June 2008 Archives
We currently have database trials from Proquest for Historical Newspapers and Safari Select. The full collection of Historical Newspapers is probably out of our price range, but perhaps one day we could afford just the Chicago paper. Coverage for the historical Newspapers is from 1849 to 2003. Safari Select is "A digital collection of over 400 technical e-books created just for public libraries, offering the latest content in popular technology ranging from books on digital photography, home audio/video, computing and home networking, and video gaming." For login information please go to the the database trials page. If you have any questions, please contact me.
> contributed by Evan
> contributed by Evan
The next Books R Us meeting will be Tuesday, August 12, 2008 in The Nest (room formerly known as the OWLS lab) from 11 AM - 12:30 PM.Our genre for August is fantasy. We will be reading one adult and one YA fantasy book. The following are some fantasy lists that may aid in your selection:
Bring your lunch, your reviews, and your clever minds for stimulating conversation and readers' advisory tidbits!
> contributed by Holly
(From Channel Weekly, Vol. 10, No. 36, posted with permission)
Three more chapters of "Administrative Essentials: A Handbook for Wisconsin Public Library Directors" are now available on the DPI website at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/aecontents.html.
The new chapters are
The Administrative Essentials handbook is a Web-based resource designed to assist directors of small public libraries and those with limited administrative training and experience while also serving as a review for experienced library directors. Its chapters can help focus thinking and suggest resources when dealing with particularly challenging or unique situations. It also can be useful to public library trustees and public library system staff members who have a responsibility for assisting and supporting public library directors, and as a tool to assist in the orientation of new public library directors. Other completed chapters cover broad areas of public library service, the relationship of the director to the board and staff, employment issues for libraries, as well as developing and managing the library's budget. Future topics include open meetings and public records law, managing the library facility, collection development, and copyright law.
Three more chapters of "Administrative Essentials: A Handbook for Wisconsin Public Library Directors" are now available on the DPI website at http://dpi.wi.gov/pld/aecontents.html.
The new chapters are
- AE 15: Policies and Procedures, covering typical public library policies, legally defensible policies, the PLA "Policies for Results" process, and the distinction between policies and procedures.
- AE 16: Planning for the Library's Future, covering the importance of planning, PLA's New Planning for Results, utilizing Wisconsin Library Standards, county library standards, addressing technology planning, and an example of a plan outline.
- AE 17: Membership in the Library System, including the benefits of library system membership, the history of library systems in Wisconsin, system membership requirements for public libraries, membership requirements for counties, and required system services.
The Administrative Essentials handbook is a Web-based resource designed to assist directors of small public libraries and those with limited administrative training and experience while also serving as a review for experienced library directors. Its chapters can help focus thinking and suggest resources when dealing with particularly challenging or unique situations. It also can be useful to public library trustees and public library system staff members who have a responsibility for assisting and supporting public library directors, and as a tool to assist in the orientation of new public library directors. Other completed chapters cover broad areas of public library service, the relationship of the director to the board and staff, employment issues for libraries, as well as developing and managing the library's budget. Future topics include open meetings and public records law, managing the library facility, collection development, and copyright law.
The teen booklist factory at the Appleton Public Library has published two new lists - Leap of Faith: Believers and Doubters and Twilight Read-Alikes. Also updated and expanded is A Perfect World: Utopia & Dystopia Teen Fiction. Check out the Teen Reads page for all the lists.
Not to be outdone, the APL children's staff has also published new lists including more bug related fun in Insects & Creepy Crawlers (fiction) and Insects & Creepy Crawlers (nonfiction). Other new lists include Community and Community Helpers and Summer Books & Media. Visit the Family page for more booklists, award winners, and BookLetters features.
> contributed by Evan
Not to be outdone, the APL children's staff has also published new lists including more bug related fun in Insects & Creepy Crawlers (fiction) and Insects & Creepy Crawlers (nonfiction). Other new lists include Community and Community Helpers and Summer Books & Media. Visit the Family page for more booklists, award winners, and BookLetters features.
> contributed by Evan
Barbara Wentzel, Kimberly-Little Chute Public Library director, has an announcement!
Kathy is a mother of 3, loves reading and working with young people, and enjoys needle crafts, painting, nature, and camping. She is a graduate of Kimberly High School, UW Fox Valley Center (Associate of Arts), UW Madison (BA in English), and the Institute for Paralegal Training (certificate in litigation management). Kathy worked in the legal field prior to having children and worked at Barnes & Noble for 3 years before joining the library staff.
Please join us in wishing Kathy well in her new position!
> contributed by Beth and Barbara Wentzel
"We have a new co-youth librarian who will be job-sharing that position with Jill Hasseler. Her name is Kathy Tomasovic. She got the job as an internal candidate who applied when former youth librarian Louise Van Hammond retired at the end of April."
Kathy is a mother of 3, loves reading and working with young people, and enjoys needle crafts, painting, nature, and camping. She is a graduate of Kimberly High School, UW Fox Valley Center (Associate of Arts), UW Madison (BA in English), and the Institute for Paralegal Training (certificate in litigation management). Kathy worked in the legal field prior to having children and worked at Barnes & Noble for 3 years before joining the library staff.
Please join us in wishing Kathy well in her new position!
> contributed by Beth and Barbara Wentzel
A new web form is now available to request spare delivery tubs, bags, and additional Waltco manifests for OWLS libraries. The form is linked to from the Delivery Services page on OWLSweb under the heading "Order Supplies" and requires the extranet username and password for access.
Please note that it's best if you place your orders before 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Orders placed after 2 p.m. may be delayed by one delivery day.
Contact me if there are any questions about the form or if you are experiencing delays in receiving your requested supplies.
> contributed by Dave
Please note that it's best if you place your orders before 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Orders placed after 2 p.m. may be delayed by one delivery day.
Contact me if there are any questions about the form or if you are experiencing delays in receiving your requested supplies.
> contributed by Dave
There was recently a discussion thread on PR-Talk regarding library annual reports, formats used, etc. One reader submitted a link to Omaha Public Library's annual report from 2005/2006. Take a look at this pdf and see what you think (warning - the file is large, so it'll take a minute or two to completely download). It's certainly not your typical annual report, eh? But probably a lot more fun to create! This might be a fun way to promote what your library does, whether for an annual report or a program or other special event.What would your community think of something like this?
> contributed by Beth
Terry Dawson, Appleton Public Library director, recently posted on his blog about his involvement with the NEW World Cinema, the Fox Cities' foreign language film series, which celebrates two years on screen this summer.
Read the Post Crescent article for more information about the film series and be sure to attend at least one this summer! Are you a foreign film fan? If so, what's your favorite film? Post it in the comments.
> contributed by Beth
"Through involvement in the Fox Cities Rotary Multicultural Center, I'm part of a committee that brings foreign films into the area for screening and discussion. Participation in this effort is natural for the public library. The predecessor to the current series was films on DVD shown here at the library, co-sponsored with a variety of groups, but the current series, with an organizing committee, using actual films in a theater, brings better quality showings and larger audiences.
We got a nice article about this in our paper, and I was glad of the opportunity to plug library collections. Because of market differences, our foreign film selection is better than video stores can offer, and our staff has developed an interesting and diverse collection."
Read the Post Crescent article for more information about the film series and be sure to attend at least one this summer! Are you a foreign film fan? If so, what's your favorite film? Post it in the comments.
> contributed by Beth
If you missed the CCBC workshop this past April, never fear! Both the morning and afternoon sessions have been posted in the OWLSweb blip.tv channel. The workshop sessions had to be chopped up a bit to make them more manageable, so for easy access to all the parts, you might want to try our episode archive. Here's part one of "Outstanding Books for Children:"
The OWLS summer library program web sites are off to a good start! Take a look at Catch the Reading Bug (kids) and Metamorphosis @ Your Library (teens) to see what we've been up to. If you haven't already linked to the sites from your library's web site, please do! And if you need help with that, please contact Evan.The sites are basically blogs of material reviews/suggestions with additional pages for signing up, adding a review, and other activities. We need help with book reviews, so if you'd like to submit a review (or two or three) for either site, just use the online form or email them to me. I'll take care of the posting and adding book art and links to InfoSoup. (If you use the online form, please indicate you are library staff in the name field.) Please let your patrons know that they can submit reviews and comments on the sites, too, if they'd like to get involved this summer.
In other buggy news, Appleton Public Library has created a Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! book (and movie and music) list. Check it out on InfoSoup!
> contributed by Beth and Evan
Spotted in the Kaukauna Public Library board minutes:
" Our application for *Picturing America*, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association, was successful. We will receive an official award letter from NEH Chairman Bruce Cole in September 2008, along with our Picturing America award materials, including forty images of important American art and a resource book. We will start promoting this program in the Fall. For more information about Picturing America, including a look at the pictures we will be receiving, go to the web site at http://picturingamerica.neh.gov."Congratulations, KAU!
This in from Nichole Fromm at WiLS:
"Do you feel swept away by the rains of change? Do you and your coworkers seem to spend too much time bailing water and not enough time scanning the horizon and plotting your course?
If so, 'Becoming a change-resilient leader' is an event for you. Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) is pleased to bring nationally-respected speaker and teacher Lauren Burnett to southeastern Wisconsin for a one-day seminar designed to give you practical tactics for dealing with change in the workplace and beyond.
The event will be held from 9am to 4pm on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at the Frank L. Weyenberg Library of Mequon-Thiensville, Mequon, WI. Registration is $100 and includes lunch and morning coffee. A discount is available for multiple attendees from the same institution.
For more information and to register, visit the WiLS web site: http://www.wils.wisc.edu/events/mequon708/."
"Do you feel swept away by the rains of change? Do you and your coworkers seem to spend too much time bailing water and not enough time scanning the horizon and plotting your course?
If so, 'Becoming a change-resilient leader' is an event for you. Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) is pleased to bring nationally-respected speaker and teacher Lauren Burnett to southeastern Wisconsin for a one-day seminar designed to give you practical tactics for dealing with change in the workplace and beyond.
The event will be held from 9am to 4pm on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at the Frank L. Weyenberg Library of Mequon-Thiensville, Mequon, WI. Registration is $100 and includes lunch and morning coffee. A discount is available for multiple attendees from the same institution.
For more information and to register, visit the WiLS web site: http://www.wils.wisc.edu/events/mequon708/."
Governing Magazine has again published two must-read articles about libraries. Revolution in the Stacks talks about how libraries are changing roles in our changing world. The article features libraries that have reinvented themselves by creating teen spaces, embracing Library 2.0, serving as community gathering spaces, and facilitating the creation of content. A companion article, Getting in the Game discusses whether video gaming belongs in libraries. I recommend that library workers and trustees read these articles, not only for their interesting content, but because local governmental officials are reading them.
> contributed by Rick
> contributed by Rick
I'm happy to report that Project Play lives on. We are going to continue the Project indefinitely, but on a less intense schedule and set-up. Here's the plan:Project Play will now be open to anyone and won't require any registration. People who couldn't participate in the first 2 semesters can, as usual, use the PP blog to do any of the past exercises. We will no longer track participants' progress or supply incentives.
We’ll have “Play Dates” online in OPAL on the 4th Friday of the month June through December 2008 and February through May 2009, during which we will discuss a new topic or more advanced features of an old topic and have time for you to ask questions. We’ll post the Play Date content on the blog on the same day as the OPAL session for those of you who can’t attend. For those of you needing contact hours for certification, you’ll be able to earn credit for the Play Dates, but not for doing the blog exercises on your own.
This summer’s topics will be as follows:
- June: more on del.icio.us (pre-requisite: Week 8: Semester 1)
- July: more on Google apps: Gmail, Sites, Calendar (pre-requisite: Week 2: Semester 2)
- August: more on LibraryThing (pre-requisite: Week 7: Semester 1)
Please let me know if you have any questions about Project Play. I look forward to continuing to play more, learn more, and fear less with all of you!
Did you know there are a number of scholarship available from the Wisconsin Library Association Foundation each year? The scholarships can be used in a wide variety of ways for continuing education opportunties, including courses taken to meet the requirements for certification and recertification. Here's the scoop on what's available.
Library Continuing Education Scholarships
George Bauer Continuing Education Scholarship ($800)
Available to a person employed in a library in Wisconsin, or someone who works with library employees in those communities, to attend a conference or other continuing education program within or outside Wisconsin.
Gloria Hoegh Scholarship for Rural Librarians ($1,050)
Available to a person employed in a library in a Wisconsin community with a population of 5,000 or less, or someone who works with library employees in those communities, to attend a conference or other continuing education program within or outside Wisconsin.
Library Education Scholarships
Library Education Scholarship ($1,300)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to a master’s degree program in library and information science or in library media at a Wisconsin school as a part- or full-time student.
Diversity Scholarship ($1,200)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to a master’s degree program in library and information science or in library media at a Wisconsin school as a part- or full-time student and who is African-American, Latino/Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, of Native American/Alaskan Native descent, or physically challenged.
Sally Davis Scholarship ($1,250)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to the master’s degree program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison SLIS as a part- or full-time student.
Vida Cummins Stanton ($1,400)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to the master’s degree program at the UW-Milwaukee SOIS as a part- or full-time student pursuing a library media or youth services program.
WLA members and prospective library school students are eligible to apply. The six scholarships available are funding by the WLA Foundation through generous charitable contributions. Applications are due September 15, 2008. More details on the scholarships and copies of the application forms are available at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/scholarships/.
> contributed by Beth
Library Continuing Education Scholarships
George Bauer Continuing Education Scholarship ($800)
Available to a person employed in a library in Wisconsin, or someone who works with library employees in those communities, to attend a conference or other continuing education program within or outside Wisconsin.
Gloria Hoegh Scholarship for Rural Librarians ($1,050)
Available to a person employed in a library in a Wisconsin community with a population of 5,000 or less, or someone who works with library employees in those communities, to attend a conference or other continuing education program within or outside Wisconsin.
Library Education Scholarships
Library Education Scholarship ($1,300)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to a master’s degree program in library and information science or in library media at a Wisconsin school as a part- or full-time student.
Diversity Scholarship ($1,200)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to a master’s degree program in library and information science or in library media at a Wisconsin school as a part- or full-time student and who is African-American, Latino/Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, of Native American/Alaskan Native descent, or physically challenged.
Sally Davis Scholarship ($1,250)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to the master’s degree program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison SLIS as a part- or full-time student.
Vida Cummins Stanton ($1,400)
Available to a current or permanent Wisconsin resident admitted to the master’s degree program at the UW-Milwaukee SOIS as a part- or full-time student pursuing a library media or youth services program.
WLA members and prospective library school students are eligible to apply. The six scholarships available are funding by the WLA Foundation through generous charitable contributions. Applications are due September 15, 2008. More details on the scholarships and copies of the application forms are available at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/scholarships/.
> contributed by Beth
NPR has a fantastic collection of books for you and your patrons to explore this summer! Take a look at Summer Books 2008, and you'll be sure to find some titles to keep you busy. Headings for the lists include "Better than Sliced Bread: Summer's Best Nonfiction," "Nine First Books that Make a Lasting Impression," "Three Books with Blood... and Brains," "The 10 Best Cookbooks for Summer," and lots more.What's your favorite read so far for this summer? Add your titles in the comments.
> Found on Sites and Soundbytes, contributed by Beth
Are you doing something super cool at your library to promote literacy? The World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award is a $5000 award that, “is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs in today’s school and public libraries. Applications are due December 1 and can be found on the ALA website.
> contributed by Holly
> contributed by Holly
I recently came across a fantastic service on the Waupaca Area Public Library homepage called Book a Librarian:
Great marketing of your services and professional staff, WAU! Are any of the other OWLS member libraries doing this? Add yourself in the comments if you are or if you're interested in trying it out.
> contributed by Beth
"Do you have questions on using computer applications, Internet, or setting up an email account or want assistance with the new microfilm machine? Call 715-258-4416 to reserve time with one of our knowledgeable professionals."
Great marketing of your services and professional staff, WAU! Are any of the other OWLS member libraries doing this? Add yourself in the comments if you are or if you're interested in trying it out.
> contributed by Beth
The Columbus Metropolitan Library staff is working on breaking stereotypes! Check out their fantastic staff photos available in Flickr, and especially the ones their teen staff created.
Here are photostreams for both of them:
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Do you think your library staff would be willing to do some photos like these to promote your library? Or do you have some already? Maybe we could all dress up like bugs to match the summer library program theme!
> Found on LibraryBytes, contributed by Beth
Here are photostreams for both of them:
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Do you think your library staff would be willing to do some photos like these to promote your library? Or do you have some already? Maybe we could all dress up like bugs to match the summer library program theme!
> Found on LibraryBytes, contributed by Beth
