ashlynn.wicke@gmail.com's blog

Don't miss Christian Gray's "Corporate Philanthropy: Giving for the Greater Good (1pm Thursday, 4/19). Come learn about the impact of Room to Read, and get inspired to help the businesses in your community become involved in Corporate Philanthropy.

See Christian Gray's conference preview:
https://txla.adobeconnect.com/_a1117067043/p8ylwesd2hd/?launcher=false&f...

Speakers/ Authors: Mike Crowe, Nicolas Kanellos, Sergio Troncoso, Gwendolyn Zepeda

April 19, 2012 8:00 am - 9:50 am - Houston Convention Center, 1001 Avenida 360 CF, Level 3 

Learn about historical and contemporary U.S. Latino literature through University of Houston's Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project. After learning about long gone, undiscovered Latino writers, attendees will hear readings by celebrated, contemporary authors Gwendolyn Zepeda and Sergio Troncoso.

Meet the award winning author of the 2011 Gulf Coast Reads selection, One Amazing Thing, Chitra Divakaruni; the author of the popular new cookbook, Entice With Spice, Shubhra Ramineni; Shilpi Gowda, author of the international bestseller Secret Daughter, and Thrity Umrigar, award-winning author and journalist whose latest work is The Weight of Heaven. Together, these authors offer and intriguing look as an eclectic blend of fiction and non-fiction works.

Academic librarians struggle with a host of social questions: How do we ensure equity in higher education to provide opportunities for all students? When is research ready to be shared with the public?

How can academic library leaders best cope with both social and local issues? Janice Welburn, Dean of the University Libraries at Marquette University, will talk about lessons learned in a climate of social transformation. Wednesday, 10:15 to 11:20, Rm 372AF

Don't miss "Creating Computer Games for Instruction" Wednesday at 2PM. For the most productive experience, visit http://www.yoyogames.com/ and click on GameMaker link at the top. GameMaker Lite Edition is free, all you have to do is click the link and choose the right operating system (or if you have Windows, just go to http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/windows). Load it to your laptop & bring it with you- you'll leave with a game of your own ready to use!

The advertised title is “Digital Content: Enhance, Replace, Blend” – but as they really got down to the planning, Marc Aronson and Dorcas Hand realized a new title would be better. The new title is “DIGITAL CONTENT: ROAD UNDER CONSTRUCTION, DETOURS AHEAD”. We hope you’ll join us on Thursday from 2-3:50 to talk about ebooks, ereading and how best to get it into your libraries. You’ll leave with new understandings of the road ahead. Mark your conference calendar now!

Great ideas? Texas librarians have a thousand of them… actually 1001 to be specific! Come and check them out at the 1001 Great Ideas event being held on Tuesday, April 17, from 4:00 – 5:30pm in the Level 3 Foyer (outside of the Grand Ballroom). In this informal session, you can stroll among tabletop presentations showcasing best practices in library services, operations and programming from all types of libraries. Refreshments and a cash bar will be available. Take a few minutes as you start off your conference to get some great ideas!

Tickets are still available for the Private School Progressive Dinner, Thursday of Conference. Visit three schools in Houston for a delicious meal, each course with a new environment and information about outstanding programs. Bus will leave the GRBCC at 5:30 – so you can hear the Closing General Session and then head to dinner. All librarians welcome - we look forward to meeting you!

On TLA Wednesday at 10:15am, attend Learning4Life: Advocacy through Coteaching Deep Comprehension with Judi Moreillon, Gloria Voutos, Becky McKee and Kendra Duckworth. They will explore co-teaching AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and reading comprehension strategies with print and electronic texts. The session reviews AASL’s Position Statement on the School Librarian’s Role in Reading and demonstrates how reading achievement can be used to advocate for your role as a literacy leader and instructional partner.

Academic library leaders deal with a variety of issues and people on a daily basis. Learn about coping with both social and local issues from Janice Welburn of Marquette University in her session Academic Leadership: Lessons in a Climate of Social Transformation on Wednesday at 10:15 AM. Then, on Thursday hear Jack Siggins share strategies for successfully achieving outcomes with university administrators at Negotiating with Academic Administrators.