On the surface, applications such as Flickr and Twitter may not appear to be online communities; but they can be used by nonprofits to mobilize constituencies, enhance outreach and fundraising activities, and expand reach. This multi-media session includes an expert-led exploration of the above Web 2.0 tools, hands-on advice on how to best implement them for your organization, and a chance for you to ask questions to ensure that you will leave ready to implement what you have learned. A TechSoup Stock representative will present information on how to use the TechSoup website and the process for requesting donated products.
This is the first in a series of free online seminars sponsored by ReadyTalk and designed for any size organization. You should attend if you are interested in using these tools to showcase the work of your organization and reach your constituents in new and dynamic ways. You don’t need extensive time, money or tech skills to get started. Space is limited, so secure your space today!
Check out Webjunction’s upcoming continuing education offerings, all *free* webinars that allow you to learn something new and interesting in an hour or less!
WebJunction Webinar: Introduction to “Shaping Outcomes”
May 29 at 11:00 AM Pacific/2:00 PM Eastern
Join presenter Rachel Applegate as she introduces the online course, ‘Shaping Outcomes,’ which teaches the principles of an ‘outcomes-based planning and evaluation’ (OBPE). The course was originally developed to help LSTA and IMLS grant applicants create stronger grant proposals and stronger programs. Trainers can use the website and extensive instructor’s materials to deliver the course on their own, or enroll at www.shapingoutcomes.org. This webinar will provide an introduction to outcomes-based planning and evaluation.
Learning Webinar: Cultivating a Culture of Learning at the Library
June 10 at 11:00 AM Pacific/1:00 PM Eastern
How much time does your library spend on “training?” Statistics show that most learning takes place on the job or with a coworker, yet as trainers we spend an inordinate amount of time preparing for and delivering classroom training. In this webinar you will learn why you need to get your staff out of the classroom and instead focus on creating a culture of learning in your library. Presented by guest speaker Lori Reed, Training Specialist for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County.
On Wednesday, April 16, advocacy “guru Stephanie Vance will host the Washington Office’s second Advocacy Webinar. (The first webinar was a huge success.)
The webinar comes just as National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) approaches, when our advocacy skills need to be honed to a razor sharp edge. Librarians, friends, trustees and enthusiasts from across the country will be participating in NLLD on May 13 and 14, 2008. Some will be coming to DC to meet with their Members of Congress, while others will be participating in Virtual Library Legislative Day by calling and writing their elected officials from the safety of their own offices.
How can you best prepare for and be effective in these communications? How can you be sure legislators and their staff will hear your message and pay attention? What kinds of federal policy issues should you talk about?
A project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association:
Picturing America, an exciting new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, brings masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide. Through this innovative program, students and citizens will gain a deeper appreciation of our country’s history and character through the study and understanding of its art.
Participating institutions will receive:
Forty large, high-quality color reproductions of the selected masterpieces (24” x 36”).
A Teachers Resource Book providing a wide range of ideas and background information to support educators using the works of art in core subject areas.
You can peruse these materials and apply online. Applications are due by April 15, 2008; public libraries, K-12 schools, and home school consortia are eligible.
The Public Programs Office sent out an alert about a new traveling exhibition care of Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, an organization that promotes the study and love of American history, and has developed traveling panel exhibitions for display at schools, libraries, and historic sites.
The exhibition, Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times, incorporates letters, photographs, and images from Lincoln’s presidency and Civil War soldiers and their families, and is available to academic and public libraries only.
If you are interested in hosting this exhibition, download the application from the Gilder Lehrman Institute site to apply by March 25, 2008. Questions about the exhibition may be directed to Susan Saidenberg at
This just in from the ALA Public Programs Office (PPO):
For the first time ever, readers around the world will be able to participate in a free, live interactive book discussion program, led by [Oprah] Winfrey and [Eckhardt] Tolle. Each weekly class will be presented as a webcast and correspond to a chapter from “A New Earth,” with the discussion focusing on the chapter’s themes. Participants will be invited to take part in the discussion by submitting questions in real-time via the Oprah.com web site.
The 10 weekly sessions will be webcast every Monday night from March 3 through May 5, at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. To register for the class, log onto www.oprah.com/anewearth. For libraries that can’t participate in real time, archives of each session will be available for download via Oprah.com within 24 hours of the original webcast.
We’d love to hear about public library experiences with this program. You can comment on this post, or send us email and let us know what you’re up to (we’d love to see pictures!), and how it’s going.
Has your library participated in online book groups (real-time or asynchronous) before, and what has your experience been? How do Oprah’s Books play a role with your library users and your local book groups?
It’s not exactly *free* money, since we know a lot of time and energy goes into grant applications. But who can turn down such great offers? Jump on these as soon as possible, the deadlines start as early as January 25.
Great Stories CLUB
Connect with hard-to-reach, underserved teens by conducting a Great Stories CLUB reading and discussion program in your library. Online applications will be accepted through February 1, 2008.
We the People “Created Equal” Bookshelf
Each year, the National Endowment for the Humanities identifies a theme important to the nation’s heritage and selects books that embody that theme to build the We the People Bookshelf. The theme for the 2007-2008 Bookshelf is “Created Equal.” Public libraries are invited to apply online through January 25, 2008.
2008 National Leadership Grants
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting grant applications for the agency’s 2008 National Leadership Grant (NLG) program. IMLS offers applicants an online tutorial for developing a project plan for a NLG applicationThe deadline for submitting applications is February 1, 2008.
10 Ways to Make Your Library Great in 2008—via Web 2.0
1/16/08 11 AM-12 PM PT / 2-3 PM ET (registration is optional) Excellent note: WebJunction’s webinars are now closed captioned in real time as well as in the recorded archive.
As you think about your resolutions for the New Year, why not resolve to make your library a great educational asset within your community? This webinar will show you how to leverage social networking tools such as del.icio.us and Librarything to enable knowledge sharing and create collections of information around professional development. Ten key themes are presented to empower library staff as well as to increase a library’s value within the community. Presented by guest speaker Ed Rossman, adult services librarian at Shaker Heights Public Library and author of Castles Against Ignorance: How to Make Libraries Great Educational Environments.
Are you doing everything you can to protect your data? Malware—from viruses to spyware—continues to plague many businesses, not to mention internal security threats. Does your small business have a holistic security strategy in place?
Don’t have a plan to secure your business data? Let the expert editorial staff of PC Magazine teach you everything you need to know. Attend this course of four dynamic online webcast lessons each of which includes practical downloadable coursework.
Even though we aren’t “businesses” per se, libraries are large organizations dealing with computers — public and staff — and their issues. This course, which you can do at your own pace, offers something a bit deeper than your average article about vanilla virus protection, and will give you excellent fodder for your next coffee with the tech folks.
In exchange for the free reports, recipients agree to write one article (maximum 1200 words) on a topic of national interest by March 2008.
The Librarian Salary Survey has been published since 1982 and covers six positions. The Non-MLS Salary Survey has been published since 2006 and covers more than 60 positions that do not require an ALA-accredited master’s degree in library science. The 2007 Non-MLS Salary Survey also reports salaries for staff employed as librarians but who do not have ALA-accredited master’s degrees in library science.
For more details about the reports, articles, and how to apply, visit the ALA-APA web site. The deadline for article topic submission is November 16, 2007.
More and more people are accessing information and resources from home and work computers. Does that mean the physical library will go away? NO WAY! In this session we will talk about the evolving role of the physical library space. We will highlight innovative and interesting rural library examples. Join the Rural In Focus webinar facilitator, Brenda Hough, and guest presenter Cindi Hickey, Continuing Education Librarian and WebJunction Coordinator for the State Library of Kansas. Find information on joining the webinar in addition to archives of past webinars at Rural In Focus.
The webinar is FREE, and advanced registration is not required, you can just show up the day of. Visit WebJunction for information on how to attend the webinar, and to make sure your computer is ready to help you join the conversation. While you’re there, visit the archive of webinars (scroll down a bit on the page) that you can watch at your leisure.
