General information

Together Against Racism

ALA and Core are committed to dismantling racism and white supremacy. Along with the ALA Executive Board, we endorse the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA)’s May 28 statement condemning the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police Department officers. In their statement, BCALA cites Floyd’s death as “the latest in a long line of recent and historical violence against Black people in the United States.” Not only does Core support the sentiments of BCALA, we vow to align our values regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion with those of BCALA and other organizations that represent marginalized communities within ALA. We also stand strong with the Asian/Pacific American community, which has been the target of xenophobia and racism in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19, and support the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) and their statement that, “There is no excuse for discriminatory sentiments and actions towards Asians…

News & Noteworthy

The 2020 Census Starts in Two Weeks — Are Your Computers Ready?

Because librarians believe that everyone counts. American Library Association librariestransform.org #LibrariesTransform

Post courtesy of Gavin Baker, ALA Office of Public Policy and Advocacy, Deputy Director, Public Policy and Government Relations On March 12, millions of American households will begin receiving mailings inviting them to respond to the 2020 Census. To get an accurate count, everyone has to respond – if they don’t, our libraries and communities will lose needed funding. As the mailings arrive, patrons may come to your library with questions – and, with a new option to respond online, to complete the questionnaire using the library’s computers or internet. To help you prepare, ALA has a new, two-page tip sheet, “Libraries and the 2020 Census: Responding to the Census,” that provides key dates, options for responding, and advice for libraries preparing for the 2020 Census. For instance, the tip sheet explains these important facts: Ways to Respond: Households can respond to the Census online, by phone, or by mail…

A New Division Discussions

News Regarding the Future of LITA after the Core Vote

Dear LITA members, We’re writing about the implications of LITA’s budget for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year, which starts September 1, 2020. We have reviewed the budget and affirmed that LITA will need to disband if the Core vote does not succeed. Since the Great Recession, membership in professional organizations has been declining consistently. LITA has followed the same pattern and as a result, has been running at a deficit for a number of years. Each year, LITA spends more on staff, events, equipment, software, and supplies than it takes in through memberships and event registrations. We were previously able to close our budgets through the use of our net asset balance which is, in effect, like a nest egg for the division. Of course, that could not continue indefinitely. Our path towards sustainability has culminated in the proposal to form Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures. The new division would come with…

News & Noteworthy

Joint Working Group on eBooks and Digital Content in Libraries

John Klima

John Klima, the LITA Representative to the Working Group on eBooks and Digital Content, recently agreed to an interview about the latest update from ALA Midwinter 2020. Watch the blog for more updates from John about the Working Group in the coming months! What is the mission and purpose of the Working Group on eBooks and Digital Content? Quoting from the minutes of the ALA Executive Board Fall meeting in October of 2019: [The purpose of this working group is] to address library concerns with publishers and content providers specifically to develop a variety of digital content license models that will allow libraries to provide content more effectively, allowing options to choose between one-at-a-time, metered, and other options to be made at point of sale; to make all content available in print and for which digital variants have been created to make the digital content equally available to libraries without…

News & Noteworthy

Announcing the new LITA Blog Editor

We are proud to announce that Jessica Gilbert Redman will be the new editor of the LITA Blog.  Gilbert Redman has been the web services librarian at the University of North Dakota for the past three years. She coordinates and writes for the library blog and maintains the library website. She has completed a post-graduate certificate in user experience and always seeks to ensure that end users are able to easily find the information they need to complete their research. Additionally, she realizes communication is the key component in any relationship, be it between libraries and their users or between colleagues, and she always strives to make communication easier for all involved. “I am excited to become more involved in LITA, and I think the position of LITA Blog Editor is an excellent way to meet more people within LITA and ALA, and to maintain a finger on the pulse of new…

News & Noteworthy

Welcome to LITA, Chrishelle Thomas!

Photo of Chrishelle Thomas

Please help me welcome Chrishelle Thomas as LITA’s new Membership and Marketing Manager. She comes to us from C200, a nonprofit that connects women from the highest levels of successful public and private companies, where she was the Member Services and Programs Administrator. Before that, she was with the American Bar Association for over a decade, serving as their Membership & Events Coordinator and then as their Membership & Marketing Specialist. She has a wealth of experience supporting recruitment and retention campaigns, online community engagement, and digital marketing communications. High-level customer service with a “can do” spirit is one of the greatest attributes she acquired during her tenure at the American Bar Association. Chrishelle is a certified dance coach and a faith and fashion blogger, encouraging people to become the best version of themselves. She enjoys podcasts, roller skating, and hanging out with her yorkipoo, Mr. Mixx Saint Charles. She…

News & Noteworthy

Ruth Mahaffy Awarded 2019 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship

Picture of Ruth Mahaffy

Ruth Mahaffy has been selected to receive the 2019 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship ($3,000) sponsored by the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and Baker & Taylor. Mahaffy will graduate from Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management in 2020. This Scholarship is for master’s level study, with an emphasis on library technology and/or automation, at a library school program accredited by the American Library Association. Criteria for the Scholarship includes previous academic excellence, evidence of leadership potential, and a commitment to a career in library automation and information technology. Mahaffy is the Bilingual Services Director at the Sioux Center (IA) Public Library, where she started the Library’s first outreach to Spanish speaking immigrants in 2010, which now has over 1,000 attendees at programs for Spanish speakers and English language learners each year (in a town of 7,000). She also drafted a new internet use policy that addresses the rights of minors to…

News & Noteworthy

Become a LITA Emerging Leader

LITA is still accepting applications through August 30, 2019, to sponsor two Emerging Leaders for 2020. LITA sponsorship provides $1,000 to attend the 2020 ALA Midwinter and Annual conferences in order to participate in the program. It also puts you on the fast track to get involved with LITA in a leadership capacity. Apply now! ALA Emerging Leaders is a leadership development program that enables newer library workers to participate in problem-solving workgroups, network with peers, and gain an inside look into ALA’s and LITA’s structure. Participants select a project to work on virtually between February and June. The team will then present its work at the 2020 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. Contact us if you have questions about the Emerging Leaders program or this sponsorship opportunity.

News & Noteworthy

Take the LITA Close to Home Survey

lita: empowering libraries through technology

Are you interested in connecting with other LITA members near you? In what ways can LITA help foster local activities that would benefit you? Would you like to take the lead in starting a group near you? LITA Close to Home is an ALA Emerging Leader project studying whether LITA members would like to participate in local peer groups and what form those groups should take. We need your help! Please take just 5 minutes to complete the Close to Home survey before it closes on Friday, May 10. The 2019 LITA Emerging Leaders team are: Liz Gibbons-Camp, Adult Services Coordinator, Chillicothe & Ross County Public Library, egibbonscamp@crcpl.org Kat Greer, Digital Systems & Acquisitions Librarian, Agnes Scott College, kgreer@agnesscott.edu Rachel Murdock, Innovation Librarian, Hedberg Public Library, rmurdock@hedbergpubliclibrary.org Abigail Sparling, Serials Metadata Librarian, University of Alberta, abigail.sparling@ualberta.ca

Library experiences

LibTech Leadership: An Interview with ALA Leadership Institute Attendee Jennifer Chan

In 2018, LITA offered its first-ever scholarship to the ALA Leadership Institute to Jennifer Chan—Scholarly Communication Librarian at the UCLA Library. Ms. Chan’s work has focused on alt- and bibliometrics, research impact, open access, and the Affordable Course Materials Initiative, involving targeted outreach with campus partners to promote open education strategies. The generosity of LITA’s 2017 fundraising donors made it possible for her to attend one of the country’s premiere professional development opportunities for library leadership this past August. What sparked your interest in the Institute? I came across the call for participants about a year prior to actually applying. I was researching programs and opportunities for professional development to enhance my leadership skills and quickly developed the impression that while such programs existed, there did not appear to be many designed for my current stage of career development. The ALA Leadership Institute offered the right fit for my needs….