Friday, February 13, 2015

Apr-May'15: Wikipedia: Library Initiatives and Expert Editing (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 15th, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/115-wikipedia.php
$250

From the Wikipedia Loves Libraries campaign to the hiring of an OCLC Wikipedian-in-Residence, libraries are embracing the free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. These programs support open culture, promote discoverability of unique collections, and strengthen relationships with patrons in the virtual and physical worlds. This six-week introductory course will give students the tools they need to participate in Wikipedia, or lead an initiative of their own.

Apr'15: Beginning Programming in Python, Part I (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/084-programming-1.php
$175

Programming is a means for exercising comprehensive control over information and the media which carry it. Professionals in many fields now have ample motivation to learn how to program. This four week course in the Python Programming language will provide students a grounding in the basic concepts common to all computer programming languages and instill some good habits in coding. By the end of this course, a student will understand the structure and syntax of a program, modular programming, and the basic data and control structures used in all programming languages. Beginning Programming in Python is suitable for the student who feels comfortable with Excel Spreadsheet formulas and functions or who has created macros for office applications. There is also the opportunity to get a solid grounding in our Preparing to Program course, offered prior to this one. This course is followed by Beginning Programming in Python, Part II.

Apr'15: Introduction to the Semantic Web (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1st, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/020-intro-semantic-web.php
$175

One of the main goals the semantic web (sometimes referred to as Web 3.0, Linked Data, or the Web of Data) is to allow the web to be treated like a database through structured metadata, controlled vocabularies, and data linking. Simply put, semantics is the process of adding description and information to resources to help us understand the meaning of these resources. This is not a foreign concept to LIS professionals, the language and tools of semantic organization, however, are a new and evolving discipline. In this course we will provide an introduction to semantic web standards (RDF, RDFa, taxonomies/OWL, SKOS) and their application. RDF is the foundation of the semantic web and most related standards so we will spend a significant portion of time learning the basic concepts of the RDF framework and how RDF can be represented in an XML format (we'll be looking at a good number of RDF examples). In addition, we will explore how to create semantic models that could be used to link/share different types of resources, and how basic ontologies (using the Web Ontology Language) are created.

This course can be taken as one of six courses needed to earn our Certificate in XML and RDF-Based Systems, and may assume a certain level of background knowledge covered in other courses in the sequence.

Apr'15: Library Makerspaces: From Dream to Reality (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1st, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/114-makerspaces.php
$175

Designing a makerspace for your library is an ambitious project that requires significant staff time and energy. The economic, educational and inspirational rewards for your community and your library, however, will make it all worthwhile. This class will make the task of starting a makerspace less daunting by taking librarians step by step through the planning process. Using readings, online resources, discussions and hands-on exercises, participants will create a plan to bring a makerspace or maker activities to their libraries. Topics covered will include tools, programs, space, funding, partnerships and community outreach. This is a unique opportunity to learn in depth about one public library's experience creating a fully-functioning makerspace, while also exploring other models for engaging libraries in the maker movement.

Apr'15: Game-Based Learning in Library Instruction (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1st, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/011-gaming.php
$175

Gamification is a hot new buzzword in academic circles, but what does it mean, and what does it mean for librarians? This four week course will explore readings and research on the effectiveness of gaming, discuss ways in which librarians can use gaming in their own instruction, and survey gaming products and case studies of the use of games in instruction. The course aims to provide practical as well as theoretical knowledge and participants will leave the course with numerous resources to use to implement their own gaming strategies.

Apr'15: Digital Scholarship: New Metrics, New Modes (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1st, 2015
http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/031-scholarship-metrics.php
$175

The Web enables new means of publishing and sharing knowledge, but our tools for evaluating the rigor of scholarly research have not kept pace with these possibilities. Bibliometrics has not yet gone digital, but signs of change are emerging. By the end of this four week course, participants will have a thorough grounding in dominant metrics for evaluating scholarly rigor, as well as some promising alternates that improve upon shortcomings of the status quo. Examples of how to apply each metric will be presented, supplemented by guest talks or podcasts from the people developing new tools. For the final project, class participants will apply what they've learned to a collection development challenge at their own institutions; or utilize the concepts presented to propose a theory for new modes of scholarly communication.

Apr'15: Planning and Leading Productive Meetings (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1st, 2015
http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/072-productive-meetings.php
$175

Meetings have become a part of our everyday work life and cover a wide spectrum of formats including formal and informal; one-shots and regularly-scheduled; staff meetings; cross-departmental and cross-functional meetings; and project team meetings. When handled properly, meetings can be an efficient and productive vehicle for sharing information and accomplishing work. When handled poorly, they can be a waste of time and resources; lead to a loss in productivity; and contribute to poor morale. This course will provide participants with the tools necessary to lead effective meetings by planning ahead, communicating clearly, and avoiding common challenges and mistakes.

This course can be taken as one of six courses needed to earn our Certificate in Library Management, but can be taken as a stand-alone course as well.

Apr'15: Do-It-Yourself Usability Testing (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/001-usability-testing.php
$175

In this 4-week course, you will learn how to conduct effective usability tests in order to improve your website. You will walk through the process of defining primary tasks and translating them into scenarios, making a plan, recruiting participants, and conducting the actual tests. You will learn how to analyze the results to make decisions about your website’s information architecture, labeling, and content. You will also strategize about how to implement affordable methods of usability testing in a systematic and sustainable way.

This course can be taken as one of six courses needed to earn our Certificate in User Experience (UX), but can be taken as a stand-alone course as well.

Apr'15: Evaluating Service Quality and Patron Satisfaction (Library Juice Academy)

April 6-May 1, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/095-service-quality.php
$175

How well do your front line staff serve your clientele? Your reputation for great service is critical for growing support for your organization. This four-week, online course teaches participants about understanding, measuring, and improving service quality from the ground up. Participants from all types of libraries will benefit from articles, visual examples, hands-on exercises, online resources, and discussion. Participants will discover how to pinpoint service quality issues and how to correct typical problems.

This course is part of our Painless Research Series, which provides an overview of basic research techniques needed by library managers and other staff in different workplace sectors, such as service quality, customer satisfaction, and operational metrics, or in specific tools such as surveys and focus groups. Participants develop skills in formulating typical research questions and strategies, making use of existing studies and data, collecting and analyzing data, and tailoring presentations for different audiences.

Apr'15: Metadata Design (Library Juice Academy)

April 6 to May 1, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/105-metadata-design.php
$175

This course focuses on the tools and technologies involved in metadata design. A significant benefit of metadata is that its flexibility for customization to the needs of the organization and the resource. This course provides the tools needed to design metadata to support the needs of users and collections. the Students will learn the tools of metadata design, beginning with the data model that abstracts the meaning and value of the collection, the registry, which formalizes the data model into workable metadata elements, to standardizing the values that populate metadata through ontology and vocabulary development. Students are also introduced to metadata expression, through the collaborative design of an XML schema and through use of XML and RDF to document metadata instances from the schema. The course concludes by discussing how to apply these tools to existing metadata schemas. At the end of the course, students will be able to effectively design metadata to support their community’s and institution’s information needs.

Mar-Apr'15: Information Literacy: Growing Our Teaching Practices (Library Juice Academy)

March 2 to April 10, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/099-new-directions-IL.php
$250

In recent years instruction has become an increasingly significant component of almost all library positions related to public services, and yet most new librarians have limited opportunities to gain teaching experience and knowledge of effective pedagogy. The need for more educational opportunities related to library instruction is evident in the undeniable changes occurring now in library instruction and in librarians’ understandings of the concept “information literacy.” (This evolution is particularly apparent, for example, in the ACRL’s new framework for information literacy and the conversations surrounding it.)

This 6-week course is intended for librarians and graduate students who are either new to library instruction or who wish to strengthen their understandings of teaching information literacy as a higher-order thinking process. Participants will explore the instructional roles of librarians and library services; the concept of information literacy, its evolution within libraries, and its relevance to librarianship; varying instructional approaches to information literacy; and instructional design principles and learning theories that can inform effective library instructional services. Participants will also apply their growing knowledge to developing their own teaching practices. Weekly discussions and assignments will focus on authentic tasks instruction librarians do in their work, such as communicating the meaning of information literacy and library instruction within a specific educational context, developing learning outcomes for an instruction session, developing a learning activity or lesson plan, and articulating one’s teaching philosophy through a teaching statement.

Mar'15: Embedded Librarianship (Library Juice Academy)

March 2-27, 2015
http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/026-embedded.php
$175

The role of the embedded librarian takes many forms - in learning communities, community organizations, support groups and businesses. Embedded librarianship can include team teaching a course, becoming an important part of a local film/art/music festival, or integration of library resources into a school curriculum or an organization’s event. This course will discuss best practices and tools for working as an embedded librarian. We will explore how to initiate a collaborative relationship with faculty or community organizations, and also teach you how to partner with them for better student or event success. Participants will learn how to improve relationships with faculty and organizations and become an integral part of the curriculum, event, or program of study. We will also discuss how to use emerging technologies in embedded librarianship as communication and collaborative tools.

Mar'15: Effective Communication Strategies (Library Juice Academy)

March 2-27, 2015

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/071-communication-strategies.php
$175

The importance of effective communication in the workplace cannot be overstated. Clear and concise communication is a key component in articulating the mission and vision of the organization. On a daily basis, successful communication strategies enable managers and supervisors to set direction and provide constructive feedback to staff, thus avoiding costly misunderstandings that can lead to frustration, loss of productivity, and the inability to motivate and lead individual or work teams. Communication is seldom a one-way street, however and most often involves a dialogue between two or more individuals. When engaging in a two-way conversation, it is critically important to not only communicate effectively, but to also listen effectively.

This course can be taken as one of six courses needed to earn our Certificate in Library Management, but can be taken as a stand-alone course as well.

Mar-Apr'15: Maker-centered Learning in the Library (Infopeople)

An Infopeople online course, March 31 – April 27, 2015
https://infopeople.org/civicrm/event/info?id=468

Are you interested in expanding the definition of literacy in your library programs and services to include the multiple literacies embodied by the maker movement? Would you like to learn more about maker-centered learning in libraries? Making doesn't need to happen in a makerspace – all libraries can be makerspaces whether they can provide a dedicated space or not.

Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and Infopeople Partners, $150 for all others.

Feb'15: Emergency Preparedness: Response and Recovery (Amigos Library Services)

February 24 & 26, 2015, 1:30 - 3:30 PM CST

http://www.amigos.org/node/1912

Libraries, archives, and museums must be prepared to protect staff, users, collections, and facilities in the event of emergencies ranging from minor crises to community-wide disasters. This course helps participants prepare for and limit various types of damage through risk assessment, disaster planning, and recovery procedures.

Session Duration: This course consists of two 2-hour sessions.

Continuing Education Credit Contact Hours: 4

Fees
Amigos Member Fee: $165.00
Non-member Fee: $235.00

Mar'15: Advanced Navigation in FDsys (FDLP)

Monday, March 30, 2015 / 1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
1.5 hours

http://www.fdlp.gov/about-the-fdlp/fdlp-events-calendar/03/2015

This course focuses on tracking Federal legislation and regulations in FDsys.
•Expected level of knowledge for participants: Intermediate – Completion of the “Introduction to FDsys” webinar is recommended prior to participating in the advanced webinar.

Mar'15: Introduction to FDsys (FDLP)

Monday, March 30, 2015 / 11:00 a.m. (Eastern)
http://www.fdlp.gov/about-the-fdlp/fdlp-events-calendar

During this introductory course, attendees will learn how to navigate FDsys to locate Federal Government information, basic and advanced searching, browsing, retrieving by citation, help tools, and working with FDsys search results.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Feb'15: The Visible Library (Library Journal)

Thursday, Feb 26 / 12-1pm Pacific

Libraries have always been about more than their front doors. They are about what waits on the other side - resources, services, knowledge to serve both individuals and communities at large, and connections. The use of enabling technologies like Linked Data and shared vocabularies like BIBFRAME and schema.org are changing the way the Web can discover and represent libraries more fully.

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/01/webcasts/the-visible-library-learn-how-the-web-sees-libraries-today-and-how-you-can-use-its-power-to-deeply-connect-with-your-community/#_

Monday, February 9, 2015

Feb'15: History of the Census Bureau (FDLP)

Wednesday, March 4, 2015 / 1:00 pm Eastern Time

http://www.fdlp.gov/about-the-fdlp/fdlp-events-calendar/event/29-webinar-history-of-the-census-bureau

The webinar will consist of a summary of the history of the Census function of the United States from 1790 through 2010. Topics that will be touched upon will include: the constitutional requirement for a census, changes in the questions asked, how census data are collected, introduction of data processing technology, incorporation of probability sampling into the census, geographic underpinning of the census, and types of data products.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Feb'15: Human Trafficking 101, An Overview for Libraries (USCIS)

Monday, February 23, 2015 from 1 to 2:00 p.m. EST

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCISINVITE/subscriber/new?topic_id=USDHSCISINVITE_118

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites you to participate in a special webinar designed for librarians in recognition of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, and involves the use of fraud, force, or coercion to exploit human beings for some type of labor or commercial sex purpose. Every year, millions of men, women, and children worldwide—including in the United States—are victims of human trafficking.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for investigating human trafficking, arresting traffickers and protecting victims. To highlight and unify the Departments efforts to combat human trafficking, the Department launched the Blue Campaign, which seeks to enhance public awareness, provide training, identify victim assistance, and support law enforcement investigations.

During this webinar, representatives from the DHS Campaign will provide an overview of the Department’s human trafficking efforts and identify the various resources and tools currently available to raise awareness within local communities.

To register for this session, please follow the steps below:

    Visit our registration page to confirm your participation
    Enter your email address and select “Submit”
    Select “Subscriber Preferences”
    Select the “Event Registration” tab
    Be sure to provide your full name and organization
    Complete the questions and select “Submit”

You must register by Friday, February 20, 2015. Once we process your registration, you will receive a confirmation email with additional details.