Spotlight

• Stamp Out Stinkbugs in Your Library

  By Cal Shepard

  In these tough economic times, I hear more and more about strategies that libraries are exploring to make the most of their limited resources. Maximizing resources seems to be a hot topic for articles, conferences and blogs. Advice ranges across a wide variety of areas, and much of it is useful. However, I have not seen advice regarding a very common phenomenon in libraries—a phenomenon that, if addressed, could save libraries thousands of dollars a year.

  Just … Read the rest

ALA-APA News

• (UC Berkeley) Students stage library sit-in over budget cuts

  By Erin Allday, The San Francisco Chronicle: October 11, 2009

  On October 9 and 10, nearly 300 University of California Berkeley students participated in a 24-hour sit-in to protest university-wide budget cuts, particularly the Saturday closures of several UC libraries.

  The budget cuts attempt to make up a shortfall of more than $750 million, one of the worst financial crises in UC Berkeley’s history. In addition to the library hour reductions, administrators plan to implement unpaid furloughs and layoffs.… Read the rest

• Town restores library funds

  By David A. Vallette, The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts): October 9, 2009

  A Huntington, MA, stabilization fund will allow the town’s library to return to full operation. Money to replenish reserves could arrive by year’s end.

  On October 7, a nearly unanimous Town Hall vote authorized the allocation of $750,000 to restore hours and staff to the Huntington Public Library.

  Librarian Margaret L. Nareau notes that the returned money is the minimum needed to retain state certification, based on a requirement … Read the rest

• Wagner: State should ante up to save Pittsburgh libraries and Cuts in library management urged

  By Matthew Santoni and Bill Zlatos, Pittsburgh Tribune Review: October 9, 2009

  By Margaret Harding, Pittsburgh Tribune Review: October 8, 2009

  A new state budget may spare Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh its proposed shutdowns and layoffs. The budget has passed the state house but still has to be adopted by the Senate and signed by the governor.

  To close a 1.6 million budget gap, the library had planned to lay off 30 employees and reduce hours by 28 … Read the rest

• 2010 John Sessions Memorial Award Nominations

  RUSA is seeking nominations for the 2010 John Sessions Memorial Award recognizing library contributions to the labor community.

  The award, a plaque supported by a donation from the AFL-CIO, recognizes a library or library system that has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and has consequently brought recognition of the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. The award is named for John Sessions, former American Federation of Labor … Read the rest

Career Advancement

• What to Expect During the Public Library Management Interview

  By Robin Shader

  Interviews can be scary, especially at the Administrative level. I recently accepted my first administrative post after an 18-month, eight-interview search, and was surprised by some of the interview approaches. This article describes my experiences and provides some advice to help others prepare for the library management interview.

  Know Thyself

  You certainly won’t know everything about a job in advance, but you do know yourself. Before you begin interviewing, ask (and answer honestly) the following questions: What … Read the rest

Certification

• ALA-APA Now Accepting Course Proposals for Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSC)

  On October 1, 2009, ALA-APA will begin accepting applications from education providers interested in offering courses for candidates in the Library Support Staff Certificate Program (LSSC). The LSSC is the first national, voluntary certification program for library support staff. Course providers may be organizations or individuals with the expertise, training and resources to offer courses online or face-to-face. The ten competency sets for which courses are needed are in the areas of foundations of library services, technology, communication and teamwork, … Read the rest

HR Practice

• Understanding How Your Brand Impacts Your Business

  By Julius Rhodes, SPHR

  Who determines your organization’s brand? If you don’t know, it isn’t you. “Brand” has many definitions (many of them narrow and legal), but among those definitions, “brand” is the distinguishing attribute(s) by which your potential customers—or patrons—identify you. If an organization’s relationship with its brand is reactive, that organization forfeits to others all control of its identity. Because your brand distinguishes your products and services from those of your competitors, it is crucial that you take … Read the rest

Salaries

• Unionization Pays, Says New Study

  Unionized Post-Secondary Institutions Devote More Budget to Library Salaries

  A study published in the October 2009 Library Quarterly, Who Benefits? Unionization and Academic Libraries and Librarians, examines whether there is a difference between unionized and nonunionized academic libraries on a selection of staffing and financial characteristics. It also explored whether users, the library and librarians themselves are better off in a unionized situation. Author Rachel Applegate surveyed 1,904 institutions (334 unionized) representing an incomplete census, not a sample, of … Read the rest

Statistics

• Number Employed in Libraries

  ALA Library Fact Sheet 2

  The library work force includes librarians and other professionals, paraprofessionals, clerical and technical personnel. Statistics are not available for each category of personnel in each type of library. Instead this fact sheet summarizes the latest available statistics on the two major categories—librarians and other professionals, and other paid staff—in the three types of libraries for which reliable national figures are available from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Institute of Museum and Library … Read the rest

Support Staff

• Non-Degreed Library Staff Take On Traditional MLS Duties, Says Library Journal Survey

  Results of a 2009 Library Journal hiring practices survey indicate that the job descriptions of non-MLS library employees are shifting to encompass duties traditionally performed by MLS-degreed librarians. The June 2009 LJ article, “MLS: Hire Ground,” explores the effect of this trend on libraries’ core functions, reference, collection and branch management. It also discusses the debate over deprofessionalization.

  http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6660920.html?q=ala-apa&… Read the rest

Work/Life

• Cleaning Up Appearances

  Improving Your Professional Image with a Desktop Makeover

  By Cheryl Teresi

  What does your desk say about you? Does it say comfortable? All business? Sloppy, professional, friendly? Let’s take a look.

  Library people really like stuff . . . especially office supplies! We covet pens, pencils, paper, pads, (particularly if it is a pad with a spiral binding or tabs) and post-its of every size and color. Just writing about this is making my heart race!!

  Of course there are … Read the rest