Territory Tellers host storytelling festival - Seminole OK

Territory Tellers, Oklahoma's storytelling guild will be hosting their second annual storytelling festival in Seminole, OK. June 6-7 join tellers and listeners alike to share stories at Seminole State College. Workshops are available both Friday and Saturday for staff development credit and college credit. Friday night Ghost Tales will be held at the Mekusukey Mission Grounds
with Tim Tingle, Phillip Harjo, Elizabeth Ellis, Darla L'Allier, & Greg Rodgers at 9:30 PM;
join us and gather underneath the stars for “Whispers In The Night”. Seating will be available but feel free to bring your favorite lawn chairs or blankets.
Sponsors for this event include the Seminole Nation and Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma Arts Council, OERB, Kirkpatrick Foundation and Seminole State College. For more information go to the website, www.territorytellers.org

Job Posting | Lawton

Assistant Professor and Head of Collection Services

Cameron University,Lawton, Oklahoma
Salary: Not Specified
Status: Full-time
Posted: 05/15/08
Deadline: 06/30/08

Assistant Professor and Head of Collection Services Head, Collection Services

Cameron University LibraryLawton, Oklahoma Cameron University Library seeks a creative and service-oriented librarian to lead the Library’s Collection Management Department and participate in the Library’s information literacy program. The person who fills the position will lead the library’s acquisitions, cataloging, and serials control operations, examining current processes in light of changing patron needs and new software products, making recommendations for improvement, and implementing approved changes. He or she will work collaboratively with departmental members to set goals, design methods of achieving those goals, and evaluate progress toward meeting those goals. The Head of Collection Services maintains and improves the library’s Innovative Interfaces and Serials Solutions software access. This is a twelve month, faculty status, tenure track position.

ALA accredited MLS and additional advanced degree or substantial progress toward one. Ability to identify, analyze and solve complex problems. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to collaborate with others to establish and achieve goals. Integrated library system experience. Experience with or extensive knowledge of library technical services operations. Supervisory experience. Web page design experience.

Group library instruction teaching experience. Reference desk experience. Record of service to the profession of librarianship. Experience using integrated library system administrative modules. Experience supervising full-time professional librarians.

Salary commensurate with educational background and experience.

Submit letter of application, resume, transcripts (unofficial are acceptable at this point) and names, telephone numbers, mail and email addresses of three references.

The screen process will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Send application to: Dr. Sherry Young, Search and Screening Committee (F182), Cameron University, 2800 West Gore Boulevard, Lawton, OK 73505-6377.

Hey so how's it going?

Oh, Hi. How ya doing? Been up to much? Uh huh. Uh huh. mmmmm huh. Oh really? Well that sounds interesting and or horrible. Me? Well, been super busy like everyone else.

We did another podcast at work for Get Caught Reading month. It was kind of fun. And I'm proud to say I met with a group of folks and we planned a production schedule and we'll have a new podcast theme for each month for the next year!

In one dimension of my reality there's a vote coming up this Tuesday. Let me just say this -- I've experienced Forum Trolls on various forums - but I've never actually seen the breeding ground from which they came - until now. Reading the various posts - I'm torn - the forum moderator in me wants to ban the use of too large images for no dang reason - the information professional in me wants them to cite their sources - and the person who has actual experience working in the environment that so desperately needs improving in me wants to go and tell them the reality of the building & budget they all think is fine and dandy (not that we all don't love having to cross our fingers when nuking our lunches that a breaker doesn't blow or looking extra careful at the database usage to see what we can cancel without a massive stop in service should the vote go the undesired way)...but I know it wouldn't do that dimension of my reality any good for me to do any of that. And instead I silently read the troll forums.

Another dimension of my reality found me and the husband at Borders on Friday morning. We dropped the little one off at day care so we could have our 9 year anniversary date during the day. We dropped her off at 8:30 and decided to see when Borders opened and browse some books and music. We got there about 10 minutes before open and there were already folks there before us - waiting for the doors to open at 9:00. I commented to the husband how interesting that was - because if they just wanted a place to study they could have gone down the street to Belle Isle or if they wanted coffee they could just go up the street to Starbucks. But for some reason they wanted Borders. Well maybe they were having a mega sale on some sort of books. So when the doors opened husband and I walked and after the 10 or so folks before us - and they all had lined up at the coffee counter before grabbing a magazine or unloading their textbooks to study. Even those customers who looked to be around retirement age. For us we actually had in mind to purchase copies of Owly and Fables and browse the sales tables. And as I watched the folks grab their cup of over priced caffeine and then go and read one of the magazines from the magazine rack I thought to myself - if Belle Isle had a coffee bar would they had gone down there instead? I mean after all -- all they were spending money on was coffee everything else they wanted for the county/tax payers pays for just down the street.

Another dimension of my reality found me cataloging books today and there was occasion for a lot of people to be at the place of my other library. But it was strange to have visitors from New Jersey stop in and to tell me that they were impressed with our library. I thanked them, and in the back of my mind I thought they were just being kind, but when they said their synagogue library was only the size of the reading area of our temple library I can only imagine the dropped-jaw look on my face. And then I took the opportunity to tout our collection size and how our catalog is online. I mean heck why not right? Can't us Okie show them East-Coasters what it means to be intellectual and to value knowledge and what it means to invest a little into your community to preserve a cultural experience for future generations? Sure there are other libraries around my temple patrons could go to - but they wouldn't have the specialized collection, knowledge staff or convenience if they used the other libraries.

I don't know - so many dimensions of my reality focus around libraries/librarianship etc. Even the aspects where I'm the only librarian - I still function in the librarian role. This coming Tuesday I'll be attending a OSWG meeting. And I am the "librarian that uses joomla" person - in a room full of state webmasters. Kind of neat.

Anyways - enough rambling - I need to go enjoy the rest of this lovely Mother's Day. My daughter has tomatoes and bell peppers coming up in her little garden that we need to look at -- Oh and along that lines -- can anyone tell me what I'm suppose to do with 3 pumpkin plants and the pumpkins that will be attached to them after a while? We didn't realize they would grow so well.

Job Posting | Tahlequah

Position: Executive Director of Libraries
Salary: $60,000 to less than $80,000
Institution: Northeastern State University
Location: Oklahoma
Date posted: 4/29/2008

NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
Executive Director of Libraries
Position Number 9324

Northeastern State University invites applications and nominations for the position of Executive Director of Libraries. We are seeking an individual who can communicate library programs and services effectively to the University community, who is an effective motivator and manager of physical, human and financial resources, and who will embrace the opportunities that new technology offers while retaining the traditional virtues of a great library. The Executive Director of Libraries reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Responsibilities: The Executive Director is entrusted with the academic and fiscal management of the University Libraries, development of services and information resources, and the evaluation of programs, services, faculty, and staff. The Director of Libraries is expected to support faculty scholarship, including teaching and research, to encourage faculty and staff development, and to coordinate long and short range strategic planning. The Executive Director should be an articulate advocate for the University Libraries and serve as an effective member of the University's administrative team.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will have an earned Master's degree from an ALA-accredited program (with doctorate preferred), minimum of five years appropriate administrative experience in an academic library, and knowledge of advanced technology and electronic information management. Candidates should possess strong communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills and demonstrated expertise in planning, budgeting, grants, and financial development. They should understand the academic environment and the role of the library in support of all forms of scholarship - learning, teaching, and research.

The University: Northeastern is a regional comprehensive university of approximately 9,000 students offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, and a doctorate in Optometry. The University is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with branch campuses in Broken Arrow and Muskogee, and provides course work in several other cities in eastern Oklahoma. In addition to the John Vaughan Library in Tahlequah, libraries are located at the two branch campuses, and services are provided at other external locations. The library provides access to extensive electronic information resources, extensive Native American historical resources and more than a million other items. For further information visit the NSU homepage at http://www.nsuok.edu.

Preferred starting date for this 12-month position is 1 July 2008 (negotiable). Salary is competitive, based on credentials and experience. Applications, nominations, or requests for additional information should be directed to: Director of Human Resources, Northeastern State University, 601 N. Grand, Tahlequah, OK 74464-2399.

Application materials must include a letter of application, resume, transcripts, and names and contact information of five professional references. Review of applications will begin May 15, 2008, and continue until the position is filled. Northeastern is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.


Contact Information:


Web Site : nsuok.edu
Phone : 918-456-5511
Fax : 918-458-2061
Mrs. Tere Feller
Asst Director
Human Resources
NSU
600 N. Grand Ave.
Tahlequah, OK 74464
USA

OLA has action alert

OLA sent out this Legislation Action request

SB 2100 has come to our attention and requires immediate action. Authored by Senator John Ford (District 289) in the Senate and Representative Tad Jones (District 9) in the House, SB 2100 directs the State Board of Education to establish a School District Deregulation Pilot Program in a maximum of ten school districts that apply and meet the criteria as established. This legislation may impact school libraries and certified library media specialists and needs further analysis and review. At this time, the bill has passed both the Senate and House with amendments. It is now back in the Senate with amendments of concern and may be acted upon by Thursday, May 1st.

The full text and history of this bill can be found at the following URL: http://webserveR1.lsb.state.ok.us/WebBillStatus/main.html (Select Basic Search Form, type in the bill number and select Retrieve)

ACTION NEEDED:
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATORS AND REQUEST THAT SB 2100 NOT BE ACCEPTED AS AMENDED AND INSTEAD BE SENT TO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE FOR FULL ANALYSIS AND REVIEW.

So what does that mean? Well from my less that expert view - part of this legislation is in reaction to problems select schools in Tulsa are having and people are desepartely trying to fix some problems up in T-town. And perhaps another part is related to people wanting to get rid of some of the peskiness of teacher groups and their meddling ways. And ultimately it's people thinking they are doing what's best for their kids.

I see danger in this legislation - in that Charter schools are not necessarily held to the same school media standards as public schools. And if a charter school, or for that matter charter school district, decides not to support school media centers and certified media specialists then the burden will fall on other libraries - academic and public to meet the research needs of those students.

And from what I see (and I may have missed it) there is not mechanism in this bill that will provide additional funding for libraries that would serve a charter school district that chooses to get rid of their school media center and certified media specialists. So do those kids then not have access to reliable online databases, encyclopedias, videos, etc that will give them a firm foundation to succeed in college?

Mind you I may be completely off on this and may be over thinking it -- and if someone with better understanding can correct me I would greatly appreciate it!