Our office will close for winter break December 21 at 5:00 p.m. CST and re-open January 2, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. CST.

Although Amigos will be closed for the holidays, we can still accept registrations for all training classes and workshops.  Visit our Training Calendar for the complete schedule and online registration.

If you need urgent training support during this time, email Chris Brown at brown@amigos.org.  Staff will check messages during the holiday and will respond as soon as possible.

Amigos' next online conference, "HTML5 and CSS3: Ready for Prime Time?" will be held February 8, 2013. We are looking for web developers that deal with library websites and have, either successfully or unsuccessfully, started incorporating HTML5 and/or CSS3 functionality. We're searching for practical stories of what worked, what didn't, and what you learned along the way. Do you use an HTML5/CSS3-compliant content management system? Or try to? Have you incorporated multimedia using HTML5? Are you using media queries? Have you started using more advanced selectors? We want to hear about everything related to HTML5 and CSS3. For details about submitting your proposal, visit http://www.amigos.org/node/1491. The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, December 14, 2012. Registration for this online conference will be available in early January.

The Amigos Fellowship and Opportunity Award Program supports library innovation, development, and research. Through a competitive application process, up to $10,000 is available to Amigos member libraries and their staffs to fund projects that stress innovation, cooperation, leadership, and development of libraries and librarians.

Attend the January 7, 2013 Fellowship and Opportunity Award Overview to learn more.

Submit your preliminary draft by January 20, 2013, to receive feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Download the Guidelines for Application and start the application process now by submitting your intent to apply. You will then receive a user name and password to access the full application packet. Final applications are due March 1, 2013.

For more information, contact Pam Carter at opportunity@amigos.org or (800) 843-8482 ext. 2883.

Both the Library of Congress and U.S. National Library of Medicine have announced they are moving forward with full implementation of Resource Description and Access (RDA) on March 31, 2013. Now that implementation is around the corner, is your library ready for RDA?

To help you get ready, Amigos has scheduled three Cataloging with RDA classes in the new year. Register soon, as these classes fill up fast. Complete details available at http://www.amigos.org/node/1477.

Amigos is offering two informative Know & Go sessions in the coming weeks: All About Preservation Site Surveys, and HTML 5: Will It Be Worth It?

All About Preservation Site Surveys is scheduled for December 10 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CST. Join Gina Minks, Amigos' Imaging & Preservation Service Manager, for this one-hour webinar and learn about site and collection surveys, including the differences and how they can assist you in various planning processes in your organization. Sources of funding available for these surveys will also be covered in this session. Registration closes December 10 at 10:00 a.m. CST, so register today!

HTML 5: Will It Be Worth It? is scheduled for January 28 from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. CST. Join Christine Peterson, Amigos' Continuing Education Librarian, for this informative hour to take a look at the next version of HTML. Many pieces of HTML 5 are currently being used by major commercial websites, and web browsers are beginning to support some sections of it. Is it complete enough for libraries to start using? Join this session to find out. Register on the Amigos website.