What's Happening - What's Going On?
What's being worked on and discussed on behalf of paraprofessionals?
What are Comments and Feelings of Support Staff about our Image,
our Roles in Libraries, and our Future?

GOOD NEWS!!
The Support Staff membership initiative is continuing through 2004 and beyond
Excerpt quoted from ALA
Library Support Staff Membership
 Beginning in September 2004, Support Staff and Paraprofessionals
are invited to join ALA in a new type of membership as Library Support Staff (LSS) Members. 
Full Membership in ALA, with rights and privileges of voting in ALA elections as well 
as regular benefits of membership such as journals, discounts and 
opportunities to participate in the work of ALA, are available to Library Support Staff.   
An overview of LSS Membership and ALA’s special dues rates, 
as well as online and downloadable applications are now available.
http://tinyurl.com/6pl33

ALA-APA News 
quoted from Jenifer Grady
The ALA-Allied Professional Association has compiled a partial list of
state and regional certification programs for library workers -
http://www.ala-apa.org/certification/stateregcert.html.   
It is a work in progress.  If your state is not listed or you know of
certifications that are:
1.  mandated to practice librarianship
2.  promoted to enhance skills
3.  granted to demonstrate proficiency
that are operated by government agencies or offered by an institution,
please forward the information to me for inclusion.  

This list excludes school librarians only because the American
Association of School Librarians has done a great job at providing
information on school librarian certification and licensure
(http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aasleducation/recruitmentlib/libraryedu/libraryeducation.htm)

Library Worklife newsletter
http://www.ala-apa.org/newsletter/newsletter.html 

Soaring to Excellence 2005
Soaring to Excellence presents a new series of teleconferences packed with practical information
http://www.dupage.edu/COD/index.php?id=11
See other teleconferences offered
http://www.cod.edu/teleconf/

The message of National Library Workers Day is "Libraries Work Because
We Do" and libraries are also invited to use the slogan
"We work @ your library" to tie into ALA's Campaign for America's Libraries.
Libraries may customize the first slogan by adding the library's name
to the beginning, e.g., Freedom Public Library Works Because We Do.

Libraries are encouraged to use National Library Workers Day to focus
on individuals or units responsible for the number of materials
selected, acquired, cataloged, checked out and back in, and shelved; 
for handling requests and sending them to other libraries; for answering
reference questions; for planning, publicizing and presenting programs;
for developing and maintaining the library's website; and for other
elements of library service.

New customizable tools and materials to help libraries promote National
Library Workers Day will be available on the ALA-APA Web site at
www.ala-apa.org the first week in March. These include a
proclamation, sample letter-to-the-editor, op-ed article, radio PSAs 
and sample press release. Also posted are programming ideas, such as
employee recognition days and "behind the scenes" tours of the library.

This year, National Library Workers Day also coincides with Equal Pay
Day, established by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), a
coalition of national organizations to which ALA belongs. Because
libraries are staffed predominately by women, library workers tend to 
be underpaid. Equal Pay Day highlights the gap between the wages of men 
and women. For more information, see the NCPE website at
www.pay-equity.org.

Press materials, programming suggestions and display ideas to help
promote National Library Week can be found on the Campaign for
America's Libraries Web site at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary in both
English and Spanish. Click on the National Library Week icon. The site
includes a link to National Library Week products available from ALA
Graphics, including a poster, bookmark and CD of customizable artwork.

Remember - this  inclusion in ALA activities and programs & Initiatives, etc. - is a direct result of the hard work
of members of LSSIRT and ALA members
Read about COPE III
3rd Congress on Professional Education:
Focus on Library Support Staff
(COPE III)
http://www.ala.org/ala/hrdrbucket/3rdcongressonpro/3rdcongressprofessional.htm

• Learn about the Leaders of the Pack:

Bringing up the Next Generation of Library Leaders through LAMA  - 
[project initiative]
• Read the latest from LSSIRT with regards to:

The 3rd Congress on Professional Education: Focus on Library Support Staff
(COPE III) | held May 16-17, 2003 at the College of DuPage
• See the: ALA Library Support Staff Interests Round Table 

Stand on Certification
• Articles in Library Journal - re: Librarian Recruitment Efforts
• Read statistics and information from the AFL-CIO on Librarians & Library Paraprofessionals, which may be useful when presenting facts to administrators, on the current state of the library workforce in the US.
• Update on the Library Career Pathways Task Force
• Comments by Gene Kinnaly, Re:  ALA Task Force on the Status of Librarians 

Gene is a member of the ALA Better Salaries & Pay Equity Task Force
http://www.mjfreedman.org/tfhome.html
Update: June 2002 - Gene's speech re: Salary issues
 and Support Staff concerns, at Atlanta ALA 2002 Conference now available.
Update on:
How Support Staff Can Advocate for Better Salaries and Pay Equity 
1/22/03, Middletown, CT 
Co-sponsored by the CT Library Association Support Staff section
 

---


This message quoted from Libsup-L listserv post Augsut 12, 2003

One of the major challenges that libraries face in the area of human resources is the decline in the number of librarians.  This was one of the major topics discussed at the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) National Institute held November 14-16, 2002 in Naples, Florida and numerous articles from the Boston Globe  to the Los Angeles Times  have reported this same concern.  The primary reasons for the problem include low salaries, competition from the private section, expanded professional opportunities, and the increasing number of librarians who will retire in the near future.  In the February 1, 2003 issue of Library Journal  Michael Rogers (Tackling Recruitment, pp.40-43) states "...as the field ages and shrinks, librarians increasingly find themselves at a loss to attract new talent."   As an indication of the scope of the problem, student membership in LAMA has dropped from 186 in 2000 to 154 in 2002.

Coupled with the decline in the number of individuals entering the library profession is the increase in the number of librarians, particularly library leaders, expected to retire in the near future.  Longtime members are worried that there are not enough emerging new leaders to maintain LAMA's legacy of outstanding programs, pre-conferences and publications and a strong mentoring philosophy in the library profession that LAMA has been known for in the past.  As a division that still very much believes that it champions today's library leaders and identifies and nurtures those of tomorrow. LAMA is starting a project called, "Leaders of
the Pack." 

Objectives:

A.     Recruit 10 new LAMA members

I.      LAMA Membership Committee works with NMRT, LSSIRT, the ALA Office of Diversity, and the Council of LAMA Affiliates (COLA) to select and recruit as protégés a diverse group of professional librarians and senior paraprofessionals who demonstrate potential to be future library leaders, but who are not current or former LAMA members. 
II.      Candidates will be invited over the summer to submit an application for admission into this program.  One of the guidelines for participation in this training program will be a candidates willingness and ability to attend ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences for a three-year period.  A subcommittee of LAMAs Membership Committee will select ten candidates from this applicant pool in early September.  Those chosen as protégés will be provided a one-year membership in LAMA.
B. Orient and welcome protégés to LAMA through attendance at Midwinter and Annual Conferences in a structured program of  activities
C. Develop protégés knowledge and involvement with LAMA through a training and development program
D. Establish commitment to continued LAMA involvement by two-year committee appointment with a leadership component

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
. Staff/Personnel

LAMA Membership Committee:  Responsible for recruiting candidates (though NMRT,LSSIRT, ALA Office on Diversity, and COLA (Council of LAMA Affiliates), developing an individual ongoing relationship with each class participant, designing and implementing an evaluation tool, and documenting results.

Participants:  Participants will be recruited from LSSIRT, NMRT, ALA Office on Diversity, and Council of LAMA Affiliates (COLA).  We will look for candidates who demonstrate leadership potential from previous professional and life experience as well as the ability to communicate a leadership vision and the willingness to periodically evaluate the training programs effectiveness.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Important Dates

September 15, 2003  Applications due
October 24, 2003  Proteges announced
January 9-14, 2004  Midwinter Meeting, San Diego, CA
June 19-25, 2004  Annual Conference, Orlando, FL
January 14-19, 2005  Midwinter Meeting, Boston, MA
June 23-29, 2005  Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
January 20-25, 2006  Midwinter Meeting, San Antonio, TX
June 22-28, 2006  Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA

 Find out more at the LAMA website
September 15th is the deadline for the applications.
The application asks for:
1) a statement of up to 500 words "describing your interest in the "Leaders of the Pack" program,
your expectation of benefits of participation, and your career goals
2) a copy of your resume
3) a letter of recommendation from library director or direct supervisor,
describing demonstrated leadership ability and potential for
future contributions in library administration and management. 

Contact

Lorraine Olley, LAMA Executive Director, 
ALA, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611; 
phone 1-800-545-2433 x2156; fax 312-280-5033; 
email: lolley@ala.org;
URL www.ala.org/lama.

LAMA also wants to reach and help develop future library support staff leaders as well. 

LSSIRT, NMRT, ALA Office on Diversity


---


 
• Articles in Library Journal - re: Librarian Recruitment Efforts
• Update on the Library Career Pathways Task Force 
• Comments by Gene Kinnaly, Re:  ALA Task Force on the Status of Librarians

Gene is a member of the ALA Better Salaries & Pay Equity Task Force
http://www.mjfreedman.org/tfhome.html
Update: June 2002 - Gene's speech re: Salary issues
 and Support Staff concerns, at Atlanta ALA 2002 Conference now available.
Update on:
How Support Staff Can Advocate for Better Salaries and Pay Equity 
1/22/03, Middletown, CT 
Co-sponsored by the CT Library Association Support Staff section

Related NOTE: NEW Book available 2002
Developing a Compensation Plan for Your Library
By Paula M. Singer
ISBN : 0838908160
Table of Contents 
 Figures 
 Worksheets 
 Acknowledgments 
 Introduction 
1 Compensation Program Objectives 
2 Preliminary Planning
3 Job Analysis 
4 Job Descriptions 
5 Context and Compensation Philosophy 
6 Point Factor Job Evaluation System for Internal Equity
7 Market Pricing 
8 Salary Structure Design 
9 Implementation 
10 Trends 
App Project Work Plan and Time Line 
 Glossary 
 Index

Quoted from  ALA Editions
Beyond Information. 
Libraries go beyond information by the energy and skill of the people who work there. 
While the profession clamors for pay equity, can your library deliver? 
Author Paula Singer consults with libraries on compensation plans and shares her systems
in Developing a Compensation Plan for your Library. 
With step-by-step strategies for developing a compensation plan tailored for libraries of every kind, 
Singer provides innovative methods that take you through each step in the process.
Read more on ALA Editions
Order from ALA - $38, 34.20 for ALA members : http://www.ala.org/editions/
or order from Barnes & Noble  only $26.60

Read from ALA Editions -  this interview
Meet the Authors
Words with Paula M. Singer, author of Developing a Compensation Plan for Your Library 

Read Gene's speech, visit the taskforce page
Purchase this book and have your Support Staff group, your library staff,
your union, your co-workers, yourself, read it and start your plans for action.


---


Notes posted Jan. 2003 Libsup-L
How Support Staff Can Advocate for Better Salaries and Pay Equity 
1/22/03, Middletown, CT 

Co-sponsored by the CT Library Association Support Staff section (CLASS) and 
Eastern Connecticut Libraries, the Cooperating Library Service Unit for 
eastern Connecticut 
Presenters: 
Karen McNulty, Avon Library 
kmcnulty@avon.lib.ct.us 
Isabel Danforth, Russell Library, Middletown 
idanfort@russell.lioninc.org 

This workshop was based on training given to the presenters by the American 
Library Association. The principle supporting document was ALA’s “Advocating 
for Better Salaries and Pay Equity Toolkit”, available for download online 
at http://www.ala.org/pio/advocacy/. 
**NOTE
There is a new site for pay equity:  it is http://www.ala-apa.org
There is a revised toolkit at
PDF File : http://www.ala-apa.org/toolkit_2ded_3p.pdf 
Also some information on certification for Library Technical Assistants at 
http://www.ala-apa.org/certtflta.html **
 

Library work is traditionally “women’s work”, and therefore low paying. The 
first step is to advocate for the library as an organization – why is it 
important? If it is important and valued, then staff should get decent pay 
for working there (like firemen, sanitation workers, teacher, etc. do). Some 
ways to advocate for the library - get town groups to meet in the library, 
push library services to the community, market the library. Also remember 
that the increasing emphasis on technology skills in library work is a 
strong point for advocating for better pay (library work is not the same job 
it used to be). 

Ask for a raise – if you don’t ask, you won’t get it. The more you ask, the 
more you show you believe you deserve it. Know what your “key message” is. 
(One ALA suggestion is 
“Pay 21st century salaries to get 21st century service”.) 

In CT, the State Department of Education groups towns into “educational 
reference groups”, or “ERGs”. This is a classification system used to group 
school districts of similar socioeconomic status together; there are nine 
educational reference groups (A-I). The speakers suggested using the ERG 
groups to compare your salary to those of other library workers in towns 
with a similar socioeconomic status. You may find you need to poll your ERG 
partners by phone to get this information, but it is very valuable research 
to do. You can find a listing of the ERGs at 
http://www.state.ct.us/sde/dgm/report1/cpse2001/ergs.pdf. 
Other sources for 
salary information for comparisons are the CT Library Association Support 
Staff section’s salary survey from 1997 (available at 
http://www.cslib.org/lasurvey.htm - a new survey is currently being 
conducted.) Also, the State Library collects some data on support staff 
salaries in their statistical profiles of public libraries in CT. You can 
find this information online at http://www.cslib.org/statprofile.htm
(click on “personnel”). 
You will need facts and statistics to argue for pay raise – 
do your homework!. 

Having a Library Technology or Library Technician certificate, or other 
library education, can help raise your salary and/or your job prospects. For 
example, the Norwich and Groton school systems require certification for 
library media workers. There are two certificate programs in CT – at Three 
Rivers Community College in Norwich 
http://www.trcc.commnet.edu/library/updates/Lib_Tech/Lib_Tech_Prog_Study.htm 
and at Capital Community College in Hartford 
(http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/socsci/libtech2.htm). 

You must have an up-to-date, fairly specific job description to advocate for 
better pay. If yours has not been updated in a long time, offer to do it 
yourself, then turn in to your supervisor for comments. If you don’t know 
where to start, you can look at the LTA Competencies developed 
by the CT Library Association Support Staff section 
(http://cla.uconn.edu/archive/class.html) – pull from these to craft a job 
description. Or, contact a peer in another library and ask to see their job 
description. 
Evaluation – you should get one, or do one yourself & submit to keep a 
record of your work & progress; look at your personnel file at least once a 
year to see what’s in there – add your comments if you disagree 

Negotiating tip – remember that there are other things you can request that 
are not exactly money, but result in a better overall compensation package 
for you. Ask about increased benefits, time off, flexible hours, etc. Again, 
if you don’t ask, you won’t get it! Further discussion centered on unions 
and what they can (and can’t) do for you. Many in the audience were 
represented by unions – either nationally affiliated, or local. 

Notes by Sandy Brooks, ECL 

Related:
Salary and Pay Equity Issues for Library Support Staff
PDF File
http://www.mjfreedman.org/atlantasupportstaff.pdf 

To top of page

---

Feb 1, 2003 Articles of Interest

Library Journal 
Recruit New Librarians at Work 
John N. Berry III, Editor-in-Chief -- 2/1/2003
http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA270574
The solution to the problem is already with us in our libraries
Excerpt quoted from online article
Libraries of all types must add as much support as possible to make becoming a librarian more attractive—that means support in dollars and time and clear rewards for progress or completion of the degree. Very few libraries actually integrate nonprofessional jobs with workers' educational programs. Few enlist their professionals in the recruiting effort and later in the support of staff. Yet every professional has a duty to help these new recruits make career choices and have a varied and substantive job experience while they go to library school.

Finally, the schools have neglected recruiting too long. They have never looked at the paraprofessional potential. An enlightened program ought to partner with practicing librarians near and far in a recruiting drive to attract new librarians from the reservoir of candidates who are working in libraries.
Read entire article

Library Journal 
Tackling Recruitment 
By Michael Rogers -- 2/1/2003
http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA270644
Where are new librarians coming from? Internships, tuition reimbursement, 
and cultivating from within may be the keys 
Excerpt quoted from online article:
Paraprofessional neglect 
Though paraprofessionals constitute roughly 66 percent of library staff, they continue to get short shrift when it comes to recruiting. Some libraries, like Miami-Dade Public Library System, FL, have programs to advance its paraprofessionals, but most libraries don't, much to the consternation of support staff. Very few report libraries offering incentives either in the form of tuition reimbursement or time off for those working toward library degrees. 
Read entire article

Related:
Georgia Library Association
Excerpt quoted from website:
Task Force on Paraprofessional Issues 
http://www.library.gsu.edu/gla/groups/parapro/index.html
The Georgia Library Association Task Force on Paraprofessional Issues is investigating the development of a career track for paraprofessional librarians that could ultimately lead to an MLS degree. The Task Force appreciates the contributions our paraprofessional staff makes to the operation of our libraries and believes more structured growth is necessary to enable our support staff to continue to grow professionally and strengthen their ranks.
http://www.library.gsu.edu/gla/groups/parapro/index.html
 

Another title that may be of interest is:
Recruiting Library Staff: A How To-Do-It Manual for Librarians
(How to Do It Manual for Librarians, No 94)
by Kathleen Low
Publisher: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.; ISBN: 1555703550; c. 1999 

Please ** note ** that I have information regarding
Salaries, Job Descriptions,
Competencies, etc.
on this (librarysupportstaff.com) site -
if you have a resource link that you feel
needs to be included - please let me know.
Thanks!
mary@librarysupportstaff.com

Related links of interest

Updates on ALA Congress  for Support Staff Issues

Back to>> New Roles page
Back to>> What's New page
Back to>>Conference News
Back to>> LibNews page

This is an important development for Library Support Staff, since the document addresses all levels of library workers, and encourages a certain level of uniformity in the responsibilities and training required for not only MLS librarians, but also Support Staff positions.  It was encouraging to hear that one ALA Council member commented after the vote to the Task Force chair that this document needs to be put into use and not placed in a drawer and forgotten.

I encourage you to take a look at this revised document.   The original document has been an important basis in the development of the work that Library Support Staff have been doing over the years.   I hope the revisions will continue to serve as a basis for change.  The Task Force will be putting together some recommendations regarding implementation of the document.   I’ll keep you informed of that work.

Finally, it was a great experience working on the LCP Task Force.   I was pleased to find out that the Congress on Support Staff Issues (working title) that will be taking place in the next few years will be chaired by Julie Huiskamp.  Perhaps the LSSIRT folks who attended Midwinter will have more related to the congress.   Julie is a librarian that understands Support Staff Issues, in that  she started her library career as “one of us”.   We are in good hands! 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the Task Force.

Paulette Feld
Technical Services
Forrest R. Polk Library
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI  54901
Telephone       920.424.7369
Fax             920.424.2175
Internet    feld@uwosh.edu

Related:
See information about the upcoming 2003
American Library Association's
3rd Congress on Professional Education:
Focus on Library Support Staff
(COPE III)
May 16-17, 2003
on the Conference News Page

email: gkin@loc.gov

Read what Gene has to say about a recent discussion on the Libsup-L listserv
P.S. - Gene was named Libsup-L "poster" of the year 2001 for all the wonderful,
information and interesting perspectives and opinions he has provided
the Library Support Staff listserv.
Quoting Gene:
Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 
Before Christmas Doug sent a note to the list, giving a quote 
from the ALA Task Force on the Status of Librarians, and asking 
for our comments.  Here are mine.  (*Note anything with " > "before it -
is part of the message that Gene is responding to*)

> "While libraries are seen as a social good and community 
> asset, there is not an understanding of the librarian's role in 
> delivering these." 

The problem for *libraries* is that the work ALL library workers 
do is not valued by the general public because it generally isn't 
seen by the general public.  The problem for *librarians* is that 
on those rare occasions when the public *does* think about the 
people working in libraries, the staff they think about is the 
staff they interact with the most - the circulation staff - and 
it's a huge blow to the ego of librarians that the general public 
thinks that anyone working in libraries (i.e., the circulation 
staff) is a librarian. If librarians looked at it more 
objectively, they'd realize that in many cases, the circulation 
staff represents the library in a very positive and professional 
way. 

> Library customers do not differentiate between the types of 
> staff in libraries, seeing the person behind the circulation 
> desk, the person behind the reference desk, and another service 
> staff as equal. 

True.  (And whatever happened to library patrons?  There's 
something about library "customers" that's very unappealing to 
me.) 

> Libraries may exacerbate this problem by staffing service 
> points with various levels of staff. 

Absolutely.  And this just adds to the frustration on the part of 
librarians.  On the one hand, an experienced and professionally 
trained librarian can bring so much to the job ... but then, if 
that person works side-by-side on the reference desk with a 
paraprofessional cataloger filling in on the desk at lunch, well, 
why get an MLS?  *Especially* if the paraprofessional cataloger 
does a good job on the desk, the librarian's sense of self-worth 
takes a big hit ... and unless that paraprofessional cataloger is 
being compensated fairly for performing these "professional" 
duties, that person's sense of self-worth is also compromised. 

More and more, I feel that it's really important to draw a line 
between librarian tasks and support staff tasks ... for the 
betterment of both groups.  If a library allows too much blurring 
of the roles, it can lead to bad feelings on *everyone's* part. 

If a person does a specific job within the library, that person 
should have the position title, job description, and pay 
associated with that job.  Far too often, support staff are 
counted on to assume duties and responsibilities that have been 
performed in the past by MLS librarians.  And more often than 
not, they accept the challenge and do a fine job ... but they 
don't get paid for it, they don't get the job title, and they 
don't get the acknowledgement and formal recognition they 
deserve. 

>  <snip> This is not to say that the role of these supporting 
> staff is not extremely important. It is only to say that the 
> roles of librarians and supporting staff are different, but 
> that the difference is not easily perceived by the library 
> customer." 

The roles are different *in theory*, but library patrons cannot 
perceive the difference because *in practice* there often is very 
little difference. 

The issue of status (and the related issue of pay equity) isn't 
an issue just for librarians - ALL library workers would benefit 
from clearly defined roles with levels of "status", compensation, 
and recognition appropriate to those roles.  But library 
directors and boards are faced with difficult budget situations 
and must make tough decisions.  As a result, people are asked to 
do much more without reaping any of the benefits that *should* be 
associated with doing more. 

To me, an ideal library would be one in which I could do original 
cataloging, subject analysis and classification, and authority 
work, and my job description would include these tasks, my job 
title would be cataloger, and I'd be compensated on the same 
level as everyone else in the library with the same job, whether 
I had an MLS or not. 

As we begin a new year, I'm thankful I work in such a library. 

Wishing you all the very best in 2002, 

-- Gene

Update: This note posted to Libsup-L June 26, 2002
 have two pieces of news to share with you regarding the
LSSIRT sponsored salaries panel discussion at ALA Annual.

First, the text of my speech is up on the Salaries Task Force
home page. The URL which will take you directly to the text (the
text is a pdf file) is:

http://www.mjfreedman.org/atlantasupportstaff.pdf

If you want to access it through the Task Force home page
(the
URL is in my sig block below), just click on "Library of
Documents" and then look for "Publications By or About the
Freedman Better Salaries & Pay Equity Task Force" - my paper is
the second one in that group.

And second, the entire program was recorded on audiotape, and
tapes will be sold via ALA. I believe the tapes may be available
as early as next week, and as soon as I hear the details, I'll
send a message to the list.

-- Gene 
email: gkin@loc.gov
Member: ALA Better Salaries & Pay Equity Task Force
http://www.mjfreedman.org/tfhome.html

New Breed Librarian - Interview of Mitch Freedman
http://www.newbreedlibrarian.org/archives/01.05.oct2001/interview2.html

ALA NEWS
http://www.ala.org/news/v7n15/midwinterforum.html 

ALA  Publication : American Libraries
News briefs for January 28, 2002

New Orleans Midwinter Meeting 
Marks the Beginning of Two ALAs
The American Library Association’s governing Council cleared the way for splitting 
the organization into two separate parts during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans, 
January 18–23, by approving bylaws for a separate allied professional association
to offer postgraduate specialty certification, to advocate for pay equity,
and to address other issues related to the professional status of librarians. 
To be governed by the ALA Council and Executive Board under tax status 501(c)6, 
the new association has been in the planning stages since 1996 and will allow 
ALA to conduct activities that are prohibited under its current 501(c)3 status. 
ALA management is expected to move quickly toward the establishment of 
the companion organization this year and to determine which 
revenue streams and units will be transferred to it. 
Complete story on ALA American Libraries site for week of Jan 28th, 2002

Please note that I have information regarding Salaries, Job Descriptions,
Competencies, etc. on this site - if you have a resource link that you feel
needs to be included - please let me know.
mary@librarysupportstaff.com

Read the Latest News & Headlines, & Commentary about Libraries
http://librarysupportstaff.com/4libnews.html
Find library happenings at the ALA site

Conference News & Calendar resources
http://librarysupportstaff.com/confnews.html

Information Industry News - Info Today
Sign up for News Link Newsletter

Read articles from, some of the current issues of
Library & Information Science Publications Online

Find "Support Staff Sites" information for:
COLT, LSSIRT,LIBSUP-L, Associates, Soaring for Excellence and more..

You are also invited to write your comments on stories (articles), or listserv
discussions, you have read,
or start a dialog with fellow support staffers on this sites Bulletin Board.
Please note the bulletin board has not been used much since its inception
so - you may or may not receive a response to your posting.
And
I also Created a "forum" on Delphi : Library Talk
http://forums.delphiforums.com/librarytalk
that site also doesn't see much traffic or open discussion.
I am also able to create "polls"/surveys, etc. on issues, topics of interest,
using Library Talk's Forum.
(**limited - question/answer options - I can not create multi/comprehensive question surveys)
Please let me know if you want certain questions asked etc.
and consider becoming a Delphi member and contribute
to Library Talk.

Find out all about Listservs for Library folks to Subscribe to,
and/or Creating your own Online Forum, Listserv, or Newsletter.

Email mary@librarysupportstaff.com

ALA ACRONYMS
http://planner.ala.org/acronyms2001.pdf 

Martha

Martha Parsons
LSSIRT  Past President
parsonsm@energy.wsu.edu

I have a page for announcing "Conference Information"
if you have information to post on that page, let me know.

Please feel free to let me know your comments
on these pages.
Contact, Me ~ Mary Niederlander
via e-mail, write to: Mary@Link2Mary.com
THANK YOU!!