Hotline, June 3, 2002, p. 1.
ACRL - Racial & Ethnic Diversity Committee presents :
Outreach in the Academic Library
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2002
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Hotel: Atlanta Marriot Marquis
Room: Chablis/Picard
Members of ALA and ACRL, you are cordially invited to attend a panel discussion by ACRL's Racial & Ethnic Diversity Committee at the annual conference in Atlanta. This year's program will feature many ideas and approaches in promoting academic librarianship and services to diverse populations. Panelists and discussions include:
Lesley Moyo - Pennsylvania State University Campus Outreach. Presents new and exciting ways of using partnerships with departments outside of the library to foster diversity. Details approaches that have been used at Penn State.
Elaina Norlin - University of Arizona PIC - Peer Information Counseling. Details the University of Arizona's effort to promote librarianship and library services to minority and international students while diversifying its staff at the same time.
Gloria L. Rhodes - San Diego State University K-12 Outreach. Discusses techniques and methods for outreach at both commuter and traditional campus settings.
Lothar Spang - Wayne State University Job Shadow Day. Presents the success of the ALA sponsored initiative to bring local high school students into the library for exposure to library environments and careers.
I would like to take this opportunity to update the REFORMA membership of the committee chair appointments which I have made in the last few months and which will be in effect following the ALA Annual Conference. We are also fortunate to have several Chairs who will be able to continue serving in the coming year. Thanks to all for their willingness to find time in their busy schedules to step forward and serve REFORMA at the national level.
New Chair Appointments:
Are you interested in serving on a REFORMA Committee?
If REFORMA members are interested in serving on any of the above committees, please contact me at 801-524-8287 or bocon@mail.slcpl.lib.ut.us
Muchisimas gracias!:
I also want to acknowledge and recognize the outstanding effort which has been made by those of you who are vacating your positions at the end of this year: Al Milo (Membership), Isabel Espinal (Nominations), Rhonda Ríos-Kravitz (Education), Pamela Martin Díaz (Children's/Young Adult Services), Armando Ramirez (Scholarship), María Champlin (Mentoring), Paola Ferate-Soto (Organizational Development), Miguel García-Colón (Mora Award), Richard Chabran (as Co-Chair, Information Technology), and Oralia Garza de Cortés (Finance/Immediate Past President). Thanks also to Francisco Garcia who has done an outstanding job as webmaster on an interim basis. [Note: All outgoing Chairs have expressed a willingness to assist and coach their respective replacement through a transition process]. Thank you all for your commitment to serve REFORMA during the past few years!
Finally, a very special thanks to Al Milo who has served as Membership Coordinator of REFORMA for over sixteen years! (maybe longer). This is definitely one for the record books! Thanks, Al, for your long standing commitment to REFORMA!
Please let me know if you have any questions. Those who will be attending the ALA Conference, see you in Atlanta!
Ben
Please consider joining us at the following event to honor past and present recipients of the ALA Spectrum Initiative Scholarships. The Spectrum Initiative's major drive is to recruit applicants and award scholarships to African American, Latino/Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaskan Native students for graduate programs in library and information studies. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the individuals involved in one of ALA's largest recruitment and diversity initiatives.
June 17, 2002 8:30am-12:30pm ALA Annual Atlanta
Spectrum Scholars Forum and Fair
Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta BR F
Meet and Greet with the ALA Spectrum Scholars. Share in their achievements and participate in hourly Q&A sessions and talk tables with these remarkable representatives of the future of librarianship. Spectrum Scholars from 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and the newest class of 2002 will be in attendance! for more info: email spectrum@ala.org
Wendy Prellwitz
Communications Officer
Office for Diversity & Spectrum Initiative
ALA
1.800.545.2433 x. 5048
"New Faces, New Era @ Your Library"
New reference service for Spanish-speaking library users:
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin constitute almost one-third of the population of California, however many libraries have found it difficult to meet the needs of their Spanish-speaking patrons due to a shortage of bilingual librarians.
The 24/7 Reference service, a cooperative group of libraries which collectively provide 24 hour web-based live help to library patrons in California, will soon launch a Spanish language version of its Ask the Librarian service. The new service, called "Bibliotecario a su alcance" (a librarian at your fingertips) will provide access to bilingual librarians who will assist your Spanish-speaking patrons live, over the Internet.
The service will begin on June 8. The initial participating libraries will include 24/7 Reference libraries, QandACafe, and Florida International University.
Access to the service will be provided by an icon, placed on your library's web site. When library patrons need help, they can go to your web site, click on the icon, and they will be connected to a bilingual reference librarian.
We are seeking libraries that can volunteer a few hours per week of bilingual librarian time to help staff the service. In return, your library will obtain access to the 24/7 Reference software, training on how to use it, and the icon, which connects your patrons to the collaborative group of bilingual librarians.
The software is completely web-based; there is nothing for the library or the patron to download. Any library that contributes staffing to the service will receive the software and the service at no cost.
For more information about the 24/7 Reference project, please visit our web site at http://www.247ref.org
24/7 Reference is a project of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System (MCLS), supported in part by Federal LSTA funding, administered by the California State Library.
If you would like more information about Bibliotecario a su alcance, please contact Susan McGlamery at smcglamery@mcls.org, or call 310-391-7444.
Dear colleagues:
Greetings. You are cordially invited to attend this CALA program. We were very fortunate to have these prominent leaders in our profession as the CALA program speakers. Please come to hear them, to learn from them, and to share ideas with them.
CALA 2002 Conference Program Committee
Chinese American Librarians Association
2002 ALA Conference Program
Sunday, June 16 2002, 2:00-4:00 PM
Location: Atlanta Renaissance Hotel - Norcross
Abstract:
As librarians we serve very diverse users. The speakers will talk
about the history of the various ethnic librarian organizations; the best
practices of mentorship and leadership development; and the successful
strategies for community outreach and partnership building in order to
foster a strong library community.
Angela Yang
Manager, Fremont Libraries
Alameda County Library
2400 Stevenson Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538-2325
510-745-1414 (V)
510-797-6557 (F)
"A report written by the Consumer Federation of America,
Consumers Union and the Civil Rights Forum on Communications
Policy states that the "digital divide" is still a cause for
concern and the US government should consider subsidizing
Internet access. According to the report, nearly two-thirds
of all Americans now have access to the Internet, but
lower-income households run the risk of being shut out of
the digital economy because they are not as likely to be
online."'
Release at http://www.consumerfed.org/ddivide0502.pdf
Coverage at http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,52865,00.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-928431.html
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/3368030.htm
The Hispanic Div. and the Ctr. for the Book in the Library of Congress invite you to the presentation of the Americas Award for Children and Young Adult Literature by The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP)
Friday, June 28, 2002, 4-6 p.m., Mumford Room, James Madison Memorial Building, The Library of Congress, 1001 Independence Ave., SE, Washington DC. Please respond by telephone (202) 707-2013. Reception to follow. Accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request.
We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the:
The 2nd Joint Conference on Digital Libraries - JCDL 2002To register for JCDL 2002, please visit the conference web site at http://www.jcdl2002.org/. You can register on-line or via fax or postal mail. In addition to the main conference, there are tutorials and workshops.
The Joint Conference on Digital Libraries is a major international forum focusing on digital libraries and associated technical, practical, and social issues. JCDL encompasses the many meanings of the term "digital libraries", including (but not limited to) new forms of information institutions; operational information systems with all manner of digital content; new means of selecting, collecting, organizing, and distributing digital content; and theoretical models of information media, including document genres and electronic publishing.
Participation is sought from all parts of the world and from the full range of disciplines and professions involved in digital library research and practice, including computer science, information science, librarianship, archival science and practice, museum studies and practice, technology, medicine, social sciences, and humanities. All domains---academe, government, industry, and others---are encouraged to attend.
The conference venue is in Portland, Oregon, which has superb access to aqua and terra attractions and events. The conference hotel is the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel, which is a short ride on the light rail across the river to downtown Portland as well as the eclectic eateries and galleries of NW 23rd St. July is an excellent month to visit the Pacific Northwest, as temperatures are moderate and humidity is low. Within 1-2 hours driving distance are the Oregon coast, the myriad of recreational activities in the Cascade Mountains, and Mt. St. Helens.
William Hersh, Oregon Health & Science University, General Conference Chair, hersh@ohsu.edu Gary Marchionini, University of North Carolina, Program Chair, march@ils.unc.edu
JCDL 2002 is jointly sponsored by
In cooperation with The American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST)
Attendees are reminded that CoLIS4, the Fourth International Conference on Conceptions of Library and Information Science, will take place in Seattle, Washington, the week following JCDL 2002, offering a unique opportunity to minimize travel costs by combining attendance at the two events. See http://colis.ischool.washington.edu/ for further information on CoLIS4.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2002
THE LANGSTON HUGHES CHILDREN'S LITERATURE FESTIVAL to be held by the Children's Defense Fund at the Alex Haley Farm
The Children's Defense Fund opens the gates of the former Alex Haley Farm for a weekend of celebration and creativity at the Langston Hughes Children's Literature Festival, to be held Friday through Sunday, August 2 - 4, 2002.
The Festival will highlight the poetry, fiction, and nonfiction authored or co-authored by Langston Hughes for a reading audience of children and young adults. In celebration of his 100th Birthday, readers of all generations will recite and remember the pioneering works of the "Harlem Renaissance" poet. Just as the combined prominence of his novels, stories, plays, poems, songs, and essays brought Hughes public recognition, the success of the 1928 white-authored Little Black Sambo illustrated how pervasive stereotypical racist images of Blacks stubbornly remained a part of mainstream children's literature. Langston Hughes wanted something better for Black children and began writing books and poems expressly for them. In 1932, Hughes and Arna Bontemps co-authored the novel Popo and Fifina, and Hughes published The Dream Keepers, a collection of poetry. He also penned several nonfiction books for children documenting the achievements of Blacks. His poems "Mother to Son" and "Youth" are still among the favorites of children today.
The three-day event, made possible by the generosity of Scholastic Books and HarperCollins Publishers, will feature intellectual dialogue, literary and visual arts, music, dance, and theater, recapturing the essence of one of the most important social movements of the 20th Century. There will be a special focus on celebrating and discussing children's literature by authors of African descent and about the Black experience. In keeping with the mission of the Langston Hughes Library, the festival will serve as a vehicle to promote the library as a leading national repository for the best-quality children's literature, and the use of this literature among librarians, parents, scholars, students, teachers, and all others in the service of children, building on the movement to Leave No Child Behind®.
On behalf of Mrs. Marian Wright Edelman, founder and President of CDF, and the Reverend Dr. Joan S. Parrott, Vice President of Haley Farm, I invite you to visit the Children's Defense Fund's Langston Hughes Library as we convene the Langston Hughes Library Roundtable on Friday, August 2, through Sunday, August 4, 2002 at the former Alex Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee.
Confirmed authors and illustrators include: E.B. Lewis; Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Illustration; Dinah Johnson, author of Quinnie Blue & Sunday Week; Jan Spivey Gilchrist, illustrator of Angels: An African American Treasury & Children of Long Ago; Eleanora Tate, author of Black Stars: African American Musicians & Don't Split the Pole; Javaka Steptoe, Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration; Tony Medina, author of Love to Langston and Deshawn Days; and Tom Feelings, Caldecott Honor Medal & ALA Notable for Illustration.
Registration fee for the Langston Hughes Children's Literature Festival is $210. The cost of registration includes access to all Festival events, all Festival materials, all Haley Farm meals, roundtrip shuttle service from McGee-Tyson Airport to CDF Festival hotels, and shuttle service from CDF Festival hotels to Haley Farm each day.
For more information or to download a registration form, please visit the Langston Hughes Library Web site at www.langstonhugheslibrary.org.
To find out more about the Children's Defense Fund, go to www.childrensdefense.org.
Please join in the acknowledgement, celebration and purchase of this new publication! You will recognize many of our colleagues' names as authors:
Diversity Now: People, Collections, and Services in Academic LibrariesDiversity Now delivers a comprehensive look at diversity issues for librarians. It examines partnerships between academic research libraries and campus agencies and provides effective retention strategies for diverse employees. It also shows how librarians can lobby for domestic partner benefits for university employees who are unmarried same- and opposite-sex couples. In addition, it provides a unique research perspective on assessment and diversity integration in the academic libraries and highlights effective working strategies for a multicultural library environment. (from http://www.ala.org/diversity/divbib.html)
Includes articles by:
Camila A. Alire
Polly Thistlewaite
Janice Simmons-Welburn and William C. Welburn
Erick Kofi Acres, Sharon Epps, Yolanda Gilmore and Charmaine Henriques
Linda Musser
Johnnieque B. (Johnnie Love)
Joan Howland
Bertie Greer, Denise Stephens and Vicki Coleman
Joyce Thornton
Irene Owens
Elaina Norlin and Patricia Morris
Mark D. Winston
Loriene Roy
Yem S. Fong
Johnni Love, Candance Benefiel and John Harer
Deborah A. Lee
Diversity Now! – now, not yesterday, not tomorrow. The title of this compilation speaks to the work and the action of meaningful organizational and professional change that is occurring or being demanded in academic libraries. Here, you find no screeds on the justification or rationalization for diversity but concrete models and programs to tailor for your own library organization whether it is an academic library or not. If you are ready to bring meaning to a trend and if you are ready to expend energy in rejecting the path of least resistance then here you have a place to start. Neely and Lee-Smeltzer gather a spectrum of familiar areas: recruitment and retention, institutional and organizational culture, collections and access, and instruction and library education – but with a new bent. Let’s get to the root and discuss how power shifts, domestic partner benefits, junior faculty learn the ropes, effective campus partnering, gender role spillover, incorporation of communication theory and service learning into LIS education, and other variables of shared accountability impact the facilitation of meaningful diversity initiatives. The contributors must be applauded for their research, presentations and effort to both act and write. Without this documentation or publication other researchers such as myself flounder for materials or are forced to go outside of the profession for worthy stimulation and continuous learning.
Sandra Rios Balderrama,
Director, Office for Diversity, American Library Association
Mark your calendars for the Library Instruction Round Table's ALA 2002 conference program, "Emerging Visions: Libraries and Education in the 21st Century"
When:Sunday, June 16, 9:30-12 noonSince the founding of LIRT in 1977, sweeping technological innovations have changed how we teach, both in the classroom and in the library. In a broad look at the future, this program will examine new directions in the field of education and how they will impact libraries.
Speakers:Dr. Louis Schmier, professor of history at Valdosta State University, and author of Random Thoughts: The Humanity of Teaching and Random Thoughts II: Teaching from the Heart. Louis Schmier will share his philosophies on student-centered learning and how it applies to libraries.
Tim Grimes, Associate Director of Community Relations of the Ann Arbor District Library, Michigan, and a former President of LIRT, will speak on the increasing need for and direction of instruction for users in public libraries.
Jean Donham, College Librarian, Cornell College, Iowa, and a former middle school teacher, will discuss how to apply lessons learned from the field of education to library instruction.
After the program, stay for the LIRT/IS 25th Anniversary Party
When: Sunday, June 16, 12:00 Noon-1:30 p.m.
Where: Atlanta Marriott Marquis Z Bonn/London/Zurich/Sydney
Join LIRT and IS as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary with a birthday cake, prizes, and recognition of those individuals who have been important in these two organizations during the past 25 years.
Reformistas in the Chicago area,
You may be interested in the research that was recently done in the Berwyn-Cicero, IL area.http://www.nd.edu/~latino/research/chicago.html
Information on obtaining a research report can be found at the following URL:
http://www.nd.edu/~latino/research/needs_assessment.html
ALA announces William R. Gordon Scholarship
President John W. Berry is pleased to announce that a new fundraising effort is underway to endow the William R. Gordon Scholarship. This endowment will allow ALA to award one scholarship annually to support the education of a member of a principal minority group in an ALA-accredited MLIS program or an ALA-recognized (NCATE) School Library Media program and will be counted among the Spectrum Scholarships.
The ALA Presidential Task Force on the Spectrum Scholarship Program seeks to raise a minimum of $25,000 to establish a named scholarship in honor of William R. Gordon's legacy of leadership within the ALA and the larger library profession. Gordon will retire as ALA executive director, effective August 31, 2002. As of April 2002, the Task Force is halfway toward its fundraising goal.
ALA members and friends who donate at least $100 will be named Charter Contributors to the William R. Gordon Scholarship endowment. Charter Contributors will have their names listed on a certificate to be presented to Gordon prior to his retirement. To become a Charter Contributor, please visit
For more information about the William R. Gordon Scholarship, how to contribute to the Spectrum Initiative, or how to create a named scholarship to honor a special individual, please contact Lainie Castle in the ALA Development Office at 1-800-545-2433 ext. 5050.
ALA Announces Spectrum Leadership InstituteThe American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce its fourth annual Spectrum Leadership Institute. The Institute, a major component of the Spectrum Initiative, supplements the $5,000 annual Spectrum Scholarships with a three-day intensive training and professional development conference. This year's Institute will be held in Atlanta, June 11-14.
The current cohort of Spectrum Scholars strengthen the diversity of the profession through their varied geographical, ethnic, cultural and individual backgrounds. The Institute is designed to empower scholars to draw on that vast and rich collective body of experience; to attain and retain positions of leadership; and to thereby ensure the quality and validity of library and information science for our increasingly diverse population of users.
At the Institute, scholars will be joined by speakers and presenters from an array of professional interests and cultural backgrounds. These presentations and sessions, combined with participation in discussion and work groups, form a curriculum proven to be a vital tool in instilling leadership skills in the scholars as they embark on their library careers. Topics include diversity awareness; cross-cultural leadership skills; professional development; career options; and much more. Creativity, openness and knowledge building set the tone.
To learn more about the Spectrum Initiative and its ef