“I can’t believe the difference,” “It changed my life,” “Things will never be the same.” If you’ve ever watched TV at 4:00 am, you’ve probably heard it all when it comes to before and after stories.

We’re not going to tell you it will be as dramatic as some of the infomercials you might have seen, but we still think you’ll appreciate and enjoy the changes you’re going to see in WebJunction Illinois on August 4. So check out these WJIL before and after pictures and stories…and you don’t even have to lose any sleep to enjoy them.

Home Page

The WJIL home page has always been the starting point for important information and resources for the Illinois Library Community. We’ve told you to ”look for Abe” to make sure you’re on the right page, and Abe is still there, but pretty much everything else is going to look different. 

With the advantage of portlets that allow for quick editing and reconfiguration of content, the WJIL 2.0 home page will be an agile content work horse for the Illinois Library Community. Find out more in this Home Page before and after picture and story..

Content and Resources Pages

There’s no doubt that WJIL has always been content rich combining the benefits of WJ global resources customized with local IL content. With the advent of WJIL 2.0, registered WJIL users will also have the added benefits of content interaction that include content tagging, rating and commenting as well as contributing to relevant discussions directly from topic pages. View the before and after pictures and read the rest of the Content story…

Courses and Learning

Thanks to the Illinois State Library, for the past year registered users of WJIL have been able to take advantage of a host of online learning opportunities through the WJIL Course Catalog and webinars. But wow, and we do mean wow, look at what is available in the new WJIL! A course catalog with over 400 online learning modules from SkillSoft, UNT LE@D, and yes, the eventual addition of a number of LibraryU courses to round out the offerings. Add improved course tracking, recommendations and tagging to the mix and you’ve got a powerful resource at your fingertips. Find out more and see the pictures in the before and after story.

Profile and User Information

And now for something completely new…and we mean completely. You know the infomercial testimonial pictures where you say “that can’t be the same person?” Well the before and after on this one is one of those. In the “old” WJIL user profiles simply provided a static place to store account and contact information. In WJIL 2.0, profiles are alive and kicking with the option to share professional interests, web sites and the ability to receive course and content recommendations. The more you share, the more you can connect with colleagues, but the choice is up to you as to how much, and how many people you share it with. See for yourself and get more details…

Community and Member Center

Stories from the Illinois Library community have played a big role on WJIL from the Illinois Standouts to the LSTA Grant Updates and connections for library jobs and professional associations. WJIL 2.0 brings all of these together in the Member Center with the value added pieces of training and support including easy access to all webinars, tools instructions and tips for using the new WJIL, Help/FAQ and Peer to Peer support and best practices. Just remember…it’s all centered on the WJIL Member in the Member Center! See the pics and read more…

Ready? Set? Go to http://il.webjunction.org on August 4th and you’ll find even more to help you make the most of WebJunction Illinois 2.0. See you there. 

Want to know more? View the short Welcome to Your New WebJunction video clip below from WJ staff Dale Musselman and Michael Porter.