Susan Hornung – Page 5

November 10, 2015

Midwinter Meeting 2016 – Institutes

Reference Interview Institute
Ticket Purchase Required
Friday, January 8, 9:00am – 4:00pm
This live and in-person all day workshop will provide you with some techniques that will enable you to better assist your users-and help you figure out what it is that they really need when they ask a question. Two expert reference librarians (one public librarian and one academic librarian) will give you tips that will make you more approachable, a better communicator and help make your users more willing to return. Purchase ticket here.

History Genealogy Institute
Free, but registration is required
Friday, January 8, 8:00am – 4:00pm
This free workshop will help librarians of all types learn techniques. This can include better understanding of genealogy research methods and sources. It can also include how libraries can leverage their unique holdings to become more relevant to genealogists, who tend to be passionate in their support of libraries that have useful materials. Lunch provided and sponsored by ProQuest. Register here.

October 19, 2015

Two Institutes hosted by RUSA at the 2016 Midwinter Meeting.

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) will host two Institutes, “Reference Interview” and “History Genealogy Workshop” on Friday, January 8, 2016 during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting in Boston.

“Reference Interview” will take place from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.on Friday, Jan. 8. RUSA’s live and in-person all day workshop will provide you with some techniques that will enable you to better assist your users-and help you figure out what it is that they really need when they ask a question. Two expert reference librarians (one public librarian and one academic librarian) will give you tips that will make you more approachable, a better communicator and help make your users more willing to return.

This event requires advance ticket purchase, but registration for the 2016 Midwinter Meeting is not required in order to purchase a ticket. Register here.

“History Genealogy Workshop” will take place from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.on Friday, Jan. 8. RUSA’s *free workshop will help librarians of all types learn techniques to better serve the genealogists and family historians who use their collections. This can include better understanding of genealogy research methods and sources. It can also include how libraries can leverage their unique holdings to become more relevant to genealogists, who tend to be passionate in their support of libraries that have useful materials. Lunch provided and sponsored by ProQuest. *This is a free workshop, but you must register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QWZP6WG.

Membership in RUSA is not required in order to participate, but RUSA members receive the best registration rates on all of these events; learn more about RUSA and join today.

October 19, 2015

Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Shortlist Announced!

The American Library Association today announced the six books shortlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, awarded for the previous year’s best fiction and nonfiction books written for adult readers and published in the United States. The two medal winners will be announced by selection committee chair Nancy Pearl at the RUSA’s Book and Media Awards event at ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Boston on Sunday, January 10.

2016 shortlisted titles include:

Nonfiction

“H is for Hawk,” by Helen Macdonald, published by Grove Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, and distributed by Publishers Group West.

“Hold Still: A Memoir in Photographs,” by Sally Mann, published by Little, Brown, and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

“The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World,” by Andrea Wulf, published by published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, LLC. New York.

Fiction

“The Book of Aron,” by Jim Shepard, published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, LLC. New York.

“A Little Life: A Novel,” by Hanya Yanagihara, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, LLC. New York.

“The Sympathizer,” by Viet Thanh Nguyen, published by Grove Press, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, and distributed by Publishers Group West.

This is the first time the Carnegie Medal winner announcements will be made at Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, reflecting a new calendar for the awards, with the shortlist announced in October, the winners in January, and the popular celebratory event continuing at ALA Annual Conference each year. Winning authors each receive $5,000, and the four finalists each receive $1,500.

The awards, established in 2012, recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year and serve as a guide to help adults select quality reading material. They are the first single-book awards for adult books given by the American Library Association and reflect the expert judgment and insight of library professionals who work closely with adult readers.

The Medals are made possible, in part, by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York in recognition of Andrew Carnegie’s deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world, and are co-sponsored by ALA’s Booklist Publications and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

October 8, 2015October 8, 2015

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: 2016 REFERENCE RESEARCH FORUM

The Research & Statistics Committee of the Reference Services Section of the Reference & User Services Association (RUSA) invites the submission of reference service research project proposals for presentation at the 22nd Reference Research Forum at the 2016 American Library Association Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. Researchers and practitioners from all types of libraries, library school faculty and students, and other interested individuals are encouraged to submit a proposal.

The Reference Research Forum is a popular and valuable ALA Annual Conference program. Attendees have the opportunity to learn about innovative research projects conducted in reference services including user behavior, electronic services, reference effectiveness and assessment, and organizational structure and personnel.

For examples of projects presented at past Forums, please see the Committee’s website:
http://connect.ala.org/node/245010

The Committee employs a blind review process to select three projects for 20-minute presentations, followed by open discussion. Selected submissions must be presented in person at the Forum in Orlando, FL.

Criteria for selection:

1. Originality: Potential for research to fill a gap in reference knowledge or to build on previous studies

2. Quality: Research design and methodologies

3. Impact: Significance of the study for improving the quality of reference service

NOTE: Research projects may be in-progress or completed. Previously published research or research accepted for publication will not be accepted.

Important Dates:

Proposals are due by December 28th, 2015. Notification of acceptance will be made by Monday, February 8th, 2016.
The submission must not exceed two pages. Please include:

Submission Details:

PAGE 1: Cover Sheet (1 page maximum)
Include your name(s), title(s), institutional affiliation(s), mailing address(es), and email address(es).

PAGE 2: Research Description (1 page maximum)
The second page must not show your name, any personal information, or the name of your institution. Instead, it must include:

1. Title of the project

2. Explicit statement of the research problem

3. Description of the research design and methodologies

4. Findings or results if available

5. Brief discussion of the originality, unique contribution, potential impact, and significance of the research
(if you use semi colons between itemsin a list, you need to make sure the entire list is a complete sentence.)

Proposals that exceed 2 pages or that do not follow the format described above will be automatically rejected.
Please submit your proposal as a PDF document. Thank you for your cooperation in following submission rules.

Please send submissions by email to:
Elizabeth Kocevar-Weidinger
Learning Services Librarian
ekocevarweidinger@hcc.edu
Howard Community College