Organizations
Conferences
Regional conferences
Divisional conferences
Other Meetings and Workshops
Education
Electronic Resources
Organizations
LSSIRT (Library Support Staff Interests Round Table)
A Round Table of the American Library Association providing information activities and resources for library paraprofessionals.
OLA (Oregon Library Association)
Includes a calendar and jobline for Oregon libraries. Also includes a legislative update, membership details, and continuing education opportunities.
OLA SSD (Oregon Library Association Support Staff Division)
Our regular website which includes links to our bylaws, committees and officers, discussion list, LSSCP information, membership information, meeting minutes and reports, scholarship information, and our vision statement. Our goal is to inspire and promote professional growth through networking, conferences, workshops, and mentoring.
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Conferences
Online Northwest
Held in February
Online Northwest is a conference focusing on the use of technology within libraries. It was created by the Oregon University System Library Council to help librarians around Oregon learn how to use early online searching tools. As information technology and librarians have increased in sophistication over the years, so has the conference.
Acquisitions Institute
Held in May
The Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge has been providing an opportunity for acquisitions and collections librarians to meet and discuss pertinent trends and issues since 2000.
Oregon Virtual Reference Summit
Held in May
The Oregon Virtual Reference Summit is an annual conference dedicated to reference, service, and technology. Sponsored by L-net/Answerland, the Summit is a one-day conference which strives for a fun, friendly, inclusive environment with reference-focused content appropriate for all skill levels, library types, and experiences.
Orbis-Cascade Alliance Summit and Fulfillment Day
Usually held in August
This is a conference for the people who work with the Summit system – mostly circulation staff in academic libraries.
Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference
Held in September
In 2000, Joanne Halgren, then the Head of Interlibrary Loan at the University of Oregon Libraries, along with other Pacific Northwest librarians saw a potential audience for a regional, ILL- and Resource Sharing-related conference. The purpose of the conference was to support regional librarians and paraprofessional staff in public, academic and special libraries who had ILL and/or Resource Sharing as a significant portion of their jobs. From the first conference in 2001, the day-and-a-half event was a resounding success…
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Regional conferences
Held in August
Since 1909, PNLA has provided a relaxed, friendly professional and social forum for librarians, library workers, and library supporters throughout the vast Pacific Northwest region. Serving Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, it is an organization of people who work in, with, and for libraries.
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Divisional conferences
OASL (Oregon Association of School Libraries)
OASL's mission is to provide progressive leadership to ensure that Oregon students and educators are effective users of ideas and information, and to pursue excellence in school library media programs.
ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries)
Held every two years with other workshops/conferences occurring more frequently
ACRL is a division of the American Library Association, and is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. It is dedicated to enhancing the ability of academic library and information professionals to serve the information needs of the higher education community and to improve learning, teaching, and research.
CSD (Children's Services Division)
Held in the spring
The Children's Services Division is a division of OLA. CSD provides support for staff that works in children's services, offers professional development opportunities, and presents awards.
OYAN (Oregon Young Adult Network Division)
There are several storytelling festivals for the public library folks, and more public library workshops listed at Northwest Central.
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Other Meetings and Workshops
Society of American Archivists
http://www2.archivists.org/ Holds workshops and other events each year
Established in 1936, SAA is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual and institutional members.
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Education
Northwest Central
http://www.nwcentral.org/
The goal of Northwest Central is to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for library continuing education. Library staff can use Northwest Central to: learn about trainings, conferences and meetings in your community or online; find web links, tutorials, handouts, and presentations on a range of library topics; connect with experts or kindred spirits; share your resources and publicize your events.
LSSC (Library Support Staff Certification)
http://ala-apa.org/lssc/
The Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program is a national certification program sponsored by the American Library Association that allows library support staff to demonstrate their competencies and become a Certified Library Support Staff (CLSS).
Portland Community College Library Assistant Certificate
http://www.pcc.edu/programs/education/library-media-asst/
Portland Community College offers a 44-credit Library Assistant certificate, with courses in Customer Service, Technical Services, Reference, Collection Development, Access Services, Cataloging, Children's Literature and more.
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Electronic resources
Associates: The Electronic Library Support Staff Journal
http://associates.ucr.edu/journal/
This worldwide journal is a forum for and about library support staff issues. ASSOCIATES is published three times per year in March, July, and November. Subscription is FREE!
American Libraries Live
http://americanlibrarieslive.org/
American Libraries Live, a free, streaming video broadcast allows viewers to watch broadcasts about library issues and trends in real time and interact with hosts via a live chat. Each episode focuses on a specific issue affecting libraries and librarians, and features a panel of vendors and library industry experts engaged in a real-time discussion which is broadcast through a live video format. Viewers can ask questions during the program via chat.
Library E-Mail Lists and Newsgroups: Support Staff
LIBSUP-L is a list for the discussion of all library-related topics as they pertain to library support staff. Topics have included: the changing roles of paraprofessionals, library working conditions, training opportunities, conference announcements and reports, and a wide variety of public and technical services issues. Traffic volume is moderate to heavy.
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