Monday Morning Eye Opener

Weekly news & events from Northwest Library Services

~ March 9, 2009 ~

Good Morning!

Today in Eye Opener:

1) Grants Galore For Palo Alto County Libraries

2) Teen Tech Week Is Now

3) Job Opening @ Milford PL

4) News / Events This Week

1) Grants Galore For Palo Alto County Libraries: Libraries in Palo Alto County are among many recipients of grants from casino funding. Emmetsburg Library received $10,000.00 for a Playaway startup collection; the new collection will begin with about 200 Playaway titles for all ages in fiction and nonfiction. Also, the Friends of Emmetsburg Library received $1,500.00 for a “Books for Babies” program.

Ruthven Library received $2,000.00 to fund their Summer Reading Program in a big way this year, plus an additional $3,600.00 to redo the children’s department with new shelving and furniture.

But wait, there’s more: the Palo Also County Libraries received $7,500.00 to purchase a digital multimedia projector for each library to make available to community groups. Also, Palo Alto County libraries received $4,500.00 to pay for WILBOR Consortium fees, allowing in one swoop for all the libraries in Palo Alto County to join WILBOR in the spring enrollment period!

Thanks to Nathan Clark at Emmetsburg / Ruthven Libraries for sharing this impressive news about successful grant-writing and successful county library collaboration! Pretty good story, huh? That’s why Nathan will join the line-up of speakers at NWILS C.E. Jamboree to share how they did it. C.E Jamboree is May 5-6 at Prairie Lakes AEA in Storm Lake. Registration is open in the c.e. catalog, so beat the rush and register today.

2) Teen Tech Week Is Now: Guessing there’s some commotion in libraries this week as you celebrate Teen Tech Week 2009, March 8-14. This year’s theme is “Press Play @ Your Library,” perfect for showcasing downloadable media, YouTube, podcasts, gaming, virtual worlds, and more. Lots of ideas and links are waiting for you at the YALSA website (Young Adult Library Services Association) where kids can vote on a theme for 2010. Plus, you’ll find links to a Teen Tech Week blog and wiki, plus some great toolkits about teens and social networking. And when the commotion dies down—go back to the website and share your success stories. It’s all here at Teen Tech Week ’09!

3) Job Opening @MilfordPL: “…the Milford Memorial Library seeks a community- minded, team- oriented candidate for the position of Special Projects Coordinator. This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the many programs and projects of the library and to join a team of hard-working individuals who provide quality library service. A successful candidate must be eager to serve the public, adept at multitasking, and have a flexible schedule. It is essential that candidates are experienced in multiple computer applications, including Internet use and desktop publishing. This position is currently part-time (30 hours per week) Starting wage is $10.15 per hour (somewhat negotiable based on experience. Position will remain open until a candidate has been selected. Stop at the library or call 712-338-4643 or email info@milfordlibrary.net for an application packet which includes further information and a job description…”

4) News / Events This Week: A quiet week here finally, after the flurry of online classes throughout February. For those who haven’t stopped in yet, you can catch a quick, informal orientation tomorrow (Tuesday March 10) to NWILS Wimba Live Classroom. We’re happy to offer orientations for people new to this experience—plus it’s a good idea before taking a real credit class. Because what’s arranged for one can be done for many, anyone is welcome to login tomorrow at 9:30AM. Share this news with others on your staff or board who want a better understanding of how the online classroom works.

Here’s the link that takes you to the login page: http://67.202.209.252/launcher.cgi?room=ia_nwils Please sign in with your name. And if this is your first visit, then you’ll want to run the Wimba Start-Up Wizard first—and well ahead of time—so that your computer will be ready to roll. Try the wizard now, then come back tomorrow morning at 9:30AM for a “look-see!” Call with questions…

Previous editions of Monday Morning Eye-Opener are archived on

NWILS website; http://www.nwils.lib.ia.us.