A dedicated, graphically oriented search for EBSCO's health and education related databases geared towards grades 6-12.
Special Note: No Friday Bulletin will be published on either 9/17/21 or 10/1/21 owing to editor personal travel. If you have anything of statewide interest for the 10/15/2021 issue, please drop us a line!
The Alaska State Library is hiring! - We need a librarian to help manage the Online With Libraries (OWL) program. Position will be open to Alaska residents through 9/30/2021. For more details and to apply, visit OWL Librarian 1 - PCN 05-3003 on Workplace Alaska.
The Emergency Connectivity Fund will be open for a second window of applications starting September 28, 2021 and closing October 13, 2021. This is an opportunity for libraries to apply for devices or connections for patrons at home, due to COVID-19. For more information, visit https://www.ala.org/advocacy/ECF or contact Valerie Oliver, who is our E-rate Coordinator. The application process is similar to E-rate but covers off-site devices and connections for those who would otherwise lack the ability to connect.
If you use the version of Gale in Context available through SLED, we’d like you to know about two resources for training and support:
We encourage you to go to SLED to use Gale in Context, but you are welcome to use http://sled.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/ak_sdlc_web?db=SUIC to access Gale in Context.
The Cordova Public Library, under the editorship of Jillian Gold, has launched The Catch, a literary and arts quarterly. The Inaugural Summer 2021 issue can now be read online. The journal will cover a lot of ground as explained in editor Gold’s introduction:
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Friends & Neighbors,
It is with much joy that I welcome you to The Catch, our community’s new literary and arts quarterly. Each publication announces the next quarter’s theme and extends an invitation for submissions. All ages and all mediums are accepted for review. In this Summer collection you will find poetry, short fiction, essay, memoir, photography, painting & illustration. The project is just beginning, and we can expect it to transform over time. It is my hope to see the variety of creative content grow - - possibly to include culinary arts and crafting projects, for example. That being said, I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to all of the participating artists; to everybody who has offered this project their time, feedback, and encouragement; and to a community that celebrates creativity. Contributions to The Catch from our year-round cast of characters and from our seasonal work force, together, make for a wonderfully varied palette. Please, join me in appreciation of this bounty.
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We wish the Cordova Public Library well in their publishing adventure. If your library, archives or museum publishes journals, books or other materials, please tell us.
For more background on The Catch, check out this recent article from the Cordova Times:
1st issue of library quarterly features nautical art, poems. By Zachary Snowdon Smith. Cordova Times, 8/23/2021.
On 8/25/2021, the Institute of Museum and Library Services announced $2,921,766 in additional IMLS CARES Act Grants to support the role of museums and libraries in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The funded projects were selected from highly-rated applications to the previous IMLS CARES Act Grants for Museums and Libraries program.
Among the grant winners were the Anchorage Public Library and Fairbanks North Star Borough Libraries.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Libraries will make available 25 laptops and MiFi devices (hotspots) for residents to borrow. The rural nature of the area means there are limited cell towers and internet access points beyond the public library. These internet accessible laptops will include instructional videos; applications to assist with resume creation; virtual education; links to local, state, and federal resources for assistance; and literacy software to those patrons who need additional access to resources from home. The extra devices will not only provide services to undeserved library patrons but will also help alleviate demand on library computers. CARES Act grant amount: $63,524
The Anchorage Public Library will make 30 Chromebooks and MiFi devices (hotspots) available for lending to patrons whose only internet access was the library, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patrons will be able to enroll in Learning Circles, a free study group for people taking online classes. Learning kits will also be created to provide additional education and resources on basic computer skills, employment, language learning, personal finance, and COVID-19 recovery assistance access. This program will focus on the communities served by the Mountain View, Muldoon, and Loussac libraries where internet inequity is the highest and where focused job seekers, persons applying for benefits, students, and entrepreneurs have all been hit especially hard by the pandemic. CARES Act grant amount: $69,602
The National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response (NCAPER) has published an Arts Field Guide to Federal Disaster Relief. From the introduction:
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The NCAPER Field Guide was created to help demystify federal disaster relief for the arts and culture sector by helping artists and arts organizations see what’s available, understand clearly what isn’t available, and decide if pursuing federal aid is a good use of time. The top programs of use to artists and arts organizations have been selected for inclusion.
The Field Guide gives a snapshot of federal disaster assistance programs that can go into effect after a presidentially declared disaster and focuses on longstanding programs that are likely to continue. It includes in-depth information about financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) along with introductory information about other federal resources that provide a mixture of financial and other assistance.
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For more from NCAPER, visit Home | National Coalition for Arts' Preparedness & Emergency Response (ncaper.org).
From our friends at Star*NET:
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The Space Science Institute is pleased to announce a new exhibit opportunity for public libraries. 'From Our Town to Moon, Mars and Beyond' will launch in March 2022, traveling to eight libraries across the country. All public and tribal libraries are welcome to apply. Please register for a pre-application webinar to learn more about this opportunity, ask questions, and meet the project team. The application will open on September 15th, and be due November 15th.
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Last week the Census Bureau released 52 individual data profiles with data from 2020 Census. These sharable data-rich state profiles are available for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and feature data visualizations that include population, housing, race, ethnicity, diversity and age data. Each profile provides key demographic characteristics of each state and county on one page.
Aside from having current stats on our home state of Alaska, we believe these profiles will be helpful to students tasked with writing reports about other states, or in comparing statistics about Alaska to other states.
This month the Federal Communications Commission put out a consumer guide on reacting to the news that a number of cellphone and cellular data providers are shutting down their 3G networks. From the guide:
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If your mobile phone is more than a few years old, you may need to upgrade your device before your mobile provider shuts down its 3G network, to avoid losing service. For more information on your mobile providers’ plans for 3G retirement and how you can prepare, contact your provider directly.
What is happening?
Mobile carriers are shutting down their 3G networks, which rely on older technology, to make room for more advanced network services, including 5G. As a result, many older cell phones will be unable to make or receive calls and texts, including calls to 911, or use data services. This will affect 3G mobile phones and certain older 4G mobile phones that do not support Voice over LTE (VoLTE or HD Voice).
Learn more about other connected devices, such as medical devices and home security systems that may be impacted below.
When is it happening?
As early as January 1, 2022, though plans and timing to phase out 3G services will vary by company and may change. Consult your mobile provider’s website for the most up-to-date information.
If your mobile carrier is not listed here, you may still be affected. Many carriers, such as Cricket, Boost, Straight Talk, and several Lifeline mobile service providers, utilize AT&T's, Verizon's, and T-Mobile's networks.
Note: These are dates for completing the shutdowns. Carriers may begin retiring parts of their networks sooner.
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For suggestions on what to do if your provider is shutting down 3G service in your area, read the full guide starting from “What do I need to do?”
From our friends at the Library of Congress:
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It’s (almost) Fall, and we’ve got Fashion! Prints & Photographs Virtual Orientation
Prints & Photographs Virtual Orientation - Fashion
From advertisements and prints to the catwalk and photoshoots, this orientation session looks at conducting fashion research in the Prints & Photographs Division collections. Instruction will include library search tools, online resources, and how to prepare for a visit to the reading room. The same orientation will be offered twice in the same week.
Sept. 14, 2021, 12 noon-1 pm EDT / 8-9am AKDT
Register for this session:
https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_C15V2V5mTBSkAjLgb6Dr_w
Sept. 15, 2021, 3 pm-4 pm EDT / 11am-Noon AKDT
Register for this session:
https://loc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_PtzQwjASQouCKllp5HgkHA
Regularly scheduled orientations provide an overview of the Prints & Photographs Division collections and reference services. Orientations are offered every month. Currently, all orientations are being offered virtually.
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