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Call for nominations: Novelist’s Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award

Know someone that has done outstanding work in library adult services?

Nominations are still open for the  Novelist’s Margaret E. Monroe Library Adult Services Award offered by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).

The $1250 award and citation honors a practicing librarian, library and information science researcher or educator or retired librarian who has made a significant contribution to library adult services. Contributions may include, but are not limited to, exemplified leadership, introduction of creative and innovative concepts in adult services, measurable effectiveness of managed programs and published works.

Those interested in submitting a nomination can download the nomination form and follow the instructions therein.

All nominations must be received by Dec. 15, and can be submitted via e-mail or mail.

Questions or comments can be directed to the committee chair, Stacy Alesi (alesis@pbclibrary.org).

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Call for nominations: 2014 Louis Shores Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2014 Louis Shores Award.

Library collections depend on the guidance of good reviewers. Reviewers, review editors, and bloggers, help librarians to make wise purchasing decisions and help us to guide our patrons to the best resources. The Louis Shores Award recognizes excellence in reviewing. The Louis Shores Award is awarded annually to an individual reviewer, group, editor, review medium, or organization. To nominate your favorite reviewer or review source for the award, complete the nomination form and follow the submission guidelines.

The winner of the 2014 Louis Shores Award will be honored at the RUSA Awards Reception at ALA Annual in Las Vegas, June 26-July 1.

The deadline for 2014 submissions is December 15th, 2013.

Questions can be directed to committee chair, Emily Hamstra, ehamstra@umich.edu.

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Registration open for “Genealogy Resources for Librarians” Midwinter institute

Register now for “Genealogy Resources for Librarians” and guarantee your seat at this exciting institute hosted by the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) History Section.

This all-day institute addresses issues of importance to library staff and administration when serving or partnering with patrons, volunteers, scholars, or educators interested in genealogy research. Nationally known specialists will discuss everything from superb free resources to future directions at NARA to webinar outreach, new online offerings, webinar instruction, government documents, Quaker resources, and making the financial case for genealogical librarianship. Luncheon is included and sponsored by ProQuest.

 Program includes:

 9AM Panel– Getting More Than You Pay For: Free Access to Genealogical Resources: panelists Kim Harrison, Ancestry.com; Michael Hall, FamilySearch; Sandra M. Hewlett, CGSM 
10AM Speaker - Meg Phillips, Liaison Director, NARA, and Jefferson M. Moak, Archivist, National Archives at Philadelphia, Future Directions for the National Archives and Records Administration
11 AM Panel – Reaching Reference Librarians Through Genealogical Webinars
panelists Kimberly Powell, V.P., Association of Professional Genealogists; Amber Case, University of Washington; Cherie’ Weible, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Noon Lunch – ProQuest program
1:30 PM Panel – Quaker Collections
panelists Ann Upton, Haverford; Tom Hamm, Earlham; Gwen Gosney Erickson Guilford College
2:30 PM Speaker – Connie Reik, Tufts, Genealogical Use of Government Publications
3:30 PM Speaker – Making the Financial Case for Genealogical Librarianship
 Curt Witcher, Allen County Public Library

The History Section is home to ALA’s genealogy experts, and the workshops and programs they produce provide primary resource information and tips. Genealogy reference is a valuable part of any library’s user services, and this event will provide an excellent opportunity to enhance those services, as well as the skills of the library’s reference staff.

The workshop will be held 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, 2014. Register now via the ALA Midwinter Meeting website (event code RUS1). You can register for Midwinter plus this institute, add this institute to your Midwinter registration, or sign up for just the institute by selecting “Institutes and Ticketed Events Only” as your meeting registration type.

Advanced registration prices for this event start at $60 for RUSA members, and lunch is included in the registration fee. The advanced registration rate will be available until January 15, and prices will increase after that date. Online registration in advance of the event is strongly encouraged. More information about the Midwinter Meeting is available at http://alamw14.ala.org/.

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Librarians speak out against Harvard Publishing’s latest restrictions

As of August 1, 2013, all databases containing Harvard Business Review, a journal published by Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), became “read only” for 500 (HBR 500) of the most popular Harvard Business Review articles. Campuses may pay a premium to restore full access to link, save, and print the affected articles.  EBSCO, exclusive provider to electronic Harvard Business Review articles, notified subscribers in spring of 2013 about this change.  These new access restrictions will affect researcher’s ability to access and use these articles.

Librarians decry the erosion of full access to scholarly material. Members of the Business Reference and Services Section (BRASS) of the Reference and User Services Association(RUSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) have clarified the restrictions with HBP and EBSCO, considered implications for libraries, colleges and universities, and offer suggestions for addressing this newest access restriction to an electronic journal.

Join us in urging HBP and other publishers to work with libraries to find access and pricing models that honor our shared educational and scholarly missions, and to broaden the discussion by informing their administrators, constituents, and legislators about the situation and its relevance to scholarly communications and the costs of higher education.

To access this statement,  visit: http://www.ala.org/rusa/sections/brass/brasspubs/publications/statement_hbr

For further information, please contact:

Ann Fiegen, Past BRASS Chair 2012-2013 and HBR Task Force Chair, afiegen@csusm.edu;
Andy Spackman, BRASS Chair 2013-2014, andy_spackman@byu.edu

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) is the foremost organization of reference and information professionals who make the connections between people and the information sources, services, and collection materials they need. Learn more about the association at www.ala.org/rusa.