December 09, 2010

The Lion's Roar - DaybyDaySC Family Literacy Calendar

Watch this episode of The Lion's Roar to find out how to navigate our new web site: DaybyDaySC.org which is an online version of the SC Day by Day Family Literacy Calendar.

December 08, 2010

Public Library Branch Managers Exchange






Today the SC State Library sponsored a Public Library Branch Manager's Exchange. I presented Social Media is Changing Libraries - How do You Fit In? There was a lot of great discussion about how libraries need to find new methods of communication with users. Here is the presentation and notes I took from the discussion and learning exercise.


December 07, 2010

Reading Rooster Recommends December 7 2010

Looking for great holiday book ideas? Watch the Reading Rooster as she recommends children's holiday books for the entire family.

December 01, 2010

The Lion's Roar - Winter Celebrations Resources

Locating accurate information about winter holiday celebrations can be difficult. The State Library's DISCUS Program (South Carolina's Virtual Library) provides a great resource just for this. Watch this episode of the Lion's Roar to find out more.


November 16, 2010

November 15, 2010

November 09, 2010

The Lion's Roar - New Blog and Brochure

Learn about our newest blog on StudySC.org and a new brochure on Workforce Development Training!

November 02, 2010

November 01, 2010

Survey on Web 2.0 tools using in American Libraries for Marketing/PR

I just sent out the 3rd iteration of my survey on how U.S. libraries are using Web 2.0/Social Networking tools to promote library services. Please take a few moments to take it.

Click here to take survey

Thank you for taking time to respond to this survey on American libraries using Social Media tools for PR/Marketing. It should only take 10-15 minutes to complete. It is a follow up to a survey of the same type conducted November 2009.

The survey will close on Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 5:00pm EST.

Please forward this survey to library colleagues, state library association listservs, or others who may be interested.

If you have any questions, please contact me at crogers@statelibrary.sc.gov.

October 29, 2010

Student Writing Contests, A Summer Language Opportunity and Safe Schools

Yesterday I was interviewed by Doug Keel with SCETV Radio's Speaking of Schools about the Letters About Literature contest. You can listen to the podcast version at this link and the interview starts at the 6:20 mark.
Student Writing Contests, A Summer Language Opportunity and Safe Schools

October 28, 2010

Blind artists' work on display at State Library

Check out this video/news story about our student art gallery opening yesterday!

Blind artists' work on display at State Library: "The State Library unveils artwork created by visually impaired students."

October 27, 2010

The Lion's Roar - Grant and Funding Sources

Interested in learning more about the South Carolina State Library's grants and funding resources? Check out this quick video and then visit our web site to learn more!

October 19, 2010

The Lion's Roar - Talking Book Services

Know someone who is blind or visually impaired and would be interested in talking books delivered free to their home? Check out our talking book services program!

October 15, 2010

State Library’s Center for the Book Encourages Students to Write Letters


South Carolina State Library - State Library’s Center for the Book Encourages Students to Write Letters

Students can revisit their most powerful literary experiences through a contest that asks them to write a personal letter to an author and explain how his or her work changed their perspective on the world.

The national Letters About Literature competition is open to students in grades 4 through 12, and submissions are being accepted until December 10, 2010. The annual competition is sponsored by the South Carolina State Library’s Center for the Book and the South Carolina State Library Foundation in partnership with Target and the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
To enter, readers write a letter to an author, past or present, describing how that author’s work made an impact on their life. Contestants are cautioned not to summarize the book’s plot, but to express in an honest, conversational tone, how the book affected them.

The contest, which focuses on reader response and reflective writing, has three competition levels: Level 1 for students in grades 4-6; Level 2 for students in grades 7 and 8; and Level 3 for students in grades 9-12. State winners’ letters will also be judged to determine national winners and national honors winners. National winners will receive a $10,000 Letters About Literature Reading Promotion Grant for their library and national honors winners will receive a $1,000 Letters About Literature Reading Promotion Grant for their library.

To download the official entry guidelines, visit http://lettersaboutliterature.org.

October 12, 2010

The Lion's Roar - RSS Feeds

For this week's Lion's Roar I decided to show folks about our RSS feeds that we offer thorough the SC State Library. Let me know if you have any questions! :-)

2010 Friends of the Library Week Proclamation

How important are South Carolina’s Libraries? How important are the Friends Groups made up of local volunteers who support them? According to the proclamation issued by Governor Sanford declaring October 17-23, 2010, Friends of the Library Week, they are very important.

Friends of South Carolina Libraries (FOSCL) is a statewide organization made up of volunteers with a great interest in keeping South Carolina’s libraries energized. FOSCL was founded in the late 1980's with the following objectives:
•To help foster and support local friends of the library groups, and to provide a means for these groups to work together for the betterment of library service in South Carolina.
•To promote wider knowledge and use of libraries as cultural and information centers for individuals and groups.
•To support improved library education in South Carolina.
•To support the Library Bill of Rights.

Governor’s Proclamation

WHEREAS,libraries are an essential part of the fabric of communities throughout the state and they link us to one another and to the ideas and events of yesterday, helping us prepare for tomorrow, and serving as a sanctuary in which we are free to read, write, and dream about events and ideas of the past, present and future; and

WHEREAS,libraries have become powerful equalizing forces in society where every visitor is welcome and knowledge is free to all regardless of personal wealth or position; and

WHEREAS,Friends of the Library groups energize libraries by enhancing their services and capabilities in communities across the Palmetto State; and

WHEREAS,Friends of the Library volunteers give their time and talents to sponsor recreational and educational programs for children and adults and organize book sales and other events to raise funds to meet special library needs.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mark Sanford, Governor of the Great State of South Carolina, do hereby proclaim October 17-23, 2010, as

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY WEEK

throughout the state and encourage all South Carolinians to support their local libraries and to recognize the Friends of South Carolina Libraries and all local Friends groups for their dedication to the Palmetto State.

Find out more about your library’s Friends group and support your library today! For more information about the Friends of South Carolina Libraries, visit www.foscl.org.

Reading Rooster READS The Crayon Box that Talked

Looking for a great storytime book? Watch this video till the very end :-) Enjoy!

October 09, 2010

Oconee County Public Library Staff Development Day

Yesterday I did a presentation at the Oconee County Public Library staff development day. I've been working through this presentation and think I finally have it they way i want it! :-) However, technology problems were crazy! Their county library operates in a very unique way - the county administration manages all of the library's IT. Needless to say, the Internet was down, an IT guy had to give me a small wifi thingie to give me internet access which was VERY slow. ..AND I was going to be showing YouTube and Vimeo videos. I ended up having to skip the IDEO video on The Future of the Book because of the internet speed but it can be found in the presentation below. I also was using one of their laptops that was so locked down that i couldn't even show youtube videos on full screen mode nor could I show my slideshare presentation on full screen and instead had to download it to that laptop just to get it on full screen... frustrating to say the least...

The library really needs to manage its OWN IT so that they can have control over what they do. They need to be able to hire their own IT person so they can do the things they want to and move forward on many different social media outlets. They really want to be able to do more with Twitter, YouTube, and other things. They have some great ideas for posting training videos, etc. However, because they cannot control their own IT, they are behind the curve. They really want to be able to do more but just can't and I could tell there is a lot of frustration among the staff about it...

We had a great brainstorming session after the presentaiton. Each group talked about what they want to be able to do with technology and social media.



Here are the high points of the brainstorming session:
  • using YouTube to promote library services and provide training tutorials
  • have multiple twitter accounts to communicate with patrons
  • get more people involved with social media
  • have a listserv or get a Constant Contact email marketing account
  • use Flickr to post historical images
  • have more control over the library's web presence
  • have a manly book club for guys
  • do a virtual book club
  • create a blog that lists new library materials
  • issues various types of press releases
  • offer patrons the ability to sign up for a library card online
  • use business cards to promote services
  • and my favorite: find 5 things to stop doing that no longer work
Here is the presentation:

social media is changing libraries - how do you fit in?
THANK YOU again to the staff of the Oconee County Public Library for being so hospitable and for really putting a lot of thought into your brainstorming session!

October 05, 2010

The Lion's Roar - WorkSC.org

Here is our latest Lion's Roar about our WorkSC.org web site. Check it out and see how the SC State Library is helping libraries help people with workforce development.

October 04, 2010

YouTube Playlists

I don't know why I haven't played around with YouTube playlists before but they are simple and make for a great organizational tool! I made this playlist for The Lion's Roar.

Reading Rooster Recommends October 4 2010

Here is the latest Reading Rooster I produced. Watch till the end for outtakes! :-)

September 29, 2010

The Lion's Roar - SC Public Library History Project

Here is my latest Lion's Roar. Check it out so you can learn more about the SC Library History Project.

September 23, 2010

New ideas about non-linear interactive reading and shared reading!

Meet Nelson, Coupland, and Alice — the faces of tomorrow’s book. Watch global design and innovation consultancy IDEO’s vision for the future of the book. What new experiences might be created by linking diverse discussions, what additional value could be created by connected readers to one another, and what innovative ways we might use to tell our favorite stories and build community around books?

The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.

September 21, 2010

Reading Rooster READS

Watch Helen Fellers, Coordinator of the SC Center for Children's Books and Literacy read It's the Bear on Reading Rooster Reads via the SC State Library's YouTube channel.

Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from | Video on TED.com

This video got me thinking. How can libraries (public or academic) be centers of creativity and innovation. How can we create surroundings that foster innovation and creative thinking? Watch this video then discuss your ideas.

The Lion's Roar - CPM Projects

The SC State Library has a unique online collection: The SC Certified Public Manager project collection. Student final projects are digitized and added to the State Library's online catalog. Watch this video about how to access them!

September 19, 2010

Seth Godin: This is broken | Video on TED.com

If you have some "broken" processes or workflow issues in your library, then spend 20 minutes watching this video and discuss how you can improve your services.

Seth Godin: This is broken | Video on TED.com

September 18, 2010

Presentation for Oconee County Library Board of Trustees

Here is my presentation at the Oconee County Library Trustee Retreat. They all came up with some wonderful ideas during the exercise that is at the end of the presentation.



Here is a list of what came out of the brainstorming session:

What do you see as the library’s future?

· “Go to” place for all county
· Oconee county develop Wikipedia/history
· Physical Google
· Involve the community with technology
· Resource for new comers
· Greater accessibility – more computers/hardware
· Location for all to come together to use technology/meeting place for technology
· Social interaction and going beyond that with technology/neutral place where this can occur
· Training center
· Check out a book/check out a library
· Hardware – look at what’s available and test it out

What are the partnership possibilities?

· Business industry group/plant managers – help drive infrastructure with broadband, etc.
· Schools/k-12/adult education – eliminate duplication and meet people where they are.
· Employment security commission – people coming in looking for jobs – getting email
· Economic Development – how to sell ourselves and selling technology and having the library as a recruiting tool (PR/Marketing)
· Chamber of Commerce – retail/service sector – more industry
· Foundations – non-profits – for fundraising – how can we get money?
· Higher Education – Clemson adult education (co-sponsor workshop on library resources)
· Arts Community
· Recreation/YMCA
· Heritage groups
· Legislative Delegation
· Youth in the Community (gaming – xbox wii, etc.)
· Diversity – bringing community together

What do you want to see happen by the end of 2011?

· Pilot project for technology iPads or kindles, etc.
· Groundbreaking for new library (Seneca)
· Center for the county’s outreach of technology
· Improved relationship with local government
· Video on library service
· More targeted to the community to let them know what the library does
· Determine how to get more money/funding

During the session when we were discussing what might be broken and how to fix them, I recommended they watch Seth Godin's "Broken" presentation: Seth Godin gives a tour of things poorly designed, the reasons why they are that way, and how to fix them.

We also took a look at the State Library's two new web sites: StudySC.org and WorkSC.org.

September 14, 2010

September 13, 2010

Reading Rooster Recommends September 13 2010

Bears will start hibernating and the fair is coming! Check out the latest Reading Rooster Recommends today :-)

September 10, 2010

Moving Boxes at the State Library

we got 44,000 family literacy calendars in at the state library and had to move them all to other locations! there are still more to come! many people pitched in :-)

September 07, 2010

September 02, 2010

August 30, 2010

The Lion's Roar - StudySC.org

Well, after much thought I decided it was best to not do our biweekly podcast any more. Just too much work and not a lot of return - SO, I developed this. I'll be doing more of these and posting them to the SC State Library's YouTube channel. Enjoy!

August 09, 2010

Sarah Palin on Libraries and Censorship

Found this really cool web site through another blog and made this quick and dirty video about libraries and censorship. Trying to figure out how this tool can be used in promoting libraries... might be really good for teen programming in the library so they can spend time making these kinds of animated videos to tell a story or report on something.

August 04, 2010

Motivation @ Work video

I just found this great video posted on the Oh to Learn blog and thought I'd share. Please take 11 minutes out of your day and watch it. The information and the way it is presented is amazing and very engaging!

July 26, 2010

Prezi, my new tool for presentations

Prezi is such a wonderful tool to give presentations. It's Presenting 3.0! Check out this presentation I just put together for our next board meeting.

July 16, 2010

InfoWhelm and Information Fluency

WorkSC.org in the news

Our State Library workforce development trainer, Jason Broughton, got us in the news showing our newest web site, WorkSC.org. Congrats to him and to the Beaufort County library for doing some great work helping people get back to work!

July 13, 2010

SC Rural Library Profile - Fairfield County

Here is a video project that I have just completed which highlights one of South Carolina's rural libraries.

July 07, 2010

Staff Day Presentation for Horry County

Here is my presentation for the Horry County Library Staff Day - July 8, 2010.

Reading Rooster Recommends July 7 2010

Looking for children’s book recommendations during these dog days of summer? Check out the latest Reading Rooster Recommends!

July 01, 2010

Social media and advocacy

Here is another presentation I did at the ALA annual conference.

Three steps to using social media

Here is one of the two presentations I did at this year's American Library Association annual conference in Washington, DC. This was for the ALA Chapter Relations Office orientation program.

Grassroots 2.0: Tips from the Advocacy Experts | American Libraries Magazine

Here is an excerpt from American Libraries Magazine about my recent presentation at ALA:

The joint ALSC/AASL program “Grassroots 2.0: New Technologies” program on Sunday morning brought together three experts on delivering effective library messages to legislators.

Curtis R. Rogers of the South Carolina State Library presented a slideshow of social media resources that librarians can use to promote the library and engage lawmakers. Libraries should all have an electronic newsletter, a Facebook page, Twitter feeds, a blog, and a YouTube channel as a matter of course, he said. They will make a difference when you really need it, such as when South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford decided to eliminate by veto all funding for the state’s libraries. (The measure was defeated last week 110–5, which Rogers attributes in part to the state library’s Save SC Libraries Facebook page.)


Grassroots 2.0: Tips from the Advocacy Experts | American Libraries Magazine

June 17, 2010

Reading Rooster Recommends June 17 2010

Looking for some great children's books recommendations? Subscribe to the Reading Rooster Recommends series on youtube!

June 11, 2010

Save SC Libraries


You can help Save SC's Libraries. Use this image as your Facebook profile image. Encourage your SC legislators to override vetoes #31 and #92 to restore public library funding in the budget. A vote is expected to take place on Tuesday, June 15. Please post this in your FB status to pass along the word.

June 10, 2010

Ask Us @ UNCG Libraries

Check out this great promo video about the UNCG library!

GovDocs 2.0: How Government and Documents Libraries are using Social Media

Here is the presentation I gave at today's Gov Docs meeting.

Gov Docs Librarians


Today was the SC Federal and State Government Documents librarians annual meeting and workshop and I got to present about social media stuff! It was lots of fun and I had them do a group exercise about what are some challenges, successes, and anything else they wanted to discuss and you can see, they had lots on their minds!

June 08, 2010

Spartanburg County Public Libraries Monday Minute 6/7/2010 Bookmobile Ed...

Now this is talent! The bookmobile driver goes safely down the street in rural Spartanburg County SC while being interviewed!

April 29, 2010

March 30, 2010

Teens And Social Media

I just gave a talk to some great Teen Librarians in SC about Teens and Social Media. Here's the presentation on SlideShare. There were lots of great questions but the thing I was most surprised about was that some libraries still BLOCK social media sites citing security fears. It's too bad these libraries are missing out on FREE communication tools to reach Teens in their communities.

March 10, 2010

Percival Everett

Here's another video I put together of Percival Everett speaking at the Richland County Public Library in Columbia, SC. His presentation was part of the Friends of RCPL and USC Institute of Southern Studies Southern Writers Series.

Percival Everett - Southern Writers Series from SC Center for the Book on Vimeo.

March 09, 2010

DISCUS with Amy Duernberger

Here's a video I produced with DISCUS Program Director, Amy Duernberger, talking about our statewide virtual library.

Enjoy!

DISCUS with Amy Duernberger from South Carolina State Library on Vimeo.

DISCUS Training with Ruth Thompson

Here's a video I produced about our statewide virtual library, DISCUS, and how training is coordinated.

enjoy!

DISCUS Training with Ruth Thompson from South Carolina State Library on Vimeo.

February 11, 2010

Southern Writers Series - Brian Ray

Watch Brian Ray as he discusses his book and winner of the SC First Novel Prize, Through the Pale Door. The Southern Writers Series is a program of the Friends of the Richland County Public Library and the University of South Carolina Institute for Southern Studies that features several of the South’s best authors. All events are held at RCPL’s Main Library and are free and open to the public. For more information, visit myrcpl.com/friends/southern-writers-series

Southern Writers Series - Brian Ray from South Carolina State Library on Vimeo.

February 10, 2010

SCLA Conversations - Jim Johnson

Jim Johnson is SCLA's Legislative Liaison and the former director of the South Carolina State Library. SCLA Conversations is a series of interviews with SCLA members discussing important issues of interest to the South Carolina library community. To join or learn more about the South Carolina Library Association, visit scla.org.

SCLA Conversations - Jim Johnson from SC Library Association on Vimeo.

Speaker @ the Center - Tom Brown

Thomas J. Brown discusses the book, City of the Silent. -A guide to more than two hundred of the most famous, infamous, and influential individuals now interred in the iconic Charleston landmark. Speaker @ the Center is an author talk series held at the South Carolina State Library. For more information, visit sccenterforthebook.org.


Speaker @ the Center - Thomas J. Brown from SC Center for the Book on Vimeo.

trying out ping.fm visit the state library's web site at www.statelibrary.sc.gov

January 29, 2010

Here's another video I've put together for SCLA. Enjoy!

Karen Brown is the 2010 2nd VP for Membership and she works at the University of South Carolina's Thomas Cooper Library. SCLA Conversations is a series of interviews with SCLA members discussing important issues of interest to the South Carolina library community. To join or learn more about the South Carolina Library Association, visit scla.org.

SCLA Conversations - Karen Brown from SC Library Association on Vimeo.



January 13, 2010

South Carolina State Library - C-SPAN at the South Carolina State Library

South Carolina State Library - C-SPAN at the South Carolina State Library

Are you a fan of C-SPAN, Washington Journal, or BookTV? Would you like to learn more about the network’s philosophy and get an overview of C-SPAN’s organization and programs? If so, this free workshop is for you.

On February 26, from 10:30 AM to noon, Rodee Schneider of C-SPAN will conduct a special workshop for C-SPAN fans, media specialists, social studies teachers, students, state government employees, librarians, and anyone else looking to gain a greater knowledge of C-SPAN and its public affairs resources. The workshop will be held in Room 309 of the South Carolina State Library’s administration building at 1430 Senate Street.

Following the talk, there will be a walk-through of C-SPAN’s unique and free resources, including

• the Video Library, C-SPAN’s comprehensive searchable archive featuring every C-SPAN program since 1987,
• Health Care Hub, a site featuring resources on the ongoing health care debate,
• C-SPAN Classroom, an educational service for social studies teachers, and
• Congressional Chronicle, a tool for monitoring and tracking congressional bills and members.

Seating is limited to 55 participants so be sure to register online before all seats are taken! Even though this event is free, we are expecting a large crowd so we ask that you register online. The registration deadline is Friday, February 19 at 5:00 PM. To register online, visit the State Library’s events calendar at www.statelibrary.sc.gov.

If you have any registration questions, please contact Kara Gibbs at 803-734-8576 or kgibbs@statelibrary.sc.gov This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

January 08, 2010

What Does The Research Tell Us?

Here is the presentation I gave at the Southern Social Networking Summit in Greenville, SC. It was a great two day conference with lots of brainstorming going on about social media, independent book stores, libraries, and public relations. It was a great combination of folks and many ideas were spread around. See the twitter feed #ssns!

Gearing up for 2010 Library Advocacy Day!

Library Advocacy Day from ALA Washington on Vimeo.



For one year only, Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The event, which will begin at 11 a.m., will feature guest speakers, photo ops, and a chance to cheer on libraries! After the rally, participants will meet with their elected officials and their staffs.