Optional Tours and Post-Convention Program

You'll want to come early and stay an extra day to take advantage of all of the things we'll be offering in June 2008!

Sunday, June 22, 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Convention attendees will have the opportunity to take a guided tour of Jewish Cleveland on Lolly the Trolley. The tour will feature new Jewish sites on the east side of Cleveland, as well as the Jewish Archives at the Western Reserve Historical Society and The Temple - Tifereth Israel's historic building in University Circle. The fee is $30.00 per person.

Monday, June 23, 6:15 - 10:15 PM. Convention attendees can enjoy a light supper at The Temple - Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, followed by a docent-led tour of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, which is located just steps away from The Temple. Transportation will be provided from the Marriott to The Temple and from the Maltz Museum back to the hotel. The fee is $50.00 per person and includes supper, transportation, and museum admission charges.

Wednesday, June 25, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Post-Convention Celebration of Jewish Children’s Books and Authors. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards (1968-2008), AJL is offering a special post-convention celebration of Jewish children’s literature. The celebration will kick-off on Tuesday evening with the presentation of the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Awards during the convention’s annual banquet. Sessions will continue on Wednesday, June 25th at 9:00 AM with presentations by current and past Sydney Taylor Book Award winners and by specialists in the field of Jewish children’s literature. The celebration will conclude with a book signing and sales event from 3:30-4:30 PM. Registration for the Wednesday events includes continental breakfast beginning at 8:00 AM, buffet lunch and dessert reception. The fees are as follows: Full convention registrant = $50.00; Wednesday only = $75.00. CEU credit will be available for an additional $45.00. More details will be available in the coming months.

Watch for future issues of the AJL Newsletter, where you'll find the Registration Form, as well as additional information about food, minyanim, exhibits, and a preliminary program.

Hotel and Travel Information for the 2008 Convention

Convention Headquarters will be the Marriott Cleveland East. Located near the heart of the Cleveland Jewish community, the Marriott Cleveland East offers easy access to synagogues, museums, restaurants and shopping. A block of rooms has been reserved for AJL convention participants. Please identify yourself as part of the Association of Jewish Libraries to receive the discounted group rates.

Reservations must be received by the Marriott on or before June 2, 2008. Convention rates are:

Single or double occupancy $129.00 + tax
Triple occupancy $139.00 + tax
Quadruple occupancy $149.00 + tax

Reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card.

On-site parking is complimentary at the Marriott. Contact information for the hotel is as follows:
Marriott Cleveland East
26300 Harvard Rd.
Warrensville Heights, Ohio 44122
Telephone: 1-800-533-0162
Fax: 1-216-378-9292
Website: http://www.marriott.com/

GETTING TO CONVENTION
Two convenient airports service the Northeast Ohio region: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Akron-Canton Airport. Taxis are always available near the baggage pick-up area.

Shuttle service from Cleveland Hopkins costs approximately $50.00 each way for a town car or $60 for a van that holds up to 14 people. Service from Akron-Canton is about $70.00 for the town car and $80.00 for the van. To make shuttle reservations, contact Shima Limousine Service at 440-918-6400 or e-mail shimalimo@ameritech.net.

Updated travel information will be available on the AJL website and on this blog in the coming months.

Generous Donation

I am happy to report that the 2008 Convention is the recipient of a very generous donation. We have received $6,000 from Andrew and Judy Green of the Henry & Eugenia Green Family Foundation. This gift is the second installment of a three-part gift to support AJL conventions. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Green, and thank you also to Jean Lettofsky, who facilitated this gift in her role as AJL Fundraising Chair.

Donations

In addition to the generous donation from an anonymous donor (see post of September 18, 2007), we have received other noteworthy contributions, and we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the following:

• The Capital Area Chapter of the AJL
• Sarajane Dolinsky
• Marcia Posner

Your generosity will go a long way toward making the 2008 Convention a success!

Convention Corps

The 2008 Convention Planning Committee in a board room at the Marriott

Standing Left to Right: Wendy Wasman, Andi Davidson; Seated Left to Right: Jean Lettofsky, Linda Silver, Bonnie Shapiro

National Convention Chair visits Cleveland

From left to right: Fred Isaac, Wendy Wasman, Andi Davidson, Jean Lettofsky, Linda Silver, in the lobby of the Marriott

On October 10, Fred Isaac, AJL's National Convention Chair, came to Cleveland to meet with members of the Convention Corps. We discussed the plans underway for the 2008 Convention. Here are some updates:

• Programming: Linda Silver reported that we have many confirmed programs on topics such as: Hebrew storytime; using puppets to teach tolerance; graphic novels that feature Israel; book clubs; copyright issues; Jewish music; and humor in Israeli and American picture books. We have several programs that are tentative and will be confirmed once proposals have been received. The deadline for submitting proposals for programs has been extended to December 1st. Please note Linda's new email address: silverlr@roadrunner.com
  
• Contempo Cuisine will provide all of the meals and coffee breaks during the Convention; the food looks mouthwatering on the menus!


• We have two very exciting tours planned: Sunday, June 22, 2008 - convention attendees will have the opportunity to take a tour of Jewish Cleveland on Lolly the Trolley. The tour will be from 1:00-3:00 PM and will feature new Jewish sites on the East side of Cleveland, as well as the Jewish Archives at the Western Reserve Historical Society and The Temple - Tifereth Israel's historic building in University Circle; on Monday, June 23, 2008, convention attendees can enjoy a light supper at The Temple - Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, followed by a docent-led tour of the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, which is located just steps away from The Temple. Transportation will be provided from the Marriott to The Temple and from the Maltz Museum back to the hotel.


• We have developed a list of local exhibitors and will be working with AJL to attract national exhibitors to our convention.

A special post-convention celebration of the 4oth anniversary of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards will be held on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. Watch this site for further details.

Todah Rabah!

We are excited to announce that we have received an anonymous donation of $3000 from an AJL-GCC member. These funds will help to offset the many convention expenses. Many thanks to this generous member! Please contact our fundraising chair, Jean Lettofsky, at jlettofky@siegalcollege.edu if you are interested in learning more about how you can help.

Call for Papers

The following is the official Conference Announcement and Call for Papers. If you are interested in presenting a paper at the 2008 Convention, please follow the instructions below.

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 1, 2007

The Association of Jewish Libraries, Inc. will hold its 43rd annual convention at the Cleveland
Marriott East in suburban Cleveland on June 22-25, 2008. Librarians, archivists, and scholars from numerous disciplines will meet to share their interest in Judaica librarianship and related areas.

AJL is soliciting papers dealing with any aspect of Judaica librarianship or scholarship as it pertains to libraries, archives, museums, schools, synagogues, and related institutions. Typically, this has included workshops, panel discussions, and presentations about literature and other resources, programming, reader advisory services, special collections, technical services, library administration, materials selection, collection development, cataloging and classification of Judaic materials, digital and electronic resources, and local Jewish history. Papers should be both educational and interesting.

Those wishing to participate in poster sessions are also invited to submit proposals.

Prospective presenters should submit an abstract by December 1, 2007. The abstract should include the title of the presentation, a one-paragraph summary, the presenter’s name, address, phone number, email address, institution, and a 25 word bio. If the presentation requires audio-visual equipment, please indicate the type of equipment that will be needed.

Send abstracts to Linda Silver:
3729 Meadowbrook Blvd.
University Heights, OH 44118
Please note new email address: silverlr@roadrunner.com

AJL Website has 2008 Info!

The AJL website has posted the latest information about the 2008 Convention in Cleveland. Go to www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/home.htm, click on Convention and follow the link to the 2008 Convention page.

Photo Op

Here is a picture taken of Andi Davidson, Nechama Kutner, and Wendy Wasman in the Exhibits during the 2007 Convention. We are holding the program book which has the 2008 Conference Announcement and Call for Papers printed on the back cover.

Here is a variation on the slideshow that I showed at the 2007 Convention

Images of old Jewish Cleveland are taken from Jane Avner's book Merging Traditions.

Keynote Speaker for 2008 Convention announced

Dr. Ellen Frankel, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of the Jewish Publication Society (http://www.jewishpub.org/), will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 convention. Her appearance at an AJL convention will coincide with JPS's 120th anniversary. The topic of Dr. Frankel's talk will be announced later. Anyone interested in the history and development of the Jewish Publication Society is urged to read Jonathan Sarna's JPS: THE AMERICANIZATION OF JEWISH CULTURE, 1888-1988.

AJL 2007 Convention was HOT!

Literally - it was well over 100 degrees every day in sunny Phoenix!

I had a great time at my very first AJL convention, and I am even more excited about having the convention here in Cleveland next June. If you did not make it to Phoenix and you would like to experience the convention virtually, click here http://www.ajl2007.blogspot.com/ and read all about the convention. People were blogging live during the convention, and in addition, some people were also calling in "phonecasts" so you can hear their comments online. Andi Davidson, Jean Lettofsky, and I called in a phonecast on Tuesday night. To hear it, click on the link above, go to Phonecasts in the sidebar, click on "posts" and open up the first one that is dated June 19, 2007. Make sure your speakers are on!

To promote the Cleveland convention, we had luggage tags made with the 2008 Convention logo. Each attendee received a luggage tag in his/her convention bag. In addition, a Conference Announcement and Call for Papers was printed on the back cover of each convention program. We have already received one proposal for a program for next year!

I gave a brief presentation promoting Cleveland during the lunch on Tuesday. If I can figure out how to post a Powerpoint presentation with my comments, I will post it here on the blog.

Update to the logo

For some reason when I uploaded the logo to the blog the convention's theme disappeared. The theme, "Jewish Libraries: Tradition, Text and Technology," is supposed to be in between the two burgundy lines below the logo. You'll just have to picture it until I can figure out how to remedy the situation!

Logo

Thanks to Debbie Friedman, the Director of Communications at The Temple - Tifereth Israel, we now have a classy logo for the 2008 Cleveland Convention. The above logo will be used on letterhead stationery, postcards, and the bags we will give away at the convention.

2007 Convention Information

This year's annual convention will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona. All of the latest information is posted on the AJL's convention page: http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/conventions/convention2007.htm

So far Andi Davidson, Wendy Wasman, Jean Lettofsky, Heather Lenson, and Lee Haas will be representing the Greater Cleveland Chapter at the 2007 convention. Please let us know if you are going, too! Remember - tell everyone you meet to "Save the Date: Cleveland in '08!"

We are refining the logo for the 2008 convention. When it is ready, I will post it here on the blog.

Planning Update

The Convention Planning Committee has been working hard to reorganize some of the sub-committees, come up with a theme for the convention (see next post), and make contacts within the local community for potential sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, etc. Stay tuned for future updates which will include more details.

We have a theme!

The theme/slogan for the 2008 AJL Convention will be:

Jewish Libraries: Tradition, Text and Technology

CONVENTION CHRONICLE:
An irregular newsletter devoted to the planning of the
2008 AJL National Convention
#1


Kickoff Meeting

On January 11, 2007, seventeen members of the Greater Cleveland Chapter met to officially begin planning for the 2008 AJL National Convention. The convention will be held in Cleveland from June 22-25, 2008. Convention headquarters will be the Marriott Cleveland East, located on Harvard Road in Warrensville Heights.

Linda Silver began the meeting by telling us her experiences at previous conventions, including the one held in Cleveland in 1997. Other chapter members, including Andi Davidson, Esther Hexter, Nechama Kutner, Jean Lettofsky, Julie Moss, and Bonnie Shapiro, told of their convention experiences. Merrily Hart arrived in a pink t-shirt and carrying a tote bag and program book, all emblazoned with the logo and slogan of the Cleveland 1997 convention! During this lively pep talk, program books of past conventions were circulated among the members.

Convention Planning Committees

Linda announced the current slate of officers of the Convention Planning Committee:

Co-Chairs: Andi Davidson, Wendy Wasman, Mark Weber
Advisors: Linda Silver and Merrily Hart
Treasurer: Fran Freedman

The following is a list of sub-committees and the names of those who signed up to work on each committee. If you do not see your name on any of these committees and you would like to volunteer, please contact Andi Davidson at adavidson@ttti.org or Wendy Wasman at wwwasman@yahoo.com. As you can see, many of the committees are in need of a chair and/or volunteers. We hope to fill up these committees as soon as possible.

Sub-Committees


Ads for Program Book
Chair:
Committee:

AV
Chair:
Committee: Anne Biermann

Exhibits
Chair: Harold Koppel
Committee: Heather Lenson, Eileen Kollins

Fund Raising
Chair: Jean Lettofsky
Committee: Sue Berlin, Sarajane Dolinsky

Hospitality Suite
Chair:
Committee: Fran Freedman, Heather Lenson, Gerry Powers

Meals
Co-Chairs: Nechama Kutner and Aimee Lurie
Committee: Ilka Gordon, Jacqueline Stern

Off-Site Locations and Tours
Co-Chairs: Nechama Kutner and Bonnie Shapiro
Committee: Ilka Gordon, Nina Rosner

Program Book
Chair: Anne Biermann
Committee: Julie Berman, Esther Hexter, Polly Wilkenfeld

Programs
Chair: Linda Silver
Committee: Sean Martin, Jean Lettofsky, Wendy Wasman, Gerry Powers, Nina
Rosner, Esther Hexter, Nechama Kutner

Publicity
Chair: Nina Rosner
Committee: Esther Hexter, Lee Haas

Registration
Chair: Marcia Klein
Committee: Joanne Frey, Nina Rosner, Lee Haas, Polly Wilkenfeld

Signage
Chair:
Committee:

Sponsorships
Chair:
Committee: Joe Hecht, Mark Weber

Volunteers
Chair: Fran Pursell
Committee: Susan Traub

Program Ideas

We are planning on offering a tour of the Maltz Museum on the Monday evening of the convention. Also in the works is a tour of Jewish Cleveland, transportation to be provided by Lolly the Trolley.

Food

A contract has been signed with Contempo Cuisine to provide all of the meals, as well as the coffee breaks, for the convention. The menu looks delicious!

Slogan

Do you have any ideas for a slogan for the 2008 AJL Convention? We have a couple of ideas already, but we want your input. Submit your ideas to Wendy Wasman at wwwasman@yahoo.com. Possibilities so far include:

Jewish Libraries: Cornerstones of Community
Jewish Libraries = Jewish Literacy
Jewish Libraries: Tradition, Treasures, and Technology


Stay tuned for future issues of the Convention Chronicle!

Welcome to the AJL Cleveland Convention 2008 Blog!

I thought that a blog would be a good way to keep everyone in the loop as plans progress for the AJL annual convention to be held in Cleveland in June 2008. If you would like something posted on the blog, please send it to me via email (wwwasman@yahoo.com) and I will post it for you.

Anyone is welcome to add comments to an already existing post. Just click where it says "comments," enter your comment, and if you do not already have an account, you will be asked to create one. All you'll need is your email address and a password (any one of your choosing). Remember your password for the next time you want to comment.

The next post will be the first issue of the Convention Chronicle that you received by email.

Wendy