Volume 9, May 23, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) LAST CHANCE TO FILL THE BASKET FOR WTBBL

2) DIGITAL LITERACY HELP FROM WSL

3) OCLC ILL MIGRATION UPDATE

4) GRANTS FOR STEM EARLY LEARNING

5) SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMMING COMPETITION

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Time-traveling back to 1995….

My introduction to the virtual classroom was almost 2 decades ago! One of my undergraduate professors decided that he would have us meet virtually for a class session. In 1995, internet was still a novelty. I had my email through school and felt like one of the elite. I recently stumbled upon an email about that first virtual classroom experience, software has changed, but the premise is the same.

From the 1995 email:

“You will be ‘in’ a virtual ‘classroom’ on the ‘Penn’ campus. See who else shows up, identify yourself, and talk to each other. There’s help on line, but the key thing you need to know is that if you type “ at the left margin, whatever you type until you hit will be attributed to you as spoken ‘discourse’ everybody else can hear…(Some strange things may happen to you, but what the heck?) List-lurkers welcome to come along and meet the rest, and I will try to be there myself, but there are time zones and a schedule where I’m lecturing that evening to cope with.”

I attended this session and was frustrated that my slow typing meant that I was always at least a step behind everyone else in the conversation. Then, we discovered what Professor O’Donnell was trying to teach us. Thirty minutes into the session, “O’Donnell” revealed that he was a Teacher Assistant pretending to be Professor O’Donnell. Lesson learned; we never really know who we are talking with online.

Now, I get the opportunity to teach librarians how to use virtual classrooms for meetings and trainings. In March, I went to Valdez, Alaska to teach a conference session on this topic. I must admit that playing the game “Get Out of Valdez” gave me brand-new appreciation for the Pacific Northwest and reinforced my thoughts that the Alaskan librarians are made of awesome. I was welcomed warmly to our northern most state and had the opportunity to meet many Alaskan librarians, from those working in remote villages with a population of 40 to a former Washington librarian who now manages the Anchorage library. Despite concerns that days of snow may prevent us from departing Valdez, we all made it safely out.

The session focused on how to create interactive, fun webinars and I gave the participants several templates that they can re-purpose for their own use. Attendees later told me that I helped them see the simple things that could be done to enhance the webinar experience.

Through my various communities of practice including; I have been able to practice and fine-tune my webinar skills over the years. In the beginning when the Washington training group decided to experiment with web meetings, I was resistant. I knew I would miss seeing my colleagues face to face and the social interaction of those meetings often lead to great new ideas and projects. However, I soon became a convert. Now, while I love seeing my colleagues in person at trainings and conferences, I appreciate the times that we meet virtually.

Plus, there are so many more opportunities for collaboration now that I live much of my life in the “virtual world” of librarianship. I can meet regularly with my fellow Continuing Education state-wide coordinators from around the states and keep up with my local colleagues between our quarterly in-person meetings. I was able to partner with my colleague, Shirley Biladeau, from the Idaho Commission for Libraries to offer a series of eReader webinars for library staff. We are currently partnering on teaching Turning the Page 2.0 in the fall. Without the help of our virtual spaces including the virtual classroom, my job would be a lot harder.

Now, 18 years after my first attempt at navigating the virtual classroom, I am passionate at sharing my knowledge and skills with others. Also, I generally “know” who is in my classroom because we now have VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) that allows me to hear the voices of my peers. And if someone isn’t on a microphone and communicating over chat, I trust they are who they claim to be.

Jennifer Fenton is the Continuing Education/Training Coordinator at the Washington State Library and can often be found glued to a computer screen with a headset facilitating, attending or monitoring various online trainings and meetings.

Volume 9, May 16, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE AT THE 2013 WALE CONFERENCE

2) WTBBL NEEDS YOU TO FILL THE BASKET!

3) OUTREACH GRANTS FOR DISASTER HEALTH INFORMATION

4) HELP CELEBRATE TWO GREAT BIRTHDAYS

5) SURVEY FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE INSTITUTIONS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Written by guest blogger, Adrienne Doman Calkins, CE/Training Intern, Washington State Library, Library Development

Library staff have questions too. Lots of them. Like: How can I best implement eReader training at my library? What are the current trends in library programming? How can I improve our website? What training materials already exist to help me train my new staff? How can I best help my community with digital literacy skills? I want to brush up on my communication skills, but how can I from a remote area with few training opportunities. How can I learn about project management with my busy schedule?

Most importantly, library staff want to know how to keep their skills current to best serve their evolving communities.

The Washington State Library sponsors online learning for library staff across all 71,000+ square miles of the state through a statewide membership to WebJunction, an online learning community designed specifically for library staff. Washington is one of 18 states partnering with WebJunction to offer sponsored access to online courses and webinars for library staff. While WebJunction has a national presence, it is also a local organization based in Seattle, Washington, since 2003. Washington library staff benefit from WebJunction’s connections to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the parent company to WebJunction, OCLC.

If you’ve used WebJunction in years past, look again. The newly redesigned WebJunction website is easier to navigate and offers more resources.

Library staff across Washington are getting value out of the WSL partnership with WebJunction:

• 700 courses were taken in 2012
• 527 registered users attended 24 different live webinars in 2012
• Library staff from 30 different libraries registered for courses in 2012
• 561 Washington library staff are currently registered as WebJunction Washington members.
• With current membership, courses cost WSL about $22 each. That price gets lower the more members join and take courses. The current contract pays for over 3,600 library staff to join WebJunction.
• WebJunction content is available 24/7 to library staff wherever they have an internet connection, making it a great resource for rural library staff, who may not be able to attend offsite trainings as easily, or any staff who need to be as efficient as possible with their time.
• New content is constantly being added to WebJunction. Upcoming webinars can be found on www.webjunction.org, or look on the Washington Partner page to see these and links to WSL’s First Tuesday webinars. Can’t make the date? Past webinars are accessible as archives, as well. New courses will soon be available in video format when WebJunction adds Lynda.com trainings to their course catalog, increasing the software, business and creative offerings sponsored by WSL. Note: access to Lynda.com trainings will be limited, so registered staff should look for the invitation via email soon.
• Washington library staff can create a free account on the WebJunction site. Sponsored access will be approved by WSL and WebJunction within 48 hours.

Some WebJunction users are really taking advantage of the resources. One power-user, Keyla Gonzalez, a Circulation Clerk 2 from Bellingham Public Library, took 25 courses in 2012. She has built an impressive list of skills using WebJunction: “I have learned cultural communication styles, how to reach out to our non-English speaking patrons and how to better equip myself to be more helpful when answering patron’s requests.” What does Keyla appreciation about the WSL sponsored access to WebJunction? “I love that I can use my own time and finish my course load at my own pace. If there’s a course that is strenuous I know I can go back and re-do it however many times I want. Mostly I love that it is accessible at any time and it is free!”
Another important role in online learning is the WebJunction champion—that person who encourages staff to take courses and attend webinars. Some champions are peers, others are trainers, administrators, managers or supervisors. All of them know access to online learning is only part of the solution to help staff keep their skills sharp. The other part is creating a culture that prioritizes learning and gives staff the time, space and resources to participate in online training opportunities.

One such champion is Patricia Chupa, Circulation Supervisor at the Shelton Timberland Library. Pat, as her staff know her, has built just such a culture in her department. She incorporates online learning into the goals her staff make during annual performance evaluations and goes on to make a contract with her staff: if they “partner with one another to get the materials handling work done in a timely fashion,” then they are guaranteed “protected time to do their courses” and staff help cover for each other by negotiating the best time for trainings. Has the effort paid off? Pat is proud to report “the professional approach to their customer service has improved across the team, and that has readily been demonstrated in the level of satisfaction we see and hear from our patrons.”

The WebJunction Washington partner resources are managed by the Washington State Library, with input from a state-wide WebJunction Washington Advisory Team made up of members from public, academic, and special libraries across the state. It’s the sponsored learners, though, that make WebJunction resources come alive as library staff interact with library patrons with skills learned through this state-sponsored resource.

Volume 9, May 9, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) PIERCE COUNTY WINS NATIONAL MEDAL

2) FILL THE BASKET AND SUPPORT WTBBL

3) GOT GENEALOGISTS? GET TIPS AT JUNE’S FIRST TUESDAYS

4) HELP WASHINGTON’S CHILDREN TO REACH OUT AND READ

5) CCC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 9, May 2, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FIRST TUESDAYS – SPOTLIGHT ON FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITIES

2) PUT SOME APPLES IN THE BASKET FOR WTBBL

3) SDL PROQUEST RENEWAL

4) REGISTER FOR THE FREE OLYMPIA DISASTER WORKSHOP

5) CAYAS SPRING WORKSHOP COMES TO SEATTLE AND SPOKANE

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 9, April 25, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) THE NEW LIBRARY TRUSTEE MANUAL

2) FIDUCIARY DUTIES? COME TO FIRST TUESDAYS

3) CONTINUING EDUCATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY

4) SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ARSL FALL CONFERENCE

5) CELEBRATE WASHINGTON POETS

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Libraries are leaders in literacy. That in itself shouldn’t be surprising. However, literacy is now much more than being able to read standard print. Literacy now includes the ability to use digital, as well as print, resources. To succeed in the 21^st Century, digital literacy is essential. Whether applying for a job online, house-hunting, taking care of your health, or catching up with distant friends and relatives, life is much easier if you know how to navigate in a digital world.

Although defining digital literacy is no easy task, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Digital Literacy Task Force (which is led by the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy) has developed the following description to convey its meaning:

Digital literacy is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information, an ability that requires both cognitive and technical skills.

A digitally literate person:

● Possesses the variety of skills—cognitive and technical—required to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information in a wide variety of formats;

● Is able to use diverse technologies appropriately and effectively to search for and retrieve information, interpret search results, and judge the quality of the information retrieved;

● Understands the relationships among technology, lifelong learning, personal privacy, and appropriate stewardship of information;

● Uses these skills and the appropriate technologies to communicate and collaborate with peers, colleagues, family, and on occasion, the general public;

● Uses these skills to participate actively in civic society and contribute to a vibrant, informed, and engaged community.

Nationally, much is happening in the realm of digital literacy. Thursday, April 18, the DPLA (Digital Public Library of America) launched.  The DPLA is a platform that enables new and transformative uses of our digitized cultural heritage. The DPLA’s application programming interface (API) and open data can be used by software developers, researchers, and others to create novel environments for learning, tools for discovery, and engaging apps. Other major initiatives include Connect2Compete’s EveryoneOn campaign, DigitalLearn, and the Microsoft IT Academy.

At the Washington State Library, we have been following trends in digital literacy and evaluating a wide variety of digital literacy tools to create a portal that focuses on local resources as well as major national digital literacy projects. The Digital Literacy Advisory Team, made up of Washington State Library staff and representatives from the library community, have collaborated to make our new digital literacy resource page a valuable resource for all. Check it out here.

“For more information about WSL Digital Literacy project, please contact Jennifer Fenton, jennifer.fenton@sos.wa.gov.”

Volume 9, April 18, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FREE BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION KITS OR COMMUNITY READS

2) MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR PREVIEW OF NEW LIBRARY TRUSTEE WIKI

3) APPLY NOW FOR BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

4) PUSHING THE LIMITS GRANTS DEADLINE EXTENDED

5) NEW STEM WIKI FROM YALSA

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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Volume 9, April 11, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) 2013 OFF THE PAGE RENEWAL

2) MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

3) TARGET EARLY CHILDHOOD READING GRANTS

4) BANNED BOOKS WEEK EVENT GRANTS

5) HAVE A PROBLEM? GET ADVICE FROM DEAR DONIA

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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