All posts by Susan

5 Reports to Read for Library Marketing



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From The ‘M’ Word – Marketing Libraries blog, we picked up this handy summary of recent reports to inform your library marketing. From the post:

A handful of reports released this year offer useful data for marketing and PR planning in the U.S. Knowing your audience is vital, and while you always need good local information, it also helps to see the big picture. These five publications reveal data from across the U.S. for public and academic librarians.

Here are their reading recommendations; read the full post for the full scoop on each. All are free, except  for the academic libraries statistical report from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), which may be purchased from the ALA store.

The ‘M’ Word offers marketing news, tips, and trends for libraries.

 

Government Book Talk Reaches 1 Million Views



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From “A Top Ten List of Funny Federal Titles”

From the U.S. Government Publishing Office

Since its inception in late April of 2010, Government Book Talk’s mission has been to “spotlight the amazing variety of government publications and their impact on ourselves and our world – and have fun while doing it.” Well, over one million page views (and counting) later, they’ve done just that.

Over the past eight years, Government Book Talk has featured over 438 new and popular Federal publications covering current events and topics that affect the lives of all Americans, from military history, to smart health tips on improving one’s diet, to important news and guidance on issues affecting our daily lives such as personal finances, education, and much more.

According to page views, here are the top 20 subjects highlighting publications featured in Government Book Talk:

  1. Hawks vs. Doves: The Joint Chiefs and the Cuban Missile Crisis (31,176)
  2. Quiz and History for Bill of Rights Day December 15  (28,316)
  3. Radio 101: Operating Two-Way Radios Every Day and in Emergencies (25,616)
  4. Gettysburg: America’s Bloodiest Battle (19,221)
  5. Tracking “Big Red One”: NORAD’s Secret Santa Mission (18,122)
  6. The Underground Railroad Leaves its Tracks in History (16,199)
  7. Arming the Fleet: The Compelling Story of a Secret Naval Base in the Desert (16,044)
  8. The U.S. Military Storms to the Rescue in Foreign Disaster Relief (14,446)
  9. Reagan, Intelligence, and the End of the Cold War (11,318)
  10. The History of eBooks from 1930’s “Readies” to Today’s GPO eBook Services (9,783)
  11. A Plum Book of Political Positions (9,288)
  12. Going “GAGAS” for the GAO Yellow Book (8,168)
  13. Go-to-Guide on Hazardous Materials for First Responders(7,560)
  14. Code Talkers: How American Indians Have Helped Fight Wars (7,129)
  15. Fun With the GPO Style Manual (6,675)
  16. The All-in-One Guide to All Federal Assistance Programs(5,875)
  17. Quiz: Are You Smarter Than an 8th Grade Civics Student? (5,613)
  18. A Top Ten List of Funny Federal Titles (5,474)
  19. The Privacy Act: What the Government Can Collect and Disclose About You (5,378)
  20. CIA’s Word Factbook: Global Intelligence for Every Thinker, Traveler, Soldier, Spy (5,169)

Federal publications offer a wealth of knowledge to help us understand and appreciate the world we live in. Visit the U.S. Government Bookstore website to find all the publications (and more) featured in Government Book Talk. You can also find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov or stop in at one of Wyoming’s seven Federal depository libraries, including the Wyoming State Library.

School Libraries: A Student Right



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By Doug Johnson
Reposted from the Blue Skunk Blog

Here’s a little riff on ALA President Barbara Stripling’s Declaration for the Right to Libraries…

Declaration for Student Rights to School Libraries

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” An educated citizenry is the product of effective schooling that is available to every child. School libraries are essential to an effective school. Therefore if all students have the right to a high quality education, all students have the right to access to well-staffed, well-stocked, and up-to-date physical and virtual school libraries.

School libraries honor the individual learner.

By providing access to materials on a wide range of topics, with a wide range of reading levels, and in a wide range of media formats, libraries allow the personalization of education, meeting the needs of every learner.

School libraries enable 24/7 learning.

By providing access to a curated collection of online materials, as well as Internet access in as unrestricted an environment as possible, libraries make it possible for learning to continue outside the classroom and school and into the home.

School libraries encourage the love of reading and learning.

By providing novels, non-fiction, magazines, games, videos, and other materials of high interest for practice reading and recreational use, libraries help students recognize that reading and learning can be a joyful experience, making the exploration of topics of personal interest a voluntary, lifelong enterprise.

School libraries teach valuable whole-life skills.

By providing access to professional information experts (librarians) who teach information seeking, evaluation, and communication skills, libraries develop students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity abilities necessary for vocational, academic, and personal success.

School libraries are spaces where all learners are welcome.

By providing a physical environment in which students feels welcome, comfortable, and safe, libraries insure that every student has a place where he or she is valued.

School libraries give all students a voice.

By providing access to the tools needed to create, communicate, and share original information through a range of media, students learn to participate in online conversations with both peers and with the world.

School libraries close the digital divide.

By providing access to technology beyond the school day, libraries give students whose families cannot afford home computers or Internet connectivity access to educational technology before and after school and at home.

School libraries encourage collaboration, teamwork, and face-to-face interaction in the school.

By providing a physical space for social learning, students learn and practice how to work in groups effectively.

School libraries protect student and staff intellectual freedom.

By providing Internet access that is as free from filtering as allowed by law, libraries insure that students and staff information flow is not censored, allowing access to a diverse ideas and opinions.

School libraries honor the education of the whole child.

By supporting an educational philosophy that values higher order thinking skills, creativity, authentic assessments, attention to personal dispositions, and individualization, libraries look beyond the low-level skills measured by standardized test scores and work to create graduates who capable of full engagement with society and the world.

AASL, I happily ceed the right to this concept to you.

Check out the very nice graphic of this done by LibraryGirl, Jennifer LaGuarde!

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

First Lady Mead Partners with Sponsors to Give Books to Fourth Graders



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First Lady Carol Mead has partnered with several corporate sponsors to provide a copy of her second children’s book, Blazing Wyoming Bonnets, to fourth graders throughout Wyoming.

“Advancing early childhood literacy has been and continues to be a passion of mine,” Mrs. Mead said. “Putting books into the hands of Wyoming’s children provides an opportunity to cultivate a love for reading and to establish a habit of reading at home.”

Mrs. Mead wrote Blazing Wyoming Bonnets, co-authored and illustrated by Centennial artist, Melanie O’Hara, to celebrate some of the trailblazing women in Wyoming’s history. The book features 25 women with ties to Wyoming, from its territory days to the present. Full-color illustrations, rhyming poetry and brief biographical sketches bring to life the contributions of these women to our state and its history.

“I am grateful for the generosity of our corporate partners, which makes it possible to share this book with fourth graders in every Wyoming county,” said Mrs. Mead. “Their commitment to education and childhood literacy is having a very real impact in our state.”

Sponsoring companies are: Cheyenne Regional Medical Center/ Cheyenne Children’s Clinic, Ciner Wyoming, CIGNA Healthcare, Genesis Alkali, Puma Steel, Tata Chemicals, Union Pacific, Warehouse Twenty-One, and Xanterra Parks and Resorts.

Over 7,500 copies of Blazing Wyoming Bonnets will be distributed to fourth graders through individual school districts this fall.

September 2018 Outrider Now Available



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

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.

News in Brief



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Stand for the Banned Read-Out
Since the inception of Banned Books Week in 1982, libraries and bookstores throughout the country have staged local read-outs, continuous readings of banned and challenged books. Submitted videos may be featured on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel. Suggestions for video content include reading from a banned or challenged book, sharing why a book was censored, or discussing the benefits of unrestricted reading.

Sign Up Your Library to Participate In National Voter Registration Day
Participating in National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) on September 25 is a fun way to get your library involved in voter registration efforts and to train your staff about the library’s role in local elections. Staff will be able to talk about the elections in a meaningful and informative way, and, through the volunteers involved in NVRD, the library will be better connected to local political groups and individuals, reinforcing the library’s significant role in democracy.

October is Health Literacy Month
Health Literacy Month is a time for organizations and individuals to promote the importance of understandable health information. Over the years, libraries, health care organizations, community services, health literacy coalitions, government agencies, literacy programs, universities, and many others have hosted a wide range of Health Literacy Month events. See ideas on how libraries can participate from WebJunction.

Stork Storytime Librarian Toolkit
The North Liberty Library has developed a unique and exciting early literacy program, and has created a toolkit to help libraries of any size to implement the program. Stork Storytime Reads focuses on the expecting family, encouraging the development of a daily reading routine before baby (and chaos) arrives. It offers expecting parents and caregivers opportunities to learn about early literacy skills and connect with resources in their communities, empowering them to be more confident in their roles as a child’s first teacher, right from the very beginning.

DigitalLearn Offers Courses on Finding Reliable Health Information
DigitalLearn.org, the Public Library Association’s collection of self-directed tutorials for end-users to increase their digital literacy, now features a course all about researching health topics on the Internet. Developed in partnership with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, the new Online Health Information course was designed to help learners understand and evaluate health information while avoiding potentially harmful or misleading sources.

5 Types of Probable Supporters and How to Reach Them
The report From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018 reveals that compared to 2008, more voters think of libraries as hubs for connecting, learning, and skill-building. The not-so-good news: most voters don’t understand where library funding comes from, and they are less committed to supporting tax-based library funding than they were a decade ago. Learn how to reach your probable backers and solidify their support.

Voting Open for the 2018 Teens’ Top Ten
Teens all around the world can start casting their votes for their favorite titles for the 2018 Teens’ Top Ten now through Oct. 13 at www.ala.org/yalsa/teenstopten. The voting page, hosted by DOGObooks, showcases all 25 nominees with their respective book covers and summaries, as well as the opportunity for teens to leave comments about their favorite titles. The “top ten” titles will be announced the week following Teen Read Week™, which takes place Oct. 7-13.
http://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2018/08/teens-can-now-vote-2018-teens-top-ten

IFLA Guidelines for Library Services to Persons with Dyslexia
These guidelines help libraries provide services to persons with dyslexia with ideas, examples, and suggestions on how to recognize library visitors with dyslexia, how to approach them and how to improve the library services.

The American Library Association has argued in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) strong, enforceable rules to protect and preserve the open internet with an amici filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

People News



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Carrie Lucas is leaving the Laramie County Library System. Carrie started part-time work at LCLS in October 2007. She was a Wyoming SWIM scholarship recipient in 2010 and graduated from University of North Texas in August 2012 with a Master of Library and Information Science and graduate certificates in Youth Services and Advanced Management. Carrie became the Assistant Manager, Youth & Outreach Services and Children’s Librarian in a full-time capacity in June 2011. She developed LCLS early literacy mascots, ELSIE and EDDIE, and because of her work and vision, LCLS opened the Early Literacy Center on the 2nd floor of the Cheyenne Library in April 2013. Carrie was named a Mover and Shaker in 2015 by Library Journal. Carrie’s impact on children and caregivers in the Laramie County Community is immeasurable and LCLS is fortunate to have had her vision and drive improving library services for over ten years.

Sandy Barstow recently retired after 30 years at the University of Wyoming Libraries. Originally hired in 1988 as Head of Acquisitions, she also served as Assistant Dean, and most recently, Head of Collection Development. She’ll be missed for her wry sense of humor and her good negotiating skills with vendors.

Grant Opportunities



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Whole Kids Foundation Gardens Grant
DEADLINE: October 15, 2018
The Whole Kids Foundation is dedicated to helping kids eat better and enjoy it. The foundation will provide $2,000 grants to support new or existing edible school gardens.

Whole Kids Foundation Bee Grant
DEADLINE: October 15, 2018
Grants and/or equipment support for an educational bee hive for a K-12 school or non-profit organization.

Big Lots Foundation
DEADLINE: January 1, 2019
Big Lots Foundation funds support programs that will enhance the lives of children and families in the areas of hunger, housing, healthcare, and education. Priority will be given to programs serving women and children. Applicants must have a 501(c)3 public nonprofit status and be located in the United States where near Big Lots stores or distribution centers.

Wish You Well Foundation
DEADLINE: Ongoing
To support adult and family literacy in the United States, Wish You Well Foundation is fostering and promoting the development and expansion of new and existing literacy and educational programs. Grants range in size from $200–$10,000. Institutions must have 501(c)3 status.

Kids Need to Read
DEADLINE: Ongoing
In order to increase literacy in low-income neighborhoods and schools, Kids Need to Read aims to provide inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs. They believe that every child should have access to high-quality reading material, and that this access will inspire growth for them and their communities. Institutions are eligible if they are a governmental agency or 501(c)3 tax exempt organization that serve at least 50% of children at or below the national poverty rate. (Schools may use free and reduced lunch data for poverty level rates).

Featured GoWYLD Resource: Arts Databases



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The end of summer is nigh, which means cooler weather and football are back, it’s hurricane season on the east coast of the United States, and it’s time for us to begin preparing for another Wyoming winter.

Notable celebrations in September include Ask a Stupid Question Day, Banned Books Week, and several national food “holidays,” most of which are recorded here.

For September, we’re spotlighting ProQuest Arts Databases, available at GoWYLD.net, Wyoming’s source for premium online library resources. If you’ve never checked out this vast collection of informative material aimed at art students, historians, and creative types, you’re missing out. Search 21 databases for information about art, architecture, music, fashion design, cinema studies, philosophy, and other disciplines within the humanities.

View the resource page, and visit the Proquest arts databases to learn more.

Libraries should have received their mini-marketing kit by email to promote this resource to patrons. You can also find the kit on our web page under Information for Librarians.

If you would like to be either added to or removed from our monthly email list for the mini-marketing kits, contact Susan Mark at susan.mark@wyo.gov or (307) 777-5915.

Upcoming Webinar Features Bookflix



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Bookflix is a literacy resource for grades PreK-3 that pairs classic fictional video storybooks with related ebooks. Animation, audio, and interactive games are designed to reinforce core reading skills. Join Chris Van Burgh for a look at this terrific resource for public libraries, school, and home.

The free webinar will take place this Thursday, September 20, at 11:15 a.m. MDT.

Register now.

Bookflix is one of the many resources found in GoWYLD.net, available free to all Wyoming residents.