WAPL Spring Conference Highlights

WAPL Spring Conference Highlights

What cool gadgets would be great for your library? How do you turn your annual report into gold? What will WLA restructuring mean for you? What changes are coming to WISCAT? Are e-books good for libraries? The answers to these and many other questions will be revealed at the WAPL spring conference “Anchoring the Past, Setting Sail for the Future,” April 27-30, 2010 at the Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan.

Go to http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/wapl/conferences/2010/index.htm and you’ll find the conference schedule at-a-glance, plus the full program listing. The deadline for conference registration is April 9. To make room reservations at the conference center go to www.blueharborresort.com or phone 866-701-2583 and use code 7A9582. The room registration deadline is April 6.

Highlights of the conference include presentations by several great speakers. Keith Michael Fiels, Executive Director, American Library Association, will present the keynote address. His library “State of the Nation” will address how national developments are affecting libraries of all types, including the current financial crisis and its impact on library funding, prospects for recovery, federal legislative opportunities, challenges for libraries and more. “How the Media Shape the News” will be addressed by Milwaukee journalist Joel McNally during Thursday’s luncheon and Friday’s luncheon will feature writer and historian John Gurda who will speak about “Saving Our Common Wealth.”

On Thursday evening you are welcome to a dessert reception at Mead Public Library. Shuttle bus service will begin at 8 p.m. at the Blue Harbor Resort taking WAPL attendees to and from the Library. Entertainment at the reception will be professional guitarist Rick Gustafson, retired Deputy Director of the Mead Public Library. The reception is sponsored by the Friends of Mead Public Library and the Mead Public Library Foundation.

Picturing America Programming Grants

Picturing America Programming Grants

The ALA Public Programs Office has received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support humanities-based programs in public libraries that highlight the NEH’s Picturing America artwork collection.

ALA and NEH will provide programming grants of $2,000 to 30 public libraries interested in hosting Picturing America programs for public audiences. We invite public libraries to apply online January 15 through April 26, 2010.

Prior to planning your grant application, please review the following:

• Grant guidelines
• Online application instructions
• Recommended program types
• Proposal planning resources
• Online application

Questions about the Picturing American Programming Grant may be directed to the ALA Public Programs Office at 312-280-5045 or publicprograms@ala.org

Tips for Recycling Your Cell Phone

Before You Recycle That Cell Phone…

Today’s wireless phones hold a tremendous amount of data: names, phone numbers, photos, text messages and more - just ask anyone who has ever lost one! For this reason, it’s important to take the time to "clean" your phone before donating or recycling it.

Experts recommend manually deleting stored information and also removing the SIM card from the phone. The owner’s manual (if you still have it) may provide specific information on deleting data. Recellular, a dealer of used cell phones, offers a free "data eraser" guide targeted specifically to the make and model of your phone. Another option is to seek help from your wireless provider’s customer service department. For more information, see the FTC’s consumer alert "411 on Disposing of Your Old Cell Phone" and PC Magazine’s Tips for Deleting Your Old Cell Phone Data.

Where to Recycle:
The wireless industry is helping people recycle phones through their webpage, recyclewirelessphones.com. Here you can find a list of participating members with information on take-back programs.
Of course, many charities accept cell phones as well. Ask around to find one, or use this page to find a donation box near you.
(Wisconsin State Law Library - Tech Tip in Brief – Heidi Yelk, March 2010)

Time to Step Up to the Plate @ your Library

ALA Announces Season Five of the "Step Up to the Plate @ your Library" Program 

Season five of Step Up to the Plate @ your library is now open for librarian registration at: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/advocacy/publicawareness/campaign%40yourlibrary/sponsorship/stepup/stepup.cfm). The American Library Association (ALA) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Step Up to the Plate program teams up two American classics – libraries and baseball – to promote information literacy and the library as an essential information resource.

Librarians can now start the spring training season by visiting the program’s Web site to register for free promotional tools to help promote the program locally. Step Up to the Plate launches to the public on Monday, April 5, to coincide with the start of the 2010 baseball season.

Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish, a downloadable poster and bookmarks and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. The first 100 libraries to register will receive a Jackie Robinson “History Lives” poster from ALA Graphics.

Step Up to the Plate @ your library encourages people of all ages to use the print and electronic resources available at their library to answer a series of trivia questions designed for their age group (10 and under, 11-13, 14-17 and 18 and over). One grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two in October to the Hall of Fame’s World Series Gala event in Cooperstown, N.Y., including a behind-the-scenes tour of the library and archives. The program will run through Sept. 4, 2010.

This year, Step Up to the Plate @ your library celebrates the history of baseball and the preservation of our cultural heritage, as a tie in to ALA’s first Preservation Week. For more information on Preservation Week, visit www.ala.org/preservationweek.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a partner in the Campaign for America’s Libraries (www.ala.org/@yourlibrary), ALA’s public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians. Thousands of libraries of all types – across the country and around the globe - use the Campaign’s @ your library® brand. The Campaign is made possible in part by ALA’s Library Champions, corporations and foundations.

Other partners are Carnegie Corporation of New York, Dollar General, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Univision Radio, Verizon and Woman's Day magazine.

BadgerLunch Webinar Series

Schedule for Spring 2010 BadgerLunch Webinar Series Announced

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Reference and Loan Library, has announced the Spring 2010 schedule for BadgerLunch, the webinar series which debuted in the fall of 2010 to help folks make better use of BadgerLink. This series of learning sessions will explore BadgerLink’s rich collection of information tools. Each session covers one resource, database, or interface. All sessions are open to anyone who wants to learn. Topics include a description of the information/learning resource, searching techniques, and helpful features. All sessions

are Thursdays at noon and last 30-45 minutes. An archive of previous sessions is found at http://www.badgerlink.net/training.html .

Spanish Language Materials:

• January 14 -- Spanish K12 Books andTeachingBooks.net  TO REGISTER:  http://tinyurl.com/ykdvp5r  NOTE: No advance registration necessary
• January 21 -- Spanish Language Resources from Britannica Online School Edition TO REGISTER: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/474609832
• January 28 -- Spanish Language Resources from EBSCO TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/yg8olqa

Books and Literature:

• February 4 -- LitFinder for Help Finding Poems, Stories, and More! TO REGISTER: http://www.meetme.net/anytime NOTE: No advance registration, Passcode: 8548664
• February 11 -- Novelist: Readers’ Advisory Made Easy TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/ykp5y4z
• February 18 -- K12 Literature Resources from Britannica Online TO REGISTER: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/449007736 
• February 25 -- Literary Reference Center from EBSCO TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/yfqqc3n 
• March 4 -- K12 Learning Tools from TeachingBooks.net TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/yz8gf5r NOTE: No advance registration necessary

Health and Medicine:

• March 11 -- Consumer Health Complete TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/yfrztks 
• March 18 -- Health Resources from Britannica Online TO REGISTER: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/960603880 
• March 25 -- Nursing Collection/AltHealthWatch/Medline from EBSCO TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/yjbbdmt 

Ecology and the Environment:

• April 8 -- Learning & Teaching Tools in Student Research Center TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/yg8t785 
• April 15 -- GreenFile and Other Ecology Resources from EBSCO TO REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/ykm7cjp 
• April 22 -- Environmental Resources from Britannica Online TO REGISTER: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/422072200

BadgerLunch Basic Information: 

• What is BadgerLink?  BadgerLink is a project of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning. Its goal is to provide access to quality online information resources for Wisconsin residents. Users can search approximately 20,000 full-text magazines, journals, newspapers, reference materials and other specialized information sources. Included are over 8,000 full text magazines and journals, over 1,500 newspapers and newswires, and approximately 6,800 full text books. Full text articles are taken from 2,900 historical newspaper titles. In addition the BadgerLink vendors provide access to automobile repair manuals, company profiles, country economic reports, industrial reports and yearbooks, biographies, primary historical documents, charts, images, schematics, maps, poems, essays, speeches, plays, short stories, author audio programs and book readings, author video programs, book reviews or discussion guides, and many other full text resources not available through regular internet search engines.
• What do I need to participate? Generally speaking the requirements include a reliably fast internet connection, a recent version of a web browser, speakers on your computer or headphones to listen to the presenter. A telephone isn’t strictly required. Users can type instant messages to ask questions. Each vendor’s webinar system may have specific requirements. DPI strongly suggests checking for additional requirements when registering.
• Do I need to register in advance? Yes, we strongly suggest you register in advance. 
• Who is presenting?  For most of the series, a professional trainer from each of product vendors will host each session. The session on access and authentication is hosted by Lisa Reale, BadgerLink Coordinator.
• I am not a librarian or a teacher. Does that matter? May I sign up? Badgerlink is available to all Wisconsin residents and the BadgerLunch series is also. No prior knowledge of the resource is required. We want all Wisconsin residents to understand and use these information resources.
• I can’t make that time. Will the sessions be recorded? Yes, we will record these sessions and try to make them available on the BadgerLink homepage.
• Who do I contact for more with my questions about this series? Contact the BadgerLink Coordinator, Lisa Reale, at DPIBadgerLi@dpi.wi.gov OR complete the contact form at http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wiscat/bl_sup.asp If you have other comments regarding the series or suggestions, please contact Lisa with those as well.
• Should I log into a session early? Yes, since each session is short, please log into the webinar a few minutes early so as not to disrupt the other participants. If you have little experience with webinars, then give yourself some extra time and log in a few minutes earlier.
• Who can help me to get access to BadgerLink? Contact the BadgerLink Coordinator, Lisa Reale, at DPIBadgerLi@dpi.wi.gov or complete the contact form at http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/wiscat/bl_sup.asp 
• I am a librarian. Can I get Continuing Education (CE) credits for these sessions? Yes. If you are a librarian in a public library you can accrue .5 CE credit for each 30 minute session attended.
• What about school library media specialists, teachers and administrators? These folks can use sessions for their PDP’s (Professional Development Plans) if it fits with established goals.
• Is there an email announcement list for BadgerLink? Yes! Visit http://www.badgerlink.net/list.html to learn more.
• Is there an archive of previous sessions? Yes! An archive of previous sessions is found at http://www.badgerlink.net/training.html.

(Channel: a Newsletter of the Wisconsin Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning - Winter 2010)