March 26, 2010 issue

Prairie Views: Newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

SYSTEM NEWS

Memorial Service for Derek Hasse

Derek's family has shared with us that his memorial services will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 10th at:

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
3300 Rural St
Rockford, IL  61107

The family prefers memorials be made in lieu of flowers to either The Carpenter’s Place in Rockford or The Salvation Army. Both organizations help the homeless. Additional information on The Carpenter’s Place can be found at http://www.carpentersplace.org/index.html

Nominations are being sought for the PALS Board through April 15, 2010.

There are seven vacancies for the PALS Board and nominations are being sought.  Please click the link below to find out more and to nominate yourself for a vacancy.
Nomination Form

PALS Day Speaker Feature - Tom Peters and Kathleen March

This week's PALS Day Speaker Feature includes Tom Peters, CEO of TAP Information Services, and Kathleen March, Children's Manager at Anderson's Bookshop, Downers Grove.  Below are descriptions of their sessions they will be presenting on PALS Day, April 22, 2010 at the iWireless Center in Moline, IL.

Who's Next?  Going Mobile with Your Library Services with Tom Peters (11:15 am to 12:15 pm)
By the end of 2009 there were approximately 4.6 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide, or 2 subscriptions for every 3 people on the planet.  Voice communication is just one of many apps people are using on their mobile phones.  U.S. tweens/teens who send text messages on their phones send an average of 118 per day.  They were born mobile.  Libraries are converting existing services (such as the library's OPAC and website) and developing new ones (such as, weekly announcements and tips that go out to mobile phones) to better serve these mobile phone users.  Tom Peters will use his experiences as a volunteer with the international collaborative SMS-based text reference service, My Info Quest (www.myinfoquest.info), to explore how going mobile can transform and re-energize your  library's services as we all move from "web search" to "social search".

Tom Peters on Online Public Programs and Professional Development Opportunities Using Webconferencing (2:30 to 3:30 pm)
Meeting face-to-face at public programs and professional development workshops and conferences is great, but the cost of travel continues to rise as travel budgets shrink or disappear altogether.  At the other extreme, holding events in three-dimensional virtual worlds such as Second Life still presents a high tech bar, a steep learning curve, and limited capacity for gatherings.  Webconferencing is a middle ground between real-world and virtual-world gatherings, offering an easy, affordable way for your library to offer and participate in public programs and professional development opportunities.  In addition, because it is easy to record, archive, and podcast events held via webconferencing, your library can enable your patrons and staff to "time-shift" as well as "place-shift" - participating in public and CE events wherever and whenever they want.  Tom Peters will use his experiences as the coordinator of OPAL (www.opal-online.org), a collaborative webconferencing service, as a springboard to a general exploration of trends in webconferencing software and online events both for library workers and for members of the general public.

What's New in Children's Literature for Spring 2010 with Kathleen March (11:00 am to 12:00 pm)
This session will be a review of the best new books for grades K - 8 plus ideas as to how they can be incorporated into the classroom.

Kathleen's afternoon program titled Books your Book Group Will Love to Talk About (1:15 to 2:15 pm) This session will be a review of some of the best new (or notable) books for adult book groups.

There is only one week left to take advantage of the early bird registration amount of $40 for full day attendance and $30 for half day attendance.  Starting April 1st, the cost will increase to $50 for full day and $35 for half day.  So please register soon!!!  Remember there are bus rides being offered too from the Rockford and Shorewood areas for $20 per person.  We need a minimum of 20 people per bus by April 1st.

For more information and registration, visit Full Day Registration or Half Day Registration.  For bus registration, visit Shorewood Bus or Rockford Bus.

MEMBER LIBRARY NEWS

Congratulations!

The Colona District Public Library's mural was selected for inclusion in American Libraries' annual Library Design Showcase.  The mural, which was created by area artist Sarah Robb in 2009, was included under the category of Special Features.  It can be viewed online at:  http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/librarydesign10/specialfeatures.

Scott County Reads Together – Man Killed by Pheasant

National Library Week is going to be even more special this year because the four public libraries in Scott County, known collectively as “Libraries Together,” are collaborating to bring you the first ever “Scott County Reads Together” initiative.

Iowa author, John Price, will be in the Quad Cities from April 12 through 15 at numerous different venues to present lectures and workshops relating to his memoir, Man Killed By Pheasant: And Other Kinships. This book of essays takes the reader on a journey of the familial embrace of nature, body, and spirit.

Organizers chose this book because of its regional appeal, humorous undertones, and exploration of the natural histories in Iowa. It is a book that all Iowans can relate to, and is written in a literary style that is beautiful, yet succinct.

The goal of “Scott County Reads Together” is to get all Scott County residents reading and talking about the same book. Interested readers can expect an array of related events leading up to Price’s residency. A full schedule can be found at www.librariestogether.org. All events are free and open to the public.

What’s Right and What’s Wrong with Travel

The Moline Public Library is pleased to announce it has been chosen as the national Grand Prize winner of the Frommer’s Library Display Contest. The Library won 50 Frommer’s travel guides and a special travel presentation by nationally acclaimed authors and travel experts, Arthur and Pauline Frommer. Their presentation, “What’s Right and What’s Wrong with Travel,” will be held in the Moline Public Library meeting rooms. Please join us for this special event.

Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.
The Moline Public Library
3210 41st Street, Moline, IL 61265

CONTINUOUS LEARNING

Rebecca Caudill Packet Creation Workshop

Sign up now for the Rebecca Caudill Packet Creation Workshop scheduled for Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at the Helen Mathes Library in Effingham.  The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m.

Join with fellow librarians and teachers to create a packet of information and activities to accompany the 20 books selected for the 2011 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award.  As participants, attendees will help to prepare a book summary, discussion questions, activities, reading recommendations, book talks, lists of related materials and web sites for each book on the list.

Each participant is assigned at least two titles to read and for which to be responsible.  However, everyone is encouraged to read as many of the books on the list of 20 as possible before the workshop.  Registration is available on Library Learning at:  http://www.librarylearning.info/events/?eventID=9651   Please contact Ellen Popit at 800-455-4374, ext. 2024 or epopit@shawls.lib.il.us

Alliance Library System and LearningTimes Offer Innovation for Libraries in the 21st Century!

Alliance Library System and LearningTimes are pleased to announce the “Innovation for Libraries in the 21st Century!” online conference to be held May 12, 2010!  More information about the conference can be found at http://www.learningtimes.net/innovation.

The conference will feature dynamic and exciting keynote addresses by Rich Harwood of the Harwood Institute; Helene Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library; and Kitty Pope and Kendal Orrison of Alliance Library System.

Registration for the conference is $49 per individual or $99 for a group.  LIS students can register for $29.  LIS students need to contact Lori Bell, Alliance Library System, at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com for a coupon code to register for the $29.  To register, go to http://www.learningtimes.net/innovation/register.
For more information on the conference, go to the conference site at http://www.learningtimes.net/innovation.  If you have questions, please contact Lori Bell at Alliance Library System at lbell@alliancelibrarysystem.com or John Walber at john@learningtimes.net. 

AROUND THE STATE & NATION

Upcoming Storytelling Festival Promises Humor, Drama

The Center for Children’s Books (CCB) at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) along with the Spurlock Museum will host their annual Storytelling Festival on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the Spurlock Museum Auditorium at 600 S. Gregory St. in Urbana, IL.

The Festival will feature an eclectic mix of stories from around the world, from a child’s failed attempt to get a pet to a Japanese folktale about a judge with a creative approach to administering justice. Stories will be performed by a select group of GSLIS students, alumni, and faculty, including new storytellers and seasoned professionals.

The cost for students is $5 with a Student ID and $8 for the public.
Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Some material may not be appropriate for children.
For more information, contact the CCB at 244-9331 or ccb@illinois.edu.

ADVOCACY NEWS

Senator Wilhelmi and Representative McGuire to Meet With Librarians

Dianne Harmon, Joliet Public Library, has taken the initiative to arrange for a meeting with legislators in the Joliet PL district;  Dianne even managed to arrange for a lunch with both legislators.

April 16th is the date set for a state wide initiative to contact our legislators and whenever possible, to present them with the stories many of you collected on Snapshot Day.

This is in place of heading to Springfield this year. It will be a lower cost initiative than traveling to Springfield and thus losing an entire day out of your library. We can impress the legislators with not only the stories that illustrate how important libraries are to their constituents, but also demonstrate our effort to cut costs and use our time more productively. A bonus: you may well find that you get an hour appointment in the district instead of a few minutes with just the possibility of seeing them when the general assembly is in session.

What are YOU doing this April 16th?

Prairie Views is the weekly newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

All subscribers are encouraged to submit contributions and suggestions to prairieviews@palsnet.info. Submissions must be received by Tuesday to appear in the upcoming edition. To subscribe to or unsubscribe from this newsletter, please visit the following link: http://mailman.palsnet.info/mailman/listinfo/pviews