The California State Library, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Oregon State Library, and Washington State Library are pleased to announce a year-long Fellowship opportunity funded by a grant from the U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

This year-long Fellowship will provide continuing education scholarships for selected public library staff and professionals who wish to advance their library and information science skills related to improving services to and engagement with active, older adults. Up to 100 qualified applicants from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington will be selected to participate. Fellows will be introduced to a new framework for serving and engaging adults ages 50+ that both promotes productive aging and establishes libraries as centers of lifelong learning and civic engagement.

> More information about this Fellowship and the link to the online application.

The Fellowship will run from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011. Deadline for submission, including a Letter of Library Commitment from your current Library Director, is April 2, 2010. Selection of Fellows will be announced June 1, 2010.

If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact either Suzanne Flint, CA State Library [sflint@library.ca.gov; 916-651-9796] OR Stephen Ristau, Fellowship Coordinator [stephenristau@gmail.com; 503- 281-4305]

As part of the Transforming Life After 50 (TLA50) initiative, we have developed some new social networking sites to serve as a resource for librarians and Boomers alike.  TLA50 now has a presence on Twitter (@TLA50), Facebook, and Ning.  The Ning community is a customized site with many useful functions for visitors like forums, blogs, video and photo sharing, and event planning.

We see great potential for properly utilizing social networking to connect the TLA50 participating libraries with other interested libraries, not just in California, but across the country.  We want to encourage both library professionals and Boomers to use new technologies as a means of communicating, problem solving, learning, and growing. Here are a few of the ways we anticipate social media helping us reach out goals, by:

• Providing a place to connect with colleagues and peers;
• Encouraging library professionals to share examples of successful Boomer programs that are being implemented in their communities;
• Inviting discussion of issues surrounding the topic of extended life and aging;
• Enhancing knowledge of emerging technologies, especially advances in Internet communication; and
• Encouraging the sharing of ideas and questions publicly in order to benefit visitors from all facets of the TLA50 community.

The purpose of these networks is to engage our participating libraries, as well as the larger library and Boomer audience.  You can help us to populate these young sites with your voices, thoughts, suggestions, and questions.  Please visit us on Ning, Facebook, and Twitter.  We'd love to hear from you!