I recently went to the Minnesota Historical Center’s History Day for Librarians Conference. Since we will be hosting History Help Days at the Central Library again this year, I thought I would relate a few things I learned during the session. During these sessions, MHS staff along with SPPL staff will be assisting students with their projects. Due to the limited nature of school libraries, we will also be getting a lot of students in here at other times as well.
The theme this year is “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” They emphasized this is NOT a biography. It often means to take a person at a moment in time when what they did “changed” history, then put that moment into historical context. The example they used was Rosa Parks at the moment when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. Describing the event itself is only part of the process. What brought her to that point? What were the implications of the act? What was its legacy?
Minnesota students and teachers are apparently very, very good at the History Day competition—winning far more than their share of awards at the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C. Bear this in mind when working with students. While some are only doing it to satisfy a class requirement, many are shooting for the big time and may be a little intense.
One thing I learned is that the rules are the rules. The packet I placed in the FYI box has a copy of them. For example, the rules say that displays can only have 500 of the student’s own words. Someone, somewhere (probably a competitor) will count them, and if there are 501, they will be disqualified. Most of the time, this will not be our problem—we are not the judges—but is something to keep in the back of your mind.
Another thing to remember is their definition of “internet sources.” This is a good thing to remember when working with students in general. Teachers often restrict student use of “internet sources.” This, however, does not prevent students from using many of our databases, however. For example, our Historical New York Times is not only NOT an internet source, it is a primary source to boot. This is sometimes confusing for students and it is often helpful to point this out to them.
The last thing they emphasized is that History Day can be FUN, even if you don’t like history (which is inconceivable.) So enjoy.
--Ron
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Conference on Leadership Development and Teambuilding Oct 20, 2008
This Skillpath Conference was taught as two separate tracks by two trainers, one of whom was exceptionally good and one who was, well, not so much… Consequently, I spent more time with Brad Withers in Track One: Taking Charge of Your Job as a Leader. Track Two: Inspiring Teams to Achieve Goals seemed far less organized, less inspiring. Still, I was not disappointed with the sessions that I did attend. During the opening session, we were exhorted to find 4 things in each session which we would start, stop, continue and change in the way we were doing things now. And, while I cannot say I found those 4 things in all 4 sessions I attended, I can say that there were a couple of sessions that did succeed in their stated goal.
The first session I attended was called “Light a fire of excellence in your team” and it is indicative of the worth I found that I took very few notes for this session. It had such heady pronouncements for us as
“Detecting when members are ready for new challenges”
If performance levels have declined
If employees are completely competent….
If employees would like opportunities for advancement
If upper management forces new challenges on you.
Probably not the most scintillating information to come down the pike, eh?
Oh, and to seek and get your team’s participation in shaping a new vision is key for the team. Do tell.
In general, this man wanted us to get to know our team members personal goals, so that we could link their performance to those goals. While that may be a good idea, not all of your team members will want to share that information. He also wanted the team to develop common values, foster an environment of ownership and for the team leader to provide a stabilizing influence during change and transition, though he failed to suggest how. The only portion of this session I found valuable was in the workbook, and not really alluded to during the session itself. The workbook discusses the importance of a well though out communication strategy in getting your team from point A to point B. It offers several strategies and reminds people that disagreement can, and will, occur. This trainer also did session three, which was called: Positive Feedback….the Fuel to High Performance.In this session we talked about 360 degree feedback and then proceeded to coaching and mentoring as the tool by which you use positive feedback. The rest of this hour was role playing giving constructive criticism with these instructions:
Define the problem in behavioral terms
Relate the impact of the behavior to the team, your feelings and/or the work itself
Ask why, then listen for the “real problem”
Work out a win/win change
Focus on the positive elements of the relationship. All good points, and worth reiterating. But not really earthshakingly new information.
So, now to the trainer I thought was exceptional. The first session of his which I attended was called “30 tips for becoming and inspired leader”. Sounds pretty dorky, huh? He began the session with a scenario called the ants and the chocolate river. You have 10 marshmallows, which you can stand on to cross, but if you take your weight off them they will float downstream. The group needed to find a way to get all the ants across, using only the marshmallows. I blush to admit that not only did we accomplish the task, we did it in very good time as well. If you want to know how, just ask. Instead of reading the list of 30 attributes in the workbook, Brad also described another exercise in which a participant is asked to move a rope into position by pushing rather than pulling. It should come as no surprise that it is far easier to pull than to push a rope. Give it a try, if you doubt it.
The 6 keys (or cornerstones) to being an inspired leader that follow are a summation of the 30 points used in the workbook:
1. Effective Communication (interesting point #1-The greater the separation between the formal and the informal communication in your establishment, the more resistance you are likely to encounter. As a manager, you are not likely to hear much of the informal communication that goes on. That does not excuse having ‘the meeting before the meeting’ and making summary decisions without the aid of the team. If you need to make a summary decision, do so…but own it.)
2. Crystal Clear Purpose (interesting point #2- Make sure you and your team know the goals vision and values that drive the team toward results. )
3. Crystal Clear Process (interesting point #3- What gets measured gets done. You need to measure, qualify and cost your process so everyone knows where they stand. Map it out, and make sure you are measuring results, not activity.)
4. Crystal Clear Role (interesting point #4- Remember that the job is not the role, so if your problem solvers are not your decision makers you may have a disconnect in communication and process. Interesting point #5---and one it would do us all good to remember, is that behavior and attitudes are the top 10% of the iceberg. The other 90% is beliefs. Do you know what the beliefs of your team members are?)
5. Accepted Leadership (interesting point #6- Understand that there does need to be leader and that leader should be you. If you cannot assume that role, be sure you know who the leader is, and assume the role of power behind the throne, if necessary.)
6. Solid Relationships (interesting point #7- Respect, trust and acceptance can only be attained through mutual accountability.)
The workbook has the full thirty points, if anyone would like to run them down. It will be in the FYI basket for the next 6 weeks.
Session Four of the Leadership Conference sounded almost solipsistic. It was called “Building a Team That’s a Reflection of You” (italics theirs not mine).
The above line grid shows the progress of the average team.
Interestingly, if you have a team with above average ability by no willingness, you end up with a confused crowd. If you have a team with above average willingness but no ability, you end up with warring factions. Both “stars” and “slackers” end up high on the ability side, with little or no willingness to cooperate. And if you have a group with neither the willingness nor ability to cooperate, all you have is an unruly mob.
So how do you influence this grid to go from #1 to #4 with as little of the outlying distractions as possible? If you have an unruly mob, warring factions or even a confused crowd on your hands it may be time to do some serious clarifying of roles and goals. If you have warring factions on your hands, it’s time to make sure that the goals of the team are crystal clear and that there is sufficient accountability for action in the group. And if none of that works, you may have to change the players. After all, if the goal is worth pursuing, it is probably worth taking the time to find a team that will whole heartedly work toward the goal (whatever it might be).
Brad made a few last points that bear repeating:
What does the high performing individual (or team) do differently?
For one thing, they don’t always follow the rules, in fact they are notorious for bending them. For another, they obtain the tools they need to do the job one way or another. They also take shortcuts. According to the literature, high performers only do about 5 to 7 things differently from your average employee. So, when you are coaching the high performer, it would be worth your while to find out what they are doing and why they choose the roads they do.
When you find yourself or those you are supervising going around and around in a behavior loop, you should look for these 4 coaching or learning moments. These are times when you are most likely to affect a change in behavior:
1. Conflict—if something is causing severe dissonance, it can be a powerful agent for change.
2. Resonance—if something creates one of those delightful AHA! moments, where you and he(she) suddenly see something for the first time.
3. Surprise—when something happens that neither of you expected.
4. Mismatch—when things don’t match up, people often feel the need to try and create a match, even if it means a change in their own behavior.
So how do you affect change in behavior?
During another game we played as a group,these five points were illustrated:
Tell them--sometimes that is appropriate, and adequate.
Force them-- If you need to “force” change, it would be best to remember that the more force is necessary the less buy-in you will generally achieve.
Ask them—but be prepared for resistance and possible changes of plan
Invite them—if you wish them to be involved.
Empower them—in the best of all possible worlds, get the members to “run the game”.
--Doris
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
TEEN READ WEEK 2008
I have to start by saying that I'm delighted by how the Teen Read Week programming went this year. The attendance surpassed last year's and it appeared that the retention for the inter-related Friday programs was high as well. The majority of attendees were teens though there were a number of supervising adults this year as well. As with last year, Andrea and I created book lists and displays to accompany the programming.
Friday (Comixstravaganza):
11-12 panel: We had 8 panelists from our thriving local comics community, who generously donated their time to the causes of teens and libraries. There were 26 attendees for the panel, roughly 22 of whom were kids/teens.
12:30-1:30 Manga class: We had 29 attendees for the class of who 24 were teens/kids. The majority of those who had attended the panel stayed for the class and we picked up some additions. They kids were very into the class and approached with the kind of focus you might see at an SAT prep class. We should revisit this as an activity for Summer Reading.
2:00-4:00 Anime movie with pizza, pocky, and pop. We had 30 attendees for this, approximately 24-5 were kids/teens. The anime movie was the newest Bleach release: Bleach--Memories of Nobody. We had a few cans of pop leftover, but the pizza and pocky were suitably annihilated.
We didn't have a formal assessment to hand out to find out where the attendees had heard about the events but an informal poll gave us the following results: 3 had seen the flier at Highland, 1 had seen events in E&C, and 4 came from the YWCA. (The YWCA had called earlier in the week about a class visit and I told them about the Thursday Wii and Friday/Saturday TRW activities. Apparently it took.)
Saturday (Twilight party):
The party had 45 attendees, 35 of whom were teens. We had a craft (making a Bella bracelet), a costume contest, a trivia contest (with smaller prizes of fangs and read bracelets), and a debate between Team Jacob and Team Edward. Much to my surprise about 15 teens turned up 20 minutes before the party was set to begin, raring to go, and tapping their toes until the festivities got underway. I closed the Edward vs. Jacob debate with a question about what they were going to read next and got some new ideas myself as well as directing them to a display of read-alikes and some booklists. The music and decorations received a thumbs up from several attendees and the trivia contest (which was somewhat impromptu) was embraced enthusiastically. There were some crossed wires about the costume contest so we didn't have as many contestants as we'd hoped for. (We did have several teens tell us that they would've dressed up if they'd known though, so it is a feasible activity.)
Of the teens we talked to, it appeared that word of mouth was the predominant factor in finding out about the Twilight Party. Several times I heard, "My mom/dad saw it in the newspaper and told me about it. Then I told my friends." Newspapers and library fliers were the triggers for the word of mouth.
Thanks go to Phyllis and Karen for helping out with the funding. It was much appreciated and couldn't have come at a better time.
Thanks also go to Susan H. for ordering a couple of new anime releases for us and getting them to us post-haste and in time for the Comixstravaganza. Cindy generously let us co-opt a couple of willing volunteers to work to help with TRW and work during the events. Mavis and Carl did a great job.
Here are more photos of the events which may help give you a feel for how they went as well.
I'm already excited for next year's Teen Read Week. I think Central is getting to a place where it can become a destination for teens. With the proximity of a couple of high schools, publicity, and regular activities (Teen Advisory Council, programs, a manga/anime club perhaps), we can make Central a welcoming and regular destination for teens.
I'm planning on writing a more detailed report with suggestions for follow when I get back from my family reunion, but I hope that this covers the basic ground. Please feel free to email me with questions.
--Jennifer B.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Researching the Candidates
This webinar was given by Kristen Clark, who works for Minitex and the University of Minnesota libraries. She discussed various websites that can help voters look behind the headlines and political ads currently running on television and radio.
One of the sites profiled was www.congress.org/election. This site looks at elections at various levels and provides key candidate positions. For current Congressional members, it also provides legislative voting history. This site includes a link where you can enter your address and zip code to see which candidates are running for Congressional seats in your district. The link will provide a profile of the candidates, where they stand on various issues, and if they accepted any PAC contributions.
The League of Women Voters website, also provides a custom voting guide which uses your address and zip code, but this site includes candidate information for local elections in addition to Presidential and Congressional candidate information. The local information includes judicial races, Soil and Water Conservation district races and any Minnesota Constitutional Amendments which may appear on your ballot.
Factcheck monitors the accuracy of the candidates’ television ads, news release and speeches. It also provides sources and relevant articles supporting a particular point of view as well as an archive of stories Factcheck has already done.
For a fun look at the Presidential candidates’ statements, see PolitiFact. This site, from the St Petersburg Times, also monitors the accuracy of the candidates’ claims, but with interesting graphics. Was Obama’s last statement “mostly true” or was it rated “liar, lair, pants on fire?” Find out with the Truth-O-Meter. Was McCain’s latest statement a half flip or a full flop? Find out with the Flip-O-Meter.
Want to know who is providing funding to particular candidate’s campaign? Try FEC or Opensecrets. The FEC (Federal Elections Commission) site focuses on campaign contributions from individuals and committees while the Open Secrets site includes information on campaign contributions from PACs and Lobbyists.
If you are more concerned about issues than finances, try Ontheissues. This site ranks the Presidential candidates on a variety if issues from the economy to education, foreign trade, immigration, and more. This site (along with Minnesota Public Radio) also has “select-a-candidate” quiz. Simply click “support” or “oppose” for each of the issues listed, and the site will tell you which candidate most closely matches your views or opinions. The On the Issues site focuses on the Presidential candidates while the MPR site includes the Presidential, Senate and House candidates for Minnesota.
Finally, if you would like suggestions for other voting related web sites to visit, or would like to view the Powerpoint presentation for this webinar, check here. The University of Minnesota created this site to help their students become more informed, better educated voters. It includes all the web sites previously mentioned as well as many others. There are also links to the webs sites of some of the Presidential candidates and their various political parties.
--Karen H.
One of the sites profiled was www.congress.org/election. This site looks at elections at various levels and provides key candidate positions. For current Congressional members, it also provides legislative voting history. This site includes a link where you can enter your address and zip code to see which candidates are running for Congressional seats in your district. The link will provide a profile of the candidates, where they stand on various issues, and if they accepted any PAC contributions.
The League of Women Voters website, also provides a custom voting guide which uses your address and zip code, but this site includes candidate information for local elections in addition to Presidential and Congressional candidate information. The local information includes judicial races, Soil and Water Conservation district races and any Minnesota Constitutional Amendments which may appear on your ballot.
Factcheck monitors the accuracy of the candidates’ television ads, news release and speeches. It also provides sources and relevant articles supporting a particular point of view as well as an archive of stories Factcheck has already done.
For a fun look at the Presidential candidates’ statements, see PolitiFact. This site, from the St Petersburg Times, also monitors the accuracy of the candidates’ claims, but with interesting graphics. Was Obama’s last statement “mostly true” or was it rated “liar, lair, pants on fire?” Find out with the Truth-O-Meter. Was McCain’s latest statement a half flip or a full flop? Find out with the Flip-O-Meter.
Want to know who is providing funding to particular candidate’s campaign? Try FEC or Opensecrets. The FEC (Federal Elections Commission) site focuses on campaign contributions from individuals and committees while the Open Secrets site includes information on campaign contributions from PACs and Lobbyists.
If you are more concerned about issues than finances, try Ontheissues. This site ranks the Presidential candidates on a variety if issues from the economy to education, foreign trade, immigration, and more. This site (along with Minnesota Public Radio) also has “select-a-candidate” quiz. Simply click “support” or “oppose” for each of the issues listed, and the site will tell you which candidate most closely matches your views or opinions. The On the Issues site focuses on the Presidential candidates while the MPR site includes the Presidential, Senate and House candidates for Minnesota.
Finally, if you would like suggestions for other voting related web sites to visit, or would like to view the Powerpoint presentation for this webinar, check here. The University of Minnesota created this site to help their students become more informed, better educated voters. It includes all the web sites previously mentioned as well as many others. There are also links to the webs sites of some of the Presidential candidates and their various political parties.
--Karen H.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
ONLINE LANGUAGE LEARNING
If patrons are looking for online language learning resources to replace Rosetta Stone, Librarian in Black has a few ideas:
There is also Mango Languages, which is subscription-based, but patrons can have a free trial with registration. For more info, check here.
--Andrea
A free online resource to be aware of is the new language-learning social networking site Livemocha. Livemocha lets you choose a language to learn, progress through learning materials, practice speaking and writing with native speakers or others learning the language, and then give back by helping out other users trying to learn your own native language. Oh yes, and it's FREE. F-R-E-E. Nice! To learn more, check out their site walk-through. Two other similar services are iTalki and My Happy Planet, though neither one seems to have the user base or resources that Livemocha does.
There is also Mango Languages, which is subscription-based, but patrons can have a free trial with registration. For more info, check here.
--Andrea
Thursday, September 11, 2008
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR : DAY 5
GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z. R.
On the last day we heard about FDsys, GPO’s Federal Digital System. FDsys is a digital content management system that will allow for the electronic submission and ordering of GPO documents for printing, publication, and inclusion in the Depository Library Program. It will also enable authentication and version control for government documents, and aid in their retrieval and preservation.
Representatives of Head Start talked to us about “Nuggets, Knowledge & News: Effective Strategies for Improving Quality Services to Head Start and Early Head Start Programs Through Online Resources”. In this presentation the speakers explained how they decide which information to make available online through resources like The Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center . When deciding what information is of value, they first look at what meets the standards, operations, and regulations of their organization and make sure to include information and resources that support families and professionals by offering toolkits, articles, information on regulations, stories, listings of opportunities for continuing education, financial assistance including grant opportunities, information on promising Head Start programs, and more. Head Start has made sure to identify relevant topics and subjects, consider the type and format needed for the information presented, decide how much information should presented on each page, and to submit their work to others for quality assurance. They also work to make sure that all information includes references and citations to show authenticity and validity and that the content and reading level of information included is appropriate for the intended audience.
The final presentation of the day and the seminar was “Answering Frequently Asked Trademark Questions” and “Answering Commonly Asked Patent Questions” . A trademark is a word, name, symbol, or device used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from others. In order to keep one’s trademark, you need to keep paying maintenance fees. The owner of a trademark is also responsible for monitoring others’ use of the trademark to make sure they don’t infringe and for filing section 8 every ten years to show that the trademark is being used. The presentation covers types of trademark protection, the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) and other ways to search for information.
A patent is a property right granted by the Government of the United State of America to an inventor to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States, or importing the invention into the United States for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted. The patent presentation covers types of patents and their expiration dates, the USPTO website, researching patents, filing for patents and patent/inventor scams, and instructions for handling patent questions: “Provide information not advice”.
Trademark and patent issues and questions, like those involving copyright, can become quite complex. Fortunately there are libraries designated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to receive and house copies of U.S. patents and patent and trademark materials, make them freely available to the public, and actively disseminate patent and trademark information. Minnesota’s Patent & Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) is the Central Library of the Hennepin County Library system. Feel free to contact them with questions or concerns and to refer customers to them.
This seminar went quickly and I was amazed at all the information we covered. I hoped what I have shared with you here is useful. Please contact me at Central if you have any questions about this summary or about using or finding Government information/documents.
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z. R.
On the last day we heard about FDsys, GPO’s Federal Digital System. FDsys is a digital content management system that will allow for the electronic submission and ordering of GPO documents for printing, publication, and inclusion in the Depository Library Program. It will also enable authentication and version control for government documents, and aid in their retrieval and preservation.
Representatives of Head Start talked to us about “Nuggets, Knowledge & News: Effective Strategies for Improving Quality Services to Head Start and Early Head Start Programs Through Online Resources”. In this presentation the speakers explained how they decide which information to make available online through resources like The Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center . When deciding what information is of value, they first look at what meets the standards, operations, and regulations of their organization and make sure to include information and resources that support families and professionals by offering toolkits, articles, information on regulations, stories, listings of opportunities for continuing education, financial assistance including grant opportunities, information on promising Head Start programs, and more. Head Start has made sure to identify relevant topics and subjects, consider the type and format needed for the information presented, decide how much information should presented on each page, and to submit their work to others for quality assurance. They also work to make sure that all information includes references and citations to show authenticity and validity and that the content and reading level of information included is appropriate for the intended audience.
The final presentation of the day and the seminar was “Answering Frequently Asked Trademark Questions” and “Answering Commonly Asked Patent Questions” . A trademark is a word, name, symbol, or device used in trade with goods to indicate the source of the goods and to distinguish them from others. In order to keep one’s trademark, you need to keep paying maintenance fees. The owner of a trademark is also responsible for monitoring others’ use of the trademark to make sure they don’t infringe and for filing section 8 every ten years to show that the trademark is being used. The presentation covers types of trademark protection, the Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) and other ways to search for information.
A patent is a property right granted by the Government of the United State of America to an inventor to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States, or importing the invention into the United States for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted. The patent presentation covers types of patents and their expiration dates, the USPTO website, researching patents, filing for patents and patent/inventor scams, and instructions for handling patent questions: “Provide information not advice”.
Trademark and patent issues and questions, like those involving copyright, can become quite complex. Fortunately there are libraries designated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to receive and house copies of U.S. patents and patent and trademark materials, make them freely available to the public, and actively disseminate patent and trademark information. Minnesota’s Patent & Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) is the Central Library of the Hennepin County Library system. Feel free to contact them with questions or concerns and to refer customers to them.
This seminar went quickly and I was amazed at all the information we covered. I hoped what I have shared with you here is useful. Please contact me at Central if you have any questions about this summary or about using or finding Government information/documents.
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 4
GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
Thursday we learned about the "Federal Register Publication System: What It Is and How to Use It”. The Federal Register is “the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents". It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. GPO Access contains Federal Register volumes from 59 (1994) to the present.. When a bill is passed and becomes a law or statute, it mandates that a federal executive office or agency writes regulations or rules to enforce the law. Having rules and proposed rules in the Federal Register lets the public know what Federal agencies and offices are planning to do, holding these offices and agencies and offices accountable, and giving the public a chance to comment. It also lets people know of opportunities for funding and Federal benefits (some notices are for Federal RFP and grants). The presentation has a nice comparison of laws and rules and discusses how the Federal Register is laid out.
A few weeks before the seminar Central staff had a question about someone wanting an interpretation of part of a bill that had been passed. I asked our speaker about finding this type of information and he said that it is best to go to the agency which is responsible for enforcing the rules mandated by the law. If it’s not known which agency or office is responsible for enforcing the law or if someone wants more information on the law, it is best to go to the text of the law and see what it mandates and of whom. Once you know this, you should contact the agency’s expert on the subject of the law, education, for example, to find out more about how it will be enforced and its potential impact.
Documents occasionally appear in the Federal Register. These documents describe official actions and functions that may affect the public or provide important information, but don’t amend the Code of Federal Regulations. Examples of documents that have appeared in the Federal Register are grant announcements and funding availability, environmental impact statements, meeting notices. I have a handout which describes the types of notices that appear (presidential documents including executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders and miscellaneous documents), their format, and research tools and finding aids in the federal register.
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is “the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis. “() The Federal Rules which appear in the CFR have general applicability to the public and current and future effect as of the date specified. They are always published first in the Federal Register as amendments to the CFR. I have a copy of the presentation if anyone would like more information on the CFR’s structure, how rules are codified in the CFR, how the public can participate in rulemaking, and how to use the CFR.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. It operates a hotline that people can contact to report safety hazards. Recordings of safety information and product recalls are available 24 hrs a day. People can also contact the CPSC on their website or by e-mail. CPCS also follows up on reports in the media. It conducts recalls, creates educational and informational programs, collaborates with industry and other stakeholders in the development of safety standards, establishes relationships with counterparts both nationally and internationally, and seeks remedies, fines, etc. CPSC also reaches out to consumers through its Neighborhood Safety Network. This is a program which allows organizations and individuals to register in the NSN database and then receive free safety information to share with its members. Other CPSC resources include publications and a wealth of safety information within its website. People can sign up for recall alerts to learn about recalls faster.
George Barnum spoke about a film he helped create on the history of the GPO. To view the film and/or read the transcript go here and click on “GPO-History Video”.
The last presentation of the day was “Planning the FDLP of the Future: What Shape Will It Take?” The presenter spoke about the principles of government information (access, authenticity, preservation), the mission of the Federal Depository Program and how it is achieved through FDLP’s activities including keeping up with and anticipating change.
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
Thursday we learned about the "Federal Register Publication System: What It Is and How to Use It”. The Federal Register is “the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents". It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. GPO Access contains Federal Register volumes from 59 (1994) to the present.. When a bill is passed and becomes a law or statute, it mandates that a federal executive office or agency writes regulations or rules to enforce the law. Having rules and proposed rules in the Federal Register lets the public know what Federal agencies and offices are planning to do, holding these offices and agencies and offices accountable, and giving the public a chance to comment. It also lets people know of opportunities for funding and Federal benefits (some notices are for Federal RFP and grants). The presentation has a nice comparison of laws and rules and discusses how the Federal Register is laid out.
A few weeks before the seminar Central staff had a question about someone wanting an interpretation of part of a bill that had been passed. I asked our speaker about finding this type of information and he said that it is best to go to the agency which is responsible for enforcing the rules mandated by the law. If it’s not known which agency or office is responsible for enforcing the law or if someone wants more information on the law, it is best to go to the text of the law and see what it mandates and of whom. Once you know this, you should contact the agency’s expert on the subject of the law, education, for example, to find out more about how it will be enforced and its potential impact.
Documents occasionally appear in the Federal Register. These documents describe official actions and functions that may affect the public or provide important information, but don’t amend the Code of Federal Regulations. Examples of documents that have appeared in the Federal Register are grant announcements and funding availability, environmental impact statements, meeting notices. I have a handout which describes the types of notices that appear (presidential documents including executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders and miscellaneous documents), their format, and research tools and finding aids in the federal register.
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is “the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. Each volume of the CFR is updated once each calendar year and is issued on a quarterly basis. “() The Federal Rules which appear in the CFR have general applicability to the public and current and future effect as of the date specified. They are always published first in the Federal Register as amendments to the CFR. I have a copy of the presentation if anyone would like more information on the CFR’s structure, how rules are codified in the CFR, how the public can participate in rulemaking, and how to use the CFR.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. It operates a hotline that people can contact to report safety hazards. Recordings of safety information and product recalls are available 24 hrs a day. People can also contact the CPSC on their website or by e-mail. CPCS also follows up on reports in the media. It conducts recalls, creates educational and informational programs, collaborates with industry and other stakeholders in the development of safety standards, establishes relationships with counterparts both nationally and internationally, and seeks remedies, fines, etc. CPSC also reaches out to consumers through its Neighborhood Safety Network. This is a program which allows organizations and individuals to register in the NSN database and then receive free safety information to share with its members. Other CPSC resources include publications and a wealth of safety information within its website. People can sign up for recall alerts to learn about recalls faster.
George Barnum spoke about a film he helped create on the history of the GPO. To view the film and/or read the transcript go here and click on “GPO-History Video”.
The last presentation of the day was “Planning the FDLP of the Future: What Shape Will It Take?” The presenter spoke about the principles of government information (access, authenticity, preservation), the mission of the Federal Depository Program and how it is achieved through FDLP’s activities including keeping up with and anticipating change.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 3
GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
This day was all about the census, the American FactFinder, the American Community Survey, and the Economic Survey. More and more census/statistical information is going into American Fact Finder and less into paper and online sources like cd-roms. The American FactFinder website has information located in several places so that there are many ways to find information.
The most often used section is “Data Sets” The “About the Data” link describes the many types of surveys and sets available.
When you open “Data Sets” you see a series of SF (summary files) labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4. A summary file is a group of tables. SF 1 and SF2 are from the short form, 2 contains more detailed information about race and ethnicity. SF 3 and 4 are from the long form (the longer survey that some people received) and 4 contains more detailed data about race and ethnicity. Whether one chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 depends on if you want basic race/ethnicity statistics or statistics about more specific racial/ethnic groups. Hispanic is not considered a race so if you are trying to find statistics regarding Hispanic populations you will want to choose a more detailed table than is in the basic datasets.
Detailed tables is a subset of data sets. Once you select the geography you are searching (The Census refers to cities as places, you should check to see if the customer wants data for a city or a metropolitan area as the Census is very specific on geographic areas.), then click on “next”. This takes you to a page where you can select a specific table you want to search. Before you add the table and click on “show results”, you can highlight the table name and click on “What’s this”, which is a button to the right. This will bring up a mock table with the data left out, to show you how the information would display if you were to use this table.
Questions from the 2000 Census can be found here . The 2010 Census will be different because the long form will be replaced by the American Community Survey. To see a list of the questions planned for the 2010 Census and American Community Survey, click here.
Thematic maps map statistical information by geographic area on a map. First you select the geographic area. If you want to search or display by county, you must choose state in the geographic section. Then you select your theme by choosing a table and then click “show results”.
The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to show how communities are changing. It has been conducted since 2000 and includes estimates of demographic and economic characteristics of people, households and housing units for areas with a certain population size in certain comparison sites. The How to Use the Data tab on the top of the page takes you to a very useful page with links to information on when and how to compare the latest ACS with previous ACS’ and the Census: click on the link on the left hand side “Guidance on Comparing 2006 ACS Data to Other Sources”.
One important example of a difference is that before 2006 the ACS didn’t have statistics for “Group Quarters“ Group Quarters are defined as “a place where people live or stay that is normally owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters are usually not related to each other. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, workers' dormitories, and facilities for people experiencing homelessness “. There are also links to information on “Accuracy of Data” and “Errata”. Another issue in ACS is that the American Community Survey (ACS) does not present data for all geographic areas if they are under the sampling size. Information on what areas are covered can be found by clicking on “Explain Missing Geographies” in the “Select Geography” section. This doesn’t mean that the data isn’t worthwhile, just that you need to be careful to check what the surveys measured when comparing different years.
Types of searches available in ACS include: Data Sets in which you first search by geographical area and information if brought up on social statistics. At the top of the results page there are links for economic, housing, demographic, and narrative statistical displays that you can view by clicking on the link, Ranking tables rank states by different categories, Selected Population Profiles offer detailed racial information, and Subject Tables contain pre-made tables.
The Economic Census (or see reports here) profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level. This page has a FAQ link and an “Ask Dr. Census” link that can provide more information on resources. The census site also has information on where to find the latest business data since 2002 as it also conducts a number of other business surveys in addition to the Economic Census. One of these surveys is the Survey of Business Owners which is a consolidation of two prior surveys, the Surveys of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (SMOBE/SWOBE), and includes questions from a survey discontinued in 1992 on Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO).
Some annual surveys are the County Business Patterns , the Nonemployer Statistics and the Annual Survey of Manufacturers . Due to privacy reasons, the Economic Surveys don’t have statistics on particular companies, just the industry or type of business overall.
April 1, 2010 is the date for the 2010 Census Day . This page has links to information on the 2010 Census, promotional materials on its importance, a timeline, and history. The data taken will be used to see how people, money, and services are distributed and to develop policies on health, education, transportation, social services, and more. Personal information from surveys is not shared with anyone; census staff can be fined or jailed if they share private information. Information on the Census’ Bureau’s Data Protection and Privacy Policy’s can be found here. The 2010 Census will consist of the short form which asks for name, age, race, and whether a home is owned. The Census is a complete count with no standard error. 2010 data will be presented to the president on December 31, 2010 and on April 1, 2011 it will be released to states to work on reapportionment.
The American Community Survey will replace the long form in 2010. The ACS will take a larger sample this year which will make it more reliable and result in smaller margins of error. This survey measures economic, housing, and social data and helps set policy, spending, shows trends, helps determine legislative representation, and is used for research. Answers to some frequently asked questions about the ACS can be found here.
There are some nice training presentations on different Census resources available. You can get to this page also by going to the Special Topics area of Census.gov and clicking on “training”, then “topical seminars and workshops”, “current topical seminars being offered” and “PowerPoint presentations”. The Special Topics area also has a link for teachers and students. Feel free to contact Melissa or me with census questions and if we don’t know the answers, we can contact or refer you or the customer to the Census Bureau or the Minnesota State Demographic Center .
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
This day was all about the census, the American FactFinder, the American Community Survey, and the Economic Survey. More and more census/statistical information is going into American Fact Finder and less into paper and online sources like cd-roms. The American FactFinder website has information located in several places so that there are many ways to find information.
The most often used section is “Data Sets” The “About the Data” link describes the many types of surveys and sets available.
When you open “Data Sets” you see a series of SF (summary files) labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4. A summary file is a group of tables. SF 1 and SF2 are from the short form, 2 contains more detailed information about race and ethnicity. SF 3 and 4 are from the long form (the longer survey that some people received) and 4 contains more detailed data about race and ethnicity. Whether one chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 depends on if you want basic race/ethnicity statistics or statistics about more specific racial/ethnic groups. Hispanic is not considered a race so if you are trying to find statistics regarding Hispanic populations you will want to choose a more detailed table than is in the basic datasets.
Detailed tables is a subset of data sets. Once you select the geography you are searching (The Census refers to cities as places, you should check to see if the customer wants data for a city or a metropolitan area as the Census is very specific on geographic areas.), then click on “next”. This takes you to a page where you can select a specific table you want to search. Before you add the table and click on “show results”, you can highlight the table name and click on “What’s this”, which is a button to the right. This will bring up a mock table with the data left out, to show you how the information would display if you were to use this table.
Questions from the 2000 Census can be found here . The 2010 Census will be different because the long form will be replaced by the American Community Survey. To see a list of the questions planned for the 2010 Census and American Community Survey, click here.
Thematic maps map statistical information by geographic area on a map. First you select the geographic area. If you want to search or display by county, you must choose state in the geographic section. Then you select your theme by choosing a table and then click “show results”.
The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to show how communities are changing. It has been conducted since 2000 and includes estimates of demographic and economic characteristics of people, households and housing units for areas with a certain population size in certain comparison sites. The How to Use the Data tab on the top of the page takes you to a very useful page with links to information on when and how to compare the latest ACS with previous ACS’ and the Census: click on the link on the left hand side “Guidance on Comparing 2006 ACS Data to Other Sources”.
One important example of a difference is that before 2006 the ACS didn’t have statistics for “Group Quarters“ Group Quarters are defined as “a place where people live or stay that is normally owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters are usually not related to each other. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, workers' dormitories, and facilities for people experiencing homelessness “. There are also links to information on “Accuracy of Data” and “Errata”. Another issue in ACS is that the American Community Survey (ACS) does not present data for all geographic areas if they are under the sampling size. Information on what areas are covered can be found by clicking on “Explain Missing Geographies” in the “Select Geography” section. This doesn’t mean that the data isn’t worthwhile, just that you need to be careful to check what the surveys measured when comparing different years.
Types of searches available in ACS include: Data Sets in which you first search by geographical area and information if brought up on social statistics. At the top of the results page there are links for economic, housing, demographic, and narrative statistical displays that you can view by clicking on the link, Ranking tables rank states by different categories, Selected Population Profiles offer detailed racial information, and Subject Tables contain pre-made tables.
The Economic Census (or see reports here) profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level. This page has a FAQ link and an “Ask Dr. Census” link that can provide more information on resources. The census site also has information on where to find the latest business data since 2002 as it also conducts a number of other business surveys in addition to the Economic Census. One of these surveys is the Survey of Business Owners which is a consolidation of two prior surveys, the Surveys of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (SMOBE/SWOBE), and includes questions from a survey discontinued in 1992 on Characteristics of Business Owners (CBO).
Some annual surveys are the County Business Patterns , the Nonemployer Statistics and the Annual Survey of Manufacturers . Due to privacy reasons, the Economic Surveys don’t have statistics on particular companies, just the industry or type of business overall.
April 1, 2010 is the date for the 2010 Census Day . This page has links to information on the 2010 Census, promotional materials on its importance, a timeline, and history. The data taken will be used to see how people, money, and services are distributed and to develop policies on health, education, transportation, social services, and more. Personal information from surveys is not shared with anyone; census staff can be fined or jailed if they share private information. Information on the Census’ Bureau’s Data Protection and Privacy Policy’s can be found here. The 2010 Census will consist of the short form which asks for name, age, race, and whether a home is owned. The Census is a complete count with no standard error. 2010 data will be presented to the president on December 31, 2010 and on April 1, 2011 it will be released to states to work on reapportionment.
The American Community Survey will replace the long form in 2010. The ACS will take a larger sample this year which will make it more reliable and result in smaller margins of error. This survey measures economic, housing, and social data and helps set policy, spending, shows trends, helps determine legislative representation, and is used for research. Answers to some frequently asked questions about the ACS can be found here.
There are some nice training presentations on different Census resources available. You can get to this page also by going to the Special Topics area of Census.gov and clicking on “training”, then “topical seminars and workshops”, “current topical seminars being offered” and “PowerPoint presentations”. The Special Topics area also has a link for teachers and students. Feel free to contact Melissa or me with census questions and if we don’t know the answers, we can contact or refer you or the customer to the Census Bureau or the Minnesota State Demographic Center .
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 2
GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
On the 2nd day we received a tour of the Library of Congress and then visited different departments of the library. Ken Drexler of the Digital Reference Team spoke to us about the Library of Congress website. Thomas is an online database that seeks to make federal legislative information available to the public for free. It has full text bills and laws from 1989-present, summaries of bill and laws from 1973-1989, and the Congressional Record from 1989-present. The Congressional Record can be used to show what a representative said on a particular topic. Thomas can be used to look up bills by representative, see summaries, co-sponsors, and related billS. You can specify which Congress you want to search or search multiple congresses. Other search capabilities include finding which bills were debated, seeing what happened on the floor on a particular day, looking at roll call votes from 1989-present, and seeing which bills became law (public laws). Thomas shows which days the House and Senate met and links to the House and Senate’s website where their calendars and schedules can be found as well as committee calendars. There are many other resources on Thomas that you’ll want to explore like this section where you can find information on the legislative process and a Congressional glossary.
Another resource on the Library of Congress’ website is “A Century of Lawmaking” which contains legislative information from 1774-1875. The “Using the Collection” link toward the bottom of the page takes you to information on how to search. Some resources can be searched full-text and others only have descriptions which can be searched. At present there are not any free full text online resources for legislative information from 1876-1988.
American Memory is a multimedia web site of digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress’s vast holdings. This Collection is especially strong in materials from the Revolutionary War-World War II. It includes a map section and films from around the turn of the century through 1920. The Browse Collections page allows you to search American Memory by topic, place, time period, and format.
The Library of Congress has an “Ask a Librarian” page which is an e-mail/chat reference service for people seeking more information about using their Collections. Be sure to see their Reference Correspondence Policy for the types of questions that can/can’t be answered.
We also visited the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room. This room has 2 years worth of periodicals in it and there are 70,000 stored alphabetically by title. Some are bound and some are on microfilm. Due to changes in cataloging serials, it’s sometimes difficult to keep holdings lists complete and accurate, so the staff recommends e-mailing or calling before coming in to make sure the desired publication is there. This collection includes comic books, current mainstream newspapers (not college newspapers), UN documents from the beginning to present, and government documents from 1993-present and Federal Advisory Committee documents from 1972-present.
The Library of Congress has one of the largest collections of newspapers in the U.S. and the world. One staff member spoke to us about how government documents can be traced back to early newspapers where one can find reaction to politics and legislation in editorials, articles, editorial cartoons. During Colonial times there were discussions in newspapers about the need to take up arms and the Declaration of Independence and the 1st Federalist Papers appeared in newspapers so that they would be available for public review. Another staff member spoke to us about the National Digital Newspaper Program . Chronicling America is a prototype of this project where you can search and view newspaper pages from 1890-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. The Minnesota Historical Society is a 2007-2009 Awardee and is digitizing papers from 1880-1910.
The next presentation was on the U.S. Copyright Office. Mr. Fernandez-Barrial spoke to us about what may and may not be copyrighted. Examples of some items that can’t be copyrighted are works that haven’t been fixed in a tangible form, names, titles, short phrases, slogans (these can be trademarked if associated with a product), familiar shapes, symbols, designs, coloring, lettering, fonts, calligraphy, ideas, methods, systems, principles, discoveries, devices, inventions, U.S. Government works (if they were contracted; if done by a private agency they may be protected), Government edicts and official legal documents, blank forms, formulas, historical facts, and works consisting entirely of information that is common property and has no original authorship. Works that can be copyrighted have copyright automatically upon creation. However, it is recommended to register one’s work with the Copyright Office as this confers benefits (i.e. possible coverage of attorney’s fees and statutory benefits). More information can be found in the publications found on the Copyright Office’s web page like “Copyright Basics” and in their FAQ. Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright is a fun and informative presentation designed for teachers and students. Information on searching copyright records can be found here. There is also information on how to register one’s work for copyright. Electronic registering is highly recommended as it is less expensive ($35 vs. $96) and faster processing time (2 months vs. about 9 months).
STAT-USA/Internet, is a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce , and is a “single point of access to authoritative business, trade, and economic information from across the Federal Government”. The website/database is in the process of being redesigned. It is only available at Central where customers must be logged in order to use it. Through STAT-USA users have access to “State of the Nation” though which they can obtain current and historical federal economic data like the Gross Domestic Product, Consumer Price Index, selected interest rates, and more. They also have access to Globus NTDB (National Trade Data Bank) which allows them to obtain historical trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, country analysis and STAT-USA’s trade library. STAT-USA contains calendars with release dates and times for specific economic reports.
The State of the Nation library includes over 4,700 current federal and private economic and financial reports including Consumer Confidence, Treasury auction reports, Current Industrial Reports. You can sign up for e-mail notification of changes and new reports. Older reports are archived. State of the Nation also includes travel statistics like top 20 countries generating travel, international visitor spending.
Globus/NTDB offers trade leads and procurement information (a lead is a request made by a U.S. or foreign government or agency for a business opportunity like making uniforms, etc.), market and country research (country commercial guides contain contact information and information on how to do business in other countries, international market insight reports are market overviews of what’s hot, but not available for every market or country, and industry sector analysis reports), more country reports (Country Background Notes produced by the State Department, and Global Agricultural Information Network Reports from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service that include information on agricultural production trade tends, foreign legislation and regulations, and trade policies affecting US agricultural trade).
The International Trade Library, which replaces the NTDB cd-rom, contains current and historical reports and resources like the CIA World Factbook, World Bank Commodity Price Data Sheet, This Year in Trade, Small Business Guide to Exporting, Department of Energy’s Country Analysis Brief (international reports on energy production and consumption), Country Studies Programs Country Profiles (these are the most recent version of the Army Area handbooks produced by the Library of Congress).
Another part of STATS-USA is USA Trade Online which is a joint venture between STATS-USA and the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau. It is the official source for U.S. merchandise trade data. Trade statistics are provided using the Harmonized System (HS) and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) based commodity codes. Reports can be browsed and users can also create customized reports, charts, receive monthly updates, download reports, and highlight values of interest. They can also sign up for updates, training materials and other STAT-USA news.
The final presentation of the day was from DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center), which is in the process of changing its website. “DTIC is the central source within DoD (Department of Defense) for acquiring, storing, retrieving and disseminating scientific and technical information to support DoD research, development, engineering and studies programs. The Center also provides information tools and systems to support Pentagon executives and managers. DTIC hosts, develops and maintains more than 100 of DoD's major Web sites.” DTIC stores military information which is categorized as unclassified/unlimited, unclassified/limited, and classified. Only certain groups are eligible for DTIC services, and others can order DTIC documents through NTIS or may be able to find them on OAIster or Science.gov. Types of information gathered included technical reports and memos, theses dissertations, studies and analyses, test results, journal articles, conference proceedings, patent information, command histories, and DOD directives and instructions.
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
On the 2nd day we received a tour of the Library of Congress and then visited different departments of the library. Ken Drexler of the Digital Reference Team spoke to us about the Library of Congress website. Thomas is an online database that seeks to make federal legislative information available to the public for free. It has full text bills and laws from 1989-present, summaries of bill and laws from 1973-1989, and the Congressional Record from 1989-present. The Congressional Record can be used to show what a representative said on a particular topic. Thomas can be used to look up bills by representative, see summaries, co-sponsors, and related billS. You can specify which Congress you want to search or search multiple congresses. Other search capabilities include finding which bills were debated, seeing what happened on the floor on a particular day, looking at roll call votes from 1989-present, and seeing which bills became law (public laws). Thomas shows which days the House and Senate met and links to the House and Senate’s website where their calendars and schedules can be found as well as committee calendars. There are many other resources on Thomas that you’ll want to explore like this section where you can find information on the legislative process and a Congressional glossary.
Another resource on the Library of Congress’ website is “A Century of Lawmaking” which contains legislative information from 1774-1875. The “Using the Collection” link toward the bottom of the page takes you to information on how to search. Some resources can be searched full-text and others only have descriptions which can be searched. At present there are not any free full text online resources for legislative information from 1876-1988.
American Memory is a multimedia web site of digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress’s vast holdings. This Collection is especially strong in materials from the Revolutionary War-World War II. It includes a map section and films from around the turn of the century through 1920. The Browse Collections page allows you to search American Memory by topic, place, time period, and format.
The Library of Congress has an “Ask a Librarian” page which is an e-mail/chat reference service for people seeking more information about using their Collections. Be sure to see their Reference Correspondence Policy for the types of questions that can/can’t be answered.
We also visited the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room. This room has 2 years worth of periodicals in it and there are 70,000 stored alphabetically by title. Some are bound and some are on microfilm. Due to changes in cataloging serials, it’s sometimes difficult to keep holdings lists complete and accurate, so the staff recommends e-mailing or calling before coming in to make sure the desired publication is there. This collection includes comic books, current mainstream newspapers (not college newspapers), UN documents from the beginning to present, and government documents from 1993-present and Federal Advisory Committee documents from 1972-present.
The Library of Congress has one of the largest collections of newspapers in the U.S. and the world. One staff member spoke to us about how government documents can be traced back to early newspapers where one can find reaction to politics and legislation in editorials, articles, editorial cartoons. During Colonial times there were discussions in newspapers about the need to take up arms and the Declaration of Independence and the 1st Federalist Papers appeared in newspapers so that they would be available for public review. Another staff member spoke to us about the National Digital Newspaper Program . Chronicling America is a prototype of this project where you can search and view newspaper pages from 1890-1910 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. The Minnesota Historical Society is a 2007-2009 Awardee and is digitizing papers from 1880-1910.
The next presentation was on the U.S. Copyright Office. Mr. Fernandez-Barrial spoke to us about what may and may not be copyrighted. Examples of some items that can’t be copyrighted are works that haven’t been fixed in a tangible form, names, titles, short phrases, slogans (these can be trademarked if associated with a product), familiar shapes, symbols, designs, coloring, lettering, fonts, calligraphy, ideas, methods, systems, principles, discoveries, devices, inventions, U.S. Government works (if they were contracted; if done by a private agency they may be protected), Government edicts and official legal documents, blank forms, formulas, historical facts, and works consisting entirely of information that is common property and has no original authorship. Works that can be copyrighted have copyright automatically upon creation. However, it is recommended to register one’s work with the Copyright Office as this confers benefits (i.e. possible coverage of attorney’s fees and statutory benefits). More information can be found in the publications found on the Copyright Office’s web page like “Copyright Basics” and in their FAQ. Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright is a fun and informative presentation designed for teachers and students. Information on searching copyright records can be found here. There is also information on how to register one’s work for copyright. Electronic registering is highly recommended as it is less expensive ($35 vs. $96) and faster processing time (2 months vs. about 9 months).
STAT-USA/Internet, is a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce , and is a “single point of access to authoritative business, trade, and economic information from across the Federal Government”. The website/database is in the process of being redesigned. It is only available at Central where customers must be logged in order to use it. Through STAT-USA users have access to “State of the Nation” though which they can obtain current and historical federal economic data like the Gross Domestic Product, Consumer Price Index, selected interest rates, and more. They also have access to Globus NTDB (National Trade Data Bank) which allows them to obtain historical trade-related releases, international market research, trade opportunities, country analysis and STAT-USA’s trade library. STAT-USA contains calendars with release dates and times for specific economic reports.
The State of the Nation library includes over 4,700 current federal and private economic and financial reports including Consumer Confidence, Treasury auction reports, Current Industrial Reports. You can sign up for e-mail notification of changes and new reports. Older reports are archived. State of the Nation also includes travel statistics like top 20 countries generating travel, international visitor spending.
Globus/NTDB offers trade leads and procurement information (a lead is a request made by a U.S. or foreign government or agency for a business opportunity like making uniforms, etc.), market and country research (country commercial guides contain contact information and information on how to do business in other countries, international market insight reports are market overviews of what’s hot, but not available for every market or country, and industry sector analysis reports), more country reports (Country Background Notes produced by the State Department, and Global Agricultural Information Network Reports from the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service that include information on agricultural production trade tends, foreign legislation and regulations, and trade policies affecting US agricultural trade).
The International Trade Library, which replaces the NTDB cd-rom, contains current and historical reports and resources like the CIA World Factbook, World Bank Commodity Price Data Sheet, This Year in Trade, Small Business Guide to Exporting, Department of Energy’s Country Analysis Brief (international reports on energy production and consumption), Country Studies Programs Country Profiles (these are the most recent version of the Army Area handbooks produced by the Library of Congress).
Another part of STATS-USA is USA Trade Online which is a joint venture between STATS-USA and the Foreign Trade Division of the Census Bureau. It is the official source for U.S. merchandise trade data. Trade statistics are provided using the Harmonized System (HS) and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) based commodity codes. Reports can be browsed and users can also create customized reports, charts, receive monthly updates, download reports, and highlight values of interest. They can also sign up for updates, training materials and other STAT-USA news.
The final presentation of the day was from DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center), which is in the process of changing its website. “DTIC is the central source within DoD (Department of Defense) for acquiring, storing, retrieving and disseminating scientific and technical information to support DoD research, development, engineering and studies programs. The Center also provides information tools and systems to support Pentagon executives and managers. DTIC hosts, develops and maintains more than 100 of DoD's major Web sites.” DTIC stores military information which is categorized as unclassified/unlimited, unclassified/limited, and classified. Only certain groups are eligible for DTIC services, and others can order DTIC documents through NTIS or may be able to find them on OAIster or Science.gov. Types of information gathered included technical reports and memos, theses dissertations, studies and analyses, test results, journal articles, conference proceedings, patent information, command histories, and DOD directives and instructions.
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR: DAY 1
GPO 2AST ANNUAL
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
I had the privilege of attending The Interagency Depository Seminar in Washington D.C. Presentation materials can be found here. At this seminar representatives from a variety of federal agencies presented training and updates on their information products and activities as they relate to Federal Depository libraries. As you may know the Saint Paul Public Library has been a partial depository since 1914 and the Central Library has a large collection of Federal documents in a variety of formats. I had originally hoped to post each day of the seminar, but found that at the end of each session I was pretty tired so I have summarized what I learned each day.
Day 1:
On the first day we learned about the history and role of the Government Printing Office and met members of its management team who talked about their work. GPO is the Federal Government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including hosting websites like Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government (GPO is looking at updating this site so if there are features you like or would like to see added/changed, let me know and I can pass this on when comments are requested) , databases, forming partnerships to make information accessible, managing an online bookstore, etc.
Projects GPO is involved in include authenticating online documents with digital signatures to show that they have not been changed, FDLP Desktop, an online information resource for depository libraries, digitization, online learning (OPAL-is Online Programming for All Libraries, and is a collaborative effort to provide web based training and programming to library staff and customers), marketing, training, and outreach.
GPO works to provide free access to government information, but also makes money for its operations by contracting for printing and other publications and promotional pieces needed by federal agencies and by training agencies in printing and publication technology and trends.
INTERAGENCY DEPOSITORY SEMINAR JULY 28-AUGUST 1, 2008
Erin Z.-R.
I had the privilege of attending The Interagency Depository Seminar in Washington D.C. Presentation materials can be found here. At this seminar representatives from a variety of federal agencies presented training and updates on their information products and activities as they relate to Federal Depository libraries. As you may know the Saint Paul Public Library has been a partial depository since 1914 and the Central Library has a large collection of Federal documents in a variety of formats. I had originally hoped to post each day of the seminar, but found that at the end of each session I was pretty tired so I have summarized what I learned each day.
Day 1:
On the first day we learned about the history and role of the Government Printing Office and met members of its management team who talked about their work. GPO is the Federal Government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including hosting websites like Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government (GPO is looking at updating this site so if there are features you like or would like to see added/changed, let me know and I can pass this on when comments are requested) , databases, forming partnerships to make information accessible, managing an online bookstore, etc.
Projects GPO is involved in include authenticating online documents with digital signatures to show that they have not been changed, FDLP Desktop, an online information resource for depository libraries, digitization, online learning (OPAL-is Online Programming for All Libraries, and is a collaborative effort to provide web based training and programming to library staff and customers), marketing, training, and outreach.
GPO works to provide free access to government information, but also makes money for its operations by contracting for printing and other publications and promotional pieces needed by federal agencies and by training agencies in printing and publication technology and trends.
Monday, August 18, 2008
EBSCO 2.0 UPDATE
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
EBSCOhost 2.0
The new EBSCO interface for MasterFILE Premier, MegaFILE, Academic Source Premier, and Business Source Premier is here! It opens with a clean, simple, Google-like interface, but don't worry, you can get still additional options by clicking on "Search Options" or "Advanced Search" below. After you perform a search, three panes pop up. The middle is the results, the left has narrowing options like source and subject (click on "more" to get more subject options), and the right has limiters like full-text, peer-reviewed and date (with a slick slider to change the date instead of typing it in). Also, the right pane has a link to your folder and related images. By 2009, all articles that come in .pdf form should have related images available in full-color as a separate file. If you don't like this view, the left and right panes can be hidden by clicking on little arrows.
The green bar above the results is called a breadcrumb trail. It lists what subjects you have added so if one doesn't work out, you can return to an earlier search without going back to the beginning. It also allows you to add a search to your folder, create an email alert, or save a search to RSS. I saved a search to RSS and tried reading it in Bloglines at home. It worked very well, I only had to type my library card in to access it, not my name or PIN. Other options in the results pane include: previewing the article by clicking on the magnifying option, a more prominent "add to folder" option, and relevancy rankings (when you rank by relevancy, the number of green squares show how relevant the article is considered to be).
In the individual record, delivery options are more prominent: Print, Email, Save to External Disc or Hard Drive, Save to Folder, Cite, or Export to Citation Software (EndNote, ProCite, Refworks). By 2009, there will be an option to copy citations to a computer's clipboard. EBSCO also suggests similar articles. Clicking on the "Bookmark" icon at the bottom of the article to the right of the persistent link will allow you to bookmark the article to Internet Explorer Favorites, Del.icio.us, Stumbleupom, Myspace, Facebook, Google Bookmarks, and many other services. Articles and searches are also bookmarkable.
Other new items on the front page include: new and improved visual search; "Search History/Alerts" which allows you to view previous searches, save searches, and combine searches; and the big blue EBSCO button, which you can always click on to go back the the beginning. EBSCO's training materials also mention a "SmartText Search", which lets the user copy a sentence, paragraph or whole article, then the database searches for similar articles. This doesn't appear to be active yet.
This new version of the EBSCO interface has a familiar, less intimidating starting point and makes the limiting and narrowing options more visible to the patron. For a presentation, Flash demo, brochures and more, check here.
--Andrea
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
CHARTS AND MAPS!
The Foundation Directory Online has a new feature: charts and maps!
- New interactive U.S. and world maps show funder-specific grants by state, county, city, and zip code, international grants by country; roll-over summaries show total grant dollars, recipients and grants.
- New interactive charts detail funder-specific grants by primary subject and recipient type; drill down to second and third levels of detail; roll-over summaries show total grant dollars, recipients and grants.
--Andrea
Friday, June 13, 2008
How to Find a Novel, Short Story, or Poem Without Knowing Its Title or Author
We've all had to do it at one time or another... track down a novel, short story, or poem for which the customer knows neither the title nor the author.
Each of us has our "bag of tricks" to take to the problem. The Library of Congress has compiled resources online, in the library community, and in the library and posted them on the site Lost Titles, Forgotten Rhymes.
Check it out and add to your arsenal!
And if you have any favorite resources they've missed, you can send them the Library's Digital Reference Team.
-- John L.
Each of us has our "bag of tricks" to take to the problem. The Library of Congress has compiled resources online, in the library community, and in the library and posted them on the site Lost Titles, Forgotten Rhymes.
Check it out and add to your arsenal!
And if you have any favorite resources they've missed, you can send them the Library's Digital Reference Team.
-- John L.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
TEACHING OLD SERVICES NEW TRICKS WITH WEB 2.0
View Upload your ownThis webinar was given by Michelle Jacobs, emerging technology librarian at UCLA. She discussed the fact that technology is everywhere and more people are taking items that are like tiny computers (cell phones, ipods, flash drives) with them wherever they go. In a recent poll, 26% of cell phone users would rather lose their wallet than their cell phone. Libraries need to be where the patrons are so that they become more of need than a want.
For adding new technologies, a key concept is "RITE USE":
R -- take risks
I -- innovate
T -- technology
E -- education (of both staff and public, so staff can answer any question about the technology)
U-- user centered
S-- shared
E --excitement (staff have to be excited about the technology, and it must be marketed so the public knows about it).
Podcasting is cheap -- it just requires a microphone, a computer and the internet. Podcasts can be used for neighborhood tours, oral history, a "how to" for library resources, book reviews, and library events. Remember to put podcasts in places like iTunes where patrons will find them, not just on the library web site. Here is more info on podcasts.
The library can put videos on YouTube instead of hosting them on their own web site, using a cheap digicam or cell phone. This way, they have a chance to be more widely seen. It could be a video contest for teens or online tutorials on the library. Here are some examples:
Text Message a Librarian
Using the VPN
Sort of a tribute to students in the library
Wikipedia may not be good for citing in a college paper, but the library can use it to its advantage. Staff can edit a page on the library, adding links to special collections and photos that the public may not know about. Citations for non-digital items can also be added.
How do you keep up with all these trends? Jacobs recommends using Google Blog Search to search for certain tags (user-generated keywords) that you are interested in, then setting up an alert for whenever that tag comes up using RSS feeds. That way, you can just get the info you want
Google Calendar is a good resource for planning meetings and can even be used for library events. Patrons can subscribe to the calendar and view it on their cell phone.
The important things to take away from this webinar are: Do what you're comfortable with, partner, involve users, don't get involved in time sinks, and feel free to walk away if something doesn't work.
--Andrea
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
SPRING FORUM, PART ONE
The 21st Annual Minnesota-South Dakota Government Publications Information Forum
From Local to International: Government Information Everywhere
University of Minnesota, Andersen Library and Legislative Reference Library
May 15-16, 2008
This forum is a chance for representatives of depository libraries in Minnesota and South Dakota to meet and discuss issues. Depository libraries are libraries designated by Congress or by law to receive government information products without charge provided the libraries meet certain conditions. Saint Paul Public Library is a partial depository, receiving 39% of the documents produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO) and Melissa Gray and I, under Phyllis Kendig’s guidance and with the help of Sue Betz and Pat Johnson, manage this collection. We recently attended this two day forum to keep up to date with what’s happening with gov docs.
On the first day we listened to several interesting presentations. The first “Promoting Government Information: Library 2.0 Style” was presented by Sarah Gewirtz, a Reference/Government Documents Librarian at the College of St. Benedict’s/St. John’s University. Ms. Gewirtz first talked about the need to develop a plan for promoting one’s collection. This involves defining the primary objective/s, determining what to promote, and choosing an audience. Promoting collections can be done in a traditional style: bookmarks, displays, bibliographies, posters or in Library 2.0 styles. Ms. Gewirtz showed us some examples of traditional displays and promotional pieces and then demonstrated how they can be promoted using 2.0 tools. Ms. Gewirtz does a Gov Doc of the Month display which she then photographs and posts in a Flickr account along with examples of other Gov Docs displays she has done. In her Flickr entries, she notes the SuDoc number of the item, what formats it’s available in, and has it linked to the University’s catalog so that when you put your cursor on the photo it brings up a message that tells you to click here to see if it’s available in the library. Ms. Gewirtz has also created slide shows of government documents using either PowerPoint or Windows Movie Maker and then loads them on to YouTube. Other 2.0 tools mentioned were blogs, del.icio.us, and RSS Feeds and Feed Readers as a way to alert customers of updates.
Steve Dornfield and Jan Price presented on the Metropolitan Council and Regional Progress, talking about the Metropolitan Council’s work and ways to access information on its website. The website has pull-down menus based on the areas it focuses on: transit and transportation, water, parks, planning and development, and housing. Reports and data contains publications and statistics for each area of focus. The website also has meeting minutes and live video of Council meetings. The right hand side of the homepage has links for frequently requested information like maps and this section has an interactive map tool that will bring up city names and a city profile including data and reports. Other useful features of the map section are the map gallery where you can select maps by topic and community and the make-a-map section where you can create a customized map.
Jan Price, the Metropolitan Council’s librarian, reported that they try to keep copies of every Metropolitan Council document in their library as well as collecting additional materials on urban planning, design, and related topics. She also works on the website, which focuses on current information. Older reports can be found at the library which is open to the public from 8:30-4:30, M-F (651-602-1412). The library’s catalog should be available online sometime in the future.
We next went to the Legislative Reference Library where we heard a talk on International Government Documents given by Mary Ann Archer of William Mitchell College of Law. Ms. Archer defines government documents as “primary resources published by national or supra-national entities” like treaties, diplomatic correspondence, administrative regulations, reports from executive organizations, statutes, and judicial documents. Ms. Archer mentioned several portals for finding international government documents listing “Foreign Government Resources on the Web” from the University of Michigan as a premier source. We also looked at different portals for finding international law and government sites for other countries.
David Schmidtke of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library spoke to us about state documents and the library’s work to make them available online. The library now archives all mandated reports by scanning or downloading them and most of the non-mandated reports. They have also scanned documents from before 2003. The library offers two listservs that people can sign up for to receive alerts of new books, reports, and documents. Scanned items are being run with OCR to make the text searchable. A highly anticipated report is the consultant’s report on the 1-35 W bridge collapse.
Robbie LaFleur, Director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, talked about historical resources available through their library like Legislators Past and Present which contains information on legislators back to territorial times. Issue guides are another tool offered by the library to help direct legislators to library and online resources on topics of interest
Melissa will report on the 2nd day of the Spring Forum.
--Erin
University of Minnesota, Andersen Library and Legislative Reference Library
May 15-16, 2008
This forum is a chance for representatives of depository libraries in Minnesota and South Dakota to meet and discuss issues. Depository libraries are libraries designated by Congress or by law to receive government information products without charge provided the libraries meet certain conditions. Saint Paul Public Library is a partial depository, receiving 39% of the documents produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO) and Melissa Gray and I, under Phyllis Kendig’s guidance and with the help of Sue Betz and Pat Johnson, manage this collection. We recently attended this two day forum to keep up to date with what’s happening with gov docs.
On the first day we listened to several interesting presentations. The first “Promoting Government Information: Library 2.0 Style” was presented by Sarah Gewirtz, a Reference/Government Documents Librarian at the College of St. Benedict’s/St. John’s University. Ms. Gewirtz first talked about the need to develop a plan for promoting one’s collection. This involves defining the primary objective/s, determining what to promote, and choosing an audience. Promoting collections can be done in a traditional style: bookmarks, displays, bibliographies, posters or in Library 2.0 styles. Ms. Gewirtz showed us some examples of traditional displays and promotional pieces and then demonstrated how they can be promoted using 2.0 tools. Ms. Gewirtz does a Gov Doc of the Month display which she then photographs and posts in a Flickr account along with examples of other Gov Docs displays she has done. In her Flickr entries, she notes the SuDoc number of the item, what formats it’s available in, and has it linked to the University’s catalog so that when you put your cursor on the photo it brings up a message that tells you to click here to see if it’s available in the library. Ms. Gewirtz has also created slide shows of government documents using either PowerPoint or Windows Movie Maker and then loads them on to YouTube. Other 2.0 tools mentioned were blogs, del.icio.us, and RSS Feeds and Feed Readers as a way to alert customers of updates.
Steve Dornfield and Jan Price presented on the Metropolitan Council and Regional Progress, talking about the Metropolitan Council’s work and ways to access information on its website. The website has pull-down menus based on the areas it focuses on: transit and transportation, water, parks, planning and development, and housing. Reports and data contains publications and statistics for each area of focus. The website also has meeting minutes and live video of Council meetings. The right hand side of the homepage has links for frequently requested information like maps and this section has an interactive map tool that will bring up city names and a city profile including data and reports. Other useful features of the map section are the map gallery where you can select maps by topic and community and the make-a-map section where you can create a customized map.
Jan Price, the Metropolitan Council’s librarian, reported that they try to keep copies of every Metropolitan Council document in their library as well as collecting additional materials on urban planning, design, and related topics. She also works on the website, which focuses on current information. Older reports can be found at the library which is open to the public from 8:30-4:30, M-F (651-602-1412). The library’s catalog should be available online sometime in the future.
We next went to the Legislative Reference Library where we heard a talk on International Government Documents given by Mary Ann Archer of William Mitchell College of Law. Ms. Archer defines government documents as “primary resources published by national or supra-national entities” like treaties, diplomatic correspondence, administrative regulations, reports from executive organizations, statutes, and judicial documents. Ms. Archer mentioned several portals for finding international government documents listing “Foreign Government Resources on the Web” from the University of Michigan as a premier source. We also looked at different portals for finding international law and government sites for other countries.
David Schmidtke of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library spoke to us about state documents and the library’s work to make them available online. The library now archives all mandated reports by scanning or downloading them and most of the non-mandated reports. They have also scanned documents from before 2003. The library offers two listservs that people can sign up for to receive alerts of new books, reports, and documents. Scanned items are being run with OCR to make the text searchable. A highly anticipated report is the consultant’s report on the 1-35 W bridge collapse.
Robbie LaFleur, Director of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, talked about historical resources available through their library like Legislators Past and Present which contains information on legislators back to territorial times. Issue guides are another tool offered by the library to help direct legislators to library and online resources on topics of interest
Melissa will report on the 2nd day of the Spring Forum.
--Erin
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
BUILDING A BUSINESS CASE
I attended a recent workshop on “Building a Business Case for Archives” at the TCART Spring Meeting at Hamline University. This workshop was presented by Robert Routhieaux, an Associate Professor of Management in Hamline’s Graduate School of Management and who also helps nonprofit organizations with organizational development and strategic planning. In the workshop he had us pretend that we were in charge of a special collection whose budget was to be cut. We had to discuss a creating a proposal that would address the following points:
1) Purpose, vision or “desired state” that you are hoping to achieve.
2) How your vision relates to the mission or vision of the organization to which you are submitting your proposal. How your goals align with the goals of the organization you are writing to.
3) The specific “outcomes” of the work you do: the number of people you serve, the value you add to existing programs or organizations, the services you provide to the community or organizations.
4) The budget you are working from and hope to achieve. The proposal should have specific needs identified that you are seeking funding or support for.
5) Your plan for ‘sustainability’ regarding the funding you are seeking. What collaborations or other activities will help sustain your efforts and prevent you from having to go back to the same sources every year. What is your timeline for implementation of any special projects you are proposing?
6) Additional information that will provide evidence of your ability to achieve the stated goals and sustainability: background information of key personnel, key relationships with other organizations, specific alternatives for support and continued funding of operations.
Important points that came up in the discussion are:
1) Nonprofit organizations need to remember the importance of educating people about the organization’s importance and value.
2) If your organization is thinking about trying to get a grant or other types of funding, be sure to look at the different types of funding organizations out there and the types of grants/funding they offer and the types of projects they fund. This will help you determine which funders are good matches for the work you’re doing. You should also look at some of the RFP’s (Requests for Proposals) to see whether you have readily available the type of information they request or if you need to take time to gather this so that you are able to completely fill out the proposal.
3) Be able to quantify outcomes: number of people, number of requests, number hits on the website, types of requests, background of people requesting, etc.
4) Funding should be sought for new projects and those that expand on existing work and/or create collaborations with other organizations. Very little funding exists for maintenance or basic operations.
5) If a special collection’s budget is in danger of being significantly cut, it may show that you haven’t done enough work in the past to demonstrate the value of the collection. Be sure to be visible, involved, and making connections. Be sure as well that you are part of groups involved with decision making or are at least known by those who are making decisions that could affect your collection.
6) Having some business skills and being able to create good business plans will allow nonprofit organizations to achieve their passions.
Mr. Routhieaux had two handouts on writing proposals:
“How to Write a Winning Proposal”
“12 Tips for Writing a Winning Proposal”
We also had a chance to visit the Hamline Archives, whose archivist is a member of TCART.
Erin Z-R
1) Purpose, vision or “desired state” that you are hoping to achieve.
2) How your vision relates to the mission or vision of the organization to which you are submitting your proposal. How your goals align with the goals of the organization you are writing to.
3) The specific “outcomes” of the work you do: the number of people you serve, the value you add to existing programs or organizations, the services you provide to the community or organizations.
4) The budget you are working from and hope to achieve. The proposal should have specific needs identified that you are seeking funding or support for.
5) Your plan for ‘sustainability’ regarding the funding you are seeking. What collaborations or other activities will help sustain your efforts and prevent you from having to go back to the same sources every year. What is your timeline for implementation of any special projects you are proposing?
6) Additional information that will provide evidence of your ability to achieve the stated goals and sustainability: background information of key personnel, key relationships with other organizations, specific alternatives for support and continued funding of operations.
Important points that came up in the discussion are:
1) Nonprofit organizations need to remember the importance of educating people about the organization’s importance and value.
2) If your organization is thinking about trying to get a grant or other types of funding, be sure to look at the different types of funding organizations out there and the types of grants/funding they offer and the types of projects they fund. This will help you determine which funders are good matches for the work you’re doing. You should also look at some of the RFP’s (Requests for Proposals) to see whether you have readily available the type of information they request or if you need to take time to gather this so that you are able to completely fill out the proposal.
3) Be able to quantify outcomes: number of people, number of requests, number hits on the website, types of requests, background of people requesting, etc.
4) Funding should be sought for new projects and those that expand on existing work and/or create collaborations with other organizations. Very little funding exists for maintenance or basic operations.
5) If a special collection’s budget is in danger of being significantly cut, it may show that you haven’t done enough work in the past to demonstrate the value of the collection. Be sure to be visible, involved, and making connections. Be sure as well that you are part of groups involved with decision making or are at least known by those who are making decisions that could affect your collection.
6) Having some business skills and being able to create good business plans will allow nonprofit organizations to achieve their passions.
Mr. Routhieaux had two handouts on writing proposals:
“How to Write a Winning Proposal”
“12 Tips for Writing a Winning Proposal”
We also had a chance to visit the Hamline Archives, whose archivist is a member of TCART.
Erin Z-R
Monday, April 28, 2008
IT PLAYGROUP, APRIL 14, 2008
For this IT Playgroup, Pioneer Press technology reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata brought Apple TV and Vudu to show us (plus a giant flatscreen TV). Both are devices that stream content from the Internet to your TV (preferably an HDTV). Vudu has a larger movie and TV library, but Apple TV also offers photos, music, podcasts, YouTube and Flickr. Neither have monthly fees, you pay for each item you buy or rent. Ojeda-Zapata felt that neither product was a blockbuster, but they illustrate trends that could really blossom in the future. The XBox game console also allows you to rent movies, but it is rather noisy to have in your living room all the time.
He also brought the ultraportable notebook computers the MacBook Air and Lenovo x300. Both have solid-state storage (like a flash drive) instead of a hard drive, so they can be a lot thinner, but there is a lot less space for files and programs.
--Andrea
He also brought the ultraportable notebook computers the MacBook Air and Lenovo x300. Both have solid-state storage (like a flash drive) instead of a hard drive, so they can be a lot thinner, but there is a lot less space for files and programs.
--Andrea
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Handling Upset Patrons: From the Irate to the Insane
This was a session that I attended at PLA, presented by Warren Graham from Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. He is also known as the Blackbelt Librarian.
Warren discussed the 4 levels of emotion our patrons experience in the library (as well as other places). He added colorful stories of both patron behaviors and common staff behaviors in situations relating to each of the emotional states. These levels of emotion do not occur in any particular order.
A - Anxiety
B - Belligerence
C - Control — as in "out of control"
C - Calm
"Anxiety" is characterized by a patron having a complaint but remains civil. This is when staff need to stop what they are doing, look at the patron, listen to them and show genuine concern.
"Belligerence" is characterized by a patron getting loud and making a scene. Staff need to establish credibility right away ("I can help, but here's what I need from you..."), make eye contact, stay calm, and if you have a barrier (like a desk) keep it. (Staff might experience a fight or flight response, which can be a good thing.)
Why are people like this? Warren states that there are several causes including stress, biases (age, sex, race), mental instability, and some people are just plain mean.
"Out of control" is any time a patron is drunk or on drugs, commits a sexual offence, is threatening or has aggressive movement toward staff or other patrons, or when the patron is told to leave and refuses. Staff should call 911. The patron should be banned to protect the rights of the other patrons and the staff.
"Calm" is just calm. No hay problemo.
Warren discussed the 4 levels of emotion our patrons experience in the library (as well as other places). He added colorful stories of both patron behaviors and common staff behaviors in situations relating to each of the emotional states. These levels of emotion do not occur in any particular order.
A - Anxiety
B - Belligerence
C - Control — as in "out of control"
C - Calm
"Anxiety" is characterized by a patron having a complaint but remains civil. This is when staff need to stop what they are doing, look at the patron, listen to them and show genuine concern.
"Belligerence" is characterized by a patron getting loud and making a scene. Staff need to establish credibility right away ("I can help, but here's what I need from you..."), make eye contact, stay calm, and if you have a barrier (like a desk) keep it. (Staff might experience a fight or flight response, which can be a good thing.)
Why are people like this? Warren states that there are several causes including stress, biases (age, sex, race), mental instability, and some people are just plain mean.
"Out of control" is any time a patron is drunk or on drugs, commits a sexual offence, is threatening or has aggressive movement toward staff or other patrons, or when the patron is told to leave and refuses. Staff should call 911. The patron should be banned to protect the rights of the other patrons and the staff.
"Calm" is just calm. No hay problemo.
Some important institutional roles of dealing with difficult customers:
- The library should have clear rules of conduct.
- Staff should have clear guidelines on how to handle situations where the rules are not being followed.
- Staff should be trained in the rules and guidelines.
- Staff should be consistent.
- Staff should not be the behavior problem.
Some things to ask yourself if you work with the public:
- Am I passive or aggressive in nature?
- Am I emotional or logical?
- Am I an introvert or an extrovert?
- Do I like people?
- Do I like my job?
--Katrina
Sunday, April 20, 2008
PLA PRECONFERENCE
BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: LIBRARIES TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES
Bowling Alone is a book that was often mentioned during the “Bridging the Divide” Preconference I attended at PLA. This book and the preconference address how people are feeling more and more alienated, removed from dialogue and possibilities; they don’t feel like active members of the community. People are spending less time with people who are different from them and need a public space where they can discuss ideas and reengage in the community.
The speakers, who have all been involved with civic engagement for a number of years, talked about how libraries can help bridge the divide as they are safe, neutral environments in which people from all walks of life are present. They spoke of many roles that libraries can fill in order to help bring people together:
1) The library as a civic space. Libraries can offer space to groups that want to meet and discuss issues.
2) The library as public forum. Libraries can host forums in which members of the community can meet to discuss ideas.
3) The library as a civic information center, a place where people can engage with the government. Donna Lauffer, a presenter from Johnson County Library in Kansas, developed a community series, Community Issues 101, as part of a strategic plan initiative to become more connected with the community. Other handouts from Johnson County Library can be found on PLA’s conference handout page (code #1025), and on the library’s website.
4) The library as a community wide reading club. There is a handout called “Civic Engagement and Libraries Recommended Reading” that can be found both on the PLA handout page and the Johnson County Library website.
5) The library as a partner in public service, working with others to better the community. Betsy McBride, Media and Communications Coordinator for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, talked about how the Virginia Beach library worked with the city to create a website and informational pieces, and host community forums on a redevelopment initiative the city was pursuing and wanted more community input on. There are handouts with samples of some of the work done in Virginia Beach on the redevelopment project.
6) The library as enabler of civic literacy, helping people learn how to work together. We discussed how libraries can be a resource for problem solving. When hosting community forums, libraries can give the message that “The library is here because it is important to bring people together.” A deliberative discussion style is recommended for forums because it encourages listening and sharing. An issues map which lists three approaches to the problem being discussed can help encourage discussion and not debate. Guidelines are given to encourage speakers to focus on the approaches, consider all the approaches, look at deliberating and examining the trade-offs among choices, and listening to each other and seeking common ground and understanding. Handouts can be found on “Debate vs. Deliberation” and “Compromise, Consensus and Common Ground (for Action)”, and a sample issues map.
7) The library as a public advocate for engagement. After hearing about the great forums that have been held and could be held by other libraries, the preconference participants asked “What happens with the information you get from the public at these forums?” The speakers said that the information could be put into reports that can be shared with relevant decision makers. They highly recommended that forum attendees who ask “What next?” be steered toward relevant advocacy groups and their legislators. The library is a neutral participant which can’t take sides, but can help people find needed resources to take the next steps. Libraries can also create bibliographies of related resources that may be of interest and encourage further civic engagement. The participants also suggested that publicity for community engagement events could be done with the help of its partners and Friend’s groups.
--Erin Z-R.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
GAMING IS HOT AT LIBRARIES
Check out this article from MSN.com on the hot trend of gaming in libraries. This has been a popular topic on the library blogs for a while.
submitted by Laura F.
submitted by Laura F.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
NoveList Plus and NoveList K-8 Plus
NoveList Plus is a readers' advisory resource for fiction and nonfiction. Read more about it ...
NoveList K-8 Plus focuses on nonfiction reading materials that support the school curriculum, as well as the recreational reading interests of children and students from preschool through middle school. Read more about it ...
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