Smart Investing @ Your Library 2008-09

Community Academic Libraries 2007-08

The project Community Libraries as Online Partners – 2007 will enable two academic libraries to become SELCO ILS Online Libraries. Participating in the SELCO Integrated Library System (ILS) via the regional library system and MnLINK network will multiply the materials available and greatly expand the libraries’ capacities to serve the academic research needs of their students.  The two participating colleges are Crossroads College in Rochester and Pillsbury Baptist College in Owatonna.

Community School Libraries 2007-08

The project, Community Libraries as Online Partners – 2007, will enable two school library media centers to become SELCO ILS Online Libraries. Participating in the SELCO Integrated Library System (ILS) via the regional library system and MnLINK network will multiply the materials available and greatly expand the media centers’ capacities to serve their students. Participating in the grant are Ridgeway Community School in Houston and Chatfield Schools in Chatfield.

Digital Audiobooks for Seniors 2007-08

SELCO is supporting public libraries in encouraging senior citizens’ adoption of new technology through the use of self-contained digital audiobooks. SELCO is partnering with member libraries to offer training, programs, and promotional materials to introduce senior citizens to the new format of self-contained audiobooks.  The combination of the introduction of a new technology to an underserved population with the enhancements of programming make this project unique.  This program continues the highly successful Senior Techies 2005 LSTA grant program, which began the process of introducing seniors to and training them in the use of technology.

Libraries as Partners in Rural Sustainability 2007-08

The ERC and SELS is sponsoring a series of forums in libraries to engage residents in dialogue with field experts to consider, discuss, and debate issues relating to the sustainable development of rural communities and landscapes. The ERC, the Experiment in Rural Cooperation of the University of Minnesota Southeast Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, and SELS, the Southeast Library System, are natural partners to bring a diverse group of subject specialists into libraries to talk about new technologies to build stronger rural communities. Each of the forums, held in a different library, will be led by a field expert and target one pressing and complex issue encountered by rural residents. SELS and the ERC expect that the forums will inform, equip, and energize participants to work together to improve the quality of life of rural communities. The interactive programs will build on the ERC’s library collection of unique titles and expand on its unusual resources to include online media presentations. Programs by the field experts may include organic gardening, community technology options for rural communities, energy self-reliance, and greenhouse growing.

Previous LSTA Projects:

Community Libraries 2006-07

Community Libraries as Online Partners - 2006 is enabling two library media centers in the Plainview-Elgin-Millville school district and the Houston Elementary School media center to become SELCO ILS Online Libraries.  Participating in the SELCO Integrated Library System (ILS) via the regional library system and Minnesota MnLINK network will multiply the materials available and greatly expand the media centers' capacities to serve their students.

Senior Techies  2005-06

In Senior Techies Part 2, SELS partnered with 14 SELS member libraries and their community partners to develop and deliver technology training programs for senior citizens.  To maintain senior interest in what they learned, the project director created 10 issues of an online newsletter that reinforced the class content and introduced related content.  Contains links to the handouts, newsletters, and other senior resources.

Curriculum 2005-06

This LSTA project was designed to develop lesson plans incorporating resources from the Electronic Library of Minnesota (ELM) and the SELCO and MnLink databases into school curriculum units in all subjects at all grade levels. This database is available to all K-12 schools and public libraries to support K-12 students.

Online On-demand Training  2006-07

This grant is designed to provide library staff members web-based training units on the use of the regional ILS (integrated library system), iPAC (online catalog), and MnLINK.  Through this project, SELCO will use demonstration-authoring software (DAS) to create Flash-based multimedia training movies of specific tasks.  The movies will be on the SELCO website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, readily available to any SELCO Online Library who needs a refresher in how to perform a specific task.