CLRC will be closed on Monday, May 27 for the Memorial Day holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 28.
Please enjoy a safe and happy holiday weekend.
Memorial Day Ceremonies with Polish Veterans, Rifle Salute from the Syracuse Polish Community, Inc. collections on the New York Heritage Digital Collections.
The Syracuse University Archives has processed the George Fisk Comfort Family Collection, made possible through a grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
George Fisk Comfort (1833-1910), first dean of the College of Fine Arts at Syracuse University, was highly involved in the effort to establish the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and what is now the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse.
The collection, dating from 1822 to 1956, includes correspondence, photographs, writings and other materials from George Fisk Comfort, his grandfather, father, wife, son and various other relatives. His father, Silas Comfort, a Methodist minister, was at the center of a controversial ecclesiastical trial after allowing the testimony of an African American to be used against a white parishioner in the 1830s. Comfort’s wife, Anna Manning Comfort, was a graduate of the first class from the New York Medical College for Women and the first licensed female practitioner in Connecticut.
Read more about the collection here.
The EAD finding aid is available at http://archives.syr.edu/
For more information on this collection, email archives@syr.edu.
The New York State Library, teaming up with more than 1,100 public libraries and neighborhood branches statewide, announced the launch of “Summer Reading at New York Libraries,” the 2013 New York State summer reading program. The annual program gives children the opportunity to access the vast resources of New York’s public libraries to support their summer reading.
Through participation in summer reading programs, children can receive reading lists and participate in activities at their local libraries. At the end of the program, participants receive formal recognition for their reading achievement.
According to New York State Library officials, 1.74 million young people statewide participated in last year’s summer reading program. It is the expressed hope of program coordinators at the New York State Library, Assembly and Senate that increased attention on the benefits of summer reading will result in expanded participation.
For more information about the importance of summer reading, please visit http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm.
State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. noted that summer reading programs allow students to maintain educational advances when not in school. “The Board of Regents and I encourage students across New York to participate in the summer reading programs at their local public libraries. As educators across New York work to implement the new Common Core Standards, it is important that students continue to read while school is not in session,” said Commissioner King. “The Summer Reading at New York Libraries program, supported by the
State Library in conjunction with our partners in the State Assembly and Senate, is a great way for students to work towards college and career readiness during the summer and stay academically sharp for the next school year.”
“Every parent and teacher knows how important reading is to the educational success of all students. It is the fundamental building block for every other subject and allows children to explore the world they live in. ‘Summer Reading at New York Libraries’ provides those who participate with a great opportunity to reinforce lessons learned throughout the school year while also having some fun. I hope all parents will visit their local library to take part in the summer reading fun,” said Senator John Flanagan, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee.
“The summer reading program is a great resource for students,” said Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Chair of the Assembly Education Committee. “I encourage both students and parents to take advantage of this wonderful program that will operate in many libraries across the state.”
“Libraries are wonderful resources for families and I encourage everyone to visit their library this summer,” said State Senator Hugh T. Farley (R, C, I – Schenectady), chair of the Senate’s Select Committee on Libraries. “The State Summer Reading Program is a great way for students to enjoy their summer while also improving their reading and comprehension skills. Many libraries also offer special programs and events that are both fun and educational. Please support and visit your local library this summer – you’ll be glad you did!”
“The New York State Library’s summer reading program is fun for the whole family. It gives parents and children a great excuse to explore their library, enjoy great events, discover new books and improve their reading comprehension,” said Assemblyman Micah Kellner (D-Manhattan), chair of the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.
For more information about “Summer Reading at New York Libraries”, please visit www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer or http://www.summerreadingnys.org/.
Digital book authors are finding that signed books are powerful marketing tools and an effective way to connect with their fans.
Digital Book World has addressed this topic in a two part article.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, announced that 125 libraries and state humanities councils will receive programming grants of $3,500 – 4,500 to host a Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys reading and discussion series.
CONGRATULATIONS to Utica Public Library as one of the libraries selected to receive a grant.
For more information on the program.
For a list of the 125 selected libraries CLICK HERE.
The mission of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS) is to promote the protection of cultural property during armed conflict and provide an emergency response when needed.
The ALA Executive Board appoints a representative to serve on the Board of USCBS.
Responsibilities:
The representative will attend USCBS meetings (physical and virtual) and provide a report on USCBS activities to the International Relations Committee at Annual Conferences and Midwinter Meetings, and alert the IRC to any actions for ALA from the USCBS during the year.
Term:
September 1, 2013 – August 31, 2015
The New York State Library recently announced the winners of the 2013 Teen Video Challenge for New York State.
Liverpool Public Library teens won the competition with their video titled Alice in the Maximum Potter Games.
New York State Assemblymember Sam Roberts was on hand for the award ceremony held on Thursday, May 16. Congratulations to the Liverpool teens!
Skip Prichard is a proven leader, with an outstanding record of accomplishment. He comes to OCLC most recently from Ingram Content Group Inc., which provides physical and digital services to the book industry, where he served as President and CEO from January 2008 through June 2012. He had joined Ingram Content Group in 2007 as Chief Operating Officer.
From October 2005 to April 2007, he was President and CEO of ProQuest Information and Learning, an organization with 1,200 employees in the Americas, Europe and Asia. He also held posts as General Manager and Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at ProQuest from April 2003 to October 2005.
Prior to his work at Ingram and ProQuest, Skip held executive positions with LexisNexis, where as Vice President he provided business information and risk management solutions to global corporations, libraries and other organizations.
Skip has the leadership skills, the experience, commitment and energy to guide the cooperative during this particularly exciting time for libraries. He has guided global organizations through eras of significant innovation and growth. These experiences and his commitment to libraries will help us continue our work to move library services forward—in the cloud, on mobile devices and through the collaborative work of libraries and partners around the world.
Skip will succeed Jay Jordan, who will retire June 30 after 15 years as OCLC President and CEO. We all know how much Jay has meant to the cooperative. He has presided over a period of remarkable growth, innovation and global expansion at OCLC. His contributions to the OCLC cooperative, to libraries and to librarianship will have a lasting impact and have provided the cooperative with a strong foundation to continue to advance our mission. We are grateful for Jay’s leadership and dedication.
Jay’s continued leadership provided the OCLC Board of Trustees ample time to conduct a thorough executive search and we had a very strong pool of outstanding candidates. The board was guided in the search process by a three-member steering committee that included Larry Alford, former Board Chair, and Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries; Bernadette Gray-Little, Chancellor, University of Kansas; and me. The entire board was very closely involved in this selection process, and I am grateful for their time and dedicated service.
We are very pleased that effective June 3, Skip Prichard will serve as OCLC President-elect. He will be on the Dublin campus for much of June, working closely with Jay and the OCLC Strategic Leadership Team during the transition. He will become OCLC President and CEO on July 1, 2013.
Skip plans to attend the ALA Annual Conference in June and the IFLA conference in August. His first order of business will be to meet with you, to listen, learn and engage with member libraries. I know you will be impressed with his energy and commitment to advancing the success of libraries and the mission of your cooperative.
As posted by Sandy Yee, Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees on 5/16/13.
The Nominating Committee for the 2014 ALA Election is soliciting nominees to run on the 2014 spring ballot for the offices of ALA President-elect and Councilor-at-large.
The Nominating Committee will select two candidates to run for President-elect and no fewer than 51 candidates for the 34 at-large Council seats to be filled in the 2014 spring election.
The President-elect will serve a three-year term: as President-elect in 2014-2015, as President in 2015-2016, and as Immediate Past President in 2016-2017.
The Councilors-at-large will serve three-year terms, beginning at the close of the 2014 ALA Annual Conference and ending at the adjournment of the 2017 Annual Conference.
The ALA President and Councilors also serve in corresponding roles in the ALA-Allied Professional Association [ALA-APA]. Individuals considering ALA-APA office are encouraged to consult with their employer regarding any restrictions regarding lobbying activities or service on the governing body of a 501(c)6 organization.
Members who wish to make nominations should submit the following information: nominee name; present position; institution; address; telephone; fax; and e-mail address. Self-nominations are encouraged. All potential nominees must complete the Potential Candidate Biographical Form.
Nominations and forms must be received no later than August 16, 2013.
Nominations may be sent to any member of the 2014 ALA Nominating Committee:
Stephen Matthews, Librarian, Foxcroft School Currier Library, Middleburg, VA, (540) 687-4422
Nick Buron, Director, Community Library Services , Queens Library , Jamaica , NY, (718) 990-8545
John DeSantis, Cataloging & Metadata Services Librarian, Dartmouth College, Hanover , NH, (603) 646-0413
Nancy Everhart, Associate Professor, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, (850) 644-8122
Adriene Lim, Dean, University Libraries, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, (248) 370-2486
Andrew Pace, Executive Director, Networked Library Services, OCLC, Dublin, OH, (614) 764-6435
Eva Poole, Chief of Staff, District of Columbia Public Library, Washington, DC, (202) 727-4919
Karen Schneider, University Librarian, Cushing Library, Holy Names University, Oakland, CA, (510) 436-1160
Kendall Wiggin, State Librarian, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT, (860) 757-6510
Individuals who do not wish to go through the nominations process may run for office by petition. Petitions will be available from Lois Ann Gregory-Wood, Council Secretariat, ALA, 50 E. Huron, Chicago, IL 60611 or during the 2013 Annual Conference or 2014 Midwinter Meeting.
Petitions require 25 signatures for names to be included on the 2014 ballot. Electronic petitions can also be created.
Deadline for filing petitions is January 31, 2014.
The Great Gatsby author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, lived in Syracuse, New York as a young boy.
His ledger was recently discovered by a researcher working at the Onondaga Historical Association.
In the ledger, Fitzgerald wrote about his “Sarycuse” childhood memories, the apartments he lived in with his parents and the school he attended. He lived in Syracuse from the age of 4 to 7 when his father was transferred to Buffalo.
Read the full article by Sean Kirst in Syracuse.com.
Faculty members at Texas A&M and eight other colleges are testing CourseSmart, digital textbooks that allow them to track students’ progress. They can tell when students are skipping pages, failing to highlight passages or not opening the book at all.
Google has a reputation of creating applications and just when people are buying into the idea, they cancel.
A blog appeared in the Washington Post a few weeks back about investing our time into these apps and then slowly losing our trust in Google when they change their minds. Read the article.
Visit the Google Graveyard and leave a flower on your favorite deceased app.
Two environmental studies students developed a program that will enable students to “borrow” a bicycle from Moon Library.
For a $20 annual fee, students will have unlimited access to the bikes.
The program will begin with the fall 2013 semester. Each bicycle has a small attached basket. Perfect for taking your borrowed books home.
The Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) is accepting program, preconference and institute proposals for Midwinter 2014 in Philadelphia and Annual 2014 in Las Vegas.
All of the details, including links to the proposal form and a quick FAQ, may be found here:
http://ascla.ala.org/blog/2013/04/call-for-proposals-ascla-2014-programs-preconferences-institutes/
Proposals for all events are due MAY 15, 2013.
Questions? Contact Liz Markel.
CenterStateCEO has named CLRC affiliate member Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) its 2013 Non-Profit Business of the Year.
Congratulations to the folks at the association for this recognition and for providing a valuable resource to the people of Onondaga County and beyond.
The special report issue of American Libraries on The State of American Libraries is available online.
Here is the link: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/33759128#/33759128/1
Happy reading!
Currently, about 38% of the world’s population uses the internet.
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt recently said that everybody in the world will be on the Internet within seven years. Do you agree?
St. John Fisher College announced that it will offer its doctoral program in Executive Leadership (Ed.D) at the Onondaga Community College (OCC) Regional Higher Education Center beginning in September 2013.
The program is designed for executives and managers in education, health care, not-for-profit, business, military, and government.
OCC Interim President, Meg O’Connell said, “Incorporating a doctoral-degree program, such as this, affords citizens the ability to earn their associate’s, their bachelor’s, their master’s, and now, finally, a doctoral degree without ever leaving Onondaga’s campus.”
Program information sessions are scheduled for May 22, June 19, and July 17 on the OCC campus.
Read more about this partnership in the Syracuse Business Journal.
Plans are underway for the City of Oneida community to get a bigger, better library.
Currently, the Oneida Public Library has 7,800 square feet of usable space. The new building will more than double that area. Parking will increase from 18 spaces to 75 and a large meeting room is planned for hosting community events. The new library will be on one level, instead of the current three floors, making it fully accessible and compliant with ADA.
“People like our little library. It’s cozy,” says youth librarian Michele Ryan. “But we’d like to be cozy for a lot more people.”
Watch a YouTube video for the library’s campaign.
READ MORE from the Utica Observer-Dispatch.
The British Library has just launched a project to collect and preserve everything that is published online in Britain.
The archive will cover 4.8 million websites encompassing books and academic journals as well as alternative sources of literature, news and comment including popular blogs, web forums and social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.
The curators and experts from participating libraries have chosen 100 websites they judge essential to future generations.
Read more on the story here.
The March issue of the Harvard Business Review features an article by Jorge Cauz, President of Encyclopaedia Brittannica, about the end of the bound volumes.
Mr. Cauz tells us about the reasons surrounding the decision. Read the article HERE.
The next deadline for placing an order for the NY 3Rs consortial purchasing agreement with EBSCO Publishing is Friday, June 7th, 2013. Libraries may place an order in the EBSCOhost Collection Manager at any time but will not be invoiced until after June 7th. The discount is volume-driven, so the more libraries that sign up, the greater the potential discount will be.
EBSCO offers a library of 22 Subject Sets and 170,000 individuals titles that purchasing libraries will own into perpetuity.
To learn more about the NY 3Rs consortial eBook offer with EBSCO and to find instructions for purchasing, visit http://www.ny3rs.org/projects/ebsco-ebooks/.
