Archive for the 'conferences' Category

Wovel = Web Novel

I had no idea. Wow, do I feel left behind. I’ll bet some of you are already reading a wovel. I was listening to NPR this morning and it’s the first time I’ve heard the word.

The story discussed Firstworld: here’s a quick explanation from the publisher site.
“We give you an installment a week. You vote on what we write next. Does the heroine kill her lover? Will the zombies catch the soliders? Is the box empty, or is it filled with bees? You vote. You decide.”

(Wovel is the name for a pretty inventive snow shovel too.)

So are you hooked on a wovel? Writing one? Let us know.

Top Trends in Colorado Libraries – 2008

For the CAL Conference 2008, Communities and Libraries, I created this list of top ten trends in Colorado libraries related to communities and libraries. Examples are also below. I provided this for the Commissioner of Education for his opening keynote presentation. Thought others might be interested.
Early childhood brain research is changing library storytimes.*

  • Multimedia production in libraries – videos, podcasts, etc.
  • Literacy - engaging the larger community (One Book, etc.)
  • The Library Online* – AskColorado, local archives online, 21 Plinkit websites
  • Green Buildings
  • Creation spaces, activities, collections
  • Community Outreach
  • Job support and economic development
  • Gaming*
  • Services to Special Populations*

* Indicates a topic in which the State Library is involved. Continue reading ‘Top Trends in Colorado Libraries – 2008′

Getting Creative at the Youth Services Workshops

Thursday, October 16th found me at the Aurora Public Library for one of the Colorado State Library’s Youth Services workshops. I was lucky enough to be able to attend this year, and would like to share my experience (and photos!) with everyone.

The YS workshops this year were based not only on children’s programming for the 2009 statewide summer reading program (Be Creative @ Your Library), but also on teen programming (Express Yourself) and other teen issues, literacy-enhanced storytimes, and much more.

In the morning, we split into groups and got creative, making our own posters with markers, crayons, stickers, foam cutouts, and any other crafty items you can think of. Some posters were especially nice, and everyone received this year’s READ lapel pin as a prize.

Getting creative with posters.

Displaying the finished product.

Patricia Froehlich (Colorado State Library) then gave us some history on CSLP (the Collaborative Summer Library Program), which now boasts 47 member states.

Patricia Froehlich\'s presentation on CSLP.

Next up was teen services and a presentation by Mary McCarthy (Colorado State Library, Boulder Public Library). Of course she had to loosen up the group with an icebreaker, and so we all went around and told what was the oddest thing in our cars. (My answer: a toaster oven.) Mary spoke about C’YAAL, using your community and staff for programming, and of course, “begging, borrowing, and stealing ideas” from others. She also presented us with some wonderful web resources, including the following:

When we broke for lunch (pizza and salad…mmm!), we played Human Bingo, and those who were able to complete their bingo card were given prizes of t-shirts and books.
 
 There was time for networking during lunch.

We played Human Bingo, and gave out books as prizes.

We also used lunch time to share creative ideas for the 2009 program. Projects such as “Paint like Picasso”, using recycled materials to make kaleidoscopes, podcasts on the Twilight series (with kids reading aloud their favorite parts of the books), bringing in local art teachers from the schools to display student art, “musical petting zoos”, and many others were suggested.

After lunch, we moved on to a presentation on CLEL and literacy-enhanced storytime by Melissa Depper (Arapahoe Library District). Melissa talked about the 6 skills your child needs to learn in order to read, starting from birth. She defined early literacy as “what kids know about reading and writing before they can read or write”. We were able to view PET scans of a brain, and to practice the 6 skills with actual storytime books. She recommended zerotothree.org for information on cognitive development, as well as the CLEL website.

Finally, we ended the day with a brief presentation on the LRS Fast Facts and “the Robbie report” by Patricia Froehlich. She also discussed a site called readingrecord.org, which can track summer reading participants online, and patrons can even register themselves for the program.

At the end of the day, Patricia handed out program manuals and order forms, and the workshop was adjourned. What a day! I learned so much about teen services and early literacy, children’s programming and storytimes.

I want to say thanks to the Aurora Public Library (and Jan Zinkl in particular) for hosting.

Here’s what I learned:

  • CSLP has nearly all 50 states on board, which means a child living in Colorado could visit a grandparent in almost any state and find the same summer program in the library there as they do here.
  • You should use your community and staff for programming. If a staff member speaks Korean, ask him or her to come in a couple of times a week and teach. There are many untapped resources working in your library right now.
  • Kids that learn just 8 nursery rhymes before Kindergarten have an easier time learning to read than those who don’t.
  • Don’t skip over unfamiliar words when reading to a child. They should never be dumbed down.
  • And, of course, always have chocolate on hand for the afternoon.

Fun at Camp!

It’s hard to imagine that a plethora of workshops could be put together on-the-fly in 45 minutes, but that is exactly what happened right before our very eyes thanks to Steve Lawson (from Colorado), Joshua Neff (from Kansas) and Laura Crossett (from WY).  Check out the pic (above) - Steve is taking suggestions from a crowd of 140 on what they want to talk about during the day. A myriad of breakout sessions were created, and it would be hard to imagine someone not finding something they liked - after all the crowd decided what they wanted to talk about. LibraryCamps are starting to pop up all over the country as a way to make sure people get the most out of their conferences. No talking heads, just people discussing and sharing thoughts and ideas. More photos! The most inspiring thing to me was the energy these young organizers and attendees brought to the event. And, the cool thing is — the sharing didn’t stop at the end of the day. This clever bunch has created a Wiki and the discussion is still continuing! So, a huge shout out to Steve, Joe, Laura and everyone else who made this a fun and exciting event. And, a special thanks to the University of Denver for hosting LibraryCamp of the West 2008 (a free event!). I think I heard something about a LibraryCamp of the West in 2009, right?

Colorado scores again!

Some exciting news for Colorado this month! Robbie Marks and Keith Lance have an article in the September issue of School Library Journal, pp 44 - 47, on the positive correlation between public library services and early reading success.  In the sidebar are quotes by Carol Wagstaff (Douglas County Libraries) and Maxine Curley (Mesa County Public Library District). There is also a mention of Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), an early literacy group formed in January 2008.

For more information:

Note: CLEL members will be presenting a session on early literacy at the Youth Services workshops in October.  Register now for one of the 5 statewide workshops.

Durango Days 2008!

Join Us In Beautiful Durango!
Durango Days is a 2-day CAL Continuing Education event at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, on September 18-19. The program schedule is great. Check it out.  Register now at www.cal-webs.org.

Continue reading ‘Durango Days 2008!’

MPLA Professional Development Grants

Are you a member of the Mountains and Plains Library Association?  If so, check out this great opportunity to get a professional development grant.  The deadline to submit individual grant requests this year is December 3, 2008.

For complete information and link to application form see http://www.mpla.us/committees/profdev/grants.html
Continue reading ‘MPLA Professional Development Grants’

ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver - Jan 23–28, 2009

ALA

Oh come on, I hear you saying - that’s not ’til January! But trust me, there’s a committee already hard at work planning the festivities. Colorado Association of Libraries and Denver Public Library will be sharing a booth to let those out of state librarians know how wonderful Colorado libraries are. Interested in working at the booth? Send me an email.

Also in the works is a preconference and a reception for Camila Alire. More information will be coming your way (would I leave you in the dark?) as they are finalized.

Library Camp of the West

Have you been to an UNCONFERENCE?  Here’s your chance to experience this new form of information exchange.  I can’t wait!  — Valerie Horton

“Meet with other library people from across Colorado and Wyoming (and elsewhere?) at the “Library Camp of the West” to discuss libraries and librarianship.

 Save this date — October 10, 2008

 University of Denver  Driscoll Center (North)  Denver, CO 80208
9:00am till 4:00pm

 What is this?  Have you ever felt that discussion groups and hallway conversations are the best part of library conferences? Would you rather have a meaningful conversation with a small group of library people than sit and listen to another PowerPoint presentation? Are you interested in sharing ideas about libraries? 

Library Camp of the West is an unconference. Instead of creating a schedule of presentations and keynotes in advance, we (that includes you) will create a loose plan for the conference on this wiki ahead of time. On the morning of the conference, we’ll set the day’s schedule and break out into small groups over several session based on what attendees want to talk about. 

Unconferences work when everyone participates. Come with ideas, notes, examples, visual aides, puppets, whatever. Leave the PowerPoint at home.”

Sound interesting?  What do I do now?   Attendence is free, go to the wiki page: http://librarycampwest.pbwiki.com/ and sign up. 

 

A Peek at Cutting Edge

Smoky Hills story time area

When Kathy Knox from Pueblo City County Library District offered to take SE librarians on a library tour - we jumped at the opportunity. Three public libraries were selected - Lone Tree Public Library (Douglas County), DPL’s Schlessman Family Branch, and the Arapahoe Library District’s Smoky Hills Branch. These libraries were selected based on their progressive implementation of

On our tour we saw back room operations (like the mechanical and manual book sorters). We were curious about how a library operates without a circ desk, and got the skinny on that. All three libraries had vibrant children’s areas, and they all had the ambiance of a bookstore. We saw some very clever marketing ideas as well as signage. The dominant theme was flexibility at these beautiful libraries. Take a peek at all the photos - maybe something will capture your eye - something you can implement at your library. Or do you have some cutting edge stuff happening at your library? If so, please share!