Libraries Connect Communities

ALA released this week the first in a series of reports about technology in U.S. libraries. The "Libraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2006-2007 Report," gathered data from multiple sources, including national and state surveys, and focus groups.

According to the summary, researchers identified three significant themes:
• Technology has brought more – not less – library use;
• Library infrastructure (space, bandwidth and staffing) is being pushed to capacity; and
• There is a growing need for technology planning and dedicated technology support.


Press release: http://ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/april2008/ORSconnectivityreports.cfm
Report: http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/plftas/0607report.cfm
More about the study: http://www.ala.org/ala/ors/plftas/pullibfunandtechaccstudy.cfm

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

Public

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Weeding and Recycling in Libraries

Librarians working in school, academic, special, and public libraries may be interested in the newest Field Initiated Study (FIS).

This study includes two documents, compiling resources about the responsible disposal of library materials. The Recycling in Libraries document includes a summary of the responses from three Libnet inquiries regarding weeding and disposal policies at public, school, academic, and special libraries. The Weeding document is a list of resources collected for Library People, Colorado’s statewide friends group.

You may click on the titles above or see our Field Initiated Studies section for more information.

-Amanda
arybin@du.edu

FieldStudies, Public, Academic, School, Special Libraries

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Mapping CSL Staff

Since the beginning of this fiscal year members of the CSL staff have made 148 library visits to 100 different locations in 68 cities around Colorado, according to Maura McGrath, a CSL administrative assistant. Of those visits 89 were to public libraries, 29 were to institutional libraries, 15 were to school libraries, 6 were to academic libraries, and there were 9 school library workshops.

All of these visits have been captured on a Google map...


View Larger Map

Thanks to Maura McGrath for sharing the data.

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

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2008 State of America's Libraries

Released each year as part of National Library Week, ALA's 2008 State of America's Libraries report covers trends in school, public, and academic libraries, as well as specific issues like outreach and diversity, legislation, and intellectual freedom.

Report webpage: http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/presscentera/piopresskits/2008statereport/2008statehome.cfm
Full report: http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/presscentera/piopresskits/2008statereport/draft-0001c-press.pdf
Press Release: http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/april2008/2008statereport.cfm

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

Academic, Public, School, LibraryWorkforce, Special Libraries

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2007 Preliminary Public Library Statistics Available

Preliminary statistics from the 2007 Colorado Public Library Report are now available. Most libraries have completed the report, and more edit checks will be run on the data in the next few months, but you can access the data now at http://www.lrs.org/public/stats.php?year=2007. Enjoy!

Zeth
lietzau_z@cde.state.co.us

Public

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Who Knew? National Library Week

National Library Week is observed each year in April, generally the second full week.

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of National Library Week.

The 2008 theme for National Library Week is "Join the circle of knowledge @ your library."

Julie Andrews is the official voice for National Library Week 2008. Check out her Public Service Announcement.

Learn more about National Library Week.

WhoKnew

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Who Knew? National Poetry Month

The United States Library of Congress is in charge of appointing the national Poet Laureate. This tradition began in the U.S. in 1937. The current Poet Laureate is Charles Simic .
You can read his poem "At the Library" here.

Literacy Through Poetry gives graduate students and elementary students an opportunity to communicate and learn together through poetry.

http://literacy.colostate.edu/poetry.html

This brief report from the Ohio Literacy Resource center describes some ways (and presents some “whys”) for using poetry in adult literacy education.
http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/0300-26.pdf

The Academy of American Poets has a wealth of information and ideas for celebrating National Poetry Month http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/102

Former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins has initiated a literacy program called Poetry 180, targeted at high school libraries and classrooms. http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/

WhoKnew

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New Study on the Internet’s Impact on Libraries and Museums

"InterConnections: A National Study of Users and Potential Users of Online Information," a study from IMLS released on March 6, "...offers insight into the ways people search for information in the online age, and how this impacts the ways they interact with public libraries and museums, both online and in person," according to the press release.

The study's conclusion lists five main findings:

1) Libraries and museums evoke consistent, extraordinary public trust among diverse adult users.

2) An explosion of available information inspires the search for more information.

3) The public benefits significantly from the presence of museums and libraries on the Internet.

4) Internet use is positively related to in-person visits to museums and libraries.

5) Museums and public libraries serve important and complementary roles in supporting a wide variety of information needs.

Reports
Press Release

~Nicolle
steffen@cde.state.co.us

Public, Academic, School

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24/7 Public Library Survey Help Is Here -- Collect Tutorials Now Online

Need help with the Public Library Annual Report? Finding the Collect software as intuitive as quantum physics? Well, help is here. LRS now has four--of the planned six--tutorials online at: http://www.lrs.org/public/report.php. Using Captivate software, LRS Research Fellows, Jennifer French and Amanda Rybin, walk you through the Collect software and the reporting process.

Tutorial chapters include:
1) Getting Started
This chapter introduces you to the basic functions of the Collect software, including logging in, system requirements, and simple navigation.

2) Survey Components
This chapter covers the survey components and their definitions including question numbers, data elements, previous year's data, data entry boxes, green flags, and the notepad icon.

3) Filling Out the Survey and Edit Checks
This chapter introduces additional survey navigation tips, automatic calculations, state library use only questions, and different types of edit checks. It explains how to satisfy edit checks before submitting a completed annual report.

4) Printing and Submitting Your Survey
This chapter illustrates how to print your annual report, save your data, and the final steps required in order to submit your completed report to the Colorado State Library.


We hope these online tutorials will make the annual reporting process easier than ever. As always, we welcome your suggestions and comments.

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

Public

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Bright Future for Librarians?

According to U.S. News and World Report, librarianship is one of "31 careers with bright futures." The article says, "Forget about that image of librarian as a mousy bookworm. Librarians these days must be high-tech information sleuths..."

Librarian: Executive Summary
Best Careers 2008 article

~Nicolle
steffen_n@cde.state.co.us

LibraryWorkforce, Special Libraries, Academic, School, Public

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