Thursday, July 16, 2009

AZ State Library One Year Paid Internship PHX Area

Arizona State LibraryLibrary Development Division
One-year paid internship available in the Phoenix area – funded via afederal grant.

The Library Development Division (LDD) provides support, consultingservices, training and grant funding to local libraries throughout thestate. (See www.lib.az.us/extension/index.cfm.) LDD is seeking an internto assist with LDD projects and administer the Books for Arizona LibrariesProgram. The program provides Arizona’s literacy groups and publiclibraries of all kinds (such as school, tribal, prison, rural) theopportunity to acquire quality, appropriate books from larger librarysystems’ books sales at no cost. (See www.lib.az.us/bazl.)

Applications are being accepted at www.azstatejobs.gov.

Class of 2010 ALA Emerging Leaders Program

There’s Still Time to Apply for the 2010 Class of ALA Emerging Leaders Program – Deadline July 31, 2009

The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting applications for the 2010 class of Emerging Leaders.

Applications can be found at http://www.ala.org/cfapps/emergingleaders/. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2009.

The program is designed to enable approximately 100 library workers to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Participants are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers and get an inside look into the ALA structure and activities.

For the first time since its establishment, the Emerging Leaders program will accept non-MLS library workers. Library support staff personnel are encouraged to apply to the program and will have an opportunity to be considered for sponsorship through the ALA Library Support Staff Interests Round Table.

An ALA division, round table, ethnic affiliate, state chapter or school library media affiliate will sponsor approximately one-third of the selected applicants. Each sponsor will contribute $1,000 toward expenses ($500 for each conference). Sponsorship is not required for participation in the program. Applicants can indicate on the application which groups they want to consider them for sponsorship. A list of sponsoring units is included as part of the online application. You can also check with your state association and/or state chapter to find out if they are participating and how to apply for their sponsorship.

No more than one person from any institution will be selected for participation in the program. In order to be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be under 35 years of age or be a library worker of any age with fewer than 5 years experience working in a library.
Be able to attend both ALA conferences and work virtually in between each. Be prepared to commit to serve on either an ALA, division, chapter or round table committee, taskforce or workgroup, or in your state or local professional library organization upon completion of program.
Be an ALA member or join upon selection if not already a member.

Program information will be available and updated at: http://www.ala.org/cfapps/emergingleaders/.

For questions or more information regarding the program, contact Beatrice Calvin at bcalvin@ala.org.

NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program, 2009-2010

Call for Applications
The Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) is pleased to announce the 2009-2010 year of the leadership program jointly sponsored by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and AAHSL. The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is focused on preparing emerging leaders for the position of library director in academic health sciences libraries.

“The partnership with NLM has demonstrated its value in encouraging and preparing the next generation of leaders of our libraries,” said AAHSL president Julia Sollenberger. “Its merit is recognized by institutions across the country as they recruit for director positions.”
Fellows will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in a variety of learning settings, including exposure to leadership in another environment. They will be paired with mentors who are academic health sciences library directors. In addition to the individual relationship with their mentors, fellows benefit from working collaboratively with other fellows and mentors. Experienced program faculty and mentors will provide content and facilitation for the cohort. The program takes advantage of flexible scheduling and an online learning community to minimize disruption to professional and personal schedules. The sponsors will provide financial support for up to five fellows and will underwrite travel and meeting expenses.
Thirty-five fellows have participated in the program since its inauguration in 2002. To date, thirteen fellows have assumed director positions.

“The program was key in securing my job as director and continues to sustain me,” noted Neville Prendergast, fellow, class of 2007-2008, and director at Tulane University. “It provided the learning environment to interact with my mentor and other leading directors very willing to share their ideas and experience. It places you in the position of ‘thinking like a director.’”
Chris Shaffer, fellow, class of 2006-2007, and university librarian at Oregon Health & Science University, said, “My mentor ‘opened the books’ to me and taught me about budgets of public and private universities. As a new director, I often turn to the other fellows in my cohort for advice and community, and I can get support from all the mentors who have participated in the program.”

Gary Freiburger, mentor, class of 2008-2009, and director at University of Arizona, stated, “My fellow’s visit to our library gave me a chance to see our operations through fresh eyes. As a mentor, I not only have the chance to rethink my assumptions, I also have the benefit of working with a cohort of directors who share information and experiences.”
Program Overview

The one-year program design is multi-faceted: three in-person leadership institutes; attendance at an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual meeting; a yearlong fellow/mentor relationship; Web-based courses and discussions on issues related to library leadership; and a two-week site visit to the mentor’s home library (in one or two-week segments).

The program is designed to:
Introduce fellows to leadership theory and practical tools for implementing change at organizational and professional levels;
Introduce fellows to critical issues facing academic health sciences libraries;
Develop meaningful professional relationships between fellows and mentors that give fellows access to career guidance and support;
Expose fellows to another academic health sciences library and its institutional leadership under the guidance of their mentors;
Examine career development and provide models of directors to fellows;
Create a cohort of leaders who will draw upon each other for support throughout their careers;
Promote diversity in the leadership of the profession; and
Offer recognition to emerging leaders and enhance the competitive standing of fellows as they pursue director positions.

Application
The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is currently accepting applications and nominations for the August 3, 2009, deadline for potential fellows and mentors for the 2009-2010 experience. Candidates for fellow should have a strong interest in pursuing a directorship in academic health sciences libraries, as well as a minimum of five years of department head level or higher responsibility, or equivalent experience, in an academic health sciences library, hospital library, or other library-related setting. Applications from qualified minority candidates are encouraged. Mentors should have at least five years’ experience as director of an academic health sciences library.

The program brochure, including information on program design, schedule, and application process, is available at http://data.memberclicks.com/site/aahsl/NLM-AAHSL-Leadership-Fellows-Program-2009-2010.pdf

For more information about the program, please contact Carolyn Lipscomb, Program Manager, AAHSL Future Leadership Committee, carolynlipscomb@cs.com.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Day in the life of a Public Library Book Buyer!

Thanks to Helen the Librarian from the Pima County Public Library in Tucson, Arizona for sharing her day with us! Here is a unique look into what a Public Library book buyer does. Sounds fun!

Day in the life of a Public Library Book Buyer!

I have the best job in my public library system: I select books for adults, in English and in Spanish for 27 libraries. I don’t supervise anyone but myself which is a freedom I greatly appreciate.

Everyday I receive requests from library staff & patrons and read reviews of forthcoming titles. I work to fill-in missing titles of favorite old series (for mystery & science fiction especially), classics and other titles that have been lost but are still loved. And, I eagerly unpack boxes of “advance reading” copies - uncorrected proofs - to see what’s going to be “hyped” by publishers in the coming months. I try to read my free e-mail newsletter, “Shelf Awareness: Daily Enlightenment for the Book Trade”, every day (http://www.shelf-awareness.com/). This publication is, “…dedicated to helping the people in stores, in libraries and on the Web buy, sell and lend books most wisely.” I like knowing what books will be on television and radio shows such as The Colbert Report or NPR and reading interviews with authors.

More often than you might think, my job also involves justifying my decisions to purchase a particular title (or not). My department receives complaints all the time regarding materials that people find offensive in one way or another and we do our best to respond promptly and courteously. I used to think this type of complaint mainly initiated with a patron. I was disappointed to discover that sometimes a person with an MLS, employed by the library, will try to limit access to an item that may have been selected to fill a patron’s request. So, sometimes my job is to educate staff about our selection criteria and policies and ideals regarding intellectual freedom.

Three people work in my department. There is also another selector for children’s and young adult materials and our supervisor. We have a six million dollar materials budget for a service area of one million people. Six dollars per patron, per year, does not stretch as far as we would like it to but we do the best we can. In addition to books, we purchase magazines, newspapers, downloadable media, dvds, music cds, books on cd and databases.



Helen the Librarian, Book Buyer

Pima County Public Library

helen.gutierrez@pima.gov

Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce Call for Applications

Association of Research Libraries
http://www.arl.org/news/pr/irdw-15june09.shtml
Press Releases & Announcements
Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce Call for Applications--Deadline August 31

For immediate release:
June 15, 2009

For more information, contact:
Mark A. Puente
Association of Research Libraries
202-296-2296
mpuente@arl.org

Download a PDF of this release
Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce Call for Applications
Deadline August 31

Washington DC—The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is accepting applications for the Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce (IRDW), a program designed to recruit LIS graduate students from traditionally underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds into careers in research libraries. The IRDW includes a stipend up to $10,000 over two years, leadership and career development training, and a formal mentorship program.

The IRDW is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and ARL member libraries. This initiative reflects the commitment of ARL members to create a diverse research library community that will better meet the challenges of changing demographics in higher education and the emphasis of global perspectives in the academy.
Program Goal and Objectives

*

Attracting LIS graduate students from underrepresented groups to careers in research libraries, especially students with an educational background in applied and natural sciences or information technology*
*

Strengthening participants’ leadership skills via a Leadership Institute held in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting
*

Developing a network of mentors who will guide and nurture the career development of the participants

* Candidates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Those without academic training in natural/applied sciences or information technology/computer science will be required to complete coursework that will better prepare the candidate to work in science librarianship or information technology.

Applications

Successful applicants will meet the following criteria:

1.

Member of an underrepresented racial or ethnic group (Note: Racial and ethnic group membership is based on the categories outlined in the US Census. Racially and ethnically underrepresented groups include: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.)
2.

Acceptance into an ALA-accredited LIS graduate program
3.

Interest in pursuing a career in a research library

All applicants are required to submit the following materials by Monday, August 31, 2009:

*

Applicant summary sheet
*

Résumé
*

A 350-word essay describing what attracts you to a professional position in an ARL library
*

Two letters of reference
*

Official undergraduate and graduate school transcripts including your last academic semester completed
*

Copy of an official letter of acceptance from an ALA-accredited library/information school

For more details about the application process, see the complete Call for Applications http://www.arl.org/diversity/init/call.shtml.

For more information about the program, see the IRDW Web site http://www.arl.org/diversity/init/.

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.