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Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

WebJunction News

As the new academic year approaches, WebJunction has provided new “Office of Mac” courses plus an interesting list of Webinars.

New Office for Mac Courses
WebJunction has added five new Outlook and four new PowerPoint for Mac courses. You’ll find these listed under Microsoft Office for Mac 2011.

Outlook for Mac 2011:

  • Getting Started
  • Managing Contacts
  • Managing Conversations and E-mail
  • Mastering E-mail
  • Scheduling with the Calendar

PowerPoint for Mac 2011:

Getting Started

Adding Simple Presentation Enhancements

  • Animations and Presentation Tools
  • Using Media Files in a Presentation

New Digital Inclusion Resources
The Digital Inclusion section is growing! Here’s what’s new:

§  The most recent addition comes from Mary Ann Van Cura, Minnesota State Library Sevices — a case study of efforts in Minneapolis to conquer the digital divide: Everyone Connected, Everyone Informed in Minneapolis.

§  Digital Communities Leadership Summit in St. Paul is an overview of the summit that was a key part of our IMLS-funded project.

§  The Twitter feed for #digitalinclusion is always new. Just today, WebJunction staff noticed a tweet about the new Internet Essentials Learning Center—check it out.

And, August-October WebJunction Webinars

Telling the Library Story

Thursday, Aug. 23, noon Central, 60 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Telling_the_Library_Story.html

Learn how to tell a succinct, powerful story about the value of libraries. Based on OCLC’s “From Awareness to Funding” and the latest findings of brain research, this session focuses on turning the evidence of our daily patron encounters into short, compelling, and memorable messages that build support.

Presented by: Jamie LaRue, director, Douglas County Libraries (CO), blogger, and chair of committee who created The Big Hairy Audacious Goal, a public library advocacy initiative.

Engaging Your Whole Community: Principles and Practice to Influence Policy

Thursday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m. Central,60 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Engaging_Your_Whole_Community.html

AmericaSpeaks is a U.S. nonprofit that wants to increase citizen engagement and participation in government decision-making by bringing together diverse participant groups to represent broader community interests. Learn how to create community engagement around library-led initiatives such as digital inclusion and gain facilitation skills to help build healthy, prosperous and cohesive communities. The presentation will provide examples of effective tactics for reaching even those who often do not participate because of limited access to and familiarity with new technologies.

Presented by: Steve Brigham, President, and David Stern, Director of Online Engagement, AmericaSpeaks

Best Small Library in America 2012

Tuesday, Sept.11, 1 p.m. Central, 60 min

Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Best_Small_Library_in_America_2012.html

Library Journal’s annual Best Small Library in America Award, cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was created in 2005 to encourage and showcase the exemplary work of libraries serving populations under 25,000. In collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries and Library Journal, we are pleased to host this webinar featuring the 2012 Best Small Library in America: Independence Public Library. The multi-award-winning library’s staff of eight serves a population of 13,420 through innovative programs and partnerships, leveraging social media and the Geek the Library campaign for sustained marketing and advocacy efforts. Using a participatory management style and collaborating with other Kansas libraries, along with others in their community, IPL has reached out to individuals and partners to deliver programs and services that bring the community into the library. The session will include an overview of the nomination process and details for next year’s award.

Presented by: Julie Hildebrand, IPL director; Lily Morgan, director, Learning Resource Center at Independence Community College; and Francine Fialkoff, editor-in-chief, Library Journal.

Incubate leadership @ your library

Tuesday, Oct. 16, 1 p.m. Central, 60 min

Registration: www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/incubate_leadership_at_your_library.html

Effective leadership in a library community is not performed by any one person. Instead, it is a collective act of many players contributing their toolset of complementary and evolving skills. Leadership “incubates” best in an environment nurtured by collaborative and continuous learning; it often grows accidentally, sometimes unbeknownst to the leader-to-be. Through peer mentoring and other methods, explore ways to create a generative space that nourishes the infectious qualities of leadership. Develop a network of seasoned learners who will incubate leadership, both within your library and in support of the broader community, collaboratively building and leading a rich and fulfilling learning organization.

Presented by: Jennifer Peterson, Community Manager, WebJunction|OCLC, Board Member, ARSL, and 2011 LJ Mover & Shaker

Freedom Rings in Philadelphia: community technology adoption

Thursday, Oct. 25, 1 p.m. Central, 60 min Registration:

 Early registration:  http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Freedom_Rings_in_Philadelphia_webinar.html

The Freedom Rings Partnership is a digital inclusion initiative funded by Federal stimulus monies. We are bringing Internet access, computer assistance and digital opportunities to Philadelphians with the least access to broadband. Comprised of a coalition of grassroots organizations, government, and universities, we proudly count People’s Emergency Center and the Free Library of Philadelphia as Managing Partners in this city-wide effort. Extending beyond the library and traditional organizational walls, our public-computing centers—KEYSPOTS—are located in community organizations that have the trust of their constituents; technology access is a complimentary asset to their diverse missions. Learn how to develop sustainable partnerships and adapt this model to meet your community technology adoption needs.

Presented by: Jennifer Donsky, Public Services Technology Library Coordinator, The Free Library of Philadelphia; and Lorelei Shingledecker, Program Manager, Broadband Technology Opportunities Program at People’s Emergency Center

Sincerely,
WJMN Team

Cecelia Boone, Minitex

Mary Ann Van Cura, State Library Services

Explore: http://webjunction.org/partners/minnesota!Follow Us: http://twitter.com/webjunctionmn! Contact Us: mnwebjunction@gmail.com!

Affiliation with WebJunction Minnesota is free and available to members of the Minnesota library community. Tell your colleagues!

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, a Federal Agency that fosters innovation, leadership and a lifetime of learning, in conjunction with State Library services, a division of the Minnesota Department of Education, which administers federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants, supports the WebJunction Minnesota project.

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Unglue.it

Have you heard? Just this afternoon, the site Unglue.it launched! Unglue.it is a crowd-sourced funding site for campaigns to license previously published works under Creative Commons to provide free e-book use for all. Together, authors and publishers (right’s holders) set a fee threshold — generally $5,000 to $25,000 — that must be hit within two to six months. Through pledges from book lovers (and book loving organizations), the book will become “unglued” when the fee threshold is reached. Due to the Creative Commons license, the book will no longer have DRM restrictions, and can be copied and shared without copyright fears. To find out more about Unglue.it and to view the five current campaigns, visit the site directly at https://unglue.it/, or go to http://tinyurl.com/6sejmzb for a detailed article about Unglue.it!

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Happy New Year

As we near the end of 2011 and approach the beginning of 2012, it might be a good time to get thoughtful, or at the very least intentional. We all need to work hard to change how libraries are viewed by our communities. Change is happening so very fast, and we need to be willing to change how we have been operating over the years. Change is hard but necessary.

Roy Tennant’s blog post at http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/12/ebooks/the-longest-night/ reminds us that “Libraries are a societal good” and “ Access to information is not ubiquitous, nor equal, nor (still) as easy as it can or should be.”

It is a short read and well worth your time. Happy New Year everyone!

 

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Districts Facing Referendums

KSTP did a story this week on the 131 school districts facing referendum votes. The 18 CMLE school districts I see listed include:

Albany, Big Lake, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose, Delano, Foley, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle, Melrose, Milaca, North Branch, Paynesville, Princeton, Rocori, Royalton, Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell, St. Michael-Albertville, and Upsala.

For details about each referendum, and to see a complete list, go to http://tinyurl.com/455yx9j

If your local school district is not listed, and should be, please share that information in the comments area. Thanks!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Congratulations Movers and Shakers!

Movers and Shakers was launched in 2002, and it spotlights librarians and others in the library field who are doing extraordinary work to serve their users and move libraries and library services forward. With the 50 members of the class of 2011, the group now exceeds 500.

Take a look at this year’s lineup at http://tinyurl.com/45dff53 and consider following them through your social networking tools too!