Today: Review & Pricing

Today, a new Eye-Opener series intends to increase understanding and use of Gale Resources.  Gale offers 24/7 access to everyday research, car repair, health information, home improvement, K–12 homework help, library management journals, and more.  The Gale suite was new on the scene last summer, replacing EBSCO.  (unless you are subscribing to EBSCO products on your own, be sure to remove EBSCO buttons from your website)

Your library may have already received an invoice from the State Library for the Gale products.  Included in this suite is Gale Gold, Chilton’s Auto Repair, Transparent Languages, and Credo Reference. One invoice accesses all products, there are no other forms or  agreements needed.  Payment is expected in August.

The annual cost for the Gale suite is $25.00 plus 06cents per capita.  Example: your library serves a town population of 1,000 people (based on Census 2010) So your library’s cost is $25.00 plus (06cents x 1,000) = $85.00.

Note: every public library in Iowa receives an invoice for the Gale products, whether your library subscribed last year or not.  This is a more efficient way for us to distribute  invoices.  But also this: when every library receives an invoice, it serves as a reminder for those libraries that are not yet subscribers—this is an important service to provide and at an incredibly affordable price.  

A good way to learn more about Gale is to contact your District office!  Our LRT staff are happy to help add Gale buttons onto your website and our consultants are happy to provide on-site training in using the products.  

Read More ... 

Dear Fahrenheit 451 on August 24

The next Big Ideas Book Discussion is coming up on Friday August 24th (9:30-11:00AM) when the title will be Dear Fahenheit 451 (c2017) by Annie Spence.  She is a public librarian working in Michigan and this is a collection of fan letters to her favorite books—and some not-so-favorites—in what Good Reads describes as “…A Gen-X librarian's snarky, laugh-out-loud funny, moving assortment of love letters and break-up notes to the books in her life…through the lens of books, Annie comments on everything from women’s psychology to poverty to childhood aspirations. Hilarious, compassionate, and wise, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is the consummate book-lover's birthday present, stocking stuffer, holiday gift, and all-purpose humor book…”

Discussion leaders will demonstrate book-talking and following the author’s example, attendees will be encouraged to share their fan-favorite books.  Plus a look at The Great American Reads project sponsored by ALA and PBS.

In Big Ideas Book Discussions, State Library staff and guest stars facilitate discussions using books outside of library management, but with plenty of application to library management. Choosing books on communication, workplace relationships, public speaking, customer service, etc. we’ll connect those ideas with public library service. In addition to a great assortment of non-fiction titles there are other spin-off benefits of Big Ideas:
•  titles help with collection development for participating libraries
•  titles are good choices for local book discussion groups
•  this program serves as another model for how to facilitate local book discussions

We encourage participants to purchase books used throughout the Big Ideas series for your own collections. And join us for the next good read: Dear Fahrenheit 451

C.E. Catalog

Complete the Online Assessment

For the past four weeks in the Eye-Opener, we’ve been breaking down the process of getting started with the Edge program.  So far, we’ve explained how to set up your library’s Edge account, a needed first step to fully participate.  Last week’s article centered on the information gathering phase, helpful before turning to the online assessment.  Today—the assessment itself.   

So now armed with the Edge assessment workbook and all the information you’ve gathered, you’re now ready to complete the assessment itself. Use your library’s Edge account user name and password--start at the button below. 

You certainly don’t need to complete the assessment in one sitting.  Tackle it section by section, come back to it as often as needed, your progress will be saved.  If you encounter trouble, look to the Support Center.  Edge Tech Support is available via live office hours 8:00-4:00CST Monday-Friday.  Talk with people “in the know”—these are actual Edge program staffers.

Once you’ve submitted the assessment, you will receive your assessment results, a peer comparison report, and a national peer attribute report. You’ll be ready to move on to developing your Action Plan!

Remember, the State Library of Iowa is paying for full access to the Edge resources for Iowa’s public libraries. We urge all public libraries to participate, as this project will benefit communities of all sizes.  Keep watching this space and be sure to share this important opportunity with your boards, too.  Then together, Take the Pledge, Join the Edge! 

Edge Assessment 

Looking Ahead ... 

More infographics workshops are happening around the state in August and September.  Conducted by State Library staff Emily Bainter, Becky Heil, and Bonnie McKewon, you’ll find details about Presentation Pointers: Using Infographics in the C.E. Catalog Open for registration, these are hands-on classes, with attendees trying their hand at creating an infographic using Canva software.  

Take a look at the remaining classes and register for a location near you:

• August 16 @ Bondurant
• August 21 @ Oelwein
• August 22 @ Harlan
• September 19 @ Humboldt

 Enrich Iowa Reports Due:  This is now mid-month, so take time to look ahead to July 31—the deadline to submit your library’s Enrich Iowa Report.  That’s the FY’18 year-end report indicating how you spent your library’s Direct State Aid funding, we'[ll also need Open Access checkout transactions.  Find more here with links to the Enrich Iowa report 

Enrich Iowa Info