Following our May Membership Meeting, the Executive Board welcomed five newly-elected members:

• Candice Brown (Clifton Public Library)
• Janice Cooper (Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan)
• Heather Craven (County College of Morris)
• Kimberly Paone (Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library)
• Lynn Pascale (Collingswood Middle/High School)

Board President Kathy Schalk-Greene is very pleased that “our board and officers reflect the diversity of libraries and talent that we have in the LibraryLinkNJ membership. Best wishes to all and thank you for your service!”

Warm congratulations to our colleagues who were elected to LibraryLinkNJ Executive Board officer positions at the July 19th Board reorganization meeting:

• President (2nd term): Kathy Schalk-Greene (Mount Laurel Library)
• Vice-President: Jane Crocker (Gloucester County Community College, Sewell)
• Secretary: Mary Lewis (Kawameeh Middle School, Union Twp)
• Treasurer: Ruth Bogan (PALS Plus, Clifton)
• Assistant Treasurer: Robert Lackie (Moore Library, Rider University, Lawrenceville).

The Executive Board page on our website provides a complete list of Board members, as well as contact information for each of them.

New Discounts:

• Tell Me More – discount valid until 6/30/13
  Save 20% on this award-winning language learning program.
• LearningExpress Library -- discount valid until 12/31/12
  A comprehensive collection of practice tests for career and school entrance exams. Includes access to over 200 ebooks.

Considering Freegal/Freading?

We at LibraryLinkNJ have received member feedback indicating interest in a discount on Freegal (a music download service) and Freading (an e-book service). We appreciate your enthusiasm for new library products and have been in discussion with Library Ideas, LLC, the company that distributes Freegal and Freading to libraries.

Unfortunately, Library Ideas declined to develop a discount offer through LibraryLinkNJ at this time. They indicated, however, that they are willing to discuss competitive pricing on Freegal for individual library systems or consortia (typically consortia who share an ILS, due to technical requirements). Generally there is no special pricing for Freading.

If you are looking to offer Freegal to your users at a lower cost for your library, consider speaking to your system’s administration or local consortium leadership. You may also contact the representative at Library Ideas, Rob Mitchell, at robm@libraryideas.com or 240-678-4347.

Updates to the On-Site, On-Demand Staff Development Program
We have added a new consultant -- Ilise Benun of Marketing Mentor -- and eleven (!) new programs to this popular program, which subsidizes 75% the cost of a staff development workshop for your library. We now offer 26 great programs, but if you don’t see what your staff needs most, let us know! Our consultants will work with you to develop the just-right learning experience for you and your staff.

Workshop topics include Diversity, Leadership & Team Building, Communication Skills, Personal Development and Technology Skills. Our budget for the On-Site, On-Demand program is limited, so book early for the program you want! Need a list of programs to share with your colleagues? Here you go!

LibraryLinkNJ Microsoft Training Discount Offer
LibraryLinkNJ has purchased 25 vouchers from New Horizons Computer Training.
The list price for each voucher is $275. We are offering them to our members for $70 each. That’s approximately a 75% discount!

As we go to press, the vouchers are going like hotcakes -- 14 vouchers have already been claimed! Don’t miss your opportunity to benefit from this exceptional discount.

There are two ways to get your training -- choose what works for you:

• In-person: at one of New Horizons New Jersey locations
• Online: real-time (not pre-recorded) training at a specific date and time

How Does The Program Work?

• There are 25 vouchers total, to be shared across our membership.
• Each voucher is good for one person to take one course on one day.
• The vouchers are for Microsoft Applications training only.
• All classes are one-day courses, except for MS Access, which is a two-day course.
• Class times (both in-person or online) are: 9 am to 4:30 pm, with a morning break, a 1-hour lunch, and an afternoon break.

Who is Eligible?
Anyone currently employed by a LibraryLinkNJ member library.

How Do We Proceed?
Go to the offer page for all program details.

If you have any questions, please contact Joanne Roukens at the office (732-752-7720 or 1-866-505-5465) or via email jroukens@librarylinknj.org

PowerPoint & Scratch: Technology Tools for Great Kids’ Programming

Face-to-Face, Hands-On Tech Training for Youth Services Librarians!

Scratch: Simple Computer Programming & 21st Century Skills for Tweens
By developing technology-based programs for children as young as eight years old, librarians can help tweens develop lifelong skills to stay a step ahead in today's tech-savvy world.

“Lanora gave me the confidence to introduce Scratch to the teens at my library. It’s fun to see kids become creators of media instead of only consumers. I encourage librarians for teens and tweens to learn enough Scratch to try this at their own library. After you get the basics, there are many training videos available online to expand your skills. Not only is a it a popular program, you will have a great time creating things yourself!” -- Brigitte Mankiewicz, YA Librarian, Springfield Free Public Library

In this hands-on workshop, you will use Scratch, a free software developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to enrich creativity, enhance problem solving skills, and build communication skills with your young patrons by developing animation, games, music videos and informative presentations.

PowerPoint for Lively & Interactive Storytimes
Discover how technology can enhance and rejuvenate your children’s programs, and bring them into the 21st century—the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

In this hands-on session, you will practice effective ways to integrate multimedia and information literacy in PowerPoint to allow children to experience library programs like story-time, rhymes, booktalks, and book club discussions on a richer level, in addition to learning how to create a blog designed to inspire creativity in children.

Registration is open for both of these modestly-priced workshops (just $25 each!) at Ocean City Free Public Library on Wednesday, September 19.

Lynda.com is Amazing! But Don’t Take Our Word For It!
Lynda.com’s vast library of self-paced video tutorials -- on everything from Microsoft Excel to Tumblr to Adobe Acrobat -- is a hit! We have purchased 20 licenses to share across our membership, and each month, every license is claimed during the first morning registration is open! Here’s what just a few of your colleagues have to say about their learning experiences with Lynda.com:

• “I completed my first Lynda.com course and I am thrilled! The WordPress Essential Training was EXACTLY what I needed to bring my job to the next level. This course has empowered me to do what I need to do for my job and I can’t wait to take my next Lynda.com course.” -- Pat Bruder, Grants & Special Projects, Educational Information & Resource Center at South Jersey Technology Park

• “I am amazed at the wide variety of course offerings available on Lynda.com. I took four courses on Windows 7 and Outlook 2010 to bring myself up-to-date with technology upgrades at my school. All of the courses gave me great tips that will increase my efficiency and productivity, especially when it comes to taming my seemingly bottomless e-mail inbox! Lynda.com courses are organized in short modules, which you can take when and where it's convenient for you. I took my courses at my dining room table, and even when I had only 5 minutes to spare, I could squeeze in a quick module.” -- Martha Hickson, North Hunterdon High School, Annandale

Pinterest: Community Engagement Through Visual Bookmarking
Presented by John LeMasney & Hilary Morris
Date & Time: This special two-part webinar will be held on Tuesday, September 25 and Tuesday October 30, from 3:00 to 4:30 PM on each day.

Learn how to make the most of the explosively popular free visual bookmarking service! Part One will cover the basics of Pinterest, along with tips for smart, copyright-respectful pinning, while Part Two will be an interactive session giving participants the chance to showcase their pins & boards, and receive advice from our expert presenters!

AASL’s Best Websites for Teaching and Learning: Four Years and 100 Sites Later
Presented by Melissa Jacobs-Israel,
Coordinator of Library Services for New York City Public Schools
Date & Time: October 4, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Foster innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration among all learners with fabulous free websites, all vetted by educators and school librarians. Valuable for public, school, and academic librarians!