NEFLIN Blog goes on Holiday

Well another year is coming to a close, and the NEFLIN Blog is going on Holiday. We will be back in 2010 with more great content.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Brad and Patty

20 Questions: Ready Reference - New Class Added

A second Live Online class of "20 Questions: Ready Reference" has been scheduled for Tuesday, January 19 from 10 am - 12 noon.

Register now to get a seat in this popular online class.

LE@D - Self Paced Classes

Do you need training that's convenient for your schedule? Do you have an area of interest that you'd love to know more about?

NEFLIN offers LE@D - Lifelong Education @ Desktop - online continuing education courses through the University of North Texas. These high-quality, Internet-delivered, on demand, self paced CE courses provide on your desktop professional development opportunities to librarians and library staff and they're FREE as part of your NEFLIN membership.

This week's featured course:

Reaching Reluctant Readers

The term reluctant reader refers to young people who can read with some independence, but choose not to. Reluctant readers do not select books from the library easily. They may start many books, but rarely, if ever, finish one. They are not engaged with reading, they do not choose it as a leisure time activity, and they try to avoid it when it is expected of them in school or at home. There are a variety of reasons these students have a negative attitude towards reading and with some form of motivation it is possible to get the student to re-engage with the process of reading. After this tutorial, you will be able to:

• Recognize reluctant readers
• Enhance the library environment so that it welcomes the reluctant reader
• Design programs that engage the reluctant reader, or those who may become reluctant readers
• Design programs that tap teachers' knowledge about reluctant readers
• Know resources that appeal to reluctant readers and professional resources that will offer further suggestions

See the entire list of LE@D courses and instructions on how to register.

Virtual Training Opportunities in January

Staff Development Interest Group

Tuesday, January 12, 10:00 am - 11:30 pm via NEFLIN's Web Conferencing Service

The Staff Development Interest Group welcomes Library Consultant Pat Wagner for an online presentation and discussion on developing and promoting e-learning opportunities with your library staff. Included will be strategies for promoting online learning as a way to provide inexpensive, quality and convenient library workplace training programs. Topics for discussion include:

• How to make online education work on a limited budget
• The advantages of online education
• Upgrading paraprofessional and part-timers’ skills
• What are the pitfalls, and how to avoid them
• Self-directed learning: why even solo librarians need partners

Virtual Facilitator: Pat Wagner, Pattern Research

Stressed Out: Short Term Coping Strategies

Thursday, January 14, 10:00 - 11:00 am via NEFLIN's Web Conferencing Service

Stress Management is the ability to maintain control when situations, people, and events make excessive demands. The key to being able to manage your stress is to incorporate short-term strategies into your daily life that will work for you. This webinar gives you techniques to help you manage your stress and includes more than 10 strategies and things you can do to help you stay focused and in control in your moments of stress at work and at home.

Virtual Trainer: Andrew Sanderbeck, People~Connect Institute

Stressed Out: Long Term Coping Strategies

Thursday, January 14, 2:00 - 3:00 pm via NEFLIN's Web Conferencing Service

Long-term stress management requires commitment. You will need time, discipline and will power to succeed; and it comes with a health warning - it may change you for good, into a better, more confident person with a new outlook on life. This webinar gives participants 7 different long-term strategies for dealing with stress and the benefits of using each strategy. Stress isn’t going to go away from our lives so learn long-term strategies to help your reactions to it.

Virtual Trainer: Andrew Sanderbeck, People~Connect Institute

20 Questions: Ready Reference

Thursday, January 21, 2:00 - 4:00 pm from Lyrasis

Library users want information fast! This two-hour online class explores 20 of the most commonly used ready-reference web pages where librarians can find answers to questions like, “Where can I get dry ice in Atlanta?” and who said, “The short words are best, and the old words are the best of all”? Students will then have the opportunity to explore ready-reference resources further in an after-class exercise. This class is full. Watch for a second class to be added to the schedule.

Virtual Trainer: Russell Palmer, Lyrasis

E-Government Interest Group

Friday, January 22, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon via NEFLIN's Web Conferencing Service

Everyone's busy helping patrons using E-Government resources. What's your most common request or challenge? Do you have favorite resources you depend on? Did you finally find that form that everyone is looking for? At this online Interest Group meeting we'll share ideas, tips and best practices for dealing with the typical and the increasingly more challenging E-Government requests. Each Public Library's liaison from the NEFLIN E-Government Grant training should plan to attend.

Personal Library Tools for Librarians

Tuesday, January 26, 10:00 - 11:30 am via NEFLIN's Web Conferencing Service

Librarians are born organizers and sometimes we wish we had some of the tools we use at work to help us organize our home collections. Services like LibraryThing and so many others have filled this need for people all over the world - librarians included. This workshop will introduce attendees to the personal cataloging tools that they can then use to help them track and organize their personal media items.

Virtual Trainer: Nicole Engard

Link Love - Holiday Edition

Happy Holiday! Happy Holiday! While the merry bells keep ringing, may your every wish come true. (Shouldn't everyone have the Andy Williams Christmas CD?).

Still looking for something for that special someone. If that person is a geek, then jump over to GeekDad and check out their lengthy holiday gift guide.

How about the Top 5 YouTube Videos of the Year?

What to see at the movies over the Holidays? Most of the American Film Institute's Top 10 Movies of the Year are still in theaters or on DVD:

• Coraline
• The Hangover
• The Hurt Locker
• The Messenger
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
• A Serious Man
• A Single Man
• Sugar
• Up
• Up in the Air

A look back at 2009 through the searches done on Google.

Some things I'm looking forward to in 2010:

• World Peace (always makes the list)
• A good book or two (lots of misses this year and few hits)
  
• Iron Man 2 (just watched the first on DVD this week)
  
• My kids going to pre-school (my how they have grown)
• A new computer (this one is starting to creak and groan)
  
• The Winter Olympics (not really. I'm from Florida after all.)
• The final Season of "Lost" (makes me happy and sad)
  

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Brad

David Lee King Workshops

I had the pleasure of attending two workshops last week at NEFLIN, led by David.

Emerging Trends, 2.0 & Libraries

Fishing in the Rivers of Change...while Wearing Your Hip Boots

A few thoughts...

"Where do you invest your time with these new 2.0 technologies?" (No easy answer, but that was kinda the point of the morning class...to figure this out for yourself)

Web 2.0 = Community (Communication, Conversation, Participation)

Church 2.0 (when your church has a blog, twitter account, Facebook page)

Picnik (great site for photo editing)

2.0 things David did while traveling to NEFLIN: Took photos of his trip to the airport (blizzard!) and uploaded to YouTube. Checked the weather and airline status. Upload photos from recent trip to Flickr. Posted to his Blog. Read and responded to e-mail. Check in on Twitter and Facebook accounts. Read news via RSS Feed. Got more flight updates. Did all this via his iPhone. Whew!

Encourage Blogs by staff as part of your library website. See examples at David's library. This has been a big hit for them. They have hundreds who follow the staff blogs by RSS or just checking in periodically. Another example: 10 people attend a monthly book club discussion. 200 people read the Book Club Discussion blog and comment on it.

Twitter = Transparency. Hypothetical. The mayor asks the community to name the new library. After months of surveying it is a surprise to the community that the mayor lets his dog name the library (The Really Rood Ribrary).
By using a 2.0 tool like Twitter the process of surveying becomes "transparent" and you could have seen what all the responses were and what was really the favorite choice for the new library's name.

Change. "Stop putting out food for the dinosaur, he won't be stopping by".

"The transition causes grief, not the change itself"

"If they came today and took away all the books, would you still be a library?" To me this was the most interesting discussion of the day.

Book Cart Drill Team

Sherry Millington of the Suwannee Book Cart Drill Team passed on this announcement. Prizes for the winning teams! Contact Sherry for more information.

---------------------------------------------

Florida Library Association
2010 Book Cart Drill Team Competition

April 8, 2010 * 10:30AM

Rosen Plaza Hotel
Orlando, Florida

1st Prize $250 DEMCO Gift Certificate
2nd Prize $150 DEMCO Gift Certificate
3rd Prize $100 DEMCO Gift Certificate
Trophies awarded for:
Best Costumes; Best Decorated Carts and WOW Factor

The Annual FLA Book Cart Drill Team Competition is less than a year away. The competition will be held during the 2010 FLA Conference in Orlando, Florida. If you don't know what to expect at a Book Cart Drill Team event check out this video from the 2008 FLA Conference. There are also many other videos under the search term “book cart drill team” available at www.youtube.com/. If you are interested in participating be sure to read the Team Rules and Guidelines and complete an application. Both are available by clicking here

Drill Team members who are not attending any sessions,

exhibits or events other than the competition,

will not be charged conference registration fees.

FLA Bookmark Contest

Contest Rules and Entry Form

On-Site Technology Workshops with Mickey Boyd

As part of an LSTA grant project funded by the State Library & Archives of Florida, NEFLIN is providing full day on-site workshops led by popular trainer Mickey Boyd to our members in 2010.

Each class is 9:30 am - 4:00 pm and is free to NEFLIN members. Two topics are offered over many dates and locations throughout the NEFLIN region.

Collaborative Technologies in Libraries

Collaborative web technologies are changing the way people interact with information, and each other. This workshop will demonstrate and explain these new technologies, and will illustrate why they are so significant to the future of libraries. Indeed, the entire profession of librarianship is changing rapidly due to these and other Internet technologies. It is critically important for librarians to understand what is happening now, and what is coming in the near future. With ever-increasing pressure to do more with less, libraries must learn to leverage the popularity of collaborative and participatory technologies. It is fortunate that most of these technologies are open source and free. The challenge is to sculpt something useful and sustainable from these excellent resources. This workshop is about integrating new technologies into traditional services, and using them to develop new roles for libraries. We will discuss web syndication, virtual presence, social software, and much more. Scheduled classes:

• Thursday, February 18 at Suwannee River Regional Library in Live Oak
• Thursday, March 4 at St. Johns County Public Library in St. Augustine
• Thursday, March 18 at Jacksonville Main Library in Jacksonville
• Monday, April 19 at Columbia County Public Library in Lake City
• Thursday, May 13 at Marion County Public Library in Ocala
• Friday, May 14 at Alachua County Library District in Gainesville

Computer and Network Issues for Public Access Computing

Libraries have very specific Information Technology (IT) needs, and there are many challenges to develop and maintain information infrastructure for staff and patrons. In order to provide public access computing you need to have an understanding of computer and network related issues, how to protect patron privacy, wired versus wireless access, and technology purchasing strategies to save money in this time of flat or reduced budgets. This workshop will cover a variety of important topics, and will help libraries make effective decisions concerning computer and network resources. The workshop is intended for both technical staff and their supervisors, and particularly for staff members responsible for calling in outside sources of IT to solve problems. Scheduled classes:

• Friday, February 19 at Flagler County Public Library in Palm Coast
• Thursday, March 11 at Bradford County Public Library in Starke
• Friday, March 12 at Clay County Headquarters Library in Fleming Island
• Tuesday, April 20 at Nassau County Public Library in Yulee

Click here to register for one or both of these on-site workshops

Twelve Magic Computer Phrases Library Personnel Need to Know in Spanish

Many Latinos come to libraries to use computers. Is your staff ready for the challenge? This workshop will:

• Give library staff basic customer service phrases to handle language barriers and cultural formalities with Latino patrons using computers
• Help staff learn words, phrases and dialogues including greetings, computer use policies, schedules, and troubleshooting
• Understand the cultural aspects of interacting with Latinos and the use of technology
• Provide tools and strategies to overcome language barriers beyond these basic phrases

Trainer: Susana Baumann, LCS Worldwide, Inc.

Thursday, February 4, 2010, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at NEFLIN in Orange Park

Register now at http://bit.ly/160T8w

Please register by January 11 to avoid cancellation of workshop!

Book Repair classes from NEFLIN

Don't miss these Book Repair classes coming up in January! There are two in Live Oak and one in Ocala:

DEMCO presents a practical, hands-on seminar where participants learn and practice basic repairs for both hard and softbound books. Emphasis is placed on becoming familiar with techniques and materials for economical in-house repair of materials that must be available for frequent use. Additionally, protective measures, which will extend the life of new materials, will be demonstrated and discussed. This workshop is useful for anyone involved in repair of library materials and participants will gain skills that can be shared with other staff or volunteers. All attendees will receive a supply kit.

Trainer: Deb Urschlitz, DEMCO Territory Manager

Monday, January 11, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon at Live Oak Public Library

Monday, January 11, 1:00 - 4:00 pm at Live Oak Public Library

Tuesday, January 12, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon at Ocala Public Library

Jessamyn West at NEFLIN - date change

Library Technologies Interest Group

This time the Library Technologies Interest Group meets face to face to discuss library ethics and 2.0. Joining us mid morning will be Library Consultant and blogger Jessamyn West to add her knowledge and perspective on the ethics of technological progress. Free to all.

New Date: Monday, March 1

10:00 am - 12:00 noon at NEFLIN in Orange Park

_______________

Digital Divide: Smart Tiny Tech

You don’t need complicated high-tech solutions or expensive software to use effective technology in your library. Explore solutions for solving library problems with simple free technologies and offer pathways for further exploration. Our focus will be on libraries with overstretched or small staffs and a less tech-savvy patron base.

Trainer: Jessamyn West, Library Consultant, Vermont Librarian, moderator at MetaFilter.com and author of Jessamyn.net and Jessamyn.com

New Date: Monday, March 1

1:00 - 4:00 pm at NEFLIN in Orange Park

See all NEFLIN training events at http://www.neflin.org/registration.php

Wolper Subscription Services

Wolper Subscription Services has just been added to NEFLIN's Vendor Discount Program.

Wolper's discount information, and the other 50 participating vendors

About the Vendor Discount Program

COD Millennials Program Available

The streaming video of the College of Dupage program "Millennials in the Library" which first aired in November is now available.

The Millennial Generation, Generation Y, Echo Boomers, Digital Natives, and the Trophy Generation are all terms used to describe people born in the United States between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. They have been shaped by a heady mix of culture, politics, and technology. "Millennials" have had an unprecedented exposure to mass media, pop culture, instant communication, and cultural freedom woven together by a complex technological net. It is daunting to try to classify a group of over 70 million people easily.

This teleconference will seek to add nuance to these classifications to help us understand them more fully and answer the questions: Who are Millennials? How can our libraries better serve them as patrons, students, and staff?

Presenter: Jennifer Kushell, YSN.com

This program will need to install Microsoft Silverlight to play.

Register for upcoming College of DuPage teleconferences here:

Making the Best of a Shrinking Budget: Creative Practices in a New Economy

Friday, January 29, 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm

Cataloging: Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?

Friday, February 19, 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm

Information Literacy Education: A National Overview

Friday, March 12, 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm

Technology Trends in Libraries: Tools, Skills, Staffing, Training

Friday, April 9, 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm

LiB Presentations

The Librarian in Black,
Sarah Houghton-Jan,
has posted on her blog
two great presentations
that she gave recently.

New Technologies that save Time and Money

Assessing Digital Library Services

OCLC ILL Policies Directory

OCLC has done a major overhaul to their Policies Directory. All the information about your library that is currently in the Policies Directory will be available through the new interface. However, this is a good time to take a look at your policies to make sure everything is up-to-date.

Brad

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New OCLC Policies Directory to be installed Sunday, December 13, 2009

The project to implement a new Policies Directory has been underway for the past year and is finally coming to fruition.

Your access to the Policies Directory will remain the same.

Via the existing URL (https://illpolicies.oclc.org) using your OCLC ILL authorization and password.
Through the WorldCat Resource Sharing interface, either by clicking the Policies Directory link or on the ‘Libraries that Own Item’ screen, by clicking on the red ? next to the library symbol.
Via the existing links in ILLiad and the WorldCat Services Administrative module.

All existing data (policies, deflections, contact data) will remain. You do not need to make any changes to your existing Policies Directory data.

A preview site is now available for the new Policies Directory interface.

Click the URL below and use the following authorization/password to login

authorization= 100028264

Password= oclc

https://policies-preview.oclc.org

A few things to keep in mind –

• You must use the demonstration authorization to log in. Your normal authorizations won’t work on this site. But, once you login you can search for your own library (or anyone else’s)
• The data in the preview environment is several weeks old. It was copied from the current Policies Directory in mid October and has not been updated since.
• The environment is not ‘live’. Changes made in this interface will not update the current Policies Directory.
• A few changes are still in progress. For example, the Help files have not yet been loaded.
• This preview site will be available 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST through Friday, December 10^th.

A list of the changes to the Policies Directory are included here.

Please send me any comments or questions that you have - Jennifer_corsi@oclc.org.

2010 FLA Conference

The 2010 FLA Annual Conference is coming together, and it's shaping up to be a great conference! Here's a quick preview of some the key features you can look forward to when we meet in Orlando in April 2010….

HIGHLIGHTS
* To lighten your travel expenses, this year's conference will be held over just three days: Wednesday April 7th through Friday April 9th.

* In additional wallet-lightening news, this year's conference hotel features a LOWER DAILY ROOM RATE ($109/night) and FREE PARKING!

* The First General Session (Thursday morning) will feature Helen Blowers, author of the LibraryBytes blog and creator of "Learning 2.0: 23 Things," the original online discovery program that has been duplicated by over 700 libraries, schools, and non-profit organizations all over the world.

* The Second General Session (Friday morning) will feature Bill Belleville, a documentary filmmaker and the author of several books about Florida, including Losing It All To Sprawl: How Progress Ate My Cracker Landscape and River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River.

* FLA President Wendy Breeden has chosen "Thinking Outside the Book" as this year's theme. A full slate of interesting programs will explore different aspects of that theme, covering everything from tagging and Twitter, to collections and instruction, to storytelling and community engagement, to budgets and personnel, and so much more. Preliminary program coming soon!

* Enjoy additional no-conflict time with vendors this year, including time on Friday morning.

* Author events will include the Florida Book Awards, mystery book author signings, and more.

* Longstanding popular features such as the Silent Auction, New Members Orientation, roundtables, and poster sessions are back again.

Tentative Agenda

KEY DATES
* November 30, 2009: Online Registration opens
* January 22, 2010: Poster Session submission deadline
* February 1, 2010: Early Conference Registration deadline
* March 15, 2010: Conference Hotel Rate Booking deadline
* April 7-9, 2010: FLA Annual Conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, FL

REGISTRATION
Online registration is now open! Go to the conference website
http://www.flalib.org/conference_2010.php
and click on the "Attendee Registration" link to register for Florida's biggest and most exciting library conference.

Hope to see you there!
-- Tim Bottorff
FLA Conference Planning Committee

JPL is a Star Library

Congratulations to the Jacksonville Public Library for being ranked as one of the nation's "star" libraries by Library Journal.

Library Journal's national rating of public libraries identified 258 "star" libraries from the 7,268 public libraries it received data on.

The print version of this information was featured in the November 15 issue of Library Journal.