Governor Rick Scott’s Recommendations for Library Funding

On Thursday afternoon Governor Scott published his 2013-14 budget recommendations for the legislature to consider in the coming Regular Session.

§  State Aid to Public Libraries – The Governor recommends $20,235,401 for State Aid. This is $1,064,599 less than the current appropriation of $21.3 million and is the amount requested by the Secretary of State. The recommendation represents the minimum in state funds now needed to qualify for federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding. When LSTA funding was reduced, the state’s funding requirement was reduced as well.  The library community will be working hard to persuade Florida legislators to increase the State Aid appropriation.

§  Library Cooperative Funding – Governor Scott recommends $1 million for Library Cooperative Grants. These funds are used by Florida’s multitype library cooperatives to support resource sharing among Florida libraries.  Governor Scott had vetoed Library Cooperative funding for the current year so the library cooperatives and libraries that rely on them for services are particularly appreciative of Governor Scott’s support for 2013-14 funding.

§  Florida Virtual Campus – Governor Scott recommends $23,927,294 for the Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) which supports university and college library automation and licensed electronic resources.  This is an increase of $447,877 over the current year’s allocation of $23,497,417.  The FLVC provides distance learning and academic advising as well as college and university library services.

The Florida Library Community thanks Governor Scott for his appreciation of the value of library services enjoyed by Floridians and his continued support for library funding!

Be part of the Florida Library Association's Library Day at the Legislature on Tuesday, March 12.  Register at http://www.flalib.org/library_day_2013.php 

Handheld Librarian Online Conference. August 15-16th!

The Handheld Librarian Online Conference is excited to present nine hours of non-stop, blockbuster presentations on eBooks, social media, engaged users, mobile instruction, games, and technology tools. With keynotes from Lee Rainie & Ellyssa Kroski, and presenters from all over library land, and a second day of essential workshops on the state of the eReader lead by Sue Polanka & jQuery Mobile with Chad Mairn and Jason A. Clark.

Check out our jam-packed program including noted speakers Boyhum Kim, Iman Moradi, Robin Ashford, Bree Kirsch, Earnestine Adeyemoun, Willie Miller and David Lee King This is a not to be missed conference!

Can’t be there for the whole day? You will have access to the Archive to view after the conference. Individuals can Register for Conference Only (Aug. 15, 2012) - US $65, Register for Conference (Aug. 15, 2012) and Workshops (Aug. 16, 2012) (add $35 each workshop). Reduced pricing is available on the website for groups.

 REGISTER NOW for the August 15 conference and August 16 workshops at: http://handheldlibrarian.org

2012 FLA Award Nominations Opportunity

Recognize your library, staff and library supporters:

Nominate them for a FLA Award

Nominations are due February 1, 2012

Does your library get the recognition that you and your staff so richly deserve? Why don’t you nominate a program, service or person for one or more of the Florida Library Association’s (FLA) Awards? Let local, state and national leaders know about the difference your library makes in people’s lives.

Application: http://www.flalib.org/awards.php. You do need to be a Florida Library Association member to submit a nomination, but you may nominate non-members.

FLA has a variety of awards you could win. Awards honoring individuals include the:

• Outstanding Citizen Library Award
• Friends, Foundations and Boards Outstanding Member Award
• Librarian of the Year Award

Other awards recognize special programs and services and include the:

• Exemplary Learning Design Award
• Library Innovation Award
• Library Web Site Award
• Libraries Mean Business Award
• Library of the Year

Visit the Florida Library Association website to see a complete list of the awards as well as last year’s winners.

The deadline for nominations is February 1, 2012.

For more information about these awards contact Sandy Newell at Sandy.Newell@DOS.MyFlorida.com or 850.245.6624. Sandy chairs the FLA Awards Committee and is the public library administration consultant with the Office of Community Development in the Division of Library and Information Services

Handheld Librarian VI Online Conference February 1-2, 2012

Join the Handheld Librarian conference once again for what will be an intense online professional development opportunity for librarians who love technology!

Mobile solutions for libraries that work!

The 6th Handheld Librarian conference is a place where interested librarians bring their tools and strategies to the learning scene. The conference will feature professional development for librarians by librarians. This is the grass-roots nature of this highly successful program. Handheld Librarian VI will build on the success of prior conferences in which an array of presenters share their experiences and insights on topics addressing themes such as e-books, location-based social networking, lending devices, reference and mobile technologies impacting society. You can see the quality of the content by looking through past archives. Their exciting one day conference, February 1, will feature presentations from your peers, along with two keynotes from respected thought leaders in the library world.

Michael Stephens, Assistant Professor in the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University, will address the conference in the morning. His research focuses on use of emerging technologies in libraries and technology learning programs. He currently writes the monthly column “Office Hours” in Library Journal exploring issues, ideas and emerging trends in library and information science education. Stephens has spoken about emerging technologies, innovation, and libraries to audiences in over 26 states and in five countries, including a 2009 speaking/research tour of Australia.

The afternoon keynote features Stephen Abram. Stephen has over 30 years in libraries as a practicing librarian and in the information industry. He has visited hundreds of libraries in many different countries and is uniquely positioned to spark ideas and insights. Stephen is currently Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Markets at Gale Cengage in Toronto, Canada. He has been Vice President Innovation for SirsiDynix and the Chief Strategist for the SirsiDynix Institute, VP of Corporate Development for Micromedia ProQuest, and Publisher Electronic Information for Thompson

New* Post-Conference Skill Builders Workshops – Two additional opportunities!

New this year, a post conference experience focused on giving participants explicit hands on skills through extended workshops. For a nominal fee, participants can register for the following two-hour synchronous workshops on February 2. More information can be found at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/.

·      Broad mobile development, including jQuery

·      Empowering your E-readers; teaching your readers to access content

Each workshop will not only provide a conceptual framework, but will ask the participants to try their hands at either developing or implementing specific strategies. After the workshop, audience members will be provided with additional ongoing tutorials and access to the experts for mentoring.

Snapshot Day November 2, 2011

Florida Library Snapshot Day- Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Is your library ready?

Help us spread the word and ask your colleagues to participate!

Talk to your co-workers, supervisors, and friends about this initiative and get them motivated!
Be sure to register online!

All the information you need is available on the Florida Library Snapshot Day website.

• Print the Snapshot Day Data Collection Worksheet to use at the library public service desks to easily capture the day's activities.
• Use the Data Collection Tally Form to gather results from multiple worksheets.
• Find downloadable photo permission forms and comment forms.

Remember, you can pick ANY DAY to participate between October 30 and November 5. Statistics, photos and comments should be submitted by November 16.

Use the results to your Library’s advantage! Check out these 16 Easy Ways to Make Snapshot Success Work for Your Library!

Still have questions? The Florida Library Snapshot Day Committee is here to help you, so please contact us if you need any assistance.

The Florida Library Association and the Florida Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services are organizing this event as part of a broader public relations campaign organized by the American Library Association.

Julia Haslett Documentary & Discussion: Simone Weil

The Daniel A. Cannon Library at St. Leo University will host the documentary film by Hulia Haslett, "An Encounter with Simone Weil" on September 19 at 7pm at the Student Center.

Read more about Weil, political activist and advocate for the poor and disenfranchised, at
http://www.saintleo.edu/News-and-Information-Center/Events/2011/09/19/Julia-Haslett-Documentary-and-Discussion

For questions about the film showing, contact carol.moon@saintleo.edu or 352-588-8261.

Snapshot Day is Almost Here - Has Your Library Registered?

Florida Library Snapshot Day is Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Our goal is to top the statistics from last year, so we are calling on ALL types of libraries to participate - large, small, school, academic, special, public, and private - to participate.

Registration is simple – complete our online registration form.

All the information you need will be available on the Florida Library Snapshot Day website in October:

• The Snapshot Day Data Collection Worksheet that can be printed and kept at your public service desks to make it easy to capture the day's activities.
• Downloadable Photo Permission Forms and Comment Forms.
• Easy instructions for uploading your photos to Flickr.

If you're unable to participate on Nov. 2, you can select another day between October 30 and November 5 and still be part of the Snapshot Day project. Statistics, photos and comments should be submitted by November 16^th.

Help us spread the word and ask your colleagues to participate!

Still have questions? The FLA Public Relations Committee is here to help you, so please contact us if you need any assistance.

FLA Snapshot Day is sponsored by the Florida Library Association and the Florida Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services.