'Wish for Lit' Grants

Amazon.com has a announced a program aimed at giving more than $20,000 in Amazon.com products to three deserving libraries in the United States. The "Wish for Lit" program is designed to give libraries an opportunity to create "Wish Lists" on Amazon.com to receive the books and supplies that they need the most. Amazon.com's Library Wish Lists is an online tool that easily connects donors to a library's catalog of most-needed products.

Beginning today, libraries interested in participating must submit an online entry form at http://www.blogger.com/www.amazon.com/wishforlit and create their Library Wish List. Applications will be accepted until February 16, 2007, and will be evaluated based on the following equally weighted criteria:

-Quality of the application
-Urgency of the need
-Value the award would give to the library/community

One library in each of three categories (K-12, Academic and Public), will be selected from Amazon's registry of Library Wish Lists by a panel of five judges selected by the ALA Chapter Relations Committee. Each winning library will receive a $5,000 gift certificate for Amazon.com products, as well as up to $2,000 of Amazon.com products that are on the library's Amazon.com Wish List. All of the items will be shipped directly to the libraries to be put to immediate use.

Amazon.com's Library Wish Lists tool connects libraries with donors who wish to purchase the most-needed items from a library's Wish List and have the products shipped directly to the library in an easy and seamless manner. Library Wish Lists allow each library to have more than one Wish List, and each list can be managed by multiple library personnel. Donors can make online contributions to the library of their choice by visiting http://www.blogger.com/www.amazon.com/wishlist and searching by library name.

The winners of the "Wish for Lit" program will be announced by Amazon and the ALA in the first week of April on the Amazon Librarians' Store Web site at www.amazon.com/libraries.

Good Luck!

Need A Job?

The Scott County Library System is currently accepting applications for the position of library director. The Scott County Library System is headquartered in Eldridge, Iowa and serves a population of 26,000 people through a new headquarters, five branches and a bookmobile. The system is governed by a nine person board and funded through a per-capita tax. Additionally, the system boasts a strong foundation and friends groups. The library system has a strong history of cooperation with area Illinois and Iowa libraries and shares a SIRSI system with other members of the Prairie Area Library System. Additionally it participates in Libraries Together, a cooperative project among the four libraries in Scott County founded to provide the citizens of Scott County with better, and more efficient, library services.

Requirements: An ALA -accredited MLS.5+ years of progressively responsible experience in public librariesSignificant budgeting, personnel, long-range planning and library automation experience required.Experience with public relations, grant-writing and facility management desired.

Hiring Range: $58,000 - $65,000 with excellent benefits packageApplications accepted until February 28.

To apply, send cover letter, resume and a minimum of four references to:

Doug Morrell
Board President
Scott County Library System
200 N 6th Ave
Eldridge, IA 52748

Or email to: cdavis@scottcountylibrary.org

Services!

Be sure to take note of and make use of Southeastern Library Services' new services! These include disc resurfacing and cleaning (.25 cents for a clean-.50 cents for a complete "like new" resurface), die cut rental or service, PS2 game night rental and our bookmark and bookbag sales. If you'd like more information about any of these check out our website at www.sls.lib.ia.us or give us a call!

***REMINDER***

If you are a tier one or two library, remember that Gerry Rowland at the State Library will need copies of your policies. If you need help developing policies, or working with the ones you have, give us a call.

If you’re a small library, check out our wiki at http://libtips.pbwiki.com/. You can comment, post, and create an interactive community for small library directors and staff. Be sure to check it out and post your own helpful tips and tricks!

Our new web site will hopefully be up and running some time during the first full week of February. The address remains the same, as do our email addresses, but the look will change!

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Crew Public Library in Salem, Iowa for committing to the New Planning for Results process (facilitated by Kim) before they forge ahead on their plans for a new library!

Upcoming Workshops

Do you wish someone would show you the money? It’s out there, but getting a grant can be a complicated, stressful and tricky proposition. Join us and learn some of the basics of seeking and applying for grants. Sessions will be canceled if not enough participants though, so register soon! The dates and locations are:

February 14, 2007 10-noon
February 15, 2007 10-noon
February 23, 2007 10-noon

Also, don't miss the upcoming booktalks over the ICN on February 21st and the Summer Reading Program workshops that are held in our region-

Go to http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/cgi-bin/cecat/ to more information and to register. Call our office with any questions.

Check out this web site for free sheet music-great for patrons whare looking for a new hobby! Listed by instrument, it also includes free online lessons. http://feeds.pirillo.com/~r/Picks/~3/77902136/

Thanks to UNI librarian Herbert Safford for bringing it to our attention!

New Children's & Young Adult Literature Book Talks

As some of you may know the New Children’s & Young Adult book talks over the ICN are fast approaching (2/21/2007). This year we are proud to announce that we have 16 convenient locations throughout Southeast for you to choose from. While the fliers have just been sent out we know you guys may have not yet received them. Our sites and the general information for the book talks is now on the State CE catalog and available for viewing (please use as a reference, not for registration).

Once you’ve decided on a location, please register as soon as possible with East Central Library Services. You can do so by calling Linda Lumsden at (319) 365-0521 or sending in the form on the flier to 222 3rd Street, Suite 402 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401.

Please remember if you have any questions about the actual event, please call our office.



Hope to see you there!

Thanks to their local Presbyterian Church, dedicated staff and volunteers Drake Public Library in Centerville is proud to announce their first sign in 104 years and very successful first quilt show. Keep up the good work Drake!

Upcoming Workshops...

The All Iowa Reads ICN session is almost here! Mark January 30, 2007 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on your calendar today. Log into the CE calendar to see ICN locations and to register!

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Also, Library 101 dates been set for 2007. If you’re looking for an introductory course to running a library, log into the CE catalog at http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/cgi-bin/cecat/ and register for an ICN session.

The dates are:

March 22 (Thursday)
June 8 (Friday)
September 11 (Tuesday)
December 6 (Thursday)

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The two closest Summer Reading Program workshops are in Fairfield on February 12 and in North Liberty on February 13. More locations and dates are listed in the CE catalog. These workshops are a great way to get a feel for this year’s theme, share and borrow ideas from each other, and get energized for the summer. Register soon!

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Finally, SLS is sponsoring national speaker on library advocacy Sally Reed, Executive Director of FOLUSA (Friends of Libraries USA) and will provide a workshop on public awareness and proactive local level advocacy for staff, Trustees and Friends. If you’re looking to get your library front and center, this workshop is for you. The workshop will be held in North Liberty at the Gardin Conference Center on Saturday, April 14 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch is included. Workshop fee is $25, with a $5 discount for ILA members with additional membership in the Iowa Library Trustees Association or Iowa Library Friends Association. Membership forms available at the event. Reduced fees for libraries sending 5 or more representatives, call Kim at SLS for more information. The workshop is on the CE catalog, so get your Trustees, staff and Friends registered today!

We hope to see you soon!

Job Announcement

With Judy Jones' retirement in December, the State Library is seeking applicants for the open Consultant position. For more information on the job description, qualifications and application information, visit the DAS-HRE
website: http://das.hre.iowa.gov/iowa.jobs.htm, click on Iowa.Jobs for all applicants, and then Search openings and enter 1210BR at keywords.

Big News!

Beginning February 12, 2007, SLS will be fully staffed again! Our new consultant is Katie Dunneback, hailing from the Chicago area. She has a great deal of technical expertise (whew!), and direct service experience with the public. Katie will be introducing herself on the blog and listservs once she on board, and we’ll be making an effort to get out in the region in the spring so as many of you can meet her in person as possible.

With winter holidays just around the corner, the ALA Public Programs Office would like to remind you to set aside time to apply for the newest We the People Bookshelf on the Pursuit of Happiness. Online applications are due by JANUARY 31, 2007. If you are one of nearly 900 librarians who have already submitted an application, thank you!

A project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), in cooperation with the ALA Public Programs Office, the Bookshelf presents a simple opportunity to acquire new books and materials for your library, develop theme-related programs for young people and their families, and participate in a national library programming initiative.

In spring 2007, ALA and NEH will be awarding a Bookshelf - 15 classic books for young readers on the "Pursuit of Happiness" theme - to 2,000 school (K-12) and public libraries. Selected libraries will also receive four of the titles in Spanish translation, a bonus CD, bookplates, bookmarks and posters to promote local programming.

Guidelines and the application are available online through January 31, 2007. Libraries applying to receive the collection are required to develop a program plan that will introduce the collection and its theme - the "Pursuit of Happiness" - to students and/or patrons. Need programming ideas for your application? Visit

http://maildogmanager.com/link.htmlurl=472&client=ala1&campaign=229&email=kkietzman@sls.lib.ia.us for a list of suggestions and tips. To access to the guidelines and application, book titles, and further details, visit

http://maildogmanager.com/link.htmlurl=472&client=ala1&campaign=229&email=kkietzman@sls.lib.ia.us.

Have questions? Contact publicprograms@ala.org

P.S. Please share this information with other libraries in your area! Multiple libraries within a system/district may apply for and receive Bookshelves.

Happy Reading!


For those of you that may not already know, SLS subscribes to several publications (library related) that we in turn rotate to you. We receive the issue every month/quarter, mail it to the first on the list and so on. Each participant keeps them for a week, passes them on to the next, and then we store them here for a few years (note that in case you ever need an article or would like to borrow an issue-a full list will be on our website soon!)

The publications we subscribe to are:

OPL (One Person Library)
Library Journal
School Library Journal
Friends of Libraries Newsletter
Voya
Unabashed Librarian

Please feel free to check out the ‘One Person Library’ website http://www.ibi-opl.com/ to get a feel of if that publication would be useful to you and your library.

If you are interested in being in any of these rotations, please Amanda Wright know as soon as possible.


Thanks!

**Don't Forget!**

We've gotten our hands on some wonderful new bookmarks. They're a durable shiny sterling silver/stained glass-like combination and would make a lovely gift, door prize or summer reading program incentive for anyone. They definitely dress up any page!

We have a large variety available, as you can see pictured above. We have assorted "insect" selections (lady bugs, lightening bugs, butterflies and bumble bees), "flower" selections (tulips, sunflowers, panseys, roses, lilies, many more!-some even have the name of the flower engraved towards the the bottom). We also have special "sun" ones and "love doves" (as seen at the bottom middle)-all of these, as shown, come with a purple satin ribbon attached.

We're selling them for $1.25 a piece, 10 for $12.00 or 20 for $22.00, you choose which ones you'd like. More seasonal ones and different varieties are available and can be ordered in bulk, at our discount, upon request. Please contact Amanda Wright for more information or to order yours today in time for the holidays!

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Also, if you or your patrons have music CDs, audiobooks on CD or DVDs that aren't working right and need a repair or clean, don't throw them out, send them to us for inexpensive and quick repair! For .25 a clean or .50 a repair your discs will come out looking brand new! It could not only save your collection, but is a great service to offer patrons. Email or call Amanda Wright for details.

From the desk of Kim Kietzman...


Fresh from Nashville and my newly acquired southern drawl finally gone, I’m ready to help you create meaningful and useful long range plans. If in the past you have shied away from Planning for Results because of the time commitment or other issues, rest assured the program is scalable and can be made to fit usefully into any size library. It’s the best way to run your library effectively and with the wisest use of those precious tax dollars. Call me to talk about it anytime!


Thanks to Faye Clow (Bettendorf), Kelly Patterson (Salem) and Suzann Holland (Oskaloosa) for their willingness to help us rank our candidates for the consultant position. We have some really strong candidates and I look forward to seeing how our librarians in the field feel about them. Once their assessments are back, we will schedule interviews in mid December and have someone hopefully hired before the holidays and ready to start in January. We’ll keep you posted!

IREAD

We must recommend a great wiki service developed and managed by our own Michele Leininger at the State Library. It’s devoted to readers’ advisory and helping you find that next great book for your customers. You’re encouraged to contact Michele for the login/password and become an active member of the wiki community by posting your own ideas about books and authors, or just use the site to help you find the right book for the right reader. Go to http://iread.pbwiki.com/ and poke around. Help us help your customers by posting and using this wiki, which has been mentioned positively in two national blogs!


Speaking of blogs...

A wiki or blog for small library management and an annual Iowa librarian’s calendar can help you stay on track, promote your collection, and prepare for big library events. Watch for our new website later in December and the new additions in January to see examples!

Congratulations!

...Congratulations to Washington Public Library and its director Patrick Finney who recently received a very generous donation of $1,000,000 from their local casino to put towards their new building project! We can't wait to see it!

A message from Christie Vilsack...


Dear Public Librarians:

Thank you for all of the support you've given me in the past eight years. It has been a pleasure to meet many of you as I've traveled across the state. I just visited my 500th Iowa Public Library this week! It has been quite a ride!

As part of my legacy, I would like to leave at Terrace Hill a collection of library cards. They would be included in the First Lady's Exhibit which will be on permanent display at Terrace Hill. If you are interested in helping me out, could you send me a library card issued in my name?

Please send them to:

Betsy Shelton
2300 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50312

Any cards received before the end of the year will be included in the display.
It would be helpful to me if you could send me your personal contact information as well, including home address and email. I want to be sure I can stay in touch even after you and I have moved on to other ventures. Again, thank you for everything. Keep up your work of promoting literacy of all kinds in your communities!


Sincerely,
Christie Vilsack
First Lady of Iowa

***BOOKS FOR SALE***

Sigourney Public Library has some brand new duplicate books which they would like to sell. They are in great condition, never used, and are being sold to any library that would like to have them for half price. Their e-mail address is: sigopl@lisco.com

Here is the list of hardback books they have for sale:

Vanished by Karen Robards $12.00
5th Horseman by James Patterson $14.00
The Wrong Hostage by Elizabeth Lowell $12.00
The Hot Flash Club Chills Out by Nancy Thayer $11.00
From a Buick 8 by Stephen King $14.00
Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm by Peggy Parish $4.00
Cross by James Patterson (Hardback) $ 8.00



Here is the list of paperbacks they have for sale:

Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts (Large Print Edition) $ 7.00
Castles in the Sand by Sally John $ 7.00
Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts (Large Print Edition) $ 7.00
The Littles by John Peterson $ 2.00
Marvin Redpost, Class President by Louis Sachar $ 2.00
Good Morning, Gorillas by Mary Pope Osborne $ 2.00
Class Clown by Johanna Hurwitz $ 2.00
Knitting by Anne Bartlett $ 6.00
Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts (Large Print Paperback) $ 5.00

They also have one CD that can be played on the computer. It is Zane Grey's The Man of the Forest. They will take $2.00 for it.

Happy Reading!