Save the Date! The OverDrive Digital Bookmobile is Coming to SD!

Save the Date! The OverDrive Digital Bookmobile is Coming to SD!

Who: You, your staff, Friends, volunteers, trustees and patrons

What: Digital Bookmobile’s immersive SD Titles to Go download experience

SD Titles to Go eBook and audiobook subscription service offers downloads from OverDrive (http://southdakota.lib.overdrive.com/).  Now we are taking this popular service to patrons with the Digital Bookmobile, a high-tech tractor-trailer that creates an immersive download experience built around the SD Titles to Go download website.

 

When & Where:  

 Friday, June 21, Rawlins Library, Pierre, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. CT

 Saturday, June 22, Watertown Regional Library, 10 a.m. -2 p.m. CT

And…As part of its 100^th birthday celebration, the State Library welcomes the nationally touring Digital Bookmobile. Readers of all ages are invited to learn about digital downloading and experience SD Titles to Go’s eBook and audiobook download service at this FREE community event.

Details to come! Get a preview here: www.DigitalBookmobile.com

State of America's Libraries 2013 Available Online

The State of America's Libraries 2013: A Report from the American Library Association is the new digital supplement from American Libraries. This very special online-only issue details issues affecting libraries this year and beyond: how communities use libraries; the changing state of ebook distribution and copyright; the rise of digital content; the impact of social media; outreach and diversity trends; a look at the top ten frequently challenged books; and more.
 
You can read this issue in the easy-to-use Zmag web browser format, or download it as a PDF for offline reading http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/33759128#/33759128/1.

National Library Week

This is National Library Week. It is a perfect opportunity to write your legislators and let them know how important libraries are to you and about the positive difference libraries make in your community. Libraries need your voice!

Although they continue to be busier than ever, many libraries struggle to maintain budgets, staff, and resources to serve the needs of their communities. Your message of support is important because state governments provide much needed funding for libraries. Without funding, libraries will be unable to continue making available all the resources they do (e.g., books, public access to the Internet, homework assistance) to your community. Like you, families, job seekers, small businesses, and students need their libraries.

If you agree with Walter Cronkite—“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”—take this opportunity to write now. Your message will make a difference, and your state library association has provided an easy and effective way for you to write your elected officials to let them know how much you value the libraries in your community. Here is that link: http://capwiz.com/ala/sd/home/

Consider sharing a personal story about how your public, school, or college library makes a positive impact in your own community. For example, let your elected officials know how much your children depend on their school libraries to help them succeed in school, or explain how much you depend on your public library to connect you to information you need.

Please forward this message to your friends, family, and colleagues in your state. Ask them to take this opportunity to support libraries in their communities, too!

Thank you for advocating for libraries and library staff.

Sincerely,

Michael Dowling
Director, Chapter Relations Office
American Library Association

Petition for Free Online Permanent Access to all Government Information

From Free Government Information (FGI) blog (http://freegovinfo.info/node/3891):

A convergence of several things -- the White House's new policy on Open Access to federally funded scientific information, the NAPA Report on the GPO, the CASSANDRA Letter to the Public Printer, and Sunshine Week among them -- has led us to create a petition on the White House's We the People petition site. If you believe in free permanent public access to authentic government information, we hope you'll sign the petition and forward on to all your friends and social networks to help us reach our goal of 100,000 signatures by April 11, 2013!

Petition:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/require-free-online-permanent-public-access-all-federal-government-information-and-publications/h7K86wdJ

ALA Dues Increase Proposal on Ballot

E-mail from ALA President Maureen Sullivan with information about the dues increase proposal:



The ALA 2013 spring ballot includes a proposal to adjust personal member dues amounts. This proposal was approved by ALA Council on January 29^th at the 2013 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. This message is to inform you about the proposal and to ask for your support.
Here is what is being proposed:

• Beginning in September 2013 and then each year through September 2017, personal member dues will be reviewed by the ALA Executive Board.
• In that review, the Executive Board may approve a dues adjustment not to exceed the percentage change in the national average Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest dollar.
• In 2016, the Executive Board and Council, with input from ALA personal members, will formally evaluate this provision. Any further dues action at that point would require approval by a vote of the Executive Board, Council and ALA personal members.

The ALA Membership Committee, the ALA Executive Board, and your Councilors worked diligently to be sure that any dues adjustment would be fair to you and would position ALA for future success. We also have taken steps to ensure that the necessary tracking and accountability mechanisms are in place. This work is an excellent example of the different parts of ALA collaborating to achieve a very important goal, while addressing member considerations. 
I believe this dues adjustment mechanism will enable ALA to continue and augment valuable work on its many strategic initiatives including library advocacy, federal legislation, intellectual freedom, diversity, digital content, community engagement, online continuing education, and member engagement. At the same time, very small increases (projected to be $1 to $4 dollars each year based on past history and category of membership) will take the place of what would otherwise need to be a larger, one time increase during this period.  This approach is very similar to the approach that has already been successfully implemented by ACRL and PLA with the support of their members.
A question and answer document about the dues proposal is available on the ALA Member blog at www.ala.org/dues-qa. Polls for the 2013 ALA election will open on March 19^th and close on April 26^th.  I encourage you to vote in the upcoming election. This is a key benefit of your ALA membership and your opportunity to influence the future of the association.
Sincerely,

Maureen Sullivan
ALA President