Resources
Continuing Education for Public Librarians
Government and Legislation
Offers and Opportunities for Libraries
Organizations
Publications
Policy and Procedures
Technology
Links to non-ALA sites have been provided as resources for additional information. PLA does not necessarily endorse the views expressed or the facts presented on these sites or endorse any commercial products that may be advertised or available on these sites.
Continuing Education for Public Librarians
Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) Program
e-Learning @ PLA - Online Courses
Creating Policies for Results
The New Planning for Results
e-Learning Electronic Workforms
E-Learn Libraries and PLA have collaborated to provide free access to electronic versions of the workforms from The New Planning for Results, Staffing for Results, Creating Policies for Results, and Managing for Results. The workforms from forthcoming Results titles will be added as the new titles are published.
Government and Legislation
ALA's Washington Office
Includes resources on CIPA, E-rate and Universal Service, and the USA Patriot Act.
Government Printing Office Home Page
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
Site dedicated to "creating, disseminating and preserving Federal information products." Includes resource pages that describe the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and take the user to a clickable map to locate libraries and a link to information about the FDLP. The site also contains a Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
Center for the Book in the Library of Congress
“The Center for the book was established by law in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, libraries and literacy. A partnership between the government and the private sector, the Center depends primarily on tax-deductible contributions from corporations and individuals to support its overall program of projects and publications of interest to both the general public and scholars.”
Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
No Child Left Behind
Opportunities for Libraries
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record
Jumpstart has created materials, activities and lesson plans to aid libraries in their outreach to families with young children. Please visit www.readfortherecord.org to learn more about the campaign, register your participation, get books and download an event kit.
Organizations
Foundations
Benton Foundation
This organization supports “the efforts of nonprofits to articulate and advocate their interests; demonstrating the value of communications for solving social problems and strengthening social bonds.” See Buildings, Books, and Bytes published by the Benton Foundation and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For commentary on this report, see Library Trends, Buildings, Books, and Bytes: Perspectives on the Benton Foundation Report on Libraries in the Digital Age. Edited by Herbert Goldhor, 46 (1), Summer 1997.
The Bertelsmann Foundation
Find out about the Bertelsmann Foundation’s International Network of Public Libraries. “The Bertelsmann Foundation is working on the assumption that a small, highly motivated group of experts of the international public library scene can bring about and disseminate future-oriented solutions in this field. Very much at the focus should be the systematic development of model concepts and the transfer of practical experience.” The site contains objectives, priority issues, reports, mode of work, and contact information for its members.
Coalition for Networked Information
The Coalition operates program initiatives and projects in several areas designed to further both the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-practice of using computer networks to share information.
DeWitt and Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds
“The DeWitt and Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds are national, private grantmaking foundation located in New York City. DW-RD’s mission is to improve the quality of educational and career development opportunities for all school-age youth, especially young people growing up in low-income communities. LW-RD’s mission is to invest in programs that enhance the cultural life of communities and encourage people to make the arts and culture and active part of their everyday lives.”
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Libraries Initiative
“The gates Library Foundation is dedicated to partnering with public libraries to bring access to computers, the Internet, and digital information for patrons in low-income communities in the United States and Canada.”
Libraries for the Future
“Libraries for the Future is a national nonprofit organization of public library advocates. LFF educates and activates current and potential library users to become advocates and to enhance the relationship between libraries and communities, particularly those that are disenfranchised. The LFF program promotes community participation and universal access to literacy, lifelong learning, and information—essential tools for democracy.”
Friends of Libraries, USA
Provides “programs and publications to 2,800 member groups reaching hundreds of thousands of Americans, teaching citizens nationwide how to develop local library Friends to raise funds, be advocates, and promote libraries.”
Library Consultants and Trainers
LibraryConsultants.org
LibraryConsultants.org is a database driven website that provides libraries with the ability to search and identify potential consultants, and consultants with a current, centralized directory. The database is searchable by name, state, and areas of expertise. The directory provides libraries with a convenient place to access current consultant information. Recent projects are included for each consultant to allow libraries to evaluate quality and "fit". Each consultant provides his/her directory information including name, contact information, areas of expertise and experience. Send questions or comments to Denise Shockley - shockley@bloomington.in.us.
RUSA/ASCLA Directory of Peer Consultants and Speakers
Other Organizations
American Library Association
ALA's @ Your Library Campaign
ALA's Library Fact Sheets
How many libraries are there in the United States? How many librarians are on the Internet? How can I get mailing lists of libraries? These and other questions answered in fact sheets maintained by the ALA's Library staff.
ALA Scholarships and Grants
Connect for Kids
Urban Libraries Council
“The Urban Libraries Council (ULC) is an association of large public libraries and corporations that serve them, organized to solve common problems, better understand new opportunities and conduct applied research that improves professional practice.”
Publications
Bibliographies and Indices
Librarian's Index to the Internet
PLA/AAUP University Press Books for Public Libraries
University Press titles selected as “outstanding” by members of the American Library Association’s University Press Books Committee.
Library Services to the Sandwich Generation Bibliography
This selected bibliography includes articles, books, magazines, newsletters, pamphlets, videotapes, and websites that address the various information needs of those caught in the middle of this uniquely intergenerational family mix and provides links to other sources both print and electronic.
Studies and Statistics
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
A nationally representative and continuing assessment of English language literacy skills of American Adults
The National Endowment for the Arts Reading At Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.
The Kaiser Family Foundation's "See No Evil: How Internet Filters Affect the Search for Online Health Information"
School and Public Library Relationships: Essential Ingredients in Implementing Educational Reforms and Improving Student Learning
Shirley A. Fitzgibbons, Associate Professor Emerita, Indiana University
Preschool Education through Public Libraries
Steven Herb, Ph.D., Associate Librarian & Head, Education Library Penn State University, and Sara Willoughby-Herb, Ph.D., Professor of Early Childhood and Special Education Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Rowland School for Young Children
The Implications of Selected School Reform Approaches for School Library Media Services
Gary N. Hartzell, Professor, Educational Administration & Supervision, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Policy and Procedures
Best Practices in Public Librarianship
A list of links of library procedures and policies, compiled by by the Electronic Communications Advisory Committee
eLaws Advisors
Employment laws assistance for workers and small businesses. Compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor
Policy Considerations for Public Libraries Accepting Donations
An overview of non-tax sources of revenue for public libraries and consideration of their impact on public sources of funding and the policy implications of accepting support from, and/or forming partnerships with, non-governmental organizations.
Technology
Digital Divide Network
Digital Opportunity Channel
PUBLIB Electronic Discussion List
Regional Library Cooperatives and the Future of Broadband
A report from ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP), released in April 2008, detailing the best practices, successful strategies, and challenges of Regional Library Cooperatives (RLCs) as they help libraries obtain high-speed connectivity. This study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Shareware.com
“Shareware.com is a service from CNET: The Computer Network that features the Virtual Software Library (VSL) search engine and much more. You can search for, browse, and download the best sorftware—including freeware, shareware, demos, fixes, patches, upgrades—from the top managed software archives and computer vendor sites on the Internet.”
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Resources