Awkward Sweater Party Knits UCLA Students Together

With Winter 2011 course registration underway, UCLA ALA Student Chapter and the Student Chapter of the Special Libraries Association co-hosted an awkward sweater and cookie frosting party for mentors and mentees, and any students who wanted guidance, had questions, or wanted to offer advice on choosing classes.With Crayola-colored spiced frosting, sugar cookies, nonpareils, a crackling (digital) fire, and more sequins, bows, and shoulder pads than Madonna's wardrobe in the 80s, first and second-year MLIS students exchanged the inside skinny on UCLA's winter offerings.

The most common questions from first years centered on core classes, including Information Technology and Information Access, two courses on information tools and reference, respectively, required for graduation.  Second year students were more concerned about the portfolio requirement, which, though due in Spring 2011, looms heavy.

Fortunately the cookies and silly sweaters brought a little levity to the gift-wrapped table, and as much gossip as grad requirements were overheard.  Fortified by sugar for finals week and better prepared for choosing courses, the awkward sweater party was a smash success!

Cocktail Party of State

The ALA Student Chapter officers for 2010-2011 recently got together for some sophisticated fun. As these photos reveal, these student leaders know how to look good while talking shop. The event took place in a Santa Monica apartment belonging to one of the Co-Presidents (moi!). Guests were asked to bring a potluck dish as well as a very important accessory. Can you guess? That's right, this was an ol' fashioned political wig party- like the British Parliament, only much more colorful (and less wild). Upon arrival, guests were presented with hand crafted stationary, which outlined The Rules. Co-President, Britt Foster was responsible for the creation and crafty dissemination of the rules. In case you're interested in hosting your own wig party in the near future, here they are:
1. The first rule of wig party is never mention wig party (unless your blogging about it, of course).
2. Don't mention wigs, either.
3. In fact, don't even mention anything rhyming with wig.
4. And while we're at it, don't say a word about e-books, either. We're sick of hearing about them.
5. The same goes for Harry Potter. Geeze. Can't everybody just shut up about that kid already?

Failure to abide by these rules will result in some strange punishment drawn from The Great and Mystical Jar of Mysteries. Your Madame Presidents reserve the right to force The Great and Mystical Jar of Mysteries on anyone at anytime, for any infraction or the rules above, a stellar cocktail, or an amazing...you know. That thing on your head.

Violators drew from a jar of question slips and were required to answer "what if" type questions before the assembly. Surprisingly, the party's chief planners were also the chief transgressors. It's harder than you'd think to not say "wig," especially when everyone in the room is wearing one. The food was delicious and the guests looked smashing. Most attendees confessed to mysterious head itching, likely as a result of all that intense ALA Student Chapter event planning. Stay tuned for the results of this powerful think tank!

Members are Informed and Ready for Their First Conference Experience!

UCLA ALA Student Chapter recently got the inside skinny on professional conferences from the wise and witty Cindy Mediavilla. Our members are gearing up for California Library Association 2010 in mid-November and eagerly anticipating ALA Midwinter in January. The close proximity of ALA Midwinter this year (about 2 hours away in San Diego) in addition to the rumors of library conference ecstacy have UCLA students abuzz with plans. Fortunately for us, we are now mentally prepped after listening to quality tips this past Wednesday's speaker event. If you weren't able to make the talk, we're providing some of the key points below:

When you get to a conference:

Sign in and get a fabulous name tag (with zipper pouch)!

Get a paper program, floor plan and map to get familiar with event locations and start scheduling!

It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with top pick events well in advance of the event.

5 Things to Do at a conference:

1) Programs

Want to go to two programs but there's a schedule conflict? Leave one early, but be sure to sit near the back of the room!

For hot topics, try to get to the program early!

Note: there will be no programs during the ALA Midwinter Meetings

2) Exhibits

ALA conferences have much bigger exhibits than CLA conferences

Opportunities to interact with vendors

Free books, free bags and sometimes free food

Try to spend at least one day just visiting exhibits

You have the option to save money and get an "exhibit only" pass

3) Meetings

Business style meetings to address administration business

Also informal and educational discussion groups

anyone can sit in on the meeting- you don't have to be a member of that group or round table...this is a great opportunity to get a feel for committees.

4) Placement Center

Organizations seeking employees

2010 CLA conference will have Speed Mentoring program

Possibility for on the site interviews, be sure to bring professional attire and copies of your résumé

5) Parties!

Free food!

Good place to network

Check with your workplace beforehand to see if there are any invitations

New Members ALA Roundtable party is always to most fun!

What to Bring

Money for parking and meals

Business cards

Don't have business cards? Make them! Include name, professional email, phone number,

major/school/specialty; now's a good time to change your e-mail to something other than surferbabe@aol

What to Wear

First impressions are important!

Look professional but stay comfortable

Comfy shoes a must!

Remember you may be meeting future employers/coworkers!

Conference attendees love students!

Answer questions about school

Respond positively

Constantly introduce yourself

Transportation

Gale shuttle buses are FREE!

Lines to get lengthy during peak hours, plan accordingly

Interested in going to ALA Midwinter? book a hotel ASAP!

For San Diego: consider Embassy Suites (free food during happy hour!)

Conferences offer a chance to better understand library service, gain professional development, and network with working professionals throughout the state and/or country. In today's economy, that conference fee may be well worth the professional contacts. Besides, by all accounts...It's fun!

Conference How-To for First Timers

Join us tomorrow for "Conference How-To for First Timers" by Cindy Mediavilla in room 111. Wednesday, October 20th from 4:30-5:15. The session will offer specific guidance about just what to do to maximize the conference experience in an enjoyable fashion. See you there!

(image courtesy of New York Public Library)

Running the Books

For further proof of the transformative power of libraries, check out “Running the Books” by Avi Steinberg. Steinberg became a librarian at a Massachusetts prison, and his tale provides ample evidence of the importance of libraries in the souls who use them.

For the NYT review of the book click here.

UCLA ALA Student Chapter Tours LAPL

On Saturday, September 18, the UCLA ALA Student Chapter visited the Los Angeles Public Library for a VIP tour led by Sylva Manoogian, a former LAPL employee of over twenty years.  The day began with a potluck, and the two hour tour focused on an insider's perspective and advocacy for the LAPL system, currently struggling with budget cuts, staff shortages, and reduced hours.

Ms. Manoogian worked within and was director of the International Languages division of LAPL, and described her work within this department, the 1986 fire and the community's efforts to restore the stacks, and why LAPL is so integral to the culturally, ethnically, and economically diverse city of Los Angeles. 

Thanks to Cory Hartford for the beautiful photos!  See our Flickr stream above for more.

Banned Books Week Scavenger Hunt

Yesterday boasted perfect weather for running all over the UCLA campus. That's just what three teams of chapter members did 

in honor of Banned Books Week. Teams were comprised of a blend of first and second year students competing for Banned Books swag and bragging rights.

The purpose of this event was threefold. First, the chapter announced its mentor/mentee pairings, a program designed to support 

first year students within the department by pairing them with second year students with similar career aspirations. Chapter members had a chance to bond while completing tasks such as dressing as Captain Underpants in the student store, sanitizing hands at the student health center, and locating or reading aloud from banned books in campus libraries and book stores. 

A second planned outcome was familiarizing first year students with essential buildings on campus. For instance, teams were asked to visit our sister department in Moore Hall and get a graduate student from the Department of Education to let them write "I read banned books" on their hand. 

A final benefit of this scavenger hunt was introducing students to ALA's annual Banned Books Week. Each clue in 

the scavenger hunt was tied to a "Banned Fact" in order to increase awareness of censorship and commitment to intellectual freedom. 

Teams scored points by texting photo messages of each accomplished task to headquarters. This tech savvy approach ensured that the campus facilities would remain clean and organized and guaranteed some amusing photo keepsakes of the event! 

The three teams were neck and neck throughout the two-hour competition. All three teams completed the 13 clues successfully. The final winner, Team Awesome, won by a mere two points acquired through bonus points assigned for creativity!

If you missed this incredible event, have no fear - we'll be hosting thrilling mentor/mentee social events every other month throughout the year!

British Library to Publish Handwritten Greek Manuscripts Online

For those of us who are unable to make it to the British Library reading rooms to review the library's collection of handwritten Greek texts in person, never fear. The British Library will post a quarter of their exceptional works online so interested individuals the world over can see classics in their original form. To view the manuscripts, click here.

The Associated Press reports that more documents will be published in 2012.

Celebrating Baseball in Children's Books

With the airing of Ken Burns' baseball series "Baseball: The Tenth Inning" on PBS this week, it's time for a review of great children's books about the history of the sport.

2. 

Volunteering in the West Bank

Summer term is often a time for students to do something a little bit different than the rest of the year. Before I began at UCLA in the Information Studies department last year, I studied archaeology. So, this summer I spent most of my time working as registrar on an archaeological excavation in southern Turkey (an excellent way to combine a love of archaeology and information studies by the way)!

A second way that I combine my love of archaeology and libraries is as chair of the World Archaeological Congress’ Global Libraries Program. The program works to enhance the literary collections of archaeological and cultural heritage research institutions around the globe.

During the summer of 2009, I attended an archaeological conference in the Palestinian town of Ramallah in the West Bank. There, we began collaborating between the Global Libraries Program and the Institute of Archaeology at Birzeit University. While housed in a major university, the Institute has been plagued by a lack of funding, a lack of a full-time librarian, and a lack of new research materials for the last ten years.

Following my excavation this summer, I again visited the West Bank (and this time I brought my friend and archaeological colleague, Sarah Hawley). We spent a week this August volunteering in the Birzeit Institute of Archaeology library. We brought some archaeological journal donations in our suitcase, and we donated our time that week to help organize the materials in the library so that they can be accessible for students and professors to research.

As an MLIS student at UCLA, I have the skills to catalog and sort the books in the library (that were out of their boxes but not cataloged or in any useful order). Unfortunately, the computers were not working and therefore we were not able to access LCC for cataloging. Instead, Sarah and I (alongside Birzeit students who came and helped) took more of an archival approach.

We sorted through all of the libraries loose papers and organized all of the individual journal articles and off prints dispersed through many shelves and boxes. We organized the articles by author and year and they are now a resource for students and faculty.

I want to say thank you to the UCLA ALA Student Chapter for helping me defray part of the cost of traveling to Birzeit University this summer. Sarah and I were able to accomplish a lot in organizing the library. However, even more importantly, our presence was an encouragement to the faculty at the school who are working so hard to make the Institute succeed. In addition, some of the students in the program were not even aware that there was a specialized library available to them. We were an impetus for these students to take ownership of their Institute and a few now plan on volunteering this term to continue the work on the library. I’m just glad that we could help work together to transform the library into a valuable resource.

--Ashley Sands

UCLA ALA Student Group, Co-Treasurer

Unslam the Doors: Protesting the Cuts at LAPL

On Monday, July 19th, 2010, a protest was held to mark the first non-holiday Monday that Los Angeles Public Library was closed.  The protest, sponsored by the Librarian's Guild, was held at the Central Branch of LAPL and addressed staff layoffs and the move to a schedule that leaves all libraries in the system open only five days a week.  

Several speakers, including UCLA professor emerita Dr. Virginia Walter, called attention to the importance of libraries to a community, and how those services are affected by the cuts in staff and hours.  The cuts have been prompted by Los Angeles' fiscal shortcomings; LA City Council also opted to not place a $39 parcel tax that would have supported library services on the November 2010 ballot, despite a poll taken in May that shows 68% of voters would have voted in favor of the tax.

For more information on LAPL and how to help restore hours, please visit savethelibrary.org, where a letter campaign is currently taking place urging LA City Council to restore library hours.  For a national view on the library crisis, visit losinglibraries.org where a map of libraries affected by closures, layoffs, and budget cuts is available.

UCLA’s ALA Student Chapter Fundraises for Spectrum Scholarship

In support of the ALA’s Spectrum Presidential Initiative the ALA Student Chapter at UCLA recently organized a successful BBQ for Spectrum Scholars fundraiser at the home and garden of Tim Ahern and former CLA President Cindy Mediavilla. The UCLA Student Chapter brought together nearly 30 MLIS graduate students, professors, and library professionals from our community to support this important scholarship to increase diversity within the our profession. We are proud to say that our BBQ helped raise more than $1,000 for the ALA’s Spectrum Scholarship Program.

Among our distinguished guests were numerous professional librarians including Los Angeles City Librarian, Martín Gomez. Mr. Gomez was appointed City Librarian by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2009 and we were honored that he could attend and show support for the fundraiser. Also in attendance was one of our own library science graduate students, Jeannie Chen! Jeannie is a former UCLA Spectrum Scholar who came out to support our fundraiser. Jeannie just graduated from the UCLA MLIS program this year so congratulations to her!

Our BBQ menu included grilled burgers, hot dogs, dips, salads, fresh veggies, and a delicious homemade lemon cake baked by our own former Student Chapter Co-President Lindsay Klick. We are also extremely grateful to Ahern and Mediavilla for opening their home to this important fundraising event. Their beautiful backyard garden is a stop on the annual Theodore Payne Foundation’s Spring Garden Tour, and the diversity fundraiser could not have been in a more appropriate setting than a garden resplendent with a diversity of native California plants.

The ALA Student Chapter at UCLA recognizes the importance of increasing diversity within the library profession, and we were honored to help support the ALA’s national efforts to increase academic opportunities for underrepresented populations.

E-book updates...

British Library Releases Thousands of E-Books

The British Library will be making available 65,000 e-books from the library's collection this spring. Users can read from the pages of the books in the original condition and typesets. The works will also be available for order in printed form on Amazon. More details are available here.

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