ebooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point

ebooks: Libaries at the Tipping Point is an online conference that will explore how the book is changing in the digital world and how these changes are reshaping reading and borrowing habits.  Offering keynote speeches, special tracks, and an exhibit area, this event will bring together librarians, technology experts, publishers, and vendors to envision an exciting role for libraries.  Registration comes with full archive viewing.  Exciting prizes will be available to conference attendees!

Highlights:

• Learn about best practices for library eBook collections
• Explorenew & evolving models for eBook content & delivery
• Connect with peers
• Win exciting prizes like an iPad or iPod Touch

Full schedule online at:  http://www.ebook-summit.com/



(Library Journal, September, 2010)

Download an Updated Library Logo

Need a new sign to indicate to customers your library provides Wi-Fi / wireless internet access?

Looking for an updated image to symbolize your library?

Download the free updated  logo in 3 different sizes from the:  
Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study Press Kit   or http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/presskits/plftas10/index.cfm 
(scroll to the bottom of the page).

The ALA Office for Research & Statistics commissioned an updated version of the standard generic human figure reading a book, and now every library is free to make use of it.
If you want to use the original National Library Symbol, it’s also free to download in both gif and jpg formats.

Other sources: 

• The ‘M’ Word – Marketing Libraries: An Updated, Tech-Related, US Library Symbol
• National Library Symbol/Library Symbol Highway Sign
• Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study Press Kit

(Library Sparks - Winnefox Library System, August 31, 2010)

DOJ Offers Updated Compliance Outlines on Open Meetings, Public Records Laws

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) has posted the 2010 version of the Open Meetings Compliance Guide and the Public Records Compliance Outline on its website:

• Open Meetings Compliance Guide
• Public Records Compliance Outline

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will be hosting free seminars across Wisconsin to promote public awareness of and compliance with the state’s open meetings and public records law. At each seminar, Van Hollen will be accompanied by assistant attorneys general who are experts in Wisconsin’s open meetings and public records laws.

Seminars will be held in Madison (Sept. 20), Milwaukee (Sept. 27) and Wausau (Oct. 5). Each seminar is scheduled for three hours. In addition, a statewide videoconference seminar will take place Oct. 12 with viewing sites in Green Bay, La Crosse, Rice Lake and Racine.

Each seminar is free and open to the public, though advance registration is required due to limited seating. Individuals are invited to register at the Wisconsin Department of Justice website at www.doj.state.wi.us. Registrants should provide their name, title, organization or agency, and identify the seminar they wish to attend. Additional information is available on the DOJ website.

Librarians Asked to Encourage Patrons to Complete LinkWISCONSIN Survey

In order to better understand specific broadband availability, needs, uses and barriers to adoption, LinkWISCONSIN is conducting a consumer survey. Households will be selected randomly to participate in the 10-12 minute telephone survey, but people can also visit the website and take the survey.www.link.wisconsin.gov/lwi/default.aspx?page=27.

To participate in the online consumer survey, go to

All individual responses, whether obtained through telephone or online survey, will remain confidential. Collectively, responses will provide important feedback as LinkWISCONSIN moves forward with the planning phase of this statewide project. Input will provide critical insights into how and why Wisconsinites use high-speed Internet, as well as what needs may exist within each community.

This quantitative study will be available to regional planning teams later this fall.

(SCLS Online Update, September 3, 2010)

Free Online Course Materials From MIT

Just a quick announcement about some FREE Online Training opportunities from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 

MIT OpenCourseWare: Free Online Course Materials can be found at:   http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

"Free Lecture Notes, Syllabus, Tutorials, Audio and Video from MIT professors. All Free. No registration."

(Site of the Day, September 16, 2010)

OverDrive Training Month Reminder

It's hard to believe OverDrive's Training Month is half over!  Thank you to all who have participated thus far. We've had an unbelievable turn out and there's still room for more.

If you haven't taken a class yet, there are still openings in many sessions. 

Register now at:  http://www.overdrive.com/products/dlr/training. 

For those of you who have already attended some sessions, you can sign up for more courses or manage your account by going to http://overdrive.com/products/dlr/training%20  and logging in to your account.

Remember, we're giving away an MP3 player at the end of each session, and also grand prizes to the libraries with the highest overall staff participation.

Don't miss your chance to win some awesome prizes and learn more about your library's OverDrive service.

 

OverDrive's Training Team - training@overdrive.com

OverDrive, cBooks and Libraries

Libraries are The Source for eBooks

It has been proven in the last few years -- now more than ever --how important a library is to a community. Libraries have met the challenge of staying relevant in a technology-dependent society, and have embraced the most recent hot topic: eBooks and eBook readers. Names like 'Sony® Reader' and 'Barnes & Noble nook®' have become part of everyday library lingo. 

Over the last year, OverDrive eBook circulation (Adobe EPUB and PDF) has grown an astounding 170%, making it the second most downloaded format by OverDrive users; closely trailing audiobooks. To help keep the momentum going, OverDrive is here to help your library expand the exposure of eBooks through the following FREE programs:

Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg offers more than 15,000 public domain eBooks to your OverDrive collection at no cost to your library. Patrons can download the DRM-free EPUB eBooks without waitlists or authentication. The eBooks can be read in any EPUB-compatible software and transferred to EPUB-capable devices. Project Gutenberg eBooks don't expire or count against a patron's checkout limit, and soon you will be able to count the checkouts in your circulation stats. To see Project Gutenberg at Boston Public Library's Virtual Branch website, visit http://bpl.lib.overdrive.com.

The Project Gutenberg collection is currently available to library partners with OverDrive eBooks in the United States and the United Kingdom. 

 

Library eBook Accessibility Program (LEAP)
OverDrive's LEAP, provides accessible eBooks to qualified patrons. In partnership with Bookshare.org, OverDrive is providing print-disabled patrons access to 20 accessible eBooks every month for a full year at no cost to the library or the patron. More than 70,000 popular digital books, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines are available.

LEAP is currently available to library partners with OverDrive eBooks in the United States.
 (OverDrive Digital Dispatch,September 15, 2010) 

Teen Read Week Registration - 2010

Teen Read Week registration closes one week from today! Here are five great reasons to visit http://www.ala.org/teenread today:

1)      Teen Read Week registration is free! By registering, you are letting us know that teen literacy is a concern and you are willing to do something about it! Your registration helps YALSA know how many people participate in Teen Read Week  and ensures that it will be an ongoing event.

2)       Just by registering, you'll be entered into contests to win free books from Teen Read Week promotional partners Cinco Puntos, Carolrhoda Lab, and Viz Media. All registrants will receive a complimentary copy of TeenInk! And registration will also give you access to this year's theme-specific logo to use to promote Teen Read Week at your library

3)      Once you've registered, YALSA has collected helpful online tools or you to plan and promote Teen Read Week @ your library: activity ideas relating to this year's theme, professional materials to help you plan, and publicity tools to get attention for your events.

4)      We know you have something fabulous planned for Teen Read Week in your community. Tell us! We're collecting your plans at the YALSA Wiki, http://tinyurl.com/trw-mylibrary

5)      Take a look at the official Books with Beat @ your library products from ALA Graphics! YALSA and ALA Graphics are offering posters, bookmarks, downloadables (including pamphlets and  to promote Teen Read Week inside your library; ALA members get a 10 percent discount. If you'd like to receive TRW products in time for Teen Read Week using standard shipping, you'll need to order by Oct. 1, 2010. Products are available at http://www.alastore.ala.org/trw10.

Thank you for all you do to connect teens and books in your community!

 -Stevie - Stephanie (Stevie) Kuenn, Communications Specialist

Young Adult Library Services Association http://www.ala.org/yalsa

2010 WVLS Technology Seminar

2010 WVLS Technology Seminar

Invitation

Wisconsin Valley Library Service is hosting a technology seminar on Thursday September 23rd, 2010. The focus of this seminar will be on eBooks, eReaders, and their relevancy in libraries. Opportunities for open discussion and a question and answer session will be available. There will be short presentations on three of the most popular eReader brands: Amazon Kindle, Sony eReader, and Barnes&Noble Nook.

We have room for about thirty-five (35) guests and are initially reserving twenty-five (25) places for public libraries and ten (10) spaces for K-12 and higher education libraries. To give as many libraries access as possible, initial registration is limited to one (1) attendee per library as space allows. After Sept. 15th, any remaining places will be opened on a first come first serve basis until spaces are filled.

Snacks and beverages will be available, but lunch will be up to you. There are several excellent dining options within walking distance of the Venue.

There is no registration fee for this event. There will be a drawing for one or more prizes (to be determined) at the conclusion of the event. Some items in the possible prize list include eReaders, eBook vouchers, or mileage compensation.

ACTION: Directors, RSVP via email by Sept. 15th 2010 to Joshua Klingbeil –it.director@wvls.lib.wi.us– at Wisconsin Valley Library Service and let him know who will be attending from your library. After Sept. 15th, if there are any spots remaining, a second call will go out to fill them. Those spots will be filled first come first serve starting Sept. 16th.

Venue:  UWSP Center for Leadership Excellence & Economic Development 200 Washington Street - Suite 100 Wausau, WI 54403
(Located across 1st St. from the Wausau Library)

WVLS Offers College of DuPage Teleconferences and Workshops

College of DuPage Library Learning Network

Library Futures: Staying Ahead of the Curve 2010-2011

Teleconferences and workshops for library staff and professionals

WVLS has again subscribed to the College of DuPage Library Learning Network for the 2010-2011 season.  All teleconferences are 90 minutes in length, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Each session counts as 1.5 contact hours for public library certification.  The satellite coordinates and webcast info will be sent out about a week before each session.  If  you are unable to attend, a DVD copy of the online session will be available for borrowing.  For more information, contact Beth Sillars, 715-261-7255 or sillars@wvls.lib.wi.us or go to:  http://www.dupagepress.com/library-learning-network/

The following webinars will be available for WVLS members, staff, and trustees:      

Date	Time	Program
Friday, Sept. 24, 2010	11: 00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Libraries & the Mobile Technologies Landscape
Friday, Nov. 12, 2010	11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Redesigning Today's Public Services:  Focus on Reference
Friday, Feb. 4, 2011	11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Free Content for Library Collections
Friday, April 8, 2011	11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Cataloging:  New Perspectives