Category Archives: General

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

New Pew Internet Report: Library Services in the Digital Age

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Patrons embrace new technologies – and would welcome more. But many still want printed books to hold their central place at public libraries.

The internet has already had a major impact on how people find and access information, and now the rising popularity of e-books is helping transform Americans’ reading habits. In this changing landscape, public libraries are trying to adjust their services to these new realities while still serving the needs of patrons who rely on more traditional resources. In a new survey of Americans’ attitudes and expectations for public libraries, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project finds that many library patrons are eager to see libraries’ digital services expand, yet also feel that print books remain important in the digital age.

“In the past generation, public libraries have reinvented themselves to become technology hubs in order to help their communities access information in all its new forms,” noted Kathryn Zickuhr, Research Analyst at the Pew Internet Project, and co-author of a new report on the survey findings. “While many patrons appreciate being able to access new digital resources at libraries, they also say they value having print books and other traditional resources at libraries and still want a personal connection with library staff. Many libraries are torn between expanding their digital offerings on the latest platforms and still providing quality resources for patrons who may lack experience with technology or the means to own the latest devices.”

 The report explores:
• How Americans use public libraries
• Public priorities for libraries
• What new services people say they would use in the future

“The level of public eagerness for new services seems to be matched by wariness of changes in traditional library activities that patrons have used for years,” said Lee Rainie, Director at the Pew Internet Project and co-author of the report on these findings. “These findings paint a picture of a public that wants its libraries to be all things to all patrons. There is no clear roadmap of public priorities for libraries, so different communities will likely come up with different mixes of services as they move into the future.”

Read or download the full report: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/Library-services/

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

New ELM Webinars

ELMPlease take a look at the new ELM offerings for January – April 2013,  and get creative! You could use some of these free webinars to help raise awareness and help teachers/librarians/paras get their feet wet in using the databases. Then, when they start using them for specific needs,  and have more in-depth questions, you can be the in-house expert! You could also consider hosting a viewing party for some of these webinars! Maybe you need a refresher or want to learn something new; that works well too with this free, accessible content! The link at the bottom will get you to more in depth descriptions and registration information!

• Employment Research with ELM
• Intro to ELM for Teachers (all 5 sessions)
• Intro to ELM for Teachers: Elementary School (session 1)
• Intro to ELM for Teachers: Social Studies (session 2)
• Intro to ELM for Teachers: Science (session 3)
• Intro to ELM for Teachers: English Language Arts (session 4)
• Intro to ELM for Teachers: Education Professional Development (session 5)
• Educational Games in Britannica for Elementary Students
• The History of Minnesota – Digitized for Your Convenience
• Multimedia in ELM
• After School Homework Help with ELM
• Online Information Literacy and ELM
• ELM Over Lunch Series (all 3 sessions)
• ELM Over Lunch: Consumer Health Complete (session 1)
• ELM Over Lunch: MasterFILE Premier (session 2)
• ELM Over Lunch: ProQuest Newsstand Complete (session 3)
• Perspectives on Current Events
• Primary Sources in ELM
• Accessing Your ELM Usage Statistics
• Personalize (and Share!) Your News Experience with ProQuest Newsstand Complete
• Best Practices in Virtual Reference

Register now for our upcoming ELM webinar offerings, January-April 2013, and remember  that most of these offerings will be available in archived format too!

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Need Tips to Simplify Your Life?

wiresJanuary is the time of year I have renewed resolve to get organized, how about you? I found a list of good life hacks, that is, little ways to make our lives easier. These low-budget tips and tricks can help you organize and de-clutter space; prolong and preserve your products; or teach you something that you simply did not know before. Are you game? Offered on the Twisted Sifter site, here is your list of 50 Life Hacks to Simplify Your Life!

 

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

ALA Video – E-books and Digital Content

 

ALAIn this American Library Association (ALA) video, you will hear a special message from ALA President, Maureen Sullivan. She  reinforces how libraries need to be at the forefront of issues around e-books and the digital frontier. She also mentions tools that are currently available and others that are in development. Lastly, she urges librarians to support self-publishing, and help our communities in their self publishing endeavors. Check out the e-content page on the ALA magazine site, where you will find the video too! Sullivan also mentions the availability of the ebook toolkit, which is available at http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/ebooktoolkit.

Coming soon….a scorecard of business models in the digital content arena!