Idaho Commission for Libraries

So, last week I come back from lunch, and my coworker Amy tells me that I've got to listen to this voice mail. At Twin Falls Public Library, we occasionally get busy and when that happens, we are instructed to ignore the phone and focus on the patron that comes in. The result is that the person calling is sent to voice mail, which informs them that we are busy but please leave a message.

On Wednesday, October 1st, I'm headed to Idaho Falls to attend the Idaho Library Association conference. It looks like there will be a lot of interesting programs and I know I won't be able to attend them all since I haven't mastered cloning myself just yet. So, I have a request for all the readers and users of this site...

Please, Blog the Conference!

Join other members of the Idaho library community as we learn together. So far 118 people have registered to participate in SPLAT 101! SPLAT, the Special Projects Library Action Team, has put together a fun self-paced online course that introduces six technology-based resources that many of you have been meaning to explore, but haven’t carved out the time to do so yet. Now’s your chance!

Hi everyone!

With the launch of the new site, all of our publications now have the ability to tap into the power of RSS.

List of Feeds:

Last week I sent a note to LibIdaho informing everyone of the availability of MARC records for the September additions. A number of people have informed ICFL of there being some sort of error with the files. We have been working on this over the past few days. Fresh batch files for September and August have been acquired and were tested by a couple organizations.

If you read the recent issue of The Scoop, you probably saw the SPLAT article about the new technologies that all librarians should be aware of and utilize:

Trial Database Information for potential products for LiLI-D replacements

These trials have been set up for the evaluators who are reviewing the possible replacement products for LiLI-D. Please feel free to try out any or all of these databases. You may also pass this trial information onto your colleagues and library users. Please note that these are trials only and will expire on the date provided depending on the vendor. Feel free to send any comments to me regarding any of these products.

As I was preparing a list of banned/challenged books for the September 26th ediition of The Scoop, I ran across an interesting statistic.

The "It's All Good" blog sent out information about a new WebJunction report. The report - Latinos and Public Library Perceptions - is on the WebJunction site and is part of the Spanish Language Outreach effort which WebJunction coordinates and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded.

I work at the Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library. We're looking for new ways to get motivated, get exercise and de-stress. We're trolling the free ads on Craig's List for a basketball net for our back parking lot and crossing our fingers for a yoga class to be organized sometime soon.

Anyone else have things like this? How do you get motivated?

Now is the time to submit Form 472 (BEAR, Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement) to get your money for the year that ended June 30, 2008. You have 120 days after the end of service (October 28), or 120 days after receiving a funding commitment, whichever is later, to submit for reimbursement.

So I just finished this book last night- Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by the Waiter. It was actually pretty good. I was expecting more horror stories and rantings like in his blog, but it was more of his musings on life as a waiter.

Hello there,

Pretty spiffy, this new website eh? I'm glad you stopped by and signed up for all sorts of goodies available to you via the good folks at ICFL and WebJunction. I'm also glad that you and I will be sharing our collective wisdom, stories, and experiences with everyone in Idaho libraryland.

So, tell me your story...

Be part of the virtual launch!
On October 2, ICFL will be rolling out the new website and WebJunction Idaho at ILA. You can be part of it and get rewarded for your efforts! Here's what you need to do (and here is how to do it!):

What can be done to help libraries be ready for what is coming next? What does library service look like in the future? How can we prepare for an uncertain future? Do we need to build a different foundation? Strengthen current one? What can Libraries Linking Idaho (LiLI) do to help the library community prepare for an uncertain future?

And oh, just so you know, I'm not doing this solely for the prize, although it's a nice bonus. :)

Well, hello, to all you fellow librarians out there. This is Beth Twitchell, Reference Librarian Rockstar and Literary Empowerment Coach, hailing to you from Twin Falls, Idaho. I'm really excited for this new site. I mean, where else do I get a chance to blog and talk with other librarians, and still be able to claim that I'm working? :)

I'm excited! Our new Saturday programs begin tomorrow! This week is family storytime (Theme for this week is Pizza stories and craft) and a computer coaching session on our geneology databases: Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest. This programming is made possible by an LSTA grant and is a giant shift for Nampa.

Take a look at the new Darien Library (CT) Website. The site was unveiled September 1st. The website is running in Drupal, the same content management software used by ICFL (see the sneak peek of the new ICFL site) ^* and many other libraries in Idaho.

There is so much to like about this site: