Check this out!
Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary
the dictionary with a new point of view.
A quick glance at the index is all it takes to connect words with images.
Explore the 15 major themes to access more than 6,000 images and see words like never before.
I have been wanting to add IM (Meebo) to our website ever since I learned about it but have yet to work at a library willing to do so. I just read this fantastic idea on the ALA Techsource Blog which was posted by Michael Stephens earlier this year. WOW! Now I really, really want to do it and I want to do it all over our County on all kinds of websites ;0)
“Steve Butzel from Nashua Public Library in Nashua, NH wrote to me this week about my article in the current issue of Computers in Libraries entitled Embedding a Librarian in Your Web Site Using Meebo. Pondering how easy it is to embed a librarian IM widget in a web page, Steve was surely muse-inspired when he emailed:
“I have been toying around with adding a Meebo widget to our reference department web page, and we are soon going to add it to our Teen Services page. I am also exploring the possibility of putting our Meebo widget on other sites in cyberspace, for example, on the town’s City Hall web page, or the local newspaper webpage, etc. It certainly would be a way to reach beyond the walls of the library. Do you know of other libraries that have done this?”
Zing! Excellent idea, Steve. I haven’t heard of any libraries doing this yet but the mere thought of it is inspiring — has anyone done this? Are you going to give it a try now? I like the idea of finding an embedded librarian while I’m surfing the local animal shelter page or newspaper. Please, TechSource readers, if the library muse inspires you to try this, let me know.”
Thanks for the great idea Steve and thanks for passing it on Michael!
Mindy
The Literacy Site
The Literacy Site is dedicated to funding free books for children.
On average, over 70,000 individuals from around the world visit the site each day to click the “Click Here to Give - it’s FREE” button. To date, more than 55 million visitors have helped provide more than a million books to children who need them the most.
It only takes a second!
Mindy
“On November 13, President Bush vetoed the FY2008 Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which was the result of a conference report produced by members from both houses of Congress. The conference report increased the funding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and funded the Library Services and Technology Act and the State Grants program. Contact your representatives and urge them to vote later this week to override the President’s veto.” Go To: ALA issues and advocacy Website.
ALA makes it so easy - all you do is put in your zip code and then fill in a few blanks and you have sent and e-mail to your representative. It only take one minute!
Mindy
Library Language Included in Head Start Bill
“The ALA Washington Office is pleased to announce that the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate conferees have approved a conference report for the Improving Head Start Act (H.R. 1429). Head Start is a comprehensive child development program with the aim of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families.
ALA advocated for language to be included in the bill that provides opportunities for libraries to play a greater role in Head Start programs. That language was included in the conference report. By recognizing the important role that public libraries play in improving literacy and school readiness in the Head Start reauthorization bill, libraries across the country can continue to develop new, innovative programs to provide young children with the tools they need to succeed in school and life.
Both the House and the Senate are expected to approve the conference report later this week, and the President is expected to sign it.
You can find additional information about libraries and Head Start at the ALA Washington Office’s website.”
“Society is like a stew. If you don’t keep it stirred up,
you get a lot of scum on top.” Edward Abbey
Library Workers Urged to Participate in Survey of Workplace Wellness in Libraries
CHICAGO — The American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) is encouraging library employees to participate in its Library Workplace Wellness online survey. The survey provides an important opportunity for library employees to share information about the availability of, and their participation in, work-life options in libraries around the nation.Click Here to take the survey.
I was surprised when I left my last library that the thing that my co-workers mentioned the most was how much they would miss the Library Wellness Program that I had started. Mindy
Googlebooks - MyLibrary
As much as I love to hate them I am constantly surprised by the innovation at Google. Take a look at the link above. Yes there are a number of tools out there to keep track of your books, LibraryThing and Goodreads are my two favorites but I can also see applications for this. In less than 30 seconds I started my own Google Library….
Detail of a Book Record Click this link to see what a specific book record looks like. This is better than any library catalog I have ever seen. Not only do you get the ISBN, cover art, etc. there are links to professional reviews as well as links to webpages that reference the topic. Additionally there are quick links to purchase the book and best of all - the Google BORROW THIS BOOK feature. Just put in your zip code and it will show which local library have the item in their collection. WOW!
So yesterday we went to the Denver Art Museum and while there we stopped in at Novo Coffee. They have a location across the plaza and a couple in the art museum itself. I don’t drink much coffee anymore (I was getting tea) so I can’t tell you if it is as good as the owner says it is but what I can tell you is that their customer service is great! The woman who took our order and prepared our drinks was so good that we decided to stop back in when we were done at the museum. It was on the second trip that we met one of the Owners. The clerk told us all about the coffee and was so enthusiastic about the product she was selling. You could tell that she enjoyed her work and was proud to work for this company. When we returned she was still working and the owner heard her welcoming us back and he came up and introduced himself. He told us the story of Novo and what really impressed me was how much bragging he did about his employees. There was no me, me, me - it was all them, them, them. I love it when I see someone passionate about their work, product and employees - it makes all the difference.
Novo Coffee
www.mywonderfulworld.org
From the website: “My Wonderful World is a National Geographic-led campaign—backed by a coalition of national business and non-profit organizations—to expand geographic learning in school, at home, and in communities. We want to give kids the power of global knowledge. In the campaign’s first year, more than 55,000 people like you signed up to show their support.
Geography is more than places on a map. It’s global connections. People and cultures. Economics and environments.
Our young people need to know geography in order to understand today’s world—and succeed in tomorrow’s. But they’re not getting enough of it, in or out of school.”
This website is full of great ideas for parents and educators and the teen and kids pages have cool downloadable stuff!
Mindy
