TBLC News

***SAVE THE DATE!***
Friday, November 7, 2008
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Crowne Plaza
10221 Princess Palm Ave.
Tampa, FL 33610

We are thrilled to announce that Michael Stephens, Ph.D., will be the keynote speaker at this year’s annual meeting. Michael writes Tame the Web, a blog about libraries, technology and people, and how they intersect. He also collaborates with Michael Casey on The Transparent Library, a monthly Library Journal column about how to bring the concepts of Library 2.0 into the library. Michael is assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill.

Be sure to visit Tame the Web to find out more about Michael and his musings. And leave a comment if you’re feeling inspired!

More details coming soon.

The first PLA Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award will be given to North Carolina’s Durham County Library on Monday, June 30, 2008, from 5-6:30 p.m., at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.

The PLA Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award honors the life and accomplishments of John Iliff, early adopter and champion of technology in public libraries, and recognizes the contributions of a library worker, librarian, or library that has used technology and innovative thinking as a tool to improve services to public library users.  The purpose is to encourage innovative user-oriented thinking and practical solutions using technologies old and new.  The award provides a $1,000 honorarium, a plaque, and a bouquet of roses for the workplace. The cash award honors the recipient’s efforts, while the roses sent to the work place honor the environment that helped nurture the recipient’s innovation.  Sponsored by Polaris.

The American Library Association (ALA) 2009 Nominating Committee is soliciting nominees to run on the 2009 spring ballot for the offices of ALA President-elect and Councilor-at-large.

The Nominating Committee will select two candidates to run for President-elect and no fewer than 50 candidates for the 33 at-large Council seats to be filled in the 2009 spring election.

The President-elect will serve a three-year term: as President-elect in 2009-2010, as President in 2010-2011 and as Immediate Past President in 2011-2012.

The Councilors-at-large will serve three-year terms, beginning after the 2009 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2012 Annual Conference.

The ALA President and Councilors also serve in corresponding roles in the ALA-Allied Professional Association [ALA-APA].  Individuals considering ALA-APA office are encouraged to consult with their employer regarding any restrictions regarding lobbying activities or service on the governing body of a 501(c)6 organization.

ALA members who wish to make nominations should submit the following information: nominee name; present position; institution; address; telephone; fax; and e-mail address.  All potential nominees must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form available at https://cs.ala.org/potentialcandidates. The database will be available June 2, 2008.   Nominations and forms must be received no later than Sept. 1, 2008.   Self-nominations are encouraged. 

Nominations also may be sent to any member of the 2009 Nominating Committee.  Committee members are:  Susan S. DiMattia, chair, consultant, DiMattia Associates, Stamford, Conn., sdimattia@optonline.net; Rose T. Dawson, acting director, Alexandria (Va.) Library, rdawson@alexandria.lib.va.us; Timothy P. Grimes, manager, Community Relations and Marketing, Ann Arbor (Mich.) District Library, grimest@aadl.org; Susan Hildreth, state librarian, California State Library, Sacramento, Calif., shhildreth@comcast.net; Corinne M. Hill, collection development manager, Denton (Texas) Public Library; cmhill@cityofdenton.com; Pamela Spencer Holley, writer, consultant, Hallwood, Va., pamsholley@aol.com; Jo Ellen Priest Misakian, interim dean/School of Education, Fresno Pacific University, Fresno, Cailf., jmisakian@fresno.edu; Daniel O. O’Connor, professor, Rutgers University School of Communication Information & Library Studies, New Brunswick, N.J.; oconnor@scils.rutgers.edu ; and Thomas C. Wilson, associate dean, Library Technology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, tcwilson@ua.edu.

To encourage diversity and leadership development, the Committee will refrain from nominating any current councilors for election to another term. 

However, the Committee encourages all current councilors who wish to continue their service to the ALA to file as petition candidates.  Petitions will be available from Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, Council Secretariat, ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611, e-mail: lgregory@ala.org, or during the 2008 Annual Conference or 2009 Midwinter Meeting.  Petitions require 25 signatures for names to be included on the 2009 ballot.

The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting applications for the 2009 class of Emerging Leaders.  Applications can be found at http://cs.ala.org/hrdr/emergingleaders/.

The deadline to apply is July 31.

The program is designed to enable more than 100 new librarians to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership.  Participants are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers and get an inside look into ALA structure and activities.

An ALA division, round table, ethnic affiliate, state chapter or AASL Affiliate will sponsor approximately one-third of the selected applicants.  Each sponsor will contribute $1000 towards expenses ($500 for each conference).  To be sponsored, apply directly to your division, chapter or round table on the application.  A list of sponsoring units is included as part of the online application. You can also check with your state association and/or state chapter to find out how to apply for their sponsorship.

Sponsorship is not required for participation in the program.  In order to be eligible for participation in the program, those selected must meet the following criteria:

1. Be under 35 years of age or be a new librarian of any age with fewer than five years post-MLS experience, and
2. Have a recent MLS degree from an ALA or NCATE accredited program or be in an MLS program currently, and
3. Be able to attend both ALA conferences and work virtually in between each, and
4. Be prepared to commit to serve on an ALA, Division, Chapter or Round Table committee, taskforce or workgroup upon completion of program, and
5. Be an ALA member or join upon selection if not already a member.

Program information will be available and updated at: wikis.ala.org/emergingleaders.  For questions or more information regarding the program, contact Beatrice Calvin at bcalvin@ala.org.

National Library Workers Day (April 15) is fast approaching! It’s not too late to nominate your favorite library employee as an NLWD Star. By submitting Stars, dozens of library staff, users, administrators and friends groups have already shown the world how library workers are crucial to their respective communities. Stars will also be entered into a drawing for a “Libraries Work Because We Do” t-shirt or tote bag.

Nominees include Joan, who is chronicling the February tragedy at Northern Illinois University; Karen, who works at a school library in Alabama and creates a MARC record that is a work of art; Bujar, an academic librarian in Albania who is one of four librarians to serve 110,000 students; La Fawn at a public library in Virginia who is “like a box of chocolates, but in a good way,” with the clever solutions she finds; Dianna at a special library in California, who may be our most celebrated Star and invites aeronautical retirees in to speak to “young’uns” about space propulsion; and storyteller Mr. Tom at a public library in Florida, who is treated like a rock star by two generations. You may even find your own favorite librarian.

To further recognize these employees’ contributions, ALA-APA will hold a raffle on April 15. Twenty Stars will receive a “Libraries Work Because We Do” t-shirt or tote bag.

ALA-APA is also interested in libraries that are helping their workers become healthier, like the San Antonio Public Library, which participates in the city’s Steps to a Healthier San Antonio initiative. The director, Ramiro Salazar encourages staff to walk and run. Talk about what your is library doing.

If you haven’t figured out how you’ll celebrate, join the celebration in Second Life on the ALA Island, where your avatar can grab a NLWD t-shirt and do a little tai-chi in recognition of workplace wellness at http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/128/107/29/. First Life ideas can be found on the NLWD site - http://www.ala-apa.org/about/ideas.html.

NLWD is sponsored by ALA-APA: the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees, which advocates for improving the salaries and status of librarians and support staff.

About a month ago, SOLINET announced that the boards of SOLINET and PALINET are investigating a possible merger of the two networks. 

Solinet is scheduling Town Hall meetings around the region and invite each of you to attend one or more meetings. At each meeting, they will overview the latest information and have an open forum for discussion. SOLINET Board members will attend many of the meetings and will share their vision and rationale for the merger.  

Important: Please email Laura Crook with your name and institution and the session you wish to attend if you are interested in any of the following dates.  Sessions in Florida are:

• April 24: Florida Library Association meeting, St. Petersburg, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Compass Room, Tradewinds Beach Resort and Conference Center
• April 30: NEFLIN, Orange Park, FL, 10 a.m. - Noon, NEFLIN Headquarters
• May 2: SEFLIN Meeting, Singer Island, FL (For meeting attendees only. No additional registrations accepted.)

Solinet will also continue to share updates through the new SOLINET blog dedicated to merger-related discussion and will continue to post online the FAQs submitted by members. Please check the list and submit your own questions. 

Throughout the spring, Solinet will continue to discuss this proposal. The Board plans to vote in May on whether to recommend a vote by Governing members to approve the merger. With the Board’s approval, the proposal will go to a vote by Governing members by June 30, 2008.  Please use one or more of these effective tools to stay informed and participate in this process.

We’ve been talking about Library 2.0 for a while now, and there are so many great new technologies out there. But which ones will work for your library? How do you decide whether or not you should implement something? What is the benefit of these new technologies for your library?

Join us to discuss these issues with your library colleagues. The group will include librarians who have already implemented some of these technologies and can discuss the pros and cons, and also those who are still just considering what to do. Learn what worked for others and what may or may not work for you.

Date:   05/14/2008
Time:   9:30 a.m. to noon 
Cost:   FREE 
Location:   TBLC, 1202 Tech Blvd. Suite 202, Tampa, FL 33619

Click here for more information or to attend this discussion.

In celebration of the sixth anniversary of the Spoonfuls of Stories® program, Cheerios® will be distributing 100,000 children’s books by John Lithgow to programs serving children in need across the country.

YOU can help decide where the books will be donated by answering trivia questions from now through Sunday, June 15, 2008. Every correct answer counts as one vote, so the more questions you answer correctly, the more votes you cast. Cheerios will donate 20,000 children’s books to programs in each of the five states that receive the most votes.

Cheerios’ nonprofit partner First Book will be identifying programs that will receive the books in each state where the books will be donated.  To be eligible to receive books from this special donation:

• Programs must be registered with First Book (http://register.firstbook.org).
• At least 80% of the children the programs serve must be from low-income families.  

Please note: This challenge will benefit local community and nonprofit programs serving low-income families. Schools, school-based programs, and PTA programs are not eligible to receive books through this particular challenge. If you are a school, school-based group, or related program, please visit http://register.firstbook.org to register to receive updates about future First Book distributions.

To learn more about how to receive books through this challenge, please visit http://register.firstbook.org.

Communication Skills that Bring Real Results: 
A Toolkit for Library Managers

Program Description
The symposium will directly address two key skill sets that are indispensable for professional leaders: (1) The Art and Practice of Asking Effective Questions, and (2) The Nine Key Ground Rules to foster productive workplace conversations that lead to satisfying and rewarding interaction among library staff at all levels.  The Institute will be directed toward Library Middle Managers – library directors, branch managers, or department heads.

The combination of instruction and practice sessions will give each participant an introduction to the practical skills identified that will be of immediate use to them when working in any group situation.  Everyone will have the opportunity to learn about each skill or tool and to discuss its potential usefulness in small group settings.  Everyone will gain experience in actually using the skills by practicing together.  Tasks will focus on existing challenges in the library work environment.  The instructor will provide examples and descriptions of each tool or skill and will give suggestions for additional resources.
 
Presenter: Lou Wetherbee & Associates LLC
Lou Wetherbee is a library consultant based in Dallas, Texas, and has extensive experience in academic and public libraries, library networks, and the nonprofit sector.  She is an expert on the organizational implications of emerging technologies for libraries and specializes in the re-design of library services in the electronic environment.  Lou has assisted numerous client organizations to devise innovative strategies and practical solutions to address uncommon challenges.  She is a frequent seminar and conference speaker in the area of emerging technologies, library resource sharing, and library leadership development.
 
Dates and Locations
June 2, 2008  (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Broward County Library/North Regional Library
Meeting Room 154
1100 Coconut Creek Blvd.
Coconut Creek, FL  33066 
 
June 3, 2008  (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Winter Park Public Library
460 E. New England Ave.
Winter Park, FL 32789 
 
June 5, 2008  (9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Tallahassee Community College
444 Appleyard Dr.
Tallahassee, FL 32304  
 
Online Registration
State Library and Archives of Florida Middle Management Symposiums

Fee
There is no registration fee to attend the symposiums.

Congratulations to the FLA award winners for 2008. Award presentations will be at the closing session of the FLA conference, April 25, 2008, at the Tradewinds Resort Hotel in St. Pete Beach.

Libraries in bold are TBLC members. Congrats!!

Library of the Year Award - Pasco County Library System, Linda Allen, Director
Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award - Clearwater Public Library System, Barbara Pickell, Director
Leader of the Year Award - Bradley Ward, NEFLIN, Executive Director
Chavez-Herndandez Libraries Change People’s Lives Award - Kathleen Mayo, Lee County Library System (new this year)
Trustees and Friends Award - Bettye Stevens Coney, Leesburg Friends of the Library
Public Library Web Site Award, Osceola Library System, Edward Kilroy, Director

Friends, Foundations & Boards Member Group Awards:
Special Projects Award - Friends of the Elsie Quirk Library (Sarasota County)
Outstanding Program Award - Friends of the Bloomingdale Regional Library (Hillsborough County)
Newsletter of the Year, Friends of South County Regional Library (Lee County)