CE Updates:

• Online Learning
• Face-to-Face Learning
• Lynda.com

LibraryLinkNJ’s Fall Membership Meeting was held on Thursday, December 5, 2013. Connected by video conference, members at all three locations enjoyed refreshments, networking, tech giveaways and an energizing keynote, Every Day We’re Hustlin’: Making a Difference In Our Communities, with Christian Zabriskie, Founder and Executive Director of Urban Librarians Unite.

Business Meeting: The membership approved revisions to the Bylaws concerning the Board nomination process. Revised Bylaws can be found at http://librarylinknj.org/about-us/documents

It’s January, and that means many of our discounts have been renewed for 2014 (some discounts are based on the fiscal calendar and renew in July). The following discounts are once again available for you to take advantage of through December 31, 2014. New product information and limited-time offers are noted.

• CountryWatch - Receive an extra 10% off if you order by February 28!
• EasyBib
• LearningExpress Library - Product has a new interface, Version 3.0.
• Mosio
• NoodleTools
• Pronunciator
• ResearchReady
• School Librarian’s Workshop
• TumbleBooks - Two new products are available: TumbleMath and TumblePremium.

December and January were fun months for TechEx, as we featured two great Guest Contributors.

Cynthia Lambert of Somerset County Library posted throughout December on Ebooks and Beyond. She wrote about the future of e-readers and how to handle e-reading questions at the reference desk, among other highly relevant topics.

Piscataway Public Library’s Doug Baldwin is posting in January on Coding for Amateurs. So far he has provided a quick intro to computer programming concepts, pointing to several great articles on why more people (including librarians) should learn to code. He also makes his own case for learning code.

Online Learning

After participating in this webinar, you’ll be able to:

• Achieve school-wide goals using your programs and collections
• Position yourself as an instructional and pedagogical leader using today's social and mobile technologies, and
• Make connections between school library programs and student learning, using library data.

Registration is open through Noon on Monday, January 27.

Reader’s Advisory for a New Age - Social Media and Tech Tools
with Kaite Mediatore Stover & Anna Mickelson
Thursday, February 27, 2014 | 3:00-4:30 PM
Registration opens on Monday, January 27.

Reader’s Advisory, the art of matching books with their potential readers, has entered the social media realm thanks to Twitter, Goodreads and more, adding new resources to reader’s advisory librarians’ toolkits. Readers are also using technology to find their next good read and finding the choices wide, varied, and sometimes overwhelming.

Experts Anna Mickelsen and Kaite Stover will cut through the clutter, introducing techniques and tools for reader’s advisory, and emphasizing an online approach applicable to even the smallest library.

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this webinar, you will be able to:

• Identify “go-to” online reader’s advisory tools for different needs and formats.
• Integrate online reader’s advisory tools into existing programming efforts.
• Use specific social media platforms to promote books and reading.

Registration opens at 9 AM on Monday, January 27.

Face-to-Face Learning

Tech Speed Dating
Details & Registration

We’re offering lots of new topics and some returning favorites. Registration is now open for our two remaining dates and locations. Don’t miss out!

Dates & Locations:

• Wednesday, March 19, 2014, Monroe Twp. Public Library (Middlesex County)
• Wednesday, April 23, 2014, Gloucester County Library, Mullica Hill

Each program will feature:

• Table talks staffed by expert colleagues - talk, listen, discuss, and learn one-on-one.
• Hot topics: ebooks, how to make the most of your social media presence, makerspaces, Google Apps, coding, scanning solutions, Raspberry Pi, media apps (Zinio, Hoopla), tech programming and much, much more. (Program content may be slightly different at each location.)
• Gadgets and devices - get acquainted with your community’s favorite devices.
• Short presentations on tech, best practices and resources.
• Ensure that your library and you are the go-to resource for your community on 21st century information, learning, and consumer technologies.

Audience: Everyone working in libraries, no matter what type of library, level of knowledge, familiarity or comfort with tech. Mix and mingle with newbies and techies alike. Register today!

Super Library Supervisor Workshop Series 2014

Registration for the annual "Super Library Supervisor Workshop Series 2014" will open on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, at 10:00 am. This usually fills up on the first morning!

Full details & registration information available on our website.

Dates:
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 - 9:30am- 3:30pm
Tuesday, April 8, 2014 - 9:30am- 3:30pm
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 - 9:30am- 3:30pm
Tuesday, May 6, 2014 - 9:30am- 3:30pm

Location: Monroe Township Public Library, 4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe Twp., NJ 08831 (Middlesex County)

Target Audience: Library staff who are currently supervisors and have less than five years experience. (More experienced supervisors are welcome, if this is their first supervisory training.)

Cost: $199 - includes all course materials, continental breakfast and lunch for all 4 sessions.

Lynda.com - Lynda.com - Monday Productivity Pointers Series

In this series focusing on productivity, author Jess Stratton takes you through the latest tools that will help you run your professional and personal life more efficiently. Each installment is less than 20 minutes long and covers a particular feature or technique in a different online tool, such as Google Apps, Skype, YouTube, Mint.com, Etsy, and more. There are tips on topics from recording and publishing video chats to managing your finances online.

This massive lynda.com online training library is available free to all members of LibraryLinkNJ. Details on the program and our monthly registration procedure can be found on our website.