Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Webinar Series and Conference From Blandin Foundation

A Webinar Series: Realizing Our Broadband Future, is being offered this fall by the Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative, prior to the annual Blandin Foundation Broadband Conference.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 8:00-9:30AM

A Futurist's View of Rural Minnesota

Presenter: Delore Zimmerman of Praxis Strategy Group, Grand Forks, ND

If you are interested in rural community and economic development trends, this webinar is for you. Delore Zimmerman will provide guidance for rural community leaders about development trends and the steps communities must take to increase their investment attractiveness.

The role that technology plays in increasing economic vitality will be presented both in theory and practice, and Delore will include information about successful regional economic development strategies.

Delore is a strategy consultant with twenty-five years of domestic and international experience working with local and regional economic development groups, companies and universities. He co-developed the High-Performance Community Initiative while a Senior Fellow at the Denver-based Center for the New West and has spearheaded its development and deployment for 10 years.

Webinar Series: Realizing Our Broadband Future

Sponsor: Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative

For more information and to register, click here.

http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=991

Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 8:00-9:30AM

Broadband Best Practices in Greater Minnesota

Presenter: Bill Coleman of Community Technology Advisors, Mahtomedi, MN

Broadband is an essential asset for community and economic development. Greater Minnesota faces many challenges in keeping up with larger metro areas in Minnesota, across the country and around the world.

Community leaders are faced with navigating a whirlwind of dynamic technologies, policy discussions at the federal and state level, and funding through the ARRA stimulus programs as they wrestle with the the challenge of ensuring world-class broadband infrastructure and services and motivating the adoption of new technologies by businesses, institutions and citizens. This session will provide an overview of community best practices for network deployment and broadband-based economic development.

Bill Coleman has been helping communities make the connection between broadband and economic development. He specializes in helping communities accurately assess their situation, devise improvement strategies and implement projects. He brings equal attention to infrastructure and end-user technology adoption that leads to economic vitality.

Webinar Series: Realizing Our Broadband Future

Sponsor: Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative

For more information and to register, click here.

http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=991

Tuesday, November 3, 8:00-9:30AM

Telling a Story with Social Media

Presenter: Ann Treacy, Treacy Information Services

Everyone has a story to tell, whether youre recruiting people or businesses to your region, selling a product or preparing a presentation on future of broadband in rural areas. Social media tools such as YouTube and podcasts can help you establish your story, social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn help you spread the word and ongoing blogs or Twitter can help maintain the story. Well talk about how to tell your story with social media.

Ann Treacy is a former librarian with 13 years of experience working with businesses and other organizations to get their message to prospective clients on the Internet. She works with resorts, realtors, manufacturers, nonprofits and others throughout Minnesota to develop Internet and social media strategies to meet business goals.

Webinar Series: Realizing Our Broadband Future

Sponsor: Blandin Foundation Broadband Initiative

For more information and to register, click here.

http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=991

Wednesday, November 18 - Thursday, November 19, 2009

Blandin Foundations 2009 Broadband Conference

The webinar series is being offered in advance of the annual Blandin Foundation Broadband Conference. The theme of this years conference is: Realizing Our Broadband Future: Getting from Here to There. It will focus on the future of Minnesota communities, providing community leaders with the information and tools they need to position their communities in the future.

Location: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Duluth MN

Cost: $105

For more information and to register, click here.

http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=988

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Minnesota Library Association Conference Needs Volunteers

Volunteering to help at conferences is a great way to meet people and often you can negotiate a discount on registration or get some other perk. :)
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Call for Conference Volunteers

Volunteers are urgently needed to assist with important functions at the MLA Conference on October 14-16, 2009 in St. Cloud. The overall success of the conference depends not only on the quality of its programs, which are excellent, but on the efficiency and effectiveness of its arrangements. As in years past, numerous volunteers are needed to insure that everything goes smoothly in busy areas such as Registration and the Silent Auction. Please consider giving two hours of your time during the conference to helping with these important tasks.
To find out the dates/times people are needed and to sign up as a volunteer, email conference volunteer coordinator Janet Urbanowicz at jurban65@gmail.com. She will add your name to the schedule and respond to confirm your assignment.

Friday, September 25, 2009

MN Workshop on Social Networking Sites

Note that there's a significant discount for students and those who are not currently working who register for this workshop

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The MN Chapter of the Special Libraries Association invites you to attend:

Professional Development: Using Social Networking Sites for Research

Facebook, MySpace: fact or fiction? Can there really be a practical application of these sites for researchers? Join us for a fascinating presentation from Meg Smith, researcher from the Washington Post.

WHEN

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Registration & Networking

12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Presentation

Light refreshments will be provided.

WHERE

Donaldson Co.

1400 West 94th Street

Bloomington, MN 55431

952.887.3131

Donaldson is located near the intersection of 35W and 94th St. in Bloomington.

Map (PDF): http://www.donaldson.com/en/about/dciMap.pdf

Driving Directions (Google Maps): http://tiny.cc/nte0j

You may park in any “Visitor” parking spot, or any spot that’s unnumbered.

NOTE: Participants will need to check in at the front desk in the lobby and wait for an escort to take them to the event room.

COST

$40 Association members (SLA, MALL, SCIP, ASIST, MLA, etc.)

$25 Students, unemployed, and retired attendees

$50 Non-members

*Please note registration guidelines below.

REGISTRATION

Deadline: Oct. 15th

1. Email name and contact information to MN Chapter SLA

2. Make payment through PayPal OR send check payable to MN Chapter SLA

Registration details are available on the MN SLA website at:

http://units.sla.org/chapter/cmn/programs/events/e102209.htm

Please note the following registration guidelines:

· If you register, we require you to pay, even if you are not able to attend.

· There will be a $5 charge for registrations made after the registration deadline.

· Registrations made after the deadline are not guaranteed seating.

CONTACTS

Julie Eskritt – julie.eskritt@donaldson.com – 952.887.3019

Karen Mackey – karen.mackey@donaldson.com952.887.3018

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Meg Smith will share stories of how the Washington Post has used social networking sites in investigative reporting. She’ll show us how to connect a social networking profile to the real-world person behind it, how to spot fake profiles, and how to expertly search social networking sites in order to find individuals who may be hiding, or whose names you might not know. (We’ll even get tips on how to search social networking web sites that haven't been invented yet!)

There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions during the presentation, but Meg will be happy to take comments in advance so she can tailor this presentation to our audience. Please send questions to Julie or Karen at the email addresses above.

Also, if you haven’t already, this would be a great time to explore Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.

Presenter Bio

Meg Smith is the Washington Post's local researcher. She was the lead researcher for the paper's coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2008 and was a landmark for how the newspaper used social networking sites to report the news. For the Post's "Forced Out" series, which won the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2009, Meg backsearched hundreds of land transactions on new condominiums, and used public records to find the owners of dozens of shadowy limited-liability companies that were shielding landlords who exploited loopholes in the city's housing laws.

Meg has also researched several other in-depth series and investigations including the paper's relentless pursuit of the perpetrators of the District's Office of Tax and Revenue fraud scheme, one of the largest municipal frauds in history, and the groundbreaking and data-rich multimedia series, "Being a Black Man," in 2006. Meg has a Bachelors in Journalism and an MLS from the University of Maryland, and has been at the Post since 2000. She has been a member of the Washington DC chapter of SLA since 2003.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

From Minitex: Imagine, Program, Share: Library Programming with Scratch

If you're interested in youth services or school media centers, check this out.

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MINITEX Reference Services is pleased to announce the following upcoming training.

Please register today before sessions become full!

To get more information and to register go to http://www.minitex.umn.edu/events/training/

Imagine, Program, Share: Library Programming with Scratch

Currently Offered Sessions

Time

Fee

Total Seats

Presenter

Register

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

8:30 AM – 11:00 AM (CST)

No Charge (All)

20

Matt Lee

REGISTER (All)

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

4:00 PM – 6:30 PM (CST)

No Charge (All)

20

Matt Lee

REGISTER (All)

Guest Presenters: Jennifer Nelson, Senior Librarian, Hennepin County Library and Keith Braafladt, Director, Learning Technologies Center, Science Museum of Minnesota
Hosted by Minitex Reference Services

Providing kids opportunities to learn, stretch and grow is a key focus of libraries. Whether they are developing a love of books and reading, learning to conduct better research or working on creative projects, kids in 21st century libraries are supported in developing a lifelong love of learning and developing key literacy skills that will lead them to successful engagement in life as adults.

Scratch, a free software tool developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, is an increasingly popular tool that allows libraries to offer relevant, technology-based and creative programs for kids aged 8 and up. Scratch is rich media content creation software that can be used to create animation and game projects that incorporate music, sound, original art, digital photographs and more. Visit the Scratch website for more background: http://scratch.mit.edu/.

Participants in this workshop will develop an understanding of the literacy skills youth gain from participation in Scratch-based workshops and receive a hands-on opportunity to learn and use Scratch software and to explore Scratch’s online community. The workshop format models effective techniques for engaging and teaching project development with Scratch to youth. At the end of the workshops participants will have become members of the online Scratch community, developed a project using Scratch and posted a project to the Scratch social networking site.

Location: Wilson Library, U of MN West Bank Campus

Who should attend?: This session is intended for media specialists, youth services librarians, or any other library staff who work with young people and want to learn more about using Scratch.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Upcoming Classes From LYRASIS

The following classes will be brought to you soon by LYRASIS, online and around the region. For more information or to register, please visit www.lyrasis.org. Keyword: Classes and Events. Please keep an eye out for our weekly discount codes as part of our educational stimulus program and save when you register for certain classes.

These classes are also posed to the Check It Out! Blog (www.libraryblog.net)

Caring for Scrapbooks (Live Online)
10/12/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

20 Questions: Ready Reference (Live Online) 10/13/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST SAVE $25 when you register. Enter PROMO Code TQRR1013

Digital Collections: Where to Begin? (Live Online) 10/13/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

CatExpress (Live Online)
10/13/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Fundamentals of Book Repair
10/14/2009 - 10/15/2009, 9:00am-4:00pm EST
LYRASIS- Atlanta Office

Managing and Preserving Digital Materials (Live Online)
10/14/2009 - 10/16/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Basic MARC Tagging for Serials (Live Online)
10/14/2009 - 10/15/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST SAVE $25 when you register. Enter PROMO Code BMT1014.

Advocacy: What is it? (Live Online)
10/15/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

E-Resource Licensing: Overview and How-to for the Non-Lawyer (Live Online) 10/15/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

The Library As Place (Live Online)
10/15/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Emergency 911: Decision Making for Managers (Live Online) 10/15/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST SAVE $25 when you register. Enter PROMO Code 9111015

Mass Digitization Collaborative Information Session (FREE Live Online) 10/15/2009, 2:00pm-3:00pm EST

Promoting Your Library by Creating a YouTube Library Video (Live Online) 10/20/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Libraries and Services Going Mobile: Handheld Services for Libraries (Live Online)
10/20/2009 - 10/21/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Advocacy: The Media (Live Online)
10/20/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Using Batch Processing in Connexion Client (Live Online) 10/21/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Acquiring & Understanding E-Resources Usage Statistics (Live Online)
10/21/2009 - 10/22/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Volunteer Management: Delegating, Retaining and Rewarding (Live Online) 10/21/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST SAVE $25 when you register. Enter PROMO Code VM091021

Library of Congress Subject Headings
10/22/2009, 9:00am-4:00pm EST
LYRASIS- Boston Office

Online Cataloging Resources and Tools (Live Online) 10/22/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Turning Community Partnerships into Dollars (Live Online) 10/22/2009, 10:00am-12:00pm EST

Evergreen Circulation Module (Live Online) 10/22/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Evergreen Administration and Statistics Module (Live Online) 10/22/2009, 2:00pm-4:00pm EST

Copyright Law in the Digital Age
10/23/2009, 9:00am-4:00pm EST
LYRASIS- Atlanta Office

ArchivalWare Guided Tour (FREE Live Online) 10/23/2009, 2:00pm-3:00pm EST

LYRASIS also has a selection of On Demand classes which may be purchased for download at any time: http://www.lyrasis.org/Products%20and%20Services/Catalog.aspx?Department=On%20Demand%20Class&Tab=2

Please contact LYRASIS at 1-800-999-8558 if you have any questions. Thanks!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Upcoming Webinar from MINITEX

This webinar would be good brush-up for those of you who have taken INFS 1200 and/or INFS 2200, and good prep for those who will be taking these courses in our program.

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Connexion Browser Module 2: Basic Searching in Connexion Browser (Webinar)

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., CST
Cost: $50.00
Registration:
http://www.minitex.umn.edu/events/training/webinars.asp#240

Description: Connexion Browser is a web-based interface for OCLC cataloging, often preferred by those who do lower volume or occasional cataloging, or for parts of a segmented workflow that focuses on searching.

This online module provides instruction on performing basic bibliographic searches using OCLC’s Connexion Browser cataloging software. After completing this web-based training, learners will be able to conduct basic searches for bibliographic records in WorldCat, and evaluate whether a given record matches the item to be cataloged.

This is the second part of a three module series designed to enable basic copy cataloging work in Connexion Browser.

Who should attend?: This course is designed for learners who have little or no previous experience with Connexion Browser, and who may be new to library work. This class will be of particular benefit to new copy catalogers. It will also be beneficial to original catalogers who need to determine, before they create an original record, that no matching record exists.

Prerequisites: Ability to log on to Connexion Browser; knowledge of MARC records sufficient to recognize components such as field and subfield and to identify data such as title, edition, publisher, physical description.