It's Academic

The 2016 PaLA Conference Program Committee is accepting conference session proposals for the 2016 PaLA Conference to take place October 16 – 19, 2016 at the brand new Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Poconos. If you are, or know someone that is, an expert on a topic that you feel will be of interest to librarians, we invite you to submit a session proposal.  The deadline for submission of proposals is Sunday, April 17, 2016.

For more information about the conference, and to access the link to the session proposal form, visit the 2016 Conference Information Page.

Thank you in advance to all that submit proposals, we appreciate your dedication to PaLA and to Pennsylvania’s libraries!

See you at Kalahari!

Kimberly Snyder Wise
Education & Finance Mgr.
PaLA

The CRD will again nominate and sponsor two PaLA Academy of Leadership Studies (PALS) attendees. In order to consider nomination by CRD, please submit your PALS application materials directly to CRD rather than to PALS. If we choose to nominate you, we will submit your application materials directly to PALS and, if you are accepted into the program, we will sponsor you. Our sponsorship will cover the cost of your program fee ($300). If you are not chosen by CRD, you will still have time to submit your application materials to PALS for their consideration.

Please keep in mind that a CRD nomination does NOT guarantee your acceptance into the PALS program.

In order to be considered for CRD nomination for PALS, please submit the following items to CRD at crdpala@gmail.com before Friday, April 22:

• A letter of interest indicating why you feel you would be a good candidate for PALS and how you would like to serve PaLA
• A current resume/CV

You will be notified of CRD’s decision whether or not to nominate you by Friday, April 29.

Prospective nominees/PALS attendees must meet the following requirements:

• Degreed librarian (must have the degree before attending PALS)
• Demonstrate leadership potential
• Must be willing to remain at the hotel for the duration of the PALS workshop, including overnight
• Must be willing to provide services to PaLA and the profession after completing the program
• PaLA membership is not required to apply or attend, but will be required upon completion of the program.

PALS 2016 MLS/MLIS Librarian Program information:

• Dates: Sunday, June 12 – Wednesday, June 15
• Place: Sherator Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel http://www.sheratonharrisburghershey.com/
• Featured speaker: David Bendekovic of the B.A. David Company http://www.badavid.com/
• Cost: $300 per person (includes program, lodging, and meals; transportation is not included)

For more information about PALS, visit https://www.palibraries.org/?page=PALS

If you have questions about submitting your materials to CRD, please contact Christina Steffy, CRD chair, at crdpala@gmail.com.

Save the Date!  The West Branch Chapter of the Pennsylvania Library Association invites you to save the date for its spring workshop:

“Digitize Locally, Share Globally”

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA

Workshop topics to include: Pennsylvania Digital Collections Project for the Digital Public Library of America, examples of public & academic library collaborations on digitizing local collections, the POWER Library PA Photos & Document service, metadata for local digital collections, grant funding for digitizing projects, outreach events with local digital collections, and the PA State Library’s Scribe Station mobile scanners.

Details and registration information to follow.  Contact Alison Gregory at gregory “at” lycoming “dot” edu with questions.

Registration is available for the three-part webcast series, “Learning Analytics: Strategies for Optimizing Student Data on Your Campus.”  

This webcast series, co-sponsored by the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Committee, the Student Learning and Information Committee, and the ACRL Instruction Section, will explore the advantages and opportunities of learning analytics as a tool which uses student data to demonstrate library impact and to identify learning weaknesses. How can librarians initiate learning analytics initiatives on their campuses and contribute to existing collaborations? The first webcast will provide an introduction to learning analytics and an overview of important issues. The second event will focus on privacy issues and other ethical considerations as well as responsible practice, and the third webcast will include a panel of librarians who are successfully using learning analytics on their campuses.

Webcast One: Learning Analytics and the Academic Library: The State of the Art and the Art of Connecting the Library with Campus Initiatives (March 29, 2016)

Webcast Two: Privacy and the Online Classroom: Learning Analytics, Ethical Considerations, and Responsible Practice (April 14, 2016) 

Webcast Three: Moving Beyond Circulation and Gate Counts:  Practical Applications of Learning Analytics (May 11, 2016)

Complete details including webcast descriptions and learning outcomes for each webcast, and registration materials are available online. or http://www.ala.org/acrl/learninganalytics Questions can be directed to mconahan@ala.org.