Volume 6, April 8, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) WOMAN’S DAY ALA LIBRARY STORIES CONTEST

2) IMAGINE, PROGRAM, SHARE – LIBRARY PROGRAMMING WITH SCRATCH

3) INNOVATION FOR LIBRARIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

—————————————————————————————————————

1) WOMAN’S DAY ALA LIBRARY STORIES CONTEST

WomansDay.com announces their annual ALA Contest: “Why is your library important to your community?” From now through May 9th, women ages 18 and up are asked to send stories illustrating their library’s contribution to the community. Up to four stories will be included in the March 2011 issue of Woman’s Day or at WomansDay.com.

A current article, “How the Public Library Can Save You Money,” provides sample essays by four women, including one from Camano Island, WA. The article encourages people to use their local public library in these tough economic times. Public libraries are welcome to link to the article and contest information.

Follow this shortcut link for the article: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/SaveMoney. For all the Woman’s Day ALA Contest information and rules, use this link: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/WomensDay.

—————————————————————————————————————

2) IMAGINE, PROGRAM, SHARE – LIBRARY PROGRAMMING WITH SCRATCH

Looking for a technology that’s fun to use, great for children and teen programs, and can encourage literacy skills? Look no further! CAYAS presents Imagine, Program, Share: Library Programming with Scratch with Jennifer Nelson and Keith Braafladt.

Learn about a technology that encourages kids and teens to imagine, create, and share art and animation, music and games. Scratch is a free software tool developed by the MIT Media Lab that can be used to create animation and game projects that incorporate music, sound, original art, digital photographs and more. Learn how to use this software, explore the Scratch social network, and plan programs for your library at this hands-on workshop. Participants will have the opportunity to create and share their own project and become a member of the online Scratch community. Some computers will be provided, but we encourage participants to bring their own computers, with Scratch already downloaded. View Scratch samples and download the program at scratch.mit.edu.

Cost: $30 for WLA members, $40 nonmembers, $20 students. Dates and locations:

• Friday, April 16, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. KCLS Shoreline Library. Registration deadline April 9
• Friday, May 7, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. NCRL Headquarters, Wenatchee. Registration deadline May 1

For more information, and to register, follow this shortcut link: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/Scratch.

—————————————————————————————————————

3) INNOVATION FOR LIBRARIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Join Alliance Library System and LearningTimes for this exciting online conference. The conference will include keynotes by two well-known innovators: Rich Harwood of the Harwood Institute and Helene Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. This inspiring day will also include a number of dynamic speakers on the topic, the theme, the management, the philosophy, and the procedures of creating and implementing innovation for your library.

May 12 is the date. No travel; this conference is completely online. Cost is $49 for an individual, $99 for a group. Register at www.learningtimes.net/innovation/register.

—————————————————————————————————————