John Cotton Dana Public Relations Awards Announced!
This month, libraries with exceptional outreach programs were awarded the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award. The winners included an academic library, a state library and four innovative public libraries. These libraries launched public relation campaigns using social media, public events and community engagement to encourage library use and improve utility to the patron. The results included an increase in library usage, teen attendance and the return of more overdue books.

For example:

"The King County Library System, Issaquah, WA, was "cited for "Look to Your Library…Especially Now," a campaign aimed at providing job and career information. Use of database resources increased, with a quadrupling in use of Resume Builder.

Pasco County Library System Hudson, FL, won for "Rockus Maximus: Battle of the Bands," a library- and community-sponsored Battle of the Bands competition that involved social media like YouTube and MySpace, with a Battle of the Bands live concert. Teen attendance at library programs increased nearly 50% afterward.

San Francisco Public Library won for "Return the Books," an overdue fine amnesty program involving quotes from well-known personalities such as Captain "Sully" Sullenberger. The result: a 23.6% return on overdue materials."

The article, as well as a video one of the winning campaigns can be found here.

ALSC Media Award Winners Announced

The 2010 Newbery Medal was awarded to "When You Reach Me", a novel of 1970s New York by Rebecca Stead.

Jerry Pinkney's "The Lion and the Mouse" won the 2010 Caldecott Medal.


Newbery Honor Books of 2010 were also announced:

"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" written by Phillip Hoose, published by Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group (link includes video of Claudette Colvin discussing her story).

"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" written by Jacqueline Kelly, published by Henry Holt and Company

"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" written by Grace Lin, published by Little Brown and Company Books for Young Readers

"The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg" written by Rodman Philbrick,

Caldecott Honor Books, 2010:

"All the World" illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon, published by Beach Lane Books

"Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors" illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman, puslished by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Save the Date! ALA Career Panel January 28, 2010

ALA's UCLA Student Chapter will be hosting a career panel for IS students on Thursday, January 28th from 12:30-1:45 in the Information Studies Salon (on the second floor of the GSE&IS building).

Panelists will include distinguished professionals in their respective fields, including academic librarianship, children's librarianship, law librarianship, information architecture, and other areas. Librarians will offer advice as to courses and experiences that would be helpful to students interested in these fields. There will also be refreshments. This should be helpful whether you are just beginning to consider your career options, or if you need more specialized information. Please join us!!

The Winners Speak: 2009 I Love My Librarian Awards

The I Love My Librarian Award winners gathered in New York in December and offered their insights about librarianship.

For these librarians, a library is "not just a space or a resource, but truly an experience"... a place to "explore and learn and dream and imagine". A library should be a "safe haven", a setting "where [patrons] can share ideas with one another", as well as an "oasis".
It's a joy to hear these award-winning librarians discuss what motivates them, and what they aim to offer patrons. The full video can be found here.

Congratulations to the 2009 award winners: Sol A. Gomez, Laura Grunwerg, Lucy Hansen, Alice K. Juda, Karen A. Martines, Dwight McInvaill, Seamus O'Scanlain, Dana Thomas, Carolyn Wheeler, and Oceana Wilson.

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/content/winners-speak-2009-i-love-my-librarian-awards

Perpetual Beta Technology Blog
Perpetual Beta, a new blog about technology and librarianship produced by American Libraries and Jason Griffey was launched last week. According to Griffey, the blog aims to offer practical tips and tricks on technological issues facing librarians, serving as a "Lifehacker for Libraries". Griffey also plans to offer video podcasts and discussions of emerging issues in the field.

The blog can be found here:
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/content/introducing-perpetual-beta