READ Posters

ALA Graphics - Make your own customized READ poster! from ALA Publishing on Vimeo.

This instructional video demonstrates how to make your own READ posters. There are print instructions available as well. North Country Library Cooperative has available for loan several of the READ CDs. You would need to have your own Photoshop or Photoshop Elements in order to use the READ CDs.

Or you can do make your posters the easy way with the online ALA READ Poster generator.

However you may choose to make your READ poster, if you'd like to share it with others, you may wish to post it to the ALA READ Posters set on Flickr.

Tag! With "steve" and the Minnesota Digital Library

The Minnesota Digital Library has added a tool to allow tagging to many objects in its Minnesota Reflections online collection

This feature, called “steve” (purposely spelled with a lower-case “s”), allows the public to contribute tags to Minnesota Reflections. Tags, or short descriptions of objects within the Reflections collections, are displayed in "tag clouds” that you will see when viewing specific objects on the website. Clicking a tag in any of these "clouds" will retrieve all other items within Minnesota Reflections tagged with the same term.

Creating tags is easy and fun. First, choose an object in a Minnesota Reflections collection to view. Next, click the “Log On” link that appears under the “Tags” icon. This link will take you to the “steve” website, which will ask you to create an account with a password. (The website will send specific information to your e-mail account; read this e-mail and follow its instructions to complete registration. The “steve” website will give you a temporary password that you will have to change.) You are now prepared to create tags within the Minnesota Reflections environment. Return to your object of interest and log on to “steve.” You will now see a box into which you can type your tags to help document our collections!

Tags may be related to anything, from the very personal and specific (names, dates, makes, models, materials) to the very general (composition, emotion, size, shape).

The MDL encourages users of Minnesota Reflections to register and contribute tags they feel may be useful to themselves and to others in searching the Reflections collections.

If you are interested in learning more about “steve,” the MDL plans to host an online “steve” training session in the near future. More information about this online training will be distributed on the MDL listserv, so watch for updates. In the meantime, visit the “steve” website.

The tagging tool used in Minnesota Reflections is a part of the “Steve in Action” research project to explore tagging within a wide range of collections.

Register now for ASCLA Virtual Convergence webinars | American Libraries Magazine

Register now for ASCLA Virtual Convergence webinars | American Libraries Magazine

Scheduled webinar sessions include:

• “Grant Writing 101”
• “Presenting Topics to People who are Autistic, Deaf, Disabled, and Non-Disabled”
• “Teaching Ophelia: Assisting At-Risk Teenagers”
• “Why Reinvent the Wheel? Tools for Serving the Fast-growing Teen Population”
• “Knowledge Management: Process and Tools for Convergence”
• “Using Learning Objects to Enhance Distance Reference Services”
• “The Disability Experience in a Post- 2.0 World: Implications for Libraries”
• “Contract Librarianship: Concepts and Strategies”
• “Accessibility 101: Assure That Your Library Is Welcoming & Usable for Persons With Disabilities”
• “A Copyright Policy Update on Access to Information for Persons with Print Disabilities”
• “Public Computer Conundrums: Policy and Program Choices That Improve Patron Outcomes”
• “How to Build a Bridge: Connecting Different Types of Libraries”
• “Starting a New Library for At-risk Young Adults in a Digitally Divided Community”
• “Libraries and Information Access for Differently-able Patrons: What We Can Do to Ensure Equality”
• “Extending Our Reach: Using Extension Programs to Promote Statewide Resources”
• “Attracting Latinos to the Library: It’s All About Relationships”
• “Conducting Successful Virtual Meetings”
• “Careers in Federal Libraries”
• “How to Find a Federal Job”
• “Managing Library Adult and Family Literacy Programs”
• “Resume Writing and Interviewing Techniques”
• “Saks Fifth Avenue Service on a Dollar General Budget”

Registration is available online. When registering for a single webinar from the series, ASCLA and Federal and Armed Forces Libraries Round Table (FAFLRT) members pay $40, ALA members pay $50, non-members pay $65 and student and retired members of ALA pay $45. Those registering for two or more sessions will receive a reduced rate on each session.

Share Your ELM Stories!

Share Your ELM Stories!

Bill DeJohn, Minitex Director

Our ELM Story feedback form is ready for input from you and your users! Please share with us how you have been using ELM resources over the last few years in your classes, for your homework, at your workplace, for your personal interests, or in other ways you have found ELM resources to be useful. We want to make legislators and administrators aware of how ELM resources, which are funded by the Minnesota Legislature, are being used and how important they are to libraries, schools and Minnesotans throughout the state.

Given the budget reductions in local libraries and schools, ELM resources are in many cases the only trusted, authoritative electronic resources available. We have added several electronic resources to ELM making it an even more powerful tool for users of all ages and with varied interests. There is something for everyone. New resources include the Encyclopaedia Britannica and several science and health databases.

Your stories are important because we will share them with legislators and other stakeholders. The more specific and descriptive they are, the more compelling they are, especially when teachers, students, the general public, and library staff provide very specific 'stories' of how you used ELM resources to teach, do homework, research topics, answer questions, gather information to help solve local community problems, and/or provide information.

Thanks for your support and assistance and be sure to let us hear from you.

We've made it easy for you to submit your ELM stories. Just click the widget in the upper right column of this blog. It will take you directly to the submission form. We encourage you to take a minute and do it now to assure that these valuable online resources can remain available.

HP Class Action Settlement Info

If you or your library has purchased or been gifted with a Hewlett Packard inkjet printer, you may wish to check whether the recent class action suits would make you eligible for an e-settlement.

Information( including a long list of affected printers) with important dates is available at HP Inkjet printer Settlement.

School Libraries & Selection of a new ILS

The COMPASS User's group meeting scheduled for Wednesday, December 1 is going to be replaced with an all-day (9:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M) meeting and presentation with Marshall Breeding, a nationally known expert on library technology issues. The morning will be devoted to a presentation about the current state of library technology. The afternoon will be devoted to a discussion about the priorities for the next "integrated library system" (ILS) that will eventually replace the current Horizon system at Arrowhead Library System.

Since there are many school libraries using the current Horizon system, it is important that the school librarians using it hear the Marshall Breeding presentation and provide input into the selection process for the next generation automated system.

No school libraries have yet signed up for the presentation. It is important to let your voices be heard.

If what is holding you back from registering is the inability to pay for a sub so you can attend, please don't let that be a hindrance. North Country Library Cooperative has scholarship funds available that you can apply for to allow payment for a sub so you can attend this very important meeting.

A soup and sandwich lunch will be available for seven dollars. You need to register with Jim Weikum (jweikum@arrowhead.lib.mn.us) if you plan to attend and indicate whether you are interested in the catered lunch.

Alternatively, if there is some other reason keeping you from attending, please let us know what that reason might be.

You may call the NCLC office (1-800-950-4401 or 741-1907) to obtain the scholarship form which needs to be filled out and submitted to North Country Library Cooperative if you wish to obtain reimbursement for a substitute to allow you to attend the December 1 meeting.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call. There needs to be a school voice in the selection process.

Webinar: E-Government@Your Library

Thursday, December 9, 2010 1:30 pm
Central Standard Time

Program:
American Libraries Webinars

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

As government agencies continue to digitize forms and services, libraries are often the only organizations that can help citizens interact with these agencies and access E-Government resources.

E-Gov: Make It Work @ your library will help participants:

• Develop and market e-government partnerships

• Address key challenges to meeting patron e-gov demands

• Use e-gov data to make the case for your library

Panelists include
• (moderator) Judy Hoffman, Project Manager, American Library Association, Office for Research and Statistics
• Nancy Fredericks, e-government librarian, Pasco County Public Library (Florida)
• John Bertot, Director, Center for Library & Information Innovation, University of Maryland
• Bill Sudduth, Head, Government Information and Microforms, Newspapers and Maps, University of South Carolina; contributor to Managing Electronic Government Information in Libraries: Issues and Practices (ALA Editions)

Go here to register.

National STEM Video Game Challenge

Those who attended the August workshop on Scratch and are using it with students may be interested in this information:

AASL has collaborated with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media to hold the first annual National STEM Video Game Challenge. Now open for applications, this competition aims to motivate children's interests in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).

As a school librarian, you can become a key resource for kids interested in making video games.

A Youth Prize Design Challenge engages middle school students (grades 5 through 8) in STEM learning, 21^st Century Literacy Skills and Systems Thinking by challenging them to design original video games. Special consideration will be given to submissions from students in underserved communities.

Students have 3 ways to make a submission:

1. Create a written game design document.

2. Make a playable game using the free version of Gamestar Mechanic, Scratch, or Gamemaker 8

3. Make a playable game using any gamemaking or programming platform

The deadline for submissions is January 5, 2011.

Prizes for students include a laptop computer, a subscription to Gamestar Mechanic and a subscription to BrainPOP. The school of the student's choice will receive $2,000 ($3,000 if the school is a recipient of Title 1 funding from the U.S. Department of Education).

To learn more, visit www.stemchallenge.org.

Gale Free Resource - Zoom Gulf Oil Crisis

Gale-Cengage offers free access to this learning tool.

Zoom: Gulf Oil Crisis is an interactive learning tool that allows students to explore in-depth the economic, political and environmental impacts of the Gulf coast oil spill.

With its relevant, media-rich content, including many Web-like features such as videos, graphs, periodicals, primary sources, statistics, podcasts, interactive maps and more, Zoom: Gulf Oil Crisis supports the differentiated learning classroom by providing multi-path tools for those who learn and engage best through a combination of visual and audio resources.

Laura Bush Foundation Grants

From the Laura Bush Foundation website:

In order to promote a love of reading, the goal of the Laura Bush Foundation (LBF) is to provide books to the school libraries and students that most need them. Consequently, funds are available only for library books and magazine/serial copies and subscriptions. The Laura Bush Foundation is unable to honor requests for staffing, shelving, furniture, equipment, software, videos, classroom book sets or any kind of book guides, tests or exams.

The Foundation makes grants of up to $6,000 to update, extend, and diversify the book collections of the libraries that receive them. All LBF grants are made to individual schools rather than to school districts, county systems, private organizations, foundations, or other entities. Only one application per school is allowed per year.

Only schools where a minimum of 50% of the student body qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL) program are eligible to apply. Because research demonstrates a clear relationship between family income and a student’s access to books, the LBF gives selection preference to schools in which 90% or more of the students receive free or reduced lunches and are likely to have the fewest books at home.

All applications must be made on-line through this website. We cannot accept applications that are faxed, e-mailed, or mailed in print form. Free on-line access is available at most public libraries in the United States and its territories. The LBF will notify you that your application has been received through an e-mail message sent to the address you provide in the application itself. Please be sure that you completely fill out the application. We are unable to accept applications that are incomplete and must eliminate them from consideration.

Deadline for receipt of application:
December 31, 2010

We anticipate that recipients will be identified and awards will be made before the middle of May, 2011.

Minnesota Digital Library Update

Since late September, the Minnesota Digital Library has uploaded seven more Phase Six collections to Minnesota Reflections.

First-time contributor Bethel University added 150 images to Minnesota Reflections’ collections. The images, which range in vintage from 1920s to the 1970s, depict the physical and cultural development of Bethel University. Specific themes represented in the collection include class pictures, faculty and staff, college athletics, campus scenes, and photographs of historic buildings. Follow the link below to view a 1963 aerial photograph of the tract of land in Arden Hills soon to become Bethel’s new campus:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/p15160coll13,8

The Cook County Historical Society, another first-time contributor to Minnesota Reflections, added 165 photographs taken within the era of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Cook County (1933 – 1941). The images reveal much about CCC life, showing camp exteriors and interiors, images of CCC members fighting forest fires, planting trees and carrying out logging activities. These images provide fascinating insight into the personal side as well as environmental impact of CCC activities in Cook County. Follow the link below to view an artistic photograph of a walking bridge in Cascade State Park (near Lutsen) constructed by the Spruce Creek CCC crews:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/p15160coll14,10

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT), another new MDL contributor based in St. Paul, contributed Minnesota Official State Highway Maps from the early 20^th century to the present day to Minnesota Reflections. Follow the link below to see a 1960 highway map:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/mdt,1196

The Fillmore County Historical society expanded its Minnesota Reflections collection with 125 glass plate negatives representing the work of prominent Fillmore County photographer Mathias Bue. The images span the time period from 1912 to 1935, depicting a diverse array of local scenes including agriculture, architecture, bridges, entertainment, natural disasters, parks, recreation, residents, roads, school events and accident scenes. Follow the link below to see a ca. 1925 photograph of the Preston, Minnesota municipal band:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/fch,99

The Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, based in Minneapolis, contributed five oral history interviews documenting lived experience in St. Paul’s West Side Flats/ Lower West Side Jewish community from ca. 1900 to 1950. The interviews shed light on Jewish community and family life, early 20^th-century gender roles and Jewish-gentile relations. Follow the link below to one of the interviews:

http://reflections.mndigital.org/u?/jhs,658

Minnesota Reflections is currently in the midst of its Phase Seven digitization cycle. Do the exciting new projects spearheaded by Bethel University, Cook County Historical Society, Fillmore County Historical Society, MNDOT, and the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest inspire new projects for your organizations to pursue? Or, are you aware of other historical collections in your region that may be of statewide interest? Do you have any questions about these or any other of Minnesota Reflections’ collections? If so, please contact Minnesota Digital Library Outreach Coordinator Marian Rengel at mrrengel@stcloudstate.edu.

College of DuPage Teleconference Nov.12

The second program in this season's Library Futures: Staying Ahead of the Curve teleconference series, "Redesigning Today's Public Services: Focus on Reference," which airs Friday, November 12, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Time will be hosted in the Arrowhead Library System computer lab. Please register with Linda Wadman or Rebecca Patton if you plan to attend. The University of Minnesota-Duluth also has a viewing site. Or you may wish to contact us for a link to view it at your desktop.

Feel free to bring your lunch.

Gear up for summer reading with YALSA’s December webinar | American Libraries Magazine

Gear up for summer reading with YALSA’s December webinar | American Libraries Magazine

The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, but you’ve got summer reading on your mind —summer reading programs, that is. Librarians looking for guidance as they begin their annual summer reading program planning process won’t want to miss YALSA’s Dec. 16 webinar, Gear Up for Summer Reading, hosted by Shari Fesko, teen services librarian at the Southfield (Mich.) Public Library and VOYA programming columnist. The webinar will take place at 2 p.m. EST. Registration is now open at www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars.

Participants in the webinar will:

• Find out how they can best structure a successful summer reading program;
• Learn how to use themes and plan programs that range from performing arts to cooking, crafting or competitive events;
• Discover effective strategies for outreach, marketing and promotion.

Webinars cost $39 for individual YALSA members, $49 for all other individuals and $195 for groups (unlimited participants). Registration is open at www.ala.org/yalsa/webinars. Questions can be sent to Eve Gaus, YALSA’s program officer for continuing education, at egaus@ala.org or 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5293.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audiobooks for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists, or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.

COSLINE eBook Workshop

How can we keep up with this new technology to help our patrons? The answer is not simple. Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

COSLINE eBook Workshop

View more presentations from Jason Griffey.