Volume 8, October 18, 2012 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) SERVICE EXCELLENCE IN YOUR LIBRARY

2) LAST CALL TO REGISTER FOR “ARE YOU READY?”

3) SPREAD THE WORD – THE LIVING VOTERS GUIDE IS HERE

4) JAN MERRILL-OLDHAM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT

5) ALA CULTURAL COMMUNITIES AWARD

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) SERVICE EXCELLENCE IN YOUR LIBRARY

All library staff from top to bottom, internal and external, provide customer service. What is it that sets an organization’s level of service apart from others? How can employing these techniques propel the good service we already provide in Washington’s libraries into great service?

Register now for WSL’s free workshop, Service Excellence in Your Library. Join us for an engaging look at transforming our library’s culture to one of Service Excellence. Explore how such a transformation occurs and, as an individual, how you can encourage this change. This training emphasizes consistent approaches to service, while providing additional skills to help ensure satisfaction in all customer interactions. It is appropriate to anyone working in libraries, regardless of job position or library type. Presented by Kate Laughlin, Library Consultant. Workshops have been scheduled at several locations:

• Thursday, November 15, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Richland Public Library, Richland;
• Friday, November 16, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Mid-Columbia Library System, Kennewick Branch, Kennewick;
• Thursday, February 28, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Timberland Regional Library Service Center, Tumwater;
• Monday, April 8, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Orcas Island Public Library, Eastsound;
• Monday, April 15, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Spokane County, Moran Prairie Branch, Spokane;
• Monday, May 6, 2013, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.; Yakima Valley Museum Centennial Hall, Yakima;
• Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.; NCRL Distribution Center, Wenatchee.

To register, go to www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ServiceExcellence.

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2) LAST CALL TO REGISTER FOR “ARE YOU READY?”

Are you ready? You may have a disaster preparedness plan, but will it work when disaster strikes? Next Monday, October 22, is the last day to register for the free workshop, “Are You Ready? Scenario Planning & Collaboration Among Heritage Institutions to Improve Disaster Preparedness for Collections,” funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Take a day to test your institution’s disaster plan to identify areas for improvement, to improve your ability to evaluate risks, and to work together with other participants to build a shared vision for regional disaster preparedness.

Workshop information:

• When: Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.;
• Where: Everett Public Library, Everett, WA;
• Instructor: Gary Menges, Librarian Emeritus, University of Washington, and WESTPAS trainer;
• Registration: Pre-registration required no later than Monday, October 22, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. PDT;
• Cost: Free.

For additional information and to register, go to www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/RUReadyEverett. For general and workshop content information, contact Gary Menges at [email protected]. For registration assistance, contact Alexandra Gingerich at [email protected].

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3) SPREAD THE WORD – THE LIVING VOTERS GUIDE IS HERE

The Seattle Public Library is excited to be a partner with Seattle CityClub in supporting the Living Voters Guide, an interactive voters guide for all Washingtonians to exchange thoughts and opinions with each other. The content is written by citizens for citizens and this year will include a new feature for users – “fact-checking” by The Seattle Public Library on the statewide ballot measures.

This interactive voter education tool allows users to submit pros and cons on ballot measures, enabling them to share their perspectives with others. It’s an online venue for civil discourse and voter education by the people and for the people. Users can ask for a “fact-check,” at which point The Seattle Public Library staff will research and report back to the Living Voters Guide forum. Learn more about the Guide by going to wash.livingvotersguide.org.

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4) JAN MERRILL-OLDHAM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GRANT

Nominations and applications are now being accepted for the Jan Merrill-Oldham Professional Development Grant, awarded by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) Preservation and Reformatting Section (PARS) to provide librarians and paraprofessionals new to the preservation field with the opportunity to attend the ALA Annual Conference. The award encourages professional development through active participation at the national level and consists of a $1,250 cash grant donated by the Library Binding Institute and a citation to be presented at the ALCTS Awards ceremony. The grant is applicable toward airfare, lodging, and registration fees related to ALA Annual Conference attendance.

Applicants must have 5 or fewer years of experience in the field of library and archives preservation and a willingness to participate in designated conference events. The application deadline is December 1, 2012. For additional information, including selection criteria and the submission process, go to www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/Merrill.

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5) ALA CULTURAL COMMUNITIES AWARD

The ALA Excellence in Library Programming Award recognizes a library that demonstrates excellence in library programming by creating a cultural/thematic program type or program series, presented during the preceding year (September 1, 2011 – August 31, 2012), that:

• Engages the community in planning, sponsorship, and/or active participation;
• Addresses an identified community need;
• Has a measurable impact.

The Award consists of $5,000 and a citation of achievement that will be presented during the ALA Award Presentation at the ALA Annual Conference. Applications will be accepted online for the 2013 Award until December 1, 2012 at 9:59 p.m. Pacific Time. For more information and to apply, visit www.ala.org/programming/programmingexcellence.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, October 22:

• ProQuest Administrator Module (ProQuest); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ462;

Tuesday, October 23:

• What’s New in Audiobooks (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/NewAudio;
• Introduction to the New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest); 12:00 – 12:45 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ463;
• Preparing a Portfolio for the LSSC Program (ALA); 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/LSSCPortfolio;

Wednesday, October 24:

• Your Government Online: Independent Federal Government Agencies (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• Advanced Searching: Beyond the Single Search Box (ProQuest); 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ464;
• Become an Expert Google Searcher in an Hour (O’Reilly Community); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT;
• Overcoming the Three Biggest Challenges in ROI of Leadership Coaching (Training Magazine Network); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ROICoach;
• Revitalize the Library Customer Service Experience from Outside In and Inside Out (Texas State Library); 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. PDT;
• Who Are We?: An Award-winning Humanities Program Model for School Libraries (ALA/Programming Librarian); 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ALAWho;
• New ProQuest Platform (ProQuest); 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ465;

Thursday, October 25:

• My Research & RefWorks: Perfect Together (ProQuest); 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ466;
• Beyond the LMS: Building a Virtual Training Strategy (Training Magazine Network); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/BeyondLMS;
• Let Them Eat Facts! Leading Students to the Nonfiction Revolution (Booklist); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/EatFacts;
• Proposal Writing Basics (GrantSpace); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;
• Freedom Rings in Philadelphia: community technology adoption (WebJunction); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT;

Friday, October 26:

• Tech Tools With Tine: 1 Hour of Slideshare (Texas State Library); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
• FridayLive! First MOOC follow up (TLT Group); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/MOOC.

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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