Librarian Education

LIS Prof. William Brace from Dominican University Has Died

birdie — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:32:42 -0400

Dr. William Brace 79, professor of library and information science at Rosary College--now Dominican University in River Forest--died on Wednesday, Oct. 1, an apparent heart attack. He had taught Library and Information sciences for nearly four decades.

The first time Dr. William Brace met his future wife, she darn near killed him. As the story goes, the two were graduate students at the University of Chicago in the early 1950s, when one day they found themselves sitting next to each other in class.

"That was back in the day when you'd light up a cigarette right at your desk," recalled his wife of 51 years, Pam. "I was smoking Pall Malls, which he was deathly allergic to, and he began sneezing and coughing uncontrollably. Later he told people, 'She nearly asphyxiated me, but it at least got me to notice her.' "

That same sense of humor, former colleagues say, helped Dr. Brace connect with students over his long career. Obituary from the Chicago Tribune.

Free Webinar: Public Computers and 2.0 Tools (Sponsored by MaintainIT and WebJunction)

Anonymous Patron — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:31:19 -0400

On September 17th, spend 30 minutes learning about Public Computers and 2.0 Tools. Join Robin Hastings, from the Missouri River Regional Library, as she shares the steps her library has taken to foster a 2.0 friendly environment at their library, both for staff and library users. By setting up a flexible computing environment and creating innovative learning opportunities, this creative professional has helped her community make the most of collaborative technologies. Take 30 minutes out of your day to learn from the experiences of others.

The MaintainIT Project tracks down good ideas so you don't have to reinvent the wheel! Access free articles, cookbooks and other resources to help support public access computing at: http://www.maintainitproject.org.

WHEN: September 17th, 11 AM (Pacific Time Zone)
WHERE: WebJunction's webinar space (Please register on WebJunction.org:

IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Library Program Funding Announcement for 2008

Anonymous Patron — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:46:12 -0400

On June 17, the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded 31 institutions grants totaling $20.3 million as part of the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. This year’s grantees will provide educational opportunities to library students and staff to strengthen Gulf Coast libraries; support school library media programs; increase the number of librarians, archivists, and library and information science professors; increase diversity in the library workforce; and strengthen that workforce to better meet the needs of users of all types of libraries. To see a list of awardees and descriptions of how they intend to use their grants, please go to http://www.imls.gov/news/2008/061708_list.shtm.

"Since the program began in 2003, the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program has awarded more than $100 million to recruit and train the next generation of librarians. Whether working in public schools, colleges, or local public libraries, librarians are essential contributors toward student and community success," said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D., IMLS Director.

First Lady Laura Bush announced the President’s multimillion dollar support of an initiative to help bolster the library profession in 2002. Since then, IMLS has helped fund the education of 3,220 master’s degree students, 186 doctoral students, 1,256 pre-professional students, and 26,186 continuing education students.

The next deadline for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program is December 15, 2008. For information, please go to http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/21centuryLibrarian.shtm.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

Professor receives grant to bring gaming to libraries, other campuses

Blake — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:13:11 -0500

Good News For Professor Scott Nicholson, Nicholson, an associate professor in the Syracuse School of Information Studies, recently received a $5,000 grant from Gaylord Brothers, a library supply company located in Syracuse, to begin building a portable library game lab. Money from the grant will specifically go toward purchasing projectors, consoles, screens, accessories and games, Nicholson said.

Information Literacy partners

zzshupinga — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:55:22 -0500

This was posted last week by the Shifted Librarian, but thought I'd pass it on.

"Karen Markey is a faculty member in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. Earlier this year, she received a small grant from the Delmas Foundation to build a prototype online board game that teaches students information-literacy skills. Her game prototype is now fully operational and is being tested and evaluated by a class of 75 undergraduates at the University of Michigan."

Karen is now looking for some help to further test her idea. So take a look at the posting for more information.

Graphic Novels are Rock and Roll

anderskb — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:13:00 -0400

Here is an interesting article from ForeWord Magazine about graphic novels and the event about them held by the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. The article has a quote that I like by graphic novel consultant John Shableski, that "...the graphic novel (GN) is to publishing today very much as rock and roll was when it first entered the music industry mainstream: a strange format already familiar to the popular culture but not yet understood by the established distribution channels."

As a fan, I would definitely say that graphic novels are oft-misunderstood. Also, it was fun to read all the quotations by various people in the graphic novel industry.

Librarian shortage myth: a bibliography of sorts

Blake — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:10:00 -0400

Anonymous Patron writes "An online bibliography has been launched on the subject of the over-recruitment of new librarians and their subsequent difficulties finding employment.

Blog postings with titles like: "A Plea For Help," "Still Unemployed," and "8 Months and Still Looking For Work," are being published by dozens of desperate librarians who cannot find employment.

Articles such as "The Annual Labor Shortage Hoax" and "Where Are All The Jobs?" are increasingly appearing in library and higher-ed magazines.

Links to several dozen of these resources can now be conveniently found here: http://librarian-shortage.blogspot.com/

This new bibliography will be of particular interest to individuals considering an ALA-accredited Master of Library/Information Science degree."

GN Symposium for Librarians in Suffolk County, NY

birdie — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:45:00 -0400

John Shableski writes "A Graphic Novels Symposium for Librarians!

If you happen to live on or near Long Island, New York you will want to attend an excellent graphic novels symposium that Barbara Moon has put together at the Harborfields Library in Greenlawn, NY (Long Island)

Seriously: A Graphic Novels Symposium
Presented by Suffolk Cooperative Library System
Sept 6th
Harborfields Public Library
http://moon.barbara.googlepages.com/home Here is the line up of panels

Creating a Graphic Novel(p>

Moderator: Ali Kokmen, Marketing Manager, Del Rey Manga
Josh Elder, author of Mail Order Ninja
John Gallagher, author of Buzzboy
Jimmy Gownley, author of Amelia Rules
Michael Martens, V.P. Marketing, Dark Horse Comics
Roger Rosen, president, Rosen Publishing Company
Raina Telgemeier, author of SMILE and illustrator of Babysitters Club

Selecting and Assessing Graphic Novels

Moderator: Alison Hendon, Brooklyn PL librarian and YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Committee member
Sarah Couri, NYPL librarian and YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee member
Regina Kanicki, Head Graphic Novel Buyer, Baker & Taylor
Andrea Lipinski, NYPL librarian and graphic novel reviewer for School Library Journal
Janna Morishima, Director, Diamond Kids Group
Rob Scott, Sales Representative, Brodart Books

Understanding and Building on teen interest in graphic novels

Moderator: John Shableski, graphic novel consultant
Janna Morishima, Director, Diamond Kids Group
Brian Cooper, Young Adult Librarian, Harborfields Library
Dave Jones, Young Adult Librarian, Westhampton Library
Chris Oarr, ADV Films
John Riley, Owner, Grasshoppers Comics

John Shableski, Graphic Novels Consultant
Rich Johnson, Co-Publishing Director, Yen Press
Mark Siegel, Editorial Director, First Second Books

Author signings:
Josh Elder, John Gallagher, Jimmy Gownley, Mark Siegel, Raina Telgemeier

Exhibitors:
Baker & Taylor, Brodart, Dark Horse Comics, Rosen Publishing,
Door prizes

The library is conveniently located near the commuter train stop.
there will be lunch and door prizes.

Seating is limited and registration will close Thursday Aug 23rd
Go to her web page for registration and more info http://moon.barbara.googlepages.com/home"

Faculty Strike Could Disrupt LIS Education

Blake — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:24:00 -0400

Anonymous Patron writes "Faculty at the 14 state-owned Pennsylvania universities, including Clarion University which has an ALA accredited MLS program, are set to strike on July 1st. There is no information as to how this may affect library science education only that summer classes will most likey be canceled and graduations delayed.

Check This Out for more info."

From Academis; Phishing can get ~14% response

Blake — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:20:00 -0400

mdoneil writes "Indiana University's School of Infomatics professors have published a study that notes that phishing scams may get up to 14 percent response rates (heck I'm lucky if my work email gets that).
This result is in a paper by Drs. Jakobsson and Ratkiewicz of the School. The paper "Designing Ethical Phishing Experiments: A study of (ROT13) rOnl auction query features. is interesting in and of itself, valid and ethical phishing experiments!"