Sunday, July 6, 2008

Podcasts

Stay tuned to this blog for links to recordings that were made of some of the sessions at the convention. They are being edited now and will be ready for broadcast in a few weeks.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Wrap-up in the Cleveland Jewish News

Click here and scroll down a bit to see a summary of the convention in this week's Cleveland Jewish News: http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2008/07/03/community/cavalcade/ccav0704.txt

Monday, June 30, 2008

Greater Cleveland Chapter at the Banquet

Members of the AJL - GCC pose at the reception before the Awards Banquet. Photo by Lynn Katz Danzig.

Friday, June 27, 2008

And the pictures just keep rolling in.....

Wendy Wasman, Susan Pankowsky, and Lee Haas are all smiles on the last day of Convention! Photo courtesy of Susan Pankowsky.



Nancy Sack, Daniel Scheide, and Karen Ulric ham it up (above and below). Pictures courtesy of Merrily Hart.



More Cleveland photos




Stephanie Gross posing in front of Mentor van.















2 Saras- a mentor and a mentee, care of Stephanie Gross of Stern College, Yeshiva University

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Pictures courtesy of Merrily Hart (captions provided by your friendly blogger, Wendy Wasman)

Linda Silver and Wendy Wasman bookend former GCC member Susan Pankowsky!




The tech-savvy Lettofskys enjoy a little email with their breakfast!




Our fearless Exhibits Chair, Harry Koppel, at his post.




The Marriott's Banquet Manager, Mark, serves up pasta with a smile to Elliot H. Gertel.


Some Greater Cleveland Chapter members watch as our own Jean Lettofsky is honored by Siegal College for her 25 years as Library Director. We are so proud to call her a colleague!
Thank you to everyone for a wonderful convention! More pictures and comments to follow.

Wednesday Morning


Yossi Galron showing a slide during his presentation.

Shuli Berger showing a photo of a cornerstone at Yeshiva University

Elhanan Adler explaining the different participants in the latest project.

Shulamith Berger of Yeshiva University presented the Yeshiva University edifice- the plans, vision and reality. It was rather interesting to see the different architectural influences that were represented in the YU uptown campus in Washington Heights.

Elhanan Adler highlighted the creation and use of a full text archive of Jewish historical newspapers. OCR is about 93% accurate, which is really important to note when looking over materials scanned with this technology.

Yossi Galron showed his lexicon of Modern Hebrew Literature - which biographical information regarding authors. Shakepeare is also now included in this online project.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Photos of the Day: Tuesday


Marcia Posner and Fred Isaac

Siegal College of Judaic Studies Honoree Jean Lettofsky in honor of 25 years of Service to the College

AJL Past Presidents


Amanda Seigel, scholarship awardee, with the AJL Scholarship Committee

Elliot Gertel of the University of Michigan

Roger Kohn of Library of Congress presenting the Cataloging Update.

Next Year in Chicago!

Next year's convention will be in Chicago in July- right around the time of ALA.

The following years include AJL in Seattle, Montreal and Los Angeles...

We're all looking forward!

Collection Development

Hearing from Alice Crosetto and Daniel E. Feinberg we learned quite a bit about the use of cookbooks to understand cultural norms, economics and a generally good way of interesting children with a productive end. Jewish life and culture is often transmitted by means of food and eating together-- which was rather evident by the myriad of websites and books which have been published that detail these ideas.

Elizabeth Vernon explained that Harvard University collects advertisements- as they can be utilized for historical, economic and sociological studies to understand a community, their interests, goals and a window into the life that they live. From pamphlets to solicitations- Israeli and American Jewish advertising are being collected.

2008 Rosaline and Meyer Feinstein Lecture


Pearl Berger delivering the 2008 Rosaline and Meyer Feinstein Lecture

Dr. David Gilner, Director of Libraries at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion introducing Dean Pearl Berger

Pearl Berger, Benjamin Gottesman Librarian and Dean of Libraries, Yeshiva University- presented a lecture entitled: "From Otzar Sefarim to Otzar Hokhmah: Transitions and Transformations."

Highlights from the lecture included insight into the 'millennium generation,' how to reach out them and note the worth of the library and its resources. Pearl has presented us with challenges to keep Judaica and librarianship, in general, modern and current for our users' needs.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Session: AJL Standards

The following message is from Karen Ulrich, Librarian at the Meislin Memorial Library (grades 6-12) at Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union in West Orange, NJ:

Thanks to all who attended the panel discussion on the new AJL Standards. I think a bunch of interesting ideas were heard. The documentation is now available at http://jewishschoollibraries.pbwiki.com/Presentations

Also, we passed out a survey at the end of the session. We ask that as many school librarians, even those who didn't attend the session, take another look at the standards and complete the survey ONLINE (oooh!!!!!). it will give us some interesting data to discuss, analyze, maybe share in a future AJL Newsletter - and share with the people at AASL who are still developing the final version of these standards. You can find the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=phgDKzHwjVCEFgyTyRPYBw%3d%3d

The "Israel in Comics" Blog

This message is from Steve Bergson:

The "Israel in Comics Blog" can be viewed at http://israelincomics.blogspot.com, it officially went "live" on June 23rd.

It is the official blog of Session 3D and has all of the graphics used (plus many more that couldn't be shown, for lack of time)

Enjoy!

Photos

Booking signing during a break

Booking signing during a break

Shmoozing and networking during the break.

Check out the chef's hat!!

Awards Luncheon




Here's to our awardees! Best wishes, Mazal Tov and congratulations for accreditation, scholarship awardees, Fanny Goldstein award and Life Membership.

Monday: A look at Session 1

Elliot Gertel moderated the session entitled "Documenting the Holocaust."

Robert Rozett presented on the subject of "Trends in the Publication of Books about the Holocaust from 2000-2007." Yad Vashem collects books on the Holocaust, but finds it difficult to collect articles - as they are often difficult to locate. The Yad Vashem possesses more than 115,000 titles and collects about 3,000 titles annually. The Yad Vashem Library collects widely, as opposed to the Archives. The Library is open to the public and circulates to Israeli residents. A wide range of individuals utilize the Library, from 12 year old students learning about family history to scholars and everyone in between. The Library catalog will hopefully be going online shortly (definitely something to look forward to).

The second presentation in this session was delivered by Michlean Amir of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her talk entitled: "The Opening of the Red Cross International Tracing Service Archive: What Does it Contain and What Does Access to It Mean for Scholars and Family Researchers?" Michelan noted that there are over 100 million images in the archives of the ITC, which began in 1947. The ITC collected material that would enable people to trace individuals-- which would later be advantageous when applying for restitution funds. Eleven countries including Israel have been involved in this initiative, while there has been 60 years of limited access. The backlog for requests in 2006 numbered in the hundreds of thousands, often with response times of over 1 year. Jewish Gen went to Bad Arolsen in May to see the records and record keeping first-hand. There were no trained librarians or archivists on staff. Technological and other challenges remain- including the method in which the collection will be organized.

Sunday Evening

While meetings took place this afternoon, the Jewish Publication Society sponsored a reception for Dr. Ellen Frankel (who later delivered the keynote address at the Sunday night dinner).


Later, as we all enjoyed dinner and were welcomed by AJL President, Laurel Wolfson and Mark Weber (Dean of Libraries,Kent State University) provided an introduction for our speaker. Dr. Ellen Frankel followed with the address on the topic: How the People of the Book Became the People of the Book Business: A History of Jewish Publishing in America.

Dr. Frankel provided details of the rich history of the Jewish Publication Society. Focusing on the impact of Isaac Leeser, with his call for the creation of a Jewish publication society that would promote religious heritage and unity. The JPS would serve as a unifying tie that would bring together both the intellectual and moral worth by producing interactions between different subscribers (a subscription would cost $1 and would provide copies of every book published by the Society for that fee). People would unite into a society to print and circulate books, as well as enable growth of Judaism in America, with other goals of education, unification which still remain at the core. The Society sought to be far reaching and encouraged the democratization of Judaism- and much of this is in the hands of librarians, who must show this to the greater community.

Dr. Frankel continued by highlighting the technological advances that JPS is employing. The Society does not shy away from this change, but rather is embracing this change and chance to further the education and discussion of Judaism.
JPS has embarked on a new project called Yavnet, an online collaborative which will categorize the Tanach, by tagging the Tanach. The pilot site of Yavnet is now available and the prototype should be available in early 2009.

Sunday, June 22, 2008





I'm certain Cleveland will never be the same after AJL makes it mark.

AJL has come to town and Day One of the convention has begun.

We're off to a great start despite a stormy afternoon...welcomed by friendly and helpful volunteers (see top photo)

Exhibitors are displaying their wares including software, books, music and more in the serene lobby area amidst the Marriott fountains .

Excited and adventurous librarians ventured out Lolly the Trolley for a tour of Jewish Cleveland this afternoon (bottom photo)

More later...

Friday, June 20, 2008

PR for the Convention

Follow this link to read an article about the convention that appeared in today's Cleveland Jewish News: http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2008/06/19/news/local/library06230.txt

The Cleveland Jewish News will also be covering the Keynote Address by Ellen Frankel on Sunday evening.

AJL Social Networking

By this point it's rather likely you've heard of the phrase 'social networking.' We seem to have some cutting-edge librarians amongst the group who are really interested and involved in social networking.

From Facebook to Twitter and RSS feeds to LinkedIn, Judaica librarians are utilizing this tools. Among our group are bloggers and those who use podcasts to get the word across. What are you using?

Here's to another way to see what your fellow librarians are doing.

Look for us as AJLCleveland2008 or Association of Jewish Libraries Annual Conference.

Looking forward to seeing you virtually or IRL on Sunday!

Dead Sea Scrolls: Session Plug

Tuesday morning will include a session entitled "THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS" will be moderated by Esther Hexter. Participants include John Kampen, David Levy and Marlene Schiffman.

For those who want to get a jump start and study up on the material, presenter David Levy suggests that you visit his website.

With so many interesting sessions that will be taking place- it's difficult to choose!


Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Packing Party


Today we packed the Convention bags. Anne Biermann, Lee Haas, Jean Lettofsky, and Esther Hexter are all smiles as they fill the bags with goodies.


Julie Moss and Wendy Wasman pause in the packing.


The packed bags are ready to be transported to the hotel.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Are you ready to Rock N Roll?

I guess it's a funny question for Judaica librarians, but since we're headed to Cleveland - Home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame it's rather apropos.

With only 5 days (and counting) until the beginning of the AJL Cleveland 2008 convention, I'd like to introduce myself.

Hi all, I'm Tina Weiss- I serve as Judaica Librarian at the Klau Library at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and I'm here to guide and explore the AJL convention with you. Through on-site posts, guests and photos you will experience the convention virtually.

Buckle your seat beat as we get ready to journey through the convention together.

And don't forget to comment :)

Monday, June 16, 2008

Blog to go live at Convention!

This blog will go live during Convention with guest blogger Tina Weiss as the reporter. Stay tuned for live updates on sessions, speakers, and other events as they happen!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Counting Down



We are so excited as Convention Time draws near. Enjoy these pictures of your Convention 2008 Planning Committee hard at work!



Wendy Wasman and Andi Davidson welcome AJL members to Cleveland!



Below, Linda Silver and Bonnie Shapiro ward off the paparazzi, as our wonderful Registrar, Marcia Klein, reacts to the news that we'll all be planning next year's convention too (just kidding)!










Meanwhile, Jean Lettofsky remains calm in the face of the storm!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Jewish Food and Culture Festival

For those of you looking for a non-convention activity on Sunday, June 22:


The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Siegal College of Judaic Studies
and the Cleveland Jewish News
proudly present:

THE FIRST ANNUAL JEWISH FOOD AND CULTURE FESTIVAL


Sunday, June 22nd

Safran Park – Mandel Jewish Community Center
11 am to 4 pm
Artists! Activities! Information! Family Fun!

Come early for best food selections!
(216) 593-0587 for more information
{The Mandel Jewish Community Center is just 2 miles from the Marriott}

Monday, May 19, 2008

Shuttle Services

The following hotels offer shuttle service within a 5 mile radius to their guests (all of these hotels are about 1 mile away):

Embassy Suites Hotel
Hilton Cleveland East Beachwood
Courtyard by Marriott -- you need to schedule your ride. The shuttle doesn't run on a
regular schedule.
Hampton Inn & Suites

There is no shuttle service from the Super 8 Motel, the Residence Inn, Extended Stay America or Fairfield Inn & Suites.

See posting below for phone numbers.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Alternative Hotel Options

The Marriott Cleveland East has no more rooms at the special convention rate. There are still rooms available, but you will have to pay full price. If you are looking for alternative accommodations, here are some other hotels that are very close to the Marriott. Some of these hotels may have shuttle services that will take you to the Marriott, so be sure to ask when you call.

Embassy Suites Hotel
3775 Park East Drive
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 765-8066
embassysuites.com

Hilton Cleveland East Beachwood
3663 Park East Drive
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 464-5950
hilton.com

Courtyard by Marriott: Beachwood
3695 Orange Pl
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 765-1900
marriott.com

Super 8 Motel - Beachwood/Cleveland Area
3795 Orange Place
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 831-7200
(216) 831-0616 - Fax
super8.com

Hampton Inn & Suites
3840 Orange Place
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 831-3735
hamptoninn.com

Residence Inn by Marriott: Beachwood
3628 Park East Dr
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 831-3030
marriott.com

Extended Stay America Cleveland - Beachwood
3820 Orange Pl.
Orange, OH 44122
(216) 595-9551
extendedstayamerica.com

Fairfield Inn & Suites Cleveland Beachwood
3750 Orange Pl.
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 831-3300
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/clebh-fairfield-inn-and-suites-cleveland-beachwood/

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Meal Options for Monday Evening

For those of you who will not be attending the Maltz Museum event on Monday evening, June 23, here are some options for dinner:

There are several restaurants within walking distance from the hotel: Chipotle, Abeulo's (Mexican), Panera (soup, sandwiches, salads), DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines, Robeks (smoothies, salads).

There are kosher restaurants in nearby suburbs, but you will need to arrange for transportation. Members of the local Convention Planning Committee and the hotel staff can assist you in acquiring transportation. Check the Spotlight Cleveland brochure for kosher and other dining options.

We are able to provide a kosher boxed meal for those who would like one, but you must order your meal by June 1st. Send your check for $20 to Marcia Klein, 4049 Hinsdale Road, South Euclid, OH 44121. Please indicate if you would like a vegetarian meal.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon in Cleveland!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

New exhibitor

Add Ben Yehuda Press to the list of exhibitors coming to Cleveland in June!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Exhibitors

Here is the complete list of exhibitors as of today, April 23, 2008:
  • Alden Films
  • Arnold Reisman (local Cleveland author)
  • AJL
  • Barnes & Noble
  • Basch Subscriptions & Reference Shelf
  • Best Practices Poster Display by your colleagues
  • C.D.I. Systems, Inc. (Jerusalem)
  • Enjoy a Book Club
  • Index to Jewish Periodicals
  • Jaywil Software
  • Jerusalem Books
  • Jewish Publication Society
  • JSP Judaic Art
  • The Magnet Mogul
  • The Scholar's Choice
  • Star Bright Books
  • Treasures Gift Shop (jewelry and more from Israeli and American artists)
  • URJ Books & Music

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Transportation Alternatives

Some folks have been asking about alternate ways to get to the hotel from the airport or from downtown Cleveland. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority operates a bus and light rail service. The light rail is called the Rapid Transit; from the airport take the Red Line (Windermere) to Tower City (24 minutes), then transfer to the Blue Line (Van Aken) for another 24-minute ride to the end of the line. Transfer to the #24 bus (Van Aken/Tri-C) for an 11-minute ride to the Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus, which is right across the street from the Marriott. The Rapid and bus are only $1.75 each. For schedules and other fare options, see: http://www.gcrta.org/

Safe travels!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Supportive Sponsors

We are grateful to the following sponsors who are placing ads in our program book (this list will be updated as more ads are placed):


  • National City
  • Joseph-Beth Booksellers
  • Cleveland Public Library
  • Siegal College of Judaic Studies
  • Friends of the Siegal College Library
  • Fairmount Temple
  • First Interstate Properties
  • Kent State University
  • Jewish Publication Society
  • The Temple - Tifereth Israel
  • Jewish Book Council
  • Kar Ben
  • Remark Books
  • Broken Colors
  • Bonnie Burt Productions
  • Starbright Books
  • Suburban Temple
  • Jewish Secular Community
  • Taylor Road Synagogue
  • Cuyahoga County Public Library

If you are interested in placing an ad in the program, or know someone who is interested, please contact Karen Ulric (national advertisers) at ajladmanager@gmail.com or Anne Biermann (local NE Ohio advertisers) at abierm@mac.com as soon as possible.

Web Ad

Check out National City's web ad on the AJL Covention page:
http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/conventions/convention2008.htm

Thank you National City for your generous support!

Update on Exhibitors

Here are some additional exhibitors:

  • Jerusalem Books
  • Treasures Gift Shop from the JCC and Siegal College
  • The Magnet Mogul
  • Enjoy a Book Club

We are still expecting others in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Friends of the AJL Convention

Are you interested in donating to the upcoming AJL Convention? We have a new level of sponsorship called "Friends of the AJL Convention." For any amount between $18.00 and $99.00 we will list your name under the category in the convention program book. Please email me at wwwasman@yahoo.com for more information.

Thanks and see you in Cleveland in less than 3 months!!!

Monday, March 3, 2008

Electronic Reservations

The link below will take you directly to the Marriott's reservation page, where the code for the convention has already been entered:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cleem-cleveland-marriott-east/?groupCode=libliba&app=resvlink

Just enter your arrival date to begin the reservation process.

Exhibits!

The following exhibitors are all set to show their wares in Cleveland in June:
  • Index to Jewish Periodicals
  • The Scholar's Choice
  • Alden Films
  • Jaywil Software, Inc.
  • Jewish Publication Society
  • Barnes & Noble

Stay tuned for further updates!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Spotlight Cleveland

The Convention Planning Committee has prepared a document for convention attendees that highlights local restaurants, entertainment, culture, shopping, and more. It is posted on the AJL website, and you can also access it here: http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/conventions/convention2008/spotlight_cleveland.pdf

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Hotel Information

Hotel and travel information can be found on the AJL website, http://jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/ or by clicking here: http://jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/conventions/convention2008/hotel_info.pdf

Updated Program

Please note that the Preliminary Program has been updated. One very important change to note is that the Lolly the Trolley Tour will be held on Sunday, June 22, from 3:00-5:00 PM, NOT 1:00-3:00 as earlier stated.

You can see the Preliminary Program at: http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/conventions/convention2008/2008_preliminary_program.pdf

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Registration Form & Financial Assistance

The Registration Form will be printed in the February/March issue of the AJL Newsletter, but to get a jump on things, you can fill it out online by following the link on the Convention 2008 page at: http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/conventions/convention2008.htm

After you fill out the form, you will need to print it and send it, along with your payment, to Marcia Klein at the address given on the form.

Please note that local paid-up AJL -GCC (Greater Cleveland Chapter) members may apply for financial assistance from our chapter to attend the convention. Please contact Aimee Lurie at aimeelurie@mac.com to check the status of your membership. There is also financial assistance available from the JECC for local members. Go to http://www.jecc.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/ConferenceGrants.htm for more detailed information. AJL also offers scholarships and stipends for attending the convention. Please go to the AJL website at http://jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/ and follow the links under Scholarships for more information.