I took some notes during staff day. Some of the highlights I came away with were:
Get a camera
Get with social networking, particularly facebook and flickr
Should we delve into the social networking arena, we will need to commit to updating it and creating a presence (be reliable, be responsive, be available)
Create, foster, nurture partnerships
If libraries do not stake their claim in the digital realm, it will move on without us - we will lose leverage; we have expertise in organizing and providing information, regardless of format
Our Future Library: Evolved, Even More Practical, Everywhere and Different
Michael Porter
Libraries = content + community
photos
- get cameras
- record memories – makes people feel good
What makes you love your library?
- people
- help
- books
- internet
- needs met
technology
- libraries are well-placed in community to take advantage of technology
fidelity
- defines what we are as institutions
- things that used to be sci-fi aren’t any more
library 101
- whole new set of basics
- find ways to engage the technology
-technology innovations are jumping exponentially every year – what does this do for libraries?
What do we adopt?
What’s part of our mission and vision?
- we are getting leapfrogged by for-profit companies (i.e. facebook)
- we need to jump onto their platform to compete with them
- we could get usurped if we’re not careful and adapt to the changes – find new ways to provide access to content
- we have a window of opportunity we need to plan for and we need to talk about
- what we do in libraries that doesn’t have to do with technology is not matching up with what we do that has to do with technology (we’re good at interacting with community but not good at the software side)
- digital content – libraries don’t have a platform to circulate
- we don’t own or have control over it
- articulate what you do well and say it
- take blinders off when we look at what we offer on the web
- what could we try?
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tutor.com Feedback
Michelle had the SV information specialists study the tutor.com website and provide feedback so that we would be more familiar with its offerings. Per Michelle and Ellens' request, I'm sharing my feedback with ya'll.
I got online at 9 AM on a Monday and played around with Tutor.com – the “live help” portion of the website was closed, but there is a quite a lot that it offers in the SkillsCenter Resource Library, including tutorials and practice tests for math subjects such as absolute values and inequality (I tried to read a couple of these and they were way over my head – not surprising considering I haven’t taken a math class since high school), for science subjects (categorized both by grade and also by subject), for Social Studies and also for English. For Social Studies I clicked on “Middle Grades” and then a host of subjects came up – I chose “India” and then four links to websites/articles appeared from various sources on The Ancient River Valley, Buddhism, Hinduism and the history of Bangladesh. Interesting reading even for adults, really.
Also in the SkillsCenter Resource Library is information for State Standardized Tests, including a link to a sample WASL that kids can take. This will be a great reference tool to use for parents wanting to find WASL study guides for their children. Also included in this section – and also incredibly important – are sample quizzes and tutorials for the AP tests, SAT, ACT, GRE and other college entrance and graduate school entrance exams. Great to know for when you’re working at the second floor information desk.
It’s not just young children that can benefit from Tutor.com – Live Help is available for both college students and for adults trying to find a new career. College students can read about and take sample quizzes on Calculus, Physics and a host of other advanced subjects, and adults have tutorials available to them on resume and cover letters, job searching, helping their kids with homework and even citizenship testing. Adults can also upload resumes for proofing, as can college students who want another eye to comb over their research papers (this, of course, is also available to the younger kids who need help with papers, etc).
When I got online later, during hours when the Live Help was available, I was impressed to see that you can start with the most basic inquiry (ie, I don’t know where to begin with a paper that’s due in a week!) to the final editing process (where you upload a paper in Proof Point and have a tutor thoroughly check it for you). I wrote a convoluted thesis statement about Edith Wharton and sent it in to be evaluated but then was asked to come out to a reference desk and had to abandon the experiment. Nonetheless, seems like this is a great service, although I can only imagine what the tutors must read everyday – guess it’s probably not much different from what we experience working in a public library – some requests end up being rewarding, some are just plain weird.
I got online at 9 AM on a Monday and played around with Tutor.com – the “live help” portion of the website was closed, but there is a quite a lot that it offers in the SkillsCenter Resource Library, including tutorials and practice tests for math subjects such as absolute values and inequality (I tried to read a couple of these and they were way over my head – not surprising considering I haven’t taken a math class since high school), for science subjects (categorized both by grade and also by subject), for Social Studies and also for English. For Social Studies I clicked on “Middle Grades” and then a host of subjects came up – I chose “India” and then four links to websites/articles appeared from various sources on The Ancient River Valley, Buddhism, Hinduism and the history of Bangladesh. Interesting reading even for adults, really.
Also in the SkillsCenter Resource Library is information for State Standardized Tests, including a link to a sample WASL that kids can take. This will be a great reference tool to use for parents wanting to find WASL study guides for their children. Also included in this section – and also incredibly important – are sample quizzes and tutorials for the AP tests, SAT, ACT, GRE and other college entrance and graduate school entrance exams. Great to know for when you’re working at the second floor information desk.
It’s not just young children that can benefit from Tutor.com – Live Help is available for both college students and for adults trying to find a new career. College students can read about and take sample quizzes on Calculus, Physics and a host of other advanced subjects, and adults have tutorials available to them on resume and cover letters, job searching, helping their kids with homework and even citizenship testing. Adults can also upload resumes for proofing, as can college students who want another eye to comb over their research papers (this, of course, is also available to the younger kids who need help with papers, etc).
When I got online later, during hours when the Live Help was available, I was impressed to see that you can start with the most basic inquiry (ie, I don’t know where to begin with a paper that’s due in a week!) to the final editing process (where you upload a paper in Proof Point and have a tutor thoroughly check it for you). I wrote a convoluted thesis statement about Edith Wharton and sent it in to be evaluated but then was asked to come out to a reference desk and had to abandon the experiment. Nonetheless, seems like this is a great service, although I can only imagine what the tutors must read everyday – guess it’s probably not much different from what we experience working in a public library – some requests end up being rewarding, some are just plain weird.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tutor.com webinar
Hello all:
I signed up for yesterday's "webinar" (I was the only person from SCLD) and I thought I would heads up everyone about it. I have already sent an email to Region II supervisors on what I discovered.
Tutor.Com has a new look and a new name. It used to be "Live Homework Help" and it is now "Learning Suite" and one of the first things they do is show you the new look, log on to an actual session and pull up some new features such as graph paper and more white board capabilities. I thought this would be the focus of the session: using Tutor.Com., but that part was very short--less than 10 minutes.
Most of the time was spent showing us how to download and customize posters, fliers, bookmarks, etc. and how to market Tutor.Com. The marketing section went beyond what we do when talking to customers in the library. They have power point presentations that you can take to a PTO meeting, for instance, webinars that you can set up for educators, things like that. Certainly helpful tools, but not things most of the staff will use.
There are some training features. They have always had an online power point presentation about Tutor.Com; you have always been able to ask a tutor about the website and soon there will be a four minute video tour you can take. I am not sure if these online options are available from our link on SCLD's website or from a client access. This second option requires a password. Staff logging in to later sessions might inquire about this if we don't already have the information.
Even though the material covered was not what I expected, it was fun doing it. You can send in questions during the presentations and at the end they unmuted the link and people could ask questions (there weren't many). I was impressed by their responsiveness: one person in West Virginia was brand new to her job (second day on the job) and brand new to Tutor.Com and the presenters arranged right there for the account person for that region to call her and help her get up to speed.
If anyone has any questions, give me a call.
Mary Kay
I signed up for yesterday's "webinar" (I was the only person from SCLD) and I thought I would heads up everyone about it. I have already sent an email to Region II supervisors on what I discovered.
Tutor.Com has a new look and a new name. It used to be "Live Homework Help" and it is now "Learning Suite" and one of the first things they do is show you the new look, log on to an actual session and pull up some new features such as graph paper and more white board capabilities. I thought this would be the focus of the session: using Tutor.Com., but that part was very short--less than 10 minutes.
Most of the time was spent showing us how to download and customize posters, fliers, bookmarks, etc. and how to market Tutor.Com. The marketing section went beyond what we do when talking to customers in the library. They have power point presentations that you can take to a PTO meeting, for instance, webinars that you can set up for educators, things like that. Certainly helpful tools, but not things most of the staff will use.
There are some training features. They have always had an online power point presentation about Tutor.Com; you have always been able to ask a tutor about the website and soon there will be a four minute video tour you can take. I am not sure if these online options are available from our link on SCLD's website or from a client access. This second option requires a password. Staff logging in to later sessions might inquire about this if we don't already have the information.
Even though the material covered was not what I expected, it was fun doing it. You can send in questions during the presentations and at the end they unmuted the link and people could ask questions (there weren't many). I was impressed by their responsiveness: one person in West Virginia was brand new to her job (second day on the job) and brand new to Tutor.Com and the presenters arranged right there for the account person for that region to call her and help her get up to speed.
If anyone has any questions, give me a call.
Mary Kay
Monday, June 8, 2009
WLA: Benefits You Can Afford
James F. Brown, who puts together Health Services for the Actors Fund of America, flew in from New York to share all of the goodies he's managed to put together in one, multi-purpose website. Funded by grants supporting artists health service needs, the website also serves any self-employed person seeking health insurance benefits. There is even good info for people who have health insurance, but don't seem to be covered for what they need.
The Health Insurance/Resources for Health Care (AHIRC) database, can be accessed at: http://ahirc.org/. It focuses on resources for the self-employed, lower income workers, and the under- and un-insured. For Washingtonians there are two main points of access located on the homepage. Click on the Map, on Washington State, for the usual links and resources. And, click on Washington State in the lower right hand corner of the homepage under Regional Healthcare Guides, to link to a special information project for 2008-2009.
Regional Guide for Washington
This special aggregation of healthcare resources for Washington State, includes links to: kinds of health insurance, COBRA, employment related options, private insurance, government-subsized programs, programs for special health conditions, obtaining medications, dental coverage, mental health options, Community Health Centers, and 24-hour pharmacies, and much more.
Choose Washington on the Map
Includes full menu of options for:
* Getting Health Insurance (including info for Children, Veterans, Uninsurables, Long-Term Care, Legal Assistance, etc.),
* Affording Health Care (costs, programs, assistance opportunities, etc.),
* Finding Health Care (organizations, programs, etc.),
* Changing Health Care
I invite you to spend some time working around the website, to know what's there -- lots of good resources.
The Health Insurance/Resources for Health Care (AHIRC) database, can be accessed at: http://ahirc.org/. It focuses on resources for the self-employed, lower income workers, and the under- and un-insured. For Washingtonians there are two main points of access located on the homepage. Click on the Map, on Washington State, for the usual links and resources. And, click on Washington State in the lower right hand corner of the homepage under Regional Healthcare Guides, to link to a special information project for 2008-2009.
Regional Guide for Washington
This special aggregation of healthcare resources for Washington State, includes links to: kinds of health insurance, COBRA, employment related options, private insurance, government-subsized programs, programs for special health conditions, obtaining medications, dental coverage, mental health options, Community Health Centers, and 24-hour pharmacies, and much more.
Choose Washington on the Map
Includes full menu of options for:
* Getting Health Insurance (including info for Children, Veterans, Uninsurables, Long-Term Care, Legal Assistance, etc.),
* Affording Health Care (costs, programs, assistance opportunities, etc.),
* Finding Health Care (organizations, programs, etc.),
* Changing Health Care
I invite you to spend some time working around the website, to know what's there -- lots of good resources.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
WLA Redux - Advocacy By All session
I'm pretty sure I was the lone SCLD staff member at this WLA session so I thought I'd give you the skinny.
After a failed passing of a levy, Kitsap Regional Library had to figure out what to do next. They decided that the levy failed because they had not effectively communicated to the community the value of the library. In response, they created a staff-led committee with diverse members from many branches and departments in the system called C.A.F.E. (Collaborative Affiliates Fostering Education). The purpose of C.A.F.E. was to "celebrate the library system" through outreach to the community, informing them what the library has to offer.
The presenters discussed how C.A.F.E. was formed, the challenges they had to face, and their current and future projects. Probably the most crucial aspect in the formation of this group was the openness of the administration in tasking this project and allowing the committee to run with it. Staff had strong buy-in and dedication. Throughout their brainstorming sessions, they kept track of all the ideas presented and made them available. They created a Did You Know? campaign highlighting the library's services, began selling bags based on customer comments, and provided a space on their website for patrons to tell their own library stories.
It remains to be seen if their next levy will pass, but they are hopeful and much better positioned now than they were. Reaching out to community partners, creating a dialogue with their customers, and arousing a sense of pride and accomplishment in staff should go a long way in positioning themselves as a vital resource.
After a failed passing of a levy, Kitsap Regional Library had to figure out what to do next. They decided that the levy failed because they had not effectively communicated to the community the value of the library. In response, they created a staff-led committee with diverse members from many branches and departments in the system called C.A.F.E. (Collaborative Affiliates Fostering Education). The purpose of C.A.F.E. was to "celebrate the library system" through outreach to the community, informing them what the library has to offer.
The presenters discussed how C.A.F.E. was formed, the challenges they had to face, and their current and future projects. Probably the most crucial aspect in the formation of this group was the openness of the administration in tasking this project and allowing the committee to run with it. Staff had strong buy-in and dedication. Throughout their brainstorming sessions, they kept track of all the ideas presented and made them available. They created a Did You Know? campaign highlighting the library's services, began selling bags based on customer comments, and provided a space on their website for patrons to tell their own library stories.
It remains to be seen if their next levy will pass, but they are hopeful and much better positioned now than they were. Reaching out to community partners, creating a dialogue with their customers, and arousing a sense of pride and accomplishment in staff should go a long way in positioning themselves as a vital resource.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Banned Books Week Workshop at WLA
Though Banned Books Week is a few months off, the WLA workshop offered some insight on how our library could embrace Banned Books Week. The panel, which consisted of bookstore owners and librarians, shared interesting ideas for promoting intellectual freedom:
~ Have a Freedom of the Press discussion led by an author of challenged books or by librarians to discuss the topic of the freedom to read with the community.
~ Have movie night - show a movie based on a challenged book.
~ Some librarians have had storytime that highlighted banned books, such as King Kong.
~ Put several challenged books in brown paper bags with the reasons why they were banned listed on the outside. Patrons are curious and take the time to read the "charges" and try to figure out the title.
~ Put banned books in a case covered in black, with just a "peek-a-boo" hole for the patrons to look in at the titles.
~ Have a community place, such as a wall covered in blank paper, where people can list which banned books are their favorites and why.
~ Have a mix and match handout with "why this book was banned" in one column and the banned books in another, and the patrons have to match up the reason with the book.
~ Of course, have the usual bookmarks and posters promoting banned books week
The workshop made me excited to contribute to our library's Banned Book Week program.
~ Have a Freedom of the Press discussion led by an author of challenged books or by librarians to discuss the topic of the freedom to read with the community.
~ Have movie night - show a movie based on a challenged book.
~ Some librarians have had storytime that highlighted banned books, such as King Kong.
~ Put several challenged books in brown paper bags with the reasons why they were banned listed on the outside. Patrons are curious and take the time to read the "charges" and try to figure out the title.
~ Put banned books in a case covered in black, with just a "peek-a-boo" hole for the patrons to look in at the titles.
~ Have a community place, such as a wall covered in blank paper, where people can list which banned books are their favorites and why.
~ Have a mix and match handout with "why this book was banned" in one column and the banned books in another, and the patrons have to match up the reason with the book.
~ Of course, have the usual bookmarks and posters promoting banned books week
The workshop made me excited to contribute to our library's Banned Book Week program.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Privacy/Confidentiality Workshop
This workshop helped clarify what type of information is confidential and what is not from a legal perspective. I hadn't realized that if asked by anyone, we can tell them if a certain person is in the library and if they are using the Internet. Because the library is a public place, we can give out that information. We cannot, however, tell them what the person is viewing. The presentation was well organized and there was plenty of time to ask questions.
INCOL
I attended the INCOL workshop on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 at the MAC Museum. Presenters included Janet Hauck from Whitworth University and Trevor James Bond from WSU. The topic was the Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA); its purpose, origin, development and future.
The Northwest Digital Archives, http://nwda.wsulibs.wsu.edu/, provides access to descriptions of primary historical resources in the Northwestern United States, including correspondence, diaries, maps, pamphlets, photographs, and other ephemera. These primary sources reside in any of 21 different college or university libraries, historical societies and archives in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana.
The “descriptions” provided by NWDA lead a reseacher to primary material in the subject s/he is seeking. As most of this material is stored in boxes and files, the need for accurate and descriptive indexing is critical. If, when searching, there is a document you wish to see, you may then contact the institution that holds it and an image scan can be sent to you via email. In some instances, a link to the image will be on the record itself. There are very few images already linked and the purpose of the site is primarily for finding documents, but as scans are done, links are retained.
So, how does this work? Janet Hauck from Whitworth related a recent request that was filled by this service. Someone, who knew that Father’s Day was founded in Spokane in the early part of the 20th century had some related questions. Who was the founder, what local church was involved in its founding and why was the third Sunday of June selected? Consulting the database, she discovered the founder of the holiday was a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd who was associated with Knox Presbyterian Church (then named Centenary Church) in 1910. As for the reason for the date, Janet found the answer in a letter from Sonora Dodd in the Whitworth Archives relating that she wanted it to be June 4 in honor of her father’s birthday anniversary, but the Church Board was late in approving her request, so she picked the nearest Sunday, which happened to be the third of the month! So it was because of a slow moving Church Board that Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Very fun.
The Papal Bull that Trevor brought from WSU was a big hit as well!
This was a great workshop and showcased a resource we all should be aware of.
The Northwest Digital Archives, http://nwda.wsulibs.wsu.edu/, provides access to descriptions of primary historical resources in the Northwestern United States, including correspondence, diaries, maps, pamphlets, photographs, and other ephemera. These primary sources reside in any of 21 different college or university libraries, historical societies and archives in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana.
The “descriptions” provided by NWDA lead a reseacher to primary material in the subject s/he is seeking. As most of this material is stored in boxes and files, the need for accurate and descriptive indexing is critical. If, when searching, there is a document you wish to see, you may then contact the institution that holds it and an image scan can be sent to you via email. In some instances, a link to the image will be on the record itself. There are very few images already linked and the purpose of the site is primarily for finding documents, but as scans are done, links are retained.
So, how does this work? Janet Hauck from Whitworth related a recent request that was filled by this service. Someone, who knew that Father’s Day was founded in Spokane in the early part of the 20th century had some related questions. Who was the founder, what local church was involved in its founding and why was the third Sunday of June selected? Consulting the database, she discovered the founder of the holiday was a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd who was associated with Knox Presbyterian Church (then named Centenary Church) in 1910. As for the reason for the date, Janet found the answer in a letter from Sonora Dodd in the Whitworth Archives relating that she wanted it to be June 4 in honor of her father’s birthday anniversary, but the Church Board was late in approving her request, so she picked the nearest Sunday, which happened to be the third of the month! So it was because of a slow moving Church Board that Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Very fun.
The Papal Bull that Trevor brought from WSU was a big hit as well!
This was a great workshop and showcased a resource we all should be aware of.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
INCOL training
Just came back from an INCOL session at the MAC : Northwest Digital Archives. I find it astounding how much material is becoming available for public viewing via the Internet and pleased that search tools are included. Check out this: http://nwda.wsulibs.wsu.edu/. And did you kn0w that WSU has a papal bull? And if you aren't a coug, would you care? I do now & can actually "see" it online. Neat.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thoughts on WLA 2009
1. Captivating and Communicating with one year olds: Tried and True by Dr. James Thomas (aka Mr. Jim)
I was hoping this presentation would be useful for my baby lapsit storytime, and while there were lots of great ideas, I found them to be more suited to toddlers. He was very specific about finding "baby" storytimes that combined six month olds with 18 month olds to be a waste of time. I'd be curious to know if there is a storytime at his library for kids under 12 months. His focus is 12 to 24 months only. He uses a lot of sign language (in songs, and when talking about colors etc, he teaches the kids the sign too). Mr. Jim's wiki (http://toddlericon.pbworks.com) is chock full of great resources. One aspect of his presentation that I liked was his homemade book. He makes large, simple accordian style books. The one he showed was for five little ducks- and with each page there was another duck that they could see. Loved it. Will be making those soon. There are several ideas that we can incorperate into the play and learn storytimes too. He's worked a lot with Nancy Stewart and he uses her "let's go to the market" song. Listen to it here: http://www.nancymusic.com/Market.htm. There's a link at the bottom for activites which is cool- I had forgotten about her website- lots there to use.
2. Storytime showcase by various youth librarians
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. There were a TON of good ideas at the showcase. My second favorite part was how well it was organized. They had an official timer who gave each presenter a two minute warning and then cut them off when their time was up. I really appreciated this because they all had good ideas to share. Cindy's done such a fantastic job of reflecting on this panel, so I won't rehash. Lots of great stuff for both my normal storytime, and my new play and learns.
3. Looking at picture books by Thom Barthelmess
Good stuff. You could really tell that Thom's in academia now because his presentation felt just like I was in a classroom, taking notes that might be on next week's quiz. There wasn't a ton of relevent material for me, but it was very interesting. I also had a horrible headache, and probably wasn't all there. His presentation is here: http://www.nwcentral.org/files/Looking%20at%20Picture%20Books.pdf
CAYAS breakfast with Ellen Wittlinger
Definitely the highlight for me. I got to be an honorary CAYAS member for the morning and be her driver (because they all live on the west side and flew). She was *wonderful*. Her presentation about writing for teens was spectacular, I cried several times. She was so spot on. I loved her description of books giving teens the opportunity to "meet" and "know" people they might not otherwise meet in their real life. Writing books with gay characters isn't just for gay teens, it's for straight teens too- one had written Ellen and said that after reading Hard Love, she now "knows" a gay teen (Marisol- one of the main characters). How powerful. I bought several of her books and her inscription in "Hard Love" was perfect: "May all your loves be easy ones."
4. Public Libraries: Strategic Community Partners for Family Health
Wonderful presentation- The presenter was Sue Waldin from Within Reach. Information I gathered from the presentation:
a. There are more people now than ever before who (for the first time) are struggling with food needs
b. There strongest focus is on health insurance and food assistance
c. They run five toll-free call centers with staff who are cross-trained so you can the same help no matter what number you call. They have a much lower call volume that DHSH so the wait time is short
d. They have access to the AT&T language line so they have free interpreters in almost any language
e. They have had 11,000 online applications submitted- 4,000 of those after 09/08 so it's growing.
The website (www.parenthelp123.com) is amazing!! I really encourage everyone to check it out- extremely easy to use and very, very helpful. My favorite is the resource finder which helps you find services in your area such as breastfeeding support, child care, food banks, and family planning. Check it out here: http://resources.parenthelp123.org/. If anyone has any questions, I had an extensive tutorial in the website during Sue's presentation and I'm happy to share more. I love this resource. They will be putting up a library link somewhere on the site soon(that was part of our discussion).
5. Teen program showcase by various (many no-show) librarians
Again, I'll echo Cindy and say that this presentation (if we can even call it that) was extremely disappointing. I didn't get any good ideas- they were all for high budget libraries and they seemed to snuff at anything that wasn't super techy. I'm sorry, but lots of teens like to craft and play games. In addition to not thinking about the rest of the state, I didn't get the feeling that any of the presenters wanted to be there. I'm serious about proposing a "teen programs for the rest of us" showcase for next year.
6. Booktalking the Best by various iSchool students
I went to this program with some trepedation, considering the last two WLA booktalking sessions were really bad. This year, thankfully, the students actually knew how to booktalk. They had a nice variety of books and had clearly prepared.
Overall, I'm very glad I could attend this year's conference (and it was pretty cool to be a local!) I discovered many great ideas for my children's programming and was inspired to do something about the teen showcase for next year.
I was hoping this presentation would be useful for my baby lapsit storytime, and while there were lots of great ideas, I found them to be more suited to toddlers. He was very specific about finding "baby" storytimes that combined six month olds with 18 month olds to be a waste of time. I'd be curious to know if there is a storytime at his library for kids under 12 months. His focus is 12 to 24 months only. He uses a lot of sign language (in songs, and when talking about colors etc, he teaches the kids the sign too). Mr. Jim's wiki (http://toddlericon.pbworks.com) is chock full of great resources. One aspect of his presentation that I liked was his homemade book. He makes large, simple accordian style books. The one he showed was for five little ducks- and with each page there was another duck that they could see. Loved it. Will be making those soon. There are several ideas that we can incorperate into the play and learn storytimes too. He's worked a lot with Nancy Stewart and he uses her "let's go to the market" song. Listen to it here: http://www.nancymusic.com/Market.htm. There's a link at the bottom for activites which is cool- I had forgotten about her website- lots there to use.
2. Storytime showcase by various youth librarians
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. There were a TON of good ideas at the showcase. My second favorite part was how well it was organized. They had an official timer who gave each presenter a two minute warning and then cut them off when their time was up. I really appreciated this because they all had good ideas to share. Cindy's done such a fantastic job of reflecting on this panel, so I won't rehash. Lots of great stuff for both my normal storytime, and my new play and learns.
3. Looking at picture books by Thom Barthelmess
Good stuff. You could really tell that Thom's in academia now because his presentation felt just like I was in a classroom, taking notes that might be on next week's quiz. There wasn't a ton of relevent material for me, but it was very interesting. I also had a horrible headache, and probably wasn't all there. His presentation is here: http://www.nwcentral.org/files/Looking%20at%20Picture%20Books.pdf
CAYAS breakfast with Ellen Wittlinger
Definitely the highlight for me. I got to be an honorary CAYAS member for the morning and be her driver (because they all live on the west side and flew). She was *wonderful*. Her presentation about writing for teens was spectacular, I cried several times. She was so spot on. I loved her description of books giving teens the opportunity to "meet" and "know" people they might not otherwise meet in their real life. Writing books with gay characters isn't just for gay teens, it's for straight teens too- one had written Ellen and said that after reading Hard Love, she now "knows" a gay teen (Marisol- one of the main characters). How powerful. I bought several of her books and her inscription in "Hard Love" was perfect: "May all your loves be easy ones."
4. Public Libraries: Strategic Community Partners for Family Health
Wonderful presentation- The presenter was Sue Waldin from Within Reach. Information I gathered from the presentation:
a. There are more people now than ever before who (for the first time) are struggling with food needs
b. There strongest focus is on health insurance and food assistance
c. They run five toll-free call centers with staff who are cross-trained so you can the same help no matter what number you call. They have a much lower call volume that DHSH so the wait time is short
d. They have access to the AT&T language line so they have free interpreters in almost any language
e. They have had 11,000 online applications submitted- 4,000 of those after 09/08 so it's growing.
The website (www.parenthelp123.com) is amazing!! I really encourage everyone to check it out- extremely easy to use and very, very helpful. My favorite is the resource finder which helps you find services in your area such as breastfeeding support, child care, food banks, and family planning. Check it out here: http://resources.parenthelp123.org/. If anyone has any questions, I had an extensive tutorial in the website during Sue's presentation and I'm happy to share more. I love this resource. They will be putting up a library link somewhere on the site soon(that was part of our discussion).
5. Teen program showcase by various (many no-show) librarians
Again, I'll echo Cindy and say that this presentation (if we can even call it that) was extremely disappointing. I didn't get any good ideas- they were all for high budget libraries and they seemed to snuff at anything that wasn't super techy. I'm sorry, but lots of teens like to craft and play games. In addition to not thinking about the rest of the state, I didn't get the feeling that any of the presenters wanted to be there. I'm serious about proposing a "teen programs for the rest of us" showcase for next year.
6. Booktalking the Best by various iSchool students
I went to this program with some trepedation, considering the last two WLA booktalking sessions were really bad. This year, thankfully, the students actually knew how to booktalk. They had a nice variety of books and had clearly prepared.
Overall, I'm very glad I could attend this year's conference (and it was pretty cool to be a local!) I discovered many great ideas for my children's programming and was inspired to do something about the teen showcase for next year.
The Fabulous: Storytime Showcase
Storytime Showcase on Thursday was absolutely terrific. 6 presenters from the west side demonstrated a few of their storytime staples, one after the other. Each uses song, storytelling, and creative dramatics and relies on lots of audience participation. I wish we'd hade more time for this one--it could easily have been a double session. There was SOOOOO much in this one that we can be incorporating into preschool storytime and play and learn! I wish each presenter had had more time. Consider me extremely excited & enthused.
Angela Nolet has a neat imagination game that she uses to get kids settled and ready to “play” that she calls “What shall we be today?” She also does terrifically hammed up tellings of the “Goldilocks and the 3 Bears” and “The 3 Billy Goats Gruff” (with extreme voices, naturally) using “my words, your listening skills, and your imaginations.” “Can you stir the porridge?” (Stir.) “Do we go inside other peoples’ houses without asking?” (Exaggerated head shaking.) “Can you take a big bite?” (Bite.) “Too hot.” (Fan self,) “Too cold.” (Shiver…Brrr.!) “Does Goldilocks have good manners or bad manners?” “ Bad manners!” “ She SLURPS the porridge.” “She sinks into Mama Bear’s chair.” (Sink, arms in the air.) “She rocks (everyone rock forward and back) in Baby Bear’s chair ‘til she BREAKS it!” And so on.
Angela also tells “5 Little Monkeys” using the Folkmanis crocodile and Eileen Christelow’s 5 Little Monkey puppets. I’ve never tried this with PUPPETS before, but I’ve got the crocodile and monkeys… Angela’s handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1547
Mr. Jim’s presentation (while not appropriate for baby lapsit in either Sonia’s or my estimation) was fabulous for preschoolers—he does a great “The Bear Went Over the Mountain” in ASL. Which he follows with the “no words” version.
Jennifer Fenton from the Washington State Library is a big fan of storytelling and performed a lovely scarf story from one of Anne Pellowski’s collections and used a set of nesting dolls to retell “The Turnip.” I simply MUST find a set of matrushki to do this with. Her handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1578
Jenn Sullivan from Snohomish did a neat version of our heart/star song:
Put your heart on your chest, on your chest.
Put your heart on your chest, on your chest.
Put your heart on your chest, that’s where it fits the best.
Put your heart on your chest, on your chest.
On your knee…that’s a silly place to be.
On your elbow/calf/thigh. etc.
I can’t wait to start using this one—it’s got so many more body parts. It’s a great vocabulary builder. I’m thinking it might fit into our upcoming STARS Flannel Board workshop.
Using die cuts which she gives to each child, Jennifer also does a variation of the Hokey Pokey—“You put your turtle in, you put your turtle out… you put your turtle high/low…to & fro…
To the tune of “Row, Row, Row your Boat” she sings “Pass, Pass, Pass the Pail, all around the ring, when the pail stops by you, do a special thing” and the child draws an action from the pail (to be read by parent or storyteller) like “pat your head & rub your tummy.” Each child gets a turn. This could be adapted for afterschool specials…or even teen programs.
Jenn also did an amazing feltboard for “Flip Flap Jack” (this one’s similar to Aiken Drum, but uses foods more familiar to children). She has everyone clap on each syllable of the chorus “Flip Flap Jack” so you’re using song, rhythm, and movement.
Jenn’s handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1548
Josephine from Ellensburg did a really neat re-telling of Ellen Walsh’s MOUSE COUNT using a clear jar, pom-pom mice, and a snake sock puppet. When the mice count themselves out, she tosses them to various members of the audience. She finishes with the snake saying “I can’t eat mice? I’ll have to eat little children instead” to much delighted shrieking and giggling. She also does Audrey Wood’s PIGGIES as a terrific fingerplay. Her handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/files/WLA%202009%20Storytime%20Showcase.txt
Jan from Sno-Isle reads MEAN SOUP by Betsy Everett (one of Ruth’s and my favorites) with a kettle and passes the pot around for kids to scream into, stick out their tongue into it, and bang on it with a spoon.
Jan also has kids act out THE GIANT HUG and has the kids play post office afterwards. They have different stations where they “cancel stamps” (we all know how much preschoolers love stamping), “sort the mail” into the appropriate box based on color, and “deliver” to the appropriate house based on color and or letter and or shape. This would be a terrific activity for our play & learn…
Jan also has the kids “go fishing.” She places fabric on the floor for the fish pond, has the kids color & decorate fish shapes (craft!), then attach a large paperclip to the shapes (this IS a skill), and then they fish for their own fish in the pond using a fishing pole made out of a bamboo rod with a magnet tied to it with a piece of brightly colored yarn.
Jan also does a very interactive version of “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” which she conducts with a fly swatter… Each child is given a laminated clip art picture of an animal and has to “act” (or make the appropriate noise) like that animal when it comes up in the song. Everyone joins in on the “perhaps she’ll die” chorus.
Can't wait to try some of these in my storytimes & play & learns!
Angela Nolet has a neat imagination game that she uses to get kids settled and ready to “play” that she calls “What shall we be today?” She also does terrifically hammed up tellings of the “Goldilocks and the 3 Bears” and “The 3 Billy Goats Gruff” (with extreme voices, naturally) using “my words, your listening skills, and your imaginations.” “Can you stir the porridge?” (Stir.) “Do we go inside other peoples’ houses without asking?” (Exaggerated head shaking.) “Can you take a big bite?” (Bite.) “Too hot.” (Fan self,) “Too cold.” (Shiver…Brrr.!) “Does Goldilocks have good manners or bad manners?” “ Bad manners!” “ She SLURPS the porridge.” “She sinks into Mama Bear’s chair.” (Sink, arms in the air.) “She rocks (everyone rock forward and back) in Baby Bear’s chair ‘til she BREAKS it!” And so on.
Angela also tells “5 Little Monkeys” using the Folkmanis crocodile and Eileen Christelow’s 5 Little Monkey puppets. I’ve never tried this with PUPPETS before, but I’ve got the crocodile and monkeys… Angela’s handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1547
Mr. Jim’s presentation (while not appropriate for baby lapsit in either Sonia’s or my estimation) was fabulous for preschoolers—he does a great “The Bear Went Over the Mountain” in ASL. Which he follows with the “no words” version.
Jennifer Fenton from the Washington State Library is a big fan of storytelling and performed a lovely scarf story from one of Anne Pellowski’s collections and used a set of nesting dolls to retell “The Turnip.” I simply MUST find a set of matrushki to do this with. Her handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1578
Jenn Sullivan from Snohomish did a neat version of our heart/star song:
Put your heart on your chest, on your chest.
Put your heart on your chest, on your chest.
Put your heart on your chest, that’s where it fits the best.
Put your heart on your chest, on your chest.
On your knee…that’s a silly place to be.
On your elbow/calf/thigh. etc.
I can’t wait to start using this one—it’s got so many more body parts. It’s a great vocabulary builder. I’m thinking it might fit into our upcoming STARS Flannel Board workshop.
Using die cuts which she gives to each child, Jennifer also does a variation of the Hokey Pokey—“You put your turtle in, you put your turtle out… you put your turtle high/low…to & fro…
To the tune of “Row, Row, Row your Boat” she sings “Pass, Pass, Pass the Pail, all around the ring, when the pail stops by you, do a special thing” and the child draws an action from the pail (to be read by parent or storyteller) like “pat your head & rub your tummy.” Each child gets a turn. This could be adapted for afterschool specials…or even teen programs.
Jenn also did an amazing feltboard for “Flip Flap Jack” (this one’s similar to Aiken Drum, but uses foods more familiar to children). She has everyone clap on each syllable of the chorus “Flip Flap Jack” so you’re using song, rhythm, and movement.
Jenn’s handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1548
Josephine from Ellensburg did a really neat re-telling of Ellen Walsh’s MOUSE COUNT using a clear jar, pom-pom mice, and a snake sock puppet. When the mice count themselves out, she tosses them to various members of the audience. She finishes with the snake saying “I can’t eat mice? I’ll have to eat little children instead” to much delighted shrieking and giggling. She also does Audrey Wood’s PIGGIES as a terrific fingerplay. Her handout is here: http://nwcentral.org/files/WLA%202009%20Storytime%20Showcase.txt
Jan from Sno-Isle reads MEAN SOUP by Betsy Everett (one of Ruth’s and my favorites) with a kettle and passes the pot around for kids to scream into, stick out their tongue into it, and bang on it with a spoon.
Jan also has kids act out THE GIANT HUG and has the kids play post office afterwards. They have different stations where they “cancel stamps” (we all know how much preschoolers love stamping), “sort the mail” into the appropriate box based on color, and “deliver” to the appropriate house based on color and or letter and or shape. This would be a terrific activity for our play & learn…
Jan also has the kids “go fishing.” She places fabric on the floor for the fish pond, has the kids color & decorate fish shapes (craft!), then attach a large paperclip to the shapes (this IS a skill), and then they fish for their own fish in the pond using a fishing pole made out of a bamboo rod with a magnet tied to it with a piece of brightly colored yarn.
Jan also does a very interactive version of “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” which she conducts with a fly swatter… Each child is given a laminated clip art picture of an animal and has to “act” (or make the appropriate noise) like that animal when it comes up in the song. Everyone joins in on the “perhaps she’ll die” chorus.
Can't wait to try some of these in my storytimes & play & learns!
Still More of the Good! Beyond Books: Using Flannel Boards & Music at Preschool Storytime
Beyond Books: Using Flannel Boards & Music at Preschool Storytime was presented by the very musically talented Lorraine Burdick from Sno-Isle. She spices up all of her storytimes with music and feltboard stories (usually musical stories) and likes to add twists to old favorites. She did a terrific overview of where to get ideas for feltboard stories. Lorraine bucked the paperless trend and actually provided attendees with a handout. Unfortunately, she never posted it to the conference site, so if anyone would like a copy, drop me an email. It's worth it...
Things I learned from this session:
•Why should we be using feltboard stories? Feltboards help with early literacy (sequencing—moving across the board as you move across a page) & incorporate all 3 learning styles (visual, auditory, & kinesthetic). And they’re fun, too. But you knew that.
•Do tweak “old” favorites like “The Greenwood Tree” or “When Ducks Get Up in the Morning” to incorporate exotic farm animals like monkeys, T-Rexes, and lions.
•Use felt, pellon, photocopied images, & store bought to make something familiar new again. For example, use a purchased set of “transportation” pictures to transform “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” into: "She’ll be riding in a school bus/dump truck/police car/mini-van and flying in an airplane when she comes."
•Go heavy on the audience participation, not just with supplying noises & singing along but in bringing pieces to the feltboard. Just make sure you’ve got enough to go around...
•Use apple “faces” to tweak “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”:
Happy smiled at me
Quiet whispered
Sad cried
Sleepy yawned
Angry was angry (growled?) at me
•Twinkle Twinkle Little Star can be more than just a fingerplay!
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
How I wonder what you are.
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
I wonder who has a (color) star. (Kids bring appropriate color to felt board.)
•Sing “Who has a Shape Today” to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”: “Who has a (color) square/star/triangle/rectangle today?”
•Try Non-Holiday seasonal favorites to work around "we don't do holidays" objections:
“Turkey Feathers” (to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man”)
“Oh do you have a (color) feather , a (color) feather, do you have a (color) feather, hang it up right now.” (Kids decorate turkey outline with scads of colored feathers.
“Counting Pumpkins” (an original tune, Lorraine will email the mp3) an alternative to “5 Little Jack O’Lanterns sitting on a fence”.
Discussion & schmoozing afterwards also turned up the following tip--try using foam-core poster board for your travel feltboard—it’s much lighter than say, masonite. I’m building one at this very moment to demo in our STARS flannel board workshop as a cheap and easy alternative to a purchased feltboard.
I'm very excited about some of the ideas presented here. Some of her tweaks emphasizing shapes, colors, and emotions are going to be terrific in our play & learn sessions. And yes, I did email Lorraine for an mp3 of the Counting Pumpkins song.
Things I learned from this session:
•Why should we be using feltboard stories? Feltboards help with early literacy (sequencing—moving across the board as you move across a page) & incorporate all 3 learning styles (visual, auditory, & kinesthetic). And they’re fun, too. But you knew that.
•Do tweak “old” favorites like “The Greenwood Tree” or “When Ducks Get Up in the Morning” to incorporate exotic farm animals like monkeys, T-Rexes, and lions.
•Use felt, pellon, photocopied images, & store bought to make something familiar new again. For example, use a purchased set of “transportation” pictures to transform “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” into: "She’ll be riding in a school bus/dump truck/police car/mini-van and flying in an airplane when she comes."
•Go heavy on the audience participation, not just with supplying noises & singing along but in bringing pieces to the feltboard. Just make sure you’ve got enough to go around...
•Use apple “faces” to tweak “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”:
Happy smiled at me
Quiet whispered
Sad cried
Sleepy yawned
Angry was angry (growled?) at me
•Twinkle Twinkle Little Star can be more than just a fingerplay!
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
How I wonder what you are.
Twinkle, twinkle little star,
I wonder who has a (color) star. (Kids bring appropriate color to felt board.)
•Sing “Who has a Shape Today” to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”: “Who has a (color) square/star/triangle/rectangle today?”
•Try Non-Holiday seasonal favorites to work around "we don't do holidays" objections:
“Turkey Feathers” (to the tune of “Do You Know the Muffin Man”)
“Oh do you have a (color) feather , a (color) feather, do you have a (color) feather, hang it up right now.” (Kids decorate turkey outline with scads of colored feathers.
“Counting Pumpkins” (an original tune, Lorraine will email the mp3) an alternative to “5 Little Jack O’Lanterns sitting on a fence”.
Discussion & schmoozing afterwards also turned up the following tip--try using foam-core poster board for your travel feltboard—it’s much lighter than say, masonite. I’m building one at this very moment to demo in our STARS flannel board workshop as a cheap and easy alternative to a purchased feltboard.
I'm very excited about some of the ideas presented here. Some of her tweaks emphasizing shapes, colors, and emotions are going to be terrific in our play & learn sessions. And yes, I did email Lorraine for an mp3 of the Counting Pumpkins song.
More of the Good: Autism Awareness in Libraries
Autism Awareness in the Library was presented by Julie Ashmun from UW and Jennifer Fenton from the WA State Library. Sponsored by CAYAS, it focused on autistic children. Julie's powerpoint is here: http://nwcentral.org/?q=node/1576
What I learned:
1 in 150 children (1 in 100 in some areas)is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism is more prevalent in boys than girls (4:1). No child with autism looks (or acts) the same.
To help your autistic customers:
(1) Make sure parents & caregivers know you’re available to offer special assistance and are willing to work with them. That means signage & verbage along the lines of: “If your child has special needs, please stop by the service desk to see how staff can better assist you.”
(2) Use lots & lots of picture clues. (Again, more signage. Admittedly, libraries are moving AWAY from this to make the library a more “welcoming” place, but your autistic customers NEED this.)
See do2learn.org’s picture cards for examples. These are all available free for the taking...
Stop and go (red light, green light) are also extremely effective…
Our JNF pathfinders (picture, word & dewey #) are perfect! Use them for the adult area, too!
Use return book buckets.
Use bright colors to draw attention.
Use carpet squares or shapes (find a frog) in storytime. Use tracks, shapes, etc. on the floor (or the wall a la Valley’s summer reading stairs) to direct children to the storytime area.
(3) Use cheat sheets with simple, numbered rules that can be given to each customer. (How to check out, no running, no yelling, etc.)
(4) Give warnings to allow for transition time—“You’ve got one more minute on the computer, then we need to leave.” “Storytime starts in 5 minutes. We’ll be heading to the story room.”
(5) Ignore most behavior unless it looks to be dangerous to the child or others.
What I learned:
1 in 150 children (1 in 100 in some areas)is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism is more prevalent in boys than girls (4:1). No child with autism looks (or acts) the same.
To help your autistic customers:
(1) Make sure parents & caregivers know you’re available to offer special assistance and are willing to work with them. That means signage & verbage along the lines of: “If your child has special needs, please stop by the service desk to see how staff can better assist you.”
(2) Use lots & lots of picture clues. (Again, more signage. Admittedly, libraries are moving AWAY from this to make the library a more “welcoming” place, but your autistic customers NEED this.)
See do2learn.org’s picture cards for examples. These are all available free for the taking...
Stop and go (red light, green light) are also extremely effective…
Our JNF pathfinders (picture, word & dewey #) are perfect! Use them for the adult area, too!
Use return book buckets.
Use bright colors to draw attention.
Use carpet squares or shapes (find a frog) in storytime. Use tracks, shapes, etc. on the floor (or the wall a la Valley’s summer reading stairs) to direct children to the storytime area.
(3) Use cheat sheets with simple, numbered rules that can be given to each customer. (How to check out, no running, no yelling, etc.)
(4) Give warnings to allow for transition time—“You’ve got one more minute on the computer, then we need to leave.” “Storytime starts in 5 minutes. We’ll be heading to the story room.”
(5) Ignore most behavior unless it looks to be dangerous to the child or others.
And now for the good stuff! Schmoozing with Vendors & Colleagues
While there were very few vendors in attendance, a few were outstanding and plugged products that are of definite interest (and use!) to our customers.
•Did you know that The National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus makes a tremendous amount of material available in languages other than English, including Spanish and Russian? http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/languages.html
Their “Go Local” feature (soon to be available here in WA!) lets you find local resources concerning special topics such as breast cancer or autism. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocal/index.html
And yes, Medline Plus IS one of SCLD’s very own Web Picks! Health & Medicine, Government Sites. Go check it out these features now!
•And speaking of checking it out now (What are you waiting for? Do it!) http://www.parenthelp123.org/ is amazing! It’s one stop shopping for families to find health insurance, food assistance, unemployment benefits, and community resources for all their needs. The website is designed for CUSTOMERS (not professionals) and is exceedingly easy to use. I was especially intrigued by the childcare resources section, as our customers regularly ask us for recommendations. Gina (Sonia too?) attended the session they offered and got more details. Several of us picked up their display racks & brochures, too, so we should have enough for each branch. We promoted this one at SV's open house and it was very popular with customers. This is definitely a site to keep on our radar.
•I spoke with Baker & Taylor in the hopes of finding a source for Russian language youth materials. We could really use some Russian board books and picture books. Unfortunately, B&T’s “business model” doesn’t work in a way that’s allowed them to do much with Russian. They like to buy a publishing house/book jobber in the country and then use them for supply. They’ve only been able to find individual bookstores in Russia (ditto for us) but boy oh boy check out B&T’s new Chinese selection! The rep really, really, really wanted me to get on board with their Chinese standing order, despite my repeated protestations that we didn’t have much of a Chinese readership.
Talking with other librarians between sessions and during meals was interesting. I learned that being a union shop, King County uses their (extremely few) teen volunteers to dust shelves. That’s right, you read that correctly—to dust shelves. They’re not allowed to do anything a paid staff member might do, so no sorting, shelving, cleaning, etc. Every now and then they’re allowed to assist with Friends’ booksales but that’s about it. So much for my hopes of picking brains about what to do with teen volunteers…
I also learned over lunch why I’ve been unable to access my files from home through Outlook, despite the fact that our very own Aaron did my setup. Said my new friend from Sno-Isle with a sad and knowing look on her face: “You’re using Mozilla Firefox at home, aren’t you? Outlook doesn’t play nice with Firefox. Try it in Internet Explorer instead.” What do you know, she was right. She also suggested I ditch Outlook's calendar and go with Google’s instead… Dessert, good conversation and tech support--who new conference meals could be so much fun?
•Did you know that The National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus makes a tremendous amount of material available in languages other than English, including Spanish and Russian? http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/languages.html
Their “Go Local” feature (soon to be available here in WA!) lets you find local resources concerning special topics such as breast cancer or autism. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/golocal/index.html
And yes, Medline Plus IS one of SCLD’s very own Web Picks! Health & Medicine, Government Sites. Go check it out these features now!
•And speaking of checking it out now (What are you waiting for? Do it!) http://www.parenthelp123.org/ is amazing! It’s one stop shopping for families to find health insurance, food assistance, unemployment benefits, and community resources for all their needs. The website is designed for CUSTOMERS (not professionals) and is exceedingly easy to use. I was especially intrigued by the childcare resources section, as our customers regularly ask us for recommendations. Gina (Sonia too?) attended the session they offered and got more details. Several of us picked up their display racks & brochures, too, so we should have enough for each branch. We promoted this one at SV's open house and it was very popular with customers. This is definitely a site to keep on our radar.
•I spoke with Baker & Taylor in the hopes of finding a source for Russian language youth materials. We could really use some Russian board books and picture books. Unfortunately, B&T’s “business model” doesn’t work in a way that’s allowed them to do much with Russian. They like to buy a publishing house/book jobber in the country and then use them for supply. They’ve only been able to find individual bookstores in Russia (ditto for us) but boy oh boy check out B&T’s new Chinese selection! The rep really, really, really wanted me to get on board with their Chinese standing order, despite my repeated protestations that we didn’t have much of a Chinese readership.
Talking with other librarians between sessions and during meals was interesting. I learned that being a union shop, King County uses their (extremely few) teen volunteers to dust shelves. That’s right, you read that correctly—to dust shelves. They’re not allowed to do anything a paid staff member might do, so no sorting, shelving, cleaning, etc. Every now and then they’re allowed to assist with Friends’ booksales but that’s about it. So much for my hopes of picking brains about what to do with teen volunteers…
I also learned over lunch why I’ve been unable to access my files from home through Outlook, despite the fact that our very own Aaron did my setup. Said my new friend from Sno-Isle with a sad and knowing look on her face: “You’re using Mozilla Firefox at home, aren’t you? Outlook doesn’t play nice with Firefox. Try it in Internet Explorer instead.” What do you know, she was right. She also suggested I ditch Outlook's calendar and go with Google’s instead… Dessert, good conversation and tech support--who new conference meals could be so much fun?
Teen Program Showcase
The Teen Program Showcase on Friday was also largely a waste of time and extremely disappointing as I’d been looking forward to it. I refuse to link to the handout as the only one posted has NOTHING to do with what was actually “presented” during the session.
I hated the format of this session. I’d been expecting a series of short presentations highlighting the best of the best and what worked and what didn’t followed by a Q&A session. Instead, reps of the various programs were scattered around the room and attendees were expected to travel from station to station. Several of the stations were unmanned, as their representatives were “double-booked.” Since attendees were constantly on the move, the reps at the stations were constantly repeating the basics of the program over and over again to newcomers and there was very little opportunity to ask questions.
When I did ask questions, I was extremely disappointed with the answers. “We don’t do CRAFTS” was my favorite response. When I asked about the SAT Prep series one library had offered, the librarian enthused that it normally costs a student over $500 to attend. Noticing my horrified expression, she hastened to explain that they had gotten a small discount from the company…and that they have a very large programming budget and an extremely supportive (and wealthy) friends group.
At another station showcasing Seattle Public’s Art Night at the Library I was told “It’s easy to put on an operation like this. Anyone can do it. Local teen theater/spoken word/visual art/dance/musicians performed for free and we partnered with over 50 community agencies who shared the publicity and refreshment costs.”
I was really intrigued by a book trailer/book review video contest. When I asked how they’d done the filming and editing at the library and what equipment they’d used my question was met with blank incomprehension. Why would they do it at the library? This was all done by the teens at home with their own video cameras, computers, and editing software. All the library did was announce the contest, provide a site to post the videos to, judge the entries, and give the winner a Flip. My explanation that many of my teen users don’t have internet access or computers of their own, let alone video cameras et al. surprised and shocked the librarian. For the record, I think this program has a lot of potential—it looked like a lot of fun but we’d need to tweak it to meet the needs of our communities. We’d need to supply a camera and the mobile computing lab and offer kids who needed it time to film in the meeting room and then edit their films. Maybe we could do a teen info lit class on making movies and the joys of YouTube? Sno-Isle Regional Library has run a similar contest the last several years--check out some of the teen's entries over here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=snoisleteens under "Book Trailer Contest." Doesn't that look like fun?
What the Teen Showcase brought home to me is that there’s a profound lack of understanding of the economic realities of rural libraries and rural communities. And that things are done very differently on opposite sides of the state. We don’t have the resources that say, Seattle, is drawing on. What’s a library to do in St. John, for example, where they are THE community organization? We need programming options that don’t rely on a huge population, a massive community network, and deep pockets. (Sonia and I would be willing to showcase some of these programming alternatives at the next WLA meeting. Anyone else care to join us? Sonia’s even come up with a name: “Teen Programs for the Rest of Us.”)
The East/West disparity was further illustrated during the Awards Luncheon when one of the Friends Groups from Whidbey Island compared their fundraising efforts to St. John’s building of a BRAND NEW LIBRARY. The West Side effort was laudable, too, but we’re talking apples and oranges. Totally different customer base in terms of population, economy, education, interests, you name it. (If anyone’s interested, BTW I think a road trip to St. John is definitely in order…sounds like their librarian has accomplished feats wondrous strange. Drop me a line and we'll set a date!)
I hated the format of this session. I’d been expecting a series of short presentations highlighting the best of the best and what worked and what didn’t followed by a Q&A session. Instead, reps of the various programs were scattered around the room and attendees were expected to travel from station to station. Several of the stations were unmanned, as their representatives were “double-booked.” Since attendees were constantly on the move, the reps at the stations were constantly repeating the basics of the program over and over again to newcomers and there was very little opportunity to ask questions.
When I did ask questions, I was extremely disappointed with the answers. “We don’t do CRAFTS” was my favorite response. When I asked about the SAT Prep series one library had offered, the librarian enthused that it normally costs a student over $500 to attend. Noticing my horrified expression, she hastened to explain that they had gotten a small discount from the company…and that they have a very large programming budget and an extremely supportive (and wealthy) friends group.
At another station showcasing Seattle Public’s Art Night at the Library I was told “It’s easy to put on an operation like this. Anyone can do it. Local teen theater/spoken word/visual art/dance/musicians performed for free and we partnered with over 50 community agencies who shared the publicity and refreshment costs.”
I was really intrigued by a book trailer/book review video contest. When I asked how they’d done the filming and editing at the library and what equipment they’d used my question was met with blank incomprehension. Why would they do it at the library? This was all done by the teens at home with their own video cameras, computers, and editing software. All the library did was announce the contest, provide a site to post the videos to, judge the entries, and give the winner a Flip. My explanation that many of my teen users don’t have internet access or computers of their own, let alone video cameras et al. surprised and shocked the librarian. For the record, I think this program has a lot of potential—it looked like a lot of fun but we’d need to tweak it to meet the needs of our communities. We’d need to supply a camera and the mobile computing lab and offer kids who needed it time to film in the meeting room and then edit their films. Maybe we could do a teen info lit class on making movies and the joys of YouTube? Sno-Isle Regional Library has run a similar contest the last several years--check out some of the teen's entries over here: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=snoisleteens under "Book Trailer Contest." Doesn't that look like fun?
What the Teen Showcase brought home to me is that there’s a profound lack of understanding of the economic realities of rural libraries and rural communities. And that things are done very differently on opposite sides of the state. We don’t have the resources that say, Seattle, is drawing on. What’s a library to do in St. John, for example, where they are THE community organization? We need programming options that don’t rely on a huge population, a massive community network, and deep pockets. (Sonia and I would be willing to showcase some of these programming alternatives at the next WLA meeting. Anyone else care to join us? Sonia’s even come up with a name: “Teen Programs for the Rest of Us.”)
The East/West disparity was further illustrated during the Awards Luncheon when one of the Friends Groups from Whidbey Island compared their fundraising efforts to St. John’s building of a BRAND NEW LIBRARY. The West Side effort was laudable, too, but we’re talking apples and oranges. Totally different customer base in terms of population, economy, education, interests, you name it. (If anyone’s interested, BTW I think a road trip to St. John is definitely in order…sounds like their librarian has accomplished feats wondrous strange. Drop me a line and we'll set a date!)
Podcasts and Videocasts
Podcasts and Videocasts, presented by Doris Munson from EWU, on Thursday was largely a waste of time. I’d hoped to learn how libraries were actually USING podcasting with their customers. Unfortunately, the presenter isn’t actually using them with her students. She was experimenting with podcasting and vidcasting (Yes, to me they’re vids, not videos. My fannish roots are showing. Live with it.) because she felt they were technologies she should be familiar with. (I’ve been experimenting too, for that very reason. 23 Things, anyone? I’ve got Audacity loaded on my new laptop and everything. But I want to know how experienced institutions are using podcasts & vidcasts, not amateurs.) Based on her samples, Doris started experimenting a mere two weeks prior to the presentation. When questioned about equipment specifics, she waffled and refused to make recommendations. Audience members contributed much more useful information. (Invest in a Flip, people. They're at http://www.theflip.com/. They retail for ~$ 150 and up and got rave reviews from the audience. The audience also suggested that if you don’t have a webcam or vidcam, save powerpoint frames as .jpegs and import them and scanned photos into moviemaker and make a movie of slides.) Doris really had no clear idea how these technologies would be used in a library setting and seemed to focus more on their social use.
She did demonstrate two sound recording programs, RecordPad (http://www.nch.com.au/recordpad/index.html) that retails for ~$50 (she quoted under $30 but the website disagrees) and Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) that anyone can download for free. She implied that Audacity was more difficult to use as it required downloading a separate plug-in in order to save files as mp3s. C’mon people—yes, it DOES need the extra plug-in. But the download site clearly identifies the plug in, explains why you want it, explains they can’t package it with Audacity for licensing reasons, and links you directly to the site where you can download the plug-in for FREE. It’s not rocket science.
She also demonstrated Debut Video Capture (available for free at http://www.nchsoftware.com/capture/index.html) and Windows Movie Maker which comes preloaded these days with Windows. I now have both on my new laptop, but haven’t yet had the chance to closely compare the two. (For the record, I HATE, HATE, HATE how I look on video and I look worse from the embedded webcam in my laptop. But I digress.)
My impression is that the presenter was largely unfamiliar with social networking tools in general. She spent over 15 minutes discussing and enthusing about how you could change the templates and fonts on PodBean (http://www.podbean.com/) a 3rd party hosting & subscription site. (It looks like they’re using Blogger templates, BTW.) FIFTEEN MINUTES of “look at the pretty colors.” Yes, you want the site where you’re hosting your materials to be attractive. And easy to use. But for our purposes, I doubt we’d bother to use a 3rd party site. If we’re creating podcasts, surely we’d be hosting them at our organization’s site? Sure, there are storage and bandwidth limitations to take into consideration. But I suspect we’ve got more space on our server than the free hosts…and if we go with a 3rd party site we lose our branding. Is it worth it to host elsewhere in the hopes of picking up subscribers who aren’t necessarily part of your customer base? In bandwidth savings? It all depends on what you’re using the podcasts and vidcasts for, and unfortunately, the presenter didn’t have a clear goal in mind.
Doris didn’t have a handout, naturally. She did recommend Voices.com for a sample script of how to script your podcast, but I couldn’t find one there. Weirdly enough, I later found the Voices podcasting guide through an ad on Podbean. (That’s probably how Doris found it, too.) It’s here, and it’s free for the downloading. It’s not bad, but for anyone who’d like to know more about podcasting, I’d suggest checking out ALA’s Teen Tech Guide “Teens Podcasting @ Your Library”, found here: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw08/resourcesabcd/techguide_podcast.pdf. It provides a more thorough, technical, and practical overview of podcasting than this session.
She did demonstrate two sound recording programs, RecordPad (http://www.nch.com.au/recordpad/index.html) that retails for ~$50 (she quoted under $30 but the website disagrees) and Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) that anyone can download for free. She implied that Audacity was more difficult to use as it required downloading a separate plug-in in order to save files as mp3s. C’mon people—yes, it DOES need the extra plug-in. But the download site clearly identifies the plug in, explains why you want it, explains they can’t package it with Audacity for licensing reasons, and links you directly to the site where you can download the plug-in for FREE. It’s not rocket science.
She also demonstrated Debut Video Capture (available for free at http://www.nchsoftware.com/capture/index.html) and Windows Movie Maker which comes preloaded these days with Windows. I now have both on my new laptop, but haven’t yet had the chance to closely compare the two. (For the record, I HATE, HATE, HATE how I look on video and I look worse from the embedded webcam in my laptop. But I digress.)
My impression is that the presenter was largely unfamiliar with social networking tools in general. She spent over 15 minutes discussing and enthusing about how you could change the templates and fonts on PodBean (http://www.podbean.com/) a 3rd party hosting & subscription site. (It looks like they’re using Blogger templates, BTW.) FIFTEEN MINUTES of “look at the pretty colors.” Yes, you want the site where you’re hosting your materials to be attractive. And easy to use. But for our purposes, I doubt we’d bother to use a 3rd party site. If we’re creating podcasts, surely we’d be hosting them at our organization’s site? Sure, there are storage and bandwidth limitations to take into consideration. But I suspect we’ve got more space on our server than the free hosts…and if we go with a 3rd party site we lose our branding. Is it worth it to host elsewhere in the hopes of picking up subscribers who aren’t necessarily part of your customer base? In bandwidth savings? It all depends on what you’re using the podcasts and vidcasts for, and unfortunately, the presenter didn’t have a clear goal in mind.
Doris didn’t have a handout, naturally. She did recommend Voices.com for a sample script of how to script your podcast, but I couldn’t find one there. Weirdly enough, I later found the Voices podcasting guide through an ad on Podbean. (That’s probably how Doris found it, too.) It’s here, and it’s free for the downloading. It’s not bad, but for anyone who’d like to know more about podcasting, I’d suggest checking out ALA’s Teen Tech Guide “Teens Podcasting @ Your Library”, found here: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw08/resourcesabcd/techguide_podcast.pdf. It provides a more thorough, technical, and practical overview of podcasting than this session.
WLA 2009: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Actually, this was one of the better conferences I’ve attended over the years. I just couldn’t resist titling my post that. The bad and ugly were really more along the lines of disappointing and frustrating. While some sessions were very much the let down, there was at least one outstanding session each day that left me enthused and energized. I picked up some extremely useful tidbits from colleagues around the state and learned about some amazing new products and new features of old products from vendors. I’m going to post about the sessions individually so you can skip what doesn’t appeal to you.
But first I have to make an observation about this year’s “paperless conference.” While I applaud the effort to go green, for the majority of the sessions I attended, “paperless” seems to mean “I’ll get around to posting the handout and supplementary materials to the conference site whenever I feel like it…or possibly never.” I think that’s a shame as I like having materials to share with the folks back home who didn’t attend. Handouts also help you to remember the finer details of the session. I’ve posted links for all available handouts for those of you who weren’t able to attend and added some links of my own to sites and products mentioned in the sessions.
But first I have to make an observation about this year’s “paperless conference.” While I applaud the effort to go green, for the majority of the sessions I attended, “paperless” seems to mean “I’ll get around to posting the handout and supplementary materials to the conference site whenever I feel like it…or possibly never.” I think that’s a shame as I like having materials to share with the folks back home who didn’t attend. Handouts also help you to remember the finer details of the session. I’ve posted links for all available handouts for those of you who weren’t able to attend and added some links of my own to sites and products mentioned in the sessions.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Green Libraries
Jason Johnson was also at this one. I think the most important thing to pass on from this session was- did you know that Avista offers free energy audits for businesses? If you know someone who is interested, direct them to Avista where they can find the account executive for their area and set something up. Also, Spokane Public has a green section with books and DVD's. Any thoughts on labeling environmental material with a flashy, bright green, sticker so it stands out in the non-fiction?
Are We Getting Along?
“Are we getting along?” did not live up to its blurb. I admit, I left before it ended and Kris Barnes will have to tell you if it got any better in the second half. Two speakers, one shared some history on Suzzallo library and the management there and the other speaker was a union representative who discussed listening to everyone who works at the library because if we did not, they would organize and make themselves heard. So I caught the tail end of the “Storytime Showcase” which both CIndy Benson and Sonia Gustafson were at.
Banned Books!
I was at WLA for Thursday, April 16th. The first session I attended was the Banned Book Weeks presentation. I saw Diane Brown there and Jackie Parker of former North Spokane fame. There were four people on the panel: the owner of Aunties downtown, her niece who is a librarian at Gonzaga, Sweet Pea who owns Kings Books in Tacoma and a public librarian from Puyallup shared ideas. There were some great ideas, but here at Valley not so many of them transfer over- so if you have a window, or a large open wall in your teen area, or space for a large table to go up, I’ve got ideas for you!
I do want to say- it seems we never do much for Banned Book Week because it falls in October when we're using most of our displays for "Spokane is Reading", perhaps we can use September for banned books?
I do want to say- it seems we never do much for Banned Book Week because it falls in October when we're using most of our displays for "Spokane is Reading", perhaps we can use September for banned books?
Friday, May 1, 2009
WLA revisited
Of course the hilite for me was Paula Poundstone. I went to the UW program on creating a google search engine. Interesting - and is there a good way to use that in conjuntion with our web picks, or instead of them? Also went to the AskWa - would like to see us add the quidget to our web page - the use of 24/7 reference services increased dramatically. And now that we're staffing the state queques more hours, we're more likely to get to help our own customers. And I am very fond of virtual ref - I treasure my 4-5 hour on QuestionPoint.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Some Thoughts on WLA 2009
Keynote Speech with Jan Sanders
Very nice breakfast buffet! Jan was enjoyable and inspirational. Loved hearing about libraries where there is a room for homeless people to store their belongings! Her enthusiasm and creative spirit are energizing, and got the conference off to a fine start.
1. WorldCat.org: Where Libraries and Users Connect:
I’ve been using WorldCat as a registered user, learning about creating lists, and generally poking around with the .org version. This workshop explained the difference between the higher levels of subscription through OCLC and the free public version. Much of this was somewhat familiar to me, but I wasn’t clear about the different subscriptions, so that was good to learn about.
2. Squeaky Clean, Part 2 (Theresa Gemmer & Bonnie Gerken)
After looking in vain for Part 1, I was pleased to learn that it was a workshop done a couple years ago, at a conference I didn’t attend! I was hoping to learn about books for children and teens, but this was primarily about books to offer Outreach customers. There was a handout, but since I assumed it would be posted on NWCentral, I didn’t pick it up. Now, I can’t find it there, so that was a mistake. The criteria they used for including a title on their list, was No Swearing (one “Damn” in Gone With the Wind was allowed; two would have disqualified that one), No Sex, No Violence. It would be good to have a list like this for youth as well as seniors!
3. Hot! Naked! Social Marketing. (Dean Marney & Dan Howard)
This was one of the best programs I attended. The two presenters were from North Central Regional Library, and they combined humor with lots of good information that they had learned from Nancy Lee, a social marketing expert from the Seattle Area. They described how they changed the way they promote SRP. In the past, they went out to all the schools, and pushed the program in whatever way they could (class visit, assembly, parent letter, etc.) As a result of their new technique, which involved figuring out their target audience, defining and getting rid of obstacles, and training staff to make effective presentations (booktalks), they now push the program only to second graders (audience who is the most interested, and is capable of reading and actually participating). They do booktalks, and have enough copies of the books purchased, that any second grader who comes in with excitement, and asks is given a copy of the book they are interested in to check out, no reserves needed. The second graders naturally bring in siblings/family/friends, so their numbers are up, up, up!
They do “anything for their many book clubs” and in turn, their book clubs will “do anything for the library.” They said the book clubs are bigger library supporters than the friends groups. For instance, if a book club indicates that a particular title will be discussed in two weeks time, and they need “x” number of copies of the book, the library goes right out and buys that many copies of the title, and hands it over to the group for their discussion.
At this time, they are preparing to promote their Homework Help Center service, and they will not be talking to students, especially not remedial students (who could probably benefit, but lack interest.) Instead, they will be going out to talk to AP (advanced placement) teachers and Math teachers. Those are the people who will spread the word to students who will be inclined to use this service. The students these teachers work with are the ones who will be motivated to make use of the program.
Talk to people who can make an impact. Don’t put up posters and bookmarks; talk to people. If there is an obstacle, find out what it is, and do what you can to get rid of it. Don’t try to change the world, and get the person who doesn’t use the service to use it. Instead, go after the ones who just need to hear about it, to become users. Use their word of mouth and enthusiasm to get the non-users interested.
The presenters of this program recommended inviting Nancy Lee to do a staff development workshop, at least for management level staff. Based on what they shared, I believe this would be a great idea, but might also be interesting for an all-staff workshop.
4. Advanced Searching & Beyond Using Google’s Search (Erin Gordon)
What a great program! Erin Gordon is an i-School student, and did a wonderful job explaining what Google’s Custom Search engine is useful for, and how to create one. Her handouts for this program are here. Google’s Custom Search is a little bit like Rollyo, only way more flexible and useful, because you can put it on any web page you are editing. When you go through the wizard to create a search, you specify which websites, and how much of each website should be searched, and how those results can be displayed. I immediately thought of how useful it would be to have a custom search engine at the top of each section of SCLD’s web picks, to assist users in finding the information they look for, without having to poke through all the websites and sub menus. I created a Custom Search Engine for one my web-picks assignments, which is Local School Districts. The above link will take you to the page where it resides, but it can also be integrated into a different web page, as a small search box. I have it linked as such on my Web 2.0 blog, Spokaliciousness. If you want to play with it, try the following term to search for: “Accelerated read*” or look for lunch menus, or superintendents, or calendars…
5. Non-Fiction Book Talking Extravaganza (Susan Veltfort & Kirsten Edwards)
This program was somewhat mis-named because part of the booktalk was actually to promote award winning books. The non-fiction books were fun, mostly the ones that would be fun to share with kids and teens for recreational reading. There was nothing there that would be great for learning about a new reference source.
6. Autism Awareness in the Library (Julie Ashmun & Jennifer Fenton)
Because this program was sponsored by CAYAS, its focus was on recognizing and assisting families with an autistic child. I was hoping for a little more information on how to deal with the autistic adults that come into the library independently, often to use the computers. Some of the points made by the presenter included, making signs very clear and “to the point.” When instruction is given, be very direct, i.e. “You may use the computer for 5 minutes,” rather than “please share the computer.” In storytime, instead of instructing children to sit in a circle on the floor, provide carpet squares so that the autistic child can know exactly where he or she is supposed to be. Libraries have so much to look at, and so many different sections, that it is quite overwhelming for someone with autism, who cannot filter visual and auditory input. She suggested color coding and simple descriptive signage to assist autistic customers to navigate their way. She also urged extra care and compassion for the parents/caregivers, because they cannot necessarily control the behavior of their autistic family member, and where we have to deal with it on a short term basis when they visit, for them it is an endless ordeal of embarrassment and judgmental looks from strangers who don’t understand. If libraries make them welcome with their children, we do these families a tremendous service.
7. Paula Poundstone.
Because we sat with Frank and Carolyn Payne, and he is a bit hard of hearing, we sat at the table right in front of Paula’s dais. We knew there was a good chance she would pick on us, as she likes to include her audience in her humor, and we were right! She spent some time picking on my husband who is a high school teacher (she doesn’t think too highly of teachers’ teaching abilities because her eldest daughter hasn’t learned much except lying). She was also delighted to learn that the former teacher who sat on the other side of Chris was named Mrs. Failing “Failing students, line up here!” She also had a great time picking on the other gentleman at our table who is the director of the Camas Public Library, and had the audacity to come to WLA without bringing any of his staff along for the fun. He was a good sport about it, and gave her some great lines to work with. The food was pretty good too, so it was a very enjoyable evening.
Programs I wish I could have attended:
Captivating & Communicating with One-Year-Olds: Tried True Teachable Ideas
Storytime Showcase
Dealing With Workplace Bullies
Looking At Picturebooks
B’Tween the Pages:Getting Tweens Through Your Doors & Into Books
Beyond Books: Using Flannelboards & Music at Preschool Story Time
Ask-WA: Or How I learned to Stop Worrying & Love Virtual Reference
Teen Program Showcase
Book Talking the Best
Very nice breakfast buffet! Jan was enjoyable and inspirational. Loved hearing about libraries where there is a room for homeless people to store their belongings! Her enthusiasm and creative spirit are energizing, and got the conference off to a fine start.
1. WorldCat.org: Where Libraries and Users Connect:
I’ve been using WorldCat as a registered user, learning about creating lists, and generally poking around with the .org version. This workshop explained the difference between the higher levels of subscription through OCLC and the free public version. Much of this was somewhat familiar to me, but I wasn’t clear about the different subscriptions, so that was good to learn about.
2. Squeaky Clean, Part 2 (Theresa Gemmer & Bonnie Gerken)
After looking in vain for Part 1, I was pleased to learn that it was a workshop done a couple years ago, at a conference I didn’t attend! I was hoping to learn about books for children and teens, but this was primarily about books to offer Outreach customers. There was a handout, but since I assumed it would be posted on NWCentral, I didn’t pick it up. Now, I can’t find it there, so that was a mistake. The criteria they used for including a title on their list, was No Swearing (one “Damn” in Gone With the Wind was allowed; two would have disqualified that one), No Sex, No Violence. It would be good to have a list like this for youth as well as seniors!
3. Hot! Naked! Social Marketing. (Dean Marney & Dan Howard)
This was one of the best programs I attended. The two presenters were from North Central Regional Library, and they combined humor with lots of good information that they had learned from Nancy Lee, a social marketing expert from the Seattle Area. They described how they changed the way they promote SRP. In the past, they went out to all the schools, and pushed the program in whatever way they could (class visit, assembly, parent letter, etc.) As a result of their new technique, which involved figuring out their target audience, defining and getting rid of obstacles, and training staff to make effective presentations (booktalks), they now push the program only to second graders (audience who is the most interested, and is capable of reading and actually participating). They do booktalks, and have enough copies of the books purchased, that any second grader who comes in with excitement, and asks is given a copy of the book they are interested in to check out, no reserves needed. The second graders naturally bring in siblings/family/friends, so their numbers are up, up, up!
They do “anything for their many book clubs” and in turn, their book clubs will “do anything for the library.” They said the book clubs are bigger library supporters than the friends groups. For instance, if a book club indicates that a particular title will be discussed in two weeks time, and they need “x” number of copies of the book, the library goes right out and buys that many copies of the title, and hands it over to the group for their discussion.
At this time, they are preparing to promote their Homework Help Center service, and they will not be talking to students, especially not remedial students (who could probably benefit, but lack interest.) Instead, they will be going out to talk to AP (advanced placement) teachers and Math teachers. Those are the people who will spread the word to students who will be inclined to use this service. The students these teachers work with are the ones who will be motivated to make use of the program.
Talk to people who can make an impact. Don’t put up posters and bookmarks; talk to people. If there is an obstacle, find out what it is, and do what you can to get rid of it. Don’t try to change the world, and get the person who doesn’t use the service to use it. Instead, go after the ones who just need to hear about it, to become users. Use their word of mouth and enthusiasm to get the non-users interested.
The presenters of this program recommended inviting Nancy Lee to do a staff development workshop, at least for management level staff. Based on what they shared, I believe this would be a great idea, but might also be interesting for an all-staff workshop.
4. Advanced Searching & Beyond Using Google’s Search (Erin Gordon)
What a great program! Erin Gordon is an i-School student, and did a wonderful job explaining what Google’s Custom Search engine is useful for, and how to create one. Her handouts for this program are here. Google’s Custom Search is a little bit like Rollyo, only way more flexible and useful, because you can put it on any web page you are editing. When you go through the wizard to create a search, you specify which websites, and how much of each website should be searched, and how those results can be displayed. I immediately thought of how useful it would be to have a custom search engine at the top of each section of SCLD’s web picks, to assist users in finding the information they look for, without having to poke through all the websites and sub menus. I created a Custom Search Engine for one my web-picks assignments, which is Local School Districts. The above link will take you to the page where it resides, but it can also be integrated into a different web page, as a small search box. I have it linked as such on my Web 2.0 blog, Spokaliciousness. If you want to play with it, try the following term to search for: “Accelerated read*” or look for lunch menus, or superintendents, or calendars…
5. Non-Fiction Book Talking Extravaganza (Susan Veltfort & Kirsten Edwards)
This program was somewhat mis-named because part of the booktalk was actually to promote award winning books. The non-fiction books were fun, mostly the ones that would be fun to share with kids and teens for recreational reading. There was nothing there that would be great for learning about a new reference source.
6. Autism Awareness in the Library (Julie Ashmun & Jennifer Fenton)
Because this program was sponsored by CAYAS, its focus was on recognizing and assisting families with an autistic child. I was hoping for a little more information on how to deal with the autistic adults that come into the library independently, often to use the computers. Some of the points made by the presenter included, making signs very clear and “to the point.” When instruction is given, be very direct, i.e. “You may use the computer for 5 minutes,” rather than “please share the computer.” In storytime, instead of instructing children to sit in a circle on the floor, provide carpet squares so that the autistic child can know exactly where he or she is supposed to be. Libraries have so much to look at, and so many different sections, that it is quite overwhelming for someone with autism, who cannot filter visual and auditory input. She suggested color coding and simple descriptive signage to assist autistic customers to navigate their way. She also urged extra care and compassion for the parents/caregivers, because they cannot necessarily control the behavior of their autistic family member, and where we have to deal with it on a short term basis when they visit, for them it is an endless ordeal of embarrassment and judgmental looks from strangers who don’t understand. If libraries make them welcome with their children, we do these families a tremendous service.
7. Paula Poundstone.
Because we sat with Frank and Carolyn Payne, and he is a bit hard of hearing, we sat at the table right in front of Paula’s dais. We knew there was a good chance she would pick on us, as she likes to include her audience in her humor, and we were right! She spent some time picking on my husband who is a high school teacher (she doesn’t think too highly of teachers’ teaching abilities because her eldest daughter hasn’t learned much except lying). She was also delighted to learn that the former teacher who sat on the other side of Chris was named Mrs. Failing “Failing students, line up here!” She also had a great time picking on the other gentleman at our table who is the director of the Camas Public Library, and had the audacity to come to WLA without bringing any of his staff along for the fun. He was a good sport about it, and gave her some great lines to work with. The food was pretty good too, so it was a very enjoyable evening.
Programs I wish I could have attended:
Captivating & Communicating with One-Year-Olds: Tried True Teachable Ideas
Storytime Showcase
Dealing With Workplace Bullies
Looking At Picturebooks
B’Tween the Pages:Getting Tweens Through Your Doors & Into Books
Beyond Books: Using Flannelboards & Music at Preschool Story Time
Ask-WA: Or How I learned to Stop Worrying & Love Virtual Reference
Teen Program Showcase
Book Talking the Best
2009 WLA Conference
Please take this opportunity to share with fellow staff about the sessions you attended at this year's WLA conference.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Welcome!
Because people have been asking for a place to discuss their training and conference experiences--and in light of all the fun we're having with the Learning 2.0 assignments--we thought it was time to create a new forum for sharing these experiences.
Most of you have already been blogging as part of your Learning 2.0 participation, so this format should be familiar. Here you can post a new topic relating to a conference or training session you've attended, or you can respond to someone else's post. (If you want to post a new topic, you'll need to be an author of this blog. If you aren't one already, please contact Stacey and she'll add you to the author list. You'll need to have a Gmail account to complete the author authentication process.) Please remember that followers of this blog will find it helpful if you use a descriptive title for your entry--that way, they won't have to guess what you're writing about.
As you can see from the above post, we're expecting WLA attendees to weigh in first with their thoughts and experiences. However, the purpose of this blog is for staff to share all their different training and conference experiences, such as next month's INCOL workshop, the Confidentiality and Privacy training, and all the other wonderful things we're not even aware of yet.
Most of you have already been blogging as part of your Learning 2.0 participation, so this format should be familiar. Here you can post a new topic relating to a conference or training session you've attended, or you can respond to someone else's post. (If you want to post a new topic, you'll need to be an author of this blog. If you aren't one already, please contact Stacey and she'll add you to the author list. You'll need to have a Gmail account to complete the author authentication process.) Please remember that followers of this blog will find it helpful if you use a descriptive title for your entry--that way, they won't have to guess what you're writing about.
As you can see from the above post, we're expecting WLA attendees to weigh in first with their thoughts and experiences. However, the purpose of this blog is for staff to share all their different training and conference experiences, such as next month's INCOL workshop, the Confidentiality and Privacy training, and all the other wonderful things we're not even aware of yet.
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