Rita Gibson - Winner of the 2001 Outstanding Support Staff Award
The winner of Library Mosaics' and the Council on Library/Media Technicians' 2001 award for Outstanding Support Staff is Rita Gibson, access services technician (circulation supervisor) at the State Law Library of Montana, Helena, Montana. In addition to her work with the State Law Library, Gibson has worked in both technical and public services divisions of eight different academic, special and public libraries in Montana and Texas.
Ms. Gibson is active in her state library association and is the co-founder of the Montana Library Association's paraprofessional interest group, the Montana Library Paraprofessionals. She is the current chairperson of the Helena chapter of the Montana Library Paraprofessionals and the Montana Library Paraprofessionals of the Montana Library Association. Gibson has also been active in organizing workshops and panel discussions, and in 1998 served as paraprofessional representative at the Montana Library Education Summit, called by the state librarian.
As well as chairing the Montana Library Paraprofessionals, she is currently developing a mentoring proposal for the Montana Library Association, investigating ways to provide distance education and continuing education opportunities for Montana's rural library support staff, and is researching and proposing a "Paraprofessional of the Year" award for the Montana Library Association.
Nationally, Ms. Gibson has compiled three bibliographies on library support staff issues which she continues to update and expand, and which can be found on the COLT home page.
For her efforts in promoting and organizing support staff, she has been presented with the 2001 Support Staff Award.
Rita Gibson will be featured in the May/June issue of Library Mosaics and will be recognized at the annual banquet of the Council on Library/Media Technicians conference, San Francisco, California, June 13, 2001. She will also receive a cash prize and a plaque describing her achievements.
Sue Mahmoodi - Winner of the 2001 Outstanding Supported of Support Staff Award
The winner of Library Mosaics' and the Council on Library/Media Technicians' 2001 award for Outstanding Supporter of Support Staff is Sue Mahmoodi, continuing education and library research specialist for the Minnesota state library agency, Library Development and Services.
Ms. Mahmoodi was selected for her dedication and tireless efforts in the development of continuing education opportunities for library support staff throughout the state of Minnesota.
After beginning her career as a paraprofessional, Mahmoodi went on to obtain a Ph.D in library science. For over 30 years she has devoted herself to library work and to the advancement of library paraprofessionals.
Ms. Mahmoodi has been instrumental in developing and providing successful continuing education efforts such as BranchOut, Soaring to Excellence (assuring available sites throughout the state and training the local presenters) and Minnesota Voluntary Certification.
Additionally, she was successful in getting two other statewide programs off the ground: Minnesota Opportunities for Reference Excellence (MORE) and Minnesota Opportunities for Technical Services Excellence (MOTSE). Ms. Mahmoodi has provided education for public library trustees around the state and has worked with other continuing education specialists at the state agency level from other states as well.
For her efforts in supporting and encouraging support staff, she has been presented with the 2001 Outstanding Supporter of Support Staff award.
Sue Mahmoodi will be featured in the May/June issue of Library Mosaics and will be recognized at the annual banquet of the council on Library/Media Technicians, San Francisco, California, June 13, 2001. She will also receive a cash prize and a plaque describing her achievements.
Dorothy Morgan: 2001 Library Journal Paraprofessional of the Year
"Her valued experience as a top-flight manager as well as her leadership efforts in furthering the cause of support staff nationwide make the Liverpool Public Library's Dorothy Morgan, on [the March 15, 2001 Library Journal] cover, the obvious choice for this year's award."
Metro Area PARAPROS
The Metro Area PARAPROS has changed its name to the Mountains and Plains Parapros as we are now "A library staff organization serving an area greater than the Denver Metropolitan Area."
Look for a redesigned website in the near future: http://www.unco.edu/library/gov/parapros/>
COLT Program
The writers for the program by Sisters in Crime at this summer's COLT conference have been confirmed.
Sisters in Crime.
Presenters: Authors, Lora Roberts, Jonnie Jacobs and Rhys Bowen. Three mystery writers discuss their works and the writing experience, and share insight about from where the ideas flow.
Information about these authors and their works can be found at http://www.NMOMysteries.com/main.htm and http://home.netcom.com/~jqh/index.html.
Library Support Staff Bibliographies Available from COLT
The following four bibliographies are now available on the Council on Library/Media Technicians (COLT) Home Page. These bibliographies are an excellent resource for those interested in topics pertinent to library support staff. All are compiled by Rita Gibson. Dated revisions of the bibliographies will be released periodically. To suggest resources for inclusion in future bibliographies or to discuss this one, contact Rita Gibson at: rkgibson@hotmail.com .
Ms. Gibson is employed as the Access Services Technician (Circulation Supervisor) at the State Law Library of Montana, Helena, MT. She has been with the State Law Library for 5 years. Prior to that she worked in both technical and public services divisions of 8 different academic, special and public libraries in Montana and Texas. According to Ms. Gibson. she has been "in the business" for 20 years. In 1997 Ms. Gibson and her paraprofessional colleague, Barbara Pepper-Rotness (Montana State Library), founded Montana's Paraprofessional organization, the Montana Library Paraprofessionals. Ms. Gibson continues to be active in the Montana Library Association.
Library Paraprofessionals: A
Bibliography:
http://library.ucr.edu/COLT/bibliography.html
Library Certification: A Bibliography:
http://library.ucr.edu/COLT/bibcertification.html
Mentoring & Libraries: A Bibliography:
http://library.ucr.edu/COLT/bibmentoring.html
Supervision: A Bibliography:
http://library.ucr.edu/COLT/bibsupervise.html
National Library Technicians Day
Australian Library Technicians will celebrate National library Technicians Day during Australian National Library Week 14-20 May 2001. Library Technicians throughout Australia celebrate, with breakfasts, lunches, dinners, awards, and fun. Keep this date in your calender and celebrate with us, our unique skills and achievements. Celebrate the 'nuts and bolts' specialists of the library world.
National Library Technicians Day
In New York State, since 1996 NYSLAA (New York State Library Assistants' Association) has designated the Thursday of National Library Week Library as Assistants Day. This year this falls on Thursday, April 5, 2001.
The ASSOCIATES Brochure is Now Available
Thanks to the hard word of Joy Wanden, the ASSOCIATES brochure that many of you have been requesting is now available. We have absolutely no budget so anyone who would like to hand them out must also print them up. Sorry 'bout that. It is available as a Word 97 file. Just email Kendall Simmons for a copy. One of these days it will be available online as well, but not today.
