Monday Morning Eye Opener 05/18/09

Good Morning! Today in EYE-OPENER…

1) Gaming Survey From Game Lab
2) Scholarship Announcement for Small Libraries
3) Spring Paper Order Through IEC
4) Meetings / Events This Week

1) Gaming Survey From Game Lab: The Library School at Syracuse University, in cooperation with Champaign-Urbana University in Illinois and ALA, has been researching gaming programs in libraries for about 2 years. Via an online survey, they’re asking input from libraries of all types that held gaming programs in 2008. Since many of you gamers are freshly back from Northwest’s “Get Your Game On” workshop in Storm Lake, you’ll be interested in this survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2f7OHgA9CgOiCtqEc_2bjGnug_3d_3d

Here’s a description “…Time for the census of 2008 library gaming programs! Did your public, academic, school, or special library run a gaming program in 2008? Did you have Chess, Scrabble, Computer games, Console games or ANY other type of gaming as a library program? It's time to tell us about it. These surveys have been valuable in helping us to understand how libraries are using the data. Additionally, survey answers are useful in getting grant funding for the field and helps us to demonstrate how we are taking gaming seriously…You can take the survey at—the survey will be open until May 31st…”

From the Library Game Lab of Syacuse “…Many libraries are integrating gaming into their offerings for users, targeting younger members of the community. Libraries are bringing in teenagers through gaming programs who haven’t visited since their parents brought them to storytime, and many are being exposed to other library services in the process. Cleverly placed books and media on computers, games, and other related activities go home with the users. One role of many libraries is to serve as a community center where people living in the same area can meet and enjoy activities together. Games, as the next new media, are quickly being integrated into library services as an offering for groups of users who may not frequent the library for other reasons. As with any phenomenon, scientists wish to understand more about this intersection of gaming and libraries…”

To see the publications that have come from previous surveys, click here http://gamelab.syr.edu/publications/

2) Scholarship Announcement for Small Libraries: Very cool news from the Iowa Small Libraries Association (ISLA) The Exec Board has approved offering a $500.00 scholarship for one ISLA member to attend the Association For Rural and Small Libraries Annual Conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The national conference is September 11-13 in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

ISLA has finalized the application criteria; an email went out last Wednesday with full details. It’s too much to reprint here, but essentially an essay contest will determine the winner. Applicants must be able to verify that they’ll have the full support of their board and can pay for travel and other incidental expenses beyond the scholarship amount. In fact, essays must be accompanied by a letter from the board confirming that very thing. The $500.00 scholarship is slated to cover conference registration and hotel expenses. Essays are not to exceed 1,000 words. Applications will be accepted until June 15, the winner will be notified by July 1.

Have you heard of the ARSL? Here’s their mission statement “… “The mission of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries is to provide a network of people and materials to support rural and small library staff, volunteers, and trustees to integrate the library thoroughly with the life and work of the community it serves…” For more information about the Association For Rural & Small Libraries, visit their website.

So there are membership opportunities aplenty here! Again, scholarship applicants must first be members of ISLA; find out about how to do that at their website. And I’ll bet whatever Iowa library staff is awarded the scholarship will want to join ARSL, too.

Again, full scholarship details were posted on IOWALIB last Wednesday. If you didn’t see it come through, you’re welcome to contact NWILS office and we’ll gladly forward the information. Wouldn’t it be great if a Northwest library is the lucky winner?!

3) Spring Paper Order Through IEC: If it’s time to load up on your paper supplies, then there’s no time like the present. And no way to beat the prices through the Iowa Educator’s Consortium. The IEC spring paper bid was awarded to the Paper Corporation in Des Moines and the bid offers excellent pricing on a large variety of copy paper, colors, and sizes. Orders are due by May 26. From the IEC website, you can see all the paper choices and download an order form. This is a very good option for libraries large and small. Northwest LSA buys our paper this way and we just ordered 6 cases of varied colors (10 reams per case) for approximately $185.00 including shipping. Act quickly and visit the IEC website for this paper deal—and lots of other good deals!

4) Meetings / Events This Week: Another Career Reading Roundtable this Friday May 22nd—online in Central LSAs Wimba Classroom. The time is 9:00AM—11:00AM and the book under discussion is Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill. It’s a good book for all you shopaholics out there! Registration is still open in the c.e. catalog; the roundtable is worth 1 c.e. credit. Here’s the link to Central LSA Wimba Classroom
http://webj.wimba.com/launcher.cgi?room=ia_cilsa

We’re closing in on one full year of Career Reading Roundtable, an online book discussion group with a twist: a chance for library staff to read books on topics like public speaking, customer service, communication skills—books outside of library literature. But it’s the online discussion that sparks conversation about how to apply the ideas to library service. It’s a neat concept and one that lots of people statewide have been enjoying.

Since last summer, this book group has read Made to Stick, Everything is Miscellaneous, The Power of Nice, The Back of the Napkin, Good in a Room, and this Friday’s title Why We Buy. This book group has been a great way for me to stretch my personal reading choices. And it’s always fun to hear how others make the connections to library service. And one more benefit: these titles are highly recommended business books to buy for your library collection.

Upcoming titles on deck:

How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read, Grown up Digital, and The Power of Small. Watch the c.e. catalog for dates. And join us this Friday for Why We Buy!

Next Monday is Memorial Day—already. NWILS office will be closed and EYE-OPENER takes a holiday too. With Memorial Day and a vacation following, EYE-OPENER will be back on June 8. Enjoy a safe holiday weekend!

Past issues of Monday Morning Eye-Opener are archived on NWILS website…

Monday Morning Eye Opener 5/11/09

Good Morning and Happy Mother’s Day to All

1) Games in Libraries Podcast:

2) Scholarship Announcement for Small Libraries

3) Children’s Choice Award Winner

4) Meetings / Events This Week

1) Games in Libraries Podcast: For everyone who attended our workshop last week called “Get Your Game On,” here’s a timely follow-up piece. Every month, the website Games in Libraries.Org posts podcasts about gaming programs in libraries. Eli Neiburger and Beth Gallaway are well-known technology specialists and frequent contributors. Neiburger is the author of Gamers…in the Library? The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages (ALA, c2007) At Games in Libraries.Org, the May podcast was posted last week and includes

· Winners of the $5,000.00 Verizon Foundation Gaming Grants

· Review of Oregon and Board Game Podcasts

· The upcoming Wii Motion Plus

· Free gaming in libraries class on YouTube

Scroll down the page for more archived gaming podcasts. And remember to visit the new toolkit from ALA called Libraries, Literacy, & Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming Programs @ Your Library. Great resources here…

2) Scholarship Announcement for Small Libraries: Very cool news from the Iowa Small Libraries Association (ISLA) The Exec Board has approved offering a $500.00 scholarship for one ISLA member to attend the Association For Rural and Small Libraries Annual Conference in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The national conference is September 11-13 in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

An essay contest will determine the winner; applicants must be able to verify that they’ll have the full support of their board and can pay for travel and other incidental expenses beyond the scholarship amount. The $500.00 scholarship is slated to cover conference registration and hotel expenses.

Have you heard of the ARSL? Here’s their mission statement “… “The mission of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries is to provide a network of people and materials to support rural and small library staff, volunteers, and trustees to integrate the library thoroughly with the life and work of the community it serves…”

So there are membership opportunities aplenty here! Again, scholarship applicants must first be members of ISLA; find out about how to do that at their website. And I’ll bet whatever Iowa library staff is awarded the scholarship will want to join ARSL, too. Look for more details about ISLA’s scholarship coming later this month. For more information about the Association For Rural & Small Libraries, visit their website.

3) Children’s Choice Award Winner: We have a winner…the Iowa Children’s Choice book for 2008—2009 is Abduction! by Peg Kehret. This year, 659 votes came in from students and patrons of 273 public schools and home schoolers. Other titles in the running were No Dogs Allowed and Larry, the King of Rock & Roll. This year’s teen award winner is Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. For a complete list of the Iowa Children’s Choice books, along with past Iowa Teen Award Winners, visit the Iowa Association of School Libraries website—a subdivision of ILA.

4) Meetings / Events This Week: Cushing Library Board, along with Correctionville and Anthon, have scheduled a trustee orientation for tomorrow night, Tues May 13. Cushing Library is hosting this program, starting at 6:30PM.

Monday Morning Eye Opener 05/04/2009

Good Morning! Today in EYE-OPENER:

1) AEAs Sponsoring Technology Conference
2) Examining County Funding May 28-29
3) Meetings / Events This Week

1) AEAs Sponsoring Technology Conference: Northwest AEA and Prairie Lakes AEA are teaming up to sponsor a Technology Conference June 15-17. “Technology Leadership for 21st Century Learning” takes place in the Siebens Center at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. This year’s focus is on high school faculty and teacher-librarians. But note: the conference is also open to public library staff and trustees.

The two keynote speakers are Alan November and Richard Longworth. “…Alan November has a wealth of experience teaching learners of all ages. For Alan, it’s not the technology itself that’s important, it’s how we use it. His ideas about global communication, collaboration, assessment, and critical thinking have inspired schools, governments, and corporations around the world to rethink and redefine their approach to education and technology…”

Richard Longworth is a native of Boone, Iowa and is currently a Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He is the author of the book Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism, published in 2008. “…Richard has had a distinguished career in journalism, most recently as senior correspondent for the Chicago Tribune. For 20 years, he was a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and UP. As the Trib’s Chief Foreign Correspondent, he reported from 75 countries on 5 continents…”

These 2 keynote speakers are joined by a dozen breakout session speakers throughout the 3 days. The Tech Conference goals are to help attendees:

• Build knowledge of available tech tools
• Use technology skills to increase student learning
• Develop a network of resources & support
• Practice legal & ethical aspects of technology integration
  

Here are just a few of the sessions on tap:

• Gizmos and Gadgets (Jing, interactive whiteboards, Open Office, Google Tools, and other low-cost applications)
• Podcasting with Garage Band
• Using SmartBoards
• Wireless Tablets
• Confessions of a Google-Phobe
• Using Blogs in the Classroom (and let me add—in the library)
  

Jean Chesterman and I are presenters this year. Jean is doing a session on WILBOR called “Heard Any Good Books Lately?” And I’m doing one called “Exciting E-Learning: Exploring Online Learning Opportunities.” Plus Barb Schultz from North Central LSA will be there with “Beacon: A Collaborative Approach to Library Automation.” Here’s a description: “…Barb Schulz of North Central Library Services Area and Harriet Adams of Prairie Lakes AEA 8 will review the Beacon Project, a collaborative library automation project for school libraries in AEA 8 and public libraries in the NCLSA service area. See how this project benefits all participants in terms of access, quantity of materials, quality of MARC records, and in efficiencies of financial outlays. The needs of libraries leading to this joint project will be discussed as will how the project originated, what steps need to be undertaken to be a part of the consortium, and what will be the next phase of the project…”

The cost is $50.00 per person for the full three days; make checks payable to Prairie Lakes AEA. Registration is due by May 15. To read more and to register, visit Prairie Lakes AEA website.

2) Examining County Funding May 28-29: Northwest LSA is sponsoring a workshop on county funding, coming up May 28 and 29 in Le Mars. “The ‘Free’ Public Library: Gift, Service, or—Essential Service” will be conducted by Roy Kenagy from Central LSA in Ankeny. There can be pretty dramatic differences in per capita funding across Iowa’s counties, as well as differences in distribution methods and county contracts. From Roy’s description: “…This workshop will give public library trustees the background they need to advocate more effectively for equitable funding with city councils, county supervisors, contracting cities, and the community. It will help trustees understand and explain the importance—and the cost—of providing good library service and the responsibility of developing equitable funding policies.

We will begin with a discussion of why libraries are public: that is, why “free” public libraries are supported with government funds. We will review national funding models for public library services, and look at the Iowa funding model. We will read and discuss case studies involving equitable funding issues in Iowa communities. Finally, we will review the issues of advocacy, stewardship, and equity facing board members, and outline the first steps to ensuring equity: asserting the value of libraries; accepting responsibility for costs; setting responsible policies; crafting responsible agreements; and agreeing to say no..”

Because this is such an important topic for library boards, there’s both an evening session and a daytime session. On May 28th, the program runs from 4:00PM—7:00PM; on May 29th the program repeats from 9:30AM—12:30PM.

This topic addresses advocacy and budgeting, two major responsibilities of library boards. With that in mind, I’m throwing the gauntlet with this one: let’s have at least 1 trustee representative from each of our 19 counties attend! Choose either date that’s most convenient. And for directors and staff, this class is worth 3 c.e. credits—and what a good workshop to attend with a member of your board. Registration is open in the c.e. catalog, so please put this item on your upcoming board agendas!

3) Meetings / Events This Week: NWILS office will be closed Tues-Wed this week (May 5-6) as staff will be hosting “C.E. Jamboree” in Storm Lake. Leave voice mail or email messages while we’re gone and we’ll get back to you later in the week. Thanks to all attending C.E. Jamboree 2009—see you there!