SLIS Alumna Among Speakers at the Upcoming E-Government Seminar

Join your Florida library staff colleagues to learn more about the resources for locating legal information to assist library patrons with their search for justice in Florida Courts. The E-Government in Public Libraries: Legal Information and Resources for Librarians will include an introduction to a variety of websites as well as other sources of information. Find out more about legal aid resources in various regions of the state and how to find local resources for your patrons. These seminars will help build relationships that will improve communication between Florida public libraries and the Florida self-help legal aid community.

Speakers:

Whitney Curtis, Reference/Instructional Services Librarian at Stetson University College of Law
Dani Lichtenberg, Research and Information Services Manager at Palm Beach County Library System
Nancy Fredericks, E-Government Services Manager for Pasco County Public Library Cooperative and USF SLIS Alunna
Jimmy Midyette, Director of Statewide Technology for Florida Legal Services, Inc.

About the speakers:

Curtis, Lichtenberg and Fredericks represented Florida libraries at the January 2010 Conference on Public Libraries and Access to Justice held in Austin, Texas. Together with Midyette and Brown, they applied for a grant from the National Center for State Courts to tailor the information from the national conference to the needs of public librarians in Florida. Each seminar location will have additional guest speakers from the surrounding region.

Registration information:

West Central Florida
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay Library Consortium Headquarters
1202 Tech Boulevard, Suite 202
Tampa, Florida 33619
Register Here

For registration assistance, contact Vikki McLean at mcleanv@tblc.org or 813.622.8252, ext. 226.

North Florida
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
State Library and Archives of Florida
R.A. Gray Building
500 S. Bronough Street, Room 307
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250
Register Here

For registration assistance, contact Sena Heiman at sheiman@dos.state.fl.us or 850.245.6628.

Southeast Florida
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Southeast Florida Library Information Network
Nova Southeastern University
Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology
Center, Room 4009
3100 Ray Ferrero, Jr. Boulevard
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314
Register Here

For registration assistance, contact Lois Albertson at training@email.seflin.org or 877.733.5460, ext. 224.

For more information about upcoming workshops please visit here or contact Karen Clinton Brown, State Library and Archives of Florida Library Program Specialist for E-Government, at kcbrown@dos.state.fl.us or 850.245.6633.

For more information about upcoming workshops please visit here or contact Karen Clinton Brown, State Library and Archives of Florida Library Program Specialist for E-Government, at kcbrown@dos.state.fl.us or 850.245.6633.

This program is funded by the National Center for State Courts administered by the Friends of the State Library and Archives of Florida, Inc.

Additional funding is provided under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State, State Library and Archives of Florida.
-VTZ

Food for thought from TBLC Strategic Reality Check

TBLC hosted a "Strategic Reality Check" workshop at Fruitville Library on Monday, May 17, 2010. The workshop was led by professional library consultants George Needham and Joan Frye Williams. This was an opportunity for area library professionals to examine ways they might reassess the success with which their libraries were serving patrons. The idea was to do so without scrapping missions and strategic plans and other long-range, expensive and time-consuming initiatives.

There were concerns about user friendliness and some novel ideas exchanged during the process. One of these was offered by a Pinellas County librarian who explained a novel acquisitions effort underway at her library. She explained that they'd observed an approximate waiting list number which, when reached, made waiting for bestsellers unattractive. At this point, patrons were more inclined to go by the book at a bookseller than to wait for a library copy. Their solution was to offer patrons the opportunity to purchase the book they sought on behalf of the library with the privilege of being the first to borrow it. They might then take a tax deduction for donating the book. A piece of the library's acquisitions budget would then be freed for other purposes.

Another burgeoning concept with possible wider implications was outlined by Mr. Needham and Ms. Frye Williams. They asked participants to list major life passages such as retirement, starting a family, battling cancer, going to college, etc. They proposed the possibility of organizing the physical (and electronic) collections under these headings and explained that a public library in Europe was already working with it.

Finally, one small observation had to do with the hoops we require patrons to jump through in order to obtain a library card. This one might or might not have an easy fix to it. If we're able to (and accustomed to) easily establish a user account at the web site of a commercial enterprise and retrieve lost passwords easily at these places, why then do we require potential library users to show up with photo ID in person along with proof of their physical address in order to use the public library? Someone moving to a new town may possibly have a more difficult time obtaining a library card than they would changing over their drivers' license.

Thanks to TBLC for access to this food for thought.

[AB, 5/25/2010]

USF SLIS Student Bill Harris leading TBLC Workshop

On June 15th at 9:30am, TBLC will have a workshop called "Teens Don't INTEND to Ruin Your Day". Megan Danak and Bill Harris are leading this workshop. The description is below:

Do you find yourself looking at the clock and thinking, "Oh no, school's out- those teenagers will be here soon..."? Don't let the after-school rush bring you headaches and dread! Teenagers don't act the way they do to be spiteful, they act that way because their brains are not yet fully developed.

Learn how adolescent development affects teen behavior and how you can help make their library experiences positive, both for teens and staff. After all, teens are customers too.

Sylvia Martinez is USF SLIS's newest ALA Spectrum Scholar

This workshop is FREE for USF students. It is a great opportunity for you to see how the teen brain works and some programming ideas which help positively develop your teens into adults.

You can view and register for all of the TBLC workshops at the following link: http://www.tblc.org/ws_classes.php#firstMatch

Please don't forget that all TBLC workshops are FREE for students.

-BH

Dr. Cora P. Dunkley and the Coretta Scott King Award Jury. ALA 2010.

Dr. Cora P. Dunkley serves on the 2011 jury for the Coretta Scott King Book Award. She and Dr. Henrietta M. Smith, Professor Emerita, editor of the The Coretta Scott King Awards, 1970-2009, 4th ed., will participate in the CSK Celebration in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday June 29, 2010.

Given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, the Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream of a pluralistic society.

The award is designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.
-KdlPMc

Dr. Vicki L. Gregory at ALA as COA Chair [PRISM,Spring 2010]

Presiding: Dr. Vicki L. Gregory.

The Committee on Accreditation is presenting another program in a series to help members of the profession better understand the issues behind accreditation. The program will be held at ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, June 27, 4:00pm - 5:30pm,

Dr. Vicki L. Gregory, Chair, ALA Committee on Accreditation, and Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of South Florida:
Accreditation or certification?

Accreditation and certification can easily be confused. Broadly defined, accreditation is for the program while certification is for the individual. Back in my administrator days when I was hiring librarians, I remember how an applicant's work or research record might cause me to wonder what the LIS program from which they graduated had been doing or (mostly) not doing. Accreditation cannot ensure, nor is it intended to be a method of ensuring, that every student who graduates from an accredited program will be a great librarian or information professional. Read more in PRISM,

-KdlPMc

"Standing up and Sitting in: Libraries and Social Change."- K. McCook to speak at Anthropology and Sociology Section (ACRL).

Standing up and Sitting in: Libraries and Social Change

Sunday, June 27, 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Washington Conference Center, Room 151B
Sponsored by the Anthropology and Sociology Section (ACRL)

Libraries have long promoted social causes and supported social movements, like the fight for civil rights and the women's movement. And librarians are working to both preserve this grassroots history and to educate their communities about today's social issues. For this program, activists, historians, librarians and other creative thinkers will discuss their research and involvement in promoting civic engagement and human rights, inviting conversation about how librarians can become engaged in social movements.

Speakers:
Kathleen de la Pena McCook, Distinguished University Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of South Florida; Cheryl Knott Malone, Associate Professor, School of Information Resources and Library Science, University of Arizona; John Feffer, Writing Fellow, Provisions Library; Moderator, Annie C. Paprocki, Anthropology and Sociology Librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.


Bibliography. pdf flyer is here.

And breakfast will be provided!

Hope to see you there,
Rebecca Blakeley
Member, ANSS 2010 Conference Program Planning Committee

--
Rebecca M. Blakeley, M.L.I.S.
Government Documents Department Head
Frazar Memorial Library, McNeese State University
Box 91445 Lake Charles, LA 70609
Work (337) 475-5740 / Cell (337) 244-1198
reblakeley@mcneese.edu / reblakeley@gmail.com
http://library.mcneese.edu/depts/docs/index.htm
A democratic society depends on an informed
and educated citizenry. ~ Thomas Jefferson
...the librarian of the future must be a
revolutionary...If Librarians are not
revolutionaries they have little future.
~ Peter Murray Rust

All Aboard for National Train Day!

On Saturday, May 8, 2010, historic Tampa Union Station welcomed approximately 1,500 visitors and participants in honor of National Train Day 2010. Sponsored by Amtrak, National Train Day celebrates America's love for trains with events across the country. This year marked the third annual celebration with large-scale, family-friendly events that provided opportunities to explore interactive, educational exhibits that brought to life the rich narrative of how trains have transformed America and will continue to do so in the future. The event at Tampa Union Station was one of many which were happening simultaneously around the country. More than 140 local celebrations took place in 2009 and Amtrak expected even more in 2010.

The celebration marked the 141st anniversary of connecting travelers coast to coast and commemorated the day the first transcontinental railroad was created. On May 10, 1869, in Promontory Summit, Utah, the golden spike was driven into the final tie that joined 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways, transforming America by creating the nation's first transcontinental railroad.

Historic Tampa Union Station was constructed in 1912 to combine the passenger operations of the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Tampa Northern railroads at a single site. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a City of Tampa landmark, the station was restored in 1998. The station continues to serve Tampa's citizens and visitors as a key stop on Amtrak's New York to Miami route. More than 100,000 passengers use this terminal each year.

Event participants included: Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library/Burgert Brothers Photograph Collection, Tampa Bay History Center, Operation Lifesaver, Florida Railroad Museum, the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers, City of Tampa Historic Preservation and Urban Design, National Association of Railroad Passengers, Tampa Preservation, Inc., St. Petersburg Museum of History, and Friends of Tampa Union Station, and others.

National Train Day in Tampa was sponsored by the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers, Friends of Tampa Union Station, the National Association of Railroad Passengers, the City of Tampa, and Amtrak.
- VTZ
~AKL.

USF SLIS Alumna Cecelia Solomon: From FAME to AASL

Cecelia Solomon graduated with a MA in Library and Information Science from USF in 1987. She has been a Media Specialist in middle schools for many years and enjoyed it (yes, middle school!). Her enthusiasm for the possibilities that media specialists (or school librarians, as she prefers to be called) can provide to students, teachers, and staff made her play an active role in professional organizations.

Solomon is the 2009-2010 president of Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME,) the school media specialists' association for the state of Florida. And she has just been elected as the Director for Region V in the American Association of School Librarians (AASL)'s recent elections.

"This is an exciting time for our profession. Digital resources, the learning commons, the cloud, and the world beyond our library walls,... Being a representative in AASL, giving a hand to new practitioners, and encouraging and supporting all school librarians to reach their best is how I want to give back" said Solomon during ALA Midwinter in Boston, this past January 2010.

The USF SLIS congratulates this distinguished alumna and is proud of her active participation in the development of professional school librarians.
~AKL.

Spring 2010 Graduation Reception

TOver a dozen SLIS spring 2010 graduates along with their families and friends gathered together with SLIS faculty and staff on Saturday, May 8th to celebrate their graduation. The graduation reception took place in the CIS building atrium from 2:30 - 4:00 pm prior to the 6 pm commencement ceremony at the USF Sun Dome. Director Dr. Jim Andrews, Assistant Director and Instructor Diane Austin, Distinguished University Professor Dr. Kathleen de la Pena McCook, Associate Professor Dr. Cora Dunkley, Assistant Professors Dr. JungWon Yoon, Dr. Debra Slone and Dr. Derrie Perez, Instructor Rich Austin and Office Manager Dina Castellon welcomed all of the attendees to the event, which culminated with a traditional graduation picture that is taken of all the graduates and faculty members in attendance on the atrium stairs. Some fellow students, Bill Harris, Jeffrey Austin, and Lana Brand, as well as Sarah Austin came out to the event to volunteer their time for the event and help congratulate the graduates. View more pictures from the event here.

~JV

SLIS Student LaWanda Williams Gets CNN Internship

SLIS student LaWanda Williams has been accepted for a three-month internship at CNN! LaWanda will be working 20 hours per week from June 7 through August 13, 2010, as part of the Students@Work Internship Program in Atlanta, Georgia.

The program is meant to provide college students with job experience. The internship will provide a great opportunity to learn various aspects of librarianship and television production in CNN's fast-paced library. In the CNN library internship, interns will:

* Learn how to complete information requests for library patrons through internet and database research.

* Learn how to complete video requests for library patrons by searching the library's catalog.

* Create library records for archived tapes and appropriately index the records for future retrieval.

* Contribute ideas and compile content for the DC Bureau's Library intranet site.

* Develop an instructional classes for the bureau.

* Create research guides and pathfinders to market the library's resources.

Internships are also available at other Turner Broadcasting companies, including TBS International, Turner Entertainment Networks, Turner Sports, and others.

Best of luck to you LaWanda!

-sdg and JV

SLIS Directors, Past and Present

SLIS Directors, Past and Present at Facebook.

SLIS Alum Honored as Outstanding Beginning Professional

The Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA) is pleased to announce South Central Kansas Library System's Tom Taylor as the recipient of the 2010 MPLA Beginning Professional Award. Taylor received his Master of Library Science degree from University of South Florida in 2008. He also has a Bachelor's degrees in history from Bethel College.

Taylor is the Continuing Education Coordinator for the South Central Kansas Library System. He has developed and instituted programs to help librarians meet current economic challenges including meeting the increasing needs of job seekers. He is frequently involved in orientation and training programs.

Co-nominator Gail Niles Stucky, Bethel College Library, commented that Taylor is "without a doubt, a fine professional whose career path clearly demonstrates his commitment to the effective practice of librarianship."

MPLA is a twelve state, regional association for librarians, library paraprofessionals, and friends. Its purpose is to promote the development of librarians and libraries by providing significant educational and networking opportunities.
~JV

"Public Librarianship" in Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences

Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences

Public Librarianship