SWILSA News & Views, December 2008

News & Views, December, 2008 (mp3 file:5.3 MB; 5:40 min.)

Planning; Family Literacy; Christmas programming kits



Last month the Library Service Areas embarked on a planning process to help us determine our direction and focus for the coming years. We chose to use Appreciative Inquiry, which focuses on the positive, looking at what we already do well and HOW we do it well in order to be able to apply that to meeting the needs of our customers--YOU. Jay Newman from the National Civility Center was our facilitator and I was delighted to learn that he was going to use the "World Cafe" approach to the process. The World Cafe is a concept I first read about a couple of years ago, and have been anxious to see in action, much less participate in.

We brought together about 60 people, including trustees, librarians from libraries of all types and sizes, the AEAs, the State Library and the Commission--and ourselves, of course. We sat at tables of 6 and discussed a question we were given. Then, while one person stayed at each table as host, everyone else moved to different tables and shared one point from the previous table's discussion before beginning on the next question. (We had questions on leadership, for example.) We switched tables 5 times and any one person seldom sat at a table with any other person twice. In this way, "seeds" of discussion were sowed among the tables.

The process was an important part of the day because we learned how to do it so we might apply it to our own settings--I have always wanted to do the World Cafe with trustees, for example--but the most important result was the input from our "stakeholders." While there weren't a lot of surprises to me in what we heard as needs, the relative importance of some of what we do was interesting--and important. The LSAs met the next day, and are meeting again on Monday to continue the planning, with this priceless input, but I want to share with you a few concepts that I heard over and over, and that I'm sure will figure prominently in our plan. There are lots of "C words: Connections, Communication, Collaboration, Community-building and Celebration of libraries were mentioned often. LSAs as lifelines, especially in these times of fiscal challenges and rapid change, was a clear reinforcement of the bottom line purpose of the LSAs--that you know that you are not alone.

You'll be hearing more soon about the planning process--I'll keep you apprised as we continue the process, and you'll certainly see the plan when it is developed, and as it changes: a plan IS a working, continuously evolving document, after all. In the meantime, do remember: You aren't alone. --Karen

Family Literacy Resources:

• Getting Started (ideas for celebrating "Día")
• Sigan Adelante Workshop Templates
• Family Fun Night Programs from the Pennsylvania Center for the Book

SWILSA News & Views, November 2008

News & Views, Novemberr, 2008 (mp3 file:4.97 MB; 5:26 min.)

Fun and Change, "Green" Libraries



Fun and change may not seem to belong together, depending on your comfort level with change. I've talked about change before, so you know how I feel about it, which may not be how you feel about it. Many times over my career I've heard people say to me, "Change is hard." And that always makes me angry for two reasons: first, it seems to always be coming from someone who isn't going to have to change but is trying to force you to make a change and, secondly, because I don't think change IS that hard, if it's good change. Well, it might not be easy, in any case, but if there's value to the change and it can generate some excitement about that value then it isn't as hard, and seems worth the work.

At the Internet Librarian conference last month I had a few minutes here and there to think about change and fun. There were so many ideas being discussed, so much energy and excitement in the air, it was hard to NOT want to make some changes. And I decided maybe that's why "change is hard." In libraries we seem to be always under the gun, with changes being thrown at us so we are reacting to changes over which we seemed to have no control. Not only are we doing what we've done for a long time, in traditional ways, but we're being asked--some might grumble that we're being forced--to also do more things in different ways. Maybe we can change that, at least a little bit. (Baby steps, I always say...)

What if, instead of always reacting to change that seems to come at us like a cannonball, we thought about some new changes, maybe just small ones, that we'd LIKE to make, that would be fun for us? What if we even just took a few minutes each week or month to think creatively about new things we'd like to do or see, or to look around and see what others are doing that we'd like to try, too. I know, schedules are so packed, but what if we could reserve just those few minutes, on a regular schedule, to be a little creative in our thinking, and see where that could lead us. I have started scheduling a little time each month with a colleague to exchange ideas and brainstorm, and I can't tell you how much that has helped me to better deal with the countless other things on my calendar. That time is a sort of "island" of creativity and "good energy," if you will, to set my mind toward fun and exciting things that I can work on--not to bring about today or tomorrow, necessarily, but working on bits here, and bytes there. And I have a colleague to help. Maybe you want your time to be for yourself and your own creative thinking, maybe you want a colleague--or two or three--to join you. Get together with others in your county, or nearby. Dream a little. Have some fun. Create YOUR own change. --Karen

Resources from today's podcast:
Big Green Purse, by Diane MacEachern, Avery, 2008.
Green Weeding Wiki
SWILSA's Earth Day Resource page

The Engaged Library; National Gaming Day; "Angel Child, Dragon Child"

News & Views, October, 2008 (mp3 file:6.28 MB; 6:51 min.)

The Engaged Library, National Gaming Day, "Angel Child, Dragon Child"



You heard about it at the Town Meeting, you read about in "On the Boardtalk:" the Engaged Library. A report from a study by the Urban Libraries Council reinforces what we already know: libraries are in a unique position to become a vital part of their communities, to be "engaged" with their communities. It's more than being a community center--though that is certainly a great thing, and part of being and Engaged Library. It means being a center where people gather and discuss and learn and network and interact. But it means also going out into the community, becoming involved outside the walls of the library, perhaps even becoming one of the leaders moving the community forward, building its networks and resources for the citizens.

This might mean that the library--staff and trustees--will need to step out of the traditional box of library services, maybe even outside the comfort zone. We want people to come to the library but can the library demonstrate that it cares about the community, that it is a part of the whole, looking to the needs of the people and doing what it can to respond? We have examples in Iowa of libraries who have been instrumental in applying for grants that benefit not just the library but with a greater reach, doing good for other parts of the community. Never mind, for a moment, what other libraries are doing. What does YOUR community need, and are there ways in which the library can help meet those needs? I read in Library Journal yesterday about a branch of the San Diego Public Library that was concerned about the nutrition of many of the children in the community who visited the library often during summer; the children ate good meals during the school year, thanks to the federal hot meal program, but were at risk during the summer. Working in partnership with other agencies in the community they were able to bring about a summer program for meals for those children. Yes, that's a large city and maybe that isn't a need in your community but it's an example of a library that stepped outside its usual services to look for ways to be engaged with the community. What do you see when you look outside the box of traditional services, what are the possibilities in YOUR community? What can your library do to be engaged in the community. It doesn't have to be huge, it can be listening and watching at meetings of Kiwanis or Rotary and thinking about how the library might fit into what's happening--or what the community wants to happen. Look outside the library to the community, be "engaged." --Karen

Links from today's podcast:
Games and Gaming Resources wiki
National Gaming Day (at I Love Libraries)
SWILSA Events and Displays page

News September 12, 2008 (mp3 file:7.03 MB;7:41 min.)

Changes; Hispanic Heritage Month; Apron Kits



Last month our friend Sarah Willeford facilitated an assessment of SWILSA's services, in which several librarians gave us ideas for how we might improve and add to our services. I will be making recommendations to my Board in October based on that assessment but we will begin implementing some of them before then.

On of the "themes" of the comments was "online is great, but don't lose the in-person," and I'd like to share my thoughts about that with you. First of all, we absolutely agree, and always have. We would never give up face-to-face consulting visits and workshops, they are too valuable to providing the best service we can, and you seem to appreciate them, as well. The online capabilities simply make it possible for us to have *more* instances of contact with you, both for consulting and for workshops. Because of the size and geography of the SW LSA it isn't possible for me to just run out to any library one afternoon, at short notice--it would take me most of an afternoon to reach some of the libraries. That is something I've never been happy about because I know those libraries in the more eastern part of the Area feel more isolated. Since we can't do anything about that geography or distance we've tried to find other ways to keep contact in between visits. One library in the east keeps in contact pretty regularly with instant messaging--she can see when I'm in the office because I'm logged on to instant messaging and she can just "pop in" with a question (or a piece of good news, which we like to hear about, too!) Several libraries use instant messaging, some like the phone or e-mail....we want to keep in touch in any and all ways that are convenient and comfortable for you.

One of the suggestions in the assessment was that I visit each library twice each month. That made me chuckle, after I picked my chin up off the floor, because of course that's physically impossible. In fairness to the "assessors" they were asked what they would like if time and money were no object so, point taken; in fact, we've never even considered replacing face to face with online. I always visit libraries who call and ask me to visit, or if you have an issue that you've talked to me about which I think can be helped with longer, face-to-face discussion I will offer to visit. If you're feeling a particular need to visit or want me to come out for any reason, just give me a call--or an e-mail, or an instant message.

Soon we'll be implementing another service, or rather additional method of delivery, for our consulting service. Ust as we have begun delivering CE online, we're going to start doing some consulting "visits"--virtual visits--online, for those libraries that wish to and feel comfortable with that. We've always done consulting by phone and by e-mail, and more recently by instant messaging, and I'm working on setting up regular online "visits" in the Wimba classroom. It's a chance for another connection with you, for 30 minutes or an hour or whatever, on a regular basis. We have audio and video and text available in the classroom, as well as desktop sharing, and while it's not the same as in-person, it's as close as we can get, in between in-person visits. A colleague mentioned the other day that she iss thinking about "office" hours in their Wimba classroom and that seems like a good idea, though figuring out a scheduled for either of these will be a challenge, as schedules are so irregular. But we'll be planning it out, trying it our, and making adjustments as we need to.

Also as a result of the assessment (and discussion at other CE) we're planning some more face-to-face and online workshops, in addition to those already on the schedule, and trying to work out a regular schedule of visits. More on that after I talk with the board. --Karen

LInks from today's podcast:
Pura Belpre Award winners
SWILSA Displays and Events page
SWILSA Youth Services Page
Apron kits

Heroes; "Talk to More" workshop

News August 8, 2008 (mp3 file:3.42 MB; 3:44 min.)

Heroes; "Talk to More" Workshop


They say that in these uncertain, stressful times we're all looking for heroes. That may make us think of Superman and Wonder Woman and other superheroes, but also about firefighters and police officers--those that are, rightfully so, said to be heroes. I believe that we're ALL heroes in our own rights, and I often turn to everyday heroes, who probably don't think of themselves that way.
Pondering that all started this week when I was thinking about listening--REALLY listening, I mean. I was thinking about it mostly because I don't think I do it very well. I thought about my brother-in-law, who does it better than anyone I've ever met, and wished I could do it one tenth as well as he. Then I started thinking about all the other people who have influenced what I do and how I do it--or strive to do it. Not in big, flashy ways, but as just a little nudge or whisper in my mind in the stressful moments when I want to better handle a situation. When I've vented (well, whined) long enough about a tough or infuriating situation, I think of Mary Wegner saying to me, years ago, "All right, but what are you going to DO about it?" When someone needs just a sympathetic ear I think about Carole who patiently listens while I was mutter; when problems and stresses seem to be stacking up I think about Ann, who also has a positive spin on just about anything, Marcia and Sue are constant steady reminders to be always cheerful and helpful.
There are a hundred different heroes in my head, stepping forward to help when I need it. And when you work with the public all day every day, there are bound to be some stresses that come up in the midst of the real joys you can experience when working with the public. I hope you have as many heroes, and I hope SWILSA can function in that way for you, at least sometimes. --Karen

Leadership; Banned Books Week; Book Kit: Blueberries for Sal

News August 1, 2008 (mp3 file:5.6 MB; 6:10 min.)

Leadership; Banned Books Week; Book Kit: Blueberries for Sal

This was yet another week in which I experienced a confluence of discussions and items on one topic; this time, leadership. What with the ILA Leadership Institute last week, an article that one of my trustees sent me, and discussions with friends and colleagues inside and outside the library profession it has been a week to ponder leadership, and what that really is. I'm not sure than anyone fully articulate what it is--at least to me. And, given the number of books and articles and institutes, it clearly isn't, well, clear-cut. It varies from person to person, situation to situation, time to time. The books, articles and institutes are terrific because they help us to work it our for ourselves, figure out how leadership fits us and our situations. It isn't a one size fits all. To me, leadership means looking to the future, availing ourselves of all that is available to us, acting responsibly and compassionately, showing a path to a better future--and how we think we can best get there. The path may--probably will-change on the way but the ultimate vision is the same If our vision is a worthy one, which others can agree is the way to go, then the second part of leadership is to help get there--not dragging everyone along, but well, leading. I don't think my trustee would mind if I quote his e-mail to me about an article in the August 4 issue of Newsweek, "Me thinks you must have chatted with Anna Quindlan, or she you, about the use of technology per her article in the above...on the last page of the magazine. She takes the position that leaders have to be conversant (and use) the latest technology and know what's coming ahead...look at Lincoln, she says, with the use of the telegraph--goes on to McCain and corporate executives. Good read for librarians, too...seems to me... putting themselves in the shoes of potus or a corp. exec." Indeed. As I've listened to friends in other professions for the past couple of weeks I've been reminded that, though our specific work may be different, the need for leadership is the same. And we can exercise leadership, no matter where we are on the totem pole--trustees, directors, support staff, volunteers. Keep your eyes and ears open, ponder, dream--what brilliant future can we imagine, and how can we take each other there? Wherever we are in an organization or group, how can we help to get us there? --Karen

Links from today's podcast:

SWILSA Display and Events webpage
ALA's Banned Books Week webpage

Marketing and Workshops; Teen Read Week; Flannel Board: Emperor's New Clothes

News July 25,, 2008 (mp3 file:4.8 MB; 5:15 min.)

Marketing and Workshops; Teen Read Week; Flannelboard: Emperor's New Clothes


Earlier this week I attended the Professional Reading Roundtable at the Shenandoah Library, joining librarians from the area in discussing ideas from books of our choice. We discussed oral history (an interesting project is in the works--you might be hearing about it at a later date), customer service, reader's advisory for teens, staff development, early childhood learning spaces, and marketing. (Oh, and a side note--Carole listened to the customer service book, downloading it from WILBOR, rather than reading it.) At the end of the day we had found several topics for workshops in the spring, so be watching for those.

As we talked about marketing I was struck by the incredible range of marketing that we could be doing, and the wealth of tools that we have to help us to do that. First of all, the experience and ideas of our colleagues--from conversation, from observation as we visit other libraries or read journals, from books, from blogs. We'll find ideas for marketing new services and special events, for marketing to groups that aren't using the library as much as we'd like, marketing within the library--merchandising, really--and here we can learn from our colleagues in retail, marketing through the media, through print in the library and around the community, and marketing through the web.

As with many things, a plan is a good starting point. Even if you end up changing the plan, it's a good place to start. We'll be planning a series of workshops on the various aspects of marketing, starting with developing a marketing plan, and following through with the plan. You'll be "doing" as we move through the series, and will hopefully have a marketing plan and action steps by the end of the series.

As for the workshops on the other topics--there's a new "Creating a Reader's Advisory Service" workshop starting July 31. The oral history project might sprout a workshop or two, and customer service and staff development are definitely on our list for the spring. (And though I didn't mention it in the podcast, we're working on a reference interview workshop, as well. ) Stay tuned! --Karen

Links from Today's Podcast:
SWILSA Youth Services
Teen Read Week
WrestleMania Reading Challenge

CE Around the State; Podcasting Tips; Aesop's Fables Flannelboard Kits

News July 18,, 2008 (mp3 file: 5 MB; 5:55 min.)

CE Around the State; Podcasting Tips; Aesop's Fables Flannelboard Kits


First of all, it's good to be back online! It has been a challenging 3 or 4 weeks and we still have a few things to clear up and update but we're happy to be--for the most part--back. Thanks for your patience as we dealt with simultaneous connectivity and webserver issues. In the last podcast I updated you on upcoming plans for continuing education. This week I'd like to review briefly the larger continuing education picture. One of the great things about the Iowa library community, aided by technological tools available to us now, is that continuing education is offered to any librarian or trustee in the state. It has always been so, but traveling to different and distant LSAs for a workshop was difficult for many librarians. With ICN and online classrooms available to us now there are even more opportunities to take advantage of workshops offered by other LSAs. We hope, of course, that we're meeting many of your CE needs but there are a great many great workshops and classes offered by our colleagues in other LSAs and at the State Library. All of us at the LSAs and State Library have heard librarians say, "Such and such LSA is offering this class online; will you be offering it, too?" The beauty of the online environment is that anyone can attend from anywhere in the state. Occasionally an LSA may have limited "seats" in a class and will give preference to librarians in its own LSA, but for the most part you are welcome to register for any class anywhere in the state. We are planning a regular e-mail "newsletter" that lists upcoming CE around the state, so you will have the announcements in that format, as well as checking the statewide CE catalog for classes you might be interested in. That's about it from me today; I just wanted to remind you that there are a great many classes available to you--don't hesitate to take advantage of them. If you need assistance in getting set up in a Wimba online classroom just let me know and I'll help you get started. We also plan to offer, periodically, a "How to Be a Successful Online Learner" class. Online learning may not be your ideal learning style but we can help you to maximize its effectiveness for you so you can tap into the great wealth of continuing education opportunities you have--literally--at your fingertips. --Karen

Upcoming CE; New Early Childhood Storytime Plans Webpage

News June 20, 2008 (mp3 file:3.13 MB; 3:20 min.)

Upcoming CE; New early childhood storytime plans webpage

I’ve been feverishly planning CE events for this summer and fall..and winter. Here’s a sampling of what’s ahead:

Shenandoah Public Library is hosting another Pro Reading discussion on July 23, another round of the “Starting a Reader’s Advisory Service” starts on July 31, and Michele and I will be doing a “How to Learn Online” session in Wimba on August 5. (We plan to do these periodically, so if you miss that one, you’ll have other chances.) Speaking of Reader’s Advisory, we’ll be introducing Iowa librarians to a new project, Cooperative Reader’s Advisory, or CORA, on August 19.

On September 5 we’re sponsoring, along with Central LSA, another RACE (Random Act of Continuing Education) on the annual survey. There are a few new questions this year, allowing you to report downloadable audiobooks, so those of you in WILBOR will want to make note of that.

On September 12 we’ll be sponsoring “Talk to More,” a workshop in which Jerri Heid will show you some baby signing, and Sue Gruber from SWILSA will help you with some basic Spanish to help you better communicate with your Spanish=speaking patrons. The Town Meeting will be in Creston on September 16. October will be quite full, with the ILA conference and Summer Library Program workshops.

Finally, in November we’ll begin our series of e-rate workshops online.

Oh, not quite last—the Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference will be held on January 21, 2009. And we’ll start up with a new series Computerside Chats later in the fall or early winter.

Not all of these events are in the catalog yet, but mark your calendars! You can find the dates ion SWILSA’s website, on the In-Person and the Online CE pages.

Hope you’re all getting buggy with the Summer Library Program, and having fun with it! --Karen

Links from today's podcast:

• Story Kits
  
• SWILSA Storytelling Resources
  

"How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read" & Storytelling Puppet Kits

News June 13, 2008 (mp3 file)





Book Reviewed in Today's Podcast:
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard.

Storytime Kits Reviewed in Today's Podcast:
The Paper Bag Princess
The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Learning Spaces & Anansi Puppet Kit

News June 6, 2008 (mp3 file; 3:40 min.)




Book from Today's Podcast:
The Complete Learning Spaces Book for Infants and Toddlers by Rebecca Isbell and Christy Isbell

Websites from Today's Podcast:
"Baby Bug-gy" Storytime Kit -- See the Story Kits page of the ECL website
Puppet Kits from SWILSA

Core Values; Spanish Language Resources; Puppets

News May 30, 2008 (mp3 file:5.68 MB; 6:16 min.)

Core Values; Spanish Language Resources; Puppets



As I was reading "Group Genius" earlier this week, and pondering the ways in which we might make use of the information about collaboration, and how creative "sparks" really happen, my brain wandered over to the topic of core values. (You may remember that I have a very short attention span, I'm a hyperlink, Happy Cow (I'm gonna win, I'm gonna...Ooh! Look--dandelions! kind of person, so that's not as odd as it might sound...) The concept of core values is one that, I admit, I don't do much thinking about, at least consciously, in those terms. And I'm thinking that should probably change. In fact, I've talked to my board chair about discussing it at the next couple of board meetings--with the current board, and then again when new members come on board in July. I think that the SWILSA staff and board share the same core values; in fact, I'm pretty sure that we do, but I think it's a good thing to talk about because those core values are the underpinning for everything we do, everything we plan, everything we say. Maybe we need to articulate those every now and then, to remind ourselves of what we're doing, and how we conduct ourselves.

Core values are at the very heart of things; they're more intrinsic than vision or mission. The National Park Service has a pretty good description, which includes: "The core values of an organization are those values we hold which form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves...The values underlie our work, how interact with each other, and which strategies we employ to fulfill our mission. The core values are the basic elements of how we go about our work. They are the practices we use (or should be using) every day in everything we do."

One of SWILSA's core values, for example is, I think--I hope--Respect: respect for each other in the offie;, respect between the staff and the board, and among the trustees of the board; respect for all of you librarians and trustees, our clients; and respect for colleagues and everyone with whom we work. It's not our mission to have respect for everyone, and to treat everyone with respect, it's much more fundamental than that. As we carry out our mission "to help libraries provide the best possible service to Iowans," it is how we expect to conduct ourselves--how YOU should expect us to conduct ourselves.

I encourage you to give some thought to what your library's core values are, and discuss it with your board. They are so much at the heart of what we do--HOW we do--that it's a discussion well worth having. --Karen

Links from Today's Podcast:
National Park Service on core values
Group Genius: the creative power of collaboration, by Keith Sawyer (Amazon.com)
Spanish language resources
Puppets at SWILSA

Summer Reading for Adults & "The Little House" Book Kit

News May 23, 2008 (mp3 file; 3:35 min.)




Link from Today's Podcast:

SWILSA "Library Displays & Events" webpage

Interlibrary Loan Tips & Mother Goose Flannelboards

News May 16, 2008 (mp3 file; 3:51 min.)

Trends; Children's Book Week

News May 9, 2008 (mp3 file:3.36 MB; 3:36 min.)

Trends; Children's Book Week
Correction: My apologies to Mark Penn and E. Kinney Zalesne, the authors of "Microtrends."! Keith Sawyer, to whom I attributed the book in the podcast, is the author of "Group Genius," another book you should read! --Karen



Last week I started reading a book entitled, "Micro trends: the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes," by Mark J. Peen with E. Kinney Zalesne. The author identifies and discusses more than 70 trends--some of which I'm not sure I'd consider "micro" but all are interesting and many are worthy of our consideration when thinking about our services in libraries. Some may be more significant--at least on the surface--for us.

Here are just a few; think but them and what they might mean to your library, its patrons, and services the library provides for them:

• Teens are knitting;
• More technology is purchased by women than by men
• The number of people who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night is rising fast;
• 1 in 10 Americans is straining to hear, or missing out on sounds altogether;
• We hear about Americans' attention span shortening but there are also many "LAS," or Long Attention Spanners--they read long books, do crossword and Sudoku puzzles, play golf, etc.;
• We typically think that "geeks" aren't social but the more enthusiastic users of technology in America are the most social people in America;
• Nature-based sports--skateboarding, kayaking and mountain-biking are on the rise, while more traditionally favorite sports such as tennis, baseball and volleyball are declining.

Do these microtrends matter to libraries? Why or why not? It bears thinking about... --Karen

Links from today's podcast
Children's Choice Book Awards
SWILSA Youth Services

The Big Technology Picture; Early Childhood Literacy

News April 25, 2008 (mp3 file: 4.98 MB; 5:19 min.)
The Big Technology Picture; Early Childhood Literacy



This has been yet another of those weeks during which various articles, e-mails, and questions have come together with a common theme--technology. That's a pretty common theme these days, I admit, but the articles, questions and e-mails have seemed to really boil down to how we view technology, how we deal with it, and plan for it. I have long wished for the day when technology would become just another tool, almost transparent, that we use to get the job done. We aren't there yet--maybe it seems to be changing too fast for that to happen just yet--but I think we are getting that much closer to it. I don't see librarians fighting it anymore; we seem to be expecting that it's a part of how we do business. But often it's the technology that we're focusing on, and less on what we can choose to do with it.

Now, many of you know me, and I love technology--I'm a gadget girl from way back. But there are some "technologies" that colleagues are raving about and getting behind that I just can't bring myself to get excited about. They just don't seem to be technologies that "get the job done" for me. (And, incidentally, that reminds me to understand when colleagues don't get excited about all the same technologies that I am!)

The bottom line to it all: does this technology, whether it be hardware technology or a web technology, have the potential to help us to do our job better? Does it make it easier for us to do the behind the scenes work more efficiently or effectively? Does it allow us to provide better service, more service, service to more people? Does it expand their horizons--and ours? Will the time and effort we would need to implement this technology result in service better enough to warrant the time and effort that it might take away from something else? Is there a different technology that will better serve our patrons? In what ways might we use this technology in libraries to reach more people? These aren't always easy questions to answer because it's difficult to see the big picture, the picture down the road, when we're right in the middle of the short-term picture. When we're trying to learn how to blog and wiki and podcast it's easy to lose sight of the long-term *point* of the blogs and the wikis and the podcasts--better communication and interaction with our patrons, and opening to new patrons. Keeping the big picture, and the purpose, in mind helps us to weather the storms of new technologies, that change just about the time we figure them out and get used to them. New technologies come along every second. We should try to make the best use of them for our purposes as we can, knowing that somewhere in the future, probably more near than far, there will be an improvement or a change or a new technology that will be even more useful for our purposes. Think about automation systems--we cry for improvements and changes and enhancements that we want so they can be more useful to us. We should have the same outlook for all these technologies.

A former trustee sent me a link to a Wall Street Journal column about optimism and digital technology. Two of L. Gordon Crovitz's points struck chords with me--well, maybe 3: First, that as information becomes more accessible, individuals gain choice, control and freedom. Secondly, "Genies don't go back into bottles," and finally, "This is the Information Age, yet we're just beginning to gather the information and understanding to know how it changes our lives." [end quote] Let's not forget to keep our eye on the big picture as we take the short term snapshot. -Karen

Links from today's podcast

• "Optimism and the digital world," by L. Gordon Crovitz, Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2008, Page A15.
• Early Childhood Literacy website

What's New This Week at SWILSA & "Distant Fire" Flannelboard Set

News April 18, 2008 (mp3 file; 3:19 min.)



Links from Today's Podcast:

• CE Catalog
• ECL "Build Awareness" webpage
• SWILSA "Displays & Events" page

Reviewed by Marcia on Today's Podcast:
"A Distant Fire" Flannelboard Set

"Greying of the Internet;"

News April 11, 2008 (mp3 file: 4.98 MB, 5:19 min.)
"Graying of the Internet;" "Dia" and other special youth events; "Miss Rumphius" storytelling kit


Last week I talked about an Internet librarian presentation about change, specifically technological change. This week I'm back to an Internet Librarian presentation, this time about "The Greying of the Internet," a presentation by Allan Kleiman. We in libraries are doing what we can--and rightly so--to reach our young users, in traditional ways but also via the Internet and the web and the other technologies with which they are so comfortable. In the process of doing that, however, let's not forget that boomers and older adults are also a large group and they use the Internet more than we sometimes realize. (Check out the presentation to see who is the fastest growing group using the Internet--you might be surprised.)

I hear quite often from librarians that their older patrons just don't use the Internet. I believe that that's not true--and usage studies are showing that. I like to use my 87 (soon to be 88) year old father as an example--he uses the Internet a LOT, downloads ebooks and audiobooks to his Palm pda and his iPod shuffle. We use iChat every night to do videoconferencing with him, and he checks in with us every morning using instant messaging. "Well, yes, but he's YOUR father," people say to me, as if I have anything to do with it. There are many other people's fathers and brothers and cousins who are older than we might typically think of as Internet users--we can't forget them.

In some ways the Internet is a vital resource for them--they can communicate with family, keep up to date and continue learning, look for information on the web. Maybe they are more comfortable with technology than we give them credit for. I KNOW most of them are more capable of learning than they are sometimes given credit for. And aren't we in a great place to be able to assist them, if they need and wish it? We can help them find reliable information on the web, show them how to do e-mail and download photos from digitall cameras to send to their children and grandchildren....They've seen a great deal of tremendous change in their lives, and they have handled it quite well, thank you. We owe a lot to generations older than we; let's not forget them in this wonderful world of technology resources.

Links from today's podcast:
Allan Kleimann's Internet Librarian presentation "Cranky? Boomers and Older Adults are Greying the Internet!"
ALA's "Dia" webapge
Nick, Jr. website
SIWLSA Youth Services page (for flyer to advertise special events at your library)

Change; "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" Activity Kit

News April 4, 2008 (mp3 file: 4.63 MB, 5:-03 min.)
Change; "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" Activity Kit

Everyone seems to feel differently about change--some love it, some dread it, some can take it or leave it, some like certain kinds of change but not others. When talking with librarians the change that they talk about most often is technological change, perhaps because it seems so pressing, and to be happening so quickly.

Now, I actually like technological change--I find it exciting. (Other kinds of change...not necessarily so much.) Regardless of how we feel about change I think it's universal that we find it frustrating, for one reason or another. If we like technological change it's frustrating to learn about new things but not have the money or time to use them. If we don't like technological change, we're frustrated because, after taking the dive--we have to, after all--we barely figure out one piece of technology before it's replaced by something else. Or perhaps we are enthusiastic about change but co-workers or bosses or boards aren't quite so enthusiastic about it.

It's no news that change is inevitable, and my experience with librarians is that they are willing to take on technological changes, even when they aren't very comfortable with it, because they know they need to do it in order to provide good service. But are there ways to alleviate some of these frustrations?

Just saying that change is inevitable, live with it, do it, and get over it isn't much help--though many people think that should do it. I've been trying to keep my ears tuned to ideas for getting comfortable with technological change, and I found a great resource in a presentation, "Tips for Effective Technology Change Agents," given by Roy Tennant at Internet Librarian last fall. I wasn't able to attend IL last year but the presentations are posted on Info Today's website. (There's one of those technological changes that I embrace!) While I would have loved to hear him and all the details I was able to glean some great ideas--and helpful thoughts--from the Powerpoint presentation. (Given technology these days I'm hopeful that one year soon we'll have digital video recordings of the presentations themselves but they aren't doing that yet at Internet Librarian.)

Tennant suggests that "the 'right' technology is one that helps you fulfill your mission for a reasonable period of time." Sometimes we fear making changes because we think we have to find the right solution for years and years to come. Understandable, since library funding will not support a lot of wrong turns. But we can't put off the changes forever, for fear that the technology we choose will go out of date. It WILL go out of date, that's all there is too it. Tennant says that all you can ask for is: to be right for a time, know when to move on, and manage change well.

He talks about the seven common characteristics of change agents (yes, that's us..), building a basic technical skill set, and how individuals can be organizational change agents. (Yes, that's us.)

He suggests that you find someone more experienced than you to show you only 3 important things. I like that. I hope that the LSA can help you with that sometimes; we are in a position to be able to focus more on the new things coming down the pike and pass them along to you. But also look to your colleagues in other libraries--and think about becoming the librarian that your colleagues turn to for information about some aspect of technology. We don't all have to know everything about everything, as long as every someone knows enough about some one thing that we can draw on the pool to learn what we need.

I encourage you to take a look at the presentation; you'll probably find different things helpful and important than I did. And look over the other presentations; I have no doubt that you'll find others of interest.

And a last piece of advice from Tennant's presentation: "Use what you learn, write it down, or kiss it goodbye."
--Karen

LInks from today's podcast:
"Tips for Technology Change Agents" presentation by Roy Tennant
Internet Librarian 2007 Presentations
Internet Librarian 2008 (October 2008)

Storytime Resource:
"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" Activity Kit

More Display Ideas & The Very Hungry Caterpillar

News & Views March 28, 2008




Links from Today's Podcast:

• New SWILSA Displays & Events webpage
• Sue's email: sgruber@swilsa.lib.ia.us
• SWILSA Current Announcements webpage

VHC Storytelling Items:

• Activity Kit (including puppet)
  
• Apron Kit
• Early Childhood Literacy Program (Storytime) Kit

Tweens and Teens in the Library; "Storytelling Activities Kit"

News March 21, 2008 (mp3 file: 5.23 MB, 5:35 min.)
Tweens and Teens in the Library; "Storytelling Activities Kit"

Summer is approaching--even if it seems like *spring* will never come to Iowa, summer will be upon us soon. You're all planning for the summer library program, and hoping for good turnout for the programs, as well as for plenty of other visits by kids and teens throughout the summer. As I've been visiting libraries and talking with librarians this spring I'm hearing more and more about tweens and teens, and what all of you are doing to make them feel welcome in the library. One library has started a tween group, and they are enthusiastically helping design their corner in the library, planning programs, and making suggestions for books and magazines. Other libraries are sponsoring game days or evenings. Sometimes I hear librarians wondering about games in the library, saying that they're OK because they'll bring kids in and maybe then they'll check out some books. Yes, libraries are about books and reading, but they're about community and connection and communication, too, and isn't it all right if people (of any age) visit the library without checking anything out? Do we somehow think that we've failed with our services if a retired person comes to the library to read the newspaper and leaves without checking anything out? Or if they come to a program without checking anything out?

If, as like to say these days, we want the library to be the center of the community then we need to be certain that our measures of service and "success" in service encompass all the ways that libraries serve. Years ago the only way we told people the measure of our success and worth was in circulation. I don't think that ever was a complete measure--perhaps it was just an easy and convenient way to measure--but today it certainly isn't all we should be using to measure service, or express what we provide to the community. You may have noticed over the years that more and more measures are being added to the annual survey you complete each year. It means more fields to fill in on the survey, but more than that it means that you have more data about what you do, and how people are using the library--for books and reading and research, yes, but also for community and and connection and communication. You ARE doing more, providing services we wouldn't have dreamed about 10 years ago. Be proud of that, keep doing the good work that you do, and keep looking for ways to use new tools and technologies to serve Iowans. --Karen

Book Reviewed by Marcia:
Storytelling activities kig: ready-to-use techniques, lessons and listening cassettes for early childhood, by Jerilynn Changar and Annette Harrison. The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1992.

Early Childhood Literacy, Display Ideas; "Mother Goose Rhyme Time--Night"

News March 7, 2008 (mp3 file: 5 MB, 5:22 min.)

I hope you were able to attend the Saroj Ghoting workshops last week--Saroj's knowledge and energy and enthusiasm inspired us all to go back to our libraries and continue to do story hours, but with just a tweak or two to make them especially useful in young children's early literacy development. We want to remind you that the Library Service Areas have resources to help you with those story times--kits, books, and other materials--as well as materials to help you spread the word about the importance of early childhood literacy. The ECL website has posters and flyers to download and give to parents and caregivers, There are several versions of table tents, to put on tables, tops of bookshelves, tables in cafes...and any other place you can think of, both inside and outside of the library. There are bookmarks that were originally designed for library trustees but actually work very well for parents and caregivers. A colleague told me this week that a local library's Friends group is going to include the bookmark in each of their "Books for Babies" packets. The materials are in Word doc format so you can add you library's name and contact information, where that is appropriate.

Some of the kits being developed by the LSAs as part of this initiative can be downloaded from the website, as well. (Or, you can borrow them from the LSA.) In addition to the usual story time resources each kit also contains a "take home" sheet for parents with ideas for how they might continue their child's preparation for learning at home, and short "asides" for librarians to say to the parents during the story time, about the particular skill being highlighted that day. (If you aren't familiar with these "asides" and their purpose, check the book co-authored by Saroj, Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library: Partnering with Caregivers for Success.)

Check out the website and the resources--and check back with it frequently; we keep adding to it. --Karen

Links from today's podcast:
Early Childhood Literacy website, from Iowa LSAs
Display Ideas:
Earth Day
SWILSA Current Announcements
SWILSA Sites of the Week

Reviewed by Marcia:
Mother Goose rhyme time--night," by Kimberly K. Faurot.

WILBOR Downloadable Audiobooks Consortium; Upcoming Events

News March 7, 2008 (mp3 file: 2.52 MB, 2:41 min.)
WILBOR Downloadable Audiobooks Consortium; Upcoming Events

Southwest and Southeast LSAs are joining Central and Northwest LSAs in the new WILBOR consortium, which will make downloadable audiobooks available to the patrons of participating libraries. Patrons can download books—fiction, nonfiction, children’s and teen—from their home or office PC, and listen to them on the computer or transfer them to an mp3 player. Some titles can even be burned to a CD. It’s easy, it doesn’t cost the patron anything and it doesn’t even cost the library very much to participate. For roughly the cost of one audiobook per month your patrons can have access to this collection of audiobooks, so the library is offering another 24/7 service.

The deadline for signing up for WILBOR is approaching. If you have questions you can check the SWILSA website for links to FAQs about the consortium and for the letters of agreement. And, of course, you can also contact me if you have questions. Please join us in offering this fantastic service to your patrons.

Some reminders to mark your calendar for upcoming events:

The Iowa Library Association’s Legislative Day is Tuesday, March 11. Check the Association’s website for more information.

The topic of this month’s Computerside Chat is Meebo, an instant messaging interface that lets you manage all your IM accounts in one, web-based interface; it also lets you put a chat box on your webpage so patrons can “chat” their questions to you. The Computerside Chat is on March 17, and you can register in the statewide CE catalog.

On April 18 Jerri Heid from the Ames Public Library will be doing a workshop for us on Lapsit Programs, and you won’t want to miss that! Register in the CE catalog.

April 16, Wednesday of National Library Week, will be our ‘Day in the Life of SW Iowa Libraries,” when librarians will take photos of their library and its activities, its, well, life, and upload them to the project’s group on Flickr. We’re planning information sessions in SWILSA's Wimba classroom on April 2 and 8, so stay tuned for more information about that.

Children’s Book Discussion will be the first Friday in May. It’s not in the catalog yet, but mark your calendars—it will be in Corning.

Display Ideas; Board and Director Evaluations

News February 29, 2008 (2:47 min; mp3 file)



Links from Today's Podcast:
March Bookmarks
SWILSA Current Announcements

Books Reviewed by Marcia:
The Board Evaluation Kit and The Executive Evaluation Kit; Cain Consulting Group, 1998.

Video Booktalk Kiosks,

News February 22, 2008 (mp3 file: 5 MB, 5:05 min.)
Video Booktalk Kiosks; Display Ideas; "Turning Enemies into Allies"

At the top of the 'cast today: video booktalks.
A couple of weeks ago Michele Leininger sent a message out to the iread list with a link to an article in the October 2006 Library Media Connection. (If you subscribe to EBSCOhost you have access to the pdf full text of the article.) In "Creating a Video Booktalk Kiosk," Terence Cavanaugh describes how to set up a kiosk, using re-purposed computers, tot run video booktalks, enticing readers to check out and read the books in the booktalks. If you've done booktalks before, especially with children and teen audiences, you know that it's an effective way to interest those readers in the books you talk about. Cavanaugh writes specifically about using the kiosks in a school media center but it is certainly an idea for a public library, too--and not just for children and teens but adults as well. You set up a computer to run the booktalks in a loop (and you can set it up to do them in random order), and you can walk away and let the kiosk advertise books. Now, this doesn't mean that you don't still do all you usually to do promote books and help patrons in person, but it's another way to get that word out.

You don't need to purchase special software, and the article even includes websites that have existing video booktalks. It would be great to have you--or teens or kids--doing the video booktalks but if you don't have a video camera or want to give the kiosk a try first, check out some of the existing videos. And definitely read the article. (National Library Week and Teen Tech Week are coming up....hmmm.) We even have a couple of used computers languishing in our office, and we'd be happy to have them used in our member libraries for a good purpose such as these kiosks. Check out the article, give it some thought and then give it a try! --Karen

Links/Info from today's podcast:

• "Creating a video booktalk kiosk," by Terence W. Cavanaugh. Library Media Connection; October 2006, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p56-59.
• National Academy of American Poets
• SWILSA Current Announcements

Reviewed by Marcia today:
Turning enemies into allies (audiotape), by Pat Wagner. Pattern Research c1996

Summer Library Program

News February 15, 2008 (mp3 file; 3:02 min.)




Links From Today's Podcast:
SWILSA Youth Services webpage

Book Reviewed by Marcia on Today's Podcast:
More Ready-To-Tell Tales: From Around the World edited by David Hold and Bill Mooney, August House, 2000.

"A Day in the Life;" Copyright on the Web

News February 8, 2008 (mp3 file: 3 MB,3:15 min.)
Learning Online for Librarians; Copyright; "Avoid the Conflict Trap"

At the top of the 'cast today: "A Day in the Life." In an earlier podcast I hinted that we were planning a "Day in the Life" project for SW Iowa libraries. Following the example of a library in Indiana who sponsored a Day in the Life project for their county, I'd like to do "A Day in the Life of Libraries in SW Iowa." We invite librarians on that day--Wednesday of National Library Week--to take pictures of their libraries--the building, the stacks, but most of all, what's happening at the library--librarians at work, programs, displays. Then each library will upload the photos onto flickr, into a group for the project--and we'll have a "snapshot" of a day in the life of libraries. Of course, there are a couple other agendas here: you'll get to learn about flickr, see how a project like this works (so you might think about one for your own community), or give you ideas for other photo sharing projects--local history, maybe? We'll give you help with using flickr--a free resources on the web--and with participation in the project. It will be fun, and a good way to help show what libraries are all about.

Check out these two "Day in the Life" projects: one sponsored by a library in Indiana for their county ("A Day in Allen County, Indiana"), and one ("Ein Tag in Der Bib") by a library patron about a day in his life at the library. (If you attended Michael Stephens' session at the online conference you'll remember this one.)

Stay tuned for more details and help with learning flickr, and join us for the project. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say! --Karen

Learning Online for Librarians; Copyright; "Avoid the Conflict Trap"

News February 1, 2008 (mp3 file: 5.9 MB, 6:17 min.)
Learning Online for Librarians; Copyright; "Avoid the Conflict Trap"

Online learning is on my mind again--or still. I'm doing more wrap-up and follow-up to the online conference, and planning Computerside Chats and other online classes--along with in-person workshops. And I've been doing some online and self-paced learning myself, outside of strictly library-related subjects. Being more aware of other companies' and agencies' values around learning is helping me as we plan more online offerings

As I'm exploring lifelong learning opportunities, of all sorts, on topics directly related to librarians, those not directly related, I felt a need to gather and organize information--and my thoughts and ideas. And, being a *hopefully) good Librarian 2.0 I've started a blog for and about librarians learning online. I won't repeat the thoughts I've recorded there, but I invite you to visit the blog, and keep checking back. I will share sources and resources for continuing and lifelong learning, specifically online opportunities, as well as some of my thoughts about online learning. The blog is at learnonlibrarians.blogspot.com (That's for "Learning Online for Librarians"....) I hope you'll feel free to comment on the blog, too. Share your ideas and experiences and resources--or questions. (I've already had a comment on the first post, from a gentleman who isn't a librarian, but had a good link for me to check out...comments on blogs are a wonderful way to converse with others, and share ideas and thoughts. That's all part of lifelong learning, too...) See you at the LearnOn blog! --Karen

Links from Today's podcast:
"Learn On, Librarians" blog
Heartland AEA's guide to "Copyright for Students"
UC-Berkeley's webpage for students on illegal filesharing

Audiotape reviewed by Marcia:
Avoid the conflict trap, by Pat Wagner. Pattern Research, c1997.

News January 18, 2008 (mp3 file: 4 MB, 4:13 min.)
Early Childhood Literacy; Week of the Young Child.

We’ve been talking quite a bit in our podcasts about early childhood literacy, for two reasons: first, because it is importnat, and secondly because it is a particular focus of the Library Service Areas this year, and our initiative continues in this new calendar year. I’d like to remind you of resources and workshops coming up, and let you know about some things planned for the next few months.

Some of you have started using the storytime kits that Marcia and Sue are putting together—and they’re getting rave reviews! These kits have all you need to do a storytime, including information and a script to help parents and caregivers understand what you’re doing in the storytime, why it’s important to the child’s development, and how they can continue with that at home. And they have take-home sheets that you can copy and give out. The kits have activities for 2 different age groups within the 0-5 age. There are kits for storytimes in the library, and kits to loan to day cares. There are a couple of bilingual kits (in English and Spanish) and more in the works. Please check the Early Childhood Literacy website for a list of the kits, or to download the kits and put them together yourself.

Speaking of those kits, we’re going to have a “kit work day” on our Children’s Book Discussion in May this year. In addition to the usual review of books by participants, we’ll be learning about what makes a good kit, what to include—and planning more kits urselves!

Workshops about early childhood literacy are in the works. Saroj Ghoting, co-author of Early Literacy Storytimes @ Your Library will be doing a workshop, “The Fun and Facts of Early Literacy: Communicating with Parents Through Storytimes” in four locations in the state. For those of us in SW the nearby workshops are in Denison on March 3 and Indianola on March 7. Mark your calendar, and watch for more information and registration in the CE catalog.

Jerri Heid from the Ames Public Library will be doing a workshop on lapsit programs on April 11, so mark you calendar for that date, too. You’ll remember Jerri from her wonderful workshop on music in storytimes.

Plans are in the works for Toddler Fests and Grandparents Fairs around the state, and we want to work with counties and other groups of librarians to collaborate on projects and promoting early childhood literacy. Let’s all put on our thinking caps, and help Iowa’s children be ready to learn! --Karen

Links from today's podcast:

• Early Childhood Literacy website
• Week of the Young Child
  

Online Conference; Facilitating the Use of Technology;

News January 18, 2008 (mp3 file: 5.3 MB, 5:33 min.)
Online Conference; Facilitating the Use of Technology;
We had an exciting day on Wednesday--the first Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference. I hope that many of you were able to attend at least part of the conference. More than 100 librarians and trustees registered. In spite of the snowy weather--after all, everyone could just attend from their computer desktop--the turnout was terrific for our first online conference. Eighty-four attended Michael Stephens' presentation on "The Hyperlinked Library," and seventy-three attended Pat Wagner's "Improving Library Co-Worker Relationships--Getting Along with Nice People in Stressful Times." Concurrent sessions included "Cool Tools, Gadgets and Widgets," "WebJunction," "The Buddy System: Collaborating with Colleagues Online," and The Interactive Library: Promoting Library Services Online." Over the lunch hour there was a conversation lounge where colleagues could do some talking and informal networking, and a game room, where librarians and trustees learned about games in the library. And all day long there were vendors in the Virtual Exhibit Hall. In the evening trustees (and librarians) gathered in a Wimba classroom to learn about Trustee 2.0--where trustees fit into all this Web and Library 2.0 world.

We're still absorbing and processing as we think about the next online conference because, yes, we think we surely must do more! I hope, if you attended the conference, that you'll take some time to write down what you learned, maybe make a little list of things that you want to do after the conference--try a new tool, try one of Pat's tips for getting along with each other just a bit better, explore some new services or communication methods, and talk to your board (or trustees--be talking with the Director) about what you learned. What did I learn? Well, I learned many things in the excellent concurrent sessions--thanks to all the great presenters--but I learned some other important things, too; or rather some things were just reinforced for me. Most of all, it was clear that you want to have online learning available to you--not that you don't still want face-to-face workshops and meetings and conferences--but how great is it to be able to ALSO have the opportunity to stay at home (especially during the winter in Iowa!) and expand your knowledge and experience.

The conference team met this morning to "debrief," we're looking at the evaluations and suggestions, and we've already started to talk about next year's conference, so stay tuned! And, of course, send us your comments and suggestions. In fact, you can share your experiences and ideas as comments on this SWILSA News & Views blog. Thanks to the planning team, who did an extraordinary job of planning and implementing the conference; thanks to the presenters for their willingness to embrace this new conference format, and thanks to all of you who attended. Those of you who didn't have a chance to attend, we hope to see you next year--and in the meantime, don't forget to check out other online opportunities in the CE catalog. --Karen

Links from today's podcast:

• Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference
• Google Search Guide
• Google Scholar
• Metacrawler
• National Geographic Maps

Finding Reliable Internet Resources; The Storyteller's Guide

News January 11, 2008 (mp3 file; 4:42 min.)




Websites from Today's Podcast:

• Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
• THE Pathfinder Project
• Web Index Sites:
  Librarians Index to the Internet
  Internet Public Library
  Digital Librarian
  

Book Reviewed by Marica on Today's Podcast:
The Storyteller's Guide: Storytellers Share Advice for the Classroom, Boardroom, Showroom, Podium, Pulpit and Center Stage by Bill Mooney and David Holt

Upcoming Events; "Flannelboard Stories for Infants and Toddlers: Bilingual Edition"

News January 4, 2008 (mp3 file; 3:58 min.)




Upcoming Events for Early 2008:

Well, we’re taking down the Christmas tree here at SWILSA and getting excited about the events and promotional ideas for the coming months of the new year.

First, I hope that many of you are registered for sessions of the Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference with keynote speakers Michael Stephens and Pat Wagner on January 16^th. The entire “conference” takes place in Wimba classrooms, so all you need is a computer with a broadband Internet connection. If you haven’t used Wimba before, don’t let that stop you – just give us a call and we’ll make sure that you get set up before the conference date.

The All Iowa Reads books for discussion groups are here and the schedule shows only a few months already taken. Be sure to attend the ICN session on January 17^th with Dale Ross and Susan Craig to help you plan for your own discussion group. I finished the book Digging to America over the holidays and it is an interesting study of the way relationships develop and something of what it is like to live as an immigrant in this country.

One of the most fun activites of the year for us is planning for the Summer Library Program. We are getting started on bulletin board ideas and so on to be ready for the Summer Library Program workshop on February 14^th at the Red Oak YMCA. Register to attend through the State Library’s CE Catalog.

Our Early Childhood Literacy project will get a boost in early March with workshops presented by Saroj Ghoting. Saroj spoke at last year’s Kids First Conference and her book Early Literacy Storytimes @ your library with its focus on six early literacy skills has formed a basis for our Early Childhood Literacy materials – especially our new Storytime Kits. Watch for details about these workshops soon and check out the new ECL website for materials you can use right away!

And March 2-8 is Teen Tech Week. We will be doing a bulletin board kit for this event in the near future. For ideas that you can use to celebrate this week at your library, see the link posted on today’s blog.

These are just a few of the highlights – be sure to check the CE Catalog for more online CE opportunities, and browse the SWILSA website for additional program and display ideas.

~Sue

Links from Today's Podcast:

• Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference
• CE Catalog
• Early Childhood Literacy
• Teen Tech Week (YALSA website)

Book Reviewed by Marcia on Today's Podcast:
Flannelboard Stories for Infants and Toddlers: Bilingual Edition by Ann Carlson and Mary Carlson; American Library Association; 2005.