The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in cooperation with Heritage Preservation, is presenting WebWise Reprise, two online events based on the IMLS WebWise 2012 conference.

WebWise Reprise will be hosted in the Virtual Meeting Room of the Connecting to Collections Online Community. This Online Community is part of  Connecting to Collections, a multi-faceted national initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services to aid museums and libraries in their care of collections. WebWise Reprise is being offered free of charge and no pre-registration is required. You do not need to be a member of the Connecting to Collections Online Community to participate in these webinars. Simply go to the Community’s Virtual Meeting Room at the time of the webinar, enter your name and location, and join the conversation. If you would like to run a technical check of your system before the webinar, please click here.

Sharing Public History Work: Crowdsourcing Data
Thursday, June 14, 2012 ♦ 1 p.m. CST ♦ 90 min ♦ Cost: $0

Public historians and librarians have long relied on their local communities for volunteers to assist paid staff as docents and interpreters, and as collections and reference assistants. More recently, a variety of collaborative online tools have it made possible for volunteers from a larger pool to assist museums and libraries to share in content work through crowdsourcing. This webinar features the WebWise presentation of Ben Brumfield, Software Engineer at FromThePage Open-Source Transcription Software. In it, Ben discusses valuable lessons learned from crowdsourcing indexing of small collections. He will be joined by Sharon Leon, Director of Public Projects at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University to answer any questions.

Oral History in the Digital Age
Thursday, June 28, 2012 ♦ 1 p.m. CST ♦ 90 min ♦ Cost: $0

The sound of voices from the past can bring history to life in a powerful way for the 21st-century learner. This webinar features the WebWise presentation of Dean Rehberger, Director of MATRIX: the Center for Humane Art, Letters, and Social Science Online at Michigan State University and learn about MATRIX’s newest Web site Oral History in the Digital Age project. Dean will provide a tour of the site which includes best practices on issues about collecting, curating, and disseminating oral histories and narratives using current technology. He will be joined by Doug Boyd, director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries to answer questions about oral histories and how their projects might assist you in your work.

New content has been added to WebJunction Illinois for anyone interested in cataloging! Cataloging Boot Camp is an eleven session training curriculum designed through a partnership between the Illinois OCLC User Group (IOUG), the Illinois Statewide Cataloging Standards Committee, and three legacy regional library systems: the Lewis & Clark Library System, Shawnee Library System, and Rolling Prairie Library System. This training curriculum can be delivered as a four day workshop or broken into stand alone sessions. Access Cataloging Boot Camp under the WJIL “Topics” tab today!

Don’t forget to check the Course Catalog for other Technical Service offerings including:

• Introduction to Cataloging for Non-Catalogers
• Shelving with Library of Congress Classification
• Weeding the Library Collection

Provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Learning Labs In Libraries and Museums will support the planning and designing of up to 30 Learning Labs in libraries and museums throughout the country. The Labs are intended to engage middle- and high-school youth in mentor-led, interest-based, youth-centered, collaborative learning using digital and traditional media. Grantees will be required to participate, in-person and online, in a community of practice that will provide technical assistance, networking, and cross-project learning. Projects are expected to provide prototypes for the field and be based on current research about digital media and youth learning. More information and application guidelines are provided here.

Deadline: June 15, 2012

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights the Common Place Family Learning Center in Peoria.

This adult learner was bullied in school because he stuttered and had vision problems. He defended himself and ended up fighting often. When he couldn’t keep up with his studies due to being a slow learner, he dropped out of high school. Later on in life, he realized he needed to master his reading and math skills to survive.

The student began visiting Common Place and was matched with a tutor. At first the man was very quiet and unsure how to interact with people. In time, his people skills improved immensely.  He is now able to study on his own and is working hard with his tutor to pass the GED test. Improved reading skills and confidence allowed the man to obtain a job at a local grocery store. He also does maintenance work for Common Place and has reunited with his grandmother. Today, this adult learner is certain he will achieve his goals and believes anything is possible.

Thursday, May 31, 2012 ♦ 1 pm CST ♦ 90 min ♦ Cost $0

You love your job. You love your library. You love helping your patrons and giving them the extra attention that lets them know you care. But there are days when you’ve given just about all you have to give. At the end of the day you feel drained, or irritated, or  both! You may have achieved “compassion fatigue.” The term, which is used frequently in medical settings, describes a caregiver’s reaction to chronic stress that results in feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, self-doubt, lack of focus and fatigue. This webinar will help you recognize the symptoms and the situations that may trigger compassion fatigue and understand how it affects you and your working environment. Explore ways to take care of yourself so you can continue to show compassion and give your patrons the care they need.

Presented by: Linda Bruno, trainer and facilitator, www.LindasWorkshops.com, Ocala, Florida

Go to Registration Page>>

Managing Traditional & Social Media for Libraries
presented by The Public Library Association
Thursday, May 31, 2012 ♦ 1 pm CST ♦ 60 min ♦ Cost: $0

For public library staff, dealing with the media can sometimes be rewarding, sometimes frustrating, sometimes exciting, sometimes daunting… but always necessary. PLA’s free, hour-long webinar, “Managing Traditional & Social Media for Libraries,” covers the fundamentals of media planning and outreach—including social media—to prepare you to work with the media and generate attention that will support your library’s activities and advocacy efforts.

Join instructor Steve Yacovelli, EdD, owner and principal, TopDog Learning Group LLC, Orlando, Fla., for one-hour of ideas and tips to plan your library’s media efforts and maximize your outreach.

This webinar is an extension of the free PLA advocacy training program, Turning the Page 2.0.

Register>>

Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White and the Illinois Press Association have announced the winners of the annual Spotlight on Achievement and Spotlight on Service awards recognizing outstanding literacy students and volunteer tutors in Illinois.

“I am honored to congratulate the twenty winners of the 2012 Spotlight literacy awards,” said White. “Many literacy students have overcome tremendous personal difficulties and obstacles to reach this level of achievement. I am also very proud to recognize the tutors for their generosity and encouragement in helping their literacy students achieve their utmost potential.”

The ten students honored for outstanding achievement in developing and improving their literacy skills are:

• Debra Bradford, John Wood Community College, Quincy
• Henry Dillon, Common Place Family Learning Center, Peoria
• Tywonda Edwards, Fishes & Loaves Outreach, Springfield
• Lovell Fisher, Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville
• Lola Jones, De La Salle Tolton Center, Chicago
• Gayla Karns, Frontier Community College, Fairfield
• Hilaria Ochoa, De La Salle Tolton Center, Chicago
• Frantz St. Fort, Indo-American Center, Chicago
• Darrell Taylor, Literacy Chicago
• Supaporn Yip, Albany Park Community Center, Chicago

The ten outstanding tutors honored for their contributions in helping literacy students reach their goals are:

• Lynn Campbell, Peoria Regional Superintendent of Schools, Peoria
• Naomi Crowell, Kaskaskia College, Centralia
• Mary Gercken, South Suburban College, South Holland
• Sister Lucy Giacchetti, SSND, Corazon a Corazon, Chicago
• Lori Hesterberg, Monroe/Randolph Regional Office of Education, Chester
• Yaro Hospodarsky, Rend Lake College, Ina
• Sheela Jeevanandam, De La Salle Tolton, Chicago
• Connie Jenkins, Project READ, Richland Community College, Decatur
• Terry Schlabach, Black Hawk College, Moline
• Rodney Yarger, Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley, St. Charles

Students and tutors are nominated by local providers that receive literacy grant funding from the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library Literacy Office. Each year ten students and ten tutors are honored. Students received a $200 check from the Illinois Press Association Foundation, and a congratulatory plaque and personalized Illinois Blue Book from Secretary White. Tutors also received a congratulatory plaque and personalized Illinois Blue Book from Secretary White, and a $200 donation to their tutoring organization by the Illinois Press Association Foundation.

“The Illinois Press Association is proud to participate in the Spotlight Awards literacy program that honors adult learners and tutors,” said Dennis M. DeRossett, executive director. “By now having the ability to read and to write, these honorees have new opportunities for a much better life for themselves and their families. We congratulate them for breaking through the barriers of illiteracy.”

Last year adult literacy programs that received grant funding provided educational services to 20,837 adult students. A total of 8,193 volunteer tutors statewide provided instruction to help students develop and enhance their reading, writing, math and language skills. Persons interested in becoming volunteer tutors are urged to contact the Illinois Adult Learning Hotline at 1-800-321-9511.

If you work in a small  and/or rural library, this conference is ideal for you.

The Association for Rural and Small Libraries is holding its annual conference September 27-29, 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Programs are specifically designed for libraries providing services to rural communities.  Conference attendees have the benefit of meeting people working in small, rural libraries to share ideas, solve problems, and learn.  All programs focus on practical, hands-on, and how-to information useful in any small/rural library.

For more information, please visit  the ARSL website.

This week the Illinois State Library spotlights John Wood Community College in Quincy.

As if growing up with alcoholic parents wasn’t enough of a struggle, this student also struggled through school as a slow learner.  She continued to attend school even after losing both parents at age 15. Once she reached her 21st birthday without graduating, school was no longer an option.  She wanted to join the armed forces but could not meet their educational requirements. Her life went into a downward spiral of alcohol and drug abuse.  She worked in various restaurants but was unable to go beyond that because she lacked reading skills. A talented artist, she managed to supplement her income by painting murals and signs, but her personal relationships did not last and she moved frequently.  Sadly, at age 31, a gunshot wound to her head caused severe brain damage.

The student had to relearn how to read and write at a beginner’s level.  She abandoned drugs and alcohol and began working hard with a tutor in a quest to obtain her GED.  With the help of her tutor, she is now able to read with confidence and comprehends written math problems.  Before taking each section of the GED test, the student and her tutor work through lessons and practice tests.  With hard work,  she is well on her way to completing all five sections of the GED exam and the Constitution test.   In fact, she has become a tutor herself, and enjoys helping a fellow student.  When she completes the GED test, she wants  to become a minister and is looking forward to serving others.

The Praxair Foundation provides grant opportunities through its “Library Links” program. The “library links” program assists libraries in upgrading their technology, acquiring new materials or initiating innovative programs.

The Praxair Foundation requirements state that all proposals should describe projects that serve the needs of the community at large. Special attention will be given to innovative programs that can be started and completed within one year of the award. To apply for a grant, complete the Praxair Foundation Funding Request Form.