“Pushing the Limits” Announcement and Application
Posted on 18. Jan, 2012 by JP in All Current Posts
ARSL members are encouraged to apply for the Pushing the Limits pilot grants!
Real People, Real Lives
Pushing the Limits: Making Sense of Science
A Reading, Viewing, Discussion Series for Rural Libraries
Application deadline: March 5, 2012
Date posted: January 18, 2012
I. Program Description
The CALIFA Group (a California-based library consortium) presents Pushing the Limits: Making Sense of Science: a Reading, Viewing, and Discussion Series for Rural Libraries. This program extends the building blocks of science literacy to two new audiences: rural librarians and adults in the communities they serve.
Pushing the Limits
Since the beginning of time, humans have imagined and achieved ways to push the boundaries of the physical world. We want to be stronger, smarter, and more aware, and we create stories to bring those dreams to life. But many of those stories are no longer just stories; and with great new advances in science and technology, we are finding ways in which all of us are able to push the limits every day.
The Pushing the Limits public programs will explore these ideas through a discussion led by a STEM professional (science, technology, engineering, math) and the local librarian, using a blended science café and book club model that integrates feature film quality videos and a recommended (popular) book reading. The overarching theme is one of real people, real stories, and real science.
The program will launch with 20 pilot sites (stage 1) and using feedback from the pilot phase, will expand to 100 additional rural public libraries (in stage 2). It is the work of a unique team of library professionals, scientists, and filmmakers from Dartmouth College, The Association for Rural and Small Libraries, The Califa Group, Dawson Media Group and Oregon State University.
In phase one, 20 pilot public libraries in the United States will receive a grant of $2,500, program materials including videos, and will participate in an on-site training program in fall 2012, Portland, Oregon.
More information: http://califa.org/limits.php
To complete the online application: http://bit.ly/xA4Am4
Online applications must be submitted by March 5, 2012.
II. A programming grant opportunity: Engage your rural community in science adventure
The CALIFA Group is opening a national search for 20 rural libraries to join as pilot sites in a grant project funded by the National Science Foundation. The goal is to strengthen adult science programming and resources in small and rural public libraries and to enhance public interest and involvement in STEM topics– science, technology, engineering and math.
Your application will have a narrative component. Before you compose the narrative part of this proposal, we strongly recommend that you read these guidelines carefully. If you do not, your proposal is unlikely to be competitive.
PROPOSAL NARRATIVE
Please write a brief narrative describing your plans for hosting Pushing the Limits: Making Sense of Science: a Reading, Viewing, and Discussion Series for Rural Libraries.
- Describe your program plan, including overall goals, description of target audience(s), any plans for related programs, and name(s) and role(s) of your partner(s). (When possible, include letters of support from any partner.)
- Provide the name and title of the local project scholar, the scholar’s highest degree, and his or her discipline. In lieu of academic credentials, discuss his or her knowledge of science and why he/she would be a good choice for project scholar. (Note: Applications without a confirmed project scholar will not be considered.)
- Describe the publicity efforts that will be used to attract participants.
- Describe the methods that will be used to evaluate how well your program met its goals and objectives.
- Summarize your library’s commitment to adult programming in general, including any prior successful programming, if any.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
If selected, you will be required to submit a Program Schedule, indicating proposed dates, times and projected attendance for the Pushing the Limits series of programs.
Call for Submissions!!
Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 by Kieran in All Current Posts
The Association for Rural & Small Libraries invites workshop submissions for the 2012 Conference to be held in Raleigh North Carolina, September 28th- 30th.
The workshop proposals can be submitted using our online form found at this link below. We are accepting applications for ½ day pre-conference proposals as well.
http://tinyurl.com/ARSL2012presenters
The deadline for submitting the form is February 17th, 2012. All presenters will be notified whether their workshop was selected or not by March 2nd, 2012.
We remind presenters that workshops that are practical, hands-on, and how-to are preferred. This is not the proper venue for post-graduate dissertations or marketing products. Additional instructions are included on the form.
All proposals will be reviewed by the Conference Presenter Committee. Workshop presenters will receive ONE complimentary conference registration per workshop title selected. (i.e. a team of three presenters working on one workshop will receive one complimentary registration).
We look forward to your submissions and good luck!
Judy Van Acker
Conference Presenter Chair
PEARL Project: Community Outreach by Texas Rural Libraries
Posted on 16. Dec, 2011 by JP in All Current Posts
These rural Texas communities know their libraries! Through the PEARL Project (Promoting & Enhancing the Advancement of Rural Libraries), the University of North Texas is working with 105 rural libraries in Texas to enhance the role of public libraries in their communities. With funding from the Robert and Ruby Priddy Charitable Trust, the three-year project is addressing the roles of the small rural library as:
- A community resource.
- A gathering place for people.
- A facilitator for community partnerships.
The project’s team includes Louise Greene, ARSL board member and secretary, who is one of the Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) students who serves as a mentor to the project’s rural librarians. Dr. Robert S. Martin is also a part of the project team and he will be presenting on the PEARL Project at the Small but Powerful Forum for Winning Big Support for your Rural Library at ALA Midwinter.
A core component of the project are the Community Outreach Plans. Each plan has a detailed step-by-step action grid that describes how to complete a program with community partners. Programs among the more than two dozen plans now available in .pdf format include: game day, summer reading for teens, homebound delivery, reaching low income patrons, developing a local history collection, offering ESL classes and more. Each plan was written by a librarian in a rural community in conjunction with PEARL grant students and is designed to heighten the visibility of the library within the community and improve library servies. The plans are proven workable models. New plans are added continually as they are written.
Find out more about the project and browse the Community Outreach Plans, and if you’ll be in Dallas for Midwinter, please come to the Small but Powerful Forum. And if you won’t be there, urge your regional or state representatives to join on your behalf!
And special thanks to the PEARL Project and staff for their support as ARSL Annual Conference Sponsors in 2011!
Newest ARSL Board Members
Posted on 02. Dec, 2011 by JP in All Current Posts
Lorie Womack – Roosevelt Library Branch Manager, Roosevelt, Utah
Rural libraries are expected to provide a wider variety of services with a limited availability of resources. It is critical that we learn to tell our story and provide the services needed by our patrons. As rural librarians we need to be advocates for the services we provide with elected officials and the community members we serve.
Sharon Michie – Steele Memorial Library Branch Manager, Wayne County Public Library, Mount Olive, North Carolina
My passion for the ARSL extends beyond our mission- it comes from personal experience. Attending the conference in past years has given me practical knowledge and ideas to transform my community. We may be leading small libraries, but they can be mighty! The ARSL sponsored me in last year’s ALA Emerging Leader program, and I am eager to give back to our close-knit community of rural librarians.
Paul D. Healey, JD, PhD – Senior Instructional Services Librarian and Associate Professor of Library Administration, Albert E. Jenner, Jr. Law Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
I believe strongly in the need for vibrant libraries in small communities, because libraries provide a bedrock of literacy, and a gateway to the larger world. I am very interested in how the delivery of information services is changing in an increasingly digital world, and in the particular challenges and issues that those changes create for libraries that may not have the resources and access of their large community counterparts.
Also elected to a second term were Steve Seale and Donna Brice.
See full list of your current ARSL board members»
Free webinar shares tips for building support for rural libraries
Posted on 02. Nov, 2011 by JP in All Current Posts
Very excited to share news of this upcoming webinar with the ARSL community!
For Immediate Release
Tue, 11/01/2011 – 09:23
Contact: Miguel Figueroa
Office for Library Advocacy (OLA), Office for Literacy & OutreachServices (OLOS), Online Learning
CHICAGO – Start building support for your rural library by attending the free “A Small But Powerful Webinar for Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library.” Presented by the American Library Association’s Committee on Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds and Committee on Library Advocacy, the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) and WebJunction, this free webinar will take place at 2 p.m.EST/11 a.m. PST (60 minutes) on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. The webinar is free, but registration is required.
This introduction to the revised edition of the popular “The Small But Powerful Guide to Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library” will present the best tips and strategies from the toolkit, share the experiences of a rural librarian who has built support for her library and highlight some of the additional advocacy tools and resources from the American Library Association. A live chat will allow participants to comment and ask questions. Featured presenters include Marci Merola, director, ALA Office for Library Advocacy & Outreach Services; Susan Hill Pieper, director, Paulding County Carnegie Library (Ohio) and editor Rural Library Services Newsletter; and Jennifer Peterson, community manager at WebJunction, board member, Association for Rural & Small Libraries and chair of ALA Rural, Native, and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds Committee.
Register for the webinar at WebJunction’s Webinars page.
To learn more about “The Small but Powerful Guide to Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library,” please visit www.ala.org/ruraltoolkit.
The American Library Association Committee on Rural, Native and Tribal Libraries of All Kinds reviews issues and challenges facing rural, native and tribal libraries of all kinds; collaborates with other ALA units addressing the needs of rural communities; and serves as an advocate for and partners with libraries serving rural, tribal and native populations.
The American Library Association Committee on Library Advocacy supports the efforts of advocates for all types of libraries; develops resources, networks and training materials for advocates at the local, state and national levels with particular emphasis on the grassroots level; works closely with the Office for Library Advocacy in collaboration with the Public Awareness Committee, the Chapter Relations Committee, the Committee on Legislation, and other ALA offices, divisions and Round Tables as well as external groups to integrate advocacy efforts into the overall planning, priorities and policies of the association; and cultivates future leadership in order to sustain and enhance the advocacy efforts of the association.
The Association for Rural & Small Libraries, an affiliate organization of the American Library Association, is a network of persons throughout the country dedicated to the positive growth and development of libraries. ARSL believes in the value of rural and small libraries and strives to create resources and services that address national, state and local priorities for libraries situated in rural communities.
WebJunction is a learning community working together to ensure that all library staff have the resources they need to power relevant, vibrant libraries.
ARSL Announces 2012 and 2013 Conference Locations
Posted on 17. Oct, 2011 by JP in All Current Posts
The Association for Rural & Small Libraries announced the locations for their 2012 and 2013 Annual Conferences today. The 2012 ARSL Annual Conference will be held at the Sheraton Raleigh, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 28, 29 and 30, 2012. The Sheraton Raleigh is located downtown, within easy walking distance to restaurants, museums and other entertainment. Be sure to mark the dates on your calendar today.
The ARSL partner for the 2012 conference will be the State Library of North Carolina. In 2012, the State Library will be celebrating their 200th Birthday. In light of this landmark, the theme for the 2012 conference will be “Celebrate Libraries”. ARSL hopes you will make plans now to join us and help us blow out the candles on the birthday cake. Information about conference rates and registration will be available shortly.
The 2013 Annual Conference will be held in the Council Bluffs (IA) / Omaha (NE) area in September of 2013. Conference partners for this event will be the Iowa and Nebraska (The Iowa Small Library Association and representatives of the Nebraska library community are co-hosting). Further details will be announced as they become available.
The 2013 location (Iowa / Nebraska) was announced at the Iowa Small Library Association annual business meeting October 13th. Do you think they're excited to host?
Designed for those who work for small and rural libraries, the ARSL conference features practical, peer-led workshops and keynote speakers who are leaders in various areas of librarianship. Additionally, the conference’s after hours activities are a wonderful time for library staff, directors and trustees to network, share ideas, and encourage one another in an informal setting.
The Association for Rural & Small Libraries is an organization dedicated to the positive growth and development of libraries. ARSL believes in the value of rural and small libraries and strives to create resources and services that address national, state, and local priorities for libraries situated in rural communities. Created in 1982 by Dr. Bernard Vavrek, Director of the Center for the Study of Rural Librarianship at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, ARSL became an independent entity in 2007. ARSL is an ALA Affiliate organization. For more information on the association including contact information and how to join, visit our website at www.arsl.info.
Mark your calendars!
Posted on 09. Oct, 2011 by Andrea Berstler in All Current Posts
The 2012 ARSL Annual Conference will be help in Raleigh, North Carolina on September 28, 29 and 30, 2012. It will be in the Sheraton Raleigh located downtown, within easy walking distance to restaurants, museums and other entertainment. More details will be announced soon, but be sure to mark the dates on your calendar today.
2011 ARSL Scholarship Recipient Experience (and why you should attend next year)
Posted on 28. Sep, 2011 by ARSLguest in All Current Posts
I was very lucky to have been selected as the Ken Davenport Scholarship recipient for the ARSL 2011 Conference held in Frisco, Texas. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to be part of something I had never experienced. My experience was eventful, fun, and slightly overwhelming. Not overwhelming in a bad way, but overwhelming in the sense that I walked away with about a million new ideas and stories that I wanted to share.
In addition to working in a smaller library, I am also an Information Technology Rural Librarians Master’s Scholarship (also known as ITRL) Program Recipient at the University of Tennessee. The scholarship is made possible by the Rural Library Professionals as Change Agents in the 21st Century Grant provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. I mention that, because there were really two reasons I felt that this conference was important for me to attend. It aligned perfectly with my current education focus and could help me in my current library position as the Information Specialist at the Lumpkin County Library in Dahlonega, Georgia.
The group sessions were everything from inspirational to entertaining. Linda Braun spoke to us about moving forward and being willing to leave things behind as libraries move toward being a community center and less of a book repository. Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes, otherwise known as the two guys behind the comic strip ‘Unshelved,’ reminded us of the humor that can be found in the daily life of working in a library.
My favorite part of the conference was the variety of breakout sessions offered. This gave each individual the ability to explore different topics that were appealing to them or their library situation. These topics covered everything from grant writing tips, adult programming with no money, library signage, and getting teens in the library. And trust me, that is in no way an extensive list of topics. The breakout sessions were well run and presenters were excited to share whatever lessons they could pass along.
But even if there had been no group sessions and no breakout sessions I still would have walked away with more library knowledge than I showed up with. Having the opportunity to speak and interact with librarians who are in similar library situations as your own is an experience in itself. Bring up one topic, such as computer classes at the library and you immediately get 10 responses from 10 different people. Everyone comes willing to share about how things happen at their library. You learn very quickly that there are multiple ways to do one thing at a library and believe me there are ideas out there that have never crossed your mind.
I hope everyone takes full opportunity of the 2012 Conference – which I believe will be in Raleigh, North Carolina. Please pass the word around about ARSL. It is an amazing organization that works hard for the members and offers so much in the way of learning and growth. If you have never attended an ARSL conference before, please take the opportunity to apply for a scholarship for the 2012 Conference. Come to share or come to learn – you will end up walking away from your experience having done both.
Thank you again to ARSL for the scholarship opportunity and for presenting an awesome conference. Hope to see you next year!
Angela Glowcheski
Lumpkin County Library, Dahlonega, GA
angela.glowcheski@gmail.com
ARSL Conference Raises Hopes and Concerns
Posted on 28. Sep, 2011 by ARSLguest in All Current Posts
[Jeff D. Saunders was one of this year's ARSL Conference Scholarship Winners. Thank you Jeff, for the excellent post!]
In my application essay for the Bernard Vavrek Scholarship the big justification I had for attending the ARSL 2011 Conference was sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas relating to our work at the Information Institute on the North Florida Broadband Authority (NFBA) and Florida Rural Broadband Alliance (FRBA) Middle Mile Projects. While NFBA and FRBA are more concerned with bringing better Internet connection speeds to rural Florida, the Institute’s task was a needs assessment of different community anchor institutions, libraries, schools, police departments, etc. and to give recommendations on how NFBA and FRBA could tailor their programs to get said anchor institutions to adopt broadband connections.
Of course, in the process we happen to get a pretty good picture of the state of technology use in rural and small libraries throughout Florida. So I must admit I had an ulterior motive for attending the ARSL conference, to gauge the situation at other rural and small libraries across the country. Through the presentation panels and conversations with some wonderful librarians I came away feeling a lot better about the world as most told me they recieved E-rate, had technology plans, were part of some type of consortium to pool resources for technology, and understood how free access to technology at their library provided a huge value to their community.
What was most concerning was the fact many believed it didn’t matter what value or impact the library had on the community to local administrators or politicians. Some noted the fact that despite the overwhelming support from the community and evidence of the importance of the library, funding got cut anyway. It is something that is downplayed, or not mentioned at all, in library schools today. The fact that despite best efforts and overwhelming empirical evidence libraries, especially rural and small libraries that are the backbone of public libraries in this country, are vulnerable to political ideologies.
We like to think we live in a time when access to information and continuing education for all are accepted as basic needs. Of course, all you have to do is turn on Fox News and you can see that is not the case. Libraries find themselves in a constant political battle with those who do not understand the purpose for them or the role they play in the community, one that everyone I talked to either mentioned or had an opinion on. It is also something that is not mentioned in library schools. Professors, at least most, shy away from explicit discussion about politics and the way it affects libraries. While it was normally the first topic of conversation with the librarians I had the pleasure of meeting at ARSL.
In terms of specific things I took away from the conference, the comments of one Director at the “Small but Powerful Guide to Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library,” panel who noted the lack of an IT standards system for libraries. This is something extremely interesting to me as I spent the summer hearing pretty much the exact same thing from library directors in Florida. Why there are no standards for the types of technology in libraries is due to a number of factors. For one it is difficult to say what is best for all libraries given the different contexts, situtations, and communities libraries exist in. Second, the power of who decides what the standard is, or more importantly what vendors’ product will be the standard, is a highly contentious proposition. For example, you can imagine the controversy it would cause if the ALA set the standard OPAC system with one company and not another. However, providing general guidelines on what kind of connection speed a library of a certain size should have or the most advantageous number of computers for a library that serves a certain population size are more general questions that do need answering. These are also questions that will be largely answered through forces far outside of the libary’s control.
Libraries are somewhat caught in a shifting paradigm as they become more centered around technology and a new service role. It is unclear, especially to those like me just entering the field, how things will shake out. But I am certain of one thing after my attendance at ARSL, rural libraries are extremely adaptable, more so than their larger urban counterparts, and will profit most from their dedicated and highly skilled staff. When I tell other MLIS students I am interested in working in rural and small libraries they often give me a quizzical look and immediately ask, “but why?” It is pretty understandable. Most in my generation are more concerned with getting a high paying job in some city somewhere and library students are no exception. However, after attending ARSL I am more than ever enthusiastic about joining the rural and small library community.
Jeff D. Saunders
Research Associate
Information Use Management and Policy Institute
The Florida State University
Master’s Student
School of Library and Information Science
College of Communication and Information
The Florida State University
Kansas comes to ARSL on the bus, again!
Posted on 23. Sep, 2011 by JP in All Current Posts
As in past years, many ARSL attendees were fortunate to receive scholarship funds to attend the conference by organizations within their state. A special thank you to those Conference Scholarship Providers for 2011 who made the conference a possibility for so many attendees!
The seven regional library systems in the state of Kansas have provided scholarships AND transportation to ARSL’s annual conference since the 2009 conference in Gatlinburg, TN. We asked them to share a bit about their bus adventures.
The day began with a picture, a birthday request from Wendy Mitchell, Director of Clay Center Carnegie Library in Clay Center, who asked everyone to pose in their Kansas Geek the Library t-shirts. They celebrated her birthday with cupcakes on the way to the conference! Wendy is in the front row, furthest right.
Kim Rutter shared:
SEKLS pays for the bus cost for everyone in our region who wants to go to ARSL. In addition, we have four $400 scholarships to cover conference costs for library staff who sign up first and $150 scholarships to help with expenses for later enrollees. People who are going to ARSL for the first time get first shot at the big scholarships. In spite of the bus breakdown on the way back from Gatlinburg, in the first year of the magic bus, library directors and staff in Southeast Kansas have continued to board the bus to Denver and to Frisco and have benefited from the camaraderie with their counterparts from around the state. Nothing like spending 7-8 hours on a bus together to forge friendships! I highly recommend this mode of travel to other states: our bus dropped us off right at the front door of the hotel with our luggage. No baggage being dragged over tarmac, no luggage carousels to wait on, no airport shuttles or taxis to cope with…did you notice how the Kansas people just rolled right off that bus and straight into the gaming mixer? We might not have had the reputation as party animals before now, but all this bus travel has changed that!
Carol Barta shared:
NCKLS scholarships cover registration only, so our librarians appreciate the bargain of riding the bus. And did you know that buses are the most environmentally friendly way to travel long distances? They are even greener than trains. And the bus driver had decorated the bus with bunting and flags in honor of 9/11 and our trip home.
The best thing about riding the bus is having someone else drive. We didn’t have to pay attention to where we were, or stress about finding exits and reading maps. We arrived without being worn out from travel and even got a nap or two on the way home. Though we did practically meet our quotas of talking for the week on the bus alone.
And what better way to build bonds between librarians in your state! These Kansas librarians connect and collaborate throughout the year based on the connections they make on the bus. But as Chris Rippel from CKLS shared, in some cases, “What happens on the bus, stays on the bus.”
Thank you to all our Kansas ARSL members! We may not see the Kansas bus make it all the way to North Carolina next year, but perhaps another state will step up and fill a bus?!