Amber Lansing, library specialist in the Avon (Conn.) Free Public Library children’s room, has been awarded a 2009 scholarship from the Caroline Hewins Scholarship Fund administered by the Hartford Public Library. The scholarship of $4,000 is awarded to those who plan to specialize in library work with children and who have applied to, or are participating in, a graduate library school program. Lansing is pursuing her degree at Southern Connecticut State University….

The International Relations Committee has awarded four LIS students in Turkey the Emily Dean Heilman Award for excellence in research that contributes to the progress and development of Turkish libraries. Winners are selected from the graduating class by a committee in Ankara. More about the award here.

Our Emerging Leaders Team L (Amalia Monroe, Morgan Montgomery, Karen Keys, and Erin Dorney), with feedback from ALA staff, would like library workers born after 1978 to spend 15–20 minutes completing a brief survey about ALA chapter membership. They are interested in finding out more about millennial generation needs and wants.

By Heather Devine and David E. Gross

Students of the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) recently had the opportunity to learn about what to expect after completing their degrees at a “Life after MLIS” workshop featuring two panels to explore doctoral degrees and professional library positions. The school’s ALA Student Chapter (ALASC) organized and hosted the panels on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on campus. The panels were also broadcast online using Elluminate Live! web conferencing software, allowing distance education students to participate.

The first panel focused on the Ph.D. degree and reasons for earning one. The panelists discussed how doctoral work differs from an MLIS program, how you might prepare for admission to a Ph.D. program, and the career paths to which a doctoral degree might lead. Other areas of discussion included the challenges and rewards of earning a Ph.D. as well as an introduction to San Jose State’s Gateway Ph.D. program, an innovative partnership with the Queensland University of Technology. The four panelists were: Dr. Anthony Bernier, a member of the SLIS faculty, with a Ph.D. in History; Dr. Ken Haycock, the SLIS Director; Dr. Lili Luo, with a Ph.D. in Library Science and a new member of the SLIS faculty; and Beth Wrenn-Estes, currently a student in the SLIS Gateway Ph.D. program.

The second panel considered careers in public, academic, corporate, and special libraries. The panelists discussed how to prepare for different positions, what classes were most helpful, and how library school differs from working in the field. They also provided insight into the current job market and the importance of internships. The four panelists were: Robert Boyd, J.D., a SLIS graduate and Lecturer, and also the Assistant University Librarian for Technology Applications at Santa Clara University; Ryan Hess, a SLIS graduate and Information Specialist at Adobe Systems; Barbara Rominski, a SLIS graduate and Head Librarian at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and Mana Tominaga, a SLIS graduate and Librarian / Family Learning Center Coordinator at the Alum Rock Branch of the San Jose Public Library.

There were lively discussions between the panelists, as they answered questions from the moderator, Heather Devine, ALASC Chair, as well as questions from the audience. Many helpful ideas were shared that should be of great value to students who will graduate with an MLIS soon or alumni who have graduated but may still be searching for career opportunities. As part of the event, ALASC officers also compiled two great resources. ALASC’s Guide to Web Resources for Job Seekers ( PDF ), compiled by Amanda Grundmann, can help you get started with your job search and includes advice for new graduates from the SJSU SLIS Alumni Association. The ALASC PhD Guide ( PDF ), compiled by Gayle Pellizzer, provides a list of U.S. and Canadian Universities offering doctoral programs in library and information science, current as of March 31, 2009, with some additional information about the Gateway Ph.D. Program.

Recordings of the Ph.D. panel and the Jobs Panel can be found on the SLIS Website. Visit the SLIS Media Player then select “Career Resources” to view the videos. Many thanks to Stanley Laufer and Dale David for technical support, and to all those who helped make this an interesting and successful event!

If your path is taking you in the direction of collection development, reference, and/or readers’ advisory—or if you just love books and media—you’ll want to become familiar with the resources offered by Booklist Publications, including the free e-newsletters and blogs. Booklist is the book and media review magazine of the ALA, considered an essential collection development and readers advisory tool by thousands of librarians for more than 100 years. Booklist Online includes more than 120,000 (recommended-only) reviews as well as a free Web site offering the latest news and views on books and media.

Here are some of the free resources to get you started.

Booklist Publications has joined the Twitterati.  Daily tweets keep followers informed about the Booklist Online Review of the Day and other noteworthy articles or Booklist happenings.  Sign up today!

Regular free e-newsletters from Booklist include REaD ALERT, featuring quick links to a hand-picked selection of book reviews, features, and special web-only content from Booklist Online. Booklist Online Exclusives e-newsletter complements Booklist’s print coverage, allowing editors both to review some subject areas in greater depth and to weigh in more quickly on titles not released for review in advance of publication. Occasionally, new reviews of older books offer fresh perspective on a familiar work. You can sign up for the free e-newsletters from the homepage of Booklist Online.

Booklist Online’s one-stop resource, the “Book Group Buzz” blog, addresses the growing interest expressed by librarians, book group participants, publishers, authors and general readers in what’s going on in (and around) book groups for adults and youth. Why do we need to talk about books? According to Book Group Buzz blogger Nick DiMartino, “Unfortunately we’re far from divine readers. We have short attention spans. We have limited knowledge. We’re easily distracted. We miss details. And sometimes we miss the whole point. Occasionally half a dozen smart, committed readers banding together into a book group can correct that.” This blog is an online gathering place for anyone involved with, or interested in, book groups. The bloggers offer informative, wise, witty and salutary posts, as well as links to a wide range of free book group-related guides, tips and other resources.

Are you interested in working with young readers and listeners? “Audiobooker,” a blog authored by teacher, school librarian and certified audiobook addict Mary Burkey offers listening notes, teaching resources, classroom examples and what she describes as an “online scrapbook of audiobook minutia, digital literature ramblings, and random ridiculous addendums.” Burkey’s passions include getting the right audiobook into the right hands and championing young people’s right to read with their ears.

“Bookends” is another youth-oriented blog. Its posts, laced with a good dash of humor, offer reviews, best practices, general advice, professional tips, and personal notes. “Middle-school [mega]-librarians Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan prove that two heads are better than one when it comes to discussing YA and children’s books. The Wonder Twins of the library world have moved their blog . . . to the website of Booklist. Hurry! follow them before they get away!” says author David Gill says on Facebook.

And says blogger Dobrez about a more general interest book- and media-related blog, “I’ve been a fan of Booklist Online’s Likely Stories blog since its inception. I’m thrilled to have Bookends join the Booklist family of blogs.”

If you’re looking to get involved with Chapters, or just want to find out what ALA and Chapters are all about, visit Overview of How to Get Involved in ALA Chapters.

Be sure to check out Student Chapters and (Social Networking) Especially for Students.

While you’re at the page, be sure to also check out I Love Libraries. ILL has a new web badge to download so you can link to ILL from your website.

Directly below are links to the legislation and advocacy pages of Chapters participating through Capwiz, a grassroots management system that ALA also uses to advocate for libraries. (Although Maine and Ohio have opted not to participate in Capwiz, their links take you to their websites, which will direct you to their legislation and advocacy pages.) Find out what issues are affecting libraries in your state–and take action now to support your libraries!

States A-C

• Take Action for Alabama Libraries
• Take Action for Alaska Libraries
• Take Action for Arizona Libraries
• Take Action for Arkansas Libraries
• Take Action for California Libraries
• Take Action for Colorado Libraries
• Take Action for Connecticut Libraries

States D-I

• Take Action for Delaware Libraries
• Take Action for District of Columbia Libraries
• Take Action for Florida Libraries
• Take Action for Georgia Libraries
• Take Action for Hawaii Libraries
• Take Action for Idaho Libraries
• Take Action for Illinois Libraries
• Take Action for Indiana Libraries
• Take Action for Iowa Libraries

States K-M

• Take Action for Kansas Libraries
• Take Action for Kentucky Libraries
• Take Action for Louisiana Libraries
• Take Action for Maine Libraries
• Take Action for Maryland Libraries
• Take Action for Massachusetts Libraries
• Take Action for Michigan Libraries
• Take Action for Minnesota Libraries
• Take Action for Mississippi Libraries
• Take Action for Missouri Libraries
• Take Action for Montana Libraries

States N

• Take Action for Nebraska Libraries
• Take Action for Nevada Libraries
• Take Action for New Hampshire Libraries
• Take Action for New Jersey Libraries
• Take Action for New Mexico Libraries
• Take Action for New York Libraries
• Take Action for North Carolina Libraries
• Take Action for North Dakota Libraries

States O-T

• Take Action for Ohio Libraries
• Take Action for Oklahoma Libraries
• Take Action for Oregon Libraries
• Take Action for Pennsylvania Libraries
• Take Action for Rhode Island Libraries
• Take Action for South Carolina Libraries
• Take Action for South Dakota Libraries
• Take Action for Tennessee Libraries
• Take Action for Texas Libraries

States U-W

• Take Action for Utah Libraries
• Take Action for Vermont Libraries
• Take Action for Virginia Libraries
• Take Action for Washington Libraries
• Take Action for West Virginia Libraries
• Take Action for Wisconsin Libraries
• Take Action for Wyoming Libraries

Learn more about legislation affecting libraries on the state level at the ALA Chapter Relations Office’s Legislation and Advocacy page.

Also find out what issues are affecting libraries on the federal level by going to ALA’s Take Action page–and take action now to support libraries!

Visit ALA’s Advocacy University to learn more about ALA’s library advocacy efforts, which include these resources, courses and tools to help library advocates make the case at the local level:

• Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit
  The following resources and tools, including news clips, op-eds, and statistics to help library supporters make the case for libraries in these times.
• Add It Up: Libraries Make the Difference in Youth Development and Education
  Research and statistics to help advocates make the case for libraries at every stage of youth development and education.

During National Library Week, April 12-18, the nation will celebrate the invaluable contributions of   libraries.  Libraries across America report a surge in visits  by patrons who want free computer and  Internet access, job information, accurate financial materials as well as many other services, including books, CDs, DVDs and much more.

ALA offers resources and toolkits as well as posters and incentives fitting into the “Worlds Connect @ your library” theme.

Find out more about celebrations. This year we will also be offering some NLW activities in Second Life.

Please provide feedback on the draft Librarianship and Traditional Cultural Expressions: Nurturing Understanding and Respect, which represents librarian principles concerning the management and protection of traditional cultural expressions. Its purpose is to help librarians appreciate the unique nature of indigenous culture and to highlight ways that librarians can better manage traditional cultural expressions in their collections and share expertise with cultures that choose to self manage their own cultural heritage. This document has been developed through a participatory process of collaboration among librarians, archivists and representatives from indigenous communities within the United States. The intent is to solicit feedback from all interested parties to improve the document and to continue to build a broader shared understanding. Ultimately the principles will be brought to ALA Council for endorsement as ALA policy.