
According to a National Survey of Patron Instruction in Public Libraries available on WJIL ”the recession-fueled increase in demand for library services and simultaneous decrease in funding have highlighted the need for low-cost, high-impact information services such as online patron instruction.” In this edition of “What’s New @ WJIL” find out more about how your library can meet the need for patron training with limited cost and staff time using materials and tutorials from WebJunction Illinois.
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San Francisco Public Library - Best Practices for Patron Tutorials
The San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) has begun to actively design and create online tutorials for patrons. In summer 2010, as part of a grant project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, SFPL developed a tutorial for patrons to help familiarize them with online job search sites. As part of that project, some best practices and suggestions for doing similar work at other libraries was collected and is available for review here. Information includes...
In the fall of 2009, WebJunction was awarded a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to look at online patron instruction in public libraries. Research results are not posted on WJIL and include the following…
WJIL Technology Training Repository
WebJunction is collecting training materials and resources that have been developed by library staff from around the country. These materials can be downloaded, reused and repurposed by other trainers. We would also encourage you to add your own training materials to WJIL to help grow the resources and contribute to the learning community! Following are links to some of hte topic areas where materials are currently available for download and customization.
New Technology Training Materials on WebJunction: Webinar Archive
Community Discussion about Patron Training
Why try to create from scratch what others have already spent time developing? Use the patron technology training materials on WJIL to save time and benefit from the expertise of others in the Library community. Have materials of your own? Post and share on the Patron Training page so that others will also be able to use them.
Want to let job-seekers in your community know what a wealth of resources and services your library has to offer? Use this “Chart Your Course” marketing toolkit recently added to WJIL as a part of the Workforce Resources collection. Here is a sneak peek at what you’ll find. For the full story and resources follow the links.
Over the first year with Project Compass, WebJunction heard about the many successful ways in which public library staff around the country have responded to the needs of the unemployed.
They also heard that library staff could use more training and knowledge to augment their ability to help the struggling workforce. And of course, they heard about budget cuts and how little time there is for learning
Working with library trainer and consultant Pat Wagner, WebJunction has developed a series of five short video presentations in which Pat shares her knowledge and experience on some key topics that will help library staff help their patrons. Think of them as “learning tapas” or small chunks of information to be consumed when you have the time and the appetite
Find links to all five in the table of contents.
A Guide to Job-Hunters: One Size Does Not Fit All
You Want to Help, and the Clock is Ticking
Bright Shiny Things: Social Media and Job-Hunting
Nothing Up My Sleeve? Job-Hunting Scams
Keeping One’s Cool In Difficult Times

Through a 2009 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) launched Project Compass, a one-year initiative to work with state libraries in support of public libraries’ efforts to meet the urgent and growing needs of the unemployed. This work has resulted in a rich collection of material on Workforce Resources. Find out more about what a year with Project Compass has accomplished and what resources are now available to you on WebJunction Illinois in this edition of “What’s New @ WJIL”
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A Year with Project Compass: Libraries Provide Direction in Tough Times
“As we enter the last quarter of 2010, the U.S. economy is still in crisis and the workforce is still taking the brunt. Communities are struggling with continued job losses, high levels of unemployment and other problems related to the financial collapse of 2008. People are still turning to their libraries as their North Star, seeking guidance from this trusted community institution to help them navigate the storm.
From the onset, state libraries and public libraries have responded with energy and leadership, and continue to do so as the crisis persists. Project Compass launched on October 1, 2009, to investigate job seekers’ specific demands on public libraries and what could be done to address their demands more eff ectively, particularly through state library initiatives.
Funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) formed a strategic partnership to complete this a one-year project. Over the past year, the project has spotlighted state and public libraries’ value to the workforce, promoted the exchange of knowledge between state libraries, and concentrated participants’ attention to future actions. Building on the experience state libraries have with pursuing partnerships, the project brought forward creative new insights on potential partners and strategies for successful collaboration with workforce agencies.” (Excerpt from “A Year with Project Compass: Libraries Provide Direction in Tough Times”)
Key resources from Project Compass
State Library Projects for Workforce Recovery
Webinar Archives Related to Economic Recovery
WebJunction hosted a number of online webinars related to economic recovery. Each webinar is available as an archived recording and can be reached through the link above. Topics include:
A new group has been formed on WebJunction – Libraries and Business Community Connections. This group is open to anyone who is interested in discussing or pursuing projects for library support of small business development as a route to workforce recovery. Click on the link to join the group and the discussion.
Prompted by the onset of the recession, Project Compass, through an IMLS grant and numerous partnerships, set out to assist libraries in their support of economic development and workforce recovery. Even now, although experts indicate a slowing in the recession indicators, the jobless rate remains high and libraries are seeing some of their highest statistics for usage in all areas.
What can you do at your library to help in the economic recovery? Through Project Compass and the resulting Workforce Resources, WebJunction has put a number of tools into your hands . Take the time to use what you can, your community will thank you.

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.
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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.
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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.