Monday Morning Eye-Opener 10/26/09

Good Morning! Back from the ILA conference in Des Moines last week, catching up with friends across the state. And on the highlight reel has to be the news that ILA Member of the Year Award went to Vicki Myron. Given for her 25 years with Spencer Public Library and her now second career chronicling the adventures of Dewey, this was a much deserved award and nice for all of us to be part of. By next week, more stories from the conference, but for today in EYE-OPENER…



1) 2010 All Iowa Reads Book Announced

2) National Gaming Day November 14

3) Annual Survey Due October 30

4) Meetings / Events This Week



1) 2010 All Iowa Reads Book Announced
The new All Iowa Reads title was announced at the ILA conference last week—Driftless by David Rhodes.

With this 4th novel, Rhodes returns to a Midwest setting, choosing rural Wisconsin. From the Iowa Center for the Book website comes this description:

“… a fascinating and entirely unsentimental portrait of a town apparently left behind by the march of time. Home to a few hundred people yet absent from state maps, Words, Wisconsin comes richly to life by way of an extraordinary cast of characters."

Among them, a middle-aged couple guards the family farm from the mendacious schemes of their milk co-operative; a lifelong paraplegic suddenly regains the use of her legs, only to find herself crippled by fury at her sister and caretaker; a woman of conflicting impulses and pastor of the local Friends church stumbles upon an enlightenment she never expected; a cantankerous retiree discovers a cougar living in his haymow, haunting him like a childhood memory; and a former drifter forever alters the ties that bind a community together.

At once intimate and funny, wise and generous, Driftless is an unforgettable story of contemporary life in rural America.

Book reviews, information about David Rhodes, and posters are available now. Book discussion questions, purchasing information, and more PR materials will be available soon. Look to the Iowa Center for the Book website for more details…

Like years past, the LSA offices expect to receive multiple copies of Driftless to lend for book discussion groups. We’ll let you know when we receive the copies and can start taking reservations.


2) National Gaming Day November 14

Hey all you gamers—Wii or otherwise—the second annual National Gaming Day @ Your Library is set for November 14, 2009. Hasbro, the largest producer of board games in the world, will be the exclusive sponsor for this year’s event; ALA is the national promotions coordinator.


A check of ALA’s website points to some fun programming ideas for all ages, including a national video game tournament in which your local players can compete against players in other libraries across the country. And how about this to kick things off?

“…Through a generous donation from Hasbro, more than 16,700 public libraries in the U.S. will receive a box set of its highly popular card games Monopoly Deal, Scrabble Slam, and Pictureka! ‘Hasbro is honored to sponsor 2009 National Gaming Day, an event that brings people together to play games and create memories,’ said Matt Collins, vice president of marketing for Hasbro Games. ‘By donating our card games to each of America’s libraries, we hope to give more people the opportunity to be a part of the nationwide game play’…”

For great strategies on holding a winning National Game Day @ Your Library, try your luck at the official website http://ngd.ala.org/


3) Annual Survey Due October 30

Halloween isn’t the only scary thing this week—the frightening Public Library Annual Survey is due this Friday October 30! Since last reported, about 320 libraries have submitted their surveys. To see if your library is on the COMPLETE list, check this page on the State Library’s website: http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/statistics/public-libraries

You’ll find the link and instructions on the webpage above. It’s filed online using software called WEB COLLECT. This year, the survey is much shorter and more streamlined. So maybe this prospect isn’t so spooky after all—just don’t wait until the witching hour to finish!


4) Meetings / Events This Week

This is a week for the record books—by Friday, we’ll all be reaching for a cocktail (or Halloween candy, whatever does the trick…)

Tuesday Oct27
NWILS board meets in Sheldon, 1:00PM @ the Community Services Building. Area libraries welcome, agenda posted here
http://www.nwils.lib.ia.us/Archive/2009/oct09/brdmtg

O’Brien County Libraries @ Sanborn Public Library. Light supper at 6:00PM, with program following 6:30—8:00PM: “Building Effective Boards”


Wednesday Oct28
“Getting to Know EBSCO” @ Sac City Public Library, 9:30AM—12:00PM

State Library’s Summer Reading Workshop @ Kings Pointe in Storm Lake. 9:30AM—3:00PM; registration closed.



Thursday Oct29
Summer Reading Workshop @ Boulders Conference Center in Denison. 9:30AM—3:00PM; registration closed.

Pocahontas County Libraries @ Laurens Public Library. Light supper at 5:00PM, with program following 5:30—7:30PM: “Keeping Current in Libraryland.”

Friday Oct30
Annual Public Library Survey due at State Library


Halloween isn’t the only scary thing this week—the frightening Public Library Annual Survey is due this Friday October 30! Since last reported, about 320 libraries have submitted their surveys. To see if your library is on the COMPLETE list, check this page on the State Library’s website:
http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/statistics/public-libraries

You’ll find the link and instructions on the webpage above. It’s filed online using software called WEB COLLECT. This year, the survey is much shorter and more streamlined. So maybe this prospect isn’t so spooky after all—just don’t wait until the witching hour to finish!

NW at ILA 2009

ILA just started and the buzz seems very positive despite the rainy weather outside.
In opening session Vicki Myron received an award for ILA Member of the Year.

Getting ready to walk through the exhibits & silent auction items. Over 89 exhibits and 200 silent auction items this year.

Monday Morning Eye Opener 10/12/09

Good morning and Happy Columbus Day! Today in EYE-OPENER....

1.National Friends of Libraries Week
2.Annual Survey Due October 30
3.Reporting Back from ARSL Conference
4.Meetings / Events This Week


1) National Friends of Libraries Week

Another great "recognition" week for libraries to latch onto is National Friends of Libraries Week. October 18-24 marks the 4th annual such celebration for library friends groups. Sponsored by Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA) this week sets up a great time to raise awareness about the many ways that Friends Groups sweeten library service. And of course a great time to say thanks to loyal friends - and recruit new ones.

There’s lots more on the FOLUSA website, including celebration stories from last year, advocacy resources, and links to Friends projects across the country. Check it out and do something friendly for your Friends Group!


2) Annual Survey Due October 30

Halloween isn’t the only scary thing facing you this month—the frightening Public Library Annual Survey is due by October 30! The State Library reports that 239 libraries had submitted their surveys by the early-bird deadline of September 30, a sizable increase over this time last year. To see if your library is on the COMPLETE list, check this page on the State Library’s website: http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/statistics/public-libraries

By the way, congratulations to Rachel Klein with the Keota Public Library. Rachel won first prize in a drawing among all the early-bird filers; the prize, provided by the State Library, is the installation of a people counter for the library’s front entry.

Back to the Annual Survey, you’ll find the link and instructions on the webpage above. Filing is online using software called WEB COLLECT. This year, the survey is much shorter and more streamlined, plus the software is new and improved. Hey, maybe this prospect isn’t so spooky after all—just don’t wait until the witching hour to get it done!


3) Reporting Back From ARSL Conference

Several Northwest Iowa librarians were fortunate to attend the national ARSL Conference (Association for Rural and Small Libraries) last month in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As if the Great Smoky National Park wasn’t great enough, I heard about some pretty great sessions, too!

Today, Paula Brown from Spencer Public Library shares one of her favorite sessions from ARSL: “…Wonder Woman Syndrome: Coping with Burnout was presented by Kathy Campbell and Marie Jones, two very funny ladies who know what burnout's all about. There was a very helpful handout for this session that was basically a checklist so that you could determine how close you are to being burnt out. Are you constantly tired? Do you hate to get out of bed and go to work? Do you feel you have nothing more to give? These are just three in a long list of burnout symptoms.

Women tend to suffer from burnout because we try to be all things to all people. It becomes very easy to lose ourselves as we try to make things better for everybody else. When we can't get it all done, the first thing that falls off of our to-do list is taking care of ourselves.

This was a good session, even if the information presented was not necessarily new. Sometimes we just need to be reminded to slow down, shut the office door, take a deep breath, take a walk—whatever we need to do to find joy and purpose in our daily lives. It was also nice to see the room packed full of women for the session. Not because I was happy that they were also having problems, but simply because it's also nice to know that we’re not alone. Oh yeah, receiving Wonder Woman Bracelets of Power helped our moods, too!...”

Read more from conference-goers in the September issue of the Iowa Small Libraries newsletter online. More stories will follow along in EYE-OPENER, too. Thanks to Paula for sharing her experience!

4) Meetings / Events This Week

Cherokee County Library Association meets tonight at Cleghorn at 6:30PM. The evening’s topic is about using the Wii game for library programming. There’ll be a Wii demo, too, so you might want to bring your bowling shoes :-)

Tomorrow October 13, the State Library and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) co-sponsor an ICN program to help library staff better understand the services available to job seekers from the IWD. In addition to Workforce Development staff, a panel of library directors will share their stories about helping unemployed people use library resources. The time is 10:00—11:30AM in the ICN rooms at Hawarden, Orange City, Spencer, Sac City, and Sioux City public libraries. Find other ICN locations and online registration in the c.e. catalog.

And Wednesday October 14 is the next Career Reading Roundtable, online in Northwest’s Wimba Live Classroom. The book up for discussion this time is The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference. The time is 9:00AM—11:00AM.

Monday Morning Eye Opener 10/5/09

Good Morning! Today in EYE-OPENER…

1) More Opportunities for “Building Effective Boards”

2) Other County Meetings on Tap

3) Reporting Back from ARSL Conference

4) Teen Read Week October 18-24

5) Meetings / Events This Week

1) More Opportunities for “Building Effective Boards”

Since July, several county library associations have chosen the program “Building Effective Boards” as the topic for their county meetings. And more county groups have this scheduled in the weeks ahead. This description from NWILS website:

“…Examine 5 characteristics that 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 workshop explores these important attributes of board behavior, with plenty of examples and opportunity for discussion…”

Catch “Building Effective Boards” at...

· Denison Public Library Board October 8

· Primghar Public Library October 27 (O’Brien County Library Association meeting)

· Sibley Public Library November16 (Osceola County Library Association meeting)

These are all evening programs, although start time varies slightly. Check with the host library or NWILS office for further info. These will be loaded into the c.e. catalog this week, so online registration will be available soon...

2) Other County Meetings on Tap

It’s that time of year, yeah? County meetings in full swing! And each year, more county groups are organizing their fall meetings around a continuing education class. The county groups below have chosen topics from among the listing of staff / board training classes on NWILS website. Here’s what’s on tap in other counties in the coming weeks:

· “Using Wii Games @ Your Library” @ Cleghorn Public Library October 12 (Cherokee County Library Association)

· “Getting to Know EBSCO” @ Sac City Public Library October 28 (Sac County Library Association)

· “Keeping Current in Libraryland” @ Laurens Public Library October 29 (Pocahontas Library Association)

Again, start times vary, so check with the host library or NWILS office for further info...online registration will be available soon.

3) Reporting Back From ARSL Conference

Several Northwest Iowa librarians were fortunate to attend the national ARSL Conference (Association for Rural and Small Libraries) last month in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As if the Great Smoky National Park wasn’t great enough, I heard about some pretty great sessions, too!

Valerie Haverhals from Hawarden Public Library won a grant to attend the Gatlinburg conference; the grant was awarded by the Iowa Small Library Association, a subdivision of ILA. Valerie’s impressions of the conference follows:

“...Children’s services, Web 2.0, talking Tennessean, training

your staff in fifteen minutes or less, networking with other librarians, eating great food, and visiting one of the most beautiful places in the country are just a few of the highlights that float through my mind as I reflect on the ARSL Conference. I was privileged to receive a grant/ scholarship from the Iowa Small Library Association.

The conference theme was “Keeping Your Head While Serving the Community.” We all wear so many hats in a small library. This conference helped me put some things in perspective.

One session that I particularly liked dealt with staff training in small 15-minute bites. The Brentwood Public Library (TN) has developed training modules that last only five –fifteen minutes. They might deal with blogging, wikis, the circ system. A staff member can work on one of these while he has a few minutes of free time. All of the training is on the web and free for any library to use.

Networking was ongoing at this conference. You might sit with someone from California, Arizona, Tennessee or Kansas. You became friends before you knew it because of the common bond of libraries...the size of the library did not matter—we were equally joined by the desire to serve our patrons at the highest level we can.

There is so much more to tell, so if you see me at ILA, ask me about the ARSL Conference. I plan to attend next year in Denver! This conference was so worth my time and energy. My only regret is that I did not see a “baar”—(that is Tennessean for bear). However, I did see a shark and you can find him on my Facebook page!

Again, a sincere “thank you “ to ISLA for the scholarship and this fantastic opportunity!...”

Read more from conference-goers in the September issue of the Iowa Small Libraries newsletter online. More stories will follow along in EYE-OPENER, too. Thanks to Valerie for sharing her experience!

4) Teen Read Week October 18-24

Obviously, there’s more to October promotions than Halloween! Teen Read Week is coming up quick: October 18-24. Sponsored annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association (a division of ALA) this year’s theme is “Read Beyond Reality @ Your Library.” Tons of programming ideas and promo materials at the YALSA website.

When planning programming for any age group, a few well-placed calls or emails to colleagues at nearby libraries is a neat way to collaborate on these programs. Share the wealth of your plans, speakers, and publicity for national celebration weeks like this—and National Library Week, Teen Tech Week, Children’s Book Week—the list goes on. Just a collaborative thought.

Of course, any great programming ideas are even better when shared. Please blog about your ideas on NWILS Bulletin Board Blog!

5) Meetings / Events This Week

Thursday evening, October 8, Denison Public Library is hosting “Building Effective Boards.” It starts with a light supper at 5:30PM, with the program running from 6:00—7:30PM. Other Crawford county and neighboring county trustees are most welcome.