Volume 6, September 16, 2010 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2010/2011

2) RENEW WASHINGTON PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS ARE ONLINE

3) TAKE THE EARLY LEARNING SURVEY

4) INFOPEOPLE OFFERS MINI-COURSES

5) FUNDS FOR SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS IN WASHINGTON STATE

6) ENVIRONMENTAL AND MEDIA PROGRAMS SUPPORTED

7) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2010/2011

The Letters About Literature annual contest has begun. Please encourage the teachers and students at your school or in your library area to participate. Homeschoolers are welcome as well. Entries must be postmarked by December 10, 2010.

To learn about this year’s contest or to print an entry form/participation guidelines sheet for your library patrons, please visit the Washington State Library’s website at www.sos.wa.gov/library/lal/.

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2) RENEW WASHINGTON PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS ARE ONLINE

Want to see how libraries in Washington have successfully promoted their programs and services for job-seekers? Go to www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PromoteRenew.

On the web site are examples of ads, posters, flyers, signs, brochures, and other items that public libraries with Renew Washington grants developed to promote their projects. Take a look. Adapt an idea for your own library. Use some of the program ideas.

For more information contact Karen Goettling: [email protected].

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3) TAKE THE EARLY LEARNING SURVEY

The Early Learning Public Library Partnership (ELPLP) is supporting research to find out how much adults know about emergent literacy. Anyone over the age of 18 is invited to participate in the survey, which takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. No knowledge of emergent literacy is required. In fact, not understanding the questions is part of the research! The researcher needs 1,000 responses by September 30. Take the survey at www.elcapstone.com.

The ELPLP would like you to spread the word by posting this message on your Web sites, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Feel free to cut and paste the following:

For Web sites, or Facebook: “________________ Library is supporting research to figure out what people know about early literacy. Please take and share this 10-minute survey. The researcher needs 1,000 results by September 30, currently at 300. It is ok if you don’t understand the questions; it is part of the research. www.elcapstone.com.”

For Twitter: “Supporting research about early literacy. It is ok if you don’t understand the questions. www.elcapstone.com“

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4) INFOPEOPLE OFFERS MINI-COURSES

Infopeople is diversifying the formats in which they deliver training in order to reach as many people as possible. A new format is being offered, which consists of a series of related self-paced online mini-courses, aka CORE 2 Reference. These courses were developed to complement and complete Infopeople’s basic CORE reference training but will be of interest to anyone who wants to delve into subject resources in the areas of:

• Business
• Consumer information
• Legal resources
• Medical information
• Genealogy
• Poems, songs, and quotations

When you register, you license the courses for a period of three months for a fee of $25. During that time, you can work at your own pace to complete any or all of the courses. Unlike most self-paced courses, you do have access to an instructor to answer your questions. Registration for CORE 2 is open; it will be available at any time. For more information or to register visit infopeople.org/workshop/460.

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5) FUNDS FOR SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS IN WASHINGTON STATE

The mission of the Foundation for Early Learning is to promote best practices that support early learning and school readiness for all children from birth through age five in the state of Washington. The Foundation’s Community Action Project Grants support new and innovative projects and programs that help children, birth to age five, become ready for school, while encouraging new community leadership in the early learning sector.

Nonprofit organizations, tribal entities, parent/caregiver groups, and government agencies including schools, libraries, universities, and community colleges are eligible to apply for grants of up to $1,500. Examples of eligible projects include immunization, dental, or vision screening days; grandparents and caregivers appreciation events; and book exchange and library card drives. The remaining application deadlines in 2010 are October 29 and December 22. Visit the Foundation’s website to apply online, or to download the application form: www.earlylearning.org/grantmaking/apply.

This announcement and the one following are courtesy of GrantStation Insider: www.grantstation.com/insider.asp.

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6) ENVIRONMENTAL AND MEDIA PROGRAMS SUPPORTED

The RealNetworks Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations nationwide through the Priority Sector Grants Program. Grants of up to $25,000 are available in the following areas: The Climate and the Environment category supports programs focused on addressing climate change, energy efficiency, the creation of green jobs, etc. The Freedom of Expression and Independent Media category supports programs that defend civil liberties and human rights, including free speech and freedom of the press, or that promote diverse and independent media.

The Foundation also provides support to nonprofit organizations in San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Reston, VA; and Seattle, WA that deliver human services through the Community Enhancement Grants Program. The application deadline for both programs is October 1, 2010. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the funding guidelines and submit an online application: www.realfoundation.org/fundings/main.html.

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7) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Tuesday, September 21:

• Ellumination! Introduction to Elluminate (WSL); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT;
• Learning in Today’s World: Blending the Best of Formal, Informal and Social Approaches- A New Blended Model (Elluminate); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• The Scoop on Series Nonfiction: What’s New for Fall (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• Using Technology to Move your Small/Rural Library Forward (WebJunction); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;

Wednesday, September 22:

• Tech Talk with Michael Sauers: Circulating E-book Readers at UNO (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• eAudiobooks Orientation (WSL/EBSCO NetLibrary); 9:30-11:30 a.m. PDT, Bellevue Public Library;
• Skip Tracing: Finding Personal and Business Information (KCLS); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT;
• Strategies for Implementing and Optimizing Self-Service: Librarians Share Their Success (Library Journal); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/Self-Service;
• eAudiobooks Orientation (WSL/EBSCO NetLibrary); 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. PDT, Anacortes Public Library;

Thursday, September 23:

• Nonfiction Book Buzz 2010 (School Library Journal); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT;
• The New Medline Plus: An In-Depth Look (Infopeople); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Autism Awareness (WSL); 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. PDT, Mid-Columbia Library System, Kennewick Branch.
• Friday, September 24:
• Libraries & the Mobile Technologies Landscape (College of DuPage); 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. PDT.

Some of these sessions are online; others are in person. Providers are listed in parentheses. For registration links and more information on these events (unless otherwise linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training.

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