Ilovelibraries.org is ALA’s Web site for the general public, a place where those outside of the library community learn more about the excitement and vitality of today’s libraries, and in the process become active advocates for improving libraries of all types. It includes feature stories on what’s happening in today’s libraries, book reviews; ways for viewers to tell their library story and links to advocacy software which allows users to contact members of Congress.

We are encouraging members of the library community to use this Web site as a vehicle to tell the library story. New articles are posted on Ilovelibraries.org every two weeks. Here’s the who, what, when, where, how, and why!:

• QUERIES:  Do you have an idea for an article but aren’t sure it’s a good fit? . Please send queries to ilovelibraries@ala.org.
• STYLE:
  • Informal, but informative. Factual articles must be inviting and readable, with all statements backed by responsible research and interviews. Authors are responsible for accuracy in the article, including all names
  • Submit a separate cover page stating the author’s name, title, a brief descriptive title of the proposed article, and an abstract summarizing the content of the article.
  • The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.) may be used in styling articles for publication and consulted for capitalization, abbreviations, etc.
  • Write in a clear, simple style. Use the active voice whenever possible. Avoid overly long sentences. Break up long sections of text with subheadings. All nouns, verbs, pronouns, and modifiers in the subhead should be capitalized.
  • If you have specific urls that you would like to appear in your article, please be sure to list them fully and correctly.
  • Editors may revise accepted articles for clarity, accuracy, and readability, consistent with publication style and intended audience. Ilovelibraries is under no obligation to publish articles received.
• FORMAT: Electronic submissions in Word format are preferred and should be sent to ilovelibraries@ala.org.
• PHOTOGRAPHS: Photos and images are preferred in gif or jpeg form. Please include captions for each photo and/or image submitted.
• LENGTH: Feature articles should run between 500-1500 words. Library Showcase articles should run between 300-500 words.
• PAYMENT: ilovelibraries.org does not offer honoraria for submissions.
• EXCLUSIVE SUBMISSION: Please indicate if article has been or is being considered for publication elsewhere.
• RIGHTS: Submission of an article grants the American Library Association the exclusive and perpetual rights to publish, use, edit, adapt, modify, excerpt and/or copy the article for any and all purposes in any and all media currently in existence or hereafter without further compensation to the writer.
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: We will acknowledge your article when we receive it. We make decisions to accept or reject articles as quickly as possible. The review process usually takes between six to eight weeks, but sometimes longer when we receive larger volumes of articles.
• PUBLICATION DATE: On acceptance, an estimated date of publication may be provided to the author.
• EDITING: On accepted articles, the editors reserve the right to make editorial revisions, deletions, or additions which, in their opinion, support the author’s intent. When changes are substantial, every effort is made to work with the author.

Dear Colleagues:

The weekend of September 11th, a group comprised of the ALA board members, division leaders, roundtable representatives and senior staff met in Itasca, Illinois, to begin the development of ALA’s new strategic plan. The new plan’s goals and objectives will set the association’s strategic directions for the next five years to 2015. (ALA’s current plan goes through 2010.)

For the last six months, work has been underway to gather member input and information on the changing environment for libraries, librarians and the association. To date, 15 member forums have been conducted at state chapter meetings, and another 20 are planned for this fall and early spring of 2010. A member survey of ALA programs and services, their importance, and the association’s performance in each area was conducted, with 9,000 members participating.

In addition to the survey and forums, an Environmental Scan has been created on ALA Connect, containing articles, reports and other information on the social, educational, economic, political, and technological environments within which we will operate, as well as issues and trends specific to different types of libraries. (To see the Environmental Scan, surveys or forum reports, go to ALA Connect, log in, and click “My Member Communities” and then “ALA 2015 Environmental Scan.”)

In mid-October, ALA board members will meet with a larger group of division leadership and roundtable representatives in Chicago to continue working on draft goals and objectives. Following this meeting, we will then circulate a draft plan for discussion by ALA councilors, committees and the membership as a whole. It is our hope that those members attending Midwinter will schedule discussions of the plan as part of their meeting agendas, and we are looking to schedule a working session on the plan for Council as part of the Information Session at Midwinter.

Again, following Midwinter, ALA groups and individual members will be invited to share their thoughts and suggestions which will be considered for incorporation into the document as we prepare for review and approval by the Board in April. The document will then go to Council prior to Annual Conference for Council’s final approval at Annual Conference.

When we developed the current 2010 plan, we received over 2,500 comments from ALA groups and individual members. These comments were aggregated, analyzed, and ultimately incorporated into the plan as it moved forward over the course of its year- long development. We look forward to the same high level of member involvement as we move forward on our 2015 Plan.

Thank you for your help in this process.

Camila Alire
President
American Library Association

AL Focus has published several new videos, including a series of 12 new videos on ALA Connect, produced by members of the Emerging Leaders program. The videos are:

ALA provides a number of ways to connect and network with others and a number of ways to stay informed! Below are just a few of the resources available to you, so be sure to visit ALA Read Write Connect, ALA Blogs, and ALA Weblog Service for additional choices!

AL Direct is an electronic newsletter sent to ALA personal members and others who wish to subscribe. It is a weekly supplement to American Libraries magazine that provides summaries and links to news, announcements, and other information of interest to library and information science professionals. Subscribe to AL Direct.

ALA provides ALA Connect, a common virtual space for members to engage in ALA business and network with other members around issues and interests relevant to the profession. New on ALA Connect is MentorConnect, an informal mentoring network implemented within ALA Connect that allows all ALA members to participate and only requires that you actively choose to join the network in order to begin serving as a mentor or seeking a mentor.

Chapters promote general library service and librarianship within their geographic areas, provide geographic representation to the Council of the American Library Association, and cooperate in the promotion of general and joint enterprises with the American Library Association and other library groups. Visit the Chapters Social Networking Page to find many ways to connect .

District Dispatch is the official blog of the ALA Washington Office. You can view press releases, library related legislation, updates from OGR and OITP, and virtually all vital information from the Washington Office.  Subscribe to the District Dispatch RSS (Rich Site Summary/Really Simple Syndication) feed. RSS is a relatively new technology that streamlines all your updates from a variety of blogs and news sources into one easy-to-read location. Luckily, there are myriad helpful explanations online for what RSS is, how it was developed and all of its other aspects. Subscribe and start receiving District Dispatch updates immediately and consistently. Of course, you are still welcome to subscribe via email. If you use Microsoft Office Outlook, then you are in luck. Microsoft has already supplied users with a step-by-step guide to rss subscription in Outlook. Through Outlook, you can receive RSS updates in the same program as your email. Non-outlook users have several options. Mashable has created “The Ultimate RSS Toolbox,” which lays out other RSS feed aggregators and how they work.

Ilovelibraries.org is website for the public, designed to keep America informed about what’s happening in today’s libraries. Subscribe to I Love Libraries Newsletter.

What with full schedules during Annual Conference and efforts to go green at the show wouldn’t it be great to be able to find the handouts for some of your favorite speakers and presentations online? Good news, you can! AL Direct’s “Ask the Librarian” column recently dealt with just this question and the answer points you to places to look for resources and tips for searching post-conference…

Q. I’ve just come back from the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago and am trying to pull together my trip report. With efforts at “going green” there seemed to be fewer handouts—or at least fewer copies available. Can you tell me where I can find the speakers’ presentations and handouts? The presenters said they would be “on the web.” But where?

A. Good question! How handouts and other output from the Annual Conference are disseminated varies considerably from division to division, or from one program planner or speaker to another. A couple of years ago, ALA instituted the Conference Materials Archive in order provide a central place to collect the handouts or other conference content—or at least links to that content. But there is great inconsistency as to whether materials are there. The ALA Library will seek out handouts when possible, but here are some of our tricks for when they are not on the wiki.
1. We use the 2009 Annual Conference Program Book (big PDF file—almost 9MB) to identify the sponsor of the program and exact title.
2. Then, we do a search of the ALA website, to see if the unit has posted the content.
3. The next step is a general web search or a check the division’s blogs and podcasts.
4. Finally, we try a search for the specific speaker to see if the material has been posted on the speaker’s personal or institutional webpage or blog.
To complicate matters even more, with the exception of the very few contemporaneous blog posts, there is a time lag between the program presentation and the posting or publication of the content. Also, there is always the possibility that a presentation is not recorded or written and may only be captured when the presenter uses the content in a substantially revised form in a publication a year or more later.
We are looking into ways for using ALA Connect for these materials and would welcome comments.
From the ALA Professional Tips wiki.

By engaging in the library profession, YALSA fosters many opportunities to help you grow academically as well as professionally. Joining the YALSA SIG is a great way to learn about the organization, become more involved in YALSA, to meet and network with other members. You’ll also gain organizational and leadership skills.

YALSA SIG members will be able to get the heads up on meetings, workshops, trainings, and other learning opportunities via newsletters and updates. Interested members can find help on a variety of topics, including meeting tips, presentations, surveys and more. Actively engaged students also find great professional opportunities as they take their first steps into the working world.

Please contact convenor Jennifer Balaco , for more information. Sign up via the YALSA SIG Ning or find us in ALA Connect. Join today and begin connecting with your colleagues.

Coming to Midwinter in Boston? Come find out more about discussion groups at the Discussion and Interest Group Open House, 4-5:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 17. Room number and more information will be posted at the YALSA Midwinter Wiki.

ALA has launched MentorConnect in ALA Connect so you can find or become a mentor.

MentorConnect is an informal mentoring network implemented within ALA Connect that allows all ALA members to participate and only requires that you actively choose to join the network in order to begin serving as a mentor or seeking a mentor.

Mentoring others is one of the most powerful ways you can give back to the profession, but it’s not a relationship to be entered into lightly. If you join MC, you’re making a commitment to help someone else. A strong mentoring relationship requires consistent contact between the mentor and mentee so think carefully about making this commitment before offering your services as a mentor.

Having effective mentors is important for your professional and personal growth. Asking someone to take the time to mentor you is a serious commitment . When someone agrees to mentor you, they’re making an investment in your future. Plan on spending time with your mentor via MentorConnect in order to get the most from this important relationship.

If you choose to join MentorConnect, you can:

• Create a mentor and/or a mentee profile
• Search for a mentor in a variety of subjects
• Offer your services as a mentor
• Track feedback from your mentors/mentees
• Create your own private community in ALA Connect for you and your mentee(s) if you want to take advantage of the online documents, calendar, discussion forum, and chat features available to all members.

To learn all about this new service, see Mentoring Starter Questions and Mentoring and MentorConnect FAQ.