Virginia Library Association » Regions

VLA Technical Services & Technology Forum Presents: “Understanding XML” with Matthew Gibson

Lisa Varga — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:43:28 +0000

Tuesday, March 20, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA

This one-day hands-on workshop will explore XML with a specific focus on fundamentals of design, markup, and use. The workshop will explain why XML is important, particularly in the domain of describing, storing, and delivering information in a library setting.

XML Workshop Flyer (please print and post in your library.)

Topics to be covered include:

XML: What is it?
What is the difference between XML and HTML?
Why should librarians care about XML?
Understanding XML validation: What is it and why is it important?

Prerequisites: No prior knowledge of XML is required; familiarity with markup languages such as HTML is helpful. All students should be very comfortable navigating Windows operating system, and should be able to save files from the internet to the local computer, and understand how to find and open those files. The computers in the workshop classroom run Windows 7.

Matthew Gibson is Director of Digital Programs at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH). At the VFH, he oversees Encyclopedia Virginia, a digital publication about Virginia history and culture, and guides the short- and long-term planning for the organization’s digital efforts and scholarly communications. Matthew is an experienced conference presenter and author in the field of digital library standards. For the past nine years he has taught week-long XML application building workshops as an independent consultant and for the Association of Research Libraries. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia.

VLA Members: $85 per person / Non-members: $125 per person (Includes lunch in R-MC dining hall)

Click for online registration form.

Click for directions to Randolph-Macon College Library.

(Parking readily available during Randolph-Macon College’s Spring Break.)

Questions? Please contact Lynda Wright, Chair of the VLA Technical Services & Technology Forum for the Virginia Library Association at lwwright@rmc.edu

ALA Emerging Leaders from Virginia: Rebecca Kate Miller and Rocco Debonis

Lisa Varga — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:40:14 +0000

Congratulations to Rebecca Kate Miller of Virginia Tech Libraries and Rocco Debonis of the University of Maryland University College, who have been selected for the 2012 Class of Emerging Leaders of the American Library Association!

Click here for the full announcement and more information about the Emerging Leaders program.

Past Emerging Leaders from Virginia

2007: Mario A. Ascencio, LeRoy Jason LaFleur (both from George Mason University)

2008: Mary Hanlin (Tidewater Community College), Renee DiPilato (Alexandria Public Library), Sally Ma (Fairfax County Public Library). Sally, Renee and Mary wrote this article in Virginia Libraries about their experiences.

2009: Laura Horne (University of Richmond), Sara Townsend (Norfolk Public Library), Beth Larkee (Hollins University), Suzanna Panter (Henrico Co. Public Schools), Sarah Wright (Potomac Library)

2010: Laura Amos (Norfolk Collegiate School), Nathan Putnam (George Mason University)

2011: Elizabeth Appleton (George Mason University), Alicia Blowers (St. Stephen & St. Agnes School), Megan Hodge (Chesterfield Co. Public Library), Matthew Jabaily (Old Dominion University)

Rocco Debonis

Rebcca Kate Miller

Rocco DeBonis has earned a Master of Secondary Education, Master of Fine Arts in Literature and Creative Writing, and most recently a Master of Library Science. He has been a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the University of Maryland University College since January 31st of this year, where he is liaison to the Undergraduate School’s Center for Student Success and the Graduate School’s Education Department. Previously, he taught science in New York City public schools and then English and creative writing at Northern Virginia Community College. He hopes that the Emerging Leader program will introduce him to other librarians of all ages who are new to the field, and that the program will serve as a conduit to continued involvement in ALA.

Rebecca Kate Miller is the Information Literacy Coordinator & College Librarian for Science, Life Sciences, and Engineering at Virginia Tech. She earned my MLS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007, and worked at Louisiana State University until she joined the faculty at Virginia Tech in May 2010. As a new information professional, she is very interested in connecting and supporting other new librarians, and work with the Virginia Library Association to do this. Currently, Rebecca serves as the VLA Membership Chair and has collaborated with Megan Hodge to reactivate the VLA New Members Round Table Forum. Nationally, she serves as the Secretary of the ALA New Members Round Table and on several ACRL committees. Rebecca is looking forward to meeting new colleagues and gaining new insights through the Emerging Leaders program.

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT ONLINE CAREER CHAT ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH.

Lisa Varga — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:36:35 +0000

Our topic will be Career Communication Documents – including that all-important resume.

Provided by the ALA JobLIST Placement Center

Your resume is still one of the best tools for your job search and career advancement strategy. However, resumes – how they look and what they need to communicate – have changed. And other communications documents like your profile, your cover letter and your business cards, have become more important. Bring your ideas, your questions, and any resources you’d like to share with others to our next chat session. And be ready to join a great discussion about communicating your value to prospective employers.

Our facilitator will be Caitlin Williams. Caitlin has been in the field of career development for more than 20 years. She writes, speaks, conducts research and coaches individuals on ways to continue growing professionally, as well as ways to remain employable in a challenging economy. She is on the faculty of San Jose State University in Calif. Caitlin has been partnering with ALA for nearly 10 years to offer individuals help with managing their careers, and providing one-on-one career counseling sessions in the ALA JobLIST Placement Center during ALA conferences.

Beatrice Calvin

Program Officer, Placement/Recruitment

Office for Human Resource Development & Recruitment

American Library Association

50 E. Huron St.

Chicago, IL 60611

bcalvin@ala.org

800/545-2433 ext. 4280

312/280-4280

www.ala.org/hrdr

Make a living making a difference!

www.LibraryCareers.org

Helm Appointed Dean Of McConnell Library

admin — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:45:13 +0000

After serving as interim university librarian for the past 16 months, Steven Helm is the new dean of Radford University’s McConnell Library.

“It is wonderful to be appointed to this position,” Helm said after the Sept. 15 announcement. “I’m very excited to continue leading this amazing group. McConnell Library staff members have dedicated themselves to providing outstanding services and resources to support the RU community. My commitment to them and to preserving the unique collegial culture within the library is among the many reasons for my becoming a candidate for the position of dean.”

Helm served as interim university librarian since May 2010. Previously he was coordinator of library technology for nine years and was the library’s technology manager from 1997 to 2002. Before coming to Radford, Helm was manager of networked services for the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library system from 1989 to 1997; a social studies teacher in the Montgomery County Public Schools from 1984 to 1989; and a guitar instructor and professional musician from 1981 to 1988.

A specialist in 21st century library technologies, strategic planning and library facilities, Helm said he is always seeking to improve user experiences. He takes pride in his efforts that helped create the university’s first learning management system, WebCT, and founding the RU Multimedia Center, now known as the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning.

Helm said he and his staff have crafted a focused strategic plan for McConnell:

Make McConnell a Radford destination
Enhance spaces for study and collaboration
Provide technology and support to improve user access
Enhance and expand archives and special collections
Engage the community
Develop staffing priorities
Pursue development opportunities
Create an assessment plan
Demonstrate agility and support innovation

“There are many exciting challenges and opportunities ahead for the library, including several initiatives begun during my interim period, such as the architecture and engineering building study that will inform future renovations and capital projects for McConnell Library,” Helm said.

He said he is pleased that a library renovation project was included in the university’s six year capital plan, submitted to Richmond this past spring. “The recommendations in the final building study report will guide the scope and details of the renovation,” he said. “I am very optimistic that the facilities project will result in vast improvements in services to RU faculty, staff and students.”

Helm earned his master’s degree in library and information science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and received his teaching certification and Bachelor of Arts in political science from Virginia Tech. He is an active member of the Virginia Educator Association, Virginia Library Association, American Library Association and Library and Information Technology Association, and he has chaired and sat on several library committees and associations in Virginia.

Learn more by visiting the McConnell Library website or Facebook page.

Sep 16, 2011
Keith Hagarty
540-831-7749
khagarty@radford.edu

Exciting News for OverDrive Partner Libraries in Virginia

Jenny — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:23:15 +0000

For all those Virginia Libraries that subscribe to OverDrive’s service, the wait for Kindle compatible eBooks is over! See OverDrive’s announcement below (September 21, 2011)

Library eBooks now available for Amazon® Kindle

OverDrive is pleased to announce that Amazon® Kindle compatibility with your U.S. public or school library’s eBook collection is here. See the press release. This update, which is included at no additional cost to OverDrive partner libraries, allows most existing eBooks in your library’s collection to be read on all Kindle devices or by using free Kindle apps for iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ and other mobile devices.

OverDrive is quickly updating all U.S. public and school library partner websites to support Kindle compatibility and will complete this update as soon as possible. Sections of your website, including My Help wizard, Help pages and FAQs, will also reflect these changes and help new Kindle users.

Here is the process for checking out a library eBook for Kindle:

Visit your library’s ‘Virtual Branch’ website
Browse and check out a Kindle book.
Click the ‘Get for Kindle’ button. This opens the Amazon.com website. You may be required to sign in with your Amazon.com account if you are not already logged in.
Select a Kindle device or Kindle reading app. Click the ‘Get library book’ button and sync your device or app to download the book, or choose to send it to your device via USB.
An active Wi-Fi connection is required for wireless delivery to a Kindle device. If your Kindle is not Wi-Fi capable or you do not have an active Wi-Fi connection, read Amazon’s instructions for transferring files via USB.

Kindle compatibility with library eBooks also takes full advantage of Amazon’s Whispersync technology. If you check out the eBook again at a later date or choose to purchase the eBook from the Kindle Store, all of your notes, bookmarks and highlights will be preserved. The last page read will also be synced between your Kindle and free Kindle reading apps.

For more details, please check the Help pages and FAQs on your library’s web site.

Brianne Carlon is a public relations specialist at OverDrive.

(copied from OverDrive’s Digital Library Blog)

Upcoming LUCY events, October 2011-February 2012

Lisa Varga — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:31:10 +0000

October

October 1, 2011– To Google or Not to Google– That is the Question! Presented by Kathy Allen and Brenda Frank (Secondary); Time– 9am—12pm; Cost- $25*; Face-To-Face; Tri-Cities Higher Education Center (Portsmouth, Virginia)

October 13, 2011– LUCY Super Stars: Latest Multicultural Book Talks; Time (Elementary)- 5pm-5:30pm; (Secondary)- 5:30pm-6pm; Cost- $25*; Webinar

November

November 5, 2011– Diversifying Lessons with Digital Storytelling: An Interactive Workshop, Presented by Dusty Gabel; Time– 9am—12pm; Cost- $25*; Face-To-Face, ODU Education Bldg. Room 244 (LRC)

November 17, 2011– Secondary SOL and LUCY Titles, Presented by Lisa Castellano; Time– 5pm-6pm; Cost- $25*; Webinar

February

February 4, 2012— Diversifying Lessons with Digital Storytelling: An Integrative Workshop, Presented by Dusty Gabel; Time—9am—12pm; Cost- $25*; Face-To-Face; ODU Education Bldg. Room 244 (LRC)

Roxanne Mills

ECI Adjunct

University Supervisor

LUCY Project Manager

http://education.odu.edu/eci/lucy/

Visit us on Facebook or on Twitter(ODULUCY).

2012 VLA Election of Officers Results

Lisa Varga — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:37:05 +0000

The 2012 Virginia Library Association Election of Officers has concluded. The results are:

Vice President/President Elect: Lisa Lee Broughman (Randolph College)

ALA Councilor: Jessica Scalph (Prince William County Public Library)

Second Vice President: Mark Lenker (Longwood University)

Treasurer: Maryke Barber (Hollins University)

Congratulations to Lisa Lee, Jessica, Mark and Maryke!

You can meet your new officers at the Virginia Library Association Annual Conference. Click here for more information: http://www.vla.org/?page_id=3950

Thanks to all who ran for VLA office. VLA appreciates your willingness to serve your association.

Call for submissions to Virginia Libraries: special issue on electronic collections & access, due Nov. 1

Lisa Varga — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:38:13 +0000

Virginia Libraries seeks input on a new theme: electronic collections and digital developments in the library world. With a deadline of November 1, we challenge you to share your experiences with electronic collections, resources, and access–the triumphs, the pitfalls, and the process along the way. With a submission deadline of November 1, we hope to recruit articles on a wide variety of topics: e-books and e- readers; digitization of special and historical collections; interesting solutions for online catalogs, collections, and projects; new web and social media techniques; problems and solutions in serving up electronic content; and much, much more. We welcome interviews with key players in the field, as well as collaborative articles you might write to highlight digital repositories or projects that you admire. What are some of the most exciting developments you’ve seen in the last ten years? How have they developed–and changed our perspective? What will the library universe look like in the next ten to fifteen years? What do patrons want–and expect? How can we prepare? Join us in exploring this new universe by sharing the challenges and triumphs of today, while we speculate about the wonders that await us tomorrow.

Please send queries and submissions to both Lyn C. A. Gardner, cgardner@hampton.gov, and Cy Dillon, cdillon@hsc.edu.

Guidelines for Submission to Virginia Libraries

1. Virginia Libraries seeks to publish articles and reviews of interest to the library community in Virginia. Articles and interviews reporting research, library programs and events, information of particular interest to libraries in Virginia, and opinion pieces are all considered for publication. Queries are encouraged. Brief announcements and press releases should be distributed via the VLA listservs and blog (www.vla.org).

2. Please submit manuscripts via email as attachments in Microsoft Word, rich text, or plain text format. Articles should be double- spaced with any bibliographic notes occurring at the end of the article. Please avoid using the automatic note creation function provided by some word processing programs.

3. Work published in Virginia Libraries conforms to the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Accepted pieces are subject to editing for style and clarity. Authors will be consulted on points of fact.

4. Articles should generally fall within the range of 750-3,000 words. Please query the editors before submitting any work of greater length.

5. Reviews should consider works produced by Virginia creators or concerning Virginia subjects that have been published within the last two years. The reviewed works can appeal to any age or audience or appear in any format or area of the arts, sciences, and humanities. Reviews generally fall within the range of 500-1,500 words and must include a bibliographic citation in Chicago style and an evaluative statement supported by evidence from the text. Please query the editors before writing or submitting a review.

6. All work submitted for consideration will be reviewed by the editors and may be refereed by the editorial board. Material not selected for publication will be returned within three months.

7. VLA holds the copyright on all material published in Virginia Libraries. Contributors receive one copy of the issue in which their work appears.

8. Illustrations are encouraged and should be submitted whenever appropriate to accompany a manuscript. Hard-copy illustrations will be returned if requested in advance. Digital images should have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Authors are responsible for securing legal permission to publish photographs and other illustrations.

9. Each contributor should provide a brief sketch of professional accomplishments of no more than fifty words that includes current title, affiliation, and email address. Unless specified otherwise, this information will be shared with readers of Virginia Libraries. Physical addresses should also be provided for the mailing of contributors’ copies.

10. Email manuscripts and queries to both Cy Dillon, cdillon@hsc.edu, and Lyn C. A. Gardner, cgardner@hampton.gov. Please be sure to include both editors.

11. Virginia Libraries is published quarterly. The deadlines for submission are November 1 for Number 1, January/February/March; February 1 for Number 2, April/May/June; May 1 for Number 3, July/ August/September; and August 1 for Number 4, October/November/ December.

Seeking Editor(s) for Virginia Libraries, VLA's Quarterly Journal

Lisa Varga — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:44:35 +0000

Virginia Libraries, the quarterly journal of the Virginia Library Association, is currently seeking an Editor or Co-Editors to take over leadership in preparation for the first edition of 2012. For more information and to apply, please contact VLA President Matt Todd at Northern Virginia Community College, mtodd@nvcc.edu. Interested applicants will need to submit to Matt Todd a letter of intent, and examples of your writing by October 1.

Cy Dillon and Lyn (C.A.) Gardner receive Presidential Citations

Lisa Varga — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:19:35 +0000

On Friday, September 9 at the VLA Council Meeting at the Twin Hickory Branch Library in Richmond, VLA President Matt Todd presented Cy Dillon and Lyn (C.A.) Gardner, with Presidential Citations, the text of which read:

In recognition of [his/her] outstanding contributions as co-editor of Virginia Libraries, in developing, promoting, and improving library and information services and the profession of librarianship in the Commonwealth, and in building and sustaining the journal as reviewed and refereed, and advancing literacy and learning, this VLA Presidential Citation is issued to Cy Dillon and Lyn (C.A.) Gardner.

Congratulations, Cy & Lyn!