WSL Updates for July 7, 2011

Volume 7, July 7, 2011 for the WSL Updates mailing list Topics include: 1) BOTTOM LINE ON VOLUNTEERS 2) TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT 3) UNLIMITED WEBJUNCTION COURSES 4) CHANGES COMING – NETLIBRARY, EBSCO, RECORDED BOOKS 5) SDL PROQUEST UPDATES 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) BOTTOM LINE ON VOLUNTEERS When the library budget calls for doing more with less, getting volunteers can be a great solution. They can be an amazing addition to your organization, or be a further drain on resources. By attending the next First Tuesdays program, The Bottom Line on Volunteers, you will acquire tips on how to:

  • Prepare for volunteer opportunities;
  • Connect with workers in your community;
  • Evaluate the value added to your organization.
David Junius, volunteer coordinator for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, will be the featured speaker for this event on August 5. To join the presentation, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/FirstTuesdays. First Tuesdays is a free, online, monthly presentation from the Washington State Library, held from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. PDT on the first Tuesday of each month. For more information, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/tuesdays. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT It is that time again … time for the Training/Continuing Education Needs Assessment to assist in planning future trainings and CE opportunities for Washington library staff. This year, the Washington State Library (WSL) is teaming up with the Washington Library Association (WLA) on this project. We invite you to participate and share this survey with your colleagues. It is for all library staff (and trustees, Friends, volunteers) in Washington. The information we collect from this needs assessment will help us in creating free and inexpensive training programs and in identifying popular webinars and trainings that are already available. The survey, available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/HW5SKSK, should take between 15 – 20 minutes to complete. Please forward as appropriate. Please excuse any duplication of this message as we try to reach all library staff in Washington! If you have any questions, please contact either Jennifer Fenton, WSL CE/Training Coordinator at [email protected] 360.570.5571 or Kate Laughlin, WLA Program Coordinator at [email protected] 206.948.5301. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) UNLIMITED WEBJUNCTION COURSES WebJunction Washington is changing for the better by offering unlimited courses for Washington library staff. The course catalog contains more than 300 courses and is made available to you through the generous sponsorship of the Washington State Library (WSL). As of July 1, 2011, all courses are offered free of charge, and you can enroll in as many courses as you choose. The catalog of courses is no longer available to non-members. In order to take advantage of these free courses, paid for by WSL with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), please follow these easy steps: If you already have a WebJunction Washington account, simply log in at wa.webjunction.org. Please note that if you are logged into WJ Central (webjunction.org) you will not have access to the course catalog. If you do not have an account, it is free to create one. Just complete these three steps:
  1. Create a WebJunction Washington member account by going to www.webjunction.org/accounts/#create_account;
  2. Get approved for access by the state library. Be sure to select Washington as your affiliation when registering for an account. It may take 3 to 5 days to be approved by the moderator. www.webjunction.org/accounts/#understanding_affiliations;
  3. Sign in to your account at wa.webjunction.org.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) CHANGES COMING – NETLIBRARY, EBSCO, RECORDED BOOKS EBSCO and Recorded Books have announced changes that will affect the statewide Downloadable Audiobooks project. EBSCO is moving all NetLibrary content to its EBSCOHost platform, mid-July. Recorded Books has announced its new OneClickdigital platform. As of December 31, 2011, Recorded Books content will no longer be available from any of the NetLibrary or EBSCO platforms. What does this mean for WSL’s “Off the Page: Downloadable Audiobooks for Washington” project? Attend next week’s free 1-hour webinar, and get the answers to your questions. The session will be hosted by Will Stuivenga, WSL project manager, and will also feature Bryan Messersmith from Recorded Books. Tuesday, July 12, 11:00 a.m. via Elluminate (now Blackboard Connect): www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/WillsRoom. The session will be archived, and will be available for those unable to attend live. For other questions, contact project manager Will Stuivenga at [email protected] or 360.704.5217 toll-free 866.538.4996. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) SDL PROQUEST UPDATES The new WSL Statewide Database Licensing contract with ProQuest went into effect July 1, 2011. Libraries should expect to receive invoices from ProQuest within the next couple of weeks. Any auto-renewal notices received from ProQuest before June 30 should be ignored. With the new contract comes new content: For links to more detailed descriptions of current (and previous) content, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ. ProQuest is still working out access and authentication issues for some of this new content, but barcode number authentication is not available for the SIRS, History, and Literature products. Some previous content is not included under the new contract. Content that is going away:
  • eLibrary Elementary (“regular” eLibrary remains);
  • Ethnic NewsWatch;
  • Alt-Press Watch;
  • The “complete” ProQuest Newsstand (still included are the Washington Newsstand and the National Newspaper Core).
ProQuest is offering “preferred pricing” with discounts up to 35% for libraries interested in purchasing separate subscriptions to any of the vanishing content. Visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/Renewal for more information. All Washington libraries will continue to have access to the discontinued content through the end of July, 2011. Questions? Please contact SDL project manager Will Stuivenga at [email protected] or 360.704.5217 toll-free 866.538.4996. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) FREE CE OPPORTUNITIES NEXT WEEK Monday, July 11: Tuesday, July 12: Wednesday, July 13:
  • Advanced Searching: Beyond the Single Search Box (ProQuest); 7:00 – 8:00 a.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ84;
  • What's Happening with Genre Headings? (NCompass Live); 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT;
  • Connecting with your Community via Facebook – They already Like you! (Texas State Library); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT;
  • My Research & RefWorks: Perfect Together (ProQuest); 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. PDT: www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/PQ85;
Thursday, July 14: For more information and to register (unless otherwise linked above), visit the WSL Training Calendar at www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/training. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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