Volume 13, June 15, 2017 for the WSL Updates mailing list

Topics include:

1) ARSL SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED

2) LIBGUIDES FOR WASHINGTON

3) FINANCIAL LITERACY TRAINING

4) DIGITAL LITERACY IN SPANISH

5) RESOURCES FOR MAKERSPACES

6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

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1) ARSL SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED

Librarians and library employees are encouraged to apply for a full scholarship to attend the Association of Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL) Conference from September 6-9 in St. George, Utah. The Washington State Library is providing these scholarships with funding from the Library Services and Technology ACT (LSTA).

The deadline to apply has been extended to June 23!

Scholarships will include transportation, all conference fees, and lodging. Preference will be given to applicants who have not won this scholarship before.

The application, requirements, and submission information are available at: sos.wa.gov/q/arslscholars.

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2) LIBGUIDES FOR WASHINGTON

Looking for information about Washington? The ALA GODORT (Government Documents Round Table) State Agency Databases LibGuides Project lists eResources maintained by state agencies for all 50 states.

The Washington page lists both general databases, e.g., Census QuickFacts Washington, and specialized resources, such as the Interactive Online Crop Location Map. A vast array of useful topics are included.

You will also find some familiar OSOS (Office of the Secretary of State) databases:

• Corporations Search,
• Charities and Commercial Fundraiser Search,
• Washington State Voter Registration Database,
• Washington State Library catalog.

Check it all out at godort.libguides.com/washingtondbs.

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3) FINANCIAL LITERACY TRAINING

Do you receive lots of requests from patrons for help with financial matters? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to help make libraries the go-to source for unbiased financial education and resources in every community. This free all-day workshop (8:30 to 4:30) at the Central Seattle Public Library on July 19, 2017, will provide detailed information on the free resources available in your community to use when fielding financial questions from patrons.

You will learn about organizations in your community that provide free unbiased financial literacy resources to help empower patrons to make appropriate financial choices for themselves. A wide array of financial topics will be covered, including:

• Paying for college
• Prevention of financial fraud
• Planning for retirement
• Basics of credit such as mortgages and credit rating and scores
• Resources for seniors including financial caregiving and reverse mortgages.

Questions? Contact Daniel Nguyen at [email protected]. To register, visit sos.wa.gov/q/finlit.

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4) DIGITAL LITERACY IN SPANISH

Spanish speakers now have access to digital literacy training resources thanks to recent efforts by the Public Library Association (PLA) a division of the American Library Association. PLA recently announced that all learning content on its website DigitalLearn.org is available in Spanish.

DigitalLearn.org offers a collection of self-directed tutorials for learners to increase their digital literacy on critical topics such as navigating the World Wide Web, using email, searching online for employment and creating a résumé. Modules are video-based with narration, six-to-22 minutes long, and written at the fourth-grade reading level. Since the site’s launch in 2013, nearly 60,000 users have accessed DigitalLearn.org, completing approximately 15,000 modules each year. Visitors may access the site in Spanish by simply clicking the link marked “Español” at the top of any page.

DigitalLearn.org was created in 2013 with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Libraries can set up their own branded, DigitalLearn website, accessible to patrons at any time, that shows the library is providing digital literacy training as a service.

DigitalLearn.org is just one tool PLA offers to help its members make their libraries digital literacy learning centers. The Association also offers continuing education on digital literacy training and a variety of professional tools for public librarians. For more information, visit www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/digitalliteracy.

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5) RESOURCES FOR MAKERSPACES

Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is pleased to announce the availability of  “Making + Learning in Museums & Libraries: A Practitioner’s Guide & Framework,” one of several new resources designed to guide and grow the capability of museum and library professionals and create the conditions to support learning within their uniquely formed maker programs. The downloadable publication was developed as part of the Making + Learning project, a collaboration between the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

It will serve as a foundation for the Making + Learning website and a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) which provides  free tutorials that museum and library professionals can use at any time to facilitate use of the project’s suite of tools. The MOOC is presented by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Peer 2 Peer University.

For more information, and to access these resources, visit makingandlearning.squarespace.com.

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6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK

Monday, June 19

• Gaining Employee Engagement (Idaho Commission for Libraries) 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT

Tuesday, June 20

• Bozarthzone! Pinterest & SnapGuide for Learning (InSync) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Fundamentals of WorldCat Knowledge Base Collections (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• WorldShare ILL – Borrowing (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Veterans and Mental Health – Learning About PTSD (Infopeople) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT

Wednesday, June 21

• 3 Secrets on Raising Major Gifts You Can’t Live Without (Nonprofit Hub) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT
• How to Use Facebook’s Free Fundraising Tools to Drive Donations (CharityHowTo) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• The Inside Scoop on State and Local Gov Challenges (GovLoop) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Emerging Issues in Copyright: A Jaunt Through Some Common Problems (North Carolina Library Association) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• The Future of Census Bureau Data Dissemination (FDLP) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• Using Story-time to Grow Executive Function and Self-Regulation in ECE: Setting the Stage for Success (Early Childhood Investigations) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• Using the Census API with the American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• WorldCat data sync collections, Part 1 (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• WorldCat Discovery Configuration, Part 1: Content and staff features (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• Create Meaningful Staff Development with a Kaleidoscope of Learning Experiences (Simple K12) 12:00 – 12:30 p.m. PDT
• Beyond the SEA: An Introduction to Tableau (NNLM) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT
• ‘Engage for Health’: A Program in a Box for Your Community (NNLM) 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Library, Family, Primary Care and Community Collaboration for Young Children (NNLM) 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Midday at the Oasis: Pacific Disaster Center’s DisasterAWARE for Health Monitoring (NNLM) 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PDT
• Virtual Library Program Development (edWeb) 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. PDT

Thursday, June 22

• Getting Beyond the Board: Engaging Your Community as Donors and Champions (Bloomerang) 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT
• Look at me when I’m talking to you! (Colorado State Library) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• WorldCat Discovery Configuration, Part 2: Patron-facing features (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT
• WorldShare ILL – Lending (OCLC) 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. PDT

Friday, June 23

• PubMed for Librarians: Automatic Term Mapping (ATM) (NNLM) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT
• Health on the Range: Rural Health Issues and Resources (NNLM) 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT

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DISCLAIMER: The State Library regularly highlights third-party events and online resources as a way to alert the library community to training and resource opportunities.  By doing so, we are not endorsing the content of the event, nor promoting any specific product, but merely providing this information as an FYI to librarians who must then decide what is right for them.

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Libraries are no longer simply a holding area for books, they are community hubs. People gather at the library to share ideas and enrich their lives. Computers and internet are now standard in libraries and are often in demand. Unemployed individuals can come to the library and apply for jobs. Kids can do their homework (or play games) at the library. But did you know that libraries are now becoming much more than books, computers and internet? Libraries are becoming creation spaces, often called maker spaces (or makerspaces).

What is a makerspace? Personally, I like this definition “Modeled after hackerspaces, a makerspace is a place where young people have an opportunity to explore their own interests, learn to use tools and materials, and develop creative projects. It could be embedded inside an existing organization or standalone on its own. It could be a simple room in a building or an outbuilding that’s closer to a shed. The key is that it can adapt to a wide variety of uses and can be shaped by educational purposes as well as the students’ creative goals.” (Makerspaces, Participatory Learning, and Libraries).

Sound familiar? It is not really that much of a stretch for libraries that already offer book clubs with knitting or various craft programs.

Makerspaces in libraries are also connected to STEM which is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. There is also a group wanting to add art into the mix to create STEAM. Both ideas dovetail nicely with offering maker space for people to experiment and create.

Is your library already a makerspace? If not, can you envision it becoming one?

Here are more resources on makerspaces:
Westport Library Maker-Space
Maker-Spaces-in-Libraries
News story from the Capital Gazette
IMLS

Photo courtesy of Helen K via photopin cc