The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) is wrapping up the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant project. Although the grant period ended in December 2012, the benefits will continue statewide as we add online resources:

Find out what is happening in Idaho libraries. Do you have news about your library you’d like to share in an upcoming Nexus e-newsletter? Please let Teresa Lipus know at teresa.lipus@libraries.idaho.gov.

Reminder: The Public Library FY12 Annual Report is due January 31, 2013. You will find the form at http://collect.btol.com. Usernames and passwords are the same as for previous years.

The Idaho Commission for Libraries’ FY2014 budget request was submitted to the Division of Financial Management on August 31, 2012. The Governor’s January 7, 2013 recommendation included a contract inflation of $27,800 for the LiLI Databases and $0 for the Community Anchor Institutions enhancement request.

Find out what we can do as individuals, library entities, and as a state to help parents and students take the first step to finding financial aid resources for college and career paths.

Check out some of the many free continuing education opportunities available now and this spring.

Application must be submitted by March 15, 2013

Idaho Commission for Libraries is offering financial assistance to library support staff applying for certification in the American Library Association's Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) Program. 

Idaho Commission for Libraries recently completed the first round of Digital Literacy Updates for Trustees. In these sessions, many of the questions and concerns raised by participants centered on “The Hunt for the Perfect Device.”

[STACKS] is a searchable centralized collection of digital publications created by state agencies for the purpose of public information.

The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) Board of Commissioners visited public and school libraries in southwest Idaho last week on their annual fall library tour. The board, which is designated as the policymaking body for ICfL, visits libraries in a different area of the state each year.

This do-it-yourself social media kit for libraries is meant to serve as the foundation by which libraries or organizations author their policies regarding social media—the specifics of which will be unique to individual situations. The kit is intended to be a starting point for self-discovery—best practices, hints, and how-to’s are outlined. A library’s final policies will be the result of its hands-on experimentation and the dynamics of its particular resources and market.

Form 470
Absolute deadline: Thursday, February 14, 2013
This is the first form in the E-rate process. Without this form (unless you are in the middle of a contract that goes until at least 6/30/2014), you cannot proceed to the next Form.