Recently in services Category

Every Child Ready to Read

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Sue McCleaf Nespeca presented two workshops for OWLS and Winnefox this past Tuesday and were very well received. The morning session discussed books and literacy experiences for babies and toddlers, and the afternoon session covered ALA's Every Child Ready to Read program.

I have 5 extra copies of the handouts from the workshops. If you'd like one, let me know (1 per library, please) - first come, first served! In addition, OWLS has ordered a copy of the Every Child Ready to Read kit, which will be shared with all of the OWLS members libraries on request. I'll let you know when it arrives and is ready to circulate to you.

You can read more about Every Child Ready to Read on the ALA website, and if you have questions about the workshop please feel free to give me a call. I hope the people who attended the workshops will add their thoughts in the comments.

> contributed by Beth

'Casting Kit now available

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I've been reporting on the status of the 'Casting @ OWLS grant, "Enhancing Library Services via Podcasts, Screencasts, and Vodcasts," for some time now. But I'm really excited about this post, because I can now tell you that the 'Casting Kit is ready to circulate to your library!

You can see what equipment is available, check our online calendar to see what's available when, then reserve the equipment you'd like to try out via our online form. All of this information is available on the new 'Casting Kit page on OWLSweb. (Thanks much to Evan for designing the calendar and reservation forms!!!)

I also have a few Come & Play dates set up for you to come and try out the equipment at OWLS. Check the Computer Lab Classes page for dates and times. These sessions will take place in The Nest at OWLS rather than in the APL computer lab. I hope you'll sign up, as these sessions will not only let you play with help on hand - we'll also take a look at some great examples of what libraries have done with 'casting out there in Libraryland. If you can't come to a session, I'm happy to do one-on-one training with you for specific projects, as needed.

If you have any questions about the 'Casting Kit, classes, or anything else related to this grant, please don't hesitate to contact me!

> contributed by Beth

Book a Librarian

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I recently came across a fantastic service on the Waupaca Area Public Library homepage called Book a Librarian:

"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

Don’t miss the new ALA study on serving non-English speakers in the library. Here are some surprising facts:

  • The majority of libraries serving non-English speakers are in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents.
  • Spanish is, by far, the most supported non-English language in public libraries. Seventy-eight percent of libraries reported Spanish as the priority #1 language to which they develop services and programs.
  • Libraries reported the most successful library programs and services developed for non-English speakers were: English as a Second Language (ESL), language-specific materials and collections, computer use and computer classes, story time and special programs.

The full report includes library use statistics, building detail and findings by language.

> contributed by Holly

El Día de los Niños

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If you are planning to celebrate El Día de los Niños at your library there are complimentary bilingual brochures available to help you celebrate this special day. The brochure features an updated recommended reading list and tips for parents in English and Spanish for reading to and with children. The April 30 celebration is devoted to emphasizing the importance of advocating literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

For more information about Dia, and to register your Dia event to receive complimentary brochures, please go to the Dia Web site.  You may request up to 200 brochures while supplies last.

If you have any questions, you may contact ALA at dia@ala.org.

> contributed by Holly

dok.jpg

When reading the recent issue of Marketing Library Services, I came across an article about a place called DOK in the Netherlands, in Delft, to be precise. DOK calls itself a "Library Concept Center," mashing media, music, film, literature, and art together in an amazing, active, and thriving community center.

The mission of DOK is to become and remain the most advanced library in the world. Using creativity, technical innovation, and advancing scientific understanding, DOK endeavors to be an indispensable source of inspiration for its members, visitors, and partners in the city of Delft, in the Netherlands, and in the world. In this way, DOK hopes to safeguard access to the independent, objective, free flow of information that is essential for democracy now and in the future. 

Be sure the read the full article, because I think you'll be inspired by it. Jenny Levine, blogger also known as The Shifted Librarian, recently visited DOK and wrote about her trip in her blog. Take a look at Visiting the Most Modern Library in the World to see her take on this unique facility. She has also shared her photos of the trip in a Flickr set, so be sure to check that out while you're at it.

After you read the articles posted here, what do you think? Has DOK inspired you to look differently at your library? What kind of library would you like to have, assuming there were no limitations in budget, staff, or any of the other restrictions we feel daily?

>> contributed by Beth

OWLS blogs addition

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We have added "News for Directors" to our family of blogs hosted by OWLS. Like the title says, it will focus on information specifically directed toward directors and will be fed into the Directors Info to Go page on OWLSweb. This will provide a way to track past posts and will also allow you to search by topic or tag.

Current posts on the blog include:
Feel free to add your comments on the blog or ask Rick if you have any questions about the posts.

News for Directors is addition to other blogs hosted by OWLS, which include: Carpe Hootem; 'Casting @ OWLS; Children's Services News; InfoSoup Development; Libraries, Literacy, and LSTA; and Network News.

>> contributed by Beth

Copyright Advisory Network

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The Copyright Advisory Network (CAN) is a Web site, bulletin board, blog and wiki established to help librarians discuss copyright issues with colleagues facing similar concerns, share solutions, and learn more about copyright from trained copyright specialists. Pose your copyright query on the Network Forum, and trained copyright specialists - known as the CAN Scholars - will respond to your question within 48 hours. The Scholars will not provide legal advice but informed opinion on your topic. Anyone can join the Network by registering at http://www.librarycopyright.net. This is a free service offered by the American Library Association's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP). Contact Carrie Russell, Copyright Specialist, at crussell@alawash.org with questions or comments.

From Channel Weekly, Vol. 10, No. 20, posted with permission.

'Casting @ OWLS

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I've been busy working on our "Enhancing Library Services via Podcasts, Screencasts, and Vodcasts" LSTA grant this week. I decided to start a blog to track the progress that I make, so I don't have to reconstruct everything I've done for the 6-month and year-end grant reports. It will be a nice resource to point grant reviewers to, and I also needed a place to collect all of the information I'll be gathering to support the use of the 'Casting Kit once it's ready to go. In addition, I thought it might come in handy for other systems who might like to provide a similar service to their libraries in the future. So anyway, if you're interested in what's going on with this grant, feel free to visit the new blog 'Casting @ OWLS and let me know if you have any questions. I'll continue to post new info there as I work on the project.

Do you have ideas for podcasts, screencasts, or vodcasts your library might like to produce? Share your ideas or questions in the comments.

>> contributed by Beth

Book a Librarian

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Check out this great service offered by the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL)! They want library users to "Book a Librarian" to set up appointments to spend 30 minutes with a librarian to learn just about anything at the library. Read all about it at Best Practices: Book a Librarian for Training and Reference Assistance.

Are any of you doing something similar, formally or informally?

>> contributed by Beth

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