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Monthly Archives: November 2010
Interesting Ideas in Williams Webinar
If you get a chance to view the Webinar from Infopeople that Joan Frye Williams presented today, I thought it was well worth the time. Top Tech Trends for the Non-Technical talked about customer service in the age of technology. And about the socio-economic long view of technology use in libraries. And about where to place your bets in the technology stakes. No matter what you take away from the program, it was reassuring and provocative and a lot of food for thought.
Donate Copies of “Local Wonders” to Nebraska Libraries
Call for books for library Book Club Kits: “Local Wonders” by Ted Kooser was selected as the 2011 One Book One Nebraska statewide read (announced at the Celebration of Nebraska Books on Nov. 6 in Lincoln). If you would like to donate copies of the book, to be used for library book club kits, please drop them off at the Nebraska Library Commission, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln NE, M-F, 8-5. Thanks, mjr
Tech Talk with Michael Sauers: Important WiFi Security News & QR Code basics
In Michael’s latest latest Tech Talk he talks about why you now must turn on passwords for your public WiFi and give a brief introduction on how QR codes can be used in your library.
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Free Webinars in December
Some of December’s Webinars come in packages. WebJunction is offering an online conference next week on Wednesday and Thursday, the first and second, with seven Webinars over the 2 days. And remember the Trustee Academy–five great programs for public library boards. See the list with program descriptions and links to registration info at Free Webinars.
Here are the titles of the Webinars. There’s something for everyone!
- Top Tech Trends for the Non-Technical (Infopeople)
- Fall Conference Roundup (NCompass Live)
- Facebook Features Update (Common Knowledge)
- Museums, Libraries, and 21st-Century Skills (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- Staying Committed to Great Customer Service When Your Library is in Chaos (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- 21 Ideas for 21st-Century Libraries (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- 2-1-1 and Library Partnerships (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- Changing Reference Services to Meet Patron Expectations (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- TechSoup for Libraries: Sustaining Technology to Serve your Patrons (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- Morale Issues in your Library (WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron)
- Public Outreach and Collections Care (IMLS)
- Re-energizing Your Preschool Storytime: New Ideas for Busy Children’s Staff (Infopeople)
- Public Outreach and Collections Care (IMLS)
- Building Community Partnerships (Texas State Library)
- Beads, Bulbs, and Books: Bringing Home and Garden into the Library (Booklist)
- Using Video Book Trailers to Reel in Readers (Infopeople)
- A Clever Title With a Pun Involving the Word Graphic (NCompass Live)
- Turning Customers into Champions: Marketing as a Team Sport (Infopeople)
- Wham! Bang! Pow! The Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List (Texas State Library)
- Tech Tools With Tine: 1 Hour of Jing (Texas State Library)
- User Experience Design for Web Services (Infopeople)
- Leading From Any Position: Influencing Library Effectiveness and Responsiveness (Infopeople)
- FRBR: Cataloging’s New Frontier (NCompass Live)
- E-Rate, CIPA, and Library Filters: What You Need to Know (Infopeople)
- Tech Tools With Tine: 1 Hour of Twitter (Texas State Library)
- Scholarship and Internship Grant Opportunities through the New IMLS Grant Program (NCompass Live)
- Tech Talk with Michael Sauers (NCompass Live)
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What is a QR Code? – Recorded session
This episode is all about QR Codes. Similar to barcodes, QR Codes can contain much more and different types of information. In this session Michael Sauers introduces you to just how QR Codes work and how you can integrate them into your library, giving your patrons easy access to information on their mobile devices.
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Youth and adults: Enter the Annual Bess Streeter Aldrich Short Story Contest by Feb. 17, 2011
Original short stories by Nebraska authors are currently being accepted for the 2011 Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation’s short story contest.
Story length should be 1,000-2,000 words (there is no minimum word requirement for the Intermediate category) and submissions should be written in the wholesome spirit displayed by Bess Streeter Aldrich in her works. No essays, please. Books by the author that writers can read to get ideas about content and style are:
- Short Works 1907-1919
- Mother Mason
- Short Works 1920-1954
- The Rim of the Prairie
- The Cutters
- A Lantern in her Hand
- Spring Came on Forever
- A White Bird Flying
- Miss Bishop
- Song of Years
- The Lieutenant’s Lady
- Journey into Christmas
- The Drum Goes Dead
- The Man who Caught the Weather
Age categories are Adult, High School, Middle School, and Intermediate School. Cash prizes will be awarded at the annual Spring Banquet of the Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation. The due date for submissions is the author’s birthday, February 17, 2011 (postmark date). Send submissions to: Bess Streeter Aldrich Foundation, P.O. Box 167, Elmwood, NE 68349. A complete list of rules can be found at http://www.bessstreeteraldrich.org/contest.html.
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Past to the Future: Meeting Technology Trends – Recorded Session
Joe Murphy of the Yale University Science Libraries is a leading innovator and trend spotter at the forefront of designing strategies for meeting the changing technological landscape. He presents and writes regularly about technology and service trends as well as best practices for exploring and implementing emerging and mobile technologies. Joe received the Library Journal ‘Movers & Shakers’ award in 2009; earned a MLISc from the University of Hawaii in 2006. Joe is also the author of the influential Twitter account libraryfuture, known for setting technology trends within the library and publishing communities. Joe consults with libraries, consortia, and vendors on emerging and future trends impacting libraries and techniques for meeting these changes with success.
This session also includes a welcome to the NLA/NEMA 2010 Annual Conference from Grand Island Mayor Margaret Hornady. It has also been edited due to on-site technological difficulties.
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Who’s not Paying their Taxes?
The Nebraska Department of Revenue is trying “shame on you” tactics by publishing a list of people owing $20,000 or more in back taxes on their web site at
http://www.revenue.ne.gov/delinquent_list/delinquent.html
The person at the top of the list owes a whopping $2,357,875.48.
If your name is on the Delinquent Taxpayer List, and you have questions about paying your taxes, please contact the Department office nearest you; or call Taxpayer Assistance at (800) 742-7474 (toll free in Nebraska and Iowa), or (402) 471-5729 and speak with a representative who will explain the payment options available to you. It is your responsibility to contact the Department if you can not pay the tax which is due.
Google Secrets – Recorded Session
Michael Sauers, Technology Innovation Librarian at the NLC, shares some new Google services, tools and features that can help improve your internet life.
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Three new Creative Commons licensed titles added
We’ve added three new CC-licensed titles to our collection (and WorldCat). They are:
- In praise of copying by Marcus Boon
- It will be awesome if they don’t screw it up : 3D printing, intellectual property, and the fight over the next great disruptive technology by Michael Weinberg
- Virtual justice: the new laws of online worlds by F. Gregory Lastowka
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Recipe for Library Success with Dan Kuester – Recorded Session
What are the ingredients for library success? Motivational speaker Dan Kuester tells you just what those ingredients are and how to combine them for a wonderful result. This was presented at the Northeast Library System (NELS) Annal Conference in Norfolk, NE on 23 September 2010.
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Join the Nebraska Dewey Group Purchase
Save money on the print and web versions of the DDC!
PLEASE NOTE:
Dewey in Print
The Nebraska Dewey Group includes the print versions of the 22nd edition of the unabridged Dewey Decimal Classification (4 volumes) and the Abridged Edition 14 (1 volume).
OCLC is offering 10% off of the original price on the DDC 22 and Abridged Edition 14 in print.
If your library is interested in ordering the DDC 22 or Abridged Edition 14 in print, you will find Pricing information on the online Book Order Form.
For more information about the DDC, please visit Dewey Services.
Dewey on the Web
Now your library can benefit from web-based access to an enhanced version of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) database through WebDewey or Abridged WebDewey. OCLC is offering a discounted price to users who join the Nebraska Dewey Group.
WebDewey and Abridged WebDewey, which correspond to the unabridged and abridged print editions, are updated on a quarterly basis, bringing you ongoing updates implemented by the Dewey editorial team almost as soon as they occur. The Web versions also offer additional electronic functionality not available in the print editions to make your classification work more efficient.
The new WebDewey & Abridged WebDewey Group subscription year runs from January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011. Libraries may join the WebDewey & Abridged WebDewey Group at any time. Midyear subscriptions will be prorated. Orders must be received by the 15th of the month for a start date of the 1st of the following month.
If your library is interested in subscribing to WebDewey or Abridged WebDewey, you will find Pricing information on the online WebDewey Order Form.
To see WebDewey in action, try the OCLC tutorial, Using WebDewey.
If you have any questions about DDC 22, Abridged Edition 14, WebDewey, Abridged WebDewey or the Nebraska Group, please contact Christa Burns, 402-471-3107, or 800-307-2665.Libraries who wish to order any Dewey product do not have to be members of OCLC. Any library can subscribe – Dewey products are available to both OCLC member and non-member libraries.
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What’s Sally Reading?
Dealing with Bullies.
I want to mention the excellent presentation Gayle Roberts did April 28, 2010, for NCompass Live on bullying. If you didn’t see it, go here for the archived program. [http://nlc.nebraska.gov/NCompassLive/NCArchivelist.asp] The title is “Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall…Bullying Concerns Us All.” You can scroll down to April 28 or hit “control F” for a search line to appear at the top of the page and search for ‘bullying.’ Take a look at some of the other sessions, there may be more you’ll want to watch.
I recently finished a Geronimo Stilton graphic novel, #6 in the series. Titled Who Stole the Mona Lisa? it is 50 pages long. The mice travel back in time to visit Leonardo da Vinci and try to discover what nefarious plans Catardone III of Catatonia and his band of Pirate Cats are up to. Occasional one panel text boxes pop up when needed to give nonfiction background information for the reader. It’s silly fun with adventure and time travel; Geronimo is easily frightened but refuses to leave his friends in danger. This series is aimed at elementary school age readers. I haven’t read a text version of the books so I can’t compare, I guess I should do that soon!
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
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National Book Awards Announced
The 2010 National Book Awards were announced Wednesday, November 17th, and longshot Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon won the award for fiction. Patti Smith won the nonfiction award for Just Kids, a memoir of Smith’s friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine won for Young People’s Literature and poet Terrance Hayes was awarded the poetry prize for Lighthead. The New York Times article provides a little more detail.
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How To: Continuing Education/Training and Library Improvement Grants – Recorded Online Session
Do you have a program or project you would like to see funded? Are you considering applying for an upcoming Nebraska Library Commission grant to support this project? Join Laura Johnson, NLC Library Development, as she provides a grant information session for two of the Nebraska Library Commission’s grant categories: the Continuing Education and Training Grant and the Library Improvement Grant. The session will be an overview of the two grants, including eligibility requirements, the application process and grant review, timelines and deadlines. They will also share some tips on writing effective grants.
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Let’s Get Social – Recorded Session
Social media: what it is, its features, and how it applies to libraries?
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Facts on File Database Trial
Facts on File is offering Nebraska libraries trial access to the following four databases through December 15, 2010:
- The World Almanac for Kids Online – Erasing the line between homework aid and fun reading, The World Almanac® for Kids Online expands on the contents of The World Almanac® for Kids print edition, along with other award-winning reference books from World Almanac®, Chelsea House, and Facts On File. A natural complement to the curriculum, the online site provides resources for homework, reports, and projects. Kids can explore grade-appropriate topics in a fun format while developing online research skills with a trusted source.
- Writer’s Reference Center – The new Writer’s Reference Center provides users with a convenient onestop location for all of the tools necessary to write and research effectively. From the mechanics of writing and grammar to style and research, this indispensable online resource thoroughly covers the fundamentals of quality writing and provides a wealth of vocabulary-building reference dictionaries. Greatly expanding on essential references such as the comprehensive dictionary and thesaurus, this resource covers numerous thematic areas, explaining the roots of words, phrases, allusions, clichés, proverbs, and more. An in-depth grammar section defines grammatical terms and gives examples of use, while another section explains the meaning and usage of frequently confused words. Writing resources teach users how best to write and revise their work. The easy-to-use interface and intuitive design allow users to quickly find relevant information through customizable searches and browsing.
- Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center – The critically acclaimed Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center features authoritative, wide-ranging content that is accessible and intuitively organized. This comprehensive career research database is broken down into three main sections: Job and Industry Profiles, Job-Hunting and Workplace Skills, and Career and Industry Resources. Our career research database is known for its unprecedented depth of coverage and variety of user-friendly content formats. The material is drawn from a range of authoritative sources and is extensively indexed.
- Bloom’s Literary Reference Online – Bloom’s Literary Reference Online features content from Facts On File’s extensive print literature collection, hundreds of Harold Bloom’s essays examining the lives and works of great writers throughout history and the world, and thousands of critical articles published by noted scholars under the Bloom’s Literary Criticism imprint. This accessible database also contains an archive of more than 46,000 characters; extensive entries on literary topics, themes, movements, genres, and authors; almost 170 video segments; and more. Handy browse and search features include in-text links, record links, and numerous options for further research. Entries can be browsed by time period within American, British, and world literature; by author type; by literary genre; by nationality; by an A-to-Z list; and by subject for images and videos. Author biographies link to a list of major works, and works are linked to a list of principal characters.
Trial Dates: November 15, 2010 through December 15, 2010
Trial Access Instructions: Trial access instructions were distributed via a November 16, 2010 message to the TRIAL mailing list. If you didn’t receive this message or you would like to have it sent to you again, please email Susan Knisely
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eReaders 101 – Recorded session
An introduction to eReaders and eBooks along with a discussion of issues around these technologies as they relate to libraries. This was presented by Jessica Chamberlain, Director of the Northeast Library System (NELS) and Michael Sauers, Technology Innovation Librarian for the Nebraska Library Commission at the NELS Annual Meeting in Norfolk, NE on 23 September 2010.
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Best New Youth Books of 2010 – Recorded Online Session
Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services at the Nebraska Library Commission, presents brief book talks of new titles you may or may not have heard about, and that could be good additions to your library’s collection. Titles starting with teens and going back through preschool age will be highlighted.
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Understanding MARC 21 Bibliographic Records offered online, Jan 20-Mar 3
Please Note: This workshop is seven weekly online sessions, January 20 – March 3. When you register, you are registering for all seven sessions. To receive CE for this workshop, participants must attend at least six of the seven sessions as they are being presented and complete a short homework assignment for each session. One missed session can be made up by listening to the recording of that session.
Descripton: Why would you use a 651 MARC tag instead of a 610 tag or a 655 tag instead of a 650 tag? What is the difference between a 130 tag and a 240 tag? Where do you put the note about closed captioning?
If you have questions about MARC 21 catalog records or would like to learn more about entering records into your local system, join us once a week for this seven-session online workshop.
Topics will include:
- Fixed & variable fields, subfields, tags
- Title and statement of responsibility
- Edition
- Publication
- Physical description
- Notes
- Subject headings
- Series
- Main and added entries
- Special topics
Prerequisite: Basic skills “Organization of Library Materials” or some library automation experience.
This workshop is approved for the NLC Cataloging Certificate Program.
To register: Go to[obsolete link removed] Understanding MARC 21 Bibliographic Records in the Nebraska Library Commission Training Portal.
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