Science.gov Debuts Image Search

Science.gov now quickly finds science images, including animal and plant, weather and space, and earth and sun images and more. The information is free and no registration is required. Go to www.science.gov and select the Image Search link under Special Collections.

Initially, three databases are being searched from one search box. More image databases will be added to Science.gov in the coming months. The current federated search includes:

• The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Library of Images from the Environment (LIFE), a collection of high-quality photographs, illustrations, and graphics covering a wide range of topics, including images of plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms, habitats, wildlife management, environmental topics, and biological study/fieldwork.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) Image eXchange (NIX), a search engine of NASA's multimedia collections, including images of space flight wind tunnel, solar system, aircraft, and education initiatives.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Photo Library, a collection spanning centuries of time and much of the natural world from the center of the earth to the surface of the sun.

In addition to the image search, Science.gov has:

• undergone a significant software upgrade for quicker performance
• included both the Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations in the basic search
• provided an author cluster on the results page
• upgraded the alerts service so you can manage your Science.gov alerts directly from your alerts email and get daily alerts rather than weekly
• added a Science.gov widget for download to your website or customized pages
• and provided more citation download options.

Science.gov is a gateway to more than 42 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to over 2000 scientific websites from 18 organizations within 14 federal science agencies: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, the Interior, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency, the Government Printing Office, the Library of Congress, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the National Science Foundation. These agencies represent 97 percent of the federal R&D budget.

Science.gov is the USA.gov portal to science and the U.S. contribution to WorldWideScience.org. Science.gov is hosted by the Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information, within the Office of Science, and is supported by CENDI (http://www.cendi.gov/), an interagency working group of senior scientific and technical information managers.

Cyberbullying and Internet Safety Webinar

Cyberbullying and Internet Safety Webinar

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 2 pm

Presented by Diane Doersch, Director of Instructional Technology, Neenah Joint School District. This 60-minute webinar will cover tips and advice on how to keep kids safe online. How can we help children surf the web safely? What are the tools kids are using that we should be aware of, as public librarians? What resources are available to parents?

Join in and be a part of this very timely and important discussion!
Register today at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/579225873
This webinar is sponsored by the Nicolet Federated Library System.  It will be recorded and posted for viewing.

About the presenter:Diane Doersch is the Director of Instructional Technology for the Neenah Joint School District.

She also serves as adjunct faculty for Marian University's Technology in Education master's program.  Diane has spoken at local, state and national conferences on successful community technology programs, coaching, technology integration and action research. She is passionate about keeping kids (including her own!) safe online. 
(Jamie Matczak, Nicolet Federated Library System) 

WebJunction and MELSA Kick-Off Free Jobs and Small Business Webinar Series

WebJunction and MELSA kick off free Jobs and Small Business Webinar Series on January 27, 2011

Starting in January and extending through May, WebJunction will be hosting a series of webinars produced by MELSA, the Metropolitan Library Service Agency in Minnesota, on topics related to serving the workforce in your community. The first event in this new Jobs and Small Business Webinar Series will focus on Understanding Unemployment Insurance and Its Impact On Your Customers.

This webinar will take place on January 27, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. CST. We will be joined by an Unemployment Insurance Specialist from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, who will explain out how the service works. In addition, Alice Neve, Public Service Manager at St. Paul Public Library, will describe how your library can support UI customers. Using her library as an example, she will describe how to collaborate with local UI offices, analyze challenges and implement solutions throughout your library system. This webinar is free and open to all.

Register for this webinar ››

(Monday Memo, December 20, 2010)

FREE Tales2Go Subscription for Educational Programs

Here’s a great holiday gift from Tales2Go to cash-strapped schools & other educational programs. I suspect there are more than a few schools using iPod Touchs as hand-held computing devices, plus a few iPhone-toting teachers who will be convinced to put their phones to use in the classroom. Do you have any of the devices in your library? Worth an inquiry to see if your youth services department counts as an “Educational program” – I certainly hope so! Here are more details from Tales2Go’s press release:

"Tales2Go, an innovative, children’s audio book and story service/app, announced today a new initiative to give schools, day care centers and other educational programs free subscriptions to its award-winning service. Educators can now sign up for a free Tales2Go account up until January 15, 2011. Each subscription shall remain valid through June 30, 2011. Up to five Apple mobile devices (i.e. iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) can be used on each account, thus allowing for multiple classroom use. Limit one free subscription per school or educational program.

Tales2Go gives parents and educators instant, on-demand and unlimited access to over 1,300 audio titles from leading publishers and storytellers (such as Bill Harley, Diane Ferlatte, Odds Bodkin). The stories are very entertaining and popular with kids, ranging from fairytales to classics like Curious George Rides a Bike to popular series and characters like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The service is very easy to use and can be accessed on any Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, and played out on the device itself or via a docking station, capsule speaker, the AUX channel of a car stereo or individually with ear buds or headphones.

"We see this offer as win-win for both schools and parents: schools get a free subscription to a large library of audio titles from leading publishers and storytellers, and parents get greater exposure to the value of Tales2Go by its use in schools,” said William Weil, Co-Founder and CEO of Tales2Go. Many schools play audio books for their students as an important supplement to instructional activities; and more and more schools – and teachers themselves – have Apple mobile devices and the necessary wireless access to use them. The benefits of listening to audio stories include exposure to more advanced vocabulary and building critical listening and comprehension skills – for both beginning and developing readers.

To register a school or educational program, visit http://www.tales2go.com/schoolpromo"
(Monday Memo, December 20, 2010)

Public Hearing Set on Public Librarian Certification and Public Library System Audit Rules Changes

Public Hearing Set on Public Librarian Certification and Public Library System Audit Rules Changes

The Department of Public Instruction will hold a public hearing to consider changes in the rules relating to public librarian certification and public library system audits. The hearing will be held January 13, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Resources for Libraries and Lifelong Learning (formerly the Reference and Loan Library), 2109 South Stoughton Road, Madison.

The hearing site is fully accessible to people with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation to access any meeting, please contact Michael Cross, Director, Public Library Development, at michael.cross@dpi.wi.gov, (608) 267-9225, or leave a message with the Teletypewriter (TTY) at (608) 267-2427 at least 10 days prior to the hearing date. Reasonable accommodation includes materials prepared in an alternative format, as provided under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The administrative rule and fiscal note are available on the internet at: http://dpi.wi.gov/pb/rulespg.html.  A copy of the proposed rule and the fiscal estimate also may be obtained by sending an email request to lori.slauson@dpi.wi.gov or by writing to:

Lori Slauson, Administrative Rules and Federal Grants Coordinator
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
125 South Webster Street
P.O. Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707

Written comments on the proposed rules received by Ms. Slauson at the above mail or email address no later than January 19, 2011, will be given the same consideration as testimony presented at the hearing. 
(Channel Weekly, Vol. 13, No. 13 -- December 16, 2010)

Wisconsin Prison Literacy Project - Donate Now!

Wisconsin Prison Literacy Project Needs Materials

This is a reminder that correctional libraries, located in state prisons and county jails, are in serious need of materials and would greatly appreciate donations from other libraries, publishers, the public, and other sources to help build and maintain diverse and timely collections. Recognizing the importance of literacy skills for successful re-entry by Wisconsin prisoners, the Wisconsin Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND), in partnership with the Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Instruction, has created a sub-committee on prisons to assist correctional libraries by collecting and distributing books for inmates in our state facilities.

Books must be in good condition and match the subject areas identified by the Department of Corrections librarians. Public, private and academic libraries and other sources are encouraged to donate books to support this project.

COLAND really needs your help in enhancing these collections for the inmates to further their ability to read and improve their quality of life. For further information including requested subject areas and delivery instructions, please see: http://dpi.wi.gov/coland/pdf/prison_donations_letter.pdf.

More information on COLAND can be found at: http://dpi.wi.gov/coland/index.html.

(Michael Cross - Wisconsin Dept.of Public Instruction, December 17, 2010)

Follow-through, Follow-through, Follow-through: One-Click Access to Managing a Job Search!

Join us for a webinar on December 16, 2010 -

Follow-through, Follow-through, Follow-through: One-Click Access to Managing a Search!

We invite you to sign up for the next webinar in the Job & Career Accelerator expert webinar series with noted career search expert, Alison Green.

Once a job candidate sends off a job application, the next step isn’t just sitting back and waiting – there’s plenty they can do to increase their chances of getting an interview. Following up and following through in the right manner is crucial, because done poorly, follow-up can be an application killer.

Attend this informative webinar and learn the critical do's and don'ts of post-application strategy.

Alison Green is the former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development. She's also the author of a book for managers (Managing to Change the World: The Nonprofit Leader's Guide to Getting Results), an e-book for job-seekers (How to Get a Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager), and she writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues.

Both job seekers and career professionals in libraries and colleges will find this information useful. Following Alison will be a special presentation on how Job & Career Accelerator™ can help job seekers succeed in their search.
Invite your colleagues and friends to attend. Space is limited, reserve seats now.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/686321832
Existing Job & Career Accelerator customers who require support training may register at http://learningexpressllc.com/support/webinars/home.cfm

Please send your questions, comments, and feedback on the webinar series to: webinar@learningexpressllc.com.

The Job & Career Accelerator™ team at LearningExpress, LLC

Date: Thursday, December 16, 2010

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements:

PC-based attendees:

Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server


Macintosh®-based attendees:
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Space is limited.


Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/686321832 



The Fast Track to Getting Hired!


© 2010 LearningExpress LLC.

Spending Survey for School Libraries (With an iPad Giveaway)

School Library Journal has launched a national survey about resource expenditures in school library media centers. Results from this survey will be the basis of an article in SLJ this Spring.

The survey asks about LMC expenditures, available technology and program elements from the last school year (2009-2010). To preview the survey, please click here for a survey pdf. Estimated time to take the survey is approximately 20 minutes.

Please click the link below to fill out the survey online – OR – the completed survey pdf may be faxed back to 646-380-0756. You will have the opportunity to print out your answers for your records once you submit the survey online.

SLJ Spending Survey
Because we have a tight deadline for this survey, we are giving away two Apple iPads as incentives. Please complete the survey by December 23, 2010.  If you have any questions, please contact Laura Girmscheid at: lgirmscheid@mediasourceinc.com.

We know how much effort you put into compiling this information, and we appreciate it. This data—which SLJ has been collecting for years—provides important insight into the state of school libraries. Many school library leaders and researchers have noted the reports as the only up-to-date report on expenditures and trends in school library development.

Please share this information with other school library media specialists in your district and encourage their participation in this important research effort.

Best wishes,
Brian Kenney, Editor-in-Chief

School Library Journal

OverDrive EPUB eBooks Now Supported On iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android

Last month OverDrive gave us a sneak preview of a new OverDrive Media Console app for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android phones, with all-in-one support for EPUB eBooks and MP3 audiobooks. Today the new app is here!

Get the details on its features from the Digital Library Blog or download the app from the iTunes App Store, OverDrive, or Android Market.

Also just in time for the holidays, OverDrive has a printable eBook device "cheat sheet" (PDF) that lists supported eBook devices. Compatible eBook readers are listed in the Device Resource Center now too.
(Tech Bits, December 10, 2010)



iPad Beating Kindle This Holiday Season

iPad Beating Kindle This Holiday Season, Says Survey

The results of a survey on holiday electronics spending conducted by ChangeWave Research are bustling around the Internet this morning. In August, ChangeWave asked 2,800 people about the electronics they owned or planned to buy; in terms of e-readers, the survey found that while more people owned Kindles than iPads, the iPad’s share of the market is growing, while the Kindle’s is diminishing, and iPad users are happier overall with their device than Kindle users.

In it summary of the survey, MSNBC notes that:

Since ChangeWave last asked consumers about e-readers in August, Amazon’s Kindle “is hanging on to a rapidly diminishing lead (47 percent, down 15 points) over the Apple iPad (32 percent; up 16 points) among current e-reader owners. However, the iPad’s share of the overall market has doubled” since that August survey, the company says.

One annoying thing MSNBC points out is that Kindle owners are more likely to read books on their devices while iPad owners are more likely to read periodicals and blogs, which the site attributes to the fact that Amazon has many, many more books in the Kindle stores than Apple does in the iBookstore. This reasoning doesn’t make sense because iPad owners have access to the e-bookstores from Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and anyone else with an iPad app.

(PW Weekly Report, by Craig Morgan Teicher -- December 1st, 2010)