Florida Library Association Blog

2012 FLA Award Nominations Opportunity

2012-01-04T15:46:00.026-05:00

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

2012-01-03T13:23:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-08T07:25:00.002-05:00

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.

2011-09-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

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.

Our view: Summer reading boosts learning year round

2011-07-05T16:36:00.003-05:00

Our View: Summer Reading Boosts Learning Year Round
St. Augustine.com

We now know one of the secrets why many St. Johns County youth do so well on Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Tests. They know how to read well and that means they are reading all the time, not just in the classroom. Kudos to parents and teachers for that extra effort during the school year.

We also believe that many of those good readers participate in the annual summer reading programs sponsored by St. Johns County Public Library System, too.

This week, the library system launched its summer reading programs. They are free and it's not too late to sign up. And as an incentive for participation, prizes will be awarded too. Adults can get in on the fun with their own reading contest.

So we suggest to parents that they shut down those computer games for a few hours and take their children to the neighborhood think tank, the local library. There their children can get their reading logs and tips on good reads for the summer. When a child is read to each day or reads a book each day, they get to check off that day on the reading log. If they attend a summer library program, that counts too. Then at the end of the week, they show their log at the library and get a prize. The kids and teen contests end Aug. 6.

As we said, the library system hasn't forgotten us adults. For the second year, the county is offering a summer reading contest for adults 18 and over.

"Novel destinations" is its name. To enter the contest, each reader has to write a review of each book read. The more books someone reads the more entries in the contest to win a $140 Visa gift card. Branches will also offer their own prizes, too. Who doesn't enjoy a contest? And if the reader is OK with it, their review will be published by the library system. Who doesn't fancy themselves as a published book reviewer?

The book review forms are available at the library and online. The deadline for entries is midnight, Aug. 5.

You have to have a library card to participate but those are easy to get. Just bring identification that you live in St. Johns County to the library and the library cards are issues free to adults and children. Books of all kinds including books for e-readers are available through the library system.

Readers are always leaders.

Reading for fun and prizes

The main library website is www.sjcpls.org. Information is also available there for Novel Destinations, the adult summer reading contest.

For kids zone and summer reading information, click on www.sjcls.org/content/kids-zone.

Virtual Job Shadowing has begunq

2011-04-12T07:52:00.005-05:00

The FLA Virtual Job Shadowing project has begun. On day 1 (April 11) three people shared 51 Tweets about their workday in a Florida library. Each weekday between April 11-22, two or three more library staff members will share their days.

Follow the FLA Virtual Job Shadowing using Twitter tag #libjobshadowFF

Follow the FLA Virtual Job Shadowing on Twitter
http://twitter.com/libjobshadowFL

Follow the FLA Virutal Job Shadowing on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/FLAVirtualJobShadowing
(Twitter link listings are time delayed)

April 11 - 22, 2011 -- Virtual Job Shadowing

2011-04-01T10:02:00.014-05:00

Do you want to learn about the work that people do in libraries? You and others in your library can follow library staff on Twitter with tag #libjobshadowFL during April 11-22, 2011.

Eighteen members of the Florida Library Association will each share a workday in a Virtual Job Shadowing project using Twitter. See the Project Facebook page for a list of the people and the dates they have selected for sharing their workdays. Library staff from different parts of Florida will Tweet for one day to share what they do. You will find people who assist students, help parents or seniors, create programs for the community, promote and publicize library activities, and more. During the project you will be able to follow the messages through:

The Twitter link on the Virtual Job Shadowing Project Facebook page

The Virtual Job Shadowing Project Twitter page (libjobshadowFL)

Creating your own Twitter search for #libjobshadowFL

The FLA Virtual Job Shadowing Project is coordinated by the Florida Library Association Library Personnel Recruitment Committee. For more information, please contact Lois Albertson at training@seflin.org or 877-733-5460 ext 224.

USF SOLIS Hosts Future of Libraries Panel

2011-03-30T13:26:00.004-05:00

ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels headlines a five-person panel discussing the future of libraries hosted by the Student Organizations of Library & Information Science (SOLIS) at USF's School of Information (SI). We have seen great changes in the library world over the last few years. Budgets have tightened with the economy in turmoil and customers are increasingly using the internet and Google for their informational needs. Do libraries and librarians have a future in this new world? What changes should we make to fit this new world? The panel will touch on these questions and many more during the last SOLIS After-Dark Lecture for the spring 2011 semester.

Date / Time: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 · 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: USF Main Campus: Education Building - TECO Conference Center

Refreshments and light snacks available. Everyone is invited, including staff members from neighboring libraries and students from anywhere in the area.

Panel Members:
ALA Executive Director: Keith Michael Fiels
Dean of University of South Florida Libraries: William A. Garrison
Director of St. Petersburg Public Libraries: Laurel Gustafson
Executive Director of TBLC: Charlie Parker
Supervisor, Library Media Services K-5 HIllsborough County: John Milburn

For more information please visit the website - http://slisstudentorgs.usf.edu/ or contact Bill Harris (wharris3@mail.usf.edu) with questions.

FLA Virtual Job Shadowing Invitation to Tweet

2011-03-17T08:19:00.012-05:00

Would you like to share a typical workday with students and others interested in learning about library careers?

The FLA Library Personnel Recruitment Committee invites you to be "shadowed" at work for a "virtual job shadowing" project using Twitter. All volunteers will be asked to select a day in April to tweet about their workday.

The Virtual Job Shadowing project will run from April 11-22, 2011 (including National Library Week). A schedule will be publicized to follow the job shadowing on Twitter and Facebook. The project is coordinated by the Florida Library Association Library Personnel Recruitment Committee.

The FLA Virtual Job Shadowing Project Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/FLA-Virtual-Job-Shadowing/123224067735007) will post updates and dates for the job shadowing . To volunteer or get more information, please contact Lois Albertson at training@seflin.org or 877-733-5460 ext 224.

This is the second year of the FLA Virtual Job Shadowing project. In February 2010, seven FLA members each Tweeted about their jobs for one day. They represented academic, public, and school libraries and had a variety of positions and job responsibilities. The project produced over 160 individual Tweets that were followed using the hashtag #libjobshadowFL

There is still time to register for the Handheld Librarian IV Online Conference

2011-02-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

The most cost-effective professional development series for libraries continues next week with "Handheld Librarian IV" - an online conference on February 23 & 24, 2011. HHLIV features keynotes by digital information pundits Peter Brantley, Jeremy Kemp and Lee Rainie and 20 additional sessions focused on mobile library services.

The cost is only $69 to interact with impressive speakers and collaborate with colleagues from around the globe - and you participate from your desk! Attend with your entire team for only $99! There is still time to register by visiting: http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/

The Handheld Librarian IV online conference features highly interactive live sessions, as well as recorded content and relevant resources. Presenters will cover a broad range of topics that highlight current, evolving and future issues in mobile library services. HHLIV also has program track with presentations by graduate library students.

Program tracks include:

•   e-books
•   location-based social networking
•   augmented reality
•   twitter
•   apps
•   device and OS trends
•   QR codes
•   reference
•   mobile trend spotting
•   mobile technologies impacting society
•   web/app development best practices

The complete program is available on the conference website at:

http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/program

The Student Presentations are here:

http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/student-presentations-ii

Sponsored by TAP Information Services and LearningTimes, this is the 12th in a series of unique events designed to bring high-quality, collaborative, professional development experiences to libraries - at the lowest possible cost. Thousands of library and education professionals have participated in previous events.

Note: if you can't be there for the two full days, you may access individual session recordings for 6 months after the conference.

For more information and registration visit:

http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/

We hope to see you there!

Library Challenge for Upcoming Release in Award-Winning Series, Montooth 2

2011-02-09T15:36:00.003-05:00

Cloverleaf Corporation Publishing Announces Library Challenge

for Upcoming Release in Award-Winning Series, Montooth 2: Race for the Ryland Ruby:

“Reading Builds Character: Win an Opportunity to Be a Character in the next Montooth Novel”

Challenge open to all school and public libraries

RUSKIN, Fl. -- To celebrate the release of Montooth 2: Race for the Ryland Ruby by Robert Jay, a new book in the award-winning Montooth series, Cloverleaf Corporation Publishing is pleased to announce an innovative and extraordinary program for public and school libraries. Cloverleaf introduced the appropriately novel promotion for the new Montooth book release at the American Library Association conference with an invitation for all school and public libraries to get involved in the “Reading Builds Character: Win an Opportunity to Be a Character in the next Montooth Novel” challenge.

In conjunction with the release of Montooth 2: Race for the Ryland Ruby (ISBN: 978-0-615-40119-5 Hardcover, $27.99) Cloverleaf Publishing will give away 5000 hardcover copies of Montooth and the Canfield Witch, 1500 hardcover copies of Montooth 2: Race for the Ryland Ruby, as well as display materials and entry forms for participating librarians.

Entrants are encouraged to read both Montooth and the Canfield Witch and Montooth 2: Race for the Ryland Ruby and complete a brief survey detailing their impressions about the characters, the plot, and the overall series. The judged part of the entry requires submitting a suggestion, of thirty words or fewer, for a plot or character development to be incorporated into the next book in the series. Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges and the winning entrant will have his or her name, and the name of the participating librarian, used as secondary characters in the third book in the Montooth series, Montooth 3, which is slated for release in February 2012.

For full details and eligibility requirements, please visit: www.montoothlibrarycontest.com.

The Montooth series is a charming and mesmerizing Adult/Young Adult suspense series featuring Catherine “Carty” Andersson, who is 16 years old at the start of the second book. Featuring true-to-life characters living in an era without television, cell phones, and iPods, the Montooth series harkens back to a simpler era. Rich with historical detail, and potentially deadly suspense, the Montooth books are sensational stories about the capable, captivating and clever Carty and her three brave male friends, with whom she shares a tremendous bond of courage, loyalty and respect—and some incredible adventures.

Montooth and the Canfield Witch has won numerous awards, including: Royal Palms Literary Awards—Winner, Historical Fiction category; Young Voices Literary Awards—Winner, Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction category; Young Voices Literary Awards—Winner, Mystery/Suspense Young Adult Fiction; and Young Voices Literary Awards—Winner, Adult Fiction.

Cloverleaf Corporation Publishing is an independent press headquartered in Ruskin, Florida. The Montooth books are available for purchase on Amazon.com, at www.montoothbooks.com, or toll free at (888) 388-1882. Members of the news media wishing to request more information are kindly asked to contact Maryglenn McCombs by phone: (615) 297-9875, or by email: maryglenn@maryglenn.com

USF Professor Emerita Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

2011-01-26T09:54:00.001-05:00

Dr. Henrietta Mays Smith, professor emerita at the University of South Florida School Information, is the winner of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement. The announcement was made by the American Library Association (ALA), during the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

“Dr. Smith’s life’s work has influenced generations of library professionals and readers, and embodies the essence of this lifetime achievement award,” said Barbara Jones Clark, award committee chair.

Smith began her career as a children’s librarian and storyteller in the New York public library system in 1948. After receiving her Ph.D., Smith worked at Florida Atlantic University for 10 years before becoming the first African American faculty member at the USF School of Information. Retiring in 1993, she remains on the faculty as professor emerita.

Smith has served in numerous capacities within the ALA and has served on the Newbery, Caldecott, Batchelder, Wilder and Pura Belpré award selection committees. As part of the Coretta Scott King Task Force since its inception, Smith has edited four volumes about the history of the award.

The Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement is named in memory of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. The award is presented annually and is presented in odd years (i.e. 2011, 2013, 2015…), to a practitioner for substantial contributions through active engagement with youth using award winning African American literature for children and/or young adults, via implementation of reading and reading related activities/programs.

In even years (i.e. 2012, 2014, 2016…), the award honors an African American author, illustrator or author/illustrator for a body of his or her published books for children and/or young adults who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution. The recipient may be a public librarian, academic librarian, school librarian (public or private), an educator (pre K-12 or any level therein, or higher education) or youth literature advocate whose vocation, work, volunteer service or ongoing promotion of books with and/or on behalf of youth is significant and sustained.

Virginia Hamilton was an award-winning author of children’s books. She wrote more than 35 books throughout her career, including “M. C. Higgins, the Great,” for which she won the 1975 Newbery Medal. During her lifetime, Hamilton received numerous awards including the Coretta Scott King Book Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

The ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world with about 63,000 members. Its mission is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

For more information on the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.

Project Accessible Libraries for All (ALFA)

2011-01-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

Applications are now being accepted for Fall 2011 admission to The University of South Florida's School of Information's Library and Information Science master's program for eight full, competitive scholarships available for students interested in focusing their studies in the area of universal access.

The Project ALFA (Accessible Libraries for All) scholarships are made available through an IMLS grant awarded to the University of Alabama's School of Library and Information Studies and the University of South Florida's School of Information to prepare students for working with clients facing physical access barriers. Universal access extends considerations of physical access beyond the ADA definition to include aging populations and persons with mild to moderate or temporary physical disabilities.

In addition to full tuition, ALFA Scholars will receive a laptop computer to support their studies as well as limited funds to travel to grant-related meetings and conferences. For more information and how to apply for an ALFA Scholarship you may visit http://www.projectalfa.slis.ua.edu or contact Dr. Stephanie Maatta at slmaatta@gmail.com

For more information on Project ALFA , see http://www.projectalfa.slis.ua.edu

Handheld Librarian Online Conference IV coming February 23-24, 2011!

2011-01-13T14:51:00.002-05:00

The Handheld Librarian 4, organized by TAP Information Services and LearningTimes, will continue the dialog about mobile technologies and libraries with a 2-day online conference scheduled for February 23 and 24, 2011. HHLib is now accepting registrations at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org. The program will include a series of wonderful keynote and featured speakers, a collection of available resources, discussion boards, and access to the recording of all live events for six months after the conference. More people than ever are using mobile devices for a wide variety of purposes including communication, internet access, text messaging, and entertainment. It is important that libraries provide mobile services as handheld use increases.

The conference will feature several exciting keynote talks:

Dr. Jeremy Kemp, faculty member at the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University on “Fast and Simple Strategies for Librarians learning iPad Web apps and ePubs”
Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, on “The State of Mobile Connectivity"
Peter Brantley, Executive Director of the Digital Library Federation, on a topic TBA

Registration for the conference is $69 per individual or $99 for a group.($10 off until January 31). LIS students can register for $29. TAP Information Services provides a wide variety of high quality planning, consulting, research, and assessment services supporting libraries, consortia, government agencies, publishers, and other information-intensive organizations and helps libraries innovate. LearningTimes is the leading producer of online communities and online
conferences for education and training. Their clients and partners include educational and cultural institutions, non-profit organizations, associations and membership group. LearningTimes provides the training, platforms, applications and unmatched expertise to ensure success.

For more information on the conference, go to the conference site at
http://www.handheldlibrarian.org.

2011 FLA Annual Conference Invitation

2011-01-07T09:11:00.004-05:00

Register now for the 2011 FLA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida! You’ll have the opportunity to hear keynote R. David Lankes, Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse. He will speak about librarians as change agents, which is sure to relate to any type of librarian!

Catch up on his blog or read his bio at his website. If you’ve seen R. David Lankes or have ideas about librarians as change agents, please share!

ALA President Roberta Stevens will speak at the First General Session on Thursday, May 5^th. Ms. Stevens is the Library of Congress Outreach Projects and Partnerships Officer and Project Manager of the National Book Festival. Her presidential initiatives include “Frontline Fundraising,” “Our Authors, Our Advocates,” and the “Why I Need My Library” contest.

Budgets are tight and time is precious, but conference attendance is a great way to network, share resources, and rejuvenate for the year. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

For more information and to register, go to:

http://www.flalib.org/conference_2011.php

Join the conversation! Stimulate discussion.

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Florida Libraries - Snapshot Project

2011-01-06T10:23:00.003-05:00

The Florida Library Association is pleased to present “Snapshot: A Day in the Life of Florida Libraries.” On January 25, 2011, all types of libraries statewide are being asked to conduct events, take pictures, and collect statistics and stories.

FLA's PR Committee will collect the results, and post them online . Several other states have already conducted successful Snapshot Days in a broader effort organized by the American Library Association; you can see their results at: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/statelocalefforts/snapshotday/states.cfm

Please join us. It's easy to participate…a simple kit for joining this exciting project is posted at http://www.flalib.org/snapshot_day . Be sure to register!

FLA Response to Gov-Elect's Transition Team Recommendations Regarding Libraries

2010-12-23T23:02:00.004-05:00

12-23-2010
Florida Library Association President John Callahan issued the following statement in response to Governor-Elect Rick Scott’s Economic Development Transition Team’s Recommendations for Public Libraries and State Funding:

On Wednesday, December 22 Governor-Elect Scott’s Economic Development Transition Team published recommendations for Florida public libraries and state funding. We like what we see.

The Transition Team recommends evaluating the role of libraries in modern Florida and anticipating the work environment of the future. When it comes to meeting the needs of modern Florida, libraries are already on board!

Libraries support modern Florida every day:
• helping job seekers
• assisting Floridians with e-government business
• strengthening businesses
• providing resources to students
• encouraging early learning by helping very young children learn to read and helping parents as their child’s first teacher.

The Florida Library Association is also excited by the Transition Team’s focus on the work environment of the future. Libraries are preparing for that future today by helping Floridians master 21st Century technology, information and communications skills. We are encouraged by the Transition Team’s vision and welcome them in joining us in the effort.

The Florida Library Association is also encouraged by the Team’s support for continued state funding for public libraries as indicated by their support for “Maintenance of Effort” Standards. Maintenance of Effort refers to state expenditures necessary for eligibility for about $9 million in federal library grants. Maintaining this effort means supporting continued funding for State Aid to Public Libraries at the $21.2 million level, funding that is critical for local libraries in all 67 counties.

As the process moves forward we ask that the Transition Team and the new administration keep in mind that the continued success of Florida libraries requires a strong and effective state library agency. The Florida Library Association encourages the Team to support and strengthen the State Library and Archives of Florida.

On behalf of the Florida Library Association, I commend the Transition Team for their vision and wisdom. We look forward to working with Governor Scott and his team in building a stronger Florida.

CHRISTINE WIGFALL MORRIS -- CLEARWATER, FLORIDA’S

2010-12-09T18:27:00.002-05:00

FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN LIBRARIAN
SIGNS BOOKS AT RECEPTION

Christine Wigfall Morris, Clearwater Library System’s first African American Librarian at the North Greenwood Branch, returned to her roots Friday, November 18 for a community reception and signings of her new book “Christine Wigfall Morris: Stories of Family, Community and History. The stories highlights Morris’ 33-year career as the first African American Librarian in the Clearwater Community and more than 100 years of Wigfall FamilyHistory in Clearwater.
In July of 1949, the City of Clearwater hired Morris as a Librarian. Prior to working for the City, she had never been in a public library since local segregation practices did not encourage African Americans to visit public libraries.
In April of 1950, under the guidance of Morris, a new era in public library services began in Clearwater with the opening of a facility designated as the "Negro Library." The library was located in a storefront at the corner Pennsylvania Avenue and Cedar Streets, now Palmetto Street. A new library was built in 1962 at the corner of Holt Avenue and Palmetto Street. The name was changed to the Clearwater Northeast Library Branch.
During her years as Librarian, Mrs. Morris enlightened countless minds, both young and old. She implemented a voter registration program at the library, began a tutorial program for residents preparing for the high school equivalency exams, and started a summer program for children featuring storytelling, movies and puppet shows. Mrs. Morris began an annual arts and crafts festival in addition to establishing the African American Collection. Her gentle prodding encouraged many reluctant young readers to visit the library and choose a book.
In January 1983, "Miss Chris" as she is known to many, retired after 33 years of service to the Clearwater Public Library System. On the occasion of her retirement, the Clearwater Sun newspaper noted that she had "touched the lives of thousands of Clearwater children and adults. She has been quietly magnificent.”
In 2003, the Clearwater City Commission chose to honor “Miss Chris” as she was known, for her years of service to the Clearwater Public Library System and her impact on the youth of Clearwater by naming the Africa American Collections of the North Greenwood Library Branch the Christine Wigfall African American Collection.
-END-

Handheld Librarian 4 Online Conference: Call for Program Proposals!

2010-11-15T13:48:00.002-05:00

TAP Information Services and LearningTimes invite librarians, library staff, vendors, graduate students, and developers to submit program proposals related to the topic of mobile library services for the online Handheld Librarian 4 conference to be held online February 23 and 24, 2011.

The Handheld Librarian 4 (HHLib4) conference will feature interactive, live online sessions and links to recorded events following the conference. HHLib4 is interested in a broad range of submissions that highlight current, evolving, and future issues in mobile library services. This year, HHLib4 will feature a program track with presentations by graduate library students. These include but are not limited to the following program tracks:

ebooks
location-based social networking
augmented reality
twitter
apps
device and OS trends
QR codes
reference
mobile trend spotting
mobile technologies impacting society
web/app development best practices

Proposal Submissions:
Submit your proposal by completing the webform at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/submissions-form by December 1, 2010. Online presentations may be conducted in one of four formats:

a 45-minute live online session (i.e. synchronous webcast)
a 15 minute student presentation ***
a 10 minute live online session or
a pre-recorded presentation (i.e. narrated web tour or slides).

You will be notified by January 15, 2011 if your proposal has been accepted. Conference registration fees are waived for speakers. Presenters Are Expected To:

Conduct your session using Adobe Connect (computer, Internet, mic required)
Provide a digital photo of yourself for the conference website
Respond to questions from attendees
Attend an online 30-60 minute training on Adobe Connect prior to the conference

Thank you for considering submitting a proposal. If you have questions, please contact:

Lori Bell, lbell927@gmail.com
Tom Peters, TAP Information Services, tpeters@tapinformation.com
Susan Manning, LearningTimes, susan@ltgreenroom.org

Min Tong, UCF Librarian, Among 2011 Emerging Leaders

2010-11-02T10:38:00.008-05:00

Min Tong, Librarian at the University of Central Florida’s South Lake Campus in Clermont, was recently selected to participate in the American Library Association (ALA) Emerging Leaders program. Ms. Tong was sponsored by the Chinese American Library Association (CALA). CALA will provide her with financial support for expenses towards attendance at both of the ALA conferences, up to $1000 total.

(ALA) Emerging Leaders program, now in its fifth year, chose eighty-three individuals through a competitive process for the 2011 program. According to ALA, the program enables librarians and library staff from across the country to participate in project planning workgroups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure; and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers.

During the 2011 ALA Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, the participants will receive two days of orientation and education with Maureen Sullivan, an organizational development consultant whose practice focuses on leadership development for the profession, and Peter Bromberg, assistant director, Princeton Public Library in New Jersey.

Following the kickoff session, the program will continue in an online learning and networking environment for six months, culminating with a poster session in which the 2011 Emerging Leaders will showcase the results of their project planning work at the 2011 Annual Conference in New Orleans. Participants commit to taking part in all aspects of the program and may have an opportunity to serve on an ALA, Division, Chapter or Round Table committee or a taskforce or workgroup upon completion of program.

Read the complete list of Emerging Leaders on the ALA official announcement:
http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=5495

UCF’s New Knowledge Commons

2010-09-27T10:36:00.003-05:00

UCF’s oldest academic building opened for the fall semester Monday, August 23 with a “facelift.” Completion of the Knowledge Commons, the newly redesigned main floor of the Library, marks the first significant change to the building since 1984. The space brings learning, technology, resources, and academic support together in a way that meets student demands for support of collaborative and individual study, research, and discovery.

Some comfortable group project areas in the Commons feature large, flat-screen monitors and white boards. Other areas house computer workstations flanked by panels for an atmosphere of privacy for an individual or several students. The Knowledge Commons features 196 computers and seating for 479. In total, two-thirds of seating on the floor will host either a desktop PC or be wired with 110V outlets where students can plug in laptops and personal technology.

Assistance with library resources and technology will be available at the new Research and Information Desk. Two glass-enclosed consultation stations, in close proximity to the Research and Information Desk, are available for appointments with librarians for in-depth research assistance.

The new Knowledge Commons space is the result of several years of feedback from the UCF community. Library staff consulted with students and faculty members about how the facility could support research, teaching and learning. The 2009-2010 Student Technology fee and the UCF Foundation’s Annual Parents Campaign provided funding in part for the Knowledge Commons. Work on the second floor began in May 2010 and continued through the summer semester. The Library’s Web site was updated with project news and pictures of the construction throughout the summer.

Information Institute - New Hurricane Flyer

2010-07-27T08:18:00.001-05:00

New Hurricane Flyer Now Available!

Now that hurricane season is here again, allow us to reintroduce a few of the products and services that have been developed for public libraries by the Information Use Management & Policy Institute (Information Institute) at Florida State University. These services were developed from a project designed to help public libraries to better assist their communities during hurricane disasters.
WEB PORTAL: The Information Institute’s web portal captures many best practices to help you better prepare for hurricane season. This web portal also includes access to a comprehensive collection of hurricane information resources. Please visit the homepage of the web portal located at:

http://hurricanes.ii.fsu.edu

HURRICANE FLYER: A new color flyer has been provided to all Florida public libraries for display and is available from the homepage of the web portal.

NEW SERVICE ROLE WITH INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS: We have also created a series of information videos about a new service role – Get to Know Your Local EOC that explains how a public library can develop a working relationship with the local emergency operations center, and why this relationship is beneficial to the library and the EOC. The new service role and those videos are available at our web portal or from YouTube at:
• From web portal: Get to Know Your Local EOC
• From YouTube: Information Institute Channel

William Faulkner Goes Online, 50 Years Later

2010-07-15T07:21:00.001-05:00

In the late 1950's, William Faulkner answered questions from University of Virginia students and these were recorded on tape. Now, these lectures are available online at: http://faulkner.lib.virginia.edu/.

Read/listen to the entire story.

New Associate Director for Collections & Technical Services at the UCF Libraries

2010-07-14T10:16:00.005-05:00

The University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries is happy to announce the arrival of Mary Page, who joins the Libraries faculty as Associate Director for Collections & Technical Services on August 9, 2010.

Page received her MLS degree from Rutgers University where she also served in a variety of librarian positions for 19 years. Most recently employed as Assistant University Librarian for Technical Services at the University of California -Davis Library, Page brings with her extensive experience in all aspects of technical services, including acquisitions, serials, collection management and collection development. Among the many leadership positions and service activities in which Page has been involved are the Ingenta Library Advisory Board, the National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Library Advisory Board, and past president of The North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG). She currently serves as a Director-At-Large for the Association for Library Collections & Technical Service, Board of Directors. She was also a guest editor and writer for Against the Grain and other professional publications.

Mary Page is filling the position vacated when Jeannette Ward, the first Associate Director for Collections & Technical Services at the UCF Libraries, retired in July 2007.

New Reference Librarian at the UCF Libraries

2010-07-14T10:11:00.000-05:00

New Reference Librarian at the UCF Libraries

The University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraries is proud to announce the arrival of Rebecca “Missy” Murphey, who joined the Libraries Reference Services department faculty on June 21, 2010. Ms. Murphey received her MLIS from the University of Alabama, and comes to UCF from the University of Mississippi. She has extensive experience with library instruction, face-to-face and virtual reference services, and collection development and liaison responsibilities. Ms. Murphey also has a background with government documents and has written and presented on a variety of topics of interest to librarians. She has served as chair of the ALA Education and Behavioral Sciences Section Communication Studies Committee.

Florida Librarians "Work the Hill" As Part of ALA Advocacy Day!

2010-07-02T20:51:00.004-05:00

Librarians from across Florida joined their colleagues in Washington D.C.

on June 29th for the American Library Association's Advocacy Day. After a rally on Capitol Hill, the librarains fanned out across the Hill to meet with legislators and their staff to thank them for their support of library issues and to ask them for more effort in the future.

The Florida contingent visited the offices of both Florida Senators and the offices of many House members. Florida librarians lobbied their legislators for an increase in Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding, increased funding for, and explicit inclusion of school librarians in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and on the passage of the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA).

The next National Library Day will be held in Washington D.C. on May 9th and 10th, 2011. Everyone is welcome. See http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/ for details.

Many thanks to the Floridians who attended - especially Dr. Jonathan Miller from Rollins College who coordinated FLA's participation in DC!

Search WorldCat via Twitter!

2010-06-24T09:35:00.003-05:00

#Ask4Stuff is a new, Twitter-based service that returns a WorldCat search when you send a tweet with the tag #Ask4Stuff. I just tried it out by sending the following tweet:

#Ask4Stuff World Cup + Social Media and I received the following reply within seconds:

Ask4Stuff @cmairn A few things about World Cup Social Media in#Ask4Stuff, get them at http://purl.org/wct/414

More information available at: http://community.oclc.org/cooperative/2010/06/sometimes-the-internet-is-just-not-big-enough-for-me.html. (HT @billdrew4)

What is a Public Library...

2010-06-21T08:33:00.000-05:00

Updates on upcoming events are to follow, but in the meantime here is a link that is worth a Library fan's attention:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awNYHFXX0Uo

Updates and Upcoming Events...

2010-06-10T15:31:00.004-05:00

Hello All,

It is a pleasure to be able to connect with you on this forum. My name is Andrew Beman-Cavallaro and I am the new Reference Librarian at the Bartow Public Library. I would like to take this opportunity to post a good deal of the upcoming events that are occurring in the Bartow Library in the near future. Some of the below dates are some months away, but more information will be posted about these events at a later time along with new activities that will be formed in the interim.

Annual Summer Reading Program
Make a Splash: Read!

Book Babies Story Time (birth to 2 years): Thursdays, 6/17-7/29 10:30am-11:00am

3-5 Year Old Story Time: Tuesdays, 6/15-7/27 10:00am-10:45am

6-8 Year Old Story Time: Tuesdays, 6/15-7/27 3:00pm-4:00pm

Super Summer Shows: Wednesdays 6/16-7/28 2:00pm-3:00pm (ages 9-12)

6/16: John Storms and His World of Reptiles
6/23: Family Film (Shark Tale)
6/30: Katie Adams' Make believe Theatre Presents Stories From the Sea
7/7: Family Film: Surf's Up
7/14: Grimy Brothers Comedy Improv
7/21: Ronald McDonald Magic Show
7/28: Florida bat Conservatory Presents Our Florida Bats

Duck Tape Club: Thursdays, 6/10 AND 7/8 AND 8/12 3:00pm-4:30pm (ages 9-12)

6/10: Tie (Bring tie to decorate)
7/8: Flip-Flops (Bring flip-flops to decorate)
8/12: Beach of Book Bag

Luau@the Library: Thursday 6/17 3:00pm-4:30pm (ages 9-12)

Mother/Daughter Book Discussion: Thursdays, 6/24, 7/22, 8/26, 9/23, 10/21, 11/18 4:00pm-5:00pm (ages 9-12)

6/24: Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan)
7/22: Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfeild)
8/26: The Saturdays (Elizabeth Enright)
9/23: Caddie Woodlawn Carol Brink)
10/21: Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stuart)
11/18: All of a Kind Family (Sydney Taylor)

Film: “Aquamarine” Thursday, 7/1 3:00pm-4:30pm (ages 9-12)

Board and Wii Games: Thursday, 7/15 3:00pm-4:30pm (ages 9-12)

Program to Be Announced: Thursday, 7/29 3:00pm-4:30pm (ages 9-12)

Paws to Read: Saturdays, 6/19, 7/17, 8/21, 9/18, 10/16, 12/18, 1/22, 2/19, 3/19, 4/16 10:00am-11:00am

Pix and Popcorn: Saturdays, 6/12, 6/19, 7/10, 7/17, 8/14, 8/21 2:30pm (Films to Be Announced)

Adult Book Discussion: 10:00am-11:00am

6/22-The Romanov Bride (Robert Alexander)
7/27-Beloved (Toni Morrison)
8/31-Where the River Ends (Charles Martin)
9/28- Infidel (Ayan Hirsi Ali)

Computer Classes are expected to resume in July. More updates about exactly when, and what will be covered, will follow.

The Bartow Public Library is currently searching for artwork to hang in its 2nd floor Gallery. Artists interested in having their work displayed should contact the library at 863-534-0131 and ask to speak to Chana Smith.

Ever Heard of a Librarian Who Doesn't Read? - or - What I've learned in Libary School so far.

2010-05-26T11:07:00.001-05:00

I know. This is like the worst confession of all time. I can't remember the last book I read, and I'm ok with that. Its not that I'm anti-books, I just have other interests. And it was those other interests that led me into Library and Information Studies. I will say I am gaining a different appreciation for books through this degree, but not enough to make me as voracious a reader as many (all) of my colleagues. I can already hear fellow library school students, and future employers fuming "So, why do a degree based on a professional love of books if you don't care about books?" Simply because, as I have begun to learn through the degree, Library School is much, much more than training in booksmithery.

I would like to borrow a format many of us are familiar with to lay out my reasoning here. This is my "Top 10 Things I learned in Library School (so far)" list. Please hold all comments until the end, and give me the benefit of the doubt before writing me off as a fool. In no particular order ---

Top 10 Things I learned in Library School (so far)

Libraries are extraordinary institutions in the fabric of society, especially in America. The phrase that resonated with me when taking a library history course with Dr. Wayne Wiegand was "Free and Open to All," an informal creed adopted by many public libraries. I did a Masters degree in American Studies prior to beginning Library school and as an academic I am fascinated by the institutions and ideas that have created the modern American mind, and this concept is one that is subversive enough to be important to our past, current and future historical context.
Collection and organization of information is a skill that can be learned. Despite the fact that I hate math, abhor sciences, and can barely stomach ideas like "data," I am beginning to understand that the study of information is fundamental to librarianship. The ability to assess the information needs of a population group and also accurately approach data as research are tasks of the trade, and learning these I am becoming a more effective info-conduit for whomever I end up serving.
As I already kind of alluded, a major realization in my studies is that libraries are greater than the sum of their books. Concepts like "Information Laboratory" and "Media Center" can almost more accurately describe some libraries these days. Being a media/tech guy myself, this has been incredibly attractive to me considering a future in this field.
Following that point, there is not just one type of library. This blew me away as a new student in the program. What the hell are the differences between a public, academic and "special" library? My interdisciplinary radar went off when I realized I could kind of create my own path through the library world. With my background I am hoping to end up in an art library, special collections or museum setting. Being around cultural heritage objects and collections makes me happy.
Library 2.0! Emerging technologies are becoming more and more integral parts of the library world, and being a user/proponent of those technologies makes this another exciting selling point for me! One of the best courses I have had thus far was Digital Media Concepts and Production with Dr. Lisa Tripp. Blog for class? OK! Start a Twitter account and connect with other information professionals? Yes, please! Learn and use digital media software to create multimedia projects? Done and Done!
The stereotypical librarian is an urban myth. Sure, there are still glasses and cardigans (but that's just because librarian-chic is "in" right now). The people behind the desks are multi-varied in their interests, cultural and educational background, and most often they are incredibly excited to help out. The shushing, boring old lady-type is not a majority, and in fact I'd argue that many more librarians are open-minded, young (in body and at-heart!), and invested in sharing knowledge and information with patrons at any cost.
Libraries are complicated. The multitude of programs, initiatives and staff involved in running a library are astounding. I had considered for a second pursuing a focus in Leadership and Management, but I'm not sure I'd want to take on what some administrators have to deal with! In addition to running the building itself, libraries are always fighting for support from their benefactors, be that a university, the government or private funders. Library advocacy and lobbying is unfortunately an integral cog in the wheel that makes these great institutions function. So, support your library!
There is this really weird, community connectedness that comes along with librarianship. I'm not sure if this is the same for other career tracks... like do lawyers really get together and have Library Cart Drills at their annual conferences? Yeah, we are all about to be fighting for the same few jobs (watch out for me!), but there has been a general feeling of camaraderie in the library school that I hope continues into my professional life.
Library school is great training for work in a variety of areas. Being forced to think about how websites are constructed from raw code, or how best to meet the real/percieved needs of groups of people through books, media, info-literacy skills, searching techniques, etc, can prepare one to be effective in many careers. I am consistently surprised at the possibilities that exist for some who has better than average understanding of organization, technology systems, and media, which are all basic principles taught in library school. Don't fret fellow students if the library market looks slim, you'll just have to start now thinking about other ways to utilize your skills and sell that to an employer.
Best of all, I am learning that the faculty in library school, especially at FSU, are invested in our success. They are all expertly trained, and are here to write and research but also to ensure that we leave with the knowledge and connections necessary to do well in our professional life. Am I sucking up? Most definitely. I am young and naive and can get away with a little schmoozing, right? Regardless, I appreciate the time and help offered by my professors and I hope that all MLIS students have as much investment in the relationships they are building as they do in the skills they are acquiring.

So, have I redeemed the fact that I am not a book person? I will argue that I read a ton, and I enjoy it very much, but most of what I am reading is online and better suited to my interests in emerging technology, social media and digital humanities. What do you think? Is there room in the library profession for "non-readers"? What are the most valuable things you learned in Library School?

May 2–8 is Choose Privacy Week

2010-05-05T17:38:00.001-05:00

"May 2–8 is Choose Privacy Week, a new ALA initiative from the Office for Intellectual Freedom that invites library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. "

Watch this video regarding privacy in a digital age.

Choose Privacy Week Video from 20K Films on Vimeo.

The face of library advocacy: Paul Clark, Library Guy

2010-04-28T07:50:00.004-05:00

The library community salutes Paul Clark for his dedication and his advocacy role in the restoration of State Aid to Libraries funds. Clark, systems librarian with the Wilderness Coast Public Libraries, has provided the face of library advocacy during the past two legislative sessions.

This year Paul spent days at the Florida Capitol, holding signs in suppport of State Aid funding for public libraries. At midnight on April 26 as funding was restored, Senator J.D. Alexander acknowledged that advocates could learn a lot from Paul's example.

Early in the 2010 legislative session, State Aid was eliminated entirely from the budgets of both the House and Senate. Throughout deliberations during March and April, Paul was at the Capitol. His presence was a reminder of the importance of libraries to the citizens of Florida.

When funding was nearly lost at the end of the 2009 session, Paul had signs and flyers made and went to the Capitol to ask legislators to support public libraries.

The St. Petersburg Times carried this story about Paul:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/library-guy-shows-how-one-man-can-make-a-difference-in-tallahassee/1090758

Recapping the FLA2010 Conference - Student Perspective

2010-04-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

[this post was originally published on my personal blog]

Although I don't mention it often, I am on track to become a professional librarian. I am enrolled in the Master's in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) at Florida State University, with a focus on Museum Studies and digital media, and am thoroughly enjoying the course work and the degree. In addition, for the past 2 1/2 years I have been working part-time as the communications director for the Florida Book Awards, an annual best books competition, which is sponsored by and housed in the Florida State University's own Strozier Library. So, be that as it may, I am deeply involved in regular library stuffs. Last week the Florida Library Association held its annual conference in Orlando, and as a good MLIS student, and since the Florida Book Awards had 2 programs at the conference, I hopped on my trusty motorbike and took in the first conference of my professional career.

Now, I have attended and presented at conferences before, during my American Studies degree. But, this one had a different feel - I was there because I was 'working' for the Florida Book Awards and for myself as a future professional in this field. Therefore, as a newbie/first-timer I'd like to take a minute and rehash the things I learned, liked and loathed about FLA2010.

Learned:

The library profession is alive and well. YAY! Job prospects, right? Well, maybe. There were more than a few recent graduates wandering the halls, hoping to meet the right person and get a job offer. It was encouraging to see so many folks absolutely excited and pleased with their jobs, something we all hope for! Although I missed the panel on "Interview and Job Application Strategies" my dear friend Jessica Critten (a fellow MLIS student/Florida Book Awards staffer) took some great notes, and the bottom line is... get experience. Volunteer. Now all I have to do is find a way to do that while working full time in student services. ;)

Also, I learned that Web 2.0 is not just a catch phrase in the information professions. This is the wave of the future people. The great thing about being involved in libraries is that Information Literacy is being taken seriously and we are receiving the training to be able to share that knowledge with the "have-nots." One of my favorite sessions was the "Tagging Your World" tutorial with The Shifted Librarian, Jenny Levine. I didn't necessarily learn anything new in the session, but it made me feel good to know that Web 2.0 tools that I am proficient in are going to be integral parts of the library of the future.

Liked:

The conference felt very well put-together. There were a broad variety of topics covered in the sessions and after leaving the conference I feel like I have a better grasp on the field of librarianship. That's the whole point of a conference right? Kudos, Florida Library Association. I tend to be pretty narrow minded in my studies/career goals/interests and being around all different types of professionals interested in different areas of the same field was really great.

I enjoyed meeting Lauren Gibaldi in real life (Twitter friends for a while, dating a former college buddy of mine!) and hearing her point of view on Young Adult specializations in libraries. Of course, the highlight of many conferences is exactly that - meeting new people, colleagues and friends. To be honest, as social as I may seem via media (blogging and tweeting) I am actually quite shy and am ashamed to say I didn't meet half as many people as I would have liked. There was some conference tweeting going on, and I would have loved to have a face to face conversation with some of my fellow twitterers. (Sorry all... next time? KIT!)

Perhaps the highlight of the 3 days was seeing Marilyn Johnson speak about her book "This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All." Although her talk is usually geared toward convincing people that libraries are and will remain useful, facts she didn't need to prove to us, it was still insightful and great to hear that the journalism folks recognize and respect the work we do daily in the stacks. And she was just plain funny.

Loathed:

No free wifi. What?! Really? What kind of hotel hosts a conference knowing there will be hundreds of professional people chattering online and potentially saying good things about them, and yet doesn't offer free wifi? Dislike, Rosen Plaza Hotel.

The structure of conference-going is exhausting. And I'm a young, healthy dude to boot. The constant shifting from room to room, taking in loads of information and short breaks can be very draining. I propose that all conferences from now include a siesta/yoga/nap session in the afternoon.
Overall, I had a great time and am looking forward to many more opportunities to attend and present at conferences in the future.

For further thought/discussion: While I was at the conference this post came across ProfHacker discussing the usefulness of conferences. How do we, as librarians feel about local, regional or national conferences? Are there significant pros to regional conferences like FLA2010 and/or cons to national ones?

ps. I was absolutely inspired and totally excited about what is going on at the Jacksonville Public Library. They are collecting and circulating zines (subcultural, short run publications) and are writing about it here and tweeting about it here. Dream job!

[ Here's another blogger's point of view on FLA2010]

Important changes to the OCLC NetLibrary Service and to the FirstSearch Service.

2010-03-18T07:30:00.001-05:00

OCLC and EBSCO Publishing have announced that EBSCO has acquired the NetLibrary Division. The purchase includes the NetLibrary eBook and eAudiobook platform as well as operations and infrastructure in Boulder, Colorado. As eBooks become mainstream components of a library's eContent collections, there is increasing value to libraries to be able to integrate eBook acquisitions and delivery with other electronic databases and eJournals. EBSCO will maintain and enhance the NetLibrary platform and will also work to integrate NetLibrary eBooks into the EBSCOhost platform. There will be no interruption in service to libraries.

We are also announcing an important change to our FirstSearch content services. OCLC is transitioning out of our role as reseller of vendor-owned content. Therefore we will transfer or discontinue sale of the vendor-owned databases on FirstSearch when subscriptions have ended. We will instead increase our focus for both FirstSearch and WorldCat.org on providing libraries with access to a rich set of library-owned content and increasing visibility and access to the full scope of a library's collection. We will work with libraries, publishers and other information providers to expand WorldCat.org as a comprehensive platform for eContent. As a part of this migration, EBSCO has acquired the rights to license a select number of vendor-owned databases that we currently offer on FirstSearch. Our long-term relationship with H.W. Wilson is also changing as we will work together to transition from reselling Wilson databases on FirstSearch to indexing Wilson databases in WorldCat Local over the coming months. There will be no interruption in service to libraries.

Please see our letter to members and news releases for more information.

State may cut library funding

2010-03-16T07:37:00.001-05:00

St. Augustine Record - "State May Cut Library Funding" by Peter Guinta - March 16 - http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-03-16/state-may-cut-library-funding

News stories about State Aid funding crisis

2010-03-13T22:36:00.005-05:00

Crestview News Bulletin - "State library funding eliminated" by Brian Hughes - March 11 - http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/library-9098--.html

WCTV – Tallahassee - "State Aid Funding For Public Libraries To Be Eliminated" (broadcast and website story) - March 11 - http://www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/87360812.html

The Madison, Florida Voice - "State Aid for Public Libraries Could Be Eliminated" - March 11 http://madisonfloridavoice.net/?p=5761

Palm Beach Post - "Lawmakers Propose Eliminating All State Funding For Libraries" by Dara Kam - March 11 - http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/lawmakers-propose-eliminating-all-state-funding-for-libraries-343896.html

Tampa Tribune – “Lawmakers propose eliminating state funding for libraries” by Catherine Whittenburg - March 12

Capitol News Service - "State Share of Library Funding Slated to Be Cut" by Mike Vasilinda - March 12 http://www.flanews.com/?p=8886

Orlando Sentinel - "Our Take On: Gutting Libraries" - March 13 - http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-quickhits-031310-20100312,0,5430092.story

FOCUS OF VALUE, FOCUS ON PEOPLE, FOCUS ON PUBLIC LIBRARIES

2010-03-11T15:21:00.003-05:00

Public libraries nationwide should focus on the role we are playing in meeting the needs of our customers today and in the future, when speaking with public officials. The national policy makers in Washington need to know how valuable the community library is in the economic recovery and global economics. Social, workforce and economic agencies have now told everyone applying for assistance of any type, that they need to apply on line through e-government. With everyone in Congress focusing on Broadband, they forget that there is a large section of people who have no computers or access to the internet except by going to the local library. Many people do not know how to use the computer, some people are illiterate and cannot read or have language barriers. When social service agencies save money by not providing the personal service and requiring clients to submit applications online as well as scheduling appointments, the only recourse their clients have is the 'Public Library'. Yet nationally and statewide politicians continue to cut funding for Public Libraries. We have tremendous value, we provide unfunded services for the community. Politicians should be taking 5% of all social service dollars and sending them to the public libraries across the County to continue providing service to all persons.

Jeff Rosenberg
Miami-Dade Public Library System
rosenbergj@mdpls.org

Elimination of State Aid to Libraries. Don't let it happen!!!

2010-03-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

To the Florida Library Community,

On Wednesday, March 10, 2010, the House and Senate Transportation and Economic Development Committees both adopted preliminary positions eliminating State Aid to Public Libraries.

Most legislators want to fund state aid, and it is up to us to generate enough contacts and pressure to give them the justification to restore it. Both Committees are expected to report out their bills in the next week or so - the Senate has set Friday, March 19^th as the date they will report out their bill. This means that the best time for us to act is right now.

For more information, visit http://capwiz.com/ala/fl/issues/alert/?alertid=14792616&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]

African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection

2010-02-04T16:20:00.002-05:00

University of Central Florida Libraries
P.O. Box 162666
Orlando, FL 32816-2666

Contact: Laila Miletic-Vejzovic
407-823-2788
lmiletic@mail.ucf.edu

African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection.
Acquired by University of Central Florida Libraries.

For Immediate Release
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection has been acquired by the University of Central Florida Libraries. It is being curated and housed in Special Collections and University Archives.

The collection was assembled over a period of seventeen years of intensive research by Ms. Carol Mundy, an avid collector. She began collecting about 1993 with a purchase of a 1901 edition of the Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination. Inside the book, she discovered a yellowed document from 1870. It was a correspondence from the U.S. Army to a soldier in the 10th Cavalry – known today as the “Buffalo Soldiers.” This discovery sparked a passion to preserve black culture and heritage which continues today, therefore the Collection shall continue to grow. Also, the Collection will be the cornerstone for building a larger collection of African American material.

Ms. Mundy’s collection consists of books and pamphlets, magazines and periodicals, photographs, and images, illustrations, and documents and papers. The pre-1800 papers and documents consist of noteworthy collections of images and documents from the slavery era, including pre-Civil War daguerreotypes and glass lantern slides; Civil War era illustrated covers; an assortment of lithographic images depicting scenes from the slavery era; published speeches and articles related to the political turmoil that the issue of slavery produced; more than two dozen vintage newspapers; and original legal documents related to slavery.

Issues of The London Magazine or Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer from the 18th century that cover the slave trade in the Americas and the Caribbean are also included. Late 19th Century materials include items related to military records for members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry. One of the rarest items is an 1873 muster roll from the 24th Infantry, known today as the Buffalo Soldiers, signed by the commander, Abner Doubleday. Also included are books and pamphlets produced by the American Colonization Society.

There is Florida primary source material, covering 1859-1960s, related to the black community of Apopka, near Orlando. Original papers and documents of particular interest are in the name of Ella Walls, a member of the Apopka community whose persona was adapted by Zora Neale Hurston for a character in Mules and Men.

The Collection is unusually rich in its visual images and includes more than 600 photographic portraits of average individuals and well-known personalities, workers, sheet music illustrations, stereotypic and derogatory images, postcards and signs, from the late 19th and early 20th century period. Laila Miletic-Vejzovic, Head of the UCF Libraries Special Collections and University Archives, considers this to be one of the strengths of the Mundy Collection.

Mother with Child, circa 1920-1927; sepiaOne of the more interesting parts of the collection is a series of photographs related to William T. Vernon, a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a missionary to South Africa during the 1920s.

There is also a fine collection of 20th Century printed materials related to black culture of the period and focuses on civil rights and black power movements.

Legal Challenge to Full-Time Library Heads Dismissed

2010-01-30T17:06:00.002-05:00

A lawsuit brought against the Florida Division of Library and Information Services by Library Systems & Services (LSSI) has been dismissed. The suit challenged a proposed amendment to State Aid Program Guidelines which requires the head of a public library be a full-time employee of the single administrative unit.

The Administrative Law Judge’s ruling allows the State Library and Archives of Florida to move forward with its proposed administrative rule requiring a local government to employ a full time public library director in order to be eligible to receive a library operating grant from the state.

The Florida Library Association (FLA) filed a motion to intervene in the case. FLA was represented in the suit by attorneys Christopher Lyon and Walter Forehand of the firm Lewis, Longman and Walker.

“FLA believes that the successful provision of public library service to Floridians and Florida communities requires the attention and service of a full time administrator, “said Wendy Breeden, President of the Florida Library Association.

Breeden expressed appreciation for efforts by the Florida Department of State to defend its proposed rule and its long standing commitment to the provision of the best possible public library service to the people of Florida. “The Florida Library Association is proud to have participated in this proceeding as an intervenor and in lending its support to the Department in this important undertaking.”

The Final Order of Dismissal may be found at http://www.doah.state.fl.us/docdoc/2009/004289/09004289DWH-012810-13052905.pdf

Book Cart Drill Team Competition Comes to FLA Conference 2010

2010-01-05T15:53:00.003-05:00

"CARTS ON THE MOVE"

2010 FLA BOOK CART DRILL TEAM COMPETITION

For the uninitiated, library book cart precision drill teams are groups of library staff members who push book carts in formation to music. Often the book carts are decorated and so are the library staff members! Book cart drill teams are being used to promote libraries in parades and community events all over the state.

The time has come to answer the question:

Does your library have the best Book Cart Drill Team in Florida?

Contestants will be judged on artistic impression, technical ability, best costumes, best cart decorations and the WOW factor.

WIN PRIZES, TROPHIES, ACCOLADES

& the admiration of your peers!!

Click here for Competition Rules and Application

This event is sponsored by DEMCO

FLA bookmark design contest

2009-12-12T21:32:00.001-05:00

Florida Library Association Bookmark Design Contest
The Florida Library Association is hosting its first bookmark design http://www.flalib.org/bookmark_contest.phpcontest! Anyone can enter and it’s easy to do! The winning design will cover one side of a bookmark that the association will use to highlight membership benefits. This is a great opportunity for those interested in graphic design, or those who just want to have fun building connections in the library community in Florida. Complete contest guidelines and submission instructions are posted at

Entry deadline is January 15, 2010.

The Florida Library Association (FLA) is a non-profit organization of libraries, library staff, and those who support libraries. FLA works to develop the skills of librarians and support staff. It also works closely with the information industry and the library community, and advocates for excellence in all types of library service within the state of Florida.
More information about the Florida Library Association is available online at http://www.flalib.org .

FLA wins advocacy award

2009-12-11T13:32:00.005-05:00

The American Library Association announced this week that FLA has been selected as the first recipient of ALA's new Presidential Award for Advocacy. The award is sponsored by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF).

The award is for FLA's successful efforts in saving State Aid funding for public libraries in 2009. Award details are at
http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/december2009/award_alta.cfm

The fight to save State Aid would not have been won without the hard work of the entire library community. Everyone who helped deserves a pat on the back! With the current state budget, library funding will again be an issue in 2010. Please support FLA's advocacy efforts through your gifts to the "Friends of Florida Libraries" Honor Roll. See details at http://www.flalib.org/honor_roll_campaign.php

Together we know we can make a difference!

Alliance Library System and LearningTimes Offer Handheld Librarian 2 Conference February 17-18th, 2010!

2009-10-26T09:01:00.003-05:00

More people than 2,000 people attended the first ever Handheld Librarian Conference in July 2009 which featured a wide array of collaboration, learning and networking activities focused on Mobile Library Services! The Handheld Librarian 2 will continue the dialog with a 2-day online conference scheduled for February 17-18, 2010 and is now accepting registrations at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org.

The program -- sponsored by Alliance Library System, and LearningTimes -- will include a series of wonderful keynote and featured speakers collection of available resources, discussions boards, and access to the recording of all live events for one year after the conference. More people than ever are using mobile devices for a wide variety of purposes including communication, internet access, text messaging, and entertainment. It is important that libraries provide mobile services as handheld use increases.

The conference will feature three exciting keynote talks:

· Joan K. Lippincott from the Coalition for Networked Information speaking about “Mobilizing Libraries for Today’s Students”

· Joe Murphy from Yale University speaking about “This is Now: The Mobile Library”

· Tom Peters of TAP Information Services, addressing “Morphing with Mobile”

Registration for the conference is $69 per individual or $119 for a group. LIS students can register for $29. LIS students need to contact Lori Bell, Alliance Library System, at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com for a coupon code to register for the $29.

“With the avalanche of new mobile devices and applications, the Handheld Librarian 2 online conference will be a golden opportunity for library land to cost effectively learn how to reach a whole new audience,” said Kitty Pope, ALS Executive Director.

The Handheld Librarian II will also include the real-life experiences of libraries and information professionals. We are now soliciting presentation proposals highlighting current, evolving and future issues in mobile library services. To submit a proposal for the conference, go to http://www.handheldlibrarian.org/call-for-proposals/. Proposals are due November 15 and you will be notified by January 1, 2010 if your proposal has been accepted.

For more information on the conference, go to the conference site at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org. If you have questions, please contact John Walber at LearningTimes at john@learningtimes.net or Lori Bell at Alliance Library System at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com.

Local Book Publishers Honored for Publishing Excellence

2009-10-15T09:19:00.001-05:00

HIGHLAND CITY, FL – October 12, 2009 – On Saturday, September 26, 2009, the Florida Publishers Association (FPA) presented its 2009 President’s Book Awards to members whose books were chosen as best in 16 different categories and one special category, President’s Pick, chosen by FPA’s President, Chris Angermann, of New Chapter Publisher, Sarasota, FL.

FPA Book Awards Chair, Betsy Lampe, president of Rainbow Books, Inc., Lakeland, FL, was the mistress of ceremonies for the President’s Book Awards Banquet at The Helmsley Sandcastle Hotel on Lido Beach, Sarasota.

“While it’s quite an honor for the publishers, authors, illustrators and designers whose books won gold and silver medals” says Lampe, who also acts as the group’s association executive, “the awards also provide a new platform from which the publishers can launch new marketing efforts. Publishing is a business, and receiving industry recognition, such as winning in the FPA 2009 President’s Book Awards, can help reviewers, retailers and readers identify some great and, perhaps, previously undiscovered books.”

The evening awards banquet was part of the two-day FPA 2009 Publishing Ed-U-Conference, the theme for which was “Strategies for Success.” Participants attended presentations by nationally recognized book experts and successful independent publishers in Florida.

The following gold and silver medal winners were selected by the competition’s 22 judges (19 Florida librarians and 3 members of an award-winning, nationally recognized book design firm):

PICTURE BOOK

Gold Medal Winner — Adventures of Countess Pigula: "Up, Up and Away!" written and illustrated by Karen Freysinger, published by "A-Ha!" Elora Danan Productions, Inc. (Estero, FL)

Silver Medal Winners — Airport Mouse Explores on Opening Day by Ruth E. Clark, illustrated by Phil Jones, published by Hibiscus Publishing (Naples, FL); Airport Mouse Becomes a VIP/VIM World Traveler by Ruth E. Clark, illustrated by Phil Jones, published by Hibiscus Publishing (Naples, FL); and, Kersplatypus by Susan Mitchell, illustrated by Sherry Rogers, published by Sylvan Dell Publishing (Mount Pleasant, SC)

FLORIDA FICTION FOR CHILDREN

Gold Medal Winner — Florida Santa: Is He Real? How Do We Know It? by Ruth E. Clark, illustrated by Sarah Caterisano, published by Hibiscus Publishing (Naples, FL)

YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION

Gold Medal Winner — Unlock Your Educational Potential by Dr. Brian R. Haig and Jeffrey D. Haig, published by Maximize Your Education (Irvine, CA)

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Gold Medal Winner — A Cord of Three Strands by Holly Moulder, published by White Pelican Press (Sharpsburg, GA)

CHILDREN’S FICTION

Gold Medal Winner — The Mysterious Jamestown Suitcase: A Bailey Fish Adventure by Linda Salisbury, published by Tabby House (Mineral, VA)

Silver Medal Winners — Jonathan's Journey to Mount Miapu by Ellen Wolfson Valladares, illustrated by Maureen Burdock, published by Argami Productions, LLC (Weston, FL); and Ghost of the Chicken Coop Theater: A Bailey Fish Adventure by Linda Salisbury, published by Tabby House (Mineral, VA)

CHILDREN’S NONFICTION

Gold Medal Winner — Kiddish Yiddish: Jewish Traditions & Culture in Rhyme by Barbara Feltquate, illustrated by Tom Post, published Bardolf & Co. (Sarasota, FL)

Silver Medal Winner — Isabelle's Dream: A Story and Activity Book for a Child's Grief Journey by Betsy Bottino Arenella, published by Quality of Life Publishing Company (Naples, FL)

ADULT NONFICTION

Gold Medal Winner — Everyday Symbols for Joyful Living by Dianne Durante, Ed.S., published by of Life Publishing Company (Naples, FL)

Silver Medal Winners — The Half-Life of a Nuclear Battery by Philip H. Talbert, published by Astral Publishing (Fort Lauderdale, FL); and Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback's Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss by Eric Hipple, published by Quality of Life Publishing Company (Naples, FL)

MEMOIRS

Gold Medal Winner — Captured Horizons: An Artist's Journey by Michael Judge, published by New Chapter Publisher (Sarasota, FL)

Silver Medal Winners — The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy Into Triumph by Loretta "Faith" Harris, published by Children's Heart Publishing Company (Orlando, FL); and, The Half-Life of a Nuclear Battery by Philip H. Talbert, published by Astral Publishing (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

FLORIDA FICTION FOR ADULTS

Gold Medal Winner — Promise to Poppy: A Bath Pond Book by Lowell Teal (Windermere, FL)

FLORIDA NONFICTION FOR ADULTS

Gold Medal Winner — Treasured Waters: The Indian River Lagoon by Richard A. Kelly and Camille S. Yates, published by Pioneer River Press (Fort Pierce, FL)

ADULT FICTION

Gold Medal Winner — MillTown by P.D. LaFleur, published by RGI Press (Punta Gorda, FL)

Silver Medal Winner — Alex and the Color of the Wind by Piero Rivolta, published by Chapter Publisher (Sarasota, FL)

INTERIOR DESIGN

Gold Medal Winner — Tastefully Small Finger Sandwiches: Easy Party Sandwiches for All Occasions by Kim Hendrickson, published Atlantic Publishing Company (Ocala, FL)

Silver Medal Winner — ColorAlchemy: Self-Mastery with the Endless Supply of Color written and designed by Jami Lin, published by Earth Design, Inc. (Venice, FL)

COVER DESIGN

Gold Medal Winner — Tastefully Small Dessert Canapés: Bite-Sized Sweets for Easy Entertaining by Kim Hendrickson, published by Atlantic Publishing Company (Ocala, FL)

Silver Medal Winners — Jazz from Row Six: Photographs 1981–2007 by Jean Germain, published by New Chapter Publisher (Sarasota, FL); and, Promise to Poppy: A Bath Pond Book by Lowell Teal (Windermere, FL)

COFFEE TABLE BOOK

Gold Medal Winner — Jazz from Row Six: Photographs 1981–2007 by Jean Germai, published by Chapter Publisher (Sarasota, FL)

Silver Medal Winner — Treasured Waters: The Indian River Lagoon by Richard A. Kelly and Camille S. Yates, published by Pioneer River Press LLC (Fort Pierce, FL)

BUSINESS BOOK

Gold Medal Winner — The Complete Guide to Robert's Rules of Order Made Easy: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply by Rita Cook, published by Atlantic Publishing Company (Ocala, FL)

Silver Medal Winners — The Complete Guide to Understanding, Controlling and Stopping Bullies & Bullying at Work: A Complete Guide for Managers, Supervisors, and Co-Workers by Margaret R. Kohut, MSW, published by Atlantic Publishing Company (Ocala, FL); and, The Secret Power of Blogging by Bruce C. Brown, published by Atlantic Publishing Company (Ocala, FL)

POETRY BOOK

Gold Medal Winner — East of Pouring by William Drew Weinbrenner, published by Ahewlu Productions LLC (Orlando, FL)

PRESIDENT’S PICK

Gold Medal Winner — Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback's Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss by Eric Hipple, published by Quality of Life Publishing Company (Naples, FL)

In addition to medals to commemorate their awards, winners and finalists in each category received an award certificate and President’s Book Awards labels for their book covers.

Florida Publishers Association, Inc., now in its 27th year, is a non-profit, statewide professional association of publishers, self-publishers, authors and others interested in book publishing in Florida. It conducts numerous educational conferences, seminars and workshops throughout Florida and is affiliated with the Association of American Publishers, the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Small Publishers Association of North America and the Florida Center for the Book. It is also a member of the Florida Library Association and the Florida Association for Media in Education. Florida Publishers Association members are primarily located in Florida but includes members nationwide and internationally.

###

Winning companies by city:

—ESTERO—

"A-Ha!" Elora Danan Productions, Inc., publisher of the Picture Book Gold Medal Winner, Adventures of Countess Pigula: "Up, Up and Away!" written and illustrated by Karen Freysinger (Contact: Karen Freysinger, 239-466-2747, countesspigula@comcast.net)

—FORT LAUDERDALE—

Astral Publishing, publisher of both the Adult Nonfiction Silver Medal Winner and the Memoirs Silver Medal Winner, The Half-Life of a Nuclear Battery by Philip H. Talbert (Contact: Philip Talbert, 954-298-0906, ptalbert@bellsouth.net)

—FORT PIERCE—

Pioneer River Press, publisher of both the Florida Nonfiction for Adults Gold Medal Winner and Coffee Table Book Silver Medal Winner, Treasured Waters: The Indian River Lagoon by Richard A. Kelly and Camille S. Yates (Contact: Monique Walker, 772-462-7242, mwalker@ircc.edu)

—NAPLES—

Hibiscus Publishing, publisher of Florida Fiction for Children Gold Medal Winner, Florida Santa: Is He Real? How Do We Know It? by Ruth E. Clark, illustrated by Sarah Caterisano, and Picture Book Silver Medal Winners Airport Mouse Explores on Opening Day by Ruth E. Clark, illustrated by Phil Jones, and Airport Mouse Becomes a VIP/VIM World Traveler by Ruth E. Clark, illustrated by Phil Jones (Contact: Ruth E. Clark, Ed.D., 239-514-1373, hibiscus311@comcast.net)

Quality of Life Publishing, publisher of the President’s Pick and Adult Nonfiction Silver Medal Winner Real Men Do Cry: A Quarterback's Inspiring Story of Tackling Depression and Surviving Suicide Loss by Eric Hipple; the Adult Nonfiction Gold Medal Winner, Everyday Symbols for Joyful Living by Dianne Durante, Ed.S.; and the Children’s Nonfiction Silver Medal Winner, Isabelle's Dream: A Story and Activity Book for a Child's Grief Journey by Betsy Bottino Arenella (Contact: Karla Wheeler, 877-513-0099, kwheeler@QoLpublishing.com)

—OCALA—

Atlantic Publishing Company, publisher of the Interior Design Gold Medal Winner, Tastefully Small Finger Sandwiches: Easy Party Sandwiches for All Occasions by Kim Hendrickson, designed by Meg Buchner; the Cover Design Gold Medal Winner, Tastefully Small Dessert Canapés: Bite-Sized Sweets for Easy Entertaining by Kim Hendrickson, designed by Meg Buchner; the Business Books Gold Medal Winner, The Complete Guide to Robert's Rules of Order Made Easy: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply by Rita Cook; and the Business Books Silver Medal Winners, The Complete Guide to Understanding, Controlling and Stopping Bullies & Bullying at Work: A Complete Guide for Managers, Supervisors, and Co-Workers by Margaret R. Kohut, MSW, and The Secret Power of Blogging by Bruce C. Brown (Contact: Doug Brown, 352-622-1825, dbrown@atlantic-pub.com)

—ORLANDO—

Children’s Heart Publishing Company, publisher of the Memoirs Silver Medal Winner, The Journey Less Traveled: Choose to Turn Your Tragedy Into Triumph by Loretta "Faith" Harris (Contact: Loretta Harris, 407-232-3992, ms_Harris98@hotmail.com)

Ahewlu Productions LLC, publisher of the Poetry Book Gold Medal Winner, East of Pouring by William Drew Weinbrenner (Contact: William Drew Weinbrenner, 407-488-5054, dweinbre@yahoo.com)

—PUNTA GORDA—

RGI Press, publisher of the Adult Fiction Gold Medal Winner, MillTown by P.D. LaFleur (Contact: Suzanne Lancaster, 941-916-4218, slancaster@rgipress.com)

—SARASOTA—

Bardolf & Co., publisher of the the Children’s Nonfiction Gold Medal Winner, Kiddish Yiddish: Jewish Traditions & Culture in Rhyme by Barbara Feltquate, illustrated by Tom Post (Contact: Chris Angermann, 941-954-4690, c.angermann@comcast.net)

New Chapter Publisher, publisher of the Memoirs Gold Medal Winner, Captured Horizons: An Artist's Journey by Michael Judge; the Coffee Table Book Gold Medal Winner and Cover Design Silver Medal Winner, Jazz from Row Six: Photographs 1981–2007 by Jean Germain; and the Adult Fiction Silver Medal Winner, Alex and the Color of the Wind by Piero Rivolta (Contact: Chris Angermann, 941-954-4690, c.angermann@comcast.net)

—SHARPSBURG, GEORGIA—

White Pelican Press, publisher of the Young Adult Fiction Gold Medal Winner, A Cord of Three Strands by Holly Moulder (Contact: Holly Moulder, fishermoulder@aol.com)

—WESTON—

Argami Productions, LLC, publisher of the Children’s Fiction Silver Medal Winner, Jonathan's Journey to Mount Miapu by Ellen Wolfson Valladares, illustrated by Maureen Burdock (Contact: Ellen Valladares, 954-384-2731, ellenwv@aol.com)

—VENICE—

Earth Design, Inc., publisher of the Interior Design Silver Medal Winner, ColorAlchemy: Self-Mastery with the Endless Supply of Color written and designed by Jami Lin (Contact: Jami Lin, 941-276-8689, gp@jamilin.com)

—WINDERMERE—

Lowell Teal, publisher of the Florida Fiction for Adults Gold Medal Winner and Cover Design Silver Medal Winner, Promise to Poppy: A Bath Pond Book by Lowell Teal (Contact: Lowell Teal, 407-876-2377, lowellteal@aol.com)

OUT OF STATE

—IRVINE, CA—

Maximize Your Education, publisher of the Young Adult Nonfiction Gold Medal Winner, Unlock Your Educational Potential by Dr. Brian R. Haig and Jeffrey D. Haig

—MINERAL, VA—

Tabby House, publisher of the Children’s Fiction Gold Medal Winner, The Mysterious Jamestown Suitcase: A Bailey Fish Adventure by Linda Salisbury, and the Children’s Fiction Silver Medal Winner, Ghost of the Chicken Coop Theater: A Bailey Fish Adventure by Linda Salisbury

—MOUNT PLEASANT, SC—

Sylvan Dell Publishing, publisher of the Picture Book Silver Medal Winner, Kersplatypus by Susan Mitchell, illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Library Day 2010 Announced

2009-10-05T14:27:00.004-05:00

Library Day will be held in Tallahassee on Tuesday, February 16, 2010. All library supporters are invited to be a part of FLA's advocacy efforts to talk with state legislators about the importance of libraries in the state's buget. The 2010 legislative platform includes support for

State university and community college libraries

Public school media centers

State Library & Archives of Florida

Bureau of Braille & Talking Book Services

Department of Correction library services

State Aid to Libraries grants (public library funding)

Public library construction grants

Community Libraries in Caring grant program

Library cooperatives

Expansion of early voting sites

The full platform may be viewed at http://www.flalib.org/advocacy_documents/Leg%20Platform%202010%20Apprvd%20072409.pdf

October is now NATIONAL INFORMATION LITERACY AWARENESS MONTH

2009-10-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 1, 2009

NATIONAL INFORMATION LITERACY AWARENESS MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information. A 24-hour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio networks, coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our long-held perceptions of information management. Rather than merely possessing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation. This new type of literacy also requires competency with communication
technologies, including computers and mobile devices that can help in our day-to-day decisionmaking. National Information Literacy Awareness Month highlights the need for all Americans to be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age.

Though we may know how to find the information we need, we must also know how to evaluate it. Over the past decade, we have seen a crisis of authenticity emerge. We now live in a world where anyone can publish an opinion or perspective, whether true or not, and have that opinion amplified within the information marketplace. At the same time, Americans have unprecedented access to the diverse and independent sources of information, as well as institutions such as libraries and universities, that can help separate truth from fiction and signal from noise.

Our Nation's educators and institutions of learning must be aware of -- and adjust to -- these new realities. In addition to the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic, it is equally important that our students are given the tools required to take advantage of the information available to them. The ability to seek, find, and decipher information can be applied to countless life decisions, whether financial, medical, educational, or technical.

This month, we dedicate ourselves to increasing information literacy awareness so that all citizens understand its vital importance. An informed and educated citizenry is essential to the functioning of our modern democratic society, and I encourage educational and community institutions across the country to help Americans find and evaluate the information they seek, in all its forms.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2009 as National Information Literacy Awareness Month. I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the important role information plays in our daily lives, and appreciate the need for a greater understanding of its impact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA
# # #

Announcing the Redesign of the Florida Electronic Library and Gale’s PowerSearch 2.0!

2009-09-16T10:42:00.000-05:00

The Florida Electronic Library—your gateway to superior electronic resources that offer access to comprehensive, accurate, and reliable information—is pleased to announce a redesigned Web site (http://www.flelibrary.org) and the migration to Gale’s PowerSearch 2.0 platform.

The newly designed site makes accessing information from the Florida Electronic Library collection easier than ever. In addition to locating authoritative sources such as magazines, newspapers, almanacs, encyclopedias, and books, and providing up-to-date information on current events, education, business, technology, and health issues, the new site also helps users connect directly with librarians and libraries across the state.

Students, families, teachers, and librarians will find valuable tools to meet their information needs as well. Whether you are a teacher looking for a lesson plan or a student looking for the best electronic information to complete a report for school, the Florida Electronic Library has the quality information and sources you need.

In addition to the site redesign, the Florida Electronic Library is also very pleased to announce that Gale’s PowerSearch 2.0 has been enabled for all InfoTrac resources in the collection. Improvements to Gale’s PowerSearch platform include:

§ Better navigation options, including the new Publication Browse with hover technology, allowing users to see more publication details without clicking through

§ Three languages (Arabic, Polish, and Russian) added to the translation feature, enabling users to translate any of the 150 million articles available on the PowerSearch platform into 11 different languages

§ Addition of “named user” functionality, allowing researchers to save their search histories, maintain search alerts, create RSS feeds, and save documents into their own customized folders

§ Enhanced search results that incorporate images, videos, and podcasts directly into the results list

§ Web 2.0 sharing tools including Del.icio.us, MySpace, Reddit, Digg, Facebook, Newsvine, Twitter, and others

§ ReadSpeaker technology, allowing users to have all articles available via PowerSearch read to them, or downloaded into MP3 format (for an iPod or other audio device) to listen to later

Ready to take advantage of these great new enhancements?

Login at http://www.flelibrary.org and let a pathway to learning begin!

FLA takes legal action to advocate for libraries

2009-09-04T07:33:00.006-05:00

The Florida Library Association will intervene in a lawsuit filed against the Florida Division of Library and Information Services by Library Systems & Services (LSSI). The suit challenges a proposed amendment to State Aid Program Guidelines which requires the head of a public library be a full-time employee of the single administrative unit.

FLA’s Petition to Intervene includes the following points:
· The proposed change to the eligibility requirements for State Aid to Libraries grants has the potential to affect library budgets and, therefore, current and future employment opportunities at Florida libraries.
· FLA’s mission and purpose include promoting excellence in all types of library service in Florida. It is FLA’s position that excellence is promoted when a library is managed and coordinated by a full-time library professional.

The final hearing will be held on October 8, 2009. For more information, see http://www.flalib.org/advocacy_documents/Petition%20to%20Intervene%20-%20FLA%20member%20announcement.pdf

FLA 2010 Annual Conference - Save the Date

2009-08-27T14:32:00.001-05:00

Save the Date and Think Outside the Book!
April 7-9, 2010
Rosen Plaza Hotel, Orlando

The Florida Library Association is excited about the 2010 Annual Conference, and encourages everyone to put these dates on their calendar: April 7 -9, 2010.

FLA President Wendy Breeden has chosen “Thinking Outside The Book” as her presidential theme, and the 2010 Conference Committee is planning a slate of programs and events that will reflect the vitality and dynamics of Florida Libraries, and the exciting directions our profession is taking.

The coming annual conference will be held in the outstanding Rosen Plaza Hotel. Located on International Drive, this conference location will provide an excellent vantage point for launching great adventures and spending time with your colleagues during conference down time, or as an opportunity to add on several days for a family holiday. To learn more about the Rosen Plaza, visit: http://www.rosenplaza.com/Default.aspx

If you visit the FLA Home page at http://www.flalib.org/, there is a handy link that makes it easy to book your 2010 Conference Hotel reservation with your special conference rate.

“Thinking Outside the Book” starts with you, so join us in Orlando in April 2010!

St. Augustine Research Library Offers Public Rare Digitized Documents

2009-08-14T19:10:00.004-05:00

By THEO KARANTSALIS

If you ever wanted to peer into St. Augustine’s past, besides circling it in a trolley, you might want to sift through a hidden treasure uncovered by the St. Augustine Historical Society.

A rare collection of books, photographs and documents dating back hundreds of years, will soon be made available to the public – after they are digitized.

“We’ve embarked on a plan to digitize our collection and make it available to everyone,” said Chief Librarian Jess May, a former Hewlett-Packard employee. “We want to share it.”

The Research Library was formed as an alliance between the Free Library Association of St. Augustine and the St. Augustine Historical Society, both established in the 19th century.

The library’s collection includes books and photographs that document the city’s storied past.

“We have items here that date back to the 16th century,” said Dr. Susan Parker, the society’s executive director. “This is the oldest historical society in the state.”

Most of the older documents are in Spanish. Parker, who speaks Spanish, also added that books from the 17th century are in better shape than those from the 18th century, and attributes this to the quality of paper.

Aside from books and photos, Parker said that the collection includes:

- translations of the earliest church records in the nation that date back to 1594;

- copies of official Spanish and British Colonial documents, from 1513-1821;

- the oldest municipal and county records in Florida, from 1812-1821; and,

- genealogical data from the sixteenth century to today.

Parker said that Minorcan descendants will find a “one-of-a-kind” resource at the library that will allow them to research their genealogy. Minorca, which means "minor island," is one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and is part of Spain.

“People come from all over to do research here,” said May. “One professor came all the way from U.C. Davis in California to research a load of chocolate that came into St. Augustine in the early years.”

The library’s goal is to preserve its collection while making it available to the public.

May said that digitizing a rare collection is labor intensive and that the library is relying on its “great volunteers” to complete the task. The library actively seeks volunteers and has reached out to library schools to promote internships in return for college credit.

“Every drawer is another 5 years of work,” said May. “It never stops.”

The research library is located at 6 Artillery Lane in St. Augustine. It is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the third Saturday of each month, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For information, call 904-824-2872.

Photo: Chief Librarian Jess May (left) and St. Augustine Historical Executive Director Dr. Susan Parker.

Theo Karantsalis is the assistant library director at Miami Dade College’s North Campus.

Book TV.org has some new features!

2009-06-16T17:02:00.001-05:00

Book TV.org has updated it's site and now has "easy-to-navigate sections where you can watch video, view and print the schedule, learn about book festivals, and find news about books and the publishing world" all from within the site. Check it out at: http://booktv.org/.

Here is one example of the programming you can watch from Book TV (courtesy of YouTube).

Kionne McGhee discusses his new book with librarian Theo Karantsalis

2009-05-11T08:10:00.002-05:00

Kionne McGhee, assistant state attorney, discusses his new book, "A Mere I Can is American" with librarian Theo Karantsalis.

Jazz in the stacks at the West St. Petersburg Community Library (April 21st at 7:30 p.m)

2009-04-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, St. Petersburg College will host Jazz in the Stacks, a free concert featuring the Helios Jazz Orchestra, on April 21, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at its West St. Petersburg Community Library, 750 66th Street North, St. Petersburg. This concert is sponsored in part by the Friends of the Library, the EMIT series, and the City of St. Petersburg.

The Helios Jazz Orchestra, a 22-piece jazz big band that performs swing, bebop and Latin jazz, is led by Director David Manson and made up of some of the most talented musicians in the Tampa Bay area.

Visit Helios Jazz Orchestra or the St. Petersburg Library Blog for more information.

Book Cart Drill Team @ FLA Conference

2009-03-17T06:16:00.003-05:00

Join the fun at FLA!

Create great PR for your library!

Strengthen library staff morale!

Start a Book Cart Drill Team!

Florida Library AssociationBook Cart Drill Team Competition
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 3:00pm – 3:45pm

Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to UniversalOrlando, Florida
1st Prize $250 DEMCO Gift Certificate

2nd Prize $150 DEMCO Gift Certificate

3rd Prize $100 DEMCO Gift Certificate

Trophies awarded for:Best Costumes; Best Decorated Carts and WOW Factor

Carts on the Move

The 2nd Annual FLA Book Cart Drill Team Competition is set for Wednesday, May 6, 2009 3:00pm-3:45pm. The competition will be held during the 2009 FLA Conference at the Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando, Florida. If you don't know what to expect at a Book Cart Drill Team event check out this video from last year's FLA Competition. There are also many other videos under the search term “book cart drill team” available at www.youtube.com/. If you are interested in participating be sure to read the Team Rules and Guidelines and complete an application. Both are available by clicking here.

Book Cart Drill Team members who are not attending any sessions, exhibits or events other than the competition, will not be charged conference registration fees and FLA is generously providing these individuals with a free pass to the vendors’ exhibition for the day of the competition.
This event is sponsored

Ask-a-Librarian Director's Chair Contest Winner

2009-02-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

The other Director's Chair winners can be viewed at: http://www.tblc.org/aal/directorschair/winners2009.shtml

Dear Mr. President: A Special Digital Book

2009-02-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

The National Education Association and Kidthing.com released "Dear Mr. President", an electronic book where children share their "thoughts, ideas, and advice" for America's 44th President. For more information visit: www.kidthing.com/DMP

Klez4Kids -- a multimedia storytime extravaganza!

2009-02-03T14:17:00.002-05:00

Come check out Klez4Kids, a multimedia storytime extravaganza, with a live reading by Heidi Smith Hyde (author of award-winning picture book "Mendel's Accordion"), illustrations projected onto the walls, and musical accompaniment by FAU's Klezmer Company Orchestra! It takes place on Wednesday February 25 at 7pm at Florida Atlantic University @ the Live Oak Pavilion. For more information visit: http://www.klez4kids.blogspot.com/.

FLA Awards Nominations

2009-02-03T11:18:00.003-05:00

Last Chance! 2009 FLA Awards nominations are due by February 28, 2009.

Listed below are the 9 award categories. Visit the FLA website to see a full description of all the awards and to obtain the award nomination forms. FLA’s newest award, the Maria Chavez-Hernandez "Libraries Change Peoples' Lives" Award, recognizes an individual library employee or group of employees who have made a demonstrably positive and big difference in the lives of Florida’s library users. This award is open to all types of libraries, library organizations and library associations in the state. The recognized service or program must have been in place for at least two years and may serve either adults, or adults and children. All types of programs and services may be nominated but the special focus will be programs and services that provide outreach to immigrant and/or underserved populations.

Do you know someone that should be nominated for the Librarian of the Year or the Lifetime Achievement Award? There is also a Library of the Year Award which is presented to a Florida library that has demonstrated outstanding service to the community it serves.

Submit award nomination forms to Faye Roberts, FLA Executive Director at faye.roberts@comcast.net by February 28, 2009.

Current FLA award categories:
· FLA Leader of the Year
· Librarian of the Year
· Library of the Year
· Lifetime Achievement
· Outstanding Citizen
· Friends, Foundations and Boards Library
· Intellectual Freedom
· Library Web Site
· Maria Chavez-Hernandez "Libraries Change Peoples' Lives"

NBC Nightly News report regarding the importance of libraries in these difficult economic times.

2008-12-15T08:40:00.001-05:00

FLA Awards Nominations

2008-12-04T16:13:00.002-05:00

2009 FLA Awards nominations are due by February 28, 2009. Listed below are the 9 award categories. Visit the FLA website to see descriptions of all the awards and to obtain the award nomination forms.

The FLA Leader of the Year Award is presented to a member of the Florida Library Association for distinguished service to the Association. Nominate someone you know who has a dedicated commitment to the Association's goals through active membership on committees, attendance at conferences, support of statewide advocacy efforts, submissions to the Association's publications, acceptance of leadership roles, or other significant activities on behalf of the Association and its aims.

Do you know a library that deserves one of the Library Web Site Awards? These awards are presented in three categories, Public Library Web Site, Special or Academic Library Web Site, and Youth Services Web Site. Library Web Site awards promote awareness of the importance of good design and usability in web page development and to recognize outstanding examples of effective library web pages.

Submit award forms to Faye Roberts, FLA Executive Director at faye.roberts@comcast.net

Current FLA award categories:

· FLA Leader of the Year

· Librarian of the Year

· Library of the Year

· Lifetime Achievement

· Outstanding Citizen

· Friends, Foundations and Boards Library

· Intellectual Freedom

· Library Web Site

· Maria Chavez-Hernandez "Libraries Change Peoples' Lives"

New cookbook from MaintainIT includes many Florida librarian contributions!

2008-11-05T15:14:00.003-05:00

The latest Cookbook is now available on the MaintainIT web site! "Planning for Success, a Guide for the Overworked Librarian" is packed with resources, ideas, tips, and techniques from over a hundred librarians from across the country.

You can find the new Cookbook here: http://www.maintainitproject.org/cookbooks/planning-for-success

Look to this Cookbook for the most current ideas and best practices for planning, building, and managing your library’s computer technology. Librarians have contributed their knowledge on topics ranging from security solutions and strategic maintenance practices, to community building experiences involving Web 2.0 tools and vital partnerships. And like all of the other MaintainIT materials, it is FREE.

Many Florida librarians contributed to it as well. Check them out at: http://www.maintainitproject.org/blog/a-new-cookbook-has-arrived-thanks-to-all-of-you

Helios Jazz Orchestra: Live in the Stacks Video

2008-10-31T11:42:00.001-05:00

The Helios Jazz Orchestra: Live in the Stacks

On Oct. 21, the West St. Petersburg Community Library at St. Petersburg College hosted its second “Jazz in the Stacks” concert with the talented Helios Jazz Orchestra.

The 21-piece jazz ensemble, directed by David Manson, performed swing, bebop & Latin jazz arrangements. Its band members, with vocalists Rita Wilson and Joanna Rose, include some of the best jazz musicians in the Tampa Bay area.

Watch them on SPC TV on:

Sunday 9 p.m.

Wednesday 10 a.m.

Saturday 12 p.m.

Friday 8:30 p.m.

Helios Jazz Orchestra -- Live in the Stacks!

2008-10-14T11:06:00.003-05:00

The West St. Petersburg Community Library at St. Petersburg College and the Friends of the Library proudly presents the Helios Jazz Orchestra -- Live in the Stacks!

The Helios Jazz Orchestra is a resident ensemble at St. Petersburg College. The 21-piece jazz big band is directed by Dr. David Manson and performs swing, bebop & Latin jazz. Its members include the best jazz musicians in the Tampa Bay area. Read more at: www.spcollege.edu/spg/music/helios/heliosroster.htm.

The library is located at 67th Street and Eighth Avenue N. on
the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus. For more information call (727) 341- 7199.

Date: Tuesday October 21, 2008
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Library
Cost: Free!

Refreshments and snacks will be served.

FLA Awards Nominations

2008-10-10T15:18:00.003-05:00

Nominations needed! Let’s make our 2009 FLA Awards ceremony the best ever. Nominate a Florida library for Library of the Year or for one of the Library Web Site awards. Maybe you know someone who should be nominated for Librarian of the Year, which is presented in recognition of outstanding and ongoing contributions to Florida librarianship.

Don’t forget last year’s new award, Maria Chavez-Hernandez "Libraries Change Peoples' Lives" Award. This award, named in honor of Florida State University’s Dr. Maria Chavez-Hernandez, recognizes an individual library employee or group of employees who have made a demonstrably positive and big difference in the lives of Florida’s library users.

Current FLA award categories:
· FLA Leader of the Year
· Librarian of the Year
· Library of the Year
· Lifetime Achievement
· Outstanding Citizen
· Friends, Foundations and Boards Library
· Intellectual Freedom
· Library Web Site
· Maria Chavez-Hernandez "Libraries Change Peoples' Lives"

To see descriptions of all the FLA awards and the award forms visit the FLA website.

Nominations are due by February 28. 2009 and should be submitted to Faye Roberts, FLA Executive Director at faye.roberts@comcast.net

Libraries Shine In Tough Economic Times

2008-10-08T09:28:00.002-05:00

All Things Considered, July 29, 2008 · With the economy slowing, many Americans are doing research in the public library. Boyd County, Ky., Library Director Debbie Cosper says public-use computers are always full and people are checking out books rather than buying them.

Early Childhood Learning Materials Available

2008-09-15T10:32:00.005-05:00

This is a post George Needham made to "It's All Good," a blog to which he and OCLC colleagues contribute. If public libraries are in the business of helping parents and caregivers prepare young children for reading and learning, then it would seem to make sense to provide learning tools like these from library web sites to support that role.

Washington Learning Systems in Seattle is offering free access to materials to assist in early childhood education.

According to the press release I received: These materials include 14 activities designed to be used outside the home: in the car, while walking, during bus rides, etc.

The activities encourage early language and literacy development from birth through preschool. They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically.

The development of these materials was supported by Grant H324M020084 from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.

The materials are available in English and Spanish.You can download the materials here.

George Needham -

Maintaining Public Computers: A Free Webinar for Florida Libraries

2008-09-05T08:52:00.003-05:00

Description

1. Are you tired of spending time figuring out how to maintain or support your public computers?

2. Do you wish you could ask someone how they manage public computers at their library? (For example, how do they manage printing? Reservations? Questions from laptop users? And more…)

3. Are you interested in sharing how your library gets things done?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re in luck: the MaintainIT Project is here to help!

At the MaintainIT Project (www.maintainitproject.org), we interview hundreds of librarians about how they maintain, support, and sustain their public computers. We then publish all of their experiences, successes, and challenges in free guides called Cookbooks, so librarians can learn from the experiences of others who’ve done it before them.

The best part? Everything the MaintainIT Project does is free, and everything is on www.maintainitproject.org. We also produce free webinars, and we’d like to invite you to a free webinar on how you can use MaintainIT resources to make a difference in your library. Please come!

DATE: September 11th, 2008

TIME: 3:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Lori Reed from Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (NC) will be facilitating this webinar for libraries in Florida. Please spread the word!

To participate in this webinar, you will need to be at a computer and on the phone. Connection specifics will be included in an email sent to you after you register.

Great Gainesville Sun Story About Alachua County Library District!

2008-07-26T18:15:00.002-05:00

Library care packages offer soldiers morale boost

By Hailey MacArthur, Special to The Gainesville Sun
Published: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 6:29 a.m.

Army Sgt. Dana Messer was anxious. He was restless. He was waiting for mail call.

Messer, 29, spent 12 months anticipating mail call while in combat overseas. Would there be a package today? Would it be fat, or would it be thin? Would it rattle, or would it rustle?

"They all knew that they could count on my packages for the roasted peanuts and magazines," he said of the men in his division. "I couldn't tear those boxes open before soldiers were all over me."

The care packages were addressed to Messer but reached all the men in Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment. They were sent from Gainesville's Tower Road Branch Library through a Web site that connects civilians to soldiers.

It was just coincidence that a library so close to his home in Alachua offered him such a morale boost while he was stationed 62 miles south of Baghdad in Al-Hillah, Iraq - almost 7,000 miles from North Central Florida.

The library has sent more than 1,000 care packages since 2004 to U.S. troops like Messer through the Books for Soldiers Web site, but its days doing so may be numbered.
The site allows deployed soldiers with Internet access to request books, magazines, CDs, DVDs, board games and other items from volunteers who ship the items directly.

Susan Weimer, library specialist and Books for Soldiers member, said the Tower Road library comes from a tradition of outreach.

"We had the magazines, and the troops wanted the magazines," she said, matter-of-factly. "So it was sort of a natural for us to come together."

Weimer and several colleagues started by paying postage fees out of pocket. But each package cost between $7 and $10 to ship, she said, and the fees began to add up.

So Friends of the Library, a nonprofit organization that supports the Alachua County Library District, offered to cover the cost of postage. More than $4,000 was raised in April by collecting change during the semiannual book sale.

Weimer said she was hooked after the first, simple thank you.

"I sent a few packages out," she said, "and then I got my first postcard. It really kind of touched me that I would actually get a response from somebody on the other side of the world. It was amazing how appreciative he was."

The postcard was nothing much to write home about. It was short at just three lines long and concluded with "GO GATORS!"

Weimer displays that first postcard from Sgt. Johnson on her desk, which is ambushed by boxes of magazines and bombarded by yellow Post-It notes with the names and locations of soldiers. At any given time, Weimer said she is in contact with at least 50 soldiers.

"It does, in a way, become like having family members there," she said." You can't put the war on the back burner. It's always in the forefront of your experience, every day. So, no matter what you do, you're remembering that people that you have come to know and care about are there."

Weimer has binders, cardboard boxes and e-mail inboxes full of notes, some short and others long, from soldiers she has touched. They all know her as "infomama." She has received flags flown over bases, Iraqi money and even copies of election ballots from soldiers who gush about her generosity.

"It's nice to show people that a library is there for them, no matter where they are."

Sgt. Jerome Patterson, stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, for 15 months during his second tour of duty, estimates he received about 90 packages, or a package a week, from the Tower Road Branch Library.

"It kind of ensured us that there were people still on the outside world," he said.
Sgt. Messer, the Alachua resident who received packages from the Tower Road library, returned home from duty in November. He has since earned a degree from Santa Fe Community College and is now attending the University of Texas at San Antonio.

"It was always exciting, for me in particular, to get a little piece from home," Messer said of the packages from Gainesville.

Susan Weimer made sure to include a copy of The High Springs Herald or Alachua County Today in each package she sent to Messer.

"Everyone at the library really made a to ugh tour easier," he said. "It helped remind us it wasn't all hell-built; there was something to come home to."

MaintainIT FREE 30-minute webinar

2008-07-15T08:41:00.001-05:00

Join Jesse Weaver and Kieran Hixon from the John C Fremont Library in Florence, CO, as they share their evolution from a paper-based PC reservation system to a computerized system that works! And the best part? The system they use was developed at their library, and they’re offering it to you, for FREE.

Please join us!

WHEN: July 15th, 11:00 am to 11:30 am (PST)
WHERE: WebJunction's webinar space: http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=19996

For more information on the webinar and the folks from the John C Fremont Library, visit the MaintainIT blog: http://www.maintainitproject.org/blog/30-minute-webinar-tomorrow. If you missed the webinar, find the archive, here: http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=19996

Britannica Lets Online Visitors Suggest Revisions

2008-06-18T12:23:00.001-05:00

NPR reported that the online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica is allowing readers to suggest edits and contributions. Does this sound familiar? Although it will not be as open as the Wikipedia model, it is a step in the right direction. Visit http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91625713&ft=1&f=1006 to listen/read the story.

MaintainIT Project events coming up

2008-06-06T17:45:00.004-05:00

Hi there,

My name is Sarah Washburn, and I work for TechSoup's MaintainIT Project, an effort to share how libraries are supporting public computers. We talk to hundreds of libraries from across the country so we can share stories from libraries like the Suwanee River Regional Library or the Alachua County Library District or the Calhoun County Public Library or even Chad Mairn (from this blog!), so that libraries from across the country can learn from libraries in Florida and other places.

You can download a FREE Cookbook on our site to learn more about how libraries are supporting public computers. Read about setting up wireless, developing laptop checkout programs, locking down computers, and many other practical tips from libraries.

So, in the title of this post I promised I'd talk about free events coming up, so here's one:

If you've already downloaded a Cookbook and would like to chat with others about how you've used it, or how you'd like to use a Cookbook in your library, come to an informal Cookbook Book Club webinar, a technology book club where you can learn about the resources others have used in a friendly setting.

Sign up here if you're interested in joining the discussions. Book Clubs will cover many topics over the next months, so please sign up so we can be sure to let you know when the next one is scheduled.

On that topic, the first Book Club is on June 24th, at 11:00 am PST. The topic is Setting Up a Wireless Network, found in Chapter One of Recipes for a 5-Star Library (download it here). Please sign up if you'd like to attend. More details soon. I hope to see you there.

More fun stuff to come, and please, if you haven't yet talked to us at the MaintainIT Project, please get in touch. We'd love to spotlight more Florida libraries!

Conference Recap by Stephanie

2008-05-05T09:49:00.006-05:00

Stephanie Race of NEFLIN wrote a great recap of her experiences at the conference.

It was even voted as the April "Blog Post of the Month" on the NEFLIN Blog. Check it out!

Share your FLA memories

2008-05-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Did you take pictures at FLA in St. Petersburg this year? If so, please share them with us by adding them to the FLA Flickr Group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/floridalibrary/.

If you did attend - or missed the event, you can also visit our page and see photos of the conference today!

Twine helps fight information overload ...

2008-05-02T09:59:00.001-05:00

Imagine having a personal assistant to help you organize, share and discover information from “networks of like-minded people” (Twine). Twine is the web application to help you do this! Twine will sort through an amalgamation of information that you have foraged for and accumulated over the years and try to make sense of it all. Nova Spivack released the beta version of Twine recently and said that he is “trying to amplify human intelligence with machine intelligence” (Thompson). Twine is working to help make sense of the machine-readable Semantic Web.

Want to be part of the Twine revolution? Register for the Invite Beta here. http://www.twine.com/

Please join us at the FLA Annual Conference...

2008-04-09T20:20:00.003-05:00

The Internet Member Group is sponsoring: From 'Web Two Point Oh No' To Greatness: Using the Read/Write Web to Uncover Your Inner Leader.

The focus of the presentation is leadership using Web 2.0 tools. Learn about Web 2.0 applications and how you can use these low-tech tools to bring out your inner leader to accomplish collaborative initiatives at your library. Please join us on Wednesday, April 23rd in the Indian Key Room from 3:30-4:45 pm.

FLA 2008 Award Winners

2008-04-03T05:53:00.002-05:00

The FLA award winners for 2008 have been announced. Congratulations to all of these terrific people and organizations. Award presentations will be at the Closing Session of the FLA conference, April 25, 2008 at the Tradewinds Resort Hotel in St. Pete Beach.

Library of the Year Award - Pasco County Library System, Linda Allen, 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)
Betty Davis Miller Youth Services Award - Clearwater Public Library System, Barbara Pickell, Director
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:
Newsletter of the Year, Friends of South County Regional Library (Lee County)
Special Projects Award - Friends of the Elsie Quirk Library (Sarasota County)
Outstanding Program Award - Friends of the Bloomingdale Regional Library (Hillsborough County)

FLA New Member's Round Table Present:

2008-03-25T07:41:00.001-05:00

Get it Write: Make your resume work for you!

FLA session - Thursday, April 24 from 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Board Room. Tracey Reed, Chair, NMRT (and Computer Services Librarian, Clearwater Public Libraries), Vic Nunez (Reference Librarian- Bartow Public Library), and Cheryl Davis (Florida Institute of Technology), will be facilitating the session and also participating as reviewers.

Other reviewers include: Linda Chancey, (Director, Bartow Public Library), Kiersty Cox, (Instructor, University of South Florida SLIS), and Roxana Tovrea, (Assistant Director, Bartow Public Library).

The agenda is below. Attendees will be signing up for individual review sessions in 15 minute increments.

Agenda 3:30 - 3:45 p.m. General Q&A 3:45 - 5:00 p.m. Resume review sessions

New WorldCat Facebook Application!

2008-03-19T11:54:00.003-05:00

A free WorldCat application for the Facebook social networking Web site is now available. The application lets Web users search the collections of WorldCat libraries and monitor favorite WorldCat lists—their own lists, or those created by other users—right from personalized Facebook pages. Search results are returned from WorldCat.org.

The application includes a Home screen with WorldCat search box, as well as quick links to WorldCat searches based on personal interests a user has input in his or her Facebook profile. The application also includes tabbed access to:

- a built-in advanced WorldCat search
- a "Something to Read" panel that displays books recently added to other users' WorldCat lists
- a panel where the user can invite other Facebook friends to install the WorldCat application

On a user's Facebook profile page, the application adds a custom Facebook "box" with basic WorldCat search. The profile's owner can expand or collapse the box's visibility, and reposition it to a preferred location by dragging its title bar.

If you wish to install the Facebook application use either of these options:

1. Follow the link from the WorldCat plug-ins page at http://worldcat.org/toolbars/

2. Log into a Facebook account and install the application directly from http://apps.facebook.com/worldcat/

2007 Florida Book Award Winners

2008-03-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

The 2007 Florida Book Award winners were announced last week and they are as follows:

POPULAR FICTION

Gold Medal Winner: Thomas B. Cavanagh, ‘Head Games’
Silver Medal Winner: James W. Hall, ‘Magic City’
Bronze Medal Winners: Mary Anna Evans, ‘Effigies’; Bob Morris, ‘Bermuda Schwartz’; and Rhonda Poller, ‘Knock Off’

FLORIDA NONFICTION

Gold Medal Winner: Cynthia Barnett, ‘Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S’
Silver Medal Winner: Bruce Hunt, ‘Florida Then & Now’
Bronze Medal Winners: Sudye Cauthen, ‘Southern Comforts: Rooted in a Florida Place’and Elna Green, ‘Looking for the New Deal’

POETRY

Gold Medal Winner: David Kirby, ‘House on Boulevard Street’
Silver Medal Winner: Reginald Shepherd, ‘Fata Morgana’
Bronze Medal Winner: Julianna Baggott, ‘Compulsions of Silkworms and Bees’

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

Gold Medal Winner: Adrian Fogelin, ‘The Sorta Sisters’
Silver Medal Winner: N.E. Bode, ‘The Slippery Map’
Bronze Medal Winner: Ruth Vander Zee, ‘Eli Remembers’

YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

Gold Medal Winner: Tracy A. Akers, ‘The Search for the Unnamed One’
Silver Medal Winner: Edward Bloor, ‘Taken’
Bronze Medal Winner: Crissa-Jean Chappell, ‘Total Constant Order’

GENERAL FICTION

Gold Medal Winner: Enid Shomer, ‘Tourist Season’
Silver Medal Winner: Leonard Nash, ‘You Can’t Get There from Here’
Bronze Medal Winners: Diana Abu-Jaber, ‘Origin’ and Uthaya Kumar, ‘Ticket to the Moon’

For more information on the Florida Book Awards, visit http://www.fsu.edu/~ams/bookawards/index.html

Book Cart Drill Team Competition Comes to FLA Conference 2008

2008-03-03T14:46:00.004-05:00

“CARTS ON THE MOVE”
2008 FLA BOOK CART DRILL TEAM COMPETITION

For the uninitiated, library book cart precision drill teams are groups of library staff members who push book carts in formation to music. Often the book carts are decorated and so are the library staff members! Book cart drill teams are being used to promote libraries in parades and community events all over the state. It is now time to answer the question:

Does your library have the best drill team in Florida?

Contestants will be judged on artistic impression, technical ability, best costumes, best cart decorations, and the WOW factor.

WIN PRIZES, TROPHIES, ACCOLADES
& the admiration of your peers !!
Click here for Competition Rules and Application

This event is sponsored by DEMCO

U. S. Wireless Airwaves Auction

2008-02-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

On Thursday (1/31/08), a bid of $4.71 billion was offered for a key slice of wireless airwaves being auction by the government. The "C" block spectrum is valuable because it transports 700-megahertz signals that can go long distances. FCC rules for the sale of this "slice of wireless" are that it must be made accessible to any device or software application. "The open-access condition on the C-block spectrum is important because U.S. wireless carriers have traditionally restricted the models of cell phones that can be used on their networks and limited the software that can be downloaded onto them, such as ring tones, music or Web browser software." Speculation is that the highest bidder is either Google or Verizon Wireless.

SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Peter Kaplan
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWBT00827920080131

Banned Book Week

2007-09-25T08:40:00.001-05:00

September 29–October 6, 2007 is Banned Book Week. Is your library planning an activity for Banned Book Week? Let us know in pictures.

Share pictures of your event with the Florida Library Community at in the Florida Library Association's Flickr Group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/floridalibrary/.

ALA has materials about Banned Book Week including PR Kits available here.

UnConference in Pictures

2007-08-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the UnConference in Niceville at the beginning of August. If you have pictures, please add them our group Flickr account- http://www.flickr.com/groups/floridalibrary/

Firefox Add-ons

2007-08-12T09:47:00.001-05:00

Are you using Firefox add-ons?

If you've made the switch from IE to Firefox, you may want to consider installing a few Firefox add-ons to customize your browsing experience. There are several sleek, time-saving extensions (add-ons) to choose from that are easy to install.

To learn more about using add-ons, see the Firefox Add-ons page -- or navigate to the Recommended Add-ons page to browse through a list of extensions.

To install add-ons:
Open Firefox and choose Tools -- Add-ons
When the Add-ons window opens, choose Get Extensions
This link will take you to a page where you can Browse Extensions by Category and select the add-ons you want to use to customize your browser.

When you find your favorites, let us know by posting your comments to the group!

-Corinne

possible 2008 presentation topics

2007-07-17T14:35:00.000-05:00

The impending coming of Endeca for SULs and the increased talk of having one bibliographic record for all SULs has sparked my interest in creating a panel presentation/discussion at next years FLA on the impact such changes are having or could have on localized cataloging practices. I am interested to know of others would like to be involved in this type of presentation. For my part of the presentation, I would like to survey individual SULs to document localized cataloging practices to better ascertain how much potential additional work would need to be done to a master bibliographic record locally.

Doug Dunlop
ddunlop@mail.ucf.edu
Metadata Cataloger UCF Libraies

Welcome Technical Services Group Members !!

2007-07-16T13:35:00.000-05:00

Dear TSMG Members,

Please feel free to exchange ideas and news under this new FLA Blog label. It is our hope that we can better collaborate on projects for future FLA presentations using this method of communication! Enjoy!!

Catherine Steffens
TSMG, 2007 Chair
UCF Libraries
clsteffe@mail.ucf.edu

You’re invited! “Any Means Necessary: Beyond Interlibrary Loans”

2007-07-12T14:49:00.000-05:00

You’re invited!

Monday, Sept. 24, 2007, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Crowne Plaza, 10221 Princess Palm Ave., Tampa, FL 33610

$25/person (includes breakfast and lunch)

Does your patron want something you don’t have? You may soon have hundreds of new ways to obtain it for him. Join us to discuss the exciting future of interlibrary loans, which includes getting materials for our patrons quickly and by any means necessary, and delivering those materials to our patrons in a way that is most convenient for them.

This could mean ordering a DVD from Netflix and having it mailed directly to the patron’s house, or purchasing a book from Amazon.com and giving the patron the option of keeping it or offering it to circulation.

To stay relevant in a world where our patrons can get anything they want with the click of a mouse, we must consider going drastically above and beyond traditional interlibrary loans to get them what they want.

Click here to register for this event.

Tampa Bay Library Consortium

Phone: 813-622-8252

Welcome!

2007-06-19T20:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the FLA Internet Member Group!

I’m Corinne Bishop, acting group moderator. A little about my background... I am the Information Literacy Librarian at the University of Central Florida. As a member of the Information Literacy and Outreach Dept., I work with other ILO librarians to develop online
information literacy tutorials. My duties also include staffing the library's online reference, providing reference desk services, and teaching library instruction classes.

Before getting my library degree from Florida State University, I worked as a technical writer and software course developer. I have a strong interest in technology... and all things related to the Internet.

I'll be posting discussion topics to the Internet Member Group section of the blog on a regularly basis. The first discussion relates to RSS. Since discussions about the Internet can cover a wide range of topics, please feel free to make suggestions about other topics of interest or branch out into other areas when you comment.

To get us started... Do you use RSS? What is an RSS feed?

RSS -- Really Simple Syndication is XML code (similar to HTML) that is used to "feed" updated content from online sources to a feed reader. RSS is available on blogs, wikis, podcasts, journals, and news sites. The idea is -- you can subscribe to content from your favorites sites and the content is sent to you instead of you going to the content. This can be a time-saver if you try to keep up to date on several sources.

To learn more about subscribing to RSS feeds and setting up a feed reader, here's a nice online tutorial from the National Library for Health
http://www.library.nhs.uk/rss/Directory/RssTutorials.aspx . Once you have your feed reader set up, you might want to subscribe to the FLA Blog to receive updates when new information is posted to the site.

-Corinne

Any Means Necessary: Beyond Interlibrary Loans

2007-06-19T16:14:00.000-05:00

Resource Sharing Workshop Open To All!

SAVE THE DATE!

Monday, Sept. 24, 2007
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Crowne Plaza
10221 Princess Palm Ave.
Tampa, FL 33610

Does your patron want something you don’t have? You may soon have hundreds of new ways to obtain it for him. Join us to discuss the exciting future of interlibrary loans, which includes getting materials for our patrons quickly and by any means necessary, and delivering those materials to our patrons in a way that is most convenient for them.

This could mean ordering a DVD from Netflix and having it mailed directly to the patron’s house, or purchasing a book from Amazon.com and giving the patron the option of keeping it or offering it to circulation.

To stay relevant in a world where our patrons can get anything they want with the click of a mouse, we must consider going drastically above and beyond traditional interlibrary loans to get them what they want.

More information is coming soon, but in the meantime, be sure to mark this on your calendar!

Learning Support Member Group

2007-06-06T14:43:00.000-05:00

This post is for those who have an interest in either the Information Literacy Group or the Technology Training Group. Due to similar goals, the two groups have been combined under the new name Learning Support Member Group.

To join the mailing list for this group, please click on the following link http://lists.tblc.org/mailman/listinfo/flailig to input your contact information.

The purpose of the Learning Support Member Group is to enhance and encourage patron and staff learning, formal or otherwise, that occurs through library activities. We are currently brainstorming ideas for the 2008 FLA Conference: Celebrate the Leader in You. Please feel free to join in!

We have an exciting year planned and hope you will come along for the ride.

Thanks,

Courtney Moore, Co-Chair, cmoore@wppl.org
Paul Alford, Co-Chair, palford@cclib.org
Lynn Elliot, Vice-Chair, lelliott@nwrls.lib.fl.us

More FLA Pictures!

2007-05-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

Ruth ODonnell and Carol Fiore have both sent their personal pictures from the FLA Conference and they have been added to our group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/floridalibrary/

Please feel free to comment and let us know who is who in the pictures!

Florida's Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute

2007-05-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

Applications are still being accepted for the fourth year of the State Library & Archives of Florida's Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute.

The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute is a year-long comprehensive series of learning sessions that focuses on developing an understanding of leadership within a conceptual framework and practical applications. Participants will attend 10 days of training throughout the year covering:

- mentoring and leadership styles
- exemplary leadership
- leadership and diversity
- present state of leadership
- community advocacy
- the future of leadership

The Institute includes sessions relating to various concepts and skills, using supplemental books, articles, and materials based on participants’ needs and interests. The leadership sessions are a combination of lectures and informal, interactive discussions. A variety of small group and large group activities with inventories, surveys, and assessment tools are used to stimulate personal development. Participants take part in a formal mentoring process that matches participants and mentors based on career development interests and geographical location.

This year-long Leadership Institute is open to library staff who exhibit leadership potential, including the ability to share with others enthusiasm, optimism, and vision for the library services of tomorrow. The Institute is open to individuals from all types of libraries (public, academic, school, and special). It is designed for professional librarians, as well as those in management positions without an MLS. Candidates should have a minimum of two years professional library experience and a demonstrated successful professional work experience.

Applicants can apply to attend the Institute in either the Tampa or Daytona area.

Deadline for applications – June 13, 2007 postmark
Selection and notification – August 2007 Complete information about the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute and application forms are available at http://www.neflin.org/leadership.

Contact Stephanie Race at NEFLIN (sslli@neflin.org or 904.278.5620) for more information.

The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant administered by the Florida Department of State, State Library and Archives of Florida. The Institute is managed by the Northeast Florida Library Information Network.

Green agenda

2007-04-30T08:03:00.000-05:00

I would like to see a green agenda for the 2007 year. In light of environmental concerns, perhaps we can think of ways our libraries can partner with the surrounding communities to encourage recycling and conservation. With looming global warming and an energy crisis, perhaps we can pool our collective minds and research talents to offer some solutions!

2007-04-25T12:41:00.000-05:00

Florida Library Association Goals & Ideas for 2007-08

As the new Florida Library Association President, I am sharing next year’s theme and some suggestions about things FLA and the Florida Library Community might accomplish this year. Please share your views and get involved with FLA, your state association!

- “Celebrate the Leader in You!” - A theme that fits our time!- FLA Blog – Use it – it’s easy! http://www.flalib.blogspot.com/

- Make a Difference! – Successful association involvement is not a spectator activity. If each group leader and member focuses on moving things forward, there are no limits to what we can accomplish!
- 25 Big Ideas for FLA & the Florida Library Community - Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio had a great idea with his “100 Ideas for Florida’s Future.” We'll borrow it! Look for news soon.
- Promote & Support Member Groups – Help groups thrive and succeed! A big indicator of FLA success is whether groups have activities in addition to those associated with the annual conference. Make something happen!
- Public Library Directors Group – This group was just established – let’s support it!
- Library 2.0 & Encouraging Social Networking - Help groups develop their potential as social environments for members. Use the e-mail lists, blog, Flickr, YouTube, etc.
- Encourage & Support the Next Generation of Library Leaders! - Young librarians and library workers are leading the library 2.0 explosion. Huge numbers of library administrators are retiring, creating opportunities and challenges for younger leaders.
- Conduct Regional Sessions or Events – Plans are in the works!
- Represent FLA in Local Events - Ask me (cparker@tblc.org), a member or officer to attend your event!
- Advocacy – Reach out to the Governor, the Florida Legislature, local government and media supporting libraries’ roles in:

- Reading for all ages
- Supporting Floridians as they use E-Government
- Florida’s economic engine

- Actively Support Intellectual Freedom – FLA has a proud tradition of active engagement to maintain!
- Support All Types of Libraries & Member Interests – Make sure they all have an inviting, hospitable, supportive environment in FLA.
- Promote Organizational Memberships – We saw a great increase in Organizational Memberships this year, but we need more. FLA, through the executive director and lobbyist, are doing public libraries' governmental affairs work. We cannot afford to do that without greater institutional support.
- What’s on Your List? – Join the conversation!

Thanks!

Charlie Parker
FLA President

Charlie Crist gets a new library card

2007-04-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

Secretary of State Kurt Browning (right) presenting Governor Charlie Crist with a State Library of Florida library card at the Gray Building in Tallahassee, Florida.

FLA in Pictures now online

2007-04-13T14:49:00.000-05:00

We have created a Flickr group to share the pictures taken at FLA but we need help! As your browsing the pictures- please comment- let us know who's in each shot.

The pictures are online at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridalibraryassociation/

Further, if you took photos, please share them - join our group on Flickr.

The Flickr group and lots of pictures are online at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/floridalibrary/

Public Relations Group discussed taking it further

2007-04-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday afternoon, in the Public Relations Discussion Group Meeting facilitated by Linda Fasulo with Collier County Public Library, a group of us met to discuss how public relations works -- or doesn't work -- in our libraries. Our group was comprised of a smart bunch of ladies with some really interesting ideas.

One of the challenges that we brought to the table was that it can be difficult for people outside the PR world to understand what makes something "newsworthy." Although your PR folks are doing their best to keep on top of all the events and other newsworthy happenings, it can be difficult for us to keep track of everything that happens in each location. Therefore, we depend on our colleagues to provide us with information. But sometimes people don't realize that events in their libraries are newsworthy, so they don't know to share it with their PR coordinator.

We suggest offering public relations workshops at future events for people who do not have any sort of public relations background. Not only would this help coworkers select and contribute newsworthy items to their PR colleagues, but it would give smaller libraries that don't have one particular person in charge of PR an opportunity to learn how to handle the media, how to write press releases or calendar advisories, etc.

The PR Discussion Group also talked about getting together on a regular basis, outside of the FLA Conference. If you handle the PR for your library but weren't able to make it to the discussion group, please let Linda Fasulo (lfasulo@collier-lib.org) know if this is something of interest to you. The ladies in the discussion group really liked the idea of having additional PR support outside of our workplace. It was great to be able to bounce ideas off of each other in the discussion group, and it would be fantastic to be able to do so on a more regular basis.

Opening General Session

2007-04-11T22:07:00.000-05:00

FLA started off this morning with the Opening General Session which included:

Faye Roberts presenting a proclamation from Governor Charlie Crist for April to be "Library Appreciation Month"
Kaye Byrnes telling the Story Stone
An introduction to the newest FLA elected officials- Mercedes Clements (VP/President Elect), Barbara Stites, Tom Sloan and Tamaro Taylor

The keynote speaker was Stephen Abram, who is the Vice President for Innovation at SirsiDynix. His presentation was "A Tech Forecast: Library 2.0 in the Real World." He talked about the newest 2.0 technologies and how they can work in libraries...and how they should and will be soon, but his focus was on how libraries need to change! We are facing massive, exponential change with technology and the millennials.

Technology issues:

Ebooks. Google will have 250 million titles digitized in five years. How will we compete?
Web browsers are continually shrinking and will be the size of a credit card. Will we be ready to work in this space?
Fully integrating IM into our services. One college demonstrated a 30% increase in pass rate among athletes using this service.
The US is now 98% broadband compatible - meaning more and more of our users will be accessing us via high speed Internet
Millennials- on average have 30 points higher IQ than Baby Boomers, format agnostic, eyes move differently than boomers, find-oriented not search-oriented. Are we ready for them?
Are we ready for tagging in our OPAC and creating RSS Feeds to be oriented into community web sites (i.e. garden book/topical feed on the Garden Clubs pages).
DVDs will be obsolete in 5 years, are we preparing for the next format- streaming and downloadable. Denver PL has streaming videos in catalog
How will we deal with the Amazon model vs. our privacy concerns for our users. We can not create the personalized service without collecting information
Are we using social networking to our advantage? Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Bebo and other new sites. Kids are creating sustainable social networks that will last for life through these sites- are we part of this network?

Stephen was full of colorful but on target analogies. Here are two....

How are we marketing/positioning ourselves? A builder tells you about the house of your dreams he is going to build - not about which saw he is going to use, libraries are doing the opposite - we tell users about the tools not the outcome (we have these databases, and resources not - you'll get better grades for using us).
Everywhere, including libraries, you see automated toilets- why? People don't remember to flush...yet librarians want to teach everyone complicated Boolean searching. Lesson: we need our interfaces to work with our users.

Stephen Abram kicked off FLA on the right note- challenging our complacency and creating the desire to learn and create libraries for the future.