Volume 7, October 6, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

 Topics include:

 1) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2012

 2) BUILDING COMMON GROUND

 3) YOUR TABLE IS WAITING – USING 2010 CENSUS DATA

 4) 2011 NATIONAL FRIENDS OF LIBRARIES WEEK AWARDS

 5) FREE BOOKS FOR DISCUSSION KITS OR COMMUNITY READS

 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2012

The Washington State Library, in collaboration with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book, and in partnership with Target Stores, is currently inviting readers in grades 4 through 12 to compete in the 2012 Letters About Literature competition, an annual national reading-writing contest. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, from any genre (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry; contemporary or classic), explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s way of thinking about the world or themselves. There are three competition levels:

• Level I for children in grades 4 through 6;
• Level II for grades 7 and 8;
• Level III for grades 9 through 12.

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 January 6, 2012.

To learn about this year’s contest or to print one of the two entry forms (school or library group entry, individual entry) and the participation guidelines for your library patrons, please visit the Washington State Library’s website at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/LAL2012.

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2) BUILDING COMMON GROUND

The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office is currently accepting applications for Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion. The goal of this multi-format program is to engage the public in contemplation and discussion of the importance of community, civility, and compassion in their daily lives. Following a competitive application process, 30 public libraries around the country will be selected to receive a grant of $2,500 plus promotional support materials to host a series of programs and events that will inspire their communities to action, engagement, and reflection. By bringing adult audiences together in the library for programs and events that include reading, viewing, reflection, discussion, and civic engagement initiatives, Building Common Ground: Discussions of Community, Civility and Compassion programs will support public libraries as they strive to enhance the quality of life and learning in their communities.

Applications are due November 18, 2011. More information, including programming resources and the online application, is available at www.ala.org/commonground.

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3) YOUR TABLE IS WAITING – USING 2010 CENSUS DATA

Want to learn more about your community and effectively assist library patrons with their data needs? Your Table is Waiting! Accessing and Using 2010 Census Bureau Data will help you to answer the following questions and more:

• What are the top ten industries in your county in terms of number of new hires?
• Is the median age of your city trending downward or upward?
• Are you looking for demographics for your zip code, but don’t know where to start your search?
• How can you help library patrons who are seeking grant money to provide services for a particular racial group?

These and other scenarios will be explored in the step-by-step online exercises provided to participants in this 2.5 hour interactive data workshop. Three main demographic programs, the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program, will be reviewed. Other Census programs to be explored include:

• Local Employment Dynamics;
• Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates;
• County Business Patterns;
• Survey of Business Owners;
• Economic Census;
• Census of Governments.

Choice of two sessions:

• Location: Moran Prairie Library, Spokane;
• Date: Monday, October 24, 2011;
• Morning session – Registration: 8:30 – 9:00 a.m., Workshop: 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.;
• Afternoon session – Registration: 1:00 – 1:30 p.m., Workshop: 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.;
• No cost for INCOL members; $25 for non-members, $5 for students.

Bring your own wireless-enabled laptop or sign up for a limited number of laptop computers. Please indicate when registering if you will need to sign up for a laptop. Register no later than Monday, October 17, 2011, by contacting Tami Robinson at [email protected]. For additional information, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/INCOL or call Carlie Hoffman at 509.893.8370.

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4) 2011 NATIONAL FRIENDS OF LIBRARIES WEEK AWARDS

Friends of Libraries groups have their very own national week of celebration! The American Library Association (ALA) Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) invites you to join them in raising awareness of, and promoting membership in, Friends groups during National Friends of Libraries Week from October 16 – 22, 2011. This is also an excellent opportunity for your library and Board of Trustees to recognize the Friends for their help and support of the library.

In addition, ALTAFF encourages you to nominate your library for the National Friends of Libraries Week Award. Applicants must provide a one- to two-page summary of all activities and efforts in conjunction with the celebration of National Friends of Libraries Week. Applications will be judged on creativity and innovation; involvement of Friends, library staff, Trustees, and/or advisory committees; and recognition and promotion of Friends groups to the community, school, students, and/or faculty.

Applications for the 2011 awards, given in recognition of 2011 National Friends of Libraries Week activities and celebrations, are due December 1, 2011. A completed release form must accompany your application. For more information, go to www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/Friends.

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5) 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 Washington library. Asotin County Library has graciously agreed to share these books, which were left over from their book discussion programs, with other libraries in the state. Titles currently available are:

• Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg – 5 copies
• Guiding Elliott by Robert Lee – 5 copies
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry – 9 copies
• The Other by David Guterson – 12 copies
• House of Sky by Ivan Doig – 3 copies
• Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher – 8 copies
• Reho Wolfe by John A. Wolfe – 5 copies
• The Control of Nature by John McPhee – 5 copies
• Fire on the Mountain by John Maclean – 8 copies
• Grassland by Richard Manning – 6 copies
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – 13 copies
• Citizen Vince by Jess Walter – 10 copies
• The Deep Dark by Gregg Olsen – 8 copies
• Eventide by Kent Haruf – 4 copies
• The Sky Fisherman by Lesley Craig – 14 copies

Please limit your request to two book discussion kits. Please contact Carolyn Petersen at [email protected] or toll-free at 866.538.4996 if you are interested.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, October 10:

• Managing Your Migration (ProQuest); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ144;

Tuesday, October 11:

• RDA & AACR2: What’s the Difference (Wyoming Libraries); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT;
• Common Core Opportunities for Librarians: Strategies for Leading the Way (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT:
• eLibrary / ProQuest Learning: Literature / History Study Center (ProQuest); 3:15 – 4:45 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ143;

Wednesday, October 12:

• Advanced Searching: Beyond the Single Search Box (ProQuest); 11:00 – 11:45 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ145;
• Using SmartPhones As a Marketing and Programming Tool (Infopeople); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
• Grantseeking Basics (GrantSpace); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;

Thursday, October 13:

• Proposal Writing Basics (GrantSpace); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;

Friday, October 14:

• Tech Tools With Tine: Google Places (Texas State Library); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• My Research & RefWorks: Perfect Together (ProQuest); 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ146.

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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