Congratulations to San Jose!

IMLS Announces the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Recipients

October 25, 2011
 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IMLS Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Natasha Marstiller, nmarstiller@imls.gov

Award Recognizes Innovative Approaches to Public Service and Community Outreach

Washington, DC—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has selected five libraries and five museums to receive the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries for extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions. Recipients must demonstrate innovative approaches to public service and community outreach.

"Congratulations to each of these organizations on receiving the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The work they have accomplished is an inspiration to libraries and museums throughout the nation," said Susan Hildreth, IMLS Director. "With innovation, creativity and a great deal of heart they have achieved an outstanding level of public service."

The winners of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service are selected each year by the Director of IMLS, following an open nomination process and based on the recommendations of the National Museum and Library Services Board.

The award was created to celebrate the vital role museums and libraries play in American society and is awarded to institutions that have developed innovative ways to serve their communities. Recipients of the 2011 National Medal for Museum and Library Service are:

1. Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
2. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
3. Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH
4. EdVenture Children’s Museum, Columbia, SC
5. Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA
6. Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, Collegeville, MN
7. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA
8. Madison Children’s Museum, Madison, WI
9. San José Public Library, San José, CA
10. Weippe Public Library & Discovery Center, Weippe, ID

To learn more about the 2011 winners of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service view the brochure or visit www.imls.gov/medals.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

Credo Reference End-of-Year Specials

Please note this additional discount on Credo Reference for orders that come in before the end of the year.  If you'd like a quote, let me know.

New subscriptions to Credo General Reference will receive the following discount of their first year subscription subsequent renewals will be at the standard consortium discount:

Subscribe by:
15 November 2011, receive 30% discount
30 November 2011, receive 25% discount
15 December 2011, receive 20% discount

Free trials and demos are available and members can find more information here: http://corp.credoreference.com/introduction/new-to-credo.html

Credo General Reference is now up to 570 titles and 10,000 Topic Pages so this is a great time to take advantage of this special pricing.

A to Z Databases and Atomic Learning

1) We are looking at putting together a review committee to review A to Z Databases for a review we'd publish on our website.  How it works is that you tell me that you'd like to be on the committee, and then I send you the questions that need to be answered/areas ranked.  You use the trial and give a score to each area outlined in the questions,  and then I compile all the scores and get an average, and put in sample comments - confidentially - below each score.  If you'd like to be part of this, and can give a thoughtful review by November 10, please let me know.  And thank you!

2)  We are considering working with Atomic Learning.  They compete with Lynda.com to provide training on software both inside the library, and remotely from home.  I have trial codes that I can pass out, so if you are interested, please let me know.  I look forward to any feedback our members might have on this company and their product.  You can view their flyer and the applications covered in their library product by viewing the flyers available here:
General flyer with list pricing: http://califa.org/uploadfiles/atomicflyer.pdf
Programs/applications covered: http://califa.org/uploadfiles/atomicapplications.pdf

Member Savings Report for 2010-2011

We just completed the 2010-2011 Member Savings Report, and it's on our website where you can see what individual library's (including yours) saved through their membership.  http://www.califa.org/membersavings.php

Califa members saved more than $4 million by ordering through Califa last year - every time you order through us, you make the consortium and all the member libraries stronger.  Thanks for remembering to consider Califa when making your purchasing decisions.

If you have questions about the report, let me know.  And if you haven't saved as much as you'd like, let's set up a time to talk about what products you buy regularly, what you're looking at adding, and how we can help.

OCLC FirstSearch update

Many of you were able to attend one of the recent webinars on changes to the FirstSearch WorldCat and CalCat subscriptions for California libraries.   The deadline for subscribing at the same discount the State Library received is October 28, 2011. 

To obtain pricing for your library or to place your order, please contact Carol Schlatter of OCLC at 800-848-5878, ext. 6083 or schlattc@oclc.org.  

If you have additional questions about these services, please contact Paul Cappuzzello, OCLC Senior Library Services Consultant at 800-848-5878, ext. 6258 or cappuzzp@oclc.org.

For those of you that were unable to attend , you may view the PowerPoint presentation at http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/webinars/California_FS_09052011.pdf

OCLC also has prepared a list of frequently asked questions about these changes which may viewed at

http://www5.oclc.org/downloads/webinars/Califa_FirstSearch_FAQ.pdf

If you were unable to attend the session, you may listen to the recording:

https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=EC&rID=50841617&rKey=64cb95ec58cda1c9

Please note that this recording is in the Universal Communications Format (UCF) rich media file format. Visit https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/systemdiagnosis.php to view a list of players that support viewing rich media files using UCF.  

From the State Library

Please forward this information to your member libraries. Thanks. More info is in the attached document.

In 2008, the Commission on the Status of Women and then-Assembly member Lois Wolk asked the California State Library through its California Research Bureau (CRB) to administer a survey to California women veterans. This survey led to “California’s Women Veterans: The Challenges and Needs of Those Who Served,” a 2009 report that provided insight to state legislators on the service barriers to California women veterans.

http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/09/09-009.pdf

The Commission and California Department of Veterans Affairs is now requesting that CRB assist them in assessing the progress that has been made since the earlier survey, as well as identifying new needs.

How libraries can help:

- print out and post the attached flyers or make copies available

- forward this information to community organizations that assist veterans

- if possible, put the link to the survey on their website thru 12/31/11

The survey is online at : 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PM2JFZD

A printable copy of the full survey is available at:

http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/docs/VeteransSurvey2011.pdf

New Califa Vendor: A to Z Databases

Many of you have asked us to work with A-Z Databases.  I'm happy to say that we're looking to get things kicked off with an offer of special pricing through the end of the year.  More details of threshold discounts will follow, but for now, there is a trial available on the Califa site (www.califa.org -->Members --> Internal Documents - you will need your Califa login/pw here - email me if you don't have it).

If you are already a subscriber of Reference USA, the price is guaranteed to be at least 45% lower than what you pay RefUsa.  If you're not a current RefUsa subscriber, I can get you a quote.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Premier Reference and Marketing Database including 30 million business profiles & 220 million residents along with databases of New Home Owners, New Movers and New Businesses.  Ideal for sales leads, mailing lists, market research, employment opportunities, finding friends and relatives, and much more!

Update Frequency: Monthly
Format: Web
Output: QR code, Email, Print or Download

AtoZdatabases is the premier reference and marketing database marketed to Library, Academic, and Government institutions throughout the U.S. This simple, user-friendly, web-based solution provides details on every business and every household within the U.S.

The Cloud on the Cover of Pasadena Weekly

Jan Sanders of Pasadena (who, with Glendale, will be beta-testers of the 3M Cloud Library project) made the cover of Pasadena Weekly.

Read the story at:
http://pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/?id=10602

Congratulations!

New Product: Film Ideas

There is a big push to help Americans become financially literate.  ALA is doing its part by encouraging libraries to develop Financial Well-Being programs.  Film Ideas has released a new Financial Literacy Streaming service that is now available to CALIFA members! 

The Financial Literacy Streaming Service subscription provides an internet based digital stream with a focus on financial literacy skills.  Built around the Emmy winning BizKid$ Series and Life Skills for Young Adults Series, the content provides valuable information on financial literacy, career skills, entrepreneurship, business and more.

Our goal is to provide "learning segments"  that are engaging and engrossing, delivered and navigated on the desktop.  Important benefits include peer-to peer presentations that maintains an ethnically balanced delivery.  The content is well designed to actively engage all viewers by opening new avenues of understanding using a hip, contemporary approach.  A broad host of user oriented resources further enriches.

Key Concepts and benefits:

  * Designed for in-library use and for remote access

  * Content suitable for broad range of ages: youth, young adult, and adult

  * Strong visual support for Financial Literacy concepts with contemporary, Emmy award-winning digital content.

  * Extensive resources: family focused activities, games, links and guides.

  * Ability to create custom playlists

  * All content is also available on DVD format for the library circulating collection

There is a trial on the Califa website at http://califa.org/members_only.php.  You will need your Califa login to access that page - if you need it, let me know.

Message from ALA

The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) and the Library & Information Technology Association (LITA) are soliciting nominations for best library practices using cutting-edge technology. 

The application process is very simple and attempts to showcase libraries that are serving their communities with novel and innovative services and provide the library community with some successful models for delivering quality library service in new ways.  The key factors is the use of technology to provide a service and something that can be replicated by other libraries.

A committee of practicing librarians will review all nominations to identify those libraries that are truly offering a best practice or most innovative service.  Libraries or library service areas selected will be publicized via the OITP and LITA websites, highlighted through ALA publications, and featured in a program at the ALA Annual Conference in 2012.  

More information and nomination forms can be found at www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/cuttingedge/2012.cfm