See the first issue here (PDF)

Would you like to see a topic covered in the newsletter? Want to share info about your programs? Or perhaps contribute an article? Contact the State Library’s Youth & Family Services Consultant, Beth Crist, 303-866-6908.

The themes for 2012 are “Dream Big – READ!” (children), “Own the Night” (teens), and “Between the Covers” (adults). Priority will be given to libraries below 10,000 Legal Service Area population and libraries in non-metro locations. Per IMLS guidelines, the mini-grant funding should be spent on books.

To be eligible for a 2012 mini-grant, libraries must have submitted the 2011 summer reading report AND be registered for the 2012 statewide summer reading themes.

APPLY NOW!

DEADLINE: Friday, January 31, 2012

Questions:
Beth Crist, 303-866-6908
Youth & Family Services Consultant, Colorado State Library

A magic percentage for public libraries, really. “How is it magic,” you ask. It is the response rate each state must reach in order to have state-level reports from the National Survey of Public Library Funding and Technology Access (PLFTAS). Reports like the State Briefs found here.

Want to be part of the magic?

1. Take the survey here
2. Look up you library’s survey id here
3. More information here

This survey provides important information about computer and Internet resources and infrastructure, as well as funding, technology training, and other uses of public libraries, such as providing public access technology centers in their communities. The data from this study has been used in many influential ways, including:

• U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the Children’s Internet Protection Act
• U.S. Statistical Abstracts (PDF)
• MSNBC’s “Libraries Lend a Hand in Tough Times”
• NPR’s “Digital Challenges for U.S. Public Libraries”
• U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services report “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to States Program Activities and the Transformation of Library Services to the Public” (PDF)

Have questions, need more information? Please call 301-405-9445 or e-mail ipac.umd@gmail.com for survey support. Survey administrators monitor the support e-mail account from 9 AM – 5 PM (ET), Monday through Friday.

For other information and updates, you call follow the survey/report on Twitter.

“Colorado students and adult learners receive services from libraries and librarians that support educational achievement and lifelong learning”

The session will begin with a 10 minute overview of this year’s LSTA grant application and timeline. After answering your questions we will open up the session to discuss your project ideas. We can address your technology concerns; tell you if your project fits this year’s goal; help determine if your project is feasible; and much more! Come prepared for a lively discussion!

• Tuesday, June 21st at 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
• Wednesday, June 22nd at 9:00AM – 10:30AM

RSVP to Jean Heilig at heilig_j@cde.state.co.us, 303-866-6731, by Monday, June 20th. Identify which session you will be attending. You will be provided with login information. Attendance is limited to 25 people per session. Additional sessions will be planned as needed.

See the State Library’s LSTA page for more information

For instance, certified technology plans are only required for those seeking Priority 2 services. If you are applying for telecommunications or Internet access only, you are no longer required to submit a technology plan for certification. (Although no longer required for all libraries, technology planning is a crucial part of an organizations strategic planning, and highly recommended).

Priority 2 services include internal connections and basic maintenance of those connections. (Internal connections are the equipment and wiring necessary to receive services in the classrooms and rooms in libraries.)

For more information about eligible services and what qualifies as Priority 1 or 2 please see the 2011 eligible services list (PDF).

WebJunction will also be offering a free webinar detailing form 471 on March 15, 2011. Registration is currently open for that webinar.

Questions?
Public Library Technology Plan questions should be forwarded to:
Christine Kreger
Kreger_c@cde.state.so.us
303-866-6946
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/technology/erate.htm

All other e-rate and school library e-rate questions should be forwarded to:
Delilah Collins – collins_d@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6850.
http://www.cde.state.co.us/edtech/erate2.htm

The survey portal is www.plinternetsurvey.org – respondents can find FAQs and other support, and then head to “start survey.”  That is also where you will find the 4 issue briefs (Broadband, Community Access, E-government, and Employment), as well as state summaries for Employment and E-government. The survey closes November 5, 2010.

Why participate in this survey?

• At the national level, the data have been used by NTIA, the FCC, Congress, ALA, and B&MGF to help make the case that libraries are critical community anchor institutions that should be included in any broadband plan initiatives; help libraries secure BTOP funds; and work with policy makers to secure LSTA funds for libraries. The data is also being combined with a range of geocoded data so that policymakers can see how libraries make a difference in their communities through their public access technologies.
• At the state level, 72% of state librarians said they currently are using or are likely to use the data for state-level testimony and to develop messaging related to public library technology resources. The data is used to develop state-level issue briefs, data summaries (employment and e-government), and other tools to help state libraries advocate on behalf of their libraries.
• At the local level, survey administrators have worked with a number of libraries to get stories out about the importance of libraries in their communities. They have also been working with the National Association of Counties to take the message to local governing bodies and decision makers. You can see several media stories using PLFTAS data at www.ala.org/ala/research/initiatives/plftas/2009_2010/media.cfm.

Early on it was recognized by Colorado libraries that despite the plethora of easily-obtainable information via the Internet, people were having trouble finding the “right information” and credible information. To address this problem, you joined forces to create AskColorado. Many librarians in the state, however, are not aware that not only was AskColorado one of the first statewide, multi-library-type, virtual reference services to open in the U.S., it remains one of only fifteen or so states that continue with such a service today.

“While states such as Massachusetts and California have discontinued their services, ours continues today to offer high-level service, along with other states such as Ohio, Maryland, and New Jersey,” said Kris Johnson, AskColorado Coordinator. “Our per-capita usage rivals that of those larger states.”

“We offer the human touch to an oftentimes impersonal Internet, and help put people in touch with information that they would otherwise be unable to locate themselves,” added Johnson. “And judging by our numbers, people need us!”

Recent comments from customers highlight the need and usefulness of AskColorado:

• Love that I can access a librarian 24/7 as I often am in urgent need for help when the regular library is closed and I can’t find what I need on the library website. Great friendly and quick service. Very impressed.
• I was so happy to find this service! I was lost navigating a variety of sites and the librarian helped me find the one I needed for my paper.
• The human touch was there. Doesn’t get any better than that!

Over the years, residents from every county in Colorado have logged in, with nearly 25% of those questions coming from rural areas. Questions range the gamut, from homework help for kids, to how to start a small business for adults. Recent research questions include:

• I am trying to find research studies on effective classroom routines or how such routines help with classroom management.
• What is the amount of water the entire state of Colorado uses in one day?
• I am researching the effectiveness of LinkedIn as a job search tool. I have lots of short articles but no substantial research. Help!
• I am sending invitations to our state senators and representatives. How do I address them on the envelope?

AskColorado has also received its share of whimsical questions:

• Can you help me find an article that has a list of the top 500 fictional villains…the evilest!?
• What is the circumference of a moose?

Interesting questions received on the service are posted at the AskColorado Twitter account  nearly daily. AskColorado also participates in popular social networking sites, including Facebook and Delicious.

The AskColorado service works on a model similar to public radio: it is grant-funded and paid for by member libraries. Federal monies through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) are supplied via the Colorado State Library, a unit of the Colorado Department of Education. In addition, member libraries contribute financially and through staff support.

Libraries throughout Colorado of every type — public, academic, school and specialized libraries — contribute money to pay for the software and 24/7 service. Local libraries also provide the staff time to work online with Colorado students and residents. If your library would like to join, or you would like additional information, please contact Kris Johnson.

Website: http://www.askcolorado.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AskColorado
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AskColorado
Operations Manager, Kris Johnson, johnson_k@cde.state.co.us, 303-866-6922

NETWORK’S LARGEST EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE CONNECTED TO THE TV SERIES AMERICA THE STORY OF US.

HISTORY™ announced the winners of a special contest for libraries connected with its landmark 12-part television series, AMERICA THE STORY OF US. The series, which premiered on April 25, 2010 and concluded on Memorial Day, was accompanied by the largest education outreach effort in the network’s history. The Library Outreach Contest encouraged libraries to create themed exhibits, media projects, and public programming about the role their community played in the broader national story.
Open to all libraries nationwide, the contest awarded a total of $35,000 in prizes to 13 libraries. The Grand Prize winner in the contest was awarded $15,000 along with two First Prize winners who were awarded $5,000 each and ten Second Prizes winners who were awarded $1,000 each.

The Erie Community Library part of High Plains Library District was awarded a first place prize in the amount of $5,000 for a project entitled Erie: From Working Coal Town to Suburban Boom Town. The portable slide show which was created by Carol Taylor, a Librarian for HPLD, showcases the town’s coal mining past. “Researching the town’s history and creating the project was fascinating. I learned so much and am grateful to have the opportunity to share what I learned with the world,” said Taylor.

Other winners included the Lower Macungie Library in Macungie, Pennsylvania (Grand Prize) for an exhibit entitled Six Days in April, Forty Years Ago: The Story of Apollo 13 and the Saratoga Springs Public Library in Saratoga Springs, New York (First Place) for their exhibit Honoring Saratoga Veterans. Second place winners include Haines Borough Public Library in Haines, Alaska for their project on the history of the local Tlingit tribe, the Illinois State Library for an exhibit entitled Writing Women Back into History and the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library in Marlboro County, South Carolina for an exhibit entitled Then and Now.

The Library Outreach Contest was a combined effort between HISTORY, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities to engage libraries to join a national exploration of the American past. “AMERICA THE STORY OF US provided a perfect catalyst for communities all over America to join in the conversation about the history of our country,” said Dr. Libby O’Connell, Chief Historian and SVP, Corporate Outreach for HISTORY. “Local libraries brought their grassroots focus to highlight the wonderful stories in their collections and in their backyards.”

“These winners are a testament to the power of libraries to connect communities to the American story,” said Marsha L. Semmel, Acting Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “The rich diversity of the projects is impressive. And we are particularly delighted to see so many small libraries answer this call in a big way. Congratulations to all.”

The library contest criteria included the relevance of the exhibit to American history, the effectiveness of the exhibit or media project overall, and outreach about the projects to local communities.

article obtained from http://www.mylibrary.us/about_my_library/news_detail.asp?news_id=295

Francine Fialkoff, Library Journal Editor-in-Chief, has asked me to bring this site to your attention if you haven’t already seen it: www.LosingLibraries.org.

Reduced hours in Boulder and Lafayette, and the closures in Aurora are listed, as is the BHAG advocacy initiative.

The prominent “Report Cuts” button allows sending of newspaper stories and annotations…and to report successes. The site seems geared toward public libraries, but doesn’t appear to restrict inclusion of layoffs, reductions, or closures in other types.

I encourage you to keep the site updated as changes happen in your library. While no one wants to flaunt bad news, showing an accurate picture is important as Colorado braces for further budget battles locally, and at the state level.

Once the site is more fully populated, Library Journal will send out press releases to major media around the country.

Thank you for your help on this.