Monday Morning Eye Opener 7/6/09

Good Morning!

1) Fall Public Library Management Classes Open
2) Board Development Days
3) Top 100 Picture Books Poll
4) Meetings / Events This Week

1) Fall Public Library Management Classes Open: The State Library has finalized the schedule for the fall 2009 Public Library Management Courses. Both PLM1 and PLM2 are open for online registration in the c.e. catalog.
This fall, Sarah Willeford with Ankeny Public Library is teaching PLM1, which starts on Thursday August 20 (registration deadline is July 16…) Susan Henricks with Dubuque Public Library is teaching PLM2, which starts on Tuesday August 18 (registration deadline here is July 24…)

Completing both PLM1 and PLM2 are required of newly hired directors in order for their libraries to continue receiving Direct State Aid funding. Each course runs 8 weeks. The first class is held face-to-face in the Des Moines area; thereafter, the remaining 7 classes are held over the ICN. Great courses, great training—so for all new directors who need to complete the PLM courses, please register soon. More details of time and place found in the c.e. catalog.

2) Board Development Days: More countywide collaboration is always a good goal. And one easy approach is to schedule board development days for the libraries in your county. Experience shows that a 2-hour evening meeting is the best bet for optimum trustee attendance. Choose a topic and location and voila—countywide board development!

It’s a great way for trustees, 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 working relationship, but also friendships.

In May, NWILS sponsored a trustee workshop on county funding issues in Le Mars. The boards of Cushing and Correctionville came together this spring for “Building Effective Library Boards.” Albert City Library is choosing that same program; it’s scheduled for July 16 and it’s wide open to all boards in Buena Vista County. Sac City, Lake View, and Auburn libraries are following suit, setting this up for Sac County boards.

There’s a pattern here. The trustee program I’m pushing these days is “Building Effective Library Boards.” It’s freshly updated and serves as a good orientation for new trustees. But with new angles tossed in, there’s good stuff for experienced board members, too. A brief description:

“…Essentially, 5 characteristics make up effective boards. These are boards that:
• Understand their authority
• Establish sound meeting practices
• Commit to trustee education
• Adapt to change / adopt new technologies
• Enjoy healthy, respectful relationships

This workshops explores these important attributes of board behavior, with plenty of examples and opportunity for discussion. Currently available F2F; online version being planned…”

The fall calendar is already filling up, so it’s not too soon to schedule a board program for your county. Contact NWILS office to get the ball rolling!

3) Top 100 Picture Books Poll: If you’re on the lookout for a good list of children’s picture books, then check out the list recently compiled by Elizabeth Bird and posted on the School Library Journal’s blog. Ms. Bird is a children’s services manager with the New York Public Library System. She has served on the Newberry Committee and has written articles for Horn Book Magazine. In mid-June, the SLJ blog debuted the “Top 100 List of Picture Book Poll Results” for 2009. Many titles are not surprising, some you may not have heard about. In no particular order, here are some of the titles:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
Knuffle Bunny
Good Night Gorilla
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
In the Night Kitchen
Where the Wild Things Are
The Lorax
Stelaluna
Possum Magic
Who Needs Donuts?

Check out the complete list at the SLJ Blog:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/540044254.html?nid=3713. But don’t stop reading: linked from the School Library Journal website, there are dozens of kid lit blogs to read, complete with book reviews, author stories, video clips, and more. You can spend some happy hours here, so pour a cup of coffee and blog on!

4) Meetings / Events This Week: “Welcome to WILBOR Days” happens Tuesday July 7 here in Sioux City at NWILS Office; the program repeats at Emmetsburg Public Library on Wednesday July 8. We’ll provide background explanation of the WILBOR Consortium and offer instruction in using the WILBOR website, along with tips for promoting this new service. Oh yeah—there’ll be ice cream sundaes, too!

The WILBOR Day workshop runs from 1:30—3:30PM each day for 2 c.e. credits. Although aimed at libraries new to WILBOR, others are welcome to attend. Register through the c.e. catalog. but hurry—registration closes at 5:00PM today!


Previous editions of Monday Morning Eye-Opener are archived on NWILS website…