Bronwyn’s Library Blog

Taranaki Children’s Book Festival Professional Development Day for Librarians.

Posted on July 24th, 2008 by

Friday 5th September
Plymouth Hotel
New Plymouth

Cost: $99 (gst included)
Morning, afternoon tea and lunch provided.
Enrolments close Friday 22 August 2008
For enrolment form and programme details please contact kaye.lally@stdc.govt.nz

Aimed at those who work with children and young adults in public and school libraries.

Programme includes:
“Reading Right From The Start” - Pauline Allen on brain development & reading
What are the kids up to now? - Sean Murgatroyd on Web2
Building bridges between the library and literacy - Jan Watts offers constructive ideas
Reading aloud - Debbie Roxburgh shares tips
Visual elements in reading - Lesley Dowding looks at pictures
Convert from the Classroom - Mel Lane reflects on teaching and library work
Demonstration of online selection tool

Discussion on:
Managing teens (around computers in particular)
Reading for boys
Favourite craft websites
Display ideas
Best Reference sites
Book Clubs
Series - what’s hot, what’s coming, what’s gone - and how to shelve?
And any other topics attendees suggest.

Join us on 5th September for a stimulating day brought to you by Taranaki Public Libraries:
Puke Ariki - New Plymouth District Libraries
South Taranaki District Libraries
Stratford District Library

Tags: Professional Development, children's library, events // Add Comment »

From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America

Posted on July 19th, 2008 by

OCLC was awarded a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to explore attitudes and perceptions about library funding and to evaluate the potential of a large-scale marketing and advocacy campaign to increase public library funding in the U.S. The findings of this research are now available in the OCLC report, From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America. Though this study was based on data from the United States, there are findings in the report that could be applicable to any library seeking to understand the connections between public perceptions and library support.

(…more)

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Nominations are invited for the Premier and Excellence awards of the Australian Library and Information Association

Posted on July 18th, 2008 by

Nominations are considered by the National Awards Panel which make recommendations to the Board of Directors. Confidentiality in nomination

is essential and nominees should not be aware that they are being nominated for an award.

The closing date for all these awards is 4 August 2008 (extended deadline).

Premier Awards - ALIA’s Premier Awards include: the HCL Anderson, the Redmond Barry and the Ellinor Archer Awards. All the Premier Awards are peer-nominated.

· The HCL Anderson Award is the Association’s highest honour that can be bestowed on an Associate member of ALIA.

· The Redmond Barry Award is the Association’s highest honour that can be bestowed on an individual not eligible for Associate or Technician

· membership of the Association.

· The Ellinor Archer Pioneer Award recognises pioneering work in new areas of library and information science.

Excellence Awards - ALIA’s Excellence awards include: the Excellence Award and the Metcalfe Award.

· The Excellence Award recognises excellence in any area, field or aspects of practice in the library and information services sector. This

· award is peer or self-nominated.

· The Metcalfe Award recognises high achievement by a personal financial member in their first five years of practice in libraries and

· information services. This award is peer-nominated.

Please visit the ALIA website for more information: http://www.alia.org.au/awards/

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IFLA Jun 2008 SCL News - Libraries for Children & Young Adults Section newsletter

Posted on July 17th, 2008 by

The June 2008 issue is out at the Section’s page on IFLAnet.
Your comments & submissions to SCL News are most welcome!

********************************
Countries featured in this issue:
* DENMARK(p.3 - The library service’s future in Denmark)
* PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (p.4 - “first English children’s library in Mainland China”).
* SINGAPORE(p.6 - Teen Online Chat: Singapore & Germany)
* NETHERLANDS(p.9 - “The Library of 100 Talents”)
* UNITED STATES OF AMERICA(p.11 - Summer Reading Programme & Mascot)

http://www.ifla.org/VII/s10/pubs/s10-newsletter-June08.pdf
- 1.9MB PDF

If the above link doesn’t work, try this:
http://tinyurl.com/6m4eem

Other content:
* The Chair Speaks
* Editor’s Note
* New Competencies, Roles, and Staff for Children’s Libraries: Denmark
* Reading aloud in VMBO: Netherlands
* Website Reviews
* Highlights of Minutes: Mid-year meeting ********************************

REGISTER for the Section’s mailing list:
http://www.ifla.org/II/iflalist.htm#CHILD-YA

Tags: children's library, young adult // Add Comment »

Peter McInnes Award for Library Services for Children and Young People (FOLA)

Posted on July 16th, 2008 by

please think about nominating

Purpose
The Award recognises and supports excellence and innovation in Australian library services.

Criteria for nomination
• Applicant can be either a Friends of the Library or a Library Service.
• Nominations for the award may be made by an FOL group for a service or by the library service itself.
• Applicant must complete the one page Entry Form.
• Supporting material, for example: press releases, promotional materials, documentation, should be
provided in support of the application.
• No material will be returned, therefore, photocopied information will be acceptable.
• Nomination should provide evidence of outcomes and success of the program or event and must have taken place during the past 12 months.

Award
Entries will be judged by a FOLA Panel of Judges, on the basis of the project, or activity, the planning,
implementation, innovation, community and volunteer involvement and measurable results. Each Award consists of a prize of $1000, sponsored by Bolinda Publishing and FOLA, along with a FOLA certificate.

Application form: http://www.fola.org.au/pdfs/FOLA%20Awards_2008.pdf

Applications close: 31 JULY 2008

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ALA to Study the Impact of Gaming on Literacy

Posted on July 13th, 2008 by

The American Library Association (ALA) plans to launch an innovative project to track and measure the impact of gaming on literacy skills.

The project, funded by a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation, will serve as a national model for library gaming.

“Gaming is a magnet that attracts library users of all types and, beyond its entertainment value, has proven to be a powerful tool for literacy and learning,” said ALA president Loriene Roy. “Through the Verizon Foundation’s gift, ALA’s gaming for learning project will provide the library community with vital information and resources that will model and help sustain effective gaming programs and services.”

… more

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Just what is a Librarian? - not so much about shushing as about challenge and creativity?

Posted on July 8th, 2008 by

So what is a realistic librarian image? Library and information work is definitely more than shelving books. It’s challenging, intellectual, important, and, according to librarians, rewarding (25).

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We Find It All: Wikia’s New Social Search Engine

Posted on July 7th, 2008 by

Wikia, Inc. (www.wikia.com), the for-profit cousin of the Wikimedia Foundation (http://wikimediafoundation.org), launched the alpha release of its new search engine, Search Wikia (http://alpha.search.wikia.com), on January 7. Search Wikia is branded as a “social” search engine, significantly different from the big names in search, such as Google and Ask.com. Wikia is hoping that the open and participatory model will make Search Wikia the place to go for search results of higher quality.
Read more …

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Register now for LIANZA Conference 2008

Posted on July 6th, 2008 by

Registrations are open for LIANZA Conference 2008 Poropitia Outside the Box
at the SKYCITY Convention Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, from Sunday
2 to Wednesday 5 November 2008.

Take time out of your normal routine to think about who you are, what you do
and why you do it that way. Be inspired and challenged by keynote speakers
from New Zealand and the world. Culture and heritage, non-book formats,
digital services, local history, libraries and community, equitable access
… the conference will offer a lot to learn about and much to celebrate.

Featuring keynote speakers:
*         Dylan Horrocks, Comics Laureate to the conference.
*         Dr Diane Mara, tutor and research project leader in the
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Eastern Institute of Technology
(EIT) Hawkes Bay
*         Professor Mason Durie, Professor of Maori Research and
Development and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Maori) at Massey University.
*         Mark McCrindle, Director of McCrindle Research
*         Professor Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law at Stanford Law
School 2008. (LIANZA Conference 2008 and the Faculty of Law at The
University of Auckland are co-hosting Lawrence Lessig’s New Zealand
visit.)
*         Professor Marilyn Waring, Institute of Public Policy at AUT
University.

You can register online at
http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2008/registration.html

For further information see the Conference website
http://www.lianza.org.nz/events/conference2008/ or contact The Conference
Company lianza@tcc.co.nz

Early bird registration closes 19 September 2008.

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No Shushing in This Library

Posted on July 4th, 2008 by

Grace Carroll is the kind of girl you’d trust for a scoop on the San Diego scene. She’s pretty, blonde, smart. She tends bar in one of La Jolla’s hottest restaurants, where the clientele isn’t much older than the twentysomething chef, who may have been the first here to foist celery foam on culinary early-adopters.

“I can’t believe you haven’t been.” Carroll’s voice lowers to conspiracy level as she pours our drinks. “The space is totally amazing. Sometimes I go just to hang out.”

This insider tip we get with our sauvignon blanc is not about a club, microbrew pub, or boutique. It’s a library. The Mission Valley Branch of the San Diego Public Library.