February 2009 Archives
The National Education Association (NEA) sponsors Read Across America annually, and March 2nd, 2009 brings its 12th year of celebration. Read Across America takes place on or near the birthday of Dr. Seuss each year and simply asks that the day be spent with every child reading in the company of a caring adult. Their web site provides links to resources and materials for your use, including posters and booklists.
Check out this video promoting the event:
Will you be celebrating at your library?
> contributed by Beth
Check out this video promoting the event:
Will you be celebrating at your library?
> contributed by Beth
Couldn't make it to a CE workshop or Project Play Date? Never fear! I have been posting recordings of past CE programs whenever possible on the Past Programs page on OWLSweb. Recent additions include More with Flickr and the Debra Wilcox Johnson sessions, Getting Things Done and Personnel Management. (You will need to use the staff username and password to access the Johnson workshop recordings - click on the padlock icon if you can't remember what they are.)
Most recordings will stay up indefinitely, unless requested otherwise by the presenter. So take a look, see what interests you and listen in when it suits you. If handouts are available, they are included with the recording links for each program. Enjoy!
> contributed by Beth
Most recordings will stay up indefinitely, unless requested otherwise by the presenter. So take a look, see what interests you and listen in when it suits you. If handouts are available, they are included with the recording links for each program. Enjoy!
> contributed by Beth
(from Channel Weekly, Volume 11, Number 20, February 19, 2009 - posted with permission)
Earlier this week, President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -- ARRA. The Act includes funding for broadband.
Implementing many of the programs funded by the new law, including the broadband provisions, will be a complex process. To help keep the library community informed, the American Library Association (ALA) Washington office has created a Website at http://www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus. The site includes resources on the stimulus package and other up-to-date information. In addition, the White House has also created a Website with information on the act. This site, at http://www.recovery.gov, will allow you to track various programs and to see how much funding is going to specific Congressional districts.
Earlier this week, President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill, officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -- ARRA. The Act includes funding for broadband.
Implementing many of the programs funded by the new law, including the broadband provisions, will be a complex process. To help keep the library community informed, the American Library Association (ALA) Washington office has created a Website at http://www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus. The site includes resources on the stimulus package and other up-to-date information. In addition, the White House has also created a Website with information on the act. This site, at http://www.recovery.gov, will allow you to track various programs and to see how much funding is going to specific Congressional districts.
We have three new booklists on the family page. The Hmong - Fiction for Children highlights children's items from the Appleton Public Library's wonderful Hmong Resource Center. Another booklist, The Vietnamese, includes a wide range of children's fiction and non-fiction books about the history, culture and people of Vietnam. Multicultural Books for Children presents a selection of picture books, chapter books, and non-fiction books that explore culture and identity from diverse perspectives. Thanks to the Appleton Public Library Children's Services staff for contributing these lists!> contributed by Evan
WorkshopsThe next OWLS continuing education workshop will take place on Thursday, March 19th at the Waupaca Area Public Library. Join us for the Adolescent Literacy Workshop and enjoy a day of learning from a panel of experts on topics such as adolescent brain development, academic success, video games & literacy, and leave with an action plan for making connections with your local schools. Invite your school partners to the workshop and register online today.
Computer Lab Classes
Evan will be teaching several computer lab classes on online databases and tools available via InfoSoup. There are still a couple of openings for this Thursday's EBSCO & ProQuest class, so sign up online if you'd like to attend. Learning Express Library and TELL ME MORE will be coming up in April. Don't miss this chance to get hands-on experience with these resources!
Online Classes
In addition to computer lab classes, Evan is also providing training on the same tools online via GoToWebinar. See the Online Classes page on OWLSweb for more information and registration links. In addition to OWLS training and Project Play Dates, I have been including links to other online opportunities made available via OPAL, ALA, and the SirsiDynix Institute. Be sure to explore all of the workshops included on the Online Classes page, as a great variety of topics and speakers are included there.
If you don't have a quiet or private space in your library to participate in online workshops, but can get away to OWLS to attend, please let me know! I'll do my best to find space for you, so you can participate from here.
> contributed by Beth
It's no surprise to us that libraries are busier than ever in the struggling economy these days, but how do you advocate for additional support to handle the upsurge in traffic through our doors? The American Library Association may be able to help. Check out their Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit. It includes Talking Points, Talking to the Media, Staging a Rally, and more. From the Making the Case page:
This page includes links to help you define your message, target your audiences, designate spokespeople, and much, much more. Advocacy takes time, but it is time well spent.
> contributed by Beth
Although it may seem daunting to have to compete with services like the fire or police department, the library is just as valuable an asset to a community. In tough economic times, the library is at the same time more highly used and more likely to suffer from budget cuts and lack of support. Making the case for libraries – having a clear, consistent message and delivering it to the right people -- is critical at this time.
This page includes links to help you define your message, target your audiences, designate spokespeople, and much, much more. Advocacy takes time, but it is time well spent.
> contributed by Beth
Don't miss the next Project Play Date, "Gaming @ the Library: The Whys, Wiis, and Hows Explained," scheduled for Friday, February 27th at 10 a.m. Our presenter will be Jeannie McBeth from the Oshkosh Public Library. Here's the program description:If you're unsure of the role gaming has in libraries, or if you want to start new game programs at your library but don't know how to go about it, attend this session to get answers as well as basic and practical tips.
Jeannie McBeth of Oshkosh Public Library will talk about the gamut of gaming opportunities in libraries -- from board games to Wii, and from kids to seniors. Join us to learn about libraries as the setting for gaming, playing, and learning!
The Play Dates are held online using GoToWebinar. Everyone is welcome to attend! Sign up today on the Online Classes page on OWLSweb.
The Project Play team has also decided to liven up the PP blog and use it for more than just posts about the Play Dates, so we'll be making weekly posts from here on out about more cool 2.0 tools to play with or follow-up on past topics. Be sure to subscribe to the blog in your RSS reader or visit weekly to check out the new posts.
> contributed by Beth
Here's a great way to learn about the meaning of a new word - homophily (ok, it was new to me, anyway) - and read up on an interesting phenomenon that's very relevant to librarians. Check out The Guardian on homophily from LibraryThing.
> contributed by Gerri
> contributed by Gerri
Evan will be offering training on a bi-monthly basis on a variety of databases and online resources provided to OWLS member libraries via InfoSoup. The first in the series will be "EBSCO and ProQuest" coming up on Thursday, February 19th and Thursday, February 26th. You will have a couple of different options for each class, so you can pick which one works best for you:- Attend online via GoToWebinar.
- Attend in-person at the Appleton Public Library 2nd floor computer lab.
> contributed by Beth
(from Channel Weekly, Vol. 11, No. 18 - February 5, 2009, posted with permission)
In the second of a series of reports related to technology access in U.S. public libraries, the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research & Statistics (ORS) is drawing attention to the increasingly important role public libraries are playing in supporting job seekers. The issues brief draws from national data published in the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study. The new issues brief is available for download here.
Library staffs are encouraged to use these briefing papers as educational tools with community stakeholder to raise awareness of the specific – and sometimes unique – concerns of libraries around technology deployment. Staff may also use this format as a template for providing local data and examples related to a given topic.
The briefing reports are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to share key findings from the largest and longest-running study of Internet connectivity in libraries. The Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA, continues work begun in 1994 by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure. The study assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, as well as the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability.
NOTE added by Beth: Remember to point your patrons to InfoSoup's new Job & Career Resources page!
In the second of a series of reports related to technology access in U.S. public libraries, the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Research & Statistics (ORS) is drawing attention to the increasingly important role public libraries are playing in supporting job seekers. The issues brief draws from national data published in the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study. The new issues brief is available for download here.
“Job-seeking in U.S. Public Libraries” discusses the range of library resources available to job seekers and challenges to maintaining these services. Library staff and users in site visits in nine states report increased use of library computers for job-seeking and e-government services. Nearly 73 percent of libraries are their communities’ only source of free computer and Internet access.
“More and more employers – from grocery stores to casinos to state governments – are requiring people to apply for jobs online,” said ALA Executive Director Keith Michael Fiels. “Americans are depending on libraries not only for free access to hardware and software, but also for the assistance and training library staff offer every day. Nearly three-quarters of public libraries report offering information technology training for library patrons.”
Library staffs are encouraged to use these briefing papers as educational tools with community stakeholder to raise awareness of the specific – and sometimes unique – concerns of libraries around technology deployment. Staff may also use this format as a template for providing local data and examples related to a given topic.
The briefing reports are not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to share key findings from the largest and longest-running study of Internet connectivity in libraries. The Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ALA, continues work begun in 1994 by John Carlo Bertot and Charles R. McClure. The study assesses public access to computers, the Internet and Internet-related services in U.S. public libraries, as well as the impact of library funding changes on connectivity, technology deployment and sustainability.
NOTE added by Beth: Remember to point your patrons to InfoSoup's new Job & Career Resources page!
Don't miss the February Project Play Dates coming up in the next couple of weeks! We'll learn more about Flickr with Tana Elias from the Madison Public Library on Tuesday, February 17th at 2 PM. Here's the program description:Expand your Flickr knowledge with an overview of Flickr changes in the last year. Learn how to make the most of your library's Flickr account (or find some compellling reasons to sign up with Flickr) including: customization options; badges; easy photo editing; Flickr time-saving utilities; behind-the-scenes manipulation of dates and viewing permissions; Flickr's new video storage. Discover the differences between a free and Pro account, and explore legal ramifications of Flickr for libraries - including questions about photo copyright and photo permissions.
We also have "Gaming @ the Library: the Whys, Wiis, and Hows Explained" scheduled for Friday, February 27th at 10 AM. Our presenter will be Jeannie McBeth from the Oshkosh Public Library.
If you're unsure of the role gaming has in libraries, or if you want to start new game programs at your library but don't know how to go about it, attend this session to get answers as well as basic and practical tips.
Jeannie McBeth of Oshkosh Public Library will talk about the gamut of gaming opportunities in libraries -- from board games to Wii, and from kids to seniors. Join us to learn about libraries as the setting for gaming, playing, and learning!
The Play Dates are held online using GoToWebinar. Everyone is welcome to attend! Sign up today on the Online Classes page on OWLSweb.
The Project Play team has also decided to liven up the PP blog and use it for more than just posts about the Play Dates, so we'll be making weekly posts from here on out about more cool 2.0 tools to play with or follow-up on past topics. Be sure to subscribe to the blog in your RSS reader or visit weekly to check out the new posts.
> contributed by Beth
At the end of January, the American Library Association announced their selection of top books for children including the winners of the prestigious Caldecott and Newbery awards.The 2009 Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to children's literature was awarded to The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman.
The 2009 Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children was awarded to The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson.
Visit the InfoSoup Family Page to see a list of the 2009 Newbery and Caldecott honor books. For more great titles, don't miss Award Winners for Kids.
On the teen front, this year's winner for excellence in young adult literature is Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta. Please visit the InfoSoup Teen Reads page and Teen Award Winners to find more award winning books for young adults.
> contributed by Evan
Celebrate YALSA's third annual Teen Tech Week, March 8-14! This year's theme is "Press Play @ Your Library."Why celebrate?
Teens, in order to gain the skills necessary to compete in today's job market, need access to digital and online information and trained professionals who can help them use these resources effectively, efficiently and ethically. Librarians and educators know this and work with teens on a regular basis to ensure they develop these skills. Teen Tech Week is a chance for libraries to throw open their physical & virtual doors and show their communities all the great things they're doing for teens with technology.
Here's more about the idea behind this year's theme:
Teen Tech Week 2009, which will be celebrated March 8-14, is about connecting teens with different technologies, especially those available through the library. Teens can literally press play on digital devices such as mp3 players, DVD players, gaming controllers and more. Press Play @ the library can be interpreted broadly to make it work for you in your own library. One way to interpret the theme is to emphasize the word "play." Play can be about teens creating and sharing their own content for the fun of it, like videos, music, and digital artwork. Play through games can be encouraged with tournaments, tech trivia contests, and video games. The theme can also take a more educational direction. Teens can "press play" on various digital devices to learn more about the world around them. They can press play to watch film documentaries, listen to an audiobook, get online homework help, learn a new language and more. YALSA encourages librarians and educators to be creative and take the theme in a direction that works for them and their teens!
For more information, visit the Teen Tech Week page on YALSA's web site. And remember that OWLS has lots of tech tools for you to borrow to use with your teens! Check out 'Casting @ OWLS for more info. Plenty of help using the 'casting kit is available if you need it, so please don't hesitate to ask.
> contributed by Beth
Check out a new site from the ALA Public Programs Office, ProgrammingLibrarian.org. Here's more on the project:
It looks to me like the site is just getting going, but it will be interesting to see how it develops. It's nice to see ALA starting to build resources like this where participation from the membership is made possible and encouraged.
What kind of programming are you planning at your library?
> contributed by Beth
The goal of ProgrammingLibrarian.org is to assist librarians in finding authoritative resources for cultural programming, train librarians in cultural programming techniques and involve library schools in examining the need for courses in cultural programming. In addition to finding ideas and resources, site users are welcome to contribute information and ideas from their own experiences in developing cultural programs for their communities. Live webinars will be held regularly to create not just a resource center, but a community of librarians committed to bringing increased access to literature, music, contemporary issues, art, history, poetry, scholars, writers and musicians to their communities.
It looks to me like the site is just getting going, but it will be interesting to see how it develops. It's nice to see ALA starting to build resources like this where participation from the membership is made possible and encouraged.
What kind of programming are you planning at your library?
> contributed by Beth
