Highlight for the week: ALA has announced the slate of candidates for positions on the ALA Council, including our own Holly Hibner, Adult and Teen Services Coordinator at the Plymouth District Library. Thank you, Holly! Elections will be held next spring. To receive a ballot and to vote, you must be an ALA member in good standing as of January 31, 2019. You may also run for ALA Council by petition. Instructions are linked to the news item below. The petition period will be open from 10/3/18 through 4:30 pm on 12/5/18. Please read on for more details and the news. Lots of award opportunities linked below, and a new national writing contest. ALA News for September 11, 2018 NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION American Library Association to explore Chicago commercial real estate market The American Library Association (ALA) announced its plan to explore Chicago’s commercial real estate market with the listing of its headquarter buildings at 40 and 50 East Huron. Efforts to examine the value of its headquarters are fueled by its goals to enhance operational excellence; grow membership; and acquire a workplace environment that supports the development of innovative programs and services for its members. “The ALA Executive Board and staff are committed to the mission of ALA and its long-term ability to support its members as they serve their libraries and communities,” said ALA President Loida Garcia Febo. “ALA headquarters are an important part of our history and have served members and staff well. But, just as our communities, our libraries, our work lives have changed, so have the needs of the Association—including those of our workplace.” For more than a year ALA’s Executive Board and ALA Management have engaged in a review of how to strategically utilize ALA headquarters real estate and recently began to work with real estate expert Cushman & Wakefield (C&W). http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2018/09/american-library-association-... Libraries invited to join Dear Banned Author letter-writing campaign this Banned Books Week Speaking out for banned and challenged books is vital in the fight against censorship. This Banned Books Week (Sept. 23-29), the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is hosting a letter-writing campaign that celebrates stories that have made an impact. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/libraries-invited-join-dear-bann... Philanthropist and author Melinda Gates will open the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, Melinda Gates has dedicated her life to achieving transformational improvements in the health and prosperity of families, communities, and societies. Core to her work is empowering women and girls to help them realize their full potential. She has said, “if you invest in a girl or a woman, you’re investing in everyone else.” The session will take place from 4-5:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019, at the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/philanthropist-and-author-melind... National writing contest seeks short stories on courage, launches Sept. 25 Up to $1,000 and the opportunity to be published in Short Story Dispensers nationwide will be at stake for writers of all levels, through a new writing contest launching Sept. 25. The contest seeks to engage residents with reading and writing literature and generate new interest in public libraries. The Public Library Association (PLA), John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Short Édition are teaming up for the first time to encourage writers of all ages and backgrounds to submit an entry. The submission deadline is Oct. 30. The theme of this year’s contest is courage, a universal topic and an attribute essential for the act of writing itself. Courage enables characters to confront their fears; persist; and overcome obstacles, both literal and abstract. Some acts of courage can be grand-scale and heroic, others quietly inspirational. No matter how noticeable, acts of courage defy expectations and show we can do things we never imagined ourselves capable of before. http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2018/09/national-writing-contest-seek... ALA announces slate of Council candidates The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the candidates for positions on the ALA Council. These individuals were nominated by the Nominating Committee for the 2019 ALA Election. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/ala-announces-slate-council-cand... Public Library Association releases new strategic plan The Public Library Association (PLA) unveiled a new strategic plan effective through the year 2022. The new PLA Strategic Plan describes the association’s core purpose, core values and vision for future success, while also identifying goal areas where PLA will direct its energy and resources over the next several years. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/public-library-association-relea... Travel author, television host and activist Rick Steves named an Auditorium Speaker at the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle Rick Steves is an American travel author, television host, and activist. As a child, he took his first trip to Europe in 1969, visiting piano factories with his father, a piano importer. By the time he reached 18, Rick jokes, "I realized I didn't need my parents to travel!" He began traveling on his own, funding his trips by teaching piano lessons. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, which has grown from a one-man operation to a company with a staff of 100 full-time, well-traveled employees at his headquarters in Washington state. The session will take place from 10-11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, at the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Seattle. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/travel-author-television-host-an... ALA’s new Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table is open for membership Membership in ALA’s newest round table – the Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table (GNCRT) is now open. Those who wish to join ALA can add GNCRT membership effective immediately and current ALA members can click the renew link on the ALA homepage, sign in and add the GNCRT to their membership at a prorated dues amount. Membership fees are: Personal, $15; Student/Support Staff/Unemployed, $5; and Corporate/Organizational, $30. http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/ala-s-new-graphic-novels-comics-... ALA PUBLISHING Using positive stories about Muslims to foster multicultural understanding http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/using-positive-stories-about-mus... PUBLICATIONS Academic Libraries and the Academy: Strategies and Approaches to Demonstrate Your Value, Impact, and Return on Investment http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/acrl-releases-academic-libraries... AWARDS AND GRANTS Pilot cohort of YALSA’s Train the Trainer project announced http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/pilot-cohort-yalsa-s-train-train... Libraries invited to apply for Great Stories Club grants on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/libraries-invited-apply-great-st... ALA study will explore public library services for new Americans http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/ala-study-will-explore-public-li... Pun honored for 2018 Achievement in Library Diversity Research http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2018/09/pun-honored-2018-achievement-... Welmers sponsors YALSA’s Service to Young Adults Outstanding Achievement Award http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/welmers-sponsors-yalsa-s-service... ALCTS 2019 Ross Atkinson Award nominations sought http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/alcts-2019-ross-atkinson-award-n... ALCTS seeking Cataloging and Metadata Management Awards nominations for 2019 http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/alcts-seeking-cataloging-and-met... Carnegie-Whitney Grant awards up to $5,000 for guides to library resources http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/carnegie-whitney-grant-awards-50... ALCTS 2019 Publication Awards nominations sought http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/alcts-2019-publication-awards-no... Search begins for ALCTS 2019 Professional Recognition Awards nominations http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/search-begins-alcts-2019-profess... ALCTS 2019 Preservation Awards nominations sought http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/alcts-2019-preservation-awards-n... ALCTS seeking 2019 Innovation Awards nominations http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/alcts-seeking-2019-innovation-aw... ECOURSES AND WORKSHOPS How to Implement a Digitization Program http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-iteration-how-implement-digi... Practical Library Services for Grade School Kids http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-ecourse-practical-library-se... Using and Understanding Library of Congress Subject Headings http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-ecourse-using-and-understand... Library Director Bootcamp: Getting the Skills http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-session-library-director-boo... Library Director Bootcamp: A free preview http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2018/09/library-director-bootcamp-fre... Dynamic One-Shot Library Instruction eCourse/Book Bundle http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-iteration-dynamic-one-shot-l... Introduction to Critical Information Literacy http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-iteration-introduction-criti... Basic American Sign Language for Library Staff http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/09/new-iteration-basic-american-sig...