WSL Updates for May 23, 2013

Volume 9, May 23, 2013 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) LAST CHANCE TO FILL THE BASKET FOR WTBBL 2) DIGITAL LITERACY HELP FROM WSL 3) OCLC ILL MIGRATION UPDATE 4) GRANTS FOR STEM EARLY LEARNING 5) SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMMING COMPETITION 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) LAST CHANCE TO FILL THE BASKET FOR WTBBL The You Pick for Charity Game, a free online fundraiser sponsored by the Inland Northwest Community Foundation (INWCF), will end next Friday, May 31. Take a few moments to support the great work of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) by picking a few virtual apples. To play, go to www.inwcf.org/give/you-pick-for-charity-game. Then simply move all the apples on the tree into WTBBL’s basket. At the end of May, the charity with the most apples wins. Factoid: Did you know that WTBBL has gone digital? In addition to providing materials in traditional formats, such as Braille and large print, WTBBL’s services also include:

  • Digital Talking Book Machines – available in standard and advanced models, both approximately 6 by 9 by 2 inches and featuring headphone jacks and USB ports;
  • Audio books (talking books) – available in a new digital cartridge format specially designed to be played on the new Digital Talking Book Machines;
  • Web streaming – broadcasting the Evergreen Radio Reading Service (ERRS) 24/7;
  • InfoEyes, an online virtual reference and information service provided by professional librarians to those with visual or other print limitations;
  • Monthly online newsletter, Reading Matters, available in pdf, mp3, Word, and Web-Braille. Find out more about Reading Matters by visiting www.wtbbl.org/newsletter.aspx.
All of these services are free to those who are eligible for services from WTBBL. Additional information about WTBBL may be found at www.wtbbl.org. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) DIGITAL LITERACY HELP FROM WSL Do your library patrons need assistance with using computers or exploring the Web? Could your library staff use a few more tools to help them? The Washington State Library is pleased to announce the unveiling of a new resource, “Digital Literacy in Washington State.” This portal, designed for library staff as well as members of the public, combines digital literacy tools developed in Washington State as well as national project information about the Digital Literacy Initiative. It features a number of resources, including:
  • Tutorials on using computers and computer programs;
  • Help for job seekers applying for employment online;
  • Online security and safety information;
  • Tech tips and terminology;
  • Accessibility resources for the online environment;
  • Training for library staff.
Explore this great new tool by going to sos.wa.gov/q/DLWa. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) OCLC ILL MIGRATION UPDATE OCLC has recently added more functionality to the new WorldShare InterLibrary Loan service. With these additions, WorldShare Interlibrary Loan contains nearly all features available in the WorldCat Resource Sharing service, plus some features only available in the new service. Details are available here: sos.wa.gov/q/ILL-Update. As a reminder, OCLC is phasing out its current WorldCat Resource Sharing (WCRS) service, replacing it with the WorldShare InterLibrary Loan service. Both systems will run in parallel through the end of the year, but access to WCRS will end in December, 2013, at which time, all libraries need to have migrated to the new service. For more information, including links for ongoing staff training, visit the Wayfinder news page at sos.wa.gov/q/WayfinderNews or visit the OCLC WorldShare ILL site at sos.wa.gov/q/WorldShareILL. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) GRANTS FOR STEM EARLY LEARNING The Foundation for Early Learning is launching an innovative new program, the Discoveries from the Field Fund, to support community-driven themes that increase a local understanding of early learning. In the first year of this program the Foundation plans to pilot projects that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Over the next 3 ½ years, the Foundation will be awarding $325,000 to one full STEM cohort of five grantees to test its model to generate innovative projects, identify measureable impacts, and promote scalable outcomes. The Foundation seeks grantees that want to transform the lives of young children and families, whether through establishing a positive STEM idea for parents to pass on to their children or reimagining how practical day-to-day STEM ideas can advance children’s foundational math understanding in practical ways. To find out more about this grant opportunity, visit www.earlylearning.org/grantmaking. Letters of Inquiry are due by Thursday, June 13, 2013; final applications will be due on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMMING COMPETITION The web is an open-ended laboratory for connected learning and creating. It has made possible anywhere-anytime learning for all generations, especially youth, in ways previously unimaginable. It promotes interest-driven learning with, and from, peers. These dramatic developments in connected learning provide opportunities to highlight the ability of those engaged in digital citizenship to:
  • Use the web and its resources well and safely;
  • Interact collaboratively with peers and across generations in productive ways;
  • Put web resources and networks to good civic purpose;
  • Advocate for effective and equitable web solutions to social problems;
  • Develop web-based skills for productive purposes.
Offering awards up to $10,000, the Digital Media & Learning Competition, administered by HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Sciences, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory) and supported by the MacArthur Foundation, and in collaboration with the Born This Way Foundation and Mozilla, is calling for proposals that offer youth a chance to “Project: Connect” this summer. Libraries, museums, and other non-profit institutions that provide hands-on learning opportunities for youth are encouraged to submit proposals for summer events and programming that will excite and support learning, youth development, and civic engagement. For additional information, go to sos.wa.gov/q/DMLC. Online applications are due by 5:00 p.m. PDT, Monday, June 10, 2013. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK Tuesday, May 28:
  • OneClickdigital – Downloadable Audiobooks (Recorded Books); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT: sos.wa.gov/q/1Click28May;
  • Simplified Data Mining for Direct Mail (Nonprofit Webinars); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT: sos.wa.gov/q/mining;
  • Technology Training at the Library – Improving Technology Training (Texas State Library); 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. PDT;
Wednesday, May 29:
  • Tech Talk with Michael Sauers: Free Technology for Teachers (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT: sos.wa.gov/q/NLC29May;
  • Tips for the Positive Deviant (Training Magazine Network); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: sos.wa.gov/q/TMN29May;
  • What to Expect During an Audit (Nonprofit Webinars); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/q/audit;
  • Campaigns: Leveraging Major, Planned and Student Giving (Nonprofit Webinars); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
  • ProQuest Learning Literature (ProQuest); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT: sos.wa.gov/q/PQ689;
Thursday, May 30:
  • Trust at Work: Four Keys to Building Better Work Relationships (The Ken Blanchard Companies); 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/q/trust;
  • Modern Web Applications Utilizing HTML5 APIs (O’Reilly Community); 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. PDT: oreillynet.com/pub/e/2624;
Friday, May 31:
  • WCAG – Do screen reader users take full advantage? (Accessible Technology Coalition); 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT: sos.wa.gov/q/WCAG.
For more information and to register (for those not linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Washington State Library has gone social! Friend/follow us at: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An archive of WSL Updates is available at http://list.statelib.wa.gov/read/?forum=wslupdates.
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