Lakeside Learning 2008

Meet Abe Lincoln

At this week's Lakeside Learning in Storm Lake Bonnie was telling us about the variety of programs that were possible for adults. We heard about WILBOR, Current Event topics, Medline and the Lincoln Bicentennial. There is a great website, (http:// www. lincolnbicentennial.gov) that provides lots of facts and information but of course nothing could possibly be better than actually meeting Abraham Lincoln and hearing about 1860's life. This Lincoln reenacter, Stan DeHaan , is from Orange City and does presentations all over the state. He gave about 40 minute presentation that included portions of 2 inaugural speeches and the Gettysburg Address. He talked about growing up, his family, his faith and his presidency. This was an amazing presentation and not only would adults enjoy a program like this, but so would young adults .

Lakeside Learning:morning sessions

Beautiful Storm Lake, Iowa and the Siebens center here at BV University is the setting for the 2008 Lakeside Learning. Adult programming is today's topic. Timely. After all, adults use the library in huge numbers, so it's only logical that we start focusing on them, too. Our first presenter, Jon Wibbels of AEA 12 discussed the rationale for adult programming. Roy spent time showing us Medline. This data base is an important resource for adults, and a nearly ready made program adults at the library

. Another possibilityfor adult programming that we were presented with was in using WILBOR as a program for adults. An idea for promoting downloads, teaching adults about MP3 players and the variety of ways that audio books can be used. Libraries not currently signed up for WILBOR will be allowed to sign up in November

.This year is the Lincoln Bicentennial. Using a Lincoln reenacter is another possiblility for programming. Stan DeHaan of Orange City came and shared his program with the whole group. More powerful than a simple discussion of Abe Lincoln or even a book discussion on one of the many Lincoln books.

What other adult programming ideas do you have. Share some of your successes!

Milford Public Library Staff Development Day

Here's an idea for County Library associations! Getting together to do staff development!

Meet Kay, Spencer Public Library's new Director!

Here's a Gal who's been in libraries for awhile. Many of us know her from a variety of meetings over the years because she is active and very involved. But Kay Larson has just recently stepped up to become the director of the Spencer Public Library and we'd like to take this time not only to say "Welcome" but also to get to know her a bit better! She took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for us:

Did you have any other libray experience before you came on board at your present library?
Way back in the dark ages(like 1973) I worked as a volunteer at the Cattermole libraryin Ft. Madison for Rose Reynolds. We were living on a farm while I worked for DuPont Paints. Years later, I applied for the director's job at the Peterson library because of "all" my previous experience. They must have believed me or been desperate because I got the job in 1987. From 1987-1994, I was director at Peterson, learning all about library work from my PLM courses and the continuing ed offered by the Regional and State libraries. in 1994 I started working at Spencer Public Library and moved from part time clerk to the director in March 2008.

Think back to your first day of work at the library, or your 2nd 3rd or more...what surprised you, or wasn't exactly what you expected?
When I started at Peterson's library I was aghast that there was not a card catalog and that the nonfiction books were not shelved in Dewey order. I quickly found out that people in a town this small just asked the librarian where a certain book was and she got it for them because she had been working there for 20 years. Of course, I had no clue where anything was in the library. I did a lot of looking for the first few months.

Share a funny, fun story with us about getting oriented as a library director.
Although I have been the director for about 4 months, the other day I introduced myself to someone as the Assistant Director. Old habits die hard, I guess.

What has been your biggest challenge so far? Do you have any thoughts about where you would like to see your library go in the future?
My biggest challenge here at Spencer Public Library has been to find the time to learn as I go and keep the work done at the same time. It is very easy to just keep doing my "old" job instead of training someone else to do it.

Tell us something about yourself, i.e. your hobbies, family, favorite books/authors..
My husband and I live on a farm about 25 miles from Spencer so the commute can be nasty in the winter. My husband has been on the NWLsa bord for 12 years and is back on again. I have lots of cats outdoors and a couple of spoiled ones indoors also. When I read for fun, I usually like mysteries althought I was surprised how much I enjoyed "water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. I like to garden but hate kitchen work so my garden has been gradually taken over by perenial flowers. Last year I got my amateur radio license but I have't been on the air yet. This job keeps interfering with my hobbies!

What other Questions can we answer?
Sure, when is the quiet season in the libraraies? LOL!

New Director @ Albert City

You've heard that Thirteen new library directors have started their jobs in the NW Library Service Area. We wanted to take some time to introduce you to them right here at the NW BLOG! In the coming weeks tune in to meet these gals. Remember those days when you were new to the job? Well meet Albert City's new director, Mary Johnson who took over after Cathy Jensen retired in June.

Mary is married to husband Colin, and between them they have six grown children-all living in big cities. They have a doctor, a lawyer, an investments consultant, a gaming agent, a window company manager and a College student! She is involved in her church's music ministry. She loves ballroom dancing (think 'Big Band' and 'Swing') She loves to bake, owning and operating a coffee shop years ago. She is an interior decorator, a laboratory technician, and a limited radiographer. And of course, now a librarian. Wow! She is cultivating a new enjoyment of reading. As you can imagine, waiting for that box of ordered books to arrive is an exciting prospect. She says, "Opening book boxes is like Christmas!"

Mary, did you have any other library experience before you came on board at Albert City?

None!

So, think back to your first day at work at the library...or your second day, or third day...What surprised you, or wasn't exactly what you expected?

There was so much to learn and packed into weeks....I think orientation should be a month. I just kept telling Cathy I would like to be her assistant, not replacing her!

How about any funny, fun stories about getting oriented as a library director?

I remember us always laughing at my "Deer in the headlights" eyes after several hours of intense learning. that's when we knew it was time for a break. i'd always go for a walk and everytime I'd leave they would wonder if I was coming back! I always said, "Poor Cathy, having to teach me all this" and they (Cathy and her assistant, Kathy) would say, "Poor Mary having to learn all this!"

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

My biggest challenge so far has been getting Grant applications filled out. I have 2 righ now that I am working on. Every day has its own variety of challenges, whether it be computer issues, remembering to check SILO, downloading MARC records for DVDs without complications, looking at the month end stats and hoping I'll be able to do everything just right, dealing with the city on purchases or pay, etc. etc..... My first board meeting was very stressful, lots to cover..lasted 2 Hours!

Do you have any thoughts about where you would like to see your library go in the future?

I have a wonderful board, so supportive, friendly and encouraging. They have made me feel so welcomed, and so has the community. I am excited about the direction of our library. i am in the process of making lots of improvements- from water cooler to new office computer, to adding flavored coffee for patrons and just improving the look and interest in the library. I want people tov iew the library as a social center as well as a learning center. I plan to integrate more artist receptions and demonstrations, performances by local talent, music will also be a part of that thought process. I plan to showcase children's art and expand our children's literature. Our story time program for little ones will see a new boost of excitement with 'Big Books'. I feel the more visual at that age the better.

So, Mary welcome to the library and the family of librarians that makes up NW Iowa Libraries. If you have questions you have only to send out an email, or pick up the phone. We're eager to get to know you and give you a hand if you need it!

Reading Roundtable

Directors and staff will be participating in a Reading Roundtable on July 30 from 10-noon in a WIMBA classroom. This is hosted by Roy Kenagy. The first book is "Made to Stick" by Chip and Dan Heath. If you're interested in rethinking how you market and promote the library this is a great book to read! I'm excited to hear how others will apply what they learn in this book to real life in the library! There will be lots to talk about. One of the things that I think is especially applicable to the library is what the Heath's call 'The Curse of Knowledge'. That is, we are often so close to a subject (i.e. the library and it's jargon) that we forget that others don't have the same knowledge that we do. We assume people understand everything that we do, so we leave out information that would be critical to understanding our mission, our programs, or even our very reason for exsisting. Lots to think about. Even if you aren't participating in this roundtable, I would encourage you to take the time to read this book!

Directors Retire

Darrell and Dave have both left NWILS Board of directors. They'll be missed. We will see Dave hanging out, though ,at the Sioux Center Public Library.

Library 2.0 for Every library

Here is a list of ten things that every library, no matter what their size, can do to implement 2.0 ideas for their patrons and community. These are low risk, low cost, low effort and common sense enhancements:

1. Have Firefox on all your public computers.

2. Add Del. ici.ous tags for all your bookmarks. No matter what, no matter where all your favorites will be right there. You can even point your patrons to them!

3. Have RSS feeds for lib news and programs so tech savy patrons get automatic updates when you introduce new things!

4. Encourage your staff to BLOG

5. Design a way to do info sharing with staff through internet BLOGs or Wikki's.

6.Collaborate with partners using Google Docs or Picasa (i.e. other libraries in your county)

7. Blog from your web page and allow public comments.

8. Keep a flickr page of interesting library pictures.

9. Allow IMing, gaming and YouTube on your public computers.

10. Engage your teens with the technology you're using.

Thanks to the Other Librarian" at wordpress.com for these great tips.

Award Winning Books

These are the 2008 Boston Globe Award winners . You can read more about each book and the award itself , as well as the list of the honor books. Winners were announced on June 18. These are books that could be easily added to any collection!

Librarian and Technology

Hey Librarians! Is this us? The interactive, customer oriented, techno savy librarian?

Google and Stupidity?

Is Google making us stupid... in Atlantic monthly. An interesting article

Tech Term Knowledge Pt. 2

More terms to print off, study, memorize and use to dazzle your friends and colleagues. Those youngsters that you work with won't know what hit them when you start talking about that kindle that's available right now, or ask what kind of MP3 player they're planning to use for the new overdrive books available!

Hyperlink: A navigation element in an email, blog,or website that opens on a webpage or takes you elsewhere. Click on Hyperlink and you'll see what I mean!
Kindle: For a consumer from Amazon. An electronic device that stores, organizes and plays print or text files like e books.
MP3 Player: For consumers. An electronic device that stores, organizes and plays audio files like music and audio books. IPods, Sansa, Zen Stones are examples.
Netiquette: ettiquette on the net. Mostly encouraged when emailing, but increasingly important in IM and social sites. Be polite. Be Nice. Be diplomatic.
Quick Time: A file extension developed by Apple. When you see a quick time extension on the web, it means the file in question is a movie or video clip.
Synchronous learning: An online classroom with lots of other people logged into the class in real time, discussing together. As in a WIMBA class from NW. This term is opposite of asynchronous learning.
Widget: In computing terms this refers to objects on a webpage that users interact with. Hyperlinked objects that when placed on your website or blog take you elsewhere on the web. An example is LibraryThing that provides widgets for you to put on your website.
WIMBA: A corporate name and leading producer of collaborative learning software and online classrooms. Web Junction uses WIMBA classrooms as their vehicle for the State Library and NWILS. If you were involved in last winter's Online conference you were involved in a WIMBA room.

If you keep tabs on new technology terms, you'll be learning something new every day. Check out www.webopedia.com to find the definition for terms that are unfamiliar, or to learn new ones! Keeping up is hard to do, but this site can give you a hand.

Tech Term Knowledge

These terms are from the 2008 Jamboree session on technology. And if you want more terms be sure to click here. There was so much available Bonnie didn't have time to get through them all. So we will test your knowledge in a couple of posts:
Applet A software component that runs in the content of another program. A small application like a web caculator or a text editor. Windows media player is one....
Asynchronous Learning: An online classroom but one not in real time. It is not connected to a teaching human at the other end, but is rather a tutorial, like web junction. You take these 'classes' on your own time and at your own speed, by yourself.
Avatar: a 'cute' image of your alter ego when you're online in IM or 2nd Life.
Bandwidth: The maximum amount of data that can flow throgh a communication path at any given time. It speaks to the speed of your internet connection if you look at it as a garden hose.
DRM: Digital Rights Management. It is the transferring to other medi functionality after its been downloaded; like downloading a book from Wilbor to Media Player to your MP3 player.
Emoticons: The smiley faces used to express feelings when you are using IM or emailing someone.
FAQ: Frequently asked Questions. As in the NW FAQ page about Wilbor.
VOIP: Voice over internet protocol. Your computer receives voice transmission from another connected computer, not a long distance phone call. Skype is an example.

Don't have Time?

So, if you're like most of the library world, staying current seems to be nearly impossible. It seems that once you get something down... like, say, flickr, or plone, or google docs, or even overdrive when along comes something else that you have to learn or try. The technology is exploding and you're at the center of the blast! So how do you keep up?

Delegate some time each week to pend at that keeping up task. Blogs are a great way to start and there are some great ones out there that will help you sort through all the important explosions of technology and information:
Library link of the day
Librarian in Black resources and discussions for techie/not so techie librarians
Library Garden A discussion from different kinds of libraries helping keep libraries relevant
Tame the Web libraries, technology, people
LISNews news for the librarian among us!
Library Journal Ok we just can't get away from reading, reading reading. It's what we do/promote!
There are also, a whole host of blogs and sites out there that are geared towards libraries and reading, that provide all kinds of reviews, or just discussions about topics that you might have a particular interest in. If you use an RSS feed you never have to go hunting for that site or try to remember which one it was. It will come into your computer automatically.

Some really good blogs that provide book reviews:
Big A Little a
Youth services Librarians unite
What Adrienne thinks about that
chicken spaghetti
Jen Robinson's promoting the love of books by children and the continued reading of children's books by adults

By checking any of these sites out, you will no doubt find more sites from links that are available there. Oh, I know, reading blogs, or about available technology won't get books processed or shelved, or even other technological problems that you have get solved, patrons served, but you will be much more knowlageable about what's out "there" right now. Keep up!

Take a tour: Glendale, AZ public Library!

I recently visited a branch library of the Glendale Public Library in Glendale, Arizona and was treated to some amazing art. I thought it might be fun for you to see what libraries are doing in other areas! Glendale has a program in place that provides commissioned art for libraries. These three pieces cost more than $500,000. Paid for by tax dollars, but not directly by the libraries. The first piece is called "the Magic Door" and is the entrance to the library's children's story hour room. Viewed at eye level, things on the inside are a bit distorted and is to make a child feel like he/she is headed into a world of their own. The second piece is a 20+ foot painting of all the animals in the sonoran desert as they would be during a 24 hour period. Beginning at one end you see animals during the early morning darkness hours and progress through an entire day. It is a beautiful painting and is labeled with all the animals of the desert. some of them you have to hunt carefully for. You could spend quite a bit of time checking this painting out! The last piece is called Sun and Moon and is made of 1000's of pieces of hand blown glass. It's suspended from the ceiling of their entry way and is very impressive. I have to tell you that this branch library was all on one level and wasn't much bigger than the Spencer or Orange City library. Very impressive.

Google and the librarian

Another session at PLA was entitled: What Does it take to be good at Reference in the Age of Google? presented by Joseph Janes a professor at the Information School at the University of Washington in Seattle. Here's the gist of this workshop:

You know Google, basically, it's a 'really big ad agency with a search engine attached to it!' In lots of ways Google has changed our lives. It's certainly entered into our vocabulary! If you have a specific thing to find out, it will. It fills in a momentary gap in our knowledge and sometimes in our collections. It even means that you don't have to do the dumb stuff anymore It's fee. It's quick. It's easy and it's good enough. But not perfect. We can do it better! Here are some things that Google CAN'T do. Believe it or not Google is filled with limitations and I'm sure you've noticed them.
It can't select, i.e. tell you which of something is the best.
It can't evaluate, decide, understand, give depth, help in an active way, be a part of a community of learners, give you accuracy, or even find materials either virtually or physically!

All this to tell you that we as librarians are in timesaver positions. We can do it faster. Sure Google is fast, but we have all these other things that we offer that make us even faster!
So here are some suggestions , not to compete with Google, but to prove that the library is still very relevant today!
People come to us with reference questions today because they have failed. Like the gal who was in the library yesterday to ask us to help her find a book about phenome toxcicity in cats and dogs. Please, please please. Just try and get google to help do that!

Increasingly, though, We must be where our patrons are, both virtually ad physically. We must offer a presence on the internet as well as in person.. This means we need to build tools that help people find what they're looking for. Think Pathfinders, vodcasting, something like research minutes on youtube, blogs, or some type of community partnerships. Above all use your secret weapons: print. And doing what you you got into this job to do!
One of the best thoughts from this session, though was this: We need to have an extended notion of the library. A library is not just 4 walls and a roof with books inside and hours posted on the door. The library is anywhere, anytime, and any way in which people interact with information that is organized, provided by and supported by the library. The library is/should be a bigger place than just the building! It is an actual physical location and it can be everywhere. Wow!

Sexy Senior Programing

This is from one of the sessions I went to at PLA. The presenters were Ing Kalchthaler and Mary Mullen from Bethel Park PL in Pennsylvania. They had some typical ideas, i.e. a tax service day, speakers to address senior concerns etc. but the most fun were there 'Way Outside the Box' ideas! And don't you love getting new ideas from conferences! Hope you can use some of these at your busy libraries.

Using Intergenerational Programming, a kind of buzz word for libraries today.And you absolutely MUST see their VBLOG posted at YOUTube. Seniors are often featured on these.Working with Schools and families is critical for this type of programming:

-Family Battle of the Book
A book would be chosen for families to read and then they would come together at the library for a Quiz Show style Competition. This would be geared toward families with children in 2nd through 5th grades though it could be adapted I'm sure any way you would like.

-More than Grandparents Day
For regular storytimes have children invite older adults to join them.This could also include an 'Adopt a Grandparent' program. Older students (JH and up) would be invited to travel to nursing homes or senior care facilities to read to them. They found that if they bring a short picture story style book then the senior and the student can have a discussion afterwards. There could even be themes to the reading, i.e. World War II books, Depression Era stories, etc.Students have even done old time radio scripts for their older audience.-Movies for your MindThis involves finding general movies, foreign films with subtitles, unusual movies to be shown when the library is closed. Discussion following. Movies are then reviewed on a BLOG.

-Seniors and Technology
Have a 'Senior Morning' before the library is open for seniors to practice things at the computer. Mousercize, learn Microsoft Tools programs, or even teach them to BLOG, do digital photos, etc.Seniors could enjoy gaming such as the WII or or other online gamesThis would be an opportunity to to pair kids with Seniors to learn games. Kids and Seniors can compete against other kid/senior teams just for fun! Families can play against families.

-Laughter Club
This is actually a formal club that meets once a month. It's geared to seniors to help them reduce their stress, improve their health, to feel more positive and to have social interactions. They actually intentionally laugh! You can find more information from the World Laughter Tour.

If you try some Senior programs, or already have them we would love to hear what you have been doing!

The Job We Do!

Consulting and Consultants have always been a 'given' in the Iowa Library Community. But I wonder if you know how endangered they actually are! The Iowa Library community of consultants and their staff are dwindling, and this means that our own consultant, Bonnie with her trusty help, Janie, have had to scramble to keep up with the demand. (i.e. NW staff has gone from 7 fte to just 2 in less than 10 years) You all probably know the results of that: the birth of the Northwest Consultant Team. This year's PLA was a once in a Blue Moon chance for us to showcase this surprisingly fresh idea. And Surprise! Systems and consultants from all across the country who find themselves in the same dire state of short-handedness came to find out 'how it's done'!

As many as 10 states passed through Bonnie's round table "Rethinking our Workforce", all sharing the same tale of financial cuts to library consulting. This economic fact makes Northwest's team approach to consulting a very Cool idea indeed! Both Dave Netz, a NW library board member, and Tena Hansen were there to field questions as well as to offer thoughts from a board member/consultant point of view along with Bonnie who spearheaded the whole thing. All those who stopped in asked great questions, but what delighted us the most was that with all the questions, our team already had answers!

Not only did Northwest offer a great new strategy for consulting, but we learned as well! There will always be ways to improve our service to our clients (That's you guys!) and to improve the quality of our team and we picked up some great ideas from those who stopped in to chat with us.

Join us in more 'outside the box' thinking as we seek ways to meet needs and improve the quality of our services.

Share the PLA Conference!

Many of us are freshly back--and newly inspired--from the PLA National Conference, held last week in Minneapolis. Staff from several Northwest Iowa libraries were there, from Onawa to Orange City and lots of towns in between. This year saw an estimated attendance of 9,500, with over 400 vendors in the exhibit hall. In the coming weeks, we'll use EYE-OPENER to share the learning and NWILS Bulletin Board Blog to share the experience!

For my money, the opening and closing keynote speakers were the best in memory. John Wood, author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, was the opening keynote speaker. With a photo slideshow, he told about leaving his executive job at Microsoft after a life-changing vacation to Nepal. He quickly went on to establish a non-profit organization called Room to Read, which now fundraises to build schools and libraries in developing countries. His aim is ambitious because the statistics are staggering:
110 million children in developing nations between the ages of 4 and 10 are not enrolled in school
1/7 of the world's population is illiterate
2/3 of these groups are girls and women

He described these "grand challenges" behind Room to Read:
To build schools in places where there are none
To provide reading rooms with multi lingual books in these schools
To offer scholarships to girls in third world countries who otherwise would not have the chance to attend school

John Wood has a great story and Room to Read is a great cause for library advocates to know about.

The closing keynote speaker was Paula Poundstone, comedian and author of a new book There's Nothing in This Book I Meant to Say. With her trademark stool, microphone, and diet Pepsi, she had the crowd roaring. It was a fresh and entertaining way to close out a conference jammed packed with information and ideas.

So that was the beginning and the end. Of course, there's lots to relay about everything in the middle, so I'll continue sharing PLA sessions in the coming weeks. And for all Northwest library staff and trustees who attended, be sure to comment here with your favorite PLA moment.

And take a minute to watch our slide show thanks to our gal blogger and conference photographer Sue Kroesche.

More on Gaming at the Library

So you're tired of the after school crowd racing to the library just so they can play games after school? Time to start working with them rather than against them, as it were. Time to step out of the box you're in and start looking at the gaming crowd as the perfect opportunity to up your circulation and programming statistics.

There are several websites with ideas about gaming programs including Librarian in Black, The Shifted Librarian, and an article from the Philly News that will help you promote your library and gamers.

Think about these things in relation to how gaming fits within the context of the library's mission:

1. Gaming meets needs
2. It provides social interaction that is critical for a teen's development
3. It offers physical activity (think Wii)
4. It's an outlet for creative expression
5. It offers a chance for teens to prove competence and achievement and thus opportunities for self development
6. It teaches risk taking, problem solving and how to be a team player
7. Gamers must spend time reading instructions, walking through rules of the game and even being involved in websites and chat forums related to their games
8. For ever one hour of playing, gamers spend 4 hours reading!

Looked at from that angle, who wouldn't want games at the library? I'm not talking about the violent, grand theft auto games here, just your avarage 'Runescape' or 'Medal of Honor' or any one of a dozen other readily available game that your teens are playing at your library. Video games are great for helping libraries challenge their inaccurate image as dusty and outdated. So...game on!

Gaming here we come

Should there be any doubt that gaming should be implemented and used in libraries, any doubt I previously held has been dispelled. I am convinced that the reluctance to embrace gaming in a library has to do with the reluctance to embrace change. But this you should know: the average age of gamers is 34 years old! Senior citizens are also enjoying gaming connected to adult programming in libraires and senior centers.

Multitudes of ways to use gaming creatively exsist out there and we need to get started. Are you hunting for a way to get your missing teenagers back? Wonder where some of those seniors are? How about all those men that have been missing from the stacks since they graduated from high school? They're all out there playing games on their computers.

In at least 3 of the PLA sessions that I attended I had a great opportunity to see what other libraries are doing to use gaming and invite those missing patrons back to the library. This is just a teaser post since I have lots to say about this, so hang on! Sites and ideas are coming. But think about this: Nearly 80% of teens play games. And gaming = literacy. We need to think about how that will translate into our libraries if we aren't in some way a part of it. More later.

Zak the Yak With a Great Big Book Pack

Who would have thought you'd have to go north to find spring?! It's been sunny and a balmy 30 here in Minneapolis!

The opening keynote speaker is John Wood, who in 1999 founded Room to Read.Org after a vacation to Nepal, and found a library in an elementary school with no books. "Perhaps, sir, you will one day return and bring us books" became the challenge for him to see to it that every child in every country (especially third world, developing countries) should be educated. That challenge especially included girls who are often neglected in favor of boys when lack of money keeps them home. These were John's Grand Challenges:
To build schools in places where there are none.
To provide reading roomswith multi lingual books in these schools.
To offer scholarships to girls in 3rd world countries who otherwise would not have the chance to attend.

Room to Read insists on involvement from the local community, hires local staff, and raises its money from the monied world at large, as well as in the local community. Check out Room to Read. Wish you were here. Pictures later!

Some New Children's Books Worth the Effort!

Today I got to enjoy the best part of my job--sitting and reading! Of course, I must read in order to know how to accurately catalog all these cool books! Every single one of them was a children's book, so I actually got through quite a few of them. This is as opposed to young adult or adult which are just too long to actually read through a whole book in one sitting (though many times I have been sorely tempted)I'll be working on those on Monday, so maybe I'll have more to share with you then! But, let me tell you about some of the cutest books I read today. These were reviewed in the ICN session about new children's and Young Adult titles. A couple of these were purchased to go with the Summer Reading Program.

Martina the beautiful Cockroach, a Cuban folktale by Carman Agra.
Thelonious Monster's sky high Fly Pie by Judy Sierra
Cottonball Colin by Jeanne Willis
Wolf Wolf by John Rocco

If I were to summarize the four of these I would have to use the word "absolutely the funniest tales I've read in awhile!" (how's that for a 'word'?) Take my word for it, you won't be disappointed! In fact, I'd venture to say they won't 'get it'. But you will! You'll be laughing all the way home! I read more than 30 books today, and I could review them all, but these are the best of them! I tell you, "What a job"! I have got to write a book as clever as one of these someday. Oh wait. I have! I just need a publisher.

Gaming in Libraries

We had an interesting, and as far as I was concerned a rather shocking, discussion at the OC library last week concerning gaming in the libraries. I was shocked by the vehemence with which the library staff objected to having gaming at the library. As it stands now, we have tons of kids, mostly boys, playing computer games such as 'Runescape' and 'Medal of Honor' after school, during school breaks, and especially during the summer. We are charged with monitoring how long they stay on the computer and it gets to be rather tiresome as even I would admit.

So when there was a proposal that we add XBOX for kids--well, you can imagine that it didn't go over well. Not all because it would be one more thing for us to monitor, but because of the objection to the damage that gaming creates. So, knowing that there is a lot of research out there about gaming, and lots of libraries who are really getting into this, I went out and took a look at what's going on. Surprise, surprise, but it isn't just libraries who are 'wooing' the teenage crowd with games and all things associated with gaming--so is the business world and schools!

Join me as we walk through the gaming world in libraries:

Are you missing a segment of your population in the library? Teenagers? NPR has a short segment you can listen to that talks about wooing those missing teenagers back to the library....to the games, near the books.

The Blog Game On has a very long list of research articles related to gaming in school, public and academic libraries. Very well worth looking at some of those articles

Those English Language Learners are using gaming to build their English skills, not to mention the critical thinking skills all students gain by playing games in the library or not.

If you're at all serious about gaming in the library, this is a MUST READ series: ALA held a symposium on Gaming in Libraries and you can listen to podcasts or read articles related to this symposium: explore how libraries fit into the intersection of gaming and the digital learning landscape.

Before you write the idea of gaming off--or even before you embrace it--think through what this means to your library in general. The whole idea of having gaming in the library is a challenge to librarians to 'think outside the box'. How can we offer traditional library services to a new generation of users in so that they'll understand and come to love libraries the way we do? Is it possible to use something as radical as GAMING? At the very least, it's worth a second look!

Every Child Ready to Read

It's an awesome responsibility for the libraries: working with educators, community leaders, and parents to get pre schoolers ready for the incredible task of learning to read! If you had a chance to hear Saroj Ghoting this past month, you will already be inspired to do more with your preschool or outreach programs. NWILS provided free materials for those who attended: Brochures "Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library" for parents of preschoolers from two and three year olds to pre readers aged 4-5, along with the book by Ms. Ghoting.

Programs programs programs. Summer Reading, Pre-School Story Hours: They have always been something the library has provided within our communities. But within recent years there has been brand new emphasis on the incredible importance that preschoolers have early literacy experiences. What a great opportunity for libraries to step up and fill a void. What are the libraries offering out there? Who is doing outreach and how does that look? Have you developed policies that address these issues? Have you added programs that seek to work with the immigrant population and their children, or extra toddler programs? How about online programs for pre schoolers? Anyone doing something like that? Do you use volunteers or guest readers? Here's some links to ideas: Preschool Storytime Volunteer Handbook

Cyber pre-school Story hour

Teen Tech Week '08

What are your library’s plans for Teen Tech Week? It’s March 2-8 and marks only the second year of a national promotion sponsored by the Young Adult Services Association of ALA. The theme is “Tune In @ Your Library.” Aimed at teens, parents, and educators, Teen Tech Week helps to teach kids to be competent and ethical users of technologies, focusing on the tech tools offered through libraries. You’ll find lots of resources and ideas here: http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/Tune_In_@_Your_Library_resources And be sure to share your plans with others by commenting here!

A Love/Hate Relationship

So you love using the new technology! So you hate using the new technology. It's a love/hate relationship all the way around. Some days it's perfect and makes life so much easier. Some days you have nothing but trouble. Well I have the perfect quiz for you to take. This is from the Pew Internet and American Life project. They have a little rubric set up so you can see where you fall in your love and tolerance for all things technology. It's kind of fun!
"Do you cringe when your cell phone rings? Do you suffer from withdrawal when you can't check your Blackberry? Do you rush to post your vacation video to your Web site? The questions below allow you to place yourself in one of the categories in the Pew Internet Project's Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users. To identify the typology group to which you belong, please answer the questions below. When you press the 'Calculate My Results' button, a new page will tell you in which group you fit, along with a description of the general characteristics of that group" Have fun! Now you know why you love/hate the computer!

TOOTING OUR HORNS

How many times do you need to tell them, before your patrons realize they can get information from your website? Do the know that they can actually go to your website and find: what books are in the library, what books they have checked out, the schedule of events, pictures of the summer program, policies (ok, so they're not really interested in what your policies are!) what to read next, book blogs and a whole lot more! Do they know you have a website? Or for that matter, do they know about programs, teen councils, book discussion groups and the whole range of things availible? We must be better at marketing ourselves. You know, and I know, that we have amazing things to offer the public. Unfortunately, for the most part our patrons don't realize it. One thing we as librarians must do is Toot Our Own Horns! Advertise, Market, Inform. We have to do it many times, and in lots of different formats. I think what is the problem for us is how MANY times we are saying the same old thing. And still people don't get it. That is all the more reason for us to keep repeating ourselves.


Here is a fabulous blog that lists a lot of ideas for sharing the library with our public. It gives links to sites with marketing plans, tips for marketing, and ideas from libraries with unusual ad plans. I love the idea about library staff pushing book carts in parades! (Do you think I could get NWILS staff,i.e. Bonnie and Janie to join your parade?)

Library visit in Costa Rica

Our own Sandi Neary is still in Costa Rica. Here is her report on the state of libraries elsewhere!

Thought I would regale you with another small library in Nuevo Arneal Costa Rica. The town is about the size of Laurens and the library has been open only a few days. The first picture shows a young patron enjoying"Spot" in Spanish. The second picture is the children's craft area, called Cotton Corner. They name comes from a young boy who wanted to name the library "Cotton". When asked why, he explained he had a thin cotton "blankie" at home and he always felt safe with his "blankie" and the library should be a safe place. Although the "board" did not think that was an appropriate library name, it was appropriate for the kids corner.

Visit a Library in Costa Rica with Sandi Neary!

Even though I leave the US, can't stay away from libraries. In Costa Rica they are called la bibiloteca two of the pictures are of the library at Tilaran Costa Rica, one of the outside and one of the librarian, Pamela Mejies. She did not speak English, but loved having her picture taken. I have pictures of the inside, but will share those after I get back, if you are interested! Notice the shortened "La bib" over the entry door.

Ed and Leslie Woods are the overseers of the Casa de Sol (house name we rented). Anyway, Leslie is starting a library in Nuevo Arenal, village about 11 Kms from here. She just hired a librarian last Saturday. They are working with a librarian from Nicaragua using interns from the US to establish libraries in many small CR towns. I think one day next week they will be in Nuevo Arenal and Leslie said I could go with her to meet them.

The libraries concentrate mainly on children's books and activties. This is the easiest way to introduce library use, and educate kids. More use of the library as the kids become adults. It will perpetuate itself! There are a few English paperbacks in the libs just to help the English speaking residents. These are donated by the residents. Leslie said also she is meeting with the "city council" next week, to see if they can get "public support" for the Neuvo Arenal lib. Sound familiar? Notice the international lib sign includes a child!

Just couldn't resist telling you about this! Weather is about 85 in the day and 60s at night. We are enjoying immensely.

Promoting Books-Reading Blogs

If you are reading blogs these days then perhaps you've seen this site: The Red Room which is a wonderful place to connect readers to authors and consequently librarians to books! It's a Great place for insight, for blogging ideas and for finding out what's new in the world of books.

Or check out this website from Michael Sauers. He was a speaker at the Small Libraries conference. If you missed him, at least you get to see what he's writing these days: Traveling Librarian.

There are countless children's lit blogs. So many that you could spend considerable time during your day just glancing at each one. I recommend choosing one or two and then enjoy those over a cup of coffee. They're great fun.

At any rate, if you're not reading blogs...catch up! (Good start if you're at this site!) If you are reading blogs, please tell us which ones you enjoy so we can share!

25 Skills Every Librarian Should Have

So you're a librarian! Aren't you amazed and challenged by the complexity of the job! Librarians are incredibly talented, funny and creative people. The things they need to be able to do would challenge most normal people, but we do it and make it look like the easiest job in the world. This is the librarian's job list. We have to be able to:

1. Cover books.


2. Organize and run meetings.


3. Negotiate with employees, city hall,Supervisors.


4. Be Flexible!


5. Repair books.


6. Manage 2-4 year olds in a story hour.


7. Shovel the walk in the Winter.


8. Know basic computer troubleshooting.


9. Know some basic household fix it tricks, like how to stop the toilet from running.


10. Be able to navigate computer data bases like SILO, EbscoHost,First Search.


11. Do Reader's Advisory-hook people up to the books they love.


12. Read Blogs and Wikis


13. Use RSS feeds.


14. Multi-task.


15. Operate a digital camera and be able to download pictures and touch them up.


16. Read books to kids using 'voices'


17. Form relationships with teenagers.


18. Develop a 'contacts' list of people who can help you out for programs or for fixing things at the library.


19. Shmooze with the locals-you need others.


20. Promote the Community.


21. Be calm in crisis.


22. Be passionate and enthusiastic about your job.


23. Embrace change, because it's going to happen no matter what!


24. Be an Advocate


25. Be Flexible!

Please add your two cents worth. Everyone of these 'skills' deserves a blog post of its own!