Volume 6, No. 1 • January 2009	ISSN: 1550-3534
ALA-APA News   Career Advancement   Certification   HR Law   HR Practice   Recruitment  Spotlight  Salaries  Work/Life

I want to be in the Spotlight!

"How Would You Represent ALA-APA As President In 2010-2011 And Beyond?"

Elections will be held in the spring! The candidates for ALA President are Kenton Oliver, executive director of Stark County District Library, Canton, Ohio; and Roberta Stevens, outreach projects and partnerships officer at the Library of Congress and project manager for the National Book Festival. As the victor will also serve as ALA-APA President, the candidates were asked, “How would you would represent ALA-APA as President in 2010-2011 and beyond?” Here are their responses. MORE

The Politics of Discussing Politics in the Workplace

By Dan Stanton

Man is by nature a political animal.
—Aristotle

We spend a lot of time at work, much of it with the same group of people, engaged in a common purpose. Often the core values of that purpose and/or the means of achieving that purpose are generally understood but specifically open to interpretation. We get around our innate differences by engaging in behavior that has been formally or informally deemed “professional.” There is a general consensus that “professional” behavior is courteous, ethical and businesslike. MORE

Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award Winners Announced

Librarians in our nation’s 123,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day. Today, 10 librarians are recognized for service to their communities, schools and campuses as winners of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. MORE

ALA: Obama’s Concern over Closures Demonstrates Understanding of Libraries’ Role in Economy

WASHINGTON—The American Library Association (ALA) today applauds President-elect Barack Obama for recognizing the effect library closings have on communities during a meeting with the National Governors Association. MORE

Judge Overrules Philadelphia Branch Closings

American Libraries: January 5, 2008

A Philadelphia judge has ordered Mayor Michael Nutter to halt his planned closing of 11 branches of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Court of Common Pleas Judge Idee C. Fox issued the ruling December 30 in response to an emergency motion filed by three city council members who argued that the closures would violate a 1988 city ordinance requiring the mayor to obtain council approval before shutting any city-owned facility. MORE

I want to write about Career Advancement!

AASL Releases Two Toolkits Focused On Advocacy During Tough Times

CHICAGO—The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) recently launched two new toolkits exclusively for school library media programs. The School Library Media Health & Wellness and Crisis Toolkits are designed to address the needs of and resources available to school library media specialists to build stakeholder support in their programs. MORE

Empowerment Institute: Success in the Workplace

CHICAGO—The American Library Association (ALA) Conference Services Department and the Human Resource Development and Recruitment Office (HRDR) is offering ALA Midwinter Meeting attendees the opportunity to identify barriers to their success and consider ways to feel more motivated and satisfied at work. MORE

I want to write about Certification!

Library Support Staff Certification Program Hosts Midwinter Forum, Blog for Comments

The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) invites live and virtual discussion of the development of the Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSCP), a national, voluntary certification program for library support staff. ALA-APA will host an Open Forum held at ALA Midwinter meeting in Denver, CO, and welcomes comments on the program at the official LSSCP Blog. A Briefing Document for discussion at Midwinter may be viewed at the LSSCP website and blog. MORE

I want to write about HR Law!

Study Finds Doctors' Use of E-Prescribing Systems Linked to Formulary Data Can Boost Drug Cost Savings

Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) systems that allow doctors to select lower cost or generic medications can save $845,000 per 100,000 patients per year and possibly more system-wide, according to findings from a new study funded by Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). MORE

I want to write about HR Practice!

When The Ax Falls, Will You Be Ready?

A Primer on What to Do When (Or Even Before) You Get Fired

By Honora Eskridge

It was late on a Friday on a hot July day in 1994 in suburban Washington, D.C. The office was quiet; many people had already left for the weekend. My boss popped his head into my cubicle and asked if I was going to be around for a while yet and, if so, could he meet with me around 4:30? I said yes, and he disappeared. A moment later I heard him back in his own cubicle (which was adjacent to my own) on the phone arranging for a visit from our senior manager scheduled for—you guessed it!—4:30. As a veteran of two solid years of layoffs, I didn’t need to be hit over the head; I knew what was coming. MORE

I want to write about Recruitment!

Wayne State University Turns LIS Program into School

The board of governors at Wayne State University in Detroit voted December 3 to authorize the creation of the School of Library and Information Science, effective May 6, 2009. The school will house the existing library and information science program, which has grown from 125 students in 1987 to more than 600 in 2008. “The successful program has outgrown its designation and its size warrants the status of a school,” said WSU Provost Nancy Barrett. Despite new budget restraints, she noted, “we need to keep investing in our strongest programs.” MORE

Deadlines approaching for two Leadership Fellows Scholarships

The application deadlines for two of the schools participating in PLA's Leadership Fellows program are quickly approaching. MORE

Dominican University Supports ALA’s Diversity Efforts

CHICAGO—The Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science will provide $5,000 in matching scholarship funds to Elizabeth Hernandez, a 2008 American Library Association (ALA) Spectrum Scholarship winner. MORE

ASCLA ramps up fundraising efforts for Century Scholarship

CHICAGO—The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) will hold a silent auction at the 2009 Midwinter Meeting’s ASCLA/COSLA reception to benefit the ASCLA Century Scholarship. MORE

New ALA Scholarship: Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media

CHICAGO—The American Library Association (ALA) announced a new scholarship, the Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media, which is being offered with the support of SAGE Publications. MORE

2009 Financial Assistance for Library and Information Studies Directory

Need additional financial assistance? The 2009 Financial Assistance for Library and Information Studies Directory is an annual directory of awards from state library agencies, national and state library associations, local libraries, academic institutions and foundations that give some form of financial assistance for undergraduate and/or graduate education programs in library and information studies. The directory is available online at http://www.ala.org/falis. MORE

I want to write about Salaries!

Would Accept a Five Percent Pay Cut to Avoid a Layoff?

Would you take a cut of five percent or more to avoid a layoff? Take this survey to share your views with library employees like yourself. We will publish anonymous comments in the February issue of Library Worklife. MORE

I want to write about Work/Life!

What Will Be the Biggest Work/Life Balance Stories of 2009?

NWJobs columnist Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube" and My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire, offers her predictions for 2009’s biggest work/life balance stories. MORE

Editors: Jenifer Grady, Jamie Bragg

Index of all articles from volume 1, no. 1, though volume 5, no. 12.