So many great links this week. So difficult to choose!

Stephen's Lighthouse offers his Predictions on the Future of Book Publishing.  What do you think?

The Greater Cleveland Chapter of AJL has an article by our very own Linda Silver called For the Trees, a list of recommended books for Tu B'Shevat. I'll have more Tu B'Shevat book lists next week. I was overwhelmed with the responses I got when I put out my call for ideas!

OnLion, the blog from Behrman House, offers Transformative Learning in the Religious School Classroom.

Yehuda Halevi, National Jewish Book Award Winner!, from Schocken Books.

A List to End All Lists! from the Jewish Publication Society.

The Jewish Literary Review has The Comic Torah: Reimagining a Very Good Book.

What's Your Favorite Yiddish Word? from the Yiddish Book Center.

Have a great week. Email me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org with questions, feedback or suggestions.

Posted by Marie.

Tomorrow, Wednesday January 12 will find AJL- and hopefully you- participating in its second Facebook Friday live chat on Facebook.

The details:

Who: Daniel Stuhlman, blogger and AJL librarian

Where: AJL's Facebook page here.

When: Wednesday, January 12 at 11amCST/12pmEST

What: A live Q&A chat on library marketing.

You must "like" AJL on Facebook in order to participate. To ask questions, just use the "Status Update" tool.

You can find a full transcript of last week's Facebook Friday chat with Ann Abrams of Temple Israel, Boston, here. Ann answered questions on running a synagogue library.

Want more Facebook Friday? Want to be a guest host? Email Marie Cloutier at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org by the end of January.

Music: "Conflict in the Middle Table" by Michael Stampler

Howard Schwartz and Kristina Swarner, author and illustrator of Gathering Sparks, Barry Deutsch, author and illustrator of Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, and Dana Reinhardt, author of The Things a Brother Knows are the 2011 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Montreal this June.

Schwartz and Swarner will receive the 2011 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for Gathering Sparks, published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing. Both are second time winners. In 1992, Schwartz received the Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Diamond Tree: Jewish Tales from Around the World. Swarner earned the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Award for her illustrations in The Bedtime Sh’ma: A Goodnight Book by Sarah Gershman.

Gathering Sparks is based on a sixteenth century teaching of “tikkun olam,” or “repairing the world.” Committee member Debbie Colodny commented, “Schwartz spins a calming tale that suggests that the way to bring peace and well-being to our world is by doing good deeds and loving

one another... Swarner’s art and Schwartz’s poetic words interpret the concept of the vessel as a fleet of ships outlined in the night sky by millions of starry points of light.”

Deutsch will receive the 2011 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category for Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Books. This is the first graphic novel to win the Award. Committee member Aimee Lurie noted, “Mirka is a clever, headstrong and imaginative heroine who will appeal to a wide audience. Teens who feel like they don’t fit in will have no trouble relating to her balancing what is best for her family versus her desire to fight dragons. Grounded in her religious beliefs, she is willing to put her fantasies aside to celebrate Shabbat. The illustrations strike the perfect balance of showing a realistic Orthodox community, while creating the perfect backdrop for a fairytale.”

Reinhardt will receive the 2011 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for The Things a Brother Knows, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Levi’s older brother Boaz is a military hero, and Levi has always lived in his shadow. Now Boaz is returning from war and it seems everyone thinks Levi is the luckiest boy in town. When Boaz refuses to engage with his family and barely leaves his room, Levi wonders if his brother will ever be normal. Committee member Rita Soltan said, “Reinhardt creates a moving portrayal of teen characters … She provides balance through Levi and Boaz’s Israeli grandfather, who served in Israel and has experienced war and suicide bombings.  Realistic and subtle, her story unfolds with enough suspense, sardonic humor and pathos to keep readers focused until a conclusion that leaves room for pondering interpretation.”  In 2007, Reinhardt earned a Sydney Taylor Honor Award for A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life.

Nine Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2011.  For Younger Readers, the Honor Award Winners are: Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book by Sarah Gershman with illustrations by Kristina Swarner (EKS Publishing), Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser with illustrations by Claire A. Nivola (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children), and Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale by Barbara Diamond Goldin with illustrations by Jaime Zollars (Marshall Cavendish Children). Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Older Readers include: Resistance by Carla Jablonski with art by Leland Purvis (First Second, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group), One Is Not a Lonely Number by Evelyn Krieger (YM Books, an imprint of YALDAH Media, Inc.), and Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books). For Teen readers, the Honor Award Winners are: Hush by Eishes Chayil (Walker & Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing), Once by Morris Gleitzman (Henry Holt and Company), and Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.).

In addition to the medal-winners, the Award Committee designated twenty-seven Notable Books of Jewish Content for 2011: thirteen in the Younger Readers Category, seven in the Older Readers Category, and seven for Teens.  Notable titles, and more information about the Sydney Taylor Book Award, may be found online at www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org.

A blog tour, featuring interviews with winning authors and illustrators, will take place in early February, with participation from a wide range of children's literature, family interest, and Jewish blogs. The blog tour schedule will appear on the Association of Jewish Libraries' blog "People of the Books" at JewishLibraries.org/blog.

# # #

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:

Gathering Sparks by Howard Schwartz with illustrations by Kristina Swarner

(Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

(Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:

The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

(Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Younger Readers:

Modeh Ani: A Good Morning Book by Sarah Gershman with illustrations by Kristina Swarner

(EKS Publishing)

Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser with illustrations by Claire A. Nivola

(Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)

Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale by Barbara Diamond Goldin with illustrations by Jaime Zollars

(Marshall Cavendish Children)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Older Readers:

Resistance by Carla Jablonski with illustrations by Leland Purvis

(First Second, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

One Is Not a Lonely Number by Evelyn Krieger

(YM Books, an imprint of YALDAH Media, Inc.)

Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer

(Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winners for Teen Readers:

Hush by Eishes Chayil

(Walker & Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing)

Once by Morris Gleitzman

(Henry Holt and Company)

Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman

(Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.)

Notable Books for Younger Readers:

Engineer Ari and the Sukkah Express by Deborah Bodin Cohen with illustrations by Shahar Kober

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Feivel's Flying Horses by Heidi Smith Hyde with illustrations by Johanna van der Sterre

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Miriam in the Desert by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Natascia Ugliano

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah by Leslie Kimmelman with illustrations by Paul Meisel

(Holiday House)

Say Hello, Lily by Deborah Lakritz with illustrations by Martha Aviles

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Beautiful Yetta, The Yiddish Chicken by Daniel Pinkwater with illustrations by Jill Pinkwater

(Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

A Tale of Two Seders by Mindy Avra Portnoy with illustrations by Valeria Cis

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Jackie's Gift by Sharon Robinson with illustrations by E.B. Lewis

(The Viking Press, an imprint of Penguin)

Zishe the Strong Man by Robert Rubenstein with illustrations by Woody Miller

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

Sara Finds a Mitzva by Rebeka Simhaee with illustrations by Michael Weber

(Hachai Publishing)

Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to be Kosher by Laurel Snyder with illustrations by David Goldin

(Tricycle Press, an imprint of The Crown Trade Group/Random House)

The Rooster Prince of Breslov by Ann Stampler with illustrations by Eugene Yelchin

(Clarion, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Dear Tree by Doba Rivka Weber with illustrations by Phyllis Saroff

(Hachai Publishing)

Notable Books for Older Readers:

Is It Night or Day? by Fern Schumer Chapman

(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

Kings and Carpenters: One Hundred Bible Land Jobs You Might Have Praised or Panned

by Laurie Coulter with illustrations by Mary Newbigging

(Annick Press)

Hot Pursuit: Murder in Mississippi by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon with illustrations by Craig Orback

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

The Orphan Rescue by Anne Dublin with illustrations by Qin Leng

(Second Story Press)

The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy

(Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group)

Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp by Trisha Marx with photographs by Cindy Karp

(Lee & Low Books)

Mitzvah the Mutt by Sylvia Rouss with illustrations by Martha Rast

(Yaldah Publishing)

Notable Books for Teen Readers:

An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank by Elaine Marie Alphin

(Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner)

Annexed by Sharon Dogar

(Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)

Inconvenient by Margie Gelbwasser

(Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.)

Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

(Hill and Wang)

Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff

(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan)

Under a Red Sky: Memoir of a Childhood in Communist Romania by Haya Leah Molnar

(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan)

Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oron

(Annick Press)

Welcome to 2011 and here we are yet again with our roundup of great links on libraries, librarianship, Jewish libraries, books, and more.

Don't Make It Easy For Them, this month's entry in ACRLog's monthly academic-librarian guest-post series.

Re-energize Your Students, from OnLion/Behrman House. This sounds fun!

From Booklist's Points of Reference blog, Subject Encyclopedias Dead or Alive is an interesting article in the context of Jewish libraries and the questions many of us face around collection development.

From the Jewish Literary Reviews comes an Interview with Bryna Kranzler, author of The Accidental Anarchist, the story of her grandfather in the early 1900s Russia.

The Yiddish Book Center asks, Which Yiddish Books Would You Like to See Translated? And it's not an idle question...

Are you going? London's Jewish Book Week, at the Jewish Book Council blog. Wow!

That's it for this week. Come back on Monday for the schedule of the remaining Facebook Friday Q&As in January and if you're reading this before 1pm EST don't forget to check out today's event at AJL's Facebook page starting at noon EST!

Contact me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org or a leave a comment on this post with suggestions and feedback.

Posted by Marie.

Ann Abrams, librarian at Temple Israel, Boston,  will answer questions for an hour starting at noon EST on the subject of running a small synagogue library. She has been the librarian at Temple Israel for a number of years and has a lot of expertise on this important subject.

Here are the details:

What: How to run a small synagogue library.

Who: Ann Abrams, librarian at Temple Israel, Boston.

When: Friday, January 7, 2011 at 12:00 noon EST.

Where: Log on to Facebook.com. You must “like” the Association of Jewish Libraries to participate. (This link will take you to the AJL Facebook page.)


How: Ask questions by posting a status update (click on the Status button).

Come back on Monday to see the schedule for the second and third sessions coming up!

I did an informal survey of AJL librarians recently, asking them for their favorite Jewish books of 2010. They gave me some great responses! Here they are:

Barbara Bibel says her favorites are

Kenneth Wishnia. The Fifth Servant (Morrow)

Julie Orringer. The Invisible Bridge (Knopf/Random House)

On Friday, January 8, AJL librarian Ann Abrams joined us for a Q&A on running a synagogue library:

Question 1: Association of Jewish Libraries I don’t know if I can log on at noon for FB Friday, so I’m posting a question early. Ann, can you talk a bit about how a synagogue library can successfully compete for attention with all the other projects and activities going on within the synagogue? Thanks.

Association of Jewish Libraries Marie says, thanks for asking, Heidi! Ann will be here soon.

Ann Abrams When I was in library school, one comment a professor made, in particular, that stayed with me, was, to make ourselves be, as much as possible, indispensable to an institution. In those days, the example he gave was, if a professor asked for a copy of something, don’t just leave it in their box, but deliver it to thei…r office. I’ve tried to do that in different ways: by trying to anticipate requests by clergy, staff, faculty and congregants; building relationships with everyone I deal with; and trying to stay current on what’s going on in the library world, re: the programs I bring to the synagogue.

Ann Abrams Also, to more adquately respond to Heidi’s earlier question, I have an annual Jewish Book Month Program, which, very fortunately, was endowed 16 years ago. We bring in an author on a Friday evening or Sunday morning, have a nice oneg and book signing. It’s sponsored by the library committee, and I run it, so it keep…s us in the limelight, if you will. I try to be careful to not have our book group and other programs conflict with others, so folks don’t have to choose between one good thind and another.

Question 2: Amy Fellner Dominy Hi Ann. As an author, I’m wondering how you decide what books to carry in your library? I’m guessing your funds are limited…

Ann Abrams Most libraries have collection development policies, that guide us in making decisions about what to purchase. In my case, I try to purchase material that supports the school and adult learning programs of our synagogue, as well as materials for pleasure reading as well. in the last few years, my budget has shrunk quite a bit, like in most libraries, and so, unfortunately, I often am not able to get everything that would fit into those categories I just mentioned.

Daniel Stuhlman To answer Amy — All libraries purchase materials that will serve their readers. Schools try to select materials that support the curriculum. All libraries try to purchase quality materials.

Amy Fellner Dominy Thanks Daniel. I do wonder how synagogue librarians get information on upcoming books? Is it through the same catalogs as other libraries or are their special methods to find books with Jewish themes and content?

Daniel Stuhlman Acquisitions is an interesting challenge because no library has the money to purchase all they want. They are limited by budget, space and time. Gifts are a mixed blessing — the library gets materials that they did not fully selection to acquire. Ann, how do you deal with the challenges?

Ann Abrams At our library, we look at the NY Times Book Review, Library Journal, and of course, the AJL newsletter. We also look at whatever online or hard-copy Jewish journals have book reviews. I also look at blogs by folks who review Jewish books, including Boston Bibliophile, by our own AJL member Marie Cloutier.

Amy Fellner Dominy Wonderful information! Thanks. :-)

Ann Abrams Also, if there’s a publisher that I’ve purchased many materials from, I’ll look at their catalog. But, generally, I like to see at least one positive review (and not an Amazon review by a fan, but a review in a publication) before purchasing an item, unless I’ve read the book, or seen the film, myself.

Question 3: Sheryl Stahl Hi Ann! I was wondering if you run any book clubs? and if so, how they work out.

Sheryl Stahl I guess I should have added that our congregation has a monthly book club as well as a yearly “everyone read the same book” program – but they are run through the ed. committees and not the library.

Ann Abrams Re: Sheryl’s question, about book clubs. I do run a book club, along with our Women of Reform Judaism (formerly Sisterhood). It is monthly, and I learned quickly not to plan too many titles ahead of time, as the folks in my group often would come across something they really liked, and so, now at each meeting, I anno…unce the book for the following month (as opposed to what I tried in the beginning, of creating a year-long list of titles) We’ve read a lot of the same things other Jewish clubs have read (from what I see on the AJL website of bookgroup lists), and we try to pick something that has at least some Jewish content (although some folks don’t feel strongly about that), and is a good read. We get 7-10 folks a week, mostly women, 70 and up, and the discussions are always lively.

Question 4: Joyce Levine Hi Ann, Thanks for doing this exciting Q&A Facebook blog. I wonder if you could answer question recently posted on Hasafran by a JCC librarian. Do you circulate e-books at all? It was pointed out that in many institutions people are not as interested in borrowing books or even consulting the reference section as much sin…ce they do so much online nowadays.

Ann Abrams Hi, Joyce. We don’t have e-books, yet, but it’s something I’m looking into, and am following, with interest, discussions about them. If anyone else has experience with this, please chime in!

Joyce Levine Maybe someone could run at session about e-books at Convention. We would all love to learn more. If any of you out there are knowledgeable and would be willing to do this, please let me know.

Question 5: Joyce Levine I got burnt recently by accepting a rather large donation suggested by a Board member. Most of the books were unsuitable for our school library. I generally try to visit the home of the potential donor and just pick out what I want, which does not cause any “disposal” problems of unwanted materials.

Ann Abrams One of the most important documents every library should have, which was conveyed to me by a colleague a long time ago (I think at an AJL convention), is a gifts policy. Our gifts policy states that we have the right of refusal. It is stated more politely than that, but, that way, we can say, “Thank you for thinking …of us…if there’s something here we can add to our collection, we will, but, if not, we’re happy to try to find homes for the material if you’re agreeable to that.” As a result, we are able to get quite a few very good materials for our collection; and, I’m lucky to have assistants to help type up lists of the rest, so I can offer them to our clergy, staff, teachers, and other libraries.

Ann Abrams Re: book donations and Joyce’s comment, my observation is that most folks just can’t bear the thought of throwing books away, and are just happy to have someone take them. What Joyce says she does is very smart because, unfortunately, sometimes donations of old books can bring mildew, mold, bugs… other things we do…n’t want in our library. So, I agree, if it’s possible to go to the home, and take what you want – that’s a great way to avoid problems.

Ann Abrams Something I’m dealing with right now is what to do with really old books – not books that an appraiser would say are rare – but, books on Jewish topics that happen to have been written in the 1800?s and early 1900?s. I’m wondering what other folks with these types of books do with them, if, anything different than hav…ing them on the shelf? I just posted to hasafran on this, too.

Daniel Stuhlman Ann, concerning old books — it depends on your collection development policy. In my studies I need old books. I can’t expect my synagogue library to have them because they don’t have the room. Since most library users want the latest and greatest, it would be best if the collection could have a segregated stacks for older materials.

Sheryl Stahl we ended up weeding most of our old books too – we had a pretty successful book sale with them.

Ann Abrams In terms of the limits you mention, Daniel, I think I do the best I can, like everyone else. I try to prioritize, and, in the age of the Internet, I can, at least, say to folks, “We don’t have this item, but I can try to find it for you, elsewhere.”

Ann Abrams I agree a session about e-books sounds like a good idea! And thanks to Daniel and Sheryl for your comments and suggestions about what to do with old books.

Question 6: Lan Eng Ann, besides dealing with members, how do you work with the other constituent groups at your synagogue. Specifically, how do you work with your rabbis, religious school director and other staff members? Do you have regular meetings with them?

Ann Abrams Hi, Lan, thanks for your question. My position is part of the Education dept, so the Education director (same as Religious School Director) is my supervisor. The Educ dept has monthly meetings, and the other folks in this group are: the Director of Elementary Education, Family Educator, Youth Director, and the Assist…ant to the Educ. Director. We also have monthl all-staff meetings which I attend. But, I have interactions with everyone on the staff: the clergy often ask me for help finding materials, or creating resource lists for life cycle events; I send emails to all the staff re: things that I think might be of interest, for example, that they all have access to electronic resources.

Ann Abrams Many of the members of the staff use the library for their pleasure reading. The rabbis lead a weekly torah study group, and often use the library for preparation. The library is fortunately in the center of the building, so I can easily walk around to see folks, and be seen, to encourage casual conversation. I’ve be…en at the temple for over 20 years, and so I can sometimes anticipate what folks might want for annual programs, and will send it to them before they ask.

Question 7: Joyce Levine I know this is a pretty big topic and sorry to raise it at the last minute, but I was wondering if you run your own fundraising events and if so, what kinds? Or does your synagogue totally fund the library?

Ann Abrams My book, film, cd and other library material budget is completely from donations, in the form of “book shelves,” which are really book funds. I have an annual book fair, and make approx $600 a year from that. That’s all I have at the moment. I have an email list of library supporters and occasionally let them know …what’s going on so they can see where their money’s going. The temple has a development director and I sometimes chat with her about ways to raise revenue.

Joyce Levine Thank you. I hope to continue this conversation at a future time. Shabbat shalom!

Association of Jewish Libraries Ann, thank you so much for taking the time to answer questions in AJL’s inaugural Facebook Friday! And thanks to everyone who participated!

On Wednesday, January 12, AJL librarian Daniel Stuhlman joined us for a free-flowing discussion on the subject of library marketing.

Association of Jewish Libraries Welcome to AJL's second "Facebook Friday" (on Wednesday this time). Today's guest is AJL librarian Daniel Stuhlman, who'll take your questions for the next hour on library marketing. Welcome, Daniel!

Association of Jewish Libraries Please post your questions using the "Status Update" button

In 2009 Dean Hendrix, et al. published “Use of Facebook in academic health sciences libraries” in : . Journal of the Medical Library Association. (Jan 2009. Vol. 97, Iss. 1)

Daniel Stuhlman Please post remarks in the "post" tab above. That is easier for everyone to see the latest remarks.

Daniel Stuhlman Good morning or for you in the Eastern time zone, Good afternoon
Thanks for joining us. I was told that the January issue of College and Research Libraries (January 2011 vol. &2:1) has an article on using Facebook as a library tool. Unfortunately I didn’t read this article yet.

This is not a new topic in 2007 Laurie C...harnigo and Paula Barnett-Ellis published “Checking Out Facebook.com: The Impact of a Digital Trend on Academic Libraries” in . Information Technology and Libraries. ( Mar 2007. Vol. 26, Iss. 1; )

Sheryl Stahl Steven - your definitely right about authority control - I don't think the article was saying that FB was a good as a catalog - just that you can use the features of FB to explain the features of a catalog or subscription database.

Daniel Stuhlman Library marketing is about getting people into the library and its programs, public relations is to spread news about and concerning the library, cataloging and other tech services are the foundation of the library and its collection. Public services is between them. Without a catalog, acquisitions, and buildings, th...ere is no library. Without marketing no one knows what is happening or planned for the library. Both marketing and tech services have the goal of connecting collections, information and programs to the users via the public services of reference and circulation.

However, frequently the roles of the triad are intertwined. A librarian can be doing all three in the course of the day.

Steven Bergson Here's something slightly off-topic.

There's a new concept out there (well ... new to me, at least). It's called the "content ecosystem" and there's a blog post about it at http://www.virtualwatercooler.com/blog/?p=459#

I am wondering if you think that libraries (& Judaica libraries) have a place in such an ecosystem. If... not, shoud they?

The Content Ecosystem « Virtual Watercooler

www.virtualwatercooler.com

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the content ecosystem lately. I’ve been considering the entire end-to-end process of organizing, creating, managing, and publishing content for the global marketplace.

Sheryl Stahl Steven - I remember reading an article in Library school (way back when) that one reason that librarians sometimes don't seem to get much respect is that we disseminate content rather than create it. We don't generally "make" things. I think that we're being forced to change that and to get into the creating business.

Steven Bergson

With all due respect to the author of that article, librarians have been creating "content" for a long time. It's just that such content is often taken for granted.

Bibliographies, subject guides, "how to do research", catalogs, indexes. The...se are usually considered dull &/or unnecessary ... until a patron desperately needs it and then they can't thank us enough for our hard work. ;)

Daniel Stuhlman Does your library offer superior services? Have you told the world about your services? Marketing is not just about your products and services it is about focusing on the needs of your readers, users and stakeholders.

Daniel Stuhlman Many librarians have a great difficulty stepping back and examining what the people really need or want. Are you determining the differences between "needs" and "wants?" Are you trying to access what your users and and potential users need and want?

Daniel Stuhlman Steven, I am not familiar with "content ecosystem" I will have to reserve a comment for later.

Daniel Stuhlman Steven and Sheryl -- I wrote about authority control several years ago. It is a concept that non-librarians don't understand.

Sheryl Stahl ain't that the truth!

Ellen Tilman We are constantly trying to let our customers know what resources are available in our synagogue library. Right now I am looking for the best vehicle to let the congregation know that they can find the just announced Sydney Taylor Books and Jewish Book Council Award winners right in the Meyers Library. Any suggestions?

Steven Bergson Do you e-mail newsletters out to your members (the ones who have e-mail, natch)?

Daniel Stuhlman I see Facebook as one tool in the marketing tool box. It is an easy way to have a public face. A good home page and web site need more work for creating and maintaining than a FB page.

Sheryl Stahl we tried that and have a page - but while a bunch of students a couple of years ago "liked" us - the new batch hasn't. We have a link from our library home page. Any other suggestions of how to draw them to the page?

Association of Jewish Libraries and as the dominant social network, many of your patrons are likely on Facebook already- so having a page and encouraging people to "like" it is an easy way to reach them.

Daniel Stuhlman Even the physical arrangement of furniture, stacks, and signs should be part of the marketing plan of a library.

Daniel Stuhlman Ellen, There is no "best way." One needs to hit the public with the message using several methods such as e-mail, signs, flyers, newsletters, personal contact, etc. Different folks respond to different kinds of messages.

Daniel Stuhlman Marketing also is matter of timing. Are you getting people the message at a time they are able to use it?

Ellen Tilman I plan to include a notice in our weekly email message as well as a posting on the congregational website and facebook page. Unfortunately, not everyone is connected. I will also post the information on our "physical bulletin board" in the main hallway. I also think I will send an email to the Religious school faculty.

Ellen Tilman I do have a library email list. I forgot about that as a marketing tool. Thanks for reminding me!

Daniel Stuhlman Sheryl-- I work in a college with more than 11,000 students. Fewer than 100 have friend-ed the library's FB page. We don't really push it since the person in charge of the library is not enthusiastic about it.

Association of Jewish Libraries Can you suggest it to the leaders in your library? By that, I mean use the "Suggest to Friends" feature to bring it to folks' attention?

Daniel Stuhlman We also tried Twitter, but few follow our tweets. I do hope that if someone uses a search engine they can find us.

Association of Jewish Libraries In my opinion Twitter works well as a networking tool- building relationships with individuals- and less well as an announcement or advertising tool.

Daniel Stuhlman In ancient times before the library had a computer, I had a constantly changing bulletin board promoting new books and periodicals.

Association of Jewish Libraries In my old library that stuff still works wonders! You can't beat person to person sharing & visual, tactile displays.

Sheryl Stahl Another challenge that we've been dealing with is that many of our patrons have/use technology that we (the library or the librarians) don't have yet. Most of our students have smart phones - I don't!

Daniel Stuhlman My college bombards faculty and students with e-mail. Everyone is automatically given and an e-mail account. The library does send e-mail very often. Occasionally we will tell the faculty about a recent article that is very appropriate or timely.

Ellen Tilman Last year our congregation received a grant for an Israel program. I was the coordinator. I placed a lifesize cutout of our Rabbi in the main lobby. Each week I would place an Israel oriented question onto a bulletin board he was holding. This unusual marketing tool attracted a lot of attention. Maybe I should try something similar for the library.

Daniel Stuhlman Please write in the "Post" tab. It is hard to find and answer when you reply to another message.

Sheryl Stahl I disagree! I get notified when you or someone else comments on my post - I can't really stay glued to FB waiting to see if anyone will answer

Stacye Mehard Any suggestions for asking for donations of material for a free library that recieves no funds?

Daniel Stuhlman I don't have a smart phone either. You may want to tell users that WorldCat is available from a smart phone.

Ellen Tilman Our problem is getting too many book donations of books that we already have or don't need in our collection. We love to receive "dollar" donations that have not limitations on them -- unrestricted gifts are ideal.

Daniel Stuhlman Ellen, a life sized cut sounds great. It adds a personal touch to the questions.

Association of Jewish Libraries Sheryl, regarding smart phones, maybe the library could create a one-pager or pathfinder on library-oriented apps, like Worldcat as Daniel suggests.

Association of Jewish Libraries Just a few more minutes- any last minute questions for Daniel?

Daniel Stuhlman Getting the word out that you offer superior service is not easy. First you really have to offer superior service and believe in yourself. Then you have tell people via personal, electronic and print media what you do. We have to weed out the negative thoughts.

Association of Jewish Libraries That about wraps it up! Thank you Daniel, for a great chat, and thanks to everyone who dropped by with questions.

Well, here we are, up to our last link roundup of 2010. It's been quite a year online and off for AJL. Here are some great links on Jewish libraries, librarianship, books and more, to round out the calendar year.

Yet Another Russian-Immigrant Novel, from Tablet.

From Stephen's Lighthouse, 2000 vs. 2010: How the World has Changed. Includes statistics on demographics, technology, entertainment and more.

From ResourceShelf, Amazon Enables Kindle's Lending Feature and Other E-Book/Publishing Briefs.

'Unexpectedly Eighty': Judith Viorst's Poetry of Aging, from The Sisterhood.

Have a great week! Contact me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org with feedback or suggestions.

Posted by Marie.

During the month of January 2011, AJL will be presenting three programs in a new initiative called Facebook Fridays.

The complete schedule is still under construction but we have our first program lined up on Friday, January 7, with librarian Ann Abrams of Boston's Temple Israel.

Ann will answer questions for an hour starting at noon EST on the subject of running a small synagogue library. She has been the librarian at Temple Israel for a number of years and has a lot of expertise on this important subject.

Here are the details:

What: How to run a small synagogue library.

Who: Ann Abrams, librarian at Temple Israel, Boston.

When: Friday, January 7, 2011 at 12:00 noon EST.

Where: Log on to Facebook.com. You must "like" the Association of Jewish Libraries to participate. (This link will take you to the AJL Facebook page.)


How: Ask questions by posting a status update (click on the Status button).

We have two other programs coming up in January- watch this space for details!

Here we are back again with this week's collection of interesting links from around the web on libraries, Jewish books and more.

From ACRLog, Incorporating Failure into Library Instruction.

Tu B'Shevat books for kids, from the Jewish Literary Review.

From EarlyWord.com, Procrastinator's Guide: MidWinter '11, for those going to ALA MidWinter in a couple of weeks.

The Genesis of a Cartoon, from the Jewish Book Council.

The Future of Publishing, from Stephen's Lighthouse.

Have a great week! Email me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org.

Posted by Marie.

Save the date, Tuesday, January 18, 2011, in the AM, for the 2011 Reference Workshop of the New York Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries, which will be held at the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue at 42^nd Street.

Program:

Evaluating the Usability of Digital Information – Dr. David Walczyk, Assistant Professor of Information & Library Science, Pratt Institute

Staying on the Cutting Edge: Jewish Studies Research in a Digital World – Michelle Chesner, Librarian for Jewish Studies, Columbia University

Future Developments in AJL – Jim Rosenbloom, President, Association of Jewish Libraries

The Reference Workshop will coincide with NYPL’s exhibition “Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam.” For information about this important exhibition, go to:

http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/three-faiths-judaism-christianity-islam.

Full details about the 2011 Reference Workshop will be available soon – make sure to save the date and plan to join us.

Posted by Marie.

It's been another busy week for the blogosphere and we have plenty of terrific links for you on libraries, Jewish libraries, books and publishing and more.

Margo from The Fourth Musketeer offers us My Top Books for the Eight Nights of Hanukkah.

AJL's own Edith Lubetski has an article featured in Theological Librarianship, "Considerations in Preparing a Biblical Bibliography: Case Study: The Scroll of Esther"; you can find the download here.

Gartner Research Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2011.

Stephen Abram of Stephen's Lighthouse lists The 10 Ways Social Media Will Change in 2011. This brief laundry-list post is a great starting-point for thinking and talking about the evolution of social media in the immediate future.

Schocken Books' blog features Joseph Tellushkin's Hillel: If Not Now, When?

Yiddish Literature Making A Comeback? from the Jewish Literary Review.

From OnLion, Without Bread... Reflections on Resources and Funding.

On Twitter? On Wednesday, January 12 from 12:30pm- 1:10pm EST, the Jewish Book Council will lead a Twitter Book Club chat about Elizabeth Rosner's novel Blue Nude.

That's it for this week. See you back here next Friday for more links and news. Email feedback or suggestions to mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org.

Posted by Marie.

Welcome to the December edition of the Jewish Book Carnival, a monthly event where bloggers who blog about Jewish books can meet, read and comment on each others’ posts.

This month, the Carnival is hosted by My Machberet and you can find the post here.

The carnival was started by Heidi Estrin and Marie Cloutier to build community among bloggers and blogs who feature Jewish books. It will run every month on the 15th. The Carnival headquarters is here.

The Jewish Book Carnival has a GoodReads page, where we host discussions and more. Whether or not you’re participating, we hope you’ll stop by, join and take part!

If you’d like to participate, either to host or contribute a link, send me an email to mcloutier@Jewishlibraries.org and I’ll get you hooked up on the particulars. We are actively looking for hosts from June 15 forward.


In the mean time, visit My Machberet for this month’s carnival and don’t forget to check out the many great participating bloggers!

An anti-Semitic incident at Indiana University, Bloomington in November included not only rock-throwing, but defilement of Jewish texts from the shelves of the library. In support of IU's Jewish Studies program, our AJL member librarian at IU, and the university's efforts to combat prejudice, AJL President James Rosenbloom sent the following letter to IU President Dr. Michael A. McRobbie.

Dear Dr. McRobbie:

Recent anti-Semitic acts on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington are of great concern to the Association of Jewish Libraries, of which librarian Noa Wahrman is a member. Rock throwing at a Chabad House, at a church where synagogue services are held, and at a Hillel Center are shocking acts of anti-Semitic vandalism. The vandal or vandals also struck at the cultural heart of Judaism by taking eight volumes of Hebrew commentaries on the Talmud from the Library’s shelves and defiling them in bathrooms. We are not dealing with someone ignorant of Judaism. This act is a deliberate effort to insult and hurt Jews.

The Association of Jewish Libraries condemns these vicious acts. We are pleased to hear that the FBI and police are actively seeking to apprehend the individual or individuals responsible for this hate crime. We commend your administration’s and community’s quick and strong response to these acts. This is an appropriate moment to educate everyone in your community about the evils of prejudice and hatred in general, and about anti-Semitism in particular.

The members of the Association of Jewish Libraries stand in solidarity with you in your fight against anti-Semitism, and will support you in your efforts to combat this evil, which has unfortunately appeared on some campuses.

Yours truly,

James P. Rosenbloom
President, Association of Jewish Libraries

To read more about the incident itself in Jweekly, click here.

To read about Indiana University's response to the incident, click here.

Here are some great links on libraries, librarianship, Jewish books and more. Included are a book list, great posts to share, links new resources and an opportunity to add a new reference book to the shelf.

My Top Books for the Eight Nights of Hanukkah, by Marg at The Fourth Musketeer blog.

Ebooks for professional development: ALA's books available on the Google Ebookstore.

A Fresh Look at Your Home Library, from Reading Rockets. This is a great post to share with patrons, too!

On Twitter? Want to find out what Jewish organizations are there? See AJL's list here. And see all of AJL's list at AJL's Twitter homepage

The Distributed Library: Our Two-Year Experiment, this month's guest blog at ACRLog.

Great Reference Ideas Contest, from Salem Press. Any Jewish topics that need to be covered in a reference work? Suggest them here!

From ResourceShelf, Harvard Business Review's "Six Social Media Trends for 2011."

Email me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org with feedback or suggestions and have a great week.

Posted by Marie.

Ellen Tilman, Director of Library Services at Meyers Library, Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel?, attended the recent Jewish Childrens' Writers & Illustrators Conferences and offers this summary of her experiences and impressions.

A Library Person’s View of The Jewish Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference

By Ellen Tilman

I attended the Jewish Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in New York City this past November out of curiosity as a Jewish Children’s book person. I knew no one at the conference. I was looking for a children’s author to do a program in my congregational library and have always considered writing a children’s book. For me, the conference was a success. I left with a stack of business cards, names of potential speakers, a list of possible books to purchase for my library and helpful advice on becoming a professional writer.

I heard about the conference from the Jewish Book Council and on Barbara Krasner’s Blog: The Whole Megillah.  I find her book reviews on Jewish children’s books to be very helpful in making library selections. She did a yeoman’s job organizing this event. Every minute was scheduled with presentations from editors, agents, and authors. There was an extended lunch hour to permit networking among participants.

Aileen Grossberg and Kathe Pinchuck represented AJL and discussed the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Competition and the Sydney Taylor Book Awards. The participants I met were either published authors or individuals looking for publishers. Several had books that were scheduled for publication this spring.

Stephanie Lurie, an editor at Disney-Hyperion,talked about the 3 H’s of Jewish children’s books: Holidays; History; and Holocaust. She shared titles of her favorite Jewish Children’s books. As a library person, I found her discussion of the types of books being published at mass market publishers, such as Disney-Hyperion, to be upsetting. They are interested in books with a universal appeal, that can be shared with the family, have positive role models, subtle values, leave the world a better place, etc. Fantasy and Science Fiction titles are in high demand. This would seem to severely limit books on Jewish themes.

Mark Levine, the Executive Editor at Behrman House shared the innovative new directions for this publisher. They are interested in “Digital Interactive Books.” As I understood his description, the reader will help develop the story line and will participate as a character. These books will be multi-sensory with audio and video components. The author and reader will have a shared communal experience. They are also exploring “Trans-Media Story Telling.” He described this as a multi-platform approach to publishing with books, on-line features, and the ability to be interactive with games, etc. I am not sure how this type of publishing would relate to a congregational library, but I am certainly eager to learn more.

Judye Groner, Editorial Director of Kar -Ben Publishers, said that they are publishing books featuring new Jewish traditions (such as Tashlich or Rosh Hodesh); American Jewish history, and today’s kids. An unusual feature of this conference was the opportunity for authors and illustrators to arrange individual consultations with publishers. Other speakers discussed the Agent-Author Relationship and marketing secrets. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the final speaker and Question and Answer Panel in order to catch my bus back to Philadelphia.

My “follow-up” list includes researching these titles for possible inclusion in our collection: “Jumping Jenny” by Ellen Bari (Kar-Ben); “Noah’s Swim-A-Thon” by Ann Koffsky (URJ); “The Life and Opinions of Amy Finewitz” by Laura Toffler-Corrie (Roaring Brook), and “Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword” by Barry Deutsch. I enjoyed this Conference and would encourage other AJL members to attend in the future.

Some fun Chanukah-related posts:

The Donut Diaries- First Night, from TCJewfolk.

Happy Hanukkah (in song), from Jewesses with Attitude.

From the Jewish Book Council and featuring several members of AJL, It's Christmastime for Chanukah Books.

Hanukkah Lights 2010, from National Public Radio.

Now some non-holiday related posts:

Brown University's John Carter Brown Library features an online exhibit on Jews and the Americas.

Finding 'Teachable Moments' in Animal Tales, from National Public Radio.

Just for fun from the Library History Buff Blog, a New York Society Library Charger, 1798-1792. Do you have any interesting artifacts in your library you'd like to share with the AJL community?

From the University of Toronto Libraries newsletter, Creating a Culture of Connection Among Instructors, Librarians and Students, an academic libraries perspective.

The Academic Librarian's Identity Conflict, from the ACRLog.

Got some great links to share? Feedback? Email me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org. Have a happy holiday!

Posted by Marie.

Library Snapshot Day 2010

The People of the Book really do love libraries! In November 2010, during Jewish Book Month, 30 Jewish libraries participated in Library Snapshot Day.  The event, sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, was created to let all types of Judaic libraries record what happens in a day in the life of a library. Across North America, libraries in synagogues, day schools, community centers and universities picked one day during the first two weeks of November to hold the event. Collectively, participating libraries served 3,548 patrons on Library Snapshot Day.

The Activities

From Jewish hubs like Chicago, IL to smaller Jewish communities like Tulsa, OK, from sunny Miami, FL to chilly Montreal, Quebec, Jewish libraries held author visits, study groups, literary and computer quizzes, artist receptions, book discussions, book sales, scavenger hunts, craft projects, parenting programs, charity drives, and children’s story times. Eleven of the participating libraries shared their circulation statistics, revealing that at least 745 books were checked out during Library Snapshot Day.

The Feedback

Every participating library reported overwhelmingly positive feedback from its community. Common themes included praise for the library as a quiet, peaceful environment in which to read and work, kudos for the hard work of librarians (many of whom, apparently, “rock”), and appreciation for the many print and digital resources provided. A patron at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Great Neck, NY said “The library is a great place to study and clear your head. I always feel relaxed and very welcomed when I come to the library, and I love the librarian.” A sixth-grader at the Sheila Sporn Library at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, CA said “Libraries are important because they let people who don't have enough money get books to read.” A patron of the Brenner Library at Temple Emanuel in Denver, CO drives 150 miles from the mountains to make use of the facilities. Perhaps the general sentiments of library users are best summed up by a patron at the Feldman Library at Congregation B’nai Israel in Boca Raton, FL, who said “The library helps us to continue to be the People of the Book!”

What It All Means

Library Snapshot Day captured the diversity of services offered by Jewish libraries and underscored the importance of libraries in Jewish life. “Libraries and librarians often fly under the radar in their communities,” said Association of Jewish Libraries Vice-President, Heidi Estrin. “We are thrilled that, on Library Snapshot Day, over three thousand people expressed their love of Jewish libraries. We hope that the event will encourage even more people to use these amazing resources year-round.” A slide show of selected photographs submitted by participants may be viewed on AJL's blog "People of the Books" at jewishlibraries.org/blog.

The concept of Library Snapshot Day originated with the American Library Association, of which AJL is an affiliate. Click here for more information on ALA's Library Snapshot Day.

Please feel free to share this article and/or video on your site or via social networking. You can find AJL online at jewishlibraries.org, at facebook.com/jewishlibraries, and on Twitter @jewishlibraries.

Here's another collection of great links from around the web on books, libraries, Jewish books and Jewish libraries. Enjoy the weekend and the upcoming Chanukah holiday!

Eating Jewish: The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, a review at Jewesses with Attitude.

Stephen Abram from Stephen's Lighthouse shares a great article on Global Changes in Online Behavior, something all librarians need to stay on top of.

ACRLog brings us Focus on Flexibility, an academic library perspective on adapting to changing times.

The Jewish Book Council blog shares their Report on the 12th Annual Jewish Childrens' Book Writers and Illustrators Conference. Were there any AJL folks in attendance? It would be great to offer a home-grown perspective on the event if one is available.

Prepare Yourself for Chanukah Shopping! from the Jewish Publication Society.

The Book of Life brings us the 2010 Canadian Jewish Book Awards.

Reference Webinar Archive Now Available from Booklist Online. I'm a big fan of webinars for convenient, subject-specific, just-in-time learning. This is a great resource from a great supporter of librarians and libraries.

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope to see you back here next week. In the mean time feel free to contact me at mcloutier at jewishlibraries.org with comments, feedback and suggestions.

Posted by Marie.