2016 AJL Conference Program Book by Heidi Rabinowitz

Letters………………………………………………………………………………...4 Conference Committee…………………………………………………………......8 Standing Ovations………………………………………………………………......9 AJL Information……………………………………………………………………..11 AJL Award Winners………………………………………………………………...15 Kosher Eateries……………………………………………………………………..19 AJL-ALA Program…………………………………………………………………..20 Schedule Grid……………………………………………………………………....21 Detailed Program…………………………………………………………………..28 Speaker Biographies………………………………………………………………48 Tributes……………………………………………………………………………..58 Exhibitors…………………………………………………………………………...59 Advertisements…………………………………………………………………….60

Association of Jewish Libraries 51st Annual Conference June 19-22, 2016 Charleston, SC Berukhim ha-ba`im le-Charleston! It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 51st Annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries. We are delighted and excited to offer you an impressive array of sessions and events, and we hope that you will find much to intrigue and stimulate you. We invite you to explore the city of Charleston, SC and its many interesting sites. The people of the city are friendly and hospitable, and the city itself has something to offer to everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a beautiful downtown, historic architecture, music, museums and two beautiful synagogues. We hope you will be able to experience a few of these treats and return home refreshed and invigorated. To those of you who helped to make this conference possible through your dedication and hard work, we say THANK YOU! And to those of you who are guests in beautiful Charleston, we hope you enjoy the conference and the rest of your stay in Charleston. Shalom and berukhim atem,

Irene Munster

Shoshanah Seidman

AJL President Yaffa Weissman AJL National Conference Chair Jim Rosenbloom Charleston Conference Chairs Shoshanah Seidman Irene Munster Advertising and Exhibits Jacqueline Ben Efraim Awards Luncheon Lenore Bell Banquet Marga Hirsch

Programming Shoshanah Seidman Irene Munster Gail Shirazi Programming Advisor Peggy Pearlstein Publicity Danielle Winter Aviva Adler Registration Marcie Eskin Shabbat Home Hospitality Yaakov Aronson

Catering Shoshanah Seidman

Stipends Lenore Bell Rachel Glasser

Fundraising Shoshanah Seidman

Sunday Dinner Jackie Ben Efraim

Minyan Coordinators Yaakov Aronson Marga Hirsch

Tours Lisa Silverman

Program Book Elana Gensler

Treasurer Kathy Bloch Volunteer Coordination Judy Weidman Patti Bagg

We are grateful to the following individuals and institutions for their generous support of AJLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 51st Annual Conference

Institution Partners $1,000-$3,000 Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University Northwestern University Library Tristan Events The Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program at the College of Charleston

Institution Partners $200-$900 Northwestern University Department of German Harrassowitz Booksellers & Subscription Agents OCLC

Friends Shirley Aizenstein Deanne W. Basofin Joan L. Brunwasser Rochelle S. and Arthur S. Elstein Marc and Debbi Geller Barbara Glimer Terry G. Goldhirsh Jacqueline Granat

Janet Heineck Erika Kahn Howard A. and Laura B. Kaufman Bernard and Florence Matkowsky Robert Minkus Rhoda G. Possen Judith and Allen Sausen

Supporters Zachary Baker Sandy Bokor Department of German, Northwestern University Charles S. Fax Robert J. Gordon Robert D. Hornick

Sherelyn R. Kaufman Eric Chaim Kline Barbara Kohn Stephen J. and Elizabeth Landes Marc H. Pershan David and Cindy Pogrun Barrett Rabinow

Fellows Cheryl D. and Theodore I. Banks Roy Benedek Sharon Chefitz David M. and Gail D. Goldberg William and Barbara Haney

Georges Martin Gail Shirazi Eric H. Wachtel Melvin S. Weintraub

Benefactors Anonymous Mel and Lee Blum

The Estate of Judy Cohn EBSCO Lenore England Michael J. Shapiro & Amy L. Kenter OPALS/Mediaflex Marck and Nancy Ratner Shoshanah and David N. Seidman Dan Wyman Books

We want to express our gratitude to advertisers and exhibitors for their presence and support!

Mission The Association of Jewish Libraries promotes Jewish literacy through enhancement of libraries and library resources and through leadership for the profession and practitioners of Judaica librarianship. The Association fosters access to information, learning, teaching and research relating to Jews, Judaism, the Jewish experience, and Israel. Goals 1. Maintain high professional standards for Judaica librarians and recruit qualified individuals into the profession. 2. Facilitate communication and exchange of information on a global scale. 3. Encourage quality publication in the field in all formats and media, print, digital, etc.; stimulate publication of high quality children's literature. 4. Facilitate and encourage establishment of Judaica library collections. 5. Enhance information access for all through application of advanced technologies. 6. Publicize the organization and its activities in all relevant venues a. Stimulate awareness of Judaica library services among the public at large b. Promote recognition of Judaica librarianship within the wider library profession c. Encourage recognition of Judaica library services by other organizations and related professions. 7. Ensure continuity of the Association through sound management, financial security, effective governance and a dedicated and active membership. Divisions The Association of Jewish Libraries was created in 1965 as a result of the merger of two organizations. The Jewish Librarians Association, founded in 1947, concerned itself with collections of Judaica in academic, archival or research institutions. The Jewish Library Association, founded in 1962, concerned itself with collections in synagogue, school, and community center libraries, as well as other smaller libraries and media centers. Today, AJL continues to serve the needs and specialized interests of these groups through its two divisions: The Research Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections Division (RAS) The Synagogue, School, and Center Division (SSC)

Accreditation Committee The charge of the Accreditation Committee is to: 1) design accreditation instruments for Synagogue, School and Center Division libraries; 2) review completed accreditation forms and award Basic and Advanced Status to those libraries who qualify; 3) advise and mentor libraries who request help reaching accreditation status; and 4) publicize the accreditation process in appropriate venues and publications. Local Conference Committee The Local Conference Committee plans and coordinates all aspects of the annual convention, including: working with the national chair to locate a hotel, arranging for meals and entertainment, planning the programming, soliciting vendors for the book fair, recruiting volunteers, and coordinating with national committeesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;everything necessary for those attending to have an enlightening, educational, and enriching experience during the conference. National Conference Committee The organization-wide Conference Committee serves to advise, support, and assist the local convention chairs in planning and presenting the annual AJL Conference. Conference Stipend Committee The Conference Stipend Committee reviews all applications requesting funds to attend the annual conference. The committee makes every effort to accommodate all in need of a stipend. Judaica Librarianship Committee AJL publishes an online peer-reviewed scholarly journal, providing a forum for scholarship on all theoretical or practical aspects of Jewish Studies librarianship. This general editor and committee solicits articles, oversees the peer reviewing process, edits, and prepares the journal for publication. Librarianship and Education Committee The Librarianship & Education Committee develops and promotes specialized courses (online and/or in person) for individuals interested in Judaica librarianship, both those in library school and those seeking continuing education. Public Relations Committee The Public Relations Committee's charge is writing press releases and assisting committee chairs in writing their own press releases. Member Relations Committee Member Merit Awards AJL presents a member annually with either the Life Membership Award or the Fanny Goldstein Merit Award. This committee selects deserving AJL members for recognition.

News and Reviews Committee AJL publishes a quarterly online journal sharing organizational news and reviews of new Judaic books and other materials. A general editor oversees operations, assisted by review editors for adult and childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s materials. A large cadre of volunteer reviewers provides content, and members are welcome to submit articles in consultation with the general editor. Public Relations Committee The Public Relations Committee's charge is to publicize the work of AJL via traditional and social media, assist committees in sharing their news, and assist AJL with networking and outreach efforts. Publications Committee The Publications Committee oversees the distribution of AJL publications including monographs. It also seeks to publish new materials of interest to AJL members. RAS Cataloging Committee The charge of the RAS Cataloging Committee is to act as a liaison with the Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress on issues affecting Judaica cataloging including subject problems raised by RAS Division members, and suggest possible solutions; and to educate members as to new policies or procedures affecting Judaica cataloging in the form of workshops at AJL conferences and/or a cataloging column in one of the AJL publications. Committee members maintain a wiki containing meeting agendas and minutes as well as notifications of changes in romanization. Reference and Bibliography Award Committee The Reference and Bibliography Award Committee is charged with annually selecting the winners of the Reference and Bibliography Award. The committee is chaired by the vice-president of the RAS Division. Committee members review and evaluate books submitted by publishers for the awards. Members of the committee must be members of AJL and have expertise in Judaica reference sources and writing reviews. The committee hosts the winners at the convention banquet where awards are presented. Student Scholarship Committee The Student Scholarship nurtures promising newcomers to the field of Judaica librarianship with assistance for attending the AJL conference. The Student Scholarship Committee is responsible for publicizing the AJL scholarship competition to library schools and for selecting the winner(s). Strategic Planning Committee The Strategic Planning Committee is working to make AJL more relevant to its members, the operations of the Board and Council transparent and to grow both AJL's membership and financial resources.

Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee The Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee is charged with annually selecting the winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award and with implementing the process by which the winners are selected, publicized, and presented. Committee members review and evaluate books submitted by publishers for the award. A gold medalist, silver medalist(s), and notable books are selected in three age categories: Younger, Older, and Teen. The committee also presents a program at the annual AJL conference and hosts the winners at the conference banquet where awards are presented. Members of the committee must be members of AJL and must have broad knowledge of Judaic children's literature as well as experience in writing evaluative reviews. They are expected to meet deadlines and to participate in annual conferences. A committee term lasts for four years. Sydney Taylor Manuscript Competition Committee The Sydney Taylor Manuscript Competition Committee is charged with annually selecting the winners of the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award and with implementing the process by which the winners are selected, publicized, and presented. Committee members review and evaluate manuscripts submitted by authors for the award. Members of the committee must be members of AJL and must have broad knowledge of Judaic children's literature as well as experience in writing evaluative reviews. Author applicants must be unpublished in the genre of middle grade fiction.

AJL BOARD 2016-2018 President: Past President: VP/President Elect: VP Membership: VP Development: Treasurer: Secretary: RAS President: RAS Vice President: SSC President: SSC Vice President:

Amalia Warshenbrot Yaffa Weisman Dina Herbert Shulamis Hes Fred Isaac Pat Fenton Nancy Sack Rebecca Jefferson Rachel Simon Kathy Bloomfield Susan Kusel

THE 2016 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS Sponsored by Jo Taylor Marshall The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers Ketzel, the Cat who Composed by Lesléa Newman with illustrations by Amy June Bates The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers Adam & Thomas by Aharon Appelfeld, translated by Jeffrey M. Green with illustrations by Philippe Dumas The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Younger Readers Everybody Says Shalom by Leslie Kimmelman with illustrations by Talitha Shipman Shanghai Sukkah by Heidi Smith Hyde with illustrations by Jing Jing Tsong Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Older Readers Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fish by Barry Deutsch Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Teen Readers Serendipity’s Footsteps by Suzanne Nelson Stones on a Grave by Kathy Kacer

2016 SYDNEY TAYLOR MANUSCRIPT AWARD Sponsored by Jo Taylor Marshall Honey and Me by Meira Drazin

2016 JUDAICA REFERENCE AWARD sponsored by Eric Chaim Kline The Edinburgh Companion to Modern Jewish Fiction edited by David Brauner and Axel Staehler

FANNY GOLDSTEIN AWARD Heidi Rabinowitz

AJL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD Emily Thompson Sophie Friedman

LIBRARY ACCREDITATION Basic Accreditation Feldstein Library of Congregation Neveh Shalom in Portland, Oregon Kaiya Goldhammer, Librarian.

Advanced Accreditation Sperling Kronberg Mack Holocaust Resource Center in Henderson, Nevada Susan Dubin, Library Consultant and Myra Berkovits, Education Specialist

Advanced Accreditation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Renewal Hyman Judah Schachtel Library of Congregation Beth Israel, Houston, TX Judy Weidman, Librarian Tarbut V'Torah Upper School Library of Tarbut V'Torah Upper School in Irvine, CA Cherille Berman, Librarian, Rebecca Kaufman Library of Kesher Israel Congregation of West Chester, PA Jennifer Kamph, Librarian.

Accreditation Committee Rachail Kurtz, Chair Brian Katz, Cara Sagal, Arlene Ratzabi, Bruchie Weinstein

FANNY GOLDSTEIN MERIT AWARD The Fanny Goldstein Merit Award Committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) is delighted to nominate Heidi Rabinowitz for the 2016 Fanny Goldstein Merit Award. The Fanny Goldstein Merit Award, named for the librarian, social activist and founder of National Jewish Book Month, is bestowed in recognition of loyal and ongoing contributions to the Association and to the profession of Jewish librarianship. Born on May 15, 1895 [some sources say 1888], Fanny Goldstein devoted her life to books and community. She was the first female Judaica librarian and the first woman to direct a branch library in Massachusetts, where she was head of Boston's West End Branch for many years. A prominent figure in the Boston Jewish community, she is best known as the founder of Jewish Book Week, which began when Goldstein organized a display of Jewish books at the Boston Public Library in 1925. Heidi Rabinowitz has served AJL and the profession of Judaica librarianship in numerous capacities and with great distinction for many years. Heidi was President of the Association of Jewish Libraries (2012-2014) in a tenure distinguished by inclusivity, strength, and candor. Heidi was the chairperson of the Public Relations Committee (2005-2010) and the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee (2004-2006). In addition, she serves on the AJL Strategic Planning Committee. Heidi has taken the lead in increasing the visibility of AJL. Heidi oversaw the recording and editing of podcasts of AJL conference sessions and posted them online. She regularly posts photographs, notifications, and announcements about AJL on Facebook and other social media and monitors them to maintain an active engagement with the AJL and Jewish bibliophile communities. Recently, Heidi has regularly maintained the AJL website and has served as the go-to person for website changes at www.jewishlibraries.org. Heidi has been instrumental in promoting Jewish literature. She has interviewed numerous authors on her Book of Life: a Podcast about Jewish People and the Books We Read and carefully edited those interviews into lively listening for lovers of Jewish books everywhere. Having just celebrated its tenth year, these extraordinary podcasts are notable for their thoughtful engagement with Jewish texts and their authors. Heidi also spearheaded AJL Reads, a call-in book club for discussion among members around a given book. And in addition to all of her AJL activities, Heidi works as the Library Director and Media Specialist at Congregation Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida. Heidi also has been the long-term president of the South Florida Chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries tirelessly doing all she can to keep this disparate group together and to bring AJLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s message and mission to the South Florida region. To all of these many tasks and initiatives, Heidi brings her characteristic warmth, wisdom, and vision. The Committee offers its deepest thanks to Heidi Rabinowitz for all of her many contributions to AJL and the field of Judaica librarianship and wishes her continued success for many years to come.

GRONER-WIKLER SCHOLARSHIP Rena Citrin is the 2016 recipient of the Groner-Wikler Scholarship. The Groner-Wikler Scholarship of $1500 for conference attendance is given annually to a member of AJL who demonstrates dedication to Jewish childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s literature or library services. Rena has been a teacher librarian at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago, IL since 1998. Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School is an independent Jewish Day School with 540 students. Rena oversees the Library Media Center with 19,0000 holdings in secular, Judaic and Hebrew Language resources. Along with a full time intern, Rena teaches 32 classes each week and collaborates with all teachers in the school. She runs two book fairs, a book swap, and organizes author visits. Rena has been an active member of the Chicago chapter since at least 2000 and has served as both secretary and vice-president. She reviews children's books for the AJL newsletter. She also presents regularly at the Lake Michigan Area Independent Schools librarian meetings.

Hyman's Kosher Meals 215 Meeting St. Charleston, SC 29401 Tel: (843) 723-6000 Fax: (843) 958-1533 Website: http://www.hymanseafood.com/ Note: A variety of (double wrapped) prepacked Glatt Kosher dinner are available. Supervision: Prepared under the supervision of Rabbi Yossi Refson of Chabad of Charleston. Jerusalem Restaurant (Glatt Kosher Meat) 1210 North Kings Highway Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Phone (843) 946-6650 Website: www.koshermyrtlebeach.com Cuisine: Middle Eastern Supervision: Rabbi Doron Aizenman & Rabbi Yosef Naparstek of Chabad of MB King Street Cookies (Dairy/Dairy Equipment) 370 King Street, Charleston SC 29401 Tel: (843) 727-2020 Supervision: Kosher Commission of Charleston (KCC) Krispy Kreme, Donut Shop (Not Cholov Yisrael) 1491 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407 (Hwy 17 South) Tel: (843) 763-4439 Website: http://www.krispykreme.com/ Supervision: Chabad of Charleston Marcie Rosenberg Dining In, Inc. - Challah and Shabbat Meals 114 Ashley Hall Plantation Rd. Charleston, SC 29407 Tel: (843) 763-8160 Supervision: Kosher Commission of Charleston (KCC) Grocery stores with Kosher Items: Publix 1401 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. Earthfare 74 Folly Road Blvd. Whole Foods 923 Houston Northcutt Blvd. Trader Joeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 401 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.

Charleston Charleston Mt. Pleasant Mt. Pleasant

Chronicle of a People: Over 250 Years of Florida Jewish History The 10th Joint AJL-ALA Program at the Annual Conference of the American Library Association Co-Sponsors: ALA Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT), Jewish Information Committee (JIC) & AJL

Sunday, June 26, 2016 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. HYATT Regency Orlando 9801 International Drive Orlando, FL Room Celebration 10 From Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774 – Present http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodis play.pl?index=Y000061

For Florida’s first 250 years, only Catholics could settle there, as it was owned by Spain since its discovery in 1513. Some think that Jewish life in Florida began post World War II on Miami Beach. But presenter Marcia Jo Zerivitz’s grassroots research that began thirty years ago reveals documentation about the Jews who settled there in 1763 and on David Levy Yulee who brought Florida into statehood (1845) and served as the first Jew in the U.S. Senate. See captivating photographs with compelling backstories of Jews who have profoundly contributed to propel Florida as the nation’s third largest general and Jewish populations. Speakers: Marcia Jo Zerivitz, Founding Executive Director, Jewish Museum of Florida-Florida International University; Session Chair: Elliot H. Gertel, Irving M. Hermelin Curator of Judaica, the University of Michigan and Chair, EMIERT Jewish Information Committee. Marcia Jo Zerivitz, Founding Executive Director of the Jewish Museum of Florida-Florida International University (FIU), has demonstrated leadership since elementary school. She attended the University of Michigan and then graduated from West Virginia University in 1961. She has broken the “glass ceiling” as the first woman in many positions. Her specific focus for the past thirty years has been museums and Florida Jewish history. Marcia received an honorary degree from Florida International University in May 2016. Marcia traveled around Florida to conduct grassroots research and retrieve the state’s unknown Jewish history to create an archival collection and traveling exhibition. In 1995, under her direction, this project evolved into the Jewish Museum of Florida (JMOF). JMOF collects, preserves, and interprets more than 250 years of the Jewish experience in Florida in the context of American and world Jewish history, art, and culture and also to reflect the immigration experience of all Americans.

Sunday, June 19 9 am - 12 pm

Board Meeting

10 am - 6 pm

REGISTRATION & INFORMATION

12 - 6 pm

Hospitality Suite Open

12 - 6 pm

EXHIBITS OPEN

Crystal D

12 - 3 pm

Council Meeting

Crystal A

3 - 4 pm 3:30 - 5 pm 5 - 6 pm

6:30 - 9:30 pm

9-11 pm

Synagogue Librarians Roundtable Crystal A Composing A Heart and Other Jewish Immigrant Stories Crystal C Judaica Librarianship Editorial Board Meeting Crystal B

Crystal A Crystal Promenade

School Librarians Roundtable Newcomers Welcome

Crystal F Crystal

RAS Cataloging Strategic Planning Committee Committee Crystal A Crystal F WELCOME DINNER Crystal C Keynote Conversation: Katina Strauch and Professor Martin Perlmutter Interviewed by Sara Ivry Entertainment: Tim Sparks Sing-a-long with Rabbi Haim and Edna Ovadia Hospitality Suite Open

Monday, June 20 6 am 6:30 am 7:15 - 8:30 am 8 am - 5 pm 8 am - 5:15 pm Rooms 8:30-9:25 am

Orthodox Minyan

1A: RAS Track Crystal B Archival & Library Work at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum

Morning Walk 6:45 am BSBI shul Egalitarian Minyan BREAKFAST Mentor Mingle table REGISTRATION & INFORMATION EXHIBITS OPEN 1B: SSC Track Crystal E From Paper to Digital Strategies for Weeding the Small Library Collection

Treasures of the JDC Archives & Resources for Librarians

Rooms

9:35-10:40 am

Submerged Archives 2A: RAS Track Crystal B The Role of the Court Jew in Southern Germany The Complete Horse Connoisseur

1C: All Track Crystal A Mizrahi & Judeo Arabic Traditional Music

Crystal B Crystal C Crystal Promenade Crystal D 1D:SSC Track: Workshop Crystal F Full STEAM Ahead with Children’s Programming

Music Collection at the Klau Library HUC-JIR New York Traveling with a Guitar through Jewish Music

2B: SSC Track Crystal A From the Ground Up: A Complete Library Renovation Building the Alliance: School and Public Libraries

2C: RAS Track: Cataloging Crystal F Israel and Judaica Section of LOC Cataloging Update

2D: All Track: Workshop Crystal E Assessing and Improving Your Library’s Social Media Presence

Hebraica Cataloging and Catalogers in North America

La Polaca – The Story of the Zwi Migdal

Monday, June 20 11:00 am12:30 pm

3A: All Track: Lightning Talks Crystal A A Kabbalistic View of Jewish Bibliography Collecting to Fundraise; Fundraising to Collect Highlights of Israel and Judaica Section Acquisitions

3B: All Track: Lightning Talks Crystal F Appeal and Encourage Children to Read from Jewish School Library Carrying On: How Poetry Helped a Jewish Daughter Mourn the Loss of Her Mother General News from LOC

We Came to America Library Advocacy – The Role of the School Librarian

Fartaytshed un Farbesert? Translated and Improved? Vox Tablet

From Nextbook Let’s Talk About It to Oakton Reads

12:30-2 pm

3C: All Track Crystal B

3D: SSC Track: Exhibits Crystal E

Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS): How to Fight It?

SIRS/Mandarin

BDS: Another Stage in a Long Campaign

ExLibris

OPALS

Combating BDS in the American Library Association: The View from the Trenches Understanding Delegitimization of Israel: A Librarian’s Guide

Learning from Five Great 20th Century Scholar Librarians LUNCHEON Guest Speaker: Robert Weil Primo Levi in America

Crystal C

Monday, June 20 Rooms

4A: All Track Crystal B

4B: SSC Track Crystal A

4C: All Track Crystal F

4D: All Track: Workshop Crystal E

2-3 pm

New Opportunities for Israeli Film

Virtual Book Discussion: AJL Reads

Portrait of Two Painters: The Work of Theodore Sidney MoÃ¯se and Solomon Nunes Carvalho

A Tale to Tell: So You Want to Get Published

The Newbery Challenge: An Exciting Reading Initiative Rooms 3:15-4:15 pm

4:30-5:20 pm 5:20-5:30 pm 5:30-6:30 pm 6:30-8:15 pm 6:30-11 pm 8:15-10:30 pm

5A: RAS Track Crystal A Expanding Collections and New Technology at the National Library of Israel

Jews in Antebellum South Carolina 5B: SSC Track Crystal F Treat Them Like Customers

The Most Jewish Non-Jewish Book Ever Strategic Planning: Library of Congress RAS Meeting Crystal A SSC Meeting Crystal F Orthodox Minyan Crystal A Egalitarian Minyan Crystal B General Business Meeting with Installation of Officers Crystal C Dinner on Your Own Hospitality Suite Open Documentary Film Screening Crystal C Dough

Tuesday, June 21 6 am 6:30 am 7:15 - 8:30 am 8 am - 5 pm 8 am - 3:30 pm Rooms 8:30 - 10 am

Orthodox Minyan

Morning Walk 7:00 am BSBI BREAKFAST

REGISTRATION & INFORMATION EXHIBITS OPEN 6A: RAS Track 6B: SSC Track Crystal B Crystal F Building Israel Nation: Two Recommended Reads: The Latest Decades of Collecting and Greatest in Jewish Fiction for Initiatives at Stanford Adults The Lahiton/Cinema World Image Collection at Stanford University Libraries

Egalitarian Minyan

Crystal B Crystal C

Crystal Promenade Crystal D 6C: All Track Crystal A Mapping Jewish Charleston On the Front Lines: Preserving Middle Eastern Jewish History in the Age of ISIS

The Modern Library: UM’s Jewish Heritage Collection as a Model of Innovation and Integration 10-10:30 am Rooms 10:30 am-12 pm

7A: RAS Track Crystal A A Niche Collection in a NonKnish Land: On Stewarding and Marketing a “Special” Special Collection What You Don’t Know about the NEH Challenge Grant Honoured and Venerable Sir

Break 7B: All Track Crystal F Hooray for Laptime The Wonderful World of International Children’s Books

7C: All Track Crystal B Merging Collections for User’s Benefit What’s a Nice Jewish Book Group Doing in a Catholic University? Twelve Years of the Lexicon of Modern Hebrew Literature and Other Projects

Tuesday, June 21 12:00 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1:45 pm Rooms 2-3:50 p.m.

Rooms 4:00-5:00 p.m.

5:00-6:00 pm 6:00 pm 7-10 pm 10-Midnight 10 pm

Awards Lunch Crystal C Mr. Harry Chan, MediaFlex/OPALS Heidi Rabinowitz, AJL Fanny Goldstein Award 8A: RAS Track 8B: SSC Track 8C: All Track Crystal B Crystal F Crystal A As It Is Written: Highlights of an Sydney Taylor Award Panel: Crossing Borders: The Exhibition Session I Transatlantic Migrations of the Nunes Carvalhos Over 500 Years What is Judaica? Measuring the Harvard Judaica Collection Sephardic Translators and AngloIberian Diplomacy in Colonial Charleston 9A: RAS Track 9B: SSC Track 9C: All Track: Roundtable Crystal A Crystal F Crystal B Vilnius Jewish Public Library: Sydney Taylor Award Panel: RAS Librarians Collection History, Activities, Objectives Session 2 Development and Challenges Preserving History: Family Collections and Conservation Center of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum OCLC Update with Cynthia Whitacre Orthodox Mincha Minyan

Orthodox Maariv Minyan

Crystal A AWARDS BANQUET Hospitality Suite Open Crystal A

Crystal A Egalitarian Mincha Minyan

Crystal B Crystal C

Egalitarian Maariv Minyan

Crystal B

Wednesday, June 22 6 am 6:30 am 7:15-8:15 am 8:30 – 11:30 am 10 am – 12:30 pm 1 - 3 pm

Morning Walk 7:00 am BSBI Egalitarian Minyan BREAKFAST (on your own) Tours Post-Conference De-Briefing Visit to the Addlestone Library at the College of Charleston Next Year in New York, NY

Orthodox Minyan

Crystal B

Crystal A

SUNDAY/MONDAY

SUNDAY, JUNE 16 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Board Meeting

Crystal A

10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Registration and Information

Crystal Promenade

12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Hospitality Suite Open

12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Exhibits Open

Crystal D

12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Council Meeting

Crystal A

3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Synagogue Librarians Roundtable School Librarians Roundtable

Crystal A Crystal F

3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Crystal C Composing A Heart and Other Jewish Immigrant Stories: A Musical/Spoken Word Performance performed by Rebecca Jefferson and Bess de Farber 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Newcomers Welcome

Crystal

5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Judaica Librarianship Editorial Board RAS Cataloging Committee Strategic Planning Committee

Crystal B Crystal A Crystal F

6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Welcome Dinner Crystal C Keynote Conversation: Martin Perlmutter & Katina Strauch Entertainment: Tim Sparks Sing-Along with Rabbi Haim and Enda Ovadia

9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.

Hospitality Suite Open

MONDAY, JUNE 20 6:00 a.m.

Morning Walk

6:30 a.m.

Egalitarian Minyan

Crystal B

6:45 a.m.

Orthodox Minyan

BSBI (local shul)

7:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

Breakfast Mentor Mingle Table

Crystal C

8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Registration and Information

Crystal Promenade

8:00 a.m.-5:15 p.m.

Exhibits Open

Crystal D

MONDAY

8:30 a.m.-9:25 a.m. Session 1A Moderated by Joy Kingsolver

Session 1 Crystal B

Ongoing Archival and Library Work at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum in Bridgetown, Barbados Amalia Levi This presentation will focus on archival work undertaken with the records of the Nidhe Israel Synagogue Restoration Project in Bridgetown, Barbados. Ms. Levi will provide a brief overview of the history of the Jewish community in Barbados and background information on the project’s undertaking of restoring the synagogue and its adjacent area. She will discuss the digitization of these records and describe the thought processes and decisions that went into arranging, describing, and digitizing the collection. The possibility of establishing a library at the museum will be touched upon. Considerations will be shared, and the pros and cons of a physical library will be discussed. Comments and suggestions by the audience in the form of brainstorming will be appreciated. Treasures of the JDC Archives and Resources for Librarians Linda Levi The JDC Archives is an unparalleled repository of modern Jewish history. Its vast holdings document JDC’s global humanitarian mission, activities, and partnerships from World War I to the present. Its Archives are considered “one of the most significant collections in the world for the study of modern Jewish history” (Long Island University Professor Mimi Bowling, consultant, 2006) and indeed for the history of American humanitarian involvement. This presentation will provide an overview of the JDC Archives, and a taste of its treasures. The focus will be on material of interest to Judaica librarians including: --Digital collections available online for scholars and researchers --How to access our Photo Collection Online --Resources of interest to genealogists and family historians --Education resources available online such Topic Guides on The Story of the St. Louis, JDC and the US War Refugee Board, Refuge in Shanghai, etc. Submerged Archives: The Acquisition, Archival and Annihilation of Local Jewish Archives Serena Bazemore The Duke Center for Jewish Studies has been pleased to acquire the archives of the Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina. The Rubenstein Library at Duke has collected and processed the materials, but they currently are submerged in the plethora of Judaica materials, as well as the sheer amount of holdings in the Rubenstein library. How can local Jewish foundations, organizations, federations, and synagogues avoid this? How can universities make better use of the archives with which they have been entrusted? What methods can we utilize in order to ensure these archives are brought to light – whether through research, digital exhibits, better finding aids – what are the best and most appropriate methods? What are the unique challenges in collecting, processing, and archiving these small collections that often require institutional memory? This presentation will offer examples from the Duke Center for Jewish Studies, while also exploring new approaches and hopefully connecting with a larger community in working through these challenges.

MONDAY Session 1B Crystal E Moderated by Judy Weidman From Paper to Digital: How One Library Transformed Itself Susan Kusel Have you always wanted to join the digital revolution but time and budgets have stopped you? Has the project seemed too overwhelming and you don’t know where to begin? Learn how a synagogue library managed to transform their card catalog into a fully digital collection within fifteen months using only a part-time librarian, a small budget and volunteers. The project will be broken down into manageable steps including how to recruit and train volunteers from existing synagogue groups, how to select a database and how to organize the workflow. Unlike public or school libraries, many synagogue and center libraries are not yet digitized due to the size of their staff and their collections. Find out how this daunting task can become manageable, even if you have no starting catalog at all. Strategies for Weeding the Small Library Collection Susan Freiband Ms. Freiband will discuss the following in her presentation: the justification, rationale and benefits of weeding; qualities or skills useful in carrying out a successful weeding project in the small library; what is needed to know about the collection in order to carry out a weeding project; planning the weeding project and who should be involved; key decisions to be made, what should be documented and how; the connection between weeding and other aspects of collection development; specific techniques or strategies used to weed the collection; follow-up to weeding, including disposal of weeded items, and options available. Session 1C Moderated by Haim Gottschalk

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Mizrahi and Judeo Arabic Traditional Music Haim Ovadia This presentation will showcase the liturgy of Babylonian Jews through some well-known poems and liturgical works, as well as some which were handed from generation to generation in close circles of cantors and mystics. The rich musical tradition of Babylonian Jews includes hundreds of poems as well as tropes and tunes for prayers, scriptures, and sacred texts such as the Mishnah and the Zohar. The musical influence of the surrounding cultures, which is still traceable to the trained ear, encompasses Arabic, Turkish, and Kurdish traditions. Jewish Babylonian music is generally soulful and at times even mournful, echoing the famous verse in Psalms, “On the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and cried, as we remembered Zion.” However, there is no lack of joyous, fast-paced songs which were sung in life cycle celebrations and pilgrimage caravans, often accompanied by excited ululations and distribution of candies. The presentation will also address the revival of the Sephardi and Mizrahi liturgy in Israel today. Music Collection at the Klau Library HUC-JIR New York Yoram Bitton This presentation will summarize the written music collection in the Klau library at HUC-JIR in New York. This collection has been recently organized and cataloged and could be of great value to scholars of Jewish music. The presentation will discuss the importance of the collection and ways in which the Jewish librarian community can create a database of this and similar collections around the world.

MONDAY Traveling with a Guitar through Jewish Music Tim Sparks Tim Sparks will discuss the process of creating repertoire for his series of recordings for Tzadik Records by adapting traditional music from the Jewish Diaspora to be played as solo, jazz flavored instrumentals. He will talk about his encounters with musicians playing Jewish music and compare the differences in perspectives and styles between New York and Paris. Musical samples of some of these musicians will be shared. Mr. Sparks will also talk about his experiences performing for Jewish communities in Southern France and Paris. Session 1D Moderated by Toby Harris

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Full STEAM Ahead with Children’s Programming Jacqueline Peters What’s the buzz about STEAM programming in libraries? Learn how to incorporate science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) into children’s events for those eleven years and younger. Discover tips on how to create exciting, innovative, and successful STEAM programs whether they are simple or complex. The sky is the limit when STEAM programs are involved.

9:35 a.m.-10:40 a.m. Session 2 Session 2A Moderated by Sharon Horowitz

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The Role of the Court Jew in Southern Germany Marga Hirsch Laemmle Seligmann (d. 1742) was the Court Jew in Weikersheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where his responsibilities to the prince included horse trading. Laemmle was respected and beloved by the townspeople of his day and remains a renowned icon of the town today. Marga Hirsch, Laemmle’s 7-times great-granddaughter, will speak about the role of the Court Jew and about Laemmle’s particular history. The Complete Horse Connoisseur: A Glimpse into Everyday Life at the Threshold of Modernity Renate Evers “Der vollkommene Pferdekenner” (The Complete Horse Connoisseur) was written in 1764 by the Southern German nobleman Wolf Ehrenfried Freiherr von Reizenstein. It contains everything there is to know about horses. The Leo Baeck Institute acquired this veterinary work designed for equestrians because of an extraordinary appendix, which consists of 36 pages of Hebrew words and phrases which were used by Jewish horse traders. The dictionary was transliterated into Gothic letters and provided with German definitions and is followed by five lively sample dialogues between Jewish horse traders in their peculiar Hebraeo-German jargon. This appendix gives interesting insights into the everyday life of German-Jews, their socio-economic circumstances, and their relationships to their non-Jewish and Jewish environment at the threshold of modernity.

MONDAY La Polaca – The Story of the Zwi Migdal Rita Saccal The Zwi Migdal was a group that operated between the 1860s and 1939 and trafficked Jewish women from the shtetls in Eastern Europe for sexual slavery and forced prostitution. The most important center was Buenos Aires, with connections in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santos in Brazil, as well as South Africa, India and China. This session will be dedicated mainly to the story of the Zwi Migdal in Argentina. This organization reached its peak in the 1920s with 30,000 women in Argentina. Buenos Aires was cited as a haven for white slavers who were protected by the police and whose rules were "based on order, discipline and honesty". This network was well organized and their members cooperated in order to protect their interests. Session 2B Moderated by Fred Isaac

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From the Ground Up: A Complete Library Renovation Karen Ulric The speaker’s 6-12 school library did a complete renovation project over the summer of 2015. Karen Ulric spearheaded the project, working with a lot of other stakeholders. Learn about the process, from idea to fundraising to weeding, and the actual makeover. A good amount of money was spent, but some ideas could happen without as much money. An interesting aspect is how it is pushing Karen to move out of ruts that have developed over her time in the school and look toward the future. Building the Alliance: School and Public Libraries Ben Pastcan For the past two years, Ben Pastcan’s school has partnered closely with the community public library. They have introduced students to getting public library cards, have had visits from a local public librarian, and have linked their OPAC to their web site. They have gotten full sets of World Book encyclopedias (some are within a couple of years of the current year) and have built the alliance to where the public librarians do story times. The school has an institutional public library card which has proved to be helpful more than once if the school lacks a certain title or database. This is an advocacy technique and an alliance that should continue in the future. Working on-call as a librarian for the public library, Ben had seen firsthand how relevant it is for the school to ally closely with the public library. Session 2C RAS Cataloging

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Israel and Judaica Section Cataloging Update Haim Gottschalk, Aaron Taub, and Galina Teverovsky Representatives from the IJ Section will discuss a variety of cataloging matters, including new and recent classification numbers and subject headings, highlights of IJ Section cataloging practice, and developments in serials cataloging and processing. Additionally, Roger Kohn will contribute slides regarding his experiences as a participant in the BibFrame Pilot Project. Hebraica Cataloging and Catalogers in North America: Today and Tomorrow Heidi Lerner The past 15 years have been a period of change not only for Hebraica catalogers, but also for the larger community of catalogers of which we are a part. Today our colleagues are learning about and exploring new data models for expressing bibliographic description; most likely at least one

MONDAY of these will replace the MARC21 system of encoding bibliographic data. Resource Description and Access (RDA) has largely taken over Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (2nd ed., 1988 revision) as a cataloging standard. Digital collections which require description and access are expanding within our libraries. Questions are being asked as to whether cataloging, metadata creation and remediation are the same things or not. This presentation will provide the results of a survey sent out earlier the year and give some questions for us to think about on what are the future roles and workflows for Hebraica catalogers. Session 2D Moderated by Alexandra Quay

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Assessing and Improving Your Library’s Social Media Presence Abigail Phillips In this workshop, the presenter will discuss ways in which attendees can assess their library's social media presence, determine an action plan for improving or maintaining this presence, and present best practices for marketing and promoting libraries through social media.

11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Session 3A Lightning Talks Moderated by Gail Shirazi

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A Kabbalistic View of Jewish Bibliography Elhanan Adler Shabbetai Bass, the first Jewish bibliographer, proposes a unique reward for those who study Jewish bibliography. Collecting to Fundraise; Fundraising to Collect – Tales from the Price Library of Judaica NEH Challenge Grant Rebecca Jefferson The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Challenge Grant is a set amount of funding awarded to an institution to assist with its long-term planning and development and to grow its support base. The funding is split over several years and released only upon receipt of matching funds raised. In December 2014, the Price Library of Judaica at the University of Florida (UF) won the maximum NEH Challenge Grant award of $500,000 spread over four years to build a $2 million endowment. Once established, the endowment will fund in perpetuity the collection, preservation and provision of access to Jewish materials from Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. But after receiving the award, the Price Library faced a second, unanticipated challenge: the distinctive, collaborative and cross-disciplinary idea that held great appeal for the NEH granting body proved to be less compelling to the library’s potential donor base whose major philanthropic giving was directed more towards projects concerned with Israel and Holocaust education. Thus, the library decided to turn the project on its head and collect to fundraise rather than fundraising to collect. In other words, the library would direct its energies towards proving the concept first by purchasing relevant and engaging materials, developing dynamic digital partnerships, establishing a new oral history series, and creating unique public outreach programs to generate wider interest and support. This TED talk will take you on a whirlwind tour of the first eighteen months of this unusual campaign, with its highs and lows and tales of the truly unexpected.

MONDAY Highlights of Israel and Judaica Section Acquisitions Gail Shirazi Items acquired by the Israel and Judaica (I/J) Section at the Library of Congress are varied in format and in language. These items are primarily in Hebrew, English, Russian and Yiddish, but not exclusively. Materials of interest acquired by our section are in Amharic, Arabic, Hungarian, Persian, French, Rumanian, Hungarian, German and other languages. In addition to books and serials, formats include maps, political ephemera, posters and audio-visual material (DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, cassette tapes, 35mm film etc.). Materials are acquired through exchange, purchase, transfer and gift. Many international exchange partners participate in the DMEP (Duplicate Materials Exchange Program). We Came to America Ellen Share The speaker will use the life of two important Americans, Emma Lazarus and Levi Strauss, to compare and contrast two different immigrant experiences and attitudes. It is especially interesting because they were both from different waves of Jewish immigrants: Emma was from an established Sephardic family in America and Levi from a newly arrived Ashkenazi family. They both made lasting contributions to America. Ms. Share will also mention books that are available on these historical figures. Library Advocacy – The Role of the School Librarian Joyce Levine This talk showcases a PowerPoint presentation entitled “The School Library: a Vital Component of Jewish Education” prepared by school librarians Joyce Levine, Rachail Kurtz, Michal Malen and Karen Ulrich. Designed to demonstrate the value of the library in Jewish day schools, the PowerPoint highlights the various roles that the school librarian plays in supporting educational goals. It provides examples of the librarian as an information specialist, a collection developer and organizer, a program innovator, a facility designer, and a bridge between the Judaic and secular curriculums. The PowerPoint includes talking points for outreach to school administrators and educational funders. From Nextbook’s Let’s Talk About It to Oakton Reads: Jewish Literature Discussion Groups in a Community College Setting Debbie Feder and Rose B. Novil As a recipient of the Nextbook/ALA “Let’s Talk about It” grant in 2007, Oakton Community College offered its first Jewish book series. When the program ended in 2009, the library decided to continue the series by getting grant funding through Oakton’s Educational Foundation. Learn about the evolution of this program and how it has become so successful. Session 3B Lightning Talks Moderated by Shulamith Berger

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Appeal and Encourage Children to Read from Jewish School Library Denise Blumenfeld In this presentation, the evolution of the library project management for the technical reorganization of the school library of Albert Einstein Institute in Panamá City will be discussed. The management of an educational project for the acquisition of habit and reading promotion through various recreational, technology and traditional strategies will be touched upon.

MONDAY Carrying On: How Poetry Helped a Jewish Daughter Mourn the Loss of Her Mother Lesléa Newman Lesléa Newman and her mother shared a love of literature, particularly poetry. Lesléa found that writing poems both during her mother’s illness and after she died was a great comfort and a way to both mourn her mother’s death and to celebrate her life. During this presentation, Lesléa will read brief selections from her poetry collection, I Carry My Mother, and discuss the writing process. General News from the Library of Congress Aaron Taub This talk will bring to the attention of conference attendees a variety of new developments, including exhibitions, initiatives, and projects, from across the Library of Congress throughout the past year. Because of the brevity of the presentation, no particular item will be explored in depth. However, online addresses will be included for further exploration. Fartaytshed un Farbesert? Translated and Improved? Shulamith Berger American Yiddish theater productions of Shakespeare in Yiddish translation were often fartaytshed un farbesert, i.e. “translated and improved.” Typically, the “improvement” substituted a happy ending for a tragic one. Shuli Berger is a 2015 Translation fellow at the Yiddish Book Center. Her project is to translate the Yiddish novel, Hebrew, by Joseph Opatoshu, into English. The novel is set on the Lower East Side of New York in the 1910s. The main characters are Hebrew teachers, recent immigrants to the United States from Eastern Europe. The book discusses their lives and loves in New York. This talk will describe the year-long experience of the Yiddish Book Center fellowship, the training and guidance it provided, and Shuli’s reflections on wrestling with translation. Vox Tablet: The Story of a Jewish Podcast Sara Ivry This is a brief overview on the history of the Tablet Magazine podcast - from its origins, to its purpose, to its final chapter. Learning from Five Great 20th Century Scholar Librarians David B. Levy We have much to learn today from Scholar librarians such as Drs. Steinschneider, Berliner, and others. These 20th century scholars knew a lot about a lot in Jewish studies, casting a wide net, rather than the post-modern specialist who is plagued by the myopic narrowing of scope of knowing a lot about a little. These extraordinary scholarly librarians are scholars first and foremost before they were librarians, although they see their Jewish scholarship as an essential key component working in tandem with their duties as librarians. Session 3C Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS): How to Fight It Moderated by Elliot H. Gertel

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BDS: Another Stage in a Long Campaign Dr. Joseph Olmert This talk will focus on the factual background of the emergence of BDS; putting BDS in the proper historic context of boycotts and campaigns against Israel; a factual description of what is

MONDAY happening on campuses in the United States and elsewhere; how to combat it; and an overall analysis of the situation on US campuses. Combating BDS in the American Library Association: The View from the Trenches Emily Bergman Understanding Delegitimization of Israel: A Librarian’s Guide Avi Weinryb What is delegitimization of Israel? How has it manifested itself in the field of librarianship and information science? How can librarians protect the integrity of their profession against those seeking to advance boycotts and divestment and undermine peace? In this innovative session, answers will be provided and participants will explore the most effective strategies for effectively advocating for Israel and the cause of two states for two peoples. Session 3D Moderated by TBA

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SIRS/Mandarin OPALS ExLibris 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

LUNCHEON Crystal C Guest Speaker: Robert Weil (Editor-in-Chief and Publishing Director of Liveright, a division of W.W. Norton Introduced by Rachel Ariel Presentation: Primo Levi in America

2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Session 4A Moderated by Kathy Bloch

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New Opportunities for Israeli Film – Movies for Libraries and Schools – Israel Film Center Stream Isaac Zablocki and Ravit Turjeman Movies today are mostly watched through streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others. In the last ten years, the Israeli film industry has become a major international player. Israeli film has become one of the most popular ways for people to learn, connect and enjoy Israel. The Israel Film Center at JCC Manhattan is the leading resource for Israeli films in America and has put together the most extensive database and a popular streaming site of Israeli films. Enjoy a taste of this phenomenon and learn how Israeli films can be best used in your setting. Through an interactive session, Isaac Zablocki and Ravit Turjeman will share the ins and outs of the Israeli film industry, how to access it and how to best use Israeli films.

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Session 4B Moderated by Wendy Diamond

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Virtual Book Discussion: AJL Reads Heidi Rabinowitz and Debbie Feder This session will encompass a presentation on the AJL Reads virtual book discussion group and a live discussion of Biblio Tech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google by John Palfrey - AJL's community-wide read for June 2016. The presenters will explain the purpose and technical aspects of running a virtual book club and will discuss Biblio Tech. Attendees are encouraged to participate in this live discussion (whether or not they've read the book) and join AJL Reads for future virtual discussions. The Newbery Challenge: An Exciting Reading Initiative Noreen Wachs All librarians are looking for ways to foster literacy. The speaker will describe a program she spearheaded this past fall called “The Newbery Challenge” which got parents, students, and faculty reading. The Newbery Challenge is a mock Newbery Award Contest. Participants read preselected books that may win the Newbery, discuss them and vote before the real Newbery Award is given out. Noreen will describe how to implement this initiative from A to Z. Session 4C Moderated by Leah Adler

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Portrait of Two Painters: The Work of Theodore Sidney Moïse and Solomon Nunes Carvalho Dale Rosengarten Contenders for the title of first American-born Jewish artist, both Theodore Sidney Moïse (1808– 1885) and Solomon Nunes Carvalho (1815–1897) were born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina - then the cultural center of American Jewry - into families with Sephardic ancestry and strong ties to the West Indies. Each attained renown in his area of expertise: Moïse as a portrait painter, Carvalho as a daguerreotypist. Largely self-taught and based in New Orleans, Moïse cultivated a clientele among the rich and powerful. Carvalho made his reputation by photographing, sketching, and painting the western landscape and its inhabitants, whom he encountered on John C. Frémont’s fifth expedition across the Rockies. Their diverging political and religious trajectories demonstrate the unaccustomed degree of freedom available to Jews in antebellum America. Jews in Antebellum South Carolina Ya’akov Aronson This presentation will deal with Jewish involvement in the history of South Carolina, and more specifically of Charleston, from the earliest days of the colony to the outbreak of the War Between the States. In addition to the role Jews played in the general development of South Carolina, the internal organization of the Jewish community will be covered.

MONDAY Session 4D Moderated by Rena Citrin

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A Tale to Tell: So You Want to Get Published Joni Sussman This workshop for aspiring authors, led by children's book publisher Joni Sussman of Kar-Ben Publishing, will provide the basics on how to get a book manuscript published. Topics to be covered include: how to decide what to write about, how to write and prepare a manuscript for submission, how the acquisitions process works, what to look for in a publisher or agent, as well as what a publisher or agent looks for when acquiring manuscripts. Also covered will be the basics of what an aspiring author should know about marketing even before submitting a manuscript. This information can also be used by librarians in advising library patrons seeking to get a book published. A manuscript evaluation is included for all participants who would like to bring one.

3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m.__ Session 5 Session 5A Moderated by Daniel Scheide

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Expanding Collections and New Technology at the National Library of Israel Yoel Finkelman The cornerstone-laying ceremony for the new building of the National Library of Israel has received more attention than any other part of the Library's ongoing Renewal Plan. Still, the National Library of Israel is advancing in several other directions as well: collections, educational activities, technology, and international cooperation. The National Library of Israel continues to create educational materials for the school systems in Israel and elsewhere. It's brand new interface for digitized Hebrew manuscripts and for the Israel Archives Network offers new user experience and access to materials. Its cooperation with major collections around the world guarantees increased access to wider and broader digital collections. All of these tools can help researchers, students and other libraries. Strategic Planning: Library of Congress Roberta Schaffer Strategic planning within both large and small organizations has changed significantly in the past several years as business models, staffing and technology have become more fluid. This presentation will look at the recent implementation of a new strategic plan at the Library of Congress, but also address other models that might work or have been used in libraries. Related issues on plan monitoring, modification, "mining," and minding will also be covered. Session 5B Moderated by Kathleen Bloomfield

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Treat Them Like Customers Shulamis Hes In this workshop, you will learn how to improve customer satisfaction at your academic library; increase e-resource discoverability and accessibility; and convert your physical and/or virtual space into a student-centered Information Commons.

MONDAY/TUESDAY The Most Jewish Non-Jewish Book Ever: What Makes a Book Jewish, Beyond Its Overt Content? Meredith Lewis PJ Library is a global Jewish program that sends nearly 150,000 books in the United States and Canada, alone. Over the past ten years, PJ Library has expanded to think broadly about Jewish content and family engagement. So what does PJ Library look like today? Why does PJ Library focus its lineup on picture books through age 8? How does PJ Library approach the monumental task of determining whether or not a book is “Jewish?” Come learn more about the program with PJ Library’s Director of Content and Engagement. 4:30 p.m.-5:20 p.m.

Division Meetings: RAS Meeting SSC Meeting

Crystal A Crystal F

5:20-5:30 p.m.

Orthodox Minyan Egalitarian Minyan

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5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

General Membership Meeting Installation of Officers

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6:30 p.m.-8:15 p.m.

Dinner On Your Own

6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Hospitality Suite Open

8:15 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Exclusive screening of the new film Dough

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Now Playing in Theaters Nationwide and at the AJL Conference in Charleston: Dough! Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones) and Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine) star in this hilarious new comedy that shows you don't have to be baked to make some Dough! Curmudgeonly widower Nat Dayan (Jonathan Pryce) clings to his way of life as a Kosher bakery shop owner in London’s East End. Understaffed, Nat reluctantly enlists the help of teenager Ayyash (Jerome Holder), who has a secret side gig selling marijuana to help his immigrant mother make ends meet. When Ayyash accidentally drops his stash into the mixing dough, the challah starts flying off the shelves and an unlikely friendship forms between the old Jewish baker and his young Muslim apprentice. Dough is a warmhearted and humorous story about overcoming prejudice and finding redemption in unexpected places. UK, 2016; English; 94 minutes. Distributed by Menemsha Films, www.menemshafilms.com.

TUESDAY, JUNE 21 6:00 a.m.

Morning Walk

6:30 a.m.

Egalitarian Minyan

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7:00 a.m.

Orthodox Minyan

BSBI (local shul)

TUESDAY 7:15 a.m.-8:30 a.m.

Breakfast

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8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Registration and Information

Crystal Promenade

8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Exhibits Open

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8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Session 6 Session 6A Moderated by Laurel S. Wolfson

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Building the Israeli Nation: Two Decades of Collecting Initiatives at Stanford Zachary Baker Over the past two decades, the Stanford University Libraries have pursued a collection development strategy that has resulted in the assembling of a critical mass of primary source materials documenting pivotal aspects of the Israeli nation-building enterprise and Israeli cultural production. These include literary collections such as the Israel Cohen library, historically based holdings such as the Eliasaf Robinson Collection on Tel-Aviv, archives on Israeli water resources and infrastructure, contemporary art exhibition catalogs, and – most recently – the LahitonCinema World photo archive [the focus of Anna Levia’s presentation]. In addition to showcasing examples from these collections, the presentation will include an overview of the emergence and development of Stanford’s collecting efforts in this arena, and a discussion of ways in which they respond to the university’s broader research agenda. In the context of North American library collections, Stanford’s collections relating to Israel can be described as distinctive, highly selective, and largely retrospective in nature – and as complementing more ambitious collecting enterprises at other research establishments. Technological advances offer the hope (if not always the promise) of facilitating access to these holdings, to the research community at large. The Lahiton/Cinema World Image Collection at Stanford University Libraries Anna Levia The entertainment magazines Cinema World (‘Olam ha-kolno’a), established in 1951, and Lahiton, which was established in 1969 and merged with Cinema World in 1974, were the first Israeli publications devoted solely to popular culture. As such, they documented the development and growth of the Israeli entertainment industry and encompassed all forms of popular entertainment in Israel from the late 1950s through the 1980s, with a focus on music and cinema, but also covering theater, television and dance. Many prominent politicians appeared in the pages as well. These images illustrate the extent to which Israel’s leaders mingled with entertainers, particularly the foreign celebrities invited by Lahiton for promotional tours of the country - from Arik Einstein, Shalom Hanoch, and Gidi Gov to Anat Atzmon, Anat Topol, and Anat Zahor, with many more in between. View highlights of the Lahiton/Cinema World collection as we take a historical tour of Israeli entertainment. The Modern Library – UM’s Jewish Heritage Collection as a Model of Innovation and Integration Arielle Sokol When one thinks of a library, the typical image is of a collection of books and serials. Today, the image might also include electronic resources and digitized materials. The Jewish Heritage Collection (JHC) at the University of Michigan expands these boundaries even further. The JHC is a unique assemblage of books, ephemera, archival materials, and objects that relate to the

TUESDAY Jewish experience. By including objects, the JHC expands the definition of a “library” into worlds previously dominated by museums and cultural institutions. However, unlike these institutions, libraries pride themselves on accessibility to researchers, scholars, and the public at large. This allows the collection to be utilized rather than just displayed and also gives those involved with the collection an opportunity to look to the future in new and innovative ways. The JHC is an example of an immersive collection, a collection in which all five senses are served and researchers are given the opportunity to interact with more than just texts related to their subject. Session 6B

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Recommended Reads: The Latest and Greatest in Jewish Fiction for Adults Rachel Kamin, Ellen Tilman, and Judy Weidman Over one hundred works of fiction with Jewish content are published each year by mainstream, Jewish, and small, independent presses. So many books, so little time! How do we sift through the good, the great, and the not-so-great? How can reading books with Jewish characters and themes help educate, enlighten, and inspire us? What are Jewish book groups reading? What are the new trends in the Jewish publishing world? What are the major Jewish literary awards? Explore the latest and greatest in Jewish fiction for adult readers and come prepared to share some of your favorite new titles. Session 6C Moderated by Dale Rosengarten

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Mapping Jewish Charleston Harlan Greene The Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library is currently engaged in a digital project on mapping Jewish Charleston. When the library began collecting materials twenty years ago, on a very small scale, Jewish Charleston was NOT on the map. Now, thanks to persistence and determination, Charleston is recognized for its major role in Jewish American history and the archives are used by scholars all over the world. Collections not only document Charleston’s Jewish history, but Southern Jewish culture, while the growing Holocaust archives and the internationally important William A. Rosenthall Judaica collection bring the library further attention. This session will discuss both the current digital project aimed at charting the Jewish geography of Charleston and the back story - how a library and archival collection was created from the ground up, how it brought in grants, created academic programs, attracted Jewish students, and impacted the local economy. Perhaps this story will provide a road map that other institutions can follow. On the Front Lines: Preserving Middle Eastern Jewish History in the Age of ISIS Jason Guberman Amidst the horrors of the Syrian civil war, the historic Eliyahu Hanabi (“Elijah the Prophet”) Synagogue in the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus was destroyed. More recently, ISIS has demolished the purported Tomb of Jonah, which was located in one of Mosul’s oldest mosques. ISIS has also caused the Christian village of al-Qoosh in Iraqi-Kurdistan, home to the traditional Tomb of Nahum, to be evacuated several times, and has looted Dura Europas, in which the ruins of one of the world’s oldest synagogues reside. These are brusque reminders of how the synagogues, schools, and other structures that once composed Jewish life in hundreds of communities across the Middle East and North Africa are decaying or being destroyed, and the last generation with memories of these communities is passing on. There is limited time left to capture site data and record place-based stories before they are forever lost. Diarna, “Our

TUESDAY Homes” in Judeo-Arabic, meets this urgent challenge with a synthesis of traditional scholarship, fieldwork, and multimedia technologies - satellite imagery (complete with terrain, zoomable perspectives, tiltable views and 360-degree rotation), immersive panoramas, three-dimensional architectural reconstructions, archival and contemporary photography, and place- based oral history recordings - all meant to create virtual entry points to once vibrant yet now largely vanished communities. Jason Guberman-P., Diarna’s co-founder and the executive director of the American Sephardi Federation, will provide a tour ranging from Holocaust-era Vichy Camps in Morocco to Jewish fortresses in Arabia. He will also provide a briefing on the latest, ongoing research in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, and Yemen. 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Session 7A Moderated by Marlene Schiffman

Session 7 Crystal A

A Niche Collection in a Non-Knish Land: On Stewarding and Marketing a “Special” Special Collection Rachel Leket-Mor The IsraPulp Collection at Arizona State University is comprised of rare books and serials associated with Hebrew popular literature. Spanning decades of production (1930s to present day) and a wide range of genres, this special collection focuses on trivial, non-canonized literature published by peripheral publishers, in Hebrew. Although conveniently tagged under the umbrella of Jewish Studies, the dual-themed collection development guidelines constitute this repository as a double special, or niche collection. The presenter, who established the collection in 2004 and serves as its curator, will describe recent updates and efforts to preserve, catalog, and enable access to collection items, as well as outreach and marketing attempts to broaden its compass beyond the particularistic enclosure of Jewish Studies. What You Don’t Know about the NEH Challenge Grant Rebecca Jefferson and Bess de Farber The George A. Smathers Libraries were awarded a second NEH Challenge Grant in 2014 entitled “Repositioning Florida’s Judaica Library: Increasing Access to Humanities Resources from Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean”. The project proposes to raise $1.5 million matched by an NEH contribution of $500,000 to build an endowment in support of purchasing and preserving hidden and/or endangered Judaica materials from Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and in support of research fellowships, studentships, and ongoing public outreach and engagement. This presentation by the Libraries’ Grants Manager, Bess de Farber, and Judaica Librarian, Rebecca Jefferson, will introduce the NEH Challenge Grant program, grant-seeking strategies and post-award management rewards and challenges. The presenters will provide a step-by-step retrospective describing how the proposal came to be conceived and submitted, time-tested practices for planning and preparing a fundable project, and the risks that project team members may encounter. Honoured and Venerable Sir… Vanessa Freedman University College London holds on loan from the Montefiore Endowment a stunning collection of tributes presented to Sir Moses Montefiore (1784-1885) and his wife Judith (d.1862). They have recently been digitized and transcribed and are freely available online. The tributes are both

TUESDAY beautiful objects in themselves and also a rich source of information about Jewish communities around the world. This illustrated talk will give the background to the collection and present some highlights, as well as discussing the process of digitization. Session 7B Moderated by Joni Sussman

Crystal F

Hooray for Laptime Meredith Lewis The Wonderful World of International Children’s Books Lisa Silverman and Elissa Gershowitz The mission of IBBY (The International Board of Books for Young People) is to promote international understanding through children's books, to give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books with high literary and artistic standards, to encourage the publication and distribution of quality children's books (especially in developing countries) and to stimulate research and scholarly works in the field of children's literature. They are also the sponsors of the prestigious Hans Christian Anderson Award. This session will connect those interested in the issues and trends of international publishing with the interests of Jewish children’s librarians, especially in regard to Israel and Jewish-themed books. A bibliography will be provided. Session 7C Moderated by Dina Herbert

Crystal B

Merging Collections for User’s Benefit Sonia Smith At McGill University, most of the collection that supports the Jewish Studies program is located at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library. However, the Nahum Gelber Law Library also has a strong collection on Talmudic Law. In 2015, the presenter worked on a project to relocate the Talmudic Law books into one library. In this presentation, she will share tips on how to proceed and detail problems and benefits of combining collections. What’s a Nice Jewish Book Group Doing in a Catholic University? The Book Group as a Community Outreach Tool Rhonda Rosen This presentation addresses the question of how academic libraries can support Jewish culture on their campuses and beyond by describing the experience of designing and delivering a Jewish literature reading and discussion group. The presenter will discuss the features that distinguish this academic book group from more traditional recreational reading groups, describe the surprising membership of the group, and illustrate how over time a program like this can act as outreach to an entire community. Twelve Years of the Lexicon of Modern Hebrew Literature and Other Projects Yossi Galron The Lexicon of Modern Hebrew Literature began in 2004. This talk will report the progress of this project after twelve years. There will also be a report on other bibliographic projects under the umbrella of the Lexicon (and one project that is not under the umbrella).

TUESDAY 12:00 p.m.-1:45 p.m.

Awards Lunch Mr. Harry Chan, MeidaFlex/OPALS Heidi Rabinowitz, Fanny Goldstein Award

2:00 p.m.-3:50 p.m. Session 8A Moderated by David Gilner

Crystal C

Session 8 Crystal B

As It Is Written: Highlights of an Exhibition Barry Walfish This lecture will feature highlights of the Judaica Exhibition displayed at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library of the University of Toronto early in 2015. The exhibition includes items spanning 1100 years from the 10th century to the 21st, with at least one item from every intervening century. Included are medieval biblical, halakhic and liturgical manuscripts, one of the earliest copies of the Zohar, a tribute album for Moses Montefiore, one of the earliest printed items of Canadiana and much more, all taken from the holdings of the Fisher Library. What is Judaica? Measuring the Harvard Judaica Collection Elizabeth Vernon For years, the Harvard Library Judaica Division has sought to measure the size of the Judaica Collection. The Harvard Library's reporting system allowed straightforward measurement and parsing of Hebraica holdings (Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian). The broader category of "Judaica" was more challenging, cutting as it does over a variety of criteria language, country of publication, and subject matter, and no report or series of reports could provide an accurate accounting and picture of the collection as a whole. This presentation provides a description of the methodology that the Harvard Library Judaica Division employed to build metrics on the Judaica Collection and how the Division made use of that data for a variety of purposes. Session 8B Sydney Taylor Award Committee Panel Moderated by Diane Rauchwerger and Ellen Tilman

Crystal F

Leslea Newman, award winning author of the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Younger Readers will discuss her book Ketzel the Cat who Composed, illustrated by Amy June Bates. Jeffrey M. Green, translator of the Sydney Taylor Book Award winning book for Older Readers will discuss the winning book Adam and Thomas, by Aharon Appelfeld, illustrated by Philippe Dumas. Author Laura Amy Schlitz will discuss her Sydney Taylor Award Winning Book for Teen Readers, The Hired Girl.

TUESDAY Session 8C Moderated by Rick Burke

Crystal A

Crossing Borders: The Transatlantic Migrations of the Nines Carvalhos Over 500 Years Keith and Nancy Atkinson This paper recounts the story of a Jewish family that started in Portugal 350 years ago this year and crossed many borders on the way to the New World - not only geographic boundaries but religious and racial ones as well. Having spent five years and travelled many miles tracing the routes the Nunes Carvalhos took, the presenters would like to share their journey of discovery and reflect on what they have learned. Sephardic Translators and Anglo-Iberian Diplomacy in Colonial Charleston Nicholas Butler From the arrival of the first English settlers in Carolina in 1670 to the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the hostile relationship between England and Spain cast a perpetual shadow over the development of Colonial Charleston. In response to the constant fear of being invaded by their neighbors in Spanish Florida, the government of South Carolina erected an ever-evolving ring of expensive fortifications around the capital town and kept a watchful eye on military activities in St. Augustine. The government required trustworthy translators to assist with diplomatic missions between the two adversaries and Charleston's early Sephardic Jews were consistently drafted for such services. Similarly, the opening of Portuguese markets to South Carolina rice in the 1730s led to a considerable economic boom for the young colony, and Sephardic "linguists" again played an important assisting role. Through such activities, Charleston's earliest Jews used their unique cultural skills to contribute effectively to the preservation and success of their adopted home.

4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Session 9A Moderated by Zachary Baker

Session 9 Crystal A

Vilnius Jewish Public Library: History, Activities, Objectives and Challenges Zilvinas Beliauskas Vilnius Jewish Public Library was established by the Ministry of Culture in 2011 as a result of many joint efforts and lucky coincidences. For seventy previous years, the wording â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jewish libraryâ&#x20AC;? had no actual reference in Lithuania. Now, still in its childish age, the library is very ambitious to bring back, develop and integrate the lost local and world Jewish cultural heritage to the Jerusalem of the North. The library energetically seeks to enrich its collection and to energize its cultural and educational functions to the scale of becoming the largest of its kind in Europe. Preserving History: The Construction of the David and Fela Shapell Family Collections and Conservation Center of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Travis Roxlau The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum began collecting more than a quarter century ago and since then has created the collection of record on the Holocaust. Soon after collecting began, the Museum leased a temporary facility to house the nascent collection. After twenty years of unforeseen growth and three expansions later at the leased facility, an appropriate permanent home for the collection was necessary. Beginning in 2010 with the commissioning of a feasibility study, the Museum began a multi-year process of designing, fundraising, and moving the

TUESDAY Museum’s collection from its current facility to the new Center. With construction nearing completion in December 2016 and the collection move looming in September 2016, this session will present the development of the collection, the case for a new facility and the numerous stages and challenges of designing, building, and moving the collection. Session 9B Sydney Taylor Award Committee Panel Moderated by Diane Rauchwerger and Ellen Tilman

Crystal F

Leslie Kimmelman, author of the Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Younger Readers, Everybody Says Shalom, illustrated by Tabitha Shipman and Suzanne Nelson, author of the Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Teen Readers, Serendipity’s Footsteps, will discuss their books. The Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee will discuss trends in Jewish Children’s Literature. Session 9C Moderated by Michelle Chesner and Jim Rosenbloom

Crystal B

RAS Librarians Collection Development Roundtable Jim Rosenbloom and Michelle Chesner This round table is for librarians involved in collection development. Subjects of discussion may include purchasing policies, subscriptions, Hebrew e-books and digitizing. 5:00-6:00 p.m.

OCLC Update with Cynthia Whitacre

Crystal A

6:00 p.m.

Orthodox Mincha Minyan Egalitarian Mincha Minyan

Crystal A Crystal B

7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Awards Banquet

Crystal C

10:00 p.m.

Orthodox Maariv Minyan Egalitarian Maariv MInyan

Crystal A Crystal B

10:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Hospitality Suite Open

WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 6:00 a.m.

Morning Walk

6:30 a.m.

Egalitarian Minyan

Crystal B

7:00 a.m.

Orthodox Minyan

BSBI (local shul)

7:15 a.m.-8:15 a.m.

Breakfast on Your Own

8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Tours

10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Post-Conference De-Briefing

1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Visit to the Addlestone Library at the College of Charleston

Crystal A

Elhanan Adler is a semi-retired librarian who heads the graduate program in Library/Information Studies at David Yellin College in Jerusalem and is a consultant to the National Library of Israel and several academic libraries. Michlean Amir is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Northeastern University where she majored in history. She holds an MLS from Simmons College. Michlean has worked at academic, school and special libraries and has been at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum since 1998 where she is now the Reference Coordinator for the Museum's Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center. She has taught Israeli literature and has made many presentations at conferences on that topic as well as on topics in Jewish history, including Holocaust studies and Yizkor Books. Michlean has written many book reviews including for the AJL Newsletter. She is a long-time AJL member and was a member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Awards Committee. Yaakov Aronson is the retired University Librarian of Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel (1986-2004). His AJL activities have included being on the organizing committee for the First International Conference of Judaica and Israeli Librarians, Jerusalem, 1990; Israeli Coordinator for AJL sessions at the World Congress of Jewish Studies in 2001, 2005, 2009 and at the IFLA Conference in Jerusalem, 2000; authoring the Epistle from Israel column in Judaica Librarianship, 1992-2003 and was founder and first President of the Israel branch of AJL, the Judaica Librarians Group. He has also made presentations at seven previous AJL Conferences. Keith Atkinson is a retired CEO/CFO of a UK Public company investing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nancy Atkinson trained as a nurse at St. Bartholemew's Hospital, London. On Keith's retirement, they commenced a five-year project researching Nancy's family roots, particularly those of her Sephardic Jewish ancestors, the Nunes Carvalhos. In doing this, they have traveled to Jamaica, Barbados, Charleston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Amsterdam. One volume of their book, The French Collection, has been printed. Volume 2 will include Inquisition research in Portugal. Zachary Baker has served as Reinhard Family Curator of Judaica and Hebraica Collections in the Stanford University Libraries since 1999. Before that, he was Head Librarian of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. He is Past-President of AJL, former editor of Judaica Librarianship, and is currently SecretaryTreasurer of the Association for Jewish Studies. He has presented frequently at AJL and AJS conferences and published in a range of professional and scholarly venues. Serena Bazemore graduated from University of California Berkeley with a BA in history and English. Ms. Bazemore graduated from the History MA program at North Carolina State University where she worked with Professor Julie Mell on a thesis entitled “The Twelfth Century Renaissance and the Religion of Intent: Interiority and the Emergence of Selfhood across Religious Boundaries.” Ms. Bazemore currently serves as the Program Director at Duke University’s Center for Jewish Studies where she manages the undergraduate and graduate programs in Jewish Studies, the Jewish Studies Library Fellowship, and various other programing including lectures, conferences, museum exhibits, workshops and cultural events sponsored by the Center. Her research interests include interreligious exchanges, noting the similarities and differences in religious experiences across confessional lines, religious boundaries, and physical and spiritual boundaries. Most recently, Serena has become interested in the similarities in late medieval haggadot and psalters, as well as local North Carolinian Jewish history. Žilvinas Beliauskas has his Master’s Degree in psychology from Vilnius University and has done postgraduate studies in the Department of History of Philosophy and Logic, Vilnius University. He has worked in the National Martynas Mazvydas Library (State Library then) as psychologist, in the Lithuanian

Institute of Culture and Arts, as visiting lecturer to Vilnius University, as Director of the Information Center for Homecoming Lithuanians, Psychology Lecturer in Mykolas Romeris University, and as Head of the Vilnius Jewish Public Library. He was also Director of Vilnius Jewish Public Library Charity and Support Foundation, and Director of Vilnius Jewish Theater. Shulamith (Shuli) Berger is the Curator of Special Collections at Yeshiva University's Mendel Gottesman Library. She is co-curator of the exhibits: "Einstein and Yeshiva University" and "Echoes of Auras: Memorbuch of a Jewish Community," both of which may be viewed on the Yeshiva University Libraries' website. She speaks at AJL conferences and for Jewish groups in the New York area on topics related to American Jewish immigrant history. Yoram Bitton is the director of the Klau Library at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Denise Blumenfeld was born in Argentina and currently lives in Panamá. She works as a Moráh and librarian at the library of Instituto Alberto Einstein of Panamá and in TaShemá Project (translation of The Guemará to Spanish). Denise is an active volunteer in United Hatzalah Panamá and B'nay Brith Panamá. She gives classes in Judaism to woman in Beth- El Panamá Synagogue. Nic Butler is a public historian with a passion for talking about Charleston history. A native of Greenville County, SC, Dr. Butler attended the University of South Carolina before completing a PhD in musicology at Indiana University. He has worked as archivist of the South Carolina Historical Society, as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston, and as an historical consultant for the City of Charleston. Since 2005 he has worked for the Charleston County Public Library, first as the institution’s archivist and now as its historian-in-residence. Each month he presents a number of lectures throughout the community on a wide variety of local history topics, and promotes his activities through his blog, the Charleston Time Machine. Bess de Farber is the University of Florida Libraries’ grants manager and previously served as the University of Arizona Libraries’ grants manager. She has provided grantsmanship instruction throughout the past twenty six years, and has led efforts to secure millions in grant funding for nonprofits and academic libraries. As a certified professional facilitator through the International Association of Facilitators, she invented the CoLAB Planning Series®, large group processes for individuals and organizations seeking new collaborative partnerships. She holds a Master of Nonprofit Management from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California. Her book, Collaborative Grant Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians was published by Rowman & Littlefield in April 2016. Renate Evers is the Head Librarian of the Library of the Leo Baeck Institute New York. She holds an MLS from Frankfurt (Germany), an MIS from Konstanz (Germany), and an MCIS from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, USA). She initiated the digitization program for the LBI Library collections in 2005 focusing on rare books, ephemera, and periodicals. She has more than twenty years of international professional experience in university libraries, special collections, and archives and has published and presented on digitization as well as topics related to German-Jewish history. Debbie Feder is currently the Director of the Learning Commons at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago and the Member Relations Chair for AJL. She has her Masters in Library and Information Science from Dominican University. She has spent more than ten years introducing children and young adults to literature and information literacy at schools and public libraries. She is the author of Jelly Bean’s Art Museum Adventure and is honored to be a member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. Yoel Finkelman is Curator of the Haim and Hanna Salomon Judaica Collection at the National Library of Israel. Formerly a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, he has written widely on Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, Religious-Zionist thought, and the interplay between religion and popular culture in North America and Israel.

Vanessa Freedman is Subject Librarian for Hebrew & Jewish Studies and Information Studies at University College London. She previously worked as Assistant Librarian at Leo Baeck College. She studied Classics at Cambridge University and Library and Information Studies at University College London, where her MA dissertation was on classification schemes for Jewish Studies libraries. Dr. Susan Freiband is a retired librarian and library educator. She currently does volunteer work at Beth El Hebrew Congregation Dimond Library, Alexandria, VA. Dr. Freiband is also a volunteer librarian at the Arlington Country Public Library and at Green Spring Gardens Horticultural Library. She taught at the library school, University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, for twenty-one years before retiring in 2008. She has her PhD in library service from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ and her Master’s in Library Science from Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, TX. Besides working in Temple libraries, she has experience working in academic libraries. She is a member of ALA and AJL. Joseph Galron is Hebraica and Jewish Studies librarian at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Previously, he was librarian at the Tel Aviv University's Sourasky Library. Yossi published several books and personal bibliographies (printed and online). He is active in AJL, notably as the moderator of the Hasafran mailing list as well as other Judaica Libraries lists. Elissa Gershowitz is senior editor of The Horn Book Magazine and online content editor for The Horn Book, Inc., the most trusted opinion on books for children and young adults since 1924. She holds as MA from the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College and a BA in English and French from Oberlin College. She is a current member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. Haim Gottschalk earned his MLS at Indiana University and worked with Judaica collections at four academic libraries and one synagogue library. He is currently a librarian in the Israel and Judaica Section in the Asian and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress. Harlan Greene, a native of Charleston and the son of Holocaust survivors, is a faculty member affiliated with the Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture and is Head of Special Collections at the College of Charleston, which houses the Jewish Heritage Collection. He has served as archivist of the South Carolina Historical Society, Director of the North Carolina Preservation Consortium, and Manager of Reference Services at the College’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. He has published books, articles and essays on numerous aspects of Charleston history and is also a novelist. He serves on the City of Charleston’s Arts and History Commission and is a certified city guide. Jason Guberman, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation and Curator/Coordinator of the Diarna Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life, is a social entrepreneur who specializes in building broad coalitions and melding intellectual and technical innovation. A summa cum laude graduate of Sacred Heart University and founding executive director of Digital Heritage Mapping, Jason was named to Connecticut Magazine's "40 under 40" and to the Jewish Week's "36 under 36." He has presented at Stanford University's Digital Humanities Center, as well as at conferences of the Association of Jewish Studies and Center for Jewish History, guest lectured classes at Harvard's Middle East Studies Center and at Wellesley College, served on the Council of Young Jewish Presidents, written for AJS Perspectives, Sh'ma Journal, Wexner Foundation Newsletter, The Algemeiner, and MyJewishLearning.com, and appeared on NPR's Here & Now. Jason is an alumnus of the Tikvah Fund's Fellowship and Core18 Leaders Laboratory. Shulamis Hes manages print and digital resource integration for Yeshiva University’s Pollack, Mendel Gottesman, and Hedi Steinberg Libraries, and provides general and Judaic studies research guidance to patrons of all academic levels. Shulamis has pioneered digital tools and services such as YUFind discovery service and The Last Minute, a marathon evening of research and writing assistance. Marga Hirsch is the Director of the Rothschild Library at Park Avenue Synagogue, NY, where she is also the Publications Editor, the Gallery Director, and an instructor in adult learning classes. Previously she was librarian at the Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia and community Jewish family educator at the

Department of Jewish Education of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey. She holds an MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MSLS from Drexel University (Philadelphia). Sara Ivry is a senior editor at Tablet Magazine where she has hosted the National Magazine Award-winning podcast Vox Tablet. Also a writer and editor, Sara has reported stories on the arts, education, media, observance, TV and other topics for Tablet, The New York Times, Bookforum, the Poetry Foundation and other outlets. A native of Massachusetts, she now lives in Brooklyn. Rebecca Jefferson is the Head of Price Library of Judaica at the University of Florida. Her responsibilities include collection development and overall management of the Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, located on the first floor of Library West and in the Judaica Suite, Smathers Library. She is the PI on an NEH Challenge Grant to build a $1.5 million endowment focused on collecting and preserving Judaica from Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. Her PhD in Medieval Hebrew is from King’s College, University of Cambridge, and she previously worked as a research associate in Cambridge University Library where she was the bibliographer for the Cairo Genizah collections. In addition to her work with the Price Library, she currently serves as AJL’s RAS Vice President. Rachel Kamin has worked as a synagogue librarian for over eighteen years and is currently the Director of the Joseph and Mae Gray Cultural & Learning Center at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El in Highland Park, IL. She serves as the Book Review Editor for Children & Teens for The Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter and contributes articles and book reviews to BookLinks, School Library Journal, Jewish Book World, Judaica Librarianship, and AJL Reviews. She has facilitated Beth El’s Sisterhood Torah Fund Book Club since 2009 and also facilitates groups for the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership (Chicago, IL), McHenry County Jewish Congregation (Crystal Lake, IL), Congregation Sukkat Shalom (Wilmette, IL) and Congregation Etz Chaim (Lombard, IL). Kamin holds a BA in history from Grinnell College and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Susan Kusel is the librarian at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, VA. She is also the children's book buyer and selector for Words bookstore in Maplewood, NJ and the owner of Dream On Books, a children's book consulting company. She has been a children's librarian at Arlington Public Library, a children's bookseller for Politics and Prose and Child's Play and worked for the Imagination Stage theater company. She was a member of the 2015 Caldecott Medal selection committee and is currently a member of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. She lives with her family in Arlington, VA. Rachel Leket-Mor is a subject librarian for Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Arizona State University. A veteran presenter at AJL, Rachel served as RAS President (2010–2012) and is the current editor of Judaica Librarianship, AJL’s peer-reviewed journal. Heidi G. Lerner is the Metadata Librarian for Hebraica and Judaica at Stanford University Libraries. She has spoken at conferences of the Association of Jewish Studies (AJS) and AJL and has publications in academic journals of Jewish Studies and academic librarianship. Amalia S. Levi is currently the project archivist and curator at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum of the Jewish Community of Barbados. She is an independent scholar and freelance cultural heritage consultant. Amalia holds a Master’s in Library Sciences and Archives, and an MA in History, with a focus in Jewish Studies; both from the University of Maryland, College Park. She also holds an MA in Museum Studies from Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul, Turkey. She completed her BA in Archaeology and History of Art in Athens, Greece. Amalia has worked in museums, developing exhibits and conducting archival research. She was the founding curator of the Jewish Museum of Turkey in Istanbul and is the coeditor of the book Identity Palimpsests: Archiving Ethnicity in the U.S. and Canada. She is interested in augmenting historical scholarship on diasporas and minorities through linking and enriching dispersed collections and also in the ways memory and identity are articulated and reified in archives, museums, and libraries.

Linda Levi is Assistant Executive Vice President of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee where she directs the JDC Archives, one of the most significant collections in the world for the study of modern Jewish history. The JDC Archives include three miles of text documents, 100,000 photographs, over 6,000 books, and 1,100 audio-recordings including oral histories. The JDC Archives are situated in two centers, NY and Jerusalem. JDC, or the “Joint” as it is known to its hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries worldwide, is the major instrument of American Jewry for meeting global Jewish needs. Ms. Levi is a graduate of New York University and received her MA in Contemporary Jewish Studies from Brandeis University. She has lectured extensively throughout the world about the JDC Archives. Anna M. Levia, following several years of study in Linguistics and Middle East History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, received a BA in Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. She also earned an MLIS degree from San Jose State University, where she specialized in Archival Studies. Anna currently serves as Assistant Curator for Judaica and Hebraica and has worked at Stanford University Libraries since 2003. Joyce Levine recently retired as Director of Library and Media Services at the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Great Neck, NY. She previously headed the libraries at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Nassau County and the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County High School. She served as President of the SSC Division of AJL, as well as Chair of the Accreditation Committee. Her current position is Chair of the AJL Publications Committee. David B. Levy received a PhD in Jewish studies in 2000, a MLS in 1994 from the UMCP, and a BA cum laude from Haverford College in 1990. David currently serves as the Chief Librarian of TC. Lander College. Meredith Lewis oversees all content and engagement initiatives for PJ Library - what PJ families encounter as part of the program. Previously she worked at 70 Faces Media (MyJewishLearning.com and Kveller.com). There she served in a variety of roles including managing editor, interim executive director and chief operating officer. Meredith holds an MPA and a MA of Hebrew and Judaic Studies from New York University and a BS in Journalism from Northwestern University. Naomi Morse has worked as the head of children’s departments in public libraries of Montgomery County, MD and at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD. She has a particular interest in the art of picture books and in storytelling for children. Naomi has served on the Sydney Taylor and Caldecott committees. She reviews books for the AJL Newsletter. Lesléa Newman is the author of seventy books for readers of all ages including the children’s books, Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed (2016 Sydney Taylor Award), My Name Is Avivia, and Here Is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays; the short story collection, A Letter to Harvey Milk; and the poetry collection, I Carry My Mother. She has received poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. From 2008 - 2010, she served as the poet laureate of Northampton, MA. Rose Novil currently is a Professor of Library Services and Coordinator of the Skokie Campus Library at Oakton Community College, Skokie, IL. She has a MLIS from University of Illinois and a MLS from Lake Forest College. Dr. Josef Olmert offers a rare combination of talents - a top Middle East scholar, former peace negotiator, much published author and journalist, as well as a seasoned public speaker. He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina. He holds a PhD in Middle East Studies from the prestigious London School of Economics. Dr. Olmert resides in Columbia, SC with his wife Diana and is a father to three daughters living in Israel. Rabbi Haim Ovadia was born in Israel to a family of rabbis, scholars and poets which goes back to 17 th century Damascus and Baghdad. He holds an MA in Hebrew Literature from UCLA. He has served in several Sephardic communities in South America, Los Angeles, and the East Coast, and is now the Rabbi of Magen David Sephardic congregation in Rockville, MD. Rabbi Ovadia is very active in teaching and

reviving the Sephardic liturgy through concerts and lectures, as well as through serving as a cantor. He is a faculty member at the Academy for Jewish Religion in California, a non-denominational Rabbinical and Cantorial school. His children sing and play oriental instruments including the Kanoun and the Oud. Rabbi Ovadia is currently writing a book on the Jewish Babylonian Liturgy. Ben Pastcan, in August, will have been a school librarian at Shalom School in Sacramento, CA for nine years. Before working at Shalom School, he worked as an on-call librarian in public libraries in northern California and as a reviewer for AJL Reviews. The library at Shalom School received the advanced accreditation award from AJL in 2014 where Mr. Pastcan co-presented with Robin Gluck, a librarian at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay, on the Common Core and how it is being used in some Jewish day schools. Jacqueline Peters is the Head of Children’s Services for the Charleston County Public Library at the Main Library. She received her MLIS with a focus on Children’s Services from Kent State University. Starting as a substitute librarian in the system, Jacqueline quickly worked her way to her current position where she takes a leading role in developing programs and designing early learning environments. She is passionate about Children’s Services and offering the latest in programming for the library’s youngest patrons and their caregivers. From serving newborns in Babygarten to school age children with the newest technologies, Jacqueline is committed to children of the Lowcountry. She lives in Mount Pleasant, SC and enjoys taking walks on the beach with her dogs, cooking, being a tourist in her own town and reading the latest juvenile literature. Abigail Phillips received her BA in anthropology and history from the University of Georgia. She holds a Master's and Specialist's in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University. In April 2016, she received her doctorate from the School of Information at Florida State University. Her research interests include social media, young adults, information behaviors, cyberbullying, digital citizenship, libraries, and librarianship. Heidi Rabinowitz has served AJL as chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee, the PR committee, and as President of the organization. She directs the Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel of Boca Raton, FL, a large Reform synagogue. Heidi hosts The Book of Life podcast, an online show about Jewish books, music, film and web at bookoflifepodcast.com. Rhonda Rosen, a native of Los Angeles, is currently the Circulation Services Librarian in the W illiam H. Hannon library at Loyola Marymount University. She received both her BA in English and her Masters in Library Science at UCLA. She started out as a Reference librarian and soon took on Reserves and Media when she became the Head of Media and Reserve Services. After a long stint, she added ILL and stacks maintenance. Currently, as the Circulation Services Librarian, Rhonda serves as the Subject Liaison to the School for Film and Television and the Jewish Studies minor program at LMU. She has managed the Hannon Library’s Sunday Jewish book and discussion group for eight years. She remains an avid filmgoer and book reader and loves collie dogs. Jim Rosenbloom is the Judaica Librarian at Brandeis University. He has held a number of AJL positions, including vice president and president of the RAS Division and President of AJL. He is currently the National Conference Chair. Dale Rosengarten, founding curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection and director of the new Center for Southern Jewish Culture at the College of Charleston, earned her BA and PhD from Harvard University. Working with McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, she developed the travelling exhibition A Portion of the People: Three Hundred Years of Southern Jewish Life and co-edited a book by the same name. She is co-curator of the exhibit By Dawn’s Early Light: Jewish Contributions to American Culture from the Nation's Founding to the Civil War, on view at the Princeton University Museum of Art through June 2016. For the accompanying publication, she authored an essay exploring the life and work of Theodore Sidney Moïse and Solomon Nunes Carvalho. While assembling a distinguished archives on southern Jewish history and culture for the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library, Dale has continued

to pursue her other chief field of interest - the African-American tradition of coiled basketry. In partnership with the Museum for African Art in New York, she produced the exhibition Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art, which had a six-month run at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and coauthored the companion volume. Travis Roxlau joined the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993 as a staff member of the Benjamin and Vladka Meed Registry of Holocaust Survivors. In 1995 he became the Oral History Archivist in the Archives Branch. Beginning in 1999 he began to serve as the Collections Manager for Archival Collections and in 2000 became the Chief of Collections Management for the Collections Division. With the establishment of the Office of Collections in 2006, he was appointed the Director of Collections Services. He also served as the Acting Director of the Library from 2008-2010. Travis holds a BA in History and Secondary Education from John Carroll University and a MA in Museum Studies from the George Washington University. Rita Saccal, after working for twenty-five years at the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano "Marshall T. Meyer" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is now volunteering for Fundacion Judaica, in different social programs such as: Javura (food, education and clothing for very poor people) and IDEL (helping mentally and physically disabled Jewish people to work). In 2017, she will be organizing a new Jewish library in the new Jewish Community Center (now under construction). Roberta I. Shaffer is a high-energy, innovative senior executive with proven success in envisioning, building and sustaining a broad portfolio of mission-critical responsibility within the government, academic, business, and non-profit sectors. Since October 2015, she has been serving as acting Law Librarian of Congress. Roberta graduated cum laude from Vassar College with an AB degree in political science/demography; from Emory University with a master’s degree in law librarianship; and has a JD cum laude from Tulane University School of Law. Roberta’s research interests include information authenticity and perpetual access, the concept of “authority” in cyberspace, and organizational innovation. For most of her professional life, Shaffer has been an active advocate for the arts and artists. On a personal level, she spends her time swimming daily, as a jewelry designer under the name Cornelia’s Jewels, after the children’s story, and raises West Highland Terriers as “reading dogs” to help young children learn to read. Ellen Share, who was AJL’s 2015 Jubilee Conference co-chairperson, holds an MLS degree from the University of Maryland at College Park. She has worked for nearly thirty years as the librarian at Washington Hebrew Congregation managing two libraries at the Temple in Washington, D.C. and one library at the Julia Bindeman Suburban Center. Ellen sees students of all ages, plans a yearly Jewish Book Month Shabbat celebration and runs an active book club which meets four times a year. Gail Shirazi is a librarian in the Israel and Judaica Section in the Asian and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress where she has worked for forty years. She specializes in Israeli acquisitions in all formats and languages. She holds an MLS from Catholic University, an MA from Syracuse University (Maxwell School) and a BA in Political Science from University of Maryland. She enjoys arranging lectures and programs at LC and in the community, co-sponsoring the events with embassies, academic organizations, Jewish organizations and other libraries. Lisa Silverman is the Sperber Jewish Community Librarian of Los Angeles, located at American Jewish University. Previously she served for seventeen years as the director of the Sinai Temple Blumenthal Library at Sinai Temple, the largest conservative synagogue in Los Angeles. She leads classes and book groups, along with organizing community programs on literature. She was the children’s editor of Jewish Book World magazine for five years, book editor for Voices of Conservative Judaism magazine, and is now the children’s book reviewer for the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. She has been a board member of the Association of Jewish Libraries of Southern California for many years. She most recently served as a judge for the children’s division of the National Jewish Book Award. She is a member of IBBY and has attended their conferences for the last ten years.

Sonia Smith works at McGill University as the Jewish Studies and Law Liaison Librarian. She also worked at the Jewish Public Library. Originally from Mexico City, she is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Hebrew and Yiddish. Sonia is presently the President of the Quebec Library Association. Arielle I. Sokol earned a BA in History at the University of Denver and a MSI at the University of Michigan where she has been working with Judaica for several years. Arielle has a passion for teaching and making information interactive and accessible. She is a lifelong musician and loves to help with her local community, especially with the organization of Yiddish and book-themed events. Tim Sparks has been redefining the acoustic guitar repertoire since he won the National Fingerpicking Championship in 1993 with a groundbreaking arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. Sparks continues to surprise, challenge, and thrill audiences with his diverse repertoire and stunning technique. Equally at home with Country Blues, Jazz or World Music, Sparks' extraordinary ability has earned him an international reputation as one of the most innovative guitarists working today. Trained by Segovia protegee Jesus Silva at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Sparks has continued to study classical music throughout his career. His wide travels inspired his interest in European and Mediterranean styles, particularly the music of the Balkans. Upon his return to Minnesota, Sparks immersed himself in the ethnic music scene, performing on Oud and Saz in Middle Eastern ensembles and playing guitar in Greek, Klezmer, and Sephardic groups. Joni Sussman is the Publisher at Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of children's book publisher Lerner Publishing Group. Kar-Ben, celebrating its fortieth anniversary, publishes Jewish-themed picture books for children, both fiction and non-fiction for preschool through approximately sixth grade, including Jewish holiday books, life-cycle stories, Bible tales, folktales, Jewish history tales, stories about Israel, and board books. In particular, Kar-Ben seeks stories that reflect the rich cultural diversity of today's Jewish family. Aaron Taub is the Head of the Israel and Judaica Section in the Asian and Middle Eastern Division of the Library of Congress, the Chairperson of the AJL Member Awards Committee, and the President of the AJL/Capital Area Chapter (AJL/CAC). With Dina Herbert and Ellen Share, he was the Co-Chairperson of “Yovel/Jubilee: Celebrating 50 years of AJL!,” last year’s AJL conference held in Silver Spring, MD and Washington, D.C. Under the name Yermiyahu Ahron Taub, he is the author of four books of poetry, including most recently Prayers of a Heretic/Tfiles fun an apikoyres. Tsugreytndik zikh tsu tantsn: naye Yidishe lider/Preparing to Dance: New Yiddish songs, a CD of nine of his Yiddish poems set to music by Michał Górczyński was released on the Multikulti Project label. Taub has completed artist’s residencies at The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. Galina Teverovsky has worked at the Library of Congress since 2002, first in the Serial Record Division, then in the Middle Eastern Acquisitions Section. She is currently a Senior Library Technician in the Israel and Judaica Section in the Asian and Middle Eastern Division. She performs acquisitions and cataloging duties and also works closely with the Acquisition Fiscal Support Office. Prior to working at LC, Ms. Teverovsky served as a Library Assistant and Teacher’s Assistant at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington. She has resided in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since her emigration in 1993 from the former Soviet Union. Ms. Teverovsky is President of the Capital Area Chapter of AJL (AJL/CAC). Ellen Tilman is the Director of Library Services at the Meyers Library of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA. She has served as the Editor of the Congregation’s Bulletin and Israel Coordinator. She is the leader of the library’s Adult Book Discussion Group and is a member of two other book groups. At the Meyers Library, she conducts an active program of story hours for children and author visits for adults. She was recently appointed to serve on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. She leads a session on “What’s New in Jewish Books” at the Ramah Darom Passover Camp in Clayton, GA. Tilman has a BA in Political Science from Goucher College; a Master of Social Service Degree in Social Planning from Bryn Mawr College; and an MBA in Organizational Behavior and Industrial Relations from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.

Ravit Turjeman is the founder and Managing Director of Dragoman Films, a NYC-based boutique distribution company specializing in niche-based film marketing in North America. After completing her BA in Communications and Business Management in Israel, Ravit spent her first four years in NY as the Director of Film and Theatre desk at the Office of Cultural Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in NY, assisting hundreds of Israeli filmmakers and artists with every aspect of their film marketing and distribution. In 2005, Ravit founded Dragoman Films - further shifting her focus to film distribution, programming, festival production, and management - bringing her extensive business development skills and marketing experience to benefit distribution and promotion of films and filmmakers, as well as production, programming and management of film initiatives in North America. Karen Ulric has been the librarian at Golda Och Academy (formerly Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union) for fourteen years. She began her career as a Librarian Trainee and Children's Librarian with The New York Public Library (eventually spending three years as a Librarian with Pooh Bear in the Central Children's Room) and also worked at The Brearley School in NYC and The West Orange (NJ) Public Library. When not running around like a headless chicken, she assists her students in grades 6-12 with research and reading choices, spends hours with InDesign and Photoshop as the Yearbook Advisor, and encourages faculty to explore both print and electronic resources. She lives in West Orange, NJ with her rising tenth grade son, greyhounds, and new-lawyer husband. On the side, in her “free” time she plays with her sewing machine and help run a series of geeky conventions including The Steampunk World’s Fair. Elizabeth Vernon is Lee M. Friedman Judaica Technical Services Librarian in the Judaica Division of the Harvard Library. She has a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, and a MLS in Library Science and a DA in Library Administration from Simmons College. She is the author of Decision-Making for Automation: Hebrew and Arabic Script Materials in the Automated Library and Jewish Studies Courses at American and Canadian Universities, as well as many articles related to Judaica and Middle Eastern librarianship. Noreen Wachs received her MLS from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She was Associate Librarian of the Ramaz Upper School from 1980-1998 and is presently the Librarian of the Ramaz Middle School. Noreen has served on the AJL Council in the past and is presently the Treasurer and Co-Chairperson of the Day School Workshop for NYMA, the New York Metropolitan Area chapter of AJL. Barry Walfish is the Judaica Specialist at the University of Toronto Libraries. His research interests include the history of biblical interpretation and reception, Karaism and the History of the Hebrew book. He is the Main Editor for Judaism for the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. Judy Weidman has been the Temple Librarian at Hyman Judah Schachtel Library at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, TX for nine years. She oversees the Adult and Juvenile Judaica collections and leads the Beth Israel Readers’ Group which meets monthly year-round. The Readers’ Group has developed a reputation in the Houston community and is attended by congregants as well as the wide Jewish community. She serves on the Adult Education and History Committees of Beth Israel and has been active in the Ner Tamid project, which is utilizing archival materials from the Library. Judy’s past library experience has been Houston Public Library and school and medical libraries. She also had a second career as sales representative for El Al Israel Airlines. Judy hosted the 2013 Houston AJL Conference and worked on the Accreditation Committee of AJL. Robert Weil is the Editor-in-Chief and Publishing Director of Liveright, a division of W.W. Norton. A publishing veteran of nearly four decades, he has edited numerous prize-winning works, such as the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning history, The Hemingses of Monticello, as well as multiple New York Times bestselling books, including Jim Holt’s Why Does the World Exist?, Edward O. Wilson’s The Meaning of Human Existence, Larry McMurtry’s The Last Kind Words Saloon, and Mary Beard’s SPQR. Long a champion of books in translation, Weil has also edited and overseen major new translations of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry for the American market, notably nine books of Joseph Roth’s and the Complete Works of Isaac Babel. In the fall of 2015, he published the three-volume Complete Works of Primo Levi, the culmination of a sixteen-year long project to translate all of Levi’s writings from the Italian.

Avi Weinryb, as the Israel Action Network's Assistant Director of Community Strategy and Communications, manages national organizing campaigns focused on developing, supporting and growing a collective of advocates across multiple disciplines to counter attacks on Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legitimacy. In this role, he identifies and coordinates teams of faculty and other professionals, fostering relationships and creating resources to further their engagement and support. Avi regularly leads campaign teams comprised of national agencies and local community organizations in his efforts. Avi previously worked at the Canadian branch of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, conducted research at a public affairs think tank, and more recently coordinated communications for a political campaign in an Ontario provincial election. His writings on diverse topics have appeared online and in print. Avi holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and a graduate degree from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at IDC Herzliya in Israel. Cynthia M. Whitacre is the Manager, WorldCat Quality, which is the group that sets policy for OCLC cataloging as well as making active corrections and improvements to WorldCat bibliographic and authority records. Cynthia has been at OCLC since April 1987 and has been with WorldCat Quality since 2000. Her MLS is from Indiana University. She has experience in academic and special libraries and is a former President of ALCTS (Association for Library Collections and Technical Services), a division of ALA. Isaac Zablocki is the Director of the Israel Film Center at JCC Manhattan. He was born in New York, grew up in Israel and served in the IDF's leading film unit as an Educational film producer. He attended film school at Columbia University and went on to work at Miramax films. Since 2004, Isaac has been the Director of Film Programs at JCC Manhattan and runs weekly screenings and conversations as part of Cinematters. He programs multiple film festivals annually including the acclaimed Other Israel Film Festival about Arab and other minority populations in Israel and Reelabilites: NY Disabilities Film Festival now a national program in over fifteen major cities across the U.S. As Director of the Israel Film Center, he is the leading programmer of Israeli films in the U.S. and developed the largest online database of Israeli films as well as Israel Film Center Stream, the leading site for streaming Israeli films. Isaac lectures around the world in major institutions on a variety of topics from New Israeli Cinema, Hollywood and the Holocaust, to The Power of Film for Social Change and writes for a variety of publications including the Huffington Post.

TRIBUTE TO JUDY COHN Judy R. Cohn was a dynamic member and leader of AJLSC for many years. When she died in 2015 our cherished colleague donated a large grant to AJL to help defray convention costs for members. Her funds created the Judy R. Cohn Conference Stipend Fund. We in AJLSC miss her and wish to share some facts about her life. Judy was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She worked for the School District of Los Angles from 1963 until her 2005 retirement. Judy spent the last fifteen years of her career as the Librarian and Library Media Teacher at Granada Hills Charter High School. After retiring she worked as a California State University Long Beach Lecturer and Teacher and as a substitute Librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library. We remember Judyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warm, enthusiastic personality, her terrific sense of humor, her calm even handedness and her willingness to get involved and stay involved in a broad array of organizations and projects. Her home was open to all. Books and reading were her hobbies. Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books were her favorite as reflected by her 25-year membership in The Children's Book Club in Pasadena. She loved librarians as much as books and always enjoyed the annual AJL conferences. Judy passed away at age 79 at her home in Northridge, California, on May 31, 2015. We thank her for her incredible generosity to AJL.

TRIBUTE TO YAEL PENKOWER This past year we lost Yael Penkower, a reference librarian in New York and Jerusalem, whose work and counsel made possible the work of numerous Judaica scholars during the course of her career. Yael's husband, Prof. Monty Penkower, wrote the following Yael Penkower passed away at the age of 70 on March 26, 2016. A pioneer in the field of Judaica reference librarianship, having earned an M.L.S. at SUNY-Albany, an M.A. in Jewish Studies at Brooklyn College, and pursued doctoral studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, she put her many talents to work in the libraries of Stern College, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the JTS, and the Yeshivah of Flatbush High School. Upon her husband's making aliya in July 2002 and her return home to Israel, Yael served for one year as Head Librarian at the Pelech High School for Girls and then for four years at Beit Morasha. After retirement, she volunteered at the Central Zionist Archives and the Ben-Yehuda Project. Yael was a founding member and the Reference Workshop Coordinator of the Association of Jewish Libraries' New York Metropolitan Area Chapter, and served as a consultant to Keren Keshet, Am HaSefer, and the Avi-Chai Foundation. She lectured at the Association of Jewish Studies, the Association of Jewish Libraries, the European Association of Jewish Studies, and the World Congress of Jewish Studies, and published in Judaica Librarianship and the AJL Newsletter. Yael also pioneered in the creation of the Flatbush Women's Tefilla Group and in the teaching of Mishna and Talmud to its Study Group. Her radiant smile, her keen intelligence, and her giving nature deeply impressed all with whom she came into contact. May her memory be for a blessing.

LIBRA BOOKS - Nedim Bali

And Thou Shalt Read 4624 Smoke Rise Lane Marietta, GA 30062 And Thou Shalt Read is a web store and book store dealing primarily in Jewish books for children and adults. In addition, it has posters, stickers, music, and videos as well as educational games to support the Jewish classroom.

EBEKIZI SOK. GUNAYDIN APT. NO:9/2 OSMANBEY ISTANBUL / TURKEY, AB 34363 www.librabooks.com.tr LIBRA BOOKS is a Turkey based vendor supplying libraries abroad with books and CD's published / produced in Turkey and concerning Ottoman / Turkish Jewry.

Association Book Exhibit 80 S. Early Street Alexandria, VA 22304 A combined display of scholarly/professional titles from leading publishers. Free catalog available.

Jerusalem Books 2576 Broadway New York, NY 10025 Jerusalem Books Ltd is an Israeli Book supplier of all books from all publishers in Israel.

Mandarin 1100 Holland Drive Boca Raton, FL 33487 www.mlasolutions.com For 30 years, Mandarin Library Automation has provided software solutions to libraries around the world. Mandarin is also unicode-compliant, facilitating the ability to search and catalog in any language - including Hebrew!

Media Flex/OPALS

184 Garfield Pl. #4 Brooklyn, NY 11215 www.kedem-auctions.com Kedem Auctions is the leading Israeli auction house, specializing in Judaica, Hebrew books and manuscripts and Jewish and Israeli related historical items.

P.O. Box 1107 Champlain, NY 12919 Toll Free: (877) 331-1022 OPALS Open-source Automated Library System is a feature-rich cooperatively developed, Webbased, open source program. This alternative technology provides Internet access to information databases, library collections, eBooks and digital archives.

Koren

The Scholar's Choice

Kedem Auctions

PO Box 8531 New Milford, CT 06776 Koren Publishers Jerusalem publishes religious Jewish texts. Maggid Books, a division of Koren Publishers Jerusalem, offer new approaches to Jewish texts and themes from the world’s leading rabbis, scholars and philosophers.

100 College Avenue # 130 Rochester, NY 14607 www.scholarschoice.com The Scholar’s Choice is a combined exhibit company which markets books on behalf of university & academic publishers.

T K. Thorne 193 Adamson Road Springville, AL 35146 www.tkthorne.com T.K.’s award-winning work includes two novels that bring to life the missing stories of unnamed biblical woman—Noah’s wife and the wife of Lot. Both books give a feminine perspective and unique twist on the tales of Noah’s flood and Sodom & Gomorrah, incorporating the historical but controversial role of the feminine divine in early Hebrew history.

AJLSC Association of Jewish Libraries of Southern California

At Charleston We Honor AJLSC Past-President JUDY COHN z”l For Her Generous Gift To Fund AJL’s Stipends

“AHARON, AHARON, HAVIV!”

To the best team one can dream Without you, I would never have considered Producing this year’s conference. Without your encouragement and guidance, I would have been lost. You were there when I had questions, And answered questions when I hesitated. We planned and I worried. I complained and got frustrated, You kept your calm and your eyes on the ball. Now we have a program and a menu, Donors and Supporters, Attendees and Exhibits, And even a Program Book! To the Best Conference team: Irene and Gail, Marcie and Kathy, Jackie and Elana, Patti and Marlene, Heidi, Danielle and Aviva, Dale and Marty, and David S. Thank YOU!! Shoshanah