News from September, 2008

September 2, 2008 -- SELCO will be offering Introduction to Library Service Day 1 on Tuesday, September 30 @ 9 a.m.   This course is the first of the required courses for Minnesota Voluntary Certification and will cover the program requirements, discuss what a library is, how it functions, and the view of the library from the community's standpoint.  Nick Dimassis, the Assistant Director at East Central Regional Library, will be teaching the course.  For more information, please visit our training site or click here for the program brochure.

September 3, 2008 -- Delivery resumed today for all online schools that did not receive delivery over the summer.  Additionally, Crossroads College, one of the newest libraries on the SELCO online system, began receiving delivery for the first time today.  This is a always an exciting and busy time.  An important part of delivery are the drivers from Gold Cross who ensure that all those library materials arrive to and from the SELCO office.  Check out some recent photos of Bob, Brady, and Terry in action on SELCO's Flickr site.  Thanks guys!

September 3, 2008 -- Please join us after the User Group meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2008, for An Afternoon of ILL:  Out of Region Items and Requests.  A light lunch will be served at noon and the meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m.  To view the meeting agenda, please click here.  Hope to see you there!

September 3, 2008 -- Smart Money Connection airs for the fourth time this evening at 6:30 on KSMQ Public Television.  In past weeks the program has looked at the ground work in getting prepped and ready to invest. This week, we start really digging into the different kinds of investments and the different ways people can grow their money.

SELCO is offering a live webcast after each week's show to continue the conversation through a grant from FINRA called Smart Investing @ Your Library.  With this half-hour webcast, you can have a personal finance expert answer the questions you have about many aspects surrounding saving and investing.    Visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/smart-money to watch and take part in this online discussion!

September 4, 2008 -- The email server is back up and running.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

September 4, 2008 -- We have noticed a problem with our email server and are looking into it.  We will keep you posted so you know when it is up and running again.  Thank you for your patience.

September 8, 2008 -- SELCO added extra delivery stops to 16 public libraries starting on September 3.  Each library that didn't already receive five days of delivery a week was given the choice of adding up to two additional days of delivery or staying at their current number of delivery days.   Here are some quotes from two library directors who have had delivery service expanded:

• "The staff and patrons of the Spring Valley Library are looking forward to deliveries five days a week instead of three.  Better service for the patron and a balanced work flow for all the staff is expected.  We are not hiring additional staff due to budget tightening, but staff members are willing to step up to the plate to improve service for our patrons." -- Dianne Sikkink, Spring Valley Public Library Director
• "One of our regular (daily) customers was so excited about the one day turn-around on his book he requested.  He was our first customer to reap the rewards of everyday delivery.  As for our work load--we are only dealing with 1-2 bins a day instead of the three-four on the old schedule.  We love it!" -- Linda Barsness, Kenyon Public Library Director

September 8, 2008 -- The email server is back up and running.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

September 8, 2008 -- We have noticed a problem with our email server and are looking into it.  We will keep you posted so you know when it is up and running again.  Thank you for your patience.

September 11, 2008 -- Thirty-one librarians and library professionals attended the Technology Users Group meeting on September 09, 2008.  Attendees had the opportunity to hear presentations on a variety of topics, ranging from SELCO's search for a new online catalog to a demonstration of online meeting software.  Meeting information, including presentation slides, is available on the September 2008 Technology Users Group meeting page.  The next meeting of the Technology Users Group is scheduled for January 13, 2009 at 9:30 AM and will be held at the SELCO office in Rochester.

September 12, 2008 -- The packet for the Joint ILS Operations and Technology Policy Committee meeting is now available on the website. This can be found here.  This meeting is from 3 - 5 pm on August 18th, at the SELCO building.

September 15, 2008 --  From Allyn McColley and Delane James: Buckham Memorial Library in Faribault will be closed Monday September 29 through Tuesday October 14, in order to replace our carpeting. Our items will not be available for Interlibrary Loan beginning today, September 16 through October 14. We look forward to sending items out again beginning October 15.

September 15, 2008 -- National Hispanic Heritage Monthis the period to recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States and to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture.  The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15.  September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries:  Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.

September 18, 2008-- A "Learning to Use New Technologies"  workshop will be held in 5 locations in MN October 14 -21, 2008. SELCO will host the workshop Friday, Oct. 17 from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Presenter Maurice Coleman, who has presented workshops on technology at the 2008 Computers in Libraries Conference will provide a workshop on using technological gasgets. Marshall will show staff how to use various technological devices, such as, GPS, Sony E-Reader, iPod, MP3 player, web cams, digital camera with video, and wii. Maurice describes his job at Howard County, Maryland "to help our staff learn about and leverage new and existing electronic and other tools and technologies in a modern library setting."  This workshop meets competencies for MN Certification and counts for 5 contact hours.

Register before October 1, 2008 at:  http://www.arrowhead.lib.mn.us/certification/formtech.htm
After the workshop, staff will be expected to provide a group training or a one-on-one training for targeted library patrons as described in the MN LSTA Plan (for example, Seniors, children, residents unable to access library services due to geographic or technological barriers) on how to use, select and communicate with techies about problems with technological devices.

More information can be found on our training site (registration is only available at the link above.)

This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

September 18, 2008 -- The Preston Public Librarywill be celebrating it's 100th Anniversary on Saturday, September 27, 2008.  The library will host an open house from 2-4 p.m. and a celebration program at 2 p.m.   Congratulations, Preston Public Library!

September 19, 2008  Collaborative Summer Library Program theme has been announced Be Creative Creative @ Your Library.  The artwork for the program was created by David Catrow.  The 2009 teen program is Express Yourself @ Your Library with artwork by Brad Sneed.  Product information will be available via the Upstartwebsite starting in October.

September 22, 2008 -- The 11th Annual Hot Reads for Cold Nightsproducts are ready for your order!  This year's theme features the moose and the Minnesota landscape.  Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO) recognizes the importance of preserving our environment and we are offering a few "Green" products this year.  Our print and promotional materials are reasonably priced and available to all libraries.

Order deadline is Monday, October 13, 2008.

If you are a SELCO/SELS member, please click here to view product information.

If you would like to place an order and you are not a SELCO/SELS member, please click here to view product information.

September 23, 2008 -- The annual Minnesota Library Association (MLA) Conference is just around the corner!  The conference will take place on November 19-21 in Bloomington, MN.  Members are now able to view the conference program and register.  You can register with a printed form or register online.  For more information, please visit the MLA website and click on Annual Conference for more information.

September 24, 2008 -- A number of library staff members and SELCO staff members from the SELCO/SELS region participated in Round 2 of 23 Things on a Stick , which ran from May 15 - September 15, 2008.  Sixteen participants from the region completed the program and are listed below with a link to each of their blogs.

23 Things on a Stick was a self-discovery program that allowed participants to manage their own learning of new and emerging technologies.  Participants were encouraged to work together with others in their buildings and regions and share their insights and discoveries with others through their blogs and in person.  The program was open to all staff in any Minnesota library -- academic, special, school or public -- as well as members of their Governing Boards, Friends Groups, or Advisory Groups.  The program was sponsored by the Minnesota's seven multicounty mulitype library systems (multitypes).  Congratulations to our finishers!

23 Things Finisher	Library	Blog
Bonnie Adams	Kasson Public Library	Island Princess 23 Things
Sharleen Berg	St. Mary's School (Owatonna)	Library Dragon
Audrey Betcher	Rochester Public Library	A Librarian's Notes
Karen Fasching	Rochester Public Library	Reluctant Blogger's 23 Things
Michelle Gurung	Albert Lea Public Library	Beware of Papercuts
Brad Haugen	Lourdes High School	Wrestling with Dewey
Jean Jahn	Rochester Public Library	Things
James Koelsch	Rochester Public Library	jorpxbn23 bloging project
Meg Lahammer	Burnside Elementary School (Red Wing)	Literacy
Louise Moe	Rochester Public Library	TRYINGMYBEST
Steve Mosing	Rochester Public Library	MARC My Words
Thuan Nguyen	Rochester Public Library	Tnguyen
Pam O'Hara	Rochester Public Library	A Book in Hand
Laura Randolph	Rochester Public Library	Froggy Finds
Kathy Rush	Northfield Public Library	Performer
Gina Westra	Rochester Public Library	23thingswow

September 30, 2008 -- Meeting materials for the October 07, 2008 SELCO Advisory Committee meeting have been posted on the committee meeting materials page.  The document links are listed here for your convenience:

Agenda   (PDF, 74.4 KB)
Online Meeting Flyer   (PDF, 88.8 KB)
Transforming the Meeting Atmosphere   (PDF, 49.1 KB)
Interim Recommendation Draft   (PDF, 108KB)
Alternate Model for Advisory Committee Structure   (PDF, 129 KB)
Committee Framework   (PDF, 64.8 KB)
Possible Multitype Meeting Framework Rev.   (PDF, 71.5 KB)
Special Consultants General Announcement (  PDF, 52.8 KB)
LSTA Brainstorming   (PDF, 57.2 KB)

September 30, 2008 --  Day End processing has completed.  All notices and statistics are now available.

September 30, 2008 --   DayEnddid not run last night and has been restarted this morning. This process takes several hours and we will update this page when completed. Online Libraries can access yesterday's reports at that time.