RE: An open letter to America’s publishers from ALA President Maureen Sullivan

As many in the library community have already noted; ALA President, Maureen Sullivan, posted "an open letter to America’s publishers" yesterday.

After reading it, I was struggling with the thought of forwarding it on to anyone in particular.  Until, that is, I read David Lee King's consideration and realized "yeah... that's what I was thinking!  Kindof ... Sortof ... maybe... maybe not... hmmmm????"

The ALA president's message was posited as an open letter to America's publishers and it refers heavily to three of the largest which still refuse to offer access to their digital books in public libraries.  My initial reaction to the title was "about time."  After reading it I was kind of thinking "umm ... huh?"  The message is intended for the publishers, and should be read as if you're one of them, not a librarian.  However, it does become a little mixed and in places seems like it's intended to be for the librarians and not the publishers.  After working my way through that thought process, I then applied some strategic thinking (which wasn't nearly as painful as I'd feared).

I savvy that there may actually be some purpose to this somewhat abstract message to publishers.  The ALA President is formally stating what many of us in libraries and technology land have been discussing for a few years now.  Let me digress...

ALA's Office of Information Technology Policy (OITP) developed an EBook Task Force (on which our own Robert Bocher participated) which gave us things like "Frequently Asked E-book Questions from Public Librarians."  And for about a year now, the recently formed Digital Content and Libraries Working Group (DCWG) has been  working on subjects like library education, outreach, digitization, and have focused primarily on licensing and business models for digital content.  Over the summer they've published some documents, such as the digital content "Tip Sheet" which may prove helpful to libraries.

Here are a few additional resources from\about the DCWG:

• What DCWG Did This Summer
• ALA Releases “Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries”

... end digression, and back to my understanding (well ... "hope" is probably more accurate).  I think|choose-to-believe that this letter is a precursor to one or more nationally organized calls to action, backed by some sound thinking on the part of groups like OTIP's DCWG and  EBookTask force.  It sounds (just enough to keep me interested) like Ms. Sullivan is preparing people on both sides of this table for some action.  This gives me hope, but I must remain honest with myself.  The biggest challenge I still see lying ahead for the ALA and library community in general is to figure out an effective way to game the players who're holding all the aces ... and most of the face cards.

Joshua Klingbeil - IT Director
Wisconsin Valley Library Service

Digital Literacy Presentations from Adventures in August

Hello Library Community,

The Adventures in August workshop on Digital Literacy and Reference, hosted by WVLS on August 14th was a wonderful success.  We had presentations of a caliber typically found at state and national level conventions, and my only regret is that we did not offer our excellent presenters a larger venue.  I'm not writing to pat ourselves on the back however, I'm writing to share the well crafted presentation slides from the morning sessions focusing on Digital Literacy.

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This post is a bit late in coming but the content should be worth the wait.  Our first session had two parts, the first of which featured the nationally recognized former Technology Consultant for Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Division for Libraries and Technology, Robert Bocher.  Bob spoke to us in the context of national agenda, specifically discussing the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Digital Literacy Initiative.

     Link 1 - Please click here to download Bob Bocher's presentation.

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The second part featured Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) Library Consultant Mark Beatty.  Mark spoke about the very interesting topic of community platform and content creation facilitation.  His topic, "Libraries as Platform" ranged from presenting libraries as a platform for community information collection, processing and sharing, to libraries as Maker Spaces, giving community members access to resources which help them to create digital content and physical "things."  He talked about how libraries are service and reference providers as much or more than they are simply information and entertainment warehouses.

     Link 2 - Please click here to download Mark Beatty's presentation.

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Our second morning session featured Adam Brisk, an ALA and WAPL regular, who worked for Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) until recently accepting a position at Marshall Preparatory School.  He joked about about his fluctuating title but as of this writing LinkIn has him as Help Desk Specialist and Technology Integration Specialist.  Adam delivered an excellent presentation on Digital Literacy in Academic Libraries.    Adam has conveniently uploaded his slides to SlideShare.

     Link 3 - Please click here to view his presentation.

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Last, but certainly not least, our afternoon session featured WiLS director, Stef Morrill, and WiLS cooperative purchasing librarian, Sara Gold.  This dynamic duo delivered a phenomenal presentation on digital content and the ever turbulent relationships between libraries, digital content publishers, and middle tier vendors.  Their presentation will be delivered again at various events around the state, so if you missed this one, please contact Stef or Sara (click here to visit the WiLS website) to find out about catching a future event.  Unfortunately their presentation slides include some proprietary data so I am unable to share it in this open blog.  However, we have a copy of the presentation and permission to deliver it solely to our librarians for informational/educational purposes.

I will be sending the slides to our closed listserv for Library Directors, so if you are interested in viewing it, please look to that list or ask your director about it.

Thank you,

Joshua Klingbeil - IT Director

Wisconsin Valley Library Service

Wisconsin Library Association Announces Awards Recipients

The Wisconsin Library Association is pleased to announce this year’s library luminaries, selected as outstanding for their contribution to libraries and librarianship:

• Citation of Merit: Dr. Lelan McLemore, retired director, Carroll University Library
• Special Service Award: Anthony (Tony) Driessen, WLA Lobbyist
• Trustee of the Year: Jim Backus, Trustee, Wisconsin Valley Library Service
• Library of the Year: David A. Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay
• WLA/DEMCO Librarian of the Year: Stephen Proces, Director, Neenah Public Library

For more information about the winners, visit the WLA Blog:

http://wla.wisconsinlibraries.org/wla-blog/entry/2012-08-31-wisconsin-library-association-awards-celebrating-excellence-in-library-service

 

(Lisa K. Strand, Executive Director - Wisconsin Library Association/WLA Foundation)

 

 

 Congratulations!

WiscNet Separating from UW - What Does It Mean?

Short answer? Business as Usual.

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WiscNet staff and board members have been working toward internal changes that will allow the UW to maintain access to the affordable advanced networking services WiscNet offers. This will help the UW to overcome one of the many challenges it faces with the broad reaching legislation that went into the UW Budget bill last summer.

The changes to WiscNet will be virtually transparent to the libraries which indirectly utilize its services through WVLS membership. Even as a direct member, WVLS does not anticipate any changes to its service levels or membership fees at this time.

I'm sure that the WiscNet employees and other board members are as proud as I am to have been able to help WiscNet adapt in such a way that it is able to help taxpayers like your patrons and yourselves save hundreds of thousands and potentially millions of dollars by creating a legislatively compliant means for the UW to access high quality advanced networking services at a reasonable cost.

Joshua Klingbeil - IT Director
Wisconsin Valley Library Service

Up Coming Continuing Education Opportunities –

Have you registered for the Adventures in August – Digital Literacy and Reference workshop? Scheduled for August 14, 2012 at the Great Dane Pub in Wausau, WI. Contact jathomas@wvls.org for more information.

Various organizations offer great opportunities using online webinars – they are worth a look:

ALA: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/search/node/online%20webinars

Infopeople: http://infopeople.org/training/view/webinar/archived

Library Journal: https://shop.mediasourceinc.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ocid=239&src=LJTDS12LJEMAILCP

WebJuntion: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction.html

Other library systems around the state open up their continuing education events to other system libraries - check out the following:

Indianhead Federated Library System: http://www.ifls.lib.wi.us/Default.aspx?tabid=136

Outagamie Waupaca Library System:  http://www.owlsweb.info/ce/classes.asp?x=2

Nicolet Federated Library System:  http://www.owlsweb.info/ce/classes.asp?x=2

South Central Library System: http://www.owlsweb.info/ce/classes.asp?x=2

The CCBC has wonderful ideas and great events coming up – checkout their website at: http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/events/default.asp

Have you been to the Overdrive site lately? If not perhaps attending a session in September during Overdrive Training Month would be a wise choice.

http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2012/08/06/get-your-seats-for-training-month/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OverdrivesDigitalLibraryBlog+%28OverDrive%27s+Digital+Library+Blog%29

Watch for future information reagarding the October16, 2012 Youth Services workshop on the 2013 Summer Library Reading Program.

Juanita Thomas, Outreach Coordinator 300 N 1st St. Wausau, WI 54403 (715) 261-7258 jathomas@wvls.org

Be Wary of Fake Invoice Scams

WVLS has had a few calls in recent days from "Customer Service" letting us know that they are our toner supplier and that they need the model number off of our printer or copier. Well I've heard this question before so I just ask them "What's the name of your company?" ... click ... and that ends it. Call over, scam avoided.

Wait what? Scam? What?

So yeah. The above call describes a practice used in which an organization, group of people, or even just an individual will call a company, ask for some information that would help them craft a fake invoice, and then, well, craft a fake invoice and send it to you. The hope is that maybe some small percentage of organizations that receive these fake invoices actually pay them, without understanding what happened.

http://www.scambusters.org/invoicescams.html


When you're managing IT at all but the most gigantuan companies, you may typically work with a concise group of vendors, and it can seem easy to know what you have, where you get it from, what it should cost, and who you should pay for it for just about everything within your purview. After all, the technology used to keep track of that info is, well, technology and we are, well, technology people.

That's not to say we know everything (we're working on it)but, it can therefore also seem easy to identify scams and rogue agents trying to elicit your business in a shady fashion. It helps to have experienced it multiple times before. We're also super paranoid about people hacking our systems, stealing our info, and making us look bad. If there's anything IT people hate more than haggis, it's being made to look bad.

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/2135371909

What about when you're not in IT, or not familiar with every single service provider and every single cost item your department or organization deals with, or not familiar with invoicing scams through past experience in dealing with the methodology?

Well hopefully you are acquainted with wonderful and smart technology professionals, or other trade professionals such as financial services personnel who want to get the word out, and have access to creating content on a fairly well read blog. You are? Great!


What can you do?

1. Be wary - Question all "vendors" soliciting information. Ask for their info so you can have time to validate their request and get back to them.
   
2. Be vigilant - Review and audit all invoices. This may be verifying quantities received or verifying the invoice is genuine period.
   
3. Be proactive - Did you catch a scam before it caught you? Did you get caught? Let the rest of your peers know either way to help prevent others from this fate.

Think you have a scam on your hands or have been hit by one recently? Give me a holler.

Good luck out there!

Joshua Klingbeil

It’s finally here, folks—registration is now open for Next Generation Digital Library, the main attraction of OverDrive Training Month  -  September 5 - 28, 2012.

Who: Library & school staff
What: Next Generation Digital Library live training sessions
When: September 5 – 28, 2012
Where: From your computer with speakers or headphones
How: Register today!

During these live webinars conducted via ReadyTalk throughout the month of September, we’ll brief library staff on exciting developments coming to OverDrive-powered digital libraries in 2012. We’ll discuss these topics and more:
• Browser-based eReading with OverDrive Read
• APIs for integrating OverDrive content with library discovery tools
• In-library discovery of digital collections via OverDrive Media Station
• Publisher-supported device lending via Test Drive
• Efficient collection-development tools in the redesigned Content Reserve
• Self-service help & training resources

Our ticket booth is ready for action, and the show will soon begin, so get your eats and reserve your seat for Next Generation Digital Library. Simply visit the Registration page within our Learning Center to find a session that works with your schedule. Then click “Register” and enter your information. After registration, you’ll receive a confirmation email—you’ll need this in order to test your computer for ReadyTalk compatibility and join the conference. You can also click to add the session to your personal calendar.

All sessions are free to staff of OverDrive library and school partners. Coming September 5, we’ll also be offering on-demand modules for self-service training.

For more about Training Month 2012, click here.

(Christina Bernecker is a Training Specialist at OverDrive.)

ADVENTURES IN AUGUST
Digital Literacy and Reference

Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Great Dane Pub
2305 Sherman Street / Exit 191B
Wausau, WI 54403
 (715) 845-2000

9:00   Registration with coffee and rolls
9:30 – 10:00  FCC’s Digital Literacy - Bob Bocher, former Technology Consultant for DLT
10:00 – 10:30  Library as Platform - Mark Beaty, Training & Automation Librarian, Wils
10:45 – 11:45  Common Core Standards, Training Ideas - Adam Brisk
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch ($9.00) with Stef Morrill, Director, Wils and Sara Gold from Wils discussing       Libraries at the Digital Tipping Point: Trends, Impacts, and Responses
1:45 – 3:15  Planning for the Future of Libraries –   Marc Gartler, Chair of ALA America’s Libraries in the 21st Century                                                                                                  

2 CEUs for morning session; 3 CEUs for afternoon session; 5 CEUs all day.

The first person to sign up for the whole day wins a prize for their library!

Registration deadline: Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Lunch selection: Grilled Chicken Wrap, BBQ Pork Sandwich, or Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

Pay the day of the event

RSVP to: Juanita Thomas at jathomas@wvls.org or (715) 261-7258

Wisconsin Valley Library Service sponsored event

WVLS PC & Networking Services

July marks the launch of PC and Network Support Services offered by Wisconsin Valley Library Service. Please see this PDF for more information. Shaun Howard, our Technology Support Specialist, has been helping us prepare for this launch. Shaun brings several years of helpdesk support expertise, as well as a strong skillset in the areas of PCs and Networking.

Our primary channel for initiating support requests is via email to support@wvls.org which will automatically create a support ticket in our Spiceworks helpdesk system. Over the past 6 months, we’ve been guiding people to that address so for many of you the support@wvls.org address and the Spiceworks formatted responses are becoming familiar. We will continue to improve on our internal process and support workflow and will also be helping our end users (you the library directors and staff members) to manage your own support requests with the Spiceworks User Portal, http://support.wvls.org/portal (currently accessible from within our WAN).

Our primary support phone line is 715.261.7254. WVLS technology staff who are out of the office or otherwise unavailable will be forwarding their lines to this number in order to better manage the flow of incoming calls. All support requests, whether initiated by emailing support@wvls.org or by calling one of our technology staff members, will have a support ticket generated; automatically if by originated email or the User Portal, or manually if originated by a phone call or other means.

We’re looking forward to working more closely and directly with our member libraries to offer PC and Networking Support Services and help ease technology related budget concerns across the system.

Joshua Klingbeil – IT Director
Wisconsin Valley Library Service

Free Webinar - "Kick Start Your National Friends of Libraries Week Celebration"

ALTAFF will host a webinar, “Kick Start Your National Friends of Libraries Week Celebration,” from 12-1 p.m. CST on Tuesday, July 24, 2012

This free webinar will give libraries and Friends ideas and materials so that they can promote National Friends of Libraries Week (Oct. 21-27, 2012) in their libraries and community. Those who cannot attend the webinar can view the recording on the ALTAFF website after July 24. All participants must register (https://ala.ilinc.com/register/xcvybtf) to participate in the live webinar. The webinar will led by ALTAFF’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Beth Nawalinski and ALTAFF’s Marketing/Public Relations Specialist, Jillian Kalonick.

ALTAFF will coordinate the seventh annual National Friends of Libraries Week Oct. 21-27, 2012. The celebration offers a two-fold opportunity to celebrate Friends. Use the time to creatively promote your group in the community, to raise awareness and to promote membership. This is also an excellent opportunity for your library and Board of Trustees to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library. Friends groups, library Trustees and library staff can access a variety of online resources to help them celebrate National Friends of Libraries Week. Materials available on the ALTAFF website (www.ala.org/altaff/grants_awards/friends/friendsweek) include promotional ideas, editable publicity materials, camera ready bookmarks, ideas from past celebrations and much more.

ALTAFF is pleased to announce a sixth year of awards in conjunction with National Friends of Libraries Week. Two awards of $250 will be given to Friends of the Library groups for activities held during National Friends of Libraries Week, Oct. 21-27, 2012. Application materials are available on the ALTAFF website (www.ala.org/altaff/grants_awards/friends/friendsweek).  Entries are due by Dec. 3, 2012.

Jillian Kalonick

Marketing/Public Relations Specialist

Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF)
American Library Association
109 S. 13th St., Suite 117B
Philadelphia, PA 19107
phone 800-545-2433, ext. 2161
fax 215-545-3821

http://www.ala.org/altaff

find ALTAFF on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ala.altaff

follow ALTAFF on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ala_altaff