If you missed the chance to participate in the State Library’s January 27, 2010 Webside Chat – an introduction to the State Library and updates on current activities – the archives are now available on our webinars page.
For those who attended the Webside Chat live (not those who viewed it later), please take a moment to give us your feedback in this short evaluation.
Join us for our next Webside Chat on Wednesday, February 24. More information coming soon!
Are you an experienced library employee interested in the Library Support Staff Certification program? Did you know you can prepare portfolios (collections of documents and workplace projects) that provide evidence of what you have learned and accomplished as a substitute for taking a class? This webinar will introduce you to the sets of competencies required for certification, portfolio requirements, assessment criteria and process, and helpful hints for a successful portfolio. Join us Friday January 29th from noon – 1:30 pm to find out more about the LSSC program. Click here to join us.
What do E*Trade, REI, Godiva Chocolatier and AskColorado have in common?
Beginning Feb 1, they will all use the same web-based customer-support and communication technology, InstantService.
In the last few years, libraries have seen an explosion in online communication tools available for reaching and serving patrons. The use of IM, text messaging, online chat and related technologies are becoming embedded in the fabric of libraries’ online service offerings. Given this changing landscape in technology and the evolving need for libraries to flexibly serve their patrons, the AskColorado community and AskColorado Steering Committee have endorsed a migration to this new software platform, InstantService. Continue reading ‘The NEW AskColorado: utility and coolness combined’
Curious about the State Library, its staff and activities? Then please join Gene Hainer of the Colorado State Library online for our first monthly Webside Chat.
Gene will provide an introduction to the Colorado State Library and give updates from ALA Midwinter. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer comments on any topic via chat.
When: Wednesday, January 27, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Where: Online at http://cecc.na4.acrobat.com/cslchat0127/. Please enter your name as a guest as you log in.
All you need to participate is computer speakers or a headset; communications will be by text chat, so a phone line or microphone are not needed.
In advance of the meeting, please run through a connection test: http://cecc.na4.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm.
In preparation for my library’s upcoming annual fundraising appeal, I happened across some interesting research. Relatively small organizations that have an established donor base will likely get the most for their fundraising buck if they leverage their existing donors to find new ones.
Rather than simply asking your donors for money, also ask your donors if they would be willing to make four phone calls to their peers on your organization’s behalf. Research shows that about one in four of those phone calls will result in a donation that’s similar in size to the one your original donor will make.
This tactic can have important ramifications to your major donor base. Major donors, besides their ability to give larger amounts of money, give the amount they do because they feel a powerful attachment to your organization’s cause. Therefore, it’s likely that most of your existing major donors will be willing to do this extra work for you.
This tactic also demonstrates the power of relationships. Your donors already have an “in” with their peers. If some of your existing donors can’t or are unwilling to make those phone calls, ask them if you can make those phone calls and mention their name.
Learn more about this simple strategy here, here, and here.
I’ll write more about this and other fundraising strategies as we enter our appeal season this spring.
Is your password safe?
Check out the HELP NET SECURITY blog: ”Imperva released a study analyzing 32 million passwords exposed in the Rockyou.com breach. The data provides a unique glimpse into the way that users select passwords and an opportunity to evaluate the true strength of these as a security mechanism. …
The report identifies the most commonly used passwords: 123456 12345 123456789 Password iloveyou princess rockyou 1234567 12345678 abc123″
Read more
Check out the Colorado Municipal League’s analysis of proposed Initiatives #10, #12, and #21. CML raises some really interesting questions worth considering as the Colorado library community learns about these measures.
Beginning January 25th, ALA-APA will accept applications to the first national, voluntary certification program for library support staff. Candidates who demonstrate achievement in six sets of competencies by completing approved courses or submitting portfolios that demonstrate achievement will be awarded the LSSC. Applicants do not have to be a member of ALA. The application fee is $325 for ALA members and $350 for non-ALA members. Complete information about the LSSC program and the application form are available online at http://www.ala-apa.org/lssc/.
The Colorado Library Consortium (CLiC) is offering financial assistance to library staff enrolling in the certification program. CLiC will reimburse selected individuals for half the registration cost (up to a $175 value). The deadline for submitting the financial assistance application is February 28th. Contact Judy Van Acker, 719-640-5979, with questions.
A FREE continuing education opportunity is now being offered nationally from the Texas State Library & Archives Commission.
LD 502b: Everyone Wins – When School and Public Libraries Cooperate! (National Version)
In this course, librarians will gain increased knowledge of school and public library cooperation. Participants will learn about best practices for school and public library cooperation, models of partnership and the best resources for further exploration and development. A special feature of this course is a series of recorded interviews with leaders in school and public library cooperation, providing participants with the opportunity to learn directly from their colleagues.
LD 502b: Everyone Wins – When School and Public Libraries Cooperate! (National Version) will be available beginning on January 15, 2010 and will be available indefinitely.
This version of the course is unmoderated and open to all library staff.
For more information and to register, please visit: www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/workshops/online/ld502b/
Judge Kitty at the Park County Library in Fairplay achieved celebrity status in the current issue (Feb. 2010) of Cat Fancy Magazine and on their web site Cat Channel.com along with other library felines. Read about Judge’s last court ruling, and other library cat related stories here. Sadly, Judge Kitty has passed away. This beloved feline had been a permanent resident of the library for a number of years. Not too long ago, I remember walking up to the library, and seeing Judge on the front steps greeting people with a purr. On those blustery days he would be curled up on someone’s lap, or patrolling the halls of the old courthouse (where the library is located). Director, Patty Chapman, told one story of a mom bringing her reluctant reader to see Judge. Inevitably they would check out several books before they left the building. Do you have any Judge Kitty stories? Or maybe you have a library cat, or know of someone who does? Please share your library cat story through the comment button. In memory of Judge Kitty.
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