Thursday, October 21, 2010

Little Librarian

I would have loved this as a child. I don't know about today's kids, but I think it is fun!

Monday, October 18, 2010

A needed At-A-Boy

My boss at a previous job kept an "At-A-Boy" file for those days that you sometimes need a little pick-me-up.  Today was one of those days. In writing our annual reports I went over some quotes from member who attended training this year, and really felt "picked up" by these two.

“In these economically challenged times it is wonderful to know that there is still an affordable way librarians can receive the quality training we receive through NEFLIN. May this source never dry up for the sake of professional relevance.”

“DeEtta Jones Young is among the most powerful and effective instructors whose workshops I have attended. If she presented a workshop on ‘How to use mud to achieve fame and fortune’, I would make a point of attending, because I know I would learn something worthwhile.  Thanks, NEFLIN!”

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Virtual Training Opportunities in November from NEFLIN


Online class fill up quickly -
register early to get a seat or get on the waitlist!
Monday, November 1, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
FULL - register to be on the waitlist
Are you comfortable speaking up? Do you ask yourself, “How can I stop walking on eggshells?” Learn to:
  • Leverage the strengths and deal with vulnerabilities by assessing your assertiveness
  • Speak accountably from the Power of “I” on a deeper, more professional level
  • Apply an assertive formula and techniques to manage your emotions and ask for behavior change from others
  • Set boundaries, parry “digs” and identify and manage passive aggressive behavior
Virtual Trainer: Lauren Burnett, Center for Inner Quality

Wednesday, November 3, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
FULL - register to be on the waitlist
This webinar will give you an overview of Microsoft Office 2007 along with the best tips, tricks, and shortcuts for everything from navigating the new ribbons to creating cool text effects. Join expert trainer Lori Reed for this fast-paced tour of the hidden secrets of Office 2007.
Virtual Trainer: Lori Reed, Library Learning Consultant

Thursday, November 4, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Almost Full
OCLC offers a number of ways to increase your cataloging efficiency that are included in your OCLC cataloging subscription. Vendors also offer additional services that can enhance your cataloging efficiency and get materials out faster to the user. In this 2 hour online session we will explore a number of additional ways to do OCLC cataloging, such as using PromptCat, Bibliographic Notification, and the new WorldCat Cataloging Partners services. We will also look at available vendor services such as shelf-ready processing and automated authority control. You will learn:
  • OCLC cataloging services and their potential benefits
  • Additional vendor services for cataloging and processing
  • Where to find information about these services
  • How to assess real costs
Virtual Trainer: Linda Gonzalez, Lyrasis

Monday, November 8, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Seats Available
Do you ask yourself, “How can I speak about myself, what I do and what I value?” Learn to:
  • Answer “So what do you do?”…Create a 60 seconds conversation on what you do and why it is important to your listeners
  • Identify opportunities to market your credibility and value
  • Say a few words…Leverage the OREO model to organize your thoughts impromptu on a topic
  • Sound interesting…Use your voice to gain and keep what you say interesting
  • Get some energy… Explore energetic magnetism and how to begin “Sparking”
Virtual Trainer: Lauren Burnett, Center for Inner Quality

Wednesday, November 10, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Almost full
The HeritageQuest Online databases by ProQuest undoubtedly contain some of the richest American genealogical materials. This webinar will help you unlock the power and content of each of these fascinating databases. You will learn how to move through the collection of documents, read and understand the source citations, zoom in and out of each document, and reverse polarity of digitized images for maximum clarity and printability. You will also learn how to use the Notebook facility to mark documents and images of interest throughout your online research session, and then return to view the citations or actual materials, print them, download them, or e-mail them to yourself for later access.
Virtual Trainer: George G. Morgan, Aha! Seminars

Friday, November 12, 12:00 noon - 1:30 pm
Seats Available
Marie L. Radford, just back from Reference Renaissance 2010 in Denver, Colorado, and co-editor of Reference Renaissance: Current and Future Trends will talk with you about re-designing library public services, focusing on reference and its interaction with other library public services.

Monday, November 15, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
FULL - register to be on the waitlist
Are you an employee? A manager? Do you have a spouse? Children? Friends? Acquaintances? Do you volunteer in an organization? Are you on committees? Do you ever deal with people in any context at all? Of course you do! This online workshop series with trainer Linda Bruno is an invaluable tool in understanding your own personality style, as well as understanding those with whom you interact. In the second session, Who’s Who in This Puzzle?, we’ll delve deeper by finding out what makes them – and us – tick!
Virtual Trainer: Linda Bruno, Library Consultant

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, November 16-17-18, 4:00 - 6:00 pm each day
Seats Available
See http://guest.cvent.com/d/0dqf9x for full details

Tuesday, November 16, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Seats Available
We have all heard the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and sometimes libraries have to make the call whether to add a gift to the library’s collection or not. Gifts/donations come in many forms from items to cash. The processing of gifts can be overwhelming. This two-hour class will walk you through gift policies, procedures, processing of gifts and discuss what to do with unwanted gifts. By the end of class, students will be able to:
  • Understand how gifts impact library collections and processes
  • Review policies and politics surrounding gifts
  • Evaluate workflow and processing of gifts
  • Discuss what happens when gifts are unwanted and what to do
Virtual Trainer: Jennifer Bielewski, Lyrasis

Thursday, November 18, 10:00 am -12:00 noon
FULL - register to be on the waitlist
Discover the underlying influences that may impact why teens act the way they do, and learn how librarians can address undesirable behaviors in a way that will develop relationships with young adults. By the end of this session, you will:
  • Set the experience of current teens in the United States into a historical and cultural context
  • Define three physical changes in the brain during adolescence
  • Examine the effects of development on teen's social, physical and emotional behavior
  • Discuss preventative measures to deter undesirable behavior
  • Practice strategies for coping with, correcting and redirecting teen's undesirable behavior
  • Learn to advocate for the needs of teens to key stakeholders
Virtual Trainer: Beth Gallaway, Information Goddess Consulting

Monday, November 29, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Almost full
New examples of digital reading material--eBooks, eMagazines, eNewpapers--are appearing every day. So are devices and software to let us read them. But is ePublication a growing trend or a passing fad? Is it a valuable tool or a solution in search of a problem? Either way, how do we find a path through the jungle of acronyms for formats and DRM's? How do we help our readers use the readers they have now and choose what they should get next? How do we know how much ePub to buy? And who do we get it from? And if we have it, how will it affect our work? Chad Mairn and Al Carlson will explore these questions and many more in this webinar. They don't have all the answers, but they will provide sensible planning guidelines and opportunities to make a difference for your patrons.
Virtual Trainers: Al Carlson, TBLC, and Chad Mairn, St. Petersburg College

for November including
SmartBoard, Word 2007, Deborah Ford, Toni Buzzeo, and more!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Quick Hits

A few thoughts after attending one day of the Florida Library Director's Conference this past week in Tallahassee...

The book, The Accidental Library Manager, was in everyone's bag.  It will be added to the NEFLIN Lending Library asap.

Gene Coppola from Palm Harbor told me about offering bestsellers and DVDs through a media vending machine that is available when the library is closed.

Raymond Santiago from Miami-Dade is always funny and insightful.  He recommended checking out the latest OCLC Report How Libraries Stack Up: 2010.

Cuyahoga County Public Library allows patrons to renew by text.

Florida will be celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2013.  Wow!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

NEFLIN Funding Muffin

Okay, so these pictures are not to scale, but hopefully the point can be made.

NEFLIN's budget was a very tasty pie for the past decade, and with 60 member libraries everyone could get a very nice slice of pie in return for their investment.  However, this year we have a muffin sized budget.  While the muffin looks like it is on steroids, it is still just a muffin.  You can imagine that trying to slice the muffin 60 times might be difficult.  NEFLIN does plan on providing its usual stellar Return on Investment (usually 5-10 times what libraries pay in membership dues), we will just have to do some things without the usual flair and fanfare.

All our services will continue.  We will also have our biennial Technology Conference in the summer of 2011, along with a series of on-site training classes throughout the region based on the popular "20 Questions" workshops with Russell Palmer of Lyrasis.  In addition, our partnership with Amazon has already allowed us to add to the NEFLIN Lending Library, and soon more items in the Equipment Loan Program.

We will continually working on ways to maximize our current funding, and seek additional revenues.  Stay tuned for further developments!
 

Annual Meeting: NEFLIN Library Awards

NEFLIN has two library awards that were presented at the Annual Meeting.

1. Library Champion Award. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional support for a NEFLIN library.


Danny Hales, Director, Suwannee River Regional Libraries, was this year's Library Champion for his work to build a new library for the town of Lee.





2. Innovation Award. This award recognizes an innovative program or service that has demonstrated impact on the community a NEFLIN library serves.

Flagler County Public Library was this year's Innovation Award winner.  The library was facing a significant decline in their budget and decided to become a Passport facility.

Revenue over the past two years has exceeded $100,000, which enabled the library to purchase additional computers, chairs, shelving, etc.

 

Annual Meeting: Keynote and Round Tables



Sorry gang that it has taken so long to put up info from the NEFLIN Annual Meeting. That darn day job just kept interfering. Here ya go!

Keynote Presentation: The Future Was Yesterday, So What Happens Tomorrow?
J. Richard Madaus, CEO, College Center for Library Automation

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In the afternoon we had a series of Round Table discussions.  Here are brief descriptions of the round tables along with links to any handouts.

Advocacy That Made a Difference with Paul Clark, Clay County Public Library
This round table will discuss lessons I learned from advocating at the Capitol over the past 2 legislative sessions. I encourage participants to bring their own stories and ideas of how we can work together as a team for advocating for libraries next year.

Community Services, Patrons, Fines and Fees with Ron Block and Wally Bowden,
Jacksonville Public Library
The Jacksonville Public Library Board of Trustees adopted a definition of what a “Customer in Good Standing” means in December 2009. The new definition implanted a policy change that requires customers to have no outstanding fines or materials in order to access library services. This Round Table will present the process of implementing the new policy. The six month “Get to Zero” PR campaign to inform customers of the change and the impact that the change had on staff and customers when it was officially started on 7/1/2010.

Digital Photography for Library Projects with Dawn Jensen, CFLC
Learn how to use this digital photography and photo-sharing websites to effortlessly connect, effectively market, and communicate with your patrons.

Ebooks and Library Processes with Michael Kucsak, University of North Florida
eBooks offer a lot of flexibility for the reader and a lot of decisions for the library. Join this round table to discuss patron needs and library opportunities when adding eBooks to your collection.

Floating Collections with Emily Young, Alachua County Library District
Thinking about floating your collection or have an experience to share? Join in a lively discussion of the pros and cons of floating your collection, issues that can be encountered and the process Alachua County Library District followed to get it floated!

Florida Electronic Library and Gale Database Update with Stacey Knibloe, Gale/Cengage
This round table will focus on what’s new with Gale resources available from Florida Electronic Library including Small Business Resource Center and Demographics Now, FEL’s newest research tools.

Making the Most of Your Friends Organizations with Dawn Bostwick, Nassau County Public Library
Need a little help from your Friends? Or a lot?! Join us for a discussion on how to get where you need to be and develop a strong, supporting Friends group in the process. Topics for discussion include: communication, commitment, organization, community needs, goals and roles.