ALANEWS (March 16, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alanews/alanews-950316 Note: conversion from a BITNET transmission format not suitable for mail delivery was locally attempted. This type of conversion may sometimes require "choices" to be made by the conversion program, based on the (lack of) support for various file formats on the target operating system. The "choices" made by LISTSERV may not be the ones you expected, since it does not know anything about the system you are using. However, you would not have been able to use the file at all if it had not been converted. If you have trouble using the file as you received it, please contact the person who sent it and arrange for an alternate delivery method. *------------------------------ Cut here -------------------------------* PUT ALANEWS 03-16-95 NEWS RELEASES March 16, 1995 This batch contains: 1. ALA OLPR announces science major recruitment pilot program 2. ACRL to cosponsor on-line Information Access Workshop 3. Arkansas youngster wins $50,000 college sweepstakes in JumpStart contest 4. Coalition on Government Information honors Government Printing Office, libraries for linking citizens, government online 5. Colorado and Iowa library groups join Council of LAMA affiliates 6. First ASCLA Research Grant recipient named 7. Five recommendations identified at Pre-White House Conference on Aging 8. Gale Research Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services winner named 9. Information Technology and Libraries editor sought 10. MORE THAN 400 EXPECTED FOR 21ST LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE DAY OBSERVANCE 1. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 ALA OLPR announces science major recruitment pilot program The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Library Personnel Resources (OLPR) has announced a pilot program designed to expose and encourage undergraduate science majors to pursue careers in librarianship. The program, which will take place this summer, was developed by ALA Minority Fellow Lillian Lewis as part of her independent project to specifically address diversity issues. Lewis is working with her alma mater, Spelman College in Atlanta, its Office of Science, Engineering and Technology Careers (OSETC) and the corporate library at AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey on the program. Ina Brown-Woodson, manager of the AT&T Information Services Department, and Audrey Harvey, AT&T Library Manager, in Murray Hill, N.J., said the company has promoted diversity within the library profession through the Library Network Summer Mentoring for Information Professionals in Black Colleges/Universities Program. Lewis and Brown-Woodson have refocused AT&T's existing program to work specifically with students instead of professionals. Applicants for the summer employment program must be college sophomores or juniors, have a minimum 2.75 grade point average, be a computer science, engineering, mathematics or natural science major, have good oral and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal and computer science skills and have a customer service focus. Lewis said the 1995 program will hopefully be used as a model for other corporate libraries interested in providing summer internships. For more information, contact: Lillian Lewis, ALA Minority Fellow, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 800-545-2333, ext. 5020. Or, Margaret Myers, ALA OLPR, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 4278. 2. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 ACRL to cosponsor On-line Information Access Workshop The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Equal Access to Software and Information (EASI) will jointly sponsor a three-week online workshop this fall (date to be determined) as part of a project for enhanced access to library resources by patrons with disabilities. The workshop, to be available through the Internet, will address measures useful in providing those with visual or physical impairments access to resources available to the general public. It will address advances in technology designed to meet the needs of those who can not use a regular newspaper or pick up a standard book. Participants will learn techniques for making libraries accessible to patrons with all types of disabilities. Traditional information sources, such as large print, recorded and Braille texts, and adaptive technology, such as synthetic speech, large print software and hardware and text-to-speech reading systems, will be discussed. The emphasis will be on applications of the latest high and low technology devices. EASI is a confederation of 2,000 individuals dedicated to compiling and distributing information about adaptive computing technology for the disabled. It was originally founded under the umbrella of EDUCOM but is now affiliated with the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE). ACRL is a division of the American Library Association. 3. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 Arkansas youngster wins $50,000 college sweepstakes in JumpStart contest When seven-year-old Brandy Tarkington of Atkins, Ark., is ready for college in 2005, the cost of a four-year education is expected to be about $62,000. Brandy's family will have the expense covered by the $50,000 grand prize Brandy won recently in the JumpStart "Win College" sweepstakes sponsored by The Prudential in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA). "At first it seemed too good to be true," said Brandy's step-grandmother Renita Chronister. "Now we realize it's true and it's so good. We are very excited about Brandy winning the prize. It's great knowing that the money to cover her college expenses is already in place." The $50,000 will be invested in a certificate of deposit which is estimated will be worth around $78,000 by 2005. The Atkins Public Library, where her grandmother entered Brandy's name and the Atkins Elementary School Library will also receive $1,000 each. JumpStart is a nationwide program sponsored by The Prudential in cooperation with the ALA to help get first through third graders excited about reading and using the library. In 1994, its first year of operation, JumpStart helped almost two million parents learn more about libraries and the variety of resources available to their children. "College costs are ever increasing, that's why we're delighted to make this contribution on Brandy's behalf," said Donald Southwell, president of Prudential Insurance and Financial Services, a division of The Prudential. "We're very proud to be the sponsor of the JumpStart library program because it allows us to help improve the education and well-being of our nation's children." Schools who participated in JumpStart received packages that included newsletters for parents about motivating children to read, a classroom poster and stickers for children. The newsletter included a "temporary" library card for children to take to the library and exchange for an official card. The "temporary" card became the sweepstakes entry. Other prizes awarded in the sweepstakes included Macintosh Performa computers to three children, 15-volume Childcraft resource libraries to five children and each of their school libraries, 22-volume sets of the World Book Encyclopedia to five children and the public libraries where each child lives, $5,000 each to the Wabash (Ind.) Carnegie Public Library and the Lace Elementary School Library in Darien, Ill., and $1,000 each to five additional school libraries and five additional public libraries. The Prudential is one of the largest financial services institutions in the world. In addition to insurance, The Prudential is a major force in managed health care, residential, real estate, employee benefits, home mortgages and the corporate relation market. The American Library Association is the oldest library association in the world with 55,000 members. It represents all libraries -- public, school, academic, state and special. 4. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 15, 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 Coalition on Government Information honors Government Printing Office, libraries for linking citizens, government online WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Government Printing Office (GPO), the State of Maryland's Sailor Project, the Seattle (Wash.) Public Library and the Internet Multicasting Service's Town Hall project, based in Washington, D.C., are the 1995 recipients of James Madison Awards, sponsored by the Coalition on Government Information. The awards were presented March 15, during a ceremony at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "Ensuring the public's right to know in an electronic age is a great challenge facing our democracy," said Nancy Kranich, chair of the coalition and a member of the American Library Association's (ALA) Executive Board. "We are pleased to honor these innovative projects for their use of new technology to connect citizens with their government." Betty Turock, ALA president-elect, announced a new campaign, "Americans can't wait," to urge federal government to support libraries in connecting to the Internet. "Americans can't wait for the information superhighway to come to them. They need information and they need it now -- at their libraries," Turock explained. "Government at all levels has a responsibility to ensure that people take advantage of this valuable new technology." The Coalition cited the Government Printing Office for the GPO Access system which provides broad public access to computerized federal government information including the Congressional Record, the Federal Register and other Congressional publications. The State of Maryland's Sailor Project is being honored for its pioneering efforts to provide all state residents with rapid, easy access to government documents via the Internet at libraries throughout the state. Maryland is the first state to offer all residents no-cost access to the Internet via libraries. The Seattle Public Library is being recognized as a leader in providing public access to all kinds and levels of government information. The library was among the country's first outlets for the GPO Access System. It hosts the Washington Information Network Kiosk giving library users access to a variety of state government information and also offers access to local government information through the City's Public Access Network (PAN). Seattle is the first library to receive the James Madison Award. The Internet Multicasting Service (IMS), begun in 1993, posts massive government data archives including the Securities Exchange Commission EDGAR database and the U.S. Patent Trademark PTO database onto the Internet free of charge. Hailed as a "major shift" in the way government information is made available to the public, the project distributes close to 15,000 documents daily. Previous Madison award recipients include Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary, Senators Wendell Ford, Ted Stevens, Frank Lautenburg and Patrick Leahy, the EPA Office of Toxic Substances and journalist Nina Totenburg. The Coalition, founded by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1986, presents the annual award in connection with Freedom of Information Day on March 16 to recognize outstanding efforts to protect and promote public access to government information. Coalition members represent a wide range of interests including law, medicine, science and consumer rights. They include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the National Association of Counties, the National Consumers League and the National Security Archive. 5. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 Colorado and Iowa library groups join Council of LAMA Affiliates The Colorado Library Association Administrators' Roundtable and the Iowa LAMA Forum have joined the Council of LAMA Affiliates (COLA), a network of state and regional groups with an interest in library management administered by Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA). The petitions for membership were accepted by the LAMA Board of Directors during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. COLA was developed to provide a network for the exchange of information on activities and issues related to library administration and management, promote leadership opportunities for LAMA members in addition to the existing track of committee appointments and elected positions within the LAMA divisional structure and to facilitate two-way communication between membership at the state/regional level and the LAMA Board of Directors at the national level. Any group of 10 librarians, library staff, or others with an interest in library administration and management may submit a petition to the LAMA Board requesting affiliate status. The petition must be accompanied by a list of officers and by-laws for the proposed affiliate. Affiliate status is granted by a vote of the LAMA Board of Directors. Other affiliate groups are the Association of Arkansas Public Libraries, the California Library Association Management Services Section, the Georgia Library Association, the Kentucky Library Association Library Administration and Management Roundtable, the Library Administration and Management Division Maryland Library Association, the Massachusetts Library Association, the Michigan Library Association Management and Administration Division, the New Jersey Academic Library Network, the North Carolina Library Association Library Administration and Management Section, the Pennsylvania Library Association Library Administration and Management Round Table, the Utah Library Association and the Vermont Library Association. For more information, contact: Charles Hanson, Chair, Michigan Library Association, Management and Administrative Division, c/o 449 Moran Road, Gross Pointe Farms, MI 48236. Telephone: 313-343-2090. LAMA is a division of the American Library Association. 6. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 First ASCLA Research Grant recipient named Judith J. Senkevitch, assistant professor, School of Library and Information Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is the first recipient of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) Research Grant. The $500 research stipend and citation, donated by Autographics, Inc., was developed to stimulate researchers to look at such areas as state library agencies, interlibrary cooperation, networking and services to special populations as valid areas of research interest. Senkevitch was awarded the grant for a project titled "State Library Agencies and Special Needs: Do Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Grants Make a Difference?" The research will include analysis reports from completed LSCA grants and structured interviews with recipients of LSCA grants to Wisconsin public libraries between 1988 and 1993. The research will attempt to determine whether the grants to improve library services to residents with special needs had identifiable long term effects. "The research proposal presented by Judith J. Senkevitch for the first ASCLA Research Grant fits well with the research goals set by ASCLA," said Jeannette Smithee, chair of the ASCLA Research Grant Committee. "Her research project to evaluate completed LSCA projects is timely and of great interest considering the current reevaluation of LSCA." Senkevitch has served as acting division head for Instructional and Learning Resources at Tompkins Cortland Community College, Dryden, N.Y.; systems automation project director and planning consultant for the Finger Lakes Library System, Ithaca, N.Y.; director of the National Rehabilitation Information Center, Washington, D.C.; senior systems analyst/project manager for Systems Architects, Inc., Arlington, Va.; and research associate/project manager at the Himmelfarb Library, George Washington University Medical School, Washington, D.C. She also was adjunct lecturer in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Michigan. She is coeditor, with Dietmar Wolfman, of "Rural Libraries and Internetworking," proceedings of the Internetworking Rural Libraries Institute (May 1994, Milwaukee, Wis. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1994). Senkevitch is the author of a number of publications, book reviews and papers. She is coauthor, with Wolfram, of "Equalizing Access to Electronic Networked Resources: A Model for Rural Libraries in the United States," in Library Trends 42 (4) Spring 1994: 661-675, and coauthor, with James Sweetland, of "Evaluating Adult Fiction in the Smaller Public Library" (RQ, 34 (1) Fall 1994: 78-89.). Senkevitch is a member of the American Library Association (ALA), Public Library Association (PLA), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA). She is also a member of the American Society for Information Science, the American Society for Library and Information Science Educators and the Wisconsin Library Association. She received the 1993-94 Research Grant Award from OCLC (Ohio Computer Library Center, Inc.) with James H. Sweetland. Senkevitch has a bachelor's degree in French and Spanish from the University of Texas, Austin, a master's degree in French from Texas Tech University, a master's degree in library science from Catholic University of America and a doctorate in philosophy from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The award will be presented on Sunday, June 25, at the ASCLA/COSLA Reception during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. ASCLA, PLA, ACRL and LAMA are divisions of the American Library Association. 7. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 Five recommendations identified at Pre-White Conference on Aging Five recommendations from librarians, members of senior citizens organizations, professionals in the aging network, government officials and trustees will be forwarded to the White House Conference on Aging scheduled for May 1-5, in Washington, D.C. The recommendations are the result of the Pre-White House Conference, "Toward the White House Conference on Aging: Priorities and Policies for Library and Information Services for Older Adults" held February 3 in Philadelphia, in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting. The recommendations are: 1. Older Adults and Federal Legislative Policy Any act that has an information component must include the explicit identification of libraries as access points and agencies of implementation. Thus libraries will be eligible to receive funds from authorized appropriations. 2. Older Adults and Disabilities Make libraries accessible to older adults with disabilities,including: barrier-free access to buildings and programs; access to on-line catalogs; comfortable, user-friendly environment, and staff sensitivity training. 3. Older Adults and Research, Education/Training Federal, state and local research initiatives should require multi- agency collaboration. 4. Older Adults, Lifelong Learning, Arts & Humanities Programs for older Americans should be recognized as a critical component of the local, state and national educational infrastructure and their importance for the quality of intellectual and civic life should be reflected in educational policies and funding at the national, state and local levels including: lifelong learning as part of the budgetary process; a commitment to national advocacy; using other resources; concern for and commitment to cultural and historical preservation. 5. Libraries, Older Adults & Technology In pending telecommunications reform legislation, preferential rates should be provided to libraries and similar institutions. Additionally, telecommunication providers should be required to wire libraries and schools as a condition of their receiving the franchise. The pre-conference was sponsored by the ALA and two of its divisions, the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD) and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA). Other sponsoring organizations were the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Services (NCLIS) and the Library of Congress, National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Complete proceedings of the pre-conference will be available from NCLIS this spring. For more information, contact: Margaret Monsour, Deputy Director, RASD, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 4397, or 312-280-4397 8. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 Gale Research Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services winner named The Pikes Peak Library in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the 1995 recipient of the Gale Research Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services administered by the Reference and Adult Services Division (RASD). The award, $1,000 and a citation donated by Gale Research, Inc., is given to a library or library system for developing an imaginative and unique library resource to meet patrons' reference needs. The library received the award for a project called the Arts Database, an up-to-date online computer database of performing and visual artists in the Pikes Peak Library District. The database is available to all library users either at the library or through dial access from home as part of the community database portion of the online catalog system. It includes difficult to locate information on artists, rehearsal and performance spaces, practice rooms, studio and display spaces as well as classes. "The committee thought that the Arts Databases made innovative use of existing structures (MARC format) and systems (the CARL public catalog system) to make available difficult to find information on artists and the arts community," said Michael A. Golrick, chair of the Gale Research Award for Excellence in Reference and Adult Services Award Committee. The award will be presented on Monday, June 26, at the RASD Awards Reception during the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago. RASD is a division of the American Library Association. 9. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 Information Technology and Libraries editor sought The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) is seeking an editor for its publication Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), the official LITA journal. The deadline for applications is May 15. The successful candidate will work for a period of nine months as editor designate of the quarterly publication beginning after the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, June 22-29, in Chicago. They would take over the editorship for a three-year term beginning with the March 1996 issue. The editor assumes final authority for the content of each ITAL issue and is responsible for acknowledging manuscripts and assigning them for editorial review by a member of the Editorial Board. The editor will also consider and implement the use of new technologies for the acquisition and distribution of manuscripts and information. Applicants must be active LITA members and knowledgeable about current issues in library automation, information technology and networking, must have a publication record or background demonstrating excellent writing skills, recognized scholarship in the field and editing experience, and must be able to attend the ALA Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting and LITA national conferences to chair the ITAL editorial board meetings. Experience in electronic publishing and networked information is desired. The editor will be reimbursed for travel, lodging expenses (not meals) and free press registration for the ALA Annual Conference and Midwinter Meeting. No reimbursement is provided for the LITA national conference held every three years. Interested individuals should submit a letter of application, a resume, names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of three references, and examples of prior work (or bibliographic citations for published workers) to: George Machovec, Chair, LITA Publications Committee, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, 3801 E. Florida, Suite 370, Denver, CO 80210. Telephone: 303-758-3030, ext. 156. FAX: 303-758-0606. E-mail: gmachove@carl.org. Interviews will be held on June 24 and 25, during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. For more information, contact: Linda Knutson, Executive Director, LITA, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 4267, or 312-280-4267. FAX: 312-280-3257. E-mail: linda.knutson@ala.org. 10. For Immediate Release From: Pamela Goodes March 1995 Linda Wallace 312-280-5043, 5042 More than 400 expected for 21st Library Legislative Day observance More than 400 librarians and library advocates from across the United States are expected to participate in the 21st annual Library Legislative Day on Tuesday, May 9, in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and the District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA). The day includes two morning briefings that will provide an overview of the current status of library legislation by congressional staff followed by visits to congressional offices, a wrap-up session for state library coordinators and a congressional reception on Capitol Hill. Issues to be discussed include funding for federal library programs, reinvention of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), access to government information and funding for the depository library system as well as library connections to the information superhighway. Individuals interested in participating in Library Legislative Day should contact their state library association. For more information, contact: Mary Costabile, ALA Washington Office, 110 Maryland Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002. Telephone: 202-547-4440. Or, Diane Mohr, DCLA, Martin Luther King Memorial Library, Washington, D.C. 20001. Telephone: 202-727-1117.