Parachute play

Music powers the young brain and children’s musician, Nancy Stewart, brought that message to over 300 librarians across Washington State. Nancy launched a pilot program last year to connect families with free resources for early learning through community singing. Her project takes place in her own community of Mercer Island and has been expanded to last through at least summer 2014. The ideas shared at the trainings provided by Nancy around the state for library staff will be incorporated into her resources. Nancy’s free website for “Sing With Our Kids” is available at http://singwithourkids.com/.

Nancy’s free website includes songs, videos, book recommendations, community toolboxes, a grandparents corner, tips on using technology, advice from the experts, early learning and music information, your voice and ears and much more. All the information is available freely as long as credit is given and not profit is made.

Programs related to the project have included flash mobs, scavenger hunts, caroling, may pole celebration, storytimes,  campfire sing-alongs and early literacy talks for parents and care-givers. When Nancy demonstrated the may pole at the library workshops, excitement was so high that many libraries now have their own maypole for singing and dancing. In addition, one librarian in Everett came up with the idea of theming the may pole to reflect the current season and a new version about a spider was created. Check out Nancy’s flash mob video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnFA4DOIwdc&feature=share.

Martha Shinners and the May Pole

Making inter-generational connections and getting out into the community is what Nancy’s pilot project is all about (in addition to encouraging singing and the development of early literacy skills in young children.) Nancy has partnered with the local library, bookstore, parks, churches and even families she has never met while working on this project. Using social media (blog, facebook, twitter) helps Nancy reach a wider audience and connect with new people. For her community Christmas caroling, Nancy’s basic idea was to get families together and go caroling. She threw out the idea that someone could do this in their own neighborhood and even project the lyrics onto a big screen if available at someone’s home. Next thing she knew, Nancy was contacted by a family inviting her to lead caroling at their home with lyrics projected. Neighbors and family came together to sing making for quite the memorable event.

Early literacy skills are vital to helping children prepare for kindergarten. Nancy has great videos on the six early literacy skills and five practices of early literacy at http://singwithourkids.com/video.htm. She collaborated with Charlie the Noiseguy to make the videos both educational and fun.

Feedback from the workshops held in 13 locations around the state was extremely positive. Participants shared the following comments on the impact of the workshop:

Campfire Sing-Along

• I would say the project was great to learn about and Nancy was very motivating. It helped me feel encouraged to understand the importance of music in a child’s life and the need to incorporate it more into storytimes. I also enjoyed the live examples of how to use a parachute, maypole, etc. Great ideas!
• Being reminded about the power of music once again and how it can connect families together.
• It was just listening to Nancy talk about the power of song. It gave me a lot to think about and also a new way of talking to patrons about the importance of song. Also, her website looks incredible! I think this will be invaluable.
• Building the confidence and providing the outstanding free resources for integrating songs and singing into children’s programming in the community.
• The wealth of ideas and all the connections that were made. The reminder about the importance of music in my professional life and personal life!
• I really enjoyed the videos that Nancy shared of herself going out into the community. Breaking up in to small groups and brainstorming gave us a “hands-on” approach and I think that helps us retain the information better and we also learn from each other.

The final workshop takes place tomorrow in Spokane at the Moran Prairie branch of the Spokane County Library District. After the final workshop, Nancy will continue to share her project with libraries throughout Washington via her website, blog and other avenues. Interested in giving it a try yourself? Check out Nancy’s community toolbox at http://singwithourkids.com/toolbox.htm.

Sudoku was a foreign concept to me; I couldn’t understand why people were obsessed with filling in crossword puzzles made up of numbers. I’m not much of a mathematician and I was convinced Sudoku was a math game. Being stranded in eastern Washington 100 miles from the nearest town led me to give Sudoku a try and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s all about logic and as a librarian and trainer, I do love logic games.

One of the (many) new trends in learning, both classroom and virtual, is gamification. Games help people learn by getting them involved competitively and helping them find the intrinsic value in the subject matter. However, gamification in its most simple form of pop-quizzes is not quite the same. In developing trainings, many trainers are now adding in components that help participants learn materials by exploring and achieving results on their own and with colleagues.

For those of us with a competitive streak, this style of training can be highly engaging and fun. And of course there’s that sense of fun and not taking things too seriously. Many people like ice-breakers and games, but there are always those that prefer not to engage in these activities and perceive them as a waste of time. The trick is to make sure that the games and activities contribute to the learning goal. For example, in a communication workshop, you could do an ice-breaker that involves miscommunication. Here’s an example from http://www.trainerbubble.com/

Follow the Leader

Duration:  15 – 30 minutes.

Objective: Useful during a session on body language or communication skills, where you want to highlight how people communicate.

Instructions: 

• One person is asked to leave the room. While they are gone the rest of the group identify a ‘leader’. This leader must perform a subtle action that everyone has to follow (i.e., rubbing their nose, licking their lips, scratching their ear, winking, crossing legs, etc.)
• Ask the person to return to the room and explain that they must identify the leader of the group. The leader should alter the action every few minutes with everyone following suit.

• In review, discuss what was noticed and how we interpret and spot body language in others.

Ah, the possibilities….

There are many great ice-breakers out there and the possibilities are endless.

In addition to ice-breakers and energizers, training can be gamified by its very structure. Take Battle decks as an example.

From http://www.webjunction.org/documents/webjunction/Battledecks_2010.html:

Battledecks is a fun improv exercise that challenges contestants to deliver a presentation on the fly using an unknown slidedeck containing random (and often hilarious) slides. The contestants are judged on their ability to create a coherent presentation that incorporates the slide content smoothly. Laughs and getting through all of the slides on time are a plus.

How it works:

• Each presenter will be given 5 minutes to present 12 slides.
• They have not seen the slide deck before today.
• Attendees will judge the presentations based on a set of criteria.
• You are encouraged to use chat during the presentations.
• There is a slide from one of the conference presentations in each of the decks!

Criteria for judging:

• Believability, humor, and integration with conference theme.
• Ease and presence in online conferencing tool, engaging the audience.
• Presentation flow with minimal pauses or stammering, and getting through all of the slides

Beyond the classroom: Brain Games for Health

Studies show that keeping the brain engaged through games helps stave off the onset of dementia (New England Journal of Medicine, Joe Verghese, M.D., volume=348, issue=25, 2003). Some fun brain games that can be done in trainings or on your own include:

• Write a short story…in only 7 words.
• Here’s a brain workout that will help keep your mind on track. Try these three exercises in simple subtraction:

• Beginning at 200, count backward, subtracting 5 each time (200, 195, 190…).
• Beginning at 150, count backward, subtracting 7 each time (150, 143, 136…).
• Beginning at 100, count backward, subtracting 3 each time (100, 97, 94…).

Let’s keep our brains sharp and engaged and try adding some gaming to our trainings. And just for fun, let’s test your attention skills with this video.

Resources:

http://www.trainerbubble.com/

http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-games

http://brainrules.blogspot.com/2013/05/brain-rules-for-educators

http://anniemurphypaul.com/2012/12/finding-the-intrinsic-game-in-learning/

http://info.alleninteractions.com/bid/92049/Game-Like-Qualities

http://www.webjunction.org/documents/webjunction/Battledecks_2010.html

As a reminder, all libraries currently using OCLC’s WorldCat Resource Sharing (WCRS) service need to plan a migration to the new WorldShare® Interlibrary Loan service between now and the end of the calendar year, when WCRS will no longer be available. Academic libraries that belong to Washington Group Services (sos.wa.gov/q/waywho) are encouraged to migrate as a group in July and August.

Members of Washington OCLC Group Services have the unique opportunity participate in a managed migration from WCRS to the new service. It’s important to take advantage of this opportunity for training in the new service before access to WCRS ends in December. If your library has not already registered for WorldShare ILL, please register at sos.wa.gov/q/WA-ILL-Form.

Training scheduled specifically for Washington libraries will be held at 11 a.m. Pacific Time as follows:

• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Getting Started – Tuesday, July 16: sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/ILL-Start;
• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Borrowing – Wednesday, July 17: sos.wa.gov/q/ILL-Borrow;
• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Lending – Thursday, July 18: sos.wa.gov/q/ILL-Lend.

Self-paced training options are also available. Visit sos.wa.gov/q/WayfinderNews for more links and information, including archived webinars and self-paced training options.

WorldShare® Interlibrary Loan now has new, recently released features including 2-per-page printing of book straps and requests. To learn more, consider viewing a webinar recording that provides an overview of new and upcoming WorldShare ILL enhancements. The program also included a chat with OCLC’s WorldShare ILL team about effective use of the service, best practices, and plans for its ongoing enhancement and expansion. The recording is available at sos.wa.gov/q/ILL-Enhance.

Time-traveling back to 1995….

My introduction to the virtual classroom was almost 2 decades ago! One of my undergraduate professors decided that he would have us meet virtually for a class session. In 1995, internet was still a novelty. I had my email through school and felt like one of the elite. I recently stumbled upon an email about that first virtual classroom experience, software has changed, but the premise is the same.

From the 1995 email:

“You will be ‘in’ a virtual ‘classroom’ on the ‘Penn’ campus. See who else shows up, identify yourself, and talk to each other. There’s help on line, but the key thing you need to know is that if you type “ at the left margin, whatever you type until you hit will be attributed to you as spoken ‘discourse’ everybody else can hear…(Some strange things may happen to you, but what the heck?) List-lurkers welcome to come along and meet the rest, and I will try to be there myself, but there are time zones and a schedule where I’m lecturing that evening to cope with.”

I attended this session and was frustrated that my slow typing meant that I was always at least a step behind everyone else in the conversation. Then, we discovered what Professor O’Donnell was trying to teach us. Thirty minutes into the session, “O’Donnell” revealed that he was a Teacher Assistant pretending to be Professor O’Donnell. Lesson learned; we never really know who we are talking with online.

Now, I get the opportunity to teach librarians how to use virtual classrooms for meetings and trainings. In March, I went to Valdez, Alaska to teach a conference session on this topic. I must admit that playing the game “Get Out of Valdez” gave me brand-new appreciation for the Pacific Northwest and reinforced my thoughts that the Alaskan librarians are made of awesome. I was welcomed warmly to our northern most state and had the opportunity to meet many Alaskan librarians, from those working in remote villages with a population of 40 to a former Washington librarian who now manages the Anchorage library. Despite concerns that days of snow may prevent us from departing Valdez, we all made it safely out.

The session focused on how to create interactive, fun webinars and I gave the participants several templates that they can re-purpose for their own use. Attendees later told me that I helped them see the simple things that could be done to enhance the webinar experience.

Through my various communities of practice including; I have been able to practice and fine-tune my webinar skills over the years. In the beginning when the Washington training group decided to experiment with web meetings, I was resistant. I knew I would miss seeing my colleagues face to face and the social interaction of those meetings often lead to great new ideas and projects. However, I soon became a convert. Now, while I love seeing my colleagues in person at trainings and conferences, I appreciate the times that we meet virtually.

Plus, there are so many more opportunities for collaboration now that I live much of my life in the “virtual world” of librarianship. I can meet regularly with my fellow Continuing Education state-wide coordinators from around the states and keep up with my local colleagues between our quarterly in-person meetings. I was able to partner with my colleague, Shirley Biladeau, from the Idaho Commission for Libraries to offer a series of eReader webinars for library staff. We are currently partnering on teaching Turning the Page 2.0 in the fall. Without the help of our virtual spaces including the virtual classroom, my job would be a lot harder.

Now, 18 years after my first attempt at navigating the virtual classroom, I am passionate at sharing my knowledge and skills with others. Also, I generally “know” who is in my classroom because we now have VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) that allows me to hear the voices of my peers. And if someone isn’t on a microphone and communicating over chat, I trust they are who they claim to be.

Jennifer Fenton is the Continuing Education/Training Coordinator at the Washington State Library and can often be found glued to a computer screen with a headset facilitating, attending or monitoring various online trainings and meetings.

Written by guest blogger, Adrienne Doman Calkins, CE/Training Intern, Washington State Library, Library Development

Library staff have questions too. Lots of them. Like: How can I best implement eReader training at my library? What are the current trends in library programming? How can I improve our website? What training materials already exist to help me train my new staff? How can I best help my community with digital literacy skills? I want to brush up on my communication skills, but how can I from a remote area with few training opportunities. How can I learn about project management with my busy schedule?

Most importantly, library staff want to know how to keep their skills current to best serve their evolving communities.

The Washington State Library sponsors online learning for library staff across all 71,000+ square miles of the state through a statewide membership to WebJunction, an online learning community designed specifically for library staff. Washington is one of 18 states partnering with WebJunction to offer sponsored access to online courses and webinars for library staff. While WebJunction has a national presence, it is also a local organization based in Seattle, Washington, since 2003. Washington library staff benefit from WebJunction’s connections to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the parent company to WebJunction, OCLC.

If you’ve used WebJunction in years past, look again. The newly redesigned WebJunction website is easier to navigate and offers more resources.

Library staff across Washington are getting value out of the WSL partnership with WebJunction:

• 700 courses were taken in 2012
• 527 registered users attended 24 different live webinars in 2012
• Library staff from 30 different libraries registered for courses in 2012
• 561 Washington library staff are currently registered as WebJunction Washington members.
• With current membership, courses cost WSL about $22 each. That price gets lower the more members join and take courses. The current contract pays for over 3,600 library staff to join WebJunction.
• WebJunction content is available 24/7 to library staff wherever they have an internet connection, making it a great resource for rural library staff, who may not be able to attend offsite trainings as easily, or any staff who need to be as efficient as possible with their time.
• New content is constantly being added to WebJunction. Upcoming webinars can be found on www.webjunction.org, or look on the Washington Partner page to see these and links to WSL’s First Tuesday webinars. Can’t make the date? Past webinars are accessible as archives, as well. New courses will soon be available in video format when WebJunction adds Lynda.com trainings to their course catalog, increasing the software, business and creative offerings sponsored by WSL. Note: access to Lynda.com trainings will be limited, so registered staff should look for the invitation via email soon.
• Washington library staff can create a free account on the WebJunction site. Sponsored access will be approved by WSL and WebJunction within 48 hours.

Some WebJunction users are really taking advantage of the resources. One power-user, Keyla Gonzalez, a Circulation Clerk 2 from Bellingham Public Library, took 25 courses in 2012. She has built an impressive list of skills using WebJunction: “I have learned cultural communication styles, how to reach out to our non-English speaking patrons and how to better equip myself to be more helpful when answering patron’s requests.” What does Keyla appreciation about the WSL sponsored access to WebJunction? “I love that I can use my own time and finish my course load at my own pace. If there’s a course that is strenuous I know I can go back and re-do it however many times I want. Mostly I love that it is accessible at any time and it is free!”
Another important role in online learning is the WebJunction champion—that person who encourages staff to take courses and attend webinars. Some champions are peers, others are trainers, administrators, managers or supervisors. All of them know access to online learning is only part of the solution to help staff keep their skills sharp. The other part is creating a culture that prioritizes learning and gives staff the time, space and resources to participate in online training opportunities.

One such champion is Patricia Chupa, Circulation Supervisor at the Shelton Timberland Library. Pat, as her staff know her, has built just such a culture in her department. She incorporates online learning into the goals her staff make during annual performance evaluations and goes on to make a contract with her staff: if they “partner with one another to get the materials handling work done in a timely fashion,” then they are guaranteed “protected time to do their courses” and staff help cover for each other by negotiating the best time for trainings. Has the effort paid off? Pat is proud to report “the professional approach to their customer service has improved across the team, and that has readily been demonstrated in the level of satisfaction we see and hear from our patrons.”

The WebJunction Washington partner resources are managed by the Washington State Library, with input from a state-wide WebJunction Washington Advisory Team made up of members from public, academic, and special libraries across the state. It’s the sponsored learners, though, that make WebJunction resources come alive as library staff interact with library patrons with skills learned through this state-sponsored resource.

OCLC is replacing the current WorldCat Resource Sharing interlibrary loan (ILL) service with a new service,  OCLC WorldShareT Interlibrary Loan, in 2013.

A series of training sessions on the new service has been scheduled for Washington libraries:

Training for Public and Special Libraries:

• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Getting Started: Tuesday, April 2 – Register
• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Borrowing: Wednesday, April 3 – Register
• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Lending: Thursday, April 4 – Register

Training for Academic Libraries:

• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Getting Started: Tuesday, July 16 – Register
• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Borrowing: Wednesday, July 17 – Register
• WorldShare Interlibrary Loan Lending: Thursday, July 18 – Register

While these training sessions have been scheduled specifically for Washington libraries that are partner members in the Wayfinder/Washington Group Services project, staff from other Washington libraries are also welcome to register and attend these sessions.

For more information on the transition, visit the Wayfinder News page.

3.21 EveryoneOn and Connect2Compete

http://www.everyoneon.org/ and http://www.connect2compete.org/

Someone asked the other day what all the fuss is about. Do libraries really need to pay attention to this national campaign? At this point we don’t know if the campaign will create a ripple or a splash, or if it will gain a huge amount of momentum over the three years of the campaign.

What we do know is that it allows another layer of society to have access to technology and Internet services at modest prices. For those most poverty stricken, the available technology and access to Internet will still be out of their reach. In this sense, and in either case, libraries will still be a critical piece of bridging the digital divide.

What we also know is that the campaign directs people to their local library, Goodwill, and other digital literacy training providers. From the EveryoneOn website, people will be able to access a search box which will return a list of libraries and other providers within a certain distance from the city and state, or zip code that is entered. For public libraries, at a minimum, their location and contact information will be provided. Libraries also have the opportunity, at the branch level, to enter information about the services they provide at each location.

My guess is that with the number of national organizations behind this effort, awareness of the campaign will not be an issue. Some four billion dollars of direct contributions and in-kind funding are being directed to this effort. Intel, Best Buy, Citi Group, Morgan Stanley, Four H, Boys and Girls Club, IMLS, United Way, TechSoup, National Urban League, Microsoft, ALA, Goodwill, Cox, Time Warner, Cablevision, Brainfuse, CareerBuilder, Learning Express, Sesame Street, and a host of others have signed on.

I would suspect libraries will be contacted whether or not they post more information to the EveryoneOn site. March 21, 2013 is the national kickoff to this three year campaign. Library staff should be prepared to be contacted by the ones and twos, the tens, the hundreds, and for the largest library locations perhaps the thousands, all of whom will want to know more about the services and the trainings their local library provides.

Jeff Martin, Library Development Program Manager, Washington State Library

2013 is nearly here! WSL is pleased to offer the following FREE webinars in January. Happy Holidays!

 Registration is available here.

 First Tuesdays: Burnout: Avoiding the flames

January 8, 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT

Library staff trying to keep up with changes in technology, demographics, & services may feel somewhat at sea. In this interactive session, Debra Westwood, Library Cluster Manager, King County Library System will look at how libraries are changing. Debra will help attendees learn about individual and group responses to change and devise specific strategies that individuals and work groups can use to remain buoyant in these difficult seas. Presented by Debra Westwood, King County Library System. Instructions and Login for First Tuesdays session

Designed as a continuing-education opportunity for staff of libraries in Washington State, this free web presentation from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., lets attendees share their skills and successes and learn about new topics. The special-subject presentations, lasting about 60 minutes, are recorded so that others may listen at their own convenience.

 Service Excellence in Your Library

January 10, 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT

This spring, Kate Laughlin will be touring with her workshop, Service Excellence in Your Library. Get a sneak preview at this webinar.

All library staff from top to bottom, internal and external, are in a service position. 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 WA’s libraries into great service? 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.

Library consultant and trainer, Kate Laughlin, has been working in and with libraries since the late 1990s. In 2011, she had the opportunity to immerse with a focus group of 15 staff from different levels of library work, internal and external. From that intensive work came the creation of Service Excellence training, which is acutely relevant to the work we do in libraries and for our patrons.

TechSoup for Libraries: Washington

January 16, 9:30-10:00 a.m. PT

Whether you’re a regular TechSoup for Libraries user or haven’t heard of them until now, this webinar designed specifically for Washington public libraries will show you something new about the variety of free services offered to libraries and nonprofits.

TechSoup, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is working toward a time when every nonprofit, library, and social benefit organization will have the technology resources and knowledge they need to operate at their full potential.

During this  30-minute webinar, attendees will learn how to register and request over 450 donated and discounted products from more than 50 donor partners — including Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, Intuit, and Symantec, and take a virtual tour of other free resources in TechSoup’s tech arsenal including:

• TechSoup’s up-to-date articles and library spotlights
• community discussion forums
• free webinars and tweetchats
• technology news

and more!

This webinar will be of interest to staff in Washington public libraries who want to learn more about how they can benefit from all the free services TechSoup has to offer. Presented by Stephanie Gerding and Brenda Hough.

Legal Research for Information Professionals

January 28, 10:00-11:30 a.m. PT

Legal reference questions can be challenging to answer. This class will help public librarians learn practical skills for approaching these types of questions.

Participants will be able to:

* Translate keywords from reference questions into legal search terms for finding resources

* Describe legal resources available through WA web sites (KCLL, WashingtonLawHelp and others)

* Refer legal questions as appropriate to a law library

Online via Blackboard/Elluminate. Instructions for log-in will be sent to each registrant.

Presented by Kim Ositis, Public Law Library of King County.

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

Featured Free Trainings:

Registration information for the below trainings and webinars is available at: http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/training/trainingCalendar.aspx

 Washington State Library is pleased to offer the following FREE online training in December:

 First Tuesdays: Exploring Washington Rural Heritage Digital Collections

December 4, 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT

Join us as Washington State Library’s Evan Robb and Ross Fuqua provide an introduction to searching, browsing, and exploring Washington Rural Heritage, a digital repository for Washington’s public libraries. The presentation will demonstrate advanced search functionality, website navigation, and integration of social media and collection visualization components. Presented by Evan Robb and Ross Fuqua, Washington State Library.

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

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

WebJunction has launched the new site; here is some information to help you understand the new WebJunction Washington. There are now two sites, the portal page which does not require a log-in and the course catalog which requires affiliation with Washington to access free courses. Courses are unlimited.

New portal website: http://www.webjunction.org/partners/washington.html

*Please note that the content has not yet been added, so it is a skeleton website at this time.

New Learning Management System for courses:

• New members: https://www.webjunction.org/find-training/request-access/ 

• Existing WJ WA members: To sign in, go https://oclc.plateau.com/plateau/user/login.jsp

User ID: USERID; Password: WebJunction

Early registration for January WebJunction webinars is now open:

The Impact of an Ice Cream Sundae

Tuesday, January 15, 2013 ♦ 11 am Pacific ♦ 60 min

Early Registration: http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/The_Impact_of_an_Ice_Cream_Sundae.html

What does an ice cream sundae have to do with library partnerships? Let’s pretend that your community organizations (school, academic, public and special libraries, and other local organizations) are your favorite kind of ice cream. Now let’s ladle your favorite toppings over the ice cream to represent  the organizations’ resources, programs, personnel and funding.  How can the ice cream “mix” with the toppings to be the most luscious dessert possible for the most people?  When community organizations collaborate to share their resources with one another, they make the biggest possible impact on the most lives. Learn easy, understandable and powerful strategies that will give you renewed energy to create bold and imaginative collaborations among all types of community organizations.

Presented by: Kathy Jacobs, Director, Yankton (SD) Community Library

Creating a Culture of Innovation in your Library and Community

Wednesday, January 23, 2013 ♦ 10 am Pacific ♦ 60 min

Early Registration:  http://www.webjunction.org/events/webjunction/Creating_a_Culture_of_Innovation.html

We hear about libraries that are leaders in innovation, implementing ideas that keep the library growing and vital. Perhaps you have watched from the sidelines and wished you could kickstart some innovation at your library, but you’re not sure where to start. Come to this webinar for an active and lively discussion on how to find innovative ideas, how to connect with the people to help make them happen, and how to get buy-in and support for your ideas. There is a lot to be learned from other libraries’ examples and experiences.

Presented by: Heather Braum, Digital & Technical Services Librarian at the Northeast Kansas Library System, blogger at www.heatherbraum.info, and 2010 Kansas Library Association’s New Professional of the Year.

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

 For more information on these and many more CE events, continue reading….

 Training Opportunities in December 2012

For full information, please click on the link or visit http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/training/trainingCalendar.aspx

*Please note that all times are listed in PT on this list, some webinar registrations will reflect other time zones

12/3/2012: Makerspaces: A New Wave of Library Service
12/3/2012: Open Mic Night with Dr. Joyce Valenza!
12/4/2012: First Tuesdays
12/4/2012: Tech-Savvy Staff: Better Service for Library Users
12/4/2012: Create a Story and Tell it Too: Engaging Supporters with Online Video
12/4/2012: Reading is a Superpower! Comic Books, Graphic Novels, & Literacy
12/5/2012: Applying the 70:20:10 Enterprise Learning Model
12/5/2012: Branding yourself and your library career on LinkedIn
12/5/2012: It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore: Adult Summer Reading Programs
12/6/2012: How to Create Your Own Library (or Personal!) Knowledge Base.
12/6/2012: Assessing the Cloud for Nonprofits and Libraries
12/6/2012: Outreach Programs in Rural Communities: Simple Steps for Surprising Results
12/6/2012: Lerner Publishing Group Spring 2013 Librarian Preview Webinar
12/7/2012: Tech Tools With Tine: 1 Hour of Evernote
12/7/2012: Accessibility Handbook: Making 508-Compliant Websites
12/10/2012: Bozarthzone! Nuts and Bolts of Social Media
12/11/2012: Better Together: Tech Trainers Sharing Expertise
12/11/2012: Creating a Comprehensive and Engaging Volunteer Training Program
12/11/2012: Mobile Accessibility – The Status of Accessibility in Mobile Devices
12/12/2012: What Would Walt Do?: Quality Customer Service for Libraries
12/12/2012: Polite Debate Society
12/12/2012: Basic Graphic Design for Library Staff: Quick and Easy Solutions
12/12/2012: Perfect Phrases for Fundraising
12/13/2012: Making the Choice: Mobile Solutions for Your Library

 **Please note that times and topics are subject to change and WSL is not responsible for non-WSL events. Please verify time and topic when registering. Also, new webinars are added to the training calendar throughout the month as time allows, so please check back. This is only a partial list of free CE Events available online.

 Archived presentations:

Don’t have time to catch these courses live? Many are available later as an archived presentation. To view archives, visit the following sites:

Infopeople

Common Knowledge

School Library Journal

Booklist

Tech Soup

Library Journal

SirsiDynix Institute

WebJunction

NCompass Live

Texas State Library

American Management Association

Carterette Series Webinars Archive: Georgia Library Association

* WSL provides information about outside training events for your convenience only; please contact the event sponsor for the most up-to-date information and all questions about the event.

The kids are back to school and things are kicking into high gear for training librarians. This fall promises to be a busy and educational season for library staff. With our Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) we are gearing up to offer high impact trainings this fall, both on the ground and online.

On September 24, library staff are invited to attend the 2-hour webinar, Legal Research for Information Professionals. Taught by Kim Ositis of the Public Law Library of King County, this webinar will equip library staff with practical skills that will help them to answer challenging legal questions. Kim’s legal webinars have been sponsored by WSL for a few years now and continue to draw crowds.

In October, Arta Kabashi from Amigos Library Services will be coming to Washington State from Texas to train staff in rural libraries on the eReader landscape. Her full-day workshop on All You Need to Know about E-reader Services in Your Library will introduce the concepts and tools necessary in implementing and delivering e-Reader services to library users. E-readers continue to gain in popularity and this interactive workshop is aimed at helping library staff better serve our customers.

In addition to new technologies such as e-Readers, the need for training library staff in traditional skills continues. One of the most requested training topics is Customer Service. Therefore, WSL contracted with Kate Laughlin, Library Consultant, to offer multiple trainings around the state in 2012-2013 on Service Excellence in Your Library. In November, Kate kicks off her full-day workshops in the Tri-Cities. Additional workshops will be scheduled after winter break into spring 2013. Kate’s workshops are guaranteed to be engaging and practical. Our library patrons are sure to benefit as a result of this excellent customer service training.

Continuing to partner with our colleagues is important. As part of a series of joint workshops and webinars, we are pleased to offer a webinar in October about WTBBL (Washington Talking Book & Braille Library) Youth Services. Mandy Gonnsen, the new youth services librarian at WTBBL, looks forward to enhancing services there for children and teens.

In addition to these trainings, WSL continues to offer a monthly webinar series on the first Tuesday of each month called First Tuesdays. Upcoming topics for First Tuesdays include the eReaders: Best Practices,  Summer Reading and Burnout: Avoiding the Flames. Archives of previous First Tuesdays webinars are available at http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/libraries/firsttuesdays/default.aspx.

As the kids return to school, librarians are continuing their education as well through these and many other training opportunities.