Volume 5, August 13, 2009 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) FREE CONTINUING EDUCATION WITH FIRST TUESDAYS

2) LCW PUBLIC LIBRARIES POSITION OPEN

3) FREE WAYFINDER SEARCH BOX WIDGET

4) FREE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOPS

5) ONLINE TUTORIAL HELPS LIBRARIES LOCATE RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

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1) FREE CONTINUING EDUCATION WITH FIRST TUESDAYS

First Tuesdays is a continuing-education opportunity for staff of libraries in Washington State. Presented via the web, First Tuesdays lets attendees share their skills and successes as they learn about new topics. August saw a presentation on Forming Strong Ties Between School and Public Libraries, by Eve Datisman and Keitha Owen. Our next session, State Library Collections, will be presented on September 1, 2009 by the Washington State Library’s Sean Lanskbury. To view our upcoming presentation or archives for past presentations, please visit www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/firsttuesdays.

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2) LCW PUBLIC LIBRARIES POSITION OPEN

Applications are currently being accepted for one Library Council of Washington position. This position represents public libraries serving over 100,000 persons. Applications must be submitted by Friday, September 11, 2009 to be considered. Service for this position is anticipated to begin in January 2010 although the first meeting of the Council will not be until March 2010.

More information is available at www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/vacancy. If you have questions, please feel free to contact, Jeff Martin, at 360-704-5248, [email protected], or Anne Yarbrough at 360-704-5246, [email protected].

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3) FREE WAYFINDER SEARCH BOX WIDGET

Libraries may place a Wayfinder search box on any web page, to provide their patrons with a customized quick and easy search experience. Several versions of the search box are available. Visit wayfinder.worldcat.org/tools/searchBoxHTML and create your own customized search box. Yet another version of the search box incorporates the Wayfinder logo. See an example here: www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/wayplus and get the customized code here: www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/WayfinderNews.

Another option is to just put the Wayfinder logo on a page, linking directly to the Wayfinder web site at wayfinder.worldcat.org. A small version of the logo is available from our website here: www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/WayfinderLogo. Or add Wayfinder to your library’s list of online resources and databases. For a small version of the logo that incorporates the tag line “The Catalog of Washington Libraries” contact Will Stuivenga.

As a reminder, Wayfinder: The Catalog of Washington Libraries (wayfinder.worldcat.org), is a subset of OCLC’s WorldCat database, containing records for more than 17.8 million items held by over 250 libraries of all types throughout Washington State. For more information, contact Will Stuivenga, Wayfinder project manager, at [email protected] or 360.704.5217.

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4) FREE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOPS

The Protecting Library & Archive Collections: Disaster Preparedness, Response & Recovery workshops are designed to train staff for disaster preparedness.

Who should attend? Administrators and staff from all types of libraries and archives responsible for emergency preparedness, response and decision-making. By registering for the workshop, the institution commits to supporting the attendee(s) to achieve the workshop’s disaster preparedness goals. When possible, please send two attendees from a library or archive so they can work together on the disaster preparedness activities. Participants will prepare short assignments prior to the first session; between sessions, they will undertake additional assignments resulting in a completed disaster plan at the end of Part 2.

The workshop instructor is Gary Menges, Preservation Administrator at the University of Washington Libraries, Seattle. He is a member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Collections Emergency Response Team (AIC CERT).

The workshops are scheduled in two Washington locations as follows:

· Seattle: Part 1 September 16; Part 2 November 3.

· Vancouver: Part 1 September 21; Part 2 November 16.

The workshops run from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. both days.

There is no cost to attend, as funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The workshops are co-sponsored by the Washington State Library and the Washington State Archives. For more details, including exact locations and registration information, follow this shortcut link: tiny.cc/ZePOL.

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5) ONLINE TUTORIAL HELPS LIBRARIES LOCATE RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES

ParentHelp123.org has many resources for library professionals helping families in hard times. Now you can watch an online tutorial to learn about how the website can assist patrons in finding health and food resources. Find the tutorial via this shortcut link: www.secstate.wa.gov/quicklinks/123.

ParentHelp123.org is a user-friendly online resource for health and food assistance. Families can screen, apply and send applications for state sponsored health insurance and food programs in about 15 minutes. They can use the Resource Finder, a zipcode search tool, to find local services like food banks, low cost medical clinics, child care referral and more. Health information about pregnancy, new babies and families is also available for families. The website is available in Spanish and is supported by the multilingual Family Health Hotline (1-800-322-2588) who can assist individuals in any language.

Order FREE materials for libraries to promote easy access to resources through ParentHelp123.org and the Family Health Hotline. Select from a variety of color print materials (flyers, brochures, counter cards, and wallet cards). To order, visit withinreachwa.org/materials_library.

ParentHelp123.org would like to be a resource partner with your library. For more information, contact Sue Waldin, Outreach Specialist at [email protected].

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