Volume 7, December 8, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) DO FONTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

2) REGISTER NOW FOR ONLINE NORTHWEST 2012

3) IMLS RELEASES NEW FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

4) DOES YOUR FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAM DESERVE AN AWARD?

5) TELECOMMUTING – BANE OR BLESSING?

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) DO FONTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Are certain fonts easier to read than others? Is Comic Sans the perfect email font? At the December Eastside Science Café, join Microsoft’s Kevin Larson, PhD, in “The Art & Science of Reading” to discover how optical illusions in some popular fonts make things easier to read and how the design and appearance of text can make you more cognitively creative.

The Eastside Science Café is your opportunity to talk with researchers about science and technology research – all in the comfortable atmosphere of a local pub.

• When: Monday, December 12, 2011, 7:00 p.m.;
• Where: Wilde Rover, 111 Central Way, Kirkland

Science Cafés are free, open to all ages, and require no background in science. To find out more about the Cafés, including upcoming speakers, and to view video archives of past programs, visit kcts9.org/education/science-cafe.

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2) REGISTER NOW FOR ONLINE NORTHWEST 2012

Online Northwest is a one-day conference focusing on topics that intersect libraries, technology, and culture. The keynote speaker will be Steve Krug, best known as the author of “Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.” Presentation topics this year include:

• Mobile literacy;
• E-readers;
• Data curation;
• Digital collections.

This year, six scholarships are being offered to cover the cost of conference registration. Successful applicants will be notified by early January 2012. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application at goo.gl/HTzSh by Thursday, December 15, 2011.

Conference information:

• When: Friday, February 10, 2012, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.;
• Where: CH2M Hill Alumni Center, Corvallis, Oregon (Oregon State University Campus);
• Registration: $100 for early bird (by January 13, 2012); $130 for late registration.

To register, go to www.ous.edu/onlinenw/2012/register.html. For more information, visit www.ous.edu/onlinenw, email [email protected], or call toll-free 800.678.6311.

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3) IMLS RELEASES NEW FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN

Susan Hildreth, the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), has just released the agency’s new strategic plan for FY 2012 – FY 2016. The plan envisions a democratic society where communities and individuals thrive with broad public access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and lifelong learning. The new plan identifies the mission of IMLS to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, learning, and cultural and civic engagement by providing leadership through research, policy development, and grant-making.

Five strategic goals will drive IMLS activities and investments:

• Strategic Goal 1 – IMLS places the learner at the center and supports engaging experiences in libraries and museums that prepare people to be full participants in their local communities and our global society;
• Strategic Goal 2 – IMLS promotes museums and libraries as strong community anchors that enhance civic engagement, cultural opportunities, and economic vitality;
• Strategic Goal 3 – IMLS supports exemplary stewardship of museum and library collections and promotes the use of technology to facilitate discovery of knowledge and cultural heritage;
• Strategic Goal 4 – IMLS advises the President and Congress on plans, policies, and activities to sustain and increase public access to information and ideas;
• Strategic Goal 5 – IMLS achieves excellence in public management and performs as a model organization through strategic alignment of IMLS resources and prioritization of programmatic activities, maximizing value for the American public.

To read more about the IMLS Strategic Plan, go to www.imls.gov/plan.

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4) DOES YOUR FAMILY LITERACY PROGRAM DESERVE AN AWARD?

Is your library literacy program making a difference for families? Do you have a unique and innovative approach? If so, submit your application now to the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) for the third annual Libraries and Families Awards, made possible by Better World Books.

The Awards recognize innovative libraries that are passionate about serving families. Awards will be given to library literacy programs that:

• Serve parents and children with a strong intergenerational approach to helping them learn together;
• Exhibit a record of success and a clear plan for a successful project;
• Serve communities and families with high literacy and socioeconomic needs;
• Propose a compelling use of award funding that directly benefits families;
• Will likely continue after the grant has been expended.

Existing programs and brand-new programs will be considered. Applications will be evaluated using the following award selection criteria:

• Project must be library-based and implemented by library staff, and grant funds must be awarded directly to a library or library organization (e.g., Friends of the Library groups, library foundations, etc.);
• Program must be located within the United States;
• Project must be completed between April 2012 and March 2013;
• Applicant must commit to sharing program and participant stories with NCFL and Better World Books on an ongoing basis;
• Project must be fully supported by your library director or administrator.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance or start your program and let the world know about it! For more information, or to link to the online application, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/famlit2012. Applications must be received no later than Monday, February 6, 2012, 8:59 p.m. PST.

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5) TELECOMMUTING – BANE OR BLESSING?

Library work is ever more mobile, with both technical and public services work often easily done from a laptop at any location. For those of us who often work at home in the evenings anyway, we know that there is plenty to be done that does not require that we ever set foot in our library’s building. In fact, it is often easier to accomplish some work away from the distractions and intrusions of the workplace. At the same time, societal changes may make working from home more desirable than ever.

The Association for Library Collection & Technical Services (ALCTS), a division of ALA, will be holding an e-Forum, Telecommuting in Libraries: Benefits and Challenges, an open discussion about how to use telecommuting to best manage work-life stress. Among the topics to be discussed will be:

• General benefits of telecommuting;
• Benefits of telecommuting that are unique to libraries;
• Support for flextime in libraries;
• How to self-advocate for telecommuting;
• How to manage expectations;
• Limitations and challenges of telecommuting;
• Importance of face time;
• Time management;
• Sharing best suggestions for successful telecommuting.

The e-Forum will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, December 14 – 15, 2011, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PST. For information about registering for the event, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ALCTS1.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, December 12:

• Change Happens (InSync); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• The Art & Science of Reading with Kevin Larson (Eastside Science Café); Wilde Rover, 111 Central Way, Kirkland, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/fonts;

Tuesday, December 13:

• My Research (ProQuest); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ190;
• Hooked on Books: New Titles for the Newest Readers (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• Introduction to the New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ191;
• What Will Happen When I’m Gone: Ensuring Knowledge Transfer to Your Successor (Infopeople); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PST;
• ProQuest Resource Exploration and Q&A (ProQuest); 3:15 – 4:45 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ189;

Wednesday, December 14:

• Brave New World (Wide Web): Job hunting in the 21^st Century (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PST;
• Telecommuting in Libraries: Benefits and Challenges [Day 1] (ALCTS); 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ALCTS1;
• A Small But Powerful Webinar for Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library (WebJunction); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST;
• ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ192;

Thursday, December 15:

• Telecommuting in Libraries: Benefits and Challenges [Day 2] (ALCTS); 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ALCTS1;
• Let’s Get Crazy! Library Programs On and Over the Edge (Infopeople); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PST;

Friday, December 16:

• My Research & RefWorks: Perfect Together (ProQuest); 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. PST: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ193.

Some of these sessions are online; some are in person. 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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