November WSL Training News

Discover free and inexpensive trainings available online and around the state; compiled by Jennifer Fenton, CE/Training Coordinator, Washington State Library

Featured Free Trainings:

Washington State Library is pleased to offer the following trainings in November:

First Tuesdays:  Getting Graphic: Graphic Novels in your Library (November 1)

Disabilities, Libraries, and the ADA: WSL Webinar (November 15)

Trainings from other vendors include (registration information here):

• Building Bridges #1: Principles of Advocacy
• Reaching Reluctant Readers
• Cloud Computing for Nonprofits
• Hey Kids! Look What We’ve Got! Effective Marketing to Tweens and Teens
• Google+

Remember to double check the time as time zones vary by vendor and Daylight Savings ends November 6!

Featured WebJunction Washington Courses (must be logged into WJ WA to view):

PowerPoint 2010:

If you’re still creating basic PowerPoint presentations, now’s the time to liven up your presentations and design skills! With our 6 different PowerPoint 2010 courses – you can find the ones targeted to your level and that will teach you the particular skills you need. And if you don’t have Office 2010 – we have PowerPoint courses for versions 2007, 2003 and 2000 as well.

PowerPoint 2010: Getting Started
http://wa.webjunction.org/catalog/-/courses/details/115275881
PowerPoint 2010: Collaborating and Sharing Presentations
http://wa.webjunction.org/catalog/-/courses/details/126734216
PowerPoint 2010: Visually Enhancing Presentations
http://wa.webjunction.org/catalog/-/courses/details/116732785
PowerPoint 2010: Adding Images to Presentations
http://wa.webjunction.org/catalog/-/courses/details/126750644
PowerPoint 2010: Using Advanced Slide Show Tools
http://wa.webjunction.org/catalog/-/courses/details/116732288
PowerPoint 2010: Using Multimedia and Animations
http://wa.webjunction.org/catalog/-/courses/details/116732836

Remember that WebJunction Washington now offers unlimited courses to Washington members as well as certificates for completing webinars (if you complete the evaluation.) To sign up for a free WebJunction Washington account, visit http://wa.webjunction.org and select Washington for affiliation.

Other training news/resources:

eGathering 2011: LYRASIS Annual Member Meeting: Lyrasis

November 9, 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. PST
All Washington library staff are invited to join Lyrasis for the 2011 Annual Member Meeting, an opportunity for members to collaborate and learn together, both in-person and online. This year’s meeting theme is Content, Access and the Role of Libraries in a Connected World, and will feature a keynote address by Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of The Googlization of Everything, as well as updates from LYRASIS staff and board members, and an open discussion for all participants. This event is free and online.

For many more free and low-cost trainings, visit the Washington State Library Training calendar which is constantly being updated, so check back frequently.

Washington State Library (WSL) staff recently crossed the state to promote statewide library projects and services, and to network with peers.  Conferences for both the Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) and the Washington Association of Library Employees (WALE) were held last week in Spokane.  Here are some highlights from the events.

Washington Rural Heritage Initiative staffers Evan Robb and Ross Fuqua were on hand at the WALE Conference to promote the digitization efforts of small public libraries throughout Washington.  In keeping with the conference’s “Roaring Twenties” theme (celebrating 20 years of the WALE interest group), they presented historic Washington images during Wednesday night’s dessert reception.  This was followed by a performance of The Sedro-Woolley Bank Robbery, a photographic slideshow documenting a violent 1914 theft and ensuing manhunt which spread across Northwest Washington.  The audience sat at rapt attention as David Wright, librarian at Seattle Public Library, read the accompanying narrative.  This digitized set of glass lantern slides and narration (their author and photographer still unknown) will be featured in the soon-to-be published Sedro-Woolley Heritage Collection accessible through www.washingtonruralheritage.org.  The digital collection is an ongoing project of the Sedro-Woolley Public Library and Sedro-Woolley Museum.

Robb and Fuqua also staffed a Spotlight on Success table during the conference, featuring digitized resources from the Washington State Library’s collections, as well as Washington Rural Heritage participants throughout the state.

Other projects were featured at the conference including Statewide Database Licensing, Off the Page: Downloadable Audiobooks for Washington, Wayfinder: The Catalog of Washington Libraries, and Ask-WA: The Statewide Virtual Reference Cooperative, WebJunction Washington, Early Learning, Summer Reading, Early Literacy, the K-12 Library Initiative, and Supporting Student Success, Library Support Staff Certification, Transforming Life After 50 and the eBook Reader Pilot Project.

Will Stuivenga, Jeff Martin and Martha Shinners presented at both WALE and WLMA (Washington Library Media Association) conferences on current cooperative projects at WSL. Their session goal was to make sure that libraries are taking advantage of the opportunities that are available through working together with other libraries throughout the state.

At the WALE pre-conference on eBooks,  Stuivenga shared information about Off the Page: Downloadable Audiobooks for Washington and the new e-Reader pilot project.

Jennifer Fenton kept busy at WALE facilitating panels on “Certification: What’s in it for me?” about Library Support Staff Certification, “Programming with a Boom!” about the Transforming Life After 50 project and a “WebJunction Open House” showcasing free training resources for library staff throughout Washington.

For the WebJunction open house, 21 laptop computers were set up so that participants could create free WebJunction Washington accounts right away and begin registering for free courses. Laptop computers were provided by WSL and Ellensburg Public Library.

In addition to presentations, staff attended sessions at WALE and here are some comments about favorite sessions:

“The session ‘You CAN Judge a Book by Its Cover!’ with Susan Creed, Spokane Public Library’s Fiction Queen, showed how to tell what kind of story is inside a book by what is on the cover.  It was entertaining!” (Bobbie)

“The session ‘Naturalization 101’ provided very interesting information on eligibility requirements and how to obtain information on the naturalization process.  On a personal note, through this session I was able to acquire all of the necessary information for my sister-in-law from Thailand to study in order to prepare for naturalization test.” (Bobbie)

“‘Enhancing Communication between Public and Technical Services: Tag! You’re it!’  I thought it was really interesting to hear the different sides of the topic and they did a great job of having the group participate in the discussion.” (Leanna)

Everyone who was able to attend the J.A. Jance dinner event gave it glowing remarks. Jance’s sharing of her life stories and her writing journey were inspiring and moving.

And finally, the WALE conference was held at the beautiful Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane. As Leanna says, “I really enjoyed the location.  The Davenport is a beautiful hotel and the history it has just added to the theme they choose this year.”

Carla presenting in Kennewick

“This was one of the best workshops I have attended. It was relevant and had great information. The presenter was EXCELLENT!”

“It was an inspiring day full of useful information. Carla’s energy is contagious and she offered information at a lively pace.”

“Wonderful. The presenter was extremely organized and had a wealth of experience. Very impressive.”

“I’ve been employed with this library since 2001 and have attended numerous library conferences, training seminars and workshops during that time. This was the BEST library related training I’ve ever attended!! Thanks!!!”

These comments are direct quotes from the evaluations for the recent round of Successful Volunteer Engagement for Libraries workshops held in eight libraries around Washington State, ranging from Liberty Lake to Bellingham. The workshops were presented by Carla Lehn from The Lehn Group based out of California. Carla is also the Library Programs Consultant at the California State Library.

This workshop grew out of the Transforming Life After 50 project that involves fellows from Washington, California, Idaho, and other states. One of the courses taught as part of the fellowship, which focuses on serving adults 50 years and older, was Volunteer Engagement and Carla was the instructor. Her templates for volunteer job descriptions and targeted recruitment plans proved to be valuable tools.

As libraries across the nation and in Washington struggle with budget cuts, volunteers are more in demand than ever. However, creating successful volunteer programs is not always easy. Carla’s experience in this area provided a great blueprint for libraries in Washington to follow.

The workshop focused on baby boomers and the generations that will follow them and how they are seeking new ways to use their skills and experience to make a difference in their communities. The workshop focused on how to start or “re-tool” a volunteer engagement program that will not only capture the talents of these potential volunteers, but will reap the benefits of ongoing support for the library that comes from having these people meaningfully engaged.

As a result of these workshops, a WebJunction Washington page has been created under “Washington State Library Resources” on Volunteer Engagement Strategies for Libraries. You can access the page at http://wa.webjunction.org/685.

Among the resources shared on the page are links to Carla’s Transforming Life After 50 archived course and a recorded webinar presented by David Junius (Washington Talking Book & Braille Library/WTBBL) called The Bottom Line on Volunteers.

For the workshop scheduled in Seattle at WTBBL, WSL partnered with David Junius and WTBBL volunteer Steve McCarthy to add their unique volunteer perspective as well. Here’s David’s view of Carla’s workshop:

“Both Carla and I have a nonprofit fund development background, so I appreciated her approach to the identification, recruitment and stewardship of volunteers, and her point of view on the generational pools of talent we have available to meet our needs. Fund development is akin to relationship development, which is what managing volunteer programs is all about.

“Carla’s workshop was valuable for new and veteran volunteer managers. Saying WTBBL has 400 volunteers donating 32,000 hours annually is the standard statistic I share, to the point where it almost doesn’t register with me anymore.

“However, when I mentioned this statistic at the start of Carla’s workshop, people were impressed.
That reminded me that even after doing volunteer management for three years, on top of another dozen in various nonprofits working with volunteers, I still have something to be excited about…especially in this economy where volunteers are (even more) valued.

“While we often look at outputs in volunteer management – how many hours, how many volunteers, how many items circulated by those volunteers, etc. – we also need to look at the outcomes. Just as our volunteers help the lives of our libraries’ users, they are also elevating their own lives by being involved with us. Carla’s workshop re-amplified this for me.”

WTBBL volunteer Steve McCarthy also attended the workshop, and he has started to use a few of Carla’s tools in further developing the volunteer corps at the local nonprofit where he is the board chair. Carla’s information is transferable between types of organizations, with the common denominator being a respect for the people involved in each part of the organizational relationship: staff, volunteers, and library users.”

The Washington State Library free Fall Workshop is almost here!

Baby boomers and the generations that follow are seeking new ways to use their skills and experience to make a difference in their communities. While libraries are uniquely positioned to benefit from these volunteers, there is a disconnect between the volunteers’ intent and their actual participation because they do not find the volunteer opportunities they seek. Multiple studies have shown that boomers’ interests in volunteerism are vastly different from those of current “senior volunteers,” and that organizations seeking to recruit them will need to adjust their volunteer engagement practices.

WSL’s free fall workshop is focused on just that – how to start or “re-tool” a volunteer engagement program that will not only capture the talents of these potential volunteers, but will reap the benefits of ongoing support for the library that comes from having these persons meaningfully engaged.

This course will provide tools, techniques, resources and models for volunteer engagement so that participants will be able to: understand the potential for engaging high impact, skilled volunteers to assist libraries – baby boomers and the generations that follow, engage this talent to extend the library’s capacity in the community and to benefit from these new library advocates and supporters, understand what motivates volunteers in order to create diverse and meaningful skilled volunteer positions to attract a broad range of community volunteers, implement the elements of a successful volunteer engagement program; address potential barriers to volunteer engagement, including union issues and staff resistance; and understand current trends and issues in volunteer engagement, including online recruitment and legal issues.

Presented by Carla Lehn, The Lehn Group. For session dates, times and locations, and to register, click here.

Workshop sessions are from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and include lunch and light refreshments.

This workshop is funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).

Photo: From TLA50 Institute in Portland, OR: Stephen Ristau and Suzanne Flint, TLA50 coordinators

from Ning Community website: http://tla50resource.ning.com/

• Nearly 2/3 of all the human beings who have ever lived past the age of 65 are alive today.
• Often considered the wealthiest generation in American history, Boomers face unique financial challenges – including the lowest savings rate (10%) of any other generation, the uncertainty of Social Security and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
• Midlife is a period in which individuals begin to think about, plan for, and actually disengage from their primary occupations and the raising of children. They launch a second or third career, develop new identities and new ways to be productively engaged.
• Four out of five Boomers see work as playing a role in their retirement.
• In a 10-year longevity study, researchers concluded that close family relationships, although important, were less likely than a network of good friends to increase longevity in older people.

These are just a few facts that staff from Washington libraries have been learning this past year. Transforming Life after 50 (TLA50), an initiative that began in California, is taking over Washington libraries. From the largest library systems (King County Library System, Seattle Public Library) to the tiniest libraries (Odessa, Neill Public), enhancing services and programs for mid-life adults has become a focus thanks to 18 Washington fellows participating in a year-long fellowship.

Ninety-one Fellows from eleven states are participating in the year-long IMLS Western Regional Fellowship — an initiative to help transform library strategies, policies and practices to better support the needs and interests of midlife adults, ages 50+.  Fellows were introduced to a new framework for serving and engaging these midlife adults at an in-person training institute in Portland, Oregon in September 2010.

In Portland, Fellows heard from guest presenters including Laura Carstensen, Paul Nussbaum, Michael Zielenziger and Robert Atchely. Furthermore, Fellows had the opportunity to meet each other and the instructors for the online portion of the fellowship. May is the final month of the live courses with a wrap up webinar scheduled for June. The online courses will be available to Fellows for a few months for those who need to catch up or wish to revisit previous courses.

In addition to the Fellowship, Washington Fellows have been spreading the word about TLA50 by presenting at the Washington Library Association conference in Yakima. More opportunities to share the TLA50 experience are coming soon with PNLA (Pacific Northwest Library Association) conference in August and WALE (Washington Library Employees) conference in October.

The Fellowship has focused on several areas of programming and services. At the Institute, presentations included the following topics:

• Community
• Financial Security
• Health (and aging)
• Life After 50 Options
• Lifelong Learning
• Spirituality
• Work & Volunteerism

The online courses have built on this foundation with courses on:

• Strategic Facilitation
• Community Assessment
• Partnerships and Collaborations
• Volunteer Engagement
• Evaluating Results
• Engaging Adults through Social Media

As we’ve learned how to engage mid-life adults in the library and community, we have also learned how important the changes brought about by the “Boomer” generation are to all of us today.

For a video peek at TLA50, visit http://tla50resource.ning.com/video/transforming-life-after-50-an

Also, consider joining the Transforming Life after 50 Ning community online: http://tla50resource.ning.com/ which is open to anyone interested in enhancing services and programming for the over 50 population in the library.

One final fact (that speaks for itself):

• 11% of the world’s population is over 60. By 2050, 22% will be.

*Quotes from the TLA50 website, http://transforminglifeafter50.org/.

Times are tight once again and have been for awhile now. I remember reading a picture book as a young child about a family facing tough economic times. Later, in library school, I rediscovered this children’s picture book. It is called “Tight Times” by Barbara Shook Hazen and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman.  At the time it was an Out of Print book by a great illustrator. I had no idea that many years later this book would once again be timely and needed in our public libraries to help kids and parents deal with a severe economic downturn.

Our library patrons need us now more than ever. Yet, budgets are shrinking rather than increasing with the extra workload created by the economy. So how do we as library staff  keep ahead during these tight times? One answer is e-learning.

E-learning gives us many opportunities in today’s world to continue our education with very little expense. What exactly is e-learning and how do we take advantage of opportunities provided by e-learning?  E-learning is an ambiguous term to many and has various interpretations. When I consider e-learning, I think of taking courses online whether they are live, instructor led courses or self-paced canned courses.

On the ASDT (The American Society for Training and Development) website, e-learning is defined  as a term covering a wide set of applications and processes, such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. It includes the delivery of content via Internet, intranet/extranet (LAN/WAN), audio- and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, CD-ROM, and more.

In recent years, online trainings have increased and improved. There are many resources for online webinars and courses. Through funding from IMLS (Institute for Museum and Library Services), Washington State Library is able to offer free trainings to library staff in Washington.

How do you take advantage of these trainings? Is taking an online course harder than taking an in-person class? What about the quality of instruction? Is a download required for taking an online training? What equipment do I need for an online course?

And…will there be any more in-person training for libraries?

Read the rest of this entry »

Check out these free training opportunities coming up in July.

Free WSL online trainings:
First Tuesdays: Safety in Small Libraries
July 7, 9:00-10:00 a.m.

Designed as a continuing-education opportunity for all library staff in Washington State, this free web presentation from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., on the first Tuesday of the month lets attendees share their skills and successes and learn about new topics. The special-subject presentations, lasting about 30 minutes, are recorded so that others may listen at their own convenience. Presented by Kate Laughlin, Library Consultant, and Matt Berube, Walla Walla County Rural Library District.

Sign in information

Tools for the Reference Desk: Amigos Online Course
July 9 and 16 (2 part course); 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Do you want to learn how to implement Web technologies in your reference desk? This course explores a variety of online tools, from blogs, wikis, to free chat software and web-based platforms from which you can engage your users at the reference desk. Come learn how to utilize several free online tools in your reference activities.
Register here: http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/libraries/training/trainingView.aspx?event=483&audience=state
Libraries Helping Job Seekers in Hard Times: BCR Online
July 28 & 30; 8:00-10:00 a.m.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a sampling of free online learning events for library staff this month.

June 2 (9:00-10:00 AM)
First Tuesday: Bullies in the Workplace
Designed as a continuing-education opportunity for all library staff in Washington State, this free web presentation on the first Tuesday of the month lets attendees share their skills and successes and learn about new topics. The June topic is Bullies in the Workplace. Bullies show up at places other than schools. Learn more about the ones that show up in the workplace on the June 2nd First Tuesday program Rand Simmons, Program Manager of Library Development at the Washington State Library will present the program.

No registration, instructions for joining the webinar here.

June 4 (9:00-10:00 AM)
Returning the Researcher to the Library: A Series in Four Parts (Library Journal Webinar)

Users’ expectations of information search changed dramatically in the wake of Google and continue to evolve. Some studies point to a slow, but steady disintermediation of the library from the research process. Yet, libraries have a powerful competitive advantage in the quality, breadth and authority of their content – an advantage recognized and valued by users, especially in the academic library. This four-part series explores how libraries are taking back their role as the starting point for research by focusing on the user experience and supporting it with innovative technology. The opening learning session in the series – Understanding the Next-Gen User – brings together Joan Lippincott and Alison Head, leaders in research on next-gen research habits, for an insightful exploration into the needs and expectations of students and how libraries can respond in ways they respect and understand.

June 9 (11:00-12:00 PM)
Data for a Downturn Economy (Library Journal Webinar)

Are you drowning in data found in your researching regarding today’s economy? Do you question its validity and relevancy? If so, join us for an informative discussion on how librarians can be part of the statistical literacy movement, how data and statistical resources are evaluated, and the types of information about data and statistics that one needs to know to provide assistance for their patrons.

Read the rest of this entry »

Need help during these hard times? Washington State Library is offering free classes to library staff to help you keep up with the increased demand. Here are some upcoming online Amigos trainings offered to the Washington library community free from the Washington State Library:

Core Reference Skills
Information seekers interact daily with library staff to meet their information needs. Do you have what it takes to be an effective reference provider? This course helps reference staff identify necessary skill sets needed for any reference interaction whether it is face to face, virtual or on the telephone. We’ll help you recognize common barriers to productive reference interactions, develop techniques to overcome them and discover how to locate basic reference sources.

Upon completion the participant will:
* Identify the skills utilized in providing Reference Service
* Recognize how to demonstrate Reference Service skills to users
* Define barriers to a reference interview
* Employ examples to reinforce reference skills
* Distinguish basic reference sources

Tools for the Reference Desk
Do you want to learn how to implement Web technologies in your reference desk? This course explores a variety of online tools, from blogs, wikis, to free chat software and web-based platforms from which you can engage your users at the reference desk. Come learn how to utilize several free online tools in your reference activities.

Upon completion the participant will:
* Identify free online tools
* Learn how to use wikis, blogs, online communication platforms at the reference desk
* Evaluate which tools can be implemented in his/her institution
* Employ examples via hands on exercises

Tech Topics: Wikis
Wiki (Hawaiian for “quickly”) is the basis for Wikipedia. Although Wikipedia is the largest example of using a wiki, it certainly isn’t the only one. Wikis allow groups of people editing privileges on specific web or intranet pages. Find out how wikis work and how they could be helpful to your library.

This series, Tech Topics, introduces library staff to technologies that may impact libraries and library services.

Upon completion the participant will:
* List 3 characteristics of a wiki
* Identify 2 major types of wiki software
* List 3 ways a wiki could be used in a library

Tech Topics: Library 2.0
Need help with these hard economic times in libraries?
WSL is offering free courses from Amigos to help library staff keep up with the demand. For some, Library 2.0 is new and uncharted territory. For others, it’s the same thing we’ve been doing for years. Find out where the term originated, what it actually means, and how it intertwines with Web 2.0. You’ll see live demonstrations of Library 2.0-type implementations, discuss its ramifications for your library and the profession, and hear what others are saying about it.

This series, Tech Topics, is primarily lecture-based and introduces library staff to technologies that may impact libraries and library services.

Upon completion the participant will:
* Discuss the history of Library 2.0
* Identify 3 characteristics of Web 2.0
* Provide 2 definitions of Library 2.0
* Identify at least 4 characteristics of Library 2.0

To register for any of these courses, visit: the WSL Training Calendar.

I had an inkling that the economy was in trouble a year ago when I worked in a rural library and a gentleman came into the library to ask for help with writing a resume. As I assisted him, I realized that the resume books and the computers were not really going to help. He didn’t know how to type or use a computer since he’d been working at the lumber mill for over thirty years and hadn’t needed to learn. At that time, I thought the economic problem was just in the town I worked in and didn’t realize how quickly it would spread throughout not only Washington, but the United States.

This week, Newsweek (web edition, April 6, 2009) features a story about a librarian, Eva Gronowska, in Michigan who is dealing with a severely depressed community and helping her customers find the resources they need. Eva’s viewpoint of a busy night at the library and 150 computers all in high demand is something that I have heard numerous times in the last few months. I invite you to read Eva’s story and think about the similarities and/or differences between her library in Michigan and our libraries in Washington.