Fair use and social media is getting increasing attention. Back in April, I provided some links with advice on creating a blog entry that will include content created by others. See Blogging and copyright – use of content produced by others.
Today Robbie LaFleur, Legislative Reference Library, sent out an annoucement: “The Minnesota Coalition on Government Information is sponsoring a very interesting talk next week as part of its ongoing COGI-tations series. Media lawyer Paul Hannah will be speaking on “Fair Use and Social Media.”
In the land of ”23 Things on a Stick” and “More Things on a Stick“, increased use of Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs has resulted in many questions about what constitutes fair use.
Hope you can attend this free event – Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., Women Venture Meeting Room, 2324 University Ave West, St. Paul. If anyone takes notes, we’ll post them to WebJunction Minnesota.
Check out the Dave Granlund cartoon on budget cuts to public libraries.
Granlund cartoon: Library budget cuts
Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch, June 7, 2010
Former State Librarian, Suzanne Miller, began training for her new position in the Foreign Service in May. By the end of the training period, she had been told she would be assigned to Vienna or Nigeria. Wow! Talk about polar opposites!
Ready for the answer? Here’s the update from Suzanne:
“I will be posted to Abuja, Nigeria. I will spend the summer training in DC. In early fall I should be leaving to post for two years. Let the planning and learning commence!!”
PALS maintained an integrated online library system for Minnesota’s colleges and university libraries and more for many years. Moving with the times, they are promoting the open-source system, Evergreen. ECRL (East Central Regional Library) is the first regional public library system in Minnesota to adopt the Evergreen catalog. The public is invited to the official launch today in Cambridge.
To the Minnesota Library Community,
East Central Regional Library and PALS are pleased to announce our new partnership in providing the Evergreen catalog to patrons in east central Minnesota. You can have a peek at:
http://ecrl.mnpals.net
We will have an official ribbon-cutting on Wednesday afternoon, May 26th at 2:00 p.m. at ECRL Headquarters in Cambridge MN. We’d be pleased if you’d join us (if you’re able) for the first official Minnesota Evergreen launch, complete with coffee and cookies (you betcha)!
Barbara Misselt, ECRL Director
Stephen Elfstrand, PALS Director
As of 5/15, the University of Minnesota was still looking for applicants for 8 Broadband Apprenticeship positions. The positions are open until filled. Front line library staff are in a great position to know community residents who’d be a great fit for these positions. Because the need for digital literacy skills and access to the Internet is so great, as library staff well know, please encourage good candidates to apply for these apprenticeship positions.
Please share this job description and flyer with those who would be interested in serving in this apprenticeship position — learning technology skills, providing computer support, and training community residents to use computers and the Internet. Advanced education is not required and second language skills are a plus. The University of Minnesota recently posted the job description for the Broadband Apprenticeship Position – Community Program Assistant. (See attachment or online application for full details.)
Highlights from the Job Description:
- The apprentices will have an opportunity to learn marketable new technology skills that can be used to find employment in a computer lab, help center, or other jobs requiring computer knowledge after the yearlong apprenticeship ends.
- Apprentices will receive initial and ongoing training and will augment current staff by providing computer support in the public computer labs and training community residents (using training materials provided) to use technology for internet access and to access information about education, jobs, health care, and economic and community development.
- High school diploma or GED and two years of work experience or additional education
- … fluency in a second language – especially Spanish, Hmong, Somali and other languages commonly spoken in Minneapolis and St. Paul – is a plus.
- See job description for more details.
Full-time position, one-year appointment, $13.87/hour
How to Apply:
- Applications must be submitted on-line through the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources Web site at www.umn.edu/ohr/employment/.
- Click “Search & Apply for Job Openings”.
- Click “Search Postings”.
- In the box for requisition number, enter this code: 166129
- Under Position Title, click View.
Contact: Courtney McLean, 612-624-0530 or mclea075@umn.edu
FYI–Some Background on Funding:
Minnesota was one of the few states to have an application selected to receive a federal broadband stimulus grant during BTOP Round 1. A Public Computer Center Award was granted to the University of Minnesota, 12/17/2010.
“MINNESOTA: Regents of the University of Minnesota, $2.9 million grant with matching funds of $741,000 to enhance broadband awareness and use for residents in four federally-designated poverty zones in Minneapolis and St. Paul.”
–White House Press Release: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/vice-president-biden-kicks-72-billion-recovery-act-broadband-program
–U of MN Press Release: http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2009/UR_CONTENT_165027.html
As an outcome of this grant, the University has created these apprenticeships. According to the job description, “There are eight one-year positions as Broadband Apprentices to work on the Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Broadband Access Project (BAP). These positions are funded by a grant from the [Round 1] U.S. Department of Commerce, (Award #27-42-B10003) and a $750k match from the University. BAP will enhance broadband access, awareness, and use in one new and ten existing public computer centers located in the urban cores of Minneapolis and St. Paul.”
Mary Ann
So far this is one of my favorite handouts on the value of libraries to our communities. This is easy to look at and conveys unexpected information, gathered from reputable reseach. Share with staff, trustees, decision-makers, the community!
How Libraries Stack Up: 2010 (April 2010)
If you want to make a powerpoint presentation, two templates are available for your use. See Downloads column on right side of page. No need to register.
For more information, see: http://www.oclc.org/reports/stackup/
Thanks to Karla Gedell, Minnesota Attorney General Library, for sharing this news item.
“The current issue of Session Weekly [5/13/2010] has “Public Libraries” as the topic of its Minnesota Index. Among other statistics, it compares the largest public library system in the state (Hennepin County Library System) with one of the smallest (McKinley Public Library).”
The Minnesota Index provides a one-page summary of selected statistics. For those who like detail, the state and regional compilation of the official 2008 Minnesota Public Library Statistics is available on the State Library Services website.
Fyi—“Session Weekly is a nonpartisan publication of Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services.” – website
Minitex IT staff are supporting library IT staff with an online group, including discussion forum. In order to make the group more discoverable, they just established a related twitter account. Here’s a great use of Twitter to connect library staff to one another and to the group discussion forums on WebJunction Minnesota (WJMN).
Follow the tweets at http://twitter.com/mntechspeak. Connect to the MN TechSpeak group via the mntechspeak web link on Twitter (upper right corner) or via the WebJunction Minnesota home page (right side of home page, under Minnesota Groups).
“This group is intended for Library IT staff across Minnesota to share information concerning the support of technology in libraries. ” — Twitter and WJMN group pages
Don’t hesitate to sign up. According to today’s issue of Minitex e-News, staffs with all levels of technology knowledge are welcome.
The State Librarian announced recently that she has resigned in order to join the Foreign Service as an Information Officer. (She will be missed! And she knows she will miss us!)
Where will she go? Those who join the Foreign Service Information Services are asked to apply, pass a lengthy interview and security check, accept the position, attend training, and only then are they told where to report for duty.
We expect Suzanne Miller to be assigned to one of the U.S. embassies. Stay tuned!
Preston Public Library, in SELCO, is the first Minnesota Library to be listed on the new Scrabble Library Roster. If your library hosts a Scrabble club or would like to do so, add its name to the new roster. Check the Scrabble main page for Libraries for more information!
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