http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/espanol/swine_espanol.htm

Here’s yet another way to help your happy customers tell their library stories. In case you haven’t heard this yet from ALA, they’re working with Woman’s Day magazine again. Here’s the deal:

Here is the line up for MaintainIT’s winter webinars.  They are FREE and you don’t have to leave your desk to attend!  Register for the events you want to attend (see the links below).  Want to stay in the loop with MaintainIT?  Subscribe to the events page RSS feed to be automatically notified of upcoming MaintainIT webinars, train-the-trainers and book clubs.  

Laptop Labs: Creating, Maintaining, and Using Them
When: 12/09/2008 11:00am – 11:30am Pacific
Register: http://tinyurl.com/5t2zne
Duration: 30 Minutes
Description: Maybe you’ve been dreaming about building a laptop lab to use for training and now you’re ready to make it a reality. What should you buy? What kind of maintenance will be involved? How have other libraries used laptop labs? Join this fast-paced and interactive webinar to find out more. Take 30 minutes out of your day to learn from the experiences of others and get something started. This webinar is offered in collaboration with WebJunction. Remote Desktop Software: A MaintainIT Book Club Discussion
When: 12/16/2008 11:00am – 12:00pm Pacific
Register: http://tinyurl.com/6ebvn6
Duration: One hour
Description: Every month, MaintainIT hosts an online book club discussion. We select a chapter from one of the free Cookbooks, invite people to read it, and then meet to discuss. December’s Book Club Topic is: Remote Desktop Software.

Keeping up with technology: A MaintainIT webinar
When: 12/12/2008 11:00am – 12:00pm Pacific
Register: http://tinyurl.com/5w2gdn
Duration: One hour
Description: Keeping up with technology can seem overwhelming. In that sea of information, where do you find relevant resources for your library? In this free webinar, we’ll explore some of those resources… and why you’ll reap a number of benefits when investigating new resources, saving time and money.

Using MaintainIT Resources for Technology Training: Focus on Best Practices
Event Type: Train-the-Trainer
When: 12/17/2008 11:00am – 12:00pm Pacific
Register: http://tinyurl.com/6jnuod
Duration: One hour
Description: The MaintainIT Project has gathered hundreds of stories and best practice examples related to public access computing in libraries. We have created resources that may be of use to you in the training you provide. We’ll review some of the ways libraries are using our resources for training and showcase best practices for technology training in public libraries.

ARCHIVE NOW AVAILABLE:  In case you missed one of the webinars, or if you want revisit one again, visit: http://www.maintainitproject.org/events/archive.  Each new webinar will be added to the archive within a day after it’s debut.

Led by Stephanie’s own library grants blog, this great list of resources and tips couldn’t come at a better time for librarians stuggling to provide excellent services in the face of declining economic resources and rising demand.  This is a great article to “clip” and keep at hand in your office.

See also, these resources provided by Stephanie for an OPAL session she did for our Kansas rural library sustainability project in 2007:

• Funding Resources for Libraries
• Make a Wish (a PowerPoint presentation best viewed with the IE browser)

“Reading to our children is one of the simple steps we can take to encourage imagination and help establish a life-long love of learning,” said Sebelius. “Gary and I loved reading to our boys when they were young and we both continue to urge parents and families to read to their children.”

State Librarian Christie Brandau explained, “A child develops language skills before he or she is able to speak, and they develop literary skills long before they can begin to read. So much learning capacity occurs in a child’s first three years that it is imperative that we read to every baby, toddler, and preschooler.”

Brandau added, “Kansas has nearly 200,000 children under the age of five, and their future achievement depends on their literacy. Reading to a child for 30 minutes per day from infancy helps prepare a child to learn. In addition to highlighting the importance of reading to children, this week also promotes the library as a renewable resource of reading material.”

The State Library of Kansas and the Kansas Center for the Book are pleased to announce the Fourth Annual Kansas Reads to Preschoolers week, November 16-22. We’re hoping that all public and private libraries, all preschools across the state as well as our friends in public office, business, academics and at home join our mission of reading to as many children as possible. Kansas has nearly 200,000 children ages 0-5 who can benefit from reading activities.

The statewide book selection, Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson is a heart-warming story that tells of the sniffles, sneezes, high temperature and general crankiness that Bear is feeling. Thanks to Bear’s good friends, he is nursed with herbal tea, lullabies, and tender loving care until he’s well again.

Wilson will visit Kansas and join the Kansas Center for the Book in activities promoting the special week. She has been writing children’s books since 2002, and has had more than 30 books accepted for publication.
Visit www.kcfb.info for the latest on Kansas Reads to Preschoolers activities and downloadables..

Library director, Carol Wohlford, greeted guests at a library “sneak preview” last week. She told the story of the quest to create a library design that would WOW visitors with open areas that “tap can imaginations” and quiet areas, too. A library that expolits available high tech options while providing the expected traditional library services. The WOW factor is no where more evident than the colorful, larger than life book arch inviting children into their own library. 

The first green buidling in Andover, the library sits like a community jewel in a public park. The hign ceiling and open design is both inviting and engaging. “Clouds” spaced strategically across the library’s ceiling mask sound in busy areas like the children’s place. Bulding on the LEED (c) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, most areas of the library include large windows that let in natural light but control heat and glare and reduce energy use and cost. High efficiency heating and cooling, flooring that neutralizes carbon dioxide emissions, eco-friendly furnishings and a green (literally), cool roof are just a few of Andover Public Library’s green features.

Capitalizing on a FEMA grant, the library also houses a FEMA storm shelter, a large room to keep park and library visitors safe. The library’s layout includes a reading-gathering area, a colorful children’s area, a genealogy room, a study room, a media room, a teen room, an art gallery that will feature children’s art, a coffee shop that feeds out to a patio and an outdoor reading garden. A curved, tiled wall with a counter, electrical outlets and comfy chairs serves as a “web bar” (laptop work area). A special conference room is video ready and the library’s computer lab includes 10 computers with room for more. All of these areas bear evidence of the library’s many private partners as does the “giving wall.” One unique partnership opportunity is the library’s “collegiate” program geared to stimulate competition among Kansas University, Kansas State University and Wichita State University.

Andover’s shiny new library will open to the public later this month. A celebration is planned that will include a Girl Scout honor guard and lots of fun in the park. A celebration that will honor the can-do attitude of the Girl Scouts who set the library on its path and the strong public-private partnership that has created a green library that will WOW its visitors. More pictures of the Andover Library can be found on the Andover Public Library website and on the State Library’s Flickr pages.

What I do want to talk about is some of the new data available from the Census.  Last week, the “sub-county” population estimates for July 1, 2007 were released.  Sub-county simply means any area of geography below the county, which in Kansas includes cities and townships.

These numbers have been certified by the State Budget Office, and will be the official numbers used in collecting library statistics. 

Interesting things to note include: the seven largest percent losses in population came from cities surrounding Fort Riley, and Olathe was listed as one of the 25 fastest growing cities in America.

If you have any questions about these or any other statistics, email me at sdc@kslib.info.

Peter Haxton, State Data Center Coordinator