Wednesday, April 30, 2008


FREE "PDF" EDITOR

In addition to Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/ ) at home, we dumped Adobe’s free reader and downloaded this gem. It allows editing, notes, and more. You can save your changes as well – with any PDF, not just those set up that way with Adobe! http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer/

For libraries on a software budget, these are free (open source) solutions. No upgrade fees with more function! Open Source isn’t for everyone and there are drawbacks (remember the saying, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”?), including a change in the user interface which might cause your patrons a little time learning it.

Please contact us at (800) 397-0029 if you have questions about using these products.

Monday, April 28, 2008

SLS ANNOUNCES CLASSES FOR MAY

May is right around the corner! Here are some of the classes SLS is offering during that month. As always, registration is available through the State Library CE Catalog at http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/cgi-bin/cecat/index.cgi.

LEARN HOW TO LEARN ONLINE
CE Credit: 1

Interested in attending an upcoming online course? Want to know strategies on how to maximize your learning experience? Join us as we demonstrate the tools you'll be using in the online classes. A microphone headset is required for this course. Other technical requirements will be sent to attendees prior to the session.

**Special note for SLS libraries, we still have some microphone headsets available for any library which has not already claimed one. E-mail me if you are taking one of our online classes and need a set.

Thursday, May 1st
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 3 pm

SOUTHEASTERN SMALL LIBRARIES CONFERENCE
CE Credit: 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
Eddyville Public Library
9 am to 12 pm

RA RECAP
CE Credit: 2

Course will present new trends, books, and authors librarians should be aware of while advising adult readers.

Tuesday, May 6th
Sigourney Public Library
2 pm to 4 pm

Thursday, May 8th
Musser Public Library (Muscatine)
10 am to 12 pm

Tuesday, May 20th
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 4 pm

STORYTIME STRATEGIES: PRINT AWARENESS
CE Credit: 1+
As part of the Every Child Ready to Read initiative, six characteristics of a child who is ready to read on their own have been identified. Strategies to emphasize individual characteristics can be incorporated into storytime planning. Print Awareness is "knowing how to handle a book, and noticing print all around us." Strategies for incorporating this skill into your storytimes, along with how to communicate it to caregivers, will be covered.
Online courses offered by SLS require prior attendance at a Learn How to Learn Online class as well as a microphone headset.
Wednesday, May 7th
SLS Wimba room
10 am to 11 am

Thursday, May 15th
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 3 pm

STORYTIME STRATEGIES: LETTER KNOWLEDGE
CE Credit: 1+
As part of the Every Child Ready to Read initiative, six characteristics of a child who is ready to read on their own have been identified. Strategies to emphasize individual characteristics can be incorporated into storytime planning. Letter Knowledge is "knowing that letters are different from each other and the same letter can look different ways. It is also knowing that letters relate to sounds." Strategies for incorporating this skill into your storytimes, along with how to communicate it to caregivers, will be covered.
Online courses offered by SLS require prior attendance at a Learn How to Learn Online class as well as a microphone headset.
Tuesday, May 13th
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 3 pm

Thursday, May 22nd
SLS Wimba room
10 am to 11 am

HANDS ON BLOGGING
CE Credit: 2

Learn how easy it is to start your own blog! Participants in the class will get hands on instruction on starting their own blog using the free blog service, Blogger. If you've ever considered using a blog for your library, but didn't think you had time to learn how to do it effectively, this class will cover all the basics you need to know from starting an account to posting with pictures.

Wednesday, May 14th
Kalona Public Library
10 am to 12 pm

Friday, May 16th
Mississippi Bend AEA – Bettendorf
10 am to 12 pm

Wednesday, May 21st
Great Prairie AEA – Ottumwa
1 pm to 3 pm

Also, the SLS office will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day. Please call or e-mail Katie Dunneback, SLS Consultant, at 800-397-0029 or kdunneback@sls.lib.ia.us if you have any questions!
PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF THE WEEK

Title: Coaching in the Library: A management Strategy for Achieving Excellence
Author: Ruth F. Metz

Summary:
If you’re looking to switch up your management style, maybe work on developing a championship team, consider exploring the coaching lifestyle. Metz includes thorough examples of how to apply her coaching/management style to real world situations. Being an effective manager means finding the style that gets the most results in a way where everyone feels it’s been a win-win situation, and coaching just may be the style that gets you there.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF THE WEEK

Title: Managing Facilities for Results: Optimizing Space for Services
Author: Cheryl Bryan

Summary:
How a library utilizes its space defines the mood the library projects. In a time where we would like to create spaces that welcome our community and encourage social and educational interactions, space planning can be an overwhelming concept. Fear not! If you are considering a reorganization of your existing space, or are thinking about the potential for expansion, this book will guide you through the many considerations that go into space planning.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF THE WEEK

Title: The Virtual Reference Handbook: Interview and Information Delivery Techniques for the Chat and E-mail Environments
Author: Diane K. Kovacs

Summary:
Providing virtual reference service can be quite frustrating as we’re very used to having an information-seeking patron right in front of us. For those offering e-mail or live chat reference service, Kovacs outlines useful strategies to be used in these environments. These strategies will help to lessen the frustration experience by both the librarian and the patron and take your virtual reference service to the next level.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008


SLS ANNOUNCES APRIL CLASSES


We have a bunch of classes up and available for you to take during this lovely month of April. Two are even closing for registration at the beginning of next week. Be sure to sign up as soon as possible to reserve your space. As always, classes offered by SLS are posted to the State Library CE Catalog at http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/cgi-bin/cecat/index.cgi.

LET’S 2.0: WIKIS
CE Credits: 1

Do you still keep a notebook at the reference desk for issues/intriguing questions? Are you looking for an online collaborative workspace you can access from anywhere? Wikis are best known thanks to Wikipedia, but they can be powerful tools for the right situations. Online service PBWiki used for the development of the "IRead" and "Teaching Computers to the Public" websites will be demonstrated. This is an online class which requires completion of "Learn How to Learn Online". A microphone headset is required for this course. Other technical requirements will be sent to attendees prior to the session.

Monday, April 14th
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 3 pm

Monday, April 21st
SLS Wimba room
10 am to 11 am

STORYTIME STRATEGIES: NARRATIVE SKILLS
CE Credits: 1+

As part of the Every Child Ready to Read initiative, six characteristics of a child who is ready to read on their own have been identified. Strategies to emphasize individual characteristics can be incorporated into storytime planning. Narrative skills is "the ability to describe things and to talk about events and tell stories." Strategies for incorporating this skill into your storytimes, along with how to communicate it to caregivers, will be covered.

Online courses offered by SLS require prior attendance at a Learn How to Learn Online class as well as a microphone headset.

Tuesday, April 15th
SLS Wimba room
10 am to 11 am

Thursday, April 24th
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 3 pm

STORYTIME STRATEGIES: VOCABULARY
CE Credits: 1+

As part of the Every Child Ready to Read initiative, six characteristics of a child who is ready to read on their own have been identified. Strategies to emphasize individual characteristics can be incorporated into storytime planning. Vocabulary is the skill of "knowing the names of things, not just things, but concepts, feelings, and ideas." Strategies for incorporating this skill into your storytimes, along with how to communicate it to caregivers, will be covered.

Online courses offered by SLS require prior attendance at a Learn How to Learn Online class as well as a microphone headset.

Wednesday, April 16th
SLS Wimba room
2 pm to 3 pm

FREE DATABASES FOR LIBRARIES
CE Credits: 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!

All SLS courses offered online require a microphone headset.

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

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

Please contact Katie Dunneback, SLS Consultant, if you have any questions about any of our classes.

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH - Celebrate!

Ten years ago, Knopf publisers began a tradition. To celebrate National Poetry Month, they sent a poem a day by e-mail for 30 days to anyone who asked to receive them. Now, with over 35,000 subscribers, they are proud to continue with a whole new series of daily poems. Each day during the month of April you would receive a poem from some of the best poets in the world including Mark Strand, Mary Jo Salter, Julia Hartwig, and Richard Kenney, as well as classics from Frank O'Hara, Rudyard Kipling, Kenneth Koch and more. This year, they'll also be featuring special podcasts, gorgeous printable broadsides, and signed books.
If you know of someone who might like to join the Poem-a-Day party, they may visit
http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/poetry/poemaday/ to sign up.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

SIGOURNEY ADVERTISES FOR NEW LIBRARY DIRECTOR

The Sigourney Public Library is looking for a new Library Director. The position will be 37.5 hours per week @ $11.00/hour, and includes health insurance benefits. The Sigourney Public Library is a beautiful, newly remodeled 7,000 square foot facility with a nice Children’s Area and eight public access computers. We have wireless internet, a collection of over 19,000 items including books, audio books, DVD’s, and CD’s, and two part time library associates. If you are interested in applying for the position of Library Director, send resumes by April 21 to:

Attention: Tony Pitsch, Board President
Sigourney Public Library
720 East Jackson
Sigourney, Iowa, 52591

Or e-mail your resume to:
sigopl@lisco.com.

FAIRFIELD ADVERTISES FOR YOUTH SERVICES LIBRARIAN

Fairfield Public Library has an opening for a Youth Services Librarian. This is a fulltime salaried position starting at $28,630 with excellent benefits including health insurance, retirement, paid sick leave, and three weeks paid vacation.

Our Youth Services Department is a busy and beloved place. Special programs range from Valentine Tea to Summer Reading Program to Teen Mystery Night. Our staff is supportive of youth programs, young patrons are a high priority, and our Volunteer Center coordinator helps to recruit volunteer support. We recently installed new automation system, and you may visit our website at
www.fairfield.lib.ia.us .

If you are the successful candidate, you will become the “face of the library” for local parents, teachers, and children. This means you will provide outreach to our schools and day care centers, where you will connect with children and teens. Primary focus will be on programming, collection development, teaching library skills, and offering reader advisory service. In addition, you will provide backup when our Library Director is absent and help sometimes at the circulation desk.

Qualifications and skills required:
· MLS is preferred. Candidates who have combined an educational degree with relevant experience are also encouraged to apply.
· Energetic advocate for children and teens
· Able to relate well to children of all ages and their parents

· Able to plan and produce quality programs for youth

Attitudes desired:
· Enthusiasm for working with youth
· Love of reading
· Good sense of humor
· Desire to serve the public
· Creativity, flexibility, and cooperation

Please send your resume, cover letter, and three professional references to:
Rebecca Huggins, Director
Fairfield Public Library
104 West AdamsFairfield, IA 52556
ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CO. GRANT AVAILABLE

Archer Daniels Midland Company has announced a call for Community Grant Applications. The Deadline for applications is June 30, 2008.

Continuing its commitment to strengthening American agricultural communities, Archer Daniels Midland Company ( http://admworld.com/ ) is accepting applications for its 2008 Community Partnership Grant Program. The program will award up to four grants of $10,000 each for community-improvement projects in cities and towns where ADM operates.
The program will award grants to qualified tax-exempt, nonprofit, educational, or community organizations in ADM communities. In order to be eligible to receive a grant, applicants must apply on behalf of a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, not a private foundation under section 509(a).
Complete program information, including submission guidelines and an application, is available at the ADM Web site.
RFP Link:
http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15012266/admworld
For additional RFPs in Community Improvement/Development, visit:
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_community_development.jhtml
IRS Stimulus Package Information

SLS Consultant, Katie Dunneback, came across this over the weekend and thought quite a few of you may be dealing with questions on this topic. If you haven’t already seen it, the IRS has a page dedicated to information relating to the economic stimulus package, including the payment schedule (based on the last two digits of your social security number) and calculators for how much you might expect to receive.

Stimulus package central: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=177937,00.html
Payment schedule: http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=180250,00.html

Monday, April 07, 2008


COPYRIGHT QUESTIONS ANSWERED


Pesky copyright questions? A new tool helps SLS answer them for you! At the PLA conference in March, SLS purchased two of the copyright “sliders”. To see the tool and find out how to order one for your library, visit http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=421.



Eighteen-year-old Xiaomeng Zeng, a senior at Iowa City’s West High School, won seventh place (a $20,000 scholarship) in the national Intel Science Talent Search competition for her study on whether public library funding from government sources adversely affects funding from private sources, or vice versa.
TO BLOG, OR NOT TO BLOG?
THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Do you blog? 10 questions to ask yourself before you hit “post”.
http://www.copyblogger.com/10-blogging-questions/
91 Utilities to Supercharge Windows

PC Magazine announced their list at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2279207,00.asp.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

PROFESSIONAL BOOK OF THE WEEK

Title: Teaching Web Search Skills: Techniques and Strategies of Top Trainers
Author: Greg R. Notess

Summary:
For those of you looking to create a class for the public on how to search the web, or even do a staff training session on the topic, Notess’ book provides you with a great deal of information from understanding who your audience is, what topics to focus on, terminology to use, concepts to cover and tons more. Appendices including sample handouts, the list of URLs referenced in the book and contact information for the trainers interviewed are sheer gold. This book is essential reading for computer trainers.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

2008 PLA Conference in Minneapolis, MN

For those who attended the PLA conference, be sure to fill out the evaluation form now up on the Conference’s main page: http://www.placonference.org.

If you were not able to go, or had to choose among sessions you really wanted to see, be sure to check out the postings at both the PLA Blog (http://plablog.org/) and attendee Rick Roche’s blog, Ricklibrarian (http://ricklibrarian.blogspot.com/).