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I want to be in the Spotlight!
The Joys and Challenges of a Differently-Abled Librarian
By Michael Marlin
[Editor’s note: Michael’s is the second of a 3-part series featuring members of the American Library Association’s Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) who are sensitive to the special access needs that can impact work in libraries. For information about being a member of and/or providing service to populations with special needs, see the ASCLA Web site and ASCLA Tipsheets on accessibility issues.]
Imagine that a public library offers a librarian a full-time position. This new hire quits his other job and relocates his family, at great expense, to begin the new position. On his arrival the library retracts the promised position and, after much bureaucratic foot-shuffling, offers him part-time work in a different department. MORE
Library Administration And Management Association (LAMA) Fund Raising Scholarship Winner Announced
CHICAGO - The Fund Raising and Financial Development Section (FRFDS) of the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) has named Susan E. Thomas, head of Collection Development, Indiana University South Bend, the winner for the 2008 Diana V. Braddom Scholarship. MORE
School and Academic Librarian Nominations Open for Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award
Nominations for librarians in schools, colleges, community colleges and universities begin today for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. MORE
Library Hikes Books Budget
The Allen County Public Library will cut staff to increase spending on books and other materials. “The point of the library is to have resources,” said library director Jeff Krull. MORE
Deficit May Lead To Layoffs At Library
By Nicholas Beadle, The Jackson Sun (TN): August 27, 2008
Jackson-Madison County Library administrators are “very certain” that they will lay off employees to make up for an operating deficit, says Steve Coffman, a Library Systems’ vice president for public library operations. MORE
I want to write about Career Advancement!
Skills for the 21st Century Library Workforce
By Lori Reed
“Librarian 2.0. Librarian to deliver techno-savvy reference to an educated, enlightened resort community in SW Colorado. Must have MLS, strong general reference skills, and be an enthusiastic team player. Interest in blogging, RSS, wikis and IM reference essential. Strong Spanish skills a plus.” For the 21st century library employee the workplace is rapidly changing. MORE
Registration Open for YALSA’s Fall Online Courses
CHICAGO - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), opened registration for three online courses this fall: “Making the Match: The Right Book with the Right Teen at the Right Time” (Teri Lesesne); “New Technologies and New Literacies for Teens” (Linda Braun); and “Pain in the Brain” (Beth Gallaway).
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ALA Brings Advocacy Presence to REFORMA National Conference
CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) will host an advocacy program at The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA) 3rd National Conference, Sept. 18 - 21 in El Paso, Texas.
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ALA President Announces ALA Connections Salon
In an effort to provide opportunities for ALA members to connect with and learn from one another, ALA President Jim Rettig is creating “The ALA Connections Salon.”
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I
want to write about Certification!
Certified Public Library Administrator Program Graduates Two Librarians, Adds Eight New Candidates, Seven Course Renewals
CHICAGO - The Certified Public Library Administrator Program (CPLA) Certification Review Committee (CRC) granted certification to two CPLA® candidates. In addition, the committee approved 8 new candidates and renewed seven program courses in its first Fall 2008 review. CPLA® now has nine graduates and 112 candidates representing public libraries of all sizes across the nation. MORE
I
want to write about HR Law!
DOL Reaffirms Longstanding Policy—Employees Must be Paid for Working Through Meal Period
By Lisa Callaway, JD, SPHR, Vice President/General Counsel
Reprinted with permission from the Management Association of Illinois’s Web site, www.hrsource.org. The article was posted on September 4, 2008.
In a recently issued opinion letter, the Department of Labor (DOL) stated that an employee who misses a half-hour meal period mandated by employer policy, and then fails to notify the supervisor of the missed meal period, must be paid for the time worked during the missed meal period. MORE
I want to write about HR Practice!
The Systematic Tourniquet: A Review of The Quality Library
By Ryan Wilson
Do not be misled by the hokey cover of The Quality Library, on which a gigantic thumbs-up bursts through a bookshelf like a certain anthropomorphized and overly-excited pitcher of fruit punch burst through walls in TV commercials during the 1980s. The book, co-authored by Sara Laughlin and Ray W. Wilson, presents a serious and systematic approach to revitalizing libraries. Disciples of W. Edwards Deming, Laughlin and Wilson espouse an immensely practical method of coping with budget-cuts, the evolution of technology and patrons’ increased expectations. MORE
Staff Recognition at The University of Iowa Libraries: The Beginning of a Formal Program
By Amy R. Paulus
The recognition and motivation of employees is should be a priority of every institution. Yet the University of Iowa Libraries struggled to organize and fund staff recognition for its 178 full-time professional and paraprofessional employees. An additional challenge was posed by the distribution of staff among eleven campus libraries. But a survey of staff preferences, coupled with a committed task force and a supportive administration, enabled UI’s library system to develop a formal recognition program for its staff. MORE
I
want to write about Salaries and Pay Equity!
How a Librarians’ Guild Maneuvered a Win for Salary Increases
By Roy Stone
Roy Stone is president of the Librarians’ Guild at the Los Angeles Public Library System and affiliated with the library workers union, AFSCME. The Guild represents about 350 librarians who work for the city. The following is part of a speech presented by Mr. Stone at the SirisDynix - ALA-APA Networking Breakfast during the recent ALA conference in Anaheim, California. For more information, Mr. Stone’s email is rstone@lapl.org.
As many of you know, there are attacks to our professional standards, including eliminating the master’s degree requirement, reducing staffing levels and service hours, centralizing the ordering of library materials and more. There are also difficult working conditions where there are building and library use problems, budget woes, grievances made, and enforcing/instituting the disciplines of counseling and training programs. And some of you on rare occasions may come across a manager who simply is out of touch with the necessary work to be done or a supervisor who fails to comprehend the need to follow procedures and rules. And last on this short list are unstable and shrinking health insurance benefits and retirement and, lest I forget to mention it, there is the issue of money . . . which allows us to take lavish trips to places like Anaheim! MORE
I
want to write about Support Staff!
Paraprofessional of the Year Deadline January 19, 2009
Library Journal will honor one support staffer with its tenth annual Paraprofessional of the Year award in its March 1, 2009, issue. Sponsored by Brodart Library Supplies & Furnishings, which underwrites the $1500 cash prize and a reception to honor the winner at the American Library Association conference in June, the award recognizes the essential role of paraprofessionals, now the largest constituency of library workers, in providing excellent library service. It places special emphasis on the efforts of the winner to further the role of paraprofessionals in the library profession. The winner will be profiled in the March 1 issue of LJ. MORE
I
want to write about Work/Life!
Cubicle Etiquette, Or How to Survive Life in a Cube
By Christine Martin
Funny how some of the same people who so often want us to think outside the box see no irony in forcing us to work within one. Yet—believe it or not—cubicles were initially developed to enhance employee productivity, not frustrate it. First marketed in 1968 as the “Action Office” by Herman Miller—an office furniture company based in Zeeland, Michigan—cubicles were meant to give employees more privacy than the open bullpen offices common in the first half of the 20th century. (Think of newsrooms full of clacking typewriters.) Cubes also were supposed to give Information Age workers a maximum of vertical space (i.e., walls with cork boards) where they could pin up work or other reminders. No more would employee space be limited to a desktop (the non-software variety) and an inbox. (In this regard, the cubicle has probably delivered on its promise.) Finally, cubes were supposed to promote quicker communication between employees because eliminating (real) walls between offices would enhance the free flow of ideas. MORE
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Editors: Jenifer Grady, Jamie Bragg
Index of all articles from volume 1, no. 1, though volume 5, no.9.
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