2008 2009
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Last updated July 6 , 2008
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal funding for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums, today announced the launch of the Libraries to the Rescue series of podcast episodes (http://www.imls.gov/resources/podcasts_Jun09.shtm). Library use is on a steady rise and the economic downturn has resulted in even greater need for library services. IMLS introduced Libraries to the Rescue to share with libraries steps that other libraries have taken to help their communities.
“Libraries have emerged as one of the go-to place for people looking for work or filing for unemployment, starting new businesses, or learning how to use computers for the first time,” said Anne-Imelda Radice, IMLS Director. “Libraries are proving just how important they are to their communities. In these episodes, library leaders share their expertise so others don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
Libraries to the Rescue provides valuable insights from:
The five episodes cover a range of topics, including how libraries are increasing access to key information through virtual libraries, the importance of broadband access, and new partnerships between libraries and state and federal agencies to help citizens access all types of assistance. The Libraries to the Rescue episodes are short (12-15 minute), digestible audio episodes designed to educate IMLS’s library audience.
Accompanying the series is a list of online resources for libraries that are still navigating the new terrain. To view the list of resources, go to http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/062409_list.shtm. If you have additional online links to share, please email them to IMLS Public Affairs Officer Jeannine Mjoseth at jmjoseth@imls.gov.
Libraries to the Rescue can be accessed and enjoyed at the listener’s convenience.
Audio can be accessed on the IMLS Web site (http://www.imls.gov/resources/podcasts_Jun09.shtm)
or through iTunes.
The character of library services has changed dramatically with the advent of new information technologies, the continuous development of locally-tailored services, and the expectations of the 21st century library user, according to the first analysis of the Grants to States program by the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS).
The report, "A Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to States Program and the Transformation of Library Services to the Public," (The report can be read at http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/070109.shtm or http://www.imls.gov/pdf/CatalystForChange.pdf) focuses on services provided through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants to State Library Agencies, the single largest source of federal funding for the nation's libraries and the only library grants that require state-wide planning. IMLS conducted the study to inform the American public, the Administration, Congress and the library community about the program's contributions.
To address the growing demand for online services, libraries have added computer workstations, increased available bandwidth, and provided training in communities where they are often the sole provider of free access to the Internet. Some State Libraries Agencies are incorporating technology investments into their statewide strategic plans while other states manage such investments on a local or regional basis, according to the new report.
"The program's flexibility is its greatest strength because it allows each state to tailor program services to the specific needs of its citizens. The unique nature of each state's approach can present real challenges for evaluation because no two state programs are alike. It is like comparing apples, oranges, kiwis, and kumquats. But a common thread that connects these programs is a dedication to providing state-of-the-art programming and information services that meet a clear and compelling local need," said Carlos Manjarrez, IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Research and Statistics.
To underscore this state-by-state variability, the report provides a two-page snapshot of immediate challenges, program goals for 2008-2012, and an exemplary project for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The report draws on the December 2008 analysis of 9,000 state program reports from the Grants to States Program between FY 2003 and FY 2006 by Ethel Himmel and Bill Wilson, a library consulting firm, and the annual State Library Agency Surveys collected by the National Center for Education Statistics and IMLS between 1998 and 2007.
Based on the data, IMLS identified three broad strategies advanced by Grants to States programming: human capital development, library service expansion and access, and development of information and technology infrastructure. The report also provides:
"Libraries build community in many ways," noted Laurie Brooks, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services. "Whether through preparing children for school, helping small businesses thrive, providing technology training for seniors, or imparting a new language, libraries are essential community resources in the information age. The Library Grants to States program provides an important opportunity to plan and support these vital community-building initiatives."
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.
CBS News Sunday Morning featured the New York State Library’s New Netherland Project as part of a story on the Quadricentennial of Hudson’s discovery of the river that bears his name on Sunday, July 5th.
The segment featured an interview with New Netherland Project Director Dr. Charles Gehring. One of the most unique history projects in America, the New Netherland Project provided the documentation and inspiration for Russell Shorto’s recent best seller, The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America.
A program of the New York State Library, the New Netherland Project has been working since 1974 to translate and publish the official 17th-century Dutch colonial documents of one of America’s earliest settled regions. Originally created under the sponsorship of the New York State Library and the Holland Society of New York, the New Netherland Project has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the New York State Office of Cultural Education. Translated documents and other work by the New Netherland Project can be accessed at www.nnp.org.
Also based on the work of the New Netherland Project, the exhibit "Light on New Netherland" is the first to introduce adults and children to the scope of the 17th century colony of New Netherland. Previously on view at the State Museum in Albany, the exhibit will tour the regions once encompassed by New Netherland, appearing at venues to include the GaGa Arts Center in West Haverstraw, New York; the Museum of Connecticut History at the Connecticut State Library in Hartford; the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities in Cold Spring Harbor, New York; Federal Hall in Manhattan; and the FDR Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.
The book Explorers, Fortunes, and Love Letters: A Window on New Netherland further explores the history of America’s earliest colony with a collection of twelve essays. Designed to appeal to a general audience and scholars alike, the book features an opening chapter by Russell Shorto, author of The Island at the Center of the World: the Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America. The book was published by the New Netherland Institute, formerly Friends of New Netherland, and Mount Ida Press in April 2009.
SCRLC is delighted to announce that Carrie Russell, ALA’s Copyright specialist and School Library Journal author, will present “Copyright for School Libraries” as a day-long workshop on Wednesday, August 5th, in Ithaca, NY. This class will provide an overview of copyright law, and highlight issues of importance to school librarians. In the afternoon, attendees will work in small groups to analyze and discuss school library copyright case studies.
The session will include discussion of copyright misconceptions and lots of time for Q&A. Attendees will be able to provide questions to the presenter prior to July 30th so these can be integrated into the group exercise.
Priority will be given to school library staff, but these sessions are open to all regional library workers; no approval or authorization is required to attend. Full information and registration details appear at the bottom of this message.
Coming to Ithaca for the session? You, your family, or friends may want to hike waterfall, swim in the lake, try an ethnic food restaurant, or take in a concert or play. To see what’s happening in Ithaca, please go to http://www.visitithaca.com and http://www.ithacaevents.com
Summer Camp 2009 for Teacher Librarians is a series of workshops offered in July and August at TST BOCES in Ithaca, NY. The fees are very low thanks to funding and support provided by TST BOCES, BT BOCES, DCMO BOCES, GST BOCES, and ONC BOCES. The complete list of available sessions is on the SCRLC website at http://www.lakenet.org/scrlc/calendar.html. Several BOCES have offered to pay the registration fee completely on behalf of their member library staff, so check with your BOCES office for details. If interested in Professional Development Credit, check with your School Building Administrator.
Date/Time:
Wednesday, August 5, 2009; 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Location: TST BOCES/A-14, 555 Warren Rd, Ithaca, NY
Presenter: Carrie Russell, ALA’s Copyright Specialist
Registration: $25/SCRLC members; $35/non-members;
Lunch, refreshments, and parking included.
Audience: Teacher librarians and school library staff
Sponsors: Funding and support provided by TST BOCES, BT BOCES, DCMO BOCES, GST
BOCES and ONC BOCES.
This class will provide an overview of copyright law, and highlight issues of importance to school librarians. In the afternoon, attendees will work in small groups to analyze and discuss school library copyright case studies. The session will include discussion of copyright misconceptions and lots of time for Q&A.
Attendees are encouraged to provide questions to the presenter prior to July 30th so these can be integrated into the group exercise.
Presenter: Carrie Russell is ALA’s Copyright Specialist and the Director of the Program on Public Access to Information at the Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP). OITP is often called ALA’s “think tank” because of its focus on research and analysis of information policy and technology.
Carrie earned a master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Master of Arts in Media Arts from the University of Arizona. She was the recipient of the 2001 ALA Staff Achievement Award, writes a monthly copyright column for the School Library Journal, and is the author of the best-selling Complete Copyright: An Everyday Guide for Librarians, now in its second edition. Currently, she is writing a book about copyright specifically for K-12 teacher librarians.
For a registration form, please go to http://www.lakenet.org/ET/Wrkshps/20090805Copyright.pdf.
NYLA is pleased to announce that the Conference Program for the 2009 NYLA Annual Conference is now available on the web at www.nyla.org, just click on the NYLA Annual Conference button on the left hand side of the page.
The print version of the Preliminary Conference Program will be mailed by June, but the full conference details are currently available online and will be kept up-to-date as more information and web links are provided.
Take a look and be the first to know what is being offered this year. Featured speakers include David W. Lewis, Dean of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis University Library, the Unshelved guys, and Joyce Carol Oates. Take a moment to review the program and plan to join NYLA in Niagara Falls, NY from October 14 through October 17.
Online registration for the conference:
http://nyla-omc.org/Scripts/4Disapi.dll/4DCGI/events/ConferenceList.html?Action=Find_Events
To receive member rates you must log-in using your user ID and password. All registrations submitted online must be paid with a credit card. The print version of the registration form will be available shortly.
The New York Library Association is pleased to announce the topics for the 2009 Poster Sessions and for the 3rd Annual Diversity Fair, which will take place as part of the 2009 Annual Conference to be held in Niagara Falls, NY from Wednesday, October 14 through Saturday, October 17.
The 2009 NYLA Poster Sessions offer you the opportunity to gather information on 14 diverse topics all in one room. With topics as varied as Moving or Rearranging a Library to Digital Rights & Responsibilities there is certain to be something of interest to every attendee. A complete listing of this year’s Poster Sessions, complete with descriptions can be found at: http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1798.
The 3rd Annual NYLA Diversity Fair is back with more examples of diversity in the libraries of New York State. Topics to be showcased include Serving those Midlife and Beyond, Pathways to Citizenship, Diversity Ideas in Action in an Academic Library and many others. A complete list of this year’s Diversity Fair presentations, complete with descriptions can be found at: http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1799.
SAVE MONEY ON YOUR CONFERENCE REGISTRATION!
There are only 20 days remaining until the July 21 Early Bird Conference Registration Deadline. Submit your reservation before the deadline and save! You can fax, mail or submit your conference reservation ONLINE. Details are available on the web at www.nyla.org.
CALLING ALL CURRENT & FUTURE MEMBERS! Encourage a new person to join NYLA and you and your new recruit have the chance to win a free 2009 NYLA Annual Conference registration. View the 2009 Preliminary Conference Program by visiting http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1705.
Here How It Works:
All current NYLA members are eligible to recruit new members for this contest. Multiple entries are allowed. For each person that you recruit, you get an additional chance to win! Once you have identified a new member for NYLA, have them fill out a NYLA membership form. For the purpose of the contest, the new member must not have previously been a NYLA member. They also cannot be signing up as a Student. Across the top of the new member’s form, write, “I was recruited by:” and insert your name.
All membership forms for the contest need to be received at the NYLA office by August 31, 2009. On September 1st, one membership form will be randomly drawn from the entries received. Winners will be notified and announced. Both the new member AND the recruiter will win a Full Program registration to the 2009 NYLA Conference.
Full Program Registration includes a badge, entry to all non-ticketed programs, membership meetings, the General Opening Session and the trade show on October 15 - 16, 2009 at the Conference Center Niagara Falls. The winners will also receive free registration to either one full day or two half day NYLA Continuing Education Programs offered on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. Meals, transportation, lodging and all miscellaneous costs are not included.
Spring Into Action winners will also receive a ticket to attend the Farewell Luncheon featuring renowned author, Joyce Carol Oates.
Planning on attending the conference, whether or not you win?
Don’t worry! Go ahead and register for the conference and if the winners have already paid for the 2009 Conference, a refund will be processed.
Reach out and encourage a colleague or library friend to join NYLA TODAY! This contest is part of NYLA’s Membership Committee membership drive and they need your support!
NYLA Annual Conference 2009 information can be found at http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=70.
Niagara Falls, NY
October 14 – 17
General Opening Session Keynote Speaker: David W. Lewis
Vitality Fund Event: Unshelved
Farewell Luncheon Speaker: Joyce Carol Oates
Spring Into Action Membership Drive can be found at http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1002.
The Poetry in The Branches National Institute returns! Join them this year in the spectacular new quarters of Poets House, opening this fall at 10 River Terrace in lower Manhattan.
Want to enrich the poetry resources and programming in your library? Join the staff of Poets House and guests, Keynote Speaker Mark Doty, winner of the 2008 National Book Award for Poetry, and brilliant, engaging faculty poets Dave Johnson and Tina Chang, for a weekend.
Beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 6, and continuing through Saturday afternoon, you will be immersed in the rich world of poetry. At Poets House you will learn how to reach out to and empower your patrons through poetry. Explore their 50,000 volume poetry library and find resources for developing your library's poetry collection. Connect personally with their guest poets. Leave the weekend with a practical poetry plan for your library and lots of nuts-and-bolts information to help make that plan a reality. Take in their new view: the Hudson River all the way down to the Statue of Liberty. At night, eat and drink with your colleagues and experience the wealth of cultural events that New York City has to offer.
Questions? Contact Marsha Howard, Poetry in the Branches Coordinator, at 212-431-7920 x 2213 or marsha@poetshouse.org.
Full information including fees will be posted soon on their web site, www.poetshouse.org,
where you can also learn much more about the amazing resource that is Poets
House!
The University of Arizona Digital Information Management (DigIn) online graduate certificate program has been awarded a prestigious grant of over $900,000 from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, primarily to fund scholarships.
The DigIn curriculum combines intensive, hands-on technology learning with a thorough grounding in the theoretical principles needed to manage large and complex digital collections.
The program takes a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to managing digital information and is designed to support a wide range of career paths, especially involving libraries, museums, archives, and records management.
Graduate certificates are increasingly being recognized as a means for professionals with advanced degrees to update their knowledge and skills. DigIn also offers a path for those with undergraduate degrees who are interested in digital collections but who may not yet be ready to commit to a full degree program.
The grant will also greatly boost DigIn's mission to foster disciplinary, institutional, geographic, and cultural diversity in the management of digital collections and services.
Thus, DigIn strongly encourages scholarship applicants representing historically underserved institutions, regions, and communities, as well as students expressing interest in working with digital collections in culturally diverse settings.
DigIn is now accepting applications for admission and financial aid for the Fall 2009 semester. The application deadline has just been extended to July 10.
Late applications will be accepted, though Fall admission cannot be guaranteed once the July 10 deadline has passed. Late applicants will also be considered for admission in the Spring 2010 semester.
The program is delivered entirely online and does not require students to reside in or travel to Tucson. Students generally complete the certificate in 4-6 semesters (15-27 months).
DigIn was founded in 2007 with major funding from Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
Their current partners also include the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Sedona Conference.
Additional details on the program including course descriptions, admissions requirements and application forms may be found on the program website: digin.arizona.edu
Prospective applicants are also welcome to contact the DigIn staff at: digin@email.arizona.edu
Join your colleagues on July 29 for a free one-hour webinar titled Bilingual Storytimes: Building Early Literacy and Community. For further information about this and other Spanish Language Outreach programs, go to their website at http://www.webjunction.org/slo-update/-/articles/content/67550501.
The American Library Association has just been contacted by the White House
in partnership with the Corporation for National & Community Service to
get libraries involved in the President’s Summer of Service program, scheduled
to launch on June 22, 2009.
Summer of Service is a “national coalition of major youth-serving organizations
that are committed to engaging youth in service during the summer months and
recognize the potential of youth to identify issues, develop projects, and provide
lasting benefits to the communities in which they live through volunteer service.”
Libraries and other organizations that work with youth ages 5 to 21 are encouraged
to participate.
Beginning the week of June 8, 2009, libraries and other organizations will be invited by the White House to list their local volunteer opportunities online. On June 22, the White House will announce the initiative to the public at large. The initiative will conclude on September 11, 2009.
Summer of Service presents a great opportunity for libraries of all types to involve young people as volunteers. This will also be a great opportunity to educate the public about the importance and vitality of America’s libraries and gain new supporters advocating for your library.
The American Library Association will be disseminating information and resources
as they become available. Stay tuned for volunteer ideas, best practices, resources,
and ways to contribute your own information, ideas and stories at www.ala.org/summerofservice.
You can learn more about Summer of Service at: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/initiatives/summer.asp.
The New York State Library launched the 2009 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program at an event in the New York State Museum, Albany. The annual free program is offered in more than 1,100 public libraries and branch libraries throughout the state. In eight years, participation has increased by 300 percent, with more than 1.5 million participants last year.
Jeffrey W. Cannell, Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Education for the New York State Education Department, introduced New York State Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills, who kicked off the event with remarks about the role and importance of summer reading programs at public libraries in preparing our youth for success in an ever-changing world.
“These days, families can’t afford to buy all the books they might want to read,” said Commissioner Mills. “Kids today need arm loads of books—not just for learning, but for inspiring their creative minds, and just to pass the time on a summer day.” Mills noted that the New York Statewide Summer Reading Program has grown significantly over the past decade, reaching more than 1.5 million children at more than 1,100 sites. “Our Summer Reading Program is helping to keep books—and the local public library—at the center of a child’s summer life”.
“In these economically challenging times, more and more families are seeking ways to involve and challenge their children with summer activities that are fun, inspiring and engaging, while not straining the family budget,” said Cannell, featured speaker at this event. “Public libraries offer great resources for kids throughout the summer, and the New York Statewide Summer Reading Program offers ways for kids of all ages to be creative at their local libraries.”
Community libraries continue to play a major role in fostering literacy, especially for those most in need of assistance in developing literacy skills, according to a 2001 study by the Pennsylvania Library Association. The study also concluded that public library reading programs play an important role in the overall reading achievement of children who otherwise lack access to books and other reading materials in their daily lives.
Cannell then announced two new summer reading themes for this year—Express Yourself @ Your Library for teens and Be Creative @ Your Library for children—and unveiled one of two Summer Reading public service announcements. Created by Frank and Caroline Mouris, celebrated and award winning animators, “Be Creative at Your Library”, uses playful illustrations of children’s book illustrator David Catrow. Frank and Caroline Mouris then presented a talk about how they created their spot using their signature collage style of animation, and how they collaborated with musician Kevin Bartlett in creating the spot’s sound track.
The program is implemented in libraries across New York State and results are often measured in number of books read or time spent reading. In addition, individual libraries offer their own programs to add to the fun of summer reading and encourage visits to the public library. “The New York Statewide Summer Reading Program helps improve reading capabilities over the summer, which in turn leads to achievement advances in the next school year,” said Commissioner Mills.
This program is an excellent opportunity for school library media specialists to collaborate with their local children's and young adult public librarians in promoting this program.
A recent study by children’s publisher Scholastic found that 22 percent of children rarely or never read for fun, and that percentage increases as the child ages. In addition, approximately 25 percent of children polled indicate that they have trouble finding books that they would actually want to read. Public library summer reading programs combat this trend.
There are many resources available for librarians, parents, educators, children and teens at the program’s web site, www.summerreadingnys.org. Visitors can access promotional flyers, fact sheets, tip sheets, recommended web site links, book lists and reading-related puzzles, games and activities.
New York State partners with 46 other states as part of the national Collaborative Summer Library Program to share best practices and ideas for program goals, activities and themes. The New York Statewide Summer Reading Program is a program of the New York State Library in the Office of Cultural Education in the New York State Education Department and is funded through the Federal Library Services and Technology Act, with funds awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services.
To view an image of all the presenters at the kick-off event visit the New York Statewide Summer Reading Program site http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/kickoff.htm
For additional information about 2009 Statewide summer Reading Program please contact:
Karen Balsen, Coordinator of the New York Statewide Summer
Reading Program
New York State Library
New York State Education Department
Albany, NY 12230
518-486-2194
kbalsen@mail.nysed.gov
The New York Statewide Summer Reading Program website (http://www.summerreadingnys.org/)
has been updated with fun activities for students to try during June as they
get ready for summer reading and visiting their public library.
The "Summer Reading Quiz" is highlighted by a button at the top of
the screen. This quiz, using the summer's theme of the arts and "Be Creative"
"Express Yourself," is fun to try and provides children with an introduction
in the use of databases as a resource for research.
As students progress through the quiz, if they need a "hint" to help
answer the question, they are taken to a NOVELNY database
and shown the sets for finding the answer.
In addition to the "reward" of learning a new skill, the "art"
of using a database, once the quiz is completed, they are congratulated and
can print out a certificate acknowledging their accomplishment.
The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, Queens College, CUNY, Flushing, NY is running several courses this summer that require field observations in functioning school libraries with a certified Library Media Specialist.
Please contact Linda Cooper, PhD, MLS, MSEd, Associate Professor, Coordinator LMS Program at lzcooper@gmail.com if you know of any Library Media Center with certified Library Media Specialist in your area that will be open for students this summer.
The Board of Regents and the State Education Department seek input in creating the USNY Statewide Educational Technology Plan. One part of this effort is to collect information from students.
Please share the New York State Education Department's Student Technology Survey link - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=pb4TIGC8ViT7ftFNWEibhQ_3d_3d - with young people who come to your library and encourage them to participate and make their preferences known.
This brief survey is for students at all levels and stages of learning: What kinds of technology do you use both in and out of school? What kinds of technology do you want to use, and how?
The survey can also be accessed from www.emsc.nysed.gov/edtech. Please note that students can only complete the survey once from each computer. The survey is available now through June 30, 2009.
If you have questions on the survey, please contact:
Lawrence Paska
Coordinator, Technology Policy
Office of Educational Technology Policy and Programs New York State Education
Department
e-mail: lpaska@mail.nysed.gov
The U.S. Postage Stamp Citizen's Advisory Committee, the group that decides what subjects are chosen for our country's commemorative postage stamps, is considering celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the publishing of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. This book is not just an American classic beloved by generations of children and parents around the world; it is also the book that broke the color barrier in mainstream American children's book publishing.
It takes three years for the subject of a postage stamp to be considered, accepted and developed. The fiftieth anniversary of The Snowy Day is in 2012. Help the Ezra Jack Keats' Foundation gather signatures to send to the Citizen's Advisory Committee to let them know how welcome this stamp would be to families and educators across the country. Help us show the world that Ezra's character Peter, playing in the snow, a character they recognize and treasure, is as valued here as it is abroad.
To support the creation of The Snowy Day 50th Anniversary Commemorative Stamp, visit the website of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation (www.ezra-jack-keats.org) and add your name to the Support the Stamp list. Tell your friends, your students, your teachers and your parents to add their names to the petition. Names will not be used for any other reason than for The Snowy Day Stamp Petition, nor will they be shared or sold to any other entity. Help make 2012 a celebration of American children in all their diversity!
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation funds literacy and arts programming in public schools, public libraries, parks, museums and universities across the country to enhance the joy of learning and teaching for all generations of learners.
NYLA is pleased to announce that the Conference Program for the 2009 NYLA Annual Conference is now available on the web at www.nyla.org, just click on the NYLA Annual Conference button on the left hand side of the page.
The print version of the Preliminary Conference Program will be mailed by June, but the full conference details are currently available online and will be kept up-to-date as more information and web links are provided.
Take a look and be the first to know what is being offered this year. Featured speakers include David W. Lewis, Dean of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis University Library, the Unshelved guys, and Joyce Carol Oates. Take a moment to review the program and plan to join NYLA in Niagara Falls, NY from October 14 through October 17.
Online registration for the conference:
http://nyla-omc.org/Scripts/4Disapi.dll/4DCGI/events/ConferenceList.html?Action=Find_Events
To receive member rates you must log-in using your user ID and password. All registrations submitted online must be paid with a credit card. The print version of the registration form will be available shortly.
Attend a free K-12 product preview Webinar from Gale and learn how their resources
can maximize your school's budget, enhance your curriculum, and turn students
on to the power of learning. Sign up now – there's a date that's right for your
schedule.
Featured Presentations:
Cross-Search LCO/SATAO/DLBCO
Gale's Literature Criticism Online, Something About the Author Online and Dictionary of Literary Biography Complete Online are now cross–searchable. Your patrons are sure to appreciate the convenience of accessing all three of these comprehensive resources at once, searching by keyword, full text or named author.
Jun. 24, 4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. (EST)
GREENR (Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources)
A new electronic resource offering authoritative reference content in the area of the environment, energy and natural resources, GREENR (Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources), is an important part of a new generation of products from Gale.
Jun. 24, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (EST)
Visit the Gale Calendar ( http://www.attendeenet.com/gale/ ) for a full listing of webinars and sign up.
The Poetry in The Branches National Institute returns! Join them this year in the spectacular new quarters of Poets House, opening this fall at 10 River Terrace in lower Manhattan.
Want to enrich the poetry resources and programming in your library? Join the staff of Poets House and guests, Keynote Speaker Mark Doty, winner of the 2008 National Book Award for Poetry, and brilliant, engaging faculty poets Dave Johnson and Tina Chang, for a weekend.
Beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 6, and continuing through Saturday afternoon, you will be immersed in the rich world of poetry. At Poets House you will learn how to reach out to and empower your patrons through poetry. Explore their 50,000 volume poetry library and find resources for developing your library's poetry collection. Connect personally with their guest poets. Leave the weekend with a practical poetry plan for your library and lots of nuts-and-bolts information to help make that plan a reality. Take in their new view: the Hudson River all the way down to the Statue of Liberty. At night, eat and drink with your colleagues and experience the wealth of cultural events that New York City has to offer.
Questions? Contact Marsha Howard, Poetry in the Branches Coordinator, at 212-431-7920 x 2213 or marsha@poetshouse.org.
Full information including fees will be posted soon on their web site, www.poetshouse.org,
where you can also learn much more about the amazing resource that is Poets
House!
The Youth Services (YSS) and School Library Media (SLMS) Sections of the New York Library Association (NYLA) proudly announce:
The 2009 3 Apples Children’s Book Award goes to The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Harry Abrams).
The 2009 3 Apples Teen Book Award goes to Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown and Co).
Thank you to all the librarians who promoted this award and to the students who voted and participated in the awards process through their school and public libraries.
Please note that nominations for the next Children’s Choice and Teen Choice Award will begin in September of 2009.
The 3 Apples Book Award was developed to encourage the joy of reading for pleasure and to give the children and teens of New York State the opportunity to honor their favorite books. This is truly a unique award because it gives kids the power to both nominate and vote for the books they love.
Each year, children in grades three through six, ages 8 to 12, and teens in grades seven and up, ages 12+, have the opportunity to nominate their favorite book at either their school or public library. Each child and teen can nominate one book title. The top fifteen nominees are then announced and children and teens are encouraged to read or listen to at least three of the books selected. Kids will then vote for their favorite book from among the nominated titles and a winner is announced on May 10th. School and public libraries that participated in the program then celebrate the award with their children and teens.
More information can be found at www.3applesbookaward.org.
Do you want to freshen up your classroom library or acquire take home books
for summer reading?
Save fifty percent on your book purchases with our Summer Reading discount.
The deadline for this program is July 27, 2009.
For more information on this program, please go to http://www.wilbooks.com.
On Thursday, June 4th, librarians and faculty from the Southern Westchester BOCES School Library System will gather to honor four of their colleagues upon their retirement. Collectively, Elaine Alberi (Traphagen School, Mt. Vernon), Dee Cerulli (Richard J. Bailey School, Greenburgh), Guy Gerace (Graham School, Mt. Vernon) and Bruce Seiden (Daniel Webster Magnet School, New Rochelle) have spent over one hundred years teaching.
The annual Retirement Dinner in which the achievements of these school librarians will be recognized is scheduled from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at 2 Westchester Plaza. Information regarding these festivities is being sent under separate cover.
Come and celebrate as our retirees begin a new chapter in the Book of Life!
The New York State Board of Regents announced today that Carole F. Huxley has been appointed as Interim New York State Education Commissioner, effective July 1, 2009. Carole Huxley had previously served the Education Department as Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education for 24 years, retiring in November of 2006 (http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/chuxley.html). In her previous position, Ms. Huxley was responsible for statewide library services, including those of the School Library Systems.
Carole Huxley will begin service on May 15th, working alongside current Commissioner Mills until he steps down at the end of June. She will assume the office and duties of Education Commissioner and President of the University of New York on July 1, 2009.
“We are grateful that after such a long and distinguished career Carole Huxley was willing to temporarily place her retirement on hold to continue the critical work the Regents have put in motion,” said Merryl Tisch, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. “Having Carole in place will ensure a seamless transition in leadership as the Board continues a wide and exhaustive search for the next Education Commissioner. Carole will be the bridge that connects the leadership of Rick Mills with the next Commissioner.”
“Now is a time of great challenges that we cannot set aside, but must confront. This is also a moment that presents great opportunities that we cannot set aside, even for a few months,” said Interim Commissioner Huxley. “I am eager to continue the work underway and to guide the progress ahead until new leadership is ready to take on the task.”
“Carole is an inspired choice to connect the current work of the Department with the Department of the future, said Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills. “I am certain that under her watch the Department will continue to move forward while preparing for the next Commissioner.”
Citing the dire fiscal struggle of New York’s libraries in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and evidence that library usage by the people of New York has increased dramatically, the members of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries have urged the Board of Regents to make state and federal funding for libraries a Regents priority budget and legislative item each and every year.
The Council’s 2009 annual report to the Regents, which includes this recommendation and others related to strengthening New York’s libraries is now posted on the Council’s webpage at: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/adviscns/rac/2009rept.htm.
Libraries across the State and the nation are reporting that use has increased by as much as 10-20 percent on average and, in some communities, as much as 50% or more. Norman J. Jacknis, chairperson of the Regents Advisory Council pointed to consistent underfunding that has caused many libraries to dramatically reduce hours, eliminate staff and curtail resources – just when students, the recently unemployed, and other residents need them most. According to Mr. Jacknis, the library world is well past "doing more with less" and, at a time when New Yorkers are turning more than ever to them, libraries are being forced into "doing less with less".
The Council reports annually to the Board of Regents on library matters. The 2009 report also highlights the need for all schools in New York State, including elementary schools, to have school libraries and certified professional librarians. Dozens of studies conducted across the county have demonstrated that students with access to a well-stocked school library and a certified school librarian have improved test scores of 10 to 20 percent.
In recognition of the dramatic changes in the library world over the last decade, including the pervasive impact of the Internet, the Council also called upon the Regents to form a new Commission on Library Services to re-examine the future of library services in New York State. In the spirit of many of the new services already being offered by libraries, the Council suggested that this new commission could handle much of its work virtually.
The Council’s report also outlines recommendations to the Board of Regents for 2009 budget and legislative priorities for libraries.
Please contact Norman J. Jacknis, Chairperson, New York State Regents Advisory Council on Libraries with any questions concerning the Council’s 2009 report to the Board of Regents. For more information on the Council, including a roster of council members with contact information, please visit the State Library's website at: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/adviscns/rac/index.html
The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries was established by the New York State Board of Regents on June 5, 1894. The Council advises the Regents regarding library policy, works with State Education Department leaders in developing a comprehensive statewide library and information policy and makes recommendations to the Regents concerning the implementation of the program.
Animating the 2009 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program: The Creation of a TV Spot Saturday, May 9 - 2 p.m., Huxley Theater, State Museum - Children and Adults - FREE
Academy Award-winning animators Frank and Caroline Mouris show how they created the 2009 Summer Reading Program’s animated public service announcement, “Be Creative at Your Library.” The presentation takes the audience from the initial storyboard, through sequenced animation drawings, to the final public service announcement in both the English and Spanish versions. The musician who created the soundtrack and the children who performed the voice-overs for the spot will join in the presentation.
2009 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program Kick-Off Saturday, May 9 - 1:15
p.m. Just before the Animation Program The Adirondack Room, State Museum - Children
and Adults - FREE
Jeffrey W. Cannell, Deputy Commissioner of Cultural Education, New York State
Education Department, will launch the 2009 Statewide Summer Reading Program
and introduce the animation program.
Please visit the website at http://www.summerreadingnys.org/
to download a version of the flyer suitable for printing and distribution.
NYLA received a state grant from Senator Neil Breslin (D-Albany) to launch a NYS Book Fair in Albany on April 9-10th of 2010 (at the beginning of National Library Week). The two-day event will be held at the Empire State Plaza and Cultural Education Center (State Library/Museum). The NYS Book Fair is modeled after Brooklyn's Book Festival and Manhattan's "We Are Book Country" event.
NYLA is looking for people to serve on the Planning Committee who have experience in planning and implementing Book Fairs/Festivals or similar events and have connections with authors, publishers, etc. Please contact Michael J. Borges, Executive Director, New York Library Association as soon as possible if you are interested in serving on the Planning Committee, which will entail several conference calls or in-person meetings in Albany (which will be reimbursed if necessary).
The New York Library Association is partnering with the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau and NYS State Library to host this event as well as other organizations that can contribute to the success of the event.
Michael J. Borges, Executive Director, New York Library Association
6021 State Farm Road, Guilderland, New York 12084
(518) 432-6952, ext. 101
(518) 427-1697 Fax
director@nyla.org
The School Library Media Specialists of Southeastern New York are seeking a representative from southern Westchester beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. It is a two year position involving monthly meetings and work on the annual conference. This is an opportunity to meet school library media specialists from the region and as well as being involved in professional development.
If you would like more information on this position, please contact the current representative, Amy Andrews, at Midland Avenue School.
Also, don't forget the SLMSSENY Golden Jubilee Celebration on Saturday, May 30, 2009, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, Tarrytown, NY. For more information go to http://www.slmsseny.org/pub/SLMSSENY%20Jubilee%20Celebration.pdf.
Attend a free K-12 product preview Webinar from Gale and learn how their resources can maximize your school's budget; enhance your curriculum; and turn students on to the power of learning.
Featured Presentations:
Gale PowerSearch Plus & InfoTrac Collections
These resources provide researchers with access to all the content in your library's collection through a single PowerSearch Plus query. Discover how a variety of periodical collections powered by InfoTrac can deliver the information your researchers need.
May. 26, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (EST)
Literature Criticism Online
This new resource is composed of 10 award-winning Gale print series that represent a range of modern and historical views on authors and their works across regions, eras and genres. Hosted by Betty Murr, Deputy Director for the St. Charles City County Library.
May. 13, 2:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. (EST)
May. 26, 3:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. (EST)
Go to the Gale Calendar ( http://www.attendeenet.com/gale/ ) for a full listing of webinars and sign up.
A new children's book festival is coming to Hudson, NY - it is modeled on
the highly successful Rochester Children's Book Festival and will be held Saturday,
May 16th. It features 55 authors, discussions, presentations, cooking, arts
and crafts, and all manner of festivities. It was put together by a teacher
in Hudson who worked with other teachers and school librarians as part of their
ongoing effort to create a culture of literacy in their community. They were
featured in New York Teacher. The web site is http://www.hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com.
This summer, Project Look Sharp is offering its 11th annual Media Literacy Institute! This five-day immersion course helps you integrate media analysis and production into your curriculum by providing the theory of media literacy, hands-on practice with digital/computer technology (Mac-based), and one-on-one coaching by nationally acclaimed PLS staff. The course may be taken for 3.3 continuing education units and is held on the scenic campus of Ithaca College overlooking Cayuga Lake. Inexpensive on-campus housing is available. Limit of 18 participants. Dates are July 13 through 17. Visit their web site to see a 3-minute video from a previous institute or to read comments from past participants: http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/.
The University at Buffalo's Department of Library and Information Studies announces four one-credit, non-degree courses to be delivered entirely via the Internet in the Fall of 2009.
http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/ccpe/online.asp:
* Integrating Web 2.0 into the Classroom
* Teaching with Maps and Cartographic Materials
* Cataloging for School Librarians
* Map Cataloging
In addition, two seated one-credit, non-degree courses will be offered in Fall
2009 on the UB Amherst Campus in Buffalo
http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/ccpe/oncampus.asp:
* LIS 700 Special Collections Librarianship
* Introduction to Music Libraries
Limited tuition assistance may be available. Call (716) 645-2110 ASAP for more information. Registration information and full course descriptions can be accessed at the URLs above. For registration and contact information, go to http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/ccpe/index.asp.
May 30th is the deadline for nominations for two important New York Library Association statewide awards.
Outstanding Advocate of Libraries Award:
This award is presented to an individual who is not an employee, trustee or group primarily affiliated with library information services and yet has made a significant contribution of these services to the people of New York State. Deadline for nominations - May 30, 2009.
NYLA - Outstanding Advocate of Libraries Information and Nomination Form available at http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1129
Outstanding Service to Libraries Award:
This award is presented to an individual or group who has performed through their direct affiliation as an employee or trustee of a library or information service a significant contribution of these services to the people of New York State. Deadline for nominations - May 30, 2009.
NYLA - Outstanding Service to Libraries Information & Nomination Form available
at http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1130
The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, Inc. annually awards grants for purchasing books published for young people, preschool through grade 12. Grants for 2009 will range from $500 to $3000 and are specifically for children’s book purchases rather than administrative or operational uses.
The LLCF library grant program provides grants for public libraries, school libraries, and charitable organizations [501(c)(3)] that have lending libraries where children up to age 18 may check out books to read or to use for gathering information. They also consider applications from non-profit abuse centers, rehab centers, detention centers, etc., as long as a lending library is actively maintained on the premises. Only libraries or organizations within the United States, its territories, or commonwealths are eligible.
The Foundation gives to libraries or organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need.
The library grant program provides grants for purchasing children’s books. The books may be fiction or non-fiction.
The library grant program DOES NOT provide grants for book-donation programs, classroom libraries, atlases, dictionaries, basal readers or similar texts, workbooks or similar instructional tools, or for textbooks or encyclopedias.
Grant applications for audio books will be considered only in the cases of children with special needs, where audio books would be particularly appropriate in addressing those needs.
In order for a library to be considered, it must have been in operation for at least three years. County or district library systems cannot apply as a whole; public or school libraries within a county or district system are eligible to apply individually.
Links to a downloadable application may be found at the Grant Application web page at http://www.loislenskicovey.org/4.html.
Overview
Reading is an essential element in a child’s educational process. Reading grants
are awarded to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations, supporting programs
such as weekend book clubs and after-school reading programs that foster a love
of reading and encourage children, from birth through age 9, to read together
with their families.
Guidelines
Target will accept grant applications online between March 1 and May 31, 2009,
for programs taking place between October 1, 2009, and September 30, 2010. You
will receive notification about your request by September 30, 2009. Most grants
average between $1,000 and $3,000.
Apply Online
You may apply for grants from March 1 through May 31 as a school, library or
public agency at https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_491/Default.asp?CT=CT&SA=SNA&FID=35016.
The Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants provide funding to schools, public libraries and non-profit organizations to help with the implementation or expansion of literacy programs for students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading.
For the online version of this newsletter, click here http://www.cybergrants.com/pls/cybergrants/quiz.display_question?x_gm_id=3107&x_quiz_id=2603&x_order_by=1 to apply for the youth literacy grant.
Grant Deadline: May 22, 2009
Grant Announcement: August 21, 2009
Maximum grant amount is $3,000.
Schools, public libraries and non-profit organizations that are located in Dollar General’s 35-state operating territory and must be within 20 miles of the nearest Dollar General Store. A store locator is available at www.dollargeneral.com.
The Dollar General Back-to-School Grants provide funding to assist schools in meeting some of the financial challenges they face in implementing new programs, or purchasing new equipment, materials or software for their school library or media center.
For the online version of this newsletter, click here http://www.cybergrants.com/pls/cybergrants/quiz.display_question?x_gm_id=3107&x_quiz_id=2603&x_order_by=1 to apply for the Back-to-School grant.
Grant Deadline: May 22, 2009
Grant Announcement: August 21, 2009
Maximum grant amount is $5,000.
Schools, public libraries and non-profit organizations that are located in
Dollar General’s 35-state operating territory and must be within 20 miles of
the nearest Dollar General Store. A store locator is available at www.dollargeneral.com.
Spring Into Action… and YOU could WIN a FREE 2009 NYLA Conference Registration!
CALLING ALL MEMBERS! Encourage a new person to join NYLA and you and your new recruit have the chance to win a free 2009 NYLA Annual Conference registration.
Here is how it works:
All current NYLA members are eligible to recruit new members for this contest. Multiple entries are allowed. For each person that you recruit, you get an additional chance to win! Once you have identified a new member for NYLA, have them fill out a NYLA membership form (http://www.nyla.org/content/user_1/Application-Personal.pdf). For the purpose of the contest, the new member must not have previously been a NYLA member. They also cannot be signing up as a student. Across the top of the new member’s form, write, “I was recruited by:” and insert your name.
All membership forms (http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=89) for the contest need to be received at the NYLA office by August 31, 2009. On September 1st, one membership form will be randomly drawn from the entries received. Winners will be notified and announced. Both the new member AND the recruiter will win a Full Program registration to the 2009 NYLA Conference.
Full Program Registration includes a badge, entry to all non-ticketed programs, membership meetings, the General Opening Session and the trade show (http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=261) on October 15 - 16, 2009 at the Conference Center Niagara Falls. The winners will also receive free registration to either one full day or two half day NYLA Continuing Education Programs offered on Wednesday, October 14, 2009. Meals, transportation, lodging and all miscellaneous costs are not included.
Spring Into Action winners will also receive a ticket to attend the Farewell Luncheon featuring renowned author, Joyce Carol Oates.
Planning on attending the conference, whether or not you win? Don’t worry! Register for the conference and if the winners have already paid for the 2009 Conference, NYLA will process a refund.
Reach out and encourage a colleague or library friend to join NYLA TODAY! This contest is part of NYLA’s Membership Committee membership drive and we need your support!
New York State Librarian, Bernard A. Margolis, is pleased to announce the electronic products that will constitute the NOVELNY (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library) statewide collection for April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. The following databases will be available to library patrons of over 5,500 public, school, academic and special libraries registered for NOVELNY and to individuals who are residents of New York State that visit http://www.novelnewyork.org and log on with a driver license ID or a non-driver ID.
The following products were competitively selected after substantial input from the library community through a 2008 statewide online survey of priorities and with the advice and consultation of the NOVELNY Steering Committee subgroup charged with database evaluation. The goal was to provide the broadest array of desired content for the best value given current resources.
New: Products from ProQuest and Grolier! The general reference and periodical database for NOVELNY will be ProQuest Platinum. It provides access to over 2000 magazine and journal titles in a broad scope of subject areas. Grolier’s core databases (Encyclopedia Americana, the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia and the New Book of Knowledge) collectively will be of interest to all audiences, elementary through high school and general public library audiences.
In addition, NOVELNY will continue to provide access to EBSCO’s Primary Search (including the Searchasaurus interface) designed specifically for elementary school libraries and to Gale Newspapers (InfoTrac Custom Newspapers, National Newspaper Index, and New York Custom Newspapers), Gale Business and Company Resource Center, Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center, and Twayne’s Authors Series.
Look for future postings on NYLINE, NOVEL-DB and the NOVELNY website regarding developing information about registration, training and educational tools, and vendors’ plans to provide existing customers with information about their subscriptions and upgrades. Any questions regarding the resources described above should be sent to: nyslnovel@mail.nysed.gov.
Provided by the New York State Library, NOVELNY is a pilot project for the Statewide Internet Library connecting New Yorkers to 21st century information. NOVELNY is supported with temporary federal Library Services and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Overview
This latest update to Health Reference Center adds enhanced search features,
up-to-date new essays on both food safety and cosmetic and plastic surgery,
and new illustrations on the topic of food-borne illness - making this authoritative
online health resource even more informative, visually appealing, and easy to
navigate.
Convenient New Search Features
Users searching for videos or news articles will be pleased to find more direct access to their desired search results through their improved Advanced Search. New with this update is the ability to limit searches for videos to just those with closed-captioning, which will make it easy for users to pinpoint the collection of videos that provide this service. In addition, the Advanced Search for news articles has been enhanced, allowing users to sort their searches by relevancy or date depending upon their needs.
Important New Content on Food Safety
Food safety is a major concern these days, with an estimated 75 million-plus food-related illnesses recorded in the United States alone each year. Today there are added worries due to increased potential for food contamination on the global market, the prospect of terrorism against the food supply, and the lack of adequate regulation of food products and handling.
Our new essays on food safety will be invaluable to students and library patrons wanting to learn about and avoid what can be very serious illnesses. Users will find current statistics about food-borne illnesses, facts and analysis of current food safety regulations, and helpful tips for avoiding common infections. The new illustrations--including charts and graphs detailing rates of infection, as well as illustrations and diagrams providing visual reference on the pathogens responsible--can be added to handouts in classrooms to make this topic more accessible to students.
New entries include:
Methods to reduce food-borne diseases
Food safety information and the consumer
20 most common causes of food-borne illness in the kitchen.
New Material on Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery
Every year, millions of people undergo cosmetic and/or plastic surgeries to
improve the quality of their lives. From scar revision and rhinoplasty to Botox®,
liposuction, and dermabrasion, Health Reference Center is now the place to turn
for accurate, sound information on these procedures. New essays cover a wide
range of topics, including conditions, surgical techniques, and commonly used
tools and medications. Published this year, the up-to-date essays cover recent
developments and new procedures such as the face transplant, which was first
performed in 2005.
New entries include:
Plastic surgery
Face transplant
Burns and burn reconstruction.
No Special Software Necessary!
Busy students and faculty have a new reason to appreciate WilsonWeb full-text databases. WilsonWeb’s new ReadSpeaker tool converts the databases’ HTML full-text articles into audio files, for immediate listening or downloading to iPods and other portable devices.
Besides students on the go, ReadSpeaker makes WilsonWeb’s full-text content accessible to readers with dyslexia and other learning challenges, users whose low vision, blindness, or physical handicap makes it difficult to read a standard printed page, and others who might like to hear as well as read the words, such as users who struggle with English or those challenged by low literacy.
Listen at your workstation - Hear articles as streaming audio.
Listen as you relax, commute, or exercise - Download articles as MP3 files
to iPods or other portable devices.
A boon to learning-challenged and ESL students - Hear the text as you read
along, for better comprehension and pronunciation. WilsonWeb also provides electronic
translation of articles into 10 major languages for further help with research
and mastery of English.
A ReadSpeaker Demo can be found at http://www.hwwilson.com/Documentation/WilsonWeb/training/Demos/Text/Text_demo.htm
In keeping with the summer reading program theme of "The Arts," a
list (http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/BeCreative.htm)
of art related websites has been added to the summerreadingnys.org
web site.
The list's resources can be used to enhance the 2009 summer reading program
at your library and/or library system.
Thousands of New Yorkers are seeking career counseling and employment-related assistance through their public libraries in these tough economic times. Libraries and library staff across the state are struggling to meet increased demands from the public for a wide variety of job-related services and web-based information.
To help libraries and library staff better help job seekers, the New York State Library has created a web page with links to important Job and Career Information resources.
Please visit the New York State Library's Job and Career Information web page http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/outreach/careers.htm for:
* Basics in job search resources
* Links to outstanding public library system and public library employment and
education web pages
* State and national job and career links
* Recent media items on the importance of libraries for people who are unemployed
and in need of job and career assistance and resources http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/outreach/careers.htm
According to the NYS Department of Labor, the unemployment rate in New York State is 8.1 percent, with the total number of workers unemployed at 792,000 as of March, 2009.
Do you have suggestions for other great resources that the State Library should
add to this website? If you do, please contact Cassandra Artale, Library Development
Specialist, Division of Library Development, New York State Library, cartale@mail.nysed.gov;
518/474-1479.
The Liverpool Public Library is trying something new to help market their new music acquisitions: Radio LPL is produced by Liverpool Public Library in Liverpool, New York. They invite listeners to tune in for selections from the library's collection of music recordings. They feature classical, jazz, popular, folk, musicals, new age, soundtracks and local artists.
Visitors to the Liverpool Public Library web page at http://www.lpl.org/ can click on the Radio LPL logo below the menu on the left. Then click once again to open the player. You will first hear a brief intro and then enter the stream at a different point every time. They program about three hours of music and change their playlists often. Selections from the playlists are linked to their Polaris catalog so listeners can reserve the CDs. (click on "available for checkout" to see that. ) Plans for upcoming programming include interviews with local musicians and much more!
The Live365 subscription fee includes all royalty clearances. They have licenses from BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC. Info from the Live365 website:
Your Radio LPL host is librarian Annette Friedrichs. Technical assistance is provided by Cheryl Cornell. Powered by Live365.com, they believe they are the first public library to offer an Internet-only radio station.
Does anyone know of others? We know some public libraries offer their own
over-the air radio broadcasts, and podcasts, but this is something different.
They hope you enjoy listening!
The New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department are committed to ensuring that the federal dollars being allocated to education reach all eligible recipients as quickly as possible to support critical projects and prevent job loss. The Office of Cultural Education is participating in this effort and looking for additional ways the entire Act may apply to archives, libraries, museums and Public Broadcasting.
A memo from Johanna Duncan-Poitier, Senior Deputy Commissioner of Education - P-16, The State Education Department, Albany, NY has been posted on the SED web site developed for ARRA: http://usny.nysed.gov/arra/. (The attachment can be accessed directly at http://usny.nysed.gov/arra/20090401memo.pdf.)
Among several dozen New York State Assembly committees is the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology. Recent press releases and reports from the committee are available on the internet at http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/comm/?sec=post&id=26.
Hearing transcripts and reports from the Committee on Libraries have also been collected in the New York State Library's digital document management system. For example, at http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/nyassemblycommitteeonlibraries the Annual Reports from the committee from 1997-2008 can found along with hearing transcripts from 1997.
On April 1st, the New York State Library revised its previous contracts with its online database vendors and subsequently is offering access to the following:
CENGAGE-GALE
Health and Wellness Resource Center - available since January 2005, this is an upgrade from the previous Health Reference Center - Academic. A source for both medical care professionals and consumers concerning important current health information Health and Wellness Resource Center contains over 800 full-text articles.
Business & Company Resources Center - available since May 2002, this comprehensive database brings together a wide variety of global business information. This includes company profiles, as well as business magazines and newspapers. It contains full-text from over 3,000 periodical titles.
InfoTrac Custom Newspapers - available since July 2003, this database offers over 150 full-text newspapers that include several New York State newspapers including the New York Times from 1995 to the present.
National Newspaper Index - available since July 2003, provides article citations from 1977 to present for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.
Nursing and Allied Health Collection - Articles from journals covering topics related to nursing, biomedicine, health sciences, consumer health and allied health disciplines.
Twayne's Author Series - available since April 1, 2003, features the content of over 600 books that comprise three print series - United States Authors, English Authors and World Authors. This series is devoted to literary critical interpretation discussion for readers ranging from high school students to college and above.
EBSCO
Primary Search via Searchasaurus is a collection of reference materials geared toward elementary and middle age users. It contains 68 full-text titles.
GROLIER
Encyclopedia Americana Encyclopedia* - articles include links to further readings, a bibliography, selected full -text articles, web page links and links to related Encyclopedia Americana articles.
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia* - includes encyclopedia articles, news, timelines, quizzes and games and research starters. It also includes an atlas and dictionary. Articles can be grouped by lexile level and are aligned to standards.
The New Book of Knowledge - for middle grade students and includes literary selections, a timeline, projects and experiments, news, home work help and more.
PROQUEST
Proquest Platinum* - Periodicals covering a broad range of material: business, education, general reference, health, language arts, sciences, social sciences and many other curriculum-specific areas. Browsable subjects include arts and humanities; computers and Internet; education, environment; health; lifestyles and culture; politics and government; science and mathematics; social issues and policy; and sports and entertainment.
Participation is available to all member libraries of library systems in New
York State, and Charter Schools to the extent permitted by negotiations and
contractual limitations. Remote access is also available to NOVELNY from home,
schools or workplaces, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please contact Janet Jamal
at the school library system office, 458-8500, ext. 122 or email, jjamal
@swboces.org with any questions. You can also log on to:
http://www.novelnewyork.org for additional information.
To commemorate the New York State Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial, the New York State Library, as part of the 2009 Summer Reading Program, has created four selected reading lists that celebrate the history, culture, and diversity of New York State. Each of the four lists covers one reader age group: Picture Books; Elementary; Tween; and Teen and up. The reading lists can be found at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/readlist.htm.
The American Library Association has just released resources to help library advocates make the case for libraries during times of economic downturn. With city, county, state and federal budgets under increasing pressure, too often libraries are the first to receive budget cuts. Libraries play an essential role in our society and economy, with usage up significantly in this tough economy. The toolkit contains information on how to work with decision-makers, and the media to help articulate the role of libraries in times of economic downturn. The "Advocating in a Tough Economy" toolkit is available at: www.ala.org/tougheconomytoolkit.
The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) has updated it's contract awards for books and library materials. This award is good until 2013. Companies are listed in alphabetical order. Save the link for future reference. The document is 181 pages!
http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/purchase/spg/awards/2006021274Can.htm
The 2009 SLMS Conference will be held in Saratoga Springs from April 30-May 2, 2009. Keynote speaker Esme Raji Codell http://www.planetesme.com will address the Role of School Librarians in Educational Leadership.
The Knickerbocker Award winner this year is David Adler. He will receive his award at the Friday luncheon so that he is able to be home by sundown. Most of the other awards will be given at the Friday evening dinner where the speakers will be Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, the guys from Unshelved. Their website is www.unshelved.com but don't go there if you worry about being caught laughing at their cartoon set in a fictional public library. The author Gregory Maguire will speak at the farewell luncheon on Saturday. He is the author of a number of books for all ages, including Wicked, which has been adapted into a Broadway play.
If you are a member of NYLA-SLMS, there is a reduced registration fee. If you are NOT YET a member of NYLA-SLMS, you can join at the same time you register for the conference. If you know a student who has used the joint ALA/NYLA membership, they will need to notify NYLA at events@nyla.org that they want to choose SLMS as their free section in order to take advantage of SLMS benefits.
The New York State Library has arranged a statewide license to these teleconferences which will be viewed through video streaming on behalf of New York's 7,000 libraries and library systems. As you complete the registration form on the DuPage site (https://www.cod.edu/secure/software/registerteleconf.htm), leave the "Method of Payment" section blank, and fill in the "Billing Information" section only. No invoice will be sent as long as a New York address is entered.
April 16, 2009 -- An
Ounce of Prevention: Health Reference Basics
This program will emphasize quality print and electronic resources as well as
the roles and responsibilities of patients, library information professionals
and health care professionals in the information seeking process....
For more information about these teleconferences, visit the website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/dupage.htm.
To Access:
Group viewing is encouraged where possible to efficiently manage bandwidth capacity at the receiving site. The teleconference may be accessed from your desktop. Further information regarding the conferences offered and technical requirements necessary for access can be found at: http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/
SATELLITE COORDINATES AND WEBCAST INFO: http://www.dupagepress.com/index.php?id=4060
On the above web page you will find helpful information on satellite downlinks (scroll down to the "More information on satellite broadcasts" link) and the simultaneous webcasts (scroll down to the "More information on web conferences" link), including a number for technical support.
EVALUATION FORMS may be found at: http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/soaring-to-excellence-2009/targeting-the-ages/
Keynote Speaker: Lee Child, best-selling author from New York
For more information about the Westchester Library Association (WLA) Annual Conference, please visit http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/.
Relive the ride of the teenage girl who succeeded during a dark and stormy night to rally the militia to assembly at the home of her father after the British burning of Danbury in 1777. Participants will retrace the steps of the invasion from the landing in Westport, to the burning of Danbury, to the ride of Sybil, to the battle at Ridgefield. The story will be told from the English and American perspectives along with the effort to uncover the truth that had been hidden among primary source documents for so long while false statements were copied from one erroneous report to another. Her story will entertain you as it informs you. Includes one book, one map, one T-shirt and curriculum materials.
To register, go to: http://www.ihare.org/programs_teacher2009.html
Spring schedule
April 18-19 Teaching Ancient Egypt, Yale University
May 2-3 Hudson Rive Art, Olana, Thomas Cole House, Woodstock Day
School, Woodstock, Mountain Top Historical Society, Catskill Mountain House
May 16-17 The Ride of Sybil Ludington, Danbury Historical Society, Ridgefield Historical Society, Westport Historical Society, Putnam County bus trip
May 30-31 Oswego, Fort Ontario, Safe Haven, Marine Museum, Richardson-Bates House, horse-drawn trolley tour
June 6-7 The Battle of Saratoga, battlefield, canal cruise
**************************************************************************
Dr. Peter Feinman
Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education
PO Box 41
Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: 914-933-0440
E-mail: feinmanp@ihare.org
www.ihare.org
The Book Expo America event will take place May 28-31, 2009 at the Javits Center.
For further information, please go to http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/.
Dates: July 13-17, 2009
Location: Sleepy Hollow to Hastings-on Hudson Contact Hours: 45
Cost: $395 (includes five lunches and four dinners) Cutoff Date: June 13, 2009
Experience the Hudson River from colonial times to the present. Meet the authors, scholars, and curators who preserve its legacy and tell its story. Learn about the Dutch, slavery, Washington Irving, Hudson River art, the Gilded Age, and the Rockefellers. See how the ecology changed over the centuries and learn about the plans and ideas for the future. Debate the challenges of the new construction. The program combines art, archaeology, ecology, history, literature and provides a testament to the efforts of small rivertowns to maintain their heritage and identity into the 21st century.
7/13 Monday, Hastings-on-Hudson
9:00 Welcome and Introductions: Peter Feinman, IHARE, Hastings-on-Hudson Library
10:00 "The American Revolution: The Hastings-on-Hudson Story," James
Keaney
10:30 "The Hastings Waterfront," Stuart Cadenhead, Friends of Hastings
Historic Waterfront
12:00 Lunch: Center Diner Museum in the Street walk
1:30 Newington-Cropsey House: ?Hudson River Art,? and gallery tour
2:30 Newington-Cropsey House Tour
3:15 Hastings-on-Hudson Historical Society, Barbara Thompson, former President
4:15 Croton Aqueduct walk, Carl Oeschner
6:00 Diner: Harvest on Hudson [tentative]
7:30 Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape"
Rob Yasinsac, Hastings-on-Hudson Library
7/14 Tuesday Dobbs Ferry
9:00 Masters School
10:00 Estherwood House
11:15 Dobbs Ferry Historical Society
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Croton Aqueduct Guided Walk: Hastings north, Mavis Cain, President, Friends
of the Croton Aqueduct
2:45 Croton Aqueduct: Overseer's Cottage, Mavis Cain
4:30 "The American Revolution in Dobbs Ferry, An Overlooked Story,"
Rich Borkow, Dobbs Ferry Historian, Dobbs Ferry Library
6:00 Dinner: Half Moon [tentative]
7:30 "Tales from the Croton Watershed: The Struggle for Clean Water,"
Pat Houser, Columbia University, Dobbs Ferry Library
7/15 Wednesday, Tarrytown/Irvington
9 :00 Tarrytown Walking Tour, Sara Mascia, Tarrytown Historical Society
10:30 Lyndhurst
Meet in Carriage House for video
Distribution of Objects
Mansion Tour
Overview of education Programs
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Sunnyside: House and Grounds tour
3:00 Irvington Historical Society: House Tour, Andy Lyons, President,
3:30 Irvington Walking Tour: Croton Aqueduct, Betsy Wilson, former President
4:00 Irvington Historical Society: bus tour
6:00 Dinner: Red Hat on the River [tentative]
7:30 "Washington Irving," Henry Steiner, Sleepy Hollow Historian,
Irvington Library
7/16 Thursday, Sleepy Hollow
9:00 Tarrytown Lighthouse, Richard Miller, Tarrytown Historian
Hudson River Swim, Dennis Chilemmi, Executive Director, The Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society
10:15 Philipsburg Manor "Slavery in the Hudson River Valley," Michael
Lord
12:15 Lunch: Mint Cafe
1:15 Rock the Boat Puppets
1:30 Philipsburg Manor Tour: House, Grist Mill, Activity Center, Boat Building,
Fence Building, Cow Milking
3:30 Old Dutch Burial Ground, Dave Logan, Friends of the Old Dutch Burial Ground
4:15 Old Dutch Burial Ground and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Tour
5:00 "Riverfront Life in the 21st Century," Kendal-on-Hudson
5:30 Dinner: Kendal on Hudson
7:00 "The African Experience in the Hudson Valley," Fred Opie, Marist
College
Friday, July 17 Sleepy Hollow/Pocantico Hills
9:00 Rockefeller Archives Tour, Ken Rose, Associate Director of Research and
Education, Rockefeller Archive Center
11:00 Union Church Tour
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Stone Barns Center Tour
3:00 Wrap Up
To register go to:
http://www.ihare.org/programs_teacher2009.html
Dr. Peter Feinman
Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education
PO Box 41 Purchase, NY 10577
914-933-0440
feinmanp@ihare.org
www.ihare.org
North American Youth Services Librarians and School Library Media Specialists
are cordially invited to participate:
Raising a Nation of Readers: Libraries as Partners in National Reading Projects
and Programmes - http://tinyurl.com/dj2xdb
Dates: 19-20 August 2009
Location: Goethe Institut, Rome, Italy
Contact person: Letizia Tarantello, l.tarantello@bibliotechediroma.it
Website: www.comune.roma.it/biblioteche/IFLAsatellitemeeting
Audience: Librarians from national, public, children's and school libraries,
LIS students and professors, agencies, NGO's and IGO's active in national and
international reading campaigns
Sponsors: IFLA Literacy and Reading Section and Libraries for Children &
Young Adults Section
Co-sponsors: Istituzione Biblioteche del Comune di Roma, Goethe Institut Italien,
Associazione Italiana Biblioteche
Publications: IFLA website, Sections’ Newsletters
The New York State Summer Institutes Office of the State Education Department is once again requesting the assistance of school library media specialists in publicizing a unique opportunity for high school-age students within the region. Booklets for the 2009 New York State Summer School of the Arts are now being distributed to school library media specialists throughout all public and non-public junior/senior high schools. Despite this mass mailing, thousands of these booklets and applications never reach the hands of the students who might apply and audition for these eight schools. However, we do know that if students see general information in their school library media center, they are much more likely to follow up with a request for an application for a specific school. Please make this booklet visible to students. The school library media center, as an advocate for students who are considering careers in the arts or sciences, can make a critical difference in many young lives.
If you wish to request additional information or materials please call the Summer Institutes Office at (518) 474-8773 or send an e-mail message to: nysssa@mail.nysed.gov. Audition information and applications can also be found on the NYSSSA web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysssa/.
Ms. Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl will lead a group to China on June 26, 2009. The trip is culturally oriented for teachers/librarians. Beside the sightseeing, the group will visit schools, a children's center and spend a day at a teacher's or student's home. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the author's old neighborhood and places she described in her book, Red Scarf Girl. Hopefully this personal experience will enhance the participant's understanding about China and the Chinese people.
Please find the flyer of the trip at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/China_tour_flyer_2009.pdf,
and contact Ji-li directly at info@jilijiang.com
if you're interested.
There is no charge for these workshops, and the maximum class size for each is 10 participants. Each workshop will be held at the New York State Library, Cultural Education Center (7th and 11th floors), Madison Avenue, Albany, N.Y.
Do you have students interested in New York State history who need guidance in how to do historical research? This one-day workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to how to use both the special collections and the main library collections at the New York State Library to ferret out answers to questions about people, places and events in New York State's history. Participants will learn to (1) use a variety of primary source documents to tell a story, (2) use the State Library's online and offline finding aids to determine what is available on specific topics in New York State history, (3) use microform and online resources available at the State Library, and (4) use interlibrary loan.
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8 am to 4 pm (Bring a sandwich and a beverage for a working lunch.)
For more information or to register: Using "History Detectives Workshop at NYS Library" in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891.
This four-hour workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to using both the special collections and the main library collections at the New York State Library to ferret out answers to questions about people, places and events in New York State's history. Participants will learn to (1) use a variety of primary source documents to tell a story and (2) use interlibrary loan to borrow books and obtain digital images or photocopies of documents.
This class can also be adapted for students in AP or IB classes. No more than 10 students can be accommodated during any four-hour session.
Date: Four-hour session any day that's convenient for 4 to 10 teachers/students to come to the New York State Library. (Give us some possible dates, and we'll see what can be arranged!)
For more information: Using "History Detectives: Crash Course" in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891.
This one-day workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to translations of 17th-century Dutch documents (primary sources) that can be used to tell stories about life in Beverwyck (aka Albany), Wiltwyck (aka Kingston), Nieuw Amsterdam (aka New York City) and other communities in the Hudson Valley. Following a structured activity in which participants will learn how historical researchers/writers use documents to write articles about Dutch life, there will be time for teachers to use this same method to create at least one similar activity, giving them at least two units to use in the classroom. (Some original Dutch documents will be available.)
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 8 am to 4 pm (Bring a sandwich and a beverage for a working lunch.)
For more information or to register: Using "Dutch Workshop at NYS Library" in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891
This four-hour workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to translations of 17th-century Dutch documents (primary sources) that can be used to tell stories about life in Beverwyck (aka Albany), Wiltwyck (aka Kingston), Nieuw Amsterdam (aka New York City) and other communities in the Hudson Valley. Following a structured activity, participants will learn how historical researchers/writers use documents to write articles about Dutch life, giving the teachers at least one unit to use in the classroom. (Some original Dutch documents will be available.)
This class can also be adapted for students in AP or IB classes. No more than 10 students can be accommodated during any four-hour session.
Date: Four-hour session any day that's convenient for 4 to 10 teachers/students to come to the New York State Library. (Give us some possible dates, and we'll see what we can arrange!)
For more information: Using "Dutch Workshop at NYS Library: Crash Course " in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891
PRESENTERS: Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Big6 Co-creators
20th ANNIVERSARY of BIG6!
To celebrate their Big6 twenty year milestone, Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz are hosting a Big6 instruction through a Big6 Academy. The Big6 two-day seminar will prepare participants to implement active, dynamic, and focused Big6 instructional programs across the K-12 curriculum. Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Co-creators of the Big6 Approach to Information and Technology Skills Instruction, invite you to join them for a unique learning opportunity.
TOPICS:
BROCHURE and REGISTRATION FORM:
For detailed Big6 Academy brochure and registration form, see document attachments, OR visit our Big6 Academy URL: http://www.big6.com/2008/10/01/big6-summer-academy-2009/
CONTACT INFORMATION:
To inquire or register by phone: Contact Gina Luke: 585-249-4804 / Email: Gina Luke, gluke@rochester.rr.com
RATES:
SPECIAL GROUP SAVINGS! Bring a cadre of co-workers and launch your Big6 plans together with help from Mike and Bob. Save 15% on each registration if four (4) or more register from one district or one organization! $675/per person.
REGULAR INDIVIDUAL RATE: $795 each after April 1, 2009
You may request to defer billing until June 1, 2009.
Voting ends on April 20, 2009. For more information about these awards, please go to http://www.3applesbookaward.org/.
• Limited 50 or 75 percent tuition-reduction scholarships
beginning Summer 2008 that includes FREE textbooks
• For certified teachers seeking an online Masters of Education degree with
school library media certification
• Criteria include (not all must be met):
.. Race/Ethnicity (preference also to males)
.. Represents high need, under-served school populations
.. Distance from a library science university
.. Financial need
.. Ability to recruit an administrator to participate in a summer, online awareness
program, School Library Advocacy for Administrators
• Applications due March 15. Details and application
online at http://libweb.mansfield.edu/leaders.
• Information about the School Library & Information Technologies graduate
program available at http://library.mansfield.edu/start.asp.
• A nationally recognized NCATE-AASL reviewed & approved School Library
Media Education Program; also accredited by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Education.
Pennsylvania has reciprocal teaching agreements with 45 states to facilitate
intrastate certification.
• Questions may be addressed to:
Admissions information:
Brian Barden, Director of Admissions
gradapp@mansfield.edu
Mansfield University
800-577-6826 (voice)
Mansfield, PA 16933
570-662-4121 (fax)
Scholarship information:
Debra Kachel, Scholarship Director
717-393-6205 (Voice)
dkachel@mansfield.edu
717-393-4760 (Fax)
The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, founded by author T.A. Barron, seeks nominations for its 2009 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, ten national winners each receive $2,500 to support their service work or higher education. Nomination deadline is April 30. For more information and to nominate, visit http://www.barronprize.org/.
This award, consisting of up to $500, is designed to assist WLA members in pursuing professional development activities that will enhance their performance as a librarian. One award will be offered during the 2009 membership year.
Examples of professional development activities include, but are not limited to:
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for the WLA Professional Development Award an applicant must:
TERMS OF AWARD:
The recipient shall:
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE 2009 WLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
If the recipient will be unable to attend the conference/complete the course and complete the terms of the award, he/she will notify the WLA Awards Committee and return the funds received.
APPLICATIONS:
The application form can be found at http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/application.html. The application should include:
SELECTION PROCESS:
The recipient of the award shall be selected by the WLA Professional Development Committee.
The WLA Professional Development Committee shall decide if an award is given. This decision will be made by May 1st, 2009, and all applicants will be notified. The Professional Development Award Winner will be announced at the 2009 Annual conference during the general membership meeting.
Deadline for applications:
Applications must be received by April 17, 2009 and may be sent by mail or email to:
Karen Zielinski, Chair
WLA Professional Development Committee
Scarsdale Public Library
54 Olmsted Road
ladybugger67@yahoo.com
Please be advised the deadline for all SLMSSENY awards has been extended to April 30, 2009. Information about each can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/ under the Awards section.
SLMSSENY, your regional professional affiliate of SLMS, is pleased to announce awards opportunities for their members. There are 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.
If you are currently a member of SLMSSENY, and you have wanted to take a class to support your professional development, consider applying for the SLMSSENY Scholarship. Send in an application with the course information and you may get the extra funds you need to try something new and creative or get extra credits to increase your salary.
If instead you are a SLMSSENY member who has had great ideas for programming in your library that you have wanted to implement or even expand, apply for the Bea Griggs Memorial Incentive Grant. A simple application and proposal are all you need to send in to try for your chance. SLMSSENY will award up to two Grants, one each for Elementary and Secondary SLMS. Consider carefully what your students’ needs are and what would make a dynamic program to support those needs. Be creative with your proposal and there is a good chance that you will get the money you need to launch your program idea or expand upon something you know works.
If you have the good fortune to work with an Administrator that has been particularly supportive of the School Library Media Program in your building or district, please give great consideration to nominating them for the annual Administrator’s Award. The application asks for objective proof of the nominee’s support of School Library Media Programs, such as recent library budgets, student population numbers, and promotion of adequate staffing and facility space. There is also an opportunity to share more subjective information about the nominee and how they have demonstrated support of your professional development and their overall impact on the School Library Media Program in your school or district over the last few years. If someone has been supportive of your profession and the work you do, take the time to give them some recognition and allow them to serve as an example to the other Administrators in our area.
This is the time to start applying, so give some thought to your personal and professional goals for the next few years and apply for a Scholarship or Grant to help you pursue those goals. If you want to recognize a supportive administrator, please take the time to do so.
All application forms are available to download at: www.slmsseny.org. Each application must be postmarked by deadline of April 30, 2009.
If you are not currently a member of SLMSSENY, please consider becoming one. SLMSSENY is your regional affiliate of the state organization, SLMS/NYLA, and the stronger we are as an organization, the more power we have when it comes to advocating for our profession. If you appreciated even the modest increase in School Library Materials Funding last year, you can thank your regional and state professional organizations for that through their advocacy work, and membership numbers had a lot to do with it. Membership is inexpensive and will provide you with professional support and growth as well as Scholarship and Grant opportunities.
Please fill out the membership form that can be downloaded from the SLMSSENY website (www.slmsseny.org) if you would like to join SLMSSENY and send it to the Membership Chair with your check. If anyone has any questions about any of the awards opportunities mentioned here, please contact Patricia Manfrates at pmanfrates@saugerties.k12.ny.us.
The White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIST) and the ALA Washington Office wish to announce the 2009 WHCLIST Award that provides a stipend of $300 to help defray the costs for a non-librarian participant to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) May 11th and 12th in Washington, DC.
The criteria for the WHCLIST Award are:
Representatives of WHCLIST and the ALA Washington office will choose the recipient. The ALA Washington Office will contact the recipient's Senators and Representatives to announce the award. The winner of the WHCLIST Award is announced at NLLD.
To apply for the WHCLIST award, please submit a completed NLLD registration form, a letter explaining why you should receive the award and a letter of reference to:
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire AVE, NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-628-8419 (fax)
kmurphy@alawash.org
Note: Applicants must register for NLLD and pay all associated costs. Applicants must also make their own travel arrangements but will receive 2 free nights in the NLLD hotel in D.C. The winner will be notified by April 20, 2009.
Deadline: April 15, 2009
Attend a free K-12 product preview Webinar from Gale and learn how our resources can maximize your school's budget; enhance your curriculum; and turn students on to the power of learning. Sign up now – there's a date that's right for your schedule. The website with the schedule information can be found at http://www.gale.cengage.com/email/webinarApr09/web/k12-apr09.htm?f3=fcostello@swboces.org&c1=8324773&c2=1.
Attend a 30 minute mini-session and be introduced to the next generation of WilsonWeb.
Training Schedule (EST)
WilsonWeb 2009 Enhancements
In January significant software enhancements were added seamlessly to WilsonWeb. A new full-text reader is now available, My WilsonWeb has been expanded, and other database-specific features have been released. This session will focus on those changes and preview Wilson's newest database: Cinema Image Gallery. We promise - you've never seen anything like Cinema Image Gallery. This Oscar-worthy file is sure to satisfy the most ardent cinephile's appetite for quality film-related information. The database includes rare behind-the-scenes footage of the movies your patrons love and links to scholarly, mainstream, and biography material about the films and personalities your patrons are studying.
WilsonWeb Administrator's Module
Learn how to define user classes, enter custom links, load co-branding images, select interface preferences, manage navigational controls, change display preferences, and much more. Customizing your institution's WilsonWeb interface will be easy after participating in this session.
WilsonWeb Statistics
Learn how to set up and schedule a variety of WilsonWeb statistical reports. This meeting will focus on the following concepts: database usage, journal usage, peak time reports, IP usage, turnaways, and much more.
Wilson Art Suite
Examine Wilson's outstanding Art offerings: Art Full Text, Art Index Retrospective: 1929-1984, Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, and Art Museum Image Gallery. Learn the benefits of searching Wilson's art files together and offering one seamless, relevancy sorted results page. See Cinema Image Gallery, an essential companion to any film or television studies course.
All you need to participate is an internet connection and a telephone. To register or for further information, please go to http://www.hwwilson.com/training/.
A new image and video database is now freely available for direct and unrestricted access by schools and libraries, as follows:
Images http://www.awesomestories.com/images/
Videos http://www.awesomestories.com/videos
Audio Clips http://www.awesomestories.com/audio-clips
Free group academic membership is also available for additional primary and
secondary sources. Learn more about it by following this link. http://www.awesomestories.com/newsletters/slumdog-st-patrick-and-march-highlights.
New York State Guide : http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/newyork/
The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material associated with New York State, including manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, books, and maps. This guide compiles links to digital materials related to New York that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on New York and a bibliography containing selected works for both a general audience and younger readers.
An updated video recording of a webinar, "What's New at TeachingBooks"
is available at http://teachingbooks.net/archive/Mar09update.
Feel free to forward this video demonstration link to colleagues throughout
your school community — so that they, too, can learn in this abbreviated and
convenient format how TeachingBooks.net supports their reading and library activities.
A custom trial for the following databases is available from 02/24/2009 to 04/30/2009:
ProQuest Career & Technical Education
CultureGrams
eLibrary
eLibrary Curriculum Edition
eLibrary Elementary
ProQuest Platinum
SIRS Discoverer with Webfind
SIRS Knowledge Source Bundle
SIRS Researcher
SIRS WebSelect
SIRS Government Reporter
SIRS Interactive Citizenship Bundle
SIRS Interactive Citizenship - Government
World Conflicts Today
History Study Center
SIRS Decades: 20th Century American Sources
SIRS Interactive Citizenship - World Affairs
Ethnic NewsWatch
SIRS Renaissance
eLibrary Science
ProQuest AP Science
ProQuest Central - K12
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - K-12 Edition: All Historical Newspapers
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - K-12 Edition: Black Newspapers
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - K-12 Edition: New York Times
ProQuest Learning: Literature
To log in to your trial, go to: http://trials.proquest.com/ptc?userid=2921857
For more information including user name and passwords, please contact Janet Jamal at the School Library Systems office at jjamal@swboces.org or 914-345-8500 ext. 122.
EBSCO which now offers ABC-CLIO databases is offering a 90-day free trial.
For more information including user name and passwords, please contact Janet
Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at jjamal@swboces.org
or 914-345-8500 ext. 122.
The New York State Library has posted the January 2009 "Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York" to the internet at http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/1644873. Links to individual monthly issues in 'rich text format' as well as the annual cumulations in HTML are also available at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/edocs/education/chcktext.htm.
Published and distributed through March 2004, the 'Checklist' became an electronic-only
title beginning with the April 2004 issue (see OCLC #40963554). Current monthly
editions are designed to be printed (double-sided) in your library and housed
in the same binder as prior months.
On Tuesday, March 10th, library advocates from across New York State will meet in Albany for the New York Library Association's (NYLA) Annual Lobby Day. Given the proposed cuts recommended in Governor Paterson's budget, it is imperative that the voices of the library community be heard in support of libraries and library systems. Funding priorities include:
Rejection of the $18 million (18%) cut in Library Aid
1. This cut would bring Library Aid down to 1993 levels.
2. Library Aid was already cut twice in 2009 (total of 3%).
3. Library use has increased dramatically cue to economic downturn.
4. Library Aid provides the majority of funding for library systems, which allow
libraries to provide services in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
Amending the Contracts for Excellence Initiative
Support of a Statewide Internet Library
As the value of School Library System leadership, shared resources, and equitable access means more than ever to New York's learners, the fiscal crisis in the state threatens their existence. Imminent cuts counter the logic of what system services bring to the economy in leveraged use of funds and the promise of 21st Century Learners.
Why is it important to contact your legislators regarding these library issues?
Be a part of an avalanche of testimony to legislators regarding the immediate and real impact of school libraries and school library systems on learners.
You can contact your elected officials now by visiting the NYLA website at
http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=925.
The 2009 SLMS Conference will be held in Saratoga Springs from April 30-May 2, 2009. Keynote speaker Esme Raji Codell http://www.planetesme.com will address the Role of School Librarians in Educational Leadership.
The Knickerbocker Award winner this year is David Adler. He will receive his award at the Friday luncheon so that he is able to be home by sundown. Most of the other awards will be given at the Friday evening dinner where the speakers will be Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, the guys from Unshelved. Their website is www.unshelved.com but don't go there if you worry about being caught laughing at their cartoon set in a fictional public library. The author Gregory Maguire will speak at the farewell luncheon on Saturday. He is the author of a number of books for all ages, including Wicked, which has been adapted into a Broadway play.
If you register before March 13th, there is a reduced (Early Bird) registration. If you are a member of NYLA-SLMS, there is a reduced registration fee. If you are NOT YET a member of NYLA-SLMS, you can join at the same time you register for the conference. If you know a student who has used the joint ALA/NYLA membership, they will need to notify NYLA at events@nyla.org that they want to choose SLMS as their free section in order to take advantage of SLMS benefits.
The New York State Library has arranged a statewide license to these teleconferences which will be viewed through video streaming on behalf of New York's 7,000 libraries and library systems. As you complete the registration form on the DuPage site (https://www.cod.edu/secure/software/registerteleconf.htm), leave the "Method of Payment" section blank, and fill in the "Billing Information" section only. No invoice will be sent as long as a New York address is entered.
April 3, 2009 -- Diversity
Beyond the Obvious
Karen E. Downing, Foundation and Grants Librarian and Doctorial Candidate at
the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University
of Michigan and other experts will discuss how diversity in all its manifestations
can make the library profession stronger and more vital....
April 16, 2009 -- An
Ounce of Prevention: Health Reference Basics
This program will emphasize quality print and electronic resources as well as
the roles and responsibilities of patients, library information professionals
and health care professionals in the information seeking process....
For more information about these teleconferences, visit the website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/dupage.htm.
To Access:
Group viewing is encouraged where possible to efficiently manage bandwidth capacity at the receiving site. The teleconference may be accessed from your desktop. Further information regarding the conferences offered and technical requirements necessary for access can be found at: http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/
SATELLITE COORDINATES AND WEBCAST INFO: http://www.dupagepress.com/index.php?id=4060
On the above web page you will find helpful information on satellite downlinks (scroll down to the "More information on satellite broadcasts" link) and the simultaneous webcasts (scroll down to the "More information on web conferences" link), including a number for technical support.
EVALUATION FORMS may be found at: http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/soaring-to-excellence-2009/targeting-the-ages/
The Book Expo America event will take place May 28-31, 2009 at the Javits Center.
For further information, please go to http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/.
Keynote Speaker: Lee Child, best-selling author from New York
For more information about the Westchester Library Association (WLA) Annual Conference, please visit http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/.
The New York State Summer Institutes Office of the State Education Department is once again requesting the assistance of school library media specialists in publicizing a unique opportunity for high school-age students within the region. Booklets for the 2009 New York State Summer School of the Arts are now being distributed to school library media specialists throughout all public and non-public junior/senior high schools. Despite this mass mailing, thousands of these booklets and applications never reach the hands of the students who might apply and audition for these eight schools. However, we do know that if students see general information in their school library media center, they are much more likely to follow up with a request for an application for a specific school. Please make this booklet visible to students. The school library media center, as an advocate for students who are considering careers in the arts or sciences, can make a critical difference in many young lives.
If you wish to request additional information or materials please call the Summer Institutes Office at (518) 474-8773 or send an e-mail message to: nysssa@mail.nysed.gov. Audition information and applications can also be found on the NYSSSA web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysssa/.
Ms. Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl will lead a group to China on June 26, 2009. The trip is culturally oriented for teachers/librarians. Beside the sightseeing, the group will visit schools, a children's center and spend a day at a teacher's or student's home. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the author's old neighborhood and places she described in her book, Red Scarf Girl. Hopefully this personal experience will enhance the participant's understanding about China and the Chinese people.
Please find the flyer of the trip at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/China_tour_flyer_2009.pdf,
and contact Ji-li directly at info@jilijiang.com
if you're interested.
There is no charge for these workshops, and the maximum class size for each is 10 participants. Each workshop will be held at the New York State Library, Cultural Education Center (7th and 11th floors), Madison Avenue, Albany, N.Y.
Do you have students interested in New York State history who need guidance in how to do historical research? This one-day workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to how to use both the special collections and the main library collections at the New York State Library to ferret out answers to questions about people, places and events in New York State's history. Participants will learn to (1) use a variety of primary source documents to tell a story, (2) use the State Library's online and offline finding aids to determine what is available on specific topics in New York State history, (3) use microform and online resources available at the State Library, and (4) use interlibrary loan.
Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 8 am to 4 pm (Bring a sandwich and a beverage for a working lunch.)
For more information or to register: Using "History Detectives Workshop at NYS Library" in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891.
This four-hour workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to how to use both the special collections and the main library collections at the New York State Library to ferret out answers to questions about people, places and events in New York State's history. Participants will learn to (1) use a variety of primary source documents to tell a story and (2) use interlibrary loan to borrow books and obtain digital images or photocopies of documents.
This class can also be adapted for students in AP or IB classes. No more than 10 students can be accommodated during any four-hour session.
Date: Four-hour session any day that's convenient for 4 to 10 teachers/students to come to the New York State Library. (Give us some possible dates, and we'll see what we can arrange!)
For more information: Using "History Detectives: Crash Course" in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891.
This one-day workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to translations of 17th-century Dutch documents (primary sources) that can be used to tell stories about life in Beverwyck (aka Albany), Wiltwyck (aka Kingston), Nieuw Amsterdam (aka New York City) and other communities in the Hudson Valley. Following a structured activity in which participants will learn how historical researchers/writers use documents to write articles about Dutch life, there will be time for teachers to use this same method to create at least one similar activity, giving them at least two units to use in the classroom. (Some original Dutch documents will be available.)
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 8 am to 4 pm (Bring a sandwich and a beverage for a working lunch.)
For more information or to register: Using "Dutch Workshop at NYS Library" in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891
This four-hour workshop for teachers of elementary through high school social studies and language arts will introduce them to translations of 17th-century Dutch documents (primary sources) that can be used to tell stories about life in Beverwyck (aka Albany), Wiltwyck (aka Kingston), Nieuw Amsterdam (aka New York City) and other communities in the Hudson Valley. Following a structured activity, participants will learn how historical researchers/writers use documents to write articles about Dutch life, giving the teachers at least one unit to use in the classroom. (Some original Dutch documents will be available.)
This class can also be adapted for students in AP or IB classes. No more than 10 students can be accommodated during any four-hour session.
Date: Four-hour session any day that's convenient for 4 to 10 teachers/students to come to the New York State Library. (Give us some possible dates, and we'll see what we can arrange!)
For more information: Using "Dutch Workshop at NYS Library: Crash Course " in the subject line, e-mail Vicki Weiss at vweiss@mail.nysed.gov or call 518-408-1891
PRESENTERS: Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Big6 Co-creators
20th ANNIVERSARY of BIG6!
To celebrate their Big6 twenty year milestone, Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz are hosting a Big6 instruction through a Big6 Academy. The Big6 two-day seminar will prepare participants to implement active, dynamic, and focused Big6 instructional programs across the K-12 curriculum. Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Co-creators of the Big6 Approach to Information and Technology Skills Instruction, invite you to join them for a unique learning opportunity.
TOPICS:
BROCHURE and REGISTRATION FORM:
For detailed Big6 Academy brochure and registration form, see document attachments, OR visit our Big6 Academy URL: http://www.big6.com/2008/10/01/big6-summer-academy-2009/
CONTACT INFORMATION:
To inquire or register by phone: Contact Gina Luke: 585-249-4804 / Email: Gina Luke, gluke@rochester.rr.com
RATES:
SPECIAL GROUP SAVINGS! Bring a cadre of co-workers and launch your Big6 plans together with help from Mike and Bob. Save 15% on each registration if four (4) or more register from one district or one organization! $675/per person.
REGULAR INDIVIDUAL RATE: $716 each before April 1; $795 each after April 1,
2009
You may request to defer billing until June 1, 2009.
This award, consisting of up to $500, is designed to assist WLA members in pursuing professional development activities that will enhance their performance as a librarian. One award will be offered during the 2009 membership year.
Examples of professional development activities include, but are not limited to:
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for the WLA Professional Development Award an applicant must:
TERMS OF AWARD:
The recipient shall:
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE 2009 WLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
If the recipient will be unable to attend the conference/complete the course and complete the terms of the award, he/she will notify the WLA Awards Committee and return the funds received.
APPLICATIONS:
The application form can be found at http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/application.html. The application should include:
SELECTION PROCESS:
The recipient of the award shall be selected by the WLA Professional Development Committee.
The WLA Professional Development Committee shall decide if an award is given. This decision will be made by May 1st, 2009, and all applicants will be notified. The Professional Development Award Winner will be announced at the 2009 Annual conference during the general membership meeting.
Deadline for applications:
Applications must be received by April 17, 2009 and may be sent by mail or email to:
Karen Zielinski, Chair
WLA Professional Development Committee
Scarsdale Public Library
54 Olmsted Road
ladybugger67@yahoo.com
Please be advised the deadline for all SLMSSENY awards has been extended to April 30, 2009. Information about each can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/ under the Awards section.
SLMSSENY, your regional professional affiliate of SLMS, is pleased to announce awards opportunities for their members. There are 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.
If you are currently a member of SLMSSENY, and you have wanted to take a class to support your professional development, consider applying for the SLMSSENY Scholarship. Send in an application with the course information and you may get the extra funds you need to try something new and creative or get extra credits to increase your salary.
If instead you are a SLMSSENY member who has had great ideas for programming in your library that you have wanted to implement or even expand, apply for the Bea Griggs Memorial Incentive Grant. A simple application and proposal are all you need to send in to try for your chance. SLMSSENY will award up to two Grants, one each for Elementary and Secondary SLMS. Consider carefully what your students’ needs are and what would make a dynamic program to support those needs. Be creative with your proposal and there is a good chance that you will get the money you need to launch your program idea or expand upon something you know works.
If you have the good fortune to work with an Administrator that has been particularly supportive of the School Library Media Program in your building or district, please give great consideration to nominating them for the annual Administrator’s Award. The application asks for objective proof of the nominee’s support of School Library Media Programs, such as recent library budgets, student population numbers, and promotion of adequate staffing and facility space. There is also an opportunity to share more subjective information about the nominee and how they have demonstrated support of your professional development and their overall impact on the School Library Media Program in your school or district over the last few years. If someone has been supportive of your profession and the work you do, take the time to give them some recognition and allow them to serve as an example to the other Administrators in our area.
This is the time to start applying, so give some thought to your personal and professional goals for the next few years and apply for a Scholarship or Grant to help you pursue those goals. If you want to recognize a supportive administrator, please take the time to do so.
All application forms are available to download at: www.slmsseny.org. Each application must be postmarked by deadline of April 30, 2009.
If you are not currently a member of SLMSSENY, please consider becoming one. SLMSSENY is your regional affiliate of the state organization, SLMS/NYLA, and the stronger we are as an organization, the more power we have when it comes to advocating for our profession. If you appreciated even the modest increase in School Library Materials Funding last year, you can thank your regional and state professional organizations for that through their advocacy work, and membership numbers had a lot to do with it. Membership is inexpensive and will provide you with professional support and growth as well as Scholarship and Grant opportunities.
Please fill out the membership form that can be downloaded from the SLMSSENY website (www.slmsseny.org) if you would like to join SLMSSENY and send it to the Membership Chair with your check. If anyone has any questions about any of the awards opportunities mentioned here, please contact Patricia Manfrates at pmanfrates@saugerties.k12.ny.us.
The White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIST) and the ALA Washington Office wish to announce the 2009 WHCLIST Award that provides a stipend of $300 to help defray the costs for a non-librarian participant to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) May 11th and 12th in Washington, DC.
The criteria for the WHCLIST Award are:
Representatives of WHCLIST and the ALA Washington office will choose the recipient. The ALA Washington Office will contact the recipient's Senators and Representatives to announce the award. The winner of the WHCLIST Award is announced at NLLD.
To apply for the WHCLIST award, please submit a completed NLLD registration form, a letter explaining why you should receive the award and a letter of reference to:
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire AVE, NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-628-8419 (fax)
kmurphy@alawash.org
Note: Applicants must register for NLLD and pay all associated costs. Applicants must also make their own travel arrangements but will receive 2 free nights in the NLLD hotel in D.C. The winner will be notified by April 20, 2009.
Deadline: April 15, 2009
There are a wealth of resources available to promote Teen Tech Week at your library. All are available free through ALA and YALSA at the following web page: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw09/publicity/publicity.cfm#audio
1.Downloadable Audio PSA: Known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom Kenny lends his support to teens, libraries, and YALSA through public service announcements announcing Teen Tech Week, March 8–14. The PSAs are courtesy of Galaxy Press, a 2009 Teen Tech Week Promotional Partner Galaxy Press.
2.Sample Letters to the Editor: Scroll down on the web page for sample teen and parent letters to send to the media for promotion of the Teen Tech Week and the valuable technology available at public libraries.
3.Downloadable Teen Tech Week Logo: YALSA has created a Teen Tech Week logo
for use by all public and school libraries. To download, scroll further down
the web page.
A new primary-source database, with on-site search, is now available for schools, libraries, educators and students. Its features include 15,000 images plus documents, narrations, video/audio clips and organized slide shows. Incorporated into the text are also secondary sources, such as links to Google Books.
Group access to the site is free for all schools, libraries, educators and students. Click here for access. http://www.awesomestories.com/newsletters/february-2009-highlights
A CERF demo site for librarians will be available from January 2 - March 17, 2009. In order to access this site, please call or e-mail Janet Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at 914-345-8500 ext. 122 or jjamal@swboces.org to get a user name and password.
A custom trial for the following databases is available from 02/24/2009 to 04/30/2009:
ProQuest Career & Technical Education
CultureGrams
eLibrary
eLibrary Curriculum Edition
eLibrary Elementary
ProQuest Platinum
SIRS Discoverer with Webfind
SIRS Knowledge Source Bundle
SIRS Researcher
SIRS WebSelect
SIRS Government Reporter
SIRS Interactive Citizenship Bundle
SIRS Interactive Citizenship - Government
World Conflicts Today
History Study Center
SIRS Decades: 20th Century American Sources
SIRS Interactive Citizenship - World Affairs
Ethnic NewsWatch
SIRS Renaissance
eLibrary Science
ProQuest AP Science
ProQuest Central - K12
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - K-12 Edition: All Historical Newspapers
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - K-12 Edition: Black Newspapers
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - K-12 Edition: New York Times
ProQuest Learning: Literature
To log in to your trial, go to: http://trials.proquest.com/ptc?userid=2921857
For more information including user name and passwords, please contact Janet
Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at jjamal@swboces.org
or 914-345-8500 ext. 122.
EBSCO which now offers ABC-CLIO databases is offering a 90-day free trial.
For more information including user name and passwords, please contact Janet
Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at jjamal@swboces.org
or 914-345-8500 ext. 122.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009. This legislation provides a nearly $800 billion boost to the American Economy.
New York's Guide to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can found at http://www.economicrecovery.ny.gov. The web site includes details about the $24 billion spending plan, Cabinet members, press releases, and an email update request form.
The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was an important
step in the process of restoring national economic stability.
The Act is large and multi-faceted and it will take some time to sort out all
of its possibilities. Each agency must set up guidelines, applications and reporting
requirements to carry out the intentions behind the funding. Guidelines to federal
agencies state that federal agencies must post funding opportunities on http://www.grants.gov/
within 20 days. Many of the programs will require matching funds.
The American Library Association has established a web site at: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/wo/woissues/washfunding/fedfund/arra101.cfm
to assist librarians in understanding what kind of funding is available.
The New York State Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Cabinet was created by Governor David A. Paterson to manage the development of State and local infrastructure projects financed through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A web site to track New York’s opportunities in implementing the Act can be found at: http://www.economicrecovery.ny.gov/index.htm
The New York State Education Department is also assembling information to highlight funding possibilities within the Act. More details will be announced shortly.
One example of such information, relating to the broadband funding available in the Act: Starting March 2, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will begin meeting with interested parties in connection with the broadband grant programs described in the Broadband Data Services Improvement Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (collectively, "Broadband Grant Programs"). The former directs the Secretary of Commerce to award grants to eligible entities on a competitive basis to assess, identify and track broadband service deployment in each State. The latter directs NTIA to establish the ''Broadband Technology Opportunities Program" to make grants available on a competitive basis to accelerate and expand broadband deployment.
The NTIA (http://www.ntia.doc.gov) site has links to the Federal Register notices and press releases on the program. The website referred to in the Federal register (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants) is NOT up as of this writing but bears revisiting.
REGISTER NOW! at http://www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/nation/registration/nation.html - (This broadcast will be closed-captioned.)
As the first president of the United States, George Washington faced a myriad of challenges in solidifying the nation under one federal head as well as overseeing foreign relations with both European nations and the Indian nations of America. From his job as a surveyor to his military responsibilities on the frontier to his role as the first elected leader of a new country, Washington had varied contact with Indian tribes on the continent.
This program, recorded at the Oklahoma History Center, will explore whether Washington’s Indian diplomacy and policies set the stage for 19th century American policy. Panelists will explore how his beliefs and practices shaped his policies and how those policies were, or were not, carried out in his legacy. Moderated by Gerard Baker, superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Park, the panel will include Fred Anderson, University of Colorado; Brett Rushforth, College of William and Mary; and Robert Miller, Lewis and Clark Law School.
This program is produced in partnership with George
Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens and the Oklahoma
History Center, through a generous grant from the Donald
W. Reynolds Foundation.
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Relive the ride of the teenage girl who succeeded during a dark and stormy night to rally the militia to assembly at the home of her father after the British burning of Danbury in 1777. Participants will retrace the steps of the invasion from the landing in Westport, to the burning of Danbury, to the ride of Sybil, to the battle at Ridgefield. The story will be told from the English and American perspectives along with the effort to uncover the truth that had been hidden among primary source documents for so long while false statements were copied from one erroneous report to another. Her story will entertain you as it informs you. Includes one book, one map, one T-shirt and curriculum materials.
To register, go to: http://www.ihare.org/programs_teacher2009.html
Spring schedule
April 18-19 Teaching Ancient Egypt, Yale University
May 2-3 Hudson Rive Art, Olana, Thomas Cole House, Woodstock Day
School, Woodstock, Mountain Top Historical Society, Catskill Mountain House
May 16-17 The Ride of Sybil Ludington, Danbury Historical Society, Ridgefield Historical Society, Westport Historical Society, Putnam County bus trip
May 30-31 Oswego, Fort Ontario, Safe Haven, Marine Museum, Richardson-Bates House, horse-drawn trolley tour
June 6-7 The Battle of Saratoga, battlefield, canal cruise
**************************************************************************
Dr. Peter Feinman
Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education
PO Box 41
Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: 914-933-0440
E-mail: feinmanp@ihare.org
www.ihare.org
Now is not the time to be passive as we all witness and experience the spiraling economic downturn that has permeated all elements of our society. Now is the time to speak up and let your legislators know the value of libraries to our learning communities. Governor Paterson has proposed an 18% funding cut to libraries in his 2009 budget proposal. This is in addition to the 3% reduction already enacted. As the value of Library Systems, shared resources and equitable access means more than ever to New York's learners, the fiscal crisis threatens their existence. Imminent cuts counter the logic of what system services bring to the economy in leveraged use of funds and the promise of 21st Century learners.
Advocacy means action! By 2008, evidence from twenty state studies proved that school libraries and the services of school library systems boost student achievement and enhance literacy, even with risk conditions such as poverty impacting learners. Access to quality information resources, online catalogs, interlibrary loan, databases, networked technology and instruction in information literacy by a certified school library media specialist are key indicators of student success.
Libraries need you to speak out for them. Contact your state legislators now!
Write, email, and/or call your legislators and ask for permanent and increased
funding for school libraries and school library systems.
Governor Paterson: http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html
Senate: www.senate.state.ny.us
Assembly: www.assembly.state.ny.us
Make plans to attend NYLA's Lobby Day on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at the Empire
State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.
Librarians can breathe a sigh of relief in the wake of a one-year stay of enforcement on having to test for lead in books geared to youngsters under the age of 12. The extension until February 10, 2010, puts an end to the nightmare scenario envisioned by some in the library community of having to either ban children from their facilities or cordon off the book collections in youth services areas until federal regulators concede that children’s literature complies with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
The January 30 announcement (http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia09/brief/stayenforce.pdf) came only days after several representatives of the Consumer Product Safety Commission heard the concerns of the publishing industry during the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Denver. Afterward, CPSC General Counsel Cheryl Farley reassured libraries that they did not have to take any action at this time, ALA Washington Office Associate Executive Director Jessica McGilvray reported January 22.
Acknowledging the burden of imposing a testing mandate before there are definitive laboratory procedures for children’s books, the January 30 notice indicated that such previously unregulated items might receive “appropriate relief” from testing and certification if the publishing industry “provide[s] the additional information requested by our staff in a timely manner.”
Nonetheless, Washington Office Executive Director Emily Sheketoff cautioned, “This announcement is not an end to this problem. Since we know children’s books are safe, libraries are still asking to be exempt from regulation under this law.” She went on to assure the library community that ALA “will continue to work with members of Congress and the CPSC to ensure that a year from now, this matter is resolved once and for all, and America’s libraries remain open and welcoming to children.”
In the meantime, some children’s librarians—already vigilant
about lead levels in toys available at their libraries—are reporting on the
discussion list for ALA’s Association for Library Service to Children that they
are sending playthings out for third-party testing. ALSC Executive Diane Foote
advised that “before taking drastic action,” librarians should consult the CPSC
timetable for rulemaking (http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/rulemaking.pdf).
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) today hails the Second Evaluation of the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries (LSL) Program released by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month, which indicated that students attending schools participating in LSL are performing higher on state reading tests than students in schools that do not take part in the program.
The study stated that in schools that participated in LSL in 2003-04, the percentage of students who met or exceeded the proficiency requirements on state reading assessments increased by an extra 2.7 percentage points over the increase observed among non-participating schools during the same time period.
“The ALA is pleased to see these results, as they demonstrate the vital role school libraries serve in a student’s education,” Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA Washington Office, said.
“Literacy impacts every area of one’s education, and it is so important that more schools pursue ways to invest in their school libraries through opportunities such as the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program. This is one of the most successful programs in No Child Left Behind, but it has never been funded at even 10 percent of the authorized level.”
According to the Department of Education Web site, the LSL program provides grants to help Local Education Agencies (LEAs) improve reading achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and professionally certified school library media specialists.
The evaluation also stated that grantees roughly tripled their expenditures on books, subscriptions and computer hardware, while non-grantees showed little change.
Taken from the ALA (American Library Association) Washington Office District Dispatch at http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1693.
The 2009 SLMS Conference will be held in Saratoga Springs from April 30-May 2, 2009. Keynote speaker Esme Raji Codell http://www.planetesme.com will address the Role of School Librarians in Educational Leadership.
The Knickerbocker Award winner this year is David Adler. He will receive his award at the Friday luncheon so that he is able to be home by sundown. Most of the other awards will be given at the Friday evening dinner where the speakers will be Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, the guys from Unshelved. Their website is www.unshelved.com but don't go there if you worry about being caught laughing at their cartoon set in a fictional public library. The author Gregory Maguire will speak at the farewell luncheon on Saturday. He is the author of a number of books for all ages, including Wicked, which has been adapted into a Broadway play.
If you register before March 13th, there is a reduced (Early Bird) registration. If you are a member of NYLA-SLMS, there is a reduced registration. If you are NOT YET a member of NYLA-SLMS, you can join at the same time you register for the conference. If you know a student who has used the joint ALA/NYLA membership, they will need to notify NYLA at events@nyla.org that they want to choose SLMS as their free section if they want to take advantage of SLMS benefits.
The New York State Library has arranged a statewide license to these teleconferences which will be viewed through video streaming on behalf of New York's 7,000 libraries and library systems. As you complete the registration form on the DuPage site (https://www.cod.edu/secure/software/registerteleconf.htm), leave the "Method of Payment" section blank, and fill in the "Billing Information" section only. No invoice will be sent as long as a New York address is entered.
February 13, 2009 -- Targeting
the Ages: Programming That Hits the Mark
This program looks at some of the innovative programming libraries are creating
to meet the evolving needs of their patrons. A basic primer for anyone who has
always wanted to plan a program, but didn’t know where or how to begin, will
be provided.
April 3, 2009 -- Diversity
Beyond the Obvious
Karen E. Downing, Foundation and Grants Librarian and Doctorial Candidate at
the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University
of Michigan and other experts will discuss how diversity in all its manifestations
can make the library profession stronger and more vital....
April 16, 2009 -- An
Ounce of Prevention: Health Reference Basics
This program will emphasize quality print and electronic resources as well as
the roles and responsibilities of patients, library information professionals
and health care professionals in the information seeking process....
For more information about these teleconferences, visit the website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/dupage.htm.
To Access:
Group viewing is encouraged where possible to efficiently manage bandwidth capacity at the receiving site. The teleconference may be accessed from your desktop. Further information regarding the conferences offered and technical requirements necessary for access can be found at:
http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/
SATELLITE COORDINATES AND WEBCAST INFO:
http://www.dupagepress.com/index.php?id=4060
On the above web page you will find helpful information on our satellite downlinks (scroll down to the "More information on satellite broadcasts" link) and the simultaneous webcasts (scroll down to the "More information on web conferences" link), including a number for technical support.
EVALUATION FORMS may be found at:
http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/soaring-to-excellence-2009/targeting-the-ages/
The names of all those who respond by March 6, 2009, will be entered in a raffle. Two winners will be drawn at random and each will receive a fifty dollar ($50.00) gift certificate redeemable at Borders Books, Music, Movies and Cafes.
Planning for the Celebration is in full gear.
One of the distinguished keynote speakers, Eric Schmidt, Google, Chairman and CEO, will be interviewed live at the Celebration on Friday, March 6th by Charlie Rose, Emmy award-winning journalist and PBS host. Through spirited discussion, Eric Schmidt will share his thoughts on Google's strategy for the classroom and address how future technologies will likely impact instruction.
Visit thirteencelebration.org to register, enter the Chase awards, check out hundreds of exhibitors, and learn more about the speakers who will be present from the worlds of Science, Math, Autism, Technology, Global Awareness, Literacy, English Language Learners and Whole School Policy.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to join colleagues from a wide spectrum of education!
The New York State Summer Institutes Office of the State Education Department is once again requesting the assistance of school library media specialists in publicizing a unique opportunity for high school-age students within the region. Booklets for the 2009 New York State Summer School of the Arts are now being distributed to school library media specialists throughout all public and non-public junior/senior high schools. Despite this mass mailing, thousands of these booklets and applications never reach the hands of the students who might apply and audition for these eight schools. However, we do know that if students see general information in their school library media center, they are much more likely to follow up with a request for an application for a specific school. Please make this booklet visible to students. The school library media center, as an advocate for students who are considering careers in the arts or sciences, can make a critical difference in many young lives.
If you wish to request additional information or materials please call the Summer Institutes Office at (518) 474-8773 or send an e-mail message to: nysssa@mail.nysed.gov. Audition information and applications can also be found on the NYSSSA web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysssa/.
Keynote Speaker: Lee Child, best-selling author from New York
For more information about the Westchester Library Association (WLA) Annual
Conference, please visit http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/.
Ms. Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl will lead a group to China on June 26, 2009. The trip is culturally oriented for teachers/librarians. Beside the sightseeing, the group will visit schools, a children's center and spend a day at a teacher's or student's home. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the author's old neighborhood and places she described in her book, Red Scarf Girl. Hopefully this personal experience will enhance the participant's understanding about China and the Chinese people.
Please find the flyer of the trip at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/China_tour_flyer_2009.pdf,
and contact Ji-li directly at info@jilijiang.com
if you're interested.
PRESENTERS: Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Big6 Co-creators
20th ANNIVERSARY of BIG6!
To celebrate their Big6 twenty year milestone, Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz are hosting a Big6 instruction through a Big6 Academy. The Big6 two-day seminar will prepare participants to implement active, dynamic, and focused Big6 instructional programs across the K-12 curriculum. Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Co-creators of the Big6 Approach to Information and Technology Skills Instruction, invite you to join them for a unique learning opportunity.
TOPICS:
BROCHURE and REGISTRATION FORM:
For detailed Big6 Academy brochure and registration form, see document attachments, OR visit our Big6 Academy URL: http://www.big6.com/2008/10/01/big6-summer-academy-2009/
CONTACT INFORMATION:
To inquire or register by phone: Contact Gina Luke: 585-249-4804 / Email: Gina Luke, gluke@rochester.rr.com
RATES:
SPECIAL GROUP SAVINGS! Bring a cadre of co-workers and launch your Big6 plans together with help from Mike and Bob. Save 15% on each registration if four (4) or more register from one district or one organization! $675/per person.
REGULAR INDIVIDUAL RATE: $716 each before April 1; $795 each after April 1,
2009
You may request to defer billing until June 1, 2009.
The following are some of The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) award winners for 2009. To see the complete list of 2009 ALSC award winners, please go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/2009medawardwin.cfm.
Newbery Medal
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, HarperCollins
Children's Books
Newbery Honor Books
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small, Atheneum
Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle, Henry Holt and Company, LLC
Savvy by Ingrid Law, Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group in partnership with Walden Media, LLC
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson, G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of Penguin Books for Young Readers
Caldecott Medal
The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan
Marie Swanson, Houghton Mifflin Co.
Caldecott Honor Books
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee, Harcourt, Inc.
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz, Farrar Straus Giroux
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Now through March 15, 2009, middle school students can "go green" and team up for the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge (http://wecanchange.com/), the first and only national K-12 sustainability education initiative aligned to education standards.
Prizes for students and teachers include Regional and National Recognition,
Cash and an Appearance on Discovery's Planet Green Television Network.
The Challenge is entirely web-based and provides a robust collection of resources for students and teachers from interactive labs to lesson plans , custom developed by the same curriculum team that brings the award-winning services of Discovery Education streaming and Discovery Education Science.
Come check it out at wecanchange.com and take a quiz to measure your own environmental IQ!
The competition is open to all U.S. middle school students between grades 6-8. Teams will be made up of two to three students and a teacher or adult advisor (i.e. parent, Girl/Boy Scout leader, etc.). The initiative will expand to elementary schools in 2009 and to high schools in 2010.
Teams will be judged by a panel of environmental experts and science educators.
Teams will be judged on their ability to create a positive, measurable solution
to a local environmental problem or issue using scientific methodology and their
clear explanation of replication by other communities.
This award, consisting of up to $500, is designed to assist WLA members in pursuing professional development activities that will enhance their performance as a librarian. One award will be offered during the 2009 membership year.
Examples of professional development activities include, but are not limited to:
ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for the WLA Professional Development Award an applicant must:
TERMS OF AWARD:
The recipient shall:
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE 2009 WLA ANNUAL CONFERENCE!
If the recipient will be unable to attend the conference/complete the course and complete the terms of the award, he/she will notify the WLA Awards Committee and return the funds received.
APPLICATIONS:
The application form can be found at http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/application.html. The application should include:
SELECTION PROCESS:
The recipient of the award shall be selected by the WLA Professional Development Committee.
The WLA Professional Development Committee shall decide if an award is given. This decision will be made by May 1st, 2009, and all applicants will be notified. The Professional Development Award Winner will be announced at the 2009 Annual conference during the general membership meeting.
Deadline for applications:
Applications must be received by April 17, 2009 and may be sent by mail or email to:
Karen Zielinski, Chair
WLA Professional Development Committee
Scarsdale Public Library
54 Olmsted Road
ladybugger67@yahoo.com
The 2010 New York State Teacher of the Year Award is now available online at: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/kiap/TEACHING/toty/totyindex.htm.
The purpose of the Teacher of the Year program is to recognize and celebrate outstanding teachers throughout New York State. It is run in conjunction with the National Teacher of the Year program. To be eligible, a teacher must be appropriately credentialed within his or her current teaching area, working directly with students (pre-kindergarten through grade twelve) in a State-approved public, private or charter school and have a minimum of five years teaching experience.
A teacher may be initially recommended for nomination by any person within the school or community including parents, students, business leaders, school administrators or colleagues. The formal nomination should involve a collaborative decision-making process indicating the support of all the groups concerned with the quality of teaching within a school. A complete portfolio including letters of support is submitted for each nominee. Support from the school community may include several days of release time to fulfill the obligations of the Teacher of the Year.
For questions or additional information, contact Kathleen Clarity, Teacher
of the Year Coordinator, at (518) 486-6042 or via e-mail at: tdpr@mail.nysed.gov.
The New York State Historical Association and the Royal Netherlands Embassy are pleased to present a New York State Quadricentennial Essay Contest for the 2008-2009 school year.
Students in grades 4-12 are invited to celebrate New York State’s 400th birthday by investigating its early colonial history and developing an engaging historical essay. Students have the opportunity to research early New York’s Dutch history and write about the Dutch roots of three American cultural traditions: religious tolerance, freedom of speech and New York as a center of world trade.
Libraries will be interested in supporting students' research by gaining knowledge of the topics, collaborating with social studies teachers, displaying reference materials related to the topic, and lending their wealth of research expertise to each child's success.
The deadline for competition submissions is March 1, 2009. For more information, including contest and submission guidelines, visit http://www.nysha.org/nysha/for_teachers and click on “Contests” in the left-hand menu.
Questions? Contact the Office of Statewide Programs at 607-547-1534 or statwideprograms@nysha.org.
Deadline: March 1, 2009
The White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIST) and the ALA Washington Office wish to announce the 2009 WHCLIST Award that provides a stipend of $300 to help defray the costs for a non-librarian participant to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) May 11th and 12th in Washington, DC.
The criteria for the WHCLIST Award are:
Representatives of WHCLIST and the ALA Washington office will choose the recipient. The ALA Washington Office will contact the recipient's Senators and Representatives to announce the award. The winner of the WHCLIST Award is announced at NLLD.
To apply for the WHCLIST award, please submit a completed NLLD registration form, a letter explaining why you should receive the award and a letter of reference to:
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire AVE, NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-628-8419 (fax)
kmurphy@alawash.org
Note: Applicants must register for NLLD and pay all associated costs. Applicants must also make their own travel arrangements but will receive 2 free nights in the NLLD hotel in D.C. The winner will be notified by April 20, 2009.
Deadline: April 15, 2009
New York State Librarian, Bernard A. Margolis, announced the electronic products that will constitute the NOVELNY (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library) statewide collection for April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. The following databases will be available to library patrons of over 5,500 public, school, academic and special libraries registered for NOVELNY and to individuals who are residents of New York State that visit http://www.novelnewyork.org and log on with a driver's license ID or a non-driver ID.
The following products were competitively selected after substantial input from the library community through a 2008 statewide online survey of priorities and with the advice and consultation of the NOVELNY Steering Committee subgroup charged with database evaluation. The goal was to provide the broadest array of desired content for the best value given current resources.
New: Products from ProQuest and Grolier! The general reference and periodical database for NOVELNY will be ProQuest Platinum. It provides access to over 2000 magazine and journal titles in a broad scope of subject areas. Grolier’s core databases (Encyclopedia Americana, the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia and the New Book of Knowledge) collectively will be of interest to all audiences, elementary through high school and general public library audiences.
In addition, NOVELNY will continue to provide access to EBSCO’s Primary Search (including the Searchasaurus interface) designed specifically for elementary school libraries and to Gale Newspapers (InfoTrac Custom Newspapers, National Newspaper Index, and New York Custom Newspapers), Gale Business and Company Resource Center, Gale Health and Wellness Resource Center, and Twayne’s Authors Series.
Look for future postings on NYLINE, NOVEL-DB and the NOVELNY website regarding developing information about registration, training and educational tools, and vendors’ plans to provide existing customers with information about their subscriptions and upgrades.
Provided by the New York State Library, NOVELNY is a pilot project for the Statewide Internet Library connecting New Yorkers to 21st century information. NOVELNY is supported with temporary federal Library Services and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
A CERF demo site for librarians will be available from January 2 - March 17, 2009. In order to access this site, please call or e-mail Janet Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at 914-345-8500 ext. 122 or jjamal@swboces.org to get a user name and password.
EBSCO which now offers ABC-CLIO databases is offering a 90-day free trial.
For more information including user name and passwords, please contact Janet
Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at jjamal@swboces.org
or 914-345-8500 ext. 122.
REGISTER NOW! at http://www.fcps.edu/fairfaxnetwork/nation/registration/nation.html - (This broadcast will be closed-captioned.)
As the first president of the United States, George Washington faced a myriad of challenges in solidifying the nation under one federal head as well as overseeing foreign relations with both European nations and the Indian nations of America. From his job as a surveyor to his military responsibilities on the frontier to his role as the first elected leader of a new country, Washington had varied contact with Indian tribes on the continent.
This program, recorded at the Oklahoma History Center, will explore whether Washington’s Indian diplomacy and policies set the stage for 19th century American policy. Panelists will explore how his beliefs and practices shaped his policies and how those policies were, or were not, carried out in his legacy. Moderated by Gerard Baker, superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Park, the panel will include Fred Anderson, University of Colorado; Brett Rushforth, College of William and Mary; and Robert Miller, Lewis and Clark Law School.
This program is produced in partnership with George
Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens and the Oklahoma
History Center, through a generous grant from the Donald
W. Reynolds Foundation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Relive the ride of the teenage girl who succeeded during a dark and stormy night to rally the militia to assembly at the home of her father after the British burning of Danbury in 1777. Participants will retrace the steps of the invasion from the landing in Westport, to the burning of Danbury, to the ride of Sybil, to the battle at Ridgefield. The story will be told from the English and American perspectives along with the effort to uncover the truth that had been hidden among primary source documents for so long while false statements were copied from one erroneous report to another. Her story will entertain you as it informs you. Includes one book, one map, one T-shirt and curriculum materials.
Saturday (9:00-5:00) Westport and Fairfield Westport Town Hall
9:00 Welcome and Program Overview: Peter Feinman, IHARE
9:15 The British Are Coming: British Strategy to Reconquer the Colonies: Ray
Raymond, USMA and SUNY
10:30 Westport Walking Tour, Susan Gold, Westport Historical Society and Allen
Raymond, Westport Municipal Historian
Westport Historical Society
11:30 The British Are Coming: A Reader's Theater Experience, Hilary Gibson,
Education Director, Westport Historical Society
12:30 Lunch
1:30 The British Invasion Bus Tour: Allen Raymond
3:00 The British Are Coming: The Fairfield Experience, Walter Matis, Educator,
Fairfield Museum and History Center
Sunday (9:00-5:00)
Danbury Historical Society
9:00 The Burning of Danbury, Brigid Guertin, Danbury Historical Society
11:00 The Ride of Sybil Ludington, Vin Dacquino, author of Sybil Ludington:
Call to Arms
12:00 General Tryon Danbury to Ridgefield Self Guided Drive
Ridgefield
12:30 Lunch: Dimitri's Diner
1:30 Museum in the Streets Walking Tour, Kay Ables, Ridgefield Town Historian
2:30 The Battle of Ridgefield: George Hancock, Keeler Tavern Museum Tour
3:30 Tom Castrovinci, Re-enactor Connecticut 5th
4:00 My Brother Sam Is Dead: Teaching the British Invasion of 1777 - Brian Colley,
Redding historic tours
To register, go to: http://www.ihare.org/programs_teacher2009.html
Spring schedule
April 18-19 Teaching Ancient Egypt, Yale University
May 2-3 Hudson Rive Art, Olana, Thomas Cole House, Woodstock Day
School, Woodstock, Mountain Top Historical Society, Catskill Mountain House
May 16-17 The Ride of Sybil Ludington, Danbury Historical Society, Ridgefield Historical Society, Westport Historical Society, Putnam County bus trip
May 30-31 Oswego, Fort Ontario, Safe Haven, Marine Museum, Richardson-Bates House, horse-drawn trolley tour
June 6-7 The Battle of Saratoga, battlefield, canal cruise
**************************************************************************
Dr. Peter Feinman
Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education
PO Box 41
Purchase, NY 10577
Phone: 914-933-0440
E-mail: feinmanp@ihare.org
www.ihare.org
Curriculum Connections is the newsletter from TeachingBooks.net which
is available free to all Southern Westchester BOCES School Library System participants.
You can register to receive Curriculum Connections at http://www.teachingbooks.net/lists.cgi.
This biweekly e-letter published in partnership with NAMTC (National Association of Media & Technology Centers) includes information on grant and funding opportunities, award and competition opportunities, free and inexpensive resources, technology solutions, and more. You can subscribe for FREE to the Bigdeal™ e-letter by visiting: http://www.bigdealbook.com.
Some recent articles that might be of interest include information on Comparison of Presidential Addresses to the Nation, Study Significant Children's Literature, Imagine the Life of a Civil War Soldier, Explore Documents that Changed the Course of History, Browse a Child-Friendly Online Dictionary, Information Scavenger Hunts, and much more including free online access to Big Deal Books.
CollectionWiz™ is an exclusive, FREE service from Capstone Publishers for analyzing your collection. CollectionWiz™ analyzes your current collection based upon your selected criteria and then seeks out the right materials to fill gaps in your collection. For more information about CollectionWiz™, please visit http://www.CapstonePub.com and select the CollectionWiz™ link to begin your FREE analysis.
A press release from the New York Library Association (NYLA) on December 18th outlined the issues facing New York State libraries with Governor Paterson's proposed cuts.
ALBANY, NY– The Division of Budget is once again calling for a disproportionate cut in funding for library services by proposing an $18 million (18%) cut in Library Aid in the 2009-10 State Budget on top of the 3% cut in funding that occurred in 2008. These cuts would bring Library Aid to a level not seen since 1993.
“Libraries continue to be targeted for disproportionate cuts to solve the state’s budget problems. We are willing to do our part, but an 18% cut in funding is both unfair and counter-productive,” stated Michael J. Borges, Executive Director of the New York Library Association.
Library Aid was reduced from $103 million in 2007 to $100 million in April and then reduced further to $98.5 million in August of this year. Library Aid had remained stagnant for eight years between 1998-2006, when the Legislature finally agreed to modest increases in funding and began utilizing the 2000 Census to calculate Library Aid instead of the 1990 Census.
“Libraries are an important component of our communities, schools and college campuses, and play an important role in educating and informing citizens of all ages. There seems to be no recognition by state budget makers that library usage has skyrocketed over the last year as more people turn to libraries for finding jobs, improving their literacy skills and for free reading materials and programs for their families,” continued Mr. Borges.
The cuts will fall heavily on the 73 library systems throughout the state that
are the backbone of our libraries and information infrastructure. Library systems
provide libraries with shared services, like inter-library loans, centralized
cataloging, website hosting and staff training. They are an example of how the
library community has long been a champion and role model for regional cooperation,
resource sharing and providing services in a cost-effective and efficient manner
that saves libraries of all types and their patron’s money.
NYLA's webletter to send to Governor Paterson and state legislators is available on the NYLA Online Advocacy Center (http://www.nyla.org/). Please contact your State Representatives regarding these proposed cuts.
It is time to renew your WLA membership or join WLA for 2009!
This year, WLA is sending renewal notices by email to all persons who have given them an email address.
The membership form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/WLA_Membership_Mailing_2009.pdf. Please mail it with your check to the address given on the form. Renewals by fax or email will not be accepted.
The Winter Social for WLA members will be held on February 5, 2009 at O’Malley’s
in Mount Kisco, NY. The flyer can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/OMalleys_2009.pdf.
Members of NYLA-SLMS have been submitting recommendations for books for specific grade levels. The recommendations that have been accepted have been published in this fall's issues of NYSUT's New York Teacher.
Do you have a book that you would like to recommend? There is an immediate need for recommendations for grades 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 11. Be sure to use the form that is available as a Word document on the SLMS homepage. Click on the link in the third (bright yellow) box for the form that was devised to meet the requirements of the publication. The SLMS home page is http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=52.
For questions contact Communications VP Ellen Rubin who is spearheading this effort. Ms. Rubin can be reached at erubin@wallkillcsd.k12.ny.us.
Have there been any changes in Library or Technical personnel at your Library or changes in your Library's phone number? Or have you taken a new position at a different school library? If there have been changes since your library originally registered with NOVELNY, please contact Janet Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at 914-345-8500 ext. 122 or jjamal@swboces.org.
Please include:
* School Name and Address
* New Contact Name
* Email Address
* Library Phone Number
Changes in e-mail addresses are especially important because e-mail is the primary source of getting information to you.
SLMSSENY is looking for people who are interested in presenting workshops at the March 20th conference in Tarrytown at the DoubleTree Hotel.
The Conference Workshop Proposal form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conf _Prog _Form.pdf.
The Conference registration form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conference_Registration.pdf.
Would you consider writing an article for the Journal of Library Administration and Management Section (JLAMS)?
JLAMS was created in order to provide New York Librarians access to some of the wonderful thinking and research taking place in the Empire State. In addition to helping to disseminate best practices and best thinking, we want to encourage research in library science within the state, nurture research abilities, and help improve professional writing among our peers.
Work is under way for the Spring 2009 issue of JLAMS and articles are needed from individuals within the library and allied professions on a broad range of library topics grounded in theory or research and written from a practical perspective. Original articles which will be peer reviewed as well as shorter, 1000 - 2000 word articles which will be reviewed by the editors. A spin off article from some of your other work will also be welcome. You can read their editorial policy, check out their previous issues, or download a proposal sheet from their NYLA web site at http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=813.
If you think you might be interested in submitting an article, you can discuss it with Richard Naylor, JLAMS Editor. And, if you are willing to be a referee for their longer articles just let Mr. Naylor know. No Referee will be asked to review more that two articles in a given year. If you have any questions about this, please contact Richard J. Naylor, MLS, MBA, Library Director, William K. Sanford Town Library at 518-458-9274.
You're invited to an exciting evening full of friends, great books and good cheer. Join fellow children's, young adult and school librarians, Westchester authors and illustrators, publishers and lovers of children's/young adult literature.
When: Thursday, January 15th, 2009 from 6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
Where: Scarsdale Public Library at 54 Olmsted Road, Scarsdale, NY
Will your favorites be awarded the coveted prizes this time around? Let’s get together and talk about it!
Please R.S.V.P. to Zahra M. Baird by Monday, January 12th, 2009 via e-mail zmirjehanbaird@gmail.com or phone (914-238-4779 x3)
This event is sponsored by the WLA Youth Services Section and supported by WLS Youth Services
For an agenda and more information go to http://www.westchesterlibraryassociation.org/AwardsBuzz.html.
The New York State Library has arranged a statewide license to these teleconferences on behalf of New York's 7,000 libraries and library systems. As you complete the registration form on the DuPage site (https://www.cod.edu/secure/software/registerteleconf.htm), leave the "Method of Payment" section blank, and fill in the "Billing Information" section only. No invoice will be sent as long as a New York address is entered.
February 13, 2009 -- Targeting
the Ages: Programming That Hits the Mark
This program looks at some of the innovative programming libraries are creating
to meet the evolving needs of their patrons. A basic primer for anyone who has
always wanted to plan a program, but didn’t know where or how to begin will
be provided.
April 3, 2009 -- Diversity
Beyond the Obvious
Karen E. Downing, Foundation and Grants Librarian and Doctorial Candidate at
the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University
of Michigan and other experts will discuss how diversity in all its manifestations
can make the library profession stronger and more vital....
April 16, 2009 -- An
Ounce of Prevention: Health Reference Basics
This program will emphasize quality print and electronic resources as well as
the roles and responsibilities of patients, library information professionals
and health care professionals in the information seeking process....
For more information about these teleconference, visit the website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/dupage.htm.
Planning for the Celebration is in full gear.
One of the distinguished keynote speakers, Eric Schmidt, Google, Chairman and CEO, will be interviewed live at the Celebration on Friday, March 6th by Charlie Rose, Emmy award-winning journalist and PBS host. Through spirited discussion, Eric Schmidt will share his thoughts on Google's strategy for the classroom and address how future technologies will likely impact instruction.
Plus, the annual Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards Competition is back! Now open to all curricular areas, these awards celebrate the achievements of teachers and students who collaboratively transform learning environments through technology. All tri-state area K-12 teachers and students are invited to compete for a $1,000 honorarium for their school, as well as free admission to the Celebration for ten of their school's staff! All entries must be postmarked no later than 1/12/09. Complete rules and application form can be found on the Celebration website at http://thirteencelebration.org/blog/about/student-awards/277/.
Visit thirteencelebration.org to register, enter the Chase awards, check out hundreds of exhibitors, and learn more about the speakers who will be present from the worlds of Science, Math, Autism, Technology, Global Awareness, Literacy, English Language Learners, and Whole School Policy.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to join the colleagues from a wide spectrum of education!
The New York State Summer Institutes Office of the State Education Department is once again requesting the assistance of school library media specialists in publicizing a unique opportunity for high school-age students within the region. Booklets for the 2009 New York State Summer School of the Arts are now being distributed to school library media specialists throughout all public and non-public junior/senior high schools. Despite this mass mailing, thousands of these booklets and applications never reach the hands of the students who might apply and audition for these eight schools. However, we do know that if students see general information in their school library media center, they are much more likely to follow up with a request for an application for a specific school. Please make this booklet visible to students. The school library media center, as an advocate for students who are considering careers in the arts or sciences, can make a critical difference in many young lives.
If you wish to request additional information or materials please call the Summer Institutes Office at (518) 474-8773 or send an e-mail message to: nysssa@mail.nysed.gov. Audition information and applications can also be found on the NYSSSA web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysssa/.
Ms. Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl will lead a group to China in June 26, 2009. The trip is culturally oriented for teachers/librarians. Beside the sightseeing, the group will visit schools, children's center and spend a day at a teacher's or student's home. Participants will have the opportunity to visit the author's old neighborhood and places she described in her book, Red Scarf Girl. Hopefully this personal experience will enhance the participant's understanding about China and the Chinese people.
Please find the flyer of the trip at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/China_tour_flyer_2009.pdf,
and contact Ji-li directly at info@jilijiang.com
if you're interested.
PRESENTERS: Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Big6 Co-creators
20th ANNIVERSARY of BIG6!
To celebrate their Big6 twenty year milestone, Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz are hosting a Big6 instruction through a Big6 Academy. The Big6 two-day seminar will prepare participants to implement active, dynamic, and focused Big6 instructional programs across the K-12 curriculum. Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Co-creators of the Big6 Approach to Information and Technology Skills Instruction, invite you to join them for a unique learning opportunity.
TOPICS:
BROCHURE and REGISTRATION FORM:
For detailed Big6 Academy brochure and registration form, see document attachments, OR visit our Big6 Academy URL: http://www.big6.com/2008/10/01/big6-summer-academy-2009/
CONTACT INFORMATION:
To inquire or register by phone: Contact Gina Luke: 585-249-4804 / Email: Gina Luke, gluke@rochester.rr.com
RATES:
SPECIAL GROUP SAVINGS! Bring a cadre of co-workers and launch your Big6 plans together with help from Mike and Bob. Save 15% on each registration if four (4) or more register from one district or one organization! $675/per person.
REGULAR INDIVIDUAL RATE: $716 each before April 1; $795 each after April 1,
2009
You may request to defer billing until June 1, 2009.
1,000 FREE Sets of Preservation Publications to be Awarded! Apply today at www.aaslh.org/Bookshelf.
Don't miss the third and final application period of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Connecting to Collections Bookshelf. These free publications contain vital information and resources, which professionals in the field of state and local history consider to be the basic building blocks for every collecting institution. Over 1,800 institutions received this resource free, valued at over $800, during the first two application periods.
Who Should Apply?
The Bookshelf is intended for small to mid-size museums, libraries with special
collections, botanical gardens, nature center, aquariums, and zoos. For this
final round, state libraries and museum associations may also apply.
Receipt Deadline: January 30, 2009 (For projects beginning July 2009)
Program Description:
The Small Grants to Libraries program brings humanities public programming to
libraries across the country.
“Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Constitution Center (NCC) and the American Library Association (ALA). The exhibition is based upon an original NCC-developed interactive exhibition of the same name, which will be reformatted into a traveling exhibition for libraries.
The traveling exhibition and tour are funded by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to the National Constitution Center. This funding opportunity offers successful applicants a $2,500 grant from NEH for exhibition-related expenses and for exhibition programming.
“Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” has been designated as part of NEH’s “We the People” program, exploring significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and advancing knowledge of the principles that define America.
Using the Constitution as the cohesive thread, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” offers a fresh and innovative perspective on Lincoln that focuses on his struggle to meet the political and constitutional challenges of the Civil War. Organized thematically, the exhibition explores how Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the war—the secession of Southern states, slavery, and wartime civil liberties. Visitors will leave the exhibition with a more complete understanding of Abraham Lincoln as president and the Civil War as the nation’s gravest constitutional crisis.
While Lincoln is widely acknowledged as one of America’s greatest presidents, his historical reputation is contested. This exhibition introduces visitors to a Lincoln they may not know: a controversial president denounced in his own time as a “tyrant” for his policies on emancipation and civil liberties, and a historical figure who still stirs debate. Was he a calculating politician willing to accommodate slavery, or a principled leader justly celebrated as the Great Emancipator?
The exhibition poses no easy answers to these questions. Rather, it encourages visitors to formulate a nuanced view of Lincoln by engaging them with Lincoln’s struggle to reconcile his policy preferences with basic American ideals of liberty and equality. Exhibition content is presented in ways that encourage learning. Questions are posed and visitors are given the tools to answer them. In the Civil Liberties section, for example, visitors experience the dilemma Lincoln faced between guaranteeing national security and preserving individual liberty. After reading actual stories of individuals arrested during the Civil War, visitors are invited to decide whether the arrests were justified—or whether the detainees should have been “turned loose.” Throughout the exhibition, visitors are also encouraged to draw connections between Lincoln’s time and our own. In the introductory section, for example, the exhibition foreshadows the big questions about nationhood, equality, and civil liberties raised in the rest of the exhibition, and it invites visitors to think about them in contemporary terms.
Because Lincoln was one of our most eloquent presidents, the exhibition features his own words as much as possible—most movingly, in the concluding section of the exhibition, where visitors will encounter the Gettysburg Address in an evocative graphic format that links past and present. Reproductions of significant documents signed by Lincoln, including the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the Order to Blockade the Southern Ports—the official start of the Civil War—add richness and depth to this presentation. Visual reproductions of personal artifacts—such as Lincoln’s signature top hat and the pen used to sign the Emancipation Proclamation—will recreate Lincoln’s material world. Finally, visitors will be asked to consider if Americans have lived up to the ideals Lincoln fought for—equality, freedom, democracy—and will have an opportunity to provide their own views.
The exhibition will travel to libraries from mid-2009 through 2011.
Link to Full Announcement: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SGL_Lincoln.html.
If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
Division of Public Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Room 426
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8269
publicpgms@neh.gov
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.164
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Public Programs at 202-606-8269 and publicpgms@neh.gov.
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Deadline: January 30, 2009
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is inviting nominations for the 2009 Coming Up Taller awards. In partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), they are embarking on the twelfth year of the Coming Up Taller Awards, which recognizes the accomplishments of exceptional after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs. Coming Up Taller finalists receive $10,000, an individualized plaque, and an invitation to attend the Coming Up Taller Leadership Enhancement Conference.
For more information or for the 2009 nomination form, visit: www.cominguptaller.org or contact the President's Committee at (202) 682-5409.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 30, 2009.
The ALA Public Programs Office is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the sixth “We the People” Bookshelf project. Part of the NEH's “We the People” program, the Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history. This year's theme, "Picturing America," explores the premise that a nation's literature, as well as its visual art, can be a window on its character, ideals and aspirations.
Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply online now at http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. In spring 2009, NEH and ALA will select 4,000 libraries to receive the 17 books for young readers, plus three works in Spanish translation, as well as bonus materials for readers of all ages. Selected libraries will be required to use the Bookshelf selections in programs for young readers in their communities.
To view the list of books included in the “We the People” Bookshelf on “Picturing America,” or to access programming ideas for your application, visit http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. With questions, please contact the ALA Public Programs Office, publicprograms@ala.org.
Deadline: January 30, 2009
The New York State Historical Association and the Royal Netherlands Embassy are pleased to present a New York State Quadricentennial Essay Contest for the 2008-2009 school year.
Students in grades 4-12 are invited to celebrate New York State’s 400th birthday by investigating its early colonial history and developing an engaging historical essay. Students have the opportunity to research early New York’s Dutch history and write about the Dutch roots of three American cultural traditions: religious tolerance, freedom of speech, and New York as a center of world trade.
Libraries will be interested in supporting students' research by gaining knowledge of the topics, collaborating with social studies teachers, displaying reference materials related to the topic, and lending their wealth of research expertise to each child's success.
The deadline for competition submissions is March 1, 2009. For more information, including contest and submission guidelines, visit http://www.nysha.org/nysha/for_teachers and click on “Contests” in the left-hand menu.
Questions? Please contact the Office of Statewide Programs at 607-547-1534 or statwideprograms@nysha.org.
Deadline: March 1, 2009
The White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIST) and the ALA Washington Office wish to announce the 2009 WHCLIST Award that provides a stipend of $300 to help defray the costs for a non-librarian participant to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) May 11th and 12th in Washington, DC.
The criteria for the WHCLIST Award are:
Representatives of WHCLIST and the ALA Washington office will choose the recipient. The ALA Washington Office will contact the recipient's Senators and Representatives to announce the award. The winner of the WHCLIST Award is announced at NLLD.
To apply for the WHCLIST award, please submit a completed NLLD registration form, a letter explaining why you should receive the award and a letter of reference to:
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire AVE, NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-628-8419 (fax)
kmurphy@alawash.org
Note: Applicants must register for NLLD and pay all associated costs. Applicants must also make their own travel arrangements but will receive 2 free nights in the NLLD hotel in D.C. The winner will be notified by April 20, 2009.
Deadline: April 15, 2009
A CERF demo site for librarians will be available from January 2 - March 17, 2009. In order to access this site, please call or e-mail Janet Jamal at the School Library Systems offices at 914-345-8500 ext. 122 or jjamal@swboces.org to get a user name and password.
MultiMedia & Internet@Schools can be found at http://www.mmischools.com/.
Games for Educators can be found at http://www.gamesforeducators.com/.
After serving for more than thirteen years as New York’s Education Commissioner, Richard P. Mills announced that he has notified the Board of Regents of his decision to resign from Office by the end of June 2009.
Commissioner Mills said, “The Regents, my colleagues and I, together with our partners, have completed an enormous body of work and have taken the first steps in the next phase of the Board’s agenda to raise achievement. We have established a timetable that ensures a seamless transition for my successor. I will complete the tasks the Regents assigned to me as we prepare the education system for the future.”
Mills continued, “There is no better time for a transfer of leadership than when an organization is strong and the building blocks for the future are in place. I am confident that my successor will find an agency of strength with a compelling agenda for the future.”
As Commissioner of Education, Mills serves as chief executive officer of the Board of Regents, which has jurisdiction over the most comprehensive state educational system in the nation. The system encompasses every education endeavor in the State, including public and non-public elementary, middle and secondary education; public and independent colleges and universities; museums, libraries, historical societies and archives; the vocational rehabilitation system; and responsibility for the licensing, practice and oversight of 48 professions.
“New York is unique,” Mills said. “We are so fortunate that we have an education system here, a system that includes all of New York’s educational and cultural institutions – schools, colleges, libraries, archives, museums, public television, the licensed professions, vocational rehabilitation, career and technical education, and so much more. And unlike any other state, all of these are under the care of one board, the Regents,” Mills continued. “This system gives us a spectacular advantage, providing New Yorkers with the knowledge and skills that are the currency of today’s global economy. We must take full advantage of the opportunities this unique system gives us.”
Mills continued, “There are so many people I want to thank, starting with the members of the Board of Regents. They have had the courage to set high standards and to insist that all children can succeed. I’d also like to thank my colleagues in the Education Department, whose dedication as public servants is unmatched. Thanks, also, to the teachers and school leaders who work tirelessly to lift up our children. Finally, I thank the students – our children – whose boundless energy and enthusiasm delights us all. Their ability to achieve, sometimes against the longest of odds, is a testament to the strength of the human spirit,” he concluded.
Mills was appointed by the Board of Regents as President of the University of the State of New York and Commissioner of Education in August 1995. Before being appointed Commissioner in New York, Mills served as Commissioner of Education in Vermont for seven years.
Mills said, “The experience of serving New York’s children is exhilarating. Even the hardest days have a clear purpose. I never tire of it. But now it’s time for me to begin a transition for the Department and for myself.”
Have there been any changes in Library or Technical personnel at your Library?
Or changes in your Library's phone number?
Or have you taken a new position at a different school library?
If there have been changes since your library originally registered with NOVELNY,
please inform the NOVELNY Help Desk of any updates via
phone or email.
Please include:
* School Name and Address
* New Contact Name
* Email Address
* Library Phone Number
Changes in e-mail address are especially important because email is the primary source of getting information out to you.
If you would like to reply via e-mail, please reply to: nyslnovel@mail.nysed.gov
or by phone: Toll Free 1-877-277-0250 or (518) 486-6012 for local calls.
Thank you!
SLMSSENY is looking for people who are interested in presenting workshops at the March 20th conference in Tarrytown.
The Conference Workshop Proposal form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conf _Prog _Form.pdf.
The Conference registration form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conference_Registration.pdf.
The New York State Library has arranged this statewide license on behalf of New York's 7,000 libraries and library systems. As you complete the registration form on the DuPage site (https://www.cod.edu/secure/software/registerteleconf.htm), leave the "Method of Payment" section blank, and fill in the "Billing Information" section only. No invoice will be sent as long as a New York address is entered.
February 13, 2009 -- Targeting
the Ages: Programming that Hits the Mark
In this program we will look at some of the innovative programming libraries
today are creating to meet the evolving needs of their patrons. We will also
provide a basic primer for anyone who has always wanted to plan a program, but
didn’t know where or how to begin....
April 3, 2009 -- Diversity
Beyond the Obvious
Karen E. Downing, Foundation & Grants Librarian & Doctorial Candidate
at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University
of Michigan and other experts will discuss how diversity in all its manifestations
can make the library profession stronger and more vital....
April 16, 2009 -- An
Ounce of Prevention: Health Reference Basics
This program will emphasize quality print and electronic resources as well as
the roles and responsibilities of patients, library information professionals
and health care professionals in the information seeking process....
For more information about these teleconference, visit the website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/dupage.htm.
Planning for the Celebration is in full gear and we have exciting news!
One of our distinguished keynote speakers, Eric Schmidt, Google, Chairman and CEO, will be interviewed live at the Celebration on Friday, March 6th by Charlie Rose, Emmy award-winning journalist and PBS host. Through spirited discussion, Eric Schmidt will share his thoughts on Google's strategy for the classroom and address how future technologies will likely impact instruction.
Plus, the annual Chase Multimedia in the Classroom Awards Competition is back! Now open to all curricular areas, these awards celebrate the achievements of teachers and students who collaboratively transform learning environments through technology. All tri-state area K-12 teachers and students are invited to compete for a $1,000 honorarium for your school, as well as free admission to the Celebration for 10 of your school's staff! All entries must be postmarked no later than 1/12/09. Complete rules and application form can be found on the Celebration website at http://thirteencelebration.org/blog/about/student-awards/277/.
Visit thirteencelebration.org to register, enter the Chase awards, check out hundreds of exhibitors, and learn more about the speakers who will join us from the worlds of Science, Math, Autism, Technology, Global Awareness, Literacy, English Language Learners, and Whole School Policy.
Don't miss this unique opportunity to join the conversation!
The New York State Summer Institutes Office of the State Education Department is once again requesting the assistance of school library media specialists in publicizing a unique opportunity for high school-age students within the region. Booklets for the 2009 New York State Summer School of the Arts are now being distributed to the school library media specialists throughout all public and non-public junior/senior high schools. Despite this mass mailing, thousands of these booklets and applications never reach the hands of the students who might apply and audition for these eight schools. However, we do know that if students see general information in their school library media center, they are much more likely to follow up with a request for an application for a specific school. Please make this booklet visible to students. The school library media center, as an advocate for students who are considering careers in the arts or sciences, can make a critical difference in many young lives.
If you wish to request additional information or materials please call the Summer Institutes Office at (518) 474-8773 or send an e-mail message to: nysssa@mail.nysed.gov. Audition information and applications can also be found on the NYSSSA web site at www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysssa/.
PRESENTERS: Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Big6 Co-creators
20th ANNIVERSARY of BIG6!
To celebrate their Big6 20 year milestone, Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz are hosting a Big6 instruction through a Big6 Academy. The Big6 two-day seminar will prepare participants to implement active, dynamic, and focused Big6 instructional programs across the K-12 curriculum. Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, Co-creators of the Big6 Approach to Information and Technology Skills Instruction, invite you to join them for a unique learning opportunity.
TOPICS:
BROCHURE and REGISTRATION FORM:
For detailed Big6 Academy brochure and registration form, see document attachments, OR visit our Big6 Academy URL: http://www.big6.com/2008/10/01/big6-summer-academy-2009/
CONTACT INFORMATION:
To inquire or register by phone: Contact Gina Luke: 585-249-4804 / Email: Gina Luke, gluke@rochester.rr.com
RATES:
SPECIAL GROUP SAVINGS! Bring a cadre of co-workers and launch your Big6 plans together with help from Mike and Bob. Save 15% on each registration if four (4) or more register from one district or one organization! $675/per person.
REGULAR INDIVIDUAL RATE: $716 each before April 1; $795 each after April 1,
2009
You may request to defer billing until June 1, 2009.
Established in 1963, the National School Library Media Program of the Year Award honors school library media programs working to ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and information. The award recognizes exemplary library media programs that are fully integrated into the host school's curriculum. Three winning programs will receive $10,000 each from Follett Library Resources. One District Award and two Single School Awards will be made. For complete program information, visit the American Association of School Librarians Web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslawards/natlslmprogram/aaslnational.cfm.
Deadline: January 2, 2009
The Libri Foundation is a nationwide non-profit organization which donates new, quality, hardcover children's books to small, rural public libraries in the United States through its BOOKS FOR CHILDREN program. The Foundation awards grants three times a year.
The librarian of each library participating in the BOOKS FOR CHILDREN program selects the books her library will receive from a booklist provided by the Foundation. The 700-plus fiction and nonfiction titles on the booklist have been judged as outstanding or highly recommended by recognized authorities in the library and education fields and have been published in the last 3 years or are classics. The guidelines and application can be found here: http://www.librifoundation.org/apps.html.
The Foundation will match any amount of money raised by your local sponsors
from $50 to $350 on a 2-to-1 ratio. Thus, your library could receive up to $1,050
worth of new children's books (about 70 books). Local sponsors have five months
(or longer, if necessary) after their library has been selected as a participant
in the BOOKS FOR CHILDREN program to raise the matching funds.
Deadlines: Annually, January 15th, April 15th, and August 15th
Receipt Deadline: January 30, 2009 (For projects beginning July 2009)
Program Description:
The Small Grants to Libraries program brings humanities public programming to
libraries across the country.
“Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Constitution Center (NCC) and the American Library Association (ALA). The exhibition is based upon an original NCC-developed interactive exhibition of the same name, which will be reformatted into a traveling exhibition for libraries.
The traveling exhibition and tour are funded by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to the National Constitution Center. This funding opportunity offers successful applicants a $2,500 grant from NEH for exhibition-related expenses and for exhibition programming.
“Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” has been designated as part of NEH’s We the People program, exploring significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and advancing knowledge of the principles that define America.
Using the Constitution as the cohesive thread, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” offers a fresh and innovative perspective on Lincoln that focuses on his struggle to meet the political and constitutional challenges of the Civil War. Organized thematically, the exhibition explores how Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the war—the secession of Southern states, slavery, and wartime civil liberties. Visitors will leave the exhibition with a more complete understanding of Abraham Lincoln as president and the Civil War as the nation’s gravest constitutional crisis.
While Lincoln is widely acknowledged as one of America’s greatest presidents, his historical reputation is contested. This exhibition introduces visitors to a Lincoln they may not know: a controversial president denounced in his own time as a “tyrant” for his policies on emancipation and civil liberties, and a historical figure who still stirs debate. Was he a calculating politician willing to accommodate slavery, or a principled leader justly celebrated as the Great Emancipator?
The exhibition poses no easy answers to these questions. Rather, it encourages visitors to formulate a nuanced view of Lincoln by engaging them with Lincoln’s struggle to reconcile his policy preferences with basic American ideals of liberty and equality. Exhibition content is presented in ways that encourage learning. Questions are posed and visitors are given the tools to answer them. In the Civil Liberties section, for example, visitors experience the dilemma Lincoln faced between guaranteeing national security and preserving individual liberty. After reading actual stories of individuals arrested during the Civil War, visitors are invited to decide whether the arrests were justified—or whether the detainees should have been “turned loose.” Throughout the exhibition, visitors are also encouraged to draw connections between Lincoln’s time and our own. In the introductory section, for example, the exhibition foreshadows the big questions about nationhood, equality, and civil liberties raised in the rest of the exhibition, and it invites visitors to think about them in contemporary terms.
Because Lincoln was one of our most eloquent presidents, the exhibition features his own words as much as possible—most movingly, in the concluding section of the exhibition, where visitors will encounter the Gettysburg Address in an evocative graphic format that links past and present. Reproductions of significant documents signed by Lincoln, including the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the Order to Blockade the Southern Ports—the official start of the Civil War—add richness and depth to this presentation. Visual reproductions of personal artifacts—such as Lincoln’s signature top hat and the pen used to sign the Emancipation Proclamation—will recreate Lincoln’s material world. Finally, visitors will be asked to consider if Americans have lived up to the ideals Lincoln fought for—equality, freedom, democracy—and will have an opportunity to provide their own views.
The exhibition will travel to libraries from mid-2009 through 2011.
Link to Full Announcement: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SGL_Lincoln.html.
If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please
contact:
Division of Public Programs
National Endowment for the Humanities
Room 426
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
202-606-8269
publicpgms@neh.gov
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 45.164
Questions?
Contact the staff of NEH’s Division of Public Programs at 202-606-8269 and publicpgms@neh.gov.
Hearing-impaired applicants can contact NEH via TDD at 1-866-372-2930.
Deadline: January 30, 2009
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is inviting nominations for the 2009 Coming Up Taller awards. In partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), they are embarking on the twelfth year of the Coming Up Taller Awards, which recognizes the accomplishments of exceptional after-school and out-of-school arts and humanities programs. Coming Up Taller finalists receive $10,000, an individualized plaque, and an invitation to attend the Coming Up Taller Leadership Enhancement Conference.
For more information or for the 2009 nomination form, visit: www.cominguptaller.org or contact the President's Committee at (202) 682-5409.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 30, 2009.
The ALA Public Programs Office is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the sixth We the People Bookshelf project. Part of the NEH's We the People program, the Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history. This year's theme, "Picturing America," explores the premise that a nation's literature, as well as its visual art, can be a window on its character, ideals and aspirations.
Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply online now at http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. In spring 2009, NEH and ALA will select 4,000 libraries to receive the 17 books for young readers, plus three works in Spanish translation, as well as bonus materials for readers of all ages. Selected libraries will be required to use the Bookshelf selections in programs for young readers in their communities.
To view the list of books included in the We the People Bookshelf on "Picturing America," or to access programming ideas for your application, visit http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. With questions, please contact the ALA Public Programs Office, publicprograms@ala.org.
Deadline: January 30, 2009
The New York State Historical Association and the Royal Netherlands Embassy are pleased to present a New York State Quadricentennial Essay Contest for the 2008-2009 school year.
Students in grades 4-12 are invited to celebrate New York State’s 400th birthday by investigating its early colonial history and developing an engaging historical essay. Students have the opportunity to research early New York’s Dutch history and write about the Dutch roots of three American cultural traditions: religious tolerance, freedom of speech, and New York as a center of world trade.
Libraries will be interested in supporting students' research by gaining knowledge of the topics, collaborating with social studies teachers, displaying reference materials related to the topic, and lending their wealth of research expertise to each child's success.
The deadline for competition submissions is March 1, 2009. For more information, including contest and submission guidelines, visit http://www.nysha.org/nysha/for_teachers and click on “Contests” in the left-hand menu.
Questions? Please contact the Office of Statewide Programs at 607-547-1534 or statwideprograms@nysha.org.
Deadline: March 1, 2009
The White House Conference on Library and Information Services (WHCLIST) and the ALA Washington Office wish to announce the 2009 WHCLIST Award that provides a stipend of $300 to help defray the costs for a non-librarian participant to attend National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) May 11th and 12th in Washington, DC.
The criteria for the WHCLIST Award are:
Representatives of WHCLIST and the ALA Washington office will choose the recipient. The ALA Washington Office will contact the recipient's Senators and Representatives to announce the award. The winner of the WHCLIST Award is announced at NLLD.
To apply for the WHCLIST award, please submit a completed NLLD registration form, a letter explaining why you should receive the award and a letter of reference to:
Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire AVE, NW
First Floor
Washington, DC 20009
202-628-8419 (fax)
kmurphy@alawash.org
Note: Applicants must register for NLLD and pay all associated costs. Applicants must also make their own travel arrangements but will receive 2 free nights in the NLLD hotel in D.C. The winner will be notified by April 20, 2009.
Deadline: April 15, 2009
Discovery Education announced that seven members of the Association of Public
Broadcasting Stations of New York (APBS) have renewed their partnership with
Discovery Education to deliver PowerMediaPlus, a video-based online education
service, to educators and students across much of New York State.
During the 2009-2010 school year, the following New York public television stations will continue to offer EdVideo Online: WMHT (Albany), WSKG (Binghamton), WNED (Buffalo), Mountain Lake PBS (Plattsburgh), WXXI (Rochester), WCNY (Syracuse), and WPBS (Watertown). Each station will provide EdVideo Online via links from its Web site. Effective July 1, 2009, WNET (New York City) and WLIW (Long Island) will no longer provide PowerMediaPlus to the school districts within their broadcast areas.
EBSCO is pleased to announce that their Z39.50 service has been enhanced and is now more extensible and robust, which will enables them to continue to meet service expansion requirements. Please note that if you target this service with the IP Address, they need you to change your target to a hostname. To get the hostname they have created, please call Janet Jamal at 345-8500 ext. 122 or email jjamal@swboces.org.
While we have no plans to retire the IP address in the near future, the hostname allows us to provide you with the most reliable service and optimal performance.
Please be sure to change your targets at your earliest convenience. For technical assistance, please communicate with Technical Support at any time via the EBSCO Support Form (http://support.ebscohost.com/contact/askus.php).
Visit EBSCO's Support Site (http://support.ebscohost.com) to learn about new features, search among thousands of FAQs, download Flash tutorials, Help Sheets or User Guides, or communicate with Technical Support at any time, using the EBSCO Support Form (http://support.ebscohost.com/contact/askus.php).
Wilbooks Small School Initiative allows small schools to receive one free book for each book purchased at their normal price of $1.80.
Wilbooks "Reading Collections" are available as part of our Small School Initiative. Educators will receive one free collection for each collection purchased at the normal price.
This offer is open to any school with less than 300 pre-k to 2nd grade students.
For more information on these programs, please go to http://www.wilbooks.com.
Now you can find all the information you need about elections in New York State on a new page of the New York State Library’s web site. "Selected New York State Election Websites," a page of links relating to elections and election-related topics can be accessed from the State Library’s web site at www.nysl.nysed.gov. Point to “Hot Topics: Election Websites under "What's New" in the bottom right hand corner of the Library's main page or go directly to http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/reference/election.htm.
The websites on the page cover federal, state, and local representatives; New York State newspapers; political and citizen groups; New York-based public opinion polls; and more. You can learn about how Federal Campaign Finance Laws are administered and enforced, find out about the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and its role in regulating federal elections, learn how to register to vote, identify your State representatives, view election district maps from the NYS Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Apportionment, connect to your local county to find notice of county government meetings, and link to other important information about elections and the election process.
The New York State Library went “live” with the IDS (Information Delivery Services) Project on October 15, 2008. The New York State Library became the 34th member of this rapid resource sharing system and is its largest research library. IDS members include various SUNY, CUNY and private academic libraries that strive to meet performance standards of delivering articles to customers within 48 hours and loans of books within 72 hours and most often at no cost to the customer. In 2007, IDS members filled 20,823 requests for articles and 21,680 loans of materials through the project.
Originating at the SUNY Geneseo Milne Library, the IDS Project has placed an emphasis on building a “unified community of trust and support.” In lieu of membership fees, the participating institutions make a commitment of the talent and time of their staff so customers have a fast turnaround from the time they submit a request until they are notified the item is ready to be picked up or retrieved. The project sends mentors to each new member to provide assistance in setting up the technical infrastructure and a streamlined workflow to meet performance standards.
The New York State Library is delighted to join the other New York libraries that are participating in this award-winning and well-respected cooperative project. During the first week of participation in the project, the State Library received over 150 requests from IDS libraries, many of whom have never requested materials from us before.
The State Library began participating in the project first by lending materials to IDS customers. Another option that the Library will soon implement as a part of the project is unmediated borrowing for our “P” card patrons. This will allow NYSL customers who have a “P” borrower’s card to place requests themselves using ILLiad, an automated request management software that provides faster service in a paper-free environment.
If you have questions regarding the State Library’s participation in IDS, contact Cindy Stark, Head of the State Library’s Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Unit (cstark@mail.nysed.gov phone: 518-474-5129).
SLMSSENY is looking for people who are interested in presenting workshops at the March 20th conference in Tarrytown.
The Conference Workshop Proposal form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conf _Prog _Form.pdf.
The Conference registration form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conference_Registration.pdf.
The 92nd Street Y Buttenwieser Library and the Jewish Book Council are cosponsoring the Tenth Annual Jewish Children's Book Writers' Conference at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan on Sunday, November 23, 2008, from 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m.
Featured speakers are associate agent Michelle Andelman of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, publisher David E. Behrman of Behrman House, executive editor Michelle Frey of Alfred A. Knopf and Crown Books for Young Readers, editor Larry Rosler of Boyds Mills Press, director Joni Sussman of Kar-Ben Publishing, and illustrator’s agent Melissa Turk of Melissa Turk & The Artist Network.
Award-winning author Johanna Hurwitz will give opening remarks, and the day will include sessions on publishing and writing in Israel, the Sydney Taylor Book Award and Manuscript Competitions and individual consultations with editors and agents from past conferences.
The registration form is available for download at www.92y.org/content/pdf/jewishchildrensbookwriters.pdf. Call 212-415 5544 or e-mail library@92Y.org for additional information or to request the form by mail. The final registration deadline is November 17.
If you write or illustrate children's books for the Jewish market, this conference is for you!
The Office of Children's Programs at The New York Public Library will present the 2008 Anne Carroll Moore Lecture at 9:30 a.m. on December 2 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in the Langston Hughes Auditorium. Uri Shulevitz will be the honored guest lecturer and will speak on “My Road to Children’s Books and Why Is the Most Important Picture in a Picture Book Invisible?” Author and illustrator Uri Shulevitz has been writing and illustrating children’s books since 1963. The recipient of many awards and honors, Shulevitz was awarded the Caldecott Medal for The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship and two Caldecott Honor citations for The Treasure and Snow.
Guests are invited to begin the morning with coffee and conversation in the Langston Hughes Atrium. The publication Children’s Books 2008: One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing will be available for all. In addition to the lecture, there will be a welcome and presentation from the Schomburg Center and selected librarians from the Annual List Committee will introduce featured titles on Children's Books 2008 to staff. The lecture and festivities will last from 9:30 a.m. until 12 noon.
Directions to the Schomburg Center can be found at http://www.nypl.org/research/hours/scdir.cfm. The Center is easily reached by bus or subway - M7, M102, the number 2 or 3 trains to 135th St.
Please R.S.V.P. by calling the Office of Children's Programs at 212-340-0906 or emailing Margaret Tice, Assistant Director for Children's Programs Office of Children's Programs at mtice@nypl.org.
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offer vision for teaching and learning to guide school library media specialists as educational leaders. They will both shape the library program and serve as a tool for library media specialists to use to shape the learning of students in the school.
The learning standards begin by defining nine foundational common beliefs:
The Standards describe how learners use skills, resources, and tools to:
Pam Berger, educational consultant, will examine these Standards and work with participants to develop action plans for their implementation within the library media program.
For questions regarding this activity, please contact Janet Jamal at jjamal@swboces.org.
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2008
Fourteen $24,000 scholarships are available for the next academic year, NYC program, LIU & NYU.
Dual Master's Degree Program between New York University's Graduate School of Arts and Science (NYU) and Long Island University's Palmer School of Library and Information Science (LIU)
This program is for students who are interested in obtaining a master's degree in Library and Information Science and a master's degree in a subject area. Students who would like to enroll in the program must apply to NYU and LIU separately. After admission to both schools, students meet with the program administrator formally to enroll in the Dual Master's Degree Program.
Applicants may apply for one of the program's Laura Bush 21st Century Grants, $24,000 each.
For more information please visit the program websites or contact Dr. Pauline Rothstein, the program administrator, at Pauline.Rothstein@nyu.edu or 212.998.2516.
LIU website: http://www.cwpost.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/cics/dual_masters.html
NYU website: http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/grad.scholarly.libraryscience
The National Endowment for the Humanities recently extended the deadline to November 14 for the second round of Picturing America applications. This initiative promotes the study, teaching, and understanding of U.S. history and culture by introducing students and the general public to America's art treasures. It supplies schools and public libraries with free, high-quality reproductions of 40 great American works of art (approximately 24" x 36" in size) and an illustrated teacher resource book with notes for all grade levels. The materials will be delivered in spring 2009. For more information, please go to http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/.
Participation in "Picture America" can serve as an exciting lead-in to the Statewide Summer Reading Program and its emphasis on the arts. The slogans for 2009 are "Be Creative @ your library" (children) and "Express Yourself @ your library (teens).
For more information visit the New York Statewide Summer Reading Program website: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/index.html.
Deadline: November 14, 2008
The ALA Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are now accepting applications for the latest round of Great Stories CLUB grants. Electronic applications will be accepted at www.ala.org/greatstories. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah's Angel Network.
Following the application process, 230 libraries will be selected to develop a book discussion program for teens based on the three theme-related titles and will be given copies of the books to share with each participant. Participating libraries will also receive access to an online toolkit to support the program, including sample discussion questions, recommended titles for further reading, downloadable bookmark art and other resources. Small cash grants ($100-$200) will be awarded to up to 25 sites for the support of program-related expenses.
For more information on the Great Stories CLUB, including guidelines, book descriptions, application instructions and a link to the online application, visit www.ala.org/greatstories. With questions, please contact the ALA Public Programs Office, publicprograms@ala.org
Deadline: Nov. 14, 2008
Wild Ones is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices. Eligible applicants include schools, nature centers and other non-profit and not-for-profit places of learning including houses of worship. Project goals should focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged, but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory, and they must be appropriate to the local eco-region and the site conditions (soil, water, sunlight). Cash awards range from $100 to $500 for the purchase of native plants and seed. More information and the application are available on the web by going to http://www.for-wild.org/sfecvr.html.
Deadline: November 15, 2008
Applications for the following SLMS awards are now being accepted. The deadline is Monday, November 17, 2008.
The Beatrice E. Griggs Elementary Administrator's Award and the Secondary Administrator's Award are awarded to building or district administrators who have effectively supported the maintenance and improvement of a School Library Media Program in NY State.
The following awards are presented to current members of SLMS/NYLA:
The SLMS/Gale Conference Award provides $500 for a direct service school library media specialist to attend a full SLMS Conference, being held April 30 - May 2, 2009 in Saratoga Springs.
The SLMS/Follett Scholarship Award provides $750 for continuing education in the field of School Library Studies to a certified SLMS currently employed in NYS.
The Robert E. Barron Cultural Media Award has been increased to provide $500 towards the purchase of humanistic non-book materials to enrich the library collection.
The Beatrice E. Griggs Scholarship Award provides $1,000 plus SLMS conference registration for an individual currently enrolled in a program, including online programs outside of New York State, that leads to certification as a New York State school library media specialist.
The Carole A. Kearney Memorial Scholarship Awards provide $250 for a certified SLMS, employed in NYS, to attend the annual SLMS Leadership Retreat held in August, 2009.
NEW! The SLMS Emerging Leaders Sponsorship Award provides $1,000 towards expenses ($500 per conference) for attendance at the 2010 ALA Mid-Winter and ALA Annual conferences to a new New York State librarian. Winners are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers, and get an inside look at ALA.
Application deadline: November 17, 2008
All application/nomination criteria and forms are available online at: http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=609
For additional information contact Maxine Kamin, Awards Chairperson.
Maxine Kamin
113 Riverview
Port Ewen, NY 12466
Voice: 845- 383-1334
Email: owls00@earthlink.net
LEF has increased the size of their matching grants available to $20,000.00 per school. A school can now order $40,000.00 worth of books and pay only $20,000.00. (Any amount purchased from $100.00 to $20,000.00 will be matched.)
You can view the titles in each collection available in the Matching Book Grant program by clicking on the individually highlighted collections.
Matching Book Grants allow your school to double its purchasing power. This is a limited time offer that requires no special screening or applications.
Orders must be received by November 30, 2008.
Information and a matching book grant order form are available at: http://www.lefbooks.org.
The ALA Public Programs Office is now accepting nominations for the 2009 Sara Jaffarian Award. School libraries, public or private, that serve children in any combination of grades K-8 and have conducted humanities programs during the 2007-2008 school year are eligible. The humanities program can be focused in many subject areas, including but not limited to social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language arts, foreign language and culture. Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the wider world and their place in it. The award consists of a $4,000 honorarium, a plaque, and promotion of the program as a model for other school libraries.
Applications and award guidelines are available at www.ala.org/jaffarianaward.
Deadline: December 1, 2008
Nominate yourself, colleagues or your library for the 2009 American Library Association (ALA) Recognition Awards and Grants.
Unless otherwise noted, the application deadline for awards is December 1.
The following lists the major ALA awards with the Web sites for application guidelines:
· ALA Information Today Library of the Future Award honors a library,
library consortium, group of librarians or support organization for innovative
planning for, applications of or development of patron training programs about
information technology in a library setting. The award includes $1,500 and a
24k gold-framed citation, donated by Information Today, Inc.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/libraryofthefutu/libraryfuture.cfm
· Beta Phi Mu Award is presented to a faculty member of a library school or an individual for distinguished service to education in librarianship. The award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation donated by Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society. www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/betaphimuaward/betaphimuaward.cfm
· Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award is given
to a school or public library that demonstrates excellence in library programming
by providing programs that have community impact and respond to community needs.
Advocacy, partnerships and creative of use of resources, regardless of the size
of the library, will be taken into consideration. The award includes $2,000
and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by the Marshall Cavendish Corporation.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/cavendishaward/cavendishaward.cfm
· EBSCO ALA Conference Sponsorship provides 10 $1,000 awards to help
librarians attend ALA’s Annual Conference. To apply for this award, applicants
must submit an essay of no more than 250 words addressing, “How will attending
this ALA Conference contribute to your professional development?” The award
is donated by EBSCO Subscription Services.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/ebscosponsorship/ebscosponsorship.cfm
· Equality Award honors an individual or group for an outstanding contribution
that promotes equality in the library profession. The award includes $1,000
and a 24k gold-framed citation donated by Scarecrow Press, Inc ., a member of
the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/equalityaward/equalityaward.cfm
· Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award recognizes and honors a
librarian for investing time and talent to make a positive change in the profession
of librarianship. The award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation,
donated by the Elizabeth Futas Memorial Fund. The biannual award application
deadline is Dec. 1, 2009.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/futasaward/futasaward.cfm
· Paul Howard Award for Courage honors a librarian, library board, library
group or individual for exhibiting unusual courage benefiting library programs
or services. The award, given every two years, includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed
citation, donated by Paul Howard. The deadline application for the biennial
award deadline is Dec. 1, 2008.
http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/howardaward/howardaward.cfm
· Joseph W. Lippincott Award is given to a librarian for distinguished
service to the profession. To qualify, the librarian must display outstanding
participation in professional library activities, notable published professional
writing or other significant activities on behalf of the profession. The award
includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by Joseph W. Lippincott,
III.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/lippincottaward/lippincottaward.cfm
· Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a
book that encourages artistic expression of the disability experience for young
children, middle school and teens. One award will be given in each category.
The book must portray some aspect of living with a disability or that of a friend
or family member, whether the disability is physical, mental or emotional. Three
recipients will each receive $5,000 and a plaque. The donor is Katherine Schneider,
Ph.D.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/schneideraward/schneiderfamily.cfm
· Scholastic Library Publishing Award (formerly Grolier) honors a librarian
whose “unusual contribution” to the stimulation and guidance of children’s and
young adult reading exemplifies outstanding achievement in the profession. The
award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by Scholastic
Library Publishing.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/scholastic/scholastic.cfm
· World Book-ALA /Information Literacy Goal Award - Two annual awards
consisting of $5,000 and a gold-framed citation of achievement to a public and
school library. The World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award seeks to
promote exemplary information literacy programs in public and school libraries.
The annual awards are designed to encourage and support innovative and effective
information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries donated
by World Book, Inc.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/worldbookaward/worldbookaward.cfm
For general information about these and other ALA awards, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/.
The Division of Public Programs at the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities funds humanities projects that are intended for broad public audiences at museums, libraries, historic sites and other historical and cultural organizations.
New application guidelines are now posted on the NEH Web site at http://www.neh.gov/.
Grants support interpretive exhibitions, reading or film discussion series, historic site interpretation, lecture series and symposia, and digital projects. NEH especially encourages projects that offer multiple formats and make creative use of new technology to deliver humanities content.
Applications will also be accepted for Interpreting America’s Historic Places (http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/IAHP_Planning.html) grants, which promote public understanding of American history through interpretation of significant American places.
Deadline: January 21, 2009
The application for the 2009 AASL National School Library Media Program of the Year Award NSLMPY - is now available online for AASL member download and submission at http://acrl.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/natlslmprogram/aaslnational.cfm
The deadline is January 2, 2009. The NSLMPY award honors school library media programs, at both a school and district level, that ensure students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.
For more information on the SLMPY Award, please visit the CI&IT School Library Services Grants and Awards Web page at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/library/GrantsandAwards.htm
The ALA Public Programs Office is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the sixth We the People Bookshelf project. Part of the NEH's We the People program, the Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history. This year's theme, "Picturing America," explores the premise that a nation's literature, as well as its visual art, can be a window on its character, ideals and aspirations.
Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply online now at http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. In spring 2009, NEH and ALA will select 4,000 libraries to receive the 17 books for young readers, plus three works in Spanish translation, as well as bonus materials for readers of all ages. Selected libraries will be required to use the Bookshelf selections in programs for young readers in their communities.
To view the list of books included in the We the People Bookshelf on "Picturing America," or to access programming ideas for your application, visit http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. With questions, please contact the ALA Public Programs Office, publicprograms@ala.org.
Deadline: January 30, 2009
The New York State Library is pleased to announce that enhancements are underway for the NOVELNY web site (novelnewyork.org). You are invited to view and comment on the enhanced design using the preview page on the novelnewyork.org site. Comments are requested by November 14, 2008.
To view the preview page, go to http://novelnewyork.org, and click on the "Preview Our New Look" link under Latest News. The revised NOVELNY home page will display, and, if the Web browser has cookies enabled, the preview will remain in effect for 12 hours.
The "classic" web site appearance can be restored at any time by returning to the home page and clicking on "Return to Normal View" (which appears while in preview mode).
During the spring of 2008, the New York State Library arranged for a usability study of the NOVELNY web site (novelnewyork.org). The study, conducted by an external research center, was concluded at the end of June, and detailed findings were reported to the State Library. The revised layout takes into account several of these findings, as well as comments received from the public over the past 15 months.
The most significant enhancements are:
NOVELNY is a pilot project for the Statewide Internet Library, supported by the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) program and the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Comments can be submitted online using the "Web site comments" link on the preview page, and questions or comments may also be directed to David Fiske at the State Library, Division of Library Development by calling 518-486-4857 or by email at dfiske@mail.nysed.gov.
TeachingBooks.net has added new tools and is extremely motivated to help all our librarians and teachers to easily integrate multimedia author and book materials into existing library and reading activities. Here are some examples:
Live training: Invite TeachingBooks staff to train your colleagues -- either at an existing professional development meeting, or just pick a time after school when, perhaps, all your librarians can invite a teacher or two into their library, and they'll run a 15 or 30 minute training for them on TeachingBooks via their webinar tools. These sessions will also be recorded so that you have a customized video training tool to use whenever you wish.
See http://teachingbooks.net/webinars and then fax them back the "Scheduling Form" to set this up.
Reading List Resources: They can now correlate their collection of resources to whatever specific set of books you're reading -- so send them your reading lists, and they'll provide you with one link that contains all of the online author programs, book guides, book readings, and more -- providing a multimedia dimension to the books your students and teachers are already reading.
See http://teachingbooks.net/quicksearch.cgi for all our existing NY reading list resources, as well as instructions to send them your own.
Ever-growing Original TeachingBooks.net Materials: Almost every day they add new resources about K-12 books, authors and illustrators -- including more original movies of authors filmed in their studios; audio files of authors introducing and reading their books, and their Author Name Pronunciation Guide. They can also add materials on authors that your school particularly enjoys and often reads -- because their goal is to add this multimedia dimension to the reading experience of all students.
See all of TeachingBooks' original materials at: http://www.teachingbooks.net/quicksearch.cgi?id=tboriginal
The New York Today in History page on the K-12 Teaching & Learning Center website can be found at http://www.k12tlc.net/tihcore/tih/ny11.htm. This is a free service. The K-12 Teaching & Learning Center which can be found at http://www.k12tlc.net/tih.htm has many more services for members.
The New York 3Rs Association has launched a new digital heritage web site, www.newyorkheritage.org. The site connects more than 160 digital collections from around the state, contributed by libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions, and builds on existing digital repository services administered by each of the nine reference and research library resources councils.
NewYorkHeritage.org uses OCLC’s CONTENTdm Multisite Server to bring these collections together, allowing the public to search across all items simultaneously. This project provides free, online access to images of cultural and historical significance in New York State.
A variety of materials can be found among the New York Heritage Digital Collections, including photographs, postcards, correspondence, manuscripts, oral histories, yearbooks and newspapers. Many kinds of institutions from New York State have partnered to make this project possible, including public, academic and school libraries, museums, archives and historical societies. The power of collaboration is what makes this new service possible.
Participants to New York Heritage Digital Collections are committed to enhancing the site by adding both content and contributing institutions on a regular basis. The goal of the project is to eventually connect one thousand collections and one million items from throughout New York State. All institutions interested in participating in the project are encouraged to contact the 3Rs organization that serves their region.
The New York 3Rs Association is a partnership among New York’s nine reference and research resource systems. The New York 3Rs was incorporated in 2003 to further the ability of those systems to provide statewide services. The members of the New York 3Rs Association are: the Capital District Library Council, Central New York Library Resources Council, Long Island Library Resources Council, Metropolitan New York Library Council, Northern New York Library Network, Rochester Regional Library Council, Southeastern New York Library Resources Council, South Central Regional Library Council, and Western New York Library Resources Council.
JLAMS, the peer-reviewed online Journal of the Library Administration and Management Section of NYLA, is now available for reading at http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=922
The lead article this Fall is an Editor's Choice Article entitled "Survey of interaction between public libraries and public schools in the Mid-Hudson Library System" by by Clair Moritz-Magnesio. This article may be of special interest to both public librarians and school librarians as there are many possibilities for serving overlapping populations.
The second article is "Don't Cut It Alone: A Team-Based Approach to Surviving a Budget Cut" by Michael J. Aloi. The message is not complex; however, the topic and treatment is most timely. It provides guidance on dealing with today's severe budget issues, with helpful ideas to make the process go smoother and be more effective.
The third article is entitled "Does part-time work mean part-time benefits?" It is an analysis of part-time academic librarians in New York State and their benefits and is by Amy Catalano and Christine Cesaria. There have not been enough studies done in the past on this important topic and, like the budget cutting article, this is timely. As the pressure is on to cut costs and offload as many benefits as possible on the employee, this article invites us to think twice before proceeding.
Library media specialist and children's author Toni Buzzeo has a new picture book out from Upstart entitled THE LIBRARY DOORS, charmingly illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. It is a remake of the familiar song, "The Wheels on the Bus." This time, though, it's not the wheels going round and round but the library doors swinging OPEN AND SHUT while the patrons COME AND GO and perform so many other familiar library activities, so it will be fun to sing.
Toni has created a PARTS OF A BOOK PowerPoint to accompany the book. She created it at two levels so that you can use it with very young primary students (Pre-K to K) or with older students (Grades 1-3). When using it with the little ones, you can simply delete the more detailed slides. You can find the link on Toni's website on THE LIBRARY DOORS page at http://www.tonibuzzeo.com/bookslibrarydoors.html.
The popular "Books From Bruce" program is now offering science and math book sets. Each of these sets contain books that help to teach science or math principles. Over fifty new pre-k titles have been added to these collections.
Books are free. Educators only pay shipping and handling.
For more information on the "Books from Bruce" program, please go
to: http://www.wilbooks.com.
The following article by Ann M. Martin from DistrictAdministration on-line at http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1726 clearly delineates the role of educators in supporting school library media programming.
The United States no longer has a workforce dependent on operating machinery and performing repetitive tasks. Educators are therefore challenged to change the way students learn and to provide a workforce that is innovative and that has the ability to design new jobs. To do this, students must learn to be problem solvers, to create products that meet real needs, to demonstrate leadership in presenting ideas, and to connect learning to community imperatives. School libraries can help meet these challenges for all students.
School library programs provide context to learning, synthesis of curriculum, and real-life applications of concepts. They can act as the great equalizer when it comes to educating all students and preparing them for the 21st century, and they can offer all students resources and information that can support every facet of their life and learning.
Diverse learners such as Limited English Proficient (LEP) students require equal access to information and resources. School library media specialists provide quality instruction in every subject area so that students can become independent, lifelong learners.
More than 60 studies have affirmed the link between school library media specialists and student achievement. Libraries with print-rich resources and up-to-date technology can also close the gap between privileged and at-risk students. In this time of accountability and assessment, studies show that a well-stocked library staffed by a licensed library media specialist results in increases of 10 to 20 percent on standardized tests. Since 1965, more than 60 studies have affirmed the link between school library media specialists and student achievement. Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with strong school library programs learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized tests than their peers in schools without such programs. School library media programs offer a lottery ticket for enhanced learning that is guaranteed to win!
Obstacles by the Book
Despite evidence that libraries improve student academic achievement, school library media centers face their own challenges. In a time of tough economic decisions, school library media program funds and staff are being cut. Lack of up-to-date resources in the form of computers and books is a barrier for school library media programs. Most disturbing is the lack of universal understanding by teachers, administrators and parents of what good school library media programs can contribute to student learning.
Although the No Child Left Behind law was instituted to provide equal learning to all students, in reality it created an educational system in which the core areas of math, science and reading are often taught in isolation and at the expense of the target skills identified for students to be successful in the 21st century. The challenge with NCLB is that in an increasingly global world, students must be taught to seek multiple perspectives, gather and use information ethically, use social tools responsibly and safely, and practice self-inquiry. Studying for a standardized test often discourages such lessons.
To combat the budgetary difficulties and other roadblocks for library media programs, administrators must find alternative resources for funding and pursue strategic ways of incorporating 21st century skills that are taught by a library media specialist into their curriculum. There needs to be collaboration between teachers and school library media specialists, and supportive voices within the community that can make a difference should be utilized. Administrators need to stress the importance of having their library media specialist’s work recognized. School library media specialists should also be encouraged to apply for one of the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) awards that stress best practices in school libraries.
Today’s New Standards
AASL has unveiled its “Standards for the 21st Century Learner,” which again shows that media specialists play an essential role in preparing students to compete in the global community.
One of the unique changes represented in these library standards is their focus
on student behavioral modification to include self-assessment strategies and
self-awareness traits to produce lifelong learners. Library media specialists
are ready to instruct and prepare students for understanding, learning, thinking
and mastering subjects.
Self-assessment strategies mean that students develop internal standards and compare their performance, thoughts and behaviors to those standards. In the past, the library media specialist and the teacher assessed the student learning outcomes, but in reality only students can assess their own thinking, attitudes and behaviors. The standards provide opportunities for students to apply self-assessment techniques individually and in a social context. This can be done through group work and through the use of Web 2.0 resources.
Self-assessment strategies are implemented in the library media program through a variety of projects. For example, one standard states that the learner will “display emotional resilience by persisting in information searching despite challenges.” The disposition to persist is developed and strengthened over time when students are assigned a science project that requires multiple levels of investigation and research culminating in an analysis of the information gathered. A project like this requires regular checkpoints and might require students to keep an electronic log where they write about their progress, problems and reflections. These logs are regularly reviewed by teachers, school library media specialists or peers, and feedback is provided to move the students forward. In this situation, students are made aware of their attitudes and given guidance on how to push past the difficulties to find the next level of answers. This example also provides self-assessment strategies, because the students are monitoring their own information-seeking processes and adapting as necessary.
The AASL’s “Standards for the 21st Century Learner” recognize the complexity of learning and the necessity for students to become skilled at acquiring knowledge. The dispositions in action and self-assessment strategies enable the learner to adapt these skills to any context for academic and personal use.
Strengthening New Literacies
Critical to all students is the need to build skills using technology. The current use of technology in schools can trivialize its comprehension, but library media specialists can teach students to understand the power behind technology when it is used to answer questions and organize knowledge. School libraries can create engaging and innovative lessons to expand on students’ tech savvy skills and basic reading literacy. For instance, high school library media specialist Hattie Smart, in my district of Henrico County (Va.) Public Schools, recently brought storytelling into the digital age by using Web 2.0 resources. She had students create their own online comic books and post them in a blog. Students could contribute to the blog discussion from any computer and learn more information about the topics on which the comics were based.
The responsibility of a school library media specialist is to teach all students to inquire and think critically, draw conclusions, make informed decisions, share knowledge, participate ethically, and pursue aesthetic growth. To reinforce this message, Henrico County recently created a film entitled Today’s Library, which explains the role of school libraries in 21st-century learning. The video affirms how school libraries have changed over the years and has been used by some states for teacher and administrator training, since it names as obsolete many of the 20th-century functions of a school library.
Administrators now have an opportunity to continue the library media program success story for the students and teachers in their school communities. Key decision-makers who support best practices for school libraries, including curriculum integration, teacher collaboration, information rich resources, and certified library staff, enable libraries to bridge learning by connecting the curriculum and information skills.
RESOURCES
AASL Awards, Grants and Scholarships www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/aaslawards.cfm
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm
Henrico County's Today's Library henrico.k12.va.us/hcpstv/vv_library.html
School libraries—not simply stacked with books—need to be acknowledged as major players in student academic achievement. Transformative school leaders can provide a school environment that both fosters a lifelong love of learning and places school libraries at a fixed line item at budget time.
Ann M. Martin is the president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). She is currently the educational specialist for library information services at Henrico County (Va.) Public Schools and author of Seven Steps to an Award-Winning School Library Program (Libraries Unlimited, 2005).
October is Disability History Month and New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) Commissioner Diana Jones Ritter wants New York State citizens to be aware of some of the wonderful educational tools available through OMRDD and its collaborative partners that can help teach both children and adults about developmental disabilities as well as about the history of the disability movement.
“While October is Disability History Month, disability awareness should be celebrated each and every day,” said Ritter. “As the leader of an agency that helps people with developmental disabilities lead richer lives, it is also my firm commitment to educate the public about people with disabilities – and that they are no different from everyone else. They all want – and are entitled to – a life, just like you or me.”
OMRDD is also celebrating its own “history” – its 30th anniversary – this year. OMRDD began operations in April 1978, and quickly moved to restructure its programs and services from an institutionally-based to a community-based service system. The agency was given the responsibility for the prevention and early detection of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and for comprehensively planned care and treatment of persons with developmental disabilities.
“Since the 1990s, the agency has increased its development of programs to address the needs of families caring for their family member with developmental disabilities at home, and has fostered the development of a strong self-advocacy system so that people with developmental disabilities can truly live richer lives,” said Ritter.
Educational Programs available through OMRDD
OMARDI: Teaching tolerance and acceptance through fun, laughter and open discussion.
OMARDI is a dynamic marionette that teaches children ages 3 to 6 about peers
with developmental disabilities and that it’s OK to be different. OMARDI introduces
social skills that will help kids foster friendships and peer support through
understanding and dialogue. OMARDI is offered free to preschools, day care centers,
pre-K, kindergarten classes, community groups, libraries and camps. Trained
educators work with the marionette and address probing questions openly and
with sensitivity.
Mainstreet: Raising Awareness of developmental disabilities – for middle and high school students. Mainstreet is an interactive program that uses theater, simulation activities and discussion to expand awareness and understanding of developmental disabilities. Mainstreet can be customized to fit the level of needs, interests and issues of any student groups. Classroom teachers can help select the topics and exercises appropriate for their students.
The Kids Project: Raising awareness of developmental disabilities – for grades two through five. The Kids Project features life-like puppets who engage eight and nine-year-olds by telling their “stories.” The program is designed to help children feel comfortable interacting with kids with developmental disabilities; at the same time, it teaches students that children with developmental disabilities are just like them: playing games, having dreams and inspirations and living full lives. The program can include information about autism, cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, epilepsy, learning disabilities and mental retardation.
Making Friends: Raising Awareness of developmental disabilities – for preschool and primary-grade children. Making Friends is geared toward four-to-seven-year-old children. Educators use stories and dolls, each with a different disability, to teach children what it is like to live with a disability. Through storytelling and multi-sensory activities, educators also explore what it might be like to be developmentally disabled. Making Friends is available to preschools, kindergarten through second-grade classrooms, day care centers, community groups, libraries and camps.
For information about any of these programs or to schedule a presentation, contact the OMRDD Public Education Program at (518) 473-1190 or the regional Public Education Team at your local Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO). DDSO information can be found at www.omr.state.ny.us
The Museum of disABILITY History, Buffalo, N.Y. The Museum of disABILITY History provides educational resources to teachers and encourages schools to present lessons to their students regarding this subject.
“It is important that our youth understand disability history in order to better understand how individuals with disabilities were once viewed and treated,” said Theresa Fraser, Museum Director.
In conjunction with Disability History Month, the museum has created a school curriculum focused on disability history. The project was funded in 2007 by a grant from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, and by People, Inc., and the Museum of disABILITY History. The curriculum was developed for grades 4-5 and 6-8. It is based on the “Kids Vote” format and is tied directly to the virtual exhibits found on the Museum’s Web site. The “Disability History” curriculum includes lesson plans and activities that are tied to New York State Learning Standards. For more information about the project, go to the Web site, www.museumofdisability.org or call 716-817-7261.
For more information about developmental disabilities or Disability History Month visit OMRDD’s Web site or htttp://www.museumofdisability.org; or call the OMRDD Office of Public Information at 518-474-6601.
From http://www.omr.state.ny.us/hp_pr_disabilityhistory.jsp New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD)
SLMSSENY is looking for people who are interested in presenting workshops at the March 20th conference in Tarrytown.
The Conference Workshop Proposal form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conf _Prog _Form.pdf.
The Conference registration form can be found at http://www2.lhric.org/libsys/news/2009_Conference_Registration.pdf.
Registration fee of $65 includes morning coffee, lunch and sherry.
Registration is on-line at http://www.nypl.org/events/bookfest.html
This year Book Fest at NYPL joins with School Library Journal to bring people together to share the fun of reading and talking about books for children and teens.
School Library Journal and the new Offices of Children’s Programs, Young Adult Programs and Education Outreach in the Department of Education, Programs and Exhibitions of The New York Public Library are pleased to continue this special event.
Brian Jacques, master storyteller and jack-of-all-trades and author of the bestselling Redwall series, will be the keynote speaker. Brian Jacques is the author of more than 25 books for children and teens which have sold over 20 million copies worldwide. His most recent title is Doomwyte: A Tale from Redwall.
Enjoy an hour of book discussion with your colleagues. Pick one of eleven book discussion groups lead by well-known children's and young adult literature specialists in the New York metropolitan area.
The afternoon panel will feature a thought provoking discussion of War and Peace in books for young people with Walter Dean Myers, Ibitsam Barakat and Jeanette Winter.
Walter Dean Myers has published over seventy books for children and teens. He has received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He has been awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he has received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists. His latest title is Sunrise Over Fallujah.
Growing up with war and occupation is the focus of Ibitsam Barakat's memoir, Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood. In 2007, Booklist named it one of the top ten biographies for youth, and it was listed as an American Library Association Notable. In 2008 the memoir won the IRA's Best Non-Fiction Book Award for Children and Young Adults.
Jeanette Winter has written and illustrated many books for children based on true-life stories, including the highly acclaimed MAMA, The Librarian of Basra, and My Name is Georgia. The Librarian of Basra received a starred review by School Library Journal, was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, a CCBC Choice and was the winner of the Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Nonfiction. Her most recent title is Wangari’s Trees of Peace.
In order to help provide continuing education opportunities for school and public librarians in the Mid-Hudson Valley region, SLMSSENY, a professional organization comprised of library media specialists in southeastern New York, in conjunction with LIU’s Palmer School of Library and Information Science, is presenting a series of three hour workshops. They have decided to offer this series, the “21st Century Library Professional,” because they realize that it is often difficult for individual school districts or public libraries to provide appropriate and meaningful courses for their librarians.
The 2008-2009 workshops will be:
The information letter, collaboration flyer and registration form can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/ and then following the link that says New: SLMSSENY/Palmer School of Library & Information Science Collaboration Information which can be found above the map on the page. The cover letter can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/pub/CoverLetter.pdf; the flyer can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/pub/CollabFlyer.pdf; and the registration form can be found at http://www.slmsseny.org/pub/REGISTRATION%20FORM.doc.
This year's Children's Literature Connection Fall 2008 Symposium which is sponsored by the Children’s Literature Connection, The English Department at Hudson Valley Community College and the Greater Capital Region Teacher’s Center with the theme, The Art of the Book, will encourage attendees to consider the many facets of the creative and practical creation of the literature we love, and utilize, so well. From the creator to the consumer, panelists will include Caldecott winning author/illustrator Mordicai Gerstein, book publicist Jen Brown, and other professionals involved in the design, editing, dissemination and use of the book.
Registration is $95.00 for CLC Members or $120.00 for Non-members. Lunch is included.
For directions, go to: www.hvcc.edu/campusmap/index.html
Free parking is available.
Online registration is available at http://www.teachercenter.org (follow directions to register – select course # 2925 Children's Literature Connection), or email CLC. (6 contact hours)
Don't miss this one-day symposium on Saturday October 25th! You can find more information at www.childrensliteratureconnection.org.
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offer vision for teaching and learning to guide school library media specialists as educational leaders. They will both shape the library program and serve as a tool for library media specialists to use to shape the learning of students in the school.
The learning standards begin by defining nine foundational common beliefs:
The Standards describe how learners use skills, resources, and tools to:
Pam Berger, educational consultant, will examine these Standards and work with participants to develop action plans for their implementation within the library media program.
For questions regarding this activity, please contact Janet Jamal at jjamal@swboces.org.
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2008
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, is now accepting applications for the second round of Picturing America. The goal of Picturing America is to enhance the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture by bringing some of America's greatest works of art into classrooms and public libraries. At no cost, recipients will receive a set of high-quality reproductions of 40 pieces of great American art and an illustrated teachers resource book with information about the artists and artwork and lesson ideas for all grade levels in core subject areas.
All public libraries, schools (K-12, public, private, parochial, charter and
home school consortia) in the United States and its territories who have not
previously received Picturing America may apply for the program. Additionally,
other libraries (academic, special, research) with programs and collections
for the general public are eligible to apply. For more information about Picturing
America, including a list of the artwork featured, grant guidelines, and the
online application, visit at http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/
.
Deadline: October 31, 2008
Applications for the following SLMS awards are now being accepted. The deadline is Monday, November 17, 2008.
The Beatrice E. Griggs Elementary Administrator's Award and the Secondary Administrator's Award are awarded to building or district administrators who have effectively supported the maintenance and improvement of a School Library Media Program in NY State.
The following awards are presented to current members of SLMS/NYLA:
The SLMS/Gale Conference Award provides $500 for a direct service school library media specialist to attend a full SLMS Conference, being held April 30 - May 2, 2009 in Saratoga Springs.
The SLMS/Follett Scholarship Award provides $750 for continuing education in the field of School Library Studies to a certified SLMS currently employed in NYS.
The Robert E. Barron Cultural Media Award has been increased to provide $500 towards the purchase of humanistic non-book materials to enrich the library collection.
The Beatrice E. Griggs Scholarship Award provides $1,000 plus SLMS conference registration for an individual currently enrolled in a program, including online programs outside of New York State, that leads to certification as a New York State school library media specialist.
The Carole A. Kearney Memorial Scholarship Awards provide $250 for a certified SLMS, employed in NYS, to attend the annual SLMS Leadership Retreat held in August, 2009.
NEW! The SLMS Emerging Leaders Sponsorship Award provides $1,000 towards expenses ($500 per conference) for attendance at the 2010 ALA Mid-Winter and ALA Annual conferences to a new New York State librarian. Winners are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers, and get an inside look at ALA.
Application deadline: November 17, 2008
All application/nomination criteria and forms are available online at: http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=609
For additional information contact Maxine Kamin, Awards Chairperson.
Maxine Kamin
113 Riverview
Port Ewen, NY 12466
Voice: 845- 383-1334
Email: owls00@earthlink.net
The ALA Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are now accepting applications for the latest round of Great Stories CLUB grants. Electronic applications will be accepted at www.ala.org/greatstories. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah's Angel Network.
Following the application process, 230 libraries will be selected to develop a book discussion program for teens based on the three theme-related titles and will be given copies of the books to share with each participant. Participating libraries will also receive access to an online toolkit to support the program, including sample discussion questions, recommended titles for further reading, downloadable bookmark art and other resources. Small cash grants ($100-$200) will be awarded to up to 25 sites for the support of program-related expenses.
For more information on the Great Stories CLUB, including guidelines, book descriptions, application instructions and a link to the online application, visit www.ala.org/greatstories. With questions, please contact the ALA Public Programs Office, publicprograms@ala.org
Deadline: Nov. 14, 2008
Wild Ones is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices. Eligible applicants include schools, nature centers and other non-profit and not-for-profit places of learning including houses of worship. Project goals should focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged, but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory, and they must be appropriate to the local eco-region and the site conditions (soil, water, sunlight). Cash awards range from $100 to $500 for the purchase of native plants and seed. More information and the application are available on the web by going to http://www.for-wild.org/sfecvr.html.
Deadline: November 15, 2008
The 3 Apples Book Award website, www.3applesbookaward.org, is now accepting votes for the favorite books of New York State's children and teens. Many of you already know about this and have placed your votes. But for those who are unaware of the vote or have forgotten the deadline, you have until the end of the month to submit your student's votes. The members of the committee are looking forward to a successful vote this year and eagerly anticipate learning which titles win. Please visit the website and you will find a link for the respective ballots that you can print out if needed and any other information you may need. If you do need additional information, there is a frequently asked questions section.
World Book and ALA announce the creation of the new World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award, a grant of $5,000 to a public and school library literacy program. The award is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs in today's school and public libraries.
An eligible literacy program should focus on school library users or public
library users who are likely to need the most help to obtain access to information,
in print or digital form, and to evaluate the quality of the information available
to them, especially information they may find outside the school library, school
classroom, or public library. The ultimate goal should be to help people of
all ages become effective users of information by fostering a better understanding
of the research process. The two page application can be accessed online through
the web by going to http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/worldbookaward/worldbookaward.cfm.
Nominate yourself, colleagues or your library for the 2009 American Library Association (ALA) Recognition Awards and Grants.
Unless otherwise noted, the application deadline for awards is December 1.
The following lists the major ALA awards with the Web sites for application guidelines:
· ALA Information Today Library of the Future Award honors a library,
library consortium, group of librarians or support organization for innovative
planning for, applications of or development of patron training programs about
information technology in a library setting. The award includes $1,500 and a
24k gold-framed citation, donated by Information Today, Inc.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/libraryofthefutu/libraryfuture.cfm
· Beta Phi Mu Award is presented to a faculty member of a library school or an individual for distinguished service to education in librarianship. The award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation donated by Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honorary Society. www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/betaphimuaward/betaphimuaward.cfm
· Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award is given
to a school or public library that demonstrates excellence in library programming
by providing programs that have community impact and respond to community needs.
Advocacy, partnerships and creative of use of resources, regardless of the size
of the library, will be taken into consideration. The award includes $2,000
and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by the Marshall Cavendish Corporation.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/cavendishaward/cavendishaward.cfm
· EBSCO ALA Conference Sponsorship provides 10 $1,000 awards to help
librarians attend ALA’s Annual Conference. To apply for this award, applicants
must submit an essay of no more than 250 words addressing, “How will attending
this ALA Conference contribute to your professional development?” The award
is donated by EBSCO Subscription Services.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/ebscosponsorship/ebscosponsorship.cfm
· Equality Award honors an individual or group for an outstanding contribution
that promotes equality in the library profession. The award includes $1,000
and a 24k gold-framed citation donated by Scarecrow Press, Inc ., a member of
the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/equalityaward/equalityaward.cfm
· Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award recognizes and honors a
librarian for investing time and talent to make a positive change in the profession
of librarianship. The award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation,
donated by the Elizabeth Futas Memorial Fund. The biannual award application
deadline is Dec. 1, 2009.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/futasaward/futasaward.cfm
· Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship honors an individual
for contributing significantly to the public recognition and appreciation of
librarianship through professional performance, teaching and/or writing. The
award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by Ken Haycock,
PhD.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/haycockaward/haycockaward.cfm
· Paul Howard Award for Courage honors a librarian, library board, library
group or individual for exhibiting unusual courage benefiting library programs
or services. The award, given every two years, includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed
citation, donated by Paul Howard. The deadline application for the biennial
award deadline is Dec. 1, 2008.
http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/howardaward/howardaward.cfm
· Joseph W. Lippincott Award is given to a librarian for distinguished
service to the profession. To qualify, the librarian must display outstanding
participation in professional library activities, notable published professional
writing or other significant activities on behalf of the profession. The award
includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by Joseph W. Lippincott,
III.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/lippincottaward/lippincottaward.cfm
· Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a
book that encourages artistic expression of the disability experience for young
children, middle school and teens. One award will be given in each category.
The book must portray some aspect of living with a disability or that of a friend
or family member, whether the disability is physical, mental or emotional. Three
recipients will each receive $5,000 and a plaque. The donor is Katherine Schneider,
Ph.D.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/schneideraward/schneiderfamily.cfm
· Scholastic Library Publishing Award (formerly Grolier) honors a librarian
whose “unusual contribution” to the stimulation and guidance of children’s and
young adult reading exemplifies outstanding achievement in the profession. The
award includes $1,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation, donated by Scholastic
Library Publishing.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/scholastic/scholastic.cfm
· World Book-ALA /Information Literacy Goal Award - Two annual awards
consisting of $5,000 and a gold-framed citation of achievement to a public and
school library. The World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award seeks to
promote exemplary information literacy programs in public and school libraries.
The annual awards are designed to encourage and support innovative and effective
information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries donated
by World Book, Inc.
www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/awardsrecords/worldbookaward/worldbookaward.cfm
For general information about these and other ALA awards, visit http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsgrants/.
The Division of Public Programs at the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities funds humanities projects that are intended for broad public audiences at museums, libraries, historic sites and other historical and cultural organizations.
New application guidelines are now posted on the NEH Web site at http://www.neh.gov/.
Grants support interpretive exhibitions, reading or film discussion series, historic site interpretation, lecture series and symposia, and digital projects. NEH especially encourages projects that offer multiple formats and make creative use of new technology to deliver humanities content.
Applications will also be accepted for Interpreting America’s Historic Places (http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/IAHP_Planning.html) grants, which promote public understanding of American history through interpretation of significant American places.
Deadline: January 21, 2009
The application for the 2009 AASL National School Library Media Program of the Year Award NSLMPY - is now available online for AASL member download and submission at http://acrl.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/natlslmprogram/aaslnational.cfm
The deadline is January 2, 2009. The NSLMPY award honors school library media programs, at both a school and district level, that ensure students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.
For more information on the SLMPY Award, please visit the CI&IT School Library Services Grants and Awards Web page at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/library/GrantsandAwards.htm
The ALA Public Programs Office is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the sixth We the People Bookshelf project. Part of the NEH's We the People program, the Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history. This year's theme, "Picturing America," explores the premise that a nation's literature, as well as its visual art, can be a window on its character, ideals and aspirations.
Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply online now at http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. In spring 2009, NEH and ALA will select 4,000 libraries to receive the 17 books for young readers, plus three works in Spanish translation, as well as bonus materials for readers of all ages. Selected libraries will be required to use the Bookshelf selections in programs for young readers in their communities.
To view the list of books included in the We the People Bookshelf on "Picturing America," or to access programming ideas for your application, visit http://publicprograms.ala.org/bookshelf. With questions, please contact the ALA Public Programs Office, publicprograms@ala.org.
Deadline: January 30, 2009
Graphic novels from Weekly Reader have been added to ELibrary Elementary, therefore a custom trial is being offered for the following:
The trial is now active, and it runs from 10/06/2008 to 11/04/2008.
Please contact Janet Jamal in the School Library Offices at 345-8500 ext. 122 or e-mail at jjamal@swboces.org to receive login information.
The latest enhancement to your NoveList subscription will soon be implemented.
You will soon have the ability to simply, conveniently limit your searches directly from the home page, using radio buttons. For example, limit your searches by author, title, series or plot by clicking on the appropriate radio button and entering your search term(s) in the Find field. To view examples of the new buttons, go to http://support.epnet.com/support_news/detail.php?id=489&t=h.
Of course, if you would like to see all of our robust content associated with a given author, title etc., you can still enter your term(s) in the Find field without clicking on a radio button. Your results will include all of the book titles, Author Read-alikes, Recommended Reads and other articles and lists that are associated with your search term(s).
The development of this exciting enhancement was based upon requests from customers, gathered from the NoveList customer forum discussion at ALA, customer survey results and e-mails. If you have any questions, please contact EBSCO at novelist@ebscohost.com.
Visit EBSCO's Support Site (http://support.ebscohost.com) to learn about new features, search among thousands of FAQs, download Flash tutorials, Help Sheets or User Guides, or communicate with Technical Support at any time, using the EBSCO Support Form (http://support.ebscohost.com/contact/askus.php).
Welcome back to the 2008 - 2009 School Year! We at the School Library System hope this year will bring many opportunities for you to expand your knowledge base and improve your skills as you work with students, teachers and administrators in your learning communities.
We would like to welcome the following school library media specialists to their new positions:
Our Ice Cream Social, the annual "kick-off event" that begins the Southern Westchester BOCES School Library System activities for the year, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th , 2 Westchester Plaza, Elmsford, NY, beginning at 3:30 P.M. Refreshments also include low calorie deserts. We hope each of you will make a special effort to attend to "meet and greet" both new and previous colleagues.
The program at this event will include an overview of 2008 - 2009 School Library System activities as well as discussions on restructuring the elementary and middle/secondary meetings with respect to topics, time and location. There will be free materials for attendees.
The School Library System sponsors the list-serv, LIBCONNECT. This electronic forum allows librarians to "speak" with each other as well as learn of database trials and late breaking news. If you are not a registered user, please contact Janet Jamal for registration directions.
Also, please contact Janet Jamal at the School Library System office 914-345-8500, ext. 122, regarding your attendance.
We look forward to seeing you on September 16th!
The School Library Systems Association is excited to be sponsoring the SLMS 2009 Conference at Saratoga Springs, NY on April 30-May 2, 2009. The conference theme is Educational Leaders @ Your Library represented by five conference strands: literacy, inquiry, technology, advocacy and professional issues. There is a tremendous amount of expertise among NYS school librarians, and we invite you to share that expertise by applying to present at SLMS 2009 by completing the presenter application found on the SLMS website: http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=52
Applications are due by September 15, 2008 and preference will be given to interactive workshops with practical applications.
The AASL is looking for some great presenters for preconferences at the AASL Charlotte conference in 2009. Details can be found at http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/conferencesandevents/national/charlotte2009/forpresenters/requestforproposal/rfp2009precon.cfm
You have until September 15th to get these in!
This event is being co-sponsored by Westchester Library System's Youth Services and the School Library Systems of Southern Westchester BOCES and Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES. In order to enhance collaboration between regional school and children's/young adult librarians a special collaboration breakfast has been planned.
For librarians from the Southern Westchester BOCES School Library System the date is November 18th from 9:00am - 12:00 noon at the Westchester Library System, Tarrytown.
This is an opportunity to connect Public and School Librarians, develop strategies for an effective summer reading list and discuss other partnership possibilities.
Additional information on the programs is being sent to all school librarians.
The SED Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support is seeking individuals
who are interested in forming a work group to assist and provide input to the
ELA/ESL Panel as they rewrite the standards. They are looking for individuals
with demonstrated state-wide perspective, state-wide professional development
and experience in curriculum development. These individuals may or may not be
selected. This endeavor will require time and travel commitment. It does include
an honorarium.
Please send a letter of interest to John Brock at jbrock@mail.nysed.gov
and Joanne Shawhan at jshawhan@mail.nysed.gov.
The letter should include your expertise and background as well as the following
information:
Now available: new OCLC membership report - From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America
OCLC was awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to explore attitudes and perceptions about library funding and to evaluate the potential of a large-scale marketing and advocacy campaign to increase public library funding in the U.S. The findings of this research are now available in the latest OCLC report, From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America.
Among the findings from the report:
The report suggests that targeting marketing messages to the right segments of the voting public is key to driving increased support for U.S. public libraries. Marketing is a key component for support of all types of libraries.
Purchase a print copy of the report or download a free, electronic version at: http://www.oclc.org/reports/funding
More and more our students are influenced, stimulated and informed by myriad multimedia formats. As educators, how do we engage those students who, in a matter of minutes, can watch a video, text a friend and have a conversation with a friend all at the same time? Learn how today’s technologies – from calculators to the web, from music files to video streaming – can engage and teach a new generation of students.
With mounting standards and never ending assessments, teaching in today’s schools can be a challenging experience. This all-day workshop is about sharing digital media tools that make learning engaging and fun.
Topics include:
For questions regarding this activity, please contact Janet Jamal at jjamal@swboces.org.
Registration Deadline: September 12, 2008
The use of open-source software is dramatically changing the manner in which libraries manage their collections. Originally it was considered by those institutions who were on the “cutting edge” and had a knowledgeable programming staff. Today, through major initiatives and program development open source software has provided a viable and economic alternative for library automation.
The OPALS™ Open-source Automated Library System is a powerful cooperatively developed, web-based, open source program providing Internet access to information databases and library collections. Many schools, churches, businesses and Union collections with inter-library loan needs are successfully using OPALS™. There is no need to install software or purchase expensive computer hardware for this powerful Internet accessed system.
This workshop is an opportunity to expand participants’ technological knowledge and expertise for the next generation of library automation software.
Functionality includes:
For questions regarding this activity, please contact Janet Jamal at jjamal@swboces.org.
Registration Deadline: September 15, 2008
Are you ready to start a digital project but don’t know where to start? Check out the following class presented by Nylink.
Embarking on a Digital Project, a three part webinar to be held on September 26th, September 29th, and October 3rd at 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
For registration information click here: http://nylink.org/education/embark.cfm
Embarking on a digital project can be a daunting task. As with any project planning there are many steps to take. This multi-part webinar will take a blended learning approach to learning what steps need to be taken and how to take them. It will be part webinar, part assignments, sharing and a class wiki.
Topics covered include:
Related classes of interest:
9/25/08: CONTENTdm: Bringing Your Collection to the Next Level
10/10/08: Digital Project Management: A Quick Overview for Busy People
10/24/08: It's Better Out in the Open (Source): Build Your Digital Library With Greenstone
12/08/08: Out of the Dark and Into the Light: Using Historical Records in the Classroom
Check out all of their upcoming classes at: http://nylink.org/education/date.cfm
This year's Children's Literature Connection Fall 2008 Symposium which is sponsored by the Children’s Literature Connection, The English Department at Hudson Valley Community College and the Greater Capital Region Teacher’s Center with the theme, The Art of the Book, will encourage attendees to consider the many facets of the creative and practical creation of the literature we love, and utilize, so well. From the creator to the consumer, panelists will include Caldecott winning author/illustrator Mordicai Gerstein, book publicist Jen Brown, and other professionals involved in the design, editing, dissemination and use of the book.
Registration is $95.00 for CLC Members or $120.00 for Non-members. Lunch is included.
For directions, go to: www.hvcc.edu/campusmap/index.html
Free parking is available.
Online registration is available at http://www.teachercenter.org (follow directions to register – select course # 2925 Children's Literature Connection), or email CLC. (6 contact hours)
Don't miss this one-day symposium on Saturday October 25th! You can find more information at www.childrensliteratureconnection.org.
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offer vision for teaching and learning to guide school library media specialists as educational leaders. They will both shape the library program and serve as a tool for library media specialists to use to shape the learning of students in the school.
The learning standards begin by defining nine foundational common beliefs:
The Standards describe how learners use skills, resources, and tools to:
Ms. Berger will examine these Standards and work with participants to develop action plans for their implementation within the library media program.
For questions regarding this activity, please contact Janet Jamal at jjamal@swboces.org.
Registration Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2008
School and academic librarian nominations are open for Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.
Nominations for librarians in schools, colleges, community colleges and universities have begun for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. Administered by the American Library Association’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, the award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.
Nominations for school and academic librarians continue through October 15. All nominations are accepted electronically at www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian. Tools to help librarians promote the award are available through the "Publicity Tools" link.
Up to 10 librarians in public, school and academic libraries will be selected honored at a ceremony and reception in New York at The Times Center, hosted by The New York Times. Each winner also will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend the awards reception. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library.
Nominees will be judged by a selection committee based on quality of service to library users, demonstrated knowledge of the library and its resources and commitment shown in helping library users.
Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.
For more information, visit www.ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.
Nominations for the 3 Apples Book Award will begin in September this year. Nominations must be entered into the voting site by the end of October and then the 15 nominees for each of the awards will be announced in November. The Children's Choice Award is for students in 3rd - 6th grades and the Teen Choice Award is for students in 7th - 12th grades.
Please visit the 3 Apples website for more information at www.3applesbookaward.org
Wild Ones is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of natural landscaping with native plant species as an ecologically better alternative to traditional landscaping practices. Eligible applicants include schools, nature centers and other non-profit and not-for-profit places of learning including houses of worship. Project goals should focus on the enhancement and development of an appreciation for nature using native plants. Projects must emphasize involvement of students and volunteers and increase the educational value of the site. Creativity in design is encouraged, but must show complete and thoughtful planning. The use of and teaching about native plants and the native plant community is mandatory, and they must be appropriate to the local eco-region and the site conditions (soil, water, sunlight). Cash awards range from $100 to $500 for the purchase of native plants and seed. More information and the application are available on the web by going to http://www.for-wild.org/sfecvr.html.
Deadline: November 15, 2008
The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, Inc. is a charitable institute whose purpose is to assist organizations in their efforts to provide books to children who might otherwise lack access to children's literature.
Lois Lenski, the 1946 Newbery medalist for Strawberry Girl, had a life-long concern that good books be available to all children. In pursuit of this goal, she established a foundation to provide grants to public libraries, school libraries, and non-profit agencies serving disadvantaged populations.
The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, Inc. annually awards grants to rural and
urban, public and school libraries serving at-risk children. The Foundation
gives priority to applications from libraries and agencies with real need and
limited book budgets. Funds are earmarked for purchasing books for young people,
and are not intended for administrative or operational use. Previously awarded
grants have ranged from $500 to $3000. Successful applicants have proposed purchases
to update their children's book collections generally or to expand their holdings
in specific areas.
Visit http://www.loislenskicovey.org/
to find out how to apply.
Deadline: September 15, 2008
The Division of Public Programs at the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities funds humanities projects that are intended for broad public audiences at museums, libraries, historic sites and other historical and cultural organizations.
New application guidelines are now posted on the NEH Web site at http://www.neh.gov/.
Grants support interpretive exhibitions, reading or film discussion series, historic site interpretation, lecture series and symposia, and digital projects. NEH especially encourages projects that offer multiple formats and make creative use of new technology to deliver humanities content.
Applications will also be accepted for Interpreting America’s Historic Places (http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/IAHP_Planning.html) grants, which promote public understanding of American history through interpretation of significant American places.
Deadline: January 21, 2009
World Book and ALA announce the creation of the new World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award, a grant of $5,000 to a public and school library literacy program. The award is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries.
An eligible literacy program should focus on school library users or public library users who are likely to need the most help to obtain access to information, in print or digital form, and to evaluate the quality of the information available to them, especially information they may find outside the school library, school classroom, or public library. The ultimate goal should be to help people of all ages become effective users of information by fostering a better understanding of the research process. The two page application can be accessed online through the web by going to http://ala.org/ala/awardsbucket/worldbookaward/worldbookaward.cfm.
Deadline: December 1, 2008
The application for the 2009 AASL National School Library Media Program of the Year Award NSLMPY - is now available online for AASL member download and submission at http://acrl.org/ala/aasl/aaslawards/natlslmprogram/aaslnational.cfm
The deadline is January 2, 2009. The NSLMPY award honors school library media programs, at both a school and district level, that ensure students and staff are effective users of ideas and information.
For more information on the SLMPY Award, please visit the CI&IT School Library Services Grants and Awards Web page at: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/library/GrantsandAwards.htm
The Distribution to Underserved Communities Library Program (DUC) distributes books on contemporary art and culture free of charge to rural and inner-city libraries, schools and alternative reading centers nationwide. The program aims to actively further a more egalitarian access to contemporary art, and is committed to fostering partnerships between publishers, non-profit organizations, librarians and readers to enrich and diversify library collections. The program offers well over 490 titles by more than 90 different publishers. The program reaches readers in all 50 states and has placed over 200,000 free books in public libraries, schools, and alternative pedagogical venues. The DUC is a program of Art Resources Transfer, Inc., a non profit organization founded in 1987, that is committed to documenting and supporting artists' voices and work, and making these voices accessible to the broadest possible audience. For more info and how to order these free books visit them on the web by going to http://www.ducprogram.org/orderform.php.
The Kresge Foundation's mission is to strengthen organizations that advance the well-being of humanity. Eligible and past applicants include libraries. The Capital Challenge Grant Program is designed to support an organization’s immediate capital needs and to build its capacity to raise private support for the future. An organization applies to the Foundation after it has recruited campaign volunteers, secured leadership gifts, and developed firm project costs. A Kresge grant is awarded on a challenge basis. It is an “all or nothing” challenge and is usually one-third to one-fifth of the amount an organization has to raise to complete its campaign goal. For further information, go to: http://www.kresge.org/content/displaycontent.aspx?CID=89
Deadline: Ongoing
The Curriculum, Instruction and Instructional Technology Team of the New York State Department of Education has posted a Champlain/Hudson/Fulton Commemorations Online Resource at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/chf/chf.html to help local school districts celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Samuel de Champlain and Henry Hudson explorations, and the 200th anniversary of the launching of Robert Fulton’s steamboat, Clermont.
This online resource includes 10 standards-based, interdisciplinary elementary, middle and commencement level instructional modules, and 3 scholarly overviews that focus on the broad themes of encounter, trade and commerce. It also provides Strategies for Using the Champlain, Hudson, Fulton Online Resource that was designed to help local school districts infuse the modules into their local instructional programs.
For more information about NYSED resources on the Champlain/Hudson/Fulton Commemorations please contact:
Jo Ann Larson
Associate Social Studies Education
Office of Curriculum and Instruction
New York State Education Department
jlarson@mail.nysed.gov
A press release from PRNewswire (The entire press release can be found at http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/pbs-launches-online-education-community,452852.shtml) reported that PBS unveiled a new online community for preK-12 educators that supports the advancement of digital media content and technology integration in education. PBS Teachers Connect (www.pbsteachers.org/connect) provides teachers, school library media specialists, technology coordinators, early childhood educators and other education professionals with opportunities to share ideas, collaborate and support the effective use of instructional technology and multimedia to enhance student learning.
The new online community is built around PBS Teachers (www.pbsteachers.org),
the Web portal to the wide-ranging multimedia instructional resources and professional
development services PBS offers preK-12 educators. At no cost, educators can
search more than 3,000 standards-based classroom activities, lesson plans, interactive
resources and other materials on the PBS Teachers Web site, then easily bookmark,
annotate, share and manage their tagged content within the PBS Teachers Connect
community. Many of the resources feature PBS' award-winning programming and
content, including on-demand streaming video from select PBS programs.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has launched a new initiative to help reduce the growing presence of pharmaceuticals in water bodies in New York State. The "Don't Flush Your Drugs" campaign provides information about how to dispose of medicines properly to help prevent water quality problems in the future.
The DEC web site http://www.dontflushyourdrugs.net provides information and links to other sites. Important state documents from this site are collected in the New York State Library's digital document management system at http://purl.org/net/nysl/nysdocs/dontflushyourdrugs.
This notice is one in a series of regular announcements that the New York State Library is posting to NYLINE to improve access to New York State government information. These messages contain a brief description of a New York State document of interest and links to related online information.
The popular "Books From Bruce" program is now offering science and math book sets. Each of these sets contain books that help to teach science or math principles. These books are free. Educators only pay shipping and handling.
Bruce Larkin, the published author of over five-hundred early children's books including the extremely popular Larkin's Little Readers Series, donates 20,000 books per week to kindergarten through second grade students. There is no charge for these books. There is also no charge for shipping and handling. Individual teachers are encouraged to apply.
For more information on the "Books from Bruce" program or to apply for the donated books, please go to: http://www.wilbooks.com.
Wilbooks
1311 West Chester Pike
West Chester, Pa 19382
Phone: 610-436-8755
E-mail: info@wilbooks.com
School Library System, BOCES Southern Westchester, 2 Westchester Plaza, Elmsford, NY 10523
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