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ALA NEWS OF INTEREST TO SUPPORT STAFF

• ELECTION RESULTS
  **ALA President:  Camila Alire
  **LSSIRT Vice President/Pres. Elect: Julie Kent (OH)
  **LSSIRT Secretary: Kareen Turner (AR)
  **LSSIRT Treasurer: Kerrie Stramler (AZ)
  **LSSIRT Members-At-Large: Sarah McQueeny (KS) and Anthony J. Pendleton (AL)
  
• Empowerment Conference (formerly called Conference Within A Conference)
  Planning is already underway for the 2008 Empowerment Conference. Save the dates: ALA Annual Meeting at Anaheim, CA, June 21-22, 2008. Enjoy networking opportunities with colleagues from across the nation. Tour the world’s largest library exhibition. Hear dynamic speakers at these sessions as well as the ALA opening general session.
  More event details and registration information will be linked here in early 2008
• Library Support Staff Certification Project (LSSCP) Moves Ahead
  IMLS recently awarded the American Library Association $407,111 for the "Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSCP)" chaired by Nancy Bolt. The American Library Association, in partnership with the Western Council of State Librarians, will develop a national voluntary certification program for support staff in rural or small town public and academic libraries. Needs assessments for the last fifteen years have called for a national, standardized certification program for library support staff. The three-year project will result in a set of core competencies and policies and procedures. It will provide alternative options for assessing current knowledge of the field and experience for non-traditionally trained library staff. The resulting plan will be tested in five sites and will be sustained by ALA. LSSIRT is represented on the Task Force by Sandy Olson and Dorothy Morgan.
  Read more about LSSCP here.

AWARDS

• Steve Roskoski—Library Journal's Paraprofessional of the Year 2008: Congratulations to Steve Roskoski, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR, on being chosen this year's winner. Read more about him!

American Library Association Library Support Staff Interests Round Table
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