Kudos to the planners and presenters for the 2009 Southwest Idaho Library Association Conference. The well-organized conference offered an abundance of sessions, which made it hard to choose! I loved learning more about technology and social networking, and the awesome ways that librarians are hooking teen readers. It was great to network and meet new people in the library field.

The American Library Association (ALA) is working with the White House, in partnership with the Corporation for National & Community Service, to get libraries involved in a national volunteer initiative that will run from June 22 to September 11, 2009.

Please help the Idaho library community document our growing needs for technology and connectivity by participating in the 2009-2010 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study online survey, open through November 6, 2009 at www.plinternetsurvey.org.

What is this study?

The “What a Deal” fact sheet, designed to help you promote donations to your public library or library district is now available on the ICFL website at http://libraries.idaho.gov/page/public-library-contribution-tax-credit. To receive a deduction for 2009, individuals or corporations must give to the library by December 31, 2009.

What is LibIdaho?
LibIdaho is an email discussion list for people interested in all aspects of libraries and librarianship in Idaho. Membership is not limited to librarians or Idaho residents, but the list is likely of greatest interest and value to those who are working in libraries in Idaho.

On April 19, the Idaho Meth Project launched a statewide public art contest—Paint the State—that encourages Idaho teens to create artistic representations of the dangers of methamphetamine use. Idaho teens ages 13–18 will have the opportunity to create highly visible public art that communicates a strong anti-Meth message surrounding the theme: “Not Even Once.”

Our Public Computing Center application has passed the first step of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program evaluation process. As of May 18, our application is in the due diligence phase. In the next few days we expect to receive a Supplemental Information Request with the reviewers’ follow-up questions.

The response from Idaho to the IMLS Western Regional Fellowship, Transforming Life After 50 has been tremendous. Librarians from Hayden in the north to Marsing in the southwest to Chubbuck in the eastern part of the state applied, and all 18 of our Idaho applicants were accepted into the fellowship.

Check out the statewide Paint the State Gallery of public art entries in the Idaho Meth Project’s Paint the State contest. The contest was designed to make it possible for teens and their communities to get more involved in the “Meth: Not Even Once” campaign.