You are urged to consider applying to install or expand Wi-Fi in your library through the special stimulus initiative that is in effect for libraries. (An application may be made for computers, equipment, shelving, furniture, even bookmobiles and renovations and construction). Wi-Fi is suggested as it offers an opportunity to expand access. With the Wi-Fi application, you may want to consider laptops, a charging cart, a separate server perhaps, installation costs and other equipment that would complement Wi-Fi. If you already have Wi-Fi, consider expanding or updating your laptops etc.

For this program:
• Your library must be in a location with a population of 20,000 or less. (This is NOT like CDBG where service population is considered; only your facility’s location is considered for the population).
• You do not need to have a building project.
• Grants are possible based on the median household income; loans are available for those above the limit.
• Please Read the attached Library flyer Fact Sheet-Library flyer

This special initiative is on top of a current program* being run by the US Department of Agriculture. The program aims to provide educational opportunities and improve public services in rural communities.

Your first step would be to contact the USDA regional office in your location- Contact_Us.htm.
It is to your benefit to do this as quickly as possible. Do not delay. Your application should be in no later than April.

Do Not Hesitate to Apply—especially if you are in an area with a low median household income and could receive a grant!

We will host all of the sessions at CADM, in the training lab.

You will receive 1 CE credit for each session you attend.

There is a limit of 9 people in the room at any time, so signups are on a first come, first serve basis. Sign up FAST.

Please review the session details at this website: placonference.org/virtual_conference.cfm and then use the sign up link next to the corresponding title for each session. This post has the links to register for Day 1 sessions. Day 2 sessions are not yet finalized. Stay tuned for a second posting for Day 2 (March 26) with additional topics.

COST: Your library will be billed after the event $5 for each session each person from your location signs up for. Please try not to cancel at the last minute, because then we’d have empty seats.

Schedule and Individual Session Registration Links:
Thursday, March 25, 2010
10:45 a.m.
Welcome and Introduction (Anyone coming for the 11:00 session can attend this.)

11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
If You Didn’t Work Here, Would You Come Here? Register for If You Didn’t Work Here, Would You Come Here

12:15p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Cross Over Readers Advisory Register for Cross Over Reader’s Advisory

1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
LITA’s Top Technology Trends Register for LITA’s Top Technology Trends

2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Inside the Author’s Studio with Booklist’s Donna Seaman Register for Donna Seaman

4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Marketing as Conversation: How to Interact with Your Community Through Your Website Register for Marketing as Conversation

5:15 – 6:15 p.m.
S.Y.A.S.S. Save Your After School Sanity Register to Save Your Sanity

6:15:
Happy Hour/Wrap-Up (If there is interest, anyone in the room is welcome to hang around to view for FREE. Note: We may be happy, but we’ll have to leave the drinks–there’s no bar in library unless you rearrange the letters. :)

Audio Poster Sessions: As an important element of the conference experience, ALL Virtual Conference attendees will receive access to explore our audio poster session which features PowerPoint presentations or Web tours with audio narration. As part of the last PLA National Conference (2008), we offered twenty poster sessions for attendees to peruse, on topics like Early Literacy, Website Accessibility, Cataloging Video Games, Public/Academic Library Collaboration, and Impact of Library Outreach. We also featured poster sessions on library programming like 52 Books – 52 Weeks, A.R.T. Revolution forTeens, Local History, and more.

Access to Archived Programming for One Year: All virtual conference registrants will have access to archived Virtual Conference programming for one year after the event. Maybe some of your staff can bring the information they learned back to train your local staff too!

• INTERACT with over 60 technology innovators, vendors & exhibitors.
• LEARN about the latest educational technologies from keynotes, vendors and peers.
• EXPLORE the latest offerings in digital technologies for education and business.
• NETWORK with colleagues from other institutions.

Come to the Expo for a chance to win a multitude of terrific door prizes. There is no cost to attend but you must register to be eligible for prizes. Register at:attendee_registration.htm

Visit the website for more details: techfair. Contact us at: TechExpo@Villanova.Edu

Frederick Stoss, Biological and Environmental Sciences Librarian, SUNY Buffalo and chair of the ALA Taskforce on the Environment, will present “Sustainable and Green @ Your Library” on April 30, 2010 at 10 a.m.

Afternoon presenters include Megan Epler, Energy Resource Specialist, SEDA-COG, Lewisburg, and John Manz, Director, PA Housing Resource Center, Weatherization Training Center, Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The West Branch Chapter is also looking for libraries willing to share their “green” ideas – ways you have cut costs, saved energy at your libraries – either in person or as part of our handouts.

For more information, please contact Stephanie Farr, West Branch Chapter Secretary, at sfarr@jvbrown.edu

The workshop is worth 4 continuing education credits or 4 Act 48 credits. Cost is $25 for PaLA members and $35 for non-members.
Obtain a registration form at:Spring 2010 Workshop Brochure

RSVP required by April 23. Contact Stephanie Campbell for more information at scampbell@jvbrown.edu

Registration is also available online at: palibraries.org
Under Events and Deadlines, choose the link to Register for a Spring Workshop

Questions regarding online registration should be directed to Ellen Wharton at PaLA, ellen@palibraries.org

PaLA will not issue refunds for cancellations or no-shows to the workshop.
Replacement attendees will be permitted with proper notice to the organizer. Any unused fee will be designated as support for the West Branch Chapter.

Libraries strive to meet minimum requirements as outlined in the PA Library Laws, one of them being certification for accepting the role of library director with all the responsibilities of leading a community library. This is a case where the Middletown Public Library would write an official letter requesting a waiver of the standards. A library is likely to be granted the waiver of standards for a limited period of time if they can provide a reason why the standard is not currently met and a written plan for achieving the standard within a reasonable period of time.

The minimum standard in the case of libraries with population under 10,000 is Library Assistant. If you want more information about certification, the information is available here: Public Library Certification Application.

The Middletown Public Library Board of Trustees, employees and Friends are hard at work on sharing their plan to best meet the needs of their community within available resources. They are providing strong proof of the impact a public library makes on a community to help make the case for an appropriate level of staffing.

Read the notes here: February 2010 District Meeting

Next District Library meeting will be on May 19th at SIM–not ESA as was previously mentioned.

Libraries who do not meet state aid standards for a specific reason can apply for a waiver.

Each session will last 60-90 minutes depending on Q&A interest.

1 hour of CE is available to anyone who attends this training.

DCLS, CCLS, and MDT collectively purchase this resource for use by reference librarians and library patrons.

If you want to attend, use this link to sign up: Click here to register

* Registration for these programs is completely free.
* Although multiple sessions are offered, you will only need to attend 1 session.
* Training materials, a continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included with registration and, again, are at no cost to participants.
* This project has been funded with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. PALCI received an LSTA grant for 2009-2010 to provide disaster preparedness and response training sessions.

The training program

* The day’s program will run from approximately 9 am to 4:30 pm; exact times and meeting locations will be spent after registration.
* Some of the topics we hope to address in these sessions include risk assessment, disaster plan writing and preparation, health and safety precautions, and disaster recovery methods.
* PALCI is contracting with Tom Clareson of Lyrasis to conduct the sessions. We are also adding further disaster preparedness presenters as we finalize the program.
* This training should provide an excellent baseline of disaster preparedness knowledge for all institutions and create a solid foundation to build upon for future collaborative disaster preparedness efforts.

Who should attend?

* Staff with responsibility over or interest in disaster preparedness, risk management, and emergency response for cultural heritage organizations (such as libraries) should attend.
* Our goal is to have at least two library staff members (professional or paraprofessional) from each PALCI member institution participate. More attendees from an institution are welcome, as space allows.
* Colleagues from non-PALCI institutions are also welcome to attend. There is no charge for them to do so.

* Registration for these programs is completely free.
* Although multiple sessions are offered, you will only need to attend 1 session.
* Training materials, a continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included with registration and, again, are at no cost to participants.
* This project has been funded with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. PALCI received an LSTA grant for 2009-2010 to provide disaster preparedness and response training sessions.

The training program

* The day’s program will run from approximately 9 am to 4:30 pm; exact times and meeting locations will be spent after registration.
* Some of the topics we hope to address in these sessions include risk assessment, disaster plan writing and preparation, health and safety precautions, and disaster recovery methods.
* PALCI is contracting with Tom Clareson of Lyrasis to conduct the sessions. We are also adding further disaster preparedness presenters as we finalize the program.
* This training should provide an excellent baseline of disaster preparedness knowledge for all institutions and create a solid foundation to build upon for future collaborative disaster preparedness efforts.

Who should attend?

* Staff with responsibility over or interest in disaster preparedness, risk management, and emergency response for cultural heritage organizations (such as libraries) should attend.
* Our goal is to have at least two library staff members (professional or paraprofessional) from each PALCI member institution participate. More attendees from an institution are welcome, as space allows.
* Colleagues from non-PALCI institutions are also welcome to attend. There is no charge for them to do so.

* Registration for these programs is completely free.
* Although multiple sessions are offered, you will only need to attend 1 session.
* Training materials, a continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks are included with registration and, again, are at no cost to participants.
* This project has been funded with federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds administered by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. PALCI received an LSTA grant for 2009-2010 to provide disaster preparedness and response training sessions.

The training program

* The day’s program will run from approximately 9 am to 4:30 pm; exact times and meeting locations will be spent after registration.
* Some of the topics we hope to address in these sessions include risk assessment, disaster plan writing and preparation, health and safety precautions, and disaster recovery methods.
* PALCI is contracting with Tom Clareson of Lyrasis to conduct the sessions. We are also adding further disaster preparedness presenters as we finalize the program.
* This training should provide an excellent baseline of disaster preparedness knowledge for all institutions and create a solid foundation to build upon for future collaborative disaster preparedness efforts.

Who should attend?

* Staff with responsibility over or interest in disaster preparedness, risk management, and emergency response for cultural heritage organizations (such as libraries) should attend.
* Our goal is to have at least two library staff members (professional or paraprofessional) from each PALCI member institution participate. More attendees from an institution are welcome, as space allows.
* Colleagues from non-PALCI institutions are also welcome to attend. There is no charge for them to do so.

Here’s the handout distributed by Office of Commonwealth Libraries: Gov Prop Budg Announcement 2010.11

A link to a recent PA news story about libraries in the education budget: Look for article in Times Tribune

If you want to follow the news, feel free to continue at palibraries.org and watch the state mailing list for the latest information.

Some of the more district relevant info and updates may be posted here for your summary, or feel free to comment and add your own info/links below.

When the mission of your library is to help people and your community, and every day, all you want is to do is meet more and more overwhelming community needs, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then you’re hit with the idea that you might not have as much money to do it with in the future. It can be a really devastating thought. All this comes at a time when more items than ever are going through our doors. Some days we need more inspiration. Find it in the impact.

Imagine for a moment, a world without libraries. What if you woke up this morning and there were no libraries. I know it’s far fetched, but imagine it……….

After that temporary moment of fear about what you’ll when what you believe in is gone, look around: What does the world look like without libraries? Imagine no academic libraries, no public libraries, no special libraries, no law libraries, no medical libraries, no school libraries. Pretend it’s a world where Melville Dewey was never born and WorldCat didn’t allow you to search multiple catalogs. Imagine there’s no OPAC, no ILS. How’s democracy looking? Or is it an Idiocracy? Where are all the scholarly works stored and how does a person get to see them and use them? How do publishers, artists, and other creatives feel (if there are any left)? How are people reading and consuming information? Can they find anything? And the internet? Librarians changed that too and they keep on changing it.

Do you have a vision for libraries? Do you have a story that demonstrates how the library changed a life?
Share it. Record it. Write it. Film it. Do it. Plan it. And have fun with it.
The world without libraries isn’t a pretty place. See all the value in what we do. Do whatever it takes to Be inspiring.

Share your ideas to make sure EVERYONE (including those who assist with the funding) learns the impact your library work makes on everyday life.

Comments are always welcome below.

Lots of Words: Public librarians and their governing boards aim to be open, fair, balanced, and good. We keep party politics out of decisions that effect library services. We aim for a common mission, to do good for our community through public libraries. Libraries should be aware of the potential to enter lobbyist territory.
“All charities not otherwise excluded, who spend more than $2,500 per quarter on advocacy, must register as lobbyists with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Charities will be required to register as lobbyists, track their advocacy communications and disclose all costs associated with state advocacy. Failure to register could result in fines”
Here’s the link to more information: pano.org (Note: One leader at each district library has a username and password to PANO’s vast collection of resources.)

Now that you’ve read about lobbying, I urge you to continue to be an advocate for libraries.
How much do you know about advocacy?
Here’s a sample of places to begin to learn more:
ala.org American Library Association
citizensfortheartsinpa.orgLook at advocacy outside libraries.
palibraries.org: Look for the Advocacy Tool KitPALA

To switch subjects, just a bit, on the lighter side, just for fun, imagine two candidates for political election:
Person 1: cheated on his wife and used the word retard casually, but increases library support by 50%
Person 2: did lots of government stuff that some people like and some people dislike, but capped library funding.
Who would you vote for? (Write-in anyone?)

I hope we can all laugh about the election quandary I pose above. After all, we’re librarians. We would prepare more supporting information that would make the decision easier. It’s our job. We organize, prepare, and share resources so our users can make informed decisions in this democracy.

While I’m guessing there aren’t a lot of elections right now that would be completely influenced by a candidate’s platform on paying for public library services, we can’t forget that the collective impact of library users is powerful in a very different way. Think about it.
Now, how can we harness the power? Hmmmm…. :)

That brings it all back to politics. What is the role of the public library in politics? I propose it is this: to provide shared open access to unbiased organized information and resources to grow an informed citizenry that makes better decisions to elect leaders. It’s a cycle.

Once that politician gets elected, how do you remind him or her that the library helped people make better decisions? Does your library do things from the list below?:
Provide first hand proof the value of your information services directly to the email inbox of your leader.
Give the town manager information that makes solving a crisis easier.
Send an article from POWERLibrary with evidence to help build a solution for health care in the U.S.
Post information from the library’s catalog or website on the Facebook wall of your favorite teacher so he can send students to useful resources available at the public library.

Libraries are there to help leaders succeed. Be thankful for what libraries are allowed to do and do what’s valuable today. Make them look good. Give leaders the firsthand proof you provide quality information they can use to lead and improve the community. See the collective value of that impact and smile.

Every person you are serving could be the next leader.