CLA Weblog Submissions
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Roundtable
January 30, 2007
CLA PR Committee and Marketing and PR Round Table Joint Meeting
Submitted by Mary Beth Train
November 11, 2006 at CLA
Much of the meeting time was spent on clarifying the confusion surrounding the attendees' understanding of the differences between a CLA committee, a round table and a section. Due to some mis-communications, neither of the incoming 2007 chairs for the PR Committee and Round table were there, nor were their names known. Details on this structure are at the end of the following highlights from the meeting.
Marketing 103, taught by Dianne Bish, Roseville PL; Andrea Woodruff, Lodi PL; Michael Beener, Yorba Linda PL; Ann Miller, Solano County PL, and Suzanne Walchli, UoP. This workshop, sponsored by the PR Committee and Marketing and PR Round Table, with presenters from each, is one of a continuing series based upon the ttendees' feedback. It's a very popular hands-on presentation and Q&A. This year's topics were how to get started in marketing and promoting your library. Bernadette Swanson, Instruction Librarian, Shields Library, University of California Davis, attended and made a video of the session, available via Google video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=198731897418639260&hl=en. The streaming video is 1 hour, 12 minutes in length.
Marketing listserv: All members of the PR Committee Marketing and PR Round Table are subscribed. The marketing_pr@lists.cla-net.org mailing list has been created to be used as a tool for sharing information and planning activities among members of the CLA Marketing & Public Relations Round Table.
To post to this list, send your email to: marketing_pr@lists.cla-net.org.
General information about the mailing list is at:
http://lists.cla-net.org/listinfo.cgi/marketing_pr-cla-net.org.
The incoming PR Committee chair is Julie Warren, PR Manager, Palm Springs PL. The Marketing and Public Relations Round Table chair for 2007 is Barbara Flynn, Orange County Public Library. The round table has 269 members.
Transition meeting: There was a suggestion that the incoming and outgoing chairs hold a transition, or "hand-off," meeting at CLA.
Committee: Chair is appointed by the president who will be in office in the same year the CLA conference is held. The president decides if the chair must reside in, or work in, the section of the state in which the annual meeting is held. Therefore, the chair for 2007 is from Southern California since the CLA conference/annual meeting will be held in Long Beach.
The Committee, formally known as Public Relations and Information, manages the annual PR Excellence Award. The committee's purpose is "to address issues that affect the whole CLA organization and membership" (from the CLA website.) One of the committee members must be a member of the related round table and/or section to represent those groups' interests to the committee. Committee members are appointed by the incoming CLA president and they are normally limited to three-year terms. Their responsibilities directly affect the CLA organization and membership.
Round tables, on the other hand, are open to all voting members and members may rejoin them year after year. They are based on specific interests of library staff and their communities, e.g. Marketing. Round tables are formed to encourage the sharing of ideas; details are at http://www.cla-net.org/faqs.php#about03.
Round tables and sections may sponsor workshops and presentations, post to the blog, and participate in the Awards Dinner planning et al. Round tables are encouraged to have a web page; see links to examples at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/sectionstables.php.
The Round table chair is not the same person as the Committee chair. Round tables are strongly advised to communicate with the committee, which is why a committee member usually participates in the Round table. Round tables whose members aren't active or very few are discontinued.
A list of round table chairs is at http://www.cla-net.org/aboutcla/roundtablechairs.php. The rosters of a section, committee or round table, are in the CLA member directory at http://rsmart.ca/CLA_Members/CLA-Start.asp (the link is on CLA's home page).
Meeting attendees were:
* Loren McCrory - Yuba County Library, outgoing PR committee chair
* Dianne Bish - Roseville PL, Marketing series
* Andrea Woodruff, Lodi PL, Marketing series
* Donna Pontau - Rincon Branch, Livermore PL,
* BJ Combs - student, Carmichael, CA,
* Bernadette Swanson, Instruction Librarian, Library Graphics,
* Cheryl Gratano, South San Francisco PL,
* Mary Beth Train, PLS, PR Committee member,
* Eileen Penson,
* Carole Hull, Whittier PL
Some of the prior committee's accomplishments: Marketing series (Diane Bish & Andrea Woodruff). Slide show of the PRexcellence winners (Michael Beener), Re-design of the PR excellence entry form (Michael Beener). Display of the winning PRexcellence entries on the Swap & Shop table (Deborah Doyle, PRexcellence chair & Michael Beener) New CLA new program "Getting to Win" in which selected PRExcel Awardees share the secrets of their success.
PRexcellence Award winners: See CLA Blog Post of November 22, 2006. Includes all awardees - http://www.cla-net.org/weblog/mt/archives/2006_11.php.
Report of 2006 Committee chair, Loren McGrory CLA Blog Post of November 07, 2006.
Posted by claadmin at 10:31 AM
November 28, 2006
Native Libraries Round Table 2006 Wrap Up
November 11, 2006 the Native Libraries Round Table presented a workshop at the CLA conference. The program, "I" is not for Indian: The portrayal of Native Americans in Children's Literature was met with great enthusiasm from audience members.
The panel of speakers discussed how to evaluate and select children's materials for truthful portrayals of Indian peoples. They used examples to increase program participants' awareness of harmful stereotypes and inaccurate portrayals of Native Americans in children's literature, including "Best Sellers." They also provided participants with resources to help them evaluate Native American literature and make it easier for librarians to choose books which objectively describe the lives and histories of indigenous peoples. Lastly, the speakers talked about identifying resources for materials on California Indians while dispelling the myth that California Indians are extinct.
The Native Libraries Round Table looks forward to presenting another thought provoking and stimulating workshop at the next CLA conference.
In other news, I would like to thank Kisa Collins who has agreed to co-chair the round table with me this coming year.
Liana Juliano, Chair
Native Libraries Round Table
Posted by claadmin at 1:40 PM
Historical Library Tour Wet and Successful!
Despite the weather, a sold-out group braved the rain to tour three of Sacramento's most magnificent special collections during the final hours of CLA's annual conference, November 13th. For their soggy efforts they were rewarded with firsthand glimpses of Audubon's famous illustration of white owls in the State Library's California History Room, multiple copies of 19th century (and earlier!) maps housed in the bowels of the State Archives, and a fabulous artist's book made of marble and cow's teeth (!) in Sacramento Public Library's Sacramento Room. Some photos from our tour of the State Archives are below.
A warm thanks to our tour guides and hearty tourists for making this one of the most successful Library History Round Table events yet. And a special round of applause to Susan Hanks for pulling it all together!
Cindy Mediavilla
Programs Chair
CLA Library History Round Table
Posted by claadmin at 1:22 PM
June 7, 2006
Serving Native Communities
Submitted by Liana Juliano, Native Libraries Round Table Chair
Twenty participants gathered for an eight week online course, Information Services for Tribal Communities, presented by InfoPeople. The InfoPeople Project is 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. The course was created to give information professionals working in tribal communities in- depth reference knowledge. An added bonus for all participants was a free core reference collection provided by the California State Library.
The first and last meetings were in person and held on the Pala Reservation in north San Diego County. In the first meeting, Holly Tomren, class instructor, discussed what reference is and gave an overview of the reference interview. Then Ms. Tomren went through the books that were provided to the libraries one by one and explained how to use them. The free core collection included an encyclopedia set, almanac, dictionary, medical reference books, legal reference books, and career books. Over half of the collection consisted of Native American resources which Ms. Tomren created by conferring with several experts in the field.
During the online portion of the class, students had weekly reading assignments and exercises. Topics included ready reference, types of reference materials, evaluating resources, and library organization and cataloging. Students had the opportunity to post messages to the instructor and other students which gave them a great chance to network with each other. At the end of the course, Ms. Tomren posted several self-paced modules on business, genealogy, consumer information, and legal information to further supplement the student's reference knowledge.
The final classroom session was an excellent workshop on consumer health resources taught by Bette Anton. The session was adapted from the InfoPeople workshop Prescription for Success: Consumer Health Information on the Web provided by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Southwest Region, UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library and funded by the National Library of Medicine.
The workshop taught participants how to use Medline Plus to find reliable health information, how to evaluate consumer health web sites, how to locate health resources for Californians, and provided an overview of the collaborative databases of the National Library of Medicine.
The consumer health resources workshop was a big hit. One participant said, "the information is easier to find than the patron thinks," and another felt that she had "learned how to evaluate web sites." All the participants said that they would be taking the information they learned back to their communities and sharing it with colleagues
Posted by claadmin at 12:37 PM
March 20, 2006
Let's Talk about Organizational Systems
Join the CLA Student Round Table for our second "Let's Talk about" event on Wednesday March 29 at Occidental College, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. This month's discussion will focus on ourselves and our organizations: Who are we? Why have we chosen to be where we are (in libraries)? How do we make the most of ourselves and our places?
We'll go beyond just talk this month, to the experiential. Be prepared to do some personal assessment and to actively engage with each other. Our facilitator for this event is John Vlietstra, a non-librarian, avid reader, former human resources manager, and a doctoral student in Organizational Systems, whose mission is "to be part of a team that brings about an organization that both thrives and allows the full expression of healthy, adult personalities."
Please RSVP by Wednesday March 22 to marsha@somanybks.com. Directions and parking instructions will be mailed to attendees on Monday March 27.
-Marsha Schnirring, SRT Chair
The purpose of the CLA Student Round Table is to provide formal and informal networking and professional development opportunities for current and recent library students, and to enhance the possibilities for mentoring relationships between CLA student members and experienced library professionals.
Posted by claadmin at 7:26 AM
February 9, 2006
CLA Student Round Table "Let's Talk about RDA'
Submitted by Marsha Schnirring, Chair, CLA Student Round Table
The California Library Association's Student Round Table invites you to join us for the first in our "Let's Talk about ..." series. These informal gatherings are designed to bring library students and practioners together to talk shop and network.
"Let's Talk about RDA" will be facilitated by Dorothy McGarry, Emerita, UCLA Library, and recipient of the 2005 Margaret Mann Citation. We'll be talking on Thursday, February 23, 2006 from 7-9 PM, in Room 121 of the GSE&IS building on the UCLA campus. For more information on the status of Resource Description and Access (RDA), visit http://www.collectionscanada.ca/jsc/rda.html.
Please email your intention to attend to marsha@somanybks.com, no later than Thursday February 16, 2006. Confirmation and parking instructions will be emailed on Monday, 2/20.
We look forward to talking with you!
The purpose of the CLA Student Round Table is to provide formal and informal networking and professional development opportunities for current and recent library students, and to enhance the possibilities for mentoring relationships between CLA student members and experienced library professionals.
Posted by claadmin at 11:46 AM
October 26, 2005
Collection Development: Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Submitted by Glynda Christian, Collection Development Chair
You are most cordially invited to our Topics and Tea Collection Development Round Table Meeting on Saturday morning, 10:45 to 12:00 noon, in Room C101 of the Pasadena Conference Center. If you are a CDRT member (and you can become one easily, contact CLA office) we invite you to sit with us, and to bring a teapot you'd like to "show off" with a few bags of your favorite tea. We'll get the hot water to make it all work, and have some cookies to boot! For members in Southern Cal, who don't have to worry about having your packed cookies turn into crumbs, please feel free to bring on some Southern Cal cookies! We will meet, and we will talk about a variety of interesting topics, including selecting for Latino populations.
Then, after you're nicely soothed for Saturday, get ready for Sunday's CDRT presentation at the Pasadena Conference Center, Room C102, and hear all about the female detective and other mysterious phenomena on Sunday morning, 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. with California Writers' Panel: Left Cost Noir: Celebrating California's Mystery Tradition with authors Paula Woods, Denise Hamilton, and Jerrilyn Farmer! Don't miss this dynamic panel discussion presented by our crime fiction/mystery-solving trio of best-selling authors! They will read and explore the southern California landscape from the perspective of their crime-solving heroines; time for questions as well. CLA exclusive: a literary map designed for this program will be given to attendees. Book signing to follow.
With your tea and cookies and a stimulating series of mystery authors before you, you're sure to have a real good time! Come on by! Join the CDRT if not already a member, and let me know who's bringing those tea pots!! Tasty, informative, and fun--what else is there?
Posted by claadmin at 3:29 PM
September 16, 2005
Annual LISSTEN Banned Books Week Read-A-Thon!
Submitted by Marsha Schnirring, Student Round Table Chair
Little did Annie Knight know that her seventh-grade English teacher's reading of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 would turn out to be her first memorable conversation about censorship. Now a library student at San José State University, Annie is the chair of this year's Banned Books Week Read-a-Thon. Read on to learn about the event and how you can participate:
Annual LISSTEN Banned Books Week Read-A-Thon!
(LISSTEN is an association serving Fullerton Special Session students in the San José State University School of Library and Information Science.)
On Sunday, October 2nd, LISSTEN (Library and Information Science Students to Encourage Networking) will be celebrating Banned Books Week by hosting their annual Read-A-Thon.
The event will take place from 10am to 6pm at Cal State University, Fullerton, outside Pollak Library, where they will be reading Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. In addition to the reading of Bradbury's beloved and timely book, simultaneous readings of various challenged and banned Children's and YA titles will take place.
Other highlights of this event include guest speaker Wendy McPherson, Children's Librarian for Echo Park PL, discussing the current political climate of censorship and literature, a bookmobile stocked with banned and challenged literature for all to peruse, and chalk art created by local artists.
LISSTEN's Banned Books Week Committee is currently seeking volunteers to read out loud for the marathon readings. Those interested in signing up for a 10 or 20 minute reading slot of Fahrenheit 451 can contact committee chair Annie Knight at digress@9250x.com. Also, LISSTEN is looking for storytellers to read Children's and YA literature for the event. if you or someone you know would be interested in storytelling, please email digress@9250x.com.
Parking on campus is free during the day of the event. To view a CSUF campus map, visit www.fullerton.edu/campusmap/CampusMap.htm.
Bring your families, friends, and colleagues to the event, and a picnic lunch to enjoy during the reading!
If you have any questions about the event or would like to volunteer to participate, please contact Annie Knight, LISSTEN Banned Books Week Chair, at digress@9250x.com or call (951) 218-8152.
It's Your Freedom We're Talking About!
Posted by claadmin at 9:35 AM
September 12, 2005
Reading and Writing the West
Submitted by Cindy Mediavilla, Library History Round Table Chair
Looking for an excuse to start CLA conference festivities early? Then you might want to consider joining the Library History Round Table on the following tour of nearby museums and libraries:
Reading and Writing the West
Friday, November 4, 2005
12:00 Noon - 4:30 PM
Cost: $40 includes admission to all museums
Participants will enjoy guided tours of the research collections of the Institute of the American West, which include the Autry Library at the Autry Museum of the West and the Braun Research Library at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, and of the Charles Lummis House. Bus transportation will be provided. Tickets by advanced purchase only. Sponsored by the CLA Library History Round Table.
Participants will have an opportunity to purchase light lunch or snack at the Golden Spur Cafe at the Autry Museum of the West.
For more information, please contact CLA staff at info@cla-net.org or Suzanne Stauffer at smstauffer@earthlink.net.
Posted by claadmin at 9:20 AM
September 1, 2005
Student Round Table Report
Submitted by Marsha Schnirring, SRT Chair
There's plenty of room at the table, so pull up a chair and get involved!
Response to the newly formed Student Round Table has been quite enthusiastic and we now have over 70 members! The web page and listserv are in place, and a first draft of our Standing Rules is in the works.
Looking forward, I envision a variety of networking and professional development activities for Round Table members:
- Quarterly dinner/speaker meetings throughout the state
- Partnering with the CLA Mentoring program
- Library tours and workshops
- SRT Newsletter
If vision is to become reality, however, we need interested and willing SRT members to make it happen. Please email me at mschnirr@slis.sjsu.edu if you are interested in volunteering in any of these ways:
Area coordinators (Bay Area, Central Coast, Eastern Sierra, Gold Country, Inland Empire, North Coast, Northern Mountains, Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, Southland, Wine Country) Serve as point-of-contact, organize dinner/speaker meetings, library tours, and workshops.
School liaisons (CSULB, SJSU, UCLA, and community colleges with Library Technician programs) Serve as point-of-contact, collect and distribute information.
Newsletter editor Edit and publish SRT quarterly electronic newsletter.
Finally, we're planning a number of activities at the November CLA conference in Pasadena:
- Coffee Crawl (Friday night, 11/4) - a progressive exploration of Pasadena's coffee houses and a lively discussion of the future of librarianship
- Business meeting (Saturday morning, 11/5)
- Various student volunteer activities throughout the conference
If you are not currently a member of the Student Round Table and are interested in joining, contact the CLA office at info@cla-net.org and request to be added.
More soon ...
Posted by claadmin at 11:49 AM
August 24, 2005
Tribal Librarians Boot Camp June 2005
Submitted by Liana Juliano, Co-chair Native Libraries Round Table
Tribal librarians from all over California gathered at Pala Reservation for a unique event sponsored by the State Library and Infopeople. The training was made possible by a grant from the State Library, under a provision of the federal Library Services and Technology Act. Workshops on cataloging, archiving, library promotion, book repair, and more were conducted by state and San Diego County library officials and experts. The historic event at Pala Reservation was made even more special when State Librarian Susan Hildreth came to speak on the final day and presented completion certificates to all those who attended.
Participants gave rave reviews to the boot camp. Gary Walker, from Chemhuevi Indian Reservation, was thrilled to have the opportunity to exchange ideas and resources with other librarians. He said, "We are finding out how they are solving the same problems and (resolving) the same concerns we are, and also what the resources are in the public library system and at the state and federal levels." Doretta Musick, from Pala Library, said the skills they developed from the workshop would make it easier to assist patrons "no matter what the topic."
The state library in New Mexico has long partnered with tribal libraries providing assistance with funding and training, but this has not been case in most other states, California included. For the past several years, the state and tribal libraries have been working together networking and sharing resources. One of many positive outcomes has been the creation of CLA's Native Libraries Roundtable in 2003.
Posted by claadmin at 1:42 PM
June 30, 2005
Miriam Matthews to be Honored
Submitted by Sharon Johnson, African American Librarian's Round Table Co-Chair
The African American Librarian's Roundtable will be co-hosting a legacy program honoring Miriam Matthews, California's first African American Librarian, at the 2005 CLA Conference. Ms. Matthews assembled one of the most extensive collections of materials on African Americans in California history, and worked diligently to educate people about Los Angeles' history of diversity. In recognition of her trail blazing accomplishments, the Los Angeles Public Library has named their new Hyde Park library the Hyde Park - Miriam Matthews Branch. This conference program is co-hosted by the CLA Cultural Diversity Committee and the California Librarian's Black Caucus. Information on time and location will be forthcoming.
Posted by claadmin at 11:47 AM
June 22, 2005
Announcing CLA's Newest Round Table!
Claim a place at the table - the CLA Student Round Table, that is.
CLA is pleased to announce the formation of a Student Round Table whose purpose is "to provide formal and informal networking and professional development opportunities for current and recent library students."
Round Table membership is FREE and open to all CLA voting members, enhancing the possibilities for mentoring relationships between CLA student members and experienced library professionals.
If you wish to join the Student Round Table immediately, send your request to info@cla-net.org. You may also designate participation in the Student Round Table at the time of your membership renewal.
Interim chair of the Student Round Table is Marsha Schnirring, a student in the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science program (Fullerton campus), and a CLA Membership Committee Member. She can be reached via email at mschnirr@slis.sjsu.edu or by phone at 626.357.8440.
Posted by claadmin at 4:33 PM
CLA Round Table Explores Exhibit
Submitted by Cindy Mediavilla, Library History Round Table Chair
The CLA Library History Round Table has been approached by a local historical museum about the possibility of mounting an exhibit, in 2007, on California's traveling county librarians of the early 20th century. If you would like to help plan such an exhibit, please contact round table chair Cindy Mediavilla at 310/206-2464 or cmediavi@ucla.edu.
Posted by claadmin at 10:04 AM
May 25, 2005
Services to Restricted or Disabled Persons Round Table Discussion Group
Submitted by Barbara Will, Chair
The Round Table established an electronic discussion group to encourage communication and the sharing of information among California library staff members who are interested in improving services for people with disabilities and other conditions - geographical or physical - that are barriers to library use. It builds upon the California State Library's discussion list, which supported the now-concluded "Public Library Services for People with Disabilities" program.
The list is open to all. To subscribe, please visit http://lists.infopeople.dreamhost.com/listinfo.cgi/disalibrary-infopeople.dreamhost.com or http://tinyurl.com/baxtm.
Posted by claadmin at 8:23 AM
May 2, 2005
Library History Round Table Report
Submitted by Cindy Mediavilla, LHRT Chair
CLA's Library History Round Table (LHRT) held its mid-year meeting, April 30, at the Southwestern University Law Library. Upcoming conference activities, including a proposed bus tour of the Autry and Southwest museums, Charles Lummis house, and San Fernando mission archives, were discussed. Progress was also reported on the compilation of an unprecedented bibliography of articles related to California library history. The highlight of the meeting was a tour of the law library, which is housed in the former Bullocks Wilshire department store, one of the most famous art deco architectural landmarks of Los Angeles. The university purchased and refurbished the building in the mid-1990s. What a thrill to view this glorious building, which is usually closed to the public! Many thanks to Southwestern reference librarian and LHRT member David McFadden for providing the tour.
Posted by claadmin at 2:52 PM
March 11, 2005
Services to Restricted or Disabled Persons Round Table Report
Submitted by Barbara Will, Chair
ELECTRONIC DISCUSSION GROUPS
The Round Table is exploring the possibility of establishing its own electronic discussion group for California librarians interested in services for people who are restricted or have disabilities, possibly building upon the one created by the California State Library in support of its "Public Library Services for People with Disabilities" grant program.
For information covering prison librarianship, people may also subscribe to the national PRISON-L electronic discussion list. This electronic discussion group is sponsored by ALA's Association of Cooperative and Specialized Library Agencies (ASCLA). Participation is free, and membership in the organization is not required. Interested people should send the following message (all on one line) to listproc@ala.org:
subscribe PRISON-L YourFirstName YourLastName
Posted by claadmin at 8:46 AM
January 4, 2005
Welcome to the CLA Weblog
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Posted by claadmin at 6:00 PM