
Find your storytelling voice by enrolling in the latest LibraryU addition to the WJIL Catalog – There will Always Be Storytellers. Use a new series of programs from the State Library of Kansas to find out more about Everyday Ethics for Libraries and plan to register for the upcoming webinar mySkills, myFuture: A Free Tool for Job Seekers.
Contents: Resources | Courses and Learning | Community | What could I do with…? | What’s New RSS Feed 
“What’s New” RSS Feed
Want the latest “What’s New @ WJIL” to come to you? Add the RSS feed to your blog reader.
[http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/category/new-wj-il/feed/
This series of programs presented by the Kansas Regional Library Systems and the State Library of Kansas, Division of Library Development explores how library professional ethics, as presented in the Library Bill of Rights, along with intellectual freedom concerns and privacy, impact library operations, collection development, policies, planning and customer service. Resources linked here include a video overview by Pat Wagner, a national library trainer and 9 additional webinar archives accompanied by supplementary resources covering the following topics:
CONTENTdm Metadata Working Group’s Best Practices Guide
Preserving and Conserving Archived Photographs: An Annotated Bibliography
All courses listed are free to eligible and registered users of WJIL.
There Will Always Be Storytellers - New LibraryU Course on WebJunction Illinois
Upcoming WebJunction Webinars
(All webinars are free of charge. Click on the links below for additional information and registration)
This fall resolve to build your network of colleagues on WebJunction Illinois. Use the following resources to help you find and add “Friends,” then log in and go to your “My WebJunction” tab to view your “Updates.” From here you can follow what your friends are doing on WJIL to help you hunt down the latest discussions, best courses, and helpful resources on the site.
“In the beginning was the word and it was oral. As long as we have been in existence we have found ways to communicate and probably right after drawing pictures within caves, in the dirt, and carving up trees; once we realized that charades caused frustration when team members couldn’t figure out that a dinosaur was about to eat the village, oral communication came into affect. And from that time to today stories about family, adventure, wars, births, and just living have been told from one person to another, from one village to the other and so on and so forth.”
So begins the latest LibraryU addition to the WJIL Course Catalog – There Will Always Be Storytellers. You don’t have to be a Children’s Librarian to enroll in this course, you just have to love a story. Enroll today and start your storytelling journey.

What are the best practices and planning for a digitization project? How can your staff gain the skills needed to launch or maintain a digital project and what are the implications of launching a long term digital preservation system in your organization? Get the answers to these questions and more below.
Contents: Resources | Courses and Learning | Community | What could I do with…? | What’s New RSS Feed 
“What’s New” RSS Feed
Want the latest “What’s New @ WJIL” to come to you? Add the RSS feed to your blog reader.
[http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/category/new-wj-il/feed/
Best Practices and Planning for Digitization Projects
Glossary of Scanning and Digital Imaging Terms
Bite-Size Digital History Webinar
Capturing History: Digitization Projects
All courses listed above are free to eligible and registered users of WJIL.
Digitization and Preservation Symposium, August 25, 1:00 – 3:00 pm CT
Join colleagues for a two-hour symposium that will feature four presentations on current trends and practical approaches to library digitization and preservation projects. Guest panelists will address:
Have you always wanted your library to get involved in digitization but were unsure of how to begin or what you need to know? Use the WJIL learning opportunities listed above to jump start your digitization experience. Enroll in the free WJIL course Capturing History: Digitization Projects and learn a bit about the basics of scanning then register and plan to attend the Digitization and Preservation Synposium to find out more about the long view of the technology, costs and policies associated with a digitization and preservation program.
If you’ve ever visited the WebJunction Illinois Course Catalog you may have been overwhelmed by the vast number of courses (0ver 600) offered for free to registered users of WJIL.
In an attempt to narrow down the fire hose of opportunity to a more targeted stream of continuous learning we have now added links to a series of Course Sets covering some of the most popular subject areas.
Course Sets consist of a linked list of WJIL courses that will lead the user through a targeted curriculum path. Topics such as Library Leadership, New Library Director and Library Basics are some of the first Course Sets we are providing. Using the suggested courses will assist you in a more proactive approach to your online continuing education.
Visit the newly redesigned WJIL Course Catalog page to see all Course Sets currently available as well as easier access to Illinois Course Catalog Quick Links.
Take a look at WebJunction Illinois and you’ll notice a brand new design for our homepage. This makeover was done in response to members’ feedback to us that they can feel overwhelmed by the amount of text and information on the website.
Because WebJunction Illinois is always adding content and constantly expanding, the redesign is intended to try and help users more quickly identify relevant and new content. Take particular note of the following as you explore.
1. We have now added a section of Featured Resources below the Top Story which will rotate highlighting a variety of resources, courses and other learning opportunities.
2. You will now find the feed from BlogJunction Illinois, the Quick Links and a variety of link icons such as L2, Facebook and Twitter on the right hand side of the homepage with a feed of upcoming calendar events below that.
3. Be sure to check out one of the most interesting areas of the redesign – our Most Popular and New on WebJunction areas. As you might expect, the first one points out some of the resources, courses and areas of the site which have received the most traffic in recent weeks and the second surfaces new content that has been added. These will change periodically also.
Take advantage of the summer lull and explore WJIL and the homepage redesign so you can get the most out of this great resource.
Plan to attend these upcoming free webinars from WebJunction. Register now and get the dates on your calendar.
How to Make the Most of WebJunction, July 29, 2010
NOTE: This webinar will be focused on the resources and navigation for the WebJunction global site at http://webjunction.org. However, please note that if you are a registered user of WebJunction Illinois (http://il.webjunction.org) attendance at this webinar is still encouraged since many of the resources and navigation are the same for both sites.
So you’ve created your free WebJunction member account, browsed the website, but are feeling a bit overwhelmed? Come join this special webinar where you’ll discover how to use the tools and resources on WebJunction to find answers and solve problems for your library. Learn how to work collaboratively with colleagues using groups; keep a finger on the pulse of new documents and discussions posted by members; know where to go to ask your own questions and how to share your expertise with other library staff. This session will help anyone who has said, “I know there is a lot to WebJunction, but I just haven’t had time to explore.” We’ll give you the top tips and show you all the steps for making WebJunction work for you.
Tips and Tools for Technology Planning, July 20, 2010
A technology plan can help you budget and better plan for future technology acquisitions, but with everything else you do all day, who has the time? Come to this TechSoup and WebJunction presentation where Kendra Morgan and Elliot Harmon will share tips, tools, and tales from folks working in libraries and other nonprofits who’ve crafted their own tech plans without too much discomfort.
In this webinar, you’ll:
The Rural Library Trustee: Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships, September 14, 2010
How do library trustees get trained? How are director and trustee roles defined to ensure a healthy library organization? How are trustee relationships cultivated both in and outside the library circle? Join this webinar to explore these and other questions related to library trustees that will provide you with practical ideas and tactical strategies to support and advocate for your library organization as a trustee, or library director in a small or rural community. This webinar is brought to you by ARSL (Association for Rural and Small Libraries) and featuring presenters: Sally Gardner Reed, Executive Director ALTAFF (Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations); Kim Armentrout, Library of Virginia; and Jim Minges, Director of the Northeast Kansas Library System.
With the reduction in the offering of Library System Continuing Education throughout the state, now is the time to take advantage of the free online learning available through WebJunction Illinois.
In order to help you maximize your time online we will be providing a series of subject guides listing the courses available to WJIL registered users on selected topics, starting with marketing and useful marketing skills. Click on the course names below for a description and to enroll. You must be an eligible and registered user of WJIL to enroll in these courses for free.
In the wake of cuts to the Consulting Services in Illinois Library Systems, WJIL staff have developed a table of “Resources on WebJunction Illinois for Public Libraries” covering topics such as Legal Resources, Employment and HR, Technology, Board and Director Resources and others.
These subjects were identified by Library System Consulting staff as consistent areas of importance for Illinois Public Libraries. The table provides links to resources, courses and webinars available on WebJunction Illinois relevant to these topics.
The table is available for download in either PDF or Word format by clicking on the previous links, or by going to the Documents Tab of the Public Libraries or information about WebJunction Illinois pages in the Illinois Center of the site.
Browse this sampling of new resources added to WebJunction Illinois this month for valuable information on new courses and resources, recent discussions and informative webinar archives.
New Courses
New Documents
New or Renewed Discussions
New Webinar Archives
Also check out the schedule for Upcoming Webinars or browse all Webinar Archives
New Groups
These are working groups created by WebJunction members, to allow collaboration around a topic of shared interest. Note that following the links for these Groups will lead you to the WebJunction Global site.
For information on creating an Illinois Group see Illinois Groups and how to Create Illinois Groups.

As our profession contemplates the future of libraries, a recurring theme surfaces: that the public trust and faith in the institution is not so much about information retrieval or document management as it is about the intangibles—the relationships, the place, the environment for learning. It is top-notch customer service that will sustain and grow libraries. In this edition of “What’s New @ WJIL” you’ll find the tools that can help you build a top-notch reputation for customer service in your library.
Contents: Resources | Courses and Learning | Community | What could I do with…? | What’s New RSS Feed 
“What’s New” RSS Feed
Want the latest “What’s New @ WJIL” to come to you? Add the RSS feed to your blog reader.
[http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/category/new-wj-il/feed/]
Pierce County Library System’s “Skills & Qualities”
Customer Service Models for the Special Library
Walking the Talk – Diversity Workshops
Difficult Patron Behavior: Success Stories from the WebJunction Community
You’ll find a great selection of customer service courses in the WJIL Course Catalog under the Customer Service & Interpersonal Skills category—courses such as the following.
All courses listed above are free to eligible and registered users of WJIL.
Researching Communities to Prepare for the Future
The Pierce County Library System in Tacoma, Washington has developed a list of core Skills and Qualities that every library employee needs to be successful. Based on such things as “Customer Focus,” “Teamwork” and “Professional Integrity” they have defined what these skills do and don’t look like in the work place in order to better be able to assess potential and current staff. You may want to use this helpful resource as a starting point in your library to improve customer service and co-worker relationships.

Find out more about how to successfully lead your library through tough times in this edition of “What’s New @ WJIL.” Explore the WJIL Guide to Organizational Leadership Resources, learn what competencies are needed to be a leader in times of change and fill your knowledge gaps with free online leadership courses from the WJIL Course Catalog,.
Contents: Resources | Courses and Learning | Community | What could I do with…? | What’s New RSS Feed 
“What’s New” RSS Feed
Want the latest “What’s New @ WJIL” to come to you? Add the RSS feed to your blog reader.
[http://webjunctionworks.org/il/blog/index.php/category/new-wj-il/feed/]
Organizational Management – Guide to Organizational Leadership Resources
The Continuous Improvement Approach
Getting on Your Community’s Leadership Team
Accidental Leadership with George Needham
Take advantage of this extensive series of online courses on leadership covering the following topics:
Change Management and Leadership (LE@D)
Leadership for Libraries: Becoming an Everyday Leader (LE@D)
All courses listed above are free to eligible and registered users of WJIL.
Library Leadership and Management Association
Excerpted from the Competency Index for the Library Field, you can use this list of Library Leadership Competencies to identify your strenghts and weaknesses as a leader. Then go to the WJIL Catalog, click on the Competencies tab and explore the free online learning under the Library Management/Organizational Leadership area that can help you fill your knowledge gaps in this area.