Consumer Reports available through the FEL (for FREE!)

I just returned from doing customized reference training for Marion County Public Library staff. One of the sources they got REALLY excited about was the ability to access Consumer Reports directly from the front page of the Florida Electronic Library so I promised I would share that tidbit with the larger world. So here goes....

If you haven't taken a look at the Florida Electronic Library (FEL) in a while you should. They've changed search engines, replacing what they were using with the much more functional PowerSearch from Gale. They've also added a Popular Magazines & Journals section to the right side of the front page. If you click on any of the logos, you'll go directly into the Publication Search for that title. Patrons can easily click on any of the logos and search for articles within the magazine. They can do this in the public library or from anywhere else with their public library barcode number.

Stephanie in the Spotlight

The folks at WebJunction have picked their Member Spotlight for the month of June, and it is our very own Stephanie Race!

In addition, Stephanie will be honored with a WebJunction Advocate Award this Friday evening at the ALA Conference in Anaheim.

We know that Stephanie is a big deal, and now others do to. Congrats, Stephanie!

New LIVE ONLINE Classes Added to NEFLIN Schedule

We've added a few more Virtual Training classes to the summer schedule:

Open Source: Free as in Free: LIVE Online

This class overviews the open source movement, including what makes software open source, the pros and cons of using open source, and other libraries' open source solutions.

You might be using Open Source Software and not even know it. This class covers the following:

• Overview of open source
• Why it is important to know about open source
• Pros and cons of open source
• What open source products some libraries are using

Offered twice:
Thursday, July 31, 2:00 - 4:00 pm or
Tuesday, September 30, 2:00 - 4:00 pm


The Library as Place: LIVE Online

This class explores innovative methods public and academic libraries are using to reach out to their users and bring them inside.

According to a recent report by OCLC called, "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources," 96% of respondents had visited a physical library. However, a third say that their library use has decreased during the past three to five years. How do our libraries measure up to other venues, such as bookstores and cafes, that offer similar access to information? Let's take a look at how users view and use the physical library and discuss potentials to creatively address users' needs in education, entertainment, and research. We will explore innovative methods public and academic libraries are using to reach out to their users and bring them inside.

Topics covered include:

• Value of physical libraries
• Virtual life
• Current and upcoming trends
• Meeting patron needs
• Reinventing libraries
• Trends in library design

Tuesday, August 26, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Space is limited in these LIVE Online Classes
Register early!

Your One-Stop Shop for Ideas

If you haven't visited the Library Success site before...then clear your schedule, put on a pot of coffee, and prepare to spend time learning a bunch. Here is what they are trying to accomplish with this site.

"Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki was created to be a one-stop shop for great ideas and information for all types of librarians. All over the world, librarians are developing successful programs and doing innovative things with technology that no one outside of their library knows about. There are lots of great blogs out there sharing information about the profession, but there is no one place where all of this information is collected and organized. That's what we're trying to do.If you've done something at your library that you consider a success, please write about it in the wiki or provide a link to outside coverage.

If you have materials that would be helpful to other librarians, add them to the wiki. And if you know of a librarian or a library that is doing something great, feel free to include information or links to it. Basically, if you know of anything that might be useful to other librarians (including useful websites), this is the place to put it.

I hope this wiki will be a venue where people can share ideas with one another and where librarians can learn to replicate the successes of other libraries. This wiki is not run by any commercial entity and does not represent any commercial interests."

Driving Traffic to Your Website

I'm lounging at the Hampton Inn Ocala, eating warm chocolate chip cookies and reading the USA Today (which I only see in hotels). The math geek in me loves their Snapshot graphics, but what caught my eye was a technology article about driving traffic to your website by increasing your visibility in Google search results. It's an interview with Matt Cutts, Google engineer, and offers five tips for 'optimizing' your site -

1. Spotlight your search term on the page
2. Fill in your 'tags'
3. Get other sites to 'link' back to you
4. Create a blog and post often
5. Register for free tools

It was an interesting read. Does your library show up in the top ten?

NEFLIN Continuing Education Committee Meets

The NEFLIN Continuing Education Committee met recently and here is a summary from committee member and guest blogger Edward T. Hart, Head of Technical Services & Adjunct Professor of Law at the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center, Levin College of Law, University of Florida:

On Wednesday 18 June, the NEFLIN Continuing Education Committee held its bi-monthly meeting. Discussion centered on the development of future NEFLIN offerings including equipment loans and OPAL web conferencing software, which NEFLIN has joined in collaboration with the Jacksonville Public Library and will soon make available for NEFLIN member libraries' use. Kate Holmes of JPL brought everyone up to date on the progress of implementing OPAL. In addition, the committee reviewed the Spring courses, previewed the Summer courses, and offered ideas for Fall and Winter courses. As always, NEFLIN seeks to offer a wide variety of courses that appeal to all departments of libraries and to all types of libraries. Among other topics were the committee's participation in the NEFLIN Annual Meeting scheduled for September 12 and the Annual Survey that will be launched in the fall. The Committee serves an advisory role aiding Patty Morris, who organizes NEFLIN’s course schedules. The Committee currently has twelve members representing every category of library NEFLIN serves and libraries from across the whole NEFLIN region. In August, there will be several openings for two-year membership on the Committee, so please consider nominating a colleague (with their knowledge) or yourself. Your help planning library sciences continuing education for Northeast Florida will be appreciated by everyone working NEFLIN member libraries.

Thanks, Ed! Watch for more details on these and other upcoming NEFLIN projects.

Need a Laugh?

I loved this WebJunction tip from May - Great ways to add laughter to the day.

I had no idea that WebJunction had a Weirdest Reference Question discussion - reminds me of what I've been missing since coming to NEFLIN ;-) Their other tips include library comics and links to incorporating humor into your training. Worth a look.

Free Popcorn & Peanuts

We received a shipment of three huge boxes yesterday that are mostly filled with packing peanuts/popcorn. I hate to throw them away and fill a landfill but we don't have anywhere to store them. If you can use these for any purpose, please call (904-278-5620) or email me.

If you want to have some fun at work you could get them and fill an office with peanuts. I thought this would be fun to do to Brad but I really like my job.

Later, I found the Peanut Hotline and a local mail store that will take and reuse them - how cool is that? So, if no one takes them by Monday they're off to be recycled.

Want to Present?

FETC welcomes applications to present at FETC 2009, January 21 – 24, 2009, in Orlando FL from education professionals representing all levels, content areas and specialties, as well as business and industry experts. If accepted, your presentation will be scheduled as one of the 55-minute sessions planned for the three-day conference. For complete information on submission guidelines, visit the Call for Papers page at FETC.com. The deadline for submissions is June 20, 2008.
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The NCLA College and Universities Section & Community and Junior College Libraries Section invite you to submit proposals for the Library Instruction 2.0 Conference. The conference will be held in Chapel Hill, NC November 17-18, 2008 and will offer exciting and energizing sessions and workshops in the field of library instruction. The conference theme, "Library Instruction 2.0," reflects the next generation of library instruction. Proposals are sought for a variety of formats including formal sessions, demonstrations, panel sessions, and workshops. Proposals are due July 1, 2008.
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The Florida Library Association is accepting proposals to present preconference workshops and concurrent session programs at its 2009 Annual Conference - Libraries...Connecting People, Information & Knowledge, to be held in Orlando May 5-8, 2009. The deadline for submitting proposals is 5 p.m. on Monday, August 25, 2008.

100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials

It's fun to read a blog and find a blog posting that came from another blog that originated at yet another blog.

I found Jessica Merritt's 100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials on Sarah Houghton-Jan's Librarian in Black blog that pulled it from Stephen Abram's Stephen's Lighthouse who got it from Jessica's College@Home, which has many other cool entries, including

• Twitter for Librarians
• 100+ Job Resources for Librarians , and
• 50 Useful I-Phone Tips for Librarians and Researchers

Maybe you'll post it on your blog after seeing it here on the Blah Blah Blah Blog!

Bells & Whistles of Blogs & Wikis

Great workshop on Monday afternoon. Thanks to Merrie Davidson for teaching for us. And she created a wiki for us to use - Blogs and Wikis for Libraries....

We had a great mix of public, academic and school library staff. People who are blogging and not blogging. Below are some highlights of the session -

What's the difference between a blog and a wiki?

• A wiki is a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites. For example, the collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia is one of the best-known wikis. Wikis are used in businesses to provide affordable and effective intranets and for Knowledge Management. (from Wikipedia. Pages can be easily linked together
  
• A blog (web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. - from Wikipedia
  

Advantages of Wiki -
WYSIWYG - don't need to know code
Don't have to download software
hosted on someone else's server who take care of problems
Works like snazzy Word

Free Wiki sources that participants are using -
pbwiki.com
wetpaint.com - cool thing- free site tracking

One of the exercises that was interesting was to brainstorm all the things that are currently on your website (or that you would like to have on your website) and then determine could you put them on a blog or a wiki (or perhaps both). One of the things I've learned is that a lot of libraries that don't have control of their website, or easy access to it, or someone who knows how to write html code, are using wiki's for websites. LOTS of places are also using wikis for intranets because it's so easy to update and multiple people can have access to make changes. St. Johns County Public Library children and teens department has an internal wiki where they post meeting minutes, inventories, etc. Access is limited to staff in those departments. It's an interesting concept with lots of possibilities.

Questions -
Can you chat? Not sure, might be extra cost, might be widget?

Setting up your wiki - Merrie's instructions http://blogsandwikisforlibraries.wetpaint.com/page/Setting+Up+Your+Wiki

Encouraging Comment on blogs?
comments can immediately post shows up and you could go in and delete if needed
comments can be moderated, they are reviewed by someone before it posts
no comments

Stuff about NEFLIN's Blogs & Wikis -

NEFLIN is using pbwiki, a free wiki service that was recommended by Jae Bass at St. Johns County Public Library, to host our wikis. She actually created NEFLIN's first wiki for the Technology Interest Group. I've used version 1.0 and 2.0 of pbwiki and they both have their pros and cons.

You have to use/play with the software to get comfortable with it. I would definitely encourage anyone thinking about using a wiki to really consider what you want as you begin to create to help decide which software you want to use. Sort of like planning a website in many ways.

We're using blogger.com for our blog. It's free and was pretty easy to figure out.

Before starting the NEFLIN blog we spent a lot of time talking to folks who are blogging about what they like about the software they are using, the pros and cons, etc. I also think you have to decide why you're blogging, what's the purpose of it, who's the audience, blah, blah, blah...

I would definitely encourage you to talk to libraries who are doing what you want to do. This lets you learn from them so that you don't have to recreate the wheel. You'll also learn from their mistakes. If you've got questions, give us a call here at NEFLIN and we'll do our best to connect you with colleagues who can help.

Watch for more Library 2.0/social software workshops coming in the fall. We'll be inundating you with opportunities to learn how to use the tools, how to implement into your library, and how to use the tools to connect with your community.

Group Discount Program and ALA Conference

Some of you will likely attend the ALA Conference coming up later this month in Anaheim. While spending your time in the exhibit hall talking with vendors, don't forget to have in your back pocket NEFLIN's Group Discount Program.

If you are not getting the deal you want, then have the vendor contact NEFLIN after the conference and see if we can arrange a better discount on their product(s). Currently, 47 vendors participate and we are always looking for more to join.

Media Specialist is Duval Schools' "Teacher of the Year"

Lucretia Miller, Media Specialist at Chaffee Trail Elementary School, was named Teacher of the Year in Duval County. See the article that appeared in the Florida Times-Union in April.

Congratulations Lucretia!

Becoming a Library and Information Professional: All About Graduate School

Are you working in a library and wondering what it would take to get a Master’s Degree to become a professional Librarian or School Media Specialist? This informative workshop is for you. We’ll cover the degree programs at Florida State University and the University of South Florida, admission requirements, distance learning options, costs and financial aid availability. Join us for all your questions to be answered. Free for all.

Trainers: Christie Koontz, FSU and Andrea LaRochelle, USF

Monday, July 21 from 1:00 - 4:00 at NEFLIN in Orange Park

or

Tuesday, July 22 from 9:00 am - 12:00 noon at Bradford County Public Library, Starke

ALA Announces...

Partnership with RadioShack to Help Educate Citizens About the DTV Transition
The American Library Association (ALA) and RadioShack Corporation have announced a nationwide initiative to help educate the public about the Digital Television (DTV) Transition set to begin on Feb. 17, 2009. Through this partnership, RadioShack's 4,500 company stores and many of the 1,000-plus participating franchise stores will offer knowledgeable team members to 16,000 ALA public libraries to host educational sessions for library patrons.

ALA members who wish to host a digital television transition presentation in their library may make a request directly through RadioShack's corporate offices. More details will be provided to ALA members at the ALA Annual Conference June 26-July 2, 2008, in Anaheim, Calif. In certain markets RadioShack Spanish-speaking team members will be available to host presentations for Spanish language patrons.

New tools promote wider sharing of research for scholars across disciplines
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) have released a new series of bookmarks in the Create Change campaign, which targets scholars in different disciplines with messages about the benefits of wider research sharing. Librarians can use these freely available files to enhance their efforts to engage faculty interest in changing the way scholarly information is shared.

Exceptional Web sites for children
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is pleased to announce the Web sites added this spring to Great Web Sites for Kids, its online resource containing hundreds of links to commendable Web sites for children.

Great Web Sites for Kids (GWS) features links to valuable Web sites of interest to children, organized by subject headings such as animals; literature and languages; mathematics and computers; the arts; and history and biography. There is also a special section with sites of interest to parents, caregivers and teachers and an area devoted to sites in Spanish.

Even Publix wants me to buy A Wii

Publix.com recently posted an article on videogames becoming a way to exercise. A new term has even been coined “exergaming”. A leader in exergaming is the Nintendo Wii with its remote that can mimic things like a tennis racket or golf club, and its new Wii Fit program.

This ties in with the theme for this year's NEFLIN Annual Meeting Games People Play. When we get together for the meeting on September 12 we are going to have many games available, of both the board game and video game variety. Our speaker, Helene Blowers of Learning 2.0 fame, is also going to talk about gaming in the library and overall just how to have some fun during the workday. NEFLIN is also looking into purchasing gaming equipment, like the Wii, to add to our equipment loan program.

In the meantime I will show this article to my wife and discuss the benefits of exergaming. I’ll make sure to show her how small the Wii is, and how it would fit nicely into my Christmas stocking!

Sneak Peek at new WebJunction

On Monday I had the opportunity to take a sneak peek at the new WebJunction. I was surprised to realize that WebJunction has been around for 5 years!

For the next few months they'll be sharing information about the upcoming changes to WebJunction - it's going to be a new site with new features and better resources. Same great mission of helping libraries thrive but with new and improved tools. Some of the key changes -

• new logo - the signpost is being retired
• portlets
• new platform running off new technology
• portlets
• ability to connect using social tools (very facebook/myspace like)
• portlets
• new courses

I'll continue to post changes here but you can also keep up on all the latest by watching the update page, subscribing to WebJunction's newsletter Crossroads, reading BlogJunction, or meet ing up with WebJunction at ALA Annual 2008 in Anaheim this summer.

Watch for the Public Preview on Tuesday, July 1st at 2pm.

Don't forget to vote!

Vote in the Gale Books & Authors songwriting competition for the YouTube video that best portrays a love for a book or author in a unique, compelling or memorable way. (Base your choice, as Gale did, on creativity 25%; love for a favorite book or author 50%; overall appeal 25%). The winning entry takes home $5,000 to split with their favorite library.

After you vote, view all the Books & Authors songwriting entries and watch them belt out their abiding love for books and/or authors with original lyrics, using original or public domain music.

Deadline to vote is Friday, June 13th.

Looking for Outstanding Technology Innovators in Your Schools

You're doing great things with technology at school and T.H.E. Journal wants to know about them. T.H.E. Journal is seeking exemplary K-12 schools and districts, their visionary technology project leaders, and their innovative vendor partners who have deployed extraordinary technology solutions to school challenges. Could you be one of this year's recognized technology leaders? T.H.E. Journal's 2008 Innovators will be featured in the December issue. See who won in 2007.

Nominate your institution, technology project leader(s), and vendor partner(s)

Deadline to apply - Friday, August 29

Public Libraries and the National Voter Registration Act

Amy Johnson of the State Library & Archives of Florida reminds us that:

Public libraries are required to have voter registration forms available and offer assistance in filling out the forms. There is also a requirement to take completed voter registration forms from citizens. The completed forms are then forwarded to the local Supervisor of Elections’ office.

The Department of State, Division of Elections is holding workshops around the state about the National Voter Registration Act law, including Wednesday, June 25 in Jacksonville

For more information or to register, visit http://election.dos.state.fl.us/nvra/workshops.shtml.

Additional information about the national and state law is available at http://election.dos.state.fl.us.

FOLUSA and Paula Poundstone Form National Partnership To Raise Awareness About Library Friends

Emmy-award winning comedian Paula Poundstone has been named national spokesperson for Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA), a national organization which provides resources, services, and networking opportunities for Friends, Trustees, and library Foundations across the country to increase and enhance their efforts on behalf of libraries of all types. The "Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me!" panelist, mother of three, and author of There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say (Harmony Books, a division of Random House, with foreword by Mary Tyler Moore) will lend her name, voice, and humor to help Friends groups around the country promote themselves and their libraries.

"There I was in another unbalanced relationship," begins Emmy-award winning comedian Paula Poundstone in a new public service announcement, which can be see below and online at YouTube along with a 15 second version. Permission is granted for Friends of the Library groups to imbed these videos on their websites to promote the Friends to their local communities.

New Toys

Congrats to Bradford County Public Library, the first public library in Florida to purchase an ST200X microform reader/printer. It's got some cool features, it can digitally enhance the microfilm and print to pdf (save some trees). It's in her building, so contact Phalbe if you're interested in seeing how it works in a small library setting.

CLENE Events at ALA Annual in Anaheim

CLENE, the Continuing Library Education and Network Roundtable, has some wonderful events at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim this year including our annual Training Showcase and two great preconferences - one on Competencies and one on Staff Development.

CLENE events at ALA 2008!

Competencies Preconference

Friday, June 27, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, ACC 212A

Staff Development Preconference

Friday, June 27, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm , HIL Palisades

CLENE Training Showcase

Sunday, June 29, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm, HIL Calif. Pavillion B

CLENE Staff Development Group

Monday, June 30, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm, ACC 213 D

ACC = Anaheim Convention Center, HIL = Hilton Anaheim

I hope to see you there!

Work Faster and Smarter with MS Word

PC Magazine had a great article "Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About" that made my day. Great reading if you're always wishing you could do something else with Word.

Don't forget about NEFLIN's Quick Reference Guides. You can use them at your desk, make them available at your public computers and give them out in patron training. Contact patty@neflin.org to receive copies.

And there are still seats left in the Word 2007 Level 2 workshop in Gainesville next Tuesday, June 10th. Register now!

PowerSearch Works!

Back in May I blogged about how to increase usage of your Gale databases by adding a PowerSearch box to your webpage. I'm pleased to report that Ginny Bird at New River Public Library Cooperative tried it and has seen the usage in the three Coop libraries increase 30 times over the average use for the last seven months. They had just 62 searches in April and 1,917 in May.

Are there any other libraries out there who've tried it and want to brag about their success? Email stephanie@neflin.org

Don't know about the Gale databases? Visit the Florida Electronic Library!

FLA Unconference in August

Taking Positive Action in Difficult Times

Florida Library Association & Panhandle Library Access Network
Unconference in the Panhandle
Friday, August 8th in Niceville, FL

2008 Program Agenda

• How to Motivate and Get the Most Out of Your Staff with Dr. Jerry Osteryoung of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University
• Library Reorganization in the Face of Changing Realities with Roxanne Sellberg of Northwestern University
• Improving Library Process - With or Without Technology with Lisa Manners of Broward County Public Library
• Sources of Sustainable Funding with Dr. Jill Canono of the State Library and Archives of Florida

Register for the Unconference

• FLA and PLAN members - $35
  
• Non-members - $50
  

Summer Schedule Full of Online Classes

NEFLIN recognizes that it may not always be possible for our members to attend all the face to face training they would like to at our Orange Park headquarters or at other training locations throughout our 20 county region. We are striving to offer more virtual "On Your Desktop" opportunities that bring the training to you.
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LIVE ONLINE Classes

These LIVE ONLINE classes are delivered right to you and are viewed ON YOUR DESKTOP. Registrants will receive access instructions by email. Click here for Technical Requirements

Local Holdings Maintenance Basics

Tuesday - Wednesday, July 22-23, 2:00 - 4:00 pm OR

Tuesday - Wednesday, September 9-10, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon

It's time to update your skills! All OCLC Union Listing functionality has migrated to OCLC Local Holdings in the Connexion Browser. Just as OCLC Union Listing did in the past, OCLC Local Holdings helps you maintain accurate, current holdings information which supports interlibrary loan by providing your library's holdings for materials in any format, including serials. Maintaining current holdings information supports collection development, provides finding tools for local and remote users and supports consortial sharing, collection development and acquisitions! Learn how local holdings maintenance can work for you! Offered twice.

Metadata for Digitization and Preservation

Wednesday, July 30, 2:00 - 4:00 pm OR

Wednesday, September 17, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon

Metadata is a fundamental element of any digitization project. Designed for non-catalogers, this class focuses on using metadata to facilitate both access to and preservation of digital resources. Topics include Dublin Core metadata schema, the development of a preservation metadata model, and using XML to store metadata. Students leave the class with an understanding of these and the benefits of using metadata and XML together. Offered twice.

10 Interactive Information Literacy Teaching Strategies

Tuesday, August 5, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon OR

Thursday, September 18, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

These ten easy to implement and topic-specific teaching strategies will quickly increase the interactivity of your information literacy classroom and help build your confidence as you work toward more advanced hands on teaching strategies. Topics Include plagiarism, subject specific databases/controlled vocabulary/search terms, scholarly/peer reviewed vs. popular sources, and search engines vs. databases. Offered twice.

Changes Ahead with AACR2, RDA, FRBR

Thursday, August 7, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon

Resource Description and Access (RDA) will replace AACR2 in 2008 with a new set of guidelines and instructions for cataloging. RDA will cover description and access for both traditional and digital resources with a strong foundation based from the FRBR model. Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) will not only influence the rules of cataloging, but also impact the future online catalog design. This class will cover an overview of FRBR, a background and organization of RDA, current developments in RDA, RDA's relationship to FRBR, and the expected changes for libraries. In just two hours, you will be able to contribute to the ongoing information community discussions of these emerging directions and revisions.

Come to NEFLIN to attend this LIVE ONLINE class, then stay for
Cataloging Interest Group, Thursday, August 7, 1:00 - 4:00 pm

20 Questions: Science Resources

Tuesday, August 19, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Accurate answers to tough science questions can be difficult to find. Find out about 20 science information web pages librarians use to find answers to questions like

• “Where can I find ideas for my science fair project?”
• "Where can I find spectral data for organic compounds?”

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SLA Click U Webinar Replays

Register to watch these 90 minute webinar replays on your desktop. Access links will be emailed to you and are live for 30 days from initial webcast date. All SLA replays use WebEx software. Free for all NEFLIN members.

E-Libraries Part 1: Collection Planning

Learn about Web-based e-libraries in this introduction to collection planning. Every library has its unique level of complexity and level of resources for taking on such a project. However, once one is determined to build an e-library, collecting, evaluating and selecting Web-based information resources need not be more complex than the analogous activities involved in collecting print or other types of electronic information resources.

Virtual Trainer: Diane Kovacs, Kovacs Consulting
Dates: Available July 9 - August 6

E-Libraries Part 2: Collection Strategies, Organization and Maintenance

Organization plans are as critical a factor for e-library success as they are for physical libraries. Where will the collection be available and how will it be organized for retrieval by users? Maintenance is more than weeding, although weeding resources may be a significant factor to plan for. Collection maintenance planning will ensure that the e-library thrives and grows.

Virtual Trainer: Diane Kovacs, Kovacs Consulting
Dates: Available August 15 - September 12

Creating Indexes on Web Sites and Intranets

Browsable A-Z indexes, a format farmiliar to users from the back of books, can provide highly accurate retrieval. Index entries are hyperlinked to the desired text within a Web page or to an anchored point within the page. Participants will learn when and where an A-Z index is the best option for site searching, the basics of how to create a hyperlinked index, what software tools are available, and how to design and format an index.

Virtual Trainer: Heather Hedden, Hedden Information Management
Dates: Available September 5 - October 3

Babypalooza at the Fire Station

The Ward family had a wonderful time celebrating two birthdays this past weekend. Since both of my children have the same birthday (one year apart), we had what I referred to as “Babypalooza”. The Clay County Fire Department hosted our birthday party (at no charge) and did a great job. We had a tour of the local fire station, inside and out.

The two firemen who were on duty pulled a fire truck out into the parking lot and let us climb all over it. We got to ring the bell, turn on the siren, and play with Smokey the Firehouse Dog! Inside the fire station we saw where the guys work, play, and sleep.

Outside we banged around a fire truck piñata full of candy, played on the adjacent playground, and just had a great time.

Enjoy some photos on NEFLIN’s Flickr page

NEH Preservation and Access Grants

The Division of Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities will be accepting applications for grants in Humanities Collections and Resources. These grants support projects to preserve and create intellectual access to such collections as books, journals, manuscript and archival materials, maps, still and moving images, sound recordings, art, and objects of material culture. Awards also support the creation of reference materials, online resources, and research tools of major importance to the humanities.

• The application receipt deadline this year is July 31, 2008.
• Research and Development applications are being accepted and should be identified as such and submitted to the July 31 deadline for Humanities Collections and Resources.
• Projects proposing to unify, integrate, or aggregate humanities collections and resources are strongly encouraged.
• Long-term projects without a plan to sustain the resources created by the project may allocate up to $50,000 of their request for consultants’ fees or other costs associated with developing a sustainability plan.
  

The new guidelines, which include sample proposal narratives, can be found online. The application receipt deadline of July 31 is for projects beginning May 2009. All applications to NEH must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov; see guidelines for details.

Prospective applicants seeking further information are encouraged to contact the Division at 202-606-8570 or preservation@neh.gov. Program staff will read draft proposals submitted six weeks before the deadline. A list of the 2007 awards is available.

June Online Training Opportunities

Don't miss the great online training opportunities available on the NEFLIN schedule. And then there are all these free-to-the-world webinars you might try...

Athens Regional Library Outreach Success Story
Tuesday, June 10 from 1-2pm
Learn about the Pinewoods Library and Learning Center from guest speakers Kathryn Ames, Director of the Athens Regional Library System and Miguel Vicente, Manager of the Pinewoods Library and Learning Center. They will discuss the project design and implementation of this successful multi-year IMLS grant designed to improve the educational level of the immigrants, increase use of library and arts center facilities by the Mexican-American community; and provide opportunities for educational and cultural exchange. The project won the PLA's 2007 Highsmith Library Innovation Award.

Cultivating a Culture of Learning in the Library
Tuesday, June 10 from 2-3pm
How much time does your library spend on "training?" Statistics show that most learning takes place on the job or with a coworker, yet as trainers we spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for and delivering classroom training. In this webinar you will learn why you need to get your staff out of the classroom and instead focus on creating a culture of learning in your library. This session will explore:

• The differences between training and learning
• The benefits to libraries for creating a culture of learning
• The key elements of a learning organization
• Tips for creating a culture of learning in any size library

Presented by guest speaker Lori Reed, Training Specialist for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. Registration is NOT required for this event, but to receive a reminder via email, you may register below.

Beyond Web 2.0: Taking the social read-write Web to the enterprise level

Friday, June 13 at 11:00am

Over the last few years, libraries many libraries have eagerly embraced Web 2.0 technologies--blogs, wikis, and social engagement with patrons have become commonplace. This approach to the Web can no longer be considered new and cutting-edge. Change on the Web move along at a fast pace. It's time to consider what comes next. Breeding will give his view of how libraries can take Web 2.0 technologies to the next level and integrate them into their core automation infrastructure to better support their strategic missions. Today's Web 2.0 technologies have been implemented mostly through informal processes. As the Web 2.0-inspired technologies mature, they need to become more central to a library's strategic mission and become integrated into its fundamental infrastructure. Tune in for Marshall Breeding's view of life beyond Web 2.0.

Maintain IT Cookbook Webinars: Notes on Setting up Wireless at Your Library
Wednesday, June 18th from 2-2:30pm
Grab a comfy chair and participate in a 30-minute discussion where contributors to the Cookbooks share their insights, their secrets, and what you can do to get started with projects like theirs. Join Sharon Moreland from Tonganoxie Public Library (KS) and Liz Rea from the NE Kansas Library System (NEKLS) to learn about how they set up wireless in their libraries. This session will be fun, informative, and accessible: no complexities, just the basics on how you can set up wireless without being a super-techie or super-human. Take 30 minutes out of your day to learn from the experiences of others and get something started.

Blog Post of the Month!

May’s “Blog Post of the Month” comes from our first guest blogger. Kara McClurken of Solinet wrote about getting prepared as we enter into hurricane season.

We have a number of guest bloggers waiting in the wings and you will start to see their posts soon. We believe this will be a great addition to the NEFLIN blog by allowing you to hear from experts in various fields, reports from NEFLIN Interest Groups Meetings, and things of note from NEFLIN member library staff.

Congrats to Picturing American Recipients

Picturing America, is a new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities that puts masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide. Through this program, students and citizens will gain a deeper appreciation of our country’s history and character through the study and understanding of its art.

When displayed on the classroom and library walls, the noteworthy, high-quality images offer an innovative way to teach American history and culture. These images help students better understand America’s diverse people and places and connect them to our nation’s travails and triumphs.

Congratulations to the many NEFLIN libraries who received this collection -

• Levy County Public Library System (THANKS Bonnie for letting me know about this!)
• Suwannee River Regional Libraries
• Episcopal High School
• St. Johns Country Day School
• Schools in the Diocese of St. Augustine
  
• Schools in Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Marion, Putnam, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, and Union counties

If you'll be attending ALA the Project Directors from NEH are presenting a program on Saturday, June 28th - We the People Picturing America: Presenting Programs in Your School or Public Library in the Convention Center. The program will provide programming tips, new ideas and best practices and information for how to apply.

Applications for the second round of Picturing America to be shipped in 2009 will be accepted online beginning August 4, 2008, with a deadline of October 31, 2008. The images in the Picturing America collection will remain the same; eligible institutions which applied during the first round will receive their Picturing America awards in Fall 2008 and will not be eligible for a second award.