Announcing a New CODES Conversation-- RA and the World

Before I talk about this important SINGLE DAY email conversation that will be happening on November 15, 2017, I have learned in my travels that many of my readers do not know what CODES is. I will begin there.

RUSA CODES is the Collection Development and Evaluation Section is the place in ALA for reference/user services librarians and staff from all types of libraries to discuss the rapidly changing landscape of collection development, readers’ advisory, and publishing.

From their website with some comments added by me [in red]:

Join CODES

• Already an ALA member? Join RUSA (you must login). You can join CODES and as many other RUSA selections as you want at no extra charge.
• New to ALA? New members— Join ALA and RUSA now! —and don't forget to add CODES!
• Yes, you need to pay to join RUSA, but CODES is a free add-on. This is the only place within the ALA structure where RA Service is valued as the top priority. THE. ONLY. PLACE.

Getting involved - It's easy!

We always welcome new volunteers - Check out the committee list and then go to the RUSA volunteer site to sign up. I have been told by current committee members that they are actively looking for volunteers. If you are waiting to be asked to get involved, consider this your “ask.” I did clarify that your physical presence is NOT required at any conference to volunteer in general [see below]. That used to be a requirement for all positions. It is no longer one. There are virtual only opportunities  So please, consider volunteering. You don’t have to have had any ALA volunteer experience, you literally just need to have paid your dues. If you want more info, I can get you in touch with current committee members. Click here to contact me.

Most committees meet at ALA Annual and Midwinter, but there are virtual opportunities too! Many of our meetings are open to visitors so just stop by the next time you attend an ALA conference. We would love to meet you.

Want more information about a CODES committee? Our Vice-Chair, Patrick Wall pjwall@ucitylibrary.org can help you.

News and Views

• Read the latest CODES news at RUSA Update .
   
• Look at what other members are saying: CODES-L , the CODES discussion list.
   
• Connect with CODES at ALA Connect .
   
• Network at our Facebook page.

Resources

• Guidelines for the Preparation of a Bibliography

CODES Conversations

CODES occasionally offers focused electronic conversations on current issues facing collection development and readers’ advisory librarians. The conversations are open to all who wish to participate (or lurk). Click here and subscribe to join the conversation!

It is this final section that we are talking about today. The CODES Conversations. First, here is the announcement of the next one, and honestly, it couldn’t be more timely.

CODES Conversations: RA and the World

November 15, 2017 via email

How are libraries keeping readers advisory relevant in an age of social andpolitical unrest? What do our patrons need, want and expect from theirlibraries? In a year when political books are often in more demand thatfiction, how do practitioners of RA need to adjust? What are some emergingbest practices we can use as role models?

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Okay, RUSA provided content done, now it’s back to just Becky

Click here for all of the directions on how to subscribe. And let me also address the elephant in the room before we go further, the CODES Conversations create a mess in your inbox. Every time they host one there are angry people in the conversation asking to stop getting so many emails. So first things first, when you sign up, pick an email address you don’t use a lot and have the messages sent to a specific folder.

Second, the committee is committed to making the conversation AND the method of delivery better.
These conversations are a wonderful way for people from all over the country to have a RA focused conversation and share ideas and resources. They used to be a few days and over many time zones, but this time, in order to make the conversation less of an email spam-fest, they are going to have a more focused conversation over a single day, with multiple moderators keeping things moving.

So, I am asking you to sign-up, but I am also imploring you to participate. This is a topic we are all dealing with and, honestly, struggling to figure out as we go along. Let’s share our frustrations and fails as well as our tips and triumphs. Let’s help each other keep our work relevant and make sure our patrons are getting what they want from us.

November 15th expect to get a lot of emails, but expect to also be part of an important conversation.