Category: Events

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Announcing a School of Library and Information Science Listening Tour

headphones with cord isolated on white background

Greetings. My name is David Lankes and I am the new director of the University of South Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science. The staff, students, and faculty of the school have been busy over the past few months building and refining a growth plan for the school. We’re calling it the “Knowledge School,” and we need your input and help.

The plan covers ideas to improve the professional image of librarians, expand the undergraduate program in information science, and grow the national and international reputation of the school. It seeks to build on a strong foundation, but it requires your input. What are your thoughts on our current programs? What opportunities do you see for greater partnerships? How can we both support the library community, and expand our reach into industry and government all while retaining our core values of helping communities make better decisions? What tools do you need to better connect to the school?

I hope you can make one of the following sessions. Each one will layout our current plans as a starting point for discussion and input to move us forward.

Tuesday, November 8, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
University of South Carolina’s Thomas Cooper Library
Hollings Library Program Room

Thursday, November 10, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
South Carolina Library Association Conference
Columbia Marriott, 1200 Hampton St, Columbia
Palmetto Balllroom

Tuesday, November 22, 10:00 a.m. – Noon
Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly St, Columbia
2nd Floor Theater

If you can’t make the meeting I hope you’ll still share your ideas with me at [email protected]. We are open to all your ideas and suggestions both now and in the future.

If you would like to host a session in your community please let me know.

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Light the Night with Mission Remission

Hi! If you are reading this right now it is because folks like you, and thousands more who support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at events like Light the Night. It is through their work and your generous support, that I survived Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Funding supports research and service that lead to treatments and stem cell transplants. It has transformed what was once a death sentence into cures.

This year my family is once again going to Light the Night to raise funding and awareness of blood cancers. Please join them as they walk Thursday the 27th here in Columbia (at the State House). If you can’t make it to South Carolina there are walks all across the country, or donate to support our team, Mission Remission.

Thanks again for your support and, you know, my life.

http://pages.lightthenight.org/sc/ColumbSC16/MissionRemission

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Expect More Orlando Workshop on Librarian Advocacy

We had a great turn out for the Expect More workshop on librarian advocacy co-organized with Collaboratory partners EveryLibrary and Tech Logic. Thanks again to all Collaboratory partners for supporting this important work.

Below is a recording of the event, slides, and audio only version.

Orlando Collaboratory Event from R. David Lankes on Vimeo.

Slides: Orlando Workshop Slides
Handouts: Orlando PowerMapping Handouts
Audio Only: http://DavidLankes.org/rdlankes/pod/2016/ALAChopped.mp3

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Best Practices for Supporting Your Entrepreneurs

Nicolette Warisse Sosulski is a great librarian and a great friend as well. I asked her if it was OK for me to put something about her upcoming free webinar “Libraries and Local Businesses: Best practices for supporting your entrepreneurs.” Here is what she had to say:

image-169x300I am really looking forward to the webinar I am doing for SAGE publishing this Thursday—after 11 years in biz librarianship, I still meet people nervous about business reference—and for good reason. Business patrons are directed, motivated, assertive, and know what they want to find, whether it may exist or not. They are rather like genealogists. Whether it is a product usage statistic or a 17th century ship manifest, their searches tend to be narrow, focused, and—at least to them—high stakes.

In my webinar I concentrate on the tasks of reaching out and demonstrating what libraries and librarians can do for entrepreneur patrons (some of them think we are no use, and it is our task to show them that the contrary is true), as well as clarifying and articulating the respective roles of the librarian and the entrepreneur patron (some think we are their onstaff 24/7 personal–as in just theirs–info consultant for free. Unfortunately not! ), so that we can transform them from skeptics past unrealistic customers to enthusiastic users.

Nicolette Warisse Sosulski, MLIS

Not every library is going to focus on business users, but for those who do, this should be great information. Nicolette is always looking to better serve library members, and in helping us all do so as well.

The webinar is Thursday, March 31, 2016

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pacific | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Mountain | 1:00 -2:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern

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The World Tour Adds Dates in Italy and Vatican City!

Please Note: This post is being updated with more details as they become available.

ITALIANFISHThe Expect More World Tour rolls on. There is a great deal of interest in New Librarianship and a community focus for libraries in Italy particularly after the publication of the Atlas of New Librarianship (L’atlante della biblioteconomia moderna) in Italian. To meet with the folks interested in a new approach to libraries I’ve added four dates:

Pistoria Library

July 10, 2015 Pistoia, Italy
Supported by the U.S. Embassy in Rome
Topic: Community as Collection

National Library of Rome

July 13, 2015 Rome, Italy
Topic: Participatory Librarianship & LIS Education
Where: National Library of Rome
Organized jointly with AIB (Associazione Italiana Biblioteche) and the National Board

The American University of Rome

July 14, 2015 Rome, Italy
Supported by the U.S. Embassy in Rome

Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut te Rome / Vatican School of Librarianship

July 15, 2015 Rome, Italy
Supported by the Vatican Library School, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, URBS, KNIR, U.S. Embassy in Rome
Topic: The Changing Role of Librarians in Learning

A special note of thanks to Gimena Campos Cervera and the U.S. Embassy in Rome  for support and logistics. In addition to the support of the embassy, thanks to Syracuse University’s iSchool for trip support. Also a big thank you to Anna Maria Tammaro of the University of Parma and Raffaella Vincenti of the Vatican Library/Vatican School of Librarianship.

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Please Sign Up

This is a reminder to please sign up for the 2nd Annual Lankes Family Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, June 3rd, from 1-7p.m. It will be held at Holy Cross Church in Dewitt, NY. We really need your help. We are trying to beat last year’s 50 units goal.

You can sign up by calling the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org

For those of you not in the area but who would like to help let me encourage you to donate platelets at your local Red Cross. Cancer patients who need platelets (like I did) can only take platelets harvested at the center.

I cannot stress enough that it is through the generosity of folks just like you that I am alive today. An hour of your time can save multiple lives. One unit of whole blood can become treatments for many. The summer months are particularly important for blood donation. Patients have had surgeries and vital procedures delayed because of low availability in the local blood bank. You will also get cookies!

Also as a reminder, you can download my latest book for free as a thank you. More information can be found at: https://davidlankes.org/?page_id=8035

Thank you, and to drive home the point, here is a pleading puppy. Look into those eyes and say no…I dare you.

Puppy-Dog-Eyes-s

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2nd Annual Lankes Family Red Cross Blood Drive

A Message From the Lankes Family:

Please join us on Wednesday, June 3rd, from 1-7p.m. for the 2nd Annual Lankes Family Red Cross Blood Drive. It will be held at Holy Cross Church in Dewitt, NY.

David was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2013. He underwent a stem cell transplant and is now 1 year cancer free! This blood drive is a way for our family to give back to the individuals who helped save his life.

Last year, our goal was to collect 50 units of blood and thanks to the generosity of our friends and community, we were able to collect 66 units! These units helped 198 individuals! Please consider taking time during your day to help us save lives. To schedule your appointment, call the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit www.RedCrossBlood.org.

All donors will also receive a Red Cross t-shirt!

As an added incentive, and to tell you our story, We’re making David’s latest book, The Boring Patient, available as a free download leading up to the event.

Click here for the Kindle version

Click here for ePub

Any updates or additional announcements can be found here.

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ILEAD USA Joins the World Tour

projects BannerI’ve mentioned ILEAD USA (born ILEAD U) several times in this blog, and for good reason. Put simply I think this is the best intensive continuing education for library professionals out there. I don’t say this because I am part of it. Rather I am part of it because I believe in the project so much.

Teams of librarians from across 10 states gather for three intensive residencies and multiple inter-session activities over a year (can I get an hallelujah for 10 state libraries working together on professional development). In that year these library professionals work in teams on projects and learn about leadership, technology, and what library service focused on communities looks like.

Not only do these teams of librarians learn, but the whole project is about building state-wide networks of awesome librarians. ILEAD USA has produced incredible projects like developing entrepreneurs in rural Illinois, region-wide digital repository systems, public/school librarian collaborations, life transition services for the unemployed, a law school library collaborative, circulating tablet training kits, evaluation systems for youth services, and much, much more. ILEAD USA and IMLS helped fund the development of The Atlas of New Librarianship.

It’s not too late to be a part. Either as a team member, a mentor, or an instructor. Check with your state library if you live in Delaware, Illinois (more info http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/libraries/ileadusa.html), Maine (more info http://www.maine.gov/msl/libs/ce/ilead_usa/index.shtml), North Dakota (more info http://ileadusanorthdakota.wordpress.com), New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, or Wisconsin.

If you’re not in one of those states, check out the keynotes and material the project provides: https://www.youtube.com/user/ILEADUIllinois

A VERY big thank you to IMLS for their continued support of this project and the continued development of awesome librarians.

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ILEAD USA and You

1260x240-ileadusa-banner1Right now 10 State Libraries are gearing up to offer, in my opinion, the best learning experience for in-the-field librarians: ILEAD USA. The program consists of cross-library teams, mentors, amazing instructors, and thought leaders from across the industry. Though 3 intensive residencies librarians form a cohort around projects with the sole aim to produce awesome librarians.

It is a program I feel some pride in as I was invited to be part of designing the curriculum. If you follow my blog you have seen some of my talks to ILEAD USA, but those are an itty bitty part of a much more amazing experience.

If you are in these states, and are looking for a professional development on steroids please contact your state library and see how you can participate:

These folks are also looking for awesome librarians to act as instructors in the area of technology, leadership, project planning, and community engagement.

Also, a special shout out to IMLS that has been instrumental in making this happen (with a lot of investment from the state libraries). Together this program has been creating and will continue to create a nationwide corp of librarians ready to improve lives. Please join us!