I want to be in the Spotlight!

Spotlight on the Dynix - ALA-APA Award for Outstanding Promotion of the Salaries and Status of Library Workers

This year, two people were chosen by the jury to receive the first award. Maurice J. "Mitch" Freedman and Dorothy Morgan. We thought they deserved more space than we gave them in the coverage of the award in the June issue of Library Worklife, so this month, read about Dorothy Morgan and how she got involved in the pay equity movement. Mitch Freedman will be in the Spotlight for the November and December issues.

Dorothy Morgan talks about the importance of committee work and personal and group strategies and responsibilities related to raising salaries. MORE

Good News!

Burlington, Vermont Library Workers Reclassified

By Amber Collins

The staff of the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, Vermont is celebrating the successful conclusion of a three-year fight to have many positions reclassified and adjusted for parity with other city workers. The Fletcher Free is Burlington's public library and is funded primarily with property taxes in Vermont's largest city, which has a population of 39,000. MORE

ALA-APA Needs an Extreme Makeover - For Its Name!

CHICAGO - The American Library Association -Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) is in search of a new name. The American Library Association established the ALA-APA in 2002 to advocate for the status and to better the salaries for library workers, and to offer certifications for library staff in specialized fields. With all the challenges ALA-APA faces in improving the status and educational qualifications of library workers, the association is in need of a name that reflects its mission. MORE

Maurice J. Freedman, Director of the Westchester (NY) Library System Retires

Maurice "Mitch" Freedman retired August 31 st , after 23 years as Director of the Westchester Library System. Mitch's prolific career has been chronicled and celebrated both locally and nationally. And it's not over - Mitch will continue to speak and consult, as well as hone his skills as a photographer. He's already had an exhibit of his work! Mitch will also work on his publishing company, the U*N*A*B*A*S*H*E*D Librarian. MORE

ABC's television show, Extreme Makeover, is looking for a variety of candidates to be featured and given the opportunity of a lifetime. Among the stories they are seeking? A cancer survivor or a librarian between 21 and 40 years of age. These two categories are listed on the same line. Divorcees, small town girls, and prosthesis owners have their own paragraph descriptions. MORE

MADISON, WI - The producers of the "The Hollywood Librarian: Librarians in Cinema and Society" announced today that Dina Merrill has agreed to be interviewed for the documentary about librarians. MORE

I want to write about Career Advancement!

Going Beyond Motivation to Increase Employee Satisfaction

By Julius Rhodes

For years, without much scientific proof, many people bought into the notion that chicken soup was a good remedy for the common cold. At the same time there were also many people who held the belief that there was a therapeutic benefit in the development of children if they were physically held in their first months of birth. Well, as we all know modern science has gone on to prove that those old 'wives tales' are in fact true. Intuitively, I believe that the same thing can be said as it relates to theories of motivation and worker satisfaction. MORE

I want to write about Certification!

ALA-APA Seeks Providers for Public Librarian Certification

CHICAGO - The American Library Association - Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) will be launching a certification program for public librarians in 2006. Currently, ALA-APA is seeking educators to provide courses for candidates to fulfill for the Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) designation. MORE

I want to write about HR Law!

How Well Are You Safeguarding Your Employees' Personal Data?

New Federal Rule on Disposal Took Effect June 1, 2005

By Christine Martin

In February, Choice Point, an Atlanta-based data broker, disclosed that identity thieves had stolen personal information on 145,000 consumers nationwide. In September, the University of Georgia reported that an overseas hacker had accessed the social security numbers of approximately 1600 employees working for its College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Now a new federal rule requires businesses that compile or maintain personal data based on consumer reports, including that compiled on employees, to completely destroy such information before they discard it. MORE

I want to write about HR Practice!

The Art of the Job Description

By Julie Todaro

I'm not sure when I began to "study" job descriptions but I distinctly remember pouring over the job descriptions attached to job ads posted in our placement center in library school. My approach was to try to assess what they were "telling me" - the job applicant - about the job, the library and the community. I was captivated by a small public library ad and job description from west Texas that included in the description the fact that an apartment over the public library was provided as housing for the successful applicant! Although I didn't apply for that job, I must admit I still remember the experience and I think I decided then and there to periodically review the field to get a sense of what was interesting and "out there." MORE

I want to write about Salaries & Pay Equity!

Get Paid What You're Worth

By John Keister

Congratulations! You feel like you just won the lottery - the new job you always wanted with a salary that exceeds what you hoped for. What? You're not happy with the salary? What happened during the negotiation? You did negotiate salary, didn't you? MORE

I want to write about Recruitment!

Chapter Two

Librarianship as a Second Career

By Tracey Simon

The gold watch, our cultural symbol for decades of service to one company, has become a piece of nostalgia. We may know someone who has one or may have seen one (or used one), but it's doubtful that anyone will get one again, ever. We currently live in an economy that has created detours in many career paths, such as layoffs, outsourcing, relocation, or job obsolescence. Some of these detours we make ourselves; as a mobile society with more loyalty to ourselves and our families than to a corporation, we are more willing to pull up stakes than our parents were in order to pursue better and different job opportunities. MORE

I want to write about Support Staff!

Sad News

Library Mosaics, the Magazine for Support Staff, Will Cease Publication after the November/December 2005 Issue

It's true, it's not a rumor. Right there on the second page of the September/October 2005 issue of Library Mosaics is the "Notice to Our Readers" from Raymond Roney, who has published this magazine dedicated to support staff issues for sixteen years. Raymond made the difficult decision, citing "decreased circulation, diminished advertising revenue, and rising paper and postage costs." Raymond began the magazine, responding to a lack of attention to the concerns and best practices for support staff in mainstream library publications. MORE

I want to write about Work/Life!

Worklife Questions for You

The writers of Library Worklife: HR E-News for Today's Leaders are interested in your answers to these questions for upcoming articles:

1. How do balance your work and school schedules and responsibilities?
2. What are the benefits of having and/or being a mentor?
3. What is/was your favorite second job?
4. What strange things do you keep in your desk drawers? MORE

Sept. 15-16
ILLINOIS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION REACHING FORWARD FALL WORKSHOP: Empathy and Insight: Issues Surrounding Diversity, Wheeling, Rockford, Joliet, IL (teleconference)

Sept. 30-Oct. 2
LITA NATIONAL FORUM, San Jose, CA

Oct. 1-4
ARKANSAS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Little Rock

Oct. 3-4
WEST VIRGINIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Shepherdstown

Oct. 5-7
OHIO LIBRARY COUNCIL, Columbus

Oct. 5-7
SOUTH DAKOTA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Pierre

Oct. 6-7
IDAHO LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Pocatello

Oct. 5-9
AASL NATIONAL CONFERENCE, Pittsburgh, PA

Oct. 11-13
ARIZONA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Mesa

Oct. 11-15
ILLINOIS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Peoria

Oct. 12-14
GEORGIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Columbus

Oct. 12-15
WYOMING LIBRARY ASSOCIATION / MOUNTAIN PLAINS LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (joint conference), Jackson Hole, WY

Oct. 16-18 NEW ENGLAND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Worcester, MA

Oct. 16-21 Teen Read Week

Oct. 19-21
IOWA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Dubuque

Oct. 19-22
NEVADA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Reno

Oct. 20-21
VIRGINIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Williamsburg

Oct. 23-25
MAINE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Augusta

Oct. 25-28
MICHIGAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Grand Rapids

Oct. 25-28
MISSISSIPPI LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Vicksburg - CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE KATRINA

Oct. 25-28
WISCONSIN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Lacrosse

Oct. 26-28
MISSOURI LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Kansas City

Oct. 26-28
SOUTH CAROLINA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Columbia

Oct. 26-29
NEW YORK LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Buffalo

Nov. 4-7
CALIFORNIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Pasadena

Nov. 10-13
COLORADO ASSOCIATION OF LIBRARIES, Denver

Nov. 11-12
HAWAII LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Island of Hawaii