Nominations are now being accepted for The Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. The award, administered by ALA’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations for librarians in college, community college and university libraries opened on September 2 and run through October 15.

Up to 10 librarians in public, school and academic libraries will be selected honored at a ceremony and reception in New York at TheTimesCenter, hosted by The New York Times. Each winner also will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend the awards reception. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library. Nominees will be judged by a selection committee based on quality of service to library users, demonstrated knowledge of the library and its resources and commitment shown in helping library users.

Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.

For more information, including the online nomination form and tools to help promote the award, visit the I Love Libraries website.

In this podcast, College & Research Libraries News editor-in-chief David Free talks with Sarah Steiner and Leslie Madden of Georgia State University, editors of the ACRL publication The Desk and Beyond: Next Generation Reference Services. They are joined by chapter authors Meredith Farkas of Norwich University, Ross LaBaugh of California State University - Fresno, and Jerilyn Veldof of the University of Minnesota to discuss the book along with current and future trends in reference services.

Time: 29:27

 

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About the Music:
The music in ACRL Podcasts is “Don’t you,” mixed by stefsax and available on ccMixter. The music is used under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license.

The September 2008 issue of C&RL News is now available online and in the mail. By September, the fall term is usually in full swing at most academic libraries. The new school year presents opportunities for new outreach and collaboration with a variety of campus partners. Looking outside the walls and Web sites of our libraries is a great way to grow professionally while promoting libraries services. In this issue, Caitlin Tillman describes the “Library orientation for professors” program at the University of Ottawa. Her article gives sound tips for new faculty orientation that can be expanded to stress the range of library services in a variety of contexts.

Our interactions with faculty aren’t limited to a quality orientation session or a well-rehearsed “elevator speech.” Librarians can also serve as catalysts for new technologies and instructional models, as Sarah Faye Cohen discusses in her article “Taking 2.0 to faculty.” Of course, in many instances, librarians are considered part of the faculty and participate in institutional governance. Laurence S. Crieder took on such a role during his “Two years with a tee-ball bat” as chair of the faculty senate at New Mexico State University.

In honor of the upcoming October celebration of Gay and Lesbian History Month, this month’s Internet Resources column focuses on “Queering the Web.” Tami Albin and Jennifer Church-Duran’s collection of resources provide an excellent starting point for researching GLBTQ history and culture. This issue also contains the first in a series of articles looking ahead to next year’s ACRL14th National Conference in Seattle and a look back at ACRL activities at the recent ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. Make sure to take a look at all of the other great articles and columns, including an excellent overview of open access initiatives in Canada.

*Notes: Due to the continuing redesign and updating of the ALA Web site, this month’s C&RL News is available in PDF format only. We will make the issue available in the regular full text HTML format as soon as possible. Also, the cover image in this post is the correct September cover. The image on the C&RL News Web site will be updated as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Features (all links are PDF)
ACRL in Anaheim
ACRL Board of Directors’ actions, June 2008
The purposeful advocate - Erika C. Linke
Queering the Web (Internet Resources) - Tami Albin and Jennifer Church-Duran
Library orientation for professors- Caitlin Tillman
Taking 2.0 to the faculty - Sarah Faye Cohen
Two years with a tee-ball bat - Laurence S. Creider
Introducing Seattle (ACRL National Conference) - Jan Hartley and Elinor Appel
Open access and evolving scholarly communication (Scholarly Communication)- Heather Morrison and Andrew Waller
ACRL’s 2009 Awards Program - Megan Griffin

Departments (All links are PDF)
In the News
News from the Field
Washington Hotline
Preservation News
Internet Reviews
New Publications
Grants and Acquisitions
People in the News
Fast Facts
Job Openings/Classified Ads
Product Ads

 March 11-12, 2009 in Seattle, WA

Are you already working with faculty and researchers on your campus for change? Do you want to develop a deeper understanding of how scholars’ communication practices are changing and how the landscape appears to them?

Librarians supporting scholarly-communication programs want to know how to identify issues that will resonate with faculty at their institutions and how to present those issues in ways that generate positive engagement with faculty. If this describes your situation, you won’t want to miss the new ARL/ACRL Institute on Scholarly Communication workshop “Scholarly Communication Outreach: Crafting Messages that Grab Faculty Attention,” March 11–12, 2009, in Seattle, Washington.

 In the tradition of other Institute events, this workshop will emphasize active learning and hands-on work by participants, both individually and in groups. Throughout the workshop, participants will have structured opportunities to reflect on how to apply what they are learning to their own institution’s outreach activities, to share information and test ideas, and to begin planning for future outreach.  (Note: registration for the workshop is a separate process from registration for the ACRL National Conference or its preconferences, which opens later in September.)

Peter Hernon is Professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College in Boston. Peter has been an ACRL member since 1985, was named 2008 ACRL Academic/ Research Librarian of the Year, and is your ACRL Member of the week.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Creative, learner, scholar.

2. What are you currently reading? I’m reading Richard A. Clarke’s 2008 book Your Government Failed You.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Community, future oriented.

4. Why did you join ACRL? To monitor what is occurring in the profession and see areas where my scholarship and research might have an impact.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The friends that I have made over the years.

6. In your own words: I am a library school educator, one who is active in publishing and producing work of high quality that makes a difference. I have always sought a partnership relationship with academic librarians, and I did not realize that my body of work has been appreciated by the profession. Since receiving the prestigious award from ACRL in June, I have experienced something rare as an author—recognition of the value of my written and spoken word.

ACRL is partnering with the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) to offer the Webcast, “The Engaged Library: Strategies for Building Vibrant Learning Communities.” The 90-minute webcast, to be held on September 12, will explore how the transformation of content and methods of scholarship affect the library and campus communities. This webcast is intended for provosts, librarians, college and university administrators, campus planners, university architects, and others interested and invested in maximizing the role of libraries on campus. Complete details and registration materials are available on the SCUP website.

Looking for a new way to interact with your academic and research library colleagues? Thanks to member Kevin Clarke, there is now an ACRL group on the online professional networking site LinkedIn.  LinkedIn users can join the group to connect with current colleagues and expand your network. Thanks to Kevin for setting up this new addition to ACRL’s online networking sites.

Norah Xiao is Science and Engineering Librarian at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Norah has been an ACRL member since 2006 and is your ACRL Member of the week.

1. Describe yourself in three words: Passionate, creative, dedicated.

2. What are you currently reading? I read everything! My reading habit is that I will read all books from an author if I like his/her style. I just finished all of Lisa See’s books, reread books by Jane Austin and Charles Dickens, and am now reading The Chinese Lessons. (Sorry, nothing related to librarianship!) As the new term approaches, I will be reading some nanotechnology and some art books.

3. Describe ACRL in three words: Professional, inspiring, challenging.

4. Why did you join ACRL? I always believe that the best way to grow professionally (and in life) is to be around the best people, which is the initial reason I joined ACRL since I know my passion is in science and engineering academic librarianship. Since then I have greatly benefited everything offered by ACRL, for instance, emails from the STS listserv, and events organized by ACRL, especially the ACRL Dr. E. J. Josey Spectrum Scholar Mentor Program. In this program, I met my mentor, Susan Campbell, who guides me, supports me and encourages me to excel at every opportunity as well as inspires me in many ways of pursing the excellence as an academic librarian.

5. What do you value about academic or research librarianship? The core value in any area of librarianship, in my mind, is human interaction, which is the reason I love my profession. I enjoy every opportunity to interact with my users, mainly Science and Engineering faculty and students, in their teaching, learning, and research with my knowledge and skills. As an academic librarian in a big research library, every day in my life is different and special, and I am always learning something new, researching something meaningful, and experimenting with newer technologies and cutting edge equipment.

6. In your own words: Academic librarian is not a 9-5 job (nor will it be!), but plays an important role in knowledge creation, lifelong learning and information dissemination. Moreover, nowadays the library is no longer a traditional physical place, but a learning and information common as well as virtual spaces without any brick walls, more dynamic and challenging; our users’ profiles are more complicated than before, for instance, mixed generations with different technology literacy, more distance education learners on distant continents who never come to campus, and researchers who still prefer traditional library services. As an academic librarian, my ultimate important mission is providing high-quality user-driven information services.

Mark your calendars!  Registration and housing for ACRL’s 14th National Conference will open in mid-September.  Join your colleagues in Seattle, March 12-15, 2009, at the premier professional development event for academic and research librarians and staff. The ACRL 14th National Conference will challenge you to explore new ideas, engage in new learning, and extend the collective vision of the future of academic and research libraries. Participate in professional learning and development in both structured and informal settings. In addition to program sessions, the conference will provide time to have fun, share informal conversations, network with colleagues, and explore Seattle. ACRL will offer Virtual Conference presentations and embrace Web 2.0 tools such as podcasts, Flickr, blogs, and more to enhance and expand the impact of the National Conference. ACRL 2009 will also implement eco-friendly practices, allowing you to help make the conference more environmentally sustainable. Registration will open in mid-September.  Discounted housing rates, scholarships, and exciting tour options will also be available.  Complete details are online.

The organizers of the Sparky Awards video contest have released several new resources to help college instructors and librarians engage students in an exploration of information sharing and copyright by encouraging their participation in the 2008 contest, “MindMashup: The Value of Information Sharing.” Contestants are invited to submit videos of two minutes or less that imaginatively portray the benefits of the open, legal exchange of information on the Internet. Mashup is an expression referring to a song, video, Web site, or software application that combines content from more than one source.

Educators at all types of institution – including 4-year colleges and universities, community and junior colleges, art and film schools, and others – are invited to incorporate the contest into fall curricula, whether as a formal assignment or extracurricular activity. The following new resources are available to facilitate adoption of the contest:

•    Video invitation to enter the Sparky Awards
•    Sparky Awards promotional poster
•    Educators’ Guide to Using the Sparky Awards in Your Classes
•    Librarians’ Guide to Introducing the Sparky Awards on Your Campus
•    Banner ad art to promote the Sparky Awards on Web sites

All tools are available for download and customization through the Sparky Awards Web site, along with complete details on the awards.

The 2008 Sparky Awards are organized by SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and cosponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, Campus MovieFest, Penn Libraries, Students for Free Culture, and The Student PIRGs.