Monday Morning Eye Opener 6/22/09

Good Morning and Happy Father’s Day to All

1) Preview of Summer Workshops

2) Staff Development Days

3) Book on Parkersburg Tornado

4) Meetings / Events This Week

1) Preview of Summer Workshops: There’s a surprising number of workshops coming up in the next 2 months, some prompted by welcoming new WILBOR libraries. Here’s a preview, and with the exception of the OverDrive webinar, register for all others in the c.e. catalog—more details there, too.

· July 7 = Welcome to WILBOR Day @ NWILS office, Sioux City. 1:30—3:30PM. Instruction in using WILBOR for incoming libraries; current WILBOR libraries are also welcome. Included: background behind the Consortium, a live demonstration of the WILBOR website, and best practices in using and promoting this new service to your community. Ice cream sundaes add to the summertime fun!

· July 8 = Welcome to WILBOR Day repeats @ Emmetsburg PL. 1:30—3:30PM. Yep, ice cream there too…

· July 16 = “Building Effective Library Boards” hosted by Albert City PL. Light supper served at 5:00PM; program follows from 5:30—7:30PM. Open to Buena Vista County library boards and any others nearby.

· July 20 and July 21 = Webinar from OverDrive called “Digital Library 101.” Online beginning at 2:00PM each day. Aimed at newest WILBOR libraries; good refresher for all. NOTE: this webinar is NOT in the c.e. catalog; we’ll forward an email with instructions for joining this webinar later this week…

· July 29 = Career Reading Roundtable. This time, the title is How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. 9:00—11:00AM online in Central LSA’s Wimba classroom.

· July 29 = “The New Annual Survey” @ Sioux Center PL. 9:00AM—12:00PM OR 1:00—4:00PM [choose one] Sponsored by the State Library

· July 30 = “The New Annual Survey” repeats @ Storm Lake PL. 9:00AM—12:00PM OR 1:00—4:00PM [choose one] Sponsored by the State Library

· August 4 = ILL Summit @ Denison PL. 9:30AM—12:00PM. Good opportunity for a refresher class on effectively providing ILL service, from using new forms on NWILS website to incorporating WorldCat as a search strategy. WorldCat is a FirstSearch database and an important resource for interlibrary loan. This workshop is aimed at staff whose job is handling ILL routines.

· August 6 = ILL Summit repeats @ Spencer PL. 9:30AM—12:00PM.

2) Staff Development Days: More countywide collaboration is always a good goal. Toward that end, one easy approach is to schedule staff development days for the libraries in your county. In planning this for staff, decide on ½ day or full day. Opt for 1 topic or several topics. Choose a location and voila—countywide staff development! It’s a great way for directors and staff in a county (or adjoining counties, that works, too) to come together for shared learning and conversation. It’s close, convenient, and a classic way to establish not only good working relationship, but also friendships.

In April, for example, Plymouth County Libraries chose a ½ day workshop called “Keeping Current in LibraryLand.” Cherokee County is going with a gaming program and a Wii demo when their group meets in October. And Dickinson County is right now planning their 3^rd annual cooperative training event. Last year, other counties chose EBSCO classes, online learning, and various “For Results” classes.

Depending on the topic and timing, Northwest LSA is happy to bring the training to you. (I’m pushing “Keeping Current in LibraryLand” because that one is freshly updated!) The fall calendar is already filling up, so it’s not too soon to start planning a Staff Development Day for your county. Find a list of classes to choose from on NWILS website here http://www.nwils.lib.ia.us/ce/staffclasses

3) Book on Parkersburg Tornado: A book that would make a good addition to Iowa history collections is a new compilation of stories from last year’s tornado that devastated so much of Parkersburg, IA. The Parkersburg Tornado Stories Book sells for $30.00 plus $5.00 shipping. Send orders to—and make checks payable to—
Parkersburg Tornado Book
P.O. Box 204
Parkersburg, IA. 50665

4) Meetings / Events This Week: NWILS Board meets this Wednesday June 24 at our office here in Sioux City. The meeting convenes at 10:00AM. The agenda is soon-to-be posted on our website…More next week!