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Makerspace Project Launch! |
| LibraryLinkNJ—The New Jersey Library Cooperative and the New Jersey State Library are thrilled to announce the launch of New Jersey Library Makerspaces: The Leading Edge, a jointly-funded initiative designed to expand New Jersey library horizons with service models that transcend traditional roles.
Makerspaces can be useful in all types of libraries, and can incorporate a wide variety of programming, events, and technologies for library users of all ages & stages. The bottom line? The contemporary Makerspace is really about bringing people together to create something using digital or analog technology.
We hope your curiosity is piqued, and your own creativity sparked: we’ve budgeted $100,000 for this project and look forward to reading your wonderful applications, issuing contract awards, and later visiting and using your Makerspaces.
For full details, please visit the project page.
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Save The Dates: LibraryLinkNJ Membership Meetings for FY2014 |
Once again, we’ll hold our membership meetings in three locations, connected by videoconferencing software. Please hold these dates -- we’ll share more information about the programs and speakers for each event as we finalize them!
Dec 5, 2013:
- Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
- Rowan University (Glassboro)
- Passaic County Community College (Wanaque)
May 22, 2014:
- Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
- Rowan University (Glassboro)
- William Paterson University (Wayne)
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Member Highlight: Marci Zane, NJ’s Emerging Leader! |
This month, we’re delighted to highlight the outstanding work of Marci Zane, librarian at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. In 2012, Marci was named both NJASL's Outstanding Media Specialist of the Year and New Jersey’s representative to ALA’s Emerging Leaders Program.
Her award from NJASL recognized Marci’s years of collaboration-based teaching with classroom teachers, while her participation in Emerging Leaders gave her more opportunities to understand how our largest professional organization works and to develop solid working relationships with librarians from around the country.
As an Emerging Leader, Marci worked with advisor Sally Gibson and her three teammates, academic librarians Brittney Thomas, Julie Judkins and Katie Monks, to “to develop recruitment tools that communicate the benefits of college librarianship and membership” in the College Libraries Section of ALA’s Association of College and Research Librarians.
Marci found her experiences working with college librarians particularly useful, sharing, “I believe [those experiences] will help me prepare the high school students I teach with the information literacy and research skills they will need to succeed at this level. I am looking forward to sharing this experience with my colleagues at NJASL and applying the leadership skills I learned on this journey in my role as Member-at-Large this year.” Congratulations, Marci, and thanks for your continued contributions to librarianship and education!
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Discounts |
New Discounts
- NoveList Select, NextReads & LibraryAware - through 10/31/13
NoveList Select is a catalog enhancement service; NextReads is an e-newsletter service; LibraryAware is a marketing and outreach product. Orders will be collected by LibraryLinkNJ. Public library members receive 25-65% off
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CE Updates |
Webinars
Fostering a Culture of Innovation on a Shoestring
with Toby Greenwalt, Manager of Virtual Services at Skokie (IL) Public Library
Wednesday, September 25, 2013 | 3:00-4:30 PM
Registration is open!
Libraries are quickly moving from being repositories for content to full-fledged incubators for new ideas. Using technological tools, innovative spaces, and creative programming, libraries are well-positioned to become an even bigger part of the community’s creative process. And it’s possible to do this without spending huge sums of money. |
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In this interactive program, we’ll talk about how to kickstart a culture of innovation in your library - for your staff and patrons alike. We’ll look at examples both in and out of libraries, and discuss what it takes to bring creativity out in the open.
Learning Objectives:
After participating in this webinar, you will be able to:
- Identify opportunities for building a learning culture
- Implement tools, services, and resources for encouraging creativity
- Initiate ongoing conversations with library patrons and staff about innovation
Bring your questions, and be ready to share your own examples throughout the program. We’re big into practicing what we preach and look forward to an illuminating 90 minutes of insightful, freewheeling dialogue!
Registration is open! and filling quickly -- reserve your space today!
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Diversity in Children’s & YA Literature
with Shelley Diaz, Associate Editor at School Library Journal
Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | 3:00-4:30 PM
Save the Date! Registration opens next Wednesday, 9/25.
It’s about time we talked about diversity in books for children and teens.
A 2012 study by the CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center) revealed some startling facts:
Of the 3,600 books the Cooperative Children’s Book Center reviewed in 2012: |
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- 3% were about Africans/African Americans; 1.8% were written by Africans/African Americans
- 1.5% were about Latinos; 1.6% were written by Latinos
- Less than 1% were about American Indians; less than 1% were written by American Indians
- 2% were about Asian Pacifics/Asian Pacific Americans; 2.3% were written by Asian Pacifics/Asian Pacific Americans
Diversity in children’s and YA literature isn’t limited to race or ethnicity; it encompasses the inclusion of all perspectives, regardless of religious background, sexual orientation, gender, class, or disability.
Learning Objectives:
After participating in this webinar, library staff will be able to:
- Explain why all librarians who work with children and teens should be aware of the lack diversity in children’s literature, and how this lack could be detrimental to a child’s development as a lifelong reader and learner.
- Adapt and modify existing programs and collection development policies to better serve children of diverse backgrounds.
- Identify groundbreaking works of children’s and YA literature that feature or are written by people of diverse backgrounds.
- Identify print and online resources for staying up-to-date on new and upcoming diverse children’s and YA titles.
Save the Date! Registration opens next Wednesday, 9/25.
Save the Dates for our Facebook Forums!
We’re trying a little something new this Fall, scheduling low-key (yet lively!) professional discussions on our Facebook Page.
No registration necessary -- we’ll share information and reminders about it on Facebook, Twitter & Tumblr, as well as on the Forums on our website.
Dates, Times & Topics:
- October 10 | 3 pm - 4 pm: Stress & Time Management -- co-hosted by Sophie Brookover & Joanne Roukens
- November 6 | 11 am - 12 pm: Social Media 201: We’re on Facebook & Twitter, NOW what? -- co-hosted by Sophie Brookover & John LeMasney
- December 10 | Time & Topic TBD -- if you’d like to share an idea for a discussion topic, please drop Sophie a line. sbrookover@librarylinknj.org
Lynda.com - Work from Anywhere and Understanding Cloud Computing
Today's workers aren't just confined to a cube or an office—they can work anywhere and anytime. All you need are the right productivity tools and an Internet connection. Setting Up Your Mobile Office to Work from Anywhere is a great place to learn the basics of what devices are right for you, how to get connected, how to separate your personal life from work, manage your task list and files, and get the most out of traveling with your devices. The course also includes a section on securing your accounts and devices, so you can make sure they're safe wherever you're working.
What is the cloud? Cloud Computing First Look explores the benefits and drawbacks of cloud computing, including a candid look at balancing the sharing and privacy issues with the productivity gains of working in the cloud.
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.
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TechEx:
Featured Guest Contributor - September 2013 |
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Theme of the Month: Maker Culture
This month’s Featured Guest Contributor is Kate Vasilik, Supervising Librarian and Head of User Services at Piscataway Public Library. Kate’s focus this month is Maker Culture, which fits in perfectly with the recently launched Makerspace Project.
Check out the resources Kate highlights and watch for more contributions from her at TechEx all month long! |
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Staying in Touch With Social Media: Facebook, Part 2 |
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Sophie Brookover, Program Coordinator & Social Media Manager
Last month we discussed using Facebook to connect with your audience. This month: tips on how to build and maintain those connections.
Like Widely: It pays to be generous with your Likes.
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In addition to Liking libraries from NJ and elsewhere, make sure to seek out library organizations, museums, publishers, digital tools, news sources, and more. It makes sense to share content from Pages you follow, this keeps your content mix fresher & more diverse than if you only liked NJ libraries. |
Make sure to Like not only organizations but their content, too. Spend a little time each day using your library’s Page as your library’s Page, so your feed is full of your Likes’ content. When you see something you like or want to share, like, comment or share it to your own Page’s feed. Liking and commenting on other Page’s content does two things:
- It boosts their position in their fans’ feeds;
- It makes your Page’s existence and interests more visible.
This is a win-win-win for you and your Page, because it shows other Page managers that you see and care about what they’re doing and is likely to yield more Likes for your work, as well.
Share Broadly: if you see something -- an image, video, quote or other content -- elsewhere online, and you think your fans would enjoy and share it, themselves, post it. Don’t let your definition of what constitutes “library-related” be so restrictive that you miss out on a fun or touching moment that will solidify your fans’ connections to your library.
Mix It Up: in response to Tumblr and Pinterest, Facebook has been tweaking the layout of their Feeds to better accommodate images. Make sure to post a mix of content at a variety of times. It helps if you can organize your posts in advance, but working on the fly is just fine, too.
Look Who’s Talking: sign your posts so your readers and fans know who’s sharing links, updates and photos with them. This is especially important if your library has more than one person posting to your Page.
These are my top tips for making Facebook work for you. What are yours? We’d love to hear your suggestions!
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