Government News

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting grant applications for the agency’s 2011 Conservation Project Support (CPS) program. The deadline for applying is October 1, 2010.  Through this program, IMLS awards matching grants of up to $150,000 to help museums identify their conservation needs and priorities, and to aide them in safekeeping collections by implementing sound conservation practices.  Webinars about the program are scheduled for August 19 and September 2 at noon PDT.  For more information, please read the IMLS press release or application guiderlines webpage.

The Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) conference will meet October 13-16 in Denver, Colorado.  Scholarships of up to $1300 are still available from the California State Library Rural Library Initiative. Directors, librarians, and other library staff who plan or provide public service in a rural or tribal library, and who belong to ARSL, are eligible to apply.   If you’re interested, please respond by August 24, 2010, to Susan Hanks at shanks@library.ca.gov, Carla Lehn at clehn@library.ca.gov, or Patty Hector at patty@northnetlibs.org.

The ARSL conference is an excellent opportunity to explore new services, tools, and skills, and to connect with other rural library staff from across the country. 

Finding Health and Wellness at Your Library: A Consumer Health Toolkit for Library Staff  is a new online resource designed to help public libraries meet the health information needs of their communities.  This online Toolkit links to hundreds of websites, audio and video files, printed resources, and tutorials focusing on prevention and wellness.  The California State Library, in partnership with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Southwest Region, developed the Toolkit over the past year with input and guidance from an advisory committee of public librarians, health librarians and healthcare professionals.  

For more information about the Toolkit, attend a free introductory webinar to be offered on Thursday, September 9 from noon to 1:00 p.m. PDT. 

A revised version of California Library Laws 2010 is now available at the California State Library website.  Produced by the State Library as a service to libraries in California, this publication includes selections from the California Codes and Regulations relating to public libraries, the State Library, and other library-related matters, in effect January 1, 2010, revised August 10, 2010.  It’s a selective guide to state laws and related materials that most directly affect the everyday operations of public libraries and organizations that work with public libraries.