Monday, September 29, 2008

Author Bill Crider Will Be in Duncanville!

Duncanville Public Library Director Carla Bryan has asked us to help get the word out about "a TERRIFIC program our Friends group is hosting." Texas author Bill Crider will be honored at the Friends of the Duncanville Public Library's 12th Annual Author Banquet Thursday Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the library's circulation desk for $15/each, or $90 to reserve a table.

"Bill is a great presenter & a wonderful author whose books are so much fun to read," Carla tells us. To request an electronic file of a flyer to post and/or distribute - or just for more information, please contact her at 201 James Collins Blvd.; Duncanville, TX 75116; 972-780-5053; cbryan@ci.duncanville.tx.us .

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Conference Registration Is NOW OPEN!!!

"Get 'Em In!"
The first annual all-day North Texas Conference for Library Program Planners and Presenters

Thursday November 20, 2008
at the
Lockheed Martin Recreation Area
in Southwest Fort Worth

Designed for folks responsible for presenting and / or coordinating library programs, the event will include training sessions, some presenter showcases, dedicated time to visit exhibits, time to network with peers, and even refreshments and lunch!

Keynote Address: Marketing Without Money
by Emmy Award-winning TV reporter Jeff Crilley

Registration is now open!

Fee: $15 if paid by November 10
$20 after November 10 or at the door

Lunch will be provided for all who register, but lunches for those who register at the door will arrive 15 - 30 minutes later and be served separately.

Conference attendees may earn up to 6 CE/CPE hours at this event.

8:30 - 9:00 Sign-in

8:30 - 1:00 Exhibits - including Service Providers, Product Providers and Presenters for Hire

9:00 - 10:30 Keynote Address - Jeff Crilley: Marketing Without Money
10:45 - 3:30 Training Sessions and Presenter Showcases

11:45 - 1 Lunch (provided)

3:45 - ?? Eric's Circle

Session details will be posted soon on the Library Presentations Network SIG website!

Library Presentations Network Special Interest Group WEBSITE & DISCUSSION LIST

It's AVAILABLE NOW! Another website specifically designed for communication among library staff and supporters who share a common interest.

The Library Presentations Network is one of four Special Interest Groups (SIGs) created by Texas Library Association (TLA) District 7 in partnership with the North Texas Regional Library System (NTRLS). The other three SIGs are the Library Program Planners and Presenters Network, the Library Supporters Network, and the Library Technology Network.

The Library Presentations Network exists to facilitate networking among library staff and supporters involved in planning and presenting library programs.

In addition to having its own website and an annual conference, each SIG will hold periodic meetings for networking and discussion of business. Some meetings will take place online via chat. Meetings will be called and conducted by District 7 officers.

Each SIG website will serve as a gateway to information about the annual conference, additional SIG-specific resources and an email discussion list where members can network. Archives of the discussion list will be available online. Other features will be added in the future to support the online environment for peer networking.

Future plans for the SIG websites include extended features for online peer networking, such as online chats, blogs, wikis, and other Web 2.0 innovations. As each SIG website is enhanced and the other SIGs come online, members also will be able to maintain online profiles and contact lists.

To join the email discussion list for this SIG, visit the Library Presentations Network, click on "discussion" and follow the directions.

Information about the other SIG websites will be posted here as the websites become accessible.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Continuing Education Opportunities

The South Central Chapter of the Medical Library Association is holding its Annual Meeting in Dallas next month, and several continuing education classes are available. Even if you aren't a medical librarian, you may find one or more classes of interest to you.

Classes will be held at the Radisson Hotel Central Dallas, 6060 N. Central Expressway (Mockingbird @ Central Expwy). CE credit from the Medical Library Association (MLA) is available for all classes, which are listed as follows. Click on the class name for details about that class.

CE1 - Medical Terminology (8 MLA contact hours)
Saturday, October 11
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

CE2 - Measuring Your Impact: Using Evaluation for Library Advocacy (6 MLA contact hours)
Saturday, October 11
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

CE3 - Creating Online Tutorials in Less Than 30 Minutes (4 MLA contact hours)
Sunday, October 12
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

CE4 - Posters 101: Making Order Out of Chaos (4 MLA contact hours)
Wednesday, October 15
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

CE5 - Distance Education (8 MLA contact hours)
Wednesday, October 15
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Note: A Web-based portion will follow the presentation of this class. Participants will receive a total of 8 contact hours, representing their online and live course work.

CE6 - Information Security & Sensitive Information (4 MLA contact hours)
Wednesday, October 15
1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

CE7 - MARC & Copy Cataloging
Wednesday, October 15
1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

To register for these classes, please go to http://www.regonline.com/sccmla-2008 and select the "Partial Conference: CE Only" option to begin. Classes are available for $100 (for 4 contact hours) or $150 (for more than 4 contact hours) per class.

Of course, if you wish to register for the entire meeting, you are more than welcome to do so as well. More information about the meeting may be found at http://sccmla.org/Meetings/Meeting_2008 .

If you have any questions about this, please message dallas2008@sccmla.org.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Resources for Texas Libraries, Archives, Etc., Located in Possible Hurricane Path

With weather forecasters predicting the direction of Hurricane Ike to turn toward the Texas gulf coast, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has sent out a list of recommended programs and resources that are available for librarians, archivists, curators, records managers and other custodians of historical records when their units are faced with pre-planning or responding in a natural disaster situation.

TSLAC STATE & LOCAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT

TSLAC offers to state agencies and local governments Records Management assistance such as active and continuing records management solutions, protection of governmental records options and preparation before an emergency situations arise. For resources visit http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/slrm/ or call the TSLAC State & Local Records Management division (512-421-7200).

HERITAGE EMERGENCY NATIONAL TASK FORCE

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force, co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has set up http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PROGRAMS/TFcurrent.html for taking reports on damage to cultural resources and requests for assistance from affected organizations. Used for the first time during the floods this summer in the Midwest, this site also has information on coping with water damage, saving your treasures and navigating FEMA and Small Business Administration disaster assistance. For more information contact 202-233-0800 or taskforce@heritagepreservation.org.

AIC COLLECTIONS EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM

The Collections Emergency Response Team (AIC-CERT) is a product of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works. It offers a rapid-response team of 60 individuals who are trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster has occurred. They are staffed 24 hours a day. Call 202-661-8068 for simple advice or to request the deployment of a CERT team to your area. To view their brochure, visit http://aic.stanford.edu/news/AIC-CERT.pdf.

AMIGOS LIBRARIES DISASTER PLANNING AND RECOVERY

The Amigos Library Services with a membership of 750 libraries and cultural heritage institutions, mostly in the southwestern United States, offers immediate guidance in the event of an emergency. They provide information, referrals to local resources, damage recovery and on-site assistance before, during and after an emergency or natural disaster. Contact Amigos Support Desk (800-843-8482 x2863 during business hours; 469-223-4900 after hours or amigos@amigos.org). In the Dallas area call 972-851-8000. For a disaster plan template for libraries and archives, visit http://www.amigos.org/files/disasterplan.pdf.

Source: TSLAC Communications Officer Derick Hackett (512-463-5514; dhackett@tsl.state.tx.us)

Trouble keeping up with tasks?????

Interesting site for keeping up with tasks, errands, meetings etc...
Remember the Milk. I really like the idea of listing errands and the locations are then mapped out for the best path.......... For those that love lists - this is for you?? For the rest of us, it may help organize!

Monday, September 08, 2008

Call for Articles from Library Staff and Supporters

If you've been visiting the NTRLS website in the past year or so, you may have noticed that each month we post a variety of items related to a featured topic. In addition to a podcast and the Executive Director's column, there's always an article written by someone in the field.

NTRLS invites its readers to submit articles for our website. Please refer to our Authors' Guidelines for a list of our upcoming themes and details about our preferred format for submissions.

2009 Guidelines for J. Frank Dobie Trust Award

Application guidelines for the 2009 J. Frank Dobie Library Trust Awards are much the same as in past years. Please remember all applications are to be mailed in triplicate. Single copies or faxed applications will not be considered.

If you are unable to open the attached pdf file by clicking on the link above and need the guidelines mailed, please contact Michelle Wendel (mwendel@victoriatx.org).

Sunday, September 07, 2008

2008-2009 Public Library Internet Survey in the Field

TSLAC Library Development Program Coordinator Stacey Malek alerted us last week that several Texas libraries will be getting letters asking them to complete the 2008 National Survey of Public Library Funding and Technology Access. All libraries are eligible to participate should they choose, and their survey responses will be used as replacements for non-responding sampled libraries.

NTRLS-area libraries selected to participate are in the cities of Alvord, Arlington, Blue Mound, Burleson, Crowley, Denton, Everman, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Granbury, Haltom City, Iowa Park, Jacksboro, Keller, North Richland Hills, Olney, Rhome, River Oaks, Saginar, Seymour, Southlake and White Settlement.

The survey will be available for completion through November 7, 2008. A print version of the survey is included for convenience, but the survey should be completed online at http://www.plinternetsurvey.org. Weekly updates on survey completion progress in our state, in real time and reflecting current completion status, will be available directly at http://survey.pnmi.com/states/ and may be exported to Excel.

Last year's survey response rate was 78.6%. Results of that 2007-2008 study, which include the official overall study book released by ALA, may be viewed at http://www.ii.fsu.edu/plinternet. Funded by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the survey is part of a larger study managed by ALA. This survey group has been conducting these surveys since 1994. Responses provide vital data used by researchers and advocates.