Continuing Education News

The Illinois State Library will host ILEAD USA (Innovative Librarians Explore, Apply and Discover): The 21st Century Technology and Leadership Skills Institute for the States at the University of Illinois Springfield on March 25–28, June 17–20, and October 21–24, 2013.

The ILEAD USA initiative, begun in 2009 by Illinois as ILEAD U, has now been propagated to partner states Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, and Utah.

Do you have a technology skill or knowledge of technology tools? Be an instructor! Want to learn? Be a participant! We are accepting applications for

• Participants
• Instructors and
• Mentors

until December 14 at http://www.webjunction.org/partners/illinois/il-programs/ileadusa.html.

On November 19, a videoconference will be held from 10–11 a.m. for individuals from Illinois who are thinking of participating in ILEAD USA. Learn more at L2 at http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=14518.

Contact Gwen Harrison at gharrison [at] ilsos [dot] net, 217.785.7334 or Debra Aggertt at daggertt [at] ilsos [dot] net, 217.558.1945 if you have questions.

ILEAD USA is made possible by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant awarded to the State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Speakers from a range of settings and library backgrounds have been confirmed to participate in the ALA’s Digital Literacy Task Force program “Creating a Culture of Learning: How Librarians Keep up with Digital Media and Technology” Google Hangout session moderated by OITP Fellow Renee Hobbs. This virtual national conversation will take place Thursday, November 14, at 7 p.m. EST.

“Creating a Culture of Learning” will explore how information professions can stay ahead of or on the learning curve with our students, colleagues and patrons as new devices, software and Internet-enabled services emerge. It is part of a series that began at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference and will continue in December with a discussion on assessing digital literacy.

Confirmed speakers for the November 14 session are:

• Caroline Haebig, is the instructional technology coordinator, Adlai E. Stevenson High School. Haebig collaborates with teachers and administrators to improve student and teacher engagement using technology.  She is an active member of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Young Educator Network and was named as the ISTE Outstanding Young Educator 2012.

• Jamie Hollier is a technology, project management, and library consultant. She has worked at the Colorado State Library, as a rural library manager, and as a corporate librarian. Hollier was the project coordinator for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant at the state library. Through that project, they conducted trainings across the state and developed a range of training tools available at http://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/techtraining/. 

• Gwyneth Jones, aka The Daring Librarian, is a middle-school teacher librarian at Murray Hill Middle School in Laurel, Maryland. She is a member of the ISTE Board of Directors, and was named an Innovator and one of Library Journal’s Movers & Shakers 2011. The Daring Librarian blog delivers “Ed-Tech Talk with Sweet Snarky Freshness.”

• Bobbi Newman, aka Librarian by Day, is currently enrolled at Iowa State University pursuing her second master’s degree. While working at a Missouri public library, Newman was among the first to replicate Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library’s “23 Things” model, and she has written and spoken frequently on how the library adapted and made the program work. Newman also co-founded the award-winning Libraries and Transliteracy Project.

• Dr. Anu Vedantham directs the Weigle Information Commons at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries. Vedantham writes and speaks extensively about the integration of technology into teaching and learning. Her research has explored gender-related aspects of the creation of videos by today's college students. She has held leadership positions in K-12 administration, the federal government and non-profit organizations. 

ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) Fellow Renee Hobbs will moderate, and discussion topics will include:

• How can library groups and library leaders best support library staff in the quest to stay current?”
• What are the perceived obstacles that interfere with the continuing education process?
• What resources or continuous learning models already are available to the profession, and what are their pros/cons?

This series of conversations is intended to create a forum for discussing key issues and developing a vision for continued library leadership in the digital literacy sphere. “Assessing Digital Literacy: Outcomes and Impact” will take place December 11 at 7 p.m. EST.

Join the conversation by watching a live-stream of the panelists on YouTube and chatting with other viewers and tweeting with the hash tag #digilit12. Questions and comments will be submitted to panelists throughout the program.

Registration Information:
Please RSVP for one or both conversations at alawash [at] alawash [dot] org. We also welcome comments or questions prior to each conversation. Please use “digital literacy” as the subject line.

New student registration begins on Nov. 8 for the College of DuPage Library & Information Technology program.   Spring classes run Jan. 10 – May 10, 2013.  You may complete the entire 9-class certificate online. The program is certified by the Library Staff Support Certification.  http://ala-apa.org/lssc/  Course listings are on the LTA program web page. http://cod.edu/programs/library_technology/index.aspx  Please contact Carol Sturz, Coordinator at sturzc [at] cod [dot] edu or call 630-942-2597 for more information.

Outreach Programs in Rural Communities: Simple Steps for Surprising Results

Thursday, December 6, 2012 ♦ 1 pm CST ♦ 60 min

The PEARL (Promoting and Enhancing the Advancement of Rural Libraries) Project has been successful in helping Texas rural librarians reach out to groups and organizations in their communities and to raise visibility of and appreciation for their libraries. Community outreach plans, designed to identify and fill a need in the community, are at the heart of this unique model. The process is supported by an actionable template which leads participants from community assessment, through strategic planning, to implementation, and concludes with evaluating outcomes. This webinar, co-sponsored with WebJunction and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, will explore the outstanding results achieved by participants in the PEARL project and share how community outreach plans have led to unexpected outcomes and some surprising results.

Presented by:  Barbara Blake, Outreach Coordinator for the PEARL Project, University of North Texas; and Louise W. Greene, Association for Rural and Small Libraries and PEARL Mentor.

What Would Walt Do?: Quality Customer Service for Libraries

Wednesday, December 12, 2012 ♦ 12 pm CST ♦ 60 min

Looking for some magic to improve customer service in your library? The Disney Institute on Quality Service has set high standards for creating a quality customer experience and their ideas can be applied at your library. Our panel of Colorado librarians attended the Disney Institute Quality Service preconference sponsored by ALA's LearnRT at the annual conference in Anaheim in 2012. Since then, they’ve been waving their magic wands to improve customer service in Colorado libraries and they’d like to share their discoveries with you. Learn how to define quality service, set a common purpose for all library staff, and better understand your customers. You’ll walk away with ideas to make your library’s customer service sparkle.

This WebJunction webinar is presented in collaboration with ALA's LearnRT. Did you attend the Disney Institute? Join this conversation and share your ideas and successes.

Presented by: Crystal Schimpf, Trainer, Colorado State Library; Elena Rosenfeld, Associate Director of Public Service, High Plains Library District; and Suzanne McGowan, Branch Manager, Anythink Wright Farms.