The Blah, Blah, Blah Blog

The Secret to Learning

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:47:00 +0000

We are big fans of Helene Blowers around these parts. Her contribution to the library profession of 23 Things alone would be enough. However, she continues to write and speak on a variety of topics. Her latest is the idea of "unlearning". Check it out!

Also, Helene is scheduled to be the keynoter for the 2010 FLA Annual Conference in Orlando. Yea!

Retired, or Soon to Be?

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:01:00 +0000

Seeking Submissions from Soon-to-be Retired, Retired Librarians.

Librarians Retirement Handbook: By Colleagues In the Know

Chapters sought for an anthology by soon to be retired or now retired academic, public, school, special librarians sharing their experiences on retirement to help colleagues.

No previously published, simultaneously submitted material; 2100-2300 words total. One chapter or two. If two, please divide words—one chapter may be 1000 for example, the other 1200 words. If you must use citations, employ MLA style faithfully. Chapters may be written by one librarian, or co-written by two

Possible topics: Financial Planning Before Retiring; Early Retirement--or Not; Part Time/Full Time Jobs After Retirement; Using Library Skills to Enhance Retirement Life; Writing for Ourselves, and Family History; Writing for Publication, Local and National; Keeping Healthy in Mind and Body; The Aging Process, Wills, Assisted Living; Going Back to School, Auditing/for Credit; Political Office and Leadership Positions; Notable Retirement Activities; Retirement Daily Economics; Legacies, Memorials.

The deadline for completed chapters (Call #1) is December 20, 2009.
Contributors will receive an agreement to sign before publication.
Compensation: a complimentary book, discount on additional copies

To avoid duplication, please e-mail by attached Word File,
1-3 titled proposals each in a separate paragraph by November 21, along with a 85-90 word bio beginning with: your name, current or previous library/libraries of employment, city/state location, employment title(s), awards, publication titles, memberships, and career highlights. If co-written by two authors, please send a separate bio of 85-90 words for each author. You will be contacted as soon as possible telling you which one (if any) of your topics will work, inviting you to e-mail your completed chapter(s); an invitation doesn’t guarantee acceptance.

Kindly place RETIRED/your name on the subject line to: smallwood@tm.net

Tell Your Story (or Your Family Stories)

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:57:00 +0000

StoryCorps is coming to Jacksonville!

I'm a big fan of their organization. Here is a little about them.

"StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. By recording the stories of our lives with the people we care about, we experience our history, hopes, and humanity. Since 2003, tens of thousands of everyday people have interviewed family and friends through StoryCorps. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to take home and share, and is archived for generations to come at the Library of Congress. Millions listen to our award-winning broadcasts on public radio and the Internet. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, creating a growing portrait of who we really are as Americans."

Make your reservation now to have your story, or someone in your family, or a friend, or your neighbor (you get the picture) recorded.

2010 FLYP Workshops

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:58:00 +0000

The 2010 Florida Library Youth Program (FLYP) Workshops have been scheduled and registration is now available.

The NEFLIN area workshops are listed below:

Jan 8 Suwannee River Regional Library System
Live Oak Public Library
1848 Ohio Avenue South Live Oak 32064
Host Contact: Marlene Mitchell mmitchell@neflin.org 386-364-3479

Jan 28 Marion County Public Library System
Marion County Public Library System Headquarters
2720 East Silver Springs Blvd Ocala 34470
Host Contact: Nancy Young nancy.young@marioncountyfl.org 352-368-4535

Feb 10 Flagler County Public Library
Flagler County Public Library
2500 Palm Coast Parkway N.W. Palm Coast 32137
Host Contact: Sharon Fiske sfiske@flaglercounty.org 386-446-6763

Feb 18 Alachua County Library District
Alachua County Library District Headquarters
401 E. University Avenue Gainesville 32601
Host Contact: Diane Colson dcolson@aclib.us 352-334-3941

Lake City CC Book Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:30:00 +0000

The Lake City Community College Library recently held its first book sale in over 30 years, filling the Howard Conference Center with tables and tables of books including nonfiction, fiction, reference, history, children’s books as well as vinyl records, DVDs, VHS tapes, tape players, overhead projectors, TVs, and framed art. The sale netted $1,200 and all proceeds will be dedicated to the book budget for purchasing new materials.

Jim Morris, executive director of library and community services stated, “The goal was to find a good home for the books in places where they will be wanted, used and appreciated!"

Also, on Tuesday, November 10 the library will break ground on a new $8 million building, estimated to be completed in one year.

Publishing and Presentation Opportunities

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:40:00 +0000

I was interested to read more after I received an e-mail requesting articles on the topic of patron-initiated collection development. While that topic was interesting I also wanted to pass on a "check it out" for the blog that had the original post.

Called A Library Writer's Blog, Corey Seeman states, "...this resource will help librarians identify publishing and presentation opportunities in library & information science, as well as other related fields. I will include calls for papers, presentations, participation, reviewers, and other notices that I find on the web."

If you are seeking opportunities to present at a conference or publish in a journal, this site is worth a look.

Columbia County Public Library Celebrates 50th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:28:00 +0000

The Columbia County Public Library celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 1st with a wildly successful birthday party at the Main Library in Lake City. Over 500 people attended the two-hour party that included visits by Clifford the Big Red Dog and Fancy Nancy, demonstrations of woodworking, flower arranging, cake decorating, painting, searching genealogy resources and hands-on children’s craft making. Refreshments included birthday cake and punch, plus Halloween-themed cupcakes provided at the cake decorating booth. Memory Books were placed at Main and at the two branches for library patrons to write down their fondest memory of the Library during the past fifty years. Attendees also had a chance to see the newly renovated Circulation area and the new carpet throughout the building.

Internet Librarian Conference

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:20:00 +0000

As usual, I look longingly towards the west at this time of year as I again miss the Internet Librarian Conference in Monterey. Some day, some day.

Until then, here are great session recaps from Sarah Houghton-Jan (the Librarian in Black).

Connecting Through "Lights, Camera, Action"

Information Overload is the Devil

Technology: The Engine Driving Pop-Culture-Savvy Libraries

Internet Filtering Technologies - Update

Selling Tech to Power in Tough Times

2.0 for Smaller, Underfunded Libraries

Fast-Tracking Usability Testing and User-Centered Design

Optmizing Web Presences: SEO and Metrics

Library Website Improvement Face-Off

Experience Design Makeover

Libraries of the Future: Places of Desire

Sneaking the Social Web into your Library and Going Beyond the 23 Things

Micro Interactions, Conversations, and Customers

Social Reference: Harvesting the Hive Mind

iGoogling with the Library

Keynote: Vincent Cerf Interview

Two Workshops from David Lee King

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:29:00 +0000

David Lee King, Digital Branch & Services Manager at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, will be presenting two workshops at NEFLIN in Orange Park on Wednesday, December 9.

Free to all! Register Now.

Emerging Trends, 2.0 and Libraries

Has your library discussed creating a Flickr account? A MySpace teen site? Creating a blog? Join David Lee King as he discusses the current social networking transformation taking place, and applies those changes to a library setting.

Wednesday, December 9, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon

Change is Good!

Change is good, but sometimes it is also hard. Emerging tech trends are also good, but sometimes the change needed to implement those emerging trends feels like scaling a mountain! David discusses the current social networking transformation taking place, how it affects our jobs, and how we can deal with those changes. Then David will discuss changes a library needs to make to meet and participate in our new online, participatory world.

Wednesday, December 9, 1:00 – 4:00 pm

See all NEFLIN Training at http://www.neflin.org/registration.php

Leadership Institute Begins Year 6

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:45:00 +0000

The sixth year of the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute kicked off last Wednesday at the Central Brevard Public Library in Cocoa. While there is an element of "what happens at SSLLI stays at SSLLI", we can reveal the list of the 2009-10 participants and mentors who will be taking their year-long journey together.

Congrats to the five NEFLIN members who were selected:

Jeff Bowen, University of North Florida
Ellie Bushhousen, UF Health Sciences
Joanne Colon, Sumter County Public Library
Sara Radovic, Jacksonville Public Library
Carrie Sabin-Hunsucker, Alachua County Library District

Official P.R. notice below.

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The State Library and Archives of Florida is proud to announce the participants selected for the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute – Class Six. This year-long comprehensive series of 10 sessions focuses on developing library staff to serve in administrative roles at local, regional, state, and national levels, as well as reenergizing staff currently employed in the library and information management profession. As a result of the Institute, participants from across the state are better prepared to provide the highest quality library services to the residents of Florida in an effective and innovative manner that will meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

Twenty-five participants, who represent public, academic, special, and school libraries, were chosen from applicants statewide. The group will meet at the Central Brevard Library in Cocoa, Florida.

“The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute has already helped library staff statewide develop the important leadership skills that will help to ensure a bright future for Florida’s libraries,” said Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning. “We look forward to continuing that tradition in the upcoming year.”

The Institute is funded by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Happy Anniversary BBB blog!

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Today marks the second anniversary of the Blah, Blah, Blah Blog...and we decided on a makeover! We have spent the past few weeks cleaning up the blog and getting it spiffy for its big day.

The BBB's sister blog, Library Webinars, debuted one month ago. There was a lot of good feedback on its layout and design that influenced us to make some dramatic changes here.

We hope you enjoy the new look and same great content as we start our third year of blah, blah, blah.

Link Love

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:00 +0000

A little love as we head into the Halloween weekend.
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The Library 101 Project

Enjoy the video. Stay for the content. All the links in the following paragraph are worth your time.

Have you heard the song and seen the music video?

Have you read any of the 23 essays from some of the greatest minds in Libraryland?

Have you looked at the carefully selected list of 101 hyperlinked resources that share critically important things to think about and know in order to ensure a vibrant future for libraries, even as technology changes the information access and community landscapes?

(Did I mention David Lee King is returning to Jax to teach for NEFLIN in December? Emerging Trends and Change is Good are both free of charge!)

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Do You Know a Mover & Shaker?

Our ninth annual Movers & Shakers will profile 50 or more up-and-comers who are innovative, creative, and making a difference. Let us know who you think should be included. From librarians to vendors to others who work in the library field, Movers & Shakers 2010 will celebrate the new professionals moving our libraries ahead. Nominations due November 9.

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Social Media Burnout. Social media; Facebook, Twitter, etc, can be part of your job and/or life. Here are some good tips to make sure you strike a balance when using these tools.

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10 Cool Things you can do with a USB Flash Drive.

I learned 10 new things, since I only use the flash drive as a portable hard drive.

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Google rolled out Google Music this week. Details here.

They have partnered with a variety of music sites to provide clips and full-length songs. I was surprised that the sound quality of the streaming audio is pretty darn good.

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Tease me! The just released teaser for Season 8 of "24". Jack Bauer still kicks butt...as a grandpa.

Library Tour: Library Partnership Neighborhood Resource Center, Gainesville

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:21:00 +0000

Join us for a tour of the new Library Partnership Neighborhood Resource Center in Gainesville. The Alachua County Library District is involved in a collaborative with the Partnership for Strong Families, Department of Children and Families, Casey Family Programs and United Way that is focusing on families in a specific area of northeast Gainesville, Florida. The library and the Partnership for Strong Families share a facility and as a collaborative offer programs that involve many organizational partners such as Healthy Start, Early Learning Coalition, Choices, and Florida Works just to name a few. This concept is unique and the only one in the state.

Hosts: Anita Jenkins, Library Manager and Carressa Hutchinson, Resource Center Coordinator

Thursday, December 4, 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Location: Library Partnership Neighborhood Resource Center

1130 NE 16th Avenue, Gainesville, Florida 32609

Mobile Library Services - Online Conference

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:22:00 +0000

A reasonable price and interesting focus on "mobile library services" highlights this upcoming online conference.
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More people than ever are using mobile devices for a wide variety of purposes including communication, internet access, text messaging, and entertainment. It is important that libraries provide mobile services as handheld use increases.

More people than 2,000 people attended the first ever Handheld Librarian Conference in July 2009 which featured a wide array of collaboration, learning and networking activities focused on Mobile Library Services!

The Handheld Librarian 2 will continue the dialog with a 2-day online conference scheduled for February 17-18, 2010 and is now accepting registrations at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org

The program -- sponsored by Alliance Library System, and LearningTimes -- will include a series of wonderful keynote and featured speakers collection of available resources, discussions boards, and access to the recording of all live events for one year after the conference.

The conference will feature three exciting keynote talks:

· Joan K. Lippincott from the Coalition for Networked Information speaking about “Mobilizing Libraries for Today’s Students”

· Joe Murphy from Yale University speaking about “This is Now: The Mobile Library”

· Tom Peters of TAP Information Services, addressing “Morphing with Mobile”

Registration for the conference is $69 per individual or $119 for a group. LIS students can register for $29.

“With the avalanche of new mobile devices and applications, the Handheld Librarian 2 online conference will be a golden opportunity for library land to cost effectively learn how to reach a whole new audience,” said Kitty Pope, ALS Executive Director.

For more information on the conference, go to the conference site at http://www.handheldlibrarian.org.

U.S. Consumer Book Buying

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:56:00 +0000

Summary of a recent webinar, U.S. Consumer Book Buying, put on by Bowker and AAP. Thanks to Sue Polanka for her summary and comments.

A few items that caught my attention:

2008 - e-commerce the dominant channel for book sales, beating out brick n mortar. 2009 - so far, large chain bookstores are back at the top

Before 1975 there were 8 choices for entertainment/info (books was one) - in 2009 there are 21 choices (books still there), more choices = less room for reading books, harder to reach users

trade market: double digit declines in hardcover/paperback and mass market sales, yet ebooks are up 28%. Cost differential in sales - hardcover vs. eBooks $6.25 price difference

consumer today wants what they want, when they want it, how they want it

Thinking about Open Source?

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:32:00 +0000

If your library is thinking about adopting open source software you will be interested to learn that Lyrasis was just awarded a grant of $192,000 "to plan a support service to assist libraries with the adoption and use of open source software and systems."

"This grant will provide LYRASIS with consulting expertise and dedicated staff resources over a six-month period to assess library needs, develop strategies, and define a plan for establishing a service to support the adoption and use of open source software applications within the library community."

Contact Lyrasis to learn more.

Twelve Magic Computer Phrases Library Personnel Need to Know in Spanish

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Many Latinos come to libraries to use computers. Is your staff ready for the challenge? This workshop will:Give library staff basic customer service phrases to handle language barriers and cultural formalities with Latino patrons using computers

Help staff learn words, phrases and dialogues including greetings, computer use policies, schedules, and troubleshooting
Understand the cultural aspects of interacting with Latinos and the use of technology
Provide tools and strategies to overcome language barriers beyond these basic phrases

Trainer: Susana Baumann, LCS Worldwide, Inc.

Thursday, February 4, 2010, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm at NEFLIN in Orange Park

How E-Learning and Distance Education Can Really Help You and Your Library: Live Online

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:11:00 +0000

Online education provides inexpensive, quality and convenient library workplace training programs.

Are you overworked, understaffed, and financially overwhelmed? Are you small, poor, and rural? Invest in your staff to improve productivity, consistency, workplace relations, customer service and morale; an affordable way to do more with less by leveraging employee skills. Learn how to use online education, whether you are a library director, HR manager, inhouse trainer, manager, supervisor or employee. Topics include:

How to make online education work on a limited budget
The advantages of online education
Upgrading paraprofessional and part-timers’ skills
What are the pitfalls, and how to avoid them
Self-directed learning: why even solo librarians need partners

Virtual Trainer: Pat Wagner, Pattern Research

NEW DATE: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9

10:00 - 11:00 am

FREE for NEFLIN members. You will be emailed access information.
Register at http://bit.ly/2WOm5w

Somer Thompson

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:21:00 +0000

It’s my birthday today. I was going to write something funny about a past birthday. However, I am in a somber mood after coming to work this morning and learning that Somer Thompson’s body was found.

We have many readers outside the north Florida area so if you haven’t heard…Somer is a 7 year old girl who was abducted while walking home from school earlier this week, about one mile from the NEFLIN office. Her body was found yesterday in a Georgia landfill.

Jeannie, Patty and I live and work in Orange Park. This is our community. Somer was one of our neighbors, in the truest sense of the word. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

Google Analytics

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Learn about how to use Google Analytics to report website behavior, such as:

Where website visitors are coming from (search engines, referring sources, keywords, county, state and city)
Most popular landing pages and exit pages on your website
Average page views per visitor
How frequently visitors come to your site
Creating goals and seeing goal conversions in your reports
And much, much more!

Get comfortable with Google Analytics metric definitions and what each report is for. Time will be available at the end of this session to address your specific questions and answers.

Trainer: Morgan Jones, eCommerce Intelligence
Date: Friday, November 13
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: NEFLIN in Orange Park

Register now at http://bit.ly/1uHYIq

See all NEFLIN training at http://www.neflin.org/registration.php

Free Online Conference in November

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:36:00 +0000

I'm amazed that an entire conference can be made available online. (However, this comes from someone who is still in awe of the fax machine.) Thanks to the folks at ALA Learning for posting this on their site.
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LearnTrends 2009

November 17-19, 2009 | Online | Free

The theme/focus this year is on Convergence in Workplace Learning. We will bring together people who look at different aspects of learning and knowledge work to understand better what’s going on in those areas and how we should be thinking about this holistically.

As always, this conference is about getting together interesting people who bring a slightly different perspective and have meaningful conversation around innovation in workplace learning. We typically get more than a thousand people signed up and at least a hundred in each session.

To register, you must first be register to be part of the LearnTrends community and then register on the Conference Event Page.

NEFLIN Annual Survey 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:30:00 +0000

Thank you to all who recently completed the NEFLIN Annual Survey. We had 326 completed surveys, which is 30% more than last year. Your input will help us shape and deliver programs and services that are important to you.

If at any time throughout the year you have feedback, training ideas or any comments for NEFLIN, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to hear from you.

2233 Park Avenue, Suite 402, Orange Park, FL 32073
(904) 278-5620

Training related questions or comments: register@neflin.org
All other questions or comments: office@neflin.org

A Little Link Love

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:40:00 +0000

How about 30 places you can get Fabulous Freebies?

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One of the Fabulous Freebies mentions the Global Greeter Network. I have used this twice. Once in Chicago and once in Melbourne. You get a half day or full day tour of the city with a local. This person can specialize in their town's history, architecture, pop culture, etc. You get to fill out a profile of what type of tour you want and they match you with the appropriate tour guide. Highly recommended.

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Interesting post on Stephen Abram's blog. I too would be interested if anyone ever compiles the info about #1 bestsellers.

"I was amazed at this statistic from Seth Godin:

In the 260 weeks from 1966 to 1970, there were only thirteen musical acts responsible for every #1 album on the Billboard charts. In the 260 weeks that accounted for the first half of the 1970s, it was 26.

Has anyone out there ever done a similar number for books? I'll bet between Dan Brown and JK Rowling there's not too many #1 bestselling authors over the last few years either.

Like Seth says, it's crowded at the top. And it sure shows the importance of the long tail."

Quick Access Kiosk

brad@neflin.org (Brad Ward) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Helene Blowers writes about the new page that was designed to be the main screen on their public access computers. It centralizes many functions in one location (library card sign-up, easy access to electronic resources, my account, etc) for their patrons. It is also customized with branch specific information.

Helene has put up some photos on Flickr so you can clearly see the above image and subtle differences, as each branch in their system can customize this page. Check it out!

NEFLIN Virtual Training in November

noreply@blogger.com (Patricia Morris) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:08:00 +0000

HOW E-LEARNING AND DISTANCE EDUCATION CAN REALLY HELP YOU AND YOUR LIBRARY

Monday, November 2, 10:00 - 11:00 am
Online education provides inexpensive, quality and convenient library workplace training programs. Are you overworked, understaffed, and financially overwhelmed? Are you small, poor, and rural? Invest in your staff to improve productivity, consistency, workplace relations, customer service and morale; an affordable way to do more with less by leveraging employee skills. Learn how to use online education, whether you are a library director, HR manager, inhouse trainer, manager, supervisor or employee. Topics include:
How to make online education work on a limited budget
The advantages of online education
Upgrading paraprofessional and part-timers’ skills
What are the pitfalls, and how to avoid them
Self-directed learning: why even solo librarians need partners

Virtual Trainer: Pat Wagner, Pattern Research

MARKETING YOUR LIBRARY REFERENCE SERVICE

Monday, November 9, 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Creating the impression in your customers’ minds that your reference service is a vital and useful part of their information seeking process is as much about marketing as it is about offering the tools and services they need. Libraries today are overhauling existing services and introducing many new ones, including new ways to interact with information services – all to fit today’s library users and their lifestyles. Let them know about these efforts and how you can help them. Not sure how? Not sure you need to? Then this is for you! Learning outcomes include:
Begin an analysis of the marketing need for their services
Discuss the current marketing tools appropriate for different kinds of libraries
Design a marketing plan for the reference service
Design and implement methods to assess the efficacy of the marketing plan

Virtual Trainer: David Greenebaum, Lyrasis

LIBRARY TECHNOLOGIES INTEREST GROUP

Monday, November 16, 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
St. Johns County Public Library System staff will discuss the evolution of their website and how it got to be FLA’s Public Library Website of the Year. Come join the Technology Interest Group and share your own web tips, tricks & great ideas with your colleagues.

ADVOCACY: PUBLIC OFFICIALS

Tuesday, November 17, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Learn how to attract your public officials' attention. This two-hour distance learning session discusses how to pinpoint your officials’ priorities, shape the message you want to communicate, and draw officials into your library to raise the visibility of your resources. Virtual Trainer: Jenny Liberatore, Lyrasis

To register for these and all NEFLIN events, see http://www.neflin.org/registration.php