Category: Conference 2008
May 30, 2008
Membership Recognition -- 25 Years
Since 2005, the Member Services Committee has been recognizing those members of the Association with 25 years or more of continuous membership. In this short time, we have honored over 100 loyal NJLA members! We want to thank the following people for their 25 years of service to NJLA. Their contribution of time and talent makes NJLA the strong organization it is today.
The 2008 class of honorees includes:
Joan M. DelleCave
Maureen Gorman
Karen Haase-Gray
Elizabeth McCall
Kevin Mulcahy
Karen Novick
Paul Rigby
Linda M. Risden
Joanne Roukens
Michael Utasi
Pictured: (Left to Right) M. Utasi, L. Risden, E. McCall, M. Gorman
Posted by member at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2008
Holocaust Book Program
One of the more interesting programs sponsored by the Children's Services Section at this Conference was a program on Holocaust books for children. The presenter was Kathe Pinchuk, this year's chair of the American Jewish Library Association's Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. Ms. Pinchuk gave her audience some tips on reviewing and evaluating books on the Holocaust and then provided with an excellent list of recommended titles for a wide variety of ages. Her powerpoint presentation and an annotated list of recommended books have been posted to the handouts section of the wiki, so don't miss them.
Pat Vasilik
Children's Coordinator
Clifton Public Library
Clifton, NJ
Posted by childrens at 3:18 PM | Comments (0)
Program recommending Spanish language books for Children
Lucia Acosta, from the Princeton Public Library, presented a great program at the conference, talking about the importance of including Spanish language materials in our public library collections and highlighting some of the books in Spanish that she thinks are outstanding. Lucia is not a big fan of bilingual books. (A biligual text often interupts the flow of the book, especially picture books, and very often the Spanish translation suffers.) Her recommended list of books for children will be posted to the wiki soon, so watch for it.
Posted by childrens at 3:11 PM | Comments (0)
May 9, 2008
NJLA Conference 2008
Within my work history, my previous experience with professional shows was horticulture. Just try to imagine the garden section at your local Home Depot or Lowe's picked up, reorganized into booths over the size of a football field, and then assigned a small group of knowledgeable but surreally excitable representatives. I cannot say that I got very excited over a new type of PVC pipe or a reformulated herbicides or the latest in tractor technology. To be fair, I cannot say that I got very excited over shelving systems or databases or book distributors, but I think it is only because I don't have access to the library system checkbook. Overall, it was an enjoyable introduction to the professional librarian convention scene.
My wife and I are librarians for different branches of the Burlington County Library System. The conference was a great way to spend the day with her while we both broadened our professional horizons. And with the various conference offerings, we were able to take in different presentations and compare notes on the car ride home. The only thing I missed was the chance to chat and do some social networking with some of the other librarians present; but this was more of a product of our conference schedule than actual opportunity. In any event, I found the programs that I attended to be interesting and relevant to what I do on a daily basis.
There was one observation that I found that will not shock or surprise anyone who was in attendance nor in the library profession and it will sound like such an obvious statement that some who read this might think I'm being a bit obvious. But it was something that stuck in my head, so I will try to put this as diplomatically as possible: the female to male ratio is somewhat askew. And by somewhat askew, I mean to say "noticeable to the point where I remarked to my wife about it and she looked me like I was a simpleton". It was something apparent in graduate school as well, but when you see it on such a large scale, it really drives the point home. It is in sharp relief to the very male dominated horticulture industry that I was a part of before library science (although I cannot think of one little girl that I have met who has said, "When I grow up, I want to apply pesticides!"). Personally, gender ratio doesn't matter to me, but the scientist within wonders as to the causes and whether it will maintain the status quo for the future.
I'm not sure of the exact causes, but studies indicate libraries tend to lose male patronage at puberty. We (the royal "we") seem to have a hard time regaining them so it is no surprise that they would be less inclined to make a career out of it. I will leave any discussion on how to reclaim these patrons to more experienced and better educated peers, but my inexperienced and non-educated belief is that, with the continuing digital revolution, we will see the gender balance tip closer to parity. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds along side the ongoing information revolution.
I look forward to next year's conference.
Andy Woodworth
Librarian
Bordentown Library
Burlington County Library System
Posted by conf08 at 11:36 AM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2008
NJLA Conference - Magic of Love: LGBTQ Characters in YA Fantasy
If you will be attending the NJLA Conference on Thursday, May 1st please consider joining the
YA Section and the LGBTI Roundtable for:
Magic of Love: LGBTQ Characters in YA Fantasy
from 9:00 to 9:50 am in the McKinley Room.
This session has been reinstated so please disregard previous cancelation notices.
Here is the session description:
Fantasy and science fiction are often regarded both as windows to other worlds and mirrors on our own. This program will investigate how these dual roles, combined with other theoretical frameworks, can be applied to young adult novels and short stories that feature LGBTQ characters in fantastical settings. Using works by Ameila Atwater-Rhodes, Francesca Lia Block, Robin McKinley, Tamora Pierce, and others, the program will demonstrate ways in which speculative fiction texts can be viewed as forging positive new paths in LGBTQ literature for teens.
Jill S. Ratzan, Ph.D. student, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; Moderator: Enola Romano, Montclair Public Library
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Intersexed Roundtable and Young Adult Services
The handouts for this session have been posted on the Handouts and Resources page of the NJLA Conference wiki at http://njlaconference.pbwiki.com/Handouts%20and%20Resources.
Hope to see you there!
Nola
Enola Romano
Chair,
LGBTI Roundtable
New Jersey Library Association
Posted by lgbti at 3:14 PM | Comments (0)
April 24, 2008
The Scriblio Solution for Improving the Library OPAC
When: Thursday, May 1, 2:30pm-3:30pm
Sponsored by:
College & University Section/ACRL – NJ
Technology Committee and Technical Services Section
Learn about the simple yet elegant Scriblio OPAC interface solution using WordPress and open source software, which Bisson created, and for which he received the prestigious Mellon Award for Technology Collaboration in December, 2006. The Scriblio software will revolutionize the online search process by allowing titles and descriptions of library holdings to be found on the Internet.
Posted by technical at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
Curious about RDA (Resource Description and Access)?
The Technical Services Section of NJLA will be sponsoring the program:
“Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules,” 2nd Edition (AACR2) are in the process of being revised and re-titled as “Resource Description and Access” (RDA).The new cataloging rules are expected to be implemented by the end of 2009.The American Library Association representative to the Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA will share the latest information about RDA and how it will affect catalogers and catalog users.
John Attig, Authority Control Librarian at Pennsylvania State University and ALA
Representative to the Joint Steering Committee for Development of RDA will fill us in on all of the details!!
Posted by technical at 9:40 AM | Comments (0)
NJLA CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHT! Ocean Place Resort, April 30, 1:30!!!
Safe and Secure in Social Networks and 2nd Life: Skills and strategies to share.
The NJLA Intellectual Freedom Subcommittee invites you to hear Professor Ed Felten speak about the complexities and implications of social networks and 2nd Life in the libraries. Dr. Felten is Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University. He is an internationally recognized leader in his field.
Dr. Felten does research in two main areas: computer security and privacy, and technology policy. The two areas often interact: public policy aims to protect security and privacy, while security and privacy technologies define the landscape in which policy decisions are made. Much of his work is at the interface between these two areas. Focus areas include intellectual property policy, and the impacts of technology regulation in general. His policy research and teaching is done as part of the Center for Information Technology Policy.
Don't miss this rare opportunity to learn from the very best.
Posted by if at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2008
YA Section Preconference
If you haven't yet registered for the YA Services Section Preconference, think about it!
Teen Librarian as Confidante:
Knowing Where, When, and How to Draw the Line
Have you ever been asked to drive a stranded teen home after the library
has closed for the night? Has a teen ever confided to you that he self-
mutilates, has an eating disorder, or wants to come out to his parents, but
just doesn’t know how? You want to help, but when does helping cross an
ethical or legal line? A diverse panel including a library director, school
counselor, social worker, attorney, and school resources police officer will
discuss how teen librarians can help their teens while maintaining healthy
and professional boundaries with their teens. Learn what your responsi-
bilities are to your patrons, your patrons’ parents, and the library. A lively
discussion will follow the panelists’ presentations.
Presenters: Audra Caplan, Harford County (MD) Library; Michele Saliski,Monmouth County Division of Youth and Family Services Office; Jackie Gould,Media Specialist at
Clearview Regional High School; Peter Boser, Monmouth County Prosecutor.
Posted by Sophie Brookover at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2008
Blogging for the NJLA Conference
The NJLA Conference will soon be here! In 2006 and 2007 a number of guest bloggers reported on various programs and activities at the conference - sharing their experiences with others who could not attend. They did a wonderful job! We are now looking for volunteers to blog for the 2008 conference. You can put up an entry before the conference describing an upcoming program, or report on one or more of the programs you attend. Contact Maureen Wynkoop if you are interested in contributing. If you have not posted to the NJLA blog before, you'll receive instructions for creating an entry.
If you would like to contribute to the blog, but would prefer not to use the blogging software, just e-mail your entry and it can be added to the blog.
See the 2007 conference blog entries.
See the 2006 conference blog entries.
Posted by it at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)