Index
- Nominate your library for 2017 SCLS Foundation awards
- Teen/Tween Workshop scheduled
- Fight for library funding is on in the U.S. Senate
- SYNC Summer audiobook program for teens
- News from ALA
- Continuing Education Calendar
Nominate your library for 2017 SCLS Foundation awards
To help celebrate the innovative and important work public libraries do every day, the South Central Library System (SCLS) Foundation will again present four library awards as part of the 2017 Cornerstone Award fundraising reception. The date and location of the reception has not yet been determined.
There is no cost to attend the reception, and there will be a cash bar and free refreshments. The 2016 event raised about $12,000.
Library staff members, trustees, friends, or residents can nominate their library for any of the awards, which are described below. To make an online nomination, simply click on the award name. All nominations must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, 2017.
- Super Awesome Library Award -- For the library that was overall awesome in 2017. Maybe they handled a tough situation with grace. Or took a new approach. Or found a lot of money under a rock and did something really cool with it. Or got a lot of local support and kudos because they play well with others. Or are just plain super awesome every day.
- Program Wizard Award -- For a super creative, innovative and fun library program created by library staff. In the library or out. For babies or seniors or anyone in between. A one-off or a regular series. If Dumbledore thinks it's worthy of Wizard status, nominate it!
- Giddy Up Partner Award-- For those strong community partnerships that add value to the library and the community as a whole. It takes two, baby! Or three... or four. Nominate the library and its partner(s) and describe the amazing stuff they’re doing together.
- Outstanding Library Volunteer Award -- To recognize that outstanding volunteer who is instrumental in making your library what it is. This new award is presented annually to an individual who through their contributions has had a significant impact on library service in a single community.
There is still time to register for the May 12, 2017, Teen-Tween Programming Workshop at Fitchburg Public Library. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., and the program for the day is provided below:
- 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Engage & Inspire: Program Ideas for Tweens and Teens with Terry Ehle, Youth Services Coordinator for Lester Public Library in Two Rivers. -- Working with tweens and teens is exciting and inspiring because they motivate us to continue learning and encourage us to try new things. Join your colleagues for a morning filled with innovative programming ideas that will engage your customers and make your library a destination for exploration and inspiration.
- 12-1 p.m. Lunch (Taco Bar from Cranberry Creek)
- 1-2:15 p.m. Back to the Books: Teen & Tween Book-related Programs featuring Tara Fortney, Schreiner Memorial Library, Lancaster; Emily Zorea, Brewster Public Library, Richland Center; and Kelly Allen, Oregon Public Library -- How do you incorporate books, DVDs, or other items from your library into your active - and passive - programs? Join three of your colleagues to learn about the unique programs they’ve created like Murder in the Library and Book Trailers with stop-motion animation and more. You’ll come away with new ideas to add to your program schedule.
- 2:30-3:30 p.m. Book Sharing/Swap Session..You! -- Your assignment is to bring a book that you like to share with teens and tweens in the library, use in book discussions, use in booktalking at outreach events, or in any other way to promote literacy and reading at your library. You’ll have a minute or two to share the title with your colleagues and go back to the library with a much bigger TBR (to be read) list.
You can register through the Continuing Education Calendar.
Fight for library funding is on in the U.S. Senate
The Fight for Libraries! has moved to the United States Senate. Two "Dear Appropriator" letters are circulating in the Senate, one seeking $186.6 million for Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and the other $27 million for the Innovative Approaches to Libraries (IAL) program for FY 2018. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are again championing funds for LSTA, while Sens. Reed, Grassley (R-IA) and Stabenow (D-MI) are leading the fight for IAL.
Senators have until May 19 to let our champions know that they will sign the separate LSTA and IAL "Dear Appropriator" letters, so there's no time to lose. Use ALA's Legislative Action Center today to contact both of your Senators.
Many Senators will only sign if their constituents ask them to. Let them know why libraries are important to your community and ask them directly to show their support.
If you've been trying by phone to reach your Senator and the lines are busy, try Resistbot instead.
SYNC Summer audiobook program for teens
The 2017 SYNC Summer audiobook program for teens kicks off this week! Sponsored by AudioFile Magazine, two complete audiobook downloads will be available for free each week through Aug. 16, 2017.
SYNC details:
- Downloads are in MP3 format, are hosted by OverDrive, and are Mac and Windows compatible.
- Downloads operate through the OverDrive
- Most devices are supported
- Each SYNC audiobook will be available for download for a period of seven days only
- The downloaded titles are yours to keep!
To learn more about the 2017 SYNC program, please visit www.audiobooksync.com. This website provides a list of the 2017 books, a publicity toolkit, and so much more.
Please feel free to contact Shawn Brommer with questions about this program as well as questions about collection development and literature for teens and tweens.
- Library Blog Basics -- I think we can probably agree that libraries are no longer exclusively geographical locations that our users come to: patrons also visit virtually. Many of their tasks at a library’s website are pragmatic -- renewing books, checking their records, searching the online catalog and placing holds -- but, increasingly, libraries are beginning to think of their online spaces as destinations for patrons; as communities of web denizens. (read the entire post by Heather Terrell)
- Libraries and Sustainable Thinking -- The conversation about sustainability and libraries is no longer a pet project but rather a vital part of the strategy to ensure that libraries are around for the long haul. If you believe, like I do, that libraries make the world better, then you have come to the right place. Our work has never been more important, and it is time for us to harness our power, prestige, and potential in a much bigger way. In today’s world, libraries cannot afford to be passive or neutral. We find ourselves contending with disruption on all fronts—political, social, economic, technological, and environmental. Fully participating in community life through the pursuit of our professional values has never been more critical. (read the entire article in American Libraries by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich)