Info Newsletter Index

SIS INFO
Vol. 18, No. 3
March 2004

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 8, 2004, at 6 p.m.
(Prior to Alice G. Smith Lecture at USF)

(All visitors to the campus must go through the visitor parking office which is at the main entrance to the campus, off of Fowler Avenue. The office will provide you with a map and directions.)

PROGRAM: SIS will have a business meeting during the reception, starting at 6 p.m., for the Alice G. Smith Lecture, which is sponsored by the USF School of Library and Information Science. The program will also include presentation of the Jean Key Gates Distinguished Alumni Award, and the induction of new members to Beta Phi Mu. The program begins at 7 p.m.

GUEST LECTURER:   Samantha K. Hastings, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the University of North Texas, 2004 President of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, and Fellow of the Texas Center for Digital Knowledge.

 ***The SIS Board had identified digitalization as a topic for a program this year. Because such a notable expert is to address this topic on the date of our next scheduled members' meeting, we elected to postpone the Family Network on Disabilities of Florida (FNDFL) program. It will be rescheduled. Many thanks to Beverly DeStories of FNDFL for working with us.***

Positive Relationships for Productive Library Assignments

In a recent article, SIS Board member Alicia Ellison, Librarian at Hillsborough Community College/Ybor City Campus, advises non-library faculty on how to work with their librarian colleagues. The article appears in Innovation Abstracts Volume XXVI, No. 7: http://dell4hied.com/nisod/pdf/pdf_150.pdf?PHPSESSID=a0f19a862512dafd3503c8b9cb647546 

Innovation Abstracts (ISSN 0199106X) is published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin.

Past Meeting: February 11, 2004, Jan Platt Regional Library (Tampa). 

Topic: "One Community, One Book" Programs - with Roberta Whipple and Patrice Koerper

Old Business

Betsy King provided the Treasurer’s report. It’s past membership renewal time. If you haven’t yet paid your $5 dues, send them to:

Suncoast Information Specialists
c/o Betsy King
CAE, Library, MS-214
4908 Tampa West Blvd
Tampa, FL 33634

Karen Wilber reported on the SIS Officers’ planning meeting on January 26th. We’re working on providing programs on the Family Network Center in Pinellas County, digitization projects, libraries at museums, and career alternatives. Dates will be posted on the SIS website as they are confirmed.

New Business

Wanda Barrett submitted a request to the email list that SIS pass a resolution in support of funding county law libraries in our state. A sample resolution is available at the Miami-Dade County Law Library website: http://www.mdcll.org/html/savemdcll.htm. Wanda was asked to provide further information to the group.

One Community, One Book Programs

Patrice Koerper, Public Relations and Partnership Coordinator, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, opened the program with the story of their One Community, One Book program. Last year’s successful program featured Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. THPL promoted reading this classic YA book as a family activity.

This year, the March 2004 program will feature Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Anna in the Tropics, set in Tampa's Ybor City in 1929. Anna is the story of a lector who reads Anna Karenina to cigar factory workers and how this great work of literature affects the lives of his listeners. Patrice shared the dramatic story of waiting for the script to be published in book form, of visiting New York to attend the play and bring gifts to the cast, and of meeting Nilo Cruz, who was not only flattered to have his play chosen, but also agreed to come to Tampa in March. His itinerary includes programs at USF Tampa and the Centro Asturiano (March 4th at 6 p.m.)

Roberta Whipple, Director, St. Pete Beach Public Library, followed with an account of her involvement with the St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading and One Bay, One Book. Roberta had been involved with book discussions at the Times Festival of Reading since 1999. She, and Seminole Community Library Director Mike Bryan, examined bringing the One Community One Book concept to the Bay area. This program originated in Seattle and had been adopted by cities like Chicago. They worked with the Times Book Editor, Margo Hammond, to develop and promote a program in 2002. Thus One Bay One Book was born. The selected work, Killing Mr. Watson, was the focus of book discussions and programming throughout the month of October. The culminating event was the appearance of Peter Matthiessen at the Times Festival where he spoke to a standing-room only crowd.

Last year’s book, The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe, coincided with several space exploration anniversaries and was chosen in response to the Columbia disaster. Roberta obtained funds from the Florida Humanities Council to publish study guides for both books. This year’s book and author is, as yet, unannounced, but will again be planned in conjunction with the Times Festival. Residents of St. Pete Beach will be invited to join a summer 2004 "beach read" program featuring John D. McDonald’s Condominium.

Finally, ideas to reflect on … from the panelists

• Promote what your product is – literature and reading. THPL’s goal is to become the premier literary organization in the county.
• You have to have staff interest for a successful program – have contests and giveaways and communicate with staff about the program
• Cultivate contacts and allies – communicate, share, thank, and give them something in return
• Define your program so that you can easily explain it to the media and community

The group disbanded around 8:20 p.m. See you at the April 8 meeting.

Respectfully submitted,
Karen Wilber
SIS Secretary

An Invitation to Publish

If you would like to submit articles for future newsletters (a great way to communicate with local colleagues in all types of libraries!), please e-mail me at aliciae@tampabay.rr.com. Thanks! - Alicia Ellison, Editor