Discounts and Webinar on CraftySpace's YourLibrarySite.com

Recently we announced that, in partnership with the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System (MCLS), we were offering discounts on website creation from YourLibrarySite.com. Details of that discount, and pricing information is available at this page they put together for us. Additionally, we have scheduled a webinar with them for August 19 at 10am for our members to be able to find out more about the company, the other sites they've already created for libraries, and the package that they are offering our members. To RSVP for the webinar, please send the following information to califa@califa.org:

Your Name:
Your Library:
Your Email Address:

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the company or their website services, please let us know!

Discounts on products from HW Wilson

Califa Members now have an opportunity to save on content from HW Wilson. Contact califa@califa.org if you would like a quote, or more information on these products.

HW Wilson – Biography Reference Bank Select Edition

The perfect option for libraries that want a full-text biographical resource, Biography Reference Bank Select Edition provides comprehensive coverage of people in the news and history-makers, along with images and an improved, user-friendly interface. Covers over 236,000 individuals More than 36,000 images Database grows by 1,000 or more profiles a year Content from a wide variety of high quality Wilson resources: Current Biography, World Authors series, Junior Authors & Illustrators series, Nobel Prize Winners series

HW Wilson – Core Collection Products

Nonbook Materials Core Collection Graphic Novels Core Collection Children's Core Collection Public Library Core Collection: Nonfiction Public Library Core Collection: Fiction Senior High School Core Collection Middle & Junior High School Core Collection

HW Wilson – Art Museum Image Gallery

A rich digital resource of art images, rights-cleared for educational use. The Art Museum Image Gallery is a digital resource of art images and related multimedia gathered from the collections of distinguished museums around the world. Over 155,000 superior quality images with a full bibliographic record. Many include curatorial text, provenance data, detail or multiple views for many images, and related multimedia where available. Essential for programs in art history, studio art, and design. You can find works and artists you know, and make unanticipated discoveries. Illustrate papers, lectures, assignments, and password-protected websites with high-resolution images. Enriches research in multicultural studies, area studies, archaeology, classics, history, religion, cultural studies, literature, and related subject areas.

HW Wilson – Current Issues: Reference Shelf Plus

Building on the convenience and accessibility of the popular Reference Shelf Plus print series, Current Issues: Reference Shelf Plus presents a carefully-selected articles from key publications in social, scientific, health, political, and global issues, brought together to make a well-rounded overview. This is an easy-to-use, accessible, "information hub" offering library users balanced examinations of current issues. The database now covers over 100 topics, with more than 20 new topics added annually. It's a perfect complement to Reference Shelf print subscriptions.

HW Wilson – Current Issues in Health

Created to meet the educational and research needs of your patrons—as well as vocational students preparing for careers in health care—Current Issues: Health focuses on a wide range of health topics with articles selected by H.W. Wilson editors to offer a thorough and balanced overview.

Internet Librarian Discounts Available

Califa members may now register for Internet Librarian at a discount through Califa's registration form. This year's program, held from October 20 - 22, is now online.

This year's conference theme, Beyond 2.0: User-Focused Tools & Practices, highlights how Web 2.0 tools and practices, web services, social media, and new platforms of social computing are enabling libraries and information professionals to interact with their clients and communities in new and exciting ways. New tools and processes have ignited creative integrated content mashups, specialized and personalized services for community segments, and exciting new techniques for dealing with voluminous information flows, including user-generated content.

Internet Librarian 2008 provides attendees with many chances to meet and hear from leading edge information professionals in all types of environments—leaders in the information industry who are integrating content and delighting their clients, organizing and managing digital content in creative ways, setting the context for excellence in information utilization in their organizations, revolutionizing the roles of info pros, building strong collaborative communities among their customers and colleagues, and using new technologies in creative and exciting ways.

Payments are due on Sept. 16, 2008.
Make checks payable to Information Today and mail or fax to Califa
at 32 W. 25th Avenue, Suite 201, San Mateo CA 94403 or 650.572.2746.

CARL North IT Interest Group Workshop

Susan and I made it out to the CARL North IT Interest Group's workshop on mashup technology and the art of remixing library and information resources at Santa Clara University last Friday. The workshop offered various levels of complexity on all things mashup related.

I'd have to say that my favorite presentation was from Harrison Dekker on the use of Google's Charts and spreadsheet gadgets for numeric data. As a user of Google docs, I was surprised to find that there are widgets to create nifty looking charts and moveable data. If you've seen Hans Rosling's presentation on Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen, then you'll have an idea of what this looks like.

Other topics included Yahoo Pipes for aggregating feeds and web content; web applications used for visually searching the web; and an informative talk on social operating systems. Anyone interested in seeing any of the presentations can go to http://carlnit.blogspot.com.

Changes Made to Website; Share Your Success Stories

Our redesigned website is nearly 2 months old and we continue striving to make improvements so our members can more easily find the information they need.

Some recent changes/additions include:

Under Products & Services

• Consolidated our offerings into two categories: digital products and physical products
  
  
• Added Future Vendors page so members can check out who we are talking with before libraries purchase on their own
  

Under Information & Resources

• Added an eBook FAQ for general and technical questions.

We like to spotlight our member libraries' best practices along with featuring our new products. Please contact Califa if you would like to share either a best practice from your library and/or a success story involving a Califa purchase. We are maintaining an easily accessible archive of the libraries we spotlight.

California Libraries Install the First Automated Book Lending Machines in the Nation

The Summer 2008 issue of the California State Library’s quarterly newsletter, CSL Connection, includes an article on the libraries and partners involved in a unique project, known respectively as Library-a-Go-Go in Contra Costa County and GoLibrary in Yuba County.

The automated book lending service is now installed and in use by the public. Contra Costa County launched their service at the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station on May 29. On Saturday, August 23, Yuba County will be providing personal demos of GoLibrary and urging the public to get library cards during an all day kick off for library card sign up month.

Califa negotiated the contract with the Swedish vendor, Distec, on behalf of California member libraries. Check out Califa's GoLibrary page if you would like to find out more about this project.

3M/Checkpoint Participation Survey

With the merger of 3M and Checkpoint, Califa is being offered a discount program on security gates and self-charge systems from both vendors. We will be sponsoring a webinar on August 6th to detail the differences among the available equipment (contact Califa@califa.org if you would like to attend).

We are also surveying members to determine interest in purchasing 3M or Checkpoint equipment through us. With an aggregated order (10 units or more), we will be able to offer every library a discount. The larger the order the larger the discount. To determine the level of discount, we are asking members to provide information of their security system/self check-out needs in 2008-09.

The survey is available here and will close at noon on Friday, August 1st. Thank you very much for you participation in this survey.