iSchool Volunteers needed for USG Community Day!

UNIVERSITIES AT SHADY GROVE

 Come Explore our Green Campus!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

10:00 am – 3:00 pm

 Come join Maryland’s iSchool at Shady Grove as we help put on a fun-filled day of FREE activities for everyone at Community Day 2012! The Universities at Shady Grove and the nine partner universities will provide hands-on activities and discussions for children and their families, prospective and current students, and the general community!

iSCHOOL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!  If you are able to help make this a fabulous event, please contact Melissa at lewis411@umd.edu to volunteer!

Hope to see you there!

MLS Students Learn to Lead Green!

Students and staff join together at the end of the Go Green! Sustainable Leadership workshop at UMCP.  Alisha and Melissa are in the front row, second and third from right.

School Library Media (SLM) student Melissa McDonald and incoming Master of Library Science (MLS) student Alisha Abrams participated in the full-day Lead Green! Sustainable Leadership workshop on July 21^st as part of the Summer Leadership Series at  UMCP’s Stamp Union.  In this workshop, Melissa and Alisha learned a myriad of ways to make their leadership sustainable, not only by “going green” through recycling, reducing, and reusing,  but by considering the ways in which one’s leadership style affects the group as a whole, and whether you are mentoring those above, beside, and below you to continue your work whether you are away on business travel or vacation, or move on to another company or organization.  One’s leadership should transcend the project itself, and the best way to know it is sustainable is when ‘you’ are no longer the driving force – the team or the project itself is the driving force.   The workshop facilitator, Kristin Skarie, President and CEO of BetterTeams taught attendees how to “advance the knowledge, skills and competencies that create highly successful teams and leaders” through many “experiential activities and interactive content.”  Needless to say, there was a lot of great communication, fun games and activities, and  lots of laughter.   Melissa and Alisha both left the workshop full of ideas on how to best “plant a seed and make a difference” in their work and volunteer organizations.

Lead Green!  was the last in the Stamp Summer Leadership Series, and Melissa  had previously attended the StengthsQuest Leadership workshop on July 7^th .   The takeaway from the StrengthsQuest workshop was that all people have strengths and weaknesses, and it is important to be able to identify them.  Great leaders are not perfect, but they do play on their strengths, and surround themselves with a team of people whose strengths are the leader’s weaknesses – thereby making a very strong and successful team overall.

Next summer, consider attending the Stamp Summer Leadership Series – it is definitely worth your time!

Melissa and Alisha, along with Katie Rapp, are the executive board members for ALA@ UMD.  For information about membership, please click here.

Conference Highlights from ALA Student-to-Staffer Stacey Flynn

Along with other  ALA Annual Conference  Student-to-Staffers, Stacy (in green blouse) enjoys a meal at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA  .

What could better than attending ALA’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA? With its informative workshops, high-profile author events and networking opportunities, ALA Annual Conference is often the highlight of the year for those in the field.

What’s better than going to Annual? Well, I’ll tell what’s better – attending annual conference representing the iSchool’s Student Chapter of the ALA. I was thrilled and gratified to participate in the ALA funded Student-to-Staff program which allows 40 MLS students, one from each chapter, this opportunity in exchange for working in a “behind the scenes” roll.

As a Student-to-Staffer, I was assigned to Cognotes, the newsletter that is published and distributed daily during conference and covers all the major workshops and events. As a reporter, I was tasked with covering topics of interest to school libraries and received four bylines in the newsletter. Tight deadlines require an organized system, so it’s little wonder that librarians are behind the professional team that makes Cognotes happen.

Student-to-Staff Coordinator Don Wood of ALA, provided us with a dedicated Facebook page, timely correspondence and excellent opportunities to network with fellow MLS students in the program. From the start, we were told that we’d make connections that turn into lasting friendships and I have no doubt this will be so!

In short, I’d like to thank everyone at the iSchool ALA Student Chapter for this opportunity to participate in this valuable program and encourage other students to keep an eye out for the announcements next year.

Stacey Py Flynn

Katie Rapp Receives ALA Marks Scholarship Award

 Katie Rapp, a master of library science graduate student at University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies, Maryland’s iSchool, has been awarded the 2012 Federal Librarians Cicely Phippen Marks Scholarship Award. This award is given annually by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) to an outstanding student with an interest in working in federal libraries. The $1,500 scholarship award will be presented during the ALA’s Annual Conference in Anaheim on June 24.

Katie, a graduate student in the iSchool’s MLS program at the Universities at Shady Grove, entered the iSchool with the intention of pursuing a career in special libraries. In addition to the Marks Scholarship, she has also been the recipient of the Catherine A. Jones Memorial Scholarship from the Washington, DC chapter of the Special Libraries Association and the Senator Nancy J. King Legislative scholarship. She is  active in the University of Maryland’s ALA and Special Libraries Association (SLA) student chapters, and will serve on the executive board of the ALA student chapter for the 2012-2013 academic year. She plans to graduate in May 2013.

Katie, honored to be recognized with the Marks Scholarship, feels very fortunate to live in the Washington, DC area where there are wonderful opportunities in federal libraries at her doorstep.  She looks enthusiastically to her future career and contributions to the profession.

Says Katie, “The iSchool program is ideal for me. I can take classes both online and at the Universities at Shady Grove campus near my home in Gaithersburg. The Shady Grove facilities are beautiful, parking is plentiful and free — it’s much easier than getting on the beltway and driving to College Park!  Shady Grove is so convenient… it enables me to attend classes close to home and minimize time away from my young children.”

iSchool Students ‘Rock the Mall’ June 9th

We all have busy lives outside of our iSchool studies …. and two students, SLMS graduate student Melissa McDonald (left) and 2012 Alumna Pam Hosimer, MLS, have been long-time Girl Scout leaders, providing not only their own daughters, but countless other girls, with many opportunities to learn and grow,  and empowering them to become future leaders.  Melissa uses many of her information technology skills to teach, lead, connect with her two troops and others in Girl Scouting;   Pam has created a series of lessons incorporating agriculture, gardening, and  recycling and has presented the project to the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital.

Melissa and Pam, along with 200,000 of their closest Girl Scout sisters, Rocked the Mall on June 9th, in celebration of Girl Scouting’s 100th Anniversary – an all day event that brought scouts from all over the world to join together in song.   Trying to capture the awesome scene between the Washington Monument and the World War II Monument, Melissa shot this panoramic view of Rock the Mall:

For more information about the 100th Anniversary Sing-Along, Rock the Mall, please read the Washington Post article here!

Stacey Flynn Represents iSchool at ALA-Anaheim Conference

ALA Student-to-Staff program

Each year 40 library students are chosen to assist ALA staff during the ALA Annual Conference. In exchange for working four hours a day (or a total of 20 hours), these students receive free conference registration, housing, and a per diem for meal expenses. During free time, they may attend programs and participate in other conference activities.

This year, ALA@UMD is pleased to announce that school library media student Stacey Flynn will be representing the University of Maryland ALA Student Chapter and Maryland iSchool at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, June 21-26, 2012.

Congratulations, Stacey!

iSchool at USG Celebrates Four MLS Graduates

Welcome to the new blog for Maryland iSchool at Shady Grove.  We have had an exciting year at this campus; we have welcomed back Vicky Reinke as our Program Coordinator, and after much anticipation, also announce and welcome Hussain Abbas as the new graduate advisor at the iSchool at Shady Grove.   In addition, we have hosted a series of workshops and field trips planned by the ALA Student Chapter (ALA @ UMD) and the SLA Student Group. 

We are very pleased and proud to announce the graduation of four students from the Master of Library Science program that call the Shady Grove campus their home:  Mandy Harrah, Pam Hosimer, Karen Kenton, and Katie Winafeld.   On Tuesday, May 22, 2012, we had a special graduation celebration to honor their accomplishments, and to wish them well in their future endeavors.   Graduates’ family and friends, Maryland faculty and staff from the USG campus shared in our celebration.

Maryland iSchool graduates, Mandy Harrah, Pam Hosimer, Katie Winafeld, and Karen Kenton pose with School Library Media Program Director Dr. Mega Subramaniam, Program Director Dr. Vedat Diker, and USG Executive Director Dr. Stewart Edelstein at the May 22^nd Graduation Celebration at USG.

Lastly, we are excited to announce that, effective May 29, 2012, Dr. Sheri Massey, Lecturer in the School Library Specialization, will be the Associate Director for School Library Specialization.

We at the Shady Grove campus are looking forward to the 2012 summer sessions as well as the upcoming academic year. Check out the iSchool website for updated information about the program:   http://www.ischool.umd.edu/content/ischool-shady-grove-overview 

 Happy Summer!