OverDrive Training Opportunities and FREE Building Bridges Series for Public Libraries

Are you looking for a way to refresh your OverDrive skills, Jane Richard, from WILS sent the following information as a reminder that OverDrive offers live and recorded training sessions throughout the year. Please follow the links below for more information:

• View Now (http://overdrive.com/learningcenter/viewnow.aspx) : View the core courses at your convenience … plus pause, stop and fast forward to suit your learning style. Among the topics recorded: Kindle demo, community outreach, and patron assistance.
• Register: Watch for upcoming *live* training opportunities. We'll post them on the listserv, too.
• Resources: Spread the word about your OverDrive service through promotional and educational materials. All materials are free!
• A relatively new resource is the Going Mobile Preview page with short how-to video series for iOS, Android and Kindle operating systems. These each run 20-30 minutes
  long. 

Another great opportunity to think about how Public Libraries can build bridges to the future and build community support will be offered in the "Building Bridges Series for Public Libraries"

Please join OCLC, host Chrystie Hill, WebJunction’s Director of Community Services, and guest speakers for the second half of this series of webinars designed to inspire and engage public libraries on topics of vital interest. Each program in the series will offer practical advice on issues that are top-of-mind in public libraries.

Communicating Your Value:  Without sufficient funding, your service to your community can suffer. But you can effectively communicate your value to those who fund your library – learn how. Speakers to be announced shortly.  January 18, 2012  Register now

Your Library’s Future:  This look ahead will focus on (1) the critical services libraries should provide; (2) services that only the public library provides; and (3) communicating the library’s future plans to the community. Speakers to be announced shortly.  February 2, 2012  Register now

Watch the earlier sessions in this series:

Principles of Advocacy:  Public library professionals know the importance of demonstrating their value to their local communities. Are you looking for inspiration to jump-start your own advocacy efforts? Join us to better understand how ongoing community advocacy supports the vital role your library plays in the community Speakers included Mary Hirsh, Project Coordinator for PLA and Lynn Slawsky, Program Officer, Turning the Page 2.0 program through PLA, Janet Sawaya, Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Jennifer Pearson, Senior Manager of Advocacy Programs, OCLC. Topics included the Turning the Page program, the Geek the Library community awareness program and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funding public library advocacy programs.   Watch now

Community Outreach:  Hear from both a small and large public library on why they believe these partnerships are integral to their success. Guest speakers Gerry Meek, CEO of the Calgary Public Library in Canada, and Debbie Winlock, Director of the Page Public Library in Arizona will give you tips on how you can make this work in your community.   Watch now  

(Jane Richard, Wisconsin Library Services & Wisconsin Public Library Consortium)

Great Websites for Kids Has Been Redesigned.

ALSC's Great Websites for Kids Relaunches With Fresh New Design

Great Websites for Kids (GWS) (www.ala.org/greatsites), the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) online website directory, has been completely redesigned. The updated site boasts a fresh and colorful kid-friendly look and interactive social media enhancements.

Clear, bright icons display subject categories and appear on every page, while eye-catching thumbnail images provide a visual preview of each great site represented. Special sections highlight Sites of the Week and Month, Most Popular pages and Top Rated selections. Prompts for each site offer “more selections like this.”

Visitors can actively connect with the site and further their online experience by rating sites; sharing their favorites on social media sites such as Facebook; and emailing recommendations to friends.

"Great Websites for Kids is a prime example of the essential work librarians do in disseminating high quality information,” said Mary Fellows, ALSC President. “The GWS transformation is a content-rich, visually exciting advancement for a terrific tool.”
The recent updates to GWS are part of a two-phase makeover for the popular site. Phase two improvements will take place in 2012 and include further development of “social” functionality and interactivity.

ALSC, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit www.ala.org/alsc.
(American Libraries Direct, January 4, 2012)