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Category Archives: Public Relations
September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month for Public Libraries
The American Library Association (ALA) urges Nebraska libraries, along with libraries all across the country, to celebrate the value of getting a library card. Lately, there has been a huge growth in the number of people who rely on our public libraries for everything from finding a job to unlocking The Da Vinci Code. Others have found our libraries as a place they can surf the Internet, access the latest DVD releases, or perhaps just sit and relax and read a book or newspaper.
Nebraska libraries are urged to tell your local version of these stories and to remind parents and children that a library card is the most important school supply of all. Resources to help with promotion are available at the Campaign for America’s Libraries.
Click on Comments below to share your creative ideas to promote September 2010: Library Card Sign-up Month.
Posted in Public Relations
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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
Jane Geske Award Nominations Due July 15, 2010
Nominations are sought for the Nebraska Center for the Book’s 2010 Jane Geske Award. Established in recognition of Geske’s contributions to the well-being of the libraries of Nebraska, the award recognizes a Nebraska association, organization, business, library, school, academic institution, or other group that has made an exceptional long-term contribution to the Nebraska Community of the Book in regard to literacy, books, reading, libraries, bookselling, and/or writing in Nebraska. Geske, former Nebraska Library Commission Director, was a founding member of the Nebraska Center for the Book and a long-time, active participant in many Nebraska library and literary activities.
The 2009 Jane Geske Award was presented to the Golden Sower Award Committee of the Nebraska Library Association’s School, Children’s, and Young People’s Section. The Golden Sower Award is Nebraska’s children’s choice award for literature. Thousands of Nebraska students participate in the Golden Sower Award program each year, with 66,648 children voting for their favorite reads this year.
Nominations and supporting letters must be received by July 15 at Nebraska Center for the Book Jane Geske Award, c/o Rod Wagner, Nebraska Library Commission Director, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln NE 68508- 2023, 402-471-4001, 800-307-2665, fax: 402-471-2083.
The 2010 Jane Geske Award will be presented at the Nebraska Center for the Book Celebration of Nebraska Books on November 6, 2010 in Lincoln. The celebration is open to the public and will include a program highlighting the 2010 One Book One Nebraska selection, The Home Place, by Wright Morris. The celebration will feature the winners of the Nebraska Book Awards, with an Awards Ceremony honoring the winning authors and publishers. Featured winning authors will read from their work. The Nebraska Center for the Book Annual Meeting will also be held on November 6.
As additional information about the Celebration of Nebraska Books becomes available, it will be shared via our Facebook page. What organization do you think should be honored this year?
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
Nebraska Learns 2.0: Use Things to Market Your Library
Nebraska Learns 2.0 is the Nebraska Library Commission’s ongoing online learning program. The goal of our program is to encourage participants to experiment with and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the way people, society and libraries access information and communicate with each other. Nebraska Learns 2.0 is a self-discovery program which encourages participants to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY.
Each month, we offer you an opportunity to learn a new Thing (or lesson). You have all month to complete that Thing and receive one CE credit. You may choose which Things to do based on personal interest and time availability. If the Thing of the month doesn’t interest you or if you are particularly busy that month, you can skip it.
The Thing for July is: Use Things to Market Your Library.
For this month’s Thing, we’d like you to get creative with your marketing thinking and try something new. We’d like you to pick one of the services we’ve shown you in Nebraska Learns 2.0 that you haven’t used before at your library. Then, come up with an idea for how you could use that Web 2.0 service to promote one of your library programs or services.
If you are new to Nebraska Learns 2.0, your first assignment is to sign up to participate. This program is open to ALL Nebraska librarians, library staff, library friends, library board members and school media specialists.
We hope you’ll join your library colleagues in the fun as you learn about new and exciting technologies!
U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL) Endorses Partnership with Libraries
I attended a session at the ALA Conference on June 25, at which the U.S. Dept. of Labor (DOL) endorsed libraries as critical intermediaries in achieving DOL goals with their customers. Linda Strong, JobLink Manager NC Commission on Workforce Development, described how the North Carolina partnership with the local Onestop Workforce Development Center and the library system provides another portal to workforce service delivery. They stress that library hours allow customers to access better and more technology than what is available at the DOL Onestop center (which also may not be as close to their home as the library).
This partnership is extremely timely, given the increased number of job hunters that are visiting our libraries due to the downturn in the economy. Library partners are empowered to direct folks to services, help them access online resources, and refer to the closest Onestop center and Joblink resources. Local workforce area and onestop staff have embraced their library colleagues as extension of Onesotp and Joblink system. What is happening in your library? Are you seeing an increase in job hunting customers? What are your challenges in helping them? Have you tried partnering with and referring to your area Department of Labor colleagues?
Click on Comment below to share your thoughts…Thanks, Mary Jo
Opportunity Online Partner Meeting
Devra and I are attending the Opportunity Online Partner Meeting, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Foundation staff are sharing information about the existing/last round of hardware programs (by the end of 2011, 2,500 libraries in 32 states will have leveraged $11.5 M in local matching funds and installed more than 17, 500 computers) and about the Foundation’s next set of investments to support public access to technology (moving toward supporting local efforts to manage, advocate for, and invest in public access to technology).
They pointed out that advocacy training, Turning the Page, was presented to 3600 library leaders from 32 states with participants reporting 85% confidence in ability to build public support for the library (vs. 44% prior to the training). What are those of you who attended the Nebraska training doing right now to raise your local matching funds for your Opportunity Online Hardware grants?
One topic that is getting everyone’s attention is the answer to the question, “What will the Foundation do next?” They seem to be clearly saying, “Our investments have changed with the evolution of adoption of Public Access technology. Our next investments will focus on cementing the gains the field has made in providing and sustaining technology.” The focus for 2010-2014 is Anchor Access—Capacity Building and Advocacy. Tools the Foundation will be helping us develop:
•Public Access technology benchmarks that make sense to local stakeholders
•Sustainable professional development program to help library leaders improve Public Access technology using benchmarks
•Incentivize broad adoption of Public Access technology benchmarks and evolve the standards via providing funding for leading innovators—innovation grants for high performers
•Research on the value of public libraries and dissemination of findings to decision-makers
•Additional investments to leverage existing advocacy efforts
What do you think about this approach? Do you think benchmarks could help Nebraska libraries to motivate re-investment in public access technology?
Click on Comment below to share your thoughts…Thanks, Mary Jo
Posted in General, Library Management, Public Relations, Technology
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What is a Public Library
Here’s a great video to put on your Web site:
Posted in Public Relations
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Nebraska Learns 2.0: Engaging Your Users with Polls and Surveys
Nebraska Learns 2.0 is the Nebraska Library Commission’s ongoing online learning program. The goal of our program is to encourage participants to experiment with and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the way people, society and libraries access information and communicate with each other. Nebraska Learns 2.0 is a self-discovery program which encourages participants to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY.
Each month, we offer you an opportunity to learn a new Thing (or lesson). You have all month to complete that Thing and receive one CE credit. You may choose which Things to do based on personal interest and time availability. If the Thing of the month doesn’t interest you or if you are particularly busy that month, you can skip it.
The Thing for June is: Engaging Your Users with Polls and Surveys
If you are new to Nebraska Learns 2.0, your first assignment is to sign up to participate. This program is open to ALL Nebraska librarians, library staff, library friends, library board members and school media specialits.
We hope you’ll join your library colleagues in the fun as you learn about new and exciting technologies!
Clarkson Public Library’s new web site
Say hello to our latest participating library, The Clarkson Public Library! Take some time and check out their site and be sure to leave them a comment or two. And if you’re in the area, be sure to stop by their upcoming open house.
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Handouts from 2010 NETA Conference
From: Steve Batty [mailto:sbatty@mccooknet.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 12:22 PM
Subject: NETA 2010 free sites-software
Below are handout materials gathered at the 2010 Nebraska Educational Technology Association Annual Conference, “Creative Journeys to Learning,” held April 28-30 in La Vista:
20 Free or low-cost Neat Software Applications
1. Audacity – http://audacity.sourceforge.net – PC/Mac – Free audio recording and editing software
2. Seashore – http://seashore.sourceforge.net/ – Mac – Free graphic design software
*Sumo Paint – http://seashore.sourceforge.net/ – PC Option
*Tux Paint – http://www.tuxpaint.org/ – PC/Mac – Free drawing program for students ages 3 -12
3. Skype – http://www.skype.com/ – PC/Mac – Free phone calls and video conferencing software
4. Stellarium – http://www.stellarium.org/ – PC/Mac – Free planetarium software for your computer
5. Celestia – http://www.shatters.net/celestia – PC/Mac – Free space simulation software that lets you explore our universe in three dimensions.
6. Google Earth – http://earth.google.com/ – PC/Mac – Free software for maps and satellite images
7. Google Docs – http://docs.google.com/ – Web browser Online word processor, spreadsheet, forms, and presentation software
8. Google Sketchup – http://sketchup.google.com/ – PC/Mac – Free 3D modeling drawing app. *http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/ example
9. Little Geometry – http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/ – Mac only – Free basic math tool set
10. KompoZer – http://kompozer.net/ – PC/Mac – Free web page authoring software
11. Jing – http://www.jingproject.com/ PC/Mac – Free Create 5 min. swf video tutorials using your computer screen/voice. Purchase Jing Pro for longer videos.
*http://www.eltima.com/products/swf-flvplayer/ – PC player
*http://mac.eltima.com/freeflashplayer.html – Mac player
12. Geogebra – http://www.geogebra.org – PC/Mac – Free geometry package (software or online) providing for graphical and algebraic input
13. cMapTools – http://cmap.ihmc.us/conceptmap.html – PC/Mac – Free concept mapping software
*Webspiration – http://www.mywebspiration.com/home – Free online beta concept mapping software
14. Comic Life – http://plasq.com/comiclife – Mac – Uses your own photos to create comics.
*http://plasq.com/comiclife-win – PC – Uses Your own pnotos to create comics and comic strips
*Bitstrips – http://www.bitstrips.com – Make your online funny pages
15. iTunes – http://www.apple.com/itunes – PC/Mac – Free educational content through iTunes
16. Wikimindmap – http://wikimindmap.com/index.htm – Tool to easily and efficiently browse wiki content
17. Mini $ (Mini-Money) – http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/25726 – PC/Mac – Free budget/money management
18. NROC – http://www.montereyinstitute.org/nroc/ – The National Repository of Online Courses (NROC) is a growing library of high quality online course content
*TED – http://www.ted.com/ – The best talks and performances from Technology, Entertainment, and Design
19. Readability – http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability – A simple tool that makes reading on the Web more enjoyable by removing the clutter
*Cue Prompter – http://www.cueprompter.com – A free web browser teleprompter
20. Desktop Curtain – http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/26396 – Mac – Free software that hides desktop clutter for presentations or screen shots
*Fences http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/ – PC – Free software that hides desktop clutter for presentations or screen shots.
Ten Free On-Line Resources Every Teacher Should Know (Version 2010)
http://fur.ly/ – Shorten multiple URLs into one.
http://prezi.com – Develop on-line presentations.
http://photopeach.com/ – Make a rich slideshow in seconds.
http://cacoo.com – A cool multi-featured on-line whiteboard.
http://www.wallwisher.com/ – Wallwisher – A collaborative notice board maker that can be used for brainstorming or categorizing.
http://www.plagium.com/ – Track plagiarism by pasting your original text.
http://wetoku.com – Record web interviews and post the file.
http://awesomehighlighter.com – An awesome highlighter lets you highlight text on web pages and then gives you a small link to the highlighted page.
http://davidrumsey.com – A database of historical maps that can be used with Google Earth.
http://aviary.com – Photo-editing, logos, web templates, filters, color palettes, screen captures, and more.
Lights, Camera, Engagement! , Meg Ormiston
http://www.flickr.com/ – Flickr
http://creativecommons.org/ – Creative Commons information
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/EDTEC470/sp09/5/images/Bloom%27sDigitalTaxonomymap3.gif – Blooms taxonomy recreated.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx – Photostory 3
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.mspx – Windows Movie Maker
http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/digital_storytelling.aspx – Digital Storytelling guide.
http://www.mediaconverter.org/ – Media converter
http://listentoyoutube.com/ – Convert songs off youtube.
http://www.soundboard.com/ – Soundboard
Multimedia in the Differentiated Classroom, Meg Ormiston
http://2differentiate.pbworks.com/ – A wiki filled with resources.
http://twitter.com/ – Twitter home page
http://www.wordle.net/ – Create a tag cloud
http://docs.google.com – Create and share your work online (much like MS Office programs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA – Google Document youtube.com movie
http://schooltown.net/ – School Town to organize your classroom.
http://www.flickr.com/ – Images on Flickr
http://sketchup.google.com/ – Google Sketchup
http://earth.google.com/ – Google Earth
http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/Home.html – Google Literature – greatest road trip stories
http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en – Sign up for a gmail account for Calendar, email and Docs
http://www.xiberpix.net/SqirlzMorph.html – Create your own morph.
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm – Generation M2 report
http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom’s+Digital+Taxonomy – Updated Bloom’s Taxonomy
http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com/ – Twitter for teachers
http://jenuinetech.com/GTW/ – Guess the Wordle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw_ZW1NCQgY – Project Spectrum video.
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/ – Cool Tools for School.
http://www.soundboard.com/ – Not sure how to explain this site. It’s neat.
http://creativecommons.org/ – Creative Commons information
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/EDTEC470/sp09/5/images/Bloom%27sDigitalTaxonomymap3.gif – Blooms taxonomy recreated.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx – Photostory 3
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.mspx – Windows Movie Maker
http://www.microsoft.com/education/teachers/guides/digital_storytelling.aspx – Digital Storytelling guide.
http://www.mediaconverter.org/ – Media converter
http://listentoyoutube.com/ – Convert songs off youtube.
http://www.soundboard.com/ – Soundboard.com is a catalog of free sounds and soundboards for PCs.
Professional Learning Networks for Personal Professional Development, Meg Ormiston
http://techcamp.ning.com – Ning is the social platform for the world’s interests and passions online.
http://twitter.com – Twitter
http://www.skype.com – Skype
http://secondlife.com/?v=1.1 – Second Life, the Internet’s largest user-created, 3D virtual world community
http://docs.google.com – Google Documents
http://titanpad.com/ – Titan Pad to create your on-line chat.
The above information was submitted as a blog post by Steve Batty, of McCook. Please click on comment below to comment or share additional materials or links.
Pilger Public Library’s new Web site
Today we have a new live site. Take a moment and check out the new site for the Pilger Public Library. Take a moment and leave them a comment.
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Nebraska Learns 2.0: Flickr Revisited
Nebraska Learns 2.0 is the Nebraska Library Commission’s ongoing online learning program. The goal of our program is to encourage participants to experiment with and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the way people, society and libraries access information and communicate with each other. Nebraska Learns 2.0 is a self-discovery program which encourages participants to take control of their own learning and to utilize their lifelong learning skills through exploration and PLAY.
Each month, we offer you an opportunity to learn a new Thing (or lesson). You have all month to complete that Thing and receive one CE credit. You may choose which Things to do based on personal interest and time availability. If the Thing of the month doesn’t interest you or if you are particularly busy that month, you can skip it.
The Thing for May is: Flickr Revisited
We’re going to do things a bit differently this month and give you some options that will hopefully work not only for folks new to Flickr but also long time Flickr users.
If you are new to Nebraska Learns 2.0, your first assignment is to sign up to participate. This program is open to ALL Nebraska librarians, library staff, library friends, library board members and school media specialists.
We hope you’ll join your library colleagues in the fun as you learn about new and exciting technologies!
Luck: The Story of a Sandhill Crane chosen to be featured at the National Book Festival
Each year we feature a book for children/young adults at our Nebraska table at the National Book Festival. Sally Snyder, Nebraska Library Commission Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, and I selected the book, Luck: The Story of a Sandhill Crane, by Jean Craighead George to be featured, representing Nebraska, at the 2010 National Book Festival, September 25, 2010. The list of featured books from each state becomes a reading list for children and young adults that want to learn about all the states through literature. The book is a beauty and we think it will represent our state well.
I found this section of an interview with her very interesting, at;
http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?authorID=12122&isbn13=9780060082017&displayType=bookinterview
Q: Last year you traveled to Nebraska to research crane migration for your book LUCK: The Story of a Sandhill Crane. What was that experience like?
A: It was unreal. Magnificent. We’d get up at 4 a.m. to go to the bird blinds along the Platte River. You could look down the river and as far as the eye could see, there were thousands of cranes just blanketing the landscape. Cranes are one of the oldest living bird species on earth, possibly the oldest, and it was just mystifying to watch this ancient ritual taking place before my eyes. The weather was terrible, but I love a rainy day.
What do the rest of you think about this selection. Please click on comment below.
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Public Relations, Youth Services
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Materials Available from THE BIG READ for My Antonia Book Discussions
My Antonia, by Willa Cather was the 2005 One Book One Nebraska selection and it was very well received by classrooms, book clubs and discussion groups across the state. Thanks to the generosity of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Nebraska Library Commission can offer Nebraska schools, libraries and book groups materials to help faciliatate discussion, including Reader’s Guides, Teacher’s Guides, and Audio Guides on CD. The CDs feature Ted Kooser, Betty Kort, Colin Powell, Garrison Keillor (and others) reading from and talking about Willa Cather. Is there any interest in these materials? Please click comment below to reply.
Nebraska Library Snapshot Week
From May 10 to May 16, 2010, librarians across Nebraska will be documenting the activities that take place in their libraries. Join them by collecting statistics, comments and photographs to provide proof of the invaluable services that Nebraska libraries provide to their communities.
More information about Snapshot Week can be found at at www.nebraskalibraries.org/snapshot. To contribute to the project, you can upload your photos to the Snapshot Week group on Flickr, and submit your statistics using the online form.
If you have questions about participating in Snapshot Week, contact Emily Nimsakont, NLA Webmaster.
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Partner Event: Efficient, Effective, eGov Solutions Online (April 21, 2010)
I’m attending this event and it is a great reminder of the importance of Nebraska’s libraries in meeting state government’s goal of easing citizen access to state government. It may not be apparent to all of state government that the local library and their staff are a tremendous resource in achieving this goal, but we can help raise awareness about this vital role of libraries.
The Nebraska Library Commission recently submitted a grant application to the National Telecommunications Infrastructure Agency (NTIA) for a Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) project to help equip libraries to serve as community public computing centers and take a greater role in promoting access to Internet resources, including government services. The notes below from the CIO Partnership Event can be useful to help illuminate the needs that these library public computing centers can help meet.
I. Lt. Gov. Sheehy opened the meeting by stressing Nebraska’s leadership role in:
•Telehealth availability in Nebraska.
•Broadband accessibility—surveys show NE already has a significant amount of infrastructure. He praised Public Service Commission mapping of the areas that lack accessibility and thanks the providers for enhancing the availability.
•Top priority is Interoperable Public Safety radio communication system—using homeland security funds.
•Wants to make it possible for the 3 days it takes for a citizen from Western Nebraska to do business with state government to shrink to 30 seconds.
II. Chief Information Officer Brenda Decker addressed:
•IT role is to expand government by the citizens, encouraging greater civic involvement…stressing the statewide telecom system/Network Nebraska.
•TechnologiesacrossNebraska.unl.edu—cooperative project with University…provide resources to communities, podcasting project, video streamed workshops, resources, toolkits
•E-government services to Nebraska citizens…online, instead of in line—State of Utah can be open only four days a week because everything that can be done in a state office can be done online…Nebraska state government is being challenged to help our citizens do everything online that could be done by a visit to a Nebraska state office.
III. Beau Reid, Insurance Broker for Homes Murphy
•Data Integration has provided an opportunity for the insurance business and can be mirrored in opportunity for government service…building more profitable organizations through data
•Demonstration of how data integration (Health Risk Assessment + Biometrics: Waist circumference, triglycerides, fasting glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol + Claims Data, etc.) helps id people that are most likely to develop chronic illness and use that information to control future costs (medical plan costs, workers compensation, productivity, lost time, profitability, etc.).
IV. Nebraska Interactive President Brent Hoffman
•Using Technology to take a fresh look at information and to connect government information development, distribution, and storage (and access to it through libraries, I might add…note from MJR) with citizens and businesses. Increase productivity and customer service, while reducing information requests.
•User demand is high.
•Users provide and validate information.
•Can create new life for our existing e-government services by making the same information available in a new format, i.e., Ipad/Iphone applications, Take a look at what business is doing with information state agencies are collecting, validating, reporting, auditing and storing (for example, what Zillow.com is doing with government information) and ask what state agencies could be doing themselves.
•Try to id the business demand for government information.
•Take a fresh new look at our information and how it could be repackaged for business use (for example, Financial Institution, Law Firms, Insurance, Associations, Meida, Data Aggregator).
•Opportunities: What are people calling for? Transparency and multiple technology formats are essential. Industry groups will tell us what they need. Activities in other states may be something we need to do. Economic development can be the direct result on the local level.
•Social networking means that customers will build the aps. if we give them the data.
•Interoperability so that agencies at all levels can share data and make it transparent to citizens.
This event really got me thinking about the role of libraries in facilitating this transformation–please click comment below to share your thoughts and ideas…thanks, Mary Jo Ryan
Tell Your Library’s Story on the Radio
Marketplace, a public radio program, would like to feature stories from public libraries about how they are helping people to cope with unemployment issues. The stories will be part of a program during National Library Week on “Does your library double as a job center?”
Tell them your story at Does your library double as a job center?
National Library Week is next week, April 11-17. Marketplace has 3 radio shows, Marketplace, Marketplace Money, and Marketplace Morning Report. You can check for which stations carry the programs and when at Marketplace Stations.
Posted in Public Relations
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How many is too many? Does your library restrict the number of books checked out?
Recently, the Panhandle Library System was asked to share information about whether “libraries impose a limit on the number of items a patron or family may check out at one time and, if so, what is the maximum number of items allowed? Do you restrict based on subject, author, or some other criteria – for instance, no more than x turtle books or no more than x books by a specific author?” This got us thinking that maybe librarians across Nebraska would have some thoughts to share on this issue. What do you do in your library? Click on comment below to contribute your ideas to this discussion…thanks, Mary Jo Ryan
