District of Columbia Library Association News

DCLA Seeks Two Board Nominations

Jacqueline Protka — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:23:32 GMT

The District of Columbia Library Association is seeking nominees for two positions--Vice President/President Elect (commitment of 3 years) and Director (commitment of 2 years)--to complete the Board for 2012/2013. Duties are posted on the web at http://www.dcla.org/Board_Duties. This is an excellent opportunity to get involved, develop new skills, and work with a great group of people to support libraries and librarians. If you are interested in serving in either office, or if you know someone else who would be interested in serving, please contact--

Bill Turner
Librarian/Chair, DCLA Nominating Committee
West End Neighborhood Library
1101 24th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-724-8698
bill.turner@dc.gov

Each nominee should submit a brief professional bio and a statement of his/her willingness to run and serve if elected. Nominations must be received by Friday, May 18.

DCLA Mentioned in School Libraries Journal Article on Planned Cuts to DC Public School Libraries

Jacqueline Protka — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:06:33 GMT

DCLA is mentioned in a recent article in School Libraries Journal regarding the planned 2013 cuts to school libraries in DC. This comes after DCLA President Megan Sheils, President-Elect Jacqueline Protka, and Past-President Richard Huffine met with Councilmember Tommy Wells to advocate for both public and school libraries. As we can all do individually, we spoke with the Councilmember to inform him on the value of these resources and the impact the community will feel if municipal funding continues to be cut from libraries.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/894476-312/dc_public_schools_set_to.html.csp

We all have the opportunity to educate and inform others about the value libraries bring to our community and DCLA's Board is proud to be a voice for so many of our past, current and future members!

DCLA Speaks Out for Librarians

Jacqueline Protka — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:01:33 GMT

Monday, April 23, 2012 was National Library Legislative Day for the American Library Association and DCLA welcomed librarians to DC that morning to lobby their Congressional leaders to support libraries. The event is supported annually by DCLA, coordinated by our own Barbara Follensbee-Moore. DCLA President Megan Shiels was there to welcome the group in the morning. That afternoon, Shiels, Past-President Richard Huffine, and President-Elect Jacqueline Protka, had the opportunity to speak to a DC lawmaker about the challenges librarians are facing right here in the District of Columbia.

Our DCLA contingent met with Councilmember Tommy Wells from Ward 6. Councilmember Wells serves as the Chair of the DC Council's Committee on Library and Recreation. Since taking charge of the Committee, he has worked hard to understand the budget of the DC Public Library and he has forged a good working relationship with the Library Administration, the Friends of the Library, and the Library Board of Trustees.

We were there to speak to the Councilmember on two topics: the situation for school libraries and the Public Library in the proposed 2013 DC Budget. DC Public Schools has drafted their 2013 budget to remove requirements that schools have librarians on staff and the Public Library budget fails to adequately fund collections and training.

Public School Libraries
We were able to share research with the Councilmember that supports the positive impact school libraries have on student achievement as well as the role school librarians play in supporting teachers with curriculum development. He shared his concerns about establishing mandates for public schools when there are Charter school alternatives without similar requirements. The Councilmember was hesitant to use the legislature to manage the school system and encouraged DCLA to reach out directly to the Chancellor of the DC Public Schools as well as the Deputy Mayor for Education and the State Superintendent of Education. We expressed our concern about addressing a financial model of school autonomy without understanding the impact that changes will have on the ability of schools to meet their educational goals. We encouraged the Councilmember to ask our educational leaders in DC to consider the long-term impacts of cutting school librarians on student achievement.

Public Libraries
We acknowledged the $5 million increase in public library funding proposed by the Mayor for FY2013 and expressed our support for the increased staffing that is planned to provide support for new branch libraries opening over the next several months. We explained, however, that not funding collections adequately will create challenges for the Public Library as they try and meet the growing demand for their services. We talked about the value that professional development and training brings to public library users and how DCPL has trained new librarians for years through subsidized funding of Masters programs for library staff. We also talked about the need to expand library hours and the Councilmember told us about his commitment to studying the main library and options for the building downtown. The Councilmember said he is looking for funds to increase training and that funding for collections will be considered from surplus funds if they become available.

Visiting with the Councilmember was a learning experience for each of us. We had to do our homework so that we could speak with confidence about the challenges facing our members. We also had to consider what role we should play as representatives of librarians in the District of Columbia whether they are members of DCLA or not.

Library Associations all over the country do this every year although they have both municipal and state governments to work with. Here in DC, our advocacy is concentrated and focused on the DC Council. We have no representation in Congress and our state and municipal governments are combined in one body.

We don't know if this first step will change the current realities for public and school librarians, but your DCLA leadership is committed to education of our elected officials and to representing our community when they need us to. If you would like to work on advocacy issues, let us know and we would be glad to include others in our next steps.

Participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day

Jacqueline Protka — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:20:55 GMT

If you haven’t yet participated in Virtual Library Legislative Day, now is the perfect time to do so. All week (April 23-27), library supporters from across the country are contacting their Members of Congress to let them know how important our nation’s libraries are.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, over 350 library supporters were in Washington DC to meet with their legislators as part of National Library Legislative Day. Even if you weren’t able to attend, you can still make a difference by speaking up for libraries. Here’s how to participate in Virtual Library Legislative Day:

Call Congress

To call your Members of Congress, view this alert at the Legislative Action Center. Read over the asks and then enter your zip code into the “CALL NOW” box to find phone numbers for your legislators.

Email Congress

1.) Visit the Legislative Action Center home page

2.) Enter your zip code into the “Find Your Officials” box

3.) Click on your senator’s or representative’s name

4.) You will see their bio page appear, click the “Contact” tab

5.) Select the option to contact your legislator via “Web Form”

6.) Select Compose Your Own Letter

7.) Use the talking points from the Call Alert or Issue Briefs to craft your message and send it off!

Tweet Congress

Use this very handy Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) map to find and tweet at your U.S. Senator.

To find a full listing of the issue briefs written specifically for National and Virtual Library Legislative Day, visit the NLLD home page.

Virtual Library Legislative Day is sponsored by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations (ALTAFF), the ALA Washington Office, ALA's Chapter Relations Office, and the Office for Library Advocacy.

Joint Spring Workshop CANCELLED

Jacqueline Protka — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:02:01 GMT

The Joint Spring Workshop for 2012 has been cancelled by the organizing committee. Registrations paid via credit card will be refunded. Questions may be directed to Aimee Babcock-Ellis at aimee [dot] babcock-ellis {at} usdoj [dot] gov.

DCPS School Libraries mentioned in the news - WAMU and Washington Post

Jacqueline Protka — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:52:23 GMT

For more information about the community response to the Mayor's budget proposal, check out WAMU's Metro Connection: D.C. Librarians Face An Uncertain Future (originally aired Friday, April 6, 2012).

Also see the Washington Post's D.C. school budget: Parents, students decry cuts to high schools, librarians, special ed coordinators from March 28, 2012.

For more information about how to advocate for DC Public Libraries and DC Public School Libraries, see the DCLA call for advocacy.

Applications Due Monday, April 16 for Student Loans for Library Science Education

Jacqueline Protka — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:02:00 GMT

The Student Financial Assistance Committee (SFAC) of the District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA) is pleased to announce the 2012 competition for its Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loans of $6,000 each in support of ALA-accredited graduate library/information science education. These interest-free loans, which the SFAC can forgive upon an awardee's maintaining a 3.0 or better GPA for the twelve months following the award, have been made to students in DC, MD, and VA since 2002 thanks to a bequest from Ms. Fine (a past president of DCLA). The SFAC can grant 2 or 3 loans per year.

The SFAC will accept applications, letters of recommendation, and other supporting materials by mail from now until April 16, 2012. The committee will announce the winners of the loans at DCLA's annual banquet May 24, 2012. For complete information, please go to http://www.dcla.org/student_aid.

Time is short and all parts of the application must be received by mail by April 16th. Materials should be mailed to:

District of Columbia Library Association
P.O. Box 14177
Ben Franklin Station
Washington, DC 20044

Attn: Student Financial Assistance Committee

Thank you for your interest in the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan program, and please spread the word about this valuable opportunity to educate future librarians!

Please contact Abby Yochelson, Chair of the Student Financial Assistance Committee, at ayoc [at] loc {dot} gov if you have any questions.

District of Columbia libraries need advocates to speak out now

Richard Huffine — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:28:05 GMT

Friends and colleagues -

The Mayor of the District of Columbia released his FY2013 budget today and the impacts of that budget on both school and public libraries will be substantial. Librarians need to network, advocate, and speak out between now and early May when the DC Council will pass a budget for the coming year. Summarized below are the impacts to school and public libraries from the Mayor's proposed budget.

Please consider sharing this information with your community, your friends, and your elected officials. The residents of the District of Columbia have a very short window to have their voices heard and influence the way our Nation's Capital educates, informs, and supports the intellectual life of our communities.

Richard Huffine, Past-President, District of Columbia Library Association

DC’s School Libraries in Jeopardy

The DC Public Schools budget for FY 2013 eliminates all requirements for schools to have a school librarian and eliminates funding for approximately 50 positions out of 125 schools [schools with 299 or less students] for School Year 2012-2013. These schools will not receive budget allocations to fund the school librarian position at any level. All other librarian positions are optional starting in the fall under new flexible funding. Principals will decide whether or not they fund their school library positions.

If citizens of the District of Columbia want to do anything, they should advocate with the City Council and the principals of their neighborhood schools.

If schools lose their librarians then students will suffer. These professionals are essential in providing children with the tools they need to learn and develop in an every changing, information rich, and complex world. School libraries provide the touchstone where all disciplines intersect. They are where children not only acquire knowledge but also develop the skills to learn. Libraries connect all children to the world by making what they have learned relevant and the Library Media Specialists provide students with skills that last a lifetime.

To contact a DC Councilmember, see their contact information below.

Public Library Budget – Some increases but critical issues remain

Mayor Gray released his FY2013 budget today. The good news is that the public library's operating budget increases by $5 million. The majority of this increase is tied to full year funding for added staff and related costs. This includes full year staffing for the new libraries set open in the next few months – Bellevue, Francis Gregory, Mt. Pleasant and Rosedale. Funding for staff and a limited opening day collection for the new Rosedale Library, a small library located within the new Rosedale Recreation Center, will likely be allocated this year for this library to open this spring.

Further good news: no staff reductions for the first time in several years. No reduction in library hours. We'll continue to provide six day service at neighborhood libraries and to be open seven days a week at MLK.

There are some challenges we'll face with next year's budget. Most serious: no increase in the library's book budget and no increase in funds for staff training. As you know, both areas were severely cut in the FY2012 budget. They remain funded at the same level in this proposed budget.

Steps You Can Take NOW

· Share this information with your neighbors, friends, community lists… we need to get the word out!

· Contact your Ward and At-Large Councilmembers and let them know how important libraries are in our communities.

Contacts for DC Council Members

Chairman. Kwame Brown

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 504, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8032 | Fax: (202) 724-8156

Kbrown@dccouncil.us

At-Large. David Catania

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 404, Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-7772 | Fax: (202) 724-8087

dcatania@dccouncil.us

At-Large. Phil Mendelson

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 402, Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8064 | Fax: (202) 724-8099

pmendelson@dccouncil.us

At-Large. Michael A. Brown

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 406, Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8105 | Fax: (202) 724-8071

mbrown@dccouncil.us

At-Large. Vincent Orange

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8174 | Fax: (202) 727-8210

vorange@dccouncil.us

Ward 1. Jim Graham

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 105, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8181 | Fax: (202) 724-8109

jgraham@dccouncil.us

Ward 2. Jack Evans

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 106, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8058 | Fax: (202) 724-8023

jevans@dccouncil.us

Ward 3. Mary Cheh

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 108, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8062 | Fax: (202) 724-8118

Mcheh@dccouncil.us

Ward 4. Muriel Bowser

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 110, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8052 | Fax: (202) 741-0908

mbowser@dccouncil.us

Ward 6. Tommy Wells (Chairs the Committee on Libraries and Recreation)

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 408, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8072 | Fax: (202) 724-8054

twells@dccouncil.us

Ward 7. Yvette Alexander

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 400, NW Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8068 | Fax: (202) 741-0911

yalexander@dccouncil.us

Ward 8. Marion Barry

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 102, Washington, DC 20004

Tel: (202) 724-8045 | Fax: (202) 724-8055

mbarry@dccouncil.us

Registration now open for the Joint Spring Workshop, April 16th, 2012

Jacqueline Protka — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:48:53 GMT

Joint Spring Workshop 2012

"Strategic Communications: Technology, Generations, and Cultures"

Speakers:

Lee Rainie, Director, Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project

Patricia Eng, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Knowledge Center

Maureen Sullivan, organization development consultant and 2012-13 ALA President

Monday, April 16th from 8:30 am to 4 pm, continental breakfast and lunch are included

Library of Congress, Madison Building, Mumford Room

$60 for members of DCLA, LLSDC, DC/SLA, OCLC, FEDLINK; $85 for nonmembers; and $25 for students/unemployed

Nominate a colleague for a DCLA Award!

Jacqueline Protka — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:34:22 GMT

We are currently accepting nominations for the following District of Columbia Library Association awards (deadline March 30):

Ainsworth Rand Spofford President's Award

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of library and information services. Winners do not have to be members of DCLA. This was last awarded in 2009 to Roberta Stevens, ALA President-elect and National Book Festival project manager.

Distinguished Service Award

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the District of Columbia Library Association by an active, current DCLA member. In 2009, this was awarded to Barbara Folensbee-Moore in recognition of her DCLA presidency, her long-time commitment to National Library Legislative Day, and her mentoring of new and aspiring librarians.

Community Service Award

This award recognizes those who have volunteered their library expertise to develop a library program, facility or service unrelated to their current employment. Preference is given to DCLA Members. In 2009, this was awarded to Richard Huffine for his dedicated leadership of the Federation of Friends of the D.C. Public Libraries.

Other Awards:

DCLA occasionally awards other certificates or plaques. For example, in 2009, a Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Barbara Conaty for her long service as editor of the DCLA newsletter. In 2007, Anne Osterman [Elguidi] received a Certificate of Appreciation for her extraordinary contributions as a first year member of DCLA.

For more details on the criteria of each award, and a list of past winners, please visit http://www.dcla.org/awards.

To nominate a worthy colleague (there are no formal forms to fill out), please contact Jennifer Manning, Awards Chair, at jmanning@crs.loc.gov or 202-707-7565.

Deadline: Friday, March 30, 2012

Awards will be presented at the DCLA spring banquet on May 24.

Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services is now accepting program proposals for “Thinking Outside the Walls” the 2012 annual conference (October 10-12, 2012) in Richmond, Virginia.

Jacqueline Protka — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:22:43 GMT

The Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services is now accepting program proposals for “Thinking Outside the Walls” the 2012 annual conference (October 10-12, 2012) in Richmond, Virginia. Winning proposals will receive one free conference registration. There may be additional funds available for special needs.

The ABOS Conference Program Committee will review all submissions. Selected programs may be scheduled twice; therefore presenters should be prepared to deliver the program twice during the conference.

Conference attendees range from new library employees to managers with years of experience; therefore program offerings need to cover a broad range of topics.

The ABOS Conference Program Committee is also willing to consider proposals from individuals outside of the organization. If you can recommend someone, please forward this email to them, or reply with the individual’s contact information and his/her area of expertise, and the committee will contact him/her directly.

The deadline for submissions is March 16, 2012.

You may submit your proposal by going to the ABOS website’s 2012 Conference Page and clicking on the “my conference proposal” link, or by simply clicking here. If you have any questions regarding the form or require more information regarding the conference, contact Martha Buckner:

ABOS Vice-President/President-Elect
abosvicepresident [at] gmail {dot} com

DCLA Student Financial Aid Committee accepting applications for the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan Award now through April 16

Jacqueline Protka — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:58:29 GMT

The DCLA Student Financial Aid Committee accepting applications for the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan Award now through April 16. For complete details, go to www.dcla.org/student_aid.

CUA SLIS Von Dran Award - nominations close Feb. 29th

Jacqueline Protka — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:26:06 GMT

The Catholic University of America (CUA) School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) Alumni Board announces that nominations are open until Feb. 29th for the 2012 Raymond Von Dran Memorial Award, an annual award which recognizes a CUA SLIS alumnus/alumna for demonstrating innovation, collaboration, and leadership in their library career. Past recipients of this honor include Kimberly Ferguson, former Head of Information Services at the U.S. Senate Library (2008 award), Lynn Scottie Cochrane, former Director of the Denison University Library (2009 award), Barbara L. Post, former Manager of Information Services, Transportation Research Board (2010 award), and Lea L. Uhre, Director, Executive Office of the President Library (2011 award).

Fellow alumni, employers, and colleagues are invited to nominate SLIS alumni for the 2012 award. Alumni are also welcome to nominate themselves. As noted above, the deadline for 2012 nominations is February 29, 2012. The award is normally presented at the annual spring SLIS Stone Lecture (this year: Friday, April 20, 2012).

For further information on the Raymond Von Dran award, see the Raymond Von Dran Memorial Award Information page:
http://slis.cua.edu/alumni/vondranaward.cfm

Grand Opening of UDC Foundation Center Cooperating Collection

Jacqueline Protka — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:57:45 GMT

The Foundation Center – Washington, DC is delighted to announce that the University of the District Columbia (UDC) has joined the Foundation Center’s Cooperating Collection Network. They will make Foundation Directory Online Database and other Foundation Center material freely available in their Learning Resources Division at the Van Ness campus on multiple computers, and will offer free training sessions. The UDC Learning Resources Division is conveniently located at the Van Ness Metro station and has evening and weekend hours.

All are invited to join them for the Grand Opening of this collection on 2/29 and to help spread the word about this new resource.

To respond, please see the details at the link below.

http://grantspace.org/Classroom/Training-Calendar/Washington-DC/Proposal-Writing-Basics-and-Grand-Opening-Reception-2012-02-29-University-of-the-District-of-Columbia

Contact Pat Pasqual with questions: pep {at} foundationcenter [dot] org.

Corcoran Library launches CANVAS

Jacqueline Protka — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:53:40 GMT

The Corcoran Library of the Corcoran Gallery and College of Art + Design announces the launch of the Corcoran Archival Network for the Visual Arts (CANVAS).

CANVAS, built on CONTENTdm, will serve as the Corcoran Library’s digital collections platform. These collections will highlight the Corcoran’s contributions to local, national, and international artistic and academic communities. In the future, appropriate collections will be synchronized with WorldCat and their local library catalog, making their digital collections more visible and discoverable to the world.

Initial priority has been given to the Corcoran College of Art + Design’s Graduate Theses Collection. The Graduate Theses Collection showcases original research accomplished by graduate students at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. They have loaded about 80% of the theses, and will continue to add items on a regular basis. The second priority is to develop a Corcoran Library Image Collection, shaped directly from student and faculty image needs, that will complement subscriptions to image databases. Full-text access to theses and full size image access are restricted to the Corcoran's two Washington, DC campuses.

Future collections will both support the learning, teaching, and research goals of students, faculty, and staff, and highlight the Corcoran’s contributions to the art world. Projects under consideration include documentation of undergraduate senior theses, a digital collection catalog of the library’s artists’ books, and the Corcoran Biennial catalogs.

CANVAS can be accessed at http://canvas.corcoran.edu, http://canvas.corcoran.org, and through a forthcoming Digital Collections navigation link on the Corcoran Library website.

Support the creation of a Deaf Cultural Digital Library (DCDL) - Letters needed urgently!

Jacqueline Protka — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 20:11:44 GMT

On behalf of Alec C. McFarlane, Business Manager, Library for Deaf Action (LDA)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am sending out to you a formal request for Letters and Commentary, personal and/or professional commentary on the need for a Deaf Cultural Digital Library (DCDL) in Maryland, all over the Nation, and thought the world. Many of you have met with Alice Hagemeyer and myself and heard our direct argument and appeal for this creation. There will be a hearing in Annapolis on February 16th in the House (HB 390) and possibly March 1st in the Senate (SB 571).

The DCDL will be a state-level library serving the entire community by providing a library dedicated to our Culture and backed by the government. With the most important resource being information; our culture and history can best be preserved and promoted from within the vast library system. This is not only for information and resources, but also of outreach and programming; the modern library is proactive, not passive. The keyword 'diversity' is a big reason why we need your support, you need not be a resident of Maryland or any such; support from people of all walks of life, of various institutions, organizations and governments are important to the passage of this bill.

Three Important Elements we want to emphasize:

(1) We define the term "deaf" to mean "with various hearing levels".

(2) Anybody, anywhere, anytime could become deaf.

(3) Information is power and we have no less than 300 years worth of Information about our Culture and History in the deaf community.

House Bill 390

See: http://mlis.state.md.us/2012rs/bills/hb/hb0390f.pdf

This is a link to the actual Draft Bill, please note that it modifies existing law in Maryland, creating the DCDL. We will have a more comprehensive look at this later and it is further notable that the law will/would vary state by state. The law establishing the 'Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped" was passed in 1931, it is now a federal law and we envision the same for the DCDL.

Send To List:

Senate

Re: SB 571

Address letters to:

Senator Joan Carter Conway, Chair
Senator Roy P. Dyson, Vice Chair
Members of the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Matters Committee
2 West
Miller Senate Building
Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Madam Chair,

………

House
Re: HB 390
Ways and Means Committee
Chair: Sheila E. Hixson: sheila.hixson@house.state.md.us
Vice Chair: Samuel I. Rosenberg: samuel.rosenberg@house.state.md.us
Kathryn L. Afzali: kathy.afzali@house.state.md.us
Kumar P. Barve: kumar.barve@house.state.md.us
Joseph C. Boteler III: joseph.boteler@house.state.md.us
Talmadge Branch: talmadge.branch@house.state.md.us
Jon S. Cardin: jon.cardin@house.state.md.us
Mark N. Fisher: mark.fisher@house.state.md.us
C. William Frick: bill.frick@house.state.md.us
Ron George: ron.george@house.state.md.us
Glen Glass: glen.glass@house.state.md.us
Carolyn J. B. Howard: carolyn.howard@house.state.md.us
Jolene Ivey: jolene.ivey@house.state.md.us
Anne R. Kaiser: anne.kaiser@house.state.md.us
Eric G. Luedtke: eric.luedtke@house.state.md.us
Aruna Miller: aruna.miller@house.state.md.us
LeRoy E. Myers, Jr.: leroy.myers@house.state.md.us
Justin D. Ross: justin.ross@house.state.md.us
Andrew A. Serafini: andrew.serafini@house.md.us
Melvin L. Stukes: melvin.stukes@house.state.md.us
Michael Summers: michael.summers@house.state.md.us
Frank S. Turner: frank.turner@house.state.md.us
Jay Walker: jay.walker@house.state.md.us

Address letters to:
Delegate Sheila Hixson, Chair
Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg, Vice Chair
Members of the House Ways and Means Committee
2 West
Miller Senate Building
Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Madam Chair,

***

For all sends please include the phrase "HB 390: DCDL" and/or "SB 571: DCDL" in the Subject line and include the following people in CC:
CC: Alec.McFarlane@gmail.com
CC: alicehageyer@aol.com
CC: ipadilla@msde.state.md.us
CC: chris@chris-bradbury.com

***

Volunteer call for help with 2012 National Library Legislative Day events - April 21-23

Jacqueline Protka — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:15:01 GMT

As in past years, the DCLA chapter is working with ALA to support the advocacy efforts of librarians on Capitol Hill. This year, the National Legislative Library Day will be Monday, April 23. To help get ready for the event, volunteers are needed to prepare the information packets handed out to participants on Saturday morning, April 21 as well as help with welcoming attendees and guests at the evening reception on Monday, April 23.

The Saturday activity starts at 9am with a continental breakfast and usually last til around noon. We need 7-8 volunteers for the activity which takes place at the ALA Washington office at 1615 New Hampshire Ave. , NW just about 3-4 blocks from the Q Street exit of Dupont Circle Metro. The time is spent helping to prepare the packets of information used by attendees for themselves and also distributed to their respective congressional representatives.

The Monday night event is usually from 5-7 and will be on Capitol Hill. The event is a happy hour reception where the attendees get a chance to exchange stories about how their visits to the Hill went that day and also an opportunity for ALA to recognize various members of Congress who have been particularly supportive of libraries throughout the year. We need 4-5 volunteers for this event to help direct members to the event and to sit at the reception table to greet folks and get the congressional staffers to sign the guest book as well as whatever else needs doing at the time.

I encourage any students that might be able to help with either activity to volunteer as the event is a good way to learn about the advocacy efforts of ALA to support the library profession and institutions. All DCLA members are also encouraged to participate if you are available.

Thanks very much in advance for your continued support of this effort by DCLA.

To volunteer for either event, please contact:

Barbara Folensbee-Moore

Director of Library Services

Morgan Lewis & Bockius

1111 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20004

202-739-5131

bfolensbee-moore@morganlewis.com

POSTPONED - DCLA Members' Tour of 30 Americans at the Corcoran Gallery

Jacqueline Protka — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:20:59 GMT

The DCLA Members' tour of the 30 Americans exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery, originally scheduled for December 16, has been postponed. We will reschedule a date in January.

Publishing Opportunity - Call for case studies for forthcoming ALA Editions publication

Jacqueline Protka — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:10:58 GMT

Hey Librarians, Publishing Opportunity! We invite proposals for case studies to be published in a forthcoming ALA Editions book Abandon all Fear: Assessing, Evaluating and Letting Go of Legacy Services, an edited collection of case studies examining how librarians in all types of organizations are responding and adapting to cataclysmic budgetary and programming changes.

Have you had to plan to abandon, change, or adapt spaces or programs in the past decade? Did you use strategies, tactics and methods that other librarians could learn from? We’re looking for case studies focusing on how libraries of all types are changing and adapting service models to let go of obsolete or less useful programs.Given the current economic climate, libraries can no longer afford to maintain the status quo. But instead of reacting in a panicked fashion to budgetary and staffing challenges, librarians can choose a measured, proactive response. If you think you’ve found a new means of being relevant to your users, please share your story.

While our initial proposal has three sections, we’re open to other ideas:

Section One: Public Services Case Studies

Section Two: Technical Services & Collections Case Studies

Section Three: Facilities and Systems Case Studies

We welcome proposals from librarians, library administrators, trustees, faculty or other partners both individually and as teams. The proposal should consist of an abstract of 500 words together with all author contact information. Please include in proposal the issue faced, the strategies and assessments used to examine the issue and the result. Case studies should run at least ten double-spaced pages.

Please send proposals to editors Mary Evangeliste, owner of the consulting collaborative Fearless Future (marye [at] fearless-future [dot] com) and Katherine Furlong, Director for Access and Technical Services for the libraries of Lafayette College (furlongk [at] lafayette [dot] edu).

Fall Members' Reception Builds Momentum for a Fantastic Year

Jacqueline Protka — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:45:01 GMT

New and returning DCLA members met Wednesday, November 16 for food, drinks, and conversation at U Street's Local 16. The weather was cold and wet, but the atmosphere inside was warm and convivial. DCLA President Megan Shiels announced some of the achievements and on-going projects of this year's Board, which include identifying a new listserv for association communication, consolidating DCLA Board documents into a cloud-based management system, and uploading recent Board minutes to the DCLA website. She also announced opportunities for all members, including positions in the New Librarians Interest Group, the Management and Leadership Development Interest Group, the Webmaster position, and more.

Our members have many professional associations to choose from in the DC Metro area. DCLA offers you an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels. If you would like to take an active role in DCLA, contact a Board member, Committee Chair, or Interest Group chair today. We would be happy to match your talents to our needs.