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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 ...

Try them out and tell us what you think!

Webinar: Library Spaces; Future Needs

Earlier in March, I viewed a webinar featuring 2 architects and a public library director. Here are some highlights from the webinar, Library Spaces; Future Needs:

When planning for library space, think about "zones" — Welcome Zone , Living Room Zone, Civic Zone (courtyard)
Flexibility is foremost — reconfigurable furniture, exhibit/gallery space, etc.
Teen Zone should feature gaming space as well as homework center.
Programming suite includes cafe, meeting rooms, cultural event spaces. Each library needs to maximize programming space.
Support services zone consolidates functions and supports collegiality.
Services are constantly changing — models include bookstore, convenience store, shopping mall etc.
When merchandising the collection, use mobile display units, specialized lighting
Historic libraries should consider grand hotel ambiance (fireplace, views) enticing people to linger.
For a multi story building, concierge (Greeter) service is important. This includes escorting customers to specific place in building
Future is distributed self-check (throughout building) including mobile self check
Mobile compact shelving is a growing trend.
Reference should be transparent, approachable, friendly — no barrier desks.
Patron to patron collaboration should be supported (active collaborative space in center, quiet spaces off to side)
Express visit vs. sustained visit to library — these two are completely different. Important to make the express visit efficient.

The presenters' slides can be found here.

--Barb S.

CENTRAL GOALS 2008

CUSTOMER DRIVEN SERVICES:

• INSTALL CHANGE MACHINE IN CIRCULATION CENTER
  
  
  
  
  • This will address a communicated customer need to have readily available change for
    

    parking meters.
    

    
    
  
  
  • 2^nd quarter
    
  
  


• SHIFT REFERENCE COLLECTION TO READ FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
  
  
  
  
  
  • Customers and staff will have greatly improved access to and use of paper
    

    reference collection.

    
    
  
  
  • 1^st quarter
    
  
  


• INVESTIGATE USE OF PARKING VOUCHERS, PUBLICIZE AVAILABLE FREE PARKING (MACY’S)
  
  
  
  
  
  • Customers will be offered additional parking options when using Central Library.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• EXPLORE “POPULAR LIBRARY” CONCEPT IN CIRC. CENTER USING MOBILE
  

  CART

  
  
  
  
  
  • Increase access to new collection materials; implement as part of “Central as
    

    a destination” strategic plan team.

    
    
  
  
  • 2^nd quarter
    
  
  


• INVESTIGATE, PURCHASE AND INSTALL NEW SHEET MUSIC SHELVING
  
  
  
  
  
  • Provide improved shelving options for valuable part of the collection; increase customer access to sheet music.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  

NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES:

• INVESTIGATE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY TO INCORPORATE MAP AND PROMOTIONAL KIOSK IN ELEVATOR LOBBY
  
  
  
  
  • Customers will navigate building and collections more easily; promotion of programs and events will be enhanced.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• NEW FICHE/FILM READER
  
  
  
  
  • Implement available technology to provide improved resources for customersand staff; improve access to St. Paul Collection materials such as newspaper microfilm and city directories.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  
  

COLLABORATION:

• WORK WITH ARTS HIGH SCHOOL/ARTS ORGANIZATION TO HAVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PAINT A MURAL ON THE PREMISES (IN CIRC CENTER)
  
  
  
  
  • Increase collaborative efforts with area high schools; increase opportunities for teen volunteers
    
  
  
  • 3^rd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• PROMOTE CIVIC AWARENESS PRIOR TO REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
  
  
  
  
  • Implement programming, displays, collection and staff involvement to highlight upcoming political convention and election.
    
  
  
  • 1^st-3^rd quarter
    
  
  

COMMUNICATION:

• INCREASE USE OF CENTRAL BLOG FOR STAFF COMMUNICATION
  
  
  
  
  • Implement Web 2.0 skills; improve staff communication options
    
  
  
  • 3^rd quarter
    
  
  


• INCREASE USE OF READER’S ADVISORY TOOLS SUCH AS BOOKLISTS ON LIBRARY WEBSITE
  
  
  
  
  • Improve staff skills in passive readers advisory; promote collection through use of library web site
    
  
  
  • 3^rd quarter
    
  
  

SERVICE TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH:

• CREATE EARLY LITERACY AREA IN YOUTH SERVICES
  
  
  
  
  • Follow through on Strategic Plan initiative to promote early literacy.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• PLAN AND EXECUTE FIVE PUPPET SHOWS
  
  
  
  
  • Follow through on Strategic Plan initiative to implement more staff produced programming and promote Central as a destination.
    
  
  
  • 2^nd-4^th quarter
    
  
  


• INVESTIGATE, PURCHSE AND INSTALL SYSTEM FOR STORING STEIFF PUPPETS
  
  
  
  
  • Will provide more secure environment for valuable Steiff puppets that are currently exposed to dust, light; Promote Central as a destination
    
  
  
  • 3^rd-4^th quarter
    
  
  

April 1, 2008

NEW DATABASE TRIAL: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

Powered by Gale's What Do I Read Next? series, Books & Authors combines both browseable menus and visual search technology to guide readers from every level of reading proficiency to books that match their interests.

Information Sheet (PDF)

Try it out and tell us what you think.

(No username or password required).

21st Century Library Design

One of the best sessions that I attended at PLA was called 21st Century Library Design. It was presented by Kim Bolan, Pam Vander Poeg and Cathy Hakala Ausperk.

Kim Boland is a library design consultant and author of Teen Spaces. She promised to post the images from the presentation on her blog soon after her wedding (which was Sat.-Congrats!).
Why is 21st Century Library Design important? Our population is changing. There are increasing numbers of baby-boomers using libraries, as well as increasing numbers of teens. Libraries are also the last free public space. So what is 21st Century Library Design? It is design that enables services that make the library a community space (the third place); it is built around the customer; it is comfortable, multi-functional and adaptable; and use by the community makes it successful. Specifically, the design should have a comfortable space, meeting rooms for group and quiet study, supported service (self-checkout, more interaction, portable service points, food service, drive up book-drops, etc), multi-functional children's spaces, a separate teen space, retail oriented merchandising, technology that is unobtrusive and promotes interaction, good way-finding (understandable signage!), and sustainable healthy environments.

Pam Vander Poeg is the Assistant Director of Kent District Library in Michigan. They have a system wide initiative to peer review or mystery shop at each of the branches. This initiative is grant funded and each library has a friends group that matches the grant amount. They are focusing on 4 areas of library design including Early Literacy, Teen Space, making it easy to find, and the Library Living Room. Early Literacy spaces should be playful and interactive, making the library a place of fun and learning. The Teen Space should have varied seating, snacks, computers and input from teens. The Library Living Room should be a cozy place with comfy furniture, books, reading lamps, art, plants and a view or a fireplace. Each of the branches was provided with a materials directory with suggested items, prices, and vendor information so the research didn't have to be done more than once.

Cathy Hakala Ausperk is the Deputy Director of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library in Ohio. They renovated the largest library and here are some of the innovations that I found to be exciting: They had artistic signage that was integrated into murals, moveable displays, roving reference, self service that includes pick-up lockers for holds, help phones, office supply vending, and healthy food vending.
--Katrina

Puppetry Workshop

Back in February I had the opportunity to go to the puppetry workshop presented by Circus Minimus. Shari and Chris, who make up Circus Minimus showed us examples of various types of puppets including glove puppets, stick puppets, sock puppets, shadow puppets and open-mouth puppets. We discussed the strengths and limitations of all these and got to practice with our own open-mouth puppets.

They also demonstrated how, with only hands as puppets and a lot of imagination, a concept such as "spring" can be conveyed. As groups we practiced creating city streets, a seashore and a farm using only our hands and imaginations.

After that, we all got a chance to work with a stick puppet. We did some exercises to "bring the puppet to life" like finding the ground and posture for the puppet, finding its focus or gaze, giving it breath, showing gestures, giving it action and finding its voice.

The second half of the class was devoted to story boarding. Chris and Shari used Little Bo Peep as the basis of the story. They created images for the beginning, middle and end. Then we discussed various ways the characters could have gotten from one point to the next. These became other images that told the story. Again in groups, we story boarded our own fairytales, showing how the characters worked through plot points. This part of the workshop really demonstrated how important it is be creative and to have a well planned out story for the puppets to really come alive.

--Katrina

TAX TIME INVESTMENT REFRESHER

At this time of year, people often need information on stock and other investment prices on a certain day for their tax returns. This is just a refresher on some sources that we don't use very often, but when you need them, you really need them.

Bigcharts and Yahoo! Finance. These free Internet sources have historical stock prices, but you won't find anything if the company has changed its name, merged with another company, or dissolved.
Daily Stock Price Record. This print reference source has daily stock prices going back to 1962 (New York Stock Exchange), 1967 (American Stock Exchange), and 1968 (NASDAQ). If you don't know the exchange it was traded on, you have to check all three. The NASDAQ book also has mutual funds in the front part, industrial stocks (what we call just "stocks") are in the back. The DSPR is located in the front of Nicholson by the park.
Capital Changes Reports. Sometimes patrons will ask for information on "stock splits". This resource lists these and any other history that effects a company's stock, such as mergers, name changes, and dissolution. It goes as far back as the beginning of the company's existence. This history can be helpful background information when you're having trouble finding a stock price. Capital Changes Reports is located on the Financials shelf in Nicholson. For fun, check out the extremely long entries on Enron and Worldcom.
Directory of Obsolete Securities. What if you are having a lot of trouble finding a stock price and you think the company might no longer exist? You can't prove a negative, right? Well, with this resource, sometimes you can. We recently had someone ask for a stock price for a company a month after the company has ceased to exist. You don't need this book often, but when you do, it's a lifesaver. It's kept in the Phone Room.
Investment Statistics Locator. What if you are asked for a more unusual type of financial statistic, such as bonds, silver, pork bellies futures, or foreign currency? Well, this handy book tells you where to to go for all these and more. Each entry has abbreviations that indicate where to look and if the information is daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. The abbreviations are explained in the front of the book. The Investment Statistics Locator is shelved in call number order in Nicholson.


--Andrea

PS. If stocks are worthless as securities, they still can be worth something to collectors if they are interesting or beautiful. This is called scripophily.

IT PLAYGROUP, MAR. 3, 2008

IT PLAYGROUP, MAR. 3, 2008

For this IT Playgroup, John L., Melissa and Pioneer Press technology reporter Julio Ojeda-Zapata discussed their experiences with the Kindle e-book reader. Ojeda-Zapata also brought in a Macbook Air and John discussed the free screencast software Jing.

The Amazon Kindle is an e-book reader that uses the Mobipocket format and e-paper. E-paper is easier on the eyes than a computer screen, but it is not back-lit. You can buy a night light for an extra charge. The Kindle costs $400, but that includes free cell-phone style Internet access that works anywhere and with no monthly fee. As a web browser, it is clunky. The controls are clunky too, especially compared to an iPod, and it is easy to hit the "back" button by accident while reading. The Kindle is not compatible with older e-book formats, but many publishers are offering e-books in the Kindle format. It is easy to use the software on your computer to buy books, or to buy them online using the device, and you can save your whole e-book library on the computer while only having some items on the Kindle. You could save money by downloading free public domain e-books from sites like Project Gutenberg, but buying on Amazon is so easy that consumers may prefer it, as they do with iTunes. The Kindle also can be used for e-audiobooks. Whether libraries can loan out Kindles is currently unclear.

The MacBook Air is a notebook with a normal-size screen and keyboard, but very, very thin. It can fit into an interoffice mailing envelope. Because of the lightness, it is slower than other notebooks and there is very little hard drive space and no CD/DVD burner. The owner is expected to have external storage of some sort. It seems like it would be best for a second computer for people who travel a lot, or for students with limited space and access to networked storage. If the MacBook Air or similar notebooks take off, web-based applications may become more popular.

Jing is free software for creating screencasts. It captures video and sound of what you are doing on a computer screen. You can also draw on the screencast for for emphasis. This would be great for making instructional videos that staff could watch when and where they wanted. Previous screencast software was quite pricey. Jing will upload screenshots at screencast.com (there is a monthly fee for hosting), or you can host them on your own Internet server for free.

--Andrea

March is Voting Month for MN Book Awards' Readers' Choice Award!

SPPL library staff and all Minnesotans have the opportunity to vote for the Readers' Choice Award, sponsored by the Pioneer Press. Vote anytime during the month of March. In addition to voting, you can hear the finalists read from their work at 9 MELSA events from March 13th through April 11th. Details are at melsa.org and in the "Chat It Up!" Rake insert. Central will host the Poetry finalists on March 30th at 2 PM in the Magazine Room. All the winners will be announced at the Book Awards Gala emceed by Cathy Wurzer on the evening of April 12th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Saint Paul. Consider celebrating Minnesota authors at this event! Gala details including ticket information are available at thefriends.org.

The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, with the Mayor's Office of the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Public Library.

--Barb S.

TOP TEN OBSCURE GOOGLE SEARCH TRICKS

We all know the basics of searching Google, but check out these advanced tips from the Lifehacker Blog.


Submitted by Lori L.

CREATIVITY AND AGING

On January 29th I had the opportunity to attend a MELSA sponsored event held at the Ridgedale Hennepin County Library. The guest speaker was Dr. Gene Cohen and he presented a Creativity and Aging workshop and also discussed highlights from several of his books, such as The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Mind and The Brain in Human Aging. Dr. Cohen is a Harvard graduate and the Georgetown University School of Medicine and currently serves as the director of the Center of Aging at the National Institutes of Health (an agency he founded). He also holds the positions of Professor of Health Care Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University.

Prior to the 1960’s images on aging was regarded as negative and scientists offered little research; common views held by the young were that “you can’t trust anyone over 30.” Psychoanalytic and cognitive development theorists (Freud & Piaget) stressed that development was complete by the end of adolescence or early adulthood. Such theorists have focused more on the negative inner forces holding one back then on the positive. However, changes in the late 1970’s began to appear as social responsibilities were redefined along with the transformation of geriatrics in the 1980’s. It was also widely accepted that brain cells do not regenerate and research in early 1998 disproved and changed this myth. Dr. Cohen discussed that people are able to sprout more dendrites and such sprouting of dendrites allows for greater brain activity and quicker firing at the synapses. Reading also contributes to more dendrites, but only reading of challenging material. Sudoku number puzzles were also mentioned as games that allow for mental thought-provoking ability. It was also mentioned that 95% of the people over 65 are not living in nursing homes.

Children’s views on aging are rather disapproving. Most children seem to view the aged as weird or weak and fairy tales help contribute to negative beliefs. Grimm’s and other fairy tales have left the perception that old seems to be directly related to wicked, as with the “wicked old witch” or the Old Woman in the Shoe.

Dr. Cohen said that individuals go through (4) phases later life that compliments early theorists beliefs.

1. Reevaluation / Exploration / Transition (Quest for more than crises)
Midlife Revolution Phase .+40 - +65 age group

2. Experimentation / Innovation (If not, why not or when?)
Liberation Phase .+55 - +75 age group

3. Recapitulation / Resolution / Contribution (Unresolved conflict resolution giving back)
Summing up Phase .Late 60’s - +90

4. Reflection / Celebration / Continuation
Encore Phase .+80 on

Q. How can libraries better assist the aged population?
A. Develop a resource section in the library pertaining to the 50+ that focuses on:

• Tapping into their latent talents
• Developing a social portfolio
• Job or volunteer placement
• Staying sharp (mental/physical abilities)

Submitted by Terry G.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AND FLICKR

The Library of Congress is making over 3,000 photos available on the photo-sharing web site Flickr. Anyone can create tags, make comments or add notes. It seems to be pretty popular already.



--Andrea

CENTRAL EVENT CALENDAR FEED

A feed from the Central Library Events Calendar has been added to the Centralloop blog. It's on the left, just below the seal of the library. If anyone is interested in having the events calendar on Bloglines or another RSS reader, the feed is:

http://freecal.brownbearsw.com/sppl-central-calendar?Op=RSS

Although SPPL web page doesn't have am RSS feed, you can create one with the web site Page2RSS if you are interested in seeing what has been updated.

--Andrea

NEW FROM THE FOUNDATION CENTER

Foundation Directory Online now has country, zip code, and metro area searches. Trend Tracker, a new addition to the Foundation Center web site, lets you compare foundations and quickly create charts, graphs and tables. Here's a .pdf I made comparing 3M Foundation to the McKnight Foundation.

A new free e-course, Introduction to Fundraising Planning, has also been added to the web site. More info on these developments here.