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ANNOUNCEMENT: APALA Scholarship

http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/scholarship.htm

Purpose

The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Scholarship will provide financial assistance to a student of Asian or Pacific background who is enrolled, or has been accepted into a master’s or doctoral degree program in library and/or information science at a library school accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).
Eligibility Criteria for the Award

* Applicant must be attending or admitted into a master’s degree or doctoral program in library and/or information science at a library school accredited by ALA.
* Applicant must be in library school by Fall 2008.
* Applicant may be either a full-time or part-time student.
* Applicant must be of Asian/Pacific Islander heritage.
* Successful candidates must join and be active members of APALA.
* Applicant must be a citizen or permanent resident of the U. S. or Canada.
* Scholarship recipients may not receive more than one scholarship award.

How to Apply

Please enclose the following items in your application package:

* Completed Application Form
* Resume
* One page essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Your vision of a librarian’s role in the twenty-first century.
2. What contributions can I make as an APA Librarian?

* Copy of the letter of acceptance to an ALA accredited library school or library graduate school transcript.
* Two letters of recommendation. Letters should highlight the applicant’s academic and personal abilities and his/her potential to make positive contributions to the library profession.

Scholarship applications and all supporting documents, should be submitted to the APALA Scholarship Committee Chair, and must be received (not
postmarked) no later than April 30, 2008.
Selection Procedures and Timeline

* The APALA Scholarship Committee will select the scholarship recipient(s).
* The Scholarship Committee Chair will receive the completed Application Packages by April 30.
* Copies of the application packages received will be distributed to the APALA Scholarship Committee members by May 10.
* The Scholarship Committee members will review the applications and submit recommendations for scholarship recipients to the Committee Chair by May 20.
* The Committee will select final candidates by May 30. The Committee Chair will notify the final candidates.
* The scholarship check will be distributed to the recipient by August 29. Proof of enrollment for the Fall semester in an accredited library science program must be provided to the Scholarship Committee before check will be distributed to the recipient.

Administrative Procedures

* The scholarship shall be administered under the By Laws of APALA.
* One $1000 scholarship will be awarded. However, if the Scholarship Fund should grow to an extent that sufficient income is available to finance more than one scholarship every year, the Scholarship Committee shall have the authority to award additional scholarships as authorized by the Executive Board. Additional scholarships will be awarded based on the same criteria and factors as the initial awards.
* In the event that no applicants satisfy the above-mentioned criteria and factors in a given year, no scholarship will be awarded, with the option to grant additional scholarships the following year.

Contact Information

The Scholarship Committee Chair must receive (not postmarked) the completed application packages by April 30. If you have any further questions, please contact the Chair of the Scholarship Committee. Completed application packages must be sent via email to Laura Park at lpark@piercecountylibrary.org.

Laura Park
CO-Chair, APALA Scholarship Committee
Pierce County Library
3005 112th St E
Tacoma, WA 98446
(253) 536-6500 ext 190
Fax: (253) 537-1809
lpark@piercecountylibrary.org

Tonight I unwrapped my shipment from Amazon.co.uk. All seven Harry Potter books, hardcover, in a slipcase. The original British editions.

I belong to a list of of word-lovers, and we had quite a discussion about the changes in the first novel for an American audience. Not only was the title changed from “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” to  “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” but many of the slang terms were “translated” into American expressions. That was when I decided that not only did I want the complete set, I wanted the original words of the author.

That left me with two choices: Canadian or British editions. And the British editions were less expensive, when I made the comparisons. And the projected arrival date was just after a huge work project was scheduled to be due. So it seemed like the way to go.

And now they’re here. So perfect and colorful (the covers match the dust jackets, printed all the way around) I almost hate to read them.

But only almost.

More later.

St. Ambrose to remove bishop’s name from library

Why? Bet you can guess…

“. . .the removal was warranted because of the bishop’s failure to take the necessary precautions to protect children from clergy sexual abuse that occurred during his tenure as bishop of the Davenport Diocese.

They’re looking for a new name, of course. I suggest just putting up a big banner with “Matthew 18:6″ emblazoned on it.

I’m going to be rejoining CLA after a few years’ lapse, although I hasten to say their new status has NOTHING to do with that. I hope CLA can provide a faith-influenced perspective to some of ALA’s more — challenging — policies and philosophies. But we’ll just have to wait and see.

Now, I think this kind of arrangement could be just the ticket, if you do just want to browse in a broad category. But as someone with very specific tastes, browsing in a big general bookstore drives me nuts. And in a specialized bookstore — or library, like the Catholic Information Center you’d need to come up with your own categories.

Librarians, traditional ones, (and semi-traditional ones) feel uneasy at the idea of giving up the numbers we know as a second language. But you, my half-dozen readers, do me a kindness; look at the back covers of a few books for the descriptors you find there. Look at the list of subjects at the CIC link above, and tell me:

• Do the “subjects” on the back of your book match the subjects that come to your mind when you think about the book?
• Would you be able to find what you wanted in a parish library that was arranged using the CIC’s categories?
• Would you also need or want a catalog in which to look up specific items?

At the 2007 Midwinter Conference, ALA Council Referred, CD#38, Resolution on Accessible Digitization Projects Resolution to ASCLA and
requested a report at the 2007 Annual Conference. ASCLA offers this
Amendment to CD #38

Accessible Digitization Projects Resolution:

WHEREAS, ALA Policy 54.3.2 states that “library materials must be accessible to all patrons including people with disabilities”; and

WHEREAS, Technology has given libraries the mechanism to make materials available electronically; and

WHEREAS, The Federal Government had created regulations based on Section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act that ensures that its technology is accessible to its employees and the public; and

WHEREAS, ALA Council adopted a Resolution on Accessible Voting in 2004, which resolves that all electronic and information technology procurement (e.g. internet resources, telephony, captioned and audio described videos) shall follow the standards established by Section 508, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the American Library Association strongly encourage all libraries and others engaging in digitization projects to adopt Section 508 regulations to ensure that they are creating versions of materials that are accessible to persons using screen-reader or other assistive technologies; and be it further

RESOLVED that ALA forward this resolution to other agencies and organizations that help libraries digitize their materials and that design access software, such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services and state library agencies, and to companies that work with libraries doing digitization projects.
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The last paragraph is in many ways the most significant. ALA can tell librarians what we should be doing, but they are not a funding agency. Most digitization projects are funded from grants, and it is the funding agency that must be persuaded to pony up for better services and more accessible library assets.

WHEREAS, Since 1931, the United States Congress has supported a national library accessible to people who are blind, and

WHEREAS, In 1966, Congress authorized the Library of Congress’ National Library Service to provide Talking Books services to all persons who could not read standard print because of visual or physical disability, and

WHEREAS the National Library Service’s current audiocassette technology, which was introduced in 1971, is obsolete, and

WHEREAS, the current audiocassette machines are no longer being manufactured, and

WHEREAS The National Library Service has developed a plan to convert to up-to-date digital technology, and

WHEREAS, The National Library Service needs the $19.1 million it requested for the first year of this multi-year project in order to obtain this goal, and

WHEREAS, There have been congressional proposals to allocate only some of the funds needed toward the project, and

WHEREAS, any shortfall jeopardizes library service to the more than 750,000 people in the United States who rely upon this service for access to reading material, and

WHEREAS veterans who have been injured and are returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will need this service, and

WHEREAS, the American Library Association has adopted a statement of core values and that Access (for all) and Democracy (the need for an informed citizenry), are two of these values,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the American Library Association calls upon Congress to fund the $19.1 million needed for the first year of the National Library Service’s multi-year digitization project to convert to up-to-date digital technology, thereby preserving Talking Books services to people with visual or physical disability.

Moved by Melora Ranney Norman
Maine Chapter Councilor

Seconded by Michael A. Golrick
Councilor-at-Large

INaccessibility note: Sorry, no alt text on the images. Get someone to read them to you, if you need to? Okay, now I’m curious: are comic strips just unavailable to those with low or no vision?

• Went to vigil Mass at St. Patrick. Actually heard the priest preach about the sanctity of life! “This passage shows clearly that God is in love with us from the womb. … We must love life from the womb. It is just that simple.”
• Today was a day for proximity to fame. Saw both Julie Andrews and Armistead Maupin. Only 100 people got to get books signed by Andrews; Maupin signed multiple books for people and waited while we told him our own stories.
• Do you DC wheelers get to know the holes in the sidewalk pretty well? It’s disconcerting to come up suddenly on an area of missing or uptilted brick.
• I’m in love with the Metro. Even when it’s broken it works!
• Didn’t spend nearly as much time as usual in the exhibits. I just felt squashed by all the walking people. You know, don’t you, walking people, that you don’t walk in straight lines, and that you turn abruptly and walk backwards without looking? Or maybe you really think I’m the erratic and dangerous one.
• That blue and white symbol on the large stall door does not mean “for people in wheelchairs or people with big wheeled luggage.” Just so you know.
• I know we presented an NLS funding resolution to the ALA Council (or will, tomorrow). Don’t know if it will pass, but I expect that it will.
• This is the first time I’ve been on a computer since Thursday. So maybe I really can stop using the Internet any time I want to.
• Then again, I haven’t had supper, and its nearly 8, so maybe my priorities are a bit skewed. Think I’ll go get a bit to eat, and then pack. Later, I’ll tart this post up with relevant links and all.