January 2008 Archives

OWLS has found a Circulation Specialist and a Graphic Arts Specialist! Woohoo!

We are excited to welcome Laura Jandacek as our new Circulation Specialist. Laura comes to us with over seven years experience in the library field, having worked at the the Appleton Public Library and ThedaCare Hospital libraries. Laura will be starting on Monday, February 4th. Welcome, Laura!

We are also excited to welcome Bradd Hintz as our new Graphic Arts Specialist. Bradd will bring a wealth of experience and talent to our graphic arts and printing services, and we can't wait for him to show you what he can do. He'll be starting on Wednesday, January 30th. Welcome, Bradd!

So, that's 2 down and 1 to go. We're still looking for a CE and Consulting Librarian. Take a look at the ad and the job description and apply or nudge a friend to soon.

>> contributed by Beth and Gerri

OWLS has purchased gaming systems for circulation to member libraries. The equipment is ready to go and can be reserved for your programs! Check out the Gaming Equipment page on OWLSweb, which includes a reservation calendar, online request form, borrowing and use procedures, and a list of the equipment and games we purchased.

A special thanks goes out to Evan for building the calendar and reservation system! It's super cool. And thanks also to Julie who has taken on managing the equipment requests since Leslie's departure from OWLS. Give Julie a call if you have any questions about the equipment.

We hope you enjoy this service and use it often!

>> contributed by Beth

Hard to find quiet, uninterrupted time to work on your annual report? Just can't face working on it all by yourself? Join your colleagues for "Getting It Done: Surviving State Annual Reports," where Rick will be on hand to answer your questions. You can sign up for any of the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM


• Tuesday, January 29, 2008, 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM


• Thursday, February 7, 2008, 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM


• Friday, February 22, 2008, 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM

>> contributed by Beth

The Library of Congress recently announced their new Flickr page. Here's a little bit about the project and why they're doing it:

The project is beginning somewhat modestly, but we hope to learn a lot from it. Out of some 14 million prints, photographs and other visual materials at the Library of Congress, more than 3,000 photos from two of our most popular collections are being made available on our new Flickr page, to include only images for which no copyright restrictions are known to exist.

The real magic comes when the power of the Flickr community takes over. We want people to tag, comment and make notes on the images, just like any other Flickr photo, which will benefit not only the community but also the collections themselves. For instance, many photos are missing key caption information such as where the photo was taken and who is pictured. If such information is collected via Flickr members, it can potentially enhance the quality of the bibliographic records for the images.

They get it! What a wonderful project and a great example of what we could all do with our local collections. Do any of you have ideas for a similar project your library could try?

>> contributed by Beth

Second semester of Project Play begins on Monday! I'm excited about starting up again and sharing info on everything from IM to podcasts to mashups. The blog has even had a facelift for a fresh start.

I have scheduled some Come & Play dates for Project Play participants. It's a great way to get uninterrupted time to work on the weeks' assignments and have help from me if you need it. Take a look at the Lab Classes page on OWLSweb and sign up for one or two or all of them.

There are still some spots left if you'd like to join us for round 2. Sign up online at http://projectplay.owlsweb.info/reg/ today!

>> contributed by Beth

While OWLS is interviewing applicants for our Graphic Arts Specialist and Circulation Specialist positions, we also have an opening for a Continuing Education and Consulting Librarian. You can view the ad on the Employment Opportunities page on OWLSweb, and the full job description is online at http://www.owlsweb.info/about/CELibn.pdf.

We appreciate your patience as we try to fill all of the open positions at OWLS!

>> contributed by Beth

The next CE workshop will take place on Thursday, January 31st. We have Warren Graham coming to present "Managing Security in the Library." Graham is the author of Black belt librarians: every librarian's real world guide to a safer workplace. Extra copies of his book have been purchased and added to Appleton Public Library's collection, so be sure to check out a copy and take a look before the workshop. Graham will be repeating the workshop on Friday, February 1st, so split up your staff over the 2 days and make sure all of them can attend. More information about the workshop and a link to register are available on the CE Workshops page on OWLSweb.

We have also scheduled some open lab times for directors to have time to work on their annual reports with Rick on hand to help when needed. Sign up for "Getting It Done: Surviving State Annual Reports" on January 29th, February 7th or February 22nd. Details and registration links are available on the Lab Classes page.

>> contributed by Beth

I’m very pleased to let you know that OWLS has been awarded 5 LSTA grants this year.

Libraries and Literacy Councils: Making a Different Together ($25,999): In this joint project, OWLS and NFLS will collaborate with member libraries, area literacy councils, and school districts to provide increased opportunities for learning English and for communicating with non-English speakers. Eight libraries will receive laptops with Rosetta Stone software installed, and Tell Me More from Auralog, Inc. will be available online for anyone wanting to improve their ability to communicate with non-English speakers. Holly Ledvina is the administrator for this project.

Enhancing Library Services via Podcasts, Screencasts, and Vodcasts ($9,327): With this grant OWLS will purchase equipment to produce online instructional materials for patrons and member library staff. In addition, a ‘Casting Kit will be created and circulated to member libraries for creating their own podcasts, screencasts, and vodcasts. Beth Carpenter is the administrator for this project.

Warren Graham Security Training ($2,400): This grant will help finance the upcoming Managing Security in the Library workshop which will be presented by Warren Graham, a.k.a. “The Black Belt Librarian.” This project was planned by Leslie Farrell, and Beth will be coordinating its implementation.

Wireless Connections for OWLS Libraries ($3,500): This grant will help cover the costs of installing or upgrading wireless Internet service at 7 member libraries. While I’m the administrator of this project, Dave Bacon will be working on its implementation.

Support for Online Databases ($15,600): These LSTA funds will be used to help pay for the online resources that OWLS and NFLS provide to OWLSnet libraries. I am also the administrator of this grant, but Evan Bend does the work of coordinating our electronic resource subscriptions.

I want to thank Holly, Beth, and Leslie for preparing such good grant applications. All of their applications were rated highly by the respective grant reviewers. I’m very proud that we’ve been able to receive LSTA funding that will enable us to improve our services to OWLS and OWLSnet libraries.

>> contributed by Rick

There's still time for you or your patrons to participate in the InfoSoup YouTube contest! The contest runs through the month of January and prizes will be awarded to the top 2 winners (library staff and their family members are not eligible for prizes, though - sorry!). Details about the contest and how to enter can be found on the InfoSoup YouTube Contest page.

Promotional information for you to use at your library and in your community are available on the InfoSoup Info page on OWLSnet. Posters to print, a media release, a letter to schools, and more are all included there, so please take a look and encourage your patrons to enter!

Check out our first entry in the contest at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFBh44kkikY.

>> contributed by Beth

It's interesting to me that so many people in the media are beginning to talk about the value of public libraries. Earlier this week I heard a radio interview with Leigh Estabrook about the recent joint study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. That study found that over 50% of Americans had used a public library in the last year and that young adults are now the heaviest users of public libraries. Today I ran across an article in TheStreet.com, which is a business and investment site, entitled "Save Money--Use Your Library" that states "your local library should be one of your best friends." It's nice to see libraries getting some recognition in the media for all of the valuable services they provide.

>> contributed by Rick