Index
- Still time to help sponsor the 2018 Cornerstone Award Reception on Oct. 18
- Upcoming OverDrive changes
- Robots, AI, VR, IoT, and more!
- Next OverDrive Support Course starts Oct. 29
- Consider Linking ‘Resources for Job Seekers’ to your library’s website
- National Novel Writing Month, Pressbooks, and the Wisconsin Author Contest
- Member/Staff News
- Which WLA sessions are you attending?
- Fake News or Free Speech: Is There a Right to be Misinformed?
- Get your amazing programs published
- Continuing Education Calendar
Still time to help sponsor the 2018 Cornerstone Award Reception on Oct. 18
There is still time to donate and be listed as a sponsor of the 2018 South Central Library System Cornerstone Award reception, scheduled Thursday, Oct. 18, at Babe’s Grill & Bar, 5614 Schroeder Road in Madison.
Charitable contributions (printable form or online) made prior to Oct. 15, 2018, will be included in the reception program as event sponsors.
Corporate sponsors for this year’s award reception, which will run from 5-7 p.m., are Bibliotheca, First Business Bank and Hausmann-Johnson Insurance. The SCLS Foundation Board will honor Alice Oakey (right) as the recipient of the 2018 Cornerstone Award. Alice is the former supervisor of Madison Public Library’s Meadowridge Library, 5726 Raymond Road. Also presented that evening will be the:
- Super Awesome Library Award,
- Giddy Up Partner Award,
- Program Wizard Award, and
- Outstanding Library Volunteer Award.
“The South Central Library System (SCLS) Foundation Board is excited to honor a librarian like Alice Oakey who has such a passion and commitment for community service,” said Janet Pugh, SCLS Foundation Board President. “She epitomizes the Cornerstone Award, which is given annually to an individual or individuals who have had a significant and long-term impact on enhancing public libraries in South Central Wisconsin. Alice truly represents the values and mission of the South Central Library System Foundation.”
You can read more about Alice in a previous issue of Online Update.
The Cornerstone Award Reception is the SCLS Foundation’s annual fundraising event that helps determine the financial support the foundation can provide to SCLS member libraries in subsequent years.
According to SCLS Foundation guidelines, 50 percent of the monies donated in any given year are made available to support projects that provide benefit to SCLS member libraries. In the past, the SCLS Foundation has provided funds for:
- OverDrive Advantage,
- Lego Mindstorms kits,
- Social Services Symposium,
- Door counter kits,
- Scanning kits for historical document digitization, and
- Hard drives and Recollection Wisconsin fees for libraries involved in digitization projects.
The Cornerstone Award reception is open to everyone, it is free of charge, and there is no need to register. There will be light refreshments and a cash bar.
Mark your calendar and make plans to join us for this annual celebration of libraries, and the people who make them great!
As part of the South Central Library System (SCLS) authentication improvements, we will be switching OverDrive authentication for libraries on the shared ILS (aka LINKcat) to real-time authentication. The switch is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16.
What’s new?
- For everyone:There will be two system-level entries in the login screen for SCLS patrons. Patrons who don’t choose their individual library’s listing and instead use the general “South Central Library System” will have these options:
- "South Central Library System -- LINKcat libraries"
- This entry is for patrons of libraries on the shared ILS who use the LINKcat catalog
- "South Central Library System -- Albany, Amherst, Marshfield, Monticello, Pittsville, Rio, Vesper"
- This entry is for patrons of libraries who aren’t on the shared ILS system
- For LINKcat patrons:Changes in Koha will be reflected right away in OverDrive (new cards, renewed cards, barcode replacements no longer need wait overnight to log into OverDrive) The downside of this is if Koha is down, OverDrive authentication will be down.
- "South Central Library System -- LINKcat libraries"
What’s the same?
- For everyone:Each library will still have its own individual listing in the OverDrive login. (It’s only the system-level login option that’s changing.)
- For everyone:When a patron gets a replacement library card, library staff will still have to use an OverDrive Marketplace account to log in and merge the patron’s old barcode and new barcode.
- For everyone:SCLS still only allows OverDrive access to patrons who live in the SCLS service area. Patrons who live outside the SCLS service area will continue to use OverDrive through the library system associated with their residence.
- For non-LINKcat patrons:Authentication for libraries not on the shared ILS will not change.
--reprinted from the SCLS Technology News Blog
Robots, AI, VR, IoT, and more!
by Jean Anderson, Continuing Education Consultant
For TechBits
Last week, South Central Library System (SCLS) along with 10 other library systems, co-sponsored our annual Tech Days workshops in Fitchburg, Appleton, and Franklin. Financial support was also provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Public Library Development Team with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Jason Griffey was the keynote speaker for this year's event and he spoke on Preparing for the Future: Technology to Watch. We learned about the Internet of Things (IoT) and how ubiquitous some of these products have become. For example, you can get "smart" light bulbs, thermostats, outlets, door locks, security cameras, and even stickers! Jason also talked about all of the "voice assistants" like Google Home, Amazon's Alexa, and others. You can now get Alexa for your car with Amazon's Echo Auto and also for your microwave - who knew? Jason talked about the application of these technologies for libraries and some of the problems they present.
Jason shared lots of ideas and information about Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and robots. There are some really cool VR applications (and we have a VR kit that SCLS libraries can borrow). Jason explained the blockchain and talked about cryptocurrency. I understand it a little better but am still learning about the implications of this emerging technology.
The AI and machine learning part of the presentation was probably the most interesting and the scariest to contemplate. For example, you've all heard about the driver-less cars and trucks that are coming soon. There are also robots that are providing security services, helper robots in the hospitality industry, and even a robot barista in San Francisco.
There were afternoon breakout sessions at each workshop and you can find the handouts and slides for all the presentations here. Hope to see you at Tech Days next year!
Next OverDrive Support Course starts Oct. 29
The next OverDrive Support Course will begin on Oct. 29 and continue through Dec. 7, with a break for Thanksgiving week. Registration is open and limited to 15 participants.
All course materials are online and can be reviewed at your convenience. There will be weekly readings, quizzes, and email questions. While the course is online, it is interactive.
Participants will receive weekly email questions from “pretend” patrons and have to respond to their support request as if it were a real request.
Consider Linking ‘Resources for Job Seekers’ to your library’s website
Fielding job-related questions at your library? Patrons seeking help signing up for free email accounts or computer basics? Consider linking Resources for Job Seekers to your library’s website.
Contained in one place, patrons will find help in the areas of resumes, printable job applications, unemployment claims, overcoming barriers to employment, computer basics, and social services.
Interested in partnering with organizations or brainstorming ways to help your community’s job seekers? Contact Mark Jochem, Workforce Development Specialist, at (608) 630-0270.
National Novel Writing Month, Pressbooks, and the Wisconsin Author Contest
National Novel Writing Month is coming up shortly (Nov. 1-30), and this year the WPLC can help support your local writers with new IMLS-funded services!
First, Pressbooks is online software that allows users to create professional-quality print-ready and ebook files. With the Pressbooks tool, libraries and their patrons can create and design their own books, newsletters, poetry, novels, and more in digital and printable formats.
Then, after your patrons have finished November, novel fresh in hand, they can spend the chilly winter revising and editing in order to submit it to the next Wisconsin Author Project in April 2019! The contest aims to help authors expose their work, through their local library, to a broader audience via both the contest and SELF-e participation and contest participants also have the opportunity to win a little money and acclaim for their work.
If you have questions about Pressbooks or the Wisconsin Author Project, contact [email protected].
The October issue of WSLL @ Your Service is now online. Your comments are welcome! Please direct them to the editor, Carol Hassler. In this issue: Six sources we love (Part 2) -- We share more of our favorite research sources you can access with your library card (read more); New books -- This month's featured new books are Success Tips for Lawyers Leaving Practice: Rewire, Refire – Do not Retire and Handbook for Wisconsin Municipal Officials. Be sure to check out the complete list on our October new book guide (read more); Tech tip -- We’re always on the lookout for free and useful technology tools. We review ilovepdf.com, which we recently began using in the library (read more); Local government research guide -- We've compiled sources in our library and online for researching municipal law questions (read more); Library news -- This issue includes staff news, September blog posts, and your last chance to sign up for fall classes (read more); October snapshot -- The "Golden Bucky" was spotted in September during the Wisconsin Ironman competition in Madison (read more).
Which WLA sessions are you attending?
- Serving Trans kids
- The problem with American Indian picture books
- Community Facebook groups
- How to podcast
- The debate over fines
Register for the WLA Conference (Oct 23-26) today! Remember: Two gift baskets and grand prize tablet from OverDrive will be given away in a drawing for those who register to attend thanks to: WLA, Demco, Penworthy, Recorded Books, Usborne Books & More, and Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Need more reasons to register? How about these?
- You get a lot of bang for your buck -- The WLA Conference spans two and a half days of programs to attend. The registration rates for WLA members and non-members at $185 and $350 are of great value.
- You receive continuing education contact hours -- For librarians who need contact hours, attending the entire conference provides you with 15 of them. That's almost 20 percent of your hours needed in a five-year-period, received in just over two days.
- You can make or renew connections -- There are plenty of opportunities at lunch, dinner, and during breaks to connect with over 800 librarians from around the state. You can meet new people or connect with people you met at previous conferences.
- Get discounts from vendors -- Meet and make connections with vendors and chances are, you’ll receive discounts on products your library needs.
Fake News or Free Speech: Is There a Right to be Misinformed?
Join the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) for “Fake News or Free Speech: Is There a Right to be Misinformed?” a webinar on Friday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m. Central. This is a webinar version of the Intellectual Freedom Committee program that Moderator Emily Knox and other panelists offered at ALA’s Annual Meeting last summer.
"Fake news" has always been part of the communication landscape. The difference now is that we are inundated with social media that makes it possible to disseminate "fake news” quickly and easily. In the past "fake news" was used as propaganda to isolate individuals or groups of people, destabilize governments, and foment anarchy. "Fake news" may be inaccurate, dishonest, misleading, intentionally untrue, and even intended to damage the paradigm of factual information. But is it illegal? Is it protected by the First Amendment? Can "fake news" -- or suppressing it -- undermine our democratic way of life?
About the Speakers:
- Emily Knox, Webinar Moderator, is an assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences (the iSchool) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include information access, intellectual freedom and censorship, information ethics, information policy, and the intersection of print culture and reading practices.
- Nicole A. Cookeis an Assistant Professor and MS/LIS Program Director at the School of Information Sciences, at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,where she is also the Program Director for the MS in Library and Information Science program. Dr. Cooke’s research and teaching interests include human information behavior (particularly in the online context), critical cultural information studies, and diversity and social justice in librarianship (with an emphasis on infusing them into LIS education and pedagogy).
- Joyce Valenzaspent 25 years as a teacher librarian in K12 education, and several more as a public and special librarian, then joined the faculty of Rutgers University where she prepares future librarians to lead cultures of literacy and to engage communities. She speaks globally about the thoughtful use of technology in learning, emerging literacies and the power of librarians to lead. In 2017 she was awarded AASL's new Social Media Leadership Luminary Award.
- Damaso E. Reyesis a multimedia journalist and the News Literacy Project’s director of partnerships. He is also a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute, focusing on migration issues. A 2008 Fulbright Scholar, Damaso has received several grants and awards, including a 2007 Arthur F. Burns Fellowship, a 2012 Knight-Luce Fellowship for reporting on global religion, a 2013 French-American Foundation Fellowship for immigration reporting and a 2015 Holbrooke Fellowship from the International Center for Journalists.
- Mary Minowis a Berkman Klein Center fellow 2017-18 at Harvard University. Previously she was a Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative fellow at Harvard, and prior to that a library law consultant on issues such as privacy, intellectual freedom and copyright. She serves on the boards of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Digital Public Library of America. She is on the steering committee of the Simmons Know News: Engaging with Mis- and Disinformation (School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College) and is working on a fake news project with the Berkman Klein Center and the American Library Association to offer social media users self-help tools.
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will learn to define and engage in discussion on the topic of Fake News
- Attendees will gain deeper insight into the First Amendment and legal aspects of Fake News
- The webinar will encourage thoughtful dialogue around a prevalent topic in our current political and educational climate
Who should attend:
- Librarians and library students
- Educators
- Individuals involved in media, publishing, and social media
- Individuals interested in the first amendment, censorship, copyright, and legal aspects of news, media, and social media
To register, go to: www.ftrf.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1155839
Questions about content should be directed to the Freedom to Read Foundation, [email protected]. You can also find FTRF on Facebook, Twitter, and online. Students may receive a one-year free FTRF membership through the Robert P. Holley Fund.
Get your amazing programs published
The STAR Library Network (STAR Net), Afterschool Alliance, and Global Family Research Project are partnering to create a “how-to” guide for ways libraries and afterschool programs can collaborate to promote family learning. If you have an awesome library-afterschool partnership/program that engages families that you’d like to share with the community, please send an email to Anne Holland by Oct.20 with some information about your program. A handful of libraries and their partners will be featured in this new guide.