PCC Library Technology Blog

Networking Tips

2012-01-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but when I think of going to some business or social event to network, I get nervous. But I found that networking really can come up in unexpected situations. Recently, I went to a library student dinner social at a noisy restaurant. Initially, I was not going to make the drive to the San Fernando Valley from the San Gabriel Valley. But in the end, I was quite glad I did. Sitting at my table was this woman who is affiliated with CSU Northridge along with the student Special Libraries organization. One of my cohorts was asking me when I planned to relocate. When she heard where I was planning to relocate, she gave me the name of a library employment agency that I had not heard of. So, of course, I immediately added that possible lead to my organizer.

Today, I came across this article that was posted by a fellow acquaintance in the library field on Facebook today titled "An Introvert's Guide to Networking." While Lisa Petrelli is not in the library field, she does offer a few simple tips for networking along with her story about why networking is so important.

So the next time you are debating whether to go to some social business networking event, remind yourself of the pros rather than the cons. You may not be job hunting now but you never know when a contact made through networking will come handy in the future.

Petition to Support for School Libraries

2012-01-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

(reposted from CALIX)

Background information:
Carl Harvey, 2011-2012 AASL president, has initiated a White House petition on school libraries, which specifically petitions the Obama administration to “ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.” 25,000 signatures are required in order for this petition to be viewed by White House staff, no later than February 4, 2012.Please take a few seconds to sign this petition, spread the word to your member groups, ask your colleagues and library supporters in your circles to sign on, and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter and other channels!The url is: http://wh.gov/Wgd .

Text of Petition:
we petition the obama administration to:Ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program.Every child in America deserves access to an effective school library program. We ask that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provide dedicated funding to help support effective school library programs. Such action will ensure more students have access to the resources and tools that constitute a 21st century learning environment. Reductions in school library programs are creating an ‘access gap’ between schools in wealthier communities versus those where there are high levels of poverty. All students should have an equal opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to learn, to participate, and to compete in today’s world.
A total of 25,000 signatures is needed for this petition can reach the President’s Desk! (The White House Petition for School Libraries: http://wh.gov/Wgd

A few things of note:
• We’ve heard that the petition software is temperamental. If you cannot sign in on your first attempt, please log out and log back in. Or, try a different web browser, or as a last resort, try a different computer.
• This petition should not be confused with a petition begun in 2011.
• White House petitions must be authored by individuals, not any
association. Therefore, Carl has introduced this petition as an individual, not as a representative of AASL or ALA.

Locating the Law Handbook for Non-Librarians

2012-01-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

I love a freebie that comes from good stock. The Southern California Association of Law Libraries has a new edition of the Locating the Laws Handbook. If you are interesting in working in a law library or need to find a law source quickly this might be the publication you have been seeking in the stacks.

5th Edition of Locating the Law, A Handbook for Non-Law Librarians

There is much goodness to be found here. Chapter 3 has a guide to conducting a legal information search and interview techniques. This is a section of the handbook that talks about the legal information interview:

Regardless of how the question is phrased, the user is ultimately asking what law or laws apply to his or her situation. Your first task, as in any reference interview, is to analyze the information provided in order to identify the relevant facts and to weed out the irrelevant. To determine the relevant facts, you will usually need to ask additional questions. At this point, it is appropriate to briefly address concerns about the unauthorized practice of law.

Librarians conducting a reference interview should not be afraid to ask questions of someone seeking legal information. Asking questions in order to make recommendations about appropriate legal resources to consult does not constitute giving legal advice.

The handbook is a Adobe PDF document. You can view by chapter or you can download the entire handbook and read it on your computer or with you favorite tablet or e-reader.

You definitely want this on your virtual resource shelf.

At the Close of the Semester

2011-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

As of today I’ve turned in my last final and my time in the PCC Library Tech Certificate program has come to a close. I could say that it has been a long, strange trip, but closer to the truth is the fact that it has been a self-fulfilling and enriching experience. I have learned finer details about librarianship that I was unaware of before starting the program. From LIB1 to LIB 105A I have had amazing teachers who were passionate about their work and wanted to impress upon their students the importance of everything from the steps of reference service to the need for customer service skills in helping patrons.

While my teachers were amazing, I also have to credit my fellow students who I have taken this journey with throughout this past year. Though we attended class tired after a long day of work and just wished to sit and absorb information a few us became friends, and shared our own unique views on the program. Part of my success in gaining the certificate was the support, outlooks, and life experience that we as students were willing to share with each other. We became more than casual classmates and were invested in the achievement and success of the strangers sitting next to us.

Each homework assignment, each quiz, each rigorous test, and each group project we spurred each other on to do our best and truly understand what our courses were trying to impart. High marks were incredibly important, but so were our opinions and views of why and how practice and procedures should be applied. That little push helped the lessons take root and become something to be acted upon, rather than just another sentence in a long book or lecture.

As the semester draws to a close please look back upon your achievements with pride. For those of you just starting the program, and for those of you who have finished, you have taken an important step in gaining knowledge in the library career field. I wish you well in the career steps you will or have begun to take. I hope you all have had a sane finals week, please enjoy your winter break.

CLA-CSLA's UCLA Career Forum Part 1

2011-12-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

When I went to the CLA-CSLA conference, I had the chance to attend UCLA's Career Forum. Even though this was geared for future librarians, much of the information can be used for library paraprofessionals as well. There was a series of four workshop sessions which were: The Juggling Librarian: Getting the Most Out of Part-time Jobs (something that many of us are familiar), Getting the First Public Library Job, Using Research to Prepare for the Current Market Research, and The Independent Librarian (focus on school libraries). I will be sharing what I learned in a series of posts in relation to job application tips, interviewing tips, and in the event of obtaining/not obtaining the desired position.

Job Application Tips

In looking for where jobs are posted, the Public Library session offered these tips:

-Postings/Flyers
-Professional websites
-City webpages
-Listservs such as PubLib, Calix
-Facebook, LinkedIn
-Craigslist (especially good for private school libraries)
-Networking, word of mouth

Make sure your resume is up-to-date. It is advisable to have a master resume and then pull from that resume to create a resume to match up with the job position you are seeking.

-Read the job announcement
-Use job description wording
-List relevant work experience
-Don't lie about your experience
-Type, don't handwrite
-Apply early and online if possible

The reason it was suggested to apply online if possible is you can apply anytime of the day, usage of spell-check and you'll have more space as needed. Granted, when responding to possible supplemental questions, one should construct well-edited, concise responses. Remember your application is not the only one Human Resources is reading. Being able to express your thoughts in a paragraph or two is best. Think of it as a mini-interview where you would also keep your answers relatively brief and concise as well.

References

Supervisory references need to have been your supervisor. In addition, it was noted that last and present jobs usually do not allow supervisors to give professional references.

Making the Cut

Remember that the Library and Human Resources are two separate departments. Primarily, you will be dealing with Human Resources at this stage. Due to the current job market and economy, libraries are getting an influx of applications. So unfortunately, this is forcing libraries to have to upgrade posted minimum qualifications to the ideal qualifications as a means for narrowing the list of potential candidates for possible testing and then the interview process. If you do have a question about your eligibility after receiving notice that you did not qualify for the position, contact Human Resources and not the Library. You do not want to burn your bridges for possible future opportunities.

The Next Round-The Interview

Part II will cover tips for preparing and getting through the interview. Good luck as you go through what can seem the tedious application process! Here's a quote to keep you going:

"Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it." Arthur Ashe, tennis player

CLA-CSLA Annual Conference and Exposition

2011-11-22T06:39:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I had the privilege to attend the CLA-CSLA Annual Conference and Exposition in Pasadena. I was given a pass to the exhibition hall and took a few pictures as I visited different booths. This was my first visit to the conference and I learned a great deal from talking with vendors and booth staffers.

I was also able to speak with vendors likeShowcases for technical services to see what new and innovative products they had to offer. The staffers at the University of North Texas booth were very friendly and explained what their library science program had to offer. I also visited the San Jose State University booth and learned a little bit about their graduate program.

I met a friendly booth staffer named Jozi at the Better World Books booth. She was very helpful in explaining how her company works with libraries to find new homes for their discarded books at no cost. In doing so the net proceeds are shared between the library and a non-profit literacy partner.

Baker and Taylor (their mascots are on the bag above) very informative. I’d learned a bit about them in class before regarding acquisitions, but I learned at the booth that Baker and Taylor has other services to offer such as RFID tagging and cataloging services. I also came across a booth showcasing a service called HealthyCity, which is a website-based portal that helps a user find different types of social services and cultural programs locally in California.

The vendor Boopsie provided a fun mobile application that I was able to use for this conference. The app was very useful for the convention as it served as a pocket guide. Yet it was more than just a reference guide as I could select different workshops and presentations and schedule them within the phone with reminders.

And last but not least, I was able to pick up this bag with this fun quote. If you missed this year’s conference, the 2012 CLA-CSLA conference will be held in Anaheim.(Please see edit below.)

For a full listing of the different exhibitors please check out the Exhibitors Guide.

11/29/11 Edit: Sorry, the information about next year's conference is incorrect. CLA and CSLA will not be holding a joint conference. The CLA conference will be held in San Jose in 2012.

Let us know your opinions about this blog

2011-11-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

Please take a few help us evaluate the PCC Library Technology Blog.

Click the link to complete a short survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PCCLTBlog

Thank you,

Gabriela Vaquera (PCC Library Technology and MLS Student)

and

Krista Goguen

CLA-CSLA Conference - It's Not Too Late!

2011-11-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

Still debating whether or not to make the trek to the CLA-CSLA Conference? If you think it's too late to register, students who are CLA (California Library Association) or CSLA (California School Library Association) members still get the same discounted price of $95 registering on-site. If you're not yet a member of either organization, you can sign up while registering. If one just wants to attend the exhibits, the cost is $25 per day.

So, why go? Attending can be a great way to network and see what's new in the library world. Usually, various prospective employers will have booths set up in the exhibit area. Also, if one attends various workshops, this can be an excellent chance to meet other librarians and library staff.

The exhibit area will be open Friday afternoon from 3-6pm, all day Saturday from 10am-4pm and Sunday from 10am-2pm. If you are around Friday afternoon, don't miss the Book Cart Drill Team Competition which is always a hoot to watch! One can also catch the All School Student Social at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe from 6-8pm Friday evening.

I plan to volunteer Friday at the Registration Desk in the afternoon and attend the conference all three days. Hopefully, I'll see some of you there in attendance.

LibraryThing

2011-11-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

LibraryThing is a library-esque service for those interested in cataloging and managing an OPAC on an individual level. It is a user based cataloging and social networking site, something like Facebook but for books. LibraryThing is pretty easy to use no matter how big or small your collection might be. Members add in as much or as little information as they wish regarding tags, reviews, and even some light cataloging information like call numbers and book physical features. The books listed need not be owned to be added, if you have read it, or want to read it in the future, there is a place for it on LibraryThing.

One great feature of LibraryThing is the ability to categorize books by using tags. This allows a search via interest rather than by subject heading. A tag search is incredibly useful when looking for books that contain specific elements desired by the reader. For instance LibraryThing uses a style of search called “Tagmash” which looks for several tags listed together. The Tagmash then identifies books which possess all of those tags. Books which have been tagged repeatedly will come up higher in the results list. For example the tags “1990s,” “magic,” and “school” point toward several of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. The Tagmash search would simply be written out like this:

1990s, magic, school

The comma between each tag is needed for a successful search. Otherwise the search words would be looked for as one whole tag and not three separate tags.

There is also a recommendation feature LibraryThing bases upon your current collection. It compares your collection to other members who have similar collections of books and then makes suggestions based on the types of stories you and members with similar tastes prefer. For all of the above features and more, LibraryThing is free to browse and if you join you can add up to 200 books to your profile. A small fee is required if you want to add more than 200 books.

LibraryThing also has a very nice feature called LibraryThing Local which is a calendar list of library events in any given neighborhood. Not all library events are listed, but it is a good, quick general reference for events near you. The LibraryThing Local search can be modified by distance, location, library/bookstore/institution name, or by the type of event being held. These events are independent of member collections and can be browsed without an account.

I’ve had my own LibraryThing account for a few years now and really love being able to look at a virtual representation of the books I’ve had to box up and put away for the time being.

Library 2.011 Free Virtual Library Conference

2011-10-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.library20.com/

We are pleased to announce the Library 2.011 World-wide Virtual Conference, November 2 - 4, 2011. The conference will be held online, in multiple time zones over the course of two days, will be free to attend, and will all be recorded! The School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at San José State University is the founding conference sponsor.To be kept informed of the latest conference news, please join the Library 2.0 network--this actually registers you for the conference as well. More information on the conference is here. You can see and/or comment on the accepted conference submissions click here. The conference schedule has been posted and you view it based on your time zone here, which also gives you information on configuring your computer to attend.

LIB 103 and Me

2011-10-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to take the Page/At-Will test with the City of Pasadena. I had taken the Page test many years ago and vaguely recalled the type of questions that would be presented. Back then I knew librarianship was something was a field I wanted to go into, but I had not yet done the research on what was required at the level of library technician. As I sat there with the test I tried my hardest to sort numbers as quickly as possible, but it was not a task I was all that familiar with.

Fast forward a few years and the completion of my certificate is a little over a month away. Today, I felt much more confidant while taking the test. And I was very pleased at the recognition of some concepts that I learned in my Introduction to Circulation Services class. I could see how my concept of library service had changed this past year and a half of classes. Certain questions were viewed in a new frame of mind, especially those that related to customer service.

Introduction to Circulation Services taught me that what you think you know and what libraries require of their technicians may be two different things. I enjoyed my time in LIB 103, and though it was many months ago I still recall some of the finer points of the lectures clearly in my memory. Practicing with the ShelveIt program, reviewing some of the finer points of customer service particular to libraries, and an increased confidence of my own skills lessened my anxiety about this test.

I’m not sure where I may end up on the list of the pool of applicants, but the PCC Library Technician Program has certainly taught me skills that have boosted my confidence.

Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, Saturday, October 22, 2011

2011-10-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 03:26:27 +0100 (BST)
Subject: [calix] Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, Saturday, October 22, 2011

The 6th-Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar http://www.laassubject.org/index.php/archives_bazaar

Saturday, October 22, 2011
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Doheny Memorial Library
USC University Park Campus

Los Angeles history comes alive at the 6th-annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar. Organized by L.A. as Subject and presented by the USC Libraries, the annual event celebrates the diversity of Southern California’s history. For scholarly researchers, journalists, history buffs, and those simply interested in exploring the stories of Los Angeles, discovery awaits everyone at the Archives Bazaar. This event is free and open to the public.

The Archives Bazaar draws its
strength from the breadth and variety of its participants’ collections.
Large institutions such as the Autry National Center of the American West and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will be represented at the bazaar along with smaller organizations and private collections whose materials fill the gaps left in the city’s official history. Other participating organizations include the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, the California African American Museum, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, and the Japanese American National Museum. In all, more than 80 archives are represented.

PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

RESEARCHING L.A. 101
Ever wondered how to get started with your Los Angeles research—or research in general? This presentation will provide a detailed overview of how and where to start, including basic research tips useful for anyone working with primary and secondary source material. Topics will include researching from home, visiting archives, the ins and outs of reading rooms, and more.

ON THE RECORD: GETTING STARTED
WITH ORAL HISTORY
This workshop—presented by Natalie M. Fousekis, Director of the Center for Oral and Public History at Cal State Fullerton—will introduce attendees to the process of conducting oral history interviews. Subjects to be covered include preparing for interviews, proper recording equipment, transcription, and the kind of paperwork needed for depositing the results in an archive.

HISTORYPIN: PULLING PHOTOGRAPHY INTO THE FOURTH DIMENSION Launched in 2010, Historypin is an online database of more than 30,000 historical photographs from museums, historical societies, newspapers, and individuals. Founder Nick Stanhope will introduce the website and show how combining digital tools like Google Street View with vintage photos results in a four-dimensional mosaic, where historic scenes and user-submitted anecdotes overlay contemporary streetscapes.

DOCUMENTARY FILM SCREENINGS

41ST & CENTRAL: THE UNTOLD STORY OF
THE L.A. BLACK PANTHERS
Using exclusive interviews with former Black Panther Party members along with archival footage, 41st & Central follows the Southern California Chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense from its Black Power beginnings through to its controversial end. The film explores the Black Panther ethos, its conflict with the LAPD, and the events that shaped the complicated and often contradictory legacy of the L.A. chapter.

RUBEN SALAZAR: MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Currently
in production, Man in the Middle recounts the life and mysterious death of Rubén Salazar, a prominent twentieth-century Mexican-American journalist. Director Phillip Rodriguez will present a twenty-minute trailer from this work-in-progress and discuss the process of bringing to screen the story of Salazar’s transformation from a mainstream, middle-of-the-road reporter to a supporter and primary chronicler of the radical Chicano movement.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP: L.A. IN THE MOVIES As the epicenter of the filmmaking industry, Southern California has been the backdrop for countless movies and television shows. Film historian John Bengston and documentarian Jon Wilkman will discuss how decades of filming have shaped popular perceptions of the city and turned parts of Los Angeles—even those that no longer exist—into iconic landmarks recognized around the world.

LALO GUERRERO: THE FATHER OF CHICANO MUSIC Born in 1916, Lalo Guerrero developed an early love for music, learning at age nine to play the guitar—an instrument that rarely left his side over the next eight decades. In performing everywhere from concert halls to classrooms, neighbors’ homes to the White House, Guerrero became internationally recognized as the “Father of Chicano Music.” His son Dan will share stories and clips of Lalo singing about the struggles and triumphs of his Mexican-American heroes.

WEST COAST/WEST WING: THE NIXON AND REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES While the seat of American political power is 3,000 miles away in Washington, D.C., one only has to navigate our local freeways to visit the libraries of two prominent twentieth-century U.S. presidents. Supervisory Archivists Gregory Cumming (Nixon Library) and Mike Duggan (Reagan Library) will discuss some of the unique materials that link their collections to Southern California.
Reposted from CALIX post by Michael Palmer, MLIS Claremont, California

InfoPeople online courses: CORE Reference Fundamentals (An Infopeople Online Learning Course)

2011-10-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

NOTE: PCC Library Technology Students are eligible for the 'library' rate.

Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:55:30 -0700
From: "Gini Ambrosino" <assist@infopeople.org>
Subject: [calix] Infopeople's online course "CORE Reference Fundamentals "

Since some people who may be interested in participating might not receive this notice directly, we would appreciate it if you would print and post or route this announcement to staff and colleagues. Thanks.

For the full list of Infopeople training offerings please see the <http://infopeople.org/training/planned> 2011/2012 Training Program.
Title: CORE Reference Fundamentals (An Infopeople Online Learning Course)
Dates: November 8 - December 19, 2011

to register for this course: Click the link to Online Registration at:
http://infopeople.org/training/core-reference-fundamentals

Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and Infopeople Partners, $150 for all others.

Libraries of all types provide reference services to their users. To provide effective reference requires staff who understand and can apply the underlying values and methods needed to assist users in finding the best possible resources to meet their information needs.

Are you stepping into the role of providing reference assistance for the first time in your library career?

Is it time to brush up on your basic skills because you are returning to work at the reference desk?

Do you want to be able to quickly identify and locate information in all formats?

Whether you have been recently promoted to support reference services, or are returning to reference work some years after you completed your library degree, you'll need a clear understanding of how to determine the real information need behind users' questions and where to look for authoritative answers. This course will acquaint you with why, when, and how to do an effective reference interview, which resources are best suited to which types of reference questions, how to use both print and Web-based resources appropriate to the user's need, and how reference work fits into the mission of your library. You'll learn how the physical layout of your library, and signage and shelving for various collections can impact reference service.
You'll become familiar with alternative methods for delivering reference, such as email, chat and instant messaging, to help your users no matter where they are or when the library is open.

Course Description: This online course will provide you with opportunities to learn and practice an effective reference interview, as well as to explore a wide variety of print and Web-based reference tools. Through individual and group exercises, you will discover ways to assist diverse groups of users, including those with physical disabilities and those with whom you do not share a common language. You will learn to think like an indexer and apply that perspective to answering reference questions. We will spend time examining specialized resources for homework help, government research, and inquiries about images or sounds. The instructor will provide sample policies, templates, tip sheets and a webliography, as well as simple, practical techniques that can be applied immediately.

During the course, you will be doing exercises and taking quizzes. You will also participate in weekly online discussion forums as part of the online learning process.

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and complete the following learning modules:

Week 1: The Reference Interview

o Goals and components of an effective reference interview

o Helping with sensitive questions

o Phrases to incorporate into your reference interview

Week 2: Library Users' Rights to Privacy and Open Access

o First Amendment, Library Bill of Rights, and ALA Code of Ethics

o Working across barriers of physical ability or communication skills

o Responding appropriately to library users of different ages

Week 3: Reference Resources in Your Library

o Building layouts

o Special collections

o Your library's website

o The structure of your library's catalog

Week 4: Construction and Use of Indexes

o Comparing and contrasting print and online indexing

o Databases and ready reference work

Week 5: Evaluating Reference Tools

o Print tools

o Online resources

o Search engines

Week 6: Contemporary Ready Reference Tools and Delivery Methods

o Nontraditional reference sources, like Flickr and YouTube

o Government publications (online and in print)

o Niche inquiries, including homework, sports, and celebrities

o Roving, passive versus active reference services, for profit reference
businesses

Instructor: <http://infopeople.org/francisca_goldsmith> Francisca Goldsmith. Francisca worked most recently for the Halifax Public Libraries (Nova Scotia) and Berkeley Public Library (CA). She has managed branch services for a regional library system, served as the collection management librarian and head of teen services, and provided reference services in both academic and public libraries. Working with school and public library staff, she has provided training to support up-to-date reference assistance and to design local weeding projects. Francisca has taught a wide variety of Infopeople courses and also consults as a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) trainer for staff development institutes.

Time required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 3 hours per week over 6 weeks, for a total of 18 hours. You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, it is recommended that you complete each week's assignments within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone from the library community who provides reference service. This course is appropriate for paraprofessional staff new to reference work or librarians who need updates on contemporary tools and methods that support excellent reference service.

Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC): This course is approved as covering the Reference and Information Services competencies for the LSSC program <http://ala-apa.org/lssc/> .

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at:
http://infopeople.org/learning_details.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

If you would like to subscribe via RSS and be notified whenever new Infopeople training events are available, you can use these links:
**For new on-ground or online workshops:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/infopeopletraining
**For new podcasts: http://feeds.feedburner.com/InfopeoplePodcasts

Library Support Staff Certification Registration Assistance Awards

2011-10-03T15:40:00.000-07:00

NOTE: PCC is nearing completion of approval for our courses to count toward the LSSC Certification and our students will be eligible for these scholarships. (10/11/11)

A New Round of Library Support Staff Certification Registration Assistance Awards Offered by LSSIRT and Six States

Trish Palluck, Chair of the Library Support Staff Interests Round Table (LSSIRT) announced today that LSSIRT is offering another round of financial assistance to library support staff applying for certification in the American Library Association’s Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program. The LSSC Program offers library support staff the opportunity to achieve recognition for their existing skills and knowledge, to gain new skills and knowledge, and to enhance their library’s service to the public.

The Library Support Staff Interest Round Table will be offering 50 Registration Assistance Awards this fall. These Awards are for $175, one-half of the LSSC registration fee. Successful award recipients will pay the remainder of the fee. An application form to apply for the Registration Assistance Awards is available on the LSSIRT Website at www.ala.org/lssirt. The recipients of the Award will be chosen by a random drawing in late November.

Six states are also participating: The Colorado Library Consortium, Idaho Commission for Libraries, State Library of Louisiana, Mississippi Library Commission, Oregon State Library, Washington State Library, and the Wyoming State Library.
The state-level organizations have up to 10 Awards to distribute. To apply for an award from the participating states, please contact the participating state organization. Only library support staff living in that state are eligible to apply at the state level.

Applications will begin to be accepted on October 1st and will continue until November 15th at both the national and state level. You may apply at both the national and state level, however only receive one Award.

The LSSC Program is partially funded by a grant to ALA from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services, and managed by the ALA-Allied Professional Association.

Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) provides a path to recognition and awareness of the critical role that library support staff play in the delivery of quality library service. To achieve certification, support staff must achieve six of ten competency sets either through development of an online portfolio or taking approved courses. The competency sets are: Foundation of Library Service; Technology; Communication and Teamwork; Access Services; Adult Readers’ Advisory Services; Cataloging and Classification; Collection Management; Reference and Information Services; Supervision and Management; and Youth Services.

Nancy Bolt, Co-Project Director of LSSC commented, “The LSSC Program is really pleased that LSSIRT is continuing the Registration Assistance Awards. Library Support Staff will receive the recognition that they deserve by participating in LSSC. We appreciate IMLS’ support in recognizing the importance of qualified library support staff in providing excellent library service.”

To be eligible to participate in LSSC and thus receive an Assistance Award, applicants must have a high school degree or its equivalent and have worked for the equivalent of one year (1820 hours) as a library staff member or volunteer within the last five years.
Detailed additional information on support staff certification is available on the LSSC website: www.ala-apa.org/lssc.

Ian Lashbrook - mailto:jmcgovern@ala.org
Research Associate
American Library Association-Allied Professional Association
50 E Huron St. Chicago IL 60611-2795
http://ala-apa.org/
312.280.2424 800.545.2433 ext 2424 fax 312-280-3256

Banned Books Week 2011

2011-09-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

With this week more than half way over, you may think it's too late to do anything for Banned Books Week. It's never too late. Pick up a book or watch a movie based on a banned book.

Earlier this week, I was in Chicago for a couple of days and discovered at the bookstore that the Harold Washington Library Center of Chicago was hosting an event called, "Books on the Chopping Block" which entailed the City Lit Theater Company reading the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2010. What was so amazing about these ten titles is that they are all young adult and children's books. Imagine that! Why there is so much fear about allowing teens and kids to view the world as it really is through fiction is beyond me? But alas, there is fear that these books will instill the wrong ideas in to children's heads. That is a sad premise to hold onto. The one good thing about a book being challenged and/or banned is that just makes that particular book all the more appealing. I am sure the censors never see it that way.

I have many favorite books that have made it to the banned and/or challenged list. My top two favorites are by Judy Blume, "Forever" and "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret." I cannot imagine having grown-up without having Judy Blume books in my life. Did anyone try to stop me from reading either of these books? Actually, my mother made me put "Forever" back on the shelf deeming it not appropriate reading material ever. Well that made me even more determined to read the book, so I decided to see if the library would tell me I could not check out that book as well. The very next day after school, I found the book right where I had reluctantly put it back and checked it out without a problem. I was thrilled that to discover that the library wouldn't be trying to censor what I read.

I'd love to hear what your favorite banned and/or challenged book that you have read or even a movie or play based on one.

Announcement: SJSU MLIS Program Open House

2011-08-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

To learn more about the MLIS degree program,<http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/openhouse/> sign up to attend one of theupcoming online open house events scheduled for
August 25 and August 30,2011, from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. PDT.
Space is limited, and advance registrationis required.

As a reminder, deadlines to apply for admission in Spring 2012 are as earlyas October 1, 2011. Applications are processed in the order received, so itis best to apply early.

Additional information about the SJSU MLIS current and new programs:

For more information about the School of Library and Information Science, weinvite you to explore the following web pages: Prospective Students: <http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/audience/prospective.htm>http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/audience/prospective.htm Facebook: <http://facebook.com/sjsuslis/> http://facebook.com/sjsuslis/ MLIS Program: <http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/mlis.htm>http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/mlis.htm Open Houses:

Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2011 09:49:00 -0700
From: Nicole Purviance <nicole.purviance@sjsu.edu>
Subject: [calix] San Jose State MLIS Students Benefit from New Course Options

If you're thinking about earning an MLIS or know someone who is, please
continue reading this email or forward it to a friend.

More Electives, More Career Pathways
The SJSU School of Library and Information Science electivec ourses:
<http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/classes/coursedesc.htm>
Internships: <http://slisapps.sjsu.edu/libr294/index.php>
career pathways: <http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/classes/careerpathways/>

newest electives, which MLIS students can take after completing core classes:

* Geographic Information Systems
* Data Mining
* Curation of New Digital Media
* Using Social Media for Competitive Research
* Technology Forecasting
* Participatory Service and Emerging Technologies
* Marketing Your MLIS Skills in a Networked and Changing World

New for Fall 2011 - French and Spanish courses. The online classes were
developed specifically for our School's MLIS students to prepare them for
interaction with French-speaking and Spanish-speaking information clients.
The courses also focus on finding resources in French and Spanish, as well
as building professional relationships with librarians and public agencies
in French-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries.

Quick Look At the Helioid Search Engine

2011-07-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

I have friends and relations that kinda sorta know how to use Google. They don't know about Bing, Ask.com or the other search engines that are available. Then again, a lot of folks believe that Facebook is a search engine.

I am restricting how many semantic wars I can handle in a day.

You, on the other hand, should know about the diversity of options you have when it comes to web search engines. This is a new one called Helioid.

The above screen capture is from the Quick Help at the web site. Basically you can type in your search term/keyword and not only do you get a list of viable links you get a side category of topics that are color coded to your search results.

I did a test search using SuDocs (The Superintendent of Documents classification system) These are the topics area that were visible on the left side of the screen:

Libraries
Department
2011
Document Classification
Publications
Documents SuDocs Classifications
SuDocs Classification System
SuDocs Classification
Number
SuDocs

Not perfect but not too bad for a general purpose search engine. 2011 refers to SuDoc links that have a 2011 date of publication. Number refers to the word "number" in relation to the word "SuDocs."

Now if I want to see only the SuDocs Classification System items I click on the yellow circle and I only see the four links that match.

I like that.

Helioid is new so there are thing that are missing like being about to type in a search date range or selecting .edu or other specific domains. That will come in time.

So I encourage you to check it out and offer feedback to the Developers.

ALA 2011 Virtual Conference

2011-06-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

If you were wishing you could have been in New Orleans for this summer's American Library Association's annual conference, it is still possible to get in the fun and wealth of information and resources that this conference can offer.

Check out ALA's 2011 Virtual Conference and see what they have to offer. It's being held July 13-14th online and only costs $69. If I wasn't so busy with my two summer school classes that begin this next week, I would definitely check out these two workshops:

10:30-11:30
“Download This! How One Library Embraced Its Downloadable Future”
Sponsored by PLA
In 2010 the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County conducted an evaluation of its downloadable materials collection. A team collected data on 83 other libraries' collections, ranking the collections and noting best practices for presenting and supporting those collections. The team recommended dramatically increasing the Library's downloadable budget, improving its catalog and website, marketing its collection, implementing staff and customer training, and improving customer support. The session will present the results, one year later.

1:30-2:30
“Seriously Social: Leveraging Social Media”
Sponsored by PLA
Explore the fundamentals of social media, learning how to effectively use social networking to engage patrons and foster personal relationships. Discover how the Grand Rapids Public Library leverages the power of social media to provide outstanding customer services and promote their library. A live demonstration of Twitter and Facebook (or the reigning social media at the time of this presentation) will illustrate the assets embedded in online relationships.

This is just a sample of these wonderful workshops that ALA is offering for those who simply could not get away or afford traveling to beautiful New Orleans for this year's annual conference with ALA. This educational resource is great for anyone who works in libraries.

Online Continuing Education in Library/Information Technology

2011-06-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:59:38 -0700
From: "Mark Stengel" <mark_stengel@cuesta.edu>
Subject: [calix] Library/Information Technology Continuing Education Courses at Cuesta College

Online Courses @ Cuesta College

*** Includes Certificate of Specialization in Library Services to Children

Cuesta College offers a mature and robust program in Library/Information Technology for those wishing to enter the field or to continue their education within it. Cuesta College is a regionally accredited California Community College, offering an Associate degree in Library/Information Technology and Certificates in Library/Information Technology and Web Development Technologies.

We would like to inform you of some recently approved Certificates of Specialization that are based on present classes which many of you may have already completed.

Please consider applying for one or more of these free certificates as they would be a great addition to your resume, portfolio, or serve as an asset in current or future employment.

Below are the new Certificates of Specialization and the requirements for each.

C.S., Essential Skills for Internet Research (Approved by the Board of Trustees on 5/11/11)

LIBT106 - Introduction to the Internet

LIBT113 - Advanced Internet Searching

C.S., Library Services to Children (Approved by the Board of Trustees on 5/11/11)

LIBT101 - Introduction to Library Services

LIBT110 - School Library Media Center Services

LIBT118 - Connecting Adolescents with Literature and Libraries

ECE 234 - Children's Literature

C.S., Web Page Coding (Pending Approval in June, 2011 by the Board of Trustees)

LIBT207 - Web Page Development with XHTML

LIBT120 - Fundamentals of Cascading Style Sheets

The application form is located at
http://academic.cuesta.edu/admrreg/certappl.pdf
<http://academic.cuesta.edu/admrreg/certappl.pdf>

Fall classes begin August 15, 2011.

Since many of our classes tend to fill early, prospective students are advised to register as early as possible in order to maximize their choices. An online application to the college must be completed and accepted before one can register for classes. Information on the application and registration process is available at http://academic.cuesta.edu/counsel/gettingstarted.htm
<http://academic.cuesta.edu/counsel/gettingstarted.htm> . Tuition, set by the legislature, is currently $36 per semester unit for in-state students.

For more program information visit our course website http://library.cuesta.edu/libt <http://library.cuesta.edu/libt> or call Kathy DeCou at (805) 546-3190.

DIST 101 - INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE COURSES (.5 Unit)

Introduces students to the different types of technologies used in a distance education course. Students will determine if distance education is right for them and learn academic and technological skills for success in distance education and technology-mediated courses.

LIBT 101 - INTRODUCTION TO LIBRARY SERVICES (1 Unit)
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in DIST 101
Advisory: ENGL 156 with a grade of C or better.
Surveys the history, organization, services, personnel and functions of libraries and information centers. Provides beginning library/information technology students with an introduction and overview to the field and identifies job opportunities. This course has a mandatory orientation meeting on Saturday, August 20, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the SLO campus in room 3406. Call (805) 546-3190 for more information.

LIBT 102 - INTRODUCTION TO WEB TECHNOLOGIES AND CONCEPTS (1 Unit)

This class introduces students to the wide range of concepts and technologies involved in web publishing, and management as well as employment opportunities.

LIBT 106 - INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNET (1 Unit)

Designed to prepare students to use the Internet for personal and academic needs. This course is an introduction to various features and components of the Internet. Emphasis is also placed on the location and evaluation of Internet resources. Materials fee $5.00.

LIBT 108 - LIBRARY SUPERVISORY SKILLS (1 Unit)
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in LIBT 101
Introduces supervisory skills within the context of libraries.

LIBT 109 - LIBRARY PUBLIC SERVICES (3 Units)
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in LIBT 101
Surveys library services provided to the public--including the philosophy, policies and procedures associated with reference/information and circulation services. Emphasizes skill building in defining and executing search strategies.

LIBT 110 - SCHOOL LIBRARY/MEDIA CENTER SERVICES (2 Units)
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in LIBT 101
Explores the role of the school library media program in the educational community. Provides students with basic skills and competencies necessary to deliver effective school library media programs for grades K-12.

LIBT 111 - JAVASCRIPT FUNDAMENTALS (1 Unit)
Prerequisite: LIBT 207 with a grade of C or better or consent of instructor Introduces the fundamentals of JavaScript and web page design techniques. Materials fee $5.00. Repeatable 1 time only.

LIBT 113 - ADVANCED INTERNET SEARCHING (1 Unit)
Prerequisite: Completion of LIBT 106 with a grade of C or better.
Moves beyond general Web searching and focuses on advanced search techniques and strategies for searching library catalogs, research databases and Web resources. Students will learn how to select appropriate databases, formulate search queries, and retrieve information from these resources. Repeatable 2 times only.

LIBT 117 - ETHICS IN THE INFORMATION AGE (1 Unit)
Focuses on ethical and legal issues of information access and publishing as applicable to the Internet. This will include a basic knowledge of copyright laws, security and privacy issues, Internet advertising, and the appropriate use of the Internet as an information delivery system.

LIBT 120 - FUNDAMENTALS OF CSS (1 Unit)
Introduces the fundamentals of CSS for the Web Page Developer. The essential elements such as selectors, positioning, floating, and vertical alignment, tables, and other topics will be explored.
Prerequisite: LIBT 207 or CAOA 269

LIBT 207 - WEB PAGE DEVELOPMENT WITH XHTML (3 Units)
Advisory: LIBT 106
Designed to prepare students to understand XHTML and the steps necessary to the effective design and development of a web site. All elements of web page design will be covered including such topics as content, navigation and aesthetics. Materials fee $5.00. Transfer: CSU.
Repeatable 1 time only.

LIBT 212 - RESEARCH SKILLS FOR THE INFORMATION AGE (1 Unit)
An information literacy course for students wishing to improve their research skills. Transfer: CSU.

Mark Stengel
Director, Library/Learning Resources and Distance Education
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-8106
voice: (805) 546-3159

CLA Scholarships and Awards

2011-06-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Each year, the California Library Association recognizes current and future leaders in the library community with numerous scholarships and awards. Winners are determined by volunteer committees comprised of CLA members. All CLA scholarship and award recipients are recognized at the association's Annual Conference.
Deadline extended to August 1, 2011

Scholarships
The CLA Scholarship For Minority Students In Memory Of Edna Yelland supports ethnic minority students in the attainment of a graduate degree in library or information science. Candidates must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a master's program in an ALA accredited library school to be eligible. CLA awards three scholarships annually, in the amount of $2,500 each. The amount of each scholarship may change, depending upon available funds and the financial need of applicants.
The CLA Reference Services Press Fellowship, encourages college seniors, college graduates and beginning library school students to prepare for a career in reference/information service librarianship. Candidates must be a California resident attending or planning to attend an ALA-accredited library school masters program in any state or a resident of any state planning to attend or attending an accredited library school masters program in California. One fellowship of $3,000 is awarded annually.
The Begun Scholarship supports continuing library school students who have demonstrated a commitment to becoming children’s or young adult librarians in a California public library. One scholarship of $3,000 is awarded annually.

Source: http://www.cla-net.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=107
Deadline extension announcement from Wayne Walker, Operations Manager
California Library Association, 650-356-2125, wwalker@cla-net.org

School Days - Year Ending

2011-06-08T22:19:00.000-07:00

As I have been wrapping things up this past week at the elementary school library I have worked at for the past three school years, I have been pondering many things. What projects should I tackle before the school year ends as it seems we have even less time to finish up things this year as we lost about another five days due to budget cuts.

Even though in the back of my mind, I have been somewhat prepared for the possibility of my position to be eliminated or have reduced hours due to the budget. What I'm facing now, I did not anticipate as I should have. This past Saturday I receieved an email from the CSEA union VP from my school district outlining the various cuts to classified employees in the school district I work at to be voted on this past Tuesday. Among those in being having their position eliminated or hours reduced were 9 out of the 13 elementary school library aides. I was not on the list, thankfully or not so thankfully.

Even though my position is not being eliminated or my hours being reduced (currently, I have 20), I now am waiting to see if my phone is going to ring informing me to come down to HR. While my position is safe, I am not safe from being bumped from my position by someone with more seniority if they choose to do so. So now, wait I must. My immediate boss has told me to think positive. I am trying but the end of the school year always brings a twinge of sadness for me as I say goodbye to students, teachers and staff for the summer. Now the question is whether I shall be returning for the next school year or will someone else be running the small library I have worked very hard to improve in the past three school years?

Someone told me that one should not become too attached to one's job. I suppose she has a point. But I have become very attached to my small school library. I have nurtured her with new books which I have spent countless hours on my own time searching at used bookstores, the closing Borders, Friends of Library bookstores, Scholastic Warehouse sales and more. I have spent hours weeding out old books, repairing books (sometimes the very same ones over and over), reorganizing the library's collection to facilitate better use of the collection and more.

Almost like the process of grieving for a lost one, I find myself grieving what may be the loss of this position. Granted, I am trying to remain positive in light of the situation but it is easier said than done. First it was denial, then sadness, then anger and now more of an acceptance, all done in a matter of a few days.

If it comes to that I do actually get bumped from this position and am told I can bump someone else if I do have seniority, I have already decided to decline such action. Even if I were to lose my position because someone else needs that job, I cannot bring myself to do the same to someone else. At this time, if it comes to that, I shall look at this as an opportunity to explore new experiences and challenges.

Library 103 Field Trip to Cal State Northridge Oviatt Library

2011-05-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 7, 2011, the Library Tech Program's 103 class met at the Cal State North Oviatt Library. Mike Villalobos, Circulation Service Supervisor, gave us a tour of the Circulation Department and an overview of what he and his staff members do on a daily basis. We also got to see the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) in action! It is the first use of an ASRS in the library field. The books, surprisingly, are in bins according to size, not call number.

Here's the ASRS retrieving a bin of books!

The Bin of Books Retrieved by the ASRS

Mike Villalobos Discusses the ASRS

(Thank you to Eva Rios for the pictures!)

Laura Graff's Video on Closing School Libraries

2011-05-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

This is a video by librarian Laura Graff on what could happen if the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is successful on closing all of the school libraries in the district.

The video is open captioned.

By now most folks have heard of the LAUSD's decision to remove library workers and close the school libraries. The focus now changes to the teacher librarians who are duel credential instructors.

The administrative hearing what to determine if those people could be transitioned to a classroom. The sticking point is that the teacher librarian had to be actually teaching within five years.

Over at the Library is Not A Fruit blog there is a detailed account of what the teacher librarians experienced during there two day LAUSD administrative hearing.

You should read as much of it as you can before your anger takes over.

Typical PCC Student?

2011-05-19T20:02:00.001-07:00

During my time here on the PCC campus, I have met many students. Recently, I was having a casual conversation with a PCC student who was on the tech crew of a production I was in off-campus. He wondered why he had never seen me on campus in the two years he had been in attendance here. I mentioned that I spent a good portion of my time in the library. Imagine my shock when I heard him say that he had never ventured into the Shatford library the entire two years he has been a student here!

Of course, this made me inquire how he did his research for school. Jokingly, I asked, "I don't suppose you Google everything?" He said, "Yes, and I use Wikipedia." Right away, I started shaking my head and explained that the library has valuable tools and resources to access good sources of information. He still clung to his opinion that he did not need to come to the library.

It is my philosophy that LIB 1, which teaches basic library research skills, should be a requirement for every incoming student but we most likely would not have enough faculty on hand to accommodate all of these students. It does make me wonder how many teachers bring their classes into the Shatford library to introduce their students on how to do proper research.

With recent news of LAUSD teacher librarians having to defend their positions and other school librarians getting pink slips, students will be the ones to suffer. For those that think libraries do not have a place in schools, think again. Without libraries, students will not have access to textbooks or computers they may not be able to afford to purchase, a quiet place to study, and assistance to locating resources whether print or digital.

The typical PCC student probably does not utilize the library as much as he should but it would be nice if we could change this. What do you think could entice the average PCC student to come in to the library or at least access the library's databases at home rather than going straight to Google or Wikipedia? This is the question that I will continue to ponder and leave with you as well.

Prototype Tablet App for Shelf Reading

2011-05-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

The iPad gets all of the attention but there really area other tablets in production and there are Apps (application) that are being designed to make shelf reading easier.

This is a prototype of an application designed for the Android system that was presented at the ACRL 2011 Conference in Philadelphia, PA. This application used with a computer tablet or smartphone would make circulation a lot easier.

This is just a prototype. There are issues about spine width, the types of classification system use or perhaps even thinking about using QR codes that could embed the DDC/LC systems instead.

If this is transferred into libraries it might mean there is one less library support person necessary. On the other hand the gizmo can't walk itself and there will be some materials that will not lend themselves to use by the App.

America's WILD READ Book Club

2011-05-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just tapped into this fabulous national virtual book club! It is meant to engage students, educators, nature lovers, and conservation minded readers. Here is a video about it.

You can participate at http://wildread.blogspot.com/

More info at http://americaswildlife.org/wildread/

Cory Doctorow on New Vision for Libraries

2011-05-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

Cory Doctorow is an author and he writes for the very popular blog, Boing Boing. This is a video of his ALA’s Privacy and Youth Conference talk about a possible change of focus for libraries.

The talk is about 22 minutes long and then there is a question and answer session after his main talk.

Karen Gersten-Sternheim Memorial Scholarship

2011-04-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Dear members of the MLIS community:
The SLA Southern California Chapter Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2011 Karen Gersten-Sternheim Memorial Scholarship. Please help us spread the word among MLIS students currently taking courses who are permanent residents of California and Nevada.
The Scholarship
The Karen Gersten-Sternheim Memorial Scholarship consists of a one-time award in the amount of $3,000. The Scholarship was created in 1993 to honor the memory of Karen Sternheim, a UCLA librarian and a member of the Special Libraries Association, Southern California Chapter (SLA-SCC).

Eligibility Guidelines 1. Applicants must be members of SLA and members of the SLA Southern California Chapter. [SLA membership information may be found online at: www.sla.org/content/membership/joinsla/index.cfm

2. Applicants must demonstrate an interest in a career in special libraries, and must be taking classes in a master's degree program in library and information studies at an ALA accredited library school per: www.ala.org/ala/educationcareers/education/accreditedprograms/index.cfm
3. There is no geographic restriction on the school in which the applicant is enrolled. However, applicants must be permanent residents of California or Nevada, and must submit a photocopy of their valid California or Nevada's driver's license, identification card or voter registration card.
Deadline for Consideration The deadline to apply is June 30, 2011.
The Chapter Scholarship Committee must receive an MLIS student’s completed and properly-formatted application containing all requested information no later than this date in order to be eligible for consideration.

How to Apply
For complete information on the criteria, guidelines, required information, and application instructions, please refer to the Karen Gersten-Sternheim Memorial Scholarship webpage on the SLA-SCC website, found at this URL:
http://www.slascc.org/web_pages/student_programs_section/sternheim_scholarship.html

We wish to thank the professional members of our community for helping us to get out the word among currently-enrolled MLIS students! Best regards, SLA-SCC Scholarship Committee Rita Costello, Chair Emi Bevacqua, Committee Member Keith Gurtzweiler, Committee Member Jay Springer, Committee Member Norah Xiao, Committee Member

Preservation Week

2011-04-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out the Preservation Week display in the Rotunda of the PCC Shatford Library, it will be up till April 29th. The west side of the Rotunda is dedicated to a glimpse of Pasadena City College history from how the campus went from being a high school to a community college. Memorabilia from the Archives can be viewed as well. The east side of the Rotunda focuses on the preservation and repair of materials. A slide show is also set-up showcasing pictures from PCC's history.

This display is in conjunction with the Pasadena Digital History Project which has been a collaboration between Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Museum of History and PCC Shatford Library.

The American Library Association has more information about Preservation Week on their website. If you stop by, don't forget to grab one of the cool Preservation Week and Pasadena Digital History Project bookmarks.

National Library Week Freeze Mob

2011-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

In support of National Library Week, I thought this was clever!

$3,000 Reference Service Press Fellowship Application Deadline Extended

2011-04-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Reposted from Calix Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 12:03:44 -0700 From: "Holly Macriss" hollym@cla-net.org

Subject: [calix] $3,000 Reference Service Press Fellowship Application Deadline Extended

Application deadline is May 1

Calling all college seniors, college graduates, and beginning library school students interested in preparing for a career in reference/information service librarianship. This Fellowship, which has been offered annually since 1993, is provided by Reference Service Press , the only publishing company in the United States specializing solely in the development of print and electronic sources of information on financial aid for specific groups, including women, minorities, the disabled, individuals interested in going abroad, and veterans, military personnel, and their dependents. <>

To apply for this fellowship, please visit CLA webpage for the Reference Service Press Fellowship

For more information please contact Dave Tyckoson <mailto:davety@csufresno.edu> , Reference Service Press Fellowship Chair. More information Please help us spread the word and forward this message to the college seniors, graduates and beginning library students you know are interested in a career in reference/information service librarianship. Holly Macriss, Executive Director California Library Association <http://www.cla-net.org/>

2011 One City, One Story

2011-03-23T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's not too late to participate in Pasadena's 2011 One City, One Story events. If you're on campus at Pasadena City College on Friday, March 25 from 10am-12:30pm, you can catch Hillary Jordan in the Crevelling Lounge as she shares her experiences as an author. This will most likely be a smaller event. One of the final events is Conversation with Author - Hillary Jordan on March 26 at 3:30-5:00pm at the Pasadena Convention Center Ballroom. The Pasadena High School student photography display at the Central Library in conjunction with this month long event will be up till March 31st. All events are free.

US Statistical Abstract on Chopping Block!

2011-03-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Edited from CJC-L ... Please excuse the cross postings.

The Census Bureau has had to put the US Statistical Abstract on the chopping block for 2012. This budget estimate is currently sitting at Congress. See University of Michigan’s Population Studies Center’s blog entry about it here, with links to the actual document: http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/pscinfoserv/?p=1814.

Contact representatives in Congress to advocate that the Abstract be continued. (http://www.contactingthecongress.org/)

Please note that the County and City Data Book and the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book are also on the chopping block.

I hope that we as individuals and groups within ALA can work together to save this invaluable resource.

Liane Taylor
RUSA Reference Services Section Vice-Chair, 2010-2011
Serials Acquisitions Librarian
Albert B. Alkek Library
Texas State University - San Marcos601 University Drive • San Marcos • TX • 78666
ltaylor@txstate.edu • 512.245.2643

UNT/CSUN Greater Los Angeles MLIS Program

2011-03-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

UNT/CSUN Greater Los Angeles MLIS Program
Onsite Information Sessions March 29 – April 2 – see locations below
Dr. Phil Turner, UNT DLIS Professor and Director of the UNT/CSUN Greater Los Angeles MLIS Program will provide information on the unique blended MLIS program delivered in partnership with CSUN. Information will be provided on the academic program, on-site attendance requirements, admissions, and costs and there will be opportunity to ask questions.
To review information about the program, please visit www.lis.unt.edu and select the “Distance Locations” item and review the information about the Greater Los Angeles Program. Admissions information and forms can be found at www.lis.unt.edu under the “Prospective Students” item.
For further information on this unique program, see the Greater Los Angeles flyer, http://www.lis.unt.edu/main/pdf/CaliforniaCohort.pdf.
For questions on the program, please contact Dr. Phil Turner pturner@unt.edu or Michele Lucero michelealucero@gmail.com.

There will be five information sessions conducted March 29 through April 2. No RSVP necessary:

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Terrace Room, Shatford Library, Pasadena City College, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106 Parking on campus is $2.00
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Community Room, Thousand Oaks Public Library, 1401 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Thursday, March 31, 2011 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Board Room, Radisson Hotel, 9777 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth, CA 91311
Friday, April 1, 2011 6:30-8:00 p.m.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 2520 Cimarron Street, Los Angeles, CA 90018 Come through gate entrance on Cimarron Street into parking lot. Library entrance is on left side down the staircase.
Saturday, April 2, 2011 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Auditorium (2nd floor), Glendale Public Library, 222 East Harvard Street, Glendale, CA 91205 Library Visitors receive 3 hours FREE parking across Harvard at the Marketplace parking structure with validation at the Loan Desk.

NOTE: UNT/CSUN Greater Los Angeles MLIS Program Student Association will sponsor a Library Career Day at the Glendale Public Library from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Potential students welcome! Please RSVP for the Library Career Day to Michele Lucero michelealucero@gmail.com
-- Kind regards,Michele A. LuceroUNT CSUN Local Coordinator626.234.3804michelealucero@gmail.com

Restrictions on library e-book lending threaten access to information

2011-03-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

E-Books and Public Libraries

ALA Press Release http://ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pr.cfm?id=6517

excerpt from: BoingBoing:
American Library Association task forces to take on ebook lending
Cory Doctorow at 9:23 AM Wednesday, Mar 9, 2011
The American Library Association has struck two new task forces to investigate the future of ebooks in libraries: the Equitable Access to Electronic Content Task Force and the E-book Task Force. The objective is to come up with a nationwide, coherent strategy to address the fact that some publishers will not make their books available as lendable ebooks, while others require ebooks to be packaged in crippleware formats that self-destruct after a certain number of checkouts.

Registration Assistance Awards for the ALA Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program

2011-03-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

Registration Assistance Awards for the ALA Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program

Note: this is an alternative to PCC’s Library Technology Certificate Program. It is primarily intended for library workers with experience but no coursework. Information about ALA’s Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program http://ala-apa.org/lssc/

Information and application for the registration assistance award is online: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/rts/lssirt/news/index.cfm

The full registration fee for LSSC is $350 ($325 for ALA members). The Registration Assistance Award (RAA) is for one-half of the full registration fee ($175). The RAA is applied at the time of registration as a credit for one-half of the total amount. LSSIRT will be offering 50 Registration Assistance Awards. Deadline for submission is April 30, 2011. The Award recipients will be notified in early May.

Eligibility Requirements:

· Must have worked in a library as a staff member or volunteer for at least one year (1082) hours in the last five years.

· If you are a recipient of the award, you must apply to be a candidate for Library Support Staff Certification within three (3) months of receiving the award. If you do not register within 3 months, the award may be given to another applicant.

· Submit a paragraph indicating why you would like to become a Certified Library Support Staff.

Copied from e-mail by:

Ian Lashbrook - ilashbrook@ala.org
Research Associate
Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSC)
Office Hours: Mon-Thurs, 8:30am - 4:30pm
50 East Huron, Chicago, IL 60611
(o)312-280-1411, (f)312-280-5297
http://ala-apa.org/lssc

March is Women's History Month

2011-03-09T16:55:00.000-08:00

Want to find out more about Women's History Month? Here are some websites you can check out. Library of Congress has its own website dedicated to this topic. The Biography website has a cool interactive journey and video clips. If you're into museums, check out these six women's museums at Infoplease. The History Channel has more videos one can view as well.

Looking for ideas on celebrating Women's History month? The Shatford Library has Celebrating women's history : a women's history month resource book which is in the Reference Collection. Check out the book display by the circulation desk as well for the Women Who Dare series and other interesting books in relation to Women's History Month. These are just a small sampling of the many books we have. How will you celebrate Women's History Month?

Here's a great quote: "Sometimes questions are more important than answers." ~ Nancy Willard I think that's quite fitting since libraries deal with answering questions all the time.

Free Lecture on Google's Universal Library at Huntington

2011-03-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

Lecture: The Use and Abuse of the Universal Library

March 14 (Monday)

7:30 p.m. Free

Google’s project to digitize millions of books and create a “universal library” joins a long history of such visionary schemes. Adrian Johns, professor of history at the University of Chicago, will invoke that history to show the radical implications such an endeavor would have for authorship, reading, and publishing. Friends' Hall. No reservations required.

http://www.huntington.org/cal_event_detail.aspx?d=3/14/2011

HarperCollins, Libraries and the 27th Reader

2011-03-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

You might have heard about this but just in case you haven't this is a quick summary. As most of you know libraries have e-books that are available to library users. Many libraries use a company called OverDrive to handle the electronic lending of e-books.

The user downloads the book for a period of time. After the loan period has been reached the book is de-activated on the user's computer or reading device. The book is virtually returned so that another patron can check out the book.

Well, publisher HarperCollins wants to change that. They want to put a cap on the number of books a library can lend. For a two week lending period that would be 26 books.

So if you have a popular e-book and readers 1 to 26 have read the book your library would be required to purchase another license to allow person 27 to download the book.

If the library cannot afford to purchase the license or has maxed out the purchasing budget reader #27 is S.O.L; stone out of luck.

This, as you can imagine is not sitting well with libraries and librarians. This is a demonstration of the policy by the number of readers who have read certain physical books. This video by librarians of the Pioneer Library System in Norman, Oklahoma.

There are some who are calling for a ban on purchasing HarperCollins publications in all its permutations. This means a lock down of J.R.R. Tolken, To Kill A Mockingbird, Ursula K. Le Guin, Creatures of Light and Darkness, Anne McCafree and Z is for Zombie.

It is more than the requirement to re-purchase the book.

This does get at the heart of who owns a copy of a book. One book, one patron at a time has been the rule. When the book needed repair the library handled it, not the publisher. When the book could no longer be in service the library withdraws the book from circulation. At that time the library purchased a new book.

Or not. Because it works both ways.

HarperCollins has responded via a letter to Library Journal.

Other folks with opinions and concerns:

David Lee King - Let's Play Rent-A-Book
Librarian by Day - Has a good list of those that are talking about this issue.
Librarian in Black - Let the e-Book Revolution, Begin

If you want to follow the Twitter responses the hashtag is #hcod. For the full details and current news visit Library Journal.

Google Newspaper Archive Collection

2011-02-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

It seems once you land find one archive the rest sort of wander over to great you. On Google News there is a collection archive of scanned newspapers from various dates, cities and countries.

There are newspapers from the 1800s and 1900s as well as through the depression era and the 1960s in the US. Some of the newspapers only contain one issue and others have a full collection of publication.

It really is entertaining to read some of the early issues of various newspapers. The Covington Journal mission is to "cover politics, literature, education, agriculture and the news of the day."

You can perform a keyword search to find topics of interest. Keep in mind that usage and terminology has changed over time.

For example, suffrage was used in connection with slavery and then freed men and women. It later became a term connected to woman's suffrage. The term womens liberation came into use much later.

If you are looking for historical comparisons today's hot topics this is one of the places you should considers investigating.

No Love Lost at the Library

2011-02-14T13:35:00.001-08:00

It's Valentine's Day and I've managed to drag myself out of the house into the library. I've been coming here most of winter intersession and expected today to be the same as most of this past month, pretty empty. So imagine my surprise to be lucky enough to find an empty computer terminal.

Everywhere today it's impossible not to see signs of Valentine's Day. Many bemoaning why is this holiday once again upon us. So thinking in terms of a librarian-to-be, I decided to make this my research topic of the day before settling down to my studies. I did a little research last week to see if we had many books in the Shatford library on this topic when constructing a book display. As expected, a search didn't yield many on this topic so I had to get a little creative in my search. My favorite book that I'd discovered awhile back when doing other book displays was:

Kissing: everything you ever wanted to know about one of life's sweetest pleasures by Andrea Demirjian, so I had to add this along with the other books on making home-made greeting cards, the history of chocolate and more. For film lovers, you may be interested in picking up The great romantic films by Lawrence J. Quirk. A classmate had picked up an ARC copy of And the rest is history : the famous (and infamous) first meetings of the world's most passionate couples by Marlene Wagman-Geller at ALA's Mid-Winter conference. This book is not on display as I will admit the ARC copy is not very picturesque at all, but it did prompt me in finding some books on famous couples. In my search, I found interesting books on Antony & Cleopatra and Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo. If you're interested in the history of Valentine cards, take a peek at The Valentine and its origins by Frank Staff.

Here's an interesting and amusing article I found, Valentine's Day : From ancient saints to candy hearts that sheds a little light on the history of this holiday. This is my tribute to this holiday whilst wearing my "Librarians Have a Heart" t-shirt that I snagged at ALA's Mid-Winter conference in January.

AFRO Archives - African American Newspaper

2011-02-13T17:59:00.000-08:00

There are web sites that have open newspaper archives but it has been hard to find a collection of historical African American newspapers on-line. That situation is improving thanks to a partnership between the AFRO American newspapers and Google.

The AFRO Archives allows visitors to read and examine newspapers from various time periods. The archives can tell you what the important news items of the day, commentary and opinion and a text snapshot of the goods, services and products being targeted to readers of the newspaper.

I read a few of the early papers and I was surprised about seeing the railroad schedules listed for the various rail lines. I made me wonder about the importance of the railroad in terms of employment and receiving goods from other places.

I could also get a sense that some of the issues that make the news today have historical connections. When reading the paper it is important to remember that this is a view into the thoughts and attitudes of the past. It took a moment to understand that the whitecaps mentioned in a news story referred to member of the Klan.

You can browse the archive or you can enter a search term to find articles that contain key words. When I entered "library" I was presented with articles about libraries trying to open or trying to prevent from being closed.

One of the articles that I read from 1947 wrote about the work of the YWCA in helping to open the library to all citizens except colored children under 16.

This is the beginning stage of the archive, more newspapers from the AFRO American newspaper chain need to be added. This is a neat research tool that libraries and schools and history buffs can enjoy and use.

Patrons support their libraries!

2011-01-20T16:01:00.000-08:00

News articles from UK

Library clears its shelves in protest at closure threat: Users urged to take out full allowance of library books in campaign to keep Stony Stratford branch open.
Maev Kennedy , guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 January 2011

and Hawaii
Big human chain helps small town library in Kapaau: Nearly 2,000 volunteers lined up on the Akoni Pule Highway on Saturday to form a human chain, so they could pass the thousands of books – or huki puke, in Hawaiian – over a mile and a third down the road to their new library.
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2010/10/25/video-big-human-chain-helps-small-town-library-in-kapaau

The Library Radio Network

2011-01-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of audio and video podcasting so this is an excellent idea. The Library Radio Network allows users to listen on-line or download the programs to the mp3 or media device.

For those of us on mobile devices you can visit http://kiesermanmedia.podbean.com/mobile to stay in touch with the program. (Watch your data rate folks if you are not on an unlimited plan.)

From the announcement I received:

We are pleased to announce a new online news source for librarians called The Library Radio Network (TLRN) which will debut on February 15th.

TLRN will feature library news you can use as well as fascinating interviews with library leaders from throughout the world.

TLRN will also feature a monthly radio magazine called Library Perspectives, which will be a hosted hour-long downloadable program using the NPR format featuring interviews and segments on libraries and librarians.

This can give folks in the library biz a chance to make their case for the importance of libraries, what they are doing, what works and what needs to be re-visioned.

Sacramento Valley Chapter of REFORMA Offering Scholarships to Drexel’s Graduate School

2011-01-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

From: http://sacramento.drexel.edu/about-drexel/announcements/reformaScholarships/
SACRAMENTO, CA., January 3, 2011 — The Sacramento Valley Chapter of REFORMA has announced it will award up to three $10,000 scholarships for its members to attend Drexel University's Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.
The Drexel/California Gold REFORMA Leadership Scholarship can be applied toward tuition for the master's degree program in Library and Information Science offered at Drexel's Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento.
Download theDrexel University/California GoldREFORMA Leadership ScholarshipInstructions and Application [PDF]

David Hoffman and Thoughts About Libraries

2011-01-02T04:17:00.000-08:00

This is a TED video presentation by filmmaker David Hoffman. In 2008 a fire destroyed his books, photos, negatives and home.

From the TED biography page:

Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic.

This is his presentation on converting his loss into a positive experience. Which begs the question; are libraries important enough to the society to save? If we believe that then what are we doing to help the general and politicized public understand why it essential to maintain a vital public library system?

This man is a collector. What he lost cannot be replaced. Libraries are living collections of what we believe to be essential information for a community to have access to and use.

What will the community lose if the doors are allowed to be bolted shut?

Abby and A Look at What Digital Natives Want From Libraries

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

We have to get ready for Abby and her peers. Actually, they are hear but some of the adults want to pretend that they are not.

If you have ever seen a four year-old pick up an iPad and master it in five minutes you know that this is not that much of an exaggeration.

From the web site:

VALA - Libraries, Technology and the Future Inc. is an independent Australian based not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote the use and understanding of information technology within libraries and the broader information sector. VALA also offers its members access to a dynamic and professional network of information technology practitioners.

Yes, she may have been coached in what to say but the words are true. Wow. The times they are a changing.

Research Channel - Feed Your Head

2010-12-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

If left to my own devices I would be watching TED videos and those of the Research Channel. Intelligent information, discussions and alternative sources to the barking reality shows of prime time television. No insult to canines intended.

The topics range from geology, medicine, engineering, genetics, psychology and more.
Per the channel description:

Research Channel is a nonprofit media and technology organization that connects a global audience with the research and academic institutions whose developments, insights and discoveries affect our lives and futures.

This is a video from 2008 by the California State University Monterey Bay on the role that libraries play on the university campus.

The web site seems to be down at the moment so the best place to catch up on the video archive is the YouTube channel or visiting YouTube.edu

Video Tutorial on Using Boolean Operators

2010-12-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

I love the fact that libraries are creating tutorial videos on research techniques.

This is a video from Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries on how to use Boolean Operators. You can use these in Ask.com, Bing and Google. Operators can help you target the materials you need in a search.

For more library tutorial videos check out the VCU Libraries YouTube channel.

Libros Schmibros

2010-12-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

Libros Schmibros:
a lending library/used bookstore for Boyle Heights
2000 E. 1st St.Los Angeles, CA 90033
accessible from the Metro Gold line /Mariachi Plaza exit

Check their Blog for events and needs: http://librosschmibros.wordpress.com/

Our Partial Catalog: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/kipen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173562995996562

Interested in supporting Libros Schmibros?
Consider making a donation. You can do so through our parent organization, The Arroyo Project .
Your donation of $10, $25, or $50 helps us bring books and literary programming to Boyle Heights.

Questions? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at librosschmibros@gmail.com.

More information:

Reed Johnson. "Libros Schmibros is part library, part used-book seller, totally chill." LA Times Nov 9, 2010

Holiday Shopping - Amazon

2010-12-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Planning to go holiday shopping at Amazon? If you use the link at the bottom of PCC Shatford Library's page, you can also help support the library. The library gets 5% of what shoppers spend. You may think 5% isn't very much but it all adds up. So next time you're planning on shopping at Amazon, click here.

Public Libraries and funding

2010-12-06T13:14:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Times article on Los Angeles County Library System
"Los Angeles County Libraries in a Bind."
By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times
December 6, 2010

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-county-library-20101201,0,2066297,full.story

Private company to take over Camarillo's public library
By Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times
October 25, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-libraries-20101025,0,494283.story

Bloglines Transfering Ownership to Merchant Circle

2010-11-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail from Bloglines/Ask.com informing me that they are transferring Bloglines to new owners MerchantCircle.com.

Per the Bloglines/Ask.com e-mail:

Ask.com will maintain the current Bloglines service as is until December 1, 2010. After December 1, 2010, the service will transition wholly to MerchantCircle. During the month of December, you will be able to easily port your feeds over to the MerchantCircle-powered service. It's an easy process, and we.ll provide you with complete instructions well in advance.
Logging-In: You will keep your same password as before.
Current Bloglines features: Your Bloglines subscriptions will seamlessly transition to the MerchantCircle service, however, the Clippings Tab will no longer be available and you will not be able to transport saved articles to the new service. We're very sorry for any inconvenience this will cause; the infrastructure requirements and costs are simply too great to justify maintaining this type of archiving feature.

MerchantCircle is a directory of small and local businesses. The company offers services to those vendors such as advertising placement, web directories, web site hosting and other similar services.

I am really not clear on how this is going to be a good match. The general focus of MerchantCircle is to attract small business owners to help them connect with customers. Nothing wrong with that; support your local businesses when possible.

I have to be honest. When I did use Bloglines it was not to shop. It was to connect with those sites and blogs I needed to track or visit. I'm not totally opposed to ads that support a web business. I'm just not sure how these two different kinds of web services are going to mesh with each other.

My main concern is that I don't want my contact info transferred to vendors without my explicit permission. If I don't like it I want an easy Opt-Out process.

For more info you can visit the MerchantCircle blog or e-mail your questions.

Library Tech Program Students Intern with Pasadena Digital History Collaboration

2010-11-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

Pasadena City College Shatford Library, Pasadena Public Library and the Pasadena Museum of History are working together in a collaboration to digitize Pasadena's historical resources using CONTENTdm software. The project is known as the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration.

The PCC Foundation awarded a grant (written by PCC Library Technician Jared Burton) to fund a workshop for 10 PCC Library Technology Program students and graduates, which served as a catalyst for an internship designed to provide experience in digital asset management using OCLC’s CONTENTdm software. The paid internship started in September and will run for 12 weeks during the Fall semester. The program meets on Saturday mornings at the library and is taught by PCC Librarian Linda Stewart, formerly of OCLC. In addition to gaining experience with digital asset management software, interns are becoming skilled at scanning photographic material and creating metadata to aid in discovery and management of these special materials. Carol Cooper, PCC Cataloger, has also contributed to the project by reviewing samples of the work done by the interns and establishing subject headings for the photo descriptions.

The images that the interns are working on will be added to the online database of photos, which you can view for free at http://www.pasadenadigitalhistory.com/. This collaboration offers a chance for the public to view rare photographs depicting Pasadena’s rich history, and the internship provides our Library Tech Program students the opportunity to acquire valuable and marketable skills as they enter the library field.

Library Tech Jared Burton with Files of Historic Photos for the Digital History Collaboration

Linda Stewart Working with Students

LT Progam Students Working Hard

Linda Stewart Working with LT Progam Students

LinkedIn New Feature

2010-10-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this the other day and thought I would share this here for some of you who are looking for jobs. I myself haven't used LinkedIn much but I know people who do. From the article: "Basically, students can surf through various career paths based on school, level of education and dream industry." Good luck!

http://mashable.com/2010/10/04/career-explorer/

By the way, Mashable is a fantastic resource to keep abreast of news about social media (which I heart), and you can find them on Facebook. :)

Snapshot Day: Tuesday, October 5

2010-10-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

Remember that Snapshot Day is Tuesday, October 5 and we want you in the picture! Stop by the Circulation Desk for more information!

Banned Books Week

2010-09-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine not being able to decide what books you can read or not read? If you don't believe me, just click on this Google Map which documents books bans and challenges around the United States from 2007-2010. Think it couldn't be possible in a liberal state such as California? Think again!

In 2009, Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" was restricted to students with parental permission at the Ocean View School District middle school libraries in Huntington Beach, Calif. because the “book’s contents were inappropriate for children.” There are other incidents of book bans or challenges in California as well.

So how can you participate? Celebrate by picking up a banned or challenged book this week. If you're not so inclined to pick up a book, watch a movie based on a banned or challenged book. Not sure what titles have been banned, ALA (American Library Association) publishes a list every year. Even classics have been banned or challenged.

Check out the 11 Most Surprising Banned Books. Even more surprising was finding out that the popular Junie B. Jones series would be in danger of being challenged or banned in my search for more information on challenged materials. Check out the commentary in Business & Heritage Clarksville about why this popular beginning readers series would cause such ruckus. Through the month of September and until October 2nd, they are running a commentary on a different book almost every day. Some of the titles included are: "The Face on the Milk Carton", "Rainbow Boys", "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Lovely Bones". Kids books include "In the Night Kitchen", "My Brother Sam is Dead", "Summer of my German Soldier" and "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry".

Banned Books Week runs from September 25-October 2 which celebrates the freedom to read. This event is not just sponsored by ALA but by bookseller associations, journalists, authors, and publishers. "Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." (ALA, 2008). For those of you who wonder why books would be banned or challenged, read what ALA has to say.

I love this year's theme: "Think for Yourself and Let Others Do the Same". Currently, I'm taking a Children's Literature class so I re-read "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Blume. It's hard to believe a classic such as this would be challenged. This book made growing up just a little easier. And it endeared me all over again when I saw now why it was why it was one of my daughter's favorite books as well. It touched both of us for different reasons. It's hard to believe this book made the list for the 100 most frequently challenged books in 2000-2009 and 1990-1999. And it's even harder for me to imagine not being able to read this book. According to ALA, "Books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." Please join me this week in celebrating the right to read by picking up a banned or challenged book you've never read or an old favorite.

Be a Part of the Shatford Library's Snapshot Day on Tuesday, October 5, 2010!

2010-09-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

SHATFORD LIBRARY IS TAKING PART IN “SNAPSHOT: ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARIES”

The Pasadena City College Shatford Library is joining libraries across the state in participating in “Snapshot: One Day in the Life of California Libraries” on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 to show how important academic, public, school, and special libraries and library systems are to the state of California. This Snapshot Day has been developed by the California Library Association (CLA).

On Tuesday, October 5, 2010, the Shatford Library will compile statistics, customer comments, photographs, and other data chronicling a typical library day. The results collected at the Shatford Library will be added to those of other libraries across California, by CLA, to show how libraries provide invaluable services to California citizens.

Kim Bui-Burton, CLA President and Director of the Monterey Public Library, “I invite all California community members of any age to visit their library on this historic day and be a part of this first ever "snapshot" of California libraries. Every kind of library provides unique and irreplaceable services; we know this because in communities across the state library usage is rising, and demand is growing for books and other resources, knowledgeable staff assistance and computer/Internet access - despite budget cuts, reduced hours and programs. We believe this California libraries ‘snapshot’ will show the essential library services and life-changing experiences that California's communities depend on, especially during these times of severe economic distress. We look forward to capturing this "day in the life of California libraries" to demonstrate to decision makers the extent that our patrons, customers and future leaders rely on California libraries for critical library services, resources and programs - now, more than ever."

The Shatford Library is looking for people who would like to participate in Snapshot Day by sharing their stories about why the library is important to them. If you’d like to volunteer to be interviewed and/or photographed, please contact Diana Lopez, Library Technician at delopez@pasadena.edu. Come be a part of the library’s history!

California Library Snapshot Day is a project of the California Library Association.

Bloglines Shutting Down on October 1, 2010

2010-09-12T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just found out that Ask.com is closing Bloglines on October 1, 2010. This means if you have a bunch of RSS feed links stored in Bloglines you need to find them a new home.

If you have an account you need to export your feeds quick, fast and in a hurry. The instructions are on the front page of the Bloglines website.

I know that many people used Bloglines access multiple web locations no matter where they were or what machine that they were using. I certainly used Bloglines for class related sites and to track various types of information. It was very helpful.

Alternatives to Bloglines

If you have a Google account you can import your Bloglines feeds into Google Reader. This way you can continue to access and track websites from home, work or school.

My problem with using Google Reader is that I don't want all of my RSS feeds in the same place. I have entertainment links, educational and research links that shouldn't be intermingled.

Desktop Readers:

Windows users might want to consider installing Feed Demon and Mac iPhone, iPad and desktop users may want to swing over to installing Net News Wire.

E-Mail RSS Readers:

Your e-mail program may have a News and Groups/RSS reader function. I use Thunderbird as my e-mail program and a supplemental RSS reader. Microsoft Outlook and other e-mail programs have similar functions.

The only problem is accessibility away from your primary computer.

Twitter and Facebook

Yes, this is an option if the website or blog faithfully announces new posts in their feeds. Not all do. And strange as it may seem not everyone has a Twitter or Facebook account.

You really should have some kind of link management or tracking system as long as it supports your online experience and your research needs.

International Literacy Day

2010-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Did you know that September 8 is International Literacy Day? Neither did I till very recently. One may think literacy isn't that huge of an issue but according to the International Reading Association, " More than 780 million of the world’s adults (nearly two-thirds of whom are women) do not know how to read or write, and between 94 and 115 million children lack access to education." Without literacy, simple things as such reading a label, filling out a job application, even getting around can be virtually impossible.

Want to get more involved? Check out the International Reading Association, ProLiteracy or even your local library. Often times libraries have literacy programs which they can always use volunteers for. See the Southern California Library Literacy Program website for a list of libraries. Even if you don't see a library listed near you, it's still possible there may be a literacy program there, so ask. For example, I live in Monrovia and even though they are not on the SCLLP list, I know they have a literacy program from looking on their website in the past. Last but not least, ALA (American Library Association) has lots of information on literacy from children's to adult literacy. Check out the Office for Literacy and Outreach.

Feel you just don't have the time, then take the time to sign the ProLiteracy and Literacy Powerline's Declaration for the Right to Literacy scroll which will be presented to President Obama.

new REFORMA scholarship for DREXEL Sacramento new iSchool students

2010-09-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

From: "Patty Wong"
On behalf of Roberto Delgadillo,
President, California Gold Chapter, REFORMA and Chair, Drexel California Gold REFORMA Scholarship Committee 2010

Subject: [calix] Announcing a new REFORMA scholarship for DREXEL Sacramento new iSchool students

In partnership with Drexel University at Sacramento, the California Gold Chapter of REFORMA is pleased to announce a new scholarship for incoming students.

The Drexel California Gold Scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship for new students entering the Drexel University at Sacramento's iSchool in pursuit of their MLIS degree. Applicants must be college graduates or college seniors and a member of REFORMA by the time the award is given.
Applicants must also be bilingual/bicultural and/or have a demonstrated commitment to serving the Spanish-speaking community.

Deadline for the first award is September 10, 2010.

Eligibility:
The Drexel California Gold REFORMA Scholarship will be granted only for incoming, eligible first-time students pursuing graduate study in librarianship leading to a master's degree at Drexel University, Sacramento. A single $10,000 scholarship is available per degree. Scholarship winners are notified by the end of the first month of enrollment.

Eligibility of Applicants
Applicants must be college graduates or college seniors and a member of REFORMA by the time the award is given. Applicants must also be bilingual/bicultural and/or have a demonstrated commitment to serving the Spanish-speaking community. Applicants must submit a statement of provisional acceptance by Drexel University.

Application form required.

For more information on the Drexel California Gold REFORMA Scholarship, contact:
Roberto C. Delgadillo, PhD
100 North West Quad
Davis, CA 95616
rdelgadillo@lib.ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-8266

Infopeople's online course "Basic Cataloging andClassification"

2010-09-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Please note: Infopeople is applying for LSSC (Library Support Staff Certification) certification for this course.

Title: Basic Cataloging and Classification

Format: Online Dates: October 12 – November 8, 2010

To register for this workshop: Use the online registration form at
http://infopeople.org/workshop/461

Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and Infopeople Partners, $150 for all others.

Are you looking for an opportunity to learn basic library cataloging and classification? Update your knowledge with new developments in the field? If so, this online course is for you.

Through practical information and hands-on exercises, you will gain an understanding of cataloging practices, rules, and tools, as well as the nuts and bolts of copy cataloging. New developments―such as Resource Description and Access (RDA), the Library of Congress genre/form headings project, and Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) subject headings―will be discussed as well. Tips on copy cataloging of newly emerging formats, such as e-books, graphic novels, and download media will be offered.

At the end of four weeks you will feel comfortable with the basics of cataloging, classification, and MARC records and be ready to begin copy cataloging items in a variety of formats.

Course Description: This four-week online course will provide an overview of library cataloging and classification and prepare you to do copy cataloging. Through reading materials, short video presentations, an online forum, and individual exercises, you will gain knowledge of basic cataloging rules and tools, commonly used controlled vocabularies, the Dewey Decimal Classification system, and MARC21 format. Applying this knowledge, you will be able to decode MARC bibliographic records and perform basic copy cataloging. The course will briefly discuss some new developments in cataloging rules and practices.

During the course, you will be doing assignments and taking quizzes. You will also participate in discussion forums and online meetings as part of the online learning process.

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and complete the following learning modules:

· Week 1: What Is Cataloging?
Purpose of cataloging
Elements of cataloging: descriptive cataloging, subject cataloging, and classification
General cataloging methods and cooperative cataloging
Introduction to AACR2r and ISBD
Introduction to RDA
· Week 2: Introduction to Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
What is LCSH?
Other controlled vocabularies – Sears, LC Genre/Form Headings, LC Children's Subject Headings, Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) Subject Headings
What is DDC?
Relationship between the subject heading and a Dewey number
Verifying a DDC number for the item in hand
· Week 3: MARC Formats
What is MARC?
Elements of MARC records
Types of MARC bibliographic formats
Summary of commonly used MARC fields for bibliographic data
· Week 4: Basic Copy Cataloging
Tasks of copy cataloging
Which cataloging record to use?
Essential MARC fields to verify
Tips on copy cataloging e-books, graphic novels, and download media

Instructor: Xiaoli Li. Having worked in both public and academic libraries, Xiaoli Li has a wide range of experience with cataloging. She is an active advocate for continuing education and a trainer for "Cataloging for the 21st Century," a Library of Congress initiative. She has made numerous presentations and authored several journal articles on serials control. She chaired OCLC Post Pinyin Conversion Cleanup Project and planed several major projects for the libraries where she has worked, including Yale University Libraries, University of Washington Libraries, and most currently UC Davis.

Time required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 to 2½ hours per week, with options for further study and application. You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, it is recommended that you complete each week's assignments within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone from the library community with an interest in learning the basics of library cataloging and classification. This course is particularly focused on the needs of public library staff newly assigned to copy cataloging tasks. Those taking the course must have a working knowledge of the integrated library system (ILS) used in their libraries. The instructor will provide more extensive work with the Dewey Decimal Classification system than with alternatives, but Library of Congress and other classification systems currently in use will be discussed as well.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found athttp://www.infopeople.org/training/learning_details.html.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

If you would like to subscribe via RSS and be notified whenever new Infopeople training events are available, you can use these links:
**For new on-ground or online workshops: http://infopeople.org/workshop/rss
**For new podcasts: http://feeds.feedburner.com/InfopeoplePodcasts

Other Logistics:

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information about Infopeople Training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/workshop

If you have questions about registration, please contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at assist@infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.

The Library Tech Blog Now Posts to the Library's Facebook Page

2010-09-01T00:15:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already, check out the Shatford Library's Facebook page. Be sure to "like" the library's page to get all of our latest news. The Library Technology Blog is now linked to the Shatford Library's Facebook page, so updates will automatically appear there, too! If you don't see the updates on the wall, try clicking on the "Notes" tab. We hope to see you on Facebook!

The Dewey Blog - All Dewey All The Time

2010-08-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

I miss getting a daily or weekly dose of library news, education and all around juice. Here is a goody I should visit more than I do, 025.431 The Dewey Blog.

Yes, life in classification. As a side benefit you can observe how to construct Dewey numbers. How would you classify a salad? Need to know how to classify a book about Star Trek? What about Water Lilies?

Not only can you see Dewey classification in action, you can also check out the various Dewey communities both national and international.

If you are taking a classification class and you need real world examples of constructing Dewey numbers this is the place.

Librarians in the Movies

2010-08-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Huffington Post 8/16/10
Librarians Save The Day! 11 Great Movies In Which They Star

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/librarians-save-the-day-1_n_672494.htm l

Subsidy Available for Library Support Staff Certification Program

2010-08-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

From Gerald Maginnity
Subject: Subsidy Available for Library Support Staff Certification Program

The Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program is accepting applications for 55 subsidies of $200 from LSSC Candidates to enroll in and complete LSSC-approved courses. Candidates who receive a subsidy award will receive a $200 reimbursement after they pay for, and complete, an LSSC-approved course.

To apply for a subsidy, candidates must be accepted in the LSSC Program by September 15, 2010. Subsidy recipients must successfully complete one of LSSC's Approved Courses by April 1, 2011:

Candidates must apply for the subsidy by September 15. The LSSC Program staff will select recipients using a random selection process and announce subsidy awards on September 27.

LSSC is a national, voluntary certification program administered by the American Library Association-Allied Profession Association (ALA-APA).

The LSSC Program is partially funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information, please contact LSSC Program staff via e-mail lssc@ala.org

Penguin Books Amplified Version of Pillers of the Earth

2010-07-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

In the library technology program there is an on-going challenge to define what is a book. The meaning is evolving. There are audio books, books in electronic form and now, according to Penguin Books, amplified versions that will continue to stretch the definition.

One thing to consider is the source material. The original book from author Ken Follett was made into a television series. The amplified book contains the original text of the book, photos and videos from the television show, a full music score and extras.

From a fan point of view this is terrific. There can be total immersion in the world of the story and the creation of the book and television program. From a writer/author point of view I think I'd start to freak out a little.

Is It Still A Book?

The original book is contained in the media presented so yes, it is still a book. For certain types of fiction this is going to be fantastic.

For other non-visual or more introspective types of fiction there is going to be increasing problems to convince a mainstream publisher to give those types of books a chance in the marketplace. Not every fiction book can lend itself to a television or movie version.

There are books that are truly a one-to-one type of communication. My concern is that those books will not easily be printed or digitized.

What then? How will those books be published and by whom? Can print and electronic books co-exist or are there more changes to come. Stay tuned.

At Your Local Library - Adult Summer Programs

2010-07-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

Think library summer reading programs are just for kids? Think again! Check out your local library and see what's happening.

At Pasadena Public Library, check out the Adult Summer Program where you can make Simple Summer Salad Suppers to take home on July 31st, meet other yarn lovers at Yarn Projects from the Heart interested in knitting or crocheting for charity on July 24th and August 28th, and the 12th Baseball Reliquary, Shrine of the Eternals Induction Day 2010 hosted by PCC Library Tech Program alumni, Terry Cannon.

It's not too late to sign up for I (S)cream for Books Adult Summer Reading Program at Alhambra Public Library. The reading program runs till July 31st. For every week, you can earn an incentive prize with a chance ticket for the grand prize.

At Arcadia Public Library, the theme is Water Your Mind: Read. Registration is online till July 24th with the program running till the end of the month. In addition, there is a Themed Movie Night on July 14th at 6pm and an Introduction to Ikebana on July 28th at 6:30pm.

So if you're yearning for those childhood library summer reading days, stop on by your local library and see what they have for adults these days. You just might be pleasantly surprised.

Group Information Meetings - UCLA MLIS Program

2010-06-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

The UCLA Department of Information Studies encourages applicants and prospective MLIS applicants to attend Group Information Meetings. At each meeting, the IS Student Affairs Officer will present an overview of the program and then respond to questions regarding MLIS degree requirements, program structure, the library/information science profession, and the admissions process.
Schedule and location information: http://is.gseis.ucla.edu/admissions/infomtg.htm
Please contact the Student Affairs Officer to indicate which information session you plan on attending by phone (310) 825-5269 or by e-mail at abler@gseis.ucla.edu to indicate which meeting you plan to attend.
All meetings will be held in the GSE&IS building on the north side of the UCLA campus (see address below) -- directions and map.
ABSOLUTE application DEADLINE: November 30, 2010. All items must be received or postmarked by that date.

A golden apple and a pink slip

2010-06-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to PCC Library Technology Certificate Program alumni and Alhambra High School library technician Terry Cannon who is Alhambra High's employee of the year and a popular library worker.
Unfortunately he now finds himself unemployed along with the other District library technicians in Alhambra and other area school districts.

Read the June 23, 2010 Los Angeles Times article by Steve Lopez
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopezcolumn-20100623,0,407005.column

Haunted Love Librarian Video

2010-06-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

There are those people on mission. I'd say the ladies in this video are more a reflection of days gone by but I kinda liked how it ended.

From the band, Haunted Love comes this 2006 music video on trouble in the stacks.

More Library Whimsy - Librarians Do Gaga

2010-06-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Catalogers have got the beat. Yes, Lady Gaga influence has hit the reference zone. This is a bit of fun from the University of Washington's Information School.

Sarah Watcher has got the skivvy on how the video came together. You can also get the lyrics to the song on her blog. Sarah will be getting her masters in library and information science in June of 2010.

IPL2 - Video Outreach and Services

2010-06-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Back in the day long before I entered the Library Technology program I knew about the Internet Public Library. It was a place to check out if they had a source or two. As the resources on the Internet have change so has the Internet Public Library.

The site has merged with Librarians Internet Index and is now a shared resource partnership among a number of library schools joining in a consortium. Now known as IPL2, it continues to have vetted lists of viable resources.

This means more goodies and zero spam. It is also another way to contact a librarian for questions and research assistance.

The special collections pages target specific areas of interest such as U.S. state information, podcasting, Deaf and hard of hearing resources and more.

Before you Ask.com, Bing or Google take a moment to review IPL2 resources which still use the legacy web address www.ipl.org

Part Time Library Clerk Position at CalTech (Pasadena)

2010-06-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hello!

There is a part-time Library Clerk Position open at CalTech (California Technical Institute) in Pasadena (very near PCC). It's not a Library Tech position, but it could be a foot in the door!

Here is the link:

https://jobs.caltech.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=140892

The application deadline is June 15th so Good luck!
Jared

CLA Scholarship Available: Reference Service Press Fellowship

2010-06-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Are you a college senior or college graduate who has been accepted into an ALA-accredited Master of Library Science program? Or, have you just started to pursue your MLS?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, and are interested in pursuing a career in reference or information service librarianship, you are encouraged to apply for the CLA Reference Service Press Fellowship, which awards $3,000 to incoming and beginning MLS students (those who have completed 9 credits or less in their programs).

To apply, please visit the CLA website at www.cla-net.org/awards/rspf.php and turn in your application no later than June 30, 2010. The funding for this fellowship is provided by Reference Service Press, a California-based publishing company. The program is administered by the California Library Association, an association of individuals and institutions devoted to the development of library service for all California residents.

Library humor

2010-05-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me provided a bit of library humor last weekend, when Bluff the Listener panelists told three stories of libraries adapting to the changing times. Only one of the stories is true. Can you guess which one?

You can either link to it:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126844198

The End of Publishing Video by DK

2010-05-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is a text video with voice narration. Stay with it to the very end and then take a sigh of relief. But only for a little while. This is a video by Dorling Kindersley Books aka DK.

Book publishers have a strong vested interest in staying in business. Publishers have an equal desire to make sure that we, the public, understand that they understand our wants, needs and perceptions have changed.

DK is a publishing company in the United Kingdom that does sell book here in the U.S. Usually DK books are visual, well designed how-to books and guides. This video was originally produced for a sales meeting but word got out about it and it was released to the public.

I am of two minds about it. I think it is a great execution of an idea to see the the younger generation/electronic reading public in a new light beyond statistics.

And yet with the current levels of public discussions about history, politics and culture I worry that the only ones who truly care about the dissemination of information are the people that sell it and the caretakers that want to see it shared without bias.

In the video there is a mention of Lady Gaga as a indicator of what is important. I don't want to leave the impression that I'm picking on Lady Gaga or using her as an example of the mush that passes for brain in this country.

I think she is a brilliant performer who understands how to use the tools of communication to control her content and her distribution channels.

Libraries and the people that love them don't do as well at promotion. But I'm not gonna roll soda or beer cans in my hair either. How does a library, even a college library continue to state its importance to the communities that it serves?

How do you do that when there is no money? So this video got me thinking. I hope it does the same for you.

Scholarship Opportunity for School & Public Youth Services Librarians

2010-05-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

**Full-Tuition Scholarships Still Available!
Last Chance to Apply: June 15, 2010 (for Fall 2010 semester start)

SHARING SUCCESS! Educating Professional Leaders in School and Public Youth Services Librarianship
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is awarding a limited number of two-year FULL-TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS to outstanding and diverse students whoalready hold a master's degree, have a strong interest in YOUTH SERVICESLIBRARIANSHIP, and are admitted to the GSLIS Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) program for Fall 2010.
(Deadline for application: June 15, 2010.)
GSLIS COURSES MAY BE TAKEN EITHER ON CAMPUS OR ONLINE via LEEP (the GSLISdistance education program).

Sharing Success will allow outstanding library practitioners to FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING related to youth services librarianship. In addition,the program will provide institutional support for these students to DEVELOPCONTINUING EDUCATION WORKSHOPS for other professionals. Through these activities, Sharing Success will help broaden the base of youth serviceslibrarians who can provide quality continuing education for their practitioner peers in school and public libraries and contribute to best practices andresearch in this field.
Students selected for Sharing Success will ideally represent diversepopulations. They will also have either significant experience in youth services or substantial experience in another area of librarianship and demonstrate a commitment to changing their career focus to the area of youth services.
The Sharing Success CAS is a 40-CREDIT HOUR DEGREE PROGRAM open to professionals who hold a master's degree in library and information scienceor a closely related field and desire to update their skills, gain greater specialization in their professional training, or redirect their careers from one area to another. Students complete 32-credit hours of coursework with the remaining 8-credit hours devoted to an independent final project. As part of their CAS work, Sharing Success students will complete a research project that relates to youth services and develop a continuing education workshop based on this research. They will present their research-in-progressor completed workshops to an audience of GSLIS students and faculty as well asto their target audience of youth services practitioners. During each of the two years that students receive tuition funding, Sharing Success students will also receive funding to support travel to professional conferences.Sharing Success is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Would you like to learn more? Up-to-date information about Sharing Success is available at http://sharingsuccess.lis.illinois.edu/
Application requirements and procedures are available at http://www.lis.illinois.edu/academics/programs/cas-ss

Please pass this information along to anyone who might be interested.
A PDF flyer is available for download at http://sharingsuccess.lis.illinois.edu/
Questions? E-mail: sharingsuccess@mail.lis.illinois.edu

Summer 2010 California Rare Book School - UCLA

2010-05-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Date: Wed, 12 May 2010
From: California Rare Book School calrbs@gseis.ucla.edu

Summer 2010 California Rare Book School application available

In August 2010, California Rare Book School at UCLA will offer 8 week-long courses (M-F, from 9 am - 5pm) on topics of interest to librarians, archivists, booksellers, collectors, and students.

A limited number of scholarships are available.

WEEK 1: 2-6 August 2010 Faculty: Terry Belanger, Director Emeritus, Rare Book School, University of Virginia Course: Descriptive Bibliography

Course: Book Illustration Processes to 1900
Faculty: Bruce Whiteman, The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA
Course: Rare Book Cataloging
Faculty: Randal Brandt, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
Course: Special Collections Librarianship: Operations & Administration
Faculty: Lynda Claassen, University of California San Diego and David Zeidberg, Huntington Library & Botanical Gardens

WEEK 2: 9-13 August 2010

Course: Artists' Books: Collection Development and Assessment
Faculty: Johanna Drucker, The Bernard and Martin Breslauer Professor of Bibliography, UCLA
Course: Books of the Far West, with an Emphasis on California
Faculty: Gary F. Kurutz, California State Library
Course: Preservation Stewardship of Library Collections
Faculty: Mark S. Roosa, Pepperdine University
Course: History of the Book, 200-1820
Faculty: Susan Allen, The Getty Research Institute

For more information about courses please visit http://www.calrbs.org/courses.html .

Admission to CalRBS is conducted on a rolling basis until the course is full. Admission is determined by the instructor(s) of the course, based upon the information provided in your application. Early application is encouraged. Applications are available on the CalRBS website http://www.calrbs.org/applications.html>. Note that starting in 2010, CalRBS will no longer require a letter of recommendation to apply.

The tuition for each CalRBS 2010 course is $995. If a student takes a course in week 1 and week 2, the tuition is $1,800 for both courses. For information about travel to and accommodations in Los Angeles, please visit our website http://www.calrbs.org/travel.html

Please direct questions to CalRBS Project Manager Ryan L. Roth atrlroth@ucla.edu.-California Rare Book School254 GSEIS Building Box 951520300 Charles E. Young Drive N.Los Angeles, CA 90095-1520Phone 310-794-4138Fax 310-206-4460

CLA Begun Scholarship for continuing California Library School Students

2010-05-12T16:11:00.000-07:00

Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 11:43:29 -0700 (PDT)

From: Jeff Wyner

Subject: [calix] Free scholarship money

CLA's Begun Scholarship Committee is seeking applicants for our annual $3,000 scholarship. The Begun Scholarship, named in memory of former librarian Betty Begun, supports continuing library school students who have demonstrated a commitment to becoming children's or young adult librarians in a California public library. This is open to any student currently attending library school

(full- or part-time). The applicant must be a permanent California resident.

A more complete description of the scholarship and application process, along with the application form, is available at:

http://www.cla-net.org/awards/begun.php

Please pass this along to anyone that you believe may be interested. All completed applications MUST be received by July 1, 2010.

Library of Congress to preserve Twitter posts

2010-05-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

Library of Congress to preserve Twitter posts
(AP) – Apr 14, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO — That Twitter message you just posted about your ham sandwich might now become part of history.
Twitter is donating its archives of tweets to the Library of Congress, going back to the first one posted by co-founder Jack Dorsey on March 21, 2006. It wasn't a profound moment, and Dorsey didn't come close to Twitter's 140-character limit for messages. He simply posted "Jack," according to the Library of Congress' archives.
Twitter and the Library of Congress announced their partnership Wednesday.
The Library of Congress wants to store tweets to give researchers a better way to revisit discussions of significant events, including the tweets that occurred after President Obama's election in 2008, during the protests in Iran last year and the earthquakes in Haiti and elsewhere this year.
Only tweets meant for public viewing will be available, though. Accounts with more restrictive privacy settings won't be included.
There's also another limitation: Twitter said the Library of Congress won't be able to offer access to specific tweets until six months after they're posted. That means the Library of Congress' archive will always been missing billions of tweets, based on the 55 million daily tweets that Twitter says it's now processing.
In a separate deal announced Wednesday, Internet search leader Google also began to draw upon tweeting history with a new tool that will allow people to sift through Twitter messages about specific topics by day, month or year. Only tweets going back to Feb. 11 of this year will be available initially, but Google eventually expects to gain access to all the messages dating back to Twitter's birth.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

UNT/CSUN LA LISSA First Annual All School Day

2010-04-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Invitation - UNT/CSUN LA LISSA First Annual All School Day.

Please join the UNT/CSUN LA LISSA group at the First Annual All School Day event

Saturday, May 22 from 10-1pm at the Glendale Central Public Library Auditorium in Glendale, CA, http://library.ci.glendale.ca.us/central.asp.

The theme is "Exploring your opportunities: What's at the end of the Rainbow?
A look at the broader spectrum of library careers".

3 hours free parking at Market Place Parking structure with validation. Lunch is $5 cash.

RSVP to untlalissa@gmail.com by May 14 with choice of 1. ham, 2. turkey or 3. vegetarian. We look forward to seeing you there!

Video of The Walker Library of Human Imagination

2010-04-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

Personal libraries can range from a pile beside the bed or extraordinary works of art and science. The Walker Library is the personal library of Jay Walker and it is a stunning collection that was built in 2002.

Unfortunately I can't seem to embed the video but this is something any book junkie will want to take a peep at. You can visit Walker Digital to view the video and more information about the library or visit filmmaker David Hoffman's YouTube channel for a bandwidth friendly version.

Even from a distance it is a stunning visual of one man's need to collect information.

C-Span Video Library Now Online

2010-03-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hi folks, it has been awhile but I finally scrounge up a spare minute or two. This is a great discovery and I'm breaking my vow of silence to share it with you. C-Span records the activities of the U.S. House and Senate. There are three C-Span channels that have interview programs, discussions and special features when Congress is not in session.

I just found out that C-Span has placed almost their entire archive online. You can now visit the C-Span Video Library.

160,000 hours and 23 years of video documentation. We now have an accessible video historical record of what was said in the U.S. House and Senate.

You can obtain the full text and context of what a Senator or Representative said, not just the sound bites that you might have heard on the news.

From the About C-Span Video Library page:

Programs are indexed by subject, speaker names, titles, affiliations, sponsors, committees, categories, formats, policy groups, keywords, and location. The congressional sessions and committee hearings are indexed by person with full-text. The video collection can be searched through the online Video Library.

It gets better. There is a caption transcript of what was said on the floor. You can also read the Congressional Record version of the remarks.

And for those of you who like to share but wish to keep it on the ethical side of the fence I have something for you too. There is a section of C-Span called Congressional Chronicles. In this section you can share the video link, embed the videos on your web site or blog. The videos in this specific section are in the Public Domain.

Other videos outside of the Congressional Chronicles pages may have other copyright or other restrictions.

So if you have a need to prove that so-and-so said whatzit and they were standing on the floor of the House or Senate you can present the ocular proof.

History buffs are fanning themselves in joy.

One City, One Story 2010

2010-03-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard yet, this year's One City, One Story taking place in Pasadena is Alan Drew's novel, "Gardens of Water." There are various events taking place this month all over Pasadena. Even though we're partially done with this month, there are still many events left to catch. Take a look at the Calendar of Events to see what's happening. One can catch a Turkish cooking demonstration on Saturday, March 20 at the San Rafael Branch Library at 11am. If you're interested in participating in a book discussion of Gardens of Water, check the Calendar of Events for various dates and locations. You can also see a compiled list of all the events on the Shatford Library's website as well.

This Sunday, March 14, you can spend An Afternoon with Alan Drew at the Pasadena Convention Center from 3:30-5:30pm. Unfortunately, I probably will not be in attendance but I highly recommend going if you can. I was in attendance for last year's One City, One Story 2009 final event, An Afternoon with author Luis Alberto Urrea. I thoroughly enjoyed that afternoon listening to Luis Alberto Urrea talk about writing "The Hummingbird's Daughter."

In addition, Alan Drew will be on campus tomorrow, March 12 at 9am in the Creveling Lounge located in the new Campus Center. For other related events to be held on the PCC campuses, check out the schedule on the Shatford Library's website.

Last year was the first year I ever participated in a One City, One Story event and it was exciting as a sideline participant. This year, I will be an active participant in a One City, One Story event of the adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" based on Alan Drew's novel, "Gardens of Water" here at Pasadena City College. When I started getting back into theatre again, little did I know I could and would be able to combine these two passions of mine together. I'm very honored and excited to be a part of this year's One City, One Story. Show times are at 8pm, Thursday, March 25-Saturday, March 27 and at 2pm Saturday, March 27 in the Little Theater (C-106). Admission is free but seating is limited to about 100 people. Free tickets will be distributed starting 45 minutes before the show starts on a first come, first serve basis.

If you haven't yet read "Gardens of Water," I highly recommend it. Alan Drew captured my attention from the first page of his novel. Right now, most of the copies here at Shatford Library are checked out. If you attend this Sunday's event, you can buy the book and meet the author as well. A win-win situation that I'm still considering myself. If you've never taken part in a One City, One Story before, you're missing out on a great series of community events. So take the plunge, and dive into an incredible experience awaiting you.

California Library Association - Spring Fling Workshops

2010-03-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

CLA is reaching out and bringing programs to you!
CLA Spring Fling Workshops and Training (http://www.cla-net.org/events/spring-fling.php )
The Spring Fling offers training and networking opportunities for the library community from March through June 2010.
Programs will take place in both northern and southern California, events range from training workshops to panel discussions and social activities.
Join us at a Spring Fling event to learn new skills, enjoy a cultural event and find people with shared interests! Workshops include: resume, career development, children's programs, technical services, etc.)
Registration discounts are available for CLA members while further savings have been made for library students. If you are not a CLA Member, we encourage you to join by visiting www.regonline.com/CLA_Membership.

Friends of the Chinatown Library - Scholarship for Library Studies

2010-03-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Friends of the Chinatown Library
Dolores Wong Scholarship for Library Studies ($2,500)
2010 Application

The Friends of the Chinatown Library is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, incorporated in 1977, to support the Chinatown Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system. The Chinatown Branch Library provides library and community services to the ethnically and socio-economically diverse community of the LA Chinatown neighborhood. Across more than 70 branch libraries, the Chinatown Branch Library ranks amongst the top three in traffic and circulation.

One of the unique and prized features of the Chinatown Branch Library is the Chinese Heritage Collection, which consists of books and materials on Chinese and Chinese-American civilization and culture. This collection is the largest and most comprehensive of its type within the LAPL system.

The Dolores Wong Scholarship for Library Studies will award $2,500 to an AA or MA student in the field of Library Studies with a demonstrated interest and involvement in serving the Chinese-American community. Dolores Wong is an original founder and, with her late husband Judge Delbert Wong, a major donor of the Chinatown Library.

To be eligible, you must:

1) Be presently enrolled as an AA, Library Technician or MA, Library Sciences student.
2) Be available to attend the Scholarship Award Dinner in meet Dolores and receive the award check on Saturday, June 5, 2010, at 6:30pm, at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown at 960 North Broadway LA, CA 90012.
3) Have a minimum 3.5 GPA in your Library Studies classes.
4) Return completed application package to the library by Saturday, April 17, 2010.
a. Application Form
b. 2 Typed Personal Statements (max of one page each)
c. Copies of all college transcripts to date (in a sealed envelope with the school stamp across the seal).

Complete application package should be mailed or hand-delivered by Saturday, April 17, 2010, to:

Dolores Wong Scholarship for Library Studies
Friends of the Chinatown Library
Chinatown Branch Library
639 N. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

American Library Association Scholarship Program

2010-02-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

The American Library Association (ALA) is committed to promoting and advancing the librarian profession. To demonstrate this commitment, the ALA and its units provide more than $300,000 annually for study in a master's degree in library and information studies from an ALA accredited program, or for a master's degree in school library media program that meets the ALA curriculum guidelines for a National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredited unit.
The scholarship process is open annually from October - March. Applications and reference forms (which must be submitted on-line) are available during that time period. Instructions and general information remain available year round.

http://ala.org/ala/educationcareers/scholarships/

Libraryworks

2010-01-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

New resource for library workers: Libraryworks.com

Includes library job announcements and online access to selected library trade publications.

From their website:
"WELCOME TO LIBRARYWORKS!
Our mission is to help you to make informed, cost-efficient decisions about products and services for your library.
LibraryWorks, a service provided free of charge to the library community, is designed and delivered to enable administrators, librarians and media specialists to identify best practices, discover special offers and discounts on products and services, learn of new technologies and services, and other resources to help them and their libraries to thrive."

Library Routes Project Wiki

2009-12-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Library Routes project (http://libraryroutesproject.wikkii.com) was created by three Information Professionals: jennie law, thewikiman and Woodsiegirl. It launched at the start of October, 2009, and is aimed at all types of Information Professionals and library workers. This wiki exists to document and link to all those who have blogged or otherwise written about their library roots (how they got into the profession) and their library routes (the jobs they've had and how their career has been shaped). NOTE: many of the librarians are in the UK.

The idea is to document either or both of your library roots
- how you got into the profession in the first place and what made you decide to do so
- and your library routes - the career path which has taken you to wherever you are today.

As well as being interesting of itself, it will also provide much needed information and context for those just entering the profession or wishing to do so.
(From Library and Information Science News http://www.lisnews.org/)

The Next Step - First Days II

2009-12-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

I started this post awhile back but it got put on hold as my homework seemed to pile up over the course of the semester. Even though I had an inkling of how much work I'd have with grad school, the reality of just how much sank in later.

Networking was the concept that was thrown out a lot during the weekend the UNT/CSUN program started. While getting classroom knowledge is beneficial, networking is what will take you where you want to go. Who you know really can make a difference sometimes.

So how does one go about networking? The first place to start is your classmates. Even when you leave the Library Technology Program, stay in contact with your former classmates. Hopefully, during the program, you've made some great friendships which you make the effort to continue. Sometimes the way I've found out about jobs is through word of mouth. In addition, stay in touch with your former teachers who are in an area of librarianship that you are interested in. Staying in contact with former teachers can be good when you need letters of recommendations or a reference for a job application.

But you don't want to stop there. Join ALA (American Library Association) and CLA (California Library Association). There are student memberships that don't cost a lot so take advantage of those. If you wonder what your memberships can and will do for you, I'll be covering this topic soon.

School Days - Book Repairs

2009-12-09T11:39:00.001-08:00

Working in an elementary school library is a constant challenging and growing experience indeed! Most recently, I finally tried my hand at repairing the forever growing pile of books that desperately needed to be repaired. A quick fix of some tape isn't so bad. But trying to rescue a book that is barely hanging from its spine is another story. You may wonder why I didn't just toss the book then in the discards pile. Well, if it's a very sought after and/or expensive book that students keep clamoring after, then you may find it in your heart to take the extra time to try to put the book back together. That was the case for this one origami book.

I have to say I was truly doubtful that glue and tape would really do the job but I tried to remember what Jitka Hora had taught us in her short session about book repairs in Library 104. I have to say I was fearful of tackling these projects on my own without a guide showing me what to do.

With limited supplies of white glue, tape, and a paintbrush, I accessed each book and decided which was the best route to take. Some books just needed some tape. Others needed massive amounts of glue and tape to even warrant a hope of holding together. Then I secured the books as tightly as I could with multiple rubber bands. I used the heaviest books I could find in my collection (2 Art History books that no one ever looks at) and sat them on top of a pile of paperbacks and other small books. For the larger books, I just piled them on top of one another and hoped for the best. I let all the books sit for almost a week.

Today, I decided the books had enough time to let the glue do its job. I was really curious if glue could indeed put that origami book back into circulation. I have to say I'm truly amazed to see this book held together so well. Mission accomplished! My students will surely be psyched to see this book has made its return. Question is: how long will this book withstand its recent repairs? I'm hoping for awhile at least. But if it does come to that again, I am now confident I can do my best to put that book back together just like they put Humpty Dumpty back together when he fell down.

This We Know - Viewing Statistics from Data.gov

2009-11-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

There is a tremendous amount of information provided to American citizens. For all of the questions being asked about governmental data the answers are not always easy to find.

This We Know is not a government site but is does display governmental data. The website collects information from www.data.gov and presents it in a format that is accessible.

For example, by typing in the zip code of 91106 I quickly found out that:

How much pollutants were release in the air and by which companies within the zip code.
How many people are unemployed in Pasadena, CA.
How many factories are in the area.

The information is drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau, Data.gov and other statistic data bases. It seems to be in the early stages so what you see is what you get. I imagine as time goes on users would be able to ask questions via the website to draw answers form Data.gov.

At least, I hope so.

But if you like your data raw, massive and plum overwhelming there is nothing like going to the source, in this case the Data.gov Tools page:

On the Tools page is a gateway catalog of the hundreds of governmental websites providing statistical information, information resources and government resources.

You can search by category or by governmental agency. There is a lot of data here. Use what you can, it is for the taking.

CLA Conference 2009 Exhibit Hall - BookScanner

2009-11-02T00:24:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to visit the exhibit floor of the California Library Association Conference. With the economy and the rapid changes in the industry I was surprised to see as many vendors as I did.

However, I didn't see e-book device vendors. I did see examples of e-book readers so I was able to view some of the well know devices like the Kindle and the one from Sony.

This is a short video that I recorded on a scanner system that could make a lot of sense to an academic library. This is just for demonstration purposes only, no endorsement is intended or implied.

Maybe this is the sign of the times. I was shocked to learn that the bad apple kind of students have been tearing pages out of reference books and flat out stealing materials.

Maybe a device like this could be set up so that those less than ethical students would not have access to the actual reference book but could acquire the readings that they need for class via a .pdf document.

Now knowing bad apples they way I do I wouldn't necessarily expect that they would pay for their readings. These are the kind of folks that would talk a friend into paying for them with the promise of paying them back later. (Cough!)

Another idea was that this could replace the photocopy machine. Since many students have access to e-mail, USB devices and other recordable media the student or staff member could scan the material and load it into the USB device or save as a .pdf

This could be the same amount of money used to charge for a copy but you wouldn't have the paper and the repair costs associated with the copy machines. Now don't think that the copy machine folks haven't thought about this because there are copy machines that can scan to .pdf and have the document e-mailed to the user.

Well, it is a though. But if you were looking to buy the library a holiday gift I'm thinking this would not be necessarily turned down.

Awful Library Books - In Praise of Weeding

2009-10-24T10:10:00.000-07:00

There are times when a book has got to go. When it needs to be pulled from the shelf and placed on the 25 cent table of re-circulation or disapear.

Awful Library Books is a blog devoted to those titles that have seen better days.

There are many reasons to weed collections but this is a very visual and humorous guide that really helps to make clear that some books really are past there time.

For example:

Jobs in Office and Business
Mystery Date
Milady's For Men Only - Styling and Techniques (Mullet Alert!)
Knitting Now

Holly and Mary are actual librarians working at a public library. There is also a Why We Weed Page where folks can share their reasons for weeding a collection.

Social Networking - Twibes

2009-10-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I first tried to join Twibes. Joining Twibes itself didn't seem all that difficult. But joining an individual twibe, I have to say it wasn't as easy to do as adding people to my Twitter account for technical reasons it appears. Every time I'd go to my page, I'd see I still wasn't in the Librarians Twibe that I tried joining multiple times. I have to say I was getting mighty frustrated. Here I was trying to venture out and be more bold in joining online groups and not getting very far in doing so.

Today I decided to check my page once again and expected not to see myself a part of the Librarians Twibe. Much to my surprise and delight, I finally succeeded! One of the reasons I like this twibe is its members come from different areas of librarianship. So come and check out this group and see what they are sharing.

Search Engine Tips - InTitle Search Video

2009-10-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am finding that what I thought I would be doing with my library skills and what has come to pass are way different. I thought by this time I would be doing this in a library situation. I am reminded that the library has expanded a thousand fold.

I am certainly applying reference and ready reference skills in my writing. I have been working on a few new projects. One of those projects is to learn how to better present information using video.

This is a short videos showing how to use the InTitle search operator to find websites that have a specific word in the title.

Audio Transcript

Are you searching for a web page that has a specific title?
Save yourself some grief, here's how.

Click in the Search box and type intitle:(don't use the spacebar)and now type the search term, in this case libguides.

As you can see, there is a list of other suggested searches that may or may not have anything to do with what you are looking for; if these are bothersome you can turn them off.

When you are ready, click the Search button or hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

Ask.com will show you a list of all of the web pages that use the term "libguides" in the title. This is a pretty effective way of targeting those websites that specifically talk about, in this case library guides.

You can perform the same operator search in Bing, for example
intitle:libguides

This is the listings of websites that have "libguides" in the title.

And yes, you can use the intitle: search on Google as well.

The Journey So Far

This is both exciting and terrifying to start down a blind alley. One of the things I am constantly telling people is the need for flexibility and the ability to scope out new opportunities.

I've seen a lot of bad tutorials. I also see a need for tutorials in areas that are not being serviced. As the world moves from a paper based communication system to an electronic one there still needs to be sources of credible information. Those of us at the nexus point have to be involved in this process.

Anyway, there will be a few more videos and my continuing resolve to find a captioning program that works and doesn't make me feel stupid in the process. If you have time I would love feedback or topic suggestions.

ProQuest Example Video from Mike Johnson

2009-09-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Mike Johnson is an Assistant Librarian at Bloomquest College in New Jersey. He created an easy to understand demonstration video on using ProQuest to find a specific topic in a specific journal article.

Screencasts and videos online

Mike is using a free online program called ScreenToaster. One of the features of that service is that it makes it easier to add subtitles and captions to videos.

Anyway, this is a really clear, quick instruction on how to get the most of ProQuest.

Dispatches From A Public Librarian At McSweeney's

2009-09-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

McSweeney's is a literary publisher. Kinda. McSweeney's is a seeker of crafted literary voices. Sort of. McSweeney's is a word lovers warm fuzzy blanket with threads that can take you anywhere. Ok, McSweeney's is very hard to describe. It is a wonderful place for people who love language.

In this case you should check out Scott Douglass and Dispatches from A Public Library. Real librarian with a literary twist. In his dispatches sometimes Scott uses a Twitter format to report the doings in the library.

Here is an example from Dispatch #32

Patron wants to know why our computer won't let him log into e-mail. Ask what his e-mail address is. He can't remember.

Sometimes it is a narrative on the Patron on the Week:

Some patrons you can just tell are going to be crazy. Clemens, a homeless man in drag who came into the library this week, saved me from guessing and told me right when he walked in: "My name's Clemens. I'm crazy and want to use a computer." To seal the deal, he extended his hand to shake.

It is the stories, the challenges and how he sees his patrons as a source of never ending material defining the human experience. He doesn't necessarily make fun of these folks but the humor of the situations he faces is amazing.

For me there is Ms. Haskell. I can think of several older patrons I get a kick out of, but I knew Ms. Haskell was special the first day I met her; she asked for the dictionary ... on audiotape. Not an abridged version, or a "500 Power Words Everyone Should Know"—not even a collegiate dictionary would do. She had it all scribbled out on a stained napkin, which she proudly dangled in front of my eyes: "OED Dictionary on audiotape." When I said no, we did not have that, she said, "Well, compact disc will have to do then." That was my first encounter with her, and all the encounters that followed were also about audiotapes.

When you finish with Scott make a little time to visit the rest of McSweeney's.

Reminder - Flex Day next Tuesday

2009-09-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a reminder that next Tuesday, September 29, 2009 the entire PCC campus will be closed including student services and the library for Flex Day.