GENERAL NEWS: SC Book Festival, SCASL, 5 Things to Do

Hello,

How wonderful it was to see so many of you at the SC Book Festival. As you know it was my very first and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved meeting some of you that I haven't met before and seeing all of you that I do know. My gratitude to all of you that made this possible and put SLIS in the spotlight for all to see, is boundless.

Now I am looking forward to SCASL and seeing more colleagues and friends. I know that Ms. Ida Thompson has worked tirelessly and creatively to bring together the best and the brightest for this great event.

The end of this week I will be in DC for the IMLS Webwise conference http://www.getty.edu/webwise2007/conference/ and hosting a discussion on Preserving AV Materials and Variable Media Art. I always look forward to the Webwise conferences and the opportunity to see what is new from my colleagues as well as talk with the program officers about possible funding initiatives.

Here are your 5 things to do, read or think about for this week:

1. Grow Your Own @ Your Library Institutional Scholarship --PLA will provide nine public libraries with a lump sum of $8,000 each to be distributed to as many of their employees as they choose for the purpose of working toward obtaining an MLS-- $6,500 is to be used directly for payment of tuition at an ALA-accredited library school; $1,500 is to be used to support attendance for one or more of the selected scholarship recipients to attend a PLA-sponsored CE conference such as the 2008 PLA National Conference.
http://www.pla.org/ala/pla/plaawards/growyourown.htm

2. Communicating Your Library’s Value: No community can afford to lose its public library and the technology services it provides. To help,the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is making available two new tools, entitled Keeping Your Community Connected, that can help advocate for libraries. There is an eight-minute DVD to launch conversations with local government and community partners and a related brochure that includes persuasive statistics, library patron stories, and a call to action for community members and leaders. You can obtain a free set of these materials at:
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/USLibraryProgram/RelatedInfo/CommunicatingValue.htm

3. Millions of Videos, and Now a Way to Search Inside Them [The New York Times]
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/business/yourmoney/25slip.html

4. The New (academic) Library Professional [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2007/02/2007022001c/careers.html

5. Don't miss our Panning for Gold offerings for March:
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/ce/march.htm

Be safe out there and let me know if there is anything I can do for you!

dr. sam

GENERAL NEWS: News, Save these dates, 5 things to do

Hello dear colleagues and friends,

Hope this finds you well and happy. We had the best meeting of our African American Leadership Group on Friday. Guynell Williams (recipient of the SCLA Outstanding Librarian Award!) led the discussion of the diversity plan for faculty and staff recruitment and retention at SLIS. Next steps are to work on the student section. This is ground breaking work and will serve as a model at USC and beyond. When the changes are made and the plan approved, I'll send you a copy.

We've got our heads down and deep into budgets and grant proposals and general worrying about money and funding. . . must be tax time ;-} We have so many wonderful opportunities here and are beginning to see sprouts from some of our initiatives, just seems to move like molasses. . .

I'll be in Spartanburg tomorrow talking with Todd Stephens' staff about SLIS. I look forward to the drive and being out in the field. Still want to visit every library and keep working on a plan to get there. If you want me to visit at a particular time or for a special purpose please let me know.

So have a wonderful week, mark the following dates on your calendars and don't forget your five things to do, think about, or act on:

SAVE THESE DATES
This weekend for the SC Book Festival * for schedule see
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/

March 7 -9 SC Association of School Librarians at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

April 5 Professional Seminar Revival at Davis College

April 13 Spring Fling at Dr. Sam's

April 19 ICOMM Week: SLIS AWARDS and DEAN'S Lecture. Don't miss Dr. Ken Haycock http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/faculty/haycockk/haycockk.php and a fun-filled evening.

April 20 SC Special Libraries Association Meeting
Fluor Corporation
100 Fluor Daniel Dr.
Greenville, SC 29607
The presentation will be on knowledge management with a presentation
from Fluor who is very knowledgeable about the topic. We will also hear
from the Librarian at Fluor and participation in knowledge management
from the librarian's perspective. For more information, contact Anne Orange at Aorgane@gwm.sc.edu

FIVE THINGS
1. Roving reporter from ALA in Seattle has hit with March of the Librarians:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td922l0NoDQ&NR

2. NY Times publisher: Our goal is to manage the transition from print to internet [Haaretz]
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/822775.html

3. The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines _(2006) (TV), directed by
Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek). features some of the same characters and
plot twists. This time, Carsen;s partner is Emily Davenport (Gabrielle
Anwar), another predictably British-accented love interest, and the
Librarian's task of saving the world continues. (Trailer: IGN.com
(Quicktime, WMP) http://media.tv.ign.com).

4. Kitt Lisenby was interviewed by Lewis Turner of WLTX Channel 19 in her
media center at Mt. Pisgah Elementary School (Kershaw County.)
You can access a video of the show and related article at
http://tinyurl.com/2abqwn or go to
http://www.wltx.com/news/schools.aspx

5. If the Academic Library Ceased to Exist, Would We Have to Invent It? [EDUCAUSE Review]
http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm07/erm0714.asp

all the best to you and yours,

dr. sam

GENERAL NEWS: Spring Fling, Virginia, 5 Things to Do

Hello friends and colleagues,

Okay, enough of this cold weather (she says while friends are freezing in the north * -20 degrees!), let's start talking about Spring and parties and outdoor barbeques and lawn games and . . .Mark April 13 on your calendar for a SPRING FLING at Dr. Sam's house. Everyone is invited! Students, Faculty, Staff, Potential Students, Friends of the College and School, Children, Pets, In-Laws ;-} We'll take our shoes off and watch the fireflies and eat and drink and enjoy being in the south! Proper invitations will come your way soon with address and directions but wanted you to save the date and dream about Spring!

Our trip to Virginia was very successful. The Fairfax County Public Libraries and the School Districts are so supportive with time off to study and scholarships and general good will toward getting advanced degrees. I met so many recruits with such promise * always makes me feel good to know that we are still attracting the best and brightest to the wonderful world of library and information science.

Here are your 5 things to do, read or think about for this week:

1. Watch this video on YouTube about Web2.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE&eurl

2. Helen Fellers' Reading Rooster Recommends Books Worth Crowing About
February is Black History Month and to commemorate this event Rooster recommends three new books recently received in the South Carolina Center for Children’s Books and Literacy.
An Apple for Harriet Tubman by Glennette Tilley Turner, illustrated by Susan Keeter, published by Albert Whitman & Company. The author learned this previously untold story from Harriet Tubman’s great niece. The illustrations are vivid and colorful and add to the story. A helpful bibliography is included.
Let It Shine by the Coretta Scott King award winning illustrator Ashley Bryan, published by Simon and Shuster, is a celebration of three spirituals. The book is a splash of colors igniting the reader’s imagination.
Freedom Ship by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Curtis James, published by Hyperion is based on a true incident during the Civil War. Rooster knew many of Robert Smalls’, Captain of the gunboat “Planter,” descendents in Beaufort, SC. This gripping and suspenseful story gives the reader a glimpse into history.

3. Tutor.com http://tutor.com/'s Librarians by Request service is currently
looking for bilingual librarians (English and Spanish) please send your updated cv and detailed description of availability in Eastern Time to LBRApplications@virtualreference.net. Theywill be accepting applications until noon EST on Friday, February 9, 2007.
*Librarian Requisite Qualifications: *
- MLS or MLIS (Students in an accredited library school program are
also encouraged to apply)
- Reference experience and knowledge of online resources (proprietary
and free)
- Adept at using or learning Web-based applications.
- Experience working with the public and possess a strong commitment
towards customer service.
- A courteous demeanor, which is extended to users and colleagues
alike.
- Availability to work a minimum of 10 hours per week.

4. Library of Congress to digitize brittle books [CNN]
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/02/01/digital.books.ap/

5. Try to join us on March 2nd from 3:30 - 5:30, Tracy Pender, will be speaking in the Wardlaw TV studio on the USC Columbia campus about the representation of Native Americans in children's literature and what it means to be Native American in the U.S. today.

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

sam