CE NEWS

July 2, 2018

Table of Contents

• Webinars You Don't Want to Miss
• Keeping Bed Bugs Out of the Library
• Infopeople Continuing Education Opportunity
• Public Library Assistance Grant Spending Requirement
• How to Respond to a Security Incident at Your Library
• Library Development Customer Service Survey

Webinars You Don't Want to Miss

There are so many wonderful webinars to choose from and so little time! This month, we hope you will join us for two Public Librarians' Chats Tackling the Weeds in Your Library Collection is scheduled for July 9 at 1 pm.  During this webinar we will discuss the six benefits of weeding, introduce participants to the CREW method of weeding and share some online weeding resources.  Techniques for Enhancing User Experience is scheduled for July 12 at 11 am.  This webinar will explain how understanding and analyzing where, when, why and how the public is engaging with your library can lead to better library services and an improved (more satisfying) user experience.

For a complete list of webinars available in July visit the Library Development Training & Continuing Education Calendar

Keeping Bed Bugs Out of the Library

Nationwide bed bugs have become an increasing concern for libraries. The pests are carried into the library on circulated materials or on backpacks, shoes or other articles of clothing.  There have been reported incidents of live bed bugs found in public libraries in Alaska.  Keeping bed bugs and other insects out of the library requires regular surveillance. Insect traps distributed throughout the library should be monitored monthly, trapped insects identified and an appropriate treatment applied.  Pest Management for Public Libraries was developed for librarians looking for information and procedures that they can use to keep their libraries pest free. Pest Management for Public Libraries contains links to the bed bug lifecycle and an identification guide, as well as links to pest monitoring traps and suggested protocols to follow should you find a bed bug or two in your library.

Infopeople Continuing Education Opportunity

The Alaska State Library has purchased a block of twenty-five (25) seats to Infopeople online instructor-led training sessions. Infopeople offers over 70 training events per year on a wide variety of topics, utilizing subject experts as instructors and presenters. These seats may be used by any Alaska library staff member during the 2019-2020 fiscal year.  These seats will be distributed in an equitable manner to ensure that participants from libraries of all sizes, all types and in all regions of the State are represented. Five seats will be reserved for each of Alaska’s five recognized regions: Far North, Interior, Southwest, Southcentral and Southeast.

To register for one of the Infopeople reserved block seats, complete the online application form available from http://lam.alaska.gov/professional_library_development/infopeople.  

Public Library Assistance Grant Spending Requirement

Selecting, purchasing and preparing library materials for use by the public can feel simultaneously both rewarding and angst producing. While you may occasionally feel the tingle of satisfaction when a book in your collection finds its reader, there may also be periods of time when you experience a nagging doubt about the usefulness of materials you have purchased. Collection development in small, rural libraries ran by volunteers can be particularly challenging.  Limited shelf space, staff time, collection budget and selection expertise may be barriers to collection development in a small, rural library.

Every public library that receives the Alaska public library assistance grant is required by law to purchase maintain and provide for the circulation of a collection of library books and materials. During each fiscal year, the library must expend at least $3,500 on library materials for each library receiving a grant. Meeting this requirement is easier when a library has adopted and maintained a written collection development policy; a framework that guides the selection, evaluation, weeding and reconsideration of materials. The $3500 minimum expenditure for library materials is easier to meet when materials are purchased each month. Dividing the collection budget by 12 and using this amount as a guide for monthly purchases is an easy way to stay within your budget.

If your library doesn’t have a collection development policy or the policy is seriously outdated, you may need to work with library board members to create a new one.  Idaho Commission for Libraries has developed a series of freely available online courses that cover collection development basics, policy, building a collection and collection maintenance.  The Texas State Library and Archives Commission’s CREW: A Weeding Manual for Modern Libraries provides an excellent overview of the collection development process.  

How to Respond to a Security Incident at Your Library

The Alaska State Library has purchased a bulk license (up to 40 seats) to the ALA eLearning workshop, How to Respond to a Security Incident in Your Library, with Dr. Steve Albrecht. This 90-minute online workshop will be held Thursday, July 26, 2018 at 10:30 am (Alaska Time).

This online workshop will cover, “the top 10 security, behavior, crime, or emergency-related incidents that occur in libraries and will describe the issues, the concerns, and the responses surrounding them. Many of the scenarios will involve challenging or problem-inducing patrons, and others will discuss responses to events that staff might not always know how to deal with properly. “

If you would like to apply for one of the 40 workshop seats available through the Alaska State Library, please complete the online application form available on https://lam.alaska.gov/professional_library_development/library_security .

Workshop seats are open to any Alaska library staff working in academic, public or school libraries and will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.  Deadline to register for the workshop is July 23^rd.

Library Development Customer Service Survey

We want to hear from you. Library Development is conducting a customer service survey to assess our customer service performance, identify any issues that may need to be improved and gain a clearer understanding of the service requirements of library directors and library staff in Alaska. The deadline to complete the survey will be July 31st.

The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete.