Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Professional Book of the Week

Title: 101+ Teen Programs that Work
Author: RoseMary Honnold

Summary:
RoseMary Honnold has developed a thriving teen community through her job at the Coshocton Public Library and shares the lessons she’s learned through her many years as the YA librarian there. You may have heard RoseMary speak at the 2007 Kids First Conference, and wanted to learn more about how some of her programs worked. If you’re looking for programming of all kinds specific to teens, this is a book you need to see.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

BOOKMARKS GOING FAST

We have had an overwhelming response to our blog about the bookmarks SLS offers for sale. As a result, we have completely SOLD OUT of the BUG-themed bookmarks! Unfortunately, the company that stocked these for us has gone out of business, so what we have left is all we have. There are still a variety of the flower markers left, and several of the "Dove" and "Sun, Moon, Stars". If you are interested in these nifty Spring gift ideas, please e-mail Ann Miller, SLS Office Manager, at amiller@sls.lib.ia.us.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008


CE HEAD'S-UP: Free Databases and Marketing!

Two classes have just been added to the State Library CE Catalog. You’ve probably seen them on your calendar and now you can register for them!

FREE DATABASES FOR LIBRARIES
CE Credit: 1

As reference books become more and more obsolete because of the wealth of information available electronically, how do we steer our patrons to the best sources of information on the web on a budget? Join us and explore free (and a few low cost) online databases, learn how to market them, and play a little seek and find game with them!

SLS Wimba Room
Tuesday, April 29th
10 am to 11 am

SLS Wimba Room
Wednesday, April 30th
2 pm to 3 pm

GET IT OFF THE SHELF! MARKETING YOUR LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
CE Credits: 2

Books don’t just fly off the shelves on their own, they need to be marketed! Connect your patrons to all of the parts of your collection, and introduce them to items they’ll probably never find on their own. Additionally, effective marketing creates a professional, vibrant and exciting physical space drawing in patrons and keeps them coming back for more! Learn some basics of collection marketing and explore the lessons bookstores and other merchants can teach us.

SLS Wimba Room
Friday, June 13th
10 am to 12 pm

SLS Wimba Room
Friday, June 20th
1 pm to 3 pm

As always, the State Library CE catalog is available at:
http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/cgi-bin/cecat/index.cgi

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF THE WEEK

Title: Something Musical Happened at the Library: Adding Song and Dance to Children’s Story Programs
Author: Rob Reid

Summary:
Are you looking to freshen up your storytimes by adding songs? Maybe you want to freshen up the songs you already are using. Reid has compiled a comprehensive listing of books, songs and dances which can be combined to create an interactive and fun storytime program.

Monday, March 17, 2008

LEGISLATIVE DAY 2008 PHOTOS ARE IN!

Katie Dunneback, SLS Consultant, was kind enough to share these photos from the most recent Legislative Day event held in Des Moines, IA. Enjoy!







SHOW OFF YOUR LIBRARY

Here is your library's opportunity for that 15 minutes-plus of fame! If you have an exterior digital photo of your library, send it along to us. Kim would like to add a slide show to our web page of SLS libraries. You may send those to kkietzman@sls.lib.ia.us.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Speaker Announced for Southeastern Small Libraries Conference

We are pleased to announce that Valerie Haverhals, Director of the Hawarden Public Library will be our speaker at this year’s Southeastern Small Libraries Conference. Registration is now available at the State Library CE Catalog and this event is FREE!

Southeastern Small Libraries Conference
CE Credits: 3

In small libraries, you have to do it all. Join us as we welcome Valerie Haverhals, Director of the Hawarden Public Library, to hear how she deals with funding, board relations and community relations issues. Part of the session will also be spent on developing action plans for the next six months.

Thursday, May 1st
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Eddyville Public Library

State Library CE Catalog:
http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/cgi-bin/cecat/index.cgi

LIBRARIES MAKE A DIFFERENCE


Sent in by Eddyville Public Library: a great testament to how libraries engage and inspire youth! Read this young man’s letter to the editor from the Ottumwa Courier on February 20, 2008 at: http://www.ottumwacourier.com/archivesearch/local_story_051222633.html.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

BITS - N - PIECES:

Cancer survivorship notebooks for public librariesALA is collaborating with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to provide public libraries with reference materials to better serve those seeking cancer information. Last week, the LAF began shipping Livestrong Survivorship Notebooks to more than 14,200 libraries. The notebooks are designed to help cancer survivors, their families, and caregivers organize, retain, and access important information related to their cancer experiences. Libraries that have not received a notebook by March 31 can request one from Kelli Craddock....

The flexible future of e-booksKarl McGoldrick is the CEO of Netherlands-based Polymer Vision, the only company that right now is working on making e-books in a form that’s actually close to traditional books—ones that are mobile, bendable, and, above all, readable. But the device, called Readius, is not just an e-book reader—it receives email, text messages, and RSS feeds, makes phone calls, and keeps calendar and contact information—in addition to downloading books and newspapers wirelessly....CNet news, Mar. 12

20 things to watch (PDF file) Stephen Abram writes: “So, what’s on my list of things to pay extra special attention to? When we’re deluged, swamped, and overwhelmed by news and blog postings and other media, what do I use as my filter to trap just the important stuff that will matter to libraries?” Here are his recommendations, in no particular order....

69 techie uses for duct tapeAs one of the world’s most useful products, pretty much everyone loves duct tape, but techies seem to have a special place in their hearts for the versatile adhesive. From the practical (fix your printer) to the slightly silly (personalize your shoelaces), here is a list of some of the best techie uses for duct tape....Virtual Hosting, Mar. 11

Librarian III: The Curse of the Judas ChaliceTNT has begun production on the third installment of its “Librarian” franchise, with Noah Wyle reprising his title role in The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice. After a series of dreams leads Flynn Carsen (Wyle), a librarian at the New York Metropolitan Library, to New Orleans (where the film began production in early March), he gets tangled up in a conspiracy involving both the chalice and the legendary vampire Count Dracula....Zap2It, Mar. 6
PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF THE WEEK


Title: Measuring Your Library’s Value: How to Do a Cost-Benefit Analysis for Your Public Library
Author: Donald S. Elliott, et. al.

Summary:
With the pressure to justify funding ever present, this book helps you to determine whether a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) is appropriate to your situation. Explanations on then how to do one are provided in clear, “librarian-friendly” language. Anyone who is looking for new ways to tell the library story would be well-served by examining what this book has to contribute.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Professional Book of the Week


Title: Staffing for Results: A Guide to Working Smarter
Author: Diane Mayo and Jeanne Goodrich

Summary:
If you are considering the reallocation of staff resources for the upcoming fiscal year, this is an excellent tool to help you determine where staff time is best spent. As part of the Planning for Results series, Mayo and Goodrich provide tools for a systematic analysis of work activities in a library. Thirteen customizable workforms are included to help you implement the strategies outlined in the book.