Janice Welburn, Marquette, Named ACRL's Academic/Research Librarian of the Year

MILWAUKEE – Janice Welburn, dean of libraries at Marquette University, has been named the 2011 Association of College and Research Libraries’ Academic/Research Librarian of the Year. The award recognizes an outstanding member of the library profession who has made a significant national or international contribution to academic/research librarianship and library development.

Welburn was selected for her devotion to mentoring new librarians throughout her career and her commitment to diversity and professional service. Welburn has contributed to academic and research librarianship through service on numerous ACRL boards and committees, has co-edited Advocacy, Outreach and the Nation’s Academic Libraries: A Call for Action and Human Resources Management in Today’s Academic Library: Meeting Challenges and Creating Opportunities. She is also the co-author of numerous articles and book chapters. Read more of the news release from Marquette...

Wauwatosa School District Eliminates School Library Positions for Spanish Language Program

In what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called a controversial decision, the Wauwatosa School Board decided to add a Spanish language program and transfer most elementary school librarians to teaching positions within the district. One full-time librarian position will now oversee part-time aides in the elementary schools. Another news report said that many in the district think more cuts will be coming.

Allison Kaplan Receives Bechtel Fellowship

ALA's Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded two 2011 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowships to Allison Kaplan, faculty associate at the UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies, and Victoria Penny, First Regional Library in Hernando, Mississippi.

The fellowship will enable Kaplan to pursue her study, "Board Books: From Toy to Literacy Tool" at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature, a part of the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida, Gainesville. The Baldwin Library contains a special collection of 85,000 volumes of children's literature published mostly before 1950. The fellowship is endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and and Ruth M. Baldwin and provides a stipend of $4,000.  also received a Bechtel Fellowship.

Kaplan says, "By exploring the collection of toy and board books in the Baldwin Library, I hope to be able to better understand what led to the evolution of the board book from a simple toy to an important part of the literacy process."

Kaplan is a WLA board member representing the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association (WEMTA). She is also a member of the Library Development & Legislation Committee (LD&L).

Belleville School Board Votes to Keep Book on Ninth Grade Reading List

In a unanimous decision on Monday night, the Belleville School Board decided to keep "Staying Fat for Sara Byrnes" by Chris Crutcher as required reading for high school freshmen, according to a Channel3000 news report. Lori Beil, a district parent, had requested that the book be removed from the assigned reading, though she did not ask for its removal from the library. In a pre-recorded statement for the board, she said,  "I believe it would be better for the school to choose books without sex and profanity, that don't bash someone's religion. There are more noble and aspiring choices. Why am I doing this? I'm motivated by love. Love for my son, love for God and love for you, the people of my town."

Supporters of keeping the book included other parents and students who felt the book explored themes that were important for students to discuss. Randy Freese, school superintendent, said he felt the book took a balance approach in its exploration of bullying and other difficult issues.

Library Legislative Day is February 22

Don't miss the most important advocacy event of the year: Library Legislative Day is your chance to promote the value of libraries and build relationships with your state legislators. Join WLA and WEMTA (Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association) on Tuesday, February 22 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison.

Please register as soon as possible in order to give our committee plenty of time to make appointments with legislators.

Questions? Contact Lisa Strand at the WLA office via email or call (608) 245-3640.

Renew, Energize, Sustain: WAAL 2011 Registration is Now Open!

Registration is now open for the 2011 Annual Conference of the Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians. Renew, Energize, Sustain will be held April 26-29, 2011 at the Ramada in Stevens Point, WI.

Hear Wednesday's keynote speaker Melissa Cragin discuss current research in the field of digital curation and learn more about instructional literacy from keynote Char Booth on Friday.  Breakout session topics include embedded librarians, circulating iPads, and IT experimentation.

Melissa Cragin

Char Booth

We encourage everyone to register early via the online registration system.  Links to online registration as well as a PDF print registration form are available on the conference Web site at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/waal/conferences/2011/registration.html.

Deadline for early, discounted registration is April 8, 2011.

Remember to reserve your room at the Ramada in Stevens Point.  Call the front desk at 1-800-998-2311 and request the conference rate - $89 single/$99 double occupancy.

For more information and additional registration details and costs, visit the conference Web site at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/waal/conferences/2011/index.html.  Register early to take full advantage of these discounts!

WAAL Conference 2011 Call for Volunteers

If you plan to attend “WAAL 2011: Renew, Energize, Sustain” (April 26-29 in Stevens Point), please consider volunteering.

Volunteers are needed to play the following roles:
1)    Assist at the Registration Desk with on-site registration and pick-up of conference materials.
2)    Introducer/Room Monitors introduce the speaker(s) or panelists for a program of their choice and also serve as that room’s monitor (assessing room conditions and media, counting attendees, and assisting speaker(s) with distribution of materials).

Volunteers may contact Josh Hickman at hickmanj@beloit.edu.

The WAAL Conference planning committee would like to thank you for volunteering.  A small donation of your time and talents will help assure a successful conference for all participants.
Volunteers should specify which role they would like to play and identify the time(s) when they would be available.

Please visit the WAAL Conference website for more information about the conference.

Call for Posters: WAAL 2011

The WAAL Conference Planning Committee is accepting proposals for the poster session until January 28, 2011.

Renew, Energize, Sustain

WAAL Annual Conference

April 26-29, 2011

Ramada Inn, Stevens Point, WI

The poster sessions are scheduled for Thursday, April 28th, 3:30-5:00pm.

Ribbons will be awarded for Best Content, Best Visual Presentation, and Best Student Poster Session!

To submit a poster session proposal, please forward the following information to Charles.elftmann@alverno.edu :

1.    Abstract of the poster content (150 words or less).  This will appear in the conference program.

2.    Presenter name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and contact information.

3.    Type of equipment you will be bringing. 

All poster presenters will be given skirted table space. No other equipment will be provided.  If you chose to bring your own laptop, wireless Internet access will be available.

Poster session proposals are open to all who have ideas to share with academic librarians.

Note to SOIS and SLIS students: WAAL welcomes poster session proposals from School of Library and Information Studies (UW-Madison) and School of Information Studies (UW-Milwaukee) students.