Join Us! The BCALA-CT Diversity Conference - October 29th

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association-Connecticut Chapter will host a Diversity Conference to inspire twenty-first century librarians to create library collections that reflect their entire communities.

The conference will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2005 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Southern Connecticut State University's Engleman Hall (Room B121) located at 501 Crescent Street in New Haven. Directions
The conference is FREE and open to the public. A continental lunch will be provided.

Keynote speaker, CARLA HAYDEN, is the Executive Director of Baltimore, Maryland's Enoch Pratt Free Library, and American Library Association
(ALA) past president (2003 - 2004).

DR. SPENCER SHAW, renowned Children's and Academic Librarian, who has recently returned to the Connecticut from an illustrious career nationwide, will be presented with a lifetime achievement award for his dedication to librarianship.

Closing speaker, ANDREW JACKSON(SEKOU MOLEFI BAAKO), is the Executive Director of Langston Hughes Community and Cultural Center in Queens, NY, and president of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA).


The conference will provide four workshops:

(1) Services to Special Needs Library Users (10:45 - 11:45 a.m.)
Hosted by Carol A. Taylor, Director, The Connecticut State Library
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped;

(2) Services to Spanish-speaking people (10:45 - 11:45 a.m.)
Hosted by Monica Caruso, Branch Manager, Hartford Public Library
and Loida Garcia-Febo, Spanish Language Collections/Cultural Arts
Manager, New Americans Program, Queens Library and President,
REFORMA NE, the Northeast chapter of The Association to Promote
Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking;

(3) Library Profession Preparation (1:15 - 2:15 p.m.)
Hosted by Professors Jane Moore-McGinn (Southern CT State
University) and W. Michael Havener (University of Rhode Island);

(4) Diversity in Public Library Service
Hosted by Jim Welbourne (Director, New Haven Free Public Library)
and Celestia Simmons (Branch Manager, Hartford Public Library).
The event is co-sponsored by Southern Connecticut State University's Department of Information and Library Science and the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies.

To REGISTER please contact:
S.D. Harris (203) 899-2780 x132 or bcala_ct@yahoo.com(note underscore)
Jane Moore-McGinn (203) 392-5086 or mcginnj1@southernct.edu

The deadline for registration is Friday, October 21, 2005.