Spotlight

• The Term or Temporary Position and Making the Most of a Short Time (Part 2 of 2))

  By Laureen P. Cantwell

  Editor’s note: the first part of Cantwell’s article, in which she discusses how term/temporary academic librarians can navigate and alleviate the stresses of contract work, was published in the June 2012 issue of Library Worklife.

  Testing Your Network Connections

  How many of us librarians and information science professionals have troubleshot network connections? There are several punny overlaps: we query a patron to diagnose the issue, and we might discuss the pitfalls and critical features of networking … Read the rest

ALA-APA News

• ‘Public’ Tweets Are Subject to D.A.’s Subpoena, Judge Says

  By Andrew Keshner, New York Law Journal: July 3, 2012

  On June 30, a judge ruled that Twitter Inc. must produce tweets and user information of an Occupy Wall Street protester. Judge Matthew Sciarrino, in People v. Harris, 2011NY080152, wrote that “[i]f you post a tweet, just like if you scream it out the window, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy. There is no proprietary interest in your tweets, which you have now gifted to the world.” … Read the rest

• Award-winning book-burning hoax saves Troy, MI libraries

  By Cory Doctorow, boingboing.net: June 16, 2012

  A hoax “Book Burning Party” campaign has been credited with saving the Troy Public Library in Troy, Michigan. When a failing economy and austerity measures threatened the town’s library, the Leo Burnett/Arc Worldwide agency reframed discussion of library cuts in terms literacy and shared community, rather than taxation. The hoax won a gold prize in the Effie awards. … Read the rest

Career Advancement

• Don’t Go There: How engaging in speculation, gossip and negativity affects your work ethic

  By Diane Strzelecki
  

  Forget the fat-laden birthday donuts loitering in the break room or the fun-size candies lurking on your coworker’s desk. Throughout my working life I’ve discovered hazards exponentially more detrimental to your emotional and professional health: gossip, speculation and hypercriticism. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newbie in the library world, there’s plenty of examples of such indulgence – and plenty of reasons to resist.

  Resisting the big “What If”
  

  You’d have to be living under a … Read the rest

• The Ten Commandments of the New Professional

  By Natalie Baur

  Library school diploma straight off the press, check. Applications and cover letters sent out to dream jobs, check. Weeks (and weeks) of waiting, phone interviews and on-site interviews, check. An accepted job offer and start date, check! For many new librarians, the long, angst-filled path from graduation to job offer is a journey that consumes every last ounce of attention, making it all too easy to forget that a career is indeed waiting for them after getting … Read the rest

HR Practice

• New Family and Medical Leave Guide Available

  A new Employee Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act recently developed by the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor was rolled out June 27 in a webinar hosted by WHD Deputy Administrator Nancy Leppink. The high-demand webinar attracted nearly 8,000 registrants submitting more than 2,000 online comments and questions during the session. A team of FMLA experts from the department responded live to comments and questions from a web chat room setup for … Read the rest

• New Rules for Retirement Savings

  Studies show that when it comes to having sufficient retirement savings, women are less prepared than men when they leave the workforce. On a recent visit to Chicago, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits Security Phyllis C. Borzi spoke to local women business leaders about women, retirement and steps the department has taken to increase savings for individuals in 401(k)-type retirement plans. She explained that two new rules that go into effect this summer will increase the transparency of … Read the rest

Statistics

• So Long, Recession?

  In Q1 2012, U.S. wage levels finally rose above their previous Q4 2008 high point. How has this affected the employee pay levels? Employers can find out with a free PayScale Index Report. … Read the rest

• DOL: Unemployment Insurance Claims Decrease 3.4% in Last Week of June

  According to a press release published by the United States Department of Labor, unemployment insurance claims decreased by 3.4 percent in the week ending June 30. The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims that week was 374,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 388,000. The 4-week moving average was 385,750, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 387,250.

  Read the full news release.… Read the rest

• Report: 17 Million Female FTE Earn Under $25,000/Year

  According to WomenEmployed.org, nearly 17 million women in the U.S. earn less than $25,000 a year despite working in full-time, year-round jobs.

  According to a report on Flexible Workplace Solutions, roughly half of low-wage workers are required to work non-standard schedules, and may be required to work a different schedule on different days or the length of their schedules may vary day-to-day. Read the full report.… Read the rest

Support Staff

• ALA-APA announces more financial assistance for LSSC Candidates

  The Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program announced that it is offering $200 subsidies for 75 candidates to complete LSSC approved courses. When the cost of the course is less than $200, the subsidy will cover the cost of the entire course minus materials such as books. LSSC is a national, voluntary certification program administered by the American Library Association-Allied Profession Association (ALA-APA).

  More information and the application can be found here: http://ala-apa.org/lssc/2012/06/11/ala-apa-announces-financial-assistance-for-lssc-candidates/… Read the rest

Work/Life

• Relax, It’s Summer—No [Dis]Stress Allowed

  By Beatrice Calvin

  Summer is here! Step outside or look at the thermometer reading well above 90⁰ and you’ll know this is true. Summer should be a time to slow down, relax and have fun. I know you’re saying to yourself, ‘I’d love to relax. But my bills aren’t slowing down; my kids are driving me crazy; family is coming to visit.’ All of the things that make you feel stressed don’t slow down—they don’t allow you to relax.

  Understand … Read the rest

• Balancing Work and Your Personal Life

  By Gina Martinez

  I have one rule when I get home: as soon as I leave the workplace, I leave everything from work at work. Walking through the front door, I will not speak about work, worry about work or do anything related to work. Greeting my significant other always brings a warm smile from ear-to-ear. Sure, I will mention how good my workday went when asked, but the bad things I dismiss as a small thing, and I will … Read the rest

HR Law

• Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Health Care Act

  On June 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold President Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act which was originally signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010. The law puts in place comprehensive health insurance reforms that will roll out over four years and beyond, with most changes taking place by 2014. Others have already begun.

  • Read the full text of the law (http://www.healthcare.gov/law/full/index.html).
  • Review the key features of the law.
  • Review the timeline to learn about what’s

  … Read the rest

LW Tip

• Social Media Quick Tips

  Editor’s Note: The following article is an excerpt of Kim Becnel’s ‘To Friend Or Not To Friend: The Facebook Question’ published in Library Management: Tips That Work, by ALA Editions. The publication is edited by Carol Smallwood and part of the ALA Guides for the Busy Librarian Series.

  1. Do not send Friend requests to people you supervise. You may put them in an awkward position. Wait for them to ask you.
  2. When you accept a Friend request from an

  … Read the rest