News dispatch, women’s suffrage amendment adopted
New Online: The AP Washington Bureau, 1915-1930
The Associated Press Washington Bureau News Dispatches between the tumultuous years between 1915 and 1930 are now online at the Library of Congress. The collection of news dispatches of the Washington, D.C., Bureau of the Associated Press spans the period 1915-1930 and consists of 375 volumes (387,082 images), housed in 254 boxes, the contents of which provide an unbroken chronology of world and national events as reported by the news agency.
NNLM Resources for June Health Observances
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine has released easy-to-use content to support health observances in June, including LGBT+ Pride and Men’s Health. Content includes slides for electronic displays, handouts for patrons and staff, and social media tools.
In One Year, People Visited Public Libraries More Than a Billion Times
The Public Libraries Survey report, released recently by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, provides an annual snapshot of public library use, financial health, staffing, and resources in FY 2016. “Community needs are changing rapidly in today’s world, and public libraries are responding accordingly,” said IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew. “Libraries are offering more programs ranging from early childhood to workforce development. Community participation also continues to increase — it’s clear that people are using their libraries.”
PBS Announces ‘Summer of Space’ Lineup
PBS has announced a celestial programming spectacle sure to excite any space enthusiast. A SUMMER OF SPACE multiplatform experience, anchored by the highly anticipated AMERICAN EXPERIENCE six-hour film “Chasing the Moon,” and including new science and history programs, will begin in July timed to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
YALSA’s Best of the Best – Free Marketing Materials
YALSA’s 2019 Best of the Best marketing materials include free downloadable bookmarks, logos, and more. Librarians are encouraged to use these free resources to help promote the year’s best young adult literature, including award winning (Alex, Edwards, Morris, Nonfiction, Odyssey, Printz) and selected list titles.
New MedlinePlus Videos Explore Health Topics
MedlinePlus has created a new series of videos in both English and Spanish to explain topics in health and medicine and to answer frequently asked questions about diseases, health conditions, and wellness issues. Each video page includes links to MedlinePlus health topic pages, where you can find more information about the subject, including symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention.
How to Write a Sponsorship Letter
Unlike a standard fundraising letter that asks for donations, contributions, volunteer time, auction items or other gifts, a sponsorship letter has a slightly longer reach. It focuses on building a relationship with a potential donor and approaches them like a partner, including offering an incentive for their support. In this post, the Wild Apricot blog offers a how-to on writing a sponsorship letter, including two templates.
Teamwork: The Perfect Place to Practice Your Soft Skills
How much do soft skills contribute to the effectiveness of a team. The answer: soft skills contribute tremendously to the smooth performance of a team. Library Worklife, a blog of the American Library Association Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) offers this article on evaluating and developing soft skills in the workplace.
Aging at the Library: Working With Older Patrons
From the fundamentals of helping someone use a computer and talking with them about privacy, to accessibility and troubleshooting, Jessamyn West covers how to work with older patrons on technology issues. Explore the Keynote, PDF with notes, and PowerPoint from her “Aging at the Library” session at the 2019 New Hampshire Library Association conference for valuable information.
Self-Paced, Online Collection Development Training from WebJunction
Check out this sequence of four, self-paced courses from the Idaho Commission for Libraries, which cover everything from collection development basics to creating policies to maintaining and building your collection. The ABLE (Alternate Basic Library Education) courses can help you build your skills!
Crowdsourcing Alternatives to “There Are No Stupid Questions”
When you say, “’There are no stupid questions,” it can reinforce the word “stupid.” Is there a better, more positive way to let people know they can ask anything? Brianna Hoffman, WebJunction Project Coordinator, put a request for a better way to communicate to her network of library colleagues. Check out the crowdsourced suggestions and contribute your own.
ACRL and Gale Launch Libraries Transform Toolkit
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) and Gale, a Cengage company, have collaborated to create the ACRL Libraries Transform Toolkit. This free new toolkit provides academic and research libraries with easy-to-use tools and resources to develop effective marketing and outreach strategies to promote their services and impact to students, faculty and administrators.
What’s Early Literacy for Kids Who Can’t See?
“How do you translate training the eye to training the fingers? How do you address the different cognitive practices and activities needed by young children with low or no vision as they get ready for a life of independent access to information?” Check out this article on the ALSC Blog to learn how.