Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Library Technologies Interest Group


Monday, October 18, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon at NEFLIN in Orange Park

Join the Library Technologies Interest Group for a discussion of mobile technologies and devices in libraries.
  • IPads for reference?
  • Mobile websites?
  • Ebooks?
  • QR codes?
  • Text messaging?
What is your library doing to serve the mobile library user?

Discussion Facilitators:
  • Jae Bass, St. Johns County Public Library
  • Brian Nesselrode, Flagler College
  • Blake Pridgen, Flagler College
  • Michael Kucsak, University of North Florida
Free for all

Free Webinars in October

On our sister blog, Library Webinars, we have just put up the monthly list of live webinars.

We have found numerous webinars in October, most of which are free, and can assist with your professional development. Here are some randomly selected topics:

  • Brick and Mortar School Libraries in the Digital Age
  • Cookbooks in the Library
  • Dealing with Difficult Patrons
  • Gadget Checklist for 2010
  • Is Social Media a Waste of Time and Effort?
  • Maximizing Revenue from Selling Withdrawn Books and Unwanted Gifts
  • Patron Driven Acquisitions for eBooks
  • RDA for Administrators: Managing the Transition
  • Technology Training for Seniors
Check them out!

Gaming Interest Group


Tuesday, October 26 from 10:00 am - 12:00 noon at NEFLIN in Orange Park

Gaming is popular in all types of libraries. What is your library doing with your gaming events, or are you looking for ideas to get one started? Join a discussion of experienced gaming organizers to make your events even more successful.

Discussion Facilitators include:
  • Christine Boatright, Florida Gateway College
  • Michael Schofield, Bradford County Public Library
  • Stephanie Tyson, Columbia County Public Library
  • Belinda Vose, Marion County Schools
  • Mary Weatherholt, Union County Public Library
Free to all


Tuesday, September 28, 2010

E-Government Interest Group - NEW DATE


Florida is leading the nation in providing e-government services to library customers. Join us at this session to learn about e-government services and programs being offered at some of Florida's libraries. You'll find out how Florida residents are getting the help they need finding jobs and obtaining government services at their local library.

Virtual Presenter: Nancy Fredericks, E-Government Services Manager, Pasco County Public Library Cooperative

New Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Location: On your DESKTOP. You will be emailed access information.
Cost: Free to all


Thursday, September 23, 2010

"Books" Series in Gainesville

A six-part fall speaker series on the public’s access to books and their future begins Thursday at the University of Florida and Alachua County Library District.  UF President Bernie Machen will open the series with an invitation to public debate about the future of libraries.

“Imagining the Library: Books in Public Life from Late Antiquity to the Digital Age” will draw attention to the forces of public policy and new technologies that shape libraries and reading practices.

Speakers will ground these questions in discussions of collecting and reading in ancient Egypt, early China, the French Enlightenment, the U.S. Carnegie library movement and the global age of Google. The series will explore this question: As public and university libraries face severe budgetary pressures, what functions should libraries perform in public life?

Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m., Smathers Library Room 1A, UF
“Death and Renewal: Books and Libraries in Late Antique Egypt”
Roger Bagnall, director, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University.
Although political, technological, religious and cultural changes transformed the format and uses of books in late antiquity, libraries nonetheless remained more private than public. This lecture will address how developments like the rise of Christianity affected the status of libraries.

Sept. 27, 7 p.m., Millhopper Branch of the Alachua County Library, Gainesville
“Carnegie Libraries: Public Reading for the Reading Public”
Abigail Van Slyck, director, architectural studies program, Connecticut College.
An examination of library architecture fostered by the Carnegie movement reveals how it encouraged women to enter into the library profession, shaped reading practices in different English-speaking countries and created an international Anglo-Saxon community of readers.

Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m., Smathers Library Room 1A, UF
“The Benedictine and the Labyrinth: The Enlightenment Library and the Problem of Universal Knowledge”
Jacob Soll, associate professor of history, Guggenheim Fellow, Rutgers University (Camden).
The ambitious building of encyclopedic library collections in the 17th and 18th centuries posed problems to states that tried to manage broad swaths of knowledge. Certain absolutist states and the Catholic Church, however, were particularly innovative in building universal collections.

Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m., Smathers Library Room 1A, UF
“Collecting and Reading in the Early Chinese Print Age”
Hilde De Weerdt, lecturer in Chinese history, Pembroke College, University of Oxford.
This talk will introduce the different kinds of government and private libraries that existed in imperial China, and examine the impact of printing from the 11th century onward on book circulation and reading among these different publics.

Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m., 180 Holland Hall – Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom, Levin College of Law, UF
“Google and the Future of Books”
Siva Vaidhyanathan, associate professor of media studies and law, University of Virginia.
What does the world look like through the lens of Google? How is Google’s ubiquity affecting the production and dissemination of knowledge? And, what danger does the Google Books Scanning Project pose for the legitimacy of the doctrine of fair use?

Dec. 2, 7 p.m., Millhopper Branch of the Alachua County Library, Gainesville
“Reaching and Teaching the ‘Digital Generation’: Separating Myth from Fact”
Siva Vaidhyanathan, associate professor of media studies and law, University of Virginia.
This lecture questions the myth of the “digital generation,” arguing that today’s adolescents and college students are not necessarily savvy when it comes to using digital media content in a powerful manner.

The lectures are free and open to all. For more information, visit http://www.humanities.ufl.edu/

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Raising Funds, Raising Friends, Raising our Voices: Fall 2010 FLA Friends Regional Workshops



Sally Gardner Reed, Executive Director, Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF – formerly FOLUSA) will discuss best practices across the country for raising money for libraries and re-energizing Friends groups and the important role Friends of libraries play in ensuring libraries remain viable – even in a tough economy.
Hot Topics: What’s new with you? Open discussion and idea sharing

Cost: $20 per person
Monday, December 13, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Alachua County Library District, Millhopper Branch Library
3145 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville, FL 32606

For more information, contact the Florida Library Association office by phone 386-438-5795 or email Executive Director Faye Roberts at faye.roberts@comcast.net

Virtual Training Opportunities in October from NEFLIN

Wednesday, October 13, 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Need 5 more to avoid cancellation
Bad situation? Or challenging opportunity? Gaming—3D, interactive, digital environments—is the medium of choice for learning and play for today's millennial students. By the end of this session, participants will:
  • Discover defining characteristics of the gamer generation
  • Learn how gaming relates to literacy
  • Try some video games
  • Discuss how library teachers can harness the increasingly popular medium of electronic games to encourage student reading and research
Monday, October 25, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Almost full - register today
In Personalities at Work, you’ll find out your own personality style as well as the strengths and struggles of each of the four basic styles. As you learn about yourself, you’ll undoubtedly experience an “aha!” moment regarding someone else (or several “someone elses”!)

Tuesday, October 19, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Now that you are in a position to influence budget and policy decisions, it’s time to catch up on the basic principles of budgeting, resource management, effective policy-crafting, and how policy-making fits into other management abilities. All of these things affect your funding, and this two-hour online class will help prepare you for the next budget cycle and policy evaluation. By the end of this class, participants will be able to:
  • Understand the variety of funding sources and strategies available
  • Learn basic budgeting principles
  • Learn principles of resource management
  • Understand how policy making fits with other management skills
  • Understand procedures for crafting effective policies
including George G. Morgan, Deborah Ford, Toni Buzzeo, and more!

Friday, September 17, 2010

2010 NEFLIN Annual Survey


NEFLIN is collecting information that will help our services and training programs meet your every need and schedule. Please help us by completing the 2010 NEFLIN Annual Survey, telling us of your experiences with NEFLIN training and services.

The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and will be up until Friday, October 8.

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Do you like our online survey tool, ZipSurvey? It is available to NEFLIN members to use for your own surveys, polls, contests and registrations. See more information here, then contact Patty Morris to get started.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Forest Public Library Gets Gold in Green

If you want to learn the latest about green construction and environmental sustainability, you don't have to travel far. A quick drive to the new Forest Public Library provides a lesson in green that's gold-certified.

The U.S. Green Building Council has declared Marion County's Forest Public Library (905 S. Highway 314A, Ocklawaha) LEED Gold certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nation's pre-eminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings; gold is the second highest designation applicants can receive. The Forest Public Library is Marion County government's first LEED Gold certified building and the third Gold certified library in the state. Characteristics of the new Forest Public Library that comply with the LEED rating system's six major areas include: energy and environmentally efficient use of land, water, recycled materials and resources, indoor air quality and innovative design.

By using less energy and water, a LEED certified building saves money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduces greenhouse gas emissions; and contributes to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the community. The Forest Public Library achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as for incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies.

By constructing the building using LEED practices, the library reduced the development footprint, saved a projected 25 percent in energy costs and reduced water use by 41 percent compared to standard measures. Some additional green highlights include the use of recycled materials (denim jeans) for insulation, a recycled bike rack and preferred parking for energy-efficient vehicles (to promote less fuel consumption). The green planning also extended beyond the building to the driveway and parking areas, which were positioned away from surrounding wetlands. Water-efficient and native Florida plants provide eco-friendly landscaping that requires little to no irrigation.

-- News Release, Marion County Public Library System.

For more information contact Julie Sieg.


Friday, September 10, 2010

Free Web-Based Surveys

NEFLIN has renewed its subscription to ZipSurvey, a web-based survey program that is an easy way to collect feedback from patrons, students or staff. It is 100% customizable to what you need to learn.

NEFLIN does all the programming for you and sends you the tabulated results of the completed surveys.


The software allows respondents to answer only the questions that are relevant. For example, if someone responds that they only use the library once a year, you can have them answer different questions than the person who uses the library once a week. Or, a student could answer different questions than a teacher. This branching feature utilizes skip logic to skip questions that are irrelevant, given answers to a previous question.

Each NEFLIN member receives unlimited surveys and survey responses for free.

Contact Patty to get started with your survey.

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Example of Survey Screen that customers see (click Image to expand)



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Example of survey tabulation you receive (click Image to expand)

Friday, September 3, 2010

Hipmunk



Have you heard of Hipmunk?

It is a new air travel search engine I saw mentioned on Nicole Engard's blog. Flights are shown in a grid and can be sorted by the usual - price, stops, departure times, etc., but also by "Agony" which takes into account all the factors. Gotta love that. Plus I like the mascot:

There's a blog with travel tips too.