California Library Association's 2012 Spring Fling

Fling yourself into spring with CLA’s 4th annual Professional Development and Networking Program!
Spring Fling participants learn new skills, enjoy cultural activities, and find people with shared interests!

Registration discounts are available for CLA members and library students. If you are not a member, we encourage you to join today!

2012 Spring Fling Programs

• SCLLN conference and Writer to Writer Award Ceremony: Saturday Feb 25 (Find out more and sign-up at the SCLLN website)



• Cataloging Musical Scores and Sound Recordings Workshop (in-person and online via WebEx): Friday April 13 Register Today



• Private Tour of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising: Saturday April 14 Register Today



• Work Has Changed, How Do We Survive? Management Training Workshop: Monday April 23 Register Today



• It's Academic! Current Trends, Recruitment, and Opportunities in Academic Libraries (webinar): Tuesday April 24 Register Today



• Web of Languages (webinar): Wednesday, May 30 -- Registration will open soon.
  Bullocks Wilshire/Leigh H. Taylor Law Library Tour: Saturday June 2 Register Today



• Graphic Novels Workshop: Date to be confirmed.
  

Please note:
Your registration for a Spring Fling program constitutes permission to utilize photos taken of you at the event for news, promotion, and similar purposes.
Refunds cannot be issued within three weeks of an event taking place.
All refunds are subject to a $25 processing fee.
Events costing $25 and under are not eligible for refunds.

CLA-CSLA's UCLA Career Forum Part 1

When I went to the CLA-CSLA conference, I had the chance to attend UCLA's Career Forum. Even though this was geared for future librarians, much of the information can be used for library paraprofessionals as well. There was a series of four workshop sessions which were: The Juggling Librarian: Getting the Most Out of Part-time Jobs (something that many of us are familiar), Getting the First Public Library Job, Using Research to Prepare for the Current Market Research, and The Independent Librarian (focus on school libraries). I will be sharing what I learned in a series of posts in relation to job application tips, interviewing tips, and in the event of obtaining/not obtaining the desired position.

Job Application Tips

In looking for where jobs are posted, the Public Library session offered these tips:

-Postings/Flyers
-Professional websites
-City webpages
-Listservs such as PubLib, Calix
-Facebook, LinkedIn
-Craigslist (especially good for private school libraries)
-Networking, word of mouth

Make sure your resume is up-to-date. It is advisable to have a master resume and then pull from that resume to create a resume to match up with the job position you are seeking.

-Read the job announcement
-Use job description wording
-List relevant work experience
-Don't lie about your experience
-Type, don't handwrite
-Apply early and online if possible


The reason it was suggested to apply online if possible is you can apply anytime of the day, usage of spell-check and you'll have more space as needed. Granted, when responding to possible supplemental questions, one should construct well-edited, concise responses. Remember your application is not the only one Human Resources is reading. Being able to express your thoughts in a paragraph or two is best. Think of it as a mini-interview where you would also keep your answers relatively brief and concise as well.

References

Supervisory references need to have been your supervisor. In addition, it was noted that last and present jobs usually do not allow supervisors to give professional references.

Making the Cut

Remember that the Library and Human Resources are two separate departments. Primarily, you will be dealing with Human Resources at this stage. Due to the current job market and economy, libraries are getting an influx of applications. So unfortunately, this is forcing libraries to have to upgrade posted minimum qualifications to the ideal qualifications as a means for narrowing the list of potential candidates for possible testing and then the interview process. If you do have a question about your eligibility after receiving notice that you did not qualify for the position, contact Human Resources and not the Library. You do not want to burn your bridges for possible future opportunities.

The Next Round-The Interview

Part II will cover tips for preparing and getting through the interview. Good luck as you go through what can seem the tedious application process! Here's a quote to keep you going:

"Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it." Arthur Ashe, tennis player

CLA-CSLA Conference - It's Not Too Late!

Still debating whether or not to make the trek to the CLA-CSLA Conference? If you think it's too late to register, students who are CLA (California Library Association) or CSLA (California School Library Association) members still get the same discounted price of $95 registering on-site. If you're not yet a member of either organization, you can sign up while registering. If one just wants to attend the exhibits, the cost is $25 per day.

So, why go? Attending can be a great way to network and see what's new in the library world. Usually, various prospective employers will have booths set up in the exhibit area. Also, if one attends various workshops, this can be an excellent chance to meet other librarians and library staff.

The exhibit area will be open Friday afternoon from 3-6pm, all day Saturday from 10am-4pm and Sunday from 10am-2pm. If you are around Friday afternoon, don't miss the Book Cart Drill Team Competition which is always a hoot to watch! One can also catch the All School Student Social at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe from 6-8pm Friday evening.

I plan to volunteer Friday at the Registration Desk in the afternoon and attend the conference all three days. Hopefully, I'll see some of you there in attendance.

CLA Scholarships and Awards

Each year, the California Library Association recognizes current and future leaders in the library community with numerous scholarships and awards. Winners are determined by volunteer committees comprised of CLA members. All CLA scholarship and award recipients are recognized at the association's Annual Conference.
Deadline extended to August 1, 2011

Scholarships
The CLA Scholarship For Minority Students In Memory Of Edna Yelland supports ethnic minority students in the attainment of a graduate degree in library or information science. Candidates must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a master's program in an ALA accredited library school to be eligible. CLA awards three scholarships annually, in the amount of $2,500 each. The amount of each scholarship may change, depending upon available funds and the financial need of applicants.
The CLA Reference Services Press Fellowship, encourages college seniors, college graduates and beginning library school students to prepare for a career in reference/information service librarianship. Candidates must be a California resident attending or planning to attend an ALA-accredited library school masters program in any state or a resident of any state planning to attend or attending an accredited library school masters program in California. One fellowship of $3,000 is awarded annually.
The Begun Scholarship supports continuing library school students who have demonstrated a commitment to becoming children’s or young adult librarians in a California public library. One scholarship of $3,000 is awarded annually.

Source: http://www.cla-net.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=107
Deadline extension announcement from Wayne Walker, Operations Manager
California Library Association, 650-356-2125, wwalker@cla-net.org

Be a Part of the Shatford Library's Snapshot Day on Tuesday, October 5, 2010!

SHATFORD LIBRARY IS TAKING PART IN “SNAPSHOT: ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARIES”


The Pasadena City College Shatford Library is joining libraries across the state in participating in “Snapshot: One Day in the Life of California Libraries” on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 to show how important academic, public, school, and special libraries and library systems are to the state of California. This Snapshot Day has been developed by the California Library Association (CLA).

On Tuesday, October 5, 2010, the Shatford Library will compile statistics, customer comments, photographs, and other data chronicling a typical library day. The results collected at the Shatford Library will be added to those of other libraries across California, by CLA, to show how libraries provide invaluable services to California citizens.

Kim Bui-Burton, CLA President and Director of the Monterey Public Library, “I invite all California community members of any age to visit their library on this historic day and be a part of this first ever "snapshot" of California libraries. Every kind of library provides unique and irreplaceable services; we know this because in communities across the state library usage is rising, and demand is growing for books and other resources, knowledgeable staff assistance and computer/Internet access - despite budget cuts, reduced hours and programs. We believe this California libraries ‘snapshot’ will show the essential library services and life-changing experiences that California's communities depend on, especially during these times of severe economic distress. We look forward to capturing this "day in the life of California libraries" to demonstrate to decision makers the extent that our patrons, customers and future leaders rely on California libraries for critical library services, resources and programs - now, more than ever."

The Shatford Library is looking for people who would like to participate in Snapshot Day by sharing their stories about why the library is important to them. If you’d like to volunteer to be interviewed and/or photographed, please contact Diana Lopez, Library Technician at delopez@pasadena.edu. Come be a part of the library’s history!

California Library Snapshot Day is a project of the California Library Association.

California Library Association - Spring Fling Workshops

CLA is reaching out and bringing programs to you!
CLA Spring Fling Workshops and Training (http://www.cla-net.org/events/spring-fling.php )
The Spring Fling offers training and networking opportunities for the library community from March through June 2010.
Programs will take place in both northern and southern California, events range from training workshops to panel discussions and social activities.
Join us at a Spring Fling event to learn new skills, enjoy a cultural event and find people with shared interests! Workshops include: resume, career development, children's programs, technical services, etc.)
Registration discounts are available for CLA members while further savings have been made for library students. If you are not a CLA Member, we encourage you to join by visiting www.regonline.com/CLA_Membership.

The Next Step - First Days II

I started this post awhile back but it got put on hold as my homework seemed to pile up over the course of the semester. Even though I had an inkling of how much work I'd have with grad school, the reality of just how much sank in later.

Networking was the concept that was thrown out a lot during the weekend the UNT/CSUN program started. While getting classroom knowledge is beneficial, networking is what will take you where you want to go. Who you know really can make a difference sometimes.

So how does one go about networking? The first place to start is your classmates. Even when you leave the Library Technology Program, stay in contact with your former classmates. Hopefully, during the program, you've made some great friendships which you make the effort to continue. Sometimes the way I've found out about jobs is through word of mouth. In addition, stay in touch with your former teachers who are in an area of librarianship that you are interested in. Staying in contact with former teachers can be good when you need letters of recommendations or a reference for a job application.


But you don't want to stop there. Join ALA (American Library Association) and CLA (California Library Association). There are student memberships that don't cost a lot so take advantage of those. If you wonder what your memberships can and will do for you, I'll be covering this topic soon.

CLA Conference 2009 Exhibit Hall - BookScanner

I got a chance to visit the exhibit floor of the California Library Association Conference. With the economy and the rapid changes in the industry I was surprised to see as many vendors as I did.

However, I didn't see e-book device vendors. I did see examples of e-book readers so I was able to view some of the well know devices like the Kindle and the one from Sony.

This is a short video that I recorded on a scanner system that could make a lot of sense to an academic library. This is just for demonstration purposes only, no endorsement is intended or implied.



Maybe this is the sign of the times. I was shocked to learn that the bad apple kind of students have been tearing pages out of reference books and flat out stealing materials.

Maybe a device like this could be set up so that those less than ethical students would not have access to the actual reference book but could acquire the readings that they need for class via a .pdf document.

Now knowing bad apples they way I do I wouldn't necessarily expect that they would pay for their readings. These are the kind of folks that would talk a friend into paying for them with the promise of paying them back later. (Cough!)

Another idea was that this could replace the photocopy machine. Since many students have access to e-mail, USB devices and other recordable media the student or staff member could scan the material and load it into the USB device or save as a .pdf

This could be the same amount of money used to charge for a copy but you wouldn't have the paper and the repair costs associated with the copy machines. Now don't think that the copy machine folks haven't thought about this because there are copy machines that can scan to .pdf and have the document e-mailed to the user.

Well, it is a though. But if you were looking to buy the library a holiday gift I'm thinking this would not be necessarily turned down.

111th Annual CLA Conference & Exhibition
www.cla-net.org/events/confexhibition.php
It's Time to Register for the 2009 Annual Conference!
The 2009 Annual Conference will be held in Pasadena from October 30 to November 2. As the premiere continuing education event of the year, the 2009 conference will offer dozens of workshops. Notable speakers at this year's conference include Paula Poundstone, Emmy-award winning comedian and spokesperson for Friends of Libraries U.S.A., and Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, authors of the Unshelved News comic strip.

To see the current list of Exhibitors, click here.