Internet Librarian - Day 1

The theme for this year’s Internet Librarian was “Driving Our Community’s Digital Destiny”.  The emphasis was on how the library helps the community tell their story.

The opening keynote was by journalist and marketing consultant Brendan Howley. He was asked to help the Stratford, Canada library find out how to better connect with their community. His recommendation was to collect patrons' stories about the library. He ran sessions with important community groups.

Stories are powerful -they focus attention and catalyze action, much more than just bunch of raw data.  A neuroscientist named Jaak Parksepp found that stories are kept in the same part of the brain as our own memories - stories become part of our experience. Stories build trust, because people will make the library story theirs and share it with others. Sharing a story creates an emotional connection.

Libraries are cultural triggers, creating networks with our patrons. Groups who are part of library programming, from book club members to makerspace users, become the strong ties. They tell our stories to others who are not already heavy library users. The latter are “weak ties”, but they may be more important, as they bring in underserved groups and new ideas. We need to identify who the “bridges” are between strong and weak ties.

Ideas for creating stories and connecting to the community:

• Open media desk for citizen journalism.
• Curating local music.
• iBeacon ($25) -A device that broadcasts the Internet on a wall- could be used to provide interactive content at live program like music concerts.
• A map of community stories.
• Cultural tourism map - municipalities can’t afford to do this anymore, and it increases our value in the eyes of city leaders.

Recommended book: A Pattern Language

Not Your Momma's Library:

Sonya True is a professor and digital initiatives librarian at Vanguard University. She talked about how the Internet is changing our brains. Brains need to take a break to recharge (e.g. doing something different for a while in the middle of solving a problem), but mobile devices are straining our brains and depleting our mental batteries. Constant Internet use makes us crankier and too self-focused. The library can help with that without throwing the technology baby out with the bathwater.

Programs to recharge:

• Yoga
• Mediation
• Chess
• Legos
• Canine Therapy

Games can stretch our brains, bring out imagination and improve problem-solving skills- see the work of Stuart Brown on play theory.

One way libraries can use technology to improve libraries is by using neuroscience to create libraries that are more welcoming, as this library in the Netherlands did. We can think of the library as a giant brain - in the future, libraries could talk to patrons and tell them where to go.

Libraries are experimenting with humanoid robots - the faces and resemblance to children make it easier for people to interact with them. At the Westport, Connecticut library, robots teach coding and Tai Chi.

Recommended books:

Kitten Clone: Inside Alcatel-Lucent by Douglas Coupland

Play by Stuart Brown

Evolving Libraries:

Evolving libraries delivering new experience 102514[2] from Deb Gerety Hoadley

Deb Hoadley is the team leader for the Massachusetts Library System’s eBook project. It was a challenge to create a project for all types of libraries including multiple vendors, but coming together as a consortium does give some leverage. They decided to focus on local stories and take advantage of connections - no need to do it all on one’s own.

In January 2014, mobile apps overtook PC apps in terms of Internet usage - more Americans have mobile devices than computers.  Massachusetts decided to focus on mobile, but it's hard to keep up in apps - Android and iOS keep changing every six months.

Massachusetts took a look at what was already out there, and saw the British Library’s 19th Century Historical Collection which includes 19,000 books on iPad, doesn’t require instruction to use, has been downloaded 500,000 times, and was great publicity for the British Library.

They decided to collaborate with Biblioboard, the company that made the British Library app. The Massachusetts Library app includes items like patents that would otherwise be hard to access. The collection development policy is that they will take any local author. Access is multi-user and unlimited. Patrons can search content by location with a map. Biblioboard links to and from other online digital collections like Internet Archive and Digital Public Library of America.

So far, unique local content accounted for 7% of usage while represented only 1% of content.

Getting MOOC’ed: Free Online Training Going Massive:

Michael Stephens is a professor of Library and Information Science at San Jose State.

Emily Hurst is Technology Coordinator for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, South Central Region.  

Emily Hurst has the responsibility of training medical librarians in a large region of five states including Texas. In 2012, she decided to start using online courses, or MOOCs. She created a Super Searcher class to improve librarians’ Internet search abilities. To her surprise, it had a wide appeal- she had requests to join from academic librarians, public librarians, school librarians, and members of the public. To create the MOOC, she used Moodle, which is open-source software.

Things to think about when creating a MOOC:

• Attrition rates are high - it is easier to motivate smaller numbers to complete it.
• Online grading, replying to questions in forums, etc. take time.
• It needs to be ADA compliant.
• Badges can motivate students - they mark how far the student is progressing.
• Interactive elements encourage students to participate.
• Success does not necessarily equal completion- 15% of students received certificates, but 76% felt they were successful in reaching their goals.
• Self-grading modules lessen work for instructor, may increase work for IT
• Librarians need to learn about instructional design principles.

Currently, people expect to be able to learn, work & study wherever they want to. MOOCs offer learning everywhere. Students can answer each others' questions in an online forum. MOOCs can include blogs, badges, home room guides, guest lecturers, and Google Hangouts. Staff that do programs such as 23 Mobile Things  gain higher confidence with technology.

Other MOOC software:

• Zaption -allows you to create tutorials & quizzes. Results are automatically sent to the instructor.
• Google Forms - can create forms for quizzes and essays like Moodle, but better and for free.
  

Types of MOOCs:

• xMOOC - students watch videos lectures and take quizzes.
• cMOOC =students create mashups and original content.

Presentations for Internet Librarian 2014 are available here.

--Andrea H. @Central

Apps recommended by Upstream Arts for Making Arts Accessible

Last spring Andrea McKennan attended Upstream's workshop on Making Arts Accessible and shared a resource list with me that I have made into this post with graphics and links to futher information. I've also included two other apps that I think are useful. Click on the icons for additional information.

Talkboard App (Free) Upstream says: Talkboard allows users to set up different boards, allowing for many different choices for any given activity, can include sound with choices

Photos (on all Ipads) Upstream says: Use this to create choices for students, bundle choices by activities, emotions, whatever makes sense for the group/activity, etc.

(appears to be free) Upstream says: Bla Bla Bla creates an animated face that responds to your voice.



 








($1.99) Upstream says: VidRhythm is the fastest way to make a music video.  Erin says:This used to be free-it appears to now be a $1.99, but I have this on our (that is my family’s) ipad and I would say it is worth it. It is fast and easy and can be done individually or as a group. I wanted to use this during Adapted SRP and didn’t get the chance..I want to find a 
 way to use this app with kids at the library-very fun!




 








(Has basic version that is free) Upstream says: Educreations provides a white board, can add/take and import photos, record voice, create slides-can create pre-recorded lessons too.



 

(Free for basic) Taken from online review: Story Wheel Lite is an educational game that improves your child’s cognitive abilities. Story Wheel helps develop an understanding of story composition, strengthens imagination, and improves oral language skills.1-4 players can create a story. Start by spinning the wheel 
to get a picture. Next, record your voice as you develop a story with that picture. Each player will build upon the story with a new picture. When done, you can listen to your story and share your creations online, or email them to family and friends. The Lite version allows you to try each theme once for free.



($2.99) Upstream Arts says: Talk n’Photos provides a talking photo board, organized by album and has recorded speech.



 (Scribble Press for iPad is $3.99 and Scribble Press for web is free to use and it's free to publish books in a variety of electronic formats. Story Packs with extra stickers, backgrounds and stories can be purchased starting at $0.99 andprinted books start at $14.99. Upstream Arts says: Scribble Press allows you to create books, draw, add words into pre-made books/stories, can import/take photos to add.



(.99) Upstream Arts says: Scribble Kid features simple drawing, can take quick photo and write on it or edit it.



(Free) Upstream Arts says: Make dice with different questions, topics, ideas, etc. on it. Shake Ipad to shake dice.

(Toontastic and Toontastic Jr. Basic editions are free, school edition $9.99) Upstream Arts says: Toontastic allows you to make your own animated comic strip, include voices and move the characters as you want.

 (BrainPop, Brainpop Jr., Brainpop ESL-basic versions appear to be free, otherwise subscription fee.)Upstream Arts says: Brainpop offers different educational movies with quick quizzes at the end. Featured movie of the day for everyone. Also has additional archived movies divided by topics for subscribers.



(Free)Upstream Arts says: Storylines for Schools is somewhat like the game of “telephone” but with pictures. It demonstrates how people may view the same thing very differently.



 ($3.99) Upstream Arts says: Tapikeo provides social stories, sequences, matching vocabulary with audio (title, instructions, introduction)

($1.99)Upstream Arts says: Story Dice are 1-10 dice with different pictures on them. You can make up a story, sentence, song, etc. about them.



 ($1.99) Upstream Arts says: WordFoto allows you to provide describing words for photos.



(Free) Upstream Arts says: Bitsboards provides flashcards, allows you to identify words verbally or written, matching, spelling with voice (eg emotions, concepts for the week), share to site. You can make your own or use ones that others have posted.



($15.99), (.99, fewer examples, Between the Lines Lite) Between the Lines offers practice interpreting vocal intonation, facial expressions, perspective-taking, body language, and idiomatic or slang expressions. Using real photographs, voices and short mini-video clips of a variety of social situations and expressions, this app provides a dynamic way to help learn and practice interpreting the messages that are “between the lines” and simply can’t be replicated with worksheets and static flashcards. Scenes for the body language activity include a shopping mall, office, kitchen, restaurant, school, party and more. Advanced features tasks appropriate for teens through adults.



(.99) Upstream Arts says: Image Spinner allows you to make your own spinner. You can add photos and voice and have 2-10 choices. You can flick, swipe to move spinner.



($2.99) Upstream Arts says: If Poems has a lot of different poems that you can search by topic, title, etc and record yourself reading a poem. It gives you dictionary definitions of words, and you can write your own poem.

Not on Upstream Arts List, but a couple that I have tried and found useful:



(Free) Taken from online review: This app is amazing. You dictate, it types what you say (the definition of dictation). Fantastic for students who are reluctant writers, poor spellers or have learning needs. You do need to speak slowly and fluently to get accurate sentences. You can edit the text. The best part I have found is sharing it, copying and pasting to other Apps such as Page or Keynote. Brilliant!

(Free, premium, $4.99) Lensoo Create turns your iPad or Android tablet into a virtual whiteboard with voice recording and smooth digital writing.

Serving the Underserved: Children with Disabilities At Your Library

Serving the Underserved: Children with Disabilities At Your Library

(There are slides, resource list, etc. on this page)

This was a great WebJunction webinar that I was able to listen to today led by Renee Grassi, Youth Department Director at Glen Ellyn Public Library in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.  Renee began offering programs in response to library members asking her what was available for their children who were differently abled and also based on hearing them comment that some were not comfortable bringing their kids to the library. She started with Sensory Storytimes and Read to Rover: "Read to Rover": Children ages 8 and up are invited to this storytime program for an afternoon of 'doggy tales' with trained therapy dogs and their handlers. These gentle dogs are the perfect companion for children with autism as they listen to their favorite dog-themed stories and sing songs. After storytime, consider organizing the room into three exploration stations where children can do an activity while they interact with each of the dogs. Some example exploration stations include "Bailey Buckets," where children practice tossing bean bags into Bailey's water bowl or "Kubla's Command Corner," where children learn how to give Kubla a command. If the dog understands sign language, this corner can be easily adapted for children who use ASL. You could also use assistive technology with pre-programmed commands for those children with autism who are non-verbal. (Some intriguing ideas I found with the way that Renee has done what is very similar to our Paw Pals is that they’ve had more than one dog so that there were opportunities to read and then practice commands, and also that they’ve had activity stations (which you wouldn’t necessarily have to have more dogs for, you could have the coloring pages or crafts and other movement activities like throwing bean bags or some other creative idea/s.) Also Renee talked about having her Reading to Rover program for youth 8-16 as well which I think is a great idea because there are older reluctant readers, especially young people who for various reasons may not be reading at grade level.)

Why should we serve the underserved? Our Public Service Promise says it best: Welcoming, respectful, and equitable service.  Serving the underserved helps us meet our vision and mission by making it accessible to all.

How do you get started? Renee suggests that Disability Awareness Training for all staff is a good way to start because it gives all levels of workers the tools they need to serve people of all abilities.  Her library did training through an innovative group called JJ’s List.  Here in MN, some organizations we could look to are PACER, the Minnesota State Council on Disability, Advocating Change Together, and more I’m sure. Various advocacy groups also offer training relating to the population they serve like the Autism Society of MN, for example. Renee also suggested contacting Special Education Districts and says that observing special education classrooms gave her insight on ways to structure programs that she wanted to offer. She also suggested using resources through ALA and RUSA and trainings through Webjunction.

The next step is to offer a Community Needs Assessment. Ms. Grassi came up with a survey that she gave out to various people, groups with questions like “Do you attend the library?, Why or Why Not?, What types of programs would you be interested in-Inclusive or Targeted (specific to diffability-Autism, Hard of Hearing/Deaf, etc.), what types of materials would you like to see in the collection, what types of services do you wish the library offered? Survey questions and are included on the webjunction page for the webinar.

Renee then advised people to look at partners to consult with (training, advice on program content/structure, etc.) or coordinate/offer programming/services with and to help promote programs and services. She suggested looking at schools, advocacy groups, parks and recreation groups, health agencies/institutions, volunteer groups, other libraries. She mentioned that staff at her library had used meetup.com to find parent support groups that they could speak to about the library’s programs and services. I have created a LibGuide that I presented on Staff Day that is a possible starting place for locating potential partners.

Finally Renee said to get started you should look at securing funding and suggested a number of places that offer relevant grants including ALSC’s Light the Way Grant, the deadline for which is Dec 1^st and Target’s Early Literacy Grant. 

She also mentioned a few inclusive customer service tips: person first language, adjust your mindset (kids who are diffabled may need more movement and might not be able to sit the whole time, they may cover their ears to block out overstimulating sounds (noise cancelling headphones could be offered in a sensory kit), be patient and flexible (give time to process), ask simple questions, offer choices, encourage comments and suggestions (to show that you are aware of needs and that you are interested in their opinion).

What type of programs should libraries offer? Should they be targeted-designed and most likely marketed with specific needs of target population in mind or inclusive which means it is an activity open to and meant for all to attend. Community Needs Assessments can help you determine to some degree local preference in type of programming. Some families may feel more comfortable with targeted programming because they may feel it may be a more judgment free zone and more likely to understand/appreciate their family member’s abilities. Some examples of targeted programs are Sensory Storytime, Sensory Films, Performances, Special Education Class visits/programs/tours, Buddy/Friendship Programs. Inclusive programs have the benefit of letting kids of all abilities meet and potentially play together which can encourage friendships and understanding. Inclusive programs may include playgroups, movies and music, gaming, social clubs, arts, and crafts, etc.  In my personal opinion, libraries may want to offer a little of both, to offer options to families, and targeted could still be inclusive and inclusive could still be targeted as long as one is flexible and welcoming, and has taken the time to look into ways to make programs/services inclusive.

Sensory Storytimes are an example of programming that may be helpful for kids of all abilities and can also be targeted to specific audiences-kids who are diffabled, etc.  There are numerous examples of how to conduct sensory storytimes. Renee, based on feedback from surveys and visits to special ed classrooms, makes a picture schedule for storytimes to help visual learners see what is going to happen when and also has smaller versions of these schedules for families to use to track what is going on and to help kids know when an activity starts and ends. A social story is another visual that can help kids know what will happen at the library and during storytime.  Renee also made the room as free as possible from distractions to help kids who may be visually overstimulated.  Renee trained teen volunteers to help at sensory storytimes and also had help from special education teachers.

Later on Renee created Sensory Storytimes by partnering with Lekotek to bring in play specialists to help them conduct inclusive programs for families. Lekotek’s National Center is located not far from Renee’s library so they were able to provide a toy lending library and to help with selecting books for storytimes.  Renee also used a survey for families to find out about children’s likes/dislikes and any barriers to participation.  Another resource is the USA Toy Library Association and there are some member libraries in MN (see their listing of locations).

Another program that Renee has had at her library is Sensory Family Films. This is based on AMC’s Sensory Friendly Films for kids with autism and it involves showing movies with increased light, lower volume, closed captioning, allowing movement and talking, having sensory items like fidgets, noise cancelling headphones.

Special Education Class Visits are another way to serve youth who are diffabled. Reaching out to a special education program, department, or school can be a way to offer services, to ask if the library can provide learning extension and help design curriculum for visits. Renee had a recent class visit where she designed a lesson plan to work on practicing manners. These visits are another time Renee uses visual schedules to provide structure and to help relieve any anxiety students might feel when they don’t understand what is going to happen.

Accommodations that can be offered during programs include visual supports, sensory exploration including offering a variety of activities those that help kids who are sensory seeking (needing tactile and other kinds of sensory input) and sensory avoiding (not wanting to touch, sensitive to noise, etc.) Movement activities can increase strength and focus. Providing activities in multiple formats can be helpful as well including using big books, flannel boards, making copies of the book that individual kids/families can hold to follow along (or providing additional copies if available), using adapted stories (abbreviated, etc.).

Other service ideas include having resources listed on library websites, special collections, parent workshops, information on apps that can be of use, Light it Up Blue Awareness Campaign, sensory storytime kit, sensory kits…

 I just found a guide that the Boston Museum put together on adapting after school programs that looks pretty good. It’s tailored towards youth on the autism spectrum.

Mary Knox and I piloted an Adapted Teen Summer Reading Program at Central this summer. I would love to see if we could try a Transition Resources Fair for teens/young adults and Adapted and/or Inclusive Createch/Gaming.  I would love to work with Upstream Arts some more. Sensory Storytimes could be great too.

Speaking of Sensory Storytimes if SPPL could offer some, which I think would be great, I would love us to use the following program description (a similarly worded statement could actually be used for other inclusive/targeted programs as well). I read this and it filled me immediately with a sense of happiness and acceptance and I think it is one of the most perfect and welcoming descriptions of a program that I have ever read:

All children ages 3-8 and their families are invited to participate in this lively and interactive monthly story time. Children with varying learning styles and abilities learn together in a safe and supportive environment where respect and appreciation for differences is encouraged.

What do you think we should try next? Maybe it would be good to start with a Community Needs Assessment Survey and getting some sensory supplies for branches and creating sensory storytime kits or making special collections or adding to our general collection? Let me know what you think. I can be reached at: erin.zolotukhin-ridgway@ci.stpaul.mn.us, or 651-266-7000, #5.

 --Erin Z-R @Central

LEARNING EXPRESS LIBRARY

The new version of Learning Express Library has added so much content, it is almost like a new resource. In addition to the practice exams from the previous edition, there are tutorials, videos and e-books for learning all sorts of skills.

It is organized into “Centers”:

• Adult Learning: Math, grammar and writing improvement, citizenship.
• College Prep: Entrance exams such as SAT, ACT, AP.
• Career Center - vocational exams such as Civil Service, Commercial Driver’s License, Nursing Assistant, Postal Worker, Military, etc.
• High School Equivalency Center: GED practice.
• School Center: Math, English, and Social Studies skills practice tests and e-books for grades 4-12.
• Computer Skills: Introduction to computers and Internet, Microsoft Office, computer graphics, animation, and illustration software.
• Spanish Language Resources - content in Spanish.
• Job & Career Accelerator: Creating resumes and cover letters, how to search for and apply for jobs, interview skills, choosing a career.

Patrons still need to create an account with a username and password to access Learning Express Library content, but now, in addition to saving your test progress, you can also save your resume, tutorials, e-books, and video courses in “My Center”.

E-books are not little pamphlets - they can be up to 400 pages. Unlike most library e-books, patrons can save them to a flash drive or print the whole document.

Practice tests now come in 3 modes:

• Learner - View the answers as you go along to help you study.
• Practice - Test is timed, but if you run out of time, you can keep going.
• Simulation - You cannot advance after the timer has run out.

Patrons can review their answers and print off score reports. Learning Express will recommend other resources they can use to bolster their skills, depending on how they perform.

In the Computer skills Center, all tutorials are video tutorials. They are a combination of “talking heads” instruction and screencasts showing how the software works. If the browser they are using doesn’t allow pop-ups, patrons may need to make an exception for Learning Express Library.

This was a Minitex webinar. Minitex also does free on-site training by request:

https://www.minitex.umn.edu/Reference/Request.aspx

--Andrea H. @Central