February 2016

IN THIS ISSUE OF RUSA DIRECT:


The 2016 ALA Annual Conference is 140 Days Away!

Don’t miss out on Early Bird Registration rates, which end at 12:00 PM (CST) on March 16, 2016. You can register for the conference using this link: ALA Annual Conference registration.

The conference will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, June 23–28. Be one of the first to sign up to experience RUSA’s President’s Program with keynote speaker Dave Cobb, Vice President for Creative Development of the Thinkwell Group. Celebrate the honorable work of your colleagues at the RUSA Awards Reception and Volunteer Appreciation Party, attend outstanding preconferences and programs, network, and cruise more than 800 vendors in the exhibit hall. Register here.

RUSA Preconferences

  • Business Data for Librarians Ticket Purchase Required
    As the business world embraces big data, so must librarians. The focus of this full-day workshop will include: conducting a data reference interview; delving into the issues of data validity and data information literacy; and, working with data tools and datasets. Read more and register here.
  • Spoonful of Data-Driven Sugar: Using Big Business Research to Improve Customer Satisfaction in Easy-to-Implement, Single-Serving Packets   Ticket Purchase Required
    USAA, Amazon, Zappos, Trader Joe’s, and Starbucks are among companies ranked highest in customer service and they spend millions of dollars learning how to fulfill their customers’ needs. These techniques may be used to improve library programs and the customer service skills necessary for success. Read more and register here.
  • Genealogy Workshop Registration Required                         
    This free workshop will help librarians of all types learn techniques to better understand genealogy research methods and sources. Lunch provided and sponsored by ProQuest. Read more here. Registration opening soon.

Winners Announced at the Book & Media Awards Ceremony & Reception

For the first time, the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were announced at the 2016 Midwinter Meeting.

The 2016 winning titles are, The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen, in fiction, and Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs, by Sally Mann, in nonfiction. Read all the details here.

RUSA also unveiled this year’s winners of Notable Books ListReading List, Listen List and Outstanding Reference Sources selections, the Dartmouth Medal for excellence in reference, the Sophie Brody Medal for Jewish literature, the Zora Neale Hurston Award for achievement in promoting African-American literature and the Louis Shores Award for book reviewing. More information and a comprehensive list of winners can be viewed here.

Save-the-Date for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Celebration
Join us for this popular celebratory event and annual conference highlight—an engaging program followed by a dessert and drinks reception. The 2016 fiction and nonfiction winners will receive their medals, offer remarks, and mingle with attendees, publishers, and ALA leaders. Purchase your ticket here.


RUSA’s New Interest Group

RUSA is proud to announce the formation of the RUSA First Year Experience Interest Group, (FYEIG). This group has been formed in order to address the many challenges of first year students in higher education. Read more here.


RUSA Online Learning

Online Courses

Xtreme Bibliographic Searching for Interlibrary Loan & Reference
This four-week course, will take you from Mansel Pre 56 to Digital Repositories, DOAJ to Trove to HathiTrust. Don’t recognize those terms, then this course is for you! Register here. Read more here.

Introduction to Instructional Design for Librarians
Learn to use the Instructional Design Process and apply it effectively to library instruction. Register here. Read more here.

Learner-Centered Reference and Instruction: Science, Psychology, and Inclusive Pedagogy
An introduction to empirically sound approaches to learner-centered teaching that can be applied to creating effective reference and instruction services that maximally facilitate student learning. Register here. Read more here.

Reference Interview 101
This comprehensive course covers such reference interview topics as cultivating an approachable reference environment, successful questioning and listening techniques and appropriate follow-up methods. Staff of all levels and at all types of libraries will find this content, presented in a multi-media format, helpful in their day-to-day engagement with library patrons. Register here. Read more here.

Genealogy 101
This course is designed for reference staff with little to no experience in genealogy. Using a case study to frame the coursework, participants will learn about tools and techniques they can use to confidently assist patrons with family history research. Register here. Read more here.  

Webinars

Creating Virtual Connections in Your Community
The goal of this course is to empower library professionals to utilize free, available software that will take their community engagement and virtual practices to the next level. Register here. Read more.

What Does It Take? Building and Maintaining a Seed Lending Library
Presenters will discuss seed libraries that are thriving in a variety of settings, how to start and maintain a seed library, and will provide tools and resources for further exploration. Register here. Read more here

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