The Colorado State Library will have a variety of pre-conferences and workshops at the 2009 CAL Conference. Don’t forget to stop by our booth on Friday and Saturday in the Exhibits Area. We would love to:
Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the last of six Youth Services workshops being held around the state. The College Hill Library in Westminster hosted (and couldn’t have been more gracious), and I do believe a great time was had by all.
In the morning, Kathy Barco from the Albuquerque Public Library presented ideas for 2010 summer reading, including decorations, crafts, celebrations, activities, refreshments, programs, and more. The themes are “Make a Splash @ Your Library” (children) and “Make Waves @ Your Library” (teens).
The afternoon included discussion of after-school programming, a report on the LSTA Early Literacy (CLEL) Storytime grants, an update on State Library youth services initiatives, and of course distribution of the 2010 statewide summer reading program manuals.
Here are some of the photos I took during the day. Enjoy!
Kathy Barco presenting an activity (making fish headbands out of balloons), and some of the participants enjoying their new looks.
The fabulous staff at the College Hill Library in Westminster. Continue reading ‘Youth Services Workshop – Westminster, 10.16.09′
In rural NE Colorado, the directors of several public libraries gathered last Friday to network and commiserate on the success of their services to their communities. Judy, Shelley and I had the good fortune to share information and lunch with this bunch. We met downstairs in the recently-renovated Akron Public Library, which is such a warm and cozy space. What a great community hub! See our Flickr account for more photos, including the wonderful interior.
For small libraries in Colorado, staffing and volunteers are particularly crucial for day-to-day operations. Directors wear a dozen different hats, so to take time away from daily work for this kind of networking and information sharing is no small decision. Our thanks to all of those who made the trip, and to Jan McCracken, Akron’s director, for hosting!
The dust has settled on the 2009-10 LSTA grants to libraries process. With the economy in the state wobbly and libraries doing all they can to scrape by, it’s not surprising that $792,285 worth of grant proposals were submitted, competing for the $400,000 allocated to Colorado through the Library Services and Technology Act.
Teams of grant reviewers, composed of librarians of all types from throughout Colorado, scrutinized every word within each proposal. For a library or library service organization to prepare a top-notch proposal is no small feat, and reviewers took their task just as seriously.
The breadth of proposals, both in terms of content and reach in Colorado, was impressive. All grants awarded addressed the long-range goal “that Colorado’s residents will be able to access resources and services electronically through libraries to meet their information and learning needs.”
A list of 10 grants awarded for 2009-10 follows below. For more information about the LSTA grant submission and review process, your questions are welcomed by Jean Marie Heilig, LSTA Grant Coordinator (heilig_j@cde.state.co.us)
Continue reading ‘Libraries awarded grants for key projects’
For School Librarians and Other Educators:
“Standards Galore!” Workshops – October 2009-February 2010 – register now!
Join your fellow school librarians and learn about the COMPANION DOCUMENTS that correlate with the new school library “Standards for the 21st Century Learner.”
The attendees will participate in lively discussions and work in groups to develop a better understanding of the new standards documents mentioned above and how to implement them into lesson development and into their school library program.
For Public Library Youth Services Librarians:
Youth Services Workshops – in October – register now!
Annual workshops for public library youth services librarians to network and learn about the 2010 Statewide Summer Reading Program and other youth services in public libraries:
-2010 statewide summer reading programs, presented by Kathy Barco:
-“Make a Splash” (children) and “Make Waves” (teen)
-Lunch and networking
-After-school programming including “The After-School Network”
-Report on the LSTA Early Literacy (CLEL) Storytime grants
-Update on State Library youth services initiatives
-Summer Reading manuals
Contact Michelle Gebhart, 303-866-6894, for more information.
It was a beautiful day in Bennett, CO, as Pam Sandlian Smith spoke about their newest library in the Rangeview Library District. The enthusiastic crowd awaited the opening of their new library as speeches were given recognizing those involved in the project. The 7,000 square foot building replaces the original branch that was opened in 1974 on the same site. Many sustainable building practices were used throughout the building including recycled beetle-killed pine for the ceiling and paneling, ground source heating and cooling, solatube natural light sourcing, and photovoltaic solar array. Also unique to this library, as highlighted in the 6/9/09 Denver Post article, “Adams County Libraries Shelving Dewey Decimal” is the elimination of the Dewey Decimal Classification system replaced by the use of word categories. Another fine example of a Colorado library with an eye to the future. Congratulations to all.
The keynote speaker for all three workshops is George Needham V.P of OCLC. Don’t miss this event, because George has some very thought-provoking ideas on how your library can be a transformational force in your community.
On top of that, there will be over 25 workshops to choose from.
Registration fee is $35/day with breakfast and lunch included!
The registration fee bumps up to $40/day two weeks before the event, so register early!
Complete a scholarship form and you may be selected to receive two days of registration – free!
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.*
* Indicates a topic in which the State Library is involved. Continue reading ‘Top Trends in Colorado Libraries – 2008′
The Colorado State Library today announced grants to 16 school, public and academic libraries for innovative projects designed to improve library services and life-long learning. The proposals are funded through the federal Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) allocation to the Colorado Department of Education and Colorado State Library.
This year’s grants totaled nearly $257,000. All grants addressed a goal in the long-range plan to improve library services to Colorado students and adult learners that support educational achievement and lifelong learning.
Awards were made to:
For more information regarding these grants, contact Jean Marie Heilig, LSTA Coordinator at 303-866-6731 or heilig_j@cde.state.co.us
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!
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