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Category Archives: Information Resources
Pioneer Consortium Takes Off
The Pioneer Consortium, a group of five Nebraska libraries, now has an agreement with LibLime, a division of PTFS to provide an open source integrated library system (ILS) for those libraries. The group has been working for some time to reach this point and is now ready to share information with members of the Nebraska library community about their potential participation and when that might occur. The group’s goal since its beginning has been to acquire replacements for member libraries’ legacy ILS systems at lower cost and with less reliance on changes required by proprietary systems. The group also wanted to have a system that would allow for greater customization. Finally, Pioneer sees this as a way of sharing resources among members.
Pioneer has chosen to go with the Koha open source product and has chosen to have a third party host the system rather than acquiring its own server to host the system. As of October 2010, Pioneer has begun the process of opening participation to other libraries, beginning with accredited public libraries, then moving on to membership for other types of libraries at a later date.
If you are attending the NLA/NEMA Annual Conference next week, you may wish to drop in on the session entitled, “Pioneer’s Progress” scheduled for Friday, October 15 at 8 AM. More information including a demonstration of software features will be offered.
The Nebraska Library Commission today e-mailed to directors of libraries more complete information about the Pioneer Consortium’s plans. For more information about the Pioneer Consortium and its efforts, you may contact: Steve Fosselman, President of the Pioneer Consortium; Grand Island Public Library; 211 North Washington St., Grand Island 68801;
sf@gi.lib.ne.us; 308-385-5333.
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Text the Library Commission Reference Desk
Need to ask a question and all you have is your cell phone handy? Send a text message to our email address: nlc.ask@nebraska.gov and we’ll respond to your text. Add our contact to your address book so we’ll be there when you need us!
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Pro-Se and Librarians: Legal Self Help Options – Recorded Online Session
Economic pressures and increasing availability of e-government services have increased citizen’s need for help in accessing and using these services. Despite funding cuts, public libraries are increasingly where people turn for help. Much of the need for e-government services relates to legal matters, especially pro-se (meaning representing oneself in court). Beth Goble and Laura Johnson, Nebraska Library Commission and Julie Beno, Lincoln City Libraries discuss the types of questions librarians may encounter, what librarians can and cannot provide without “giving legal advice”, and how the Nebraska Court system works. They highlight some resources available for helping patrons do their own “legal stuff” or find legal aid services in their area.
Download audio (MP3)
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Presentation Slides (SlideShare)
Links (Delicious)
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New Titles in the NLC Book Club Kit Collection
Check out our recently updated Book Club Kit page: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub/
Not only have we added new titles, we’ve also acquired additional copies of existing titles!
You may notice that some of our book club kits contain only a few copies of a title. When we run across just a few copies of an excellent title we’d like to add to our book club kit program we will go ahead and acquire those copies with the intent of growing the kit over time. If your library is discarding copies of one these titles, please consider adding them to our kit so that they may be used by book groups throughout Nebraska. Contact the Reference Desk for more information.
New Book Club Titles:
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 7
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 5
Marley and Me by John Grogan 5
The Road by Cormac McCarthy 4
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand 7
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 2
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen 2
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 2
What is the What by Dave Eggers 8
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts 3
Widow of the South by Robert Hicks 6
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What to do before the pipeline arrives
The Keystone Pipeline debate is heating up…and this booklet reissued in September 2010 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission couldn’t be more timely for Nebraska landowners and librarians.
An Interstate Natural Gas Facility on my Land? What do I Need to Know?
http://www.ferc.gov/for-citizens/citizen-guides/citz-guide-gas.pdf
The 24-page booklet helps property owners could learn about their rights, how FERC’s procedures work, what safety and environmental issues might be involved, and lots more. For example, it addresses such issues as the legal rights and responsibilities of all parties, archaeological sites, environmental and safety issues, pipeline installation procedures, how long a pipeline might stay in place and many other questions.
Print copies can also be ordered from the FERC Office of External Affairs
Toll-free: 1-866-208-3372
email customer@ferc.gov
NU Personnel Roster Online
The 2010/11 edition of the Universtity of Nebraska Personnel Roster is now online and has been added to the Library Commission state e-pubs collection at
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/epubs/U0100/B003.html
The Roster lists salary information for emplyees of UNL,UNO,UNK and UNMC and is eagerly awaited by those wanting to know what the folks at our public university system earn.
Library Camp Nebraska III Needs You! And Your Ideas!
There are still plenty of spots available for Library Camp Nebraska III, so sign up today!
Again this year, Library Camp is presented as a pre-conference of the NLA/NEMA Annual Conference and will be held in Grand Island, NE on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.
Registration is being handled by NLA, but there is no cost to attend Library Camp nor are you required (but you are encouraged) to attend the rest of the NLA/NEMA conference.
After you register, be sure to go to the Library Camp Nebraska III website to introduce yourself and submit topic ideas.
Come join your colleagues to discuss how we can all improve our services and organizations to meet the needs of our communities!
Podcasts for Consumer Health Available
Are you always on the go? Now your health information can go with you – anywhere, anytime. On average, we spend over 100 hours a year commuting to and from work. Add to that time spent waiting in line, airport delays, and inclement weather and the hours of your day dwindle. Don’t fret! These time vacuums provide a great opportunity to learn about health topics by listening to a podcast.
Podcasting is a method of accessing audio programs over the Internet. They can be played on your computer, or downloaded to a portable device such as an MP3 player or iPhone. There are numerous quality podcasting sites for health information: from medical topics, to fitness, to nutrition. Podcasts are a great way to conveniently catch up on current health news, get motivated in your exercise program, or learn a new recipe. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
*The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has a new series titled Healthcare 411. This weekly podcast – in English and Spanish – focuses on evidence-based information, and features consumer-friendly health news. http://healthcare411.ahrq.gov/subscribe.aspx.
*Duke University Medical Center Library has compiled consumer/patient health information related podcasts – including National Public Radio’s NPR: Your Health Podcast. http://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/content.php?pid=8784&sid=56867.
*The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute offers podcasts on heart disease, insomnia, obesity, high blood pressure, and more! http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/pods/podcasts.html.
*The National Institutes of Health sponsors NIH Radio, a 24-hour audio news service broadcasting the latest in health research and news in English and Spanish. http://www.nih.gov/news/radio/index.htm.
*The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS HealthBeat podcasts provides health promotion and disease prevention tips five days a week. http://www.hhs.gov/news/healthbeat/.
*The United States Department of Agriculture offers one minute MyPyramid audio podcasts to help you make better food choices throughout the day. http://www.mypyramid.gov/audiopoddcasts/index.html
Visit USA.gov (www.usa.gov) for other health podcasts from the U.S. Government.
For more information, contact:
Marty Magee
National Network/Libraries of Medicine
Education and Nebraska Liaison
McGoogan Library of Medicine
Univ. of Nebraska Medical Center
986706 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha NE 68198-6706
402-559-7076
800-338-7657
mmagee@unmc.edu
Ancestry Library Edition Trial and Group Purchase Proposal
ProQuest and the Nebraska Library Commission are joining forces with the goal of bringing affordable group pricing on Ancestry Library Edition to Nebraska public libraries.
The Proposal:
ProQuest is proposing an annual subscription cost of $895 for public libraries serving populations under 50,000. This is a significant savings off list price.
The conditions of this offer are that there will be centralized billing through NLC, a common subscription term (January 1 through December 31), and finally that we bring an “acceptable” number of new libraries on board with this offer. (ProQuest hasn’t specified an exact number, which I hope means they will be flexible!)
If we are able to meet the conditions, this pricing will be available not only to new subscribers but also to current subscribers assuming they serve populations under 50,000. ProQuest has indicated they will work with interested libraries to adjust subscription terms and offer credit on renewals in cases where libraries have recently subscribed or re-subscribed at a higher price.
Database Description:
Ancestry Library Edition provides unprecedented access to family history via documents that record the lineage of individuals from North America, the U.K., Europe, Australia, and more. Ancestry Library Edition, distributed exclusively by ProQuest and powered by Ancestry.com, brings the world’s most popular consumer online genealogy resource to your library. Answers await all your users–professional or hobbyist, expert or novice, genealogist, or historian–inside the more than 7,000 databases of family information. User-friendly search tools and comprehensive indexing make it easy to start discovering the story of you.
To learn more about Ancestry Library Edition view a short video or PDF brochure.
Free trials are also available upon request.
Trial Access:
To set up a trial contact ProQuest representative Emme Rodbell at 800-521-0600 ext. 7258 or email emme.rodbell@proquest.com.
If you think your library may be interested in subscribing to Ancestry Library Edition at the proposed $895 price, please email Susan Knisely.
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Get out and REACH! Outreach Projects and Health Information Recording Now Available
A SPECIAL EDITION of NCompass Live: Get out and REACH! Outreach Projects and Health Information led with an Outreach Panel of health information professionals featuring
Nick Butler – Health Literacy Missouri; Anne Heimann – Library Director at Lincoln Bryan LGH; Josie Rodriguez – Consumer Outreach Coordinator for Nebraska Attorney General’s Office; and Gary A. Wasdin – Director, Omaha Public Library. I’m attending this session to get general (and specific) ideas that I can share with librarians about planning outreach to specific community populations. Gary Wasdin just shared a great idea of using a simple flip camera to record stories on-the-spot when library customers tell us what a difference the library makes for their families. Check out his presentation on the recording.
This is proving to be a great opportunity to hear from people who have successfully run outreach projects. People from public libraries, school libraries, public health departments, community and faith based organizations are getting ideas for projects and partnerships. Ideas for discussion/funding/potential projects are shared at http://outreachcamp.pbworks.com/.
A recording of the panel discussion is available via the Libary Commission Training & Events Calendar.
There is no cost to view this session.
Get out and REACH! Outreach Projects and Health Information was presented by: Marty Magee & Siobhan Champ-Blackwell – National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region.
Free Big Read Discussion Packets for Nebraska Librarians
The Nebraska Library Commission has a limited number of Big Read discussion packets to help bring Nebraska communities together to read, discuss, and celebrate some of the greatest stories in United States and world literature.
Big Read book discussion packets are available to schools and libraries to keep as part of their library collections. Student guides can be distributed to participants for them to keep. Just complete an order form (Big Read Order Form) and the packets will be ready to be picked up at the NLA/NEMA Annual Conference in Grand Island, October 14-15, or arrangements can be made to pick up the packets at the Nebraska Library Commission in Lincoln. An example of what the packets offer can be seen at http://www.neabigread.org/books/myantonia. To learn more about the Big Read discussion packets, join Mary Jo Ryan on NCompass Live on Wednesday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m. CT for a discussion of how these materials can be used and a sampling of the materials. For more information, to register for upcoming NCompass Live events, or to listen to recordings of past events, go to the Library Commission Training and Events Calendar. Print the attached order form and circle the titles that you would like to order. Specify the number of reader guides, audio guides, and teacher guides that you want. Mail, fax, or e-mail the form to the Nebraska Library Commission (1200 N Street, Lincoln NE, 68508-2023, E-mail: email, Fax: 402-471-2083), and the packets will be available at the Annual Conference.
Legal Self-Help at Holdrege Public Library
Phelps county citzens can pay fines online, find legal forms,and search for court cases at Holdrege Area Public Library, thanks to a Court Information Kiosk installed July 21st by the Nebraska State Court System.
Most services are free. The court case search costs $15.00, with search results available for 3 days. The internet payment system allows payments relating to traffic tickets, criminal traffic fines, garnishments, civil or small claims cases, and juvenile cases.
Forms include ones for filing for divorce, small claims, child support, protection orders.
More pictures are available on Picassa.
To see more legal self-help resources provided by the Nebraska State Court System, go to their self-help page http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/self-help/
BIP 2.0 & Non-Fiction Connection
I’m excited to announce that Bowker, the producer of Books in Print (BIP), has released a new interface for the BIP database called Books in Print 2.0. This new interface will replace both the Patron BIP and Professional BIP interfaces. The new interface includes a number of great features including:
- A single search box that searches across numerous fields including titles, authors, subjects and ISBN. An advanced search screen is also available to perform more precise searches.
- Search results that are FRBRized. This means that in your initial search result list, multiple editions of a title (e.g., hardcover, softcover, large print, compact disc) will be represented by a single record, as opposed to a separate record for each edition. That single record will indicate that there are multiple editions of the title available. Clicking on the title will reveal information about each of the editions.
- Over 50 faceted refine options available along the right hand side of the page to easily narrow your search results.
Additional information about the new interface is available on the front page of the database.
We have updated the links in NebraskAccess to point to the new interface. During the transition period we have included a link to the old Patron BIP interface under the main BIP link. At this time we do not know how long we will be able to continue to access the old interface.
Non-Fiction Connection
In addition to the new BIP interface Nebraskans now have access to Non-Fiction Connection. With the renewal of BIP in July, Bowker included this database free for one year.
Non-Fiction Connection is a readers’ advisory tool promoting non-fiction titles that contain characters, storylines and drama that read much like a traditional novel. The interface is very similar to the Fiction Connection database that we have had access to for years.
Access both Books in Print 2.0 and Non-Fiction Connection at: http://nebraskaccess.ne.gov/resources.asp
Additional information about linking to these and the other databases included in NebraskAccess can be found at: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskaccess/linking.aspx
Would you like a basic overview of these two databases? Join me Wednesday August 18 for an NCompass Live Session dedicated to these two databases. Register at: [obsolete link removed]
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30,000 Historical Portraits from the New York PL
Historical and Public Figures: A General Portrait File to the 1920s includes “over 30,000 portraits of a wide-range of public figures, including political, religious, cultural, literary and artistic personalities, with an emphasis on the 16th through the 19th-centuries.”
Research Buzz (Do you read Reasearch Buzz? It reports a lot of really interesting sources) reported on this new resource–a great example of digitizing library materials to make them available to a larger audience.
Anyway, this database of pictures of people includes “original woodcuts, engravings, etchings, lithographs, and, occasionally, photographs, but for the most part the portraits are printed pictures clipped from periodical publications from the mid-19th through the early 20th-century. ”
I found 11 items when I searched for “Alexander Graham Bell,” including a diagram of his telephone. What a great resource for school reports!
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September 25-October 2, 2010 is Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.
Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.
The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted banning. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers ; and National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
For more information on getting involved with Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, please see Calendar of Events and Ideas and Resources. You can also contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom at 800-545-2433, ext. 4220, or E-mail: bbw@ala.org.
ERS: A Great Source for Statistical Info
Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, 2010 Edition was announced in an email that came recently. It’s just one of the publications of the USDA’s Economic Research Service, Their Website says that, “the Economic Research Service is a primary source of economic information and research in the U.S. Department of Agriculture…. ERS conducts a research program to inform public and private decisionmaking on economic and policy issues involving food, farming, natural resources, and rural development.” Their statistics and reports could provide really good information to use in grants applications, library planning, and in reference. You can follow them on Twitter, subscribe to RSS, or get email updates to hear about new studies.
Nebraska FY2009 Library Data Posted and Mapped
Results of the 2008-2009 Public Library Survey for Nebraska are available for downloading in spreadsheet format. We have also updated the library map mashup so that the info bubble contains the latest data along with a thumbnail photo of each library. The data download page has a new look, too. Follow these links to check out the data updates.
Check out the new data download page at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/stats/statlist.aspx, where you will also find links to the latest library survey results and the updated library map. Or, go directly to http://nlc.nebraska.gov/stats/Downloads/20082009stats/index20082009.aspx for the downloadable survey spreadsheet and to http://nlc.nebraska.gov/stats/LibraryMapFY2009.aspx for a look at the new library map.
Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration to offer two webinars regarding collaboration with libraries
The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration will soon offer
two webinars related to collaboration with libraries as part of its new
partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS):
July 19: This webinar will highlight promising state and local examples of
workforce-library collaboration. Details to be announced on the Workforce3One
website. (Registration is required to access site content.)
http://www.workforce3one.org/
August 11: This webinar on WebJunction will present an introduction to the
workforce system and the electronic tools most helpful to library staff. Free
registration is open now.
http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1661.
This programming partnership has tremendous potential to help the job seekers in our Nebraska communities. Click on Comment below to share information about how you are helping job seekers in your library.
Libraries and the National Broadband Plan
Last week, I attended a session at the ALA Conference about Broadband Adoption and the Role of the Public Library. One speaker stressed these reasons why libraries need broadband internet access to help their customers:
•Permit e-mail with large attachments (customers need this to submit job applications, resumes, etc.)
•Skype conversations inside and outside the country (for many customers, libraries are providing a lifeline for family members to communicate with overseas military)
•Reference/education resource access which can include video, large data files, etc. (as educational opportunities move increasingly online and more bandwidth intensive, libraries are helping to bridge the education gap)
The speakers made the point that investment in national telecommunications infrastructure is designed to move us beyond the centuries-old telephone system and is seen as the key to developing the new connective tissue for our economic recovery. They stressed that libraries are key players in the effort to use broadband to help foster national purposes, including civic participation and community development.
The National Broadband Plan was characterized as still a work in progress.
Goals…Every American will have affordable access to robust broadband service, skills to use the service to the fullest, and that every community’s anchor institutions (Note from MJR: “especially libraries”) have access to extend to their customers.
Congress will be asked to fund the plan to develop and support a National Digital Literacy Program::
•Libraries are critical, but lack the resources, to teach the skills that people of all ages need
•Establish Digital Literacy Corps…trainers to promote digital literacy with age-appropriate training in the citizen’s owm language
•Create an online digital literacy portal—with online/offline lessons, to be distributed by libraries and other community anchor institutions
•Provide funding to libraries for training and capacity-building
•E-government services should take into account the role of public libraries as the access point for many citizens
Reform Universal Service Program
Since it is believed that the current E-rate program may now deter applicants from applying, there is current consideration of ways to fast-track applicants and allow dark fiber usage and allow tribal libraries to receive funding.
NOTE: Although comments on e-rate changes are due July 9, reply comments are not due until July 26. The speakers suggested that a good way to comment is to reply to the comments submitted by ALA, Gates Foundation, and others).
Monitor the progress on the Plan at www.broadband.gov
NM State Library: Fast Forward New Mexico
The New Mexico State Library Received a Round 1 Broadband Technology Opportunities Programs (BTOP) grant to:
•Build Digital Literacy (Internet training in 16 communities and build and test a training model that can be replicated in other communities)
•Preliminary visit for needs assessment
•Develop awareness events to kick-off training (8 courses—64 hours—run 2x in each community)…very specific course outlines
•Train the Trainer sessions for library staff and volunteers
•Promote broadband adoption and utilization of broadband services, document barriers, and organize statewide conference to raise awareness
•Specific messages developed for specific target populations
•Aligned with state mapping project (partner in grant—working on statewide conference together)
•Support anchor institutions and create a community level networks of local internet access points…asset mapping the resources that exist to help citizens
•Create advocacy resources to support the role of public libraries as anchor institutions—training library staff and supporters as more effective advocats
The Social Sciences Research Council (SSRC) has developed an independent study to find out why only 63% of Americans have broadband access in their homes, Broadband Adoption in Low Income Communities, see http://webarchive.ssrc.org/pdfs/Broadband_Adoption_v1.1.pdf. Dharma Daily indicated that they have been seeking information about:
•Availability…They have numerous photos of lines of customers outside libraries—waiting for the library to open so they can use the high-speed internet access.
•Value…Only one individual in study said they are absolutely not interested in the internet.
•Urgent drivers of adoption..Jobs, education, government services—Broadband service is increasingly a prerequisite of social and economic inclusion in US (and low income communities know it). However, people prioritized their cell phones over internet access.
•Affordability…Price is only one factor but it is #1.
•Usability…People report needing digital literacy skill building, not just read/write literacy skill building. It is quite evident that different age groups interact with the technology in very different ways.
How does this information compare to your experiences in your library? Click on Comment below to share your thoughts…Thanks, Mary Jo
Public Librarians Help Citizens Access Their Government for Services and Information
I attended a great session at the ALA Conference on E-Government from a librarian’s perspective, stressing the role of public librarians in helping citizens to access government information and services that are increasingly being migrated online. The point was made that libraries are positioned to expand their traditional role of providing Information and Referral (I & R) to proactive assistance for customers accessing services online. Since federal and state agencies are reducing traditional services, citizens are increasingly seeking help in libraries to interact with their government.
The current administration is in the process of rebranding e-government through the Open Government Initiative (Usa.gov) to encompass participation, interaction, and engagement, including:
•Commenting on a regulation or policy
•“Voting” on new regulation, policy or direction (not really voting, but weighing in)
•Idea banks (Asking the question, “How would you like your government to do this?”)
•Contests
•Data sharing (data.gov is a central portal for all government data)
Resources for public librarians who are helping citizens access their government include:
•Webinars (including some offered by Webjunction and the ALA Washington office)
•E-government tools (including Florida’s Best Practices Toolkit)
•Other resources (including those offered by Techsoup and the E-gov subcommittee of the ALA Washington Office)
•Social media tools
•Go.usa.gov shortens government URLs into short, trackable links
How do you think that Nebraska libraries can help our citizens engage with this new government environment and how can we help prepare librarians to expand their traditional I & R role? Click on Comment below to share your thoughts…Thanks, Mary Jo
