NEFLIN Office Closed for Thanksgiving

The NEFLIN Office will be closed on November 27 & 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will return on Monday, December 1st.


Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

The staff at NEFLIN

Search Alerts Help You Find Quality Information

One of the many things I learned at the Library 2.0 workshop taught by Anthony Shamoun was how to create a “Search Alert” for articles in the Florida Electronic Library (FEL). A Search Alert allows you to have articles on any topic e-mailed to you, or you can receive them through an RSS feed.

I have been interested in reading articles on “Library 2.0”, and not just from finding them randomly on the web. Why not have them sent to me?

So, I did a search on Library 2.0 from the FEL main page.

Then I clicked the “Create a Search Alert” link in the upper right hand corner of the page.

A window opened up and asked me for either my e-mail address (to send me future articles) or subscribe to this RSS feed (using an aggregator like Bloglines).

That’s it.

I tried both for a few weeks, and definitely like having the articles show up in Bloglines (just a personal preference). Try this out and let me know what you think.

How to Make the Most of Open Source

Open Source software has always been a concept that I understood but feel like I have lots of questions about. Yesterday I sat in on the Free and Open Source Software in Libraries program hosted by MaintainIT and was quite pleased with how much I learned. The content was pulled from the Free and Open-Source Software chapter in the newest cookbook, Planning for Success which is just chock full of information.

The discussion was led by Jean Montgomery, Network Administrator for the Upper Penisula Regional Library Cooperative in Michigan.

I was surprised at the number of things I use that are actually open source. Firefox, Java, Flash and ShockWave.... there's a big list at Free and Open-Source Software for Windows .

Open Source ideas from the presentation and sources mentioned during the program.

• Free and open-source software uses license agreement that allows you to view and modify the source code. More information on licensing agreements at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/licenses.html#GPL

PC MANAGEMENT:

• Powerline http://code.google.com/p/powerline/

INTEGRATED LIBRARY SYSTEMS:

• Northeast Kansas Library System KOHA catalog - NExpress http://catalog.nexpresslibrary.org/
• Sharon Moreland's Guest Blog entries http://www.maintainitproject.org/blog/sharon-moreland
• Butte Library KOHA catalog - http://catalogue.buttepubliclibrary.info/

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS/BLOGS/WEBSITES:

• Wordpress websites - My Kansas Library on the Web (statewide) http://www.mykansaslibrary.org/
• Wordpress website - Butte Library www.buttepubliclibrary.info
• edublog - Eastern Maine Community College blog http://emcclibrary.edublogs.org/
• Joomla http://www.joomla.org/
• Odiogo http://www.odiogo.com instantly does text-to-voice for blogs
• Ideafry http://ideafry.com

OPERATING SYSTEMS:

• MaintainIT Library Spotlight article,Marian Wynn using Ubuntu on public computers http://www.maintainitproject.org/spotlight/marian-wynn

ANTI-VIRUS:

• Clam-Win http://www.clamwin.com/
• AVG http://free.avg.com/ (only available for single computer use for home and non commercial use)
• Avast http://www.avast.com/

CONTENT FILTERING:

• OpenDNS http://www.opendns.com/
  
• FreeShield http://www.freeshield.com/
  
• KanGuard content filtering (statewide) http://skyways.lib.ks.us/KSL/libtech/kanguard/

OTHER:

• Flowgram http://www.flowgram.com
  
• CCleaner is a free download that does a really good job of cleaning cache, Temp, browsers, etc in one click http://www.ccleaner.com/
• code4lib discussion list http://www.code4lib.org/
• Library Success stories http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Open_Source_Software
• Open source for beginners http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/beginners.xml
• SourceForge http://sourceforge.net/

Congrats to the Distinguished Alumnus Among Us

Congratulations to Sol Hirsch, Director of Alachua County Library District. Sol recently received the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award from Florida State University College of Information.

Wrapped Like a Giant Christmas Present

The Union County Public Library is ready for Christmas. Mary Brown, Director of UCPL, states in their library blog that the new building under construction is now "wrapped up like a giant Christmas present".

You can follow the progress of their new library's construction from ground breaking to grand opening.

Looking good, Union County!

Information Literacy for Life

Another high quality College of DuPage program brought to us courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida. The panel brought together three librarians from very different institutions and backgrounds to explore how school librarians, public librarians, and academic librarians can collaborate to create comprehensive information literacy programs that span a user’s lifetime. They provided a foundation for starting a local dialogue based on national principles.

I especially liked the ideas they provided for how school and academic libraries can build relationships and the benefits to both organizations.

And near the end the suggestion to start with the smallest local organization rather then jumping right into the national organization. So you might consider connections within the NEFLIN region or looking to FLA for potential connections.

Don't miss the strong list of resources to supplement the discussion.

If you missed the program you can request the DVD or VHS from the MLL or you can request the replay information to watch it on your desktop at your convenience.

What I Miss About Reference

It's that never ending challenge. When I read things like the Swiss Army Librarian's Reference Question of the Week I remember what I loved about doing reference.

I've been reading his posts for a while but just recently read why he chose this title for his blog. I loved his reasoning for why and think it's an accurate description of what you all do -

If I had to summarize the job responsibilities of a librarian, “swiss army knife” comes pretty close. We’ve got to be ready to handle any request that comes along, from directing someone to the restroom to researching the propulsion physics behind the space shuttle. Not to mention check books in and out, shovel the walks, design websites, change light bulbs, give presentations, tactfully interact with unruly kids (and adults), balance million dollar budgets, and ensure that everyone has unmonitored access to whatever information or resources they need. Like a Swiss Army knife, librarians need to be ready with whatever tool is needed for the job at hand.

I can't say that I miss the unruly folks or changing light bulbs. But the hunt for information is always fun (maybe that's why I enjoy letterboxing?)

History Research Competition for Students

ABC-CLIO will Award More Than $60,000 in Cash & Prizes to Teams Researching Top 10 People, Events, Places Shaping History

ABC-CLIO has launched its annual research competition for secondary students at the National Council for the Social Studies 88th Annual Conference in Houston. The publisher will award more than $60,000 in cash and prizes for teams of secondary students working in collaboration with their social studies teachers and school library media specialists.

The topic for the inaugural competition is "Select the top 10 people, events or places that have shaped the course of history." Coached by their teacher and/or school library media specialist, student teams will identify their choices and then defend them and present their research findings to ABC-CLIO in an electronic format such as a slide show, online essay, video or animation, or an audio podcast.

Details and registration information can be found at www.abc-clio.com/historyuncovered .
Deadline to apply is March 30, 2009.

Courier Delivery Holiday Schedule

Going on vacation? So is your Courier Delivery driver!

Delivery will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 27, and Friday, Nov. 28.

Additionally, due to high fuel costs, Delivery will take a hiatus from Dec. 22, 2008 to Jan. 2, 2009. Ceasing Delivery for just two weeks will save the program thousands of dollars and will get their budget back on track.

This hiatus means that Delivery drivers will not pick up or deliver any orange bags from Dec. 22 through Jan. 2. They will resume our normal schedule on Monday, Jan. 5. These dates were chosen because it will cause the least amount of impact and inconvenience to participating libraries. Because of the holidays, those two weeks are Delivery’s slowest time of year and many libraries are closed.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (800) 622-8252 or deliver@tblc.org.

Online Training Opportunities

More and more really good content is available for free right on your desktop. Don't forget to check the NEFLIN workshop schedule for additional training as well as the LE@D courses available to NEFLIN members.

Challenging the Assumptions of Legacy Librarianship with Joan Frye Williams and George Needham
Wednesday, November 19 at 11am

Administration and Statistics in WorldCat Resource Sharing (Solinet Live Online)
Thursday, November 20 from 2-4pm - registration required

Evaluating and Implementing Web 2.0 Tools in Your Library (A MaintainIT Webinar)
Thursday, November 20 at 2pm

Information Literacy for Life (College of DuPage)
Friday, November 21 from 12-1:30pm - registration required

ALA Connections Salon: Political Connections with Guests from the ALA Washington Office
Friday, November 21 at 2pm

Free and Open Source Software in Libraries (A MaintainIT webinar)
Monday, November 24 at 2pm

PowerSearch (Gale Product Training)
Monday, December 1 at 1pm

Implement an Online Help Desk Using Event Tracker (A TechAtlas Webinar
Tuesday, December 2 at 2pm

Bite-size Digital History (A WebJunction Community Webinar)
Wednesday, December 3 at 11-11:30am

Town Hall: Focus on Tough Economic Times (A WebJunction Community Webinar)
Thursday, December 4 at 1pm

Gale Virtual Reference Library (Gale Product Preview)
Friday, December 5 at 11am

A Casual Conversation with John Budd, author of Self-Examination: The Present and Future of Librarianship
Friday, December 5 at 2pm

PowerSearch Plus & InfoTrac Collections (Gale Product Preview)
Friday, December 5 at 2pm

Libraries and the Bilingual Child: Understanding Issues of Language Acquisition (A WebJunction Spanish Outreach Webinar)
Monday, December 8 at 1pm

Health & Wellness Resource Center (Gale Product Training)
Monday, December 8 at 1pm

Laptop Labs: Creating, Maintaining, and Using Them (MaintainIT)
Tuesday, December 9 at 2pm

Top 10 Tips for Effective Application Training in the Virtual Classroom (A WebJunction Learning Webinar)
Wednesday, December 10 at 3pm

Using WorldCat on the Web: WorldCat.org (Solinet Live Online
Thursday, December 11 from 10-12n (registration required)

Learning for Learning Professionals: Competencies, Strategies and Resources (A WebJunction Learning Webinar co-sponsored by ALA's CLENERT)
Thursday, December 11 at 2pm

Web 2.0: MySpace? Yes!
Thursday, December 11 at 4:30pm

The Collaborative Mind: Tools for 21st Century Learning (SirsiDynix Institute)
Friday, December 12 at 11am

Town Hall: Focus on Tough Economic Times (A WebJunction Learning Webinar)
Friday, December 12 at 2pm

Town Hall: Focus on Tough Economic Times (A WebJunction Learning Webinar)
Thursday, December 18 at 2pm

Have you missed a program mentioned in a previous post? Can't make one of these live? Many are archived and can be viewed at your convenience.

• WebJunction Archive
• SirsiDynix Institute Archive

Want to host your own webinar? NEFLIN members can use NEFLIN Web Conferencing Software to host online programs and training. Learn more at a Web Conferencing Moderator Training Session.

Tinkering in the Techie Toybox

David Lee King just provided a presentation on this topic for the SirsiDynix Institute. The Techie Toybox or Technology Petting Zoo are fascinating ideas.

Check out this online presentation and links David provides. You can also see what is in his library's Techie Toybox.

More Poster Session Possibilities - ALA

The ALA Poster Session Committee is seeking proposals for the 2009 ALA Annual Poster Sessions at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL on July 11-13, 2009. Poster sessions are an effective forum for the exchange of information and a means to communicate ideas, research, and programs. Poster sessions may present a description of an innovative library program, an analysis of a practical problem-solving effort, or a report of a research study.

Deadline to apply is January 31st, 2009. (Notifications will be made by March 31, 2009.)
More information and the application are online.

Want to be more involved in the poster sessions? The ALA Poster Session Committee is currently seeking volunteers! Members are needed to shape the future of the poster sessions and participate in committee activities. Volunteers with leadership interest and potential are eagerly sought. If you are interested, please email Jody Fagan, faganjc@jmu.edu the following information:

• statement of interest: why are you interested?
• previous experience / participation in the ALA poster sessions and/or other organizational poster sessions
• your resume/ CV

Are You Teaching Web Safety?

New Federal Law Requires Schools to Teach Web Safety

Signed into law October 10 by President Bush, the Broadband Data Improvement Act (Public Law 110-385) requires schools receiving federal e-rate discounts on telecommunications services and internet access to educate their students “about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking sites and in chat rooms and cyberbullying awareness and response.”

Learn more...

Planning for Success - Library 2.0

I just listened to another great MaintainIT webinar - Web 2.0 Collaboration Tools and Libraries. If you're interested in learning more about how libraries are integrating 2.0 tools into their services, this is the program for you. The program is facilitated by Lori Reed the Employee Learning & Enrichment Coordinator for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County in North Carolina and includes several guests talking about their experiences with Web 2.0 in their library.

There's a follow up scheduled for Thursday, November 20th at 2pm - Evaluating and Implementing Web 2.0 Tools in Your Library.

More information can be found in newest Maintain IT cookbook - Planning for Success. Take a look at the chapter on Innovation. The cookbook is available as a free download.

And if you're interested in Web 2.0 tools be sure to watch for the launch of 23 Things @ NEFLIN in January 2009. This program will give you an opportunity to explore many 2.0 tools.

Poster Session Proposals Sought

This is your opportunity to share information about current projects, programs, research studies, trending, and just about anything you can think of. The Florida Library Association Continuing Education Committee is seeking poster session proposals for the 2009 FLA Annual Conference to be held in Orlando May 5-8.

More details are available online.
Deadline for submitting an application is February 20, 2009. All applicants will be notified by March 6, 2009.

Poster sessions are sponsored by the Continuing Education Committee of the Florida Library Association. Questions should be directed to Kurt Van Atta, Chair of the FLA Continuing Education Committee.

Book Cart Drill Team on Parade

Mark your calendars so you don't miss the Suwannee River Rollers when they perform during the 24th Annual Christmas on the Square Lighted Nighttime Parade in Live Oak.

Saturday, December 6
Parade starts at 6pm but I hear you can go early and enjoy the arts and craft show and other entertainment.

Curious about book cart drill teams? Watch for the Winter Workshop Schedule - there's a workshop that might interest you.

Link Love goes Pop

I had a number of Pop Culture related items filling my inbox, so I am going to consider this a Pop Culture edition of Link Love.

I finally finished up "Pop Goes the Library" by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns. Really, really good stuff. I would be glad to loan this to any member if you are interested. The authors were nice enough to also put up a wiki that provides links to the resources listed in their book.

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"MySpace Yes!: Depending on your customers, you might find that MySpace is a better fit than Facebook." Check out this upcoming webinar provided by OPAL in December.

This is just another example of a program that your library could do for your patrons. If you haven't talked to us about using NEFLIN's Web Conferencing service, powered by OPAL, now is the time.

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How about doing some Window Shopping at Amazon.com?

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Variety reports that Meryl Streep is purring over the Vicki Myron book "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World". Streep intends to play the author, who works at the library and observed the impact that a kitten had on the townsfolk once it became the library mascot after wandering in through the after-hours book return slot on a cold night.

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For those who love music videos...prepare to waste your day. MTV has launched a new site that has over 20,000 videos. You can find artists that you didn't even know made a video of a favorite song.

I had to watch a bunch including Christopher Walken and Jamiroquai.

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...and finally, Noah Wyle has reprised his role as "The Librarian" for a new movie to air Sunday, December 7, on TNT.

While I give the first Librarian movie a solid 4 out of 5 stars, the second one left me less thrilled with about 2 out of 5. Here's hoping for a return to the fun and adventure of the original!

Digital Bookmobile at ACLD

This past weekend (November 8 & 9) the City of Gainesville hosted the Annual Downtown Art Festival. This is a lively festival where artists from all over the state, musicians, dancers and even circus acts gather to celebrate and have a good time.

This year Alachua County Library District heard that Overdrive was sending a Digital Bookmobile on tour around the country and ACLD signed up to be part of the fun. Overdrive liked the idea of coming in November when the weather would be cooler in Florida and the Downtown Art Festival was the perfect occasion. The Digital Bookmobile is an enormous vehicle with lots of high tech features inside. It parked across the street from the Headquarters’ library downtown on the perimeter of all the festivities. As people were walking to and from the festival, library staff would hand them an ACLD Frisbee or other promotional material and encourage them to take a tour on the Digital Bookmobile. Patrons were really excited to learn about the new technology, especially to learn that downloads are free with a library card. ACLD had over 30 people sign up for library cards on Sunday alone and according to the Overdrive staff, over 350 visitors touring the bus on Saturday and Sunday. Staff had fun mingling with patrons, watching the circus acts, listening to music, eating delicious festival food and we all had fun seeing some of the popular MP3 and reader products in action such as Sony Reader, Zune and Creative Zen X-fi. ACLD had a terrific and successful visit with the Overdrive Digital Bookmobile and expect to see a lot more Overdrive downloads in the near future.

ILL Taskforce Forming

The Florida Library Delivery service is looking for members of the Florida Interlibrary Loan community to join a taskforce to help modernize the statewide Delivery system.

Applicants should have first-hand knowledge of Interlibrary Loan within their library, the statewide Delivery system and other methods of delivery. Applicants should bring an open mind and be available to meet virtually several times in the upcoming months.

To apply, please complete the application. Applications will be accepted until December 5, 2008. For more information contact

• Diana Sachs-Silveira
• Virtual Reference Manager
• Tampa Bay Library Consortium
• 813.622.8252 ext 234
• sachsd@tblc.org
• www.askalibrarian.org

Webinar - Resurrecting Reference

There's no denying that changes in technology, information availability, and the deference paid (or not!) to experts have changed the face of reference forever. That's a good thing!

Through this InfoPeople archived webinar, listen to virtual trainers George Needham and Joan Frye Williams (pictured) share their provocative views of the role of the reference librarian in today's world, along with examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly in the library community's ongoing effort to reestablish reference as a high-value service. It will be a lively commentary on reference trends and innovations that may get you rethinking, reorganizing, and redeploying reference assets in your library for improved results.

No Registration needed.

Go to http://www.infopeople.org/training/webcasts/webcast_data/290/index.html

and click on the Archived Webinar button to access.

Volunteers Bring Value - Evaluating Your Volunteer Program

Libraries have historically used volunteers to enhance services and free up staff to provide more complex work. This session will provide tools staff can use to evaluate their volunteer program or start a new program. Participants will explore roles of paid staff as well as strategies to recruit and “employ” volunteers. Other topics to be covered include orientation, supervision, documentation and recognition.

Trainer: Sandy Newell, Library Liaison, State Library & Archives of Florida
Date: Thursday, December 11
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Location: NEFLIN
Free for all

Register today at http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,d10795bf-77f6-4d1d-98fd-628b31747295

Volunteers Bring Value - Selling Your Library

A healthy volunteer program brings more impact that simply having extra sets of hands. When volunteers are recruited, matched, rewarded and educated, they can be a library’s cheerleaders. This session will cover the importance of making the best use of volunteers so that they can tell the library’s story to their friends, neighbors and, most importantly, to community leaders. Find out how well-trained and motivated volunteers can promote the library and impact funding.

Trainer: Sandy Newell, Library Liaison, State Library & Archives of Florida
Date: Thursday, December 11
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: NEFLIN
Free for all

Register today at http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,32f2b542-5c53-4861-a6f7-0414c592f3c9

Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library

Current research shows that children who learn six critical pre-reading skills before they start kindergarten become better readers. Children who do not know these skills when they come to school have a much more difficult time learning to read. This train-the-trainer workshop will provide participants with:

• An overview of current early literacy research and its applicability to library services for families and caregivers of young children.
• An overview of three early literacy workshops designed to help parents/caregivers of Early Talkers (Newborn to 2-Year-Olds), Talkers (2- and 3-Year-Olds), and Pre-Readers (4- and 5-Year-Olds).
• Examples of the development of the six early literacy skills for children birth to 5 years.
• Hands-on practice with parts of the Talkers and Pre-Readers workshops.
• The skills and knowledge to conduct Every Child Read @ Your Library workshops for parents and caregivers in your libraries or as part of outreach efforts.
• Ideas on using the workshops to start new partnerships and to strengthen existing ones.

Can’t wait? Check out the Every Child Ready to Read wiki.

Trainer: Susan Bard, Early Literacy Consultant
Date: Monday, December 15
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: NEFLIN in Orange Park

Register today

Unleash Your Creativity!

Unleash Your Creativity and Improve Your Impact:
Quick and Easy Ideas for Promoting Your Library on a Shoestring

Do you have lots of old books sitting cozily on your shelves? Would you like to see some new faces in your weekly programs? Add some zip to your in-house publicity with a few minor tweaks and turns of your hands. We will show some very simple, low-cost, stress-free ways in which to advertise library services within your library. No PR experience needed - just an open and creative mind with a “can do” attitude. “Bizarre” ideas are good, too!

We would like to encourage everyone to share their own ideas - the successes AND the misses, so please bring ideas and samples—hard copy or electronic file—to share.

Trainers: Domina Daughtrey and Lee Schwartz, Marion County Public Library
Date: Wednesday, December 10
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Bradford County Public Library, Starke

Register today at http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,32f2b542-5c53-4861-a6f7-0414c592f3c9

Records Management Update Workshop

This class will provide an overview of laws and regulations regarding the identification, maintenance, access, retention and disposition of public records. The following topics will be covered:

Public Records Law and Libraries’ Legal Responsibilities

• Overview of Florida’s Public Records Law
• Issues related to access and maintenance of public records
• Tools to develop a public records policy
• Compliance with public records laws and regulations

The Life Cycle of Records

• Basics of Records Management
• Records inventory methods
• Identifying relevant general schedules and records series
• Determining retention and disposition requirements
• Changes in records retention requirements related to new GS1-SL General Record Schedule for State and Local Government Agencies

Question and Answer Session

Trainer: Tim Few, State Library & Archives of Florida
Date: Tuesday, December 9
Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 noon
Location: NEFLIN in Orange Park

Cost:
NEFLIN Enhanced Members: Free
NEFLIN Full Members: $25
Non-Members: $50
Students: $25

Register for Records Management Update at http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,45429215-ae1f-4890-9867-ba7a2dbc8f30

Email Records Management Workshop

This class will provide an overview of laws and regulations pertaining to Florida’s Public Records Law and the management of e-mail.

Overview of Florida’s Public Records Law
Overview of Records Inventory, Retention and Disposition
E-mail Management

• How to determine if e-mail is a public record
• How to determine the appropriate retention requirements for e-mail
• How to manage and file e-mail properly
• How to create an e-mail policy

E-mail Uses and Misuses
Question and Answer Session

Trainer: Tim Few, State Library & Archives of Florida
Date: Tuesday, December 9
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Location: NEFLIN in Orange Park

Cost:
NEFLIN Enhanced Members: Free
NEFLIN Full Members: $25
Non-Members: $50
Students: $25

Register for Email Records Management at http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,2955e94e-e1c3-477c-8989-06fd9098fef8

Gaming in Our Libraries

I love it when we get it right. And I firmly believe that our small investment in gaming equipment was a good decision. The equipment is hardly ever in the office (it's literally moving from one member to the next without coming back to Orange Park) and I've heard wonderful stories about successful activities in your libraries.

Most recently Union County Public Library borrowed the entire set of equipment (Wii, Xbox, projector screens and LCD projectors) to host the Junior Friends of the Library's Library Arcade. They had 40 people attending, including some who were new to the library. If you've ever been out to Union County, you might be wondering, where did they put 40 people PLUS all the game stuff? Mary said they made it work and from the photos, it seems like they had a great time.

There is still one seat left in the Get Into the Game workshop on Friday, November 14th when you can learn how to run a successful event and see the equipment in action at Lake City Community College's gaming event. And Saturday, November 15 is National Gaming Day @ Your Library and the equipment will move on to Bradford County Public Library for their festivities. We would love to hear how your library celebrates National Gaming Day.

Rethinking E-Rate

I know many of you attended the E-Rate training last week. I wonder how many of you are thinking - is this really worth it? I've never had to complete the paperwork but I do frequently hear from those of you who are challenged by the forms, the timeline, and all the requirements.

There's an interesting article on ilovelibraries.org (an ALA publication) about the "pros and cons of why libraries should be tapping the largest available pot of federal dollars." The article is written by Carrie Lowe, director of the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy Program on Networks.

I had no idea that the e-rate provided at least $2.25 billion in federal funds for libraries, as compared to the $220 million from LSTA. If you want to learn more about e-rate, I encourage you to take a read.

Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming

Attention School Librarians

Your humanities programs from the 2007-2008 school year are eligible for the 2009 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming. Awarded annually, the Sara Jaffarian Award recognizes a school library or media center serving children K-8 that conducted an excellent humanities program during the prior school year. The selected program will receive a $4,000 cash award; a plaque; and the promotion of the winner as a model program for other school libraries.

Sponsored by the American Library Association Cultural Communities Fund and the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Association of School Librarians.

Learn more about the award, and past winners as well as how to apply.

Reverse the Ratchet

Basic Technology Adoption Strategies for Library Workers

A great program offered by the College of DuPage today. If you missed the program you can request the link to the recording or the DVD or videotape.

Steven Bell shared ideas for gaining control over library technology with ways to identify, adopt and leverage the technologies that make sense for staff and that create a better experience for library users. He talked about how having the right attitude can help staff develop a strategy for keeping pace with technology. His Five Step Plan for Technology Adoption works right into NEFLIN's plan to launch the 23 Things @ NEFLIN program in January.

1. Encourage Play and Experimentation
2. Identify Compassionate Pioneers
• We're looking for pioneers who are interested in sharing their knowledge. Contact Stephanie.
  
3. Adopt Reverse Mentoring
• Your colleagues will be looking for mentors as they begin the 23 Things program. Be available.
  
4. Get Blended
5. Create a Safe Environment for Change
• We hope that all our members will join us in January for this safe opportunity to learn about new technologies and how they can be implemented in your library.
  

Steven Bell provides a GREAT list of resources.

The College of DuPage programs are made available to all Florida library staff by an LSTA grant from the State Library & Archives. The next program is Information Literacy for Life on Friday, November 21, 2008 at noon.

Blog Post of the Month

The October "Blog Post of the Month" still makes me smile!

From October 17, 2008:

Helene Blowers posted recently about "Family Portrait Day" at the library. For a low cost you can have a wonderful day of taking photos of your patrons and highlight their love of reading.

Here is the original post, plus a link to the photo set on Flickr. Try not to smile while looking at these pictures. It can't be done!

Library 2.0 Workshop at NEFLIN

I got to spend a wonderful morning this week with trainer, Anthony Shamoun, and 17 NEFLIN members as we participated in a workshop, “Putting Library 2.0 to Work in Your Library”.

Here are a few thoughts and a link to Anthony’s Powerpoint presentation:

• The number of text messages sent and received every day exceeds the population of the planet
• Google now indexes one Trillion web pages
• College students say if it doesn’t exist online, it doesn’t exist
• You get the picture…

Anthony did a great job of both explaining the 2.0 technologies and how to use them in your day-to-day work at the library. Spend some time looking at the presentation he gave and the many great examples of how libraries are using these new technologies in a meaningful way.

We still has one more of these workshops coming up on December 4th in Ocala. Register today!

Library Technologies Interest Group

The Library Technologies Interest Group continues to discuss technology topics including online tutorials and webinars for staff and patron training, and this month we will meet virtually using NEFLIN’s Web Conferencing (you will be sent access information). Join us for this ongoing discussion of the latest developments in library technologies.

Date: Monday, November 10
Time: 10:00 - 12:00 noon
Location: On Your DESKTOP via NEFLIN Web Conferencing

Register Today

Max heads to Round Two!

This adorable pet belongs to none other than NEFLIN's Administrative Assistant, Jeannie Owens.

Max has made it to Round Two of Pet Idol.

This contest is sponsored by the Florida Times-Union and raises money for the
Newspaper in Education Literacy Program.


We're rooting for you Max!

Twelve Tips for the One-Person Library

This SLA Webinar Replay is available to view anytime through December 2. Register today to receive access information.

Twelve Tips for the One-Person Library

In a one-person library or information service organization, there never seems to be enough time to do the administrative - never mind the professional - work. In this webinar replay, you will find ways to manage your information service, your time, your customers, and your boss, using a few business management and marketing principles. We will introduce practical tips that form a framework for decision making to help you:

• Manage your portfolio of services, knowing which ones to advance, which to phase out, and which to introduce for long-term growth
• Spend more time on the critical projects and say "no" to the low-priority demands
• Promote your service to clients and management without great expenditures of time and resources.
• Cultivate relationships with the "influencers" in the organization;
• Talk and think in business terms.

This webinar replay is designed for librarians and information professionals who are working in very small libraries or on their own as independent contractors.
Virtual Trainer: Maggie Weaver, Click U Live Presenter

Register today

StoryCorps - Recording North Florida's Stories

One of the best things about a roadtrip is getting to see all the neat things libraries are doing. I arrived at the Alachua County Library District Headquarters this afternoon to unload for Thursday's Leadership Institute session and there was a travel trailer parked in their lot. Turns out it's the StoryCorps Mobile Booth and it's in Gainesville until November 15th recording personal stories.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project, in partnership with NPR and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, “whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening,” according to its Web site. Since its launch in October 2003, StoryCorps’ mobile and stationary recording studios have collected more than 20,000 interviews, making it one of the largest oral history projects of its kind.

A trained facilitator handles the technical aspects of the recording, but when needed, will guide the people through the interview process by suggesting follow-up questions. The sessions last for 40 minutes. Once the conversation is recorded, participants receive a free, broadcast-quality CD of their interview to take home and share. A second copy is archived for future generations at the Library of Congress.

Presenting with Panache

I read a great post on BlogJunction today. Nine ideas for "avoiding podium panic." I completely agree with #4 - The AV guy is your new BFF. #7 - Alternative tools can be nutty fun just cracked me up.

Take a look at Tim's list and then share your tricks for getting through a presentation.

Florida Election Results

A good site to find election results for local and state of Florida races is the Florida Division of Election's website.

I found a hodgepodge of info early this morning before I remembered this site had everything in one place.

Super Tuesday

Yesterday was Super Tuesday - the 5th year of the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute began at the Palmetto Branch Library in Manatee County. The twenty participants and their mentors gathered to discover what they can expect learn throughout the next ten months.

Attending the first session of the Institute is fun for me because I get to meet the participants and mentors but also get to see a new library. The Palmetto Branch is the newest of Manatee County's libraries and is a green building. It was quite interesting to learn what they had done. In expanding a building that was built in the early 1960s they added a beautiful grand entry way, a children's space and a wonderful meeting room. They tile was all made from recycled glass, they're used low emission (odorless) paint, the lights in some spaces are on motion sensors so if no one is in the room they turn off. They've won awards for their Florida friendly landscaping.

Tomorrow we'll gather at the Alachua County Library District Headquarters with another twenty-one participants and their mentors.

Participants in the program will meet monthly through July for sessions led by Jill Canono, DeEtta Jones and Pat Wagner. Throughout the program they'll work with their mentors to develop and complete a leadership project. They'll finish up the year with a celebration in Tallahassee.

If you're interested in participating in the program next year watch the blog for information about application process which should be available in Spring 2009.

SLA Podcasts and Presentations

The Special Library Association (SLA) has made podcasts from more then 20 presentations and handouts from an addition 30 presentations from their 2008 Conference available online. Topics include ethical competitive intelligence, updates from the bibliographic control and future of librarians in the workforce research groups, Web 2.0, and so much more. It's an amazing amount of content.

View the list of podcasts
View handouts

Virtual Poster Sessions

ALA members have an opportunity to communicate their success stories through an association-wide virtual poster session, part of President Jim Rettig's initiatives. THe first of two poster sessions will debut this fall, with a focus of "Community Central."

Members are asked to share their experiences of makng libraries vital in individual communities and to demonstrate the specific purpose of the community involvement and the ways that has been achieved.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Nov. 15. Approximately 25 submissions will be selected and will be available for viewing during January 2009. Please send the proposals via e-mail to Dr. John M. Budd at BuddJ@missouri.edu.

More details online.

Vote for a Chance to Win Books!

Just in time for the Presidential election, teachers can help students understand the election process with help from Gale. galeschools.com is hosting Monster Vote 2008 with a chance for your class to win a set of Monsters books from KidHaven Press.

Frankenstein, Godzilla and Mermaid want your class’ vote as top monster! Watch the monsters exclusive debate and get into the election action! Poll your class and cast a vote by Nov. 15, 2008 for top monster at www.galeschools.com/monstersvote. Results will appear in the December issues of Gale’s K-12 e-newsletters It’s Galementary and CurricuLinks!

As a bonus, one lucky class will be drawn at random to receive a set of Monsters books from KidHaven Press! Free Monster campaign materials are available on the Monster Vote 2008 Web site.

Happy Birthday NEFLIN Blog!

The Blah, Blah, Blah Blog turns one today, and my how it has grown!

We had almost 10,000 visits to the blog during the past year. The activity has been increasing each month. We posted 330 articles, of which 73 were about what is happening in our member libraries.

The blog provides timely information on a multitude of topics and features posts by NEFLIN staff and Guest Bloggers who provide the "experts" voice. Using the blog has allowed NEFLIN to go "green". The blog has replaced printed announcements and newsletters at a savings of over $2,000.

If you can't remember to visit the blog regularly, you can receive the blog posts by e-mail. Send us your e-mail address and we will sign you up for this service.

Leave a comment and wish the blog a happy birthday, let us know what content you have liked, or what other things we can blog about.