6th Annual C4A Conference: “Taking Control of Life’s Transitions” Wednesday 10/12/11

C4A Connecticut Association of Area Agencies on Aging presents its 6th Annual C4A Conference: “Taking Control of Life’s Transitions” Wednesday, October 12, 2011. 8 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CT Legislative Office Building, Hartford, Connecticut.

$65 per person.

For detailed session information and speaker bios, visit Senior Resources.org.
8:00 – 8:45 Registration
9:00 – 9:30 Welcoming Remarks, Room 2C, Penelope L. Young, President, C4A
9:30 – 10:45 KEYNOTE: LEADERSHIP IN TIMES OF CHANGE with moderator: Penelope L. Young, Roderick Bremby, Commissioner,
Department of Social Services; Pat Rehmer, Commissioner, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Jewel Mullen, Commissioner,
Department of Public Health; Terry Macy, Commissioner, Department of Developmental Services

11:00 – 3:00 Choose from 8 Workshops (A, B and C)

1. Depression in the Elderly: A Review - Dr. Rajesh R. Tampi, MD, MS, FAPA
2. Inclusivity Of LGBT Older Adults: National Resource Center on LGBT Aging - Doreen Bermudez
3. Supporting Returning Veterans and Their Families in Making the Transition - Jim Tackett, BA
4. Suicide Prevention In Senior Living Communities: The SPARK Initiative - Dr. Gary Kennedy, MD
5. Dealing with Change: Tackling Life’s Transitions- Remi Kyek, M.A.
6. The Community Living Consultant Program in the PCA Waiver: What Have We Learned - Therese Nadeau, MSW, Noreen Shugrue, JD, MBA, MA
7. Talking With Dolores: A One-Act Play, discussion facilitator Dr. Kerry Morrison, Psy.D.
8. Confidently Navigating and Riding the Winds Of Change - Dr. Steve Sobel

Mental Health Association of CT: 2011 Symposium: Ideas for Innovation in Community Mental Health

The Mental Health Association of Connecticut hosts its 2011 Symposium:
Ideas for Innovation in Community Mental Health on November 8, 2011


Saint Joseph College, Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities, Hoffman Auditorium in the Bruyette Athenaeum, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT

Full info is here.

Agenda:
8:30  Registration Opens (includes continental breakfast)
9:00  Welcome
9:15  Plenary Sessions 1 and 2
1:00  Lunch on Campus (included in the admission price)
2:00  Plenary Session 3
3:00  Reactions from Panelists
4:00  Adjourn

Presenters will invite participants to reconsider long-established paradigms of treatment to incorporate evidence-based ideas that give:
•    new insights into the use of psychiatric medications
•    new approaches to clinical care that heighten the decision making role for clients and
•    new models that address health and wellness in people with psychiatric illnesses.
 The content of our symposium will be relevant to many stakeholders.  Providers of service will receive new concepts that might guide their efforts in delivering quality patient-centered care.  Recipients of that care and their families will gather empowering information that will make their choices more informed.  Decision makers and funders who shape the delivery of care will hear stimulating and provocative perspectives that will put their leadership role in a new light.

The 2011 Symposium concludes with a panel discussion among key mental health leaders including David Shern, PhD, President and CEO of Mental Health America, Patricia Rehmer, MSN, DMHAS Commissioner, and William Halesy, Director of Behavioral Health, CT Department of Social Services,  who will share their reactions and insights into the potential implications and improvements for mental health care.

This program has been approved for 5 CEUs by the NASW - CT, and meets the continuing education criteria for CT social work licensure renewal.  Also approved for 5 hours CECs from the CT Certification Board; application pending CT State Medical Society.

Registration is $75.00 ($50.00 for contributing members of MHAC).

You can register online at with a major credit card or PayPal account, or contact Maryann Steele at 860-529-1970 or 800-842-1501, extension 16, or email her at msteele@mhact.org. Space is limited, so please register at your earliest convenience.

Speakers include:
Robert E. Drake, MD, PhD, is the Director of the New Hampshire Dartmouth Research Center.  Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School, Dr. Drake has been the principle investigator or co-investigator in 35 research grants that focus on co-occurring illness, evidenced based practices, supported employment, shared decision making and other topics.  Dr. Drake will share his insights on an important new practice in healthcare.  The title of his presentation is "The Promise and Power of Shared Decision Making for Community Mental Health."

Larry Davidson, PhD, is the Director of the Program for Recovery and Community Health at Yale University.  A professor of psychology, Dr. Davidson is Senior Policy Advisor to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and is a prolific researcher and author.  Dr. Davidson will present "The Growing Evidence for Peer Support."

Robert Whitaker is the author of "Anatomy of an Epidemic".  Previous publications include "Mad in America," "The Mapmaker's Wife," and "On the Lamps of Gods," all of which won recognition as 'notable book of the year'.  Mr. Whitaker will talk about his investigative reporting which comprises his new book, "Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America."

Connecticut Forum on Digital Initiatives

The Connecticut State Library Presents: The Connecticut Forum on Digital Initiatives

 October 28, 2011, 9:00AM to 4:00PM at the Connecticut State Library's Memorial Hall, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut (directions). Free! Register.

The Connecticut Forum on Digital Initiatives will bring together academic and research libraries, museums and cultural institutions from around the state to talk about the digital projects happening in our historic state. It’s a chance for institutions to bring their projects and ideas to the table and learn from each other about how to improve and enhance them. The theme of this forum is collaboration, and how in the face of ever tightening budgets, Connecticut institutions and organizations can work together to create better digital projects for the people of Connecticut.

Speakers from institutions including Yale University and the Hartford History Center will cover issues just as diverse. Topics will cover the digital lifecycle of a project, from digitization to preservation as well as platforms, like Omeka and Historypin. Several successful collaborative projects underway in Connecticut will be highlighted.

The forum will broaden participant’s skills and perspectives on digital initiatives, and encourage participants to form new collaborative partnerships. This may be a simple collaborative collection, or a complex grant partnership. In order to facilitate this, we hope to create a project repository where institutions can list their digital projects. Take this opportunity to meet people institutions next door and help create a community that will move Connecticut forward.

Presenters scheduled:

• Paul Baran, Assistant State Archivist, Connecticut State Archives
• Meg Bellinger, Director, Office of Digital Assets and Infrastructure, Yale University
• Michael Bennett, Digital Projects Librarian & Institutional Repository Coordinator, Univ. of  Conn.
• Jack Dougherty, Associate Professor of Educational Studies, Trinity University
• Chris Edwards, Digital Studio Production Manager, Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
• John ffrench, Director, Visual Resources Department, Yale Art Gallery
• Kathleen Foulke, Project Director, Connecticut History Online
• Michael Howser, Undergraduate Education and GIS Librarian, H. Babbidge Library, Univ. of Conn.
• Gail Hurley, Statewide Library Catalog Coordinator, Connecticut State Library
• Brenda Miller, Curator, Hartford History Center
• Leah Prescott, Digital Projects Coordinator, Getty Research Institute
• Tom Scheinfeldt, Managing Director, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
• Nick Stanhope, CEO, We Are What We Do/Historypin
• Kendall Wiggin, State Librarian, Connecticut State Library

A special thank you to the Connecticut Humanities Council for sponsoring Nick Stanhope, CEO, We Are What We Do/Historypin.

Who Should Attend: This is not an introduction to digitization. It is strongly recommended that attendees currently be involved in some form of digital project or initiative. Attendees must be Connecticut based institutions.

For more information please contact:

Christine Pittsley
Digital Collections Technician
Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Ave.
Hartford Ct. 06106
860-757-6517

IMLS director, Susan Hildreth to visit Bangor, Maine on October 18 for Digitally Inclusive Communities forum

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) director, Susan Hildreth will visit Bangor, Maine on October 18, 2011and work with state librarians to lead community and leadership forums. If you’re up there anyway, or if you always wanted to participate in a nation-wide forum, this is your shot.

According to IMLS, as access to broadband becomes increasingly important to full participation in society, the need for communities to develop plans that address the needs of all of their residents is urgent. Answering the call of the National Broadband Plan, IMLS has worked with more than one hundred organizations and individuals with deep knowledge about public access to technology and the diverse information needs of communities to develop a "proposed framework for digitally inclusive communities."

Libraries and other community-based organizations play especially important roles in meeting the needs of hard to reach residents and ensuring opportunity for all. Libraries are recognized community anchors with the capacity to convene public officials, businesses, schools, hospitals, public safety and cultural institutions so that they can work together to fully and effectively realize the value of a digitally inclusive community.

"We are looking forward to hearing directly from community members and local officials about the challenges they face in creating digitally inclusive communities" said Susan Hildreth, IMLS Director. "Every voice helps to strengthen this work which we hope will result in a resource that is truly effective and useful."

Bangor was selected in part to assure participation by diverse audiences from a mix of rural and urban environments.

The forums will help accomplish three important goals: 

1. Finalizing the framework with meaningful feedback from the general public and relevant stakeholders.
2. Building support for digital inclusion and fostering relationships with communities and partners who can facilitate future piloting of the digital inclusion framework.
3. Developing implementation and communication plans with meaningful feedback from community leaders.

IMLS is working with the University of Washington Information School and the International City/County Management Association to finalize the framework incorporating insights gathered from the forums. The framework will serve as the foundation for development of tools and resources to help communities across the United States in realizing the benefits of digital inclusion.

For more news and information about IMLS’s digital inclusion and broadband initiatives, please visit http://www.imls.gov/about/broadband.aspx. 

Yale U's Peabody Museum featured on IMLS home page

Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History's 2009 National Leadership Grant has been featured on the front page of the IMLS web site in a profile titled September 2011: Teachers Use Museum Objects to Help Students Learn about Real-World Problems.

   

 "...the Peabody Fellows Program is taking on a new direction. Over the past two summers, the program has held institutes for science and social studies teachers...[to] foster their ability to develop new and exciting curriculum that integrates museum objects while aligning with national and state standards for learning. Along with these week-long institutes, the grant is helping the Peabody Museum to establish a regional teachers’ association which will cultivate the museum’s relationship with educators while simultaneously making connections between teachers."
The project finds the teachers collaborating to develop curriculum, sharing the Museum’s resources and knowledge, and developing long-term relationships that help promote participation.

The Peabody is the prior recipient (March, 2011) of $450,000 in Save America’s Treasures Grants for its 19th-Century Dinosaur Collections of Othniel Charles Marsh. Othniel Charles Marsh was a leading American paleontologist whose dinosaur collection proved invaluable as the fossil record Charles Darwin needed to develop his theory of evolution. America’s Treasures grant will help re-house the collection in a climate controlled environment, providing greater improve access to the collection.

The Peabody is also the prior recipient (June, 2011) of  $100,901 (matched with $101,322 in local funds) in the "Provision of Optimum Environment" grant category to conserve and improve storage of its 2,000-item Historical Scientific Instrument Collection, which includes objects directly associated with 18th- and 19th-century scientists and instrument manufacturers as well as several 20th-century Nobel Prize winners. This project sees students and staff unpacking, documenting, and rehousing the collection in new museum-quality cabinets in a new storeroom equipped with environmental controls and a monitored security system. The collection is being organized according to scientific discipline and will be readily accessible to students, faculty, and researchers both physically and virtually through an online digital image database. This will promote the long-term preservation of the collection while improving access to individual instruments for study and teaching.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

Literacy Empowerment Foundation Books’ Reading Resource Project

LEF (the Literacy Empowerment Foundation) Books’ Reading Resource Project is an ongoing program that runs throughout the year. The program distributes softcover books FREE of charge for Read Across America Day, National Drop Everything and Read Day, Children's Book Week, International Children's Book Day, and other literacy programs.

Recipients pay shipping, handling, and administrative costs: $0.68 per softcover book ($68 per set of 100 books). Reading Resource Project books come in sets of 100 books per set.

There will be at least 10 different titles in each set. Reading levels are available for Pre-K through Second Grade. Book selection and quantity is dependent upon availability, so there is no guarantee of specific titles. Books are sorted and shipped as close to a project's needs as possible, with regard to reading level and topic.

Info here.

Penguin Young Readers Group Award

The Penguin Young Readers Group Award is made possible by an annual gift from Penguin Young Readers Group. It provides a $600 stipend to up to four children's librarians to attend their first ALA Annual Conference.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be personal members of ALSC as well as ALA; organizational members are not eligible
• Work directly with children in elementary, middle schools or public libraries
• Have less than ten years, but more than one year, of experience as a children's librarian by the opening of the Annual Conference
• No previous attendance at an ALA Annual Conference

Selection Criteria

• Each applicant will be judged on the following:
• Involvement in ALSC, as well as any other professional or educational association of which the applicant was a member, officer, chairman, etc.
• New programs or innovations started by the applicants at the library in which he/she works
• Library Experience

For more information, contact:
Nancy L. Baumann (Chair)
School Librarian
University of Missouri SISLT
106 Dene Drive
Columbia, MO 65201-6596
307-399-0708
horsepwr_2000@yahoo.com

H.W. Wilson Library Staff Development Grant

As mentioned on WebJunction Connecticut's Grant Opportunities page, the H.W. Wilson Library Staff Development Grant is an annual award consisting of $3,500 and a 24k gold-framed citation given to a library organization whose application demonstrates greatest merit for a program of staff development designed to further the goals and objectives of the library organization. 

The deadline is December 1st, 2011.