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.