March
2016

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Important Dates

Annual reports due to state, April 1, 2016. 

Library Workplace Supervision and Management with Pat Wagner, April 20, 2016, see more info below.

LSTA Grant Applications due May 6, 2016

Save the date, May 12, 2016, West Branch Workshop, Digitize Locally, Share Globally.

PA Forward Pilot Project ends May 13, 2016

Next District Advisory Council Meeting, May 18, 2016, James V Brown Library

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Library Workplace Supervision and Management
Wednesday, April 20, 2016, 10AM to 3PM, James V Brown Library, Lowry Room

Managing people and resources are the foundation of any successful library, supporting the services, collections, and programming the library offers. But training is spotty at best in graduate school, and even experienced library workers and professionals often have to guess about how to do their best. The good news is that the principles of library workplace supervision and management are simple, and they work with most people in most situations. Learn how to improve your skills and better impact the capacity of your library to serve, while you improve customer service for employees and library users.

Pat Wagner has been a trainer and consultant for libraries and universities since 1978. She has worked with the former Palinet organization, as well as the State Library of Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Library Association, and many districts and libraries across the state. Pat also is a regular speaker at state and national library conferences. She is known for her good-humored and practical programs.

Com join us for a fun and informative day!

Registration here.
LSTA Grant Opportunity

The 2016 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant application is now open.
 
Eligible organizations have the opportunity to apply for one of the following categories:
 
     Try It

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries encourages all eligible Pennsylvania libraries apply.  Details on each grant including eligibility requirements can be found under the 2016/2017 Competitive Grants, in the Grant Guidelines section on www.statelibrary.pa.gov/LSTA. 
 
Please read the Grant Guidelines closely as some things may have changed from previous year.  Please email all questions to ra-lsta@pa.gov so that a Q&A document may be maintained on the website for all to access.
 
In order to be considered all applications are due COB May 6, 2016.
 

PA Forward and NCLD
Become a PA Forward Library

Between now and May 13th, the North Central Library District members have a chance to participate in a pilot program for PA Forward. This pilot program was developed by a group of 2015 PALS graduates in partnership with the Pennsylvania Library Association and the North Central Library District. A marketing kit has been sent to each library director containing templates for posters, flyers, bookmarks and a rubric explaining how to achieve a PA Forward star. 

So what's in it for your library? 
  • A stronger, more unified voice.
  • Easily market your programs 
  • Bragging rights (Possible mention at the PaLA Conference)
  • Upon achieving a star, NCLD will write a letter to your county commissioners about the program, your library's participation and programs. We'll tell them how awesome you are!
  • NCLD in conjunction with PaLA will issue a certificate for each library achieving a star. 
  • Your library will get regional recognition at the West Branch Workshop in May.
  • NCLD will send a press release to your media outlets explaining you achievement.
It's easy. We're asking you to put the PA Forward brand on the programs your library already does. 

STEM Activities
For Interlibrary Loan

When your planning STEM activities, remember that James V Brown Library has several for interlibrary loan. You must use the James V Brown interlibrary loan form to request these. 

Here are the titles:
Alarm Your Pencil Box Lab
Don't Lose Your Marbles Lab
Space Lander Activity Lab
STEM Motion
STEM Magnets
STEM Sink or Float
Snap Circuits Jr.
Deluxe Roominate Kit
Makey Makey Deluxe Kit (2)
Ozobot
Goldie Blox and the Builder's Survival Kit
Squishy Circuits
Bare Conductive Flashing Card Pack

PA Forward Marketing and Summer Reading Training

We had a great time on March 11 exploring PA Forward and brainstorming program ideas for summer reading. Kathy Silks, Paula Gilbert, and Joann Eichenlaub explained the premise behind PA Forward and took us through the marketing kit and rubric. The morning program had 30 participants and the afternoon swelled to 42!

Participants moved between 8 stations in the afternoon session, brainstorming program ideas. One or two workshop participants were seen jumping on a pogo stick!

Overdrive 

Need to find Overdrive stats for your library? Click here.

A new iOS app is available: 
OverDrive released v3.5.2 of the iOS app, which resolves some of the issues that users encountered after upgrading to v3.5 in early February. This new version also includes:
  • Displaying "Part x of y" in the audiobook player (added back based on user feedback)
  • More specific and helpful error messaging, especially for issues with Adobe eBooks
  • A new web view for iOS 8 and 9 that includes a loading bar for library websites and improves performance and stability
  • Other performance improvements and bug fixes, including a fix for remembering library cards

    Note: Users may need to enter their library card one more time, but the app will then remember it moving forward.

Don't Forget the Compendium

Don't miss out on news at the state level. The latest Compendium is packed with information about workshops, webinars, the recent PEW Research Report, library news and more. 
Contact
June Houghtaling
District Consultant
19 E 4th Street
Williamsport, PA  17701
570.326.0536 Ext. 196
"His library was a fine dark place bricked with books, so anything could happen there and always did. All you had to do was pull a book from the shelf and open it and suddenly the darkness was not so dark anymore."