The American Library Association (ALA) Public Information Office announced the release of “Increasing Relevance, Relationships and Results: Principles & Practices for Effective Multicultural Communication—Library Edition,” http://tinyurl.com/7xdtvo written by the Metropolitan Group, a leading strategic communication and resource development agency specializing in work with libraries.

The article defines eight principles and practices for effective multicultural communication, and highlights the important, integrated role multicultural communication plays in creating social change. Read more at http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/january2009/piomulticulturalcomm.cfm

WebJunction is pleased to host the third cookbook from TechSoup’s MaintainIT Project, Planning for Success. This free online resource brings together the most current ideas and best practices for planning, building, and managing your library’s computer technology. Librarians from around the country have contributed their experience and knowledge on over 50 topics ranging from security solutions and strategic maintenance practices to community building experiences. http://www.webjunction.org/maintainit-cookbooks/articles/content/34716950 [posted on WebJunction Newsletter - January 2009 Crossroads]

The American Library Association and the National Library of Medicine want to help you show your patrons how to find the information that will help them achieve good health. The Good Health Information website http://olos.ala.org/goodhealth/ introduces the resources of the National Library of Medicine and provides information that helps communities of color in rural settings make good health decisions. Specifically, the site addresses the diseases and illnesses that disproportionately affect people of color. [From American Libraries Direct 12/23/2008 toolbar  http://link.ixs1.net/s/ve?eli=m292611&si=398419967&cfc=3html]

ICMA Offers Public Library Innovation Grants
Deadline: January 9, 2009
ICMA ( http://www.icma.org/ ), the professional and educational  organization for chief appointed managers, administrators, and  assistants in cities, towns, counties, and regional entities,  invites local governments to apply for an ICMA Public Library  Innovation Grant. The grants will focus on using the public library as a vital tool  in addressing community priorities and issues, and will be anchored by a partnership between the office of the chief administrative  officer (city, county, or town manager) and the public library.  The grant program will provide a series of leadership workshops  and project coaching to ensure the short-term success of the  project and secure support for the long-term use of libraries in addressing community goals.  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15016122/icmalibrary

William T. Grant Foundation Invites Letters of Inquiry for Youth Research
Deadline: January 9, 2009 (Letters of Inquiry)
The William T. Grant Foundation ( http://wtgrantfoundation.org/ )  is now accepting Letters of Inquiry for its field-initiated major grants program. The foundation’s current research interests include understanding  how social settings such as families, schools, peer groups, and  organizations work; how these social settings affect youth; and  how such settings can be improved. The foundation’s interests  also focus on when, how, and under what conditions research evi-  dence is used in policy and practice that affect youth, and how  the use of such evidence can be improved.  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15016124/wtgrantfdn

Point Foundation Offers Higher Education Scholarships for Gay and Lesbian Students
Deadline: February 9, 2009
The Point Foundation ( http://pointfoundation.org/ ), a scholar-  ship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-  gender students of merit, has announced the opening of its 2009  application season. Students who will be enrolled in undergraduate  or graduate programs for the 2009-10 school year are eligible to  apply for the multiyear scholarships.  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15016126/pointfdn

Copyright (c) 2000-2008, the Foundation Center. All rights  reserved. Permission to use, copy, and/or distribute this  document in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes  without fee is hereby granted provided that this notice and  appropriate credit to the Foundation Center is included in all  copies. RFP Bulletin (December 12, 2008)

Libraries offer free reliefe from tough thimes. This news report ncludes comments from American Library Association President Jim Rettig
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#28165432

Page maintained by: Lynne M. Fox, Education Librarian, Health Sciences Library, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Lynne.Fox@ucdenver.edu
http://140.226.6.124/education/med-ref/
This valuable resource points to numerous print and online materials that librarians and others can use to assist patrons and clients in finding accurate health information. [posted in Year of CHIRS, Volume 4, Issue 8 http://www.unmc.edu/library/consumer/]

The American Libray Association Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are accepting applications for the latest round of Great Stories CLUB grants. Electronic applications will be accepted through November 14 at http://www.ala.org/greatstories. Funding was provided for this program by Oprah’s Angel Network. Launched in 2005, the Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a reading and discussion program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books that are relevant to their lives. All types of libraries (public, school, academic and special) located within or working in partnership with facilities serving troubled teens in the United States and its territories are eligible to apply for a Great Stories Club grant.

“We Shall Remain” “is a five-part television series that shows how Native peoples valiantly resisted expulsion from their lands and fought the extinction of their culture — from the Wampanoags of New England in the 1600s who used their alliance with the English to weaken rival tribes, to the bold new leaders of the 1970s who harnessed the momentum of the civil rights movement to forge a pan-Indian identity.” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/the_films/about

The 28 page library event kit for the PBS “American Experience” series, “We Shall Remain,” is now available as a .pdf document at: http://www.pbs.org/weshallremain/libraries The website also features a fillable form you can use to log in your library event. The five-episode series will air on five consecutive Mondays, starting on 13 April 2009. [posted on American Indian Library Association listserv]

An initial study of ICMA members found some communities using their public libraries for compelling new projects, like providing services for teen and immigrant residents and supporting recycling and public safety. Over the next two years, with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ICMA (International City County Managers Association) intends to multiply those novel practices and demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable communities.

In November 2008, local governments will be able to apply for an ICMA Public Library Innovation Grant. Grants will be 18 months in length, and will focus on using the public library to address community priorities and issues. During the project, ICMA will provide a total of $500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants to cities, towns, and counties. Individual grants will likely range from $25,000 to $75,000.
More information at ICMA website http://icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=4109&hsid=1&scid=25 [posted on ALA Outreach Listserv]

By SIMON ROMERO
Published: October 19, 2008
LA GLORIA, Colombia — In a ritual repeated nearly every weekend for the past decade here in Colombia’s war-weary Caribbean hinterland, Luis Soriano gathered his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, in front of his home on a recent Saturday afternoon. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/world/americas/20burro.html [posted on Health:Literacy listserv]