PLA Blog

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The Public Library Association (PLA) has launched a NEW official Facebook page. The old PLA Facebook page and PLA groups will close on Dec 7, 2009. Please visit our new page and become a fan!

You’ll get the latest news about PLA and public libraries as well as connect with other fans! We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but look forward to seeing you on our new page.

Don’t forget to tell us which programs you are planning to attend during PLA 2010. Access our survey here. This information helps us determine appropriate meeting rooms for each program. The survey closes at 4:30 (CST) today. Thanks!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/books/19library.html

eIFL.net receives grant to spark innovation in public library services in developing countries

eIFL.net is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a three-year $1.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to spark the development of innovative public library services using technology in transitioning and developing countries.

The Public Library Innovation Program will encourage public libraries to reach out to their communities, partnering with local government, business and other organizations to assess local needs and develop new services Technology has transformed public libraries throughout the world, providing access to critical education materials and communication services. Yet in many developing countries where the need is great, public libraries are under resourced.

Calls for proposals will be held in two rounds. The first call is designed to gather great ideas that introduce technology to meet user needs and help members of the community improve their lives. Ten of the best proposals will be awarded up to $30,000 USD each for a one-year project.

The second call will test the replicability of the top ten ideas from the first Call. Participating project teams in both rounds will come together for training and to share their experience. In addition, public libraries in any developing and transitioning country will be invited to take part in a special Innovation Award that recognises outstanding achievements. All the outcomes will be widely disseminated in key publications and conferences throughout the world.

Welcoming the launch of the new program, Deborah Jacobs, director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Libraries initiative said, “We expect the new services that public libraries develop with support from eIFL.net will make a real difference in people’s lives. It’s exciting to imagine the social and economic benefits these new services can trigger – a farmer in a remote rural community linking up to the latest information on crop management, or a woman from a small village promoting her small business through the Internet.”

Rima Kupryte, Managing Director of eIFL.net is enthusiastic. “Using technology to provide new services, or to provide them in new ways, will connect libraries to the communities they serve, will spark the creativity of librarians and users alike to harness what technology can do for them. The citizens of poor countries, remote communities, or societies in transition will reap the benefits in all areas of their everyday lives – to learn, to enjoy, to communicate, and to improve their living conditions. On behalf of public library patrons all over the world eIFL.net is grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for this great opportunity to speed the modernization of one of the great places in the community, the public library.”

The first round of grants will be open to applicants from the following countries where either eIFL.net has a presence or the foundation’s Global Libraries initiative supports projects: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), Poland, Guatemala, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The call for proposals began on November 16, 2009.
The second call for proposals and the Innovation Awards will be open to all developing and transitioning countries in spring of 2011.

This grant to eIFL.net is part of the foundation’s Global Libraries initiative, which is working to open the world of knowledge, information and opportunity to many more people. Part of the Global Development Program, Global Libraries works with select countries that demonstrate a need and a readiness to help public libraries provide free access to computers and the Internet, and training on how to make full use of these tools.

Further information:
Rima Kupryte, Director eIFL.net
Piazza Mastai 9
00153 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +39 06 5807217
Fax: +39 06 5807246
Email:
Program website: http://plip.eifl.net/

eIFL.net (Electronic Information for Libraries – www.eifl.net) is an independent non-profit organization with a global network spanning 46 countries and thousands of libraries. eIFL.net brings access to knowledge to library users in developing and transition countries by building capacity, supporting advocacy and helping to introduce new services for the user, as well as affordable access to e-resources. Until now, it has been mostly academic, research and national library services that have benefited from being part of eIFL.net. The Public Library Innovation Program will enable eIFL.net to offer opportunities to public libraries to develop new and innovative services with and for their communities.

Help us plan for your comfort at PLA 2010 by taking our session preference survey at www.placonference.org. This answers to this survey will allow us to determine appropriate meeting rooms for each program. The survey will close on Friday, November 20, 4:30 p.m. (cst). Let us know your preference today! Thanks!

Its the 2010 Frances Henne/YALSA/VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) Research Grant!

The deadline for this opportunity is coming up! Don’t miss your chance!

This grant of $1000 provides seed money for small-scale projects that
will encourage research that responds to the YALSA Research Agenda,
which is available here

Details regarding the applications for the 2010 Frances Henne
YALSA/VOYA Research Grant are available from the YALSA Web site.

For more information please contact or
by phone (800-545-2433 x 4387).

Applications for the grant are due in the YALSA Office by December 1,
2009. Please pass this information on.

Barbara A. Macikas has been named executive director of the Public Library Association (PLA). Macikas, who was chosen from a nationwide pool of candidates, will assume her responsibilities at PLA on Nov. 23, 2009.

Macikas brings extensive association management experience to the position. She served as executive director of the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) and the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), divisions of the ALA, from May 2007 to May 2009. In that position, she worked with the boards of directors of two divisions, managed two budgets, directed all day-to-day operations, and facilitated the work of volunteers in both divisions. She also managed a grant-funded project and served on several internal task forces. She left this position in May 2009 to focus on association management projects and consulting.

Prior to assuming leadership of ASCLA and RUSA, Macikas served as deputy executive director of PLA from 2000-2007. In that position, she directed major programs such as the national conference and membership marketing and new initiatives in such diverse areas as pre-school literacy, public library advocacy and recruitment to the profession. She also was responsible for fundraising via the PLA Partners Program and oversaw collaborations with several external organizations. Before assuming the deputy executive director position, she served as Conference Manager for PLA from 1997-2000.

“The pace of change and the economy we face today present public libraries and associations with serious challenges but also with opportunities for meaningful change. PLA has a rich tradition of leadership, innovation and responsiveness and I am absolutely delighted and very honored to be re-joining my colleagues at PLA and ALA to continue that tradition, and to once again have the opportunity to work together for public libraries,” said Macikas.

Before joining the PLA staff, she worked as a consultant managing trade shows, conferences and special events for the Illinois Library Association, the American College of Sports Medicine and for ALA’s Executive, Development, and International Relations offices. She has had a rich and varied ALA career. From 1985-1992, she worked in ALA Conference Services, serving as director from 1988-1992. She began her ALA career as a program coordinator (1981-1985) in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

In addition to her active career, she was elected trustee of the Homewood (Illinois) Public Library District, serving as president in 2008-2009, and has served as a volunteer for her local school district’s Learning Resource Center. She is a graduate of UIUC, in political science.

“On behalf of the PLA Executive Director Search Committee and the PLA Board of Directors, let me express how pleased we are to welcome Barb Macikas back to PLA,” said Sari Feldman, PLA President. “She brings to the job a history of excellence and innovation and a valuable combination of experience in association management and libraries that will ensure the continued success of PLA.”

Search committee members included: Sari Feldman (president, PLA), Carol Sheffer (immediate past president, PLA), Clara Bohrer (past president, PLA), Mary Ellen Davis (executive director, ACRL), Michael Jeffers (editor, ALA Editions), Miguel Figueroa (director, Office for Diversity), Cynthia Vivian (director, ALA Human Resources), and Mary Ghikas (senior associate executive director, ALA).