Thursday,  November 19
4-6 pm
Lewis Lounge

LISSA is hosting a pizza party.  But what do Library School Students love almost as much as free pizza?  How about a book swap?!?!  Do you have at least 1 (one) book at home you’re never going to read again?  Are you ready to read something new?  Or just curious to know what your colleagues are reading?  Bring a book along to the party and swap it out for something new-to-you.
You can take home as many books as you bring!
If you just want the free pizza, soda and time with classmates, that’s okay. Participation in the book swap is not required.  Hope to see you there!

From the GSLIS Office:

The John Crerar Library at the University of Chicago will be hosting a webcast on services for mobile users.  While this webcast is primarily intended for medical libraries, we thought it likely a topic of broad interest to librarians and library students, and we invite those in the Chicago area to attend.  The information below is from the site for the event,  http://tinyurl.com/cutthecord where there is a link to register for the webcast.

“Cut the Cord: Connecting to our Mobile Users”

The University of Chicago’s John Crerar Library http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/crerar/ will host the Medical Library Association’s upcoming webcast, “Cut the Cord: Connecting to our Mobile Users.”  The goal of the webcast is “to familiarize information professionals with current and emerging mobile technologies, innovative initiatives using mobile devices, useful mobile software applications, and funding options for projects using mobile devices.”

The Crerar Library is a National Network of Library of Medicine (NN/LM) Greater Midwest Region (GMR)-sponsored site; participation is free.  Participants will receive up to 3.5 MLA CE contact hours.  Light refreshments will be served.

Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time: 1:00-3:00pm*
Location: Kathleen A. Zar Room, John Crerar Library, University of Chicago

*Optional wrap-around sessions 12:30-1:00pm and 3:00-4:00pm.

Hope to “see” you there!

If you are thinking about the job hunt, need some new resume skills, or you’re just curious about what the market is looking like these days, you should take advantage of the American Library Association’s Library Job Search Wiki! Click HERE to access it.

A fellow GSLIS student would like to pass the word.  Save Illinois Libraries!

“It’s time for all of us who love libraries to speak up! As library students we recognize the importance of  libraries and library systems.  The General Assembly cut state grants by 50%. This is the major source of funding for library systems in Illinois. The Secretary of State threw in some federal money to soften the blow, but it is really bad.

You can help  by sending a message to your elected members of the Illinois General Assembly asking them to not cut us any more and to restore funding when it’s available. Your help is needed and appreciated. There is a Pledge that the Illinois Library Association is asking each legislator to sign.

Go to this website: http://www.saveillinoislibraries.com/ scroll down to the bottom of the background page and click on the link, “Send the pledge letter.”  It will direct you to the Illinois Library Association’s Cap Wiz page. Have 6 e-mail addresses ready so when prompted, you can urge 6 more people to send messages.  Members of the General Assembly are in Springfield now for the Veto Session, but it won’t last long. They need to hear from those of us who love libraries while they are there.

Interested in more information? Visit the FAQ page of the Save Illinois Libraries website.
[Restore funding for IL library Systems] http://www.saveillinoislibraries.com/about/frequently-asked-questions/.

Become a  facebook fan of Restore Funding for IL Library Systems:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Restore-funding-for-IL-library-Systems/134201384668

Follow Save Illinois Libraries on twitter:
http://twitter.com/saveillibs“

Sign up today, and save our libraries!

As many of our recent and soon to be grads are searching for jobs, right now is a good time to polish your interviewing skills. Let’s say you have been sweating over your resume and it is now perfect. You landed an interview for your dream job. You feel confident that you can answer all the questions they throw at you. But what happens next? Take a look at this blog post for a really helpful list of questions to ask the interviewer at the end of the day, including “Can you tell me more about why this position is open?” and “What is the most significant project on your desk today?” Show your interest in the position!

There are several great librarian bloggers online and they are sharing some wonderful information. The Librarian In Black posted a link to this online LIS career fair.  Sounds really interesting!

LIS Online Career Fair

Are you a new library school graduate – or mid-career and looking for a change? Are you wondering how to improve your career skills or ready to try a certificate program? Looking to refresh your resume? We invite you to join us for the first annual LIS Online Career Fair. Join us online on Tuesday January 12, 2010 !
Date:
January 12th, 2010, 10am
Location:
Online

RSVP HERE.

Attendance:  Tyler, Vicky, Leanne, Alison, Leslie, Brandon, Amy, Elizabeth

A. Social Events:  Pizza Party and Oaktoberfest both had good turnouts.  Poor Phil’s also had good turnouts.

Upcoming Events: Pizza Party:  10/21, 4-6 PM, Lewis Lounge

Poor Phil’s 10/20, 10/28, 11/5 at 9PM

Alyson suggested a monthly newsletter of events, instead of email blasts every week.

II.  Library Visit:  8 people went to the Alternative Press Library Visit.

Think of more special library visits for Spring Semester.

III.  Podcasts

There have been 3 interviews so far.  Tyler suggested moving the LISSA blog from WordPress to Live DU, so that there would be more memory, and it would look more professional.  The board approved the motion.

IV.  Alumni Council and Career Day

i.  Tyler suggested that LISSA should interview librarians who are DU alums, in the style of “A Day in the Life of…”.  Two people could interview and record the librarian for the podcast. An article could also be written.

ii.  The Alumni Council AND LISSA would also work together to create a pilot mentor/mentee program.  Details would be worked out at the next meeting.

V.  Book Swap Flyer:  There would be a book swap at the November Pizza Party.  Alison will work on the flyer.

VI.  One Book, One Triton Book Discussion:  LISSA was contacted by Bella.  OLA and LISSA would work together to lead book discussions and events at Dominican.

VII.  Tech Comp Dates Overview:

10/27, 4-6 Crown 111-Tyler

11/4 12:30-2:30 PM Crown 340, Vicki

11/5, 10:30Am-12:30 PM Crown 111, Vicki

11/11, 4-6. Crown 340, Vicki

11/14, 2-4PM, Crown 111, Vicki

VIII.  Fall Recruitment

All LISSA applicants were accepted.

IX.  Next Meeting: 11/15, 6PM, at River Forest Starbuck’s.

LP

Dominican presents a dramatic reading of “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Dominican University will host a dramatic reading of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” on Wednesday, October 7 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the community-wide “Big Read” program. Janice Del Negro, an award-winning storyteller and library science professor at Dominican, will present the reading in the anatomy lab of Parmer Hall, 7900 W. Division Street, River Forest. Following the story, Dr. Louis Scannicchio, clinical professor of biology at Dominican, will discuss how the use of cadavers is enhancing the university’s anatomy program.

Del Negro is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican. She has been a featured storyteller at storytelling festivals throughout the country. Her second book, Willa and the Wind (2005), was an ALA Notable Book and received the James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. She chaired the 2007 Caldecott Award Committee.

The Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park public libraries received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host the 2009 Big Read program throughout the month of October. This year, the program will celebrate the 200th birthday of Edgar Allen Poe with a Poe art exhibit, a variety of Poe films, dramatic interpretations and discussions.

The reading at Dominican University is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jessica Mackinnon, director of public information, at (708) 524-6289 or jmack@dom.edu.

President Barack Obama, in a press release dated October 1, 2009, has proclaimed October to be National Information Literacy Awareness Month.  The release states that with the influx of online information, “though we may know how to find the information we need, we must also know how to evaluate it. Over the past decade, we have seen a crisis of authenticity emerge. We now live in a world where anyone can publish an opinion or perspective, whether true or not, and have that opinion amplified within the information marketplace. At the same time, Americans have unprecedented access to the diverse and independent sources of information, as well as institutions such as libraries and universities, that can help separate truth from fiction and signal from noise.”

This is a call to action to  the educators, the institutions, and of course the librarians, to determine the difference between fact and fiction, opinion and fact, accuracy and propaganda.

Read the President’s full press release HERE.

Artist Mike Stilkey has a new way to recycle books. The Los Angeles based artist incorporates vintage paper, record covers and books into his sculptures.

Read more about him HERE.