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Author Archives: Shannon White
Trial: LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator
LearningExpress LLC, the company behind LearningExpress Library, a collection of test preparation and skill building tools subscribed to by a number of Nebraska libraries, recently began promoting a brand new service: Job & Career Accelerator. To introduce Job & Career Accelerator to the Nebraska market, LearningExpress LLC is offering Nebraska libraries free trial access to the new service through February 15, 2010.
Product Description: Job & Career Accelerator integrates everything patrons need to conduct a successful job search, all in one easy-to-use online application. Interactive wizards guide patrons through each step of the process, from exploring suitable occupations and finding available jobs to preparing targeted resumes and improving critical job search skills. In addition, the personalized Job Search Portfolio allows job seekers to plan, tailor, and track multiple job searches at the same time while providing easy access to all their saved information. The end result is the most efficient and effective job search possible. Job & Career Accelerator features:
- Easy-to-Use Online Interface: The Getting Started tutorial helps job-seekers become familiar with the job search process. The intuitive wizard-based design guides users through the search process, step-by-step.
- Personalized Career Guidance: Questionnaires and career-oriented skills and interests assessments provide personalized career recommendations based on individual responses.
- Occupational Exploration: Over 1,000 Occupational Profiles allow users to explore and compare occupations in detail including salaries, expected growth, key responsibilities, education requirements, and more
- Real-Time Job Postings: An integrated database of over 5 million up-to-date job listings, aggregated from leading job boards, classified ads, and other web sites, delivers targeted job openings based on occupational interests and desired locations
- Focus and Organization: Filtering and ranking functionality for industries, occupations, and geographic locations allows job seekers to hone in on occupations and job listings of most interest for a focused and effective job search.
- Superior Preparation: Robust resume and cover letter wizards allow job-seekers to easily create professional and targeted resumes in multiple formats, and interactive tutorials and tips help them master interviewing techniques, establish professional networks and improve business communications skills, and more.
- Tracking and Monitoring Dashboards: The Job Search Portfolio allows users to access all their saved information in one easy-to-access dashboard, and enables them to organize, plan, and track the entire application process using personal wizards and checklists.
- Prescriptive Learning: For subscribers to LearningExpress LibraryTM, Job & Career AcceleratorTM is fully integrated to provide recommended learning paths, such as adult basic skills tutorials, GED preparation, and career certification/licensing test preparation resources, based on occupational requirements and user profile data.
- Always On: This Web-based application is accessible 24/7 from any internet-enabled computer.
For more product information and an online demonstration of Job & Career Accelerator, see www.learningexpressllc.com/accelerator.
Trial Dates: January 11, 2010 through February 15, 2010
Trial URL: http://www.learningexpresslibrary.com
Trial Access Instructions: Trial access instructions were distributed via a January 11, 2010 message to the TRIAL mailing list. If you did not receive this information or would like to have it sent to you again please email Susan Knisely
Posted in Information Resources
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Nebraska Memories the EZ Way
Is your library, local historical society, museum, or other local cultural heritage organization mulling over ways to get your historical photos, documents, slides or other items onto the web so more than just those who visit your physical space can see what you have to offer? Has your institution considered adding your materials to the Nebraska Memories project?
We know that our cultural heritage institutions have little time or money to spend on digitization projects so we are offering options to libraries, museums and historical societies around the state to help them get their precious items on the web at no charge through the Nebraska Memories project.
The Commission recently received a grant from Nebraska’s State Records Board allowing us to purchase equipment to create a mobile scanning center. This mobile scanning center can help us quickly get your items into the Nebraska Memories project, providing instant access to digitized images of Nebraska’s history and culture in a collective, searchable database on the web.
The only thing you need to do is pick out the items you would like to add to the Nebraska Memories project and have some basic information about these items on hand. We will work with you at the beginning of the project to find out what items you have that would be a good fit for the project.
So you may wonder exactly how does this work? First contact us via phone or email so we can discuss the items you want to add to the project. We may even come to your library or museum to see your collection. One of our staff will then visit your library with the mobile scanning center and scan your images for you. There is no charge for this service. We can start with up to 50 items and discuss doing more as the project progresses.
We will then work with you to fill out EZMetadata forms either on paper or online so we have some basic descriptive data about your historical materials. This would include any information you have about the item such as a date, creator or location. Our staff will use this basic information about each item and create the cataloging or metadata record describing your item.
If you have some treasures, whether it be a few or a hundred, that you would like to add to the Nebraska Memories site, please consider letting us do the scanning and cataloging work for you. Please contact either Shannon White or Beth Goble via email or 800-307-2665 to get started.
Be sure to take a look at the Nebraska Memories site and consider what you would like to make available to the world and give us a call. We would love to be able to help you get your historical materials on the web for everyone to enjoy.
Posted in Nebraska Memories, Technology
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Texting in the Library Stacks
I heard about this neat idea during a discussion group at ALA Midwinter this week. tripod, a shared library catalog for Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, offers a text message link on its library holdings pages. After a user looks up an item they can click the “Send via Text Message” button and the location, call number and title of the item will be sent to the users cell phone as a text message. A user doesn’t have to worry about those scraps of paper as they make their way through the stacks and if they get sidetracked and have to revisit the library later they still have the information needed to locate the item, right there in their cell phone. Take a look at this search results screen to see for yourself.
Another idea from our Technology Innovation Librarian, Michael Sauers, is to install Google Send to Phone extension on your library’s Firefox browsers. This allows users to copy and paste web content from the browser window into a pop-up box and then send it as a text message to their cell phone. Users could choose to send call numbers, citations, directions or anything else they need to keep handy directly to their cell phones.
Has anyone used either of these tools before? Let us know if you try them out and what you think. It’s an easy way to keep information on hand without the need for a printer or pen and paper.
Posted in Technology
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Library of Congress Does flickr
You may have already been posting your own family or vacation photos to flickr. Perhaps you attended one of the NLC flickr training sessions in 2007. Well for those interested in historical photographs take a look at a new project by the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is making 3,000 images from their most popular collections available on flickr in attempt to do two things; provide better access to their collections and to get better information about their holdings from the public via flickr tools such as tagging, notes and comments. Fabulous!
At the Library Commission we will be adding our Carnegie Library photograph collection to flickr. Stay tuned for updates on this project. These are photos that are currently available in our physical archive, in Nebraska Memories, and on our web site, but flickr is one more point of access we can offer and has the added benefit of flickr community tools. Now anyone that runs across a photo can add a comment or tag the photo.
We have discovered some Nebraska related images already up on flickr such as this Nebraska history flickr group. Do you know of any Nebraska libraries with historical photos on flickr? Are you planning on adding any of your historical photos to flickr? See what you can find from Nebraska in the Library of Congress collections or elsewere on flickr and use the tagging, note and comment tools to add to the collective knowledge about those images .
Posted in Public Relations, Technology
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Open Source ILS in Nebraska
You may have heard the term open source. Perhaps you have been reading about other libraries using open source software such as Evergreen or Koha. The Nebraska Library Commission is investigating the possibility of developing a shared statewide library system using open source ILS software. An open source solution would allow us to configure a system to better suit the specific needs of Nebraska libraries. A shared system would also allow libraries with few or no technical staff to eliminate the need to manage their own individual catalogs. Nebraska has seen already seen success with shared catalog systems and we hope to have the opportunity to bring this option to an even greater number of libraries. If your library has any interest or questions about a shared open source solution, please let us know.
Posted in General, Technology
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Games for Everyone
Yesterday Susan Knisely, Online Services Librarian, and I were in Scottsbluff for the NEBASE Annual Meeting West. We had a great day presenting sessions and sharing information with library staff from the Panhandle.
One of the day’s topics was gaming in the library and a lot of it focused on using games to bring teens, especially, young boys, into the library.
Just before lunch I received an email from another co-worker about a YouTube video showing seniors enjoying have a ball at a bowling tournament. But this was not just any bowling tournament it was a Wii bowling tournament. It was a great example to show everyone that video games aren’t just for the younger generation.
Maybe your library could set up Wii bowling for seniors, family teams, or kids. Take a look and let us know what you think.
Posted in Library Management, Technology, Youth Services
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Nebraska Library Commission Open for Business in Second Life
On Friday we celebrated the start of the Nebraska Library Commission ‘ s presence in Second Life with an open house at our new building in the virtual world. During that afternoon over sixty avatars visited with NLC staff avatars in Second Life. Folks were welcomed to the building with refreshments, dancing on the roof, and a trivia quiz—prizes included. Attendees were also invited to have their avatar’s photo taken in front of a scenic Nebraska backdrop.
The Library Commission building includes all types of information about what the NLC does here in Nebraska as well as an exhibit space outside and on the second floor highlighting the Nebraska Memories digitization project. Visitors can get information about the state of Nebraska, receive a free NLC t-shirt, read up on Network Services staff’s favorite Second Life activities, and visit NLC statewide projects such as NebraskAccess.
Friday afternoon visitors conversed about what their own institutions are doing in Second Life as well as NLC’s plans for their presence in world. We are currently working on plans now to provide a presentation in world for librarians and non-librarians alike about new technologies.
We hope you can stop by to visit the Nebraska Libray Commission in Second Life. For more information about the Open House take a look back at our blog post from May 4th.
If you have questions about Second Life, please feel free to give us a call, post to our blog, email, IM or whatever you need to talk with us about this new environment and the possibilities for libraries within it. You may also want to listen to the archived presentation our Technology Innovation Librarian, Michael Sauers did along with Johnson and Wales University Reference Librarian, Rhonda Trueman, for the Sirsi Dynix Institute “The Info Island Project on Second Life.” This provides a nice overview of Second Life and libraries within the environment.
Posted in Technology
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Help us welcome our new staff member Michael Sauers!
Look here! Our newest employee, Michael Sauers, began today. Michael moved to Lincoln from Aurora, Colorado where he was the Internet Trainer for the Bibliographical Center for Research (BCR) a sister library network. Michael is our Technology Innovation Librarian and is responsible for introducing libraries throughout Nebraska to new and useful technologies in order to improve library services. Michael is just getting settled in today, but you will soon see him out and about the state fostering a love of innovation of new and emerging technology. His first Nebraska road trip will be to Alliance where he will be presenting a session on Tech Terms for the Panhandle Library System Technology Tune-Up Workshop on March 23. Michael has his own blog, “The Travelin’ Librarian” where you can read more about him, his interests, technology and of course, LIBRARIES! Help us welcome Michael to Nebraska!
Vlogging at the Library
Does your library
have a blog? How about a Vlog? Not sure what that is? It’s a
videoblog and is called vlog
for short.
have a blog? How about a Vlog? Not sure what that is? It’s a
videoblog and is called vlog
for short.
Well,
Arlington Heights Memorial Library in
Illinois is vlogging these days. The staff at Arlington Heights is using
short weekly video segments to promote their library services. They call it
LibVLog and you can check out the latest LibVlog post at
http://www.ahml.info/vlog/012207.asp The library posts each of their
vlog segments to YouTube as well.
Arlington Heights Memorial Library in
Illinois is vlogging these days. The staff at Arlington Heights is using
short weekly video segments to promote their library services. They call it
LibVLog and you can check out the latest LibVlog post at
http://www.ahml.info/vlog/012207.asp The library posts each of their
vlog segments to YouTube as well.
This week’s
LibVlog covers the timely topic of tax information. Through the short video
library staff point out what information is available for patrons during tax
season such as forms, books and even presentations by local accountants.
Their staff is obviously very comfortable participating in these unique
marketing videos and their professionalism and humor make a great
combination to watch in these lively segments.
LibVlog covers the timely topic of tax information. Through the short video
library staff point out what information is available for patrons during tax
season such as forms, books and even presentations by local accountants.
Their staff is obviously very comfortable participating in these unique
marketing videos and their professionalism and humor make a great
combination to watch in these lively segments.
Other Vlog posts
from Arlington heights include a Harry Potter discussion group, an author
talk, identify theft information and the friends book sale. You can view all
their vlogs on their Lib Vlog
Archive.
from Arlington heights include a Harry Potter discussion group, an author
talk, identify theft information and the friends book sale. You can view all
their vlogs on their Lib Vlog
Archive.
Not sure how you
would even create a vlog? I bet if you asked one of the kids using your
library you could find out how and perhaps even create a new collaboration
between your community’s teens and the library. If you need more information
try out the
What Is Vlogging (and How to Get Started) site from O’Reilly Digital
Media.
would even create a vlog? I bet if you asked one of the kids using your
library you could find out how and perhaps even create a new collaboration
between your community’s teens and the library. If you need more information
try out the
What Is Vlogging (and How to Get Started) site from O’Reilly Digital
Media.
Are there any Nebraska library vloggers out there? Let us know what you
think about this unique way to market your library services.
think about this unique way to market your library services.
Posted in Public Relations, Technology
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