GENERAL NEWS: ICOMM WEEK, LITERACY LEADERS AWARD, ALUMNI NEWS

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope you are having as much springtime fun as we are here at Davis
College. We have been interviewing faculty candidates and in addition
to learning new things from the candidates and their presentations, we
are learning how resilient and flexible we can be! Everyone has pitched
in to help with a sometimes grueling schedule. The best news is that
this is a really, really good batch of candidates! Will keep you posted
on our progress.

ICOMM week is the first week in April and we will be showcasing student
and faculty work and welcoming Brian Lamb from CSPAN for the Dean's
Lecture. Our National Advisory Council will be meeting on Friday April
4 so if you have suggestions or questions please let me know and we will
carry them forward.

The next meeting of the Annual Literacy Leaders Award nomination
committee is on Monday, March 3. Details for submitting nominations for
this prestigious award will follow but start thinking about possible
nominations for someone who has made an impact on illiteracy. Previous
award information is at
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/ccbl/literacy%20awards/index.htm

ALUMNI NEWS
Several alum have been in the news. Randa Edmunds and Lori June
received $343,745.00 for "Improving Literacy through School
Libraries". The project was the only one awarded in state and the
second largest nationally. Both of their schools are Title I schools with
dated library collections and low performing, "needs improvement"
rankings. The 3 major goals for the study are:
1. Change perceptions of the library media center.
2. Position themselves to be instructional partners with teachers (guided by curriculum standards and student inquiry).
3. Use distant learning and electronic communication to facilitate
interactions between the two schools (e-buddies, e-classes, joint family
activities).

Denise Lyons has been promoted to Communications Coordinator, for the
Dallas Public Library, a key part of the Multicultural and Outreach
Services department. This position supports the programming, marketing,
communications and PR efforts of the Dallas Public Library as well as
our partners through the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative (DALI). Most of
his work will be in print communications as well as marketing and PR
efforts for our programs, beginning with a very large initiative called
Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas, which is based on the early
childhood literacy program of ALA and is to be implemented through out
the cities libraries, park and recreation departments, cultural centers
as well as various nonprofit organizations.

Staci Faulkenberry (a current student) is interning at Lugoff-Elgin
Middle School with Anne C. Lemieux, MLIS. She has implemented a
reading promotion called "Fall in Love with Reading." Students write a
letter to Ms. Faulkenberry telling her their favorite book, the types of
books they enjoy and their hobbies. Ms. Faulkenberry writes a
personalized letter and reading list for them, including a bookmark
listing their recommended books. The response has been wonderful.
Approximately 40 students responded during the first couple of days.

THINGS TO READ
Don't forget to check out the blog at
http://www.fridaymatters.blogspot.com

In the meantime, here are some items to keep you thinking:

1. Oya Y. Rieger has a white paper on Preservation in the Age of
Large-Scale Digitization that explores how "digitization of millions
of books under programs such as Google Book Search and Microsoft Live
Search Books is dramatically expanding our ability to search and find
information. The aim of these large-scale projects, to make content
accessible, is interwoven with the question of how one keeps that
content, whether digital or print, fit for use over time."
http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub141abst.html

2. In case you missed the kazillion posts discussing this article,
here is John Berry at his best in The Vanishing Librarians [Library
Journal] You really need to read this!
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6529375.html

3. Check out our new Diversity Plan for recruiting faculty, staff
and students. Our African American Leadership Group and Nonie Price
developed the plan and we hope it will serve as a model for others.
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/diversity/index.htm

So excitement is budding as fast as spring blossoms here at USC and we
are most hopeful for success in our many endeavors. Let us know if
there is anything we can do for you!

Enjoy!

sam