Travel Grants to ER&L Conference for MLIS Students

Interested in learning more about electronic resources? Taylor & Francis Group is sponsoring travel grants for two MLIS students to attend the Electronic Resources and Libraries conference in Austin, Texas, April 3-6, 2016. The ER&L + Taylor & Francis Student travel grant includes conference registration, air travel costs, and housing up to $2000 per winner.

Further information: http://electroniclibrarian.org/erlplus/tandfstudent/

Free Student Membership to NASIG

NASIG is offering free memberships to students for a limited time! To take full advantage of all the many benefits membership confers, please join before January 31, 2016.

What is NASIG?

NASIG is an independent organization working to advance and transform the management of information resources. Our ultimate goal is to facilitate and improve the distribution, acquisition, and long-term accessibility of information resources in all formats and business models.

There are three key components to NASIG’s mission:

> NASIG supports a dynamic community of professionals
including, but not limited to, librarians, publishers, and vendors engaging in understanding one another’s perspectives and improving functionality throughout the information resources lifecycle with an emphasis on scholarly communications, serials, and electronic resources.

> NASIG provides a rich variety of conference and continuing
education programming to encourage knowledge sharing among its members and to support their professional and career development.

>NASIG promotes the development and implementation of best
practices and standards for the distribution, acquisition and long-term accessibility of information resources in all formats and business models throughout their lifecycle. In addition to developing best practices, NASIG supports the development of standards by NISO, an affiliated organization.

Why join NASIG? What’s in it for me as a student member?

> Networking with library professionals and vendors
throughout the continuing resources and/or scholarly communication community

> Reduced rate for attendance at our annual conference (one
of the best events for networking and learning!), webinars, and regional events

> Access to the NASIG blog and NASIG-L listserv

> Member rates for NASIG-sponsored events and NISO webinars

> Access to the online membership directory

> Access to presenters’ handouts from the Annual
conference and the Proceedings archive

> Access to the quarterly NASIG Newsletter that covers the
organization’s activities and provides reports for regional, national, and international conferences

> Industry news from the biweekly UKSG eNews

> Network with librarians, publishers, vendors, educators,
database providers, fellow students, and others in the information resources environment

> Participate (it is easy to get involved!) in committees,
working groups, and other volunteer opportunities in order to share NASIG’s vision and help shape the future of the organization

> Special subscription rate to the Serials Librarian.
http://tinyurl.com/q4motez

Join today! For more details, please see:
http://tinyurl.com/qa35ggt

For more information about NASIG, please visit http://www.nasig.org/.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Leigh Ann DePope
Publicist, NASIG, Inc.
publicist@nasig.org | @NASIG
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Established in 1985, NASIG is an independent organization that promotes communication, information, and continuing education about serials and the broader issues of scholarly communication. For more information about NASIG, please visit http://www.nasig.org/.

November Meeting: SLED Databases

Please join us for this month’s FLIP meeting on Friday, November 13th. This month Consortium Library Dean Steve Rollins will be talking about SLED (Statewide Library Electronic Doorway) and the database selection process.

UAA/APU Consortium Library
Room 306
12:00-1:00 pm

SLED MISSION STATEMENT:
“Supporting Alaskans’ right to information, SLED is a public service providing easy and equitable access to electronic information for Alaska residents.”
http://lam.alaska.gov/sled/about

National Library of Medicine recruiting for 2016-2017 Associate Fellows

Interested in data science, data management, open science, public access, vocabularies and ontologies, consumer health, common data elements, genetics, natural language processing, imaging, digital humanities, software preservation, exhibits, and digital communication? So are we.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is accepting applications for its 2016-2017 cohort of Associate Fellows, in a one-year training program for recent MLS graduates and librarians early in their career.

The NLM Associate Fellowship Program offers a formal curriculum with exposure to library operations, research and development, intramural and extramural research, development and lifecycle of the NLM web-based products and services and the extensive outreach and education program reaching consumers, special populations, health professionals and librarians. In the second half of the year, Associate Fellows have the opportunity to choose projects based on real-world problems proposed by library divisions and work with librarians and library staff over a six-seven month period. Successful projects have led to peer-review publications and to services that have become a regular part of the services and product of the National Library of Medicine.

The September through August program also offers professional development and an introduction to the wider world of health sciences librarianship that may include:

Supported attendance at national professional conferences, including the Medical Library Association’s annual meeting, the American Medical Informatics Association annual meeting and others
• Additional seminars, field trips and learning opportunities available on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus
• Opportunities to meet and interact with senior management at the National Library of Medicine
• Experienced mentors from National Library of Medicine staff
• Potential to complete a second year fellowship at a health sciences library in the United States

The Fellowship offers:
• A stipend equivalent to a U.S. Civil Service salary at the GS-9 level ($52,668 in 2015)
• Additional financial support for the purchase of health insurance
• Up to $1,500 in relocation funding

Who is eligible?
All U.S. and Canadian citizens who will have earned a MLS or equivalent degree in library/information science from an ALA-accredited school by August 2016. Both recent graduates and librarians early in their career are welcome to apply. Priority is given to U.S. citizens.

Application deadline is February 12, 2016. Between 4 and 6 fellows will be selected for the program.

Applications and additional information are available on the Web at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/training/associate/applicinfo.html

Contact Kathel Dunn, Associate Fellowship Program Coordinator at 301-435.4083 or kathel.dunn@nih.gov

The National Library of Medicine is located on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC. The 317-acre campus boasts plenty of green space, where we have regular cultural events for staff and the public. Excellent restaurants, shops, transportation, and entertainment make Bethesda a great place to work, and the wealth of museums, monuments, parks, sports and cultural activities in the Washington metropolitan area provides ample recreation opportunities. There is free parking, along with a metro subway station and bus stops on the NIH campus that provide access to DC, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia.

NLM and NIH are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects diversity. NLM hires, promotes, trains, and provides career development based on merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity), parental status, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, genetic information, or political affiliation.

(NOTE: UAA/APU Consortium Library Science Librarian, Daria O. Carle, is a former NLM Associate and would be happy to share her experience or to answer any questions that you may have about the Fellowship Program.)

 

Alaska Library Association Scholarships

ALASKA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR GRADUATE LIBRARY STUDIES

AkLA has established a scholarship program to support the education of librarians for Alaska’s libraries, including school libraries. The stated purpose is to provide financial assistance to worthy students pursuing graduate studies in Library Science and to encourage graduates to return to Alaska to work in professional library positions. Preference is given to qualified applicants meeting the federal requirements of Alaska Native ethnicity.

Three scholarships of $4,000 each may be awarded: one for a Master’s Degree candidate, one for School Library Media Certification (the B. Jo Morse Scholarship), and a third from either category.

To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must be an Alaskan resident who:

  • possesses a Bachelor’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university;
  • is eligible for acceptance, or is currently enrolled, in a graduate program in Library and Information Science leading to a Master’s Degree or School Library Media Certification, from a university program accredited by the American Library Association;
  • is or will be a student during the academic year, semester, or academic quarter for which the scholarship is received; and
  • makes a commitment to work in an Alaskan library for a minimum of one year after graduation as a paid employee or volunteer, or for two semesters for one semester’s financial assistance.

Completed applications must be received by January 15th .

If you are interested in applying, copies of the guidelines and application forms are available online at http://akla.org/scholarships/application-and-reference-forms/. If you have questions about graduate library studies or would like paper copies of the scholarship application, contact:

AkLA Scholarship Committee
Alaska State Library
P.O. Box 110571, Juneau, AK 99811-0571
(907) 465-2916 or 1-888-820-4525
akla.scholarship@alaska.gov

Wiley Scholarships for MLIS Students and Early Career Librarians

Are you an MLIS student or an early career librarian who is interested in attending any of the upcoming conferences?:

The Wiley publishing company is awarding three $1500 scholarships to aid in the cost of attending these conferences. To learn more about how to apply click here.

 

New or Aspiring Library Professional? Submit an Article to PNLA Quarterly.

Call for papers:

Are you a new or aspiring library professional? Are you a seasoned librarian who mentors new professionals? Please consider contributing to the next issue of PNLA Quarterly which will focus on the future of libraries and the profession in the region.

We invite you to submit papers of between 1,000 and 6,000 words to the Winter 2016 issue of PNLA Quarterly. The focus of this issue is “New Voices” and we are especially interested in work from students, newly minted librarians and library professionals, and those who work with them to voice their perspectives, concerns, ideas, hopes, and research interests. We are looking for content that reaches positively into the future, creates community, and shares vision for a vigorous future for libraries and librarians in the region.

Below you’ll find more details about submitting your work to the journal. The negotiable deadline for submissions for this issue is January 15, 2016. Please let us know if you have any questions, or would like to run ideas by us. We embrace creative content and hope to work with you on an exciting journal issue.

Sincerely,

Leila Sterman and Jan Zauha, co-editors of PNLA Quarterly (pqeditors@gmail.com)

PNLA Quarterly
The official journal of the Pacific Northwest Library Association

Call for Submissions and Author Instructions
Winter 2016 Issue

New Voices is the focus of the winter issue of PNLA Quarterly (80.2, Winter 2016). For this issue we invite LIS students, new professionals, and those who work closely with new librarians and library staff in the PNLA region (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, and Washington) to submit content. Articles may be theoretical, research-based, or practice-focused. We especially encourage authors to draw on fresh perspectives, explore future visions, and pose wildly innovative ideas.
Deadline for submissions to pqeditors@gmail.com is January 15, 2016.
Authors are asked to:
Submit manuscripts of between 1,000-6,000 words electronically in Microsoft Word file format;
• Use Verdana 11 point font and 1.15 spacing;
• Include a 50-100 word biographical sketch and their preferred contact information;
• Adhere to guidelines in the 6th edition of the Manual of Style of the American Psychological Association (APA). This rule applies in terms of format and references;
• Obtain any necessary written permission to use copyrighted material, and to pay any and all relevant fees. Appropriate credit should be provided in the manuscript;
• Submit original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication in another journal;
• Please indicate on the manuscript if you would like your article to be peer-reviewed;
• Contact the PQ editors at pqeditors@gmail.com with any questions regarding these instructions, the publication process, schedule, or the appropriateness of a proposed article topic.
PNLA Quarterly is an open access journal. In that spirit, PQ authors retain the copyright to their works. PQ facilitates the distribution of its authors’ intellectual property in a professional manner to enhance the process of scholarly communication, and to advance the sharing of information in and beyond the library profession and the PNLA region.
As PNLA Quarterly moves toward re-implementing the peer-review process for selected sections of its content, we invite library professionals in the region to serve as peer reviewers. Please contact the PQ editors at pqeditors@gmail.com if you are interested.

2015 PNLA Conference Report

Rebecca Moorman, Head of Technical Services at the UAA/APU Consortium Library, recently attended the 2015 Pacific Northwest Library Association Conference in Vancouver, WA. The following is a brief report that Rebecca wrote to share on the FLIP blog. Thanks Rebecca!

Pacific Northwest Library Association Conference report
Rebecca Moorman, August 24, 2015

From August 5-7, 2015, I attended the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) conference in Vancouver, Washington. This conference draws librarians from five northwestern states and two Canadian provinces for three days of conference programming, invited speakers, and networking opportunities.

Keynote speaker Josh Hanagarne, author of the memoir The World’s Strongest Librarian, was a fascinating and engaging speaker. He described the challenges of living with Tourette Syndrome, and told heartwarming and funny stories about his mother’s love for libraries and her insistence on only researching his condition at the library. It was librarians who pleaded with his mother to take him to a doctor, which she eventually did. He learned to control his tics through weightlifting, and his competition in strongman contests supplies the title to his book, since he became a librarian himself.

One session I attended described the 75-year history of PNLA Quarterly (PQ), a peer reviewed journal published by the organization. In recent years the journal has shifted to an online, open access format. PQ’s editors discussed the process and benefits of open access publishing, and encouraged conference attendees to contribute to the journal or serve as peer reviewers.

Another session I attended was led by two Reed College librarians, describing their Service Design project. Service Design is a user-centered methodology that originated in the industrial design industry, which can be used to analyze any service delivery. The presenters worked from the premise that everything we do in a library is a service. They engaged staff and users in the project, set up a student advisory group, and gathered data to assess and improve the whole library experience for their patrons. Their paper describing the project is available in Weave, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal for Library User Experience professionals, here: http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/weave.12535642.0001.201

In addition, I attended a session on leadership opportunities for librarians. The presenter made a distinction between leadership training (which is finite, defines what a leader is) and leadership development (which is an ongoing, personalized, continuous process), and suggested ideas for both. She offered numerous suggestions for gaining leadership experience by volunteering for community organizations that mesh with your extra-curricular interests. Additionally, she recommended formal leadership trainings, such as PNLA Leads and the ALA Emerging Leaders program.

My contribution to this conference was a poster presentation describing the Alaska Joint Library Catalog project, and its three catalog mergers in three years. In keeping with the conference theme Pushing the Boundaries, I titled the poster Merging Catalogs in Alaska: Navigating Shifting Boundaries. Using data and graphics, I described our ongoing effort to combine library catalogs in South Central and Southeast Alaska. The Joint Library Catalog, a network of 72 public, academic, special, and K-12 libraries that serves 65 percent of Alaska’s population, has conducted three catalog mergers in three years. As new libraries join the consortium, they face changes to OPAC design, lending procedures, and cataloging standards. Their patrons gain access to over 1.7 million titles (4.1 million items) located across the state, available to hold and send, plus reciprocal borrowing privileges.

Attendance at PNLA is a unique experience. The conference is small (under 200 attendees), and the binational character of the conference is different than any other I have attended. I had the opportunity to meet with and learn from librarians representing similar institutions in other remote western locations, and I strengthened ties with my cohort from the 2013 PNLA Leadership Institute. There is no substitute for these face-to-face interactions.