save the date 06-30-14

mango for librarians

Did you know...Mango Languages has Spanish lessons specifically for librarians?  Head over to our free trial of Mango and learn how to help Spanish-speakers sign up for a library card.  The trial ends July 16th.

kitchen chemistry

Thanks to all of the staff who made our first Literary Elements program, Kitchen Chemistry, a success!  We had 22 attendees total.  We asked everyone to fill out a ticket for a prize drawing with their name and how they learned about the program.  Here are the results:

How did you hear about the program?
Flyer/brochure	5
Internet/email	4
Friend/relative	5
Library Staff	5
Total responses	17*
*some slips indicated mult. methods

Download the Clean and Green guide to making your own cleaning products.

We will have our second session of Kitchen Chemistry tomorrow night at South.

save the date 06-23-14

mad science

A message from Melissa Dr. Mad: 

Head on over to the Children's Staff blog to learn more about next week's Mad Science Summer Reading program.  It's going to be UP-lifting!  (click on Children's Staff tab along the top of the page)

disruptive behavior policy

Disruptive Behavior Policy
Three points of information from Marian:

• If a coworker witnesses a violation of the Disruptive Behavior Policy a second person or librarian does not have to see it themselves to act.  That applies only when we have patron complaints that need to be substantiated.
• Branch associates have the authority to ask patrons to leave or ban patrons within the guidelines of the Disruptive Behavior Policy.
• If someone is viewing child pornography that is a violation of the law.  Tara should be contacted at HQ and at the branches call the police.  If Tara is not there a librarian should call the police.

summer reading registration update

In addition to these FAQs, here are a few additional issues that have come up when people are registering for summer reading:

• Creating a username: although no parameters are specified, it appears that the username must be between 6 and 12 characters long.  If the name is not accepted, the box will turn red and the user must try a different name.
• Creating a password: although no parameters are specified, it appears that the minimum length is 5 characters and that passwords must contain 1 digit and 1 letter.  If the password is not accepted, the box will turn red and the user must try a different password.
• Thank You message:  this is the message people receive once they have created their account.  It has been updated to help clarify how to log in and begin tracking hours:
  

  We are so excited you have signed up for Rowan Public Library's first-ever Adult Summer Reading Program! Please close this window and go back to the "Events for Adults" page to sign in with your new account and begin to Track Reading time. 

  When users click on "Continue", they will be looped back to the registration page (there is a problem with the redirect code).  This page is where you sign up for a new account, not where you log in.  As the "thank you" message states, users will need to exit this page, go back to the "Events for Adults" page on our website, and click on "Track Reading" to log in.
• Email address optional:  the requirement for users to share their e-mail address has been disabled.  Anyone who wishes to register for summer reading using their library card number and PIN may do so without providing an e-mail address.

If you experience additional issues and would like to share as an FAQ, please send to April.  Thanks!

ancestry.com currently unavailable

From Edward--

Ancestry.com is currently unavailable.  They are having problems with their servers which is affecting access to all of their sites.  Ancestry is posting updates on their Facebook page.

LSTA grants

The State Library of North Carolina has announced the LSTA grant awards for 2014-2015. These awards are made possible by LSTA grant funding from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal grant making agency. This year North Carolina received and will distribute a $4,173,865 federal allotment.  Rowan Public Library was awarded a $100,000 grant for Project Access & Digitization, which will allow us to install RFID at HQ and East.  Way to go, RPL!  Check out the full list of awards here.

save the date 06-16-14

check out the children's blog

Click on the "Children's Staff" tab at the top of this page to check out more details about Summer Reading online registration for children and teens!

literary elements FAQs

A few FAQs we've gotten about the Adult Summer Reading program:

I have already pre-registered for Summer Reading.  Do I still have to create an account?

Yes, everyone who participates in Literary Elements must create an account to record hours.  Please visit www.rowanpubliclibrary.org and click on “Events for Adults” and then “Create an Account” to get started.

I clicked on the “Create an Account” link, but nothing is happening.

Check to make sure your Internet Browser is up-to-date.  Some older versions, including Internet Explorer 8, can cause problems when trying to register.  Try using Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome if available.

I don’t see my birth day or year when trying to create my account.

You have to choose the year first, then all of the months and days will be visible.

After I created my account, I clicked a link to start recording my reading time but nothing happened.

There are still some kinks with the Summer Reading website over which we do not have any control.  If this issue happens, go back the “Events for Adults” page (www.rowanpubliclibrary.org > Events for Adults) and click on “Track Reading” to log in and track reading.

Do I have to wait until I finish a book to record my reading time?

No.  You can record reading time daily if you choose.  Optional:  If you want to keep track of the number of books you have read, delete the default “1” from the “Book” field when you record your time.  When you complete the book, add the “1” back in and it will credit you for completing one book.  Note:  For the purposes of our prize drawings, we are only interested in the number of minutes you have read.

Do I have to list a title of what I’m reading?

No.  Simply type in the material type (book, audiobook, newspaper, magazine) if you do not want to share the specific title.  As mentioned above, we are only interested in the number of minutes you have read.

How do I know when I have reached 15 hours or 30 hours for prize drawings?

While you are logged in to your account, you can update your profile and set specific reading goals.  Set a goal of 900 minutes to reach 15 hours; 1800 minutes to reach 30 hours.  It will show your progress as you record reading time.

If you have more to add to the list, please send to April.

summer reading kick-offs

Summer Reading Kick-Offs are this week!

Melissa, Robert, Pam, Pat, Ashley and Vicki will be at South on Thursday, June 12th from 2:30-5:00.   Jane will be covering the Children’s Room during this time.

Melissa, Jane, Pam, Pat, Ashley and Vicki will be at East on Friday, June 13th from 12:30-3:30.  Robert will be covering the Children’s Room during this time.

- Melissa

adult summer reading - please read

Loooooonnnnnggg, but please read carefully!

Our Adult Summer Reading Program, Literary Elements, begins tomorrow (June 11)!  Details about programs, prizes, and tracking hours may be found in the Information Packets, which were sent to the branches and distributed at HQ today.  Those who pre-registered for Summer Reading will receive an e-mail from me with instructions on how to set up their account and start tracking hours.  In the event you are questioned about this process, here's what they'll need to do:

Step 1:  Go to www.rowanpubliclibrary.org and click on Events for Adults

Step 2:  Create an Account (with library card/PIN or with e-mail)

Step 3:  After the account has been created, select "Track Reading"
and log in to record reading times

Optional:  For those who do not want to pick up their Info Packet at the library

There are five people who registered without e-mail addresses.  Each person has been given a unique user name and password (redacted here for privacy).  Each Information Packet contains a reading log where individuals can keep track of hours on their own.  Any staff member may go online and help them enter hours. 

Hot off the Press - Staff are invited to participate in summer reading with a special prize drawing held just for staff.  Just follow the instructions above to sign up for your account and log 30+ hours between June 11and August 11 to be eligible for a chance to win $10 Amazon gift cards.  Prizes will be donated by the Adult Summer Reading committee in appreciation of our staff and all of the many things you do to make RPL great!

If you have any questions, please contact your Adult Summer Reading committee members:

Marian Lytle       (x7732 @ South | x8241 @ HQ)

Gretchen Witt     (x8232 @ HQ)

April Everett       (x8229 @ HQ)

damage control 101

Whether you need to un-send an email or change an Instagram caption (darn you, autocorrect), head over to this slideshow from PureWow to discover what you can do to control the damage. Your reputation is counting on it.  (thanks to Melody for sharing)

save the date 06-09-14

cold water challenge for charity

Joan (South) and Jo Ellen (HQ) are participating in the "cold water challenge" to raise money for charity.  The challenge is for you and nine friends to each donate $10 to Journey Walk for Breast Cancer and get doused with cold water (not a bad thing on these hot, humid days!).  Cold water not your thing?  Stay dry by donating $100.  Be sure to video the cold water challenge and I'll humiliate you with share it on the blog.  Check with Joan, Jo Ellen, or Wanda at South for more information about this great cause.

free training

Jeffrey Hamilton with the State Library has put together a list of learning opportunities available for library staff during the month of June.  More information about these free learning opportunities may be found here:

Date	Title
6/3/2014	Business Source Complete and Entrepreneurial Studies Source (NC LIVE)
6/3/2014	National Health Equity Research (UNC)
6/3/2014	Dazzling Debuts III: Discover Them First (Booklist)
6/4/2014	Getting Started with LibCal (State Library)
6/4/2014	Creating a Culture of Excellence in Your Organization (Amer. Management Assoc.)
6/4/2014	Take the Guesswork Out of Hiring with Activity-Based Assessments (4Good)
6/4/2014	Advanced LibGuides (State Library)
6/5/2014	Mobile Impact 201: Digital Content Strategies for Mobile (TechSoup)
6/5/2014	Best Small Libraries in America: Vital, Innovative and Thriving (WebJunction)
6/6/2014	6 Essentials for Teams That Work (Effectiveness Institute)
6/10/2014	Zeroing In: How to Meet Your Leadership Development Challenges (Training Magazine)
6/10/2014	Celebrating Civil Rights in Books for Youth (Booklist)
6/10/2014	EBSCOhost Advanced (NC LIVE)
6/10/2014	Upskilling: The 21st Century Trainer (InSync Training)
6/11/2014	Getting the Most out of Microsoft Excel 2013 (New Horizons)
6/11/2014	Visual Display of Quantitative Data webinar (State Library)
6/11/2014	What’s New in Young Adult Literature 2014 (InfoPeople)
6/12/2014	What Makes Mobile Websites Tick? How Do We Make Them Faster? (O'Reilly Media)
6/12/2014	Beta.Congress.Gov (Lib2Gov)
6/12/2014	Going Beyond Google (American Libraries Live)
6/12/2014	Creative Spaces and Family Engagement in Libraries (InfoPeople)
6/17/2014	Failing in the Right Direction (InfoPeople)
6/18/2014	Dealing with Difficult People: Learn a New Skillset for Today’s Multigenerational, Multicultural Workplace (4Good)
6/18/2014	Be Fearless: Public Speaking for Librarians (WebJunction)
6/18/2014	Show Your Work: The New Knowledge Management (InSync Training)
6/18/2014	Rainbow Family Connections: Embracing LGBTQ Families at Your Library (InfoPeople)
6/18/2014	Using Images in Research (EasyBib)
6/18/2014	Flippin’Library! A year in the life of a flipped library (edWeb.net)
6/19/2014	Genealogy Online: Navigating the State Library and State Archives’ Digital Collections (State Library & State Archives)
6/19/2014	Emergency Preparedness: How to Get Ready (NCLA)
6/19/2014	Google Chrome as AT (Accessible Technology Coalition)
6/19/2014	Modern Web Design with Progressive Enhancement, Responsive Design, and CSS3 (O'Reilly Media)
6/24/2014	Accessing Block Group Data with the American Community Survey Summary File (Census Bureau)
6/24/2014	Mobile Impact 101: Taking Your Cause Mobile (4Good)
6/25/2014	Is the Loss of Institutional Knowledge Hurting Your Company? (Training Magazine)
6/25/2014	Assistive Technology Assessment: Why, When, Who and How (Accessible Technology Coalition)

These trainings are considered work time, so check with your supervisor if you find one you're interested in.