Channel Weekly, Vol. 16, No. 21, March 6, 2014

1. Edge Initiative final phase: Free trial opportunities
2. March 13 webinar: Using WISEdash to Understand Young Patrons as Students
3. BadgerLatté training survey
4. Weed and update GED collections
5. March edition of the Youth Services Showcase
6. State Document of the Week: Wisconsin Epidemiological Profile on Alcohol and Drug Use
7. BadgerLink Resource of the Week: Soundzabound
8. Website of the Week: National Institutes of Health
9. Calendar

1. EDGE INITIATIVE FINAL PHASE: FREE TRIAL OPPORTUNITIES

Two dozen Wisconsin public libraries have been chosen at random based on specific demographics to participate in the national launch of the Edge Initiative. The Edge Initiative was developed by a coalition of leading library and local government organizations with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and led by the Urban Libraries Council. The goal of the Edge Initiative is to collect data pertaining to digital services offered in public libraries, and to have that data available to compare libraries throughout the country and see which areas related to sustainable public access technology can be improved.

The survey consists of eleven benchmarks broken into three main categories:

  • Community Value
  • Engaging the Community
  • Organizational Management

Edge estimates that the survey should take 2-4 hours to complete; however some information may need to be obtained from your regional library system. Once completed, the libraries that participate will be given a score on each benchmark, highlighting which specific areas the library can improve on to support the sustainability of public access technology. The library can then develop an action plan to help organize and plan for improving the necessary areas. Also included are marketing materials to share information on how public libraries contribute to public technology programming and access throughout the country.

Libraries participating in the Edge Initiative will be able to utilize the service at no cost for the 2014 calendar year. Since fees will be applied beginning in 2015, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) encourages interested libraries to take advantage of this valuable planning tool now.

For more information on the Edge Initiative visit www.libraryedge.org/.

Libraries must register through Edge. The DPI's Division for Libraries and Technology would like to assess participation and interest in the benchmarks process to determine future interest. If you decide to participate, please contact Ryan Claringbole, DPI's Public Library Technology Consultant, at ryan.claringbole@dpi.wi.gov.


2. MARCH 13 WEBINAR: USING WISEDASH TO UNDERSTAND YOUNG PATRONS AS STUDENTS

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Division for Libraries and Technology will present a webinar, Using WISEdash to Understand Young Patrons as Students, on Thursday, March 13, from 12 to 1 p.m. Youth services librarians and public library directors are encouraged to attend this informative and instructive webinar about the WISEdash Public Portal. WISEdash is a data portal that uses "dashboards," or visual collections of graphs and tables, to provide multi-year education data about Wisconsin schools. As a public reporting tool, WISEdash is used by districts, schools, parents, researchers, media, and other community members to view data published by Department of Public Instruction.

Webinar participants will participate in a guided exploration to gain an overview of WISEdash as well as examine search techniques. Librarians will see how to customize programs and services for children, teens, and families by discovering what's happening in the district, grade levels, and schools in a specific area, and how to explore data related to academic performance in reading and math as well as enrollment groups such as economic, disability, ELL, and migrant status. WISEdash will also enable library staff to capture data for use on applications and reports that require identification of library demographics.

Presenters will be DPI Division for Libraries and Technology staff Melissa Straw, Manager, Data Warehouse and Decision Support Team; Melanie McCalmont, Business Analyst, Data Warehouse and Decision Support Team, and Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, Youth and Special Services Consultant, Public Library Development Team.

No registration is required; simply join the Blackboard Collaborate session. Note--Internet Explorer is the preferred browser for this platform (Java required).

Blackboard Collaborate session: http://tinyurl.com/pqn7svo

  • Attendees who need telephone audio (versus VoIP) should use the conference number:
    1-877-820-7831 and enter participant passcode: 697156.
  • Test your system beforehand
  • Blackboard Collaborate overview video
  • Blackboard Collaborate online support or phone (877) 382-2293

For more information about WISEdash, visit http://wisedash.dpi.wi.gov/.

The webinar will be recorded and posted online under "Professional Development" on the DPI Youth Services page: http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_ys-sn#prof-dev.


3. BADGERLATTE TRAINING SURVEY

BadgerLink recently hosted BadgerLatté Training Series that highlighted resources that support Black History Month. BadgerLink staff were wondering what you thought about the trainings.

By completing this short survey about the BadgerLatté webinar training series you will help us evaluate our current webinar format and content as well as provide insight into future trainings.

The survey should not take more than 5 minutes to complete. The survey can be found at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-nRa5wJDeC20PqnnZpJWzfSLfhEi7kp4o1JRgf4SKug/viewform . Please complete the survey by March 14, 2014.

If you have any questions, contact Kara Ripley at kara.ripley@dpi.wi.gov.


4. WEED AND UPDATE GED COLLECTIONS

The Indianhead Federated Library System newsletter reports that there are hundreds of out-of-date books about GED Preparation in Wisconsin's libraries. The GED test changed dramatically in 2014, so it is time to update your GED titles and weed anything published earlier than 2013 (http://www.iflsweb.org/sites/default/files/newsflashes/March%202014%20Newsletter.pdf).

In the meantime, library staff can recommend that people check out the Learning Express Library resources now available through Badgerlink: http://www.badgerlink.net/college-jobs.


5. MARCH EDITION OF THE YOUTH SERVICES SHOWCASE

Teen chefs, a famous tractor, and the mayor of Manitowoc make appearances on the March edition of the Wisconsin Youth Services Showcase: http://pld.dpi.wi.gov/pld_showcase

Scroll through the slideshow and follow the links to find programming ideas from your youth services peers across the state.

Be sure to send in your own submission for next month's showcase to Tessa.Schmidt@dpi.wi.gov, Youth and Special Services Consultant.


6. WISCONSIN DIGITAL ARCHIVES STATE DOCUMENT OF THE WEEK

The Wisconsin Epidemiological Profile on Alcohol and Drug Use report, http://bit.ly/1cr8jyB, summarizes current data on the consequences and use of alcohol and other drugs in Wisconsin. It describes results for a variety of indicators, with charts and tables detailing key trends for Wisconsin in the consequences of alcohol and other drug use and in patterns of consumption.


7. BADGERLINK RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

Searching for music you can include in a YouTube video? Try using the songs and sound effects that are available in Soundzabound (http://ow.ly/jzxrc)! The music that is available is licensed for use by Wisconsin residents in videos or other media posted on the web.


8. Website of the Week

National Institutes of Health -- http://nih.gov -- Official website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH is the Federal focal point for health and medical research. The NIH website offers health information for the public, scientists, researchers, medical professionals, patients, educators, and students. The site has extensive information on funding and training opportunities, clinical trials, health news, and links to the many Institutes and Centers that make-up the NIH. (Website reference courtesy of refdesk.com)


9. CALENDAR

March 12, 2014 – Spring Interlibrary Loan meeting, Madison

March 14, 2014 – Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND), De Pere

March 21, 2014 – Growing Wisconsin Readers Early Literacy Symposium, Stevens Point

April 2, 2014 – Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee Meeting, DeForest

April 30-May 2, 2014 – Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians (WAAL) annual conference, Wisconsin Dells
May 7-9, 2014 – Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) annual conference, Sheboygan

May 16, 2014 – Council on Library and Network Development (COLAND) meeting, Madison

May 16, 2014 -- Special Services Consultants Meeting, Madison

October 2, 2014 – Annual Youth Services Liaisons Meeting, DeForest

October 3, 2014 – Annual System Continuing Education and Certification Consultants Meeting, DeForest

November 19, 2014 - Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Advisory Committee Meeting, DeForest

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Roslyn M. Wise
Editor, Channel Weekly
Department of Public Instruction
Division for Libraries and Technology
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707-7841
Phone: (608) 266-6439
FAX: (608) 267-9207

For questions about this information, contact Roslyn Wise (608) 266-6439