September is Library Card Sign Up Month

Library Card Sign-up Month is a time to remind parents and kids that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

Ben Roethlisberger named Library Card Sign-up Month Spokesperson

The ALA announced that Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback of the 2006 Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, will be the spokesperson for this year’s Library Card Sign-up Month, which begins September 1. Roethlisberger is featured on an ALA Graphics READ poster, which is being sent to national media by ALA as a public service announcement. Read more...

AUDIO PSAs

Send these audio PSAs out to local radio stations in your community. (mp3 files)

:10 Sign up for the smartest card of all!

:15 2/3 of Americans have library cards

:15 Come in, say hello and sign up!

:30 Families come together @ your library

:30 Time to head back to school

ALA | Library Card Sign-up Month 2007

technorati tags:library, card, month

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VACATION

Finally, i'm taking a much needed vacation and I will not be blogging while away. In fact, I'm not even taking my laptop! Hard to imagine. I am, however, taking my camera and when i get back, my Flickr account will be overflowing with lots of photos from Spain, Italy, and Greece.  I'll be out of the office from Aug 20-Sept 4 and will be blogging again after I return.  C ya!

technorati tags:vacation

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Submit your Library News!

Submit your Library News!
Originally uploaded by crr29061

With the SC Online Library Community, you can submit your library's news! Check out the 5 minute web cast that shows you how.

www.statelibrary.sc.gov/video/submitlibrarynews.avi

from: www.statelibrary.sc.gov/community-center.html

Cooking With Nathalie Dupree

shrimp and grits
Originally uploaded by crr29061

COLUMBIA, SC – The Friends of the Richland County Public Library will host best-selling cookbook author and Chef Nathalie Dupree as the featured guest for this year’s Annual Meeting at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 9 in the Bostick Auditorium of the Main Library, 1431 Assembly St. This event is free and open to the public.

Dupree will discuss her most recent cookbook, Shrimp & Grits, which is dedicated to showing the appeal and versatility of shrimp and grits for any meal.

The author of 10 cookbooks and host of 300 television shows, Dupree is most famous for her understanding of Southern cooking and is credited with starting the popular New Southern Cooking movement. She currently resides in Charleston with her husband, author Jack Bass.

For more information on Nathalie Dupree, visit her Web site at www.nathalie.com.

The Friends of RCPL is a nonprofit organization that works to raise support and awareness of the library. Friends’ memberships begin at only $25. Call 803-929-3475 for more details on membership or this special event.

Back to School idea

Back to School idea
Originally uploaded by crr29061

This is a great idea for a blog posting! Here at the Berkeley County Public Library Blog, they have posted some ideas and information about Back to School. This is a great way to reach out to the community!

Directory of Learning Tools

Directory of Learning Tools
Originally uploaded by crr29061

This is a growing Directory of over 1,600 learning tools ranging from traditional course development tools through 21st century (E-Learning 2.0) collaboration and sharing tools as well as tools for personal learning.

The tools are both free/open source and commercial and are suitable for: developers and deliverers of workplace learning, performance improvement solutions or post-16 education; as well as learners of all types (students, employees, lifelong learners, etc) for personal or group learning purposes.

Note: some tools are available in both free and commercial versions, and also appear in more than one category.

New Tools are added daily - You can also recommend a tool
For a featured daily learning tool or resource, read Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day
Want to find out more about the tools, read the Guide to Tools
or see the Favourite Tools of E-Learning professionals.

Letters of Queen Elizabeth I

Letters of Queen Elizabeth I
Originally uploaded by crr29061

This free lunchtime program is presented by the SC Center for the Book,
the SC affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The SC Center
for the Book is a cooperative project of the SC State Library, the USC
School of Library and Information Science, and The Humanities Council SC.
*********
This program is sponsored in part by The Humanities Council SC, a state
program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; inspiring, engaging,
and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture,
and heritage.

FOR MORE INFO, CLICK ON IMAGE.

RSVP award

RSVP award
Originally uploaded by crr29061

South Carolina State Library Talking Book Services Receives RSVP “Station of the Year” Award

At a recent luncheon hosted by the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) for Richland and Lexington Counties, Talking Book Services was honored to receive the “Station of the Year” Award in recognition of the library’s commitment to volunteerism and support of RSVP as a resource to help senior citizens get involved as volunteers. Each year, the “station of the year” award is presented to honor an agency or organization for its use of volunteers to assist with projects and programs. Since 1994, Talking Books Services has had a strong working partnership with the volunteer program, which has resulted volunteers with clerical skills donating over 800 hours of service.

RSVP of Richland and Lexington Counties matches the talents and interests of people 55 and older to community volunteer needs, performs vital services such as tutoring, mentoring, hospital and library work and assisting local non-profit organizations, and is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. For more information about Talking Book Services, visit www.statelibrary.sc.gov/tbs. For more information about RSVP of Richland and Lexington Counties, visit www.seniorresourcesinc.org/rsvp.htm.

Pictured are (L) Naomi Bradey, SC State Library Talking Book Services and (R) Jennifer Derrick of Senior Resources.

Lolfish @ the Library - DISCUS the Feesh

DISCUS the Feesh
Originally uploaded by crr29061

www.scdiscus.org

Loldogs @ your Library

Loldogs @ your Library
Originally uploaded by circulating

Very cute based on Lolcats.

We R ur community beggin fer access

These pets spent most all of one day this week attempting and achieving entrance to the library. Seems their owner was busy inside but returning periodically to give them water in little cups.

Some customers paused outside and waited to enter. Some children inside hurried to open the doors to let the dogs come right on inside.

They could be heard barking from the second floor on occasion and were retrieved promptly when they scurried into the library's Local and Family History room.

Transformation Lab

I just noticed this from the Tame the Web Blog: The Transformation Lab has produced new visions for the physical library of the future. In June the project will be presented at the 17th Halmstad conference in Aarhus. Program & registration: http://www.elevations.dk

Comment on: Can This 2.0 Stuff Help Libraries with Promotion?

One thing just really hit home with me while reading Stephen Abram's blog today:

What are the basic marketing building blocks? Simple, really – and classic: Place, Product, Price, Promotion, Public Relations, and Personal Selling. That’s the classic marketing mix. We have a great product. Our price is right on. We’re everywhere – indeed more places than Starbucks or McDonalds! We promote libraries using everything from Web sites to bookmarks. However, we fall down on the personal selling skills and strategies.

I really think that the profession of library and information science has to somehow start to attract more people who can actually do this! For so long, I think the profession has attracted many very smart, but shy and introverted types who are not good with their people skills.  We need to break out of this mold. If you are an "I" on the Myers-Briggs scale, maybe the new library world is not for you...

SirsiDynix OneSource: Can This 2.0 Stuff Help Libraries with Promotion?

technorati tags:library, marketing, people, skills

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Robin Hood Marketing

This book is turning out to be quite fascinating and something that library staff members should read! I'm at Robin Hood Rule 2 which really spoke to me: "The most important values are those of our audiences, not our own.  The closer we align with our audiences' values, the higher our chances of motivating them to take action."

Library staff of all kinds should remember this Rule and put it into action.  In this competitive era, we need to really listen to our patrons' needs and adjust our services accordingly.  Check your OPAC for this title and you'll pick up some great tips just skimming through it.

Amazon.com: Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes: Books: Katya Andresen

technorati tags:marketing, libraries, library

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