It is with great sadness we share that long time member Sister M. Dorothy Neuhofer, OSB, passed away on Wednesday, October 14. She was a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. Sister Dorothy, as she liked to be called, was the archivist and special collections librarian at the Daniel J. Cannon Memorial Library, and she held the rank of full professor at St. Leo University. Sister Dorothy worked for the university for a remarkable 50 years, and was honored for that special milestone in August 2015. She was also CLA President from 2003-2005.

The Brooklyn/Long Island Chapter is excited to host the 2015 Fall Conference on November 7, 2015. Click for more information and registration form. If you have any questions, please email the CLA Office.

The Catholic Library Association is excited to announce The Marian Library as the recipient of the 2016 Aggironamento Award. The Marian Library was founded by the Marianists of the University of Dayton in 1943 to make the Blessed Virgin Mary better known, loved, and served. It is recognized both nationally and internationally as a center for scholarship on Mary. It serves the research needs of faculty and students of the International Marian Research Institute and of the broader University of Dayton community, and of visitors throughout the world. The Award was presented to the Marian Library at the 2016 CLA Convention in conjunction with the National Catholic Educators Association Convention and Expo being held March 29-31, 2016 in San Diego, CA.

Pope Francis formally announced Fr. Robert Barron’s appointment as Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles last Tuesday, July 21st. Bishop-Elect Barron is a 2011 winner of the CLA Aggiornamento Award . He is also the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. The website reaches millions of people each year and his YouTube videos have been viewed over 13 million times. Find more about Fr. Robert Barron and his ministries at wordonfire.org. View the full release of his appointment here.

ATLA announced that there will be "monthly updates for key products in religion and theology: the ATLA Religion Database® (ATLA RDB®), ATLASerials® (ATLAS®), and ATLA Catholic Periodical and Literature Index® (ATLA CPLI®).  Previously updated quarterly, this change will offer more timely updates of content on the EBSCOhost platform." See complete story here.

ATLA also announced a significant addition to key titles for ATLA CPLI. Complete listing found here.

The John Brubaker Award for 2014 has been given to Patrick J. Hayes for his article, New Advances in Franciscan Studies: Gaining on the Poor Man of Assisi, which appeared in the September 2013 (vol. 84, no. 1) issue of Catholic Library World.

The 2015 Charlotte Decker Award was presented to Jean R. Bostley, SSJ by Annette Thibodeaux, Chair of the HSYALSS at the CLA Annual Conference in Orlando. Sr. Jean presently serves as librarian at St. Joseph Central High School in Pittsfield, MA. For many years she was a member and leader of the section before moving to the executive director position of CLA. Throughout her many years with CLA, she has always been a mentor for leaders of the section and has always made significant contributions to the section. For her many years of dedicated service to the HSYALSS she was recognized with the Charlotte Decker Award.

Paul Pojman, a past chair of CLSS and the section newsletter editor from 1995-March 2015, is the 2015 winner of the Philip F. Neau Award.

The Catholic Library Association is excited to announce Lee Bennett Hopkins as the recipient of the 2016 Regina Medal Award.  Lee Bennett Hopkins has written and edited numerous award-winning books for children and young adults, as well as professional texts and curriculum materials. He is a past winner of the Christopher Award, SCBWI Golden Kite Honor Book Award, NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children and was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s most prolific anthologist of poetry for children.  The Award was presented to Hopkins at the 2016 CLA Convention in conjunction with the National Catholic Educational Association Convention and Expo being held March 29-31, 2016 in San Diego, CA.

The Greater New Orleans Catholic Library Association Spring Conference will take place on Friday, March 6, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Archbishop Chapelle High School, 8800 Veterans Memorial Boulevard Metairie, LA 70003.

Katy Simpson Smith, author, will discuss her books: We Have Raised All of You: Motherhood in the South, 1750-1835 and The Story of Land and Sea: A Novel. Maple Street Book Shop will be selling copies of these titles at the event. The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Program will be discussed and librarians will have an opportunity for hands on practice using the resources. Please bring an iPad, laptop, or smart phone.