Tag Archives: free

Communication, Resources

The US Library of Congress Just Put 25 Million Records Online, Free of Charge

LOC Main Reading Room Highsmith

By David Nield, from Science Alert

“Knowledge is power, the old saying goes, but it isn’t much use if it’s hidden away – so we’re excited to learn that the US Library of Congress is making 25 million of its records available for free, for anyone to access online.

The bibliographic data sets, like digital library cards, cover music, books, maps, manuscripts, and more, and their publication online marks the biggest release of digital records in the Library’s history.

“The Library of Congress is our nation’s monument to knowledge and we need to make sure the doors are open wide for everyone, not just physically but digitally too,” says Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.

“Unlocking the rich data in the Library’s online catalogue is a great step forward. I’m excited to see how people will put this information to use.”

Researchers and analysts will get most use out of the new records, but there’s plenty of potential for them to be used in apps and databases as well. The Library hosted a Hack-to-Learn workshop looking at how the data could be used. Continue reading The US Library of Congress Just Put 25 Million Records Online, Free of Charge →

Materials, Resources

Free Is Good: Open educational resources are free digital materials

Open Access PLoS

From Edutopia,  By Bethany Rayl

Open educational resources (OER) are found in the public domain and can be used for free for teaching, learning, research, and other educational purposes. These materials can be retained, reused, revised, remixed, and redistributed. These “5R permissions” of OER allow you to not only access the materials and resources free of charge, but also to make them even better. Sounds good, right? But what’s really out there, and why should you use these resources?

There are several examples of OER available, including image and audio resources, books in the public domain, video and audio lectures, interactive simulations, game-based learning programs, lesson plans, textbooks, online course curricula, professional learning programs, and online learning platforms. Continue reading Free Is Good: Open educational resources are free digital materials →

Programs, Public, Research

Invitation to free webinar on movement-based programs in public libraries

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From researcher Noah Lenstra:

“Thank you for earlier this year completing the survey on Movement-Based Programs in Public Libraries, or for expressing interest in this project.

I am emailing to invite you to participate in a free, one hour webinar open to all on June 7, 2017, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, during which the preliminary results from this survey will be shared. Please share this announcement widely. All are welcome to participate.”

Follow this link to register for the webinar:
Register for the webinar

Event: Webinar on Let’s Move in Libraries: Movement-Based Programs in Public Libraries Continue reading Invitation to free webinar on movement-based programs in public libraries →

Conference, Tech, Training

Library 2.017 Web Conference with ALA on Expertise, Competencies and Careers

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The San Jose State University School of Information excitedly announces the Library 2.017 Worldwide Virtual Conference. There will be three topic-specific conferences held throughout the year, with each three-hour event featuring an opening and closing keynote session and crowd-sourced presentations. Registration is free.

The first date is set for March 29, 2017, and will cover expertise, competencies and careers. The other two web conferences will be held in June and October and cover the topics of digital literacy and makerspaces.

Continue reading Library 2.017 Web Conference with ALA on Expertise, Competencies and Careers →

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Free gardening eBooks

FlowersWe are in the middle of that wonderful season in Minnesota that is springtime! Excited to get outside and begin your next garden or yard project? If you need a little extra help, consider checking out the eBooks MN collection for gardening books.(Not sure what I am talking about? Get caught up with our earlier CMLE posts on eBooks MN).

They have a variety of gardening books, for everyone from the beginner planning their first garden to the experienced gardener. They feature topics like miniature, container, and edible gardening.

This article recommends starting with the Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started by Katie Elzer-Peters. The book features helpful color images as well as illustrated tools, tips, and tricks to help you in your next gardening venture!

Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/mcpp3y2, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0