GENERAL NEWS: Slideshow Test

Testing out a new slideshow! Expect more photos in the future!

Flash Slideshow

Also, the latest on Google's Literacy Portal!

SLIS NEWS: Fair, Blogs, 5 Things to Do

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The Fair was great! We had so much fun, laughing, eating, petting horses, riding the sky ride * it was a beautiful night and we made the most of it. Next year we'll have the second annual SLIS goes to the fair so get it on your calendars now!

Our own Dean Bierbauer is in the press this week. I attended the panel session that he moderated titled "Would St. Paul be a Blogger?" and the following story is a good summary.

USC seminar explores new media’s impact on religion, culture: ... “Imagine what Paul could have done with a Web site,” said Charles Bierbauer, dean of the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/2006/10/21/news/
local/15811645.htm

This week is stuffed with meetings culminating with Faculty Meeting on Friday. If there is anything you think we need to know about or think about, please email and I'll get it on the agenda.

Here are your 5 items for this week, some to do, some to think about and some to act on. If you only have time to click on one be sure to check out Ms. Dewey!

1. Great fun! Check out this interactive video search engine with Ms. Dewey:
http://www.msdewey.com/
I searched for Improving Information Literacy and received a relevant and ranked list. You can also share the search with a friend.

2. Excellent bibliography on use of Open Source Software in Libraries:
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/staff/brenda_chawner/biblio.html

3. How about a Library Camp? This sounds like a great idea.
http://wiki.library2.net/index.php/Library_Camp_East_2006

4. We all need to celebrate because last year entry level salaries for librarians finally broke $40K with minority graduates making about 6% more!
http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=article
Print&articleid=CA6379540

and

5. from our good friend, Frank Baker, media literacy expert:
THE RISE & FALL OF READING SCHOOL LIBRARY BOOKS
There’s nothing quite so wonderful as a new book. Imagine it in your hands as you admire its jacket and then flip through its crisp pages. Can you smell the newness? Are you excited about embarking on a new adventure? It’s too bad our school library shelves aren't overflowing with new books every year because Indiana students would increase their practice of reading if they had access to new, interesting, and useful books. New books really do make a difference. From 1997-2001, the Indiana General Assembly provided funding for school library books. During that period, school corporations matched that funding. The result was just what one would expect. There was a huge increase in the purchase of books. Circulation rose from a per student average of 33.8 to 43.1 as a result of the School Library Printed Materials Grant. With the loss of
funding for new books, the circulation dropped to 32.7 to 2006. As with everything else, the price of books has steadily increased over the years. The average cost of a school library book is now over $20, and schools should be purchasing two books per student per year to keep their library collections current. Even with the state funding, most schools are not purchasing two books per student per year. No matter the cost, there is no escaping the fact that there is no substitute for books. Without access to current, appealing, high-interest, and useful books in school libraries, reading achievement suffers. Money most definitely does make a difference in reading.
http://mgrn.evansville.edu/library%20report%202006.pdf

Have a great week and let me know if there is anything I can do for you,

sam

SLIS News: Update

Hello dear friends and colleagues,

I don't think we should tell anyone else how beautiful the weather is here! Just like a transferred southerner; I'm here now, let's close the gates ;-} If I had know how lovely it is, I would have gotten here sooner. This weekend I spent a day in the Congaree National Forest and couldn't believe how big the trees are. Only place on earth like it! Most amazing to me (remember, I like to hike in the Everglades) is that I only got two mosquito bites * I'm in heaven!

Also, everything is going splendid with SLIS and all of the wonderful projects we have in development. Our African American Leadership group meets Friday so let me know if you have specific concerns or items for their review.

Check the blog (http://fridaymatters.blogspot.com) for other news but in the meantime, here are your 5 items for this week, some to do, some to think about and some to act on.

Have a great week and let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

sam

1. Denise Lyons, SLIS 2004, Assistant Manager/Adult Services Librarian at the Audelia Road Branch of the Dallas Public Library will present at the 2006 ALA Joint Conference of Librarians of Color on October 13th (2-3:15 pm) in Dallas, TX. The panel is titled "Library Services for Intergenerational Parenting" and looks at custodial grandparenting and/or intergenerational parenting and how libraries can serve this growing segment of our population more effectively.

2. Rural Library Sustainability Workshops:
October 4, Richland County Library, Columbia
October 12, Greenville County Library, Greenville
October 19, Berkeley County Library, Moncks Corner
To register, go to http://www.peopleware.net/2800
also check out ALAs new rural advocacy help: http://www.ala.org/ala/olosbucket/supporttoolkit/toolkithome.htm

3. ED TECH: If you are already going to Ed Tech, contact Catherine to volunteer as a host for a session for Ed Tech Conference.
Contact:
Catherine L. Nelson
Library Media Specialist, NBCT
Northside Elementary School of the Arts - Rock Hill School District 3
Rock Hill, SC
cnelson@rock-hill.k12.sc.us
803-981-1576

4. Sony said today it will launch an electronic book store on the internet and start selling a device that displays e-books purchased from the store on October 1, after missing an earlier unveiling earlier this year due to technical reasons. The Sony Connect book store will carry about 10,000 books from the top six publishers, including HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster. The launch of the store coincides with the official debut of its highly anticipated electronics book reader, which reviewers have said mimic the quality of regular paper. The Sony Reader Portable Reader system will sell for about $US350 ($NZ533). For a limited period, new Connect customers will receive a $US50 credit to buy books from the service. Electronic books cost on average about 25 percent less than the cover price of physical books, a spokesman said. (NOTE: I question this says Dr. Sam. Does anyone have real figures for paper vs. digital book?)

and most exciting:

5.The University Bookstore @ The Russell House will host the first of three storytelling events to be held on Thursday October 5 at 7 p.m. Visitors can expect to hear a variety of stories including the “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.” The featured books will be available for purchase and refreshments from the new Starbucks Literary Café will be served. The event is free and open to the public. Dr. Pat Feehan, Associate Professor in the School of Library and Information Science, and Amanda Brewer, an aspiring storyteller and student of Dr. Feehan, will provide the storytelling, singing and puppet shows. Dr. Feehan has been a professional storyteller for 38 years and currently teaches the SLIS600 Storytelling course at the University of South Carolina. Amanda Brewer is a musician, singer and storyteller who enjoys bringing stories to audiences of all ages. For questions about the event, please contact Blaire Wicker at 803.777.4160.

GENERAL NEWS: Getting the Job You Want

Getting the Job You Want!

Registration deadline: October 21, 2006

The whole notion of job hunting, interviewing, etc., can be very overwhelming to anyone in our profession—especially new MLS graduates! Our half-day seminar will cover the most salient aspects of searching for the ideal job—for you! There will also be professional librarians on hand to review your resumes and cover letters!

Where: South Carolina State Library, Room 309, 1500 Senate Street, Columbia.
When: Tuesday, October 25, 2006, 9:30-12:45
Cost: $15.00 (please complete the attached registration form by October 21)

Schedule:
9:30-10:10 Online Employment Resources for Librarians. Curtis Rogers, South Carolina
State Library.
10:10-11:00 Interview Tips and Tricks.
Panelist: Margaret Mukooza, Morris College.
Panelist: Allyson Davis, Aiken Technical College.
Panelist: Karen Swetland, USC-Upstate.
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-11:45 Help! I Hate My First Job! Rachel Augello. Greenville Technical College.
11:45-12:15 Beyond Libraries: Alternate Career Paths. Debbie Vaughn, College of Charleston.
12:15-12:45 Resume and Cover Letter Review Session
For questions about this seminar e-mail Rachel Augello, rachel.augello@gvltec.edu
Sponsored by SCLA’s New Members Roundtable
Registration deadline: October 21, 2006.

Go here for your registration form.

GENERAL NEWS: South Carolina Report Card

Measuring Up 2006 has created these very informative state report cards in regard to higher education. Taken into account are the state's preparation, participation, affordibility, completion, benefits, learning, international comparisons, facts, and the state's strengths/weaknesses.

See how South Carolina performed at http://measuringup.highereducation.org/

GENERAL NEWS: Call for Papers

2007 Library Research Round Table Forums ALA Annual Conference, Washington,DC

The Library Research Round Table (LRRT) is sponsoring two (2) Research Forums at the 2007 American Library Association Annual Conference in Washington, DC (June 21-27). The LRRT Forums are a set of programs at the ALA Annual Conference featuring presentations of LIS research, in progress or completed, followed by discussion. Two LRRT Research Forums will be
scheduled for 2007, one on general LIS research and one on a more specific topic that will emerge as we evaluate the submissions.

This is an opportunity to present and discuss your research project conducted in the broad area of library and information science or in a more specialized area of the field. LRRT welcomes papers emphasizing the problems, theories, methodologies, or significance of research findings for LIS. Topics can include, but are not limited to, user studies and user behavior, electronic services, service effectiveness, organizational structure and personnel, library value determination, and evaluation of library and information services. Both completed research and research in progress will be considered. All researchers, including practitioners from all types of libraries, library school faculty and students, and other interested individuals are encouraged to submit a proposal. Both members and nonmembers of LRRT are invited and welcomed to submit proposals.

The Committee will utilize a "blind" review process to select a maximum of six (6) projects, three for each of the two forums, followed by open discussion. The selected researchers are required to present their papers in person at the forum and to register for the conference.

Criteria for selection are:

1. Significance of the study to library and information scienceresearch;
2. Quality and creativity of the methodology;
3. Potential for research to fill a gap or to build on previous studies in LIS; and
4. Adherence to submission requirements (see below).

Previously published research or research accepted for publication by December 8, 2006 will not be considered.

Please submit a two-page proposal by Friday, December 8, 2006. Late submissions will not be considered. The submission must consist of no more than two pages. On the first page, please list your name(s), title(s), institutional affiliation, and contact information (including your
mailing address, fax number and email address). The second page should NOT show your
name or any personal information. Instead, it must include: 1. The title of your project, and 2. A 500 word abstract. The abstract must include a problem statement, problem significance, project objectives, methodology, and conclusions (or tentative conclusions for work in progress), and an indication of whether the research is in-progress or completed.


Notification of acceptance will be made by Monday, February 19, 2007.


Please send submissions (via email, fax or post) to:

John Bertot
Professor and Associate Director
Information Use Management and Policy Institute
Library Research Round Table Chair-Elect
College of Information
Florida State University
244 Shores Building
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100
Phone: 850.644.8118
Fax: 850.644.4522
jbertot@fsu.edu

GENERAL NEWS: More News

Tennessee Group Vows to Fight Library Privatization
Three weeks after the Jackson*Madison County (Tenn.) Library board announced it would outsource its operations to management firm Library Systems and Services, a citizens’ group has formed to contest the plan. The group, Citizens Against Privatization, claims to have collected 1,000 signatures opposing any outsourcing contract, the Jackson Sun reported September 28.


The South Carolina Council on the Holocaust presents Teaching About the Holocaust, November 4, 2006
Columbia College, Breed Leadership Center, 8:00 a.m. * 3:30 p.m.
All teachers involved in teaching about the Holocaust are invited to attend this special daylong conference.
Emily Taylor
Swansea High School
Swansea, SC 29160
etaylor@lexington4.net


2007 LAMA/YBP Student Writing and Development Award seeks entrants:

CHICAGO - Students enrolled in American Library Association (ALA)-accredited library and information studies programs are invited to submit essays in the Student Writing and Development Award competition sponsored by the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) and YBP Library Services, Inc. The deadline for entries is March 1, 2007.
The LAMA/YBP Student Writing and Development Award honors the best essay submitted on a topic in the area of library administration and management. The topic for the 2007 competition is the LAMA President's theme -- "Library Associations: Learning, Leading, Looking Forward."
In celebration of LAMA's 50th anniversary, entrants are asked to address the relevance of membership in professional library associations for library school students and new librarians. The essay can address one or more of the following questions:

*What features attract new librarians to engage in professional associations or other networks?
*How does involvement in an association enhance a new librarian's professional and personal growth?
*How does association membership compare to other real or virtual professional networks? Is association involvement worth the time and resources required from a member?
*What changes should LAMA and similar associations make to best meet the needs and interests of new librarians?

The award recipient must be a current student member of ALA and LAMA.
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/september2006/
2007LAMAYBPaward.htm