The new cloud service: Google Drive, part of the Google Apps Suite, allows you to put any type of file into the cloud. This means you have backed it up, but additionally (if you choose) you can see it on your co-workers desktop, your portable device, and then my favorite attribute: being able to share content with others pretty easily. I can share a link to myriad files, namely pictures, music, videos, and native office formats like docx and xmlx, with many types of files viewable right in the browser (no need to have the application installed on your machine). This works well with social networking too; it is handy to be able to post links to a wider variety of files.

This service can be compared to Dropbox (or Carbonite, or Mozy, etc) : 5GB cloud backup for free with your Google apps account or private Gmail accounts. The benefit of this service has to be the integration with your Google docs account, and the pervasiveness of Google Apps on smart devices.

Two things to consider:

• This is cloud storage 1: You are effectively backing up your content i.e  your precious files.This is a service that would be expensive and time consuming to replicate “in-house”. You can  count on Google to not disappear over night with your important data lost for good. It is password protected and available to you wherever you are.

• This is cloud storage 2: Who the heck is Google and why should I trust them with my grocery list let alone a pdf of my tax returns? Personally I’m pretty open with what email attachments I will send, for example I have emailed a tax file to myself before. So similarly, I am again fairly open with what I am willing to upload to Google Drive. Company secrets no, incriminating material, absolutely no.

We should all likely store very personal info outside of the net, but that doesn’t really fit with our modern age of insert credit card number for pizza delivery here. For now I trust Google to keep their servers secure and follow their own mantra: Don’t be evil.

Links

• Google Drive Overview Google, May 2012
• Google Drive on iOS devices Gotta Be Mobile, April 2012
• Google Drive on Android Devices Google Play Market, May 2012
• How to Get Started with Google Drive CNET, April 2012

In a time of constant change and uncertainty in the 21^st century, the world is rapidly transitioning to a digital world. What will the library look like, IF most information, resources, and services become digitized? Where can libraries focus their efforts, energy, and resources? The accompanying articles identify key trends in public libraries that examine new ways to look at how the public library can meet community needs:

1. Community members continue to need jobs and educated citizens. The library provides critical resources in this area already, and will continue to do so in the future. (Library as Community Builder for Jobs and Education, below; Knight Foundation)
2. Community members want access to a digital library and the online world. Libraries are already doing this through access to eBooks and other digital content, Internet access, WiFi access, library websites, online catalogs, online databases, library mobile applications, and online collections. But even more access is desired! The specifics of access will change, but the Internet is here to stay. (Knight Foundation)
3. Community members want to create and converse. They have expertise to share, but many don’t know where to begin. What does your community members want to create? Many libraries are exploring supporting this desire through offering performance spaces, maker spaces, digital creation labs, writing and publishing assistance, recording community history, digitization of community resources, community conversations, poetry nights, and much more). (Knight Foundation; Forbes Magazine)

Library as Community Builder for Jobs and Education

Key points: job searching, résumés, interviewing practice, job applications, skill building, career help, online course access, co-working, small business support, business partnerships, community education.

Over the last several years of economic recession, community members have turned to their library for help seeking jobs, applying for jobs, learning how to build a résumé, job interviewing, job fairs, and learning new skills for the market place. Libraries have delivered these services in a variety of ways, including offering online databases to patrons that focus on skills and job assistance (like LearningExpress, available through the State Library of Kansas), appointments with librarians for job application assistance, special open computer time for online job applications, working with local employers on job applications, and providing resources for career searches. Librarians have put together online resources for people searching for jobs.

Even as the country slowly comes out of recession, libraries will continue to be a vital community resource for jobs and skills building. Many still cannot afford Internet access, and job applications mostly take place online now. Internet at the library also allows people access to education opportunities, as courses and programs move online. The need to provide space for students, but especially adult learners, to study, access online courses, and take online tests, will only grow. Where else in the community can many of these people go?

Libraries are also offering spaces for people to co-work in or begin to run small businesses (Lawrence and Osawatomie libraries have created spaces for this). Libraries are offering business databases for small businesses to have access to important information. Librarians are partnering with economic development groups and small business coalitions to determine ways the librarians can assist businesses with their information needs.

Finally, libraries are doing what they have always done: offering community education events through programming and workshops, teaching computer skills, holding book discussions, providing health resources and much more. The skills that come out of these continuing education classes provide skills that the community may not otherwise acquire. (Junction City, Morrill (Hiawatha), and Salina Libraries are good examples of this).  

Digital Content

These ideas are explored further in the Knight Foundation article, Exploring the role of the 21st century library in an age of e-books and online content.

Creation and Conversation

These ideas are explored further in the Knight Foundation article, Exploring the role of the 21st century library in an age of e-books and online content and in the Forbes Magazine article, First public library to create a Maker Space. 

Image Credit: “Creating the Future for Libraries NOW” by Flickr user fabi_k under a Creative Commons license. 

Highlights include:

• NEKLS School Librarians’ Workshop with special guest Kristin Fontichiaro, July 11
• Summer Institute, Emporia, June 13-14
• Technology Corner with featured resources

The Jumpstart campaign seeks to bring attention to early literacy needs. During Read for the Record, the goal is to break a world record for having the most people read the same book on the same day. This year’s Jumpstart Read for the Record will take place over a full week – from September 27th to the record setting day October 4th.

The 2011 Read for the Record title was Llama Llama Red Pajama and the 2010 Read for the Record title was The Snowy Day.

Did you participate in Read for the Record in previous years? Do you plan to participate in 2012?

In an era of battling walled content gardens, disruptive change, social media-enabled revolutions, and truthiness there has never been a greater need for librarians. Sorting through mountains of data, ensuring a civil discourse, repairing the fragmenting commons are vital for our country, and librarians are the right profession to lead the way. However, this is not a simple matter of declaring ourselves prepared, it will take new skills and a new librarianship not focused on buildings and artifacts. This talk lays out a foundation for this new librarianship, and a call to action to save the world.

The complete keynote has now been posted online to listen and watch; it is embedded below. I invite you to take 50 minutes and watch this thought-provoking speech on the future of libraries. Slides and audio files are available for direct download.

Sharon Moreland’s notes from the keynote are also available online now. In the comments area, we invite you to leave your thoughts and ideas in response to this keynote address. If you are interested in reading his book, The Atlas of New Librarianship, you can request it from the NEKLS professional collection.

How do we empower patrons to use our digital services and provide the technical support they are requesting?

NEKLS eReader and eContent Resources

This post coincides with the addition of several eReader and eContent resources now available through nekls.org.  The new online resources can be found by navigating to nekls.org, hovering over the Services tab, eContent, and then clicking on eReader and eContent Resources. Here you will be able to access information about particular devices and Kansas EZ Library services like 3M Cloud Library and OneClickdigital.

The Tech Toy Box page, also listed under eContent, has been updated to reflect its newest and shiniest gadgets.

Tactics on eReader and eContent Training

Late last year Heather Braum asked what our libraries were doing to bridge the gap between patrons and eContent, below is the culmination of what we learned.

Promote Services

• Learn about what is available, and share it, the Kansas EZ Library can be accessed here: Kansas EZ Library
• Pass out updated handouts, this brochure may be used to introduce current services: EZ Library Spring/Summer 2012 (pdf)
• Visit Resources for Librarians for State Library created Bookmarks, Table tents, and posters

Create a dedicated Download Station

• Dedicate this computer for this purpose so there is no need to tie up staff or patron computers
• Preinstall software for interfacing with common ereaders, i.e. Kobo Software, iTunes etc.
• Preinstall Kansas EZ Library software
• Bookmark links to device manuals and EZ Library tutorials
• Bookmark other free and legal download sources, i.e. Project Guttenburg and Lendle
• Feel free to bookmark the eReader and eContent Resources launchpad to help explore, learn, and troubleshoot

Provide Technology Petting Zoos

• Offer times for staff or patrons to get immersion with current eReaders, tablets, and eContent
• Overview the current technology for ereaders, tablets, and smart devices
• Overview sources for econtent such as searching for free books on Amazon or Barnes and Noble
• Encourage staff and patrons to show and tell their own devices
• Divide users by the devices they own so they may help each other

Loan Equipment

• Offer a loaner eReader for in library use or to take home
• Providing purchased content could violate the terms of service. Usually eBooks are sold for one user.

Personalized Reference Appointments for eReaders

• Offer patrons and staff to sign up for an individual learning session
• Encourage patrons to bring in their device, their laptop if applicable, cords, and manuals
• Walk the patron through the services available for their particular device
• To minimize liability many trainers prefer to not handle the devices themselves but instead instruct with a library owned device

Educate Yourself

• Try to answer the question: what would I buy?
• Explore current technology wherever available, i.e. BestBuy, Walmart, a friend’s home
• Load eContent: try it for yourself, if you have no eReader try the EZ Library on your laptop
• Read tech eMagazines and blogs, some popular ones are Ars Technica, PCMag, Wired, Engadget, Gizmodo, The Verge, and PC World

Thanks to all of you who gave your in depth and thoughtful feedback. If you have suggestions either comment here or email me at dalexander (at) nekls.org. I’ll be happy to add your links or hints to the new eReader and eContent Resource launchpad.

Fireflies that light up! (See photo)

Make your own star ring (from Upstart magazine)

Color your own poster (from Upstart magazine)

Dream Catcher: Take a paper plate and  cut the center out and punch 9 holes in the  outer edge of the plate.   String a piece of yarn from one hole across the center to anther hole. Punch 4 holes on the bottom and string  from each hole  a piece of yarn with beads on the end.

Shooting Star: Cut a star from cardstock.  Decorate with colors and ribbon. Glue to a tongue depressor.

See what other libraries are doing, too!

The NEKLS 2012 Bus Tour is scheduled for Thursday, May 3rd. We’ll leave Lawrence (Dillon’s Grocery at 6th and Wakarusa) at 8 AM and should be back around 5 PM.

Public library staff, trustees, volunteers, friends… all are encouraged to attend.

$15 covers bus transportation, snacks on the bus, and lunch at Guy and Mae’s in Williamsburg.

This year’s itinerary includes:

• Baldwin City Library
• Ottawa Library
• Pomona Community Library
• Lyndon Carnegie Library
• Williamsburg Community Library
• Richmond Public Library
• Osawatomie Public Library
• Wellsville City Library
• Olathe Public Library

Registration is open! See: http://www.nekls.org/nekls-services/ce/event-registration/

I. The ever innovative Diane Trinkle, director of the Nortonville Public Library, shared her plans.

Some of the craft items Diane and the participants in the Nortonville program will be making include:

Lightning bugs These are plastic Easter eggs with holes punched for antennas and legs, wiggle eyes, poms for noses with battery operated tealights inside to light them up.

You Rock Rocks Painted for Father’s Day gifts.

Eraser Art Dip pencil erasers in colored stamp pads and create designs.

Zentangles It is glorified doodling that Nortonville will use to dress up their smash books(an activity for another day), which are glorified scrap or idea books. More info from the web on zentangles…

Flying Saucers Paper bowls glued to paper plates and then decorated with markers. They fly.

Dream Clouds Paper coffee filters cut into cloud shapes and watercolored with markers and spritzes of water.

Sharpie Tie-Dye T-shirts with spots rubber banded over the top of plastic disposable cups marked with sharpie permanent markers and lightly sprayed with rubbing alcohol. It gives it  a soft watercolor/tie-dye design.

II. Deb Weatherbie at the Paola Free Library shared some fun plans, too!

Decorate dream journals!

Make pillows with lavender scent.

Superhero capes (find some cheap cloth), masks, wrist bands (use paper towel rolls)

Rapunzel (in window made from NEKLS die cut)

III. Jamie Bernard at the Kansas City Kansas Public Library’s West Wyandotte location said, “We have quite a few craft plans! Here is what we have so far:”

Worry Dolls

Dreamcatchers

Hair Feather Clips

Genie in a Bottle

A glow-in-the-dark program, during which they are going to turn on blacklights and let the kids create glowing or UV reactive crafts. IE- glow paint, neon chalk on black paper.

They also do quite a few co-operative crafts.  For instance, each kid is going to make a bat. The library will turn one of their reading nooks into a bat cave so they can hang the bats up! They are also going to let the kids paint a space scene on their large outside windows. (Tip: Mix dish soap and corn starch with tempera paints for easier cleanup.)

Teen Graffiti Art They will be using “dreams” as inspiration.

Teens will be making scary (probably zombie)  masks.

Pinhole Cameras (tie in with light/darkness/shadows etc)

IV. Kay Lassiter, director of the Delaware Township Library in Valley Falls, shares the following ideas.

Starry Night Craft (on page 85 in the manual)

Dream Jars (on page 87 in the manual)

Autograph Albums

Dream Journals  for 3rd grade and up

A manual from a previous summer contained instructions for making a Dream Catcher, which might be good for older groups. Kay suggests, “I always save the old manuals and there are many times that I can find crafts to do that fit the present theme in some of them.”

Do you need data to support your library’s budget request?

Preliminary 2011 statistical data for NEKLS public libraries is now available on the NEKLS web site at http://www.nekls.org/nekls-services/forms-reports-library/.  This information is in a spreadsheet so that you can download it and sort it in any way that is useful. Thanks to Peter Haxton at the State Library and Teri Nelson at NEKLS for providing this data.