GaCOMO 2015 Registration

REGISTER TODAY! The 2015 GaCOMO Conference Registration Form is online now. You may register online or mail in the printable registration form located at the bottom of the registration page.

GaCOMO is a joint venture between the Georgia Library Association and the Georgia Association for Instructional Technology. The 2015 GaCOMO Conference will be held Wednesday, October 7th – Friday, October 9th at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia. Please note that this year breakout sessions will begin on Wednesday, October 7th.

Keynote speakers this year include Unshelved authors Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes, with a luncheon address by George Needham.

GaCOMO is also proud to announce that TNT is sponsoring our showing of “The Librarian: Quest for the Spear” (2004) on Wednesday evening, October 7, 2015. Don’t miss out on  this fun-filled event which will include Trivia, Refreshments, and Prizes!

For more information, please visit our website at http://www.georgiacomo.org/

2015 GLA Paraprofessional Awards - Application deadline is July 15!

The Paraprofessional Division of the Georgia Library Association announces its 2015 Paraprofessional Grants.

Five (5) $250 Award Grants will be given to the winners to facilitate their attendance at GaCOMO 2015 – GLA’s Annual Convention to be held in Athens, Georgia October 7-9, 2015.  In addition, each winner will receive an awards plaque, which will be presented at a GLA Association function and a one-year free paraprofessional membership in the Georgia Library Association.

To apply download and complete the following documents:
Paraprofessional Award Application Form
Paraprofessional Award Recommendation Form

Application deadline is July 15, 2015.

Please note that while applicants do not have to be a member of the association in order to compete, they must be full-time employees in a library falling under GLA’s auspices (normally a college-level academic, public, school, or special library).

Please feel free to contact Rhonda Boozer at 678-466-4329 or Rhondaboozer@clayton.edu if you have any questions.

GaCOMO Call for Proposals Submission Deadline Extended - New deadline May 22

The website for the annual Georgia Conference of Media Organizations is now available.

COMO 2015 will be held on October 7 - 9, 2015 at The Classic Center in Athens, Georgia.  The conference theme is "Adventures in Libraries: The Quest for Success"

COMO 2015 invites proposals for pre-conference workshops, concurrent and poster sessions. Please submit your proposals on GA COMO website.

The deadline for submissions is May 22, 2015.

2015 GLA Awards Nominations - Extended Deadline! New Deadline - May 1, 2015

Do you know someone whose contributions to Georgia libraries and/or the Georgia Library Association should be recognized?

Take the time to nominate a deserving individual or team today!

Each year at COMO, the Georgia Library Association honors outstanding librarians, library staff members, and library advocates through the following awards:

Bob Richardson Award

Charles Beard Library Advocacy Award

Honorary GLA Memberships

Library Support Services Award

McJenkin-Rheay Award

Nix-Jones Award

Nora Symmers Paraprofessional Award

GLA Team Award

Nomination form and description of awards available online at http://tiny.cc/GLAawards

Complete the short nomination form and write a letter supporting your nominee.

You may provide additional documentation about the nominee’s contributions to libraries and/or GLA.

By May 1, 2015, submit it electronically (if possible) or mail to:
Jean Cook, GLA Awards Committee Chair
University of West Georgia, Ingram Library
1601 Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 30118
Phone 678-839-6356/ Fax 678-839-6511 / jcook@westga.edu

Want to be a GLA Academic Library Division Sponsored Program at GaCOMO15?

GLA Academic Library Division is interested in sponsoring 1-2 GaCOMO programs on the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Use this form to send us your program idea by Wednesday, April 8, 2015: http://goo.gl/forms/5xv42itYvn

The ACRL Framework COMO Programming Subcommittee will notify all applicants by Friday, April 17th if their proposal was selected for sponsorship.

Topics of interest include: 

• What are the new standards and how do they compare with the old standards
• New ideas for implementation in the following types of situation
• One-shot classes
• Flipped classroom
• Credit bearing course
• Online tutorials
• Map through the curriculum
• Ideas for developing learning outcomes and assessing impact
• How to get faculty on board
• How to get all library instructors on-board and ensure consistency with the standards
• Influence on reference services

Helpful Sources for Writing an Academic Paper

By Rebecca Rose, Research Papers Committee Chair

For those contemplating writing an academic paper, numerous print resources are available that can assist with the process. Books targeted for librarians include ALA’s Writing and Publishing: the Librarian's Handbook and Handbook of Academic Writing for Librarians by Christopher Vance Hollister.

Also, the following titles are recommended because they help with establishing structure for any writing project, and answer many questions about the scholarly writing process.

Belcher, Wendy L. (2009). Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: A guide to academic publishing success. Belcher is helpful in specifying the components and styles unique to different disciplines. The book gives guidance on sticking to a writing schedule and keeping you on track.

Bishop-Clark, C and Dietz-Uhler, B. (2012). Engaging in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: A Guide to the Process, and How to Develop a Project from Start to Finish. This book describes creating a project, then gathering and analyzing the data. Authors do a wonderful job of differentiating between qualitative and quantitative research in plain English.

Want more? Do not overlook scholarly articles that discuss writing for academic publications. Did you know there is a Journal of Scholarly Publishing? Subject headings for this topic include Academic Writing, Scholarly Publishing, and Writing for Publication.

Interested in submitting a research paper proposal to the GLA Academic Library Division? More information is available here.

The deadline for submitting a proposal for this year’s research paper for COMO is April 1, 2015.

Writing an Academic Paper using Library Issues

By Rebecca Rose, Research Papers Committee Chair

Who can do it?  If you have any interest in anything related to libraries you can write and submit a research paper.  Writers may be librarians, paraprofessional staff, faculty, students….

What is it? Writing a research paper about libraries uses the same process as writing any other scholarly article. You tackle a problem or issue. Once an issue is identified, read scholarly articles by others who have written about this issue. Create a hypothesis. Use a study or some way to gather data that will test your hypothesis. Examine the gathered data and analyze its implications to generate additional understanding about this issue.  State your conclusion.

Where is it? Papers submitted for the Georgia Library Association’s Academic Library Division call for research papers will be read at the next COMO conference in Athens, GA.  Additionally, submitted papers may be invited for publication in the Georgia Library Quarterly, a peer reviewed journal. Furthermore, academic papers using library topics may be published in any scholarly journal, and are not limited to publications devoted to libraries.

Why do it? Writing an academic paper benefits everyone in that it expands our understanding of our workplace and profession.  Listing published documents demonstrates an added level of professionalism on anyone’s vita or resume. While writing can be challenging, completing an article is rewarding, and publishing a piece is exciting.

Interested in doing it? The deadline for submitting a proposal for this year’s research paper for COMO is April 1, 2015.

Academic Library Division Call for Papers

The Academic Library Division of the Georgia Library Association/Georgia Chapter of ACRL invites Georgia librarians and library science students to submit research papers for presentation at 2015 COMO pertaining to academic libraries. Criteria for selection include purpose, content, organization, scholarship, and references.  Papers should include research on developments in academic libraries that present challenging opportunities for libraries and librarianship throughout the state, region, or nation. Papers should be approximately 2000 words.

The Georgia Library Quarterly (GLQ) may invite selected authors to submit their papers for possible publication in GLQ.

GLA will award a cash prize for the paper selected as the top entry which will be presented at the COMO conference in Athens, GA.

Notice of Intention:
Submit via email with subject line, ALD Research Papers, to rebecca.rose@ung.edu a notice of intention containing your name, address, phone number and email address with the tentative title and a brief (200 word) abstract by April 1, 2015.

Paper Submission:
Final paper of approximately 2000 words must be submitted by July 15, 2015.

Rebecca Rose
Research Papers Committee Chair
rebecca.rose@ung.edu