Don’t miss what we have in store for you at the 2015 Midwinter Meeting!
New Online Courses!
Check out the new online courses!
Buzz e-learning – Register now! –
http://eepurl.com/2jPEP
RUSA Awards Nomination Period is Now Open!
The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is seeking nominations for its annual series of awards and grants. Nominations and supporting materials for most awards must be submitted by Dec. 14, 2014.
RUSAÂ encourages members to nominate their colleagues whose work has influenced their thinking and performance and whose contributions merit recognition by the profession.
Achievement awards for individuals and groups:
- Isadore Gilbert Mudge Award, RUSA’s highest honor, recognizes an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of reference librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $5,000* and a citation.
- Novelist’s Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award recognizes a librarian who has made significant contributions to library adult services. Sponsored by Novelist; $1,250* and a citation.
- Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Library Services is given to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique resource to meet patrons’ reference needs. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $3,000* and a citation.
- John Sessions Memorial Award recognizes a library or library system that has made a significant effort to work with the labor community and by doing so has brought recognition to the history and contribution of the labor movement to the development of the United States. Sponsored by the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO, the winner receives a plaque.
- Reference Service Press Award recognizes the most outstanding article published in Reference and User Services Quarterly (RUSQ), RUSA’s research journal, during the preceding two-volume year. Sponsored by Reference Service Press; $2,500* prize and a plaque.
- BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Award for Excellence in Business Librarianship is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to business librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $3,000* and a citation.
- Louis Shores Award recognizes an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium or organization for excellence in book reviewing and other media for libraries. The winner receives a citation.
- Zora Neale Hurston Award honors an individual ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. Sponsored by HarperCollins; the winner receives $1,250* supporting travel to the ALA Annual Conference, a plaque, tickets to the ALTAFF Author Tea and a set of Hurston’s books in print with HarperCollins at the time of the award presentation.
- ABC-CLIO Online History Award recognizes an individual or group that has produced a 1) freely available online historical collection or, 2) an online tool assisting users in finding historical materials, or 3) an online teaching aid stimulating creative historical scholarship. Sponsored by ABC-CLIO; $2,500* and a citation.
- History Section Genealogical Publishing Company Award is presented to a librarian, library or publisher who is a RUSA member, and recognizes professional achievement in historical reference and research librarianship. Sponsored by Genealogical Publishing Company; $1,500* and a citation.
- MARS “My Favorite Martian†Award is a citation presented annually in recognition of excellence in service to the MARS: Emerging Technologies in Reference Section of RUSA. The winner receives a citation.
- RSS Service Achievement Award is presented annually to a member of the Reference Services Section (RSS) of RUSA in recognition of exceptional contributions to the section. The winner receives a citation.
- Virginia Boucher/OCLC Distinguished ILL Librarian Award is given to an individual for his or her outstanding professional achievement, leadership, and contributions to interlibrary loan and document delivery. Sponsored by OCLC; $2,000* and a citation.
Travel awards to the ALA Annual Conference:
- BRASS Gale Cengage Learning Student Travel Award presents funds to a student enrolled in an ALA accredited master’s degree program to fund travel the ALA Annual Conference. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $1,250* and a citation. This award’s nomination deadline is Feb. 8, 2015.
- BRASS Business Expert Press Award for Academic Business Librarians is presented to a new librarian in the field of academic business librarianship in order to support attendance to the ALA Annual Conference. Sponsored by Business Expert Press; $1,250* and a citation.
- Morningstar Public Librarian Support Award offers funds to a public librarian who has performed outstanding business reference service and who requires financial assistance to attend the ALA Annual Conference. Sponsored by Morningstar, Inc.; $1,000* and a citation.
- STARS/Atlas Systems Mentoring Award offers ALA Annual Conference travel assistance funds to a library practitioner who is new to the field of interlibrary loan/document delivery or electronic reserves, and who has involvement in the areas of borrowing, lending, document delivery, electronic reserves, material delivery or resource sharing. Sponsored by Atlas Systems; $1,250* and a citation.
Research grants:
- RUSA History Section Gale Cengage History Research and Innovation Award is granted to an MLS degreed librarian from an ALA accredited school to facilitate and further research relating to history and history librarianship. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning; $2,500* and a citation.
- BRASS Emerald Research Grant, is presented to an individual or group seeking support to conduct research in business librarianship. Sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing; $2,500* and a citation.
*Monetary award amounts are subject to change without notice and are contingent upon donor funding supplied at the time the award is presented. Questions about these awards should be directed to the committee chairperson—access committee contact information by logging in at www.ala.org, then accessing the RUSA roster webpage—or to the RUSA headquarters staff.
More information about these awards, including nominating instructions, can be found on RUSA’s awards webpage.
RUSA’s ALA Annual Conference Highlights!
REGISTER for ALA Annual Conference NOW!
RUSA’s ALA Annual Conference Highlights:
- RUSA Preconferences, Friday, June 27, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Business, Genealogy and Reference, all at their best!
- RUSA 101, Friday, June 27, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. New to RUSA? Interested in joining? Want to connect with other RUSA members at the start of conference? RUSA 101 is the place to be! We’ll raffle off some awesome items, too.
- RUSA President’s Program,Saturday, June 28, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. A thoughtful debate.
- RUSA Programs, Saturday, June 28, 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Reference services and technology at its best!
- Andrew Carnegie Medals, RUSA Awards and Literary Tastes, Awards, Awards and more Awards!
RUSA Preconferences
Preconference advanced registration ends June 20th!
How Business Librarians Support Entrepreneurs
This full-day workshop will address common information needs of entrepreneurs, including locating information about their market, industry, competitors and customers for both “Main Street†and technology start-ups, and which free or premium resources to use.
Read more   Add to my schedule
History Genealogy
This all-day preconference addresses issues of importance to library staff and administration when serving or partnering with genealogical patrons, volunteer, scholars, or educators. Read more
This preconference is a free event, but you must register, please fill out the form here:Â https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7HHNDJP.
Reference Interview
Learn why people do not ask for what they really want, find out about the psychological barriers to asking for help, and discover how to work with your users so that they are willing to come back again with future questions. Read more  Add to my schedule
Exclusively RUSA
RUSA 101 – Free to all conference registrants
Network, Get Oriented, Get Involved
Whether you’re new to RUSA or a longtime member looking for an opportunity to connect with other members and ways to get involved and spend an hour with us before heading off to the opening of the exhibit floor. Refreshments and raffle prizes!
Read more Add to my schedule
RUSA President’s Program – Free to all conference registrants
Our Values, Ourselves: Examining Our Values and What Others Value about UsÂ
Are our own values and self-perceptions interfering with providing services that our patron communities both need and want?
Read more Add to my schedule
Noteworthy and Valuable RUSA Programming – Free to all conference registrants
Saturday
Turning Books into a Cool New Tool: RA Marketing in the Age of Maker Spaces
Maker spaces and 3D printers are hip and libraries are using them to ensure that they remain relevant and are perceived as keeping up with the latest trends. One of the trends that has not received much attention, however, is the fact that books are still our brand and reading is the main reason citizens view the library as valuable and continue to support it. Read more. Add to my schedule.
Adding Value in Your Community
Smart Investing @your library: Learn how financial literacy programs are increasing libraries social capital. Read more Add to my schedule
 Code4ILL: How to Grow Your Own Innovation for Resource Sharing
Emerging technologies in ILL and Document Delivery now permit an unprecedented amount of scripting and coding development in libraries, but as resource sharing librarians we’ve only taken advantage of this opportunity in isolated pockets. Read more Add to my schedule
New Directions for Data Visualization in Library Public Services
A wide array of new instructional technologies has joined an increased understanding of the diversity of learning styles to foment new forms of teaching and information sharing. Data visualization is increasingly used in higher education and libraries to organize information, or provide new and innovative ways of disseminating data and learning objective. Read more Add to my schedule
Finding Dead People: Genealogy and Local History Resources for the ILL Practitioner
This program will provide a brief overview of core tools of genealogical research including census records, county histories, family books, and local newspapers. Read more Add to my schedule
Sunday
 20th Annual Reference Research Forum
The Reference Research Forum continues to be one of the most popular and valuable programs during the ALA Annual Conference, where attendees can learn about notable projects conducted in the broad area of reference services such as user behavior, electronic services, reference effectiveness and assessment, and organizational structure and personnel.Read more Add to my schedule
The Nevada Test Site Project: Bringing Primary Resources to Researchers
The Nevada Test Site Oral History Project, developed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Library, is a project dedicated to those ‘affiliated with and affected by’ the ‘nuclear proving ground’ in Nevada. Read more Add to my schedule
Monday
Mad Men: The Business of Advertising
Many companies spend millions on advertising their brands and products, yet data can be hard to find. Specialized sources, available at many large libraries, focus on these statistics. The information they contain can be used by business students, researchers, or the general public. Read more Add to my schedule
Labor Solidarity in a “Right-to-Work†State
The rich labor history of Las Vegas will serve as the setting to understand the impact “right-to-work†laws have on the workforce.
Awards, Authors, Adult Literature & Appreciation!Â
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, Dessert and drinks reception. Join speaker, Karin Slaughter and Committee Chair, Nancy Pearl for the announcement and presentation of the third Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction, ALA’s only single-book awards for adult trade fiction and nonfiction. The two winners from the shortlist of six will be announced. Cosponsored by Booklist and RUSA. Caesars Palace, Rooms Octavius 01-04. Read more  Purchase tickets here!   Add to my conference schedule
RUSA Awards Reception and Volunteer Appreciation Party, Hang out with RUSA colleagues and celebrate this year’s award winners at the RUSA Reception and Volunteer Appreciation Party.Â
Read more Free to all conference registrants!  Add to my conference schedule
Literary Tastes: Celebrating the Best Reading of the Year, RUSA will host three award-winning authors — Christopher Buehlman, Daniel J. Brown, Tessa Dare and V.E. Schwab — A conference tradition that features authors from RUSA’s literary awards. Read more Free to all conference registrants!   Add to my conference schedule  #literarytastes
Make Sure To Check Your Conference Scheduler Prior To All Events, Due To Last Minute Updates.Â
 For More Exclusively RUSA ALA Annual Conference Information. Â