Another informative presentation we’re sharing from the recent Wyoming Library Association conference: in “Beyond Fake News,” Michelle Boule demonstrated methods to teach students of any age how to evaluate information sources, from a rogue tweet to a scholarly book to a picture on Imgur. She reviewed strategies that use what students already know and build upon that through in-class activities that get students up and moving physically and mentally.
The presentation included resources for curriculum creation and media fact checking. Presentation and handout are available at wanderingeyre.com/presentations
Topics at the Wyoming Library Association “What the Tech” session included social media, genealogy, fair use, language learning, DIY toys, and more. We uploaded the slides to SlideShare for those who couldn’t make it and those who were there and would like to review them. We’ve also included the links below so that you can check out these tools yourself.
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.
Going to the Wyoming Library Association conference in August and looking for a way to get a little more involved. Consider volunteering to share your knowledge in the “What the Tech is That?” session, a “lightning round” tour of technologies you can put to use in your library.
What the Tech has something for everyone in a rapid-fire, whirlwind trip of websites and tech tools. When you participate, you can have fun exploring new gadgets and gizmos, choosing and preparing a handful of topics, and trying to share each one in the 90 seconds before the bell signals the end of the round.
From “What the Tech” 2017
It’s not time-consuming to participate — put together a few PowerPoint slides that show everyone where they can find each of your chosen resources along with a screen shot or two. Then tell everyone in 90 seconds what the resource is and how you use it or plan to use it.
Resources can be anything from websites to apps to tech tools, from practical to the way-out-there bizarre. If you have used a new resource for summer reading or a new organizational app or a retirement tool, we want to hear about it! With so much technology to choose from it is helpful to have first-hand accounts of what works from staff in our own library community. Potential topics might include:
Planning/organizational tools
Summer reading tool
Communication app
Informational websites
Gaming
VR/AR
Programming tools
Library management
Library space resources
Homework help
Social media platforms
Reading log apps
And more….
Interested? Contact Thomas Ivie at thomas.ivie@wyo.gov or (307) 777-6330 for more details. We really hope that you will choose to participate in this fun collaboration and support Wyoming libraries!
Registration is now open on the Wyoming Library Association website for the 2018 Wyoming Library Association conference to be held August 1-3 at the Casper Events Center. Wednesday, August 1, is the Information Power pre-conference for school librarians. The full conference kicks off Thursday, August 2, with registration at 9:00 a.m. and breakout sessions beginning at 9:30.
Registration deadline is Thursday, July 19. A room block has been secured at the Ramkota Hotel for $89 plus tax for up to four people. Call (307) 266-6000 for reservations. A free breakfast buffet is provided at the hotel each morning. Registration includes breaks, lunch, and reception. The conference will be held in the lower level at the Events Center, so we recommend you park on that level.
The annual conference is a great opportunity to gather, connect, and learn with your fellow members of the Wyoming library community. On the agenda are the opening keynote luncheon, author luncheon, multiple breakout sessions, vendor booths, awards reception, and a basket raffle to support the Wyoming Library Leadership Institute.
It’s back! The ever popular “What the Tech is That?” session is on the schedule for the Aug. 2-3 Wyoming Library Association conference in Casper. You can help make it a great time for all, especially yourself, by taking the stage as one of the session contributors.
“What the Tech?” is a rapid-fire, whirlwind tour of websites and tech tools. Contributors can have fun exploring new gadgets and gizmos, choosing and preparing a handful of topics, and trying to share each one in the 90 (or so) seconds before the bell signals the end of the round.
Interested? Contact Thomas Ivie at thomas.ivie@wyo.gov or (307) 777-6330 for more details.
Do you have a great idea for a program for the Wyoming Library Association Conference? If so, they’d like to know. Even if you don’t have all the details pinned down, the WLA is interested in your ideas.
The conference will be held from August 1-3 in Casper at the Casper Events Center. Information Power will take place on August 1. Registration will open at 9:00 a.m. on August 2 with the keynote at noon and the awards reception in the late afternoon or early evening. The conference will wrap up at 1:30 p.m. on August 3. The Ramkota is the host hotel, and accommodations include a full breakfast. WLA will not provide breakfast at the conference.
More information will be available on the WLA website as it becomes available.
Congratulations to all our basket winners and a HUGE THANKS to all those who so graciously (and creatively!) contributed to the Wyoming Library Leadership Institute (WLLI) basket fundraiser.
At the drawing (L to R): Johanna Tuttle, Abby Beaver, Darcy Acord, Chris Van Burgh, and Anna Smedts.
This year, the baskets were especially eye-catching and generously stuffed, drawing in many last-minute ticket purchasers with hopes of taking home the bounty. The “Basque-kit,” “Spirit of Sheridan,” “Devil’s Tower,” and “Wyoming Redneck” baskets were popular and fun reflections of our Wyoming culture. Raffle contestants were hard-pressed to choose between titles like “Zen and the Art of Gardening,” “Don’t Mess With a Princess,” “Margarita Madness,” and “Tuscany, WY.” From literary themes (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” — WOW!), date nights (“Movie” or “Staycation”?) to “Canning” and “Creativity” baskets, there was something for everyone. Thank you all again, so very much, for your generous support of the WLLI; whether you bought tickets or built a basket, we appreciate you!
Nearly $1,400 was raised, which will go toward covering the costs of the 2018 Institute in beautiful Lander, Wyoming, next July. We hope to continue the tradition of providing opportunities for Wyoming librarians to gain skills in leading, communicating, collaborating, and engaging within their library systems and communities. Please consider applying to attend the 2018 Institute, or recommending it to a colleague — we have some exciting plans in place!
About 25 baskets were contributed to the WLLI raffle this year. Volunteers who helped out included Cynthia Twing, Megan Herold, Abby Beaver, Johanna Tuttle, Rachael Yates, Nancy Venable, Michelle Humber, Marci Mock, Karen Funk, Darcy Acord, Bonnie Stahla, and Anna Smedts. A few of the winners are pictured below with their baskets.
If you missed it, check out the presentation slides and list of links from this year’s “What the Tech is That?” presentation at the Wyoming Library Association conference.
What the Tech? List of Tech from WLA 2017
Epic!: Digital library for kids 12 & under. Accessible on any device. www.getepic.com
Hugo Hubble: Alexa-enabled, robotic, smart camera, reads facial expressions and senses emotions. Not yet available, but check at hubbleconnected.com/hugo.html
CIA.gov: website with CIA maps, headquarters tour, intelligence literature, world factbook, & world leaders, as well as a special section for K-9 Corps. www.cia.gov
Google Trips: app that gathers your travel information from Gmail and Inbox, then organizes it automatically. get.google.com/trips/
Google Earth Voyager: Showcase of interactive, curated guided tours of places around the earth. earth.google.com, then click “Voyager” in left-hand column.
Planbook: fee-based lesson book/scheduling tool for educators. www.planbook.com
Ozoblockly: Learn simple coding to control your own ozobot. www.ozoblockly.com
StoryCorps: archive of more than 65,000 interviews; one of the largest born-digital collections of human voices. storycorps.org
From August 9-11, more than 140 librarians, school library media specialists, and library workers gathered in Sheridan to learn and connect at Information Power and at the Wyoming Library Association 2017 Conference. Here are a few highlights we spotted on the #wyla17 hashtag on Twitter.
Karen Funk, Washakie County director, decides which baskets to chance as she and many others support WY Library Leadership Institute #wyla17pic.twitter.com/2BUZ1G7AEk
Going to the 
