ALA Diversity Research Grant

The Diversity Research Grant consists of a one-time $2000 annual award for original research and a $500 travel grant to attend and present at ALA Annual Conference. A jury of ALA members will evaluate proposals and is encouraged to award a total of three awards. Grant recipients will be expected to compile the results of their research into a paper and will be asked to present and publish the final product in conjunction with the American Library Association. Grant proposals may address any diversity topic that speaks to critical gaps in the knowledge of diversity issues within library and information science. Grant applicants may also email diversity@ala.org to request a list of proposal topic suggestions. For submission guidelines and proposal evaluation criteria visit theALA website .

Deadline: 30 April

International Online Librarian Courses

The Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) is now accepting grant applications for the February-September 2012 sessions of the association’s four-week fundamentals online courses. One free seat per online continuing educational course session is available to librarians and information professionals from developing countries.

For background information about the grant, including criteria for applying, please see: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alcts/awards/grants/onlinegrant.cfm

Fundamentals of Acquisitions
Session 1: February 27 – March 23

Session 2: April 7 – May 11

Session 3: July 30 – August 24

The Fundamentals of Acquisitions (FOA) web course focuses on the basics of acquiring monographs and serials:  goals and methods, financial management of library collections budgets, and relationships among acquisitions librarians, library booksellers, subscription agents, and publishers.  In this course, you will receive a broad overview of the operations involved in acquiring materials after the selection decision is made.  Note that in FOA, we distinguish between collection development, which involves the selection of materials for the library; and acquisitions, which orders, receives, and pays for those materials.

Fundamentals of Electronic Resources Acquisitions
Session 1: March 5 – March 30
Session 2: April 23 – May 18

Session 3: July 23 – August 17

The Fundamentals of Electronic Resources Acquisitions (FERA) Web course will provide an overview of acquiring, providing access to, administering, supporting, and monitoring access to electronic resources.  It will provide a basic background in electronic resource acquisitions including product trials, licensing, purchasing methods, and pricing models and will provide an overview of the sometimes complex relationships between vendors, publishers, platform providers, and libraries.

This course is sponsored by Harrassowitz.

Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management
Session 1: March 19 – April 13

Session 2: May 7 – June 1

Session 3: August 20 – September 14

The Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management addresses the basic components of these important areas of responsibility in libraries. Components include complete definition of collection development and collection management; collections policies and budgets as part of library planning; collection development (selecting for and building collections); collection management (e.g., making decisions after materials are selected, including decisions about withdrawal, transfer, preservation); collection analysis—why and how to do it; outreach, liaison, and marketing; and some suggestions about the future for collection development and management.

This course is sponsored by Coutts-Ingram.

Fundamentals of Preservation
Session 1: March 26 – April 20
Session 2: May 21 – June 15

The Fundamentals of Preservation introduces participants to the principles, policies and practices of preservation in libraries and archives.  The course is designed to inform all staff, across divisions and departments and at all levels of responsibility. It provides tools to begin extending the useful life of library collections.  Components include preservation as a formal library function and how it reflects and supports the institutional mission; the primary role of preventive care, including good storage conditions, emergency planning and careful handling of collections; the history and manufacture of physical formats and how this impacts preservation options; standard methods of care and repair, as well as reformatting options; and challenges in preserving digital content and what the implications are for the future of scholarship.

To apply, go to: https://alctsprogram.wufoo.com/forms/alcts-online-course-grant-application-form/

For the Good of the Cause

1. The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy’s grant-making program seeks to develop or expand projects designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. A total of approximately $650,000 will be awarded; no grant request should exceed $65,000. General Instructions, Application Guidelines, and a Checklist are online. deadline: 9 September 2011

2. CFP: The 5th Annual Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies seeks roundtable, panel and paper proposals as well as poster presentations on a list of topics which includes Chinese Literature; , Identity Issues, Values and Culture and Ethnic relations. more information 

3. YALSA is seeking a Member Manager for its YA literature-focused blog, The Hub, with the mission to provide a one-stop-shop for teens and librarians to help them locate high quality audio, video, and text content related to young adult literature. The deadline for applications has been extended to July 1, 2011. Learn more about The Hub at http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/

The Member Manager will lead an advisory board and together the group will be responsible for the site, including recruiting bloggers and soliciting content submissions from the YALSA community.

List of Qualifications:

1.   Excellent verbal and written communications skills, in order to develop content and communicate with potential content providers and developers.

2.   Experience in web publishing with responsibilities including but not limited to: utilizing video clips, audio, and social media, maintaining a high standard of writing, and ensuring compliance with policies created for the maintenance of the site.

3.   Familiarity with WordPress, which YALSA uses for administration of blog sites; knowledge of plugins, tagging, categories, and other WordPress tools preferred

4.   PHP knowledge preferred

5.   Dynamic, self-motivated individual

6.   Ability to delegate work and to manage a variety of contributors and volunteers

7.   Strong organizational skills

8.   Ability to set and meet deadlines

9.   Experience with reviewing, evaluating and selecting young adult literature

10.   Ability to work well in a team environment

11.   Membership in YALSA

General Responsibilities:

·      Communicate with the Advisory Board and YALSA’s Web Services Manager on a regular basis in order to generate ideas for content, assign tasks, discuss marketing and sponsorship strategies, and discuss site management

·      Work with the Website Advisory Committee and the YALSAblog Member Manager to create cross-promotion of all YALSA’s web presences

·      Maintain communication with YALSA member groups whose work relates to young adult literature

·      With the Advisory Board review and edit content submitted to the site to make sure the quality is acceptable and that it includes YALSA branding prior to posting, when appropriate

·      With the Advisory Board manage postings regularly to guarantee quality of content and appropriate tagging and category identification

·      Manage comments and spam daily in order to guarantee that the blog content is appropriate

·      With the Advisory Board recruit contributors on a regular basis, which may include but is not limited to: YALSA members, publishers, authors and teens

·      Meet with and provide any necessary training to contributors as needed, including at ALA’s Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting

·      Attend the All Committee meeting at Midwinter and Annual to recruit contributors and inform member groups about the site

·      Effectively motivate, support and manage a large and fluctuating group of contributors and volunteers

·      Write reports prior to the Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting for submission to the YALSA Board

·      Work with YALSA’s Web Services Manager as appropriate to update and manage blog software

·      Monitor new technologies as they impact the site: add-ons and plug-ins to blog software, widgets or applications for hand-held devices, etc.

·      Work with the YALS and JRLYA editors as appropriate to coordinate dissemination of information to members and the library community.

·      Answer questions and inquiries about the site

·      Follow all established policies and guidelines, enforce them as necessary and periodically conduct a review of them to ensure currency

The Member Manager will be selected by the YALSA Executive Committee by August 1, 2011. The term of the appointment is two years beginning in August. The Member Manager will receive an honorarium of $500 per year plus $500 towards travel to each Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting while serving as Member Manager. Candidates should send a cover letter and resume, which includes management, writing and web publishing experiences to yalsa@ala.org. All resumes, etc. must be submitted via email. The deadline for submission is July 1, 2011. Please note that this is not a salaried staff position. It is a member volunteer opportunity.

To learn more about The Hub, visit http://yalsa.ala.org/thehub. Please direct questions to Eve Gaus at egaus@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, extension 5293.

 

School Library Grant

The NEGRO LEAGUES COMMITTEE (NLC) of the SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN BASEBALL RESEARCH (SABR) is pleased to announce their 2010 – 2011 grant opportunity for school libraries. SABR is a global team of almost 7000 individuals and nearly 30 research committees. Originating in 1971, the NLC is SABR’s only committee dedicated exclusively to the history of black baseball. Since 1998, the NLC has hosted a JERRY MALLOY NEGRO LEAGUE CONFERENCE. Some of our initiatives include:
1) donation of books to local schools and/or libraries

2) raising funds to purchase headstones for unmarked graves of former players and the

3) essay writing contest

For more information