CLA Blog

2010 Woman's Day Magazine Library Contest Open through May 9

CHICAGO - Libraries have until May 9 to promote Woman's Day magazine's newest initiative, "why the library is important to my community." The American Library Association (ALA) and Woman's Day are looking for stories that showcase the importance and value of libraries within the communities they serve.

Women ages 18 and up are invited to send in their stories in 700 words or less to womansday@ala.org. Up to four stories will be profiled in the March 2011 issue of the magazine or at womansday.com.

Librarians can download free tools to help collect local stories from the Campaign for America's Libraries Web site (www.ala.org/womansday). Tools include a sample press release and newsletter copy.

A downloadable Web button that can be linked to the official rules on the Woman's Day Web site (www.womansday.com/ala) is also available.

The initiative continues a nine-year partnership between the magazine and ALA's Campaign for America's Libraries that has generated millions of dollars worth of editorial coverage for libraries. Since 2002, Woman's Day has asked its readers to write in about "how the library has changed my life," "how the library helped improve my health" and "how the library helped me deal with the tough economy."

Woman's Day magazine is a Partner in the Campaign for America's Libraries (www.ala.org/@yourlibrary), ALA's public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians. Thousands of libraries of all types - across the country and around the globe - use the Campaign's @ your library brand. The Campaign is made possible by ALA's Library Champions, corporations and foundations that advocate the importance of the library in American society.

Other Partners include Carnegie Corporation of New York, Disney Book Group, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Univision Radio and Verizon.

Submitted by:

Megan McFarlane
Campaign Coordinator
The Campaign for America's Libraries

President's Column

Listening to National Public Radio on the way to work this morning, I had the serendipitous experience of hearing author Sebastian Faulks read from his latest book A Week in December about, well, reading:

"I s'pose it's an escape from the real world.'

'But surely it's just the opposite,' said Gabriel. 'Books explain the real world'. They bring you close to it in a way you could never manage in the course of the day."

That made me think hard about reading - the act, the pleasure, the struggle - and those who are unable to experience what I have. And it made me think about the California Library Association, and the Leadership Committee's call for volunteers for the CLA Board ballot, and the message I want to send to all of you today. (Hang in there - I think I can connect the dots..)

It may help to imagine the winding route I was taking, along the sweep of foggy coastline, with trees emerging from the mist and bright spring green grass alongside. I was reminded of the cell phone call I took, walking along that very same coastline, when I was asked to consider running for California Library Association President last year.

When I said yes, I would run, quite frankly, I had no idea of what I was saying "yes" to - and sometimes life is better that way! I had no idea how much work had been done to invigorate and transform California's oldest and largest library association, and how much work there was still to be done.

I had no idea how many dedicated, skilled, knowledgeable, articulate, charming and downright wonderful people work to support library efforts, principles and communities throughout California. I've been incredibly lucky to learn about the amazing CALTAC coalition, gain a better understanding about essential statewide Literacy efforts, experience the incredibly effective Legislative and Advocacy and Intellectual Freedom Committee work, watch the Leadership Development Committee spring into action, meet passionate and committed Interest Group members from around the state, work with the forward thinking and engaged 2010 Conference Committee - my list could go on and on. I am humbled and heartened by all you dedicated library supporters!

And quite frankly, I had no idea how important that contact, courage and camaraderie would be for me, personally, during this year of budget cuts, increasing usage and uncertainty about the future. My volunteer work with CLA has both been an escape from my "real world" and a chance to learn, connect and grow closer to the heart of what it means to develop and sustain libraries for our communities - and the future.

My invitation to you, today, is to consider becoming a "CLA Leader and CLA Learner" by giving your time, talents and energy to help continue CLA's transformation. Ignite your passion, push your boundaries and get involved!

Submitted to California Libraries by:

Kim Bui-Burton
Director, Monterey Public Library
CLA 2009-2010 President

The Monterey Public Library is an Institutional Member of CLA and directly supports our advocacy programs. Click here for more information on Institutional Membership.

Executive Director's Column

Thank you to all the members who responded to my question last month on "Why do you choose to be engaged with CLA?"

The responses ranged from being notified of valuable information and staying in touch with what is happening in California libraries to networking opportunities and professional advancement. I value the responses I received because it's those responses that help your volunteer leaders and staff work smarter on your behalf.

Those responses created more question: Do we offer enough networking opportunities? Do we have enough meaningful committee work to provide our volunteer leaders the experience they desire? Are we staying current as a state association? For the most part my questions can be answered with a yes, but I know we can be more, and it's that "more" we are dedicated to achieving.

Your CLA Board of Directors and Staff are working on ways to improve how we communicate with you, how we promote the value and importance of CLA not only to California librarians, but to our local and state government leaders as well, and build partnerships with organizations to help advance librarianship in California.

Throughout this year you will see enhancements to the CLA web site, communications and education. At the recent Board of Directors meeting task forces and sub-committees were created to help accomplish the improvements and enhancements we are dedicated to accomplishing this year.

So here is my March question: if you could improve one or two areas on the CLA web site, what would those areas be and what is needed to accomplish the improvement you seek? Click here to take a brief survey. If you have more than one or two areas, please feel free to email me directly at hollym@cla-net.org. I appreciate your feedback!

Thank you for your commitment to CLA!

Submitted to California Libraries by:

Holly Macriss
CLA Executive Director

Are You Ready to Free the Leader in You?

Recently I was sent a survey from the university I attended and where I had served in student government for three years. I began as a representative on our Student Judicial Board, then as Student Representative for the College of Letter, Arts and Sciences and finally as Student Body President. Since I was 13 years old I have felt this need to be involved in organizations that can create change - I guess that's why I have been in association management for 12 years. The skills I learned from serving in student government helped me understand how to serve on other organization boards and committees for which I've had the pleasure of volunteering, as well as how to guide and mentor the board of directors for the associations I have been lucky enough to manage.

For 114 years CLA has been a volunteer-run organization reliant on members like you to move the association forward - through 11+ decades - through an entire century. The changes and advancements for California libraries over the past century happened because of dedicated librarians like you. You work on a daily basis for your library and community and how many of those hours are outside of your "work hours"? The past and current CLA leaders take some of those outside of work hours to ignite their professional passion at the statewide level for the betterment of our profession.

Are you ready to free the leader in you? Are you ready to share your passion for what you do on a statewide level?

The CLA Leadership Development Committee is calling for nominations for the 2010 elections and is appealing to your inner leader. Are you passionate about California libraries and want to transform this passion into action? Your CLA Board of Directors and staff are dedicated to recognizing those members who are the silent leaders, but have a passion and desire to make a difference and can bring their special skills to fill vacancies on the CLA Board and committees. The work is challenging, invigorating, and provides professional growth. Association governance is similar, but just different enough from libraries to enable CLA members to increase their skill sets while working with other volunteers from throughout the state. Please consider growing your skills, expanding your professional network, and helping CLA become the premier library professional organization it should and can be.

If you are ready to free the leader in you visit CLA web site and complete the Committee Volunteer Form. Once completed please email to Immediate Past President, Barbara Roberts at barbara.roberts@palmsprings-ca.gov or fax to 916-932-2209. Do you have a co-worker or peer whom you feel would make an excellent CLA leader? Print out the volunteer form and helped them free the leader inside of them too!

Deadline to submit your nomination form is end of business Friday, March 26, 2010.

Ignite your passion, push your boundaries and get involved!

For more information regarding CLA nominations and the election timeline, please visit www.cla-net.org

Submitted to California Libraries by:

Holly Macriss
CLA Executive Director

Potrero Branch Library Reopened March 6

Library renovation includes new rear windows with spectacular city views

San Francisco Public Library celebrated the reopening of the Potrero Branch Library on Saturday March 6 - marking the 14th completed library project in the city's Branch Library Improvement Program. Located at 1616 20th St. in San Francisco, the renovated Potrero Branch Library added 33 percent more space for neighborhood library services.

Hundreds of residents attended the grand reopening celebration which kicked off with Chinese lion dancers at the renovated branch. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held with City Librarian Luis Herrera, State Sen. Mark Leno, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, Department of Public Works Director Ed Reiskin, Library Commission President Jewelle Gomez and Friends of the San Francisco Public Library's Donna Bero.

The renovation of the Potrero branch included seismic retrofitting to make the building safer in the event of an earthquake and accessibility improvements to meet ADA requirements. A new elevator and an additional staircase were added to access the new program room, which can accommodate Library classes and events as well as after-hours activities for the neighborhood. The creation of an inviting brightly lit children's area with an interactive Play-to-Learn wall and a new designated teen area were also part of the refurbishment. The renovation was designed by the Library Design Studio in the City's Bureau of Architecture in the Department of Public Works.

A centerpiece of the branch library is a new sculpture suspended above the library's main staircase, here and past here by artist Gina Telcocci. The abstract sculpture has many layers of meaning, referencing the unique natural and cultural history of the Potrero Hill neighborhood.

Potrero is the 14th library project to be completed under the Branch Library Improvement Program, which is funded by a $105.9 million bond measure passed by voters in November 2000. The program is supporting the renovation of16 branch libraries and the construction of eight new library buildings around the City. Project costs for the Potrero Branch Library totaled about $5.4 million.

Over the past two years, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library has been working in partnership with neighborhood residents and communities to raise funds, awareness and support for the branch improvements. Friends, together with the Potrero Library Campaign Committee, will contribute approximately $500,000 towards the branch renovations to pay for furnishings, fixtures and equipment -expenses not covered by the bond. For more information on how to support the Potrero Library Campaign, please contact Mary Abler at (415) 626-7512 ext. 107 or mary.abler@friendssfpl.org.

Submitted to California Libraries by:

Michelle Jeffers
Public Relations Officer
San Francisco Public Library

The San Francisco Public Library is an Institutional Member of CLA and helps supports our advocacy programs. Click here for more information on Institutional Membership.

Shelving Books in the Village Green

I'm not a librarian - yet. Rather, I am just another MLIS student (at the newly minted Cal State Northridge/University of North Texas program) paying his way through library school by working as a library page - one of those legions of worker bees whose primary responsibility is to shelve the endless sea of books that are checked in and out of my library. You may have seen me puttering along as I push my little cart around at my library, a rather large facility on the West Side of Los Angeles. It's interesting to note that in the comparatively brief time I have been working there (and it's only been about four years, which is a mere drop in the sea compared with the eras that some folks) I have myself noticed the pace of business has increased almost exponentially.

It's quite surprising to me how increasingly busy the library is getting - not just with folks using the computers to create resumes and whatnot, but with people just stopping by to utilize the library's other services. We have often heard from library nay-sayers that "libraries are dying." They're "dying" to get in, more like. One look at the check out desk, or the rows and rows of trucks sardine-can packed with returned books waiting to be reshelved, will tell you a different story. The Great Recession may have done a sad number for the muffin bakeries and Kroch plastic shoe shops up and down the 3rd Street Promenade, but at the library, we're in boom times. Patrons who a few years ago would just buy the new Danielle Steel novel or rent "Star Trek" at Blockbuster now troop into the library to check them out for the week for free. Folks too impoverished for any sort of entertainment swarm the library to hang out and peruse the shelves and chat (until they get shooshed quiet by a librarian).

"Pardon me, but where is Hitler?" was the very first question a patron asked me. He was a rather heavy set fellow in a sweaty tank top. He had a bald head, which he made up for with a shaggy beard that stretched almost to the flesh of his hairy chest, and he carried a rather threatening walking stick. The query took me aback, as really it should anyone with any sense. But after a minute, I realized he was looking for books about Hitler, which was an issue I was much more capable of addressing. "Why, you will want to check 921 H, sir," was my answer, sending him on his way to the biographies.

One thing about working at a library which surprised me is that I am never bored, not even when I am performing the most mundane of tasks. You see, libraries really are the village greens of the modern urban world - and all aspects of life and all classes of people ultimately pass through the village green. Not too long ago, I was working as the monitor of the library's Computer Commons, which contains 70 computers for the use of the general public (almost all stations are busy almost all the time).

An old man hobbled in and, tremulously leaning on his cane to peer over my little desk, he told me that he had never used a computer before but he had been told that there was a website on which he could see photos of himself in a band that he had performed with, oh, some sixty years ago.

It was no hardship to sign the gentleman onto a computer and then do a quick Google search of the his name, discovering with ease the website, in Dutch, showing the photos of a World War II era Big Band. There, in the back row of one photograph, holding a trombone in his hands, was the fellow (some 60 years earlier), dressed in a dazzling white suit and smiling a toothy smile full of youth and talent. Seeing the image of himself, as separated by an ocean of time, the elderly man's eyes welled up, but he smiled. "Ahh, I was so young, so young," the gentleman sighed. I printed out a copy of the photo and he tottered away with it, well pleased.

Mind you, not all library encounters are so pleasantly resolved. Indeed, many can't be resolved at all. The other day, while shelving some books, I passed a small table in the reading room. Two elderly ladies were seated around the table, across from each other. They were both fairly plump, with snowy white hair framing their apple round faces. Their table was piled with books and papers and both ladies were enrapt with their reading. However, what was odd was that each women was also holding up a folder to block the view of the other's face. Other than that, they were paying no attention to each other.

I whisperingly asked one of the security guards what was up with the strange looking pair, and I was promptly treated to a fascinating tale of blistering hate. It turns out the two women didn't know each other - but they had gotten into a fierce argument about something trivial. The guard had suggested that one of the women might want to move to a different table to read, but this merely sparked off another heated argument, as neither lady wanted to relinquish the high ground of the trophy table. The lady who left the table would clearly be heralded as the loser in the fight. And so, they women instead elected rather pathetically to wait each other out.

"You see," one lady even told the security guard. "I have taped the 23 Psalm to the other side of this folder so she will see it and know she is being a devil!" I walked around the table and surreptitiously took a glance, determining that, yes, she had taped a copy of a Psalm to the folder, albeit not the part that calls for "turning the other cheek."

I returned to my shelving, leaving the two women sitting there, locked in their war of eternal karmic hate. And so they just sat there, on and on. One suspects they would have sat there right up until the end of time and the stars fell from the skies, too, just reading and putting folders in each other's faces, except, of course, the library closed at 5:30 and they had to go home.

Submitted to California Libraries by:

Paul Birchall
SLIS CSUN/University of North Texas (2011)

THK U FR TXT'g

Friday in the airport en route to ALA. Something's different. I feel so relaxed...

I'm surrounded by people tapping away at their laptops and other mobile devices. This time last year, it seemed like everyone in the airport was screaming personal messages into phones. I am a ham-fisted typist and unlikely to ever text, but I am filled with gratitude to texters and those who invented the technology. Public places are back to the same subdued roar we had before the advent of the cell phone.

Another reason I am grateful to texters is their frequent typos. I admit to the occasional typo myself, but given the glorious proliferation of texted malapropisms I have recently received, my self esteem on that front has improved. (There is one school of thought I sometimes embrace, that most people suffer from an excess rather than a lack of self esteem, nevertheless, it feels good.)

At ALA, in every meeting I attended, people around me broke out their trusty little devices and appeared to be furiously taking notes. But who knows - with those itty-bitty screens you can't tell what people are looking at unless you really invade their personal space. Indeed, one proposed program I heard about was to be on managing staff use of social networking...I guess it depends which side you are on, the manager or managee, but some people will no doubt enjoy this aspect of hand held devicees.

On the other hand, I keep getting emails from people I don't want to offend who want to be my friend on Facebook. In order not to offend them, I say yes, but I never have time to look at my Facebook account. How do other people do it? If we all adhere to what various pundits assure us is the bare minimum, then on top of a 40 hour work week, 56 hours of sleep a week, at least six hours a week of vigorous exercise, flossing twice a day, volunteering regularly, keeping up with the joneses in leisure and professional reading, cooking and eating ethically and making sure to spend time with good friends and one's inner adult - well, what time is left for social media?

While grateful to the TXTrs around me, I also enjoyed a few days of being unconnected myself, and thus unable to be confronted by my woeful dereliction of all those great things you can spend all day doing online without actually accomplishing anything.

It's all about choice, but one thing is sure: hand held devices are now mainstream and not using them will soon be an eccentricity.

Submitted to California Libraries by:

Eve Nyren
CLA Member

Call for Presentation Proposals

CLA is seeking presenters who are professionals, paraprofessionals, exhibitors, or friends of libraries to submit proposals for concurrent sessions and/or institutes. To submit a presentation proposal, please visit http://proposals.cla-net.org/ for more information. The deadline for submission is Monday, April 19, 2010.

Dear Library Community,

As previously announced California Library Association (CLA) and California School Library Association (CSLA) are collaborating this year to bring the library community one joint conference. We will be "Navigating the New" together! Librarians and library supporters from all segments of the profession and all parts of the state will be coming to Sacramento November 12-15, 2010 to learn, network and enjoy.

As it relates to the call for proposal process, CLA and CSLA will be collecting presentation proposals separately through our respective online submission forms. Once the call for proposals process closes for each association (approximately 30 days from each launch date), both conference committees will work collaboratively to compare submissions with the intent to provide a broad range of topics but at the same time minimize any direct duplication of session topics.

Our goals this year are to:

Inform, delight and engage the attendees

Create the "Must Attend" Conference of the Year!

Provide opportunities for conversation among attendees beyond normal networking

Provide a hands-on experience as part of the learning process

Provide sessions that address the growth of social media and technology

Extend content beyond the walls of the conference center

Please keep these goals in mind as you submit your proposal for consideration.

Procedures for submitting a concurrent session proposal:

Session proposals are accepted online only.

All fields with an asterisk (*) must be completed or the proposal will not be considered.

Session titles must clearly communicate the content of the program.

Concurrent Sessions are 60 minutes in length.

Institutes are either two or six hours in length.

Spell out abbreviations or acronym for institutions, school names, job titles, or cities.

Proposal must be submitted by Monday, April 19, 2010. Proposals submitted after that date will not be considered.

Please do not miss the deadline for proposals for the CLA/CSLA Joint Conference November 12-15, at the Sacramento Convention Center. We need your proposal submitted by Monday, April 19, 2010. All submitters will be notified of their proposal's status by Tuesday, June 1, 2010.

Please visit the proposal information link at http://proposals.cla-net.org/ for all the information. If you have any questions about topics, please contact our program chair, Mary Menzel at mmenzel@calbook.org. Contact Gretel MacLeod at gretelm@cla-net.org or by toll-free phone at the CLA office at (877) 481-3298 for assistance if you encounter any difficulties with the submission process.

Finally, remember that being a presenter is a great way to show your administrators the value of your attendance and will also help defray the costs of attending. CLA member presenters receive free registration for the day of their presentation.

We look forward to receiving your proposal.

With best wishes,

Dana Christy
2010 CLA Conference Chair

Kim Bui-Burton
2010 CLA President

Congratulations to California's 2010 Movers & Shakers

On behalf of the California Library Association, I'd like to congratulate Monique Delatte, Virginia Sanchez, and Bonnie Tijerina on their induction into Library Journal's list of 2010 Movers & Shakers.

According to Library Journal, Movers & Shakers recognizes "up-and-coming individuals from around the world who are innovative, creative, and making a difference."

We are grateful for each of the inductees' efforts in helping navigate California's libraries towards a brighter future. I encourage you to visit each of the inductee's page to learn more about the work they are doing in their respective communities.

This year's inductees join the 29 previous California Movers & Shakers inducted since 2002. Again, congratulations to this year's Movers & Shakers inductees!

Kim Bui-Burton
2009-2010 CLA President
Director, Monterey Public Library

Save the Date!

NCTPG @ SFPL Friday, May 7, 2010

The Northern California Technical Processes Group will hold its annual meeting on Friday, May 7, 2010 in the San Francisco Public Library's Koret Auditorium. On the program will be Cathy Marshall from Microsoft Research, Tim Spalding from LibraryThing, and Günter Waibel from OCLC.

Please mark your calendars and stay tuned for more program details and registration information.

Submitted by:

Jean Dickinson
Slavic Cataloger
UC Berkeley

Mary Nacu Appointed Assistant Library Director

Role Oversees Day-to-Day Operations for Public Library Service at King Library and 18 Branches

SAN JOSÉ - Mary Nacu moves into San José Public Library's Assistant Library Director position permanently this month, following a six-month period acting in that capacity. Her appointment comes at the end of a national search, which concluded that Nacu is best qualified to oversee day-to-day operations for the growing system (currently eighteen branches, plus the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library) in a period of severe economic challenges.

Nacu brings to the role her knowledge and experience of the City of San José library system, starting with her 1987 appointment as a youth services librarian, which followed her receipt of a master's degree in library science from San José State University. She became a branch manager in 2001; then moved up in 2003 to the role of division manager with responsibility for staff development, training and innovation for the department along with oversight of nine branches.

Nacu's demonstrated leadership of the library's extensive innovation initiatives and projects over several years give her a framework in which to craft a leaner operation that still holds true to the customer service principles formulated under her guidance:

Customers first
Teach customers
Reinvent environments
Enable staff

Nacu resides in San José along with her husband and two of her three children.

About San José Public Library

San José Public Library system (SJPL) is the largest public library system between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the West Coast in California, serving a culturally diverse population of approximately 1,007,000 in the nation's 10th largest city. Recipient of the prestigious national Library of the Year award and a Four-Star LJ Index Rating, SJPL is recognized across the country for its innovation and leadership in the field and is one of the busiest library systems nationwide, with an annual checkout rate of more than 15 million items through 18 currently operating locations.

Submitted by:

Lorraine Oback
Marketing Communications
San José Public Library

The San José Public Library is an Institutional Member of the California Library Association and supports our advocacy efforts. Additionally, SJPL's new Assistant Director, Mary Nacu, is an active member of CLA. Click here for more information about CLA membership.

Libraries Are Good for Business

Late last year Palos Verdes Library District launched the Zerunyan Center for Business, Entrepreneurship and Community Development, intended to be the hub of our services for the business community. It is also PVLD's first foray into public/private partnerships, in this case between the Library District, local City Council Member Frank Zerunyan, and local corporate and individual sponsors.

The Center is still small, and we have had our share of growing pains as we work through all of the issues associated with bringing new partners with new perspectives (and in some cases a lack of understanding of what we already do) into "our" library world, integrating operation of the center with other library activities and programs, integrating fundraising for the Center with our other fundraising efforts, and identifying which programs and services are most needed by our local business community.

At the same time it has been very rewarding to see how the community, and particularly the business community, has responded. Apart from enabling the library to expand its services, the Center has also been a means of attracting new library supporters and donors who see (maybe for the first time) that the library is doing something that is directly relevant for them.

I have been wrestling with both how to work through the growing pains and capitalize on the opportunities that the Zerunyan Center presents, so I was excited to come across this Kiplinger article on how "Libraries Are Building Business Buzz" on Friday.

Apart from great ideas for services for business, it was interesting that the library examples in the article all seemed to be primarily publicly funded, albeit with support from donors. None of the business centers seemed to be the kind of comprehensive public/private partnership that we have envisioned...no wonder we are having growing pains!

Growing pains aside, I was pleased to see a national publication like Kiplinger's confirm that we are on the right track as we grow our services for business. In addition to the Zerunyan Center with its dedicated space, collection of business-related materials, and planned outreach programs we offer a variety of business-oreinted online databases; "quiet study" rooms that are used by local business people for small meetings; rent our larger conference and community rooms for use by businesses and business organizations as well as the non-profit community; Notary, scanning, copying and other services of interest to the business community; and are about to launch a new business networking website for our local community.

The article gave me renewed energy for tackling our Business Center issues and continuing to grow our business services...a shot in the arm at just the right time!

Submitted by:

Kathy Gould
Director, Palos Verdes Library District
Reposted from PVLD Director's Blog

The Palos Verdes Library District is an Institutional Member of CLA and supports our advocacy programs. Click here for more information on Institutional Membership.

Critical Action Alert: Public & School Libraries Need Our Help

Please call your congressperson's Washington office today and ask him/her to sign onto two letters circulating around Congress. The first letter your member needs to sign urges the Appropriations Committee to appropriate $100 million to Improving Literacy Through Schools (ILTS) in FY2011. President Obama has consolidated ILTS with five other programs, meaning it would compete with other literacy programs for federal dollars. We cannot let ILTS go without this funding because school libraries are essential to a child's education and ILTS is the only federal source of funding for school libraries.

The second letter your Representative in Congress needs to sign asks the House Appropriations Committee for $300 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in the FY2011 Appropriations bill. The American Library Association's Washington Office has created a chart (pdf) indicating how much your state received for LSTA in FY2010 versus how much your state would receive if LSTA is funded at $300 million. For example, California received $16,971,056 in 2010 and would receive $25,796,264 if LSTA was funded at $300 million. LSTA is the only federal funding for public libraries.

If your representative is a Democrat please ask him/her contact Joseph Mais in Congressman Raul Grijalva's office (at 202-225-2435) to sign these two letters. If your member is a Republican please ask him/her to call Rachel Fenton in Congressman Vernon Ehlers' office (at 202-225-3831) to sign-on.

Furthermore, when you contact your member's office, please explain how important it is that both public libraries and school libraries receive this funding. Tell your member about the critical services your library provides and why it deserves full funding.

If you need to locate your members of Congress, please visit CLA's Capwiz Legislative Action Center and enter your zip code.

Register Now for CLA's Spring Fling Events!

Fling yourself into Spring with the California Library Association's 2nd Annual Professional Development and Networking program series.

This year's Spring Fling programs include workshops, cultural and social events, as well as panel discussions. Events take place online in addition to eight cities, ranging from San Diego to Sacramento.

While attending CLA's Spring Fling programs you will meet new people, learn new skills, and spend time with colleagues and friends who share your interests. Visit the Spring Fling website to find the program that's right for you!

Discounts on registration are available for CLA members while further savings have been made for library students.

On behalf of CLA's staff and volunteers, we hope to see you at a Spring Fling program!

List of 2010 CLA Spring Fling Programs

March

Betwixt, Befuddled and Be"Tween"

April

The Internet Public Library: Opportunities for Participation
Religion & Public Libraries: Do You Dewey 200?
SCCTP Basic Serials Cataloging & Holding Workshops

May

Best Practices for Successful Computer Literacy Workshops for Adult Spanish Speakers
Angel Island Immigration Station Tour
Baby, Preschool, Bilingual and Spanish Storytimes Showcase!
Career Development Workshop: Embracing the Past, Celebrating the Future
New Developments in Cataloging Practices

June

Will LIS Graduate Students Accept Coursework in 3D Immersive Spaces?
Taking Charge of Your Career: Resume Writing, Interview Skills, and Finding a Job that's Right for You

2010 California Summer Reading Program's Training Workshop Video

Please visit the 2010 Summer Reading Workshop page to view this year's summer reading training workshop and find information on:

setting the scene and decorating the library;
programming ideas for children, teens, and adults, including storytimes, book discussions, games, crafts, environmental programming, and programming on a budget;
offsite summer reading programs;
teen volunteers; and
planning your adult summer reading program.

The workshop is divided up by topic for ease of viewing, and powerpoint presentations and handouts are also available for download.

If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback on the videos, please email Natalie Cole at ncole@cla-net.org. For full information on the 2010 California Summer Reading Program, please visit http://www.cla-net.org/summer-reading.

The workshop took place on November 5, 2009, at the Arthur F. Turner Community Library in West Sacramento, a branch of Yolo County Library. It was presented by CLA in partnership with the NorthNet Library System.

Thank you to the members of CLA's 2010 California Summer Reading Program steering committee for preparing and presenting our workshops, and to Infopeople for hosting the videos on their server.

The California Summer Reading Program is a project of the California Library Association, supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Submitted by:

Natalie Cole, PhD
Programs Director
California Library Association