WSL Updates for February 25, 2016

Volume 12, February 25, 2016 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) WORKING TOGETHER TO REACH THE UNDERSERVED 2) GAINING STEAM WITH LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3® 3) 2016 WASHINGTON VIRTUAL REFERENCE CONFERENCE 4) ARSL 2016 CONFERENCE SEEKS PRESENTATION PROPOSALS 5) GREAT STORIES CLUB GRANT APPLICATIONS OPEN 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) WORKING TOGETHER TO REACH THE UNDERSERVED Partnering with Community Organizations to Reach the Underserved presented by Danielle Duvall, King County Library System, and Summer Hayes, Seattle Public Library.

  • Join us on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PST
Building relationships with other organizations which serve the public has a range of benefits from gaining community knowledge to increasing opportunities for programming and outreach. This free First Tuesdays webinar will discuss the importance of partnerships between libraries and other community organizations including after-school program providers, mental health providers, shelters, city parks, and recreation departments. Attendees will learn how to select partner organizations, initiate contact, articulate goals when creating partnerships, and identify the advantages of different types of relationships. Instructions and Login for First Tuesdays session First Tuesdays is a continuing education opportunity provided by the Washington State Library. Questions? Please contact Carolyn Petersen at [email protected] or 360-570-5560. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) GAINING STEAM WITH LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3® Washington State Library announces Gaining STEAM workshops – a Lego Mindstorms EV3® experience. The WSL Updates editor recently attended one of these workshops. A novice in programming and robotics, she learned a lot, had a fun time, and earned chocolate! These are great workshops, so register now.
  • Gaining STEAM workshops are offered as a hands-on 6-hour robotics building and programming workshop to prepare library staff to host programs in their communities.
  • The workshops are for beginners; no previous robotics or programming experience is needed. Library staff from all types of libraries are welcome.
Gaining STEAM workshops are happening:
  • March 2 – Ritzville
  • March 3 – Spokane
  • March 4 – Spokane
  • March 14 – Richland
  • March 15 – Clarkston
  • March 17 – Moxee
So, get STEAMed. Space is limited, please register now. Starting in May 2016, the Lego Mindstorms EV3® kits used for this training will be offered for circulation to public and tribal libraries around the state. Details on how to reserve the kits for local library programs will be announced in the spring. Lunch will be one and one-half hours and on your own. A week before the session date for which you’ve registered, you will receive an email with nearby restaurant suggestions. Our goal is to provide useful and fun Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) training for library staff throughout the state. Gaining STEAM is an outreach program provided by the Washington State Library in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). It provides another tool to enrich Washington State communities through the libraries that serve them. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) 2016 WASHINGTON VIRTUAL REFERENCE CONFERENCE
  • Does your library provide virtual reference service?
  • Have you wondered if virtual reference might be a good fit for your patrons?
  • Is your library already a member of Ask WA (Washington’s 24/7 virtual reference cooperative)?
If you said yes to any of the questions above, this free, one-day conference is for you. Washington State Library is sponsoring Washington’s first conference on the topic of virtual reference. We’ve lined up a great keynote speaker, Aaron Schmidt. If you have questions, please contact Nono Burling at [email protected]. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) ARSL 2016 CONFERENCE SEEKS PRESENTATION PROPOSALS Does your library (or you) go “beyond normal”? If yes, plan to go north (and, from Washington, east) in October 2016.
  • The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) is accepting proposals for break-out session presentations for the 2016 Conference to be held in Fargo, North Dakota October 27 – 29, 2016.
  • The theme for ARSL 2016 is “North of Normal” and we’d like to hear about creative ideas that take your library beyond normal.
Workshops must be geared toward the small and rural library audience. Practical, hands-on, and how-to workshops are preferred. This is not the proper venue for post-graduate dissertations or marketing products. Additional instructions are included on this form.
  • Proposals for these 1-hour sessions can be submitted using this online form.
  • The deadline to submit is midnight on March 21, 2016 in order for the Conference Programming Committee to review and make selections. (Please note, the deadline date on the form is incorrect.)
  • Those who submit a proposal will be notified whether or not their proposal was accepted by April 15, 2016.
Workshop presenters will receive ONE complimentary conference registration per workshop title selected, i.e. a team of three presenters working on one workshop will receive one complimentary registration. Please watch the ARSL website www.arsl.info or Facebook and Twitter streams for the latest conference news! The committee is looking forward to receiving your submissions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) GREAT STORIES CLUB GRANT APPLICATIONS OPEN The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office announces a new round of the Great Stories Club, a reading and discussion program for at-risk teens, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The 2016 offering will feature books under the theme “The Art of Change: Creation, Growth and Transformation.”
  • Apply online here.
  • Applications are due April 15, 2016.
Working with small groups of 6 to 10 teens, grantees will host reading and discussion events for each of three selected book titles. The titles – selected in consultation with librarian advisors and humanities scholars – are chosen to resonate with reluctant readers struggling with complex issues like incarceration, violence, and poverty. Eligible libraries are located within or working in partnership with organizations that serve at-risk youth, such as alternative high schools, juvenile justice organizations, homeless shelters, foster care agencies, teen parenting programs, residential treatment facilities, and other nonprofit and community agencies. Up to 75 grants will be awarded. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK March 1 March 2 March 3 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information and to register (unless otherwise linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at sos.wa.gov/q/training. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Washington State Library has gone social! Friend/follow us at: Facebook: on.fb.me/FBWSL; Twitter: twitter.com/WAStateLib.
(html)

Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs

Image
Image of Secretary of State Steve Hobbs

Connect with Us

Search Our Corner

OSOS Websites

About this Blog

The Washington Office of the Secretary of State’s blog provides from-the-source information about important state news and public services.

This space acts as a bridge between the public and Secretary Steve Hobbs and his staff, and we invite you to contribute often to the conversation here.

Comments Disclaimer

The comments and opinions expressed by users of this blog are theirs alone and do not reflect the opinions of the Secretary of State’s Office or its employees. The agency screens all comments in accordance with the Secretary of State’s blog use policy, and only those that comply with that policy will be approved and posted. Outside comments will not be edited by the agency.