BlogJunction Vermont
A blog by the VT Dept. of Libraries to communicate with the VT library community
There are just a few more days to register for the “Focus on the Customer” conference for trustees and librarians on Saturday, November 3, 9:30 to 3 pm, at Barre’s Aldrich Public Library. Coffee and registration will start at 9:15 am, and speakers and topics will include:
· Robin Lane, Champlain College – privacy issues in an electronic age
· Trina Magi, VLA’s intellectual freedom committee chair – proposed changes to Vermont’s confidentiality law
· Rob Geiszler, Dept. of Libraries consultant – safety for customers and staff
· Liz Schlegel, marketing consultant – developing a “brand” for your library
Everyone attending should remember to bring a library marketing piece – book bag, coffee cup, set of note cards, etc. – for a display and exchange.
Cost of the day, which includes morning coffee and lunch, is $16 for VLA members and $20 for non-members. You can register by email, phone, or US mail by contacting me by October 29. You may pay at the door if you register in advance. Please make checks out to Vermont Library Association.
Hope to see you all in Barre on November 3!
In addition to the self-paced workshops that are available to the Vermont library community, WebJunction is now offering facilitated courses. These workshops are scheduled on a certain day and time determined by the organization hosting the course. These courses have an instructor who teaches the course content and encourages you to collaborate with other participants in the course. Usually, there is a web conferencing system you must log into. The audio portion of the web conferencing system often uses VOIP but sometimes the audio can be accessed using a telephone.
Before signing up, please note the technical requirements necessary and check to see if your computer has the appropriate technology.
And, as with the other WebJunction offerings, these can be used towards Public Librarian Certification.
The current offerings are:
*Metadata for Digitized Resources
This course meets for four two-hour sessions. There will be two separate sessions offered 10/9/07 – 10/12/07 and 12/11/07 – 12/14/07.
*Social Software in Libraries
This course meets for four two-hour sessions. There will be two separate sessions 10/1/07 – 10/4/07 and 11/13/07 – 11/16/07
*How to Learn Online
This course meets for a one-hour session on 11/08/07
*Creating Your Next Generation Library Website: Incorporating Social Software and Web 2.0 Tools into Your Online Presence
This course meets for three two-hour sessions 11/27/07 – 11/30/07
*RSS and Other Internet Feeds in the Library: Making Content Convenient
This course meets for a two-hour session on 11/15/07
*Developing and Managing Digital Programs Webinar
This course meets for a two-hour session on 10/09/07 or 12/4/07
*Digital Image Quality Webinar
This course meets for a two-hour session on 11/06/07
For more information about the courses and to register, please go to:
http://vt.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=442
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 828-3261 or mara.siegel@dol.state.vt.us.
Vermont trustees and their librarians are encouraged to attend the annual conference of the Vermont Library Trustees Association on Saturday, November 3, 2007, at Barre’s Aldrich Public Library, beginning at 9:30 am and ending at 3:00 pm, with coffee beginning at 9:15.
The theme for the conference is “Focus on the Customer,” following up on the spring workshops entitled “From Patron to Customer.” Speakers for the day will include:
– Robin Lane, faculty member at Champlain College and former CEO of Together Networks, discussing “Digital Footprints” and their implications for customer privacy
– Trina Magi, chair of VLA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee, with an update on VLA’s plans to clarify Vermont’s confidentiality statute in the coming legislative session
– Rob Geiszler, consultant for the Department of Libraries, outlining practical ways to make libraries safer for customers and staff
– Liz Schlegel, of Spike Advertising (the folks who so successfully promoted Vermont’s Frost Heaves basketball team last year), speaking on developing a library “brand,” marketing services to a community
Participants should plan to bring a library memento such as a mug, tote bag, note cards, etc., to show and swap during the day.
Cost for the day, covering morning coffee and lunch, is $16 for VLA members and $20 for non-members, payable to Vermont Library Association. Register today by calling or writing Marianne Kotch, Dept. of Libraries, 578 Paine Tpke. N., Berlin, VT 05602, (802) 828-2320.
The list has been a bit quiet lately as far as announcements go, but here are a couple.
VOL Basics workshop on 8/22/2007
There is still plenty of room in the Vermont Online Library Basics workshop on 8/22/2007 from 1:00 to 3:30 at the Midstate Regional Library in Berlin.
Here’s the link to sign up: http://evanced.info/vtdol/evanced/eventcalendar.asp
Conference November 3, 2007: “Focus on the Customer”
Mark your calendars now for the annual statewide conference for trustees and their librarians sponsored by the VLA’s Vermont Library Trustees Association, with help from the Department of Libraries! The conference, “Focus on the Customer,” will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2007, at Barre’s Aldrich Public Library, from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Topics to be covered will include customer privacy, customer and staff safety, and branding/marketing. The cost for the day (including morning coffee, muffins, and lunch) is $16 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Regional consultants will all have registration forms, and you may register via email, mail, or phone by contacting Marianne Kotch. Hope to see many of you there to discuss these important issues!
Thanks so much to the persistent few who stuck with me in my plan to offer web conferencing sessions to introduce the Live Classroom platform that DOL is just starting to use.
It took me much longer than I liked to get the sessions planned and scheduled, but yesterday and today I conducting two web conferencing sessions (some call them webinars) where I introduced participants to the Live Classroom environment and experimented with some of the tools available. The recording of the sessions also seemed to work and if you like you can take a look at one of them at this URL: http://208.185.78.171/launcher.cgi?room=vt_train_2007_0808_1332_24
The audio quality of the recording is only fair and sometimes there are hiccups that skip over a word or two, but the gist of things comes through okay. If you want to get a sense of how more adept presenters than I have done, Webjunction has recordings of several of their Learning Webinars available online: http://vt.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=15543I learned a lot while doing these sessions and now feel like I could do something a little more formal with some real content — not just an intro to how the conferencing system works. Mara Siegel and I are talking about putting together a session on one or another of the VOL resources. I also think I will probably do some more informal things that allow people to have a conversation about and experiment with some online tool that interests them.
Thanks again to Rhonda, Mary, and Holly (my fellow experimenters).
I went back a bit more than a week this time, so it’s a little bit long….
Ideas for Senior programming [Theres Faust]
Did your library have a great program geared toward seniors that worked really well? Have you heard a great idea from another library about serving older patrons? I would love to hear these ideas, to share them at upcoming DOL workshops. Please email me. Thanks!
Teresa
Teresa R. Faust
Special Services Consultant, Vermont Department of Libraries
578 Paine Turnpike North, Berlin, VT 05602
802.828.3273 800.479.1711 (in state)
teresa.faust@mail.dol.state.vt.us
Youth Services Grant [Amy Howlett by way of http://library.med.utah.edu/blogs/BHIC/ ]
Disney Minnie Grants Available to Support Youth Service Projects
Deadline: August 30, 2007
The Walt Disney Company ( http://www.disney.com <http://www.disney.com/> ) and Youth Service America ( http://www.ysa.org <http://www.ysa.org/> ) have announced grants of up to $500 each to support youth-led service projects. These grants support youth (ages 5-14) in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth (15-25), youth-leaders, and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, provided that they that engage younger youth (5-14) in planning and implementing the service. Service projects must take place between October 1 and November 26, 2007. Projects can address themes such as the environment, disaster relief, public health and awareness, community education, hunger, literacy, or any issue that youth identify as a community need. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10007919/YSA
Historic Preservation Grants [Marianne Kotch]
Those of you interested in preserving your facilities may be eligible to apply for the 2008 State Historic Preservation Grant program. In order to be eligible for matching grant for between $1,000 and $15,000, your building must be owned by a municipality or a nonprofit organization and must be listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont. The deadline for grants is September 29, 2007 (postmark date) or October 2, 2007 (delivery date). Packets went out early this month. To request a packet, call the state Division for Historic Preservation at 828-3043. You can also check their website at http://www.HistoricVermont.org
Core Competecies Webinar[Sheila Kearns]
The direct link to this info is
http://vt.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=15543)
Hour-long webinar: July 25, 11:00 AM PDT/2:00 PM EDT
Core Competencies for Library Staff
Free via WebJunction’s Live Space
In this one hour webinar, we will explore competencies for library staff-how defining core competencies builds a foundation for identifying skills and knowledge gaps and leads to targeted training that will help keep libraries viable in the 21st century.
Note: Also an opportunity to experience the WebJunctions LiveClassroom environment on your own.
Outreach Conference [Grace Greene]
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF), in cooperation with the Department of Libraries and the NH State Library, is sponsoring a one day conference on outreach for public librarians and bookmobile folks on September 21 in White River Junction:
Taking It on the Road Outreach Conference for Bookmobile or Library Staff & Volunteers
Friday, September 21, 2007
Briggs Opera House – White River Junction, VT
Co-sponsored by the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF),
New Hampshire State Library & Vermont Department of Libraries
This conference will provide support, inspiration and dozens of creative ideas to the staff and volunteers of bookmobiles and libraries across New Hampshire and Vermont. Do you want to improve your library and bookmobile outreach activities? Then come join us! Our panelists are experts drawn from libraries and bookmobiles across the Twin States. Their ideas will simply be the starting point for a lively day of sharing stories about what works and what doesn’t. Come with stories, suggestions, and questions. The cost is $5 per person. Space is limited to the first 60 people to register.
For further information an registration details contact
Children’s Literacy Foundation • 1536 Loomis Hill Road • Waterbury Center, VT 05677
phone: 802/244-0944 email: childrens.literacy@verizon.net
To find out more about CLiF, visit www.clifonline.org <http://www.clifonline.org/>
Emerging Leaders[Marrianne Kotch]
The Emerging Leaders Initiative enables 120 new librarians to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Attendance at two conferences, mentoring, training, and leadership development.
For details go to:
http://wikis.ala.org/emergingleaders/index.php/2008_Emerging_Leaders_Program_Information
On May 15, 2007, fourteen librarians were awarded Certificates of Public Librarianship at the Vermont Library Conference. These individuals completed the Vermont Department of Libraries’ certification program for public librarians. The Department congratulates them for all of their hard work and dedication.
They are:
George Abrams, formerly Gaysville, Royalton, Woodstock
Annie Brabazon, South Hero Community Library
Lynne Gately, Kimball Public Library, Randolph
Linda Hartin, Morristown Centennial Library
Samantha Maskell, Rockingham Free Public Library
Shara McCaffrey, St Johnsbury Athenaeum
Carolyn Mullett, Wilder Memorial Library, Weston
Rhonda Murphy, Royalton Memorial Library
Caroline Nicholson, Goodrich Memorial Library, Newport
Beth Reynolds, Norwich Public Library
Adrianne Scuccess, Aldrich Public Library, Barre
Cindy Waters, Mark Skinner Library, Manchester
Cindy Weber, Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston
Ann Zani, formerly of Fair Haven Free Public Library
The Department of Libraries workshop season is upon us, and most of the staff is busy creating handouts. Many of these are available at the “continuing education discussion” section of Vermont’s WebJunction site. You will find resource lists from the Basic Reference workshop, a PowerPoint presentation on legal matters for librarians and trustees, resources for working with trustees, and a host of other items as the workshops occur. Anyone may use them, so if you missed a workshop, want to explore independently, or want to tune up your skills, you will probably find something of use. Enjoy!
Trying to combine a beautiful Friday afternoon sitting in my window-less office and being productive, I came across a post at the shifted librarian where Jenny Levine linked to a tongue-in-cheek quiz that she created about ALA for her presentation at the recent Computers in Libraries conference.
Yes, it was fun to take the quiz, but within a very short time, I had downloaded the software she used to create it (ContentGenerator.net) and created a simple quiz. Of course there were a few small steps–had to register for the ContentGenerator Forums to download the software; had to make sure that I had Adobe Flash player installed (free to download and already installed for most browsers); and had one minor glitch with unzipping the file I downloaded (had to actually extract the file rather than just clicking on the executable after MSWindows displayed it for me).
Anyway, Jenny is considering lofty matters like providing “a small glimpse into how gaming can be used for assessment in addition to literacy and learning” and wondering “about whether or not this is really ‘gaming’ in the traditional sense of the term.” I’m just thinking about all the silly quizzes that I could create to break up my usually boring presentations!
If anyone out there gives this software a try, we’d really enjoy hearing about it.
Have you been thinking of taking an online course, but have never gotten around to it? Well the online courses at Webjunction Vermont have always been free members of the Vermont Library community, but between now and mid-June we have a large course allotment that we need to use up before it expires. So get out there and register for WJ-VT, if you have not done so already, and sign up for an online course. Once you are signed up for a course, you will have a full year to complete the course before your registration expires.
The remaining courses will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Remember that completed online-courses can be counted for credit for Public Librarian Certification from DOL.