Library Conferences - CLENE Program Previews

I returned from the ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia recently where I attended Board meetings for the Continuing Library Education Network and Exchange Roundtable (CLENE). The following CLENE programs at the PLA and ALA Midwinter conferences are planned.

PLA Conference, March 25-29 in Minneapolis
What a Day: Effective Staff Development Days: PLA Talk Table Friday, March 28, 8:30 - 9:45 am. Facilitators: Stacy Schrank, Metropolitan LIbrary System, Oklahoma City, OK and Pat Carterette, Cleveland-Heights-University Heights Public LIbrary, Cleveland Heights, OH

ALA Annual Conference, June 26 - July 2 in Anaheim

Preconference: Competencies For Your Staff: From Implementation to Integration
Friday, June 27, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Preconference: Implementing a Staff Development Plan
Friday, June 27, 1:00 - 5:00 pm

Preconference Costs: Single tickets: CLENERT Member $110, ALA Member $130, Non-Member $180
Register for both pre-conferences and save: CLENERT Member $198, ALA Member $234, Non-Member $324

Training Showcase: Best Practices for Continuing Library Education
Sunday, June 29, 1:30 - 3:30 pm
The training showcase is a poster session type of program celebrating innovative continuing education, staff development, training initiatives and programs in all types of libraries across the country. Come meet this unique group of trainers, staff development coordinators, and librarians who are sharing the exceptional staff learning opportunities they developed.
Interested in being a presenter at the Training Showcase? Click here for more information.

How to Develop a Mentoring Program
Date and time TBA

All About Library Graduate School workshops held at NEFLIN

Over 30 participants attended two NEFLIN workshops in Gainesville and Orange Park this week that gave information and answered questions about the librarian graduate degree programs at Florida State University and the University of South Florida.

Christie Koontz of FSU (pictured) and Andrea LaRochelle of USF presented the workshops. Students Alice Brown of FSU and Traci Ragas of USF joined them in Gainesville and FSU alumni Harold George (pictured) spoke in Orange Park to give testimonials about their experiences in the Masters Degree programs.

If you're thinking about attending graduate school to become an Information Professional, Librarian or Certified Media Specialist, watch for these workshops to be offered again in July.

NEFLIN Members Want Free Stuff

Many thanks to the 511 NEFLIN members who completed our recent survey. Our goal was to receive input from the membership about possible grant funded projects for 2008-09 and boy did you all come through!

Based on feedback from you, some of the ideas we'll submit to the State Library for possible inclusion in our LSTA grant include e-government support, Florida Electronic Library training (face-to-face and online), technology conference in Jacksonville, expansion of the equipment loan program, and training for special populations.

We're pleased to tell you that we immediately made two additions to the equipment loan program based on your 'wish list' responses. Two overhead projectors and a tradeshow display board are now available for members to borrow. Some of the items we'll be requesting funds for include gaming equipment, digital video camera, a document camera, student response system, and a portable barcode scanner for inventory purposes. We would love to learn how you would make use of this equipment to better serve your patrons. Please send your idea to stephanie@neflin.org.

Library Leadership and LE@D: a free webinar

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
2:00 - 3:00pm
Register online at WebJunction

Join the WebJunction February Learning Webinar featuring Pat Wagner, well-known educator, trainer, writer and consultant for the library community. Pat will discuss what challenges Library Leaders face and how leadership training for all library personnel might help address these issues. She will also discuss why she has partnered with LEAD, Lifelong Education @ Desktop, whose classes are available through WebJunction, as the primary online source for her library programs. Pat will provide a sneak peek at the content of some of the courses she's writing for LE@D, and will also be available for questions and feedback during and after the program.

Free National Library of Medicine Classes in Gainesville

Spring brings new growth and the University of Florida Health Science Center Library in Gaineville invites interested library staff to attend free National Library of Medicine classes in March.

On March 10-12 you can grow in your knowledge of several National Library of Medicine (NLM) databases. Trainers from the National Training Center and Clearinghouse (NTCC) will offer the following classes—free!

PubMed on Monday, March 10 from 8:30am – 4pm
Toxnet on Tuesday, March 11 from 9am – 4pm
NLM Gateway & Clinical Trials on Wednesday, March 12 from 8:30am - noon

Medical Library Association Continuing Education credit is available for all 3 classes.

Please register for the classes no later than February 8.

Questions? Please contact Nancy Schaefer (352.273.8417) at Health Science Center Libraries

Union County Breaks Ground for New Public Library Building

A new member library is being built! Stephanie and I had the pleasure of attending yesterday's ground breaking ceremony for a new library in Union County.

Being an amateur photographer (meaning I am both untrained and unskilled) I took a bunch of photos. I posted them on NEFLIN's Flickr page.

We also had an opportunity to meet Mr. Wayne Smith, Chairman, Union County Board of County Commissioners. Mr. Smith received NEFLIN's Library Champion Award for 2007 in recognition of his work in getting this new building project underway.

Congratulations to Mary Brown and the staff on Union County Public who will get to be in their new library in 2009!

New Technology Available for the Deaf

The Jacksonville Public Library has installed videophones for deaf people at all the library branches. According to a spokeswoman for Sorenson Communications in Utah, it appears to be the first time an entire library system has deployed the technology.

Full article from the Florida Times-Union newspaper

Videophones use cameras so deaf people can communicate in sign language. The process is much faster than using teletype machines and because sign language carries different meaning based on how a person gestures, it is also more accurate.

Contact Stacie Bucher for more information.

Florida Library Jobs Introduces A New Service

The following announcement from the folks behind the "Florida Library Jobs" service:
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Florida Library Jobs has introduced a new service to assist libraries in recruiting staff. As many library positions do not require a graduate degree from an ALA-accredited program, Florida Library Jobs has created a new Web site designed to recruit qualified staff from other fields. The new site is called 'Jobs in Florida Libraries' and is now available.

Library employers who use the Florida Library Jobs site to post their job positions have the convenience of using the same administrative login to post jobs to both sites. Job openings are automatically sent to one of the respective sites by simply indicating on the online job posting form whether or not a degree from an ALA-approved graduate program is required. All jobs that require a degree from an ALA-approved graduate program will be automatically sent to the original Florida Library Jobs site. Jobs that do not require this degree will be automatically sent to the new 'Jobs in Florida Libraries' site.

Both sites contain links to the other so that users may easily review jobs in either category. The new 'Jobs in Florida Libraries' site contains introductory material to better introduce persons from other fields to the idea of working in a Florida library. We hope that this new service will be an asset in recruiting staff for your library.

New Barcode Labels for Courier Service

The latest news on the new barcode labels from TBLC.
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"As many of you are aware, this month we began implementing a new barcode label system for Florida's Statewide Delivery System. This enhancement to Delivery is essential for better tracking, more accurate statistics and vendor accountability for lost or late items.

Starting on Jan. 28, 2008, we need all libraries to begin using the new barcode labels. At this time, the vendor will only be scanning at libraries in the Fort Myers area, but needs all bags to have barcodes in order to work out all the kinks before implementing scanning statewide. This testing stage is a crucial next step in fully implementing our new system at all Delivery locations, and we appreciate your participation.

Please be aware of these very important items:

1. Starting Jan. 28, you must replace all of your current labels with the new barcode labels, which you can print from here. As of Jan. 28, our drivers will not pick up any bags from your library that do not have the new barcode label.

2. The new barcode labels cannot be photocopied. Feel free to print as many in advance as you would like, but never photocopy them. Duplicating a barcode will throw off our tracking system.

3. Print out an electronic signature barcode (found here) and place it with or attach it to your statistical forms. When scanning begins in your region, the driver will scan the electronic signature each time he visits your library.

4. Do not include “courteous return labels” with your items. Barcode labels must be printed by the originating library.

For additional information, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page found here: www.tblc.org/delivery/faqs.

If our beta testing stage is successful, we will start scanning the barcodes at all of our other Delivery locations as soon as possible. In the meantime, we appreciate your hard work as we implement this new labeling system and welcome questions and feedback that can help us improve the new system.

We will keep you up-to-date as the implementation continues.

Feel free to email deliver@tblc.org or call (800) 622-8252 with any questions or comments."

Eight Complete Management 101 Training at NEFLIN

Eight attendees have completed all five components of the Management 101 series held at NEFLIN and presented by Solinet trainers.

Beginning in May 2007 and concluding January 15, 2008, the series included classes on Administration, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Human Resources and Implementation Issues. The following attendees completed all classes and were awarded special certificates of completion:

Stella Brown, Putnam County Public Library
Katrina Evans, Columbia County Public Library
Lana Helm, Clay County Public Library
Lynn Jacobsen, Jacksonville Public Library
Robert Perone, Bradford County Public Library
Mikki Sampo, St. Johns County Public Library
Anne Snyder, St. Johns County Public Library
Sarah Thogode, Clay County Public Library

Congratulations to all!

Digital TV Transition

On February 17, 2009 the US will complete its Digital TV transition, and the era of analog broadcasting will be over. This means that many patrons will be filing into the library over the next year looking for answers on how the DTV transition will impact them.

ALA has put together some really good information for library staff on this issue. It includes posters, fact sheets, fliers, powerpoint slides - lots of really useful information.

The FCC will also hold a workshop at the end of January on how the transition will impact those in rural areas. The workshop is taking place in DC, but has a live webcast.

And if you're like me and still use rabbit ears to get your free tv, you can get a $40 coupon for a converter box.

Program Available for 2008 FLA Conference

The Conference Program is now available on the FLA website, along with registration and hotel information. It's a packed agenda with a lot of great programs - give it a look!

The Florida Library Association Conference will be held April 22 - 25, 2008 at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Petersburg.

(Two posts today about conferences being held in St. Pete. Must be the new South Beach. Who knew?!?)

Upcoming SLA Conference in St. Petersburg

The Surreal Landscape ~
Information Professionals Mastering the Challenges of Time & Space (SARC IV) February 27-29, 2008, St. Petersburg, FL

The Florida and Caribbean Chapter, SLA welcomes you to Florida in February! The Surreal Landscape, kicks off Wednesday, February 27, 2008 with an opening reception held on the patio outside our meeting rooms at the Carillon Park Hilton in scenic St. Petersburg, Florida.

Sessions begin Thursday morning with Stephen Abram, SLA's President, giving the opening keynote address and continuing with Graham Farmelo bringing us the Friday keynote address. Sessions will tackle and discuss the challenges facing information professionals in the 21st Century. Join us on Thursday evening, to continue our surreal discussion with a tour of the Salvador Dali Museum.

Visit the Conference website for program, registration, hotel, and vendor information.

Great Recipes for Successful Public Computing

Congrats to Michael Fettes of Alachua County District Library in Gainesville. His 'recipe' for a smart and easy laptop checkout plan is in the MaintainIT cookbook.

And to Sherry Millington of Suwannee River Regional Library System in Live Oak who decentralized their knowledge base and shared the technical know-how of her department and eliminated some of her driving time.

MaintainIT offers a great place to share how your library keeps public computers running. Some of the other interesting ideas I've seen -

• Wireless Policy Checklist
• Making the most of Technical Volunteers - includes ideas on recruiting, supervising, training
• Using your Transporter to Complete Scheduled Maintenance

Using Focus Groups to Learn About Her Wiki

Merrie Davidson, the psychology, sociology, and linguistics librarian at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has a great article by this title in the January 2008 issue of Computers in Libraries.

As a former reference librarian, I was immediately intrigued by how she used her blog turned wiki as an extension of the consultation she was already providing to individual students and faculty. It seemed like a great way to disseminate information to a broader audience.

After reading the results of her focus groups, I'm curious to see how and if NEFLIN members are reading our blog and using our wikis. Hmmmm.... sounds like we might need to get Merrie to come lead a workshop.

Document Shredding

Last year NEFLIN decided to scan our financial files for the last umpteen years and destroy the paper that has been taking up much needed space in the office. (Ever wonder what all those white banker's boxes were storing?) Once we began the process we realized the next dilemma was, how do we now destroy all this paper with personal information included. So we've slowly been shredding away.

This week we found a fabulous, FREE, solution that I thought everyone should know about. Challenge Enterprises of North Florida, a nonprofit agency that employs more than 270 developmentally challenged adults, has a program called Shred for Good. On the second Thursday each month, they are in a nearby parking lot here in Orange Park collecting documents to be shredded in their government-certified facility.

For more information about the operation call 252-9786 or 1-866-771-3567.

New Date for "Writing for the Web" Workshop

The NEFLIN workshop "Writing for the Web" has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 5 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at NEFLIN headquarters in Orange Park.

Trainer Karen Schneider will cover many types of online writing from blogs to newsletters.

There are still seats available - register today!

Libraries Serving People without Permanent Homes

The Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association spotlights how some libraries are serving people without homes, including the Jacksonville Public Library.

The Jacksonville Public Library teaches Internet use to homeless job seekers

San Franciso Public Library staff refer homeless people to housing and mental health service agencies

The Free Library of Philadelphia employs homeless people at their Central Library

The Los Angeles Public Library hosts a summer camp for homeless children

New York Public Library has monthly story time sessions for homeless children

2008 Middle Manager Symposiums

Help select topic for the 2008 Middle Manager Symposiums

The State Library and Archives of Florida, in partnership with several multi-type library cooperatives, annually offers Middle Manager Symposiums for mid-level managers, associate and assistant directors. The purpose of this professional development opportunity is for the participants to

· Learn new or improve existing leadership skill sets
· Gain valuable insights and ideas from library contemporaries and experts
· Build broader communities of practice
· Share best practices and innovative ideas

Feel free to forward the survey link to other staff in middle management positions in Florida libraries.

http://www.seflin.org/survey.cfm?fuseaction=themesurvey.main&surveyID=62

Courier Service Tests New Barcode Tracking System

TBLC has announced beta testing of a new barcode label system for the statewide courier service. The result of this will be better tracking, more accurate statistics, and vendor accountability for lost or late items.

Testing is going on in the Tampa and Ft. Myers areas right now. Look for this to expand to other parts of the state soon.

Read all the details here.

Patty at ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia

I will be attending the ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia, and will be out of the office from January 9 through January 14.

I am a Board Member of the ALA CLENE Round Table, which stands for Continuing Library Education Network and Exchange. At Midwinter we will be planning the CLENE events for ALA Annual in Anaheim in June 2008 as well as Chicago in 2009. These include conference and pre-conference programs, the Staff Development Discussion Group and the popular Training Showcase.

If you have any thing you would like me to check out for you at Midwinter, email me and I will do my best to be there!

Do You Want Free Stuff in 2008-2009?

Take the Survey

NEFLIN has begun planning new services for 2008-09. In preparation for writing grants that will fund these projects, we are asking for input from NEFLIN members. The survey will be available until Friday, January 18th and should only take about 10-15 minutes to complete. We encourage you to share the survey with others in your member library who would be interested in participating.

Take the Survey

FLA Seeks Nominations for Awards

Do you work at an excellent library? Are you working with an outstanding librarian? Has your Friends group created something special for your community? The Florida Library Association is seeking for nominations for a variety of awards that will be presented at the 2008 FLA Conference in St. Petersburg.

• FLA Leader of the Year


• Librarian of the Year


• Library of the Year


• Lifetime Achievement Award


• The Trustees & Friends Library Award


• Outstanding Citizen Library Award


• Betty Davis Miller Youth Service Award (deadline 2/1/08)


• Intellectual Freedom Award


• Library Website Awards


• Friends, Foundations and Boards Awards (recognizing outstanding newslettr, membership drive, special event and special project)

Deadlines for Award Applications is Friday, February 15, 2008. For further information about the awards, including deadlines and criteria, visit FLA’s website.

Florida Library Legislative Days

Florida Library Legislative Days have been scheduled for February 19 and 20 in Tallahassee. The Florida Library Association puts on this annual event so that you can have an opportunity to meet with state legislators to discuss funding for libraries.

Registration Information

NEFLIN Members Receive CLIC Grants

Eleven library systems will receive a total of $96,000 in available Community Libraries in Caring (CLIC) grant funds this year.

The purpose of the CLIC program is to assist small, rural public libraries to improve library collections and services, improve adult and family literacy, and develop economic viability.

Six of the Eleven grants were awarded to NEFLIN Members! (There is some really great grant writing going on in northeast Florida)

• Alachua County Library District
• Levy County Public Library System
  
• New River Public Library Cooperative (2 grants)
• Sumter County Public Library
• Suwannee River Regional Library

More on the projects that were funded.

Y'all make me proud!

10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008

Wednesday, January 16, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET

As you think about your resolutions for the New Year, why not resolve to make your library a great educational asset within your community? This webinar will show you how to leverage social networking tools such as del.icio.us and LibraryThing to enable knowledge sharing and create collections of information around professional development. Ten key themes are presented to empower library staff as well as to increase a library's value within the community. Presented by guest speaker Ed Rossman, adult services librarian at Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments.

Note that registration for this webinar is optional. If you wish to register and receive email reminders with instructions for attending, please visit the WebJunction Calendar of Events. Otherwise you may follow these instructions to attend.