This information has come to our attention since the
regular monthly news was posted.
Please check into this site regularly to see late-breaking news.
The 3 Apples awards cycle is starting all over again this month! Between now
and March 31st, please have your students nominate their favorite book. ANY
book can be nominated - even one that was nominated last year, except for Charlotte's
Web which is not eligible to win again.
A reminder that the Teen Choice Award is being introduced this year: Ages 8-12
and/or in Grades 3-6 will nominate titles for the Children's Choice Award. Ages
13+ and in Grades 7-12 will nominate titles for the Teen Choice Award.
Please enter your nominations on the website at www.3applesbookaward.org before midnight on March 31st. Voting will close at 11:59 PM on the 31st.
In April the 15 nominees for each award will be announced and students will READ!, READ!, READ! between April and December. Voting will take place in January 2008 for the two awards.
Please contact the website with any questions you may have, and call Janet
Jamal at the School Library System at 914-345-8500 ext. 122 for the password.
The 3 Apples Committee (Dawn Pressimone, SLMS Co-Chair and Zahra M. Baird, YSS
Co-Chair) asks that you PLEASE not give out the password to students but always
have an adult enter the votes on the website.
SLMSSENY is once again pleased to announce awards opportunities for its members. They have the SLMSSENY Scholarship for $500.00, the Bea Griggs Memorial Incentive Grant for $500.00 and an Administrator’s Award with which members can recognize supportive Administrators. Any SLMS in our BOCES District who is currently a member of SLMSSENY and has wanted to take a class to support his/her professional development should consider applying for the SLMSSENY Scholarship. Send an application with the course information and the extra funds needed to try something creative.
If instead you know of a SLMSSENY member who has great ideas for programming in their library that they want implement or even expand, tell them to apply for the Bea Griggs Memorial Incentive Grant. A simple application and proposal are all that are needed to try for a chance. SLMSSENY will award up to two Grants, one each for Elementary and Secondary levels. Proposals should be creative but manageable; applicants should design an innovative and exemplary program to support their student’s needs in the library. Winners of the Grant will be expected to present a workshop on their winning proposal at the 2008 SLMSSENY Spring Conference, in Tarrytown, which will actually be the statewide SLMS Conference that SLMSSENY will be hosting!
Lastly, they are offering the Administrator’s Award once again to give their members the opportunity to recognize a building level or district level Administrator who has been demonstrably supportive of the School Library Media Program in their school or district. The winning administrator will be invited to attend the Spring Event this year at the FDR Museum, and they will also receive a fifty-dollar gift card to Amazon and a SLMSSENY Certificate of Appreciation. Supportive administrators are often a rarity, so it is important to take the time to thank them for their efforts.
This is the time for those interested to start applying for these awards. The deadline for all three awards is March 31, 2007***(See News Release below regarding change of deadline date). All application forms are available from the SLMSSENY website: www.slmsseny.org under the Awards tab, they are downloadable and printable. Interested parties who are not currently SLMSSENY members may include the membership form, found on the site as a .pdf file, along with a check for the appropriate amount for their membership level with their awards application.
SLMSSENY membership form can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/org/membership.pdf.
***
News Release
February 8, 2007
As a result of some issues with the publication of the SLMSSENY newsletter and the fact that SLMSSENY will not be hosting a spring event until May 19, 2007 instead of their usual late March, it has been decided that, for this year only, they will extend the deadline for all Awards applications from February 28, 2007 to March 31, 2007. All persons interested in applying for a SLMSSENY Scholarship, a Bea Griggs Memorial Incentive Grant or nominating an administrator for the SLMSSENY Administrator Award now have an extra month to get materials sent in for consideration. Changes will be made to the awards application materials that can be downloaded from our website (www.slmsseny.org) to reflect the date change. If you have an application printed out from before the change, do not worry about it, it will still be accepted.
Remember, the extension is only for this year, if you decide to apply in the future, the "postmarked by" date will return to February 28th next year and will continue to be that from then on. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Livia Sabourin at livtiv@yahoo.com who will be happy to answer any SLMSSENY Awards related questions there.
All completed SLMSSENY Awards application materials and membership forms and checks for those who are currently non-members but who wish to apply for an award may be sent to the Awards Chair, postmarked by March 31, 2007 at the address below.
Livia Sabourin
P.O. Box 493
Woodridge, NY 12789
Dear Friends,
We are pleased to announce that New York Public Television and Clearvue & SVE, a business unit of Discovery Education, have reached a two-year agreement for NY PTV and Clearvue & SVE to provide broadband digital video resources to students and educators in New York State. Effective immediately, Clearvue & SVE's PowerMediaPlus service will supply content for NY PTV's EdVideo Online service. In the very near future we will be distributing specific details regarding log-on and access information to the new service.
Featuring 3,200 full length videos, nearly 20,000 curriculum correlated video segments, 4,000 audio files, 25,000 photographs, animations and illustrations, and new features like podcasting, PowerMediaPlus includes content from some of the world's best educational content providers. Our agreement also offers new benefits through expanded home availability that gives students access to the service outside school. In addition, New York students will have streaming access to landmark PBS content including THE CIVIL WAR, LEWIS & CLARK, JAZZ and other landmark Ken Burns productions, FREEDOM: A HISTORY OF US, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, CYBERCHASE and hundreds of other titles.
We realize that over the past four years many schools and educators have extensively used Discovery Education's award-winning unitedstreaming content for lesson planning and instruction. Now that such content will no longer be offered through EdVideo Online, NY PTV and Discovery Education are working together to ensure a smooth transition for users. As part of this effort, Discovery Education has agreed to preserve users' access to previously downloaded materials and users' ability to stream unitedstreaming content through October 31, 2006. Those wishing to get immediate full access to unitedstreaming or to continue to receive the service after October 31 should contact their Discovery Education representative for more information and anyone with questions about this new agreement for New York schools can feel free to contact NY PTV at anytime.
We are excited to be able to share this news with you today and appreciate your patience and understanding over the past few weeks. This new agreement preserves the availability of innovative instructional technologies for New York schools and meets the mission of the NY PTV to provide educational content that helps our schools and students excel.
Best Regards,
Johnjoe Farragher
Discovery Education
Robert Daino
Association of Public Broadcasting Stations of New York State
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We are writing to update you on the status of the discussions about New York Public Television's contract discussions with Discovery Education. As many of you know, both parties have been talking about ways to ensure that New York's schools, teachers and students retain access to Discovery Education's products and services beyond June 30, 2006. These conversations are ongoing and both parties are working diligently to craft a partnership that benefits all of New York's public and private schools.
We are pleased to report that, as part of our discussions, Discovery Education has agreed to extend the availability of unitedstreaming to July 10, 2006. This extension allows schools to maintain acess to the service under our current contractual terms.
We plan to provide another progress report in the very near future. In the meantime, both Discovery Education and New York Public Television would like to thank you for your patience and understanding through this time.
Sincerely,
Robert Daino
Association of Public Broadcasting Stations of New York State
Johnjoe Farragher
Discovery Education
Staci Autovino
Coordinator of Multimedia Services
Technology Services
Office (585) 383-6658
mailto:staci_autovino@boces.monroe.edu
New York State BOCES Media Technology Association President-Elect
In collaboration with Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science the Southern Westchester BOCES School Library System is offering two online courses "The Use of Blogging in School Libraries" and "Working with Students with Special Needs in School Libraries." Each course will run for one month. Time frame is 24/7 except for live online discussions. We must have a minimum of ten students and the cost is $250 each. Registration will be handled through the School Library System. The blogging course will begin the first week in February so we need a response ASAP. Professional development credit will be offered by Simmons College for contact hours. In addition the School Library System is investigating facilitating two local on-site sessions for an additional five hours.
What is a blog, and why has this format of Internet publishing become so popular? Discover best practices in blogging for school libraries; discuss the pros, the cons and the issues involved; and explore the options for creating one for your library media center before trying it yourself! All software used is FREE. Participants need computer access and one to two hours a week to complete readings and respond to discussion. There will be an opportunity for students to create their own blogs.
Please e-mail or call Francene Costello (fcostello@swboces)
or Janet Jamal (jjamal@swboces.org)
at 914-345-8500 ext. 123 or 122 regarding interest in blogging registration
ASAP.
AccuWeather, Inc. Education Division believes that all students should have equal access to learning resources that foster critical thinking skills and enables them to conduct cross disciplinary research with a resource available to them in the school or from home.
The AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive provides a sensory journey of photographs, audio sound bites, graphics and text spanning over 160 years of history. Student comprehension and recall skills will improve with visually stimulating imagery meant for use in research papers, theses, reports and PowerPoint presentations.
From simple keyword searching to more complex searches such as concept, color and category, students will enhance research projects with over one million photographs dating back to 1826 and as current as a few moments ago, tens of thousands of graphics, audio files dating from the 1920's and news stories dating from 1997. Teachers will benefit from the correlation of the Archive to State Learning Standards as well as the National Standards for Learning.
The Associated Press has won more Pulitzer Prizes than any other news agency and is the most credible source for non-biased reporting. Founded in 1848, the AP is the oldest and largest news organization in the world and is an important part of modern-day world history, serving more than one billion people each day.
AccuWeather's Education Division has a long history of products designed to
support learning in the classroom and the home. AccuWeather is the exclusive
distributor of the AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive.
This AccuNet Associated Press Photo Archive free trial access is good through December 15, 2005. There’s a lot of school left this year. If anyone is interested in taking advantage of their unique content for the balance of the school year, the cost will be pro-rated to cover the term from your start date through July 31, 2006.
http://education.accuweather.com
To take advantage of this free trial period, click: search the archive
enter username: dsr1509
enter password: kaylee
For further information on this trial and other databases available through the School Library System, please contact Janet Jamal at the School Library System office at 345-8500, ext. 122 or e-mail: jjamal@swboces.org.
Governor Pataki announced that New York State has set-up a toll-free number 1-888-7-NYS-AID (1-888-769-7243) that New Yorkers can call if they are able to offer long-term and vacant housing resources that could be used to house evacuees. These resources will be included in a national inventory that FEMA is developing.
Also, any Katrina victims that are already in New York State should call this hotline to register with New York State to ensure that they can receive the support and benefits they deserve. This hotline is similar to one Governor Pataki created after September 11th and will be open seven days a week. It will operate from The Tax and Finance Office from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekends.
SLMS (The School Library Media Section of the New York Library Association) membership has risen to 879. Only 21 new members are needed to obtain the goal of an additional NYLA Council seat. This would give SLMS the same number of votes as the Public Libraries Section.
To help reach that goal, SLMS is announcing a membership contest. Convince a friend or colleague to join NYLA/SLMS and you will be eligible to be entered in a drawing for a free registration to the Spring SLMS conference in Rochester.
Once you have recruited a new SLMS member, have them write "Recruited by SLMS member, your name" on the top of the membership form that they send in to NYLA. First time membership dues are only $25; only $15 for students.
During early 2006, SLMS will hold a drawing among the entries for the free SLMS conference registration.
What do you have to lose? Get a friend or colleague to join SLMS/NYLA!
The membership form can be found at: http://www.nyla.org/content/user_1/Application-Personal.pdf
Both the Senate and the Assembly have passed legislation that would establish a Library Science Scholarship Program in New York State. The scholarship program would provide fifty scholarships of up to $5,000 each to library school graduates who agree to work in libraries in New York for four years upon graduation.
Your support was critical in getting this legislation passed.
Now your support is needed to contact the Governor and ask him to sign this legislation. Please go to the NYLA website (www.nyla.org) and click the Contact Your Elected Officials Button. You will be able to send a fax to the Governor. (See below for text of message.)
Dear Governor Pataki:
I am writing in support of legislation (S.2510/Farley and A.1739/Galef) that would establish a Library Science Scholarship program for library school graduates who agree to work in a library in New York State for a period of four years upon graduation.
This bill would fund up to fifty Library Science Scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each in a targeted effort to recruit library school students from economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse backgrounds.
As the number and diversity of library patrons increases, the need for new certified librarians that reflect the make-up of the population has also increased. In addition, the retirement of the baby-boom generation has also had an impact on the need for bringing new talent into the library profession.
The Legislature recognized this as an important issue to address and recently passed legislation to establish the Library Science Scholarship Program.
I hope you can join the Legislature in supporting the library community in New York and sign this bill into law. Thank you!
The ALA Advocacy Institute will be Web cast, so members, library trustees, Friends and advocates can "virtually" attend the 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Preconference, Friday, June 24. The Advocacy Institute will be held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 East North Water Street, Ballroom V.
The Advocacy Institute can be accessed anywhere in the Unites States with the use of a phone line plus a computer with an internet connection and web browser. Often referred to as a "Webinar," this format allows presentation materials to be shown via the internet, while the audio portion of the Institute will be broadcast live through the telephone. Online participants can interact with presenters during Q&A sessions by submitting your questions through the internet. Presenters will address questions in the order received, and as time allows.
The Advocacy Institute will target the beginning library advocate. Attendees will learn to build a community of support for their libraries, as well as develop strategies for dealing with library issues specific to their communities. Organizers believe that the program will be meaningful to academic, school, public and special librarians.
In addition, the Advocacy Institute will be archived and made available free of charge via ALA Website for 30 days.
For those interested in participating in Chicago, onsite registration will take place at the Sheraton Friday morning at 9 am. Registration costs $10 and includes lunch. There is no cost for virtual attendees.
To register for the "Webinar" simply dial (866) 597-7814, and enter the conference ID as directed. The conference ID for the Advocacy Institute is: 7203611. The operator will ask for participant name, organization and email address. Participants will need to access the web portion of the program at the following address: http://www.conferencearchives.webconcentral.com/55832. Please enter participant name where indicated, and click the "Join" button.
The Advocacy Institute is coordinated by the Carol A. Brey-Casiano Presidential Committee, The Public Awareness Committee, and The Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), The Chapter Relations Committee, The Committee on Legislation and Friends of Libraries USA. The Advocacy Institute is the recipient of the 2004 World Book Goal Award.
For more information, visit http://www.ala.org/advocacyinstitute or email advocacy@ala.org.
Nylink is once again offering reduced rates to the Computer in Libraries conference. By registering through Nylink for Computer in Libraries 2005, you receive a special registration rate of $175 on the full conference registration [more than a 55% savings off the regular conference registration cost of $379]. This rate is available to anyone registering through Nylink.
The conference takes place at the Hilton Washington in Washington D.C. on March 16-18, 2005.
In addition, you can register for both Computers in Libraries three-day conference and Internet@Schools East conference for the special rate of $199. Or pay the reduced price of $99 for just Internet@Schools East.
There are no discounts available for any pre or post conference workshops or daily rates. Visit the Computers in Libraries 2005 conference page on Information Today, Inc.'s website at (http://www.infotoday.com/cil2005/) for full conference program information.
To receive your discount and reserve your place at the conference, please
only use the Nylink online, printable registration form and fax it (518-432-4346)
or mail it to Nylink so it is received by Wednesday, February 2, 2005.
Please contact Anne Siddall at Nylink via email [siddalla@nylink.suny.edu]
or phone: 800-342-3353/518-443-5444, if you would like a registration form faxed
or mailed to you. Do not use the registration form on Information Today's
website or in the print version of the preliminary program [the reduced rate
will not apply on these forms].
Please see the Nylink web site at http://nylink.suny.edu/cl05.htm
for lodging information, the cancellation policy, and the online registration
form.
The City College of New York has an online resource which may be helpful in finding material to use in your library for Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month.
The site is called "Black Studies" and can be found at: http://origin.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/library/blacks.html
Currently there are resources in 51 subject categories including Abolition, Civil Rights, The Freedman's Bureau, the Harlem Renaissance, Horseracing, Literature & Writing, Martin Luther King Jr., the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Slave Narratives, Statistics, Theatre, Tuskegee Airmen and the Underground Railroad.
Attend this FREE online event to hear how 100% browser-based resource management for libraries and textbooks helps districts achieve more on tight budgets.
Join us online from 12:00 to
12:45 A.M. Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, November 16.
Click here to register: http://placeware.viewcentral.com/reg/follettsoftware/11160411am
Destiny Resource Management Solution is today's premier solution for library & textbook management:
Destiny Resource Management Seminar Agenda:
SUBJECT: Impact of the Governor’s vetoes on public libraries and library systems
PURPOSE: To discuss the impact of the Governor's budget cuts to public libraries and library systems, as well as the impact of the subsequent vetoes of the restoration of these budget cuts.
|
Ulster County Office Building
Legislative Chamber 244 Fair Street 5th Floor Tuesday October 12, 2004 1:30 Kingston, New York |
Pioneer Library System
2557 Route 21 Wednesday October 13, 2004 12:00 Canandaigua, New York |
|
|
Hunter College
68th Street and Lexington Avenue West Building, Room 217 Monday October 18, 2004 11:00 New York, New York |
Monroe County Office Building
Legislative Chambers 39 Main Street, Room 406 Wednesday October 20, 2004 10:00 Rochester, New York |
|
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Pace University
1 Martine Avenue Room 208 (auditorium) 11:00 Tuesday October 26, 2004 White Plains, New York |
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The role of libraries in the community is an important one and has long been appreciated by New York State’s citizens. Last year, the Assembly echoed their appreciation of the role that public libraries and library systems play with their resounding override of the Governor’s veto of the library funding restorations. Despite the overwhelming show of support for public library funding by the legislature, the Executive has again proposed a cut to libraries in his budget this year. This proposed 5% cut would represent a devastating loss to many public and school library systems. There has been no increase in funding since FY 1998-99, when the library funding formula was fully funded for the first time since it was amended in FY 1993-94. With the ever-growing costs associated with providing library services to a community, even a 5% reduction could lead to a loss of services, or potentially the closing of some of the State’s school library systems. Additionally, a 5% reduction in state support will lead to an automatic 5% reduction in federal library funding, which is equivalent to nearly $500,000 in aid.
This year the legislature negotiated and passed a budget that restored this important funding to libraries and systems throughout the state. Once again this important funding was vetoed by the Governor. These hearings are to allow members of the library community to give testimony as to the impact of these cuts on their ability to serve the public.
Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.
Oral testimony will be limited to ten minutes’ duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible.
Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.
In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee’s interest in hearing testimony from all sources.
In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.
Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on the Impact of the Governor’s Vetoes on Public Libraries and Library Systems are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail or fax it to:
|
Julie Marlette
Legislative Associate Assembly Committee on Libraries And Education Technology Room 513 - Capitol Albany, New York 12248 Email: marletj@assembly.state.ny.us Phone: (518) 455-4881 Fax: (518) 455-4128 |
I plan to attend the following public hearing on the Governor’s Vetoes on Public Libraries and Library Systems to be conducted by the Assembly Committee on Libraries And Education Technology on:
__ Tuesday, October 12, in Kingston
__ Wednesday, October 13, in Canandaigua
__ Monday, October 18, in New York City
__ Wednesday, October 20, in Rochester
__ Tuesday, October 26, in White Plains
I plan to make a public statement at the hearing on the impact of the Governor’s Vetoes on:
__ Tuesday, October 12, in Kingston
__ Wednesday, October 13, in Canandaigua
__ Monday, October 18, in New York City
__ Wednesday, October 20, in Rochester
__ Tuesday, October 26, in White Plains
My statement will be limited to ten minutes, and I will answer any questions which may arise. I will provide 10 copies of my prepared statement at the hearing.
I will address my remarks to the following subjects:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__I do not plan to attend the above hearing.
__I would like to be added to the Committee mailing list for notices and reports.
__I would like to be removed from the Committee mailing list.
__ I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required:
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
NAME: _________________________________________________________________________________
TITLE: _________________________________________________________________________________
ORGANIZATION: _________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________________________________
E-MAIL: ________________________________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE: ____________________________________________________________________________
FAX TELEPHONE: _________________________________________________________________________
October 7, 2004
9:30 am – 1:00 pm
Location: Guilderland Public Library, Helderberg Meeting Room, Guilderland
Details & Registration Form - http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=141
Audience Size - Limited to 50 people
As traditional funding sources are stretched tighter, it is increasingly important for libraries to seek critically needed support from new sources. This workshop will help administrators, trustees, Friends, and volunteers to conceptualize and plan successful fundraising programs for their libraries that will succeed in addressing immediate and long-term goals. Participants will learn why strategic planning is an essential step in defining fundraising projects, how marketing and communications support these efforts, and why it is important to assess the library’s goals and objectives prior to implementation. They will also learn how to organize and prioritize prospect lists, develop an effective volunteer organization, and communicate the case for support to the communities they serve.
Target Audience: Library Directors / Library System Directors / Library Trustees / Librarians / Friends of Libraries / Administrators
Learning Objectives: Assess ability of my library to engage in professional and sustained fundraising activity / Understand the importance of planning and analysis / Build a case for support and communicate it / Develop volunteer commitment / Learn differences in annual giving and capital campaigns
Speakers: Tom Lawrence, Executive Director, Poughkeepsie Public Library District; Christian G. Kersten, President, The Berkshire-Hudson Group; David P. Brown, Sawchuk, Brown
Rates:
NYLA Member - $60
Non-Member - $85
First Time Member - $25 + $60 = $85
Nylink is offering a new round of five-week online workshops through its Nylink Institute for Information Technology Fluency for Library Professionals [see http://nylink.suny.edu/itfluency/default.htm].
Courses beginning on May 3 are:
* Introduction to Networking
* Technology and Intellectual Property: Copyright, the Internet, and Libraries
[New Course! See below for additional information]
* Understanding PCs and Operating Systems
Technology and Intellectual Property: Copyright, the Internet, and Libraries
will discuss different aspects of intellectual property laws & guidelines
will be addressed, including:
* copyright purpose and scope development from the Copyright Act of 1790 to
present
* aspects of library functions impacted by copyright and fair use guidelines
* Library Reproduction rights
* Guidelines for fair use of computer software
* Copyright research
* Developing issues in copyright
For class descriptions of other online courses, as well as system requirements and registration information, please visit http://nylink.suny.edu/training/trncal.htm on the Nylink website and select IT Fluency Five-Week, Online Workshops. The cost for these online workshops is $75 for Nylink members and $150 for others.
Review all class descriptions, browse a list of all class offerings through June, and register for classes on the Nylink website at http://nylink.suny.edu/training/trainingclasses.htm .
In both the House and the Senate, Members of Congress are circulating letters of support for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Circulating the letters in Congress are Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and Representative Robert Simmons (R-CT) in the House of Representatives, and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Susan M. Collins (R-ME) in the Senate.
The letters are addressed to the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriation Subcommittees and respectfully request that the House and Senate include $232 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and $100 million for the Improving Literary Through School Libraries program for FY 2005.
The LSTA and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program provide critical funding for libraries of all kinds nationwide. Only by including $232 million for the LSTA and $100 million for the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill will we ensure that library patrons of all ages have sufficient access to library and information services, support recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians, and provide libraries the resources they need to improve literacy skills and academic achievement.
ALA's Washington Office strongly encourages ALA's membership to immediately contact their elected officials in Congress and urge support for these letters and federal library programs. Funding is tight this year and competition is very strong among the many groups seeking federal funding for the upcoming year. With a March 26th deadline for signatures on the letter, it is critical that ALA members contact Congress in a timely manner and let them know the importance of federal library programs.
Visit ALA's website for more information on this letter: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/washfunding/funding.htm
ACTION NEEDED: Contact your Member of Congress and ask them to please sign the Rep. Grijalva-Rep. Simmons letter in the House and the Sen. Reed-Sen. Collins letter in the Senate that support federal library programs. Please do not contact Rep. Grijalva, Rep. Simmons, Sen. Reed or Sen. Collins directly. Instead, ask your Representative's staff to contact Rep. Grijalva, Rep. Simmons, Sen. Reed or Sen. Collins' staff to add their Member's signature.
Use ALA's Washington Office Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/ala/home/ to identify and fax your Members of Congress in both the House and the Senate.
You can also call your Member of Congress directly using the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: (202) 225-3121.
The Facts on File News Service is having a database trial which includes unlimited usage and free remote access through April 15th. The website can be found at http://www.facts.com/master. It will provide direct access to both their award-winning Reference Suite group of databases and their new Facts for Learning series. The Reference Suite offers four database modules: Facts.com, Issues and Controversies, Today's Science and The World Almanac Reference Database. Facts for Learning has two modules: Primary (grades 2-5) and Middle School (grades 5-8). It is easy and fun to use, curriculum related and grade specific (in the primary module).
The Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association will present its 2004 Spring Conference on Friday, April 23rd in Lake Placid, New York. The conference is a one-day seminar offering a variety of workshops along with keynote and luncheon speakers.
The scholarship for this conference is awarded to encourage continuing education in the field of youth services by funding participation in this annual YSS event. In addition to having the full conference registration fee paid, the recipient will receive a lodging and meal allowance in an amount up to $250.00. Two scholarships will be awarded to the 2004 Conference.
The application may be:
The applicant must:
SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2004
To request an application:
Cathy Henderson
Seymour Library
161 East Avenue
Brockport, NY 104420
585-637-1050
cathyh@frontiernet.net
There will a meeting of the Washington Irving Children's Choice Award Committee
on Wednesday, February 25th at 6 PM at WLS. This is a volunteer committee which
helps select the nominees for the Westchester children's choice award and then
helps disseminate information.
As we will be serving a light supper, please RSVP attendance to Judith Rovenger
at rovenger@wlsmail.org.
Also, please hold Wednesday evening, March 3rd, for a second meeting.
New Members are welcome.
Dr. Lee Miringoff, Director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, conducted a poll from October 27 through 29, 2003. The objective of the poll was to gather information on what library services are important to the public and how willing people are to approve extra tax monies for libraries to obtain those services.
The Public Library: A National Survey confirms and updates the findings of two Zogby International polls done for the New York Library Association in 2002 and a statewide survey conducted for the Regents Commission on Library Services in 1999.
The Marist poll, consisting of 1,004 telephone interviews, reported
these findings:
· How valuable is having access to a public library in your
community? 67% very valuable; 27% valuable.
· Do you support or oppose an increase in taxes to support public
library services in your community? 31% strongly support; 32% support.
· How much would you be willing to pay in added taxes each year to
support public library services in your community? Average tax increase
Americans are willing to pay: $49.
· When rating library services within the community, respondents identified
the following priorities: reading programs for children; open hours on evenings
and weekends; computers for public use; homework help centers; programs for
senior citizens; staff to help with computers; access to reference help by phone,
fax, or email; access to other government services in the library building;
cultural programs or exhibits; audio books on tape/CDs; indexing of local newspapers;
rooms for community meetings; book discussion groups; movies or DVDs. A link
to a PowerPoint presentation on the Marist poll is available on the Mid-Hudson
Library System website at http://midhudson.org/funding/advocacy/Marist_Poll_2003.ppt.
The Marist poll data were weighted to reflect the population of the entire United States. The Zogby polls and the Regents Commission survey sampled New York State residents, and in many cases showed even greater support for libraries.
Results of Zogby Polls:
· 95% of respondents said their library was "important" to
them.
71% said the library was "very important" to them.
· More than 75% of respondents were willing to increase their
taxes to improve support for libraries (October 2002). Across all
geographic regions, and from all segments of the population regardless
of income, gender, or age, people were willing to support increased
taxes if it meant increases in library funding.
· 89% of respondents felt it was "important" that state government
provide more funding for libraries (January 2002). More than half (52%)
said it was "very important" that state government provide more funding
for libraries.
Briefly, the Regents Commission survey of 1,004 adults in April 1999
found the following:
· New Yorkers use their libraries in numbers well above the
national average (73% of households).
· Local public libraries are very important to the quality of
community life.
· Priorities include statewide access to library resources
throughout the state; increased use of technology, including Internet
access to their library from home; library programs in local community
centers; database searching services; homework tutors for students; and
non-English library programs.
· 67% of respondents would double financial support for libraries, increasing
spending from the New York State average of $32.17 per capita to an average
of $64.07. For more detailed information on the Regents Commission survey, go
to http://www.nysl.nysed.gov:80/rcols/finalrpt.htm#Appendixb.
Such strong evidence of public support for libraries is critically important for those who are working to convince our elected officials of the value and importance of libraries and the need for increased aid to libraries through the "New Century Libraries" legislative initiative. For more information on "New Century Libraries," visit the New York State Library website at http://www.ncl.nysed.gov. Information and materials on library advocacy are available on the New York Library Association website at http://www.nyla.org.
What do Kitty Hawk, the Statue of Liberty, Mark Twain, the Battle of Gettysburg,
Cheyenne Indians and the Space Shuttle have in common? They are all events,
people and places that can come alive as primary source information through
the Library of Congress' acclaimed American Memory Collection and other digital
library collections.
The award-winning Library Learning Network of the College of DuPage and the Colorado Digitization Program will present a national teleconference "Digital Treasures for Teaching and Learning" on Friday, October 10.
Teachers and librarians who have used the American Memory and other digital primary source materials will be featured. Lesson plans, strategies and exercises for incorporating photos, maps and three-dimensional artifacts into student activities will be demonstrated. Participants will be able to submit questions to presenters for on-air discussion. A Webliography and other support materials will be available through the teleconference's website.
Phyllis DiBianco, Library Media Specialist at Scarsdale High School,
who was an American Fellow and participated in the Library of Congress American
Memory Fellows Institute, will facilitate this program.
Place: The School Library System, Southern Westchester BOCES, 2 Westchester
Plaza, Elmsford, NY.
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
11:30
a.m. - 12 noon Introduction to the American
Fellows Program
12 noon
- 2:00 p.m. Teleconference
2:00
p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Discussion of Curriculum Implementation
To register for this teleconference, contact Janet Jamal at the School
Library System Office. Janet can be reached at (telephone) 345-8500, ext. 122;
(fax) 592-4438; or e-mail jjamal@swboces.org.
Please share this information with teachers and other district
personnel who may be interested in attending.
School Library System, BOCES Southern Westchester, 2 Westchester Plaza, Elmsford, NY 10523
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