Monday Morning Eye-Opener 11/2/09

Good Morning! After last week’s non-stop action, this week spells relief :-)
Today in EYE-OPENER:


1) More on “Libraries to the Rescue” in Tough Times

2) Where the Wild Things Are—In Theaters Now

3) 2010 Carnegie Library Calendars For Sale

4) Meetings / Events This Week



1) More on “Libraries to the Rescue” In Tough Times


As you know, the Library Service Areas continue to focus much-deserved attention on the important role that public libraries play in tough economic times. At Northwest LSA, our Lakeside Learning workshop in September centered on this theme. And coming up in January 2010, the 3rd annual Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference takes hold of this same theme with an all-day-online conference titled “From Lemons to Lemonade: Surviving and Thriving in Tough Times.” More on this online conference in the weeks ahead…

Between now and then, catch 2 more programs on the “libraries in tough times” theme. From InfoPeople comes a webinar on November 10 called “Best Practices in Helping Job Seekers in the Library.” No charge for this 1-hour webinar (2:00PM—3:00PM CST) and no pre-registration required. Here’s the link
http://infopeople.org/training/webcasts/webcast_data/313/index.html

And here’s a description “…Your library has been helping [job seekers] in your community for a long time. However, the declining economy over the past year has dramatically increased the demands on library staff, services, and resources. This webinar will introduce three successful programs, giving you a fresh look at getting started in helping job seekers, providing information about some "best resources", and exploring agencies and organizations you may consider partnering with.

And on November 19, the State Library is sponsoring an online program called “Recession Relief” from 10:00AM—11:30AM. The presenter is Justine Sheffner, a library services consultant at BCR. No charge for this program either, although registration is required through the c.e. catalog.

“...This economy is really depressing. Everyone is anxious and the future seems bleak. But you can help relieve your patrons' woes. Join us to find out how to effectively use your resources to help your community with job searches, finances, economic development, resources for the needy, medical insurance, unemployment and government forms….”

Both promise to be interesting programs focusing on an important library role that needs to be touted—join both online discussions from the comfort of home!


2) Where the Wild Things Are—In Theaters Now

October 16 marked the theatrical release of Where the Wild Things Are. Based on the classic children’s book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are won the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book in 1964. Did you know the book was adapted into an opera in the ‘80’s? By 2008, this book sold over 19 million copies worldwide. Time magazine writes “…For [Maurice] Sendak, visiting the land of the very young is not something that requires a visa. He is a permanent citizen…"

If there looks to be some “wild thing” storytimes in your future, you’ll enjoy listening to an NPR interview with the author. Find the original book and now the movie storybook at Amazon.Com and other outlets. At the ALA Store, find posters and bookmarks galore. Also, the official movie website is here


3) 2010 Carnegie Library Calendars For Sale

The 2010 Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project Calendars went on sale during the ILA conference. If you didn’t find one there, you can purchase one through the School of Library and Information Science (Iowa City) The calendars feature black-and-white images of all 108 public and academic libraries in Iowa that received funding from the Carnegie Corporation. Calendars sell for $12.00 each plus shipping; proceeds from the sales support student research on this project.

“…The Carnegie Libraries in Iowa Project (CLIP) seeks to chart the history of Iowa's Carnegie libraries by creating a publicly accessible digital library of images as well as other documentary and statistical information. A digital collection of images of the libraries is available through the University of Iowa's Digital Library, while this website provides more contextual information for Iowa's Carnegie Libraries. Library users are encouraged to explore the history of Iowa's Carnegie libraries in the context of their changing communities..”

49 Carnegie public library buildings in Iowa are still in use today. To order a copy of the 2010 Carnegie Libraries calendar, click here http://clip.grad.uiowa.edu/clip-calendar


4) Meetings / Events This Week

On Thursday November 5th, Albert City Public Library celebrates a newly refurbished Teen Technology Area, thanks to donations from the Sundholm Foundation and the Community State Bank. The library board is hosting an open house on Thursday from 10:00AM—7:00PM, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 11:00AM. Area libraries are invited to stop by for a look; champagne cake, coffee, and apple cider will be served throughout the day. Congrats to the staff, board, and patrons of Albert City Public Library!

Thursday and Friday this week, Northwest staff will join other LSA and State Library staffers in learning all about our new Adobe Connect Online Classrooms. More on that - and opportunity for you to get acquainted with the new classroom environment, too - just as soon as we get the hang of it!