SAYL Mail » Technology

SAYL Mail September 17, 2007

wordwings — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:16:09 +0000

ALASKA LIBRARY NETWORK NEWS / PASSWORD FOR LHH / POSITION POSTING / HOORAY

ALASKA LIBRARY NETWORK NEWS

Kerri Canepa asked me to post this to you all:

The Alaska Library Network has a new web page! Check out http://alaskalibrarynetwork.org/ for loads of promotional materials for SLED and the Digital Pipeline all available for download and printing. You’ll find brochures, bookmarks, posters and other items. Just click on Products & Services in the lefthand column. Keep up with what’s happening with ALN by clicking on News and also Schedule & Events. As ALN grows, so will the web page so make sure to bookmark the site and visit regularly! SLED has a new toolbar that can be added to your browser! It’s customizable and will search SLED from anywhere on the Internet. Go to sled.alaska.edu and click on “Download the SLED toolbar!” text in the lefthand column. Please note, the toolbar does not work with Safari, so if you use Apple products, download the toolbar in Firefox. The Digital Pipeline now features a series of video tutorials! These are designed to provide step-by-step instruction for using the EBSCOhost interface. The tutorials build on each other by explaining the features of the interface and how to use it for searching for information. Each tutorial is approximately 2 1/2 to 3 minutes in length and can be viewed over and over again. Go to sled.alaska.edu/databases/ and click on the “Need Help?” box on the righthand side of the page to get to the list of tutorials. Please send any comments or suggestions about any of the web sites to:

Kerri Canepa, Coordinator, Alaska Library Network Alaska State Library, 334 W. 3rd Avenue, Ste 125, Anchorage, AK
99501907-269-6567 kerri.canepa@alaska.gov

LIVE HOMEWORK HELP PASSWORD (AGAIN!)

Live Homework Help is a valuable afterschool service offered on SLED (http://sled.alaska.edu/) or on a number of public and school library websites each day from 1 to 9 PM for students who need help with their homework. As I wrote last time, it now works with PCs AND Macs, but it requires a password. Although we can not post or mail that password electronically, we can tell you that it is the password that one uses for the databases on the Digital Pipeline. If you do not know the password, look at the Live Homework Help page for the toll-free number to obtain it. Feel free to distribute it freely in paper format, but just DON’T post it on a website or send it to students, teachers, or parents via email. Remember that students will need to know to use the password if they are asked for a library card number. Library card numbers will NOT work despite what the screen asks.

If you would like a couple of cute posters to advertise LIVE HOMEWORK HELP in your school, please contact Priscilla McAdara at priscilla.mcadara@alaska.gov

SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 10/1/2007

Because there were insufficient applicants for my position, the search has been broadened and the deadline extended. Take a look at the job description to learn how you can apply on Workplace
Alaska at: http://notes4.state.ak.us/wa/PostApps.nsf/0/5A5E395DFF0E09438925735300655EFC?OpenDocument

The position is listed under Librarian III and School Library Coordinator. It’s one job listed two different ways.

HOORAY!

Cheers for all the energetic youth services librarians who gathered in
Anchorage September 11-12 for the first-ever Alaska Youth Services Workshop. Priscilla McAdara of the State Library Anchorage office commented, “I don’t think I’ve ever been around so many people who had so much passion for their jobs.” There were 32 librarians in attendance, but there was enough energy in the room to stoke a few small power plants.

You can post comments on the blog by clicking on the number next to the post title.

Blogletter #9

wordwings — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:49:20 +0000

SAYL MAILNovember 30, 2006

NET SPEAK-UP / LAURA BUSH GRANTS / THANKS / PUBLIC LIBRARY REMINDER

To comment or respond to this blog, please click on the grey number next to Blogletter Number above.

NET SPEAK-UP DAY –
ALASKA INPUT WANTED

Here is a request from the American Association of School Librarians:

Now in its 4th year, NetDay Speak Up’s national online survey invites students, teachers, and parents from around the country to share their input in an online survey. The deadline has been extended with the survey remaining open until December 15, 2006 to allow maximum participation This is an opportunity for students, teachers and parents to participate in the national dialog about science, math, technology, and 21st century workforce skills. Learn more about NetDay Speak Up and how schools and districts can register and participate at <http://www.netday.org/speakup>.

The results of the surveys are shared with participating schools and districts so that they can use the data for planning and community discussion. In addition, the findings and data are used by local, state, and national organizations and government agencies to inform new programs and polices. Additional help is needed to get participation from the following states * AK, AR, HI, OK, DC, ID, MN, MS, MT, NH, ND, NV, RI, SD, VT, WV, WY, IA, WA, KS, UT, DE, NE, AL, ME, IN, NM, OR, and NJ. Please disseminate this information to these states so schools and districts to take part in Speak Up 2006. To preview the Speak Up surveys for students, teachers and parents go to <http://www.netday.org/SPEAKUP/speakup_surveys.htm>

LAURA BUSH GRANTS – Deadline 12/30/2006

Check this website for this year’s Laura Bush Foundation grants competition:http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/web2/index.htm Remember that this grant is intended for school libraries in areas with high poverty levels. The grants are for individual schools, not school districts, and are to be used “to update, extend and diversity the book collections” of the selected school libraries. It would be good to check the website now, because the deadline for asking the Foundation questions about the grant is December 20, 2006, and the deadline for your proposal is 10 days later. Several
Alaska libraries have been awarded these grants in the past.

THANKS

A big round of applause to the school librarians who have filled out their 2006 school library census forms already and appreciation to those of you will be turning them in this week. I keep getting new responses everyday. I think that the information will go a long way to helping us all be able to communicate about school library needs.

PUBLIC LIBRARY REMINDER

If you are intending to use the summer reading order form that you received in October, when you received your participation form, remember that the first deadline is this Friday, December 1. If it is not possible for you to order any extra incentives that your library needs for the 2006 GET A CLUE@YOUR LIBRARY statewide summer reading program, by Friday, the next deadline is January 1, 2007 for delivery in April of 2007. We have ordered basic kits for every public library that returned a participation form, so the order form is for any extras you want to purchase for your library.

If you are wondering where in the world your order form went because you want to order some of the great orange T-shirts to offer as prizes or thank-yous for volunteers, please contact Priscilla McAdara at priscilla_mcadara@eed.state.ak.us or call her at 1-800-776-6566 to get a replacement order form.

I may be traveling next week, so may not be able to respond to emails and phone calls promptly.

Blog Safety

wordwings — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:57:52 +0000

As an instructor answered questions when she taught us how to set up blogs yesterday, she and a student had a discussion about putting one’s name on a blog. The whole question of blog safety for young students came up. The student later sent me an article from the PBS teachers website about blog safety. I could not open it on my computer, but I am interested in seeing what the discussion was. Could someone send me the URL? Perhaps this would make a good topic for discussion?

I did not think it was much of an issue, but now I notice that I am hesitant to post my own name or anyone else’s. Hmmm……