Report to Council and Executive Board July 1, 2009 Keith Michael
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EBD # 12.59 2008-2009 Report to Council and Executive Board July 1, 2009 Keith Michael Fiels Executive Director Remembering Judith F. Krug at ALA Annual Conference The Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) will be hosting a memorial service to honor and remember legendary founding director, Judith F. Krug. The service will take place on Friday, July 10, 2009 at 6:00 pm in the Grand Ballroom A at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on East Wacker Drive. In addition to the FTRF 40 th Anniversary Gala event, the Freedom to Read Foundation has established the Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund to sustain the work of the foundation. Donations to the fund may be made online at www.ftrf.org , or sent to the FTRF. $2 Million Gates Foundation Extension for Library Funding, Connectivity Study ALA has received a $2 million, three-year grant extension from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study. The grant covers the years 2009 through 2012. ALA Office for Research & Statistics Director Denise Davis will remain as project director, and John Carlo Bertot of the University of Maryland (UMCP) Center for Library & Information Innovation will continue to manage the Public Libraries and the Internet survey as part of the study. The study assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, and the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability. Through integrated quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study gathers information from libraries of all sizes and in every state and from state library agencies. The comprehensive 2008-2009 report will be published in September 2009. Most recently, data from the study has been used by the ALA and state library agencies to prepare for broadband stimulus funding as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In addition to publishing an annual report of findings, the ALA Office for Research & Statistics has used data from the report to create a series of issues briefs illustrating how public library technology supports e-government access, job seekers, and lifelong learning and education. Project detail is online at: www.ala.org/plinternetfunding the new @ your library Website In a cooperative effort between the Publishing and the Communications and Member Relations Departments, ALA has soft launched a new @ your library website for the public during National Library Week. The new website is a two-year pilot project funded by Carnegie Corporation of 1 New York and targets families/children/teens and underserved populations such as recent immigrants and job seekers. ALA is stocking the site with information on topics of broad general interest to the public, which will use interactive technology and social networking to stimulate library usage and raise public awareness of the library (public, school, academic, and special) as a valuable community resource. The new website is designed to work in tandem with the I Love Libraries website. Visit www.atyourlibrary.org and send feedback to Leonard Kniffel at American Libraries ([email protected] ). The site is jointly managed by the Public Programs Office. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act The Washington Office (WO) has been working to inform the library community and advocate on behalf of libraries to maximize the possibility of benefit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The WO continues to update www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus with all current information on the stimulus package. A major redesign of the web page will be completed by the end of June to make the information easier to find. The WO has also participated in several webinars for school libraries to understand how they can benefit from the stimulus funding. Those webinars, along with a recent screencast on the ARRA, can also be found on www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus . Bi-weekly calls continue for ALA chapters. The calls have been successful, with over 35 states participating in each call. The WO will continue these calls as long as they remain informative and relevant. The WO expects the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) on the broadband stimulus funding to be published by the end of June. After reviewing the NOFA, the WO will immediately host a conference call with ALA Chapters and Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) as well as posting relevant information on the stimulus Web site. In addition, the WO will host many opportunities at the annual conference in Chicago to educate ALA members on how to apply for funding. Book Links to Become Booklist Supplement Starting in October 2009, Book Links magazine will be published as a quarterly print supplement to Booklist , at no additional cost to subscribers, rather than as a stand-alone magazine. Book Links ’ editorial focus and original content, popular with tens of thousands of readers for almost 20 years, will continue to fulfill the mission of connecting children with books and related media. “Bringing Book Links and Booklist together in one package enhances what both publications offer to school librarians and media specialists, and to youth librarians in general,” according to Bill Ott, Booklist editor and publisher. This new supplement model offers all subscribers more content in one convenient package. Book Links content will also appear in Booklist Online , further enriching the site and database as a resource for school and youth librarians. The free e-newsletter Quick Tips will continue as Booklist ’s Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries , incorporating additional content from the youth section of Booklist . 2 ALA OFFICES ALA Publishing: ALA Editions Nine New Titles Published Since April 15 Implementing for Results: Your Strategic Plan in Action By Sandra Nelson for PLA A follow-up to the popular Strategic Planning for Results , this book helps librarians take the next step in implementing their strategic plans. The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, Second Edition By Joyce G. Saricks Well-known readers’ advisor Joyce Saricks offers reconsideration of the connections among genres, providing key authors and themes within 15 genres, an explanation of how the different genres overlap, and the elements of fiction most likely to entice readers. Licensing Digital Content: A Practical Guide for Librarians, 2nd Edition By Lesley Ellen Harris The revised second edition of this popular one-stop resource covers the basics of digital licensing for librarians in a plain-language approach that demystifies the process. Children's Literature Gems: Choosing and Using Them in Your Library Career By Elizabeth Bird With her strong passion for children’s books and the profession, Bird helps readers build and manage their children’s collections, strike a balance between award winners and classics, review the basics of storytime, storytelling, and booktalking and add the 100 children’s books that belong in every library. Tune Up to Literacy By Al Balkin Children's and school librarians will welcome Tune Up to Literacy , a handy package of music and activities that musically introduces and reinforces crucial literacy concepts. The Librarian’s Book of Quotes Compiled by Tatyana Eckstrand Tatyana Eckstrand has compiled nearly three hundred of the most insightful, thought-provoking, and inspiring aphorisms about the library profession. Inside, Outside, and Online: Building Your Library Community By Chrystie Hill Based on a scan of the community and technology environments within which libraries operate, related literature, and the practical experiences of hundreds of library staff actively building communities through their work, the book provides much-needed insights into the essential elements of community building Magic Search: Getting the Best Results from Your Catalog and Beyond 3 By Rebecca S. Kornegay, Heidi E. Buchanan, and Hildegard B. Morgan This book showcases how to increase the power of Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) subdivisions to produce astonishing results from your searches. Quick and Popular Reads for Teens By Pam Spencer Holley for YALSA Quick and Popular Reads for Teens compiles bibliographic information about the books honored by two annual YALSA lists, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers , consisting of recommended reading targeted at young adults who are not avid readers. Look for these on the New Products page of the new ALA Store. Further information about all ALA Editions titles is at www.alastore.ala.org . ALA Publishing: ALA Graphics New Catalog Now Available The newly designed ALA Graphics catalog is now available, and with it, a variety of new products. Posters featuring Llama Llama, Sluggers, and Gotham City characters from DC Comics have been added, as well as new celebrity READ posters featuring Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies and Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets. The high-profile and wildly popular Jonas Brothers have also joined the READ Campaign with a poster and bookmark . The trio of brothers is off to a strong start as the launch of the poster coincided with the release of their new album in early June. The green products line has been expanded to include a new organic cotton t-shirt featuring the “Read Renew Return” message. The new ALA Graphics catalog can be downloaded here , and all of the new products are available on the new products page . Information about all ALA Graphics products is at www.alastore.ala.org . To keep up with popular culture and other items directly related to ALA Graphics, follow ALA Graphics on Twitter! ALA Publishing: ALA Guide to Reference Guide to Reference continues to add new subscribers and is receiving positive feedback, such as this comment from Paul Signorelli of Paul Signorelli & Associates: “The 2009 online Guide to Reference is a magnificent successor to the previous print editions and reminds all of us how much reference has been changing via online resources.