Cleaning house...

I haven't cleaned out my 'to blog' folder for quite some time and it's full and overflowing with things I find interesting....

The Desk and Beyond - ACRL Podcast - College & Research Libraries News editor-in-chief David Free talks with Sarah Steiner and Leslie Madden of Georgia State University, editors of the ACRL publication The Desk and Beyond: Next Generation Reference Services. They are joined by chapter authors Meredith Farkas of Norwich University, Ross LaBaugh of California State University - Fresno, and Jerilyn Veldof of the University of Minnesota to discuss the book along with current and future trends in reference services.

Launched in 2005, the Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a reading and discussion program designed to reach underserved, troubled teen populations through books that are relevant to their lives. The American Library Association Public Programs Office and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are now accepting applications for the latest round of Great Stories CLUB grants. All types of libraries (public, school, academic and special) with facilities serving troubled teens are eligible to apply for a Great Stories Club grant. Electronic applications will be accepted through Nov. 14 at http://www.ala.org/greatstories.

Public Computers and 2.0 Tools: How to foster a social computing environment - a 30-minute free MaintainIT webinar on Wednesday, September 17 at 2pm EST. Robin Hastings of Missouri River Regional Library will share the steps her library has taken to foster a 2.0 friendly environment at their library, both for staff and library users. Register in WebJunction's Wimba space

On November 15, 2008, libraries across the country will participate in the largest, simultaneous national video game tournament ever held! Kids will be able to compete against players at other libraries and see their scores in real-time online while playing at their local library.

But gaming in libraries isn’t just about video games. Hasbro is donating a copy of its game Pictureka to every participating library so that we can set a record for the most number of people playing a board game at once!

Why Public Libraries Close - a report on a nationwide study on the impact of public library closures and facility location is now available on WebJunction. Staff interviews and demographics analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) inform impacts on library users and potential markets. Conducted by Christie Koontz at Florida State University and sponsored by OCLC.