Public Library Association Conference in Philly - March 13-17, 2012

The Public Library Association (PLA) conference is March 13 - 17 at the Philadelphia
Convention Center. There's a great schedule of speakers and
events—including a closing session with Betty White!

Check out the
web site for the complete schedule: http://placonference.org.

Student Registration Discount
If you'd like to attend, the student rate for current ALA members is just
$105 for all three days (both advance and day of).  Single day tickets are available for $80 (until Feb. 10) / $85 (after Feb.10).

Register here: http://www.placonference.org/registration 

Volunteer
If you'd like to save some money, you can also volunteer at the
conference, helping out at the
information booth, the PLA store, or with registration bag stuffing.
 Volunteers get an exhibits plus badge, which gets them into the
exhibit hall, as well as the opening and closing sessions and the all-
conference reception. This is a great option for students who can't
take advantage of the membership discount to still attend the
conference.

Volunteer info: http://placonference.org/volunteer

Virtual Conference
Can't make it to Philly? The PLA 2012 Virtual Conference will consist of live programming on Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16, including five hour-long programs each day, plus author interviews, poster sessions, and opportunities for networking. Programs are chosen from among the highest rated in PLA’s session preference survey. Each day also will include a closing session "happy hour" event for attendees to get together and discuss the day's programming.  The student registration rate is $85.

Virtual Conference info and registration:
http://www.placonference.org/virtualconference

Hope to see you there! Conferences are great ways to network
with others in the field and get involved
professionally.

Volunteers Needed for the Philadelphia Book Festival

The 2011 Philadelphia Book Festival is looking for volunteers to help run various author events, musical performances, interactive programs, and a festival street fair. From April 11th - 16th, the Central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia will be bustling with activity and they need your help to make it happen. Get more details on the Book Festival's website about volunteering.

Image: (c) 2011 Mikey Burton

Help Wanted!

Are you busy completing the youth services concentration? Or do you love public libraries, video games, crafts, or all of the above? Then you may be interested in helping our fellow library student Rosy Henderson with her late-night teen event!

She's looking for extra chaperones for an upcoming Teen Night at the Collingswood (NJ) Public Library. It's happening Thursday, November 4th, from 8:30 to midnight. There will be two Wii tournaments, a scavenger hunt, craft tables, and the night will wrap up with a showing of Nightmare Before Christmas, and movie trivia.

If you'd like to participate and get a glimpse of how to put on an awesome teen event, contact Rosy Henderson directly at rosanneelizabeth@gmail.com. This could be a nice addition to your resume!

Banned Books Week — the online event!

Do you want to win a banned book of your very own? Share your thoughts, comments and experiences about banned and challenged books and materials below and be entered for a chance to win. SCALA will randomly select one commenter to win a copy of one of the four books given away during Thursday's on-campus event.

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After Rancocas Valley Regional High School faced a full-fledged book challenge last spring, librarian Dee Venuto presented her take at ALA's Annual Conference. Check out her talk here (starting around 34 minutes): http://blip.tv/file/3998284/



For a closer look at the Prezi shown during the talk:  http://prezi.com/pnlljhzmikkd/book-challenge/

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NEW: Check out the notes from "Social Networks, Teens, and Controversial Content: A New Take on Banned Books Week" by iSchool associate professor Denise Agosto.

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ALA Banned Books Week site: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm
Mapping Book Censorship: http://bannedbooksweek.org/Mapofbookcensorship.html

Awful Library Books

In need of a good laugh? Check out Awful Library Books, a blog that displays some of the most awful library books found in a Michigan public library's collection. Talk about the need to weed!

Job - Archives Assistant - Children's Literature Collection

For those of you who are interested in archives and want to get some experience, there's a great new opportunity available at the Free Library of Philadelphia!

The Archives Assistant will be working on collections by children's literature authors, creating finding aids for each collection. This is a part-time/temporary position and is a great way to get that archival experience you've been looking for.

More information about the position and how to apply can be found on the Free Library of Philadelphia's Career webpage.

Philadelphia Library's Budget is Spared

Image Credit: flickr - teachandlearn

After Mayor Nutter's threat to include libraries in his slashed budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the Free Library of Philadelphia can now breathe a sign of relief. Library lovers will still enjoy five days of service, instead of having to make due with a proposed cutback of only four days.

While the Library may be rejoicing, police and fire companies are not happy about the cuts to their departments. Also, the Library may still face a large cut in state aid, almost $750,000 worth.

Read more about the budget and its details in the Philadelphia Inquirer's article ("$47 million in budget cuts spare libraries", July 15th, 2010).

What are your thoughts on how Nutter has handled the budget situation? Are you willing to have a cut in police and fire programs to keep libraries more accessible?