Thursday, May 17, 2012
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Online
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Online
*If you require Closed Captioning in order to attend this webinar, please contact Jennifer Peterson by February 28 petersoj@oclc.org.
For additional details and registration information visit: WJ: It Takes a Community to Bridge the Digital Divide
As debates rage on about e-books, publishers and privacy, how are libraries approaching policies for managing e-readers? Join us for this webinar focused on the nuts and bolts of serving patrons with gadgets, including policies and procedures for libraries lending e-readers and for patrons using their own readers to access library e-book collections. Hear from a library who has e-reader policies and procedures in place, including how they review and update polices; and from a library who’s recently developed policies and procedures after researching and learning from many other libraries.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Online
*If you require Closed Captioning in order to attend this webinar, please contact Jennifer Peterson by January 25 petersoj@oclc.org.
For additional details and registration information visit: WJ: Developing and Maintaining E-Reader Policies & Procedures for Libraries
Our work with libraries and educators around the country for several years helped to create the Competencies Index for the Library Field, published by WebJunction in 2009. In this year-in-review session, we’ll discuss the powerful, free resources you can access to make competencies work for you and your library, including the new expanded and indexed document that can help you locate more customized competency resources. We’ll also visit with several special guests who are front-line competency builders. Come and listen, learn and ask your questions about how you can use competencies in your library.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Online
For additional details and registration information visit: WJ:Competency Cavalcade
Check out the success story of the West Hartford Public Library’s current LSTA project on WebJunction Connecticut’s Grants Success Stories page.
Despite being a recently launched project, FAIR (Facilitating Access to Information and Resources) details some best practices that all libraries can use regarding services to persons with sensory and/or physical disabilities.
The project enabled a simple staff development day to turn into a transformative experience.

Staff at the West Hartford Libraries practice caning (a.k.a light sabering)
Guidelines for Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums have been released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
This is a new grant program that will provide one-year grants of $10,000 to $25,000 for innovative projects that respond to the challenges and opportunities facing cultural heritage institutions in a rapidly changing information environment.
Deadline for applications: November 15, 2010.
Successful proposals will address problems, challenges, or needs of broad relevance to museums, libraries, or archives, will test innovative responses to these problems, and will make the findings of these tests widely and openly accessible. Grant funding may include all activities associated with planning, deploying, and evaluating the innovation, as long as the expenses are allowable under federal and IMLS guidelines. Examples of projects that might be funded by this program include, but are not limited to:
* exploring the potential of highly original, experimental collaborations,
* implementing new workflows or processes with potential for substantial cost savings,
* testing new metrics or methods to measure the impact of promising tools or services,
* rapid prototyping and testing of new types of software tools, or creating useful new ways to link separate software applications used in libraries, archives, or museums,
* offering innovative new types of services or service options to museum, library, or archive visitors, or
* enhancing institutions’ abilities to interact with audiences in new ways to promote learning or improve services, such as through the deployment of innovative crowd-sourcing techniques.
Full press announcement.
The West Hartford Public Library will receive $17,020 for the FAIR @ Your Library project, which will enable persons with disabling conditions fuller, easier, and more independent access to library resources. People with visual, hearing, and mobility impairments face special challenges when trying to access the library’s collections, services, and programs.
The library will acquire assistive technology products and software, promote the use of these specialized products through focused publicity and collaboration with community agencies, expand staff awareness and sensitivity to a more diverse group of library users, and train staff and library users in the use of these new resources.
LSTA funding is provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

The Sparks! Ignition grants is a new funding opportunity developed by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services to expand and test the boundaries of library, archive, and museum services and practices.
It provides small, targeted investments in high-risk, innovative responses to the challenges and opportunities facing cultural heritage institutions in a rapidly changing information environment.
This is a brand new grant category; more information will be forthcoming from IMLS.
This opportunity from the Third Sector New England’s Capacity Building Fund offers grants to groups that want to work together to achieve community impact beyond what one organization can achieve alone.
Grants of $2,500-$5,000 will be awarded to approximately 15 networks for a four to six month planning phase. Six to ten of those networks will be eligible to receive additional funding ranging from $20,000 to $25,000.
Some of the fine print: For the purpose of this funding stream, “building capacity” refers to institutionalizing new individual organization and group learning and/or new skills development.
Only networks, not individual organizations, are eligible to apply. Networks can be comprised of nonprofits, civic groups, schools, faith-based organizations, municipalities, or unions that wish to build their capacity together.
Deadline: June 24, 2010

Congratulations goes out to one recent grantee announced by the Division of Library Development: the Hartford Public Library, which will receive $24,995 in LSTA funds to implement the Picture Book Science, Picture Book Math project in cooperation with the Connecticut Science Center.
This effort will support the early literacy, scientific inquiry, and numeracy skills of Hartford children ages three to six.Activities incorporated into the project will instruct parents and caregivers on building children’s skill sets and also instruct families on practicing these activities in their homes.
The basis for the program is the State Department of Education’s Core Science Curriculum Framework: Content Standards and Expected Performances, Core Science for Grades PreK-2; the Connecticut Mathematics Curriculum Framework (Pre K-Grade 1 Content Standards); and the Public Library Association’s Every Child Ready to Read early literacy initiative.
The materials used to teach these curricula will be the research-tested Mother Goose book selections, manipulatives, and activity guides, from the Vermont Center for the Book.
This grant complements related supporting activities funded by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and the Hartford City Council.

LSTA funding comes from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.
