Monday Morning Eye Opener 9/21/09

Good Morning! Today in EYE-OPENER…


1) ILA Conference October 21-23

2) Big Movie, Big Milestone

3) The Power of Small Next Book Discussion

4) Meetings / Events This Week


1) ILA Conference October 21-23

We’re five weeks out from the annual Iowa Library Association Conference, October 21-23 in Des Moines. From great keynote speakers to dynamic breakout sessions, there’s so much on tap that the challenge will fitting it all in!

Here’s a preview of breakout sessions:

· Humor in Libraries: Making Fun at Work and Staying Productive

· Creating a Phenomenal Online Newsletter

· County Collaborations That Work

· Beyond Survival: Bright Ideas in Dark Times

· Tiny Tech: Solving Problems at Small Libraries on the Cheap

· Coping with Workplace Negativity

· Open Meetings Law

Thursday’s keynote speaker is Lee Raine, founding director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Since 1999, the Pew Internet Research Center has studied how people’s Internet use affects their families, their work life, education, civic interests, and political life. Friday’s keynote speaker is Karen Schneider, whose nationally known blog is The Free Range Librarian. Karen also moderates PUBLIB, a national discussion list.

Award-winning poet Janice Harrington speaks at the Thursday evening banquet and Carrie Brown (author of The Rope Walk) speaks at the Friday luncheon.

All this plus pre-conferences, an exhibit hall, and an Iowa author fair. How’s that for lots to take in?!
Early bird registration is looming—register before October 1 for a price break. Visit the Iowa Library Association website for all registration details.



2) Big Movie, Big Milestone

Given my fondness for major milestones—not to mention this is among my favorite movies ever—how could I have missed sharing that 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of the MGM release of The Wizard of Oz. If I only had a brain!

Luckily, there’s still plenty of time to plan activities for young and old at your libraries surrounding The Wizard of OZ—book and movie. Book displays could feature movie posters. And what about movie showings (with the right permissions, of course) Check with your local theater to learn their plans.

And how about a costume contest for the kids—or heck, adults too! The timing is truly perfect with Halloween approaching for the library to host a specific costume contest, encouraging people to come as their favorite Wizard of Oz character. Find local judges and award wizardly prizes for the best in show.

Note the condition of your Wizard of Oz copies—books and movie formats—is it time for some fresh copies? Shouldn’t be a problem, all the bookstores have stocked up and the 70th anniversary DVD is out, too.

Here are some fun websites to spur more ideas and send you down the yellow brick road of Oz programming @ your library! And if you’ve already hosted some events, please share those with us on NWILS Blog :-)

Warner Bros website considered the official site
Turner Classic Movies
The Judy Room
For information on author L.Frank Baum, visit
the Literary Traveler


3) The Power of Small Next CRR Book Discussion

If you’ve been part of Career Reading Roundtables, here’s the next title up for discussion: The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference. Written by Linda Kaplan and Robin Koval, The Power of Small is a follow-up to their bestselling book The Power of Nice (a CRR selection in 2008) With this new book, the authors show how to harness the power of small to improve and transform our lives and navigate through uncertain times.


From their website http://www.thepowerofsmallbook.com “…In today’s world, we’re faced with overwhelming challenges—personally and professionally.

We often feel stuck and don’t know where to start. But we can all tap into the unbelievable power we have within us to ‘get going’ and make a huge difference in our lives and the lives of others. How? By starting small…

…From making a great impression at an interview to maximizing your budget, you can conquer today’s biggest challenges just by thinking small. All you need to do is refocus your attention on the little things and yes—learn to sweat the small stuff! The Power of Small shows you how…”

Career Reading Roundtable is co-presented 6 times a year by Central and Northwest LSA. It’s a book discussion group with a twist: we deliberately choose books outside the realm of library literature, discussing how customer service ideas, HR theories, and business practices of other occupations can apply to library management. We’re looking forward to another year of lively discussions. Join us for The Power of Small on October 14, 9:00—11:00AM in Northwest LSA’s Wimba Classroom—just register online in the c.e. catalog!



4) Meetings / Events This Week

It’s Lakeside Learning this week—Tuesday and Wednesday at BVU in Storm Lake. 38 people are registered for Tues, 58 for Wed. NWILS staff will be attending, so the office will be closed both days. Voice mail and email does the trick while we’re gone. Glad for your interest in Lakeside Learning—see you there!