Volume 8, February 16, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) TWO WTBBL WEBINARS: YOUTH SERVICES AND DIGITAL DOWNLOADS

2) FREE BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION KITS OR COMMUNITY READS

3) DOES YOUR LIBRARY NEED A MAKEOVER?

4) IT’S ALMOST TIME TO TURN THE PAGE

5) HAS YOUR LIBRARY’S FACEBOOK PAGE FLATLINED?

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) TWO WTBBL WEBINARS: YOUTH SERVICES AND DIGITAL DOWNLOADS

Libraries are for everyone, but how do you eliminate barriers that may separate those who are legally blind, deaf-blind, visually impaired, physically disabled, or learning disabled due to organic dysfunction, from the services they need? The Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) makes information accessible to all Washingtonians, be they very young, very old, or somewhere in-between. All equipment and services, including the mailing of materials, are free to eligible WTBBL patrons. Find out more about just two aspects of this multifaceted service at the following free webinars:

• WTBBL Youth Services Webinar – Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST:

Danielle Miller, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library Director, will provide an overview of how libraries can help young customers with disabilities, including ways to integrate alternative formats into storytimes, programs, and collections. The program will also include accessible design tips and suggestions for layouts and displays in libraries.

To register, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/WTBBLYouth.

• WTBBL Digital Downloads Webinar – Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST:

Digital Talking Books are here! Eura Ryan, WTBBL Librarian, will be going on the road this spring to bring an expanded, hands-on workshop on Digital Talking Books to libraries in Washington. Come to this webinar to find out how you can request a demonstration of the newest technology in accessibility, the Digital Talking Book Machine, to introduce your community members to this service.

To register, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/WTBBLdtbm.

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2) FREE BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION KITS OR COMMUNITY READS

If your library could use gently used copies of any of the following titles, the Washington State Library will be happy to send them to any library in Washington State. Titles currently available are:

• The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan – 186 copies (print); 38 copies (CD audio edition)
• The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein – 122 copies
• Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave – 130 copies

You may request copies of each title. A minimum request of at least five books is required. If you are interested, please contact Carolyn Petersen at [email protected] or toll-free at 866.538.4996.

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3) DOES YOUR LIBRARY NEED A MAKEOVER?

Does your library generate the kind of excitement that attracts patrons? If not, have you run out of ideas to draw them in? Once you’ve displayed books face out, and installed slatwall so you can display even more books face out, what’s next? Is the soda machine really the first impression you want to make?

See how a professional and some amateurs made some big differences for very little money at Creating Dynamic Library Atmospheres: What We Can Learn from Theater, Retail, Museums, and the Container Store, a Public Library Association (PLA) “Public Libraries at Work” webinar. During this one-hour presentation, you will:

• Learn how to look at your library in a new way;
• Discover “outside the box” sources for furnishings;
• Leave with at least one idea you can implement immediately.

Webinar information:

• When: Thursday, February 23, 2012, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• Fee: Ranges from $28 to $35 (individual) to $129 (for a group of any size);
• Registration deadline: Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 2:30 p.m. PST.

For more information and to register, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PLA23Feb.

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4) IT’S ALMOST TIME TO TURN THE PAGE

Registration has opened for the spring 2012 session of Turning the Page 2.0, a free online advocacy training program for public libraries, developed and presented by the Public Library Association (PLA) with generous support from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Participants are encouraged to come with a specific, self-determined advocacy goal for their library. By the end of this six-week, facilitated online course, library staff and supporters will have a complete Advocacy Work Plan to guide their efforts. Topics to be covered are:

• Week 1: Public Perceptions – Learn about recent national research on how voters and elected officials perceive public libraries, and why they support them;
• Week 2: Telling Your Story – Apply data to create your own library story;
• Week 3: You As a Leader – Develop your own leadership skills to become a more confident advocate in your community;
• Week 4: Building Relationships – Learn how to build community networks and relationships to leverage your resources;
• Week 5: The “Big Ask” – Focus on effective funding requests;
• Week 6: So What’s Next? – Lay the foundation for future steps of putting your Advocacy Work Plan into action.

Turning the Page 2.0 is open to any interested library staff member or supporter. ALA membership is not required to participate. Libraries are encouraged to complete the course with an advocacy team that works through the program together. This is the opportunity to build an advocacy team that includes staff, trustees, Friends, and others – there is no limit to the number of attendees per library. And it’s free!

Details:

• Online course dates: Week of March 19 – Week of April 23, 2012;
• Registration closes: March 7, 2012;
• For additional information and to register, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/TurnPage2012.

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5) HAS YOUR LIBRARY’S FACEBOOK PAGE FLATLINED?

Has the initial momentum of your organization’s Facebook Page waned? Has the level of activity declined? Are you feeling overlooked?

Breathe new life into your site by reading “17 ways to revive your organization’s Facebook Page” by John Haydon at sparkaction.org/resources/112850. By implementing just a few of the tips, your Page will wake up and generate a new buzz!

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, February 20:

• Bozarthzone! TrainerSmarts (InSync); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;

Tuesday, February 21:

• The Accidental Library Marketer (Texas State Library); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PST;
• WTBBL Youth Services Webinar (WSL); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST;
• Your library at Webscale: How radical collaboration is redefining library management services (Library Journal); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST;
• Proposal Budgeting Basics (GrantSpace); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• Books for Youth Alert: New Titles for 2012 (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• Cloud Computing for Nonprofit Organizations (Nonprofit Webinars); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PST;

Wednesday, February 22:

• Learning to Live Without a Statistical Abstract (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PST;
• Leadership Presence: How to Build Personal Influence in Your Organization (AMA); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST;
• WTBBL Digital Downloads Webinar (WSL); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST;
• ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ223;
• ASPCA $100K Challenge Case Study: Successful Online Fundraising & Marketing Using Contests (Common Knowledge); 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PST;
• Listening & Engaging DIY Tools for Social Media Management (Nonprofit Webinars); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PST;

Thursday, February 23:

• Managing Your Migration (Language: Spanish) (ProQuest); 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ224;
• Managing Your Migration (ProQuest); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ225;
• Twitter for Job Seekers: Tips for Helping Your Library’s Job-seeking Patrons (WebJunction); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• New Data Rules: Census 2010 and American Community Survey (Library Journal); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• Successful Volunteer Recruitment Strategies: Capturing the Talent of Baby Boomers and the Generations that Follow (Infopeople); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PST.

For more information and to register (for those not linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training.

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