ASSOCIATES (2006, November, v. 13, no. 2) - associates.ucr.edu
Letters to the Editor may be sent to:
Wendee Eyler, Editor, Associates
rivwe@ucr.edu
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Date: Thu 7/13/2006
From: Mohamed Taher [mtaher@omc.ca]
RE: Greetings from a Library Technicians' webservant
Hello Bessie:
I have a blog for Library Technicians named Library Technicians: Education, Training, Practice, Career, Jobs, etc. at http://lit2542006.blogspot.com/2006/07/if-you-are-library-assistant-so-what.html. I have added your article (see ASSOCIATES (2006, July, v. 13, no. 1) "Merits of the Profession of the Library Assistant" at http://associates.ucr.edu/706fmay.htm) in today’s posting, along with my 2 cents worth.
Please add your voice to this or leave a comment.
Best, Mohamed
[Response from Bessie Mayes: Thank you Mohamed for including my article in the discussion on your website. There are so many factors to consider in the library field. Sometimes titles or degrees can be misleading, and do not completely express the duties or role required by the employer by various levels of employees. Some Librarians may sit at a Reference desk all day, while others are on the cutting edge of new technologies. A Masters in Library Science is never questioned, whereas those that do not hold one are seemingly regarded as less then qualified and perhaps not worthy in some manner. In most cases, those that hold a MLS are given a pass by employers simply because they do, and that no other effort need to be made to improve upon it. Nothing could be further from the truth. … I found the site interesting, and will monitor the comments on my article. And, I will also pass this on to the Editor of Associates so she can note your website in her next distribution. :) ]
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Date: Thu 7/13/2006
From: LaShawn Wilson [wilsoel@auburn.edu], PART Moderator, Auburn University
RE: Add to association list...
Hi Wendee,
Please add the information below to the association list for Alabama. Thanks!... LaShawn
Alabama
Alabama Library Association (ALLA)
Website: http://allanet.org
News & Events: http://allanet.org/www/news.htm
Paraprofessional Round Table: http://allanet.org/www/partpage.htm
[Editor: Thank you, LaShawn. You may see your addition at the ASSOCIATES "Events Page" at http://associates.ucr.edu/events.htm]
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Date: Fri 7/14/2006
From: James Quinn [jwquinn@uic.edu]
RE: Suggestion
Hi!
I have a suggestion for the e-mail version of Associates: to number the articles in the subject line, e.g.
[Associates] July 2006 - 01 Table of Contents
[Associates] July 2006 - 02 From the Editor
[Associates] July 2006 - 03 Letters to the Editor
[Associates] July 2006 - 04 Column - Borzyskowski
That way we could be sure at a glance that we got everything, and could also read it in order.
Thanks a lot for keeping Associates going. It's great.
[Editor: I like your idea! I will go one step further to incorporate the article number and the total amount of emails sent, e.g., (1 of 20), (2 of 20), etc. Some articles do get lost somewhere or email delivery systems dump them as spam. For the July 2006 issue, for example, I emailed the Title Page as the first email; realized later it never was received, so sent it again. Perhaps in a few weeks everyone will get this maverick Title Page email--if ever. Thank you for your suggestion. And thank you for being a subscriber and reader of Associates!]
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Date: Fri 7/14/2006
From: Joe Ellison [j-ellison@northwestern.edu]
RE: update on subscription address for ILL-L
In the Letters to the Editor section <http://associates.ucr.edu/706from.htm> of the July 2006 issue of Associates (2006, July, v. 13, no. 1), you referred a correspondent to the ILL-L listserv.
However, the address you posted is no longer current. The list is now hosted at webjunction. The URL for list information is: http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/ill-l
People wishing to subscribe to ILL-L -- Interlibrary Loan Listserv may do so from that page.
[Editor: Thank you for the information! I'll forward this information to Jean Uys, who wanted the information. I'll also put your information in the November 2006 issue of Associates.]
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Date: Tue 7/18/2006
From: Irene Canales, Palm Springs Public Library irenec@ci.palm-springs.ca.us
RE: Re: [Associates] July 2006 - Feature - Kneale
I have to agree with Cheryl Kneale's article regarding running for MLSland. :-) [See "Choosing Not to Get the MLS" at http://associates.ucr.edu/706fkne.htm in ASSOCIATES (2006, July, v. 13, no. 1)]
I have 23 years tenure with my library. I am the Lead Library Assistant in the Youth and Young Adult Room and recently I went back to school to finish that long lost goal of receiving my A.A. I'm 3/4 done with my degree and hope to continue my education so that I may obtain my Bachelors degree within the next few years. I have gone back to school to fulfill a dream that I personally have and feel if you do it for others you lose focus.
I have been very fortunate to be involved in and with my library and I commend you on doing the right thing for 'you' :-)
PARAPROFESSIONALS ROCK! :-)
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Date: Wed 8/9/2006
From: Nancy Browne, Kane County Law Library brownenancylee@co.kane.il.us
RE: Illinois Library Technical Assistants conference
I am on the planning committee for the Library Technical Assistants conference in Illinois {Reaching Forward Conference}. I need to bring to the meeting ideas for next year's event. Does anyone have a topic, speaker, or an interesting idea from a workshop that you’ve attended that I could suggest? I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you!
Nancy Browne
Research Librarian
Kane County Law Library
630-406-7126
brownenancylee@co.kane.il.us
[Editor: Please write directly to Nancy Browne if you have ideas for the Illinois Library Technical Assistants conference.]
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Date: Wed 8/30/2006
From: Jenifer Grady [jgrady@ala-apa.org]
RE: Certification article reprint
Wendee and Margaret
I would love to publish the Certification article from the July 2006 issue of Associates in the October issue of Library Worklife: HR E-News for Today's Leaders (http://www.ala-apa.org/newsletter/current.html). May I do this and what's the process?
[See "Certification: Recognition of the Contribution Made by Paraprofessional Staff in Libraries and Information Services," by Margaret Watson at http://associates.ucr.edu/706fwat.htm in ASSOCIATES (2006, July, v. 13, no. 1)]
Jenifer
[Editor: Thank you, Jenifer. At ASSOCIATES we ask that both the author and Associates be given credit, such as "Republished with permission of author from ASSOCIATES (2006, July, v. 13, no. 1) http://associates.ucr.edu"]
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Date: Thu 10/5/2006
FROM: Bonnie Kilmurray, Lewis & Clark Library System, Edwardsville, IL
bonniek@lcls.org
RE: Illinois wants a listing!
Hi Wendee,
I would like to add library associations to ASSOCIATES for the state of Illinois.
The Reaching Forward South Conference for Support Staff just held our 10th annual conference last week. Very successful. More information is available at www.reachingforwardsouth.org. Our next conference is scheduled for September 20-21, 2007.
There is also a northern conference and their information is located at www.reachingforward.org.
Additional websites for Illinois is listed below:
www.illinoislibrarysystems.info
www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/home.html
Thank you!
Bonnie Kilmurray
Publicity Chair,
Reaching Forward South
[Editor: Bonnie, I will gladly add conference and association information at any time to the ASSOCIATES "Events Page" at http://associates.ucr.edu/events.htm]
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Date: Wed, 10/4/2006
From: Jenifer Grady [jgrady@ala-apa.org]
Subject: Nominees Sought for $5000 SirsiDynix Award for Improving Library Workers' Salaries and Status
Nominees Sought for $5000 Award for Improving Library Workers’ Salaries and Status
The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) is seeking nominees, both individuals and organizations, that have made a positive change in the salaries or status of librarians and/or support staff. The Award Jury is looking forward to receiving the stories of champions that have had a local, regional or national impact. The winner will receive a $5000 award, thanks to SirsiDynix. Each nominee must have three nominations using the electronic application form. The deadline is Friday, December 1, 2006.
Nominations will be reviewed by the Award Jury, chaired by Barbara J. Ford of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in January 2007 in Seattle, WA, and the winner(s) will be honored at the Annual Conference in June 2007 in Washington, DC . Members of the 2005 Jury said that the nominations were "incredible experiences to share of triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve higher salaries. Their stories inspired us.”
In 2006, the winners were AFSCME Local 1526 of the Boston Public Library and James Fish, Director of the Baltimore County Md.) Public Library. Eileen Muller, President of the Brooklyn Library Guild, Local 1482, was given an honorable mention. AFSCME Local 1526 "did an outstanding job in their last contract negotiations to win upgrades for all 76 library support staff in the 26 of the 27 branches of the city public library system." Fish campaigned for "a new pay program that resulted in a 7.34% pay adjustment to all staff, annual merit steps of 5%, and the base starting salary for librarians increased by 13.4%." In 2005, the first year, Maurice Freedman and Dorothy Morgan were chosen -Freedman, former ALA President, for raising awareness of salary inequities within librarianship and Morgan for advocating on behalf of support staff nationwide. Morgan is the Business Manager, Liverpool Public Library (NY) and former President of the ALA Library Support Staff Interest Round Table (LSSIRT, 2000-2001).
The Award Jury encourages the library community to nominate those who are actively working on every level to secure equitable pay for people in librarianship. Please submit three strong letters of support as only the first three received will be reviewed. Self-nominations are permitted. Supporting documents may be mailed to ALA-APA, faxed to 312-280-5013 or mailed to SirsiDynix Award, ALA-APA, 50 East Huron, Chicago, IL 60611.
The recipient of the award does not have to be an ALA member or a current or past library staff member. The requirement is that the award recipient’s achievement(s) has been notable. Officers of the ALA or the ALA-Allied Professional Association are not eligible for the award, nor are members of the Jury, ALA-APA Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers or employees of SirsiDynix.
The ALA-APA Dynix Award Jury and employees of SirsiDynix are not eligible for this award. SirsiDynix is a leading provider of information technology to libraries and consortia worldwide.
For more information, contact jgrady@ala.org.
2006-2007 Jury
Barbara J. Ford, Chair, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Peter McDonald, Syracuse University John Jessee, Jacksonville (FL) Public Library
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