“Please join library colleagues and supporters for MLA’s rally for libraries! “Don’t Close the Books on Libraries” will take place on Wednesday, November 4th at 11:00 a.m. on the steps of the State House in the “well area”. Massachusetts Center for the Book’s annual MA Book Awards will be held inside the State House from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m., so plan to attend this exciting event following our rally so that we can celebrate and support Massachusetts libraries and authors!”

If you cannot be there, contact your state rep or senator!

http://capwiz.com/ala/ma/directory/statedir.tt?state=MA&lvl=state

On October 29, Massachusetts cities and towns dodged a bullet when the Governor didn’t cut local aid. But this could still happen depending upon what the State Legislature does. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners have to cut 16 percent out of their FY2010 budget.

Posted by Rich

“Library closures, slashed budgets, user apathy – everything’s online, right? It’s a story many of us have heard too often or experienced ourselves, especially with the recent downturn in the economy. But many libraries are re-inventing themselves, offering new services and transforming into very different entities while still at heart performing the same role they always have – helping communities connect with information.”

Come to this NEASIS&T program to hear:

* How changes in publishing are driving changes in libraries. How can we radically change an ancient institution that evolved from providing shared print copies into one that effectively provides online content (that we often don’t even own). It’s time to get past the kludges in our processes and organizational structures and embrace our future.
* What it takes to be a librarian these days. What skills and interests are necessary? In 10 years will we be librarians or technologists?
* Success stories from libraries that have radically changed their roles and services.
* How to design your library around user expectations and keep your organization relevant.

We’ll provide breakfast, lunch, and network access for all!

Speakers:

* John Palfrey, Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources at Harvard Law School & Co-Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society
* Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian for Research & Instructional Services at Temple University’s Paley Library
* Shana Kimball, Publications Manger at the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library
* Marguerite Avery, Senior Acquisitions Editor at The MIT Press
* Cyril Oberlander, Associate Director of Milne Library at the SUNY College at Geneseo

Cost:

Students / Retirees: $50
ASIST & SLA members: $60
General public: $75

For more info:

http://tinyurl.com/yf7rjdz

neasist09

Posted by Rich

“2009 is the 100th anniversary of the Special Libraries Association, making this an ideal time to consider if there is a future for special libraries (and the skill set of librarians who work in them). Are we prepared to answer the question of whether in the struggle for our survival we will be “the fittest” or if special libraries will become a casualty of the ongoing information revolution? In exploring these questions Dr. Pearlstein will take a look at the roles special librarians have typically played as intermediaries and arbiters of information and knowledge in their parent organizations, discuss the increasing challenges to these roles from both within and outside the profession, and conclude by taking a pragmatic look at some ways to position ourselves for survival and success in a future of ongoing economic and social turbulence.”

RSVP
http://gslis.simmons.edu/signup/
by Tuesday November 10, 2009.

Posted by Rich

There’s MassLNC Development Site for further information on the project:

http://masslnc.cwmars.org/

Here’s more information on the project:

http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/images/mvlcconnections0908.pdf

For directions on the two meetings:

http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2009/10/08/ma-open-source-info-session

h/t to the Swiss Army Librarian

Posted by Rich

http://www.hereandnow.org/2009/09/rundown-922/

Also the Classical Bookworm blog had a posting on the Cushing library decision:

“I give the headmaster points for acknowledging that they can do this because they are richer than God, as the saying goes. I do wonder whether encouraging students to read books for pleasure carries much water when you’re getting rid of your book collection. Teens are notoriously adept at spotting when grownups are not walking the walk.”

http://tinyurl.com/m6e5s4

The posting includes a link to a live interview:

http://tinyurl.com/y9rs2tw

Posted by Rich

“This year, after having amassed a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy’s administrators have decided to discard all their books and have given away half of what stocked their sprawling stacks – the classics, novels, poetry, biographies, tomes on every subject from the humanities to the sciences. The future, they believe, is digital.”

“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ said James Tracy, headmaster of Cushing and chief promoter of the bookless campus. “This isn’t ‘Fahrenheit 451’ [the 1953 Ray Bradbury novel in which books are banned]. We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’

“Instead of a library, the academy is spending nearly $500,000 to create a “learning center,’’ though that is only one of the names in contention for the new space. In place of the stacks, they are spending $42,000 on three large flat-screen TVs that will project data from the Internet and $20,000 on special laptop-friendly study carrels. Where the reference desk was, they are building a $50,000 coffee shop that will include a $12,000 cappuccino machine.”

For the whole article:

http://tinyurl.com/mnn986

Posted by Rich

“Information fluency goes beyond literacy (the ability to read and write), information literacy (the ability to find, evaluate and use information), media literacy (the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a variety of forms), and digital literacy (the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks to locate, evaluate, use and create information). It extends to other types of literacy necessary to grow, learn and live – cultural literacy, global literacy, news literacy, scientific literacy, economic literacy, social literacy, health literacy, multimedia literacy, computer literacy, social online literacy, and more. Information, and fluency with it, permeates every part of our lives. Developing skills to become fluent with information is the key to our success individually as well as in groups, teams and communities.”

“This year’s tracks and themes encompass: People (skills, organizations, roles); Learning & Literacy; Places (virtual & physical); Digital/Virtual Library Services; Research Implementation and Implications; Social Media; Innovation; Community Building; Integrating Systems & Strategies; Information Discovery & Search; Technology Planning; Managing Content & eResrouces; Web Tools & Leading Edge Technology; Intranets & Portals; Search Engines, Case Studies of Internet & Intranet Librarians, Library Automation & Infrastructure, Managing Information and Knowledge Assets, eLearning & Training, Web Design & Development, Streaming Multimedia, Managing Digitally, and more. Speakers are knowledgeable, authoritative and focus on practical applications, “how to” solutions, and case studies as well as technical and managerial issues. Please consider sharing your knowledge and ideas; send us a proposal to speak. Below are some of the topics we hope to cover, but don’t let this list limit your imagination! We look forward to hearing from you.”

Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2009

For more info:

http://www.infotoday.com/cil2010/CallForSpeakers.asp

Posted by Rich

- Costs*: Internet Librarian (October 26 – 28, 2009) – $279.00
- Internet@Schools (October 26 – 27, 2009) – $169.00
- Combo Conference (Internet Librarian and Internet@Schools) – $279.00
*This is savings of $200.00 off the regular registration price.

Registration Deadline
To receive the NELINET discount, registrations must be received no later than Monday, September 21, 2009. No refunds or cancellations can be made after Wednesday, September 23, 2009.

You can get this and other discounts by joining one of the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems.
Special libraries are welcome!

For more info on joining MRLS:

http://mblc.state.ma.us/mblc/regional/index.php

For more info on the NELINET Internet Librarian Conference Discount:

http://www3.nelinet.net/node/590

For more info on the Internet Librarian Conference:

http://www.infotoday.com/il2009/

Posted by Rich