Volume 5: Feb. 12, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) PUBLIC LIBRARY USAGE IN TOUGH TIMES

2) HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS NOW AVAILABLE IN PDF FORMAT

3) CONSERVATION KITCHEN BOOK REPAIR MATERIALS

4) THE LATEST FROM ALA ON THE LEAD IN BOOKS ISSUE

5) FREE ONLINE CLASS CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION CLASS

6) WORKSHOP ON UNDERSTANDING TEENS IN THE LIBRARY

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1) PUBLIC LIBRARY USAGE IN TOUGH TIMES

The Washington State Library studied public library usage patterns during this current period of economic downturn. A quick survey was conducted which compared usage statistics for the most recent 6 months to the same period from the year before.The results of this study have received quite a bit of publicity in the last few weeks. Articles referring to it featuring local libraries have appeared in several newspapers around the state. For links to some of them, visit a recent posting on the Serving Washington Libraries blog: www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/hardtimes. If a story appeared in your paper, please add a link in the blog comment section.

If you have not seen the complete report, prepared by WSL’s Evelyn Lindberg, you can find it at www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/up. The press release from the Office of the Secretary of state discussing the report can be found at www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/pr.

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2) HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS NOW AVAILABLE IN PDF FORMAT

Washington State’s Historical Newspapers as digitized by the Washington State Library are now available in PDF format. This means that teachers, students, and public library users no longer need to download the DJVU viewer in order to use the historical newspaper collection online. (DJVU format is still available for those who prefer it.) To view and/or search the newspaper collection, go to www.secstate.wa.gov/history/newspapers.aspx.

Historical newspapers from Washington State’s territorial period (1853-1889) are excellent primary source documents to support the new Social Studies CBA requirements. Teachers and students will particularly appreciate Moments in History, the pre-selected groups of articles on popular research topics, www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/moments. Additionally, Classics in Washington History, a digital collection of rare, out of print books, is also available in full-text for searching and viewing in PDF format: www.secstate.wa.gov/history/publications.aspx.

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3) CONSERVATION KITCHEN BOOK REPAIR MATERIALS

The videos and the related handouts for the Conservation Kitchen Parts 1 and 2 are now sited on their own WSL web page, at www.secstate.wa.gov/library/conservation_kitchen.aspx . They can be viewed as streaming media, or the DVDs can be borrowed from WSL Resource Sharing. These presentations were offered last year by WSL’s Diane Hutchins and others, as part of two noontime Brown Bag sessions.

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4) THE LATEST FROM ALA ON THE LEAD IN BOOKS ISSUE

“In discussing this situation with the ALA Washington Office attorney, Nathan Brown, we were advised that ALA’s comment letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission offered a statutory interpretation that the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act does not apply to libraries, even if it applies to books. Additionally, members of Congress have been telling ALA the same thing – the law was not intended to apply to books. We, therefore, believe strongly that the law does not apply to us unless and until CPSC clarifies otherwise by rule.

We have urged the CPSC to clarify that our interpretation is correct. In the meantime, if a library is aware of a book possibly containing lead at harmful levels or the statutorily prescribed levels, it should remove that book. As we learn more about this issue, we will continue to post updates on this (ALA) blog (www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch).”

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5) FREE ONLINE CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION CLASS

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region (NN/LM PNR) is pleased to offer the free online course: “From Snake Oil to Penicillin: Evaluating Consumer Health Information on the Internet” beginning on February 16 and ending on March 2nd with a live web conference. Learn how to evaluate health information sites on the Internet using the following criteria: accuracy, authority, bias, currency and coverage.

As of Wednesday, there were 3 places left in next week’s class. The next offering of this free class will be in May. More information about the course is available at cech.mlanet.org/node/300. You may register for the course at tinyurl.com/CERegistration. Instructions on how to be placed on a waitlist will be given at the registration website when the course is full.

This course has been offered several times in the past few years and has been very well-received. The course is asynchronous, meaning you can work at your own pace via a private class website, with the exception of a live web conference that will take place on Monday, March 2nd at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. An optional final project is available if you an unable to attend the conference; we understand the demands of library scheduling!

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6) WORKSHOP ON UNDERSTANDING TEENS IN THE LIBRARY

Coming soon from the Washington State Library, a workshop by Victoria Tennant on “Understanding the Mysteries of the Teenage Brain & Teens in Your Library,” followed by Lisa Oldoski of the Pierce County Library in the afternoon, discussing teen library services. Tennant’s workshop, “Amazing Minds,” was offered by WSL some years ago to rave reviews.

Find more program details, registration links, dates and the six cities where the training will be offered at www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/brain . The all-day training is free and will include lunch. A preconference workshop with the same program is planned for WALE 2009 in Wenatchee on September 30. This preconference will be eligible for CE Grant applications. For more information, contact Jennifer Fenton, [email protected], toll free 1-866-538-4996.