Category: News & Noteworthy

News & Noteworthy

LITA Welcomes Two Emerging Leaders

| Chrishelle Thomas
lita: empowering libraries through technology

ALA’s Emerging Leaders program enables newer library workers to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. LITA is thrilled to sponsor these two excellent emerging leaders. Aisha Conner-Gaten, intersectional librarian, activist, and tech enthusiast working at the William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Aisha is interested in emerging technologies, issues of equity and access in the library, and the role of librarians as social justice accomplices. Aisha’s experiences in activism mirror her leadership philosophy; showing what is possible by doing and then empowering others to do the same. She takes inspiration from an Alice Walker quote that she has used to guide her work: “Activism is my rent for living on the planet.” Samantha Quiñon, Assistant Director and Head of Research & Instruction at Lesley University Libraries…

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General information

LITA Guides: Call for Proposals

| Cinthya Ippoliti
LITA Guides Covers

LITA is looking to expand its popular LITA Guide series. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers would like to offer a $250 gift card for the best LITA book proposal.  Proposals must be submitted by DECEMBER 15th, 2017. Topics for consideration include: Tools for big data Developing in-house technology expertise Budgeting for technology Writing a technology plan K-12 technology Applications of agile development for libraries Grant writing for library technology Security for library systems Questions or comments can be sent to Marta Deyrup, LITA Acquisitions Editor. Proposals can be submitted to the Acquisitions editor using this link.

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Committees and Interest Groups

2017 Emerging Leaders Create LITA Virtual Engagement Toolkit

| Jenny Levine
Icons of people and a computer monitor representing virtual engagement

Note: This post was written by Catie Sahadath, LITA’s 2017 Emerging Leader. In August 2016 I filled in some forms, held my breath, and pressed send on an application to the ALA’s Emerging Leaders program. Admittedly, I was only sort of sure that I knew what I was getting myself into, but I have been emerging since the day I was born, so what could go wrong? The Emerging Leaders program, in a nutshell, is an incubator where new and new-ish professionals can hone and develop skills that will allow them to serve effectively in leadership roles within the ALA. The program accomplishes this by getting the different ALA units to come up with ideas for projects that can be completed within the 6-month timeframe provided to participants. The units provide guidance and support in the form of humans to help us along, and in some cases units also opt…

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News & Noteworthy

Lucy Flamm Awarded 2017 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship

| Jenny Levine

Lucy Flamm has been selected to receive the 2017 LITA/Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship ($3,000) sponsored by the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and Baker & Taylor. Flamm will be attending the University of Texas at Austin starting in Fall 2017 to earn a Master of Science in Information Studies and Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. 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. The Committee noted that “Flamm’s award-winning undergraduate research on Middle Eastern history and year spent working in a library in the West Bank have prepared her well for Middle Eastern studies librarianship. We hope that this scholarship will help her to fulfill her vision…

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News & Noteworthy

Megan Ozeran wins 2017 LITA / Ex Libris Student Writing Award

| Jenny Levine

Megan Ozeran has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Student Writing Award sponsored by Ex Libris Group and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) for her paper titled “Managing Metadata for Philatelic Materials.” Ozeran is a MLIS candidate at the San Jose State University School of Information. “Megan Ozeran’s paper was selected as the winner because it takes a scholarly look at an information technology topic that is new and unresolved. Ms. Ozeran’s discussion offers a thorough examination of the current state of cataloging stamps and issues related to their discoverability,” said Rebecca Rose, the Chair of this year’s selection committee. The LITA/Ex Libris Student Writing Award recognizes outstanding writing on a topic in the area of libraries and information technology by a student or students enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies graduate program. The winning manuscript will be published in Information Technology and Libraries (ITAL), LITA’s open access,…

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News & Noteworthy

Ellyssa Kroski Receives 2017 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award

| Jenny Levine

Ellyssa Kroski has been named the winner of the 2017 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award for Outstanding Communication in Library and Information Technology. The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) and Emerald Group Publishing sponsor the Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals or institutions for their long-term contributions in the area of Library and Information Science technology and its application. The winner receives a citation and a $1,000 stipend. The Award Committee selected Kroski because of her passion for teaching and technology, as well as her impact in public libraries, academic libraries, and with library school students. As a technology expert, an editor, contributor, and compiler of books, she has helped make technology and makerspaces accessible for many different types of institutions. Kroski is the Director of Information Technology at the New York Law Institute as well as an award-winning editor and author of 36 books including Law Librarianship in the Digital Age…

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News & Noteworthy

Timothy Cole Wins 2017 LITA/OCLC Kilgour Research Award

| Jenny Levine

Timothy Cole, Head of the Mathematics Library and Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology, sponsored by OCLC and the Library and Information Technology Association (LITA). Professor Cole also holds appointments in the Center for Informatics Research in Science and Scholarship (CIRSS) and the University Library. The Kilgour Award is given for research relevant to the development of information technologies, especially work which shows promise of having a positive and substantive impact on any aspect(s) of the publication, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information, or the processes by which information and data is manipulated and managed. The winner receives $2,000, a citation, and travel expenses to attend the LITA Awards Ceremony & President’s Program at the 2017 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago (IL). Over the past 20…

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Committees and Interest Groups

Take this important LITA emerging leaders Survey

| Chrishelle Thomas
lita: empowering libraries through technology

Help us improve LITA’s virtual teams! LITA’s Emerging Leaders team is embarking on a project to give you the tools you need to make the most of your committees and interest groups. The teams target for their public report is ALA Annual 2017. But before we can do that we need your help! We are working to review the online tools and best practices currently in use, and make recommendations which will serve to improve collaboration between Committee/Interest Group chairs and members. Please take a few minutes to complete our survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LITAVirtualEngagement If you have any questions, be sure to indicate them in the survey, or contact LITA at lita@ala.org Thanks in advance! Emerging Leaders Project Team D Jessica Bennett, Missouri State University Bri Furcron, State of Arizona Library Catie Sahadath, University of Ottawa Jennifer Shimada, Relay Graduate School of Education Kyle Willis, OCLC

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2017

LITA Conference Buddy Program

| Chrishelle Thomas
lita conference buddy horizontal graphic

Going to ALA Annual this summer? Sign up for the LITA Conference Buddy Program The LITA Conference Buddy Program, which was inspired by the GLBTRT Buddy Program, is designed to make conference attendance more approachable, foster inclusion, and build connections between new LITA members and members who have attended past conferences. We hope that this program will leave both participants with a new friend and a new perspective on LITA participation. To participate in the program as either a new or experienced conference attendee, get details and complete the sign up form by June 4, 2017 If you have any questions about the program, please contact the Diversity & Inclusion Committee at LITAConferenceBuddy@gmail.com Best, The LITA Diversity & Inclusion Committee

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