ASCLA Midwinter Institute prepares librarians for successful consulting careers

Contact: Liz Markel


Marketing Specialist, RUSA/ASCLA


(312) 280-4398


lmarkel@ala.org

NEWS


For Immediate Release


September 29, 2009

CHICAGO—Librarians looking to strike out on their own in the library profession, or those library professionals approaching retirement and seeking a flexible way to maintain employment, won’t want to miss “Assembling a Consulting Toolkit: What You Need to Know to Become a Successful Library Consultant” in Boston this January.

“Assembling a Consulting Toolkit” is a daylong institute offered by the
Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of ALA. The event will be held Friday, Jan. 15, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., in conjunction with the ALA 2010 Midwinter Meeting, and is designed to prepare participants to begin – or advance – a successful consulting career.

Seasoned consultants and ASCLA members Nancy Bolt and Sara Laughlin will present an overview of library consulting for guide attendees, who will discover through self-assessment their personal consulting potential. Participants will work together in an active and engaging format to explore different roles that consultants play, services consultants may deliver to clients, marketing consulting services, managing a consulting business and finding clients.

“I’m pleased that these two long-time members of ASCLA’s Independent Librarians Exchange Section (ILEX) are willing to share their expertise in creating consulting opportunities with others,” said Brenda Bailey-Hainer, president of ASCLA. “If you’re interested in starting your own consulting business, this is a session you won’t dare miss. ”

Interested participants can register for this event only (event code ASC1), or can register in conjunction with
Midwinter Meeting registration by adding it as a ticketed event. For institute-only registration using the online form, select “Institute and Ticketed Events Only” as the registration type and proceed to select this event from the list. Advance registration for the meeting and this event opens Oct. 1 and ends Dec. 4, 2009. Advance registration prices for this event are $195 for ASCLA and ALA members, $145 for retired and student members and $225 for non-ALA members. On-site registration, priced at $225 for ASCLA and ALA members, $170 for retired and student members and $260 for non-ALA members, will be available until Friday, Jan. 8. All interested participants must register by Jan. 8—there will not be seats available at the door on the day of the event.

ASCLA, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is a diverse organization of librarians and support staff who work in academic and public libraries, state agencies, specialized libraries and multi-type cooperatives, as well as those who are self-employed. Not an ASCLA member, but interested in discounted registration rates on conference, ASCLA preconferences and other ASCLA events? Join, renew or add ASCLA to your ALA membership at
www.ala.org/membership.