For those TLA members who are planning on attending ALA, we have great news! If you are planning on attending any of the RUSA preconferences we may be able to register you as part of a TLA “group” and get the “group discount” price for you.

The list of preconferences is available at: RUSA Preconferences

If you are interested in taking advantage of this wonderful conference discount, please email Robbi De Peri at robbi.deperi@owen.vanderbilt.edu NO LATER than May 1st. As long as we have the minimum number of people required, we’ll then be able to go forward and get the group registration set up.

The Reference Roundtable Business Meeting will be on Friday, April 10 f rom 11 to 11:55am in the Capitol II room of the Nashville Airport Marriott.  I hope you can all make it, as we’ll be electing a new chair-elect and secretary.

Also, if you want a digital version of the conference sessions list, you can find the .ics file here or the Google Calendar here

Hope to see you at the conference!

ALA has a deal with United Airlines for discounted tickets.  A round trip ticket from Nashville to Denver during those dates is less than $200.

I am trying to get some funds together to attend and I may even spring for it myself if the funding doesn’t come through.  Please let us know if you are planning to attend.  Thanks.

Crystal Sherline

RRT Secretary

Any ideas on subjects for presentations are welcome.  You can go directly to the TLA website to fill out a proposal form.   http://www.tla.affiniscape.com/displayconvention.cfm

Please share your ideas on the blog.  We all look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks.

Crystal Sherline

Also, it’s the big debut of Volunteer Voices, the statewide digitization project that’s been going on for the last couple of years.  Come to the Gala and learn all about how *your* library can get involved in keeping Tennessee’s local history alive and accessible to all!

Here’s the latest information from DeAnne Luck, the Tenn-Share Database Coordinator:

Don’t forget to register for the Tenn-Share DataFest, an electronic resource showcase held Thursday, September 11th at Nashville Public Library.  FREE online registration is available at http://www.tenn-share.org/?p=148

On the web site you’ll also see our list of vendors and products, which is almost complete.  Recent additions include:

• Oxford University Press – Oxford Islamic Studies
• Scholastic – Grolier Online and BookFlix
• ProQuest – eLibrary Science and CultureGrams
• Gale – Global Issues in Context
• NewsBank – America’s Newspapers Featuring 30 Tennessee Sources

As you can see, we have something for everyone!  Please see the rest of the products that will be demonstrated on the web site.

Training on all the TEL databases will also be offered in the 10:00-5:00 time frame.  A complete schedule for the day will be available soon.

I hope you will stick around after the DataFest for the Gala reception at 5:30 (see http://www.tenn-share.org/?p=147) and the Tenn-Share Fall Conference on Friday (see http://www.tenn-share.org/?p=149).

I stumbled upon this portal to some of the more usual (Bartylby’s), helpful (bibliographic instruction assignments), interesting (100 years of design), rare (medieval manuscript images), and wacky (the grocery list collection) reference sites that are out there. I immediately found myself searching and exploring for answers to questions that have yet to be asked.

It is managed by Jan Sauer and Adrienne Lee, academic reference librarians at the University of South Alabama and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Enjoy!

Molly Moore

Old computers, printers, TVs, radios, game systems cluttering up your library or home? Do a little spring cleaning and help the environment, all at the same time!

Vanderbilt University, the University of Memphis and East Tennessee State University have partnered to host a statewide FREE electronics recycling event May 14-17, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. each day. What a great opportunity to do some green spring cleaning – and to let our communities know about this free recycling event!

From May 14-16, higher education institutions, K-12 schools, school districts, government agencies and non-profit organizations can bring their electronics for FREE recycling. On May 17, the event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so that any Tennessee individual or household that would like to recycle their unwanted electronics can drop off their items. Each of the universities has provided a list on the event websites below detailing what electronic items they will accept and what they will not accept.

Each of these recycling events is courtesy of Apple, Inc. According to the ETSU website, Apple has assumed “the financial burden of having the 18-wheeler trucks here to load the materials, as well as forklifts, pallets, shrink-wrap and any other necessities. Perhaps one of the most significant contributions is the labor they will provide. They are
skilled laborers and have experience in handling heavy objects. No one will need to exit their vehicle upon arriving at the event site. The laborers will do all the unloading, which should reduce any wait time experienced.”

Your institution or government authority has rules and regulations about the proper disposal of electronic equipment. Please check those guidelines before recycling your electronics.

Middle Tennessee, sponsored by Vanderbilt: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/electronics_events.php

The Middle TN event will be held in the LP Field (Titans Stadium – Directions) parking lots from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. each day.  Any type of computer system, printers, copiers, fax machines, TVs, cell phones, iPods and mp3 players, game consoles, and other types of consumer and office electronics will be accepted for recycling during this event. We
appreciate the support of the Tennessee Titans organization for allowing us to use LP Field.  All recycling from this day will be handled domestically.

West Tennessee, sponsored by the University of Memphis: http://www.memphis.edu/erecycling.htm

The event will be held on the University of Memphis South Campus, at the main parking lot on Southern Avenue. There is a link for a PDF map at their website.

East Tennessee, sponsored by East Tennessee State University: http://www.etsu.edu/ewaste/

The event will be held on campus in Parking Lot #22a, which is the large one behind Buck’s Pizza, running parallel to State of Franklin. All vehicles should enter campus from State of Franklin at the back entrance to the VA, turn right onto Jack Vest Drive, and turn right again to enter Parking Lot #22a.

Spread the word!  Sometimes it really is easy being green!

Awesome Stories www.awesomestories.com

This site is about linking users to primary sources in historical context. This is a great tool for school and public libraries, but definitely has its place at all levels of education. Think Encyclopedia meets the National Archives. Some of my favorite articles take popular movies, like Marie Antoinette or Elizabeth: The Golden Age and walk the reader through the historical events. Along the way, you can link to relevant documents, such as Mary Queen of Scots’ last letter before she was executed. But movies are only one example- there is a host of information on historical figures, events, famous books, anthems, etc.

From the Awesome Stories home page: “Enjoy an interactive learning experience as you see thousands of hand-selected and relevant links to pictures, artifacts, manuscripts, documents and other primary sources, IN CONTEXT, within each story.”

Educators and academic institutions can sign up for free access.

Enjoy!

molly