Idaho Commission for Libraries

Cuil from ALA TechSource Blog Submitted by Daniel A. Freeman on July 28, 2008 - 2:20pm.

Another preservation workshop, this one focuses on AV media:

A Race Against Time: Preserving Our Audiovisual Media Presented by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts

November 6 & 7, 2008 – Save the Date!

Cosponsored and hosted by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Sessions:

Tuesday's session included Ira Frosch, President, Palazzo, Inc., presenting a perspective from outside the realm of library land, and Jamie LaRue, Director, Douglas County Libraries, providing an overview of the efforts of a Colorado library district which is working toward providing a seamless interface for the customer and the library's resources.

Matt Goldner, Executive Dir. Of End User Services, OCLC, provided the following thoughts:
1. Create new paradigms and methods for how we create and delivery library services in today's landscape – challenge current assumptions.

2. User expectations are changing

• Simplicity
• Self-service
• Immediate gratification

The morning session of Next Generation: Mashed-up, Fried or Half-Baked?, a symposium sponsored by BCR and Idaho Commission for Libraries in Boise, Idaho, provided an overview of open-source software. Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technologies and Research, Jean and Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt University, provided the 20,000 foot view.

The Barbara Bush Foundation announced the 2009 national grant competition for Family Literacy - Deadline: September 5, 2008

Summer Reading Coordinators,

Governor Otter is presenting checks to library directors in Hayden and Lewiston this week. They were among 30 libraries awarded Read to Me mini-grants of $5,000 from a state appropriation.

The transition to the digital format in the Talking Book Service presents a whole new way to read for those requiring reading alternatives. Users can now download books from NLS BARD onto specialized players. The database is available 24/7 and contains a growing collection (more than 11,000 titles at this time) of books from the NLS collection.

Twin Falls Public Library has an excellent selection of reader's advisory brochures. The fabulous librarians have created fun ways to find out about books that are similar to your favorite. Loved The DaVinci Code or that latest mystery - check out a brochure with ideas for other books to try. They have created an eclectic and diverse selection.

Why should librarians tap into possibly unstable electronic formats and spend the time to learn how to use it? Well, according to the latest OCLC Report, "From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America," those investments may lead to stable funding.

Among the findings from the report:

From American Libraries Direct (7/9/08):

The National Association of Broadcasters, with whom the American Library Association has joined as a part of the DTV Transition Coalition, has put together an excellent educational toolkit for librarians. The toolkit includes several useful links and is well worth bookmarking.

The first round of the WESTPAS workshops on "Protecting Library & Archive Collections: Disaster Preparedness, Response, & Recovery" was conducted in Eastern Idaho at the Portneuf District Library and then in Southwestern Idaho at the Garden City Library.

Inspired by a challenge issued by the Librarian by Day, I’m going to attempt to track a day in the life of the Networking Consultant at ICFL. Like many, I have no “typical” day so I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

FLASH: WebJunction Idaho will be launching in October-- more information to follow soon!

In the meantime here is a list of free WEBJUNCTION WEBINARS for July and August .. be sure to register and enjoy!

Rural Webinars: Motivating Your Board -- Money, Lawsuits, and Facilities

Read to Me is sponsoring a training session August 1, 2008 for library staff who will be participating in the Read to Me First Book program and the new Every Child Ready to Read Project. If your library is interested in participating in these two Read to Me outreach opportunities, please register online by July 11 at www.eventbrite.com/event/108719182. We do have limited seating.

This workshop was set in the frame of "assessment." "The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question." Peter Drucker

Rather than asking what went wrong, ask "how can we get significantly better results?"

Two opportunities you might want to look into: