Idaho Commission for Libraries

I purchased a copy of Nez Perce Country, by Alvin M. Josephy Jr. after reading a great review of the book in Multicultural Review. I thought it would be a good Scoop incentive book and ended up taking it home and reading it.

At the beginning of October we launched a newly-envisioned Commission for Libraries web site. Now we have another surprisingly drastic makeover to announce:

A new Idaho Library Directory replacing the old directory Editor's note: The link was removed to the old directory because the old directory has been taken offline.

I was watching television the other day and noticed a commercial for a clothing store. They were using a song that was popular when I was high school 20 or so years ago. My first reaction was something akin to “darn kids, they keep reusing and remaking our music.” I figured the retailer was trying to reach out to today’s teens and twenty-somethings, using fun music, bright colors, and images that flashed on the screen. Clearly they were using scenes from my youth to entice today’s youth. I was wrong.

NGD THE BIG DAY: Awake early, but feeling strangely at peace. Try to get family members to place nickel bets on attendance. I guess 138, but nobody bets me. I really think everything will be fine. Continue setting stuff up at library until 10 A.M. meeting of volunteers.

NGD minus 1 day: It's Friday! Everything happens - or doesn't happen tomorrow. I am hopeful, and, true to my nature, nervous too. Everyone at our library has invested time and care into NGD. We are depending on about 30 people to do their parts.

To summer reading coordinators,

The Idaho Board of Library Commissioners will meet in a Special conference call meeting on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 2:00 PM MT at the Idaho Commission for Libraries, Table Rock Room, 325 W. State Street, Boise, Idaho.

To view the agenda: http://libraries.idaho.gov/boarddoc/bymeeting/2008-11-24

NGD minus 2 days: Get email with more info on video game events. Feel like I need two whole days to figure the tech stuff out. Worry about attendance. Still can't reach Tournament Town and really worrying about DDR. Director announces that she doesn't want NGD participants to have any reason to leave -- so library will be selling hot dog, chips & soda meals for $2.

If you haven't attended WebJunction's "Latinos and Public Library Perceptions Report - November 2008 Webinar", check it out at: http://www.webjunction.org/slo-webinars/articles/content/30106393

It contains lots of interesting facts about how latinos perceive (and use) their local public libraries. The most intriquing fact to me:

Of all the factors that influence use of the public library, the most important one is how friendly and welcoming the staff is. Staff attitude is more important than having Spanish language materials in the collection or even their ability to speak Spanish. But what's surprising about that? No matter how good the food is in a restaurant, I won't return if I don't feel comfortable.

Listen to "Thinking Outloud" discussions between George Needham, Vice President, Member Services at OCLC, and Joan Frye Williams, a futurist and Information Technology Consultant, as they mull over hot topics within librarianship.

NGD minus 3 days: Worry about the live tournament. Tell lovely purple-haired daughter that her job will be the computer end of managing our participation in tournament. Give her all of the info received to date -- still not enough to have any confidence that we can pull it off.

One of the biggest challenges web developers face is having to undergo a site redesign. The stakeholders involved (including the people that have to use the darn thing!) usually have their own notions on how things should work or how they should be positioned on the screen. The key is to strike a balance between these varying opinions, the vision of what the site will be, industry best practices, time constraints, and budget concerns to come up with a design that fits it all together. Easy, right?

NGD minus 5 & 4 days: (Everything begins to run together. I don't know what day is what. Hope I haven't totally missed a desk duty!) Unbox the Game Stop purchases, realize that the controllers they sold me must plug into wiimotes. Panic while I wait for store to open.

NGD minus 6 days: Set up my personal Wii in library with Wii Sports. Director and Assistant Director bowl. Assistant Director calls out "STRIKE!" I laugh and playfully shush her, as she is a member of the shushing generation (though she's not a practicing shusher anymore.) Friends meet.

NGD minus 7 days: Get commitment from best little coffee-house in Jerome for free cookie cards for all Pictureka! players. Volunteers are distributing fliers as fast as we can make them. They're telling friends, posting bulletins on MySpace, and recruiting more volunteers. Get PSAs out to schools.

Author: Toor, Ruth, 1933-
Title: New on the job : a school library media specialist’s guide to success / Ruth Toor and Hilda K. Weisburg.
Publisher: Chicago : American Library Association, 2007.

New on the Job is recommended by OPL Newsletter (One-Person Library) as a great tool for the new person on the job or if you just want to revitalize your thinking about your job!

NGD minus 8 days: Make and distribute more fliers, altered four times in two days to include more donors and partners, especially Imagination Station for donating $111. worth of cool board games for the event. Also place plea for DDR, second Wii guitar, and volunteers on flier. Learn that the owner of Super Smash Bros. Brawl is selling Wii and all games to Hastings to make rent.

NGD minus 9 days: Scored the use of three big screen TVs from Central RTO - including delivery and pick-up! Scored the use of consoles from Tournament Town! The owner offered prizes too. :) Add them and volunteers to fliers and print more. Print NGD posters, mount them on card stock and posterboard and staple tear-away fliers to them.

NGD minus 11 days: Pictureka! arrives in the library mail. I get assignment late in the afternoon from director to make it happen. She says, "It doesn't have to be a big deal." I think she forgot who she was talking to. Programs are big deals to programmers. I finish the day doing regular duties and current projects, and clear my mind and desk to make room for NGD.

I finished learning about tags via Library Thing and am blogging about it here--very interesting device--I had never heard of it before and was also unfamilar with tags. SPLAT 101 has been really great--learned many, many useful applications!! Thank you!! Jill Jascha @ North Idaho College