COMING NEXT MONTH: Volume 2, number 1 will be the first to feature PDFs of each article! You asked and we listened. Send your suggestions to info@ala-apa.org.

I want to be in the Spotlight!

Tips That May Surprise You about Salary Negotiation

Perhaps you think of good negotiators as brash and demanding. After all, who has not heard of those who "drive a hard bargain" and win respect, if not cash and other goodies?

Yet Leigh Estabrook, who has counseled hundreds of library school graduates in her 18 years as professor at and former dean of the University of Illinois’ library school in Champaign, urges students to be a little "mushy" in their negotiations with employers. MORE

Library Worklife Logins and Passwords MORE

ALA-APA seeking nominees for Dynix-ALA-APA Award for Promoting Salaries and Status for Library Workers

The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) is seeking nominations for the first annual Dynix-ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Salaries and Status for Library Workers. The recipient will receive $5,000 and be recognized at the ALA-APA Networking Breakfast at the 2005 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. MORE

Enter the "Working @ your library: For Love or Money" Video Contest

The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) is currently holding a contest to write a guide to accompany "Working @ your library: For Love or Money," a new advocacy video produced by ALA-APA. Participation is free and the winner will receive a $250 prize-donation to a school or library. MORE

Special Librarians Institute

"Find Your Customer: Drive Your Business"

By Veronda Pitchford, Metropolitan Library District (IL)

ALA-APA Featured in the November Associates MORE

USF Faculty Union Ratifies Contract Overwhelmingly

I want to write about Career Advancement!

Fitting the Part: Advice from a Successful Job Seeker

By Juanita Nicholson, Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library

In September, Juanita Nicholson very happily celebrated her first anniversary as a reference librarian at the Deerfield Public Library. A week later she was a panelist on the ILA conference program "Gaining the Competitive Edge: Advice from Employers and Successful Job Seekers." The following comments are based on her remarks as a panelist. MORE

I want to write about HR Law & Regulation!

Working Families Assistance Act (H.R. 4372) Passed

On June 22, 2004, the 108th Congress of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Working Families Assistance Act, which “Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit up to $500 of unused dependent care benefits in a dependent care flexible spending plan or arrangement to be carried forward to the next year of such plan or arrangement without affecting its status as a tax-exempt employee benefit cafeteria plan.” MORE

I want to write about HR Practice!

Self-Awareness: A Key to Successful Relationships at Work

By Paula M. Singer, PhD and Megan Staczek

How many of us have experienced a conversation or relationship that is frustrating and ineffective? I bet you know someone who is very scheduled, organized and quick to make decisions even when there may not be enough information to make a thorough decision. Or, perhaps you know someone who is flexible, even to the point of seeming indecisive, whose work is often delivered at the last minute. When we understand our preferences for how we like to direct our energy, collect data, make decisions and orient our lifestyle, we are better able to communicate our needs and manage our choices in relationships and work. MORE

I want to write about Recruitment!

NCSU Libraries Fellows Program Attracts and Develops New Librarians

By Anna Dahlstein, North Carolina State University

Launched in the fall of 1999, the North Carolina State University Libraries' Fellows Program has offered six cohorts of new MLS and MIS graduates opportunities for rapid professional growth. At the same time, the program has formed a centerpiece in the Libraries' strategy for recruiting highly talented entry-level librarians with the potential to compete and qualify for permanent positions at NCSU following their Fellows appointments. MORE

I want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!

The Kansas Public Library Salaries Project Works for Improved Compensation for Kansas Directors

By Shannon Roy, Kansas State Library

When the 2000 revision of the Kansas Public Library Standards was published, the response from the Kansas public librarians made it clear that it was time to seriously consider the problem of compensation guidelines. This was easier said than done, even with an excellent working committee. It was decided that the new guidelines would address only the compensation of library directors, although we hope to work for support positions at a later time. MORE

I want to write about Work/Life!

Workplace Aggression: Empowering the Victim

By Casey Schacher

ALA Midwinter Meeting
Boston, MA
January 14–19

Ever wonder what your library’s old Web site looked like? Have you done a design in the past and forgotten to include it in your portfolio? Search the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine! For many sites, the archive goes back to 1999.