Perhaps the most important news, if not the flashiest, is that we now have a credible membership database. Secretary Martha Davis has worked tirelessly to rebuild it. This meant entering every single membership form from 2001 (original cataloging, anyone?). We owe her a huge debt of gratitude. She also has further member information from 1999 and 2000. Because of the ineffectiveness of recent NCLA mailings, we believe there are many loyal members whose memberships have technically lapsed, though they never were notified to renew. All these folks will receive upcoming mailings.

Right now, our official membership is close to 1,000 – not bad, considering most school librarians did not renew in 2001 but instead joined the N.C. School Library Media Association.

We soon will test the rebuilt database with an address-correction-requested post card. After a quick database clean-up based on the post card results, you will receive the Conference issue of North Carolina Libraries, along with other cool NCLA stuff.

On another front, the NCL Conference issue will be the last quarterly print edition of the journal. In January, the Executive Board voted to move NCL to the electronic format, with an annual printed compendium. The journal will remain a scholarly, juried publication presented in a way that will retain the volume/issue format for easy citation. The journal also will move away from the theme concept, allowing prompt inclusion of worthy articles and a wider scope for each issue.

Hand-in-hand with the journal’s move to the electronic format is relocation of the NCLA website to a more robust server. The transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill’s Ibiblio service is almost complete; this will allow us to provide secure access for members, online membership renewal, registration for events, communication with NCLA and eventually online payment by credit card. Along with the switch will come a website redesign complete with a new graphic identity for the organization, allowing NCLA to feature information and promote its activities on the site more effectively. The URL will remain the same, www.nclaonline.org.

Finally, a longtime goal of mine, and a wish expressed frequently by many members, has been realized. Tar Heel Libraries has been revived as a print newsletter. Indeed, as it was in the past, THL will be a partnership with the State Library of North Carolina. In January, the board voted to allocate printing and mailing costs; the State Library will provide editorial support in the persons of Kevin Cherry and Frannie Ashburn. The newsletter, to be published quarterly, will keep you informed about NCLA and State Library activities, recognize the accomplishments of libraries and librarians, and ultimately strengthen our sense of community. If you or a colleague has received a promotion, taken a new job, or shepherded a project to completion; if your library has taken a bold new approach or launched a major initiative; or if there’s some other milestone you would like to share with your peers statewide, let Kevin or Frannie know (kcherry@library.dcr.state.nc.us or fashburn@library.dcr.state.nc.us). And look for the first issue soon!

These are all major initiatives to be sure, but they represent only the tip of the NCLA iceberg. Your sections and round tables are planning workshops and other events for the coming year, and the association’s committees are gearing up. So get ready for a vibrant, exciting NCLA, and please be a part of the action.

And a post-script: Teresa McManus, formerly of Fayetteville State University, recently resigned her position as NCLA Director-At-Large after taking the Chief Librarian position at City University of New York’s Bronx Community College. Teresa has been very active with NCLA for as long as I can remember. Teresa, we will miss your insight and commitment; our loss is New York’s gain.
--Ross A. Holt, NCLA President

COMING EVENTS

Libraries in an Uncertain World – March 18, 2002 – Chapel Hill

The world is rapidly changing, offering new challenges and opportunities for libraries. Library security, remote storage facilities, international collection development, pda’s, virtual reference, recruitment and retention are some of the challenges and opportunities we face. Please join LAUNC-CH as we discuss these changes and explore how we can clear exciting new paths for our patrons and ourselves in our journey into an uncertain world.

The Keynote speaker will be Dr. Sarah Thomas, the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian at Cornell University.

Additional speakers and panelists include:

Hsi-Chu Bolick, East Asian Bibliographer, UNC-Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Library

Teresa Chapa, Latin American and Iberian Bibliographer, UNC-Chapel Hill Academic

Affairs Library

Andrew Hart, Preservation Librarian, UNC-Chapel Hill Academic Affairs Library

Avinash Maheshwary, South Asia Librarian, Triangle Research Library Network

Wallace McLendon, Associate Director for Library Services, UNC-Chapel Hill Health

Sciences Library

Dana Sally, Associate Director, UNC-Greensboro Walter Clinton Jackson Library

Diane Strauss, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, UNC-Chapel Hill

Academic Affairs Library

Amy Van Scoy, Assistant Head of Research and Information Services, North Carolina

State University

Jeanie Welch, Professor and Reference Librarian, UNC-Charlotte

Nadia Zilper, Slavic and East European Bibliographer, UNC-Chapel Hill Academic

Affairs Library

There are four breakout sessions from which to choose and they will be repeated in the afternoon. There will be discussions on Disaster planning and remote storage; Recruitment and retention of librarians; Security; and Developing international collections. The conference will close with a panel discussion on Emerging technologies.

For registration information, http://www.unc.edu/lib/launcch/conf2002.html.

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Creating, Joining and Enjoying Reading Groups - March 22, 2002 – Chapel Hill

The workshop will discuss the reasons and methods for creating and joining a reading group, particularly a group developed in a library, school or workplace. The value of reading and discussion as pathways to conversation and reflection about the experiences and responses of others will be the focus. Techniques and questions will be discussed, and useful materials, such as reference works, reading guides and bookstore connections will be offered. A case study demonstration of a reading group, using The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, will be included in the workshop.

The audience for this workshop includes librarians, educators and laypersons who want to develop a focused reading program for themselves and others, in or out of the workplace.

The workshop will be conducted by Dr. David Carr, an associate professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS). Dr. Carr teaches courses devoted to collection development, cultural institutions, information and culture, and the humanities and social sciences. The winner of the school’s 2000-2001 Outstanding Teacher Award, Dr. Carr has taught and written extensively about adult learning outside the classroom.

For registration information, http://ils.unc.edu/ils/continuing_ed/infotogo/spring2002/.

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Audio Heritage Preservation: The Survival of Recorded Sound in Folklore, Music and Oral History Collections – April 18, 2002 - Charlotte

The custodians of our audio heritage collections encounter many challenges in their efforts to preserve music and spoken word recordings. Topics for this one-day conference will include collection priorities, media formats, audio technology, engineering standards, guidelines and best practices, preserving the artifact, digitization, and rights management. Please join us for an opportunity in audio preservation education and networking.

Alan Lewis, Subject Area Expert for Audiovisual Preservation in the Special Media Archives Services Division of the National Archives and Records Administration, will present an overview of audio preservation in the National Archives. An introduction to the fundamental nature of mechanical, magnetic, and optical sound recording media will follow. Issues in conservation, preservation, and restoration of audio collections, including contracting for audio laboratory services, will also be discussed.

Michael Taft, Folklife Specialist in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, will provide an overview of Save Our Sounds: America’s Recorded Sound Heritage Project. Part of the Save America’s Treasures program, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute are working collaboratively to preserve collections of historical recordings. This preservation project for spoken word and music collections includes restoring original recordings, producing archival copies, and digitizing recordings for online access.

Sara Velez, Assistant Chief of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, will address strategies for preserving sound collections. Media formats discussed will include wax cylinders, acetate and aluminum discs, magnetic wire recordings, 78 rpm recordings, audiocassettes, compact discs, and digital audio tapes. Methods of preservation reformatting pioneered by the Archives’ sound studio engineers will be presented.

Charles J. Haddix, Sound Recording Specialist, in the University of Missouri-Kansas City Libraries’ Marr Sound Archives, will give a presentation on the Marr Archives’ sound preservation studio’s equipment, staffing, and operations. Preservation issues for sound archives in academic libraries will be addressed. Topics include preserving the artifact, digitization, and rights management.

The conference will be hosted by the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in Charlotte, North Carolina. Presentations will be in the main library’s Francis Auditorium on the lower level. The library’s Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room is home to the Piedmont Music Archives. From the 1920s to the 1940s, Charlotte was one of the locations where major record companies would seek out local talent. Today, many artists from across the country continue to record in some of Charlotte’s studios. The Piedmont Music Archives has one of the largest collections of music from the Carolinas; from gospel to country; bluegrass to folk; bebop to pop to hip-hop. Robert E. Cannon, Director of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, will welcome the audience with a few words about the Piedmont Music Archives.

The registration fee is $35.00 for employees of NCPC member institutions and individual members and $45.00 for non-members. Please make checks payable to the North Carolina Preservation Consortium. No refunds will be given after April 1, 2002. For additional registration information, contact: Roger Loyd, NCPC Treasurer, 919-660-3452, roger.loyd@duke.edu.

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Librarians and Census Data: Demystifying the Data – April 26, 2002 – Chapel Hill

Ever have a patron ask how North Carolina compares with two or three other states in population, or the number of people graduating high school? Ever have to find the median income of your county? Ever need the number of harvested acres in North Carolina for each of the last 20 years? Ever wondered how many people in the country had indoor plumbing in 1990 compared to 2000?

You can answer all of these questions more quickly and easily once you’ve been introduced to the right resources. Staff from the North Carolina State Data Center (SDC) and the State Library of North Carolina will demonstrate free web resources that will help you with demographics and statistics questions. Particular attention will be given to the SDC’s own LINC database, with projections and historical data for North Carolina on a wide variety of topical areas, and the American FactFinder database from the U.S. Census Bureau. This is a timely topic since additional 2000 Census data will be released in the next few months.

Bob Coats, analyst/programmer with the N.C. State Data Center, is a graduate of North Carolina State University. Before joining the SDC in 1998, Bob was employed with the Government and Business Services Branch of the State Library of North Carolina where he worked with Census and other statistical data for 5 years. He is responsible for aiding in the training of Data Center affiliates across North Carolina., disseminating federal and state statistical data to state government data users and the Data Center affiliates, and maintaining the Log Into North Carolina (LINC) database and the State Data Center web site.

Charles Lanier is a statistician with the State Data Center and the Data Services Unit in North Carolina’s Office of State budget and Management (OSBM). In 1998, he was designated as the governor’s liaison for Census 2000. He has experience teaching math at the high school level and statistics at the college level. He received his master’s degree in statistics from the University of Iowa, and dual bachelor of science degrees in mathematics and psychology from the University of Alabama.

Michele Hayslett earned her MSLS from SILS in 1999, and is the Demographics Specialist at the State Library of North Carolina in Raleigh. As the liaison between the State Library and the North Carolina State Data Center, she has received intensive instruction on the 2000 Census. As well as conducting training on Census data for State Library staff, Michele presents workshops for state employees about the resources of the State Library and the SDC’s LINC database.

For registration information, http://ils.unc.edu/ils/continuing_ed/infotogo/spring2002/

NEWS

North Carolina Libraries

The NCLA Executive Board at its January quarterly meeting in Asheboro voted unanimously for North Carolina Libraries to make the transition from print to electronic format. The NCLA Board was also very receptive to the idea of printing an annual volume, a print cumulative of the four quarterly issues initially published on the web.

The NCLA Board also approved a change in the composition of the Editorial Board of North Carolina Libraries. The NCL Editorial Board was formerly composed of representatives appointed by the chair of each round table and section. The Editorial Board will now be a totally volunteer organization. Bylaws of various sections and round tables will have to be modified to accommodate this change in policy. Anyone interested in serving on the NCL Editorial Board should contact me.

The Editorial Board will be composed of the following NCLA members, all of whom have volunteered to continue as the transition from print to electronic is underway:

Al Jones, Editor

Joline Ezzell, Associate Editor

Mike Van Fossen, Associate Editor

Dorothy Hodder, North Carolina Books Review Editor

Ralph Scott, Wired to the World (Web Site Review Editor)

Michael Cotter, Indexer

Paula Hinton

Page Life

Joan Sherif

Suzanne Wise

Terry Brandsma, NCL Webmaster/Consultant

Bao-Chu Chang, NCLA Webmaster/Consultant

North Carolina Libraries’ greatest strength has been the quality of articles it has published and made accessible to the library community worldwide. The journal will continue to be indexed by H. W. Wilson Company. Articles will be juried or refereed, that is, every article must pass the approval of at least two editorial board members and myself, as Editor. Articles approved for publication will be proofread and edited by board members online.

Pat Weathersbee of TeamMedia of Greenville will continue as our graphic designer. Pat is excited about working with our new electronic format and has lots of good ideas about how to make the journal look as great on the Web as it has in print.

We are currently working on our first issue in the electronic format. We are excited about making North Carolina Libraries a quarterly publication focusing on research, both theoretical and applied, and reviews of interest to North Carolina librarians and librarians worldwide.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have ideas for articles. Articles on any topic of interest to librarians are welcomed. The articles for any given issue will no longer have to reflect a common topic or theme. Articles to be considered for publication on the North Carolina Libraries Web Site should be sent on disk or via e-mail attachment to:

Al Jones, Editor

North Carolina Libraries

LTDI, School of Education

East Carolina University

122 Joyner East

Greenville, NC 27858

252-328-6803

jonesp@mail.ecu.edu

The electronic version of North Carolina Libraries will be available at http://www.nclaonline.org/NCL. NCLA will maintain an archive of all electronic issues of North Carolina Libraries, beginning with the Spring issue for 2002. The first electronic issue will include an interview between myself and Frances Bryant Bradburn, North Carolina Libraries Editor, 1985-2002.

--Al Jones, Editor, North Carolina Libraries

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NC LIVE and State Library Training for Spring 2002

NC LIVE Basics

· March 12, 2002 - UNC Greensboro

· March 19, 2002 - Allen Library, Biscoe

· April 16, 2002 - State Library, Raleigh

· April 23, 2002 - Wilkes County Library, North Wilkesboro

· May 7, 2002 - Pasquotank-Camden Library, Elizabeth City

NC LIVE Medical & Health Sciences Resources

· April 10, 2002 - Health Sciences Library, Chapel Hill

NC LIVE Ready Reference

· March 13, 2002 - Pitt Community College, Greenville

· April 3, 2002 - Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst

· April 24, 2002 - Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro

· May 1, 2002 - NC School of Science & Math, Durham

NC LIVE Trains the Trainer

· March 26, 2002 - State Library, Raleigh

· April 30, 2002 - Mountain Area Health Education Center, Asheville

· May 14, 2002 - Pitt Community College, Greenville

Introducing OCLC ILL

· March 4 & 5, 2002 - Lenoir Rhyne College, Hickory

· March 6 & 7, 2002 - State Library, Raleigh

ILL Refresh & Review

· April 9 & 10, 2002 - State Library, Raleigh

· April 11 & 12, 2002 - Lenoir Rhyne College, Hickory

Basic HTML

· March 21, 2002 - Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, Charlotte

· April 4, 2002 - Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst

· April 25, 2002 - Northeast Regional Library, Wilmington

Networking

· March 28, 2002 - LaGrange Branch Library, LaGrange

· April 11, 2002 - Durham County Library, Durham

· May 2, 2002 - Valdese Public Library, Valdese

Legal Resources: Reference Services & Resources

· March 5, 2002 - Lenoir Rhyne College, Hickory

· March 6, 2002 - Alamance Community College, Graham

· March 7, 2002 - Wayne Community College, Goldsboro

Registration information can be found at http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ce/ceopps.htm.

* * * * * *

News from UNC’s School of Information and Library Science

Greenberg Awarded $10,000 Grant for Metadata Research

Dr. Jane Greenberg, an assistant professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS) has received a $10,000 grant for her research on metadata. The Online Computing Library Center (OCLC), with assistance from the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE), awarded funding for Greenberg’s proposal “Optimizing Metadata Creation: A Model for Integrating Human and Automatic Processes.” The grant will allow Greenberg to examine the quality of data created by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) scientists, professional catalogers and automatic processes. The goal of the research, she said, is to develop a model to facilitate the most efficient means of metadata production by integrating human and automatic processes.

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UNC Receives $530,000 Grant for 3D Digital Rare Book Library

UNC-Chapel Hill has received a $530,000 grant from E.S.P. Das Educational Foundation to produce a three-dimensional digital rare book library. UNC’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS), ibiblio.org and UNC’s Academic Libraries will together use the grant money to reintroduce the experience of viewing a book into the digital form. According to Paul Jones, director of ibiblio.org and supervisor of the 3D library project, “The grant gives UNC an opportunity to make some of the great treasures of UNC Academic Libraries available to the people of North Carolina and of the world in new exciting and easily accessible forms.”

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Saye Honored with National Teaching Excellence Award

Dr. Jerry Saye, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science (SILS), has received the top teaching award presented by the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE). The association’s 2002 Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Saye at ALISE’s recent annual conference in New Orleans.

Among other criteria, the annual award recognizes excellence in teaching methodology, student and faculty mentoring, and curriculum design. For Saye, the honor comes on the heels of two other teaching awards – SILS’ Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and UNC’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction in 1999.
--David MacDonald, SILS, UNC-Chapel Hill

* * * * * *

News from Cumberland County Public Library

March programs at the Cumberland County Public Library include:

March 5, 2002, 7:00 pm, Headquarters Library - Sir Walter Raleigh: Renaissance Man - Dr. Elliot Engel will reveal the fascinating life of this author-explorer-courtier. Sponsored by Friends of CCPL&IC, Inc.

March 7, 2002, 3:30 pm, Cliffdale Regional Branch – You Go Girl – Women Who Made a Difference - Stories about fascinating women who weren’t afraid to try – For children 5-12 years old.

March 12, 2002, 7:00 pm, Headquarters Library – Attracting and Sheltering Wildlife - Last of three programs in the series Natural Treasures of Cumberland County, co-sponsored by the Cumberland County Office of the Sandhills Area Land Trust. Vince Zucchino will share his knowledge of native plants and how to use them to create unique and sustainable landscapes in the Sandhills region.

March 13, 2002, 7:00 pm, Headquarters Library – Opened Gates Book Club - Members will discuss Cane by Jean Toomer.

March 16, 2002, 11:00 am, Headquarters Library – Career and Resume Tips for Spanish-Speaking Job Seekers – Jose Bernal will present tips on careers and resume preparation for Spanish-seeking job seekers in Cumberland County.

March 19, 2002, 7:00 pm, Headquarters Library – Dress for Success Seminar and Fashion Show – Angela L. Vann presents tips on how to dress for interviews and on the job.

March 21, 2002 – 10:00 am, Headquarters Library – New Horizons Book Club – A short mystery by Mel Celulash, The Face That Stopped Time, will be discussed.

March 21, 2002 – 3:30 pm, Cliffdale Regional Branch – Incredible Inventions – Children 5-12 years old are invited to find out about Chicle, Epsicle, the Electric Flower Pot and other incredible inventions.

March 22, 2002 – 7:00 pm, Headquarters Library – Fourth Friday Presents: A Concert Reading of Mother Love – The Play Pen Theatre Troup presents this sequel to playwright Olivia Green’s stage play, The Ties That Bind.

March 25, 2002 – 7:30 pm, Headquarters Library – Great Books Discussion – The group will discuss selections from Annie Dillard’s An American Childhood.
--Susan Parrish, Cumberland County Public Library

* * * * * *

News from New Hanover County Public Library

Renovation for the Main Library

The Main Library of the New Hanover County Public Library is being renovated this spring. At this time, many materials from the Local History Room have been temporarily relocated and parts of the collection will not be readily available for the next three months (beginning January 2002). Researchers interested in seeing materials such as clippings, maps, and other unique items from the archives should call the Local History Room (910-341-4394) in advance to find out if they can be made available. The library staff will make every effort to accommodate the public during construction, but delays may occur.

The Main Library renovation includes expanding the Local History Room, Children’s Room, and Audiovisual Room on the second floor; expanding the Reference Department, including Consumer Health Information, on the first floor; and expanding meeting rooms, a computer lab, offices, and staff work space in the currently unoccupied third floor. The project should be complete by summer.

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Fantasy fiction is the focus at the Northeast Regional Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, on Saturday, February 23, 2002. Beginning at 3 p.m., author E. W. Zrudlo will read from Camellia the Bald, his first children’s novel, and talk about his writing and publishing experiences.

A native of Canada, Mr. Zrudlo taught there for many years before moving to Wilmington. He relocated his family to Carolina Beach just in time for Hurricanes Fran and Floyd, and later wrote about his experiences for Ellen Wood Rickert’s book Eye of the Storm: Essays in the Aftermath, published by Coastal Carolina Press of Wilmington. When asked if he’d written anything else, he showed the publisher a little book he had written for his daughter Susan some years before. Coastal Carolina Press gave him a contract to expand the story, which grew into Camellia the Bald, a novel about the fantastic adventures of 12-year-old Susan Camellia Cardiff in the land of Ebal.

There will be a book signing (courtesy of Bristol Books) and refreshments (courtesy of the Friends of the Library) following the program. The program is free, and reservations are not required. For more information, please call 910-341-4392
--Dorothy Hodder, New Hanover County Public Library

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Noted Fiction Writer Allan Gurganus To Read at UNCW

The UNCW Creative Writing Department will present a reading by fiction writer and Visiting Professor Allan Gurganus at 8 pm in Kenan Auditorium on February 25, 2002. A reception and book signing will follow. The event is free and open to the public.

Allan Gurganus is the author of the novel Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters), the collection of stories and novellas White People (Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Pen Faulkner Finalist), and the novel Plays Well With Others (Lambda Literary Award Finalist). His most recent work, The Practical Heart: Four Novellas, was published by Knopf in September 2001. He is at work on his next novel The Erotic History of a Southern Baptist Church.

Gurganus, of whom John Cheever said, “I consider [him] the most technically gifted and morally responsive writer of his generation,” has taught at Stanford, Duke, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Sarah Lawrence College. His short fiction has won The National Magazine Prize and is seen in the current O’Henry Prize Collection and Best American Short Stories. Recently, Gurganus was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Currently a Visiting Professor in the Department of Creative Writing, he is teaching a graduate fiction workshop and is visiting various classes as a guest lecturer.

A native North Carolinian, Gurganus returned to his home state after many years living in Manhattan. For his contributions to the artistic and civic life of the state, Gurganus was awarded The North Carolina Award, the most distinguished honor given a civilian.

For more information, please contact the Creative Writing Department at 910-962-7063.
--Lorrie Smith, UNC Wilmington

* * * * * *

Shaffer to Step Down as Executive Director of SLA

Roberta I. Shaffer, Executive Director of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) has announced that she will leave the Association effective February 22, 2002.

“Roberta has provided the SLA with a new level of enthusiasm and energy in light of the changes in the Association world and the evolving position of information professionals in society,” remarked SLA President, Hope N. Tillman. “On behalf of the SLA Board of Directors and staff, we thank her, and wish her well in all her future endeavors.”

The SLA Board of Directors appointed Shaffer as Executive Director-Designate in April of 2001. She officially began her tenure as Executive Director in September of that year. Prior to coming to SLA, she was the Dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin. SLA Deputy Executive Director, Lynn Smith, will serve as acting Executive Director.
--Anthony Blue, SLA

SECTION NEWS

Community and Junior College Libraries Section

The Board of The Community and Junior College Libraries Section of NCLA met on January 29, 2002, at Wake Technical Community College. Ways to increase membership in the section were discussed. Peggy Quinn will promote the benefits of NCLA membership – and the CJC section in particular - to the Council of Community College Library Administrators (CCCLA) at their meeting March 8, 2002, at Wake Tech. The official NCLA tabletop display is reserved for the meeting.

The CJC Board also discussed hosting a fall 2002 workshop for CJC members and other NCLA members and library personnel. Topics suggested thus far are: virtual reference, library customer service, and special libraries/collections around the state.
--Peggy Quinn, Chair, Community and Junior College Libraries Section

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Documents Section

Please plan to attend the Spring Documents Section Workshop on Friday, May 17, 2002, at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Our topic will be the Virtual Depository Library. What changes are we already seeing in our item selections and our services? What belongs on our electronic reference shelf? What might depository status mean when the collection is online? The schedule is in the planning stages, so if you have areas you’d like to see addressed, or if you’re already on the way to forming your own virtual depository, please email laura.west@elon.edu with your ideas.
--Laura West, Elon University, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Documents Section

* * * * * *

Library Administration and Management Section

Dale Cousins reports that the ballots have been mailed, but there are no results yet. She will be sending out an “invitation to re-join” on behalf of the Board when it is elected. She wants to send the notes to the 1999 members lost in the new membership list of 2001.

The Personnel and Staff Development Interest Group of LAMS sponsored a round table discussion luncheon at the NCLA Biennial Conference in October 2001. This marked the second such event and looks to be a winner for future biennial conference agendas. Thirty-two people from different types of libraries and a variety of positions came together to share ideas, concerns, and best practices in discussions centered on five themes: performance appraisal instruments; recruitment, retention and diversity; employee discipline; supervisory training programs; and “grab bag.”

Gail Harrell was the moderator for the discussion of Performance Appraisal Instruments. Under the purpose of and approaches to performance appraisal, two of the ideas expressed were the importance of communicating your expectations in terms of responsibilities and performance, and that serious issues should be addressed before the written evaluation. Evaluation forms were another area talked about, and some of the concerns with these forms were pointed out, e.g., evaluation forms that were used elsewhere rather than being designed for that place and the advantages of a narrative format. Other concerns were evaluations of managers and supervisors and peer reviews.

Wanda Brown was the moderator for the discussion of Recruitment, Retention, and Diversity. Under recruitment issues, where an ad is placed was one of the things discussed. Another was recruiting from library schools and at conferences. One common problem for people recruiting was low salaries. Retention issues also bring out the salary issue. Low salaries lead to increased turnover and supervisors find themselves constantly training new hires. Retaining staff may require some strategies that don’t require more money: tuition assistance, day care, or flexible hours. New associate degrees in Library Technology may encourage library paraprofessionals to stay in library work.

Sharon Bullard was the moderator for the discussion of Employee Discipline. A loose discussion format was used, with each participant providing a problem situation with an employee. The other participants then analyzed the problem and offered solutions. The problem situations presented were: 1) a male employee making inappropriate remarks to female patrons; 2) two departments each thinking they worked harder; 3) a part-time librarian who was not learning the basic elements of her primary responsibilities; 4) two long-standing employees having a competition to see who can work the least; and 4) student employees not showing up for work.

Deborah Lambert was the moderator for the discussion of Supervisory Training. Important points made about supervisory training are: how important a good training program is; including training about policies and procedures in addition to basic management, and training should be ongoing; Other important areas to be considered are: communication skills; evaluating staff; coaching and encouraging staff; general management skills like business writing, conflict resolution, team-building, public relations, working with Boards, administrators, funding agencies.

Alan Keely was the moderator for the “Grab Bag”. The major areas of discussion were training, time management, wellness, and the problem worker.

If you’d like more information about the roundtable discussions described above, feel free to contact the facilitators. The LAMS Personnel and Staff Development Interest Group invites your participation in future Biennial Conference activities.
--Deborah Lambert, Wake Forest University, Library Administration and Management Section

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North Carolina Association of School Librarians Section

Ross Holt has appointed me chair of the Section for the 2001-2003 biennium. I would like to have a school librarian work with me this biennium as Vice Chair and be able to assume leadership of the section during the 2003-2005 biennium. Together the two of us can appoint a board to resume activities of the Section. I will not be able to do this alone, but I will do all that I can to rejuvenate the section if there is interest among our NCLA members who are school librarians.

I would like to announce the 13^th Annual Southeastern Regional Technology & Teaching Conference to be held April 9-12. The SRTT Conference, sponsored by East Carolina University, will be held at the City Hotel and Bistro/Greenville Hilton, 203/207 S.W. Greenville Blvd., Greenville, NC 27834. Simultaneously with the SRTT Conference will be a DPI Pre-Conference on April 9-10 and a Distance Learning Institute on April 10. Co-Directors for the Conference are Dr. Diane Kester and Elizabeth Briggs. Online registration information is available at http://srttc.soe.ecu.edu.
--Al Jones, Chair, North Carolina Association of School Librarians Section

COMMITTEE NEWS

Intellectual Freedom Committee

One of the responsibilities of the Intellectual Freedom Committee is to keep track of any material that has been challenged. If you have a challenge or know of a challenge, we would like to know and keep record of it. The information about the library itself will remain confidential unless we have authorization to reveal that library. We will publish a list of titles, reasons for the challenge and type of library where it was challenged (Public, Academic, School or Special). If you come across a news release (clipping), please send it to me. The Intellectual Freedom Office (located in Chicago) asks each state to report to them titles that are challenged.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to contact me at the Northwestern Regional Library at 336-835-4894.

Also, libraries should familiarize themselves with the USA PATRIOT Act which deals with confidentiality. You can find information about this matter on the ALA web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff/patriot.html.
--Michael Sawyer, Chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee

LINKS OF INTEREST

North Carolina Library Association		State Library of North Carolina
Calendar of Events		NC Live
Treasurer's Report		Southeastern Library Association
Employment Opportunities		American Library Association

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DESCRIPTION: NCLA E-News is a publication of the North Carolina Library Association, published six times a year. Please submit news, conference or workshop information, and other items of interest to the Editor or Assistant Editor below.

EDITOR:
Marilyn Schuster
Local Documents/Special Collections
UNC Charlotte
mbschust@email.uncc.edu