All posts by Susan

USPTO Intellectual Property Broadcast at WSL



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The Rocky Mountain U.S. Patent and Trademark Office invites you to join us for the second session in a series of programming on Understanding Intellectual Property (IP). This interactive event will be broadcast live at the Wyoming State Library, 2800 Central Ave. in Cheyenne, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. MDT on Friday, July 20.

Register now.

Part II in the series will give a more in-depth overview on design patents, as well as how and when an entrepreneur or business might consider applying for a design patent as opposed to, or in addition to, a utility patent.

For questions, contact the Rocky Mountain Regional Office at RockyMountain@uspto.gov or call 303-297-4600.

Sign Up Now for the Congress.gov Webinar



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Join the Library of Congress from 12-1 p.m. MDT on July 26, 2018 for a free, live Congress.gov webinar hosted by the Law Library of Congress. The library’s legal reference experts, Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer , will demonstrate how to utilize Congress.gov, the official U.S. federal legislative information website.

During the webinar, Barbara and Robert will demonstrate how to perform general searches on legislation, as well as more specific searches based on your interests and needs regarding legislation and congressional legislative information.  They will also highlight new features of Congress.gov, such as editing saved searches, adding alerts, the Help page, and other enhancements.  Additionally, any questions that viewers have will be answered in real-time.

Please join the Law Library Thursday, July 26 from 12-1 p.m. Mountain Time. Sign up on their website.

July 2018 Outrider Now Available



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Find a wrap-up of the latest in Wyoming library news in the July 2018 Outrider newsletter from the Wyoming State Library. Subscribe today, and we’ll send the Outrider straight to your email inbox each month.

Have news you’d like included? Contact Susan Mark, WSL publications specialist, at susan.mark@wyo.gov or (307) 777-5915. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Free Continuing Education Events for the Week of July 16



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Free, online, continuing education events for this week of from the Wyoming State Library Training Calendar. Descriptions are below. You can subscribe and view the events in your calendar software, or you can find all the events at library.wyo.gov/services/training/calendar.

All times MDT

Tuesday, July 17 (12-1 pm)
How Safe Is Your Data (GovLoop Training)
Explore what makes the best disaster recovery policy and how to get your agency’s leadership on board.

Tuesday, July 17 (12-1 pm)
Measuring Success: How to Strategically Assess Your Program (VolunteerMatch)
Your volunteer engagement program can be measured by more than just the hours a volunteer gives your organization. What other kinds of information should you keep track of, and how do you know if you’re doing a good job with your volunteer engagement program? This webinar will help you think through both the quantitative and qualitative information you can use to evaluate your program.

Tuesday, July 17 (12-1 pm)
Europe’s Tough New Data-Privacy Law: Breaking Down GDPR for Companies (Education Week)
Join EdWeek Market Brief for an in-depth look at the law’s implications for K-12 providers in the United States and beyond.

Tuesday, July 17 (12-1 pm)
How and Why Libraries Should Move to HTTPS (Tech Soup)
Because libraries pride themselves on protecting their patron’s privacy it’s important for libraries to both understand and champion ways of offering these services. HTTPS is an easy method of doing so, it now requires very little technical skill and makes a great different to the operation security of your library’s website.

Tuesday, July 17 (1-2 pm)
Laying Out the Welcome Mat: Asset Mapping to Better Serve the Immigrant Community (WebJunction)
This webinar will discuss how asset mapping can facilitate community entry for immigrants by helping libraries better understand the needs of this population and address those needs through service and program development.

Wednesday, July 18 (9-10 am)
NCompass Live: Many Languages, Many Cultures: Responding to Diverse Health Information Needs (Nebraska Library Commission)
The increasing diversity in our communities leads to a greater need for culturally relevant and multilingual health information resources. This includes materials to improve cultural awareness and communication skills of health providers and librarians, and resources created in a way that those from diverse backgrounds can understand and identify with the information provided. In this presentation, the presenter will share where to find appropriate information resources and how you and your patrons can use them.

Wednesday, July 18 (10-11 am)
Impromptu Leadership — How Women Can Seize Spontaneous Moments to Lead (American Management Association)
In this webcast, Judith Humphrey provides clear, actionable guidance to help you reach your full leadership potential in all impromptu moments. The webcast will show you how to influence and inspire in meetings, elevator chats, corridor conversations, networking events, mentoring conversations, job interviews, and Q+As.

Wednesday, July 18 (12-1 pm)
Introduction to Proposal Writing (GrantSpace)
This class will provide you with an overview of how to write a standard project proposal to a foundation.

Wednesday, July 18 (12-1 pm)
Dorobekindsider Live: IT Modernization in the Age of Digital Transformation (GovLoop Training)
Join Christopher Dorobek and his panel of experts for an online discussion on the Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act, Modernization Fund and digitization efforts across the government.

Wednesday, July 18 (12-1 pm)
Analytics and Accessibility (DigitalGov)
You will learn how to segment to check if behaviors change when people are using keystrokes to click, which might give insight into how users with disabilities interact with your site.

Wednesday, July 18 (12-1 pm)
Academic Librarians and Low Morale Development (Georgia Library Association)
Learn about the factors that enable low-morale, the impacts on those having this experience, and explore ways to positively cope with, resolve, or detect low morale in future workplaces.

Wednesday, July 18 (12-1 pm)
Beyond Surveys: How to Measure Outcomes Using Alternative Data Collection Methods (Public Library Association)
This webinar is designed to help libraries learn what data collection methods are available to them, and the benefits and challenges to each. This webinar will highlight several methods, with an emphasis on focus groups.

Wednesday, July 18 (1-2 pm)
Effectively Communicating in the Moment (American Management Association)
AMA will help you develop your in-the-moment communication skills and will offer some tactics you can start using immediately to become a more effective communicator.

Thursday, July 19 (9-10 am)
The Technology Reference Interview (Utah State Library)
Whether you have a patron asking for technical information or asking for technical assistance, this webinar will provide tools and resources for handling such requests.

Thursday, July 19 (9-10 am)
Library value: student success, research outcomes & collection impact (Library Connect)
Join our librarian presenters in this webinar as they share their unique stories about library value starting with themes that resonate with their stakeholders, including how institutions can come together to pool data and share a powerful report on the impact of library instruction on student retention and academic success.

Thursday, July 19 (11-12 pm)
Digital PR Basics for Nonprofits – How to Get Visibility for Your Cause (Bloomerang)
How can a small nonprofit stand out without spending hours on social media or tons of money on advertising? In this webinar, Nonprofit Digital PR expert Julia Campbell will explain the concept of Digital PR, why it’s vital for nonprofits, and how to start a Digital PR plan. Nonprofits will come away with techniques that they can implement to build movements and connect with supporters, in an authentic and ethical way.

Thursday, July 19 (12-1 pm)
USGS Library Materials for Natural Hazards (Federal Depository Library Program)
This webinar focuses on how to find and use information sources and products related to natural hazards real-time data, recent and historical data, databases, publications, maps, and field and laboratory methods.

Thursday, July 19 (12:30-1 pm)
Digitization 101 (North Dakota State Library)
Digitization can be an overwhelming concept but it is very manageable when you have a clear understanding of the basics. This webinar will introduce you to the terminology and concepts like dpi, resolution and metadata as well as best practices and standards.

Thursday, July 19 (12-1 pm)
Turn Your Website Into a Membership Growth Engine (Wild Apricot)
Is your membership website an engine that brings in new members while you sleep? If not, I’ll show you how anyone with no tech experience can use membership management software to turn their website into a new member recruiter — in just an afternoon.

Thursday, July 19 (1-2 pm)
How to Master Your Tribute Book Layout (Charity How To)
This webinar will take you step-by-step through an easy-to-replicate tribute book template that highlights your event, promotes your organization, and brings in advertising and tribute ad revenue.

Thursday, July 19 (1-2 pm)
Memorializing Subject Matter Experts: Techniques to Converting Subject Matter Expertise to High-Performing Live & On-Demand Video Learning Assets (Training Magazine Network)
In this webinar, author and training strategist Peggy Salvatore will share tips and techniques on how to creatively use interactive video learning tools to deliver expert organizational knowledge. She’ll also reveal how she’s bringing new ideas and strategies to leading organizations on how best to preserve corporate knowledge and distribute it to employees using on-demand video learning.

Thursday, July 19 (5-6 pm)
Introducing MakeCode from Microsoft (Washington State Library)
Come learn about Microsoft MakeCode, a learn-to-code platform that provides a beginning programming environment with block-based and JavaScript editors, and supports a variety of products including Minecraft, micro:bit, and other physical computing devices you’re already familiar with.  The block-based MakeCode platform is like JavaScript on training wheels – perfect for the beginning coder of any age, but with the added benefit of allowing a very easy progression to real scripting.

People News



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Lorene Peterson has joined the Natrona County Library. Lorene comes to the library with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with an ESL endorsement and three years of teaching experience. She’s loved libraries since she was a little girl and sees them as magical places where people can not only read, but also attend programs, receive help with research, meet other community members, and enhance their education in many ways. She loves to help people and is excited to join team.

Gretchen Brasington retired from the Sweetwater County Library System in June. Gretchen worked 24 years for the library system primarily as the Reference Librarian at the Rock Springs Library. Gretchen’s smile, kind words, and superior library skills and services will definitely be missed by her coworkers and patrons. Enjoy retirement!

Adilene Rodriguez has joined the Natrona County Library. Adi moved recently from her home state of New Jersey to Casper after obtaining her bachelor’s degree in communication from Kean University. During her four years at college, she worked at her local library where she grew accustomed to the unique work environment. She feels right at home in local libraries and is excited to transition into a new community.

Barbara Kendall, the Sweetwater County Library System Business Manager retired in May, after 10 years of dedicated service. Barbara has provided expert financial guidance and support through the years and will be missed. We wish her all the best in this next chapter in her life.

Bring a Basket for the Annual WLLI Fundraiser



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Raffle baskets at the 2017 WLA conference.

As we head into another Wyoming Library Association conference on August 1-3, the Wyoming Library Leadership Institute is looking for your beautiful gift baskets to raffle off for its annual fundraiser. WLLI benefits the Wyoming Library Community by nurturing leaders at every stage of their careers and every level of their organizations.

If your library can bring a basket, please contact Chris Van Burgh at chris.vanburgh@wyo.gov or (307) 777-3642. We especially encourage WLLI grads to participate.

Be creative! And once you’ve put the finishing touches on your basket, send a picture of it to Susan Mark at susan.mark@wyo.gov so that she can post it on social media.

For those bringing baskets, please leave them at the registration table with Laura Grott rather than taking them into the vendor area.

The Institute is also looking for volunteers to man the tables and sell tickets at the conference. If you can donate a little time, please contact Darcy Acord at darcy@ccpls.org or (307) 687-9227.

 

Assistive Technology Stations Available at Coe Library



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From the University of Wyoming Libraries blog

University of Wyoming Coe Library is unveiling a new variety of equipment available at assistive technology stations for patrons to use.  Technology includes C-Pens from the Help Desk, a Freedom Scientific reading magnifier, and a Belkin reader stand. Instructions for use are at the desks located on the second/main floor of Coe, straight back past the front desk near the windows. To learn more about assistive technology options, contact Wyoming Assistive Technology Resources at watr@uwyo.edu or visit CHS Room 151.

These technologies were provided by the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities.

Library News in Brief



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OER Vision to Action Conference August 1-2
Open Educational Resources (OER) are of growing interest to academic and school librarians. The OER: From Vision to Action conference will be held on the Auraria campus in downtown Denver on August 1-2, 2018. There is now an updated program agenda on the conference website. Register by July 15.  The conference is open to anyone to attend and is sponsored by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries and the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA).

Free Training at WebJunction
WebJunction is a collective online space of library-related courses and webinars. Does Making Space for Active Learning in Your Library sound interesting? Or maybe The Name of the Game: Playing Tabletop Games to Build 21st Century Skills is a topic that you want to learn more about. Accessing WebJunction is easy. All you need is an Internet connection, a device and time. Many courses are self-paced and webinars are recorded and archived to accommodate your busy schedule.

ALA Accepting Applications for 2019 Class of Emerging Leaders Until August 31
The American Library Association (ALA) is now accepting applications for the 2019 class of Emerging Leaders (EL). The deadline to apply is August 31, 2018. This program is a leadership development program that enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity.

MPLA Awards Nominations Open
The Mountain Plains Library Association (MPLA) has opened nominations for its awards honoring deserving individuals, groups, or organizations in the library field who should be recognized for their accomplishments? Some awards require nominees to be current or past MPLA members, and others require participation in the MPLA region; read the award descriptions carefully. All nominators must be MPLA members. Deadline is August 31, 2018.

Call for Library Marketer of the Year Award Nominations
Library Journal will honor one library staffer or a library team with its third annual Marketer of the Year award in its October 1, 2018, issue. The award, sponsored by Library Ideas, comes with a $2,000 cash prize. The award recognizes the importance of innovative approaches to marketing of library services, the role of marketing in building library engagement, and the value of quality marketing collateral to help build a vibrant sense of the library and define its relevance in the community. Nomination deadline is August 7, 2018.

‘Slow Chat’ Summer Learning With the AASL Standards
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is easing into summer learning with an online book discussion of its newly released “National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries.” Termed a slow chat, the discussion will take place via Twitter. School library professionals with Twitter accounts can follow the hashtags #AASLstandards and #AASLowchat to participate.

AASL 2018 Best Apps and Best Websites for Teaching & Learning
American Association of School Librarians 2018 list is out, honoring 25 apps and 25 websites that provide enhanced learning and curriculum development for school librarians and their teacher collaborators. These technology resources are chosen for their ability to foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation and collaboration and for their support of AASL’s “National School Library Standards.”

Free STEM Outreach Toolkit  from Idaho Commission for Libraries
The ICFL’s newest toolkit filled with STEM activities is here. The 36-page booklet contains activities, supply lists, science vocabulary words, take home extension activity cards and more. The toolkit is geared for library staff working with children in kindergarten through second grade.

Intellectual Freedom Resources for Social Media, Controversial Programs
The ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee has published new guidelines and a Q&A for library workers. “Social Media Guidelines for Public and Academic Libraries” provides a policy framework for public and academic libraries that use social media. The IFC also published “Responding to and Preparing for Controversial Programs and Speakers Q&A,” which offers strategies and resources for libraries to address community concerns and prepare for potentially controversial library-initiated events.

The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults
JRLYA is an open-access, peer-reviewed online research journal published by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Its purpose is to enhance the development of theory, research, and practices to support young adult library services, as emphasized in YALSA’s National Research Agenda.

Teens, Social Media, & Technology 2018
The Pew Research Center just released a new report, Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018. If you are wondering how to reach teens, program for teens, and what teens are up to, this is a must read. If you just want to quickly view the highlights, check out David Lee King’s recent post about the report.

Transforming Library Services for and with Teens Through Continuing Education
The Young Adult Library Services Association has released its new report, Transforming Library Services for and with Teens Through Continuing Education (CE). The recommended strategies included in this report provide guidance for various stakeholder groups on how to transform CE opportunities and create a culture of continual learning thus enabling library staff to put teens first.

Grant Opportunities



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Carol McMurry Library Endowment Individual Grants for Continuing Education
DEADLINE: July 31, 2018
Want to attend a conference or workshop to build your library skills? Take an online course? Start working toward that library media specialist endorsement or master’s degree in library science? Funds are available to those working or volunteering in Wyoming libraries through the Carol McMurry Library Endowment Individual Grants for Continuing Education. Applications are accepted six times during the year. The next deadline is July 31 for continuing education events starting no earlier than September 1.

Walmart Foundation Community Grant Program
DEADLINE: December 31, 2018
Walmart awards community grants ranging from $250 to $5,000 to K-12 schools, government entities, and other non-profits. One of their eight funding areas is education and they’re seeking to support the provision of afterschool enrichment, tutoring, and vocational training for low-income individuals and families.

Sony Grants
DEADLINE: Ongoing
Sony focuses the majority of its charitable giving on arts, culture, technology and the environment, with a particular emphasis on education in each of those areas. Sony seeks to apply its financial, technological, and human resources to the encouragement of the creative, artistic, technical, and scientific skills required of tomorrow’s workforce.

SparkFun Community Partnership Program
DEADLINE: Ongoing
This program facilitates one-time collaborations between SparkFun and its community partners to support the work of makers in the field. SparkFun supports organizations that support maker values of open source, collaboration, playfulness, learning at all levels, and making the world a better place through the donation of hardware, expertise, or money.

Verizon Foundation Community Grants
DEADLINE: Ongoing
Verizon’s Community Grant funding priorities are STEM education for K-12 youth and domestic violence education and prevention for youth, women, and older adults. Applications by invitation only, contact your local Verizon community relations manager.

Blues, Brews & BBQ at Glenrock Branch Library



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From the Glenrock Branch Library Facebook page

The Glenrock Branch Library had a perfect evening and a wonderful crowd for its first annual 3rd of July Blues, Brews, & BBQ Festival. They welcomed friends from Casper, Douglas, Glenrock, and everywhere in-between.

Thanks to everyone who came to support us, to our vendors for the evening, and to all the community members and businesses such as Main Street Glenrock for helping us make the event a success!

Musicians were Joey Leone and his Band, and JBird Shogren, who played for dancers of all ages. Refreshments included Cowboy State Brewing, Northern Ice, and Kick M Up Katering.