The Hawaii Library Association is pleased to announce the first in a series of free continuing education webinars in conjunction with the University of Hawaii Library Information Science Program and the UH student chapter of the American Library Association.

The series will feature LIS student work completed under the guidance of LIS Program faculty and will address topics of current interest in part identified by you. The sessions will allow for dialogue between the presenter and participants and will be recorded for future viewing on the HLA Web site.

The first session, "Rescuing Books: Emergency Response Basics (911 for Books)," is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 10-10:45 a.m., and will be presented by Malia Van Heukelem, preservation management specialist at UH Manoa's Hamilton Library.

Van Heukelem will cover how to dry a wet book, clean mold, dry clean a book, prevent insect infestations, as well as provide some emergency response resources.

Van Heukelem, a first-year LIS student, was hired to continue the flood recovery work on maps and aerial photographs last year. She recently transitioned to a full-time position which includes disaster planning, response and integrated pest management. She has many years experience working in special collections and archives.

OCLC's Geek the Library community awareness campaign, piloted in 2009 and 2010 and now available to all U.S. public libraries, has received an additional grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The supplementary $726,000 provides ongoing campaign materials and field support for libraries currently running the campaign, and allows OCLC to work with additional public libraries that sign up by March 31, 2012. Funding ensures that participating libraries can use the campaign to reach their local communities through June 2013.

"We are so pleased to be able to continue to support libraries as they roll out the Geek the Library campaign across the country," said Cathy De Rosa, vice president of global marketing for OCLC. "It is so important to continue to build awareness about the vital role libraries serve in their communities and the urgent need for funding. We are grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their ongoing and strong support for libraries, and their partnership on the Geek the Library program."

Since launch, hundreds of libraries across the U.S. have enrolled to run local Geek the Library campaigns - and more than 100 new campaigns have kicked off since the pilot ended. Participants are embracing the campaign, and are enthusiastically customizing content and actively involving their communities.

"The campaign puts a stamp of personalization on the services and materials that public libraries offer, and this is so important as we strive to diminish that stereotype of libraries as archaic institutions filled with dusty books," said Andrea Legg, extension & technical services manager from Tuscarawas County Public Library System in New Philadelphia, Ohio. "By encouraging patrons to share what they geek with us and by reminding them that we support what they geek, we're helping to redefine our public library as a place that cultivates our patrons' personal interests. It results in a much more meaningful, interactive experience for our customers."

Participating libraries receive an initial kit of Geek the Library materials, such as posters and stickers, plus additional kits as the campaign progresses, along with access to a comprehensive online guide to implementing the campaign. This resource features pages of advice for each phase of a local campaign, printable documents, art templates and images, a forum to share ideas with other participating libraries, and a blog that features ideas and updates weekly. Field managers also provide assistance in planning and rollout, and are available to respond to questions throughout the campaign period.

Geek the Library has a national campaign presence with its website, geekthelibrary.org, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. Geek the Library was developed based on the results of OCLC's research published in "From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America." The research and pilot campaign were also funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Libraries can get more information about implementing the campaign locally at get.geekthelibrary.org.

The ALA Public Programs Office, in partnership with the National Constitution Center and the National Endowment for the Humanities, is accepting online applications for a large-scale tour of the traveling exhibition "Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War" through May 5 at www.ala.org/civilwarprograms. Eligible institutions include but are not limited to public, research and special libraries; historical societies; museums; civic, community and heritage organizations; and institutes of higher learning. Funding for the exhibition and tour is provided by a major grant from NEH.

Using the U.S. Constitution as its cohesive thread, "Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War" offers a fresh and innovative perspective on the Civil War that brings into focus the constitutional crises at the heart of this great conflict. The exhibition identifies these crises—the secession of the Southern states, slavery and wartime civil liberties—and explores how Lincoln sought to meet these political and constitutional challenges.

Two hundred sites will be selected to host the 1,000 square foot exhibition for a period of six weeks each from September 2011 through May 2015. Each site will receive a $750 grant to support expenses related to exhibition programming. Participating institutions are expected to present at least two free public programs featuring a lecture or discussion by a qualified scholar on exhibition themes. All showings of the exhibition must be free and open to the public.

"Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War" is supported by NEH's We the People initiative, which aims to stimulate and enhance the teaching, study and understanding of American history and culture. For more information, including project guidelines, programming resources and the online application, visit www.ala.org/civilwarprograms.

Applications are now open for the 2011 Judith Krug Fund Banned Books Week event grants, sponsored by the Freedom to Read Foundation. Four grants in the amount of $2,500 and $1,000 grants will be given to organizations in support of "Read-Outs" or other activities that celebrate Banned Books Week (Sept. 24 – Oct. 1, 2011).

Applications for the grants will be accepted through May 13, 2011, and the announcements will be made the week of Aug. 1, 2011. Banned Books Week 2011 will be held Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 2011.

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The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections cooperative cataloging program is looking for participants in Hawaii. Through NUCMC, the Library of Congress and eligible U.S. archival and manuscript repositories provide and promote bibliographic access to the nation's documentary heritage, thus celebrating the diversity of American life and providing an excellent tool for genealogical and historical research for the last 50 years.

In particular, NUCMC is looking for smaller institutions or repositories that may hold hidden collections that NUCMC could describe and make known at the national and international level. The standardized bibliographic records created and distributed via this international database are sometimes the first broad exposure for a repository's collections, often generating wider usage and public awareness that in turn speak persuasively for increased support from funders and administrators for hidden collections.

To be eligible, a repository must 1) be located in the U.S. or its territories; 2) must regularly admit researchers; and 3) must lack the capability of entering its own manuscript cataloging into OCLC.

Participating repositories, such as local historical societies, museums, public libraries, or town clerk's offices, provide NUCMC with information (main entry, title, date range, size, scope, etc.) describing their archival and manuscript holdings. NUCMC staff at the Library of Congress then use the information provided to create MARC bibliographic records describing the repository's holdings in OCLC WorldCat. Additionally, anyone with access to the World Wide Web has free access to the entire OCLC archival and mixed collections file through the NUCMC Web site.

For more information, e-mail NUCMC.