In this month's issue, you'll find a run-down of the Library Technology Conference, a write-up regarding effective terminology on library websites, and an update about the contract renewal process for the ELM databases. Plus, get the context for these words of advice: put a poem in your pocket for April. And, as always, you'll hear the latest from some of our programs and partners: Minitex CPERS, AskMN, WebJunction MN, the MN Digital Library, and ELM.
Here's the TOC:
2012 Library Technology Conference]]>Users Don't Know What Libraries Are Talking About
Mary Wagner Receives 2012 Beta Phi Mu Award
YouTube - Channel for Teachers
Library Teleconference Series in Hiatus
OCLC Best Practices in Virtual Reference Series: Making the Case for Virtual Reference in Tough Times
We Get Questions: AskMN Numbers Rise
ELM Spotlight
National Poetry Month
CPERS Column
WebJunction MN
MN Digital Library
This issue has articles that speak to important questions: How much value do Minnesota public libraries provide the state? Are school librarians an endangered species? What's up with publishers these days?
It also provides links to great resources: Digitized archives, an Ojibwe-English language dictionary, videos for teaching, and tools to help incorporate technology into the classroom.
And it goes into detail with coverage of interactive learning exercises and the Spotlight feature from Britannica as well as a number of letter collections in MN Reflections.
Here's the TOC:
Minnesota Public Libraries' Return on Investment
"Nothing Less Than Crucial"
National African American Parental Involvement Day
Library-Publisher Relationships on the Rocks
Bookmark This!
Ojibwe People's Dictionary Launched
FREE Video Resource
From Storage to YouTube
AskMN and History Day
ELM Spotlight
Cool Tools
Digital Delights: Letters Home
WJMN Webinars
Thanks for reading!
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Plus, you'll find classics on ELM databases like Encyclopedia Britannica, Points of View Reference Center, Consumer Health Complete, and more. And short tutorials on research topics, like Consumer Research and Business Research.
Please view, use, and share these videos as you see fit. Thanks!
In this issue, you'll find newly-digitized MLK papers, productivity tools for educators, and a new Britannica timeline feature. We've also got updates on webinars, AskMN, and ELM for K-12 Academic Standards that we think you'll like to see. And we give recently retired Bill DeJohn a fond farewell.
TOC:
A Fond Farewell to Bill DeJohn
Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Online
AskMN Welcomes Two Libraries in December
Recommendation Engines for Education
Minitex ROI Offers ELM Class to OLLI
ELM Spotlight
This 'n That from the Web
CPERS Column
Minnesota Digital Library
WebJunction MN
Thanks for reading!
In this issue, we give hosted tours of some Minitex employees' home libraries, we share insights on Facebook for libraries from folks who've done it right, and we investigate how K-12 students use chat reference. And much more, as detailed by the TOC:
Minitex Staff Home Libraries
Facebook for Libraries
Social Media at the Library
Libraries Build the Book Market
Rochester Public Library Takes Part in Black Friday
Minnesota All Stars
OCLC Receives Added $ for Geek the Library Campaign
This 'n That from the Web
Google Forms and Scripts
AskMN and K12 Students
ELM Spotlight
CPERS Column
Holiday Reflections from MN Reflections
WJMN Webinars
From all of us at Minitex and the Reference Outreach and Instruction unit, here's wishing you a wonderful holiday season and the best new year yet.
If you're interested in hearing about some of the great sessions from the 2011 MLA Conference, read on. If you see the word "bibliometrics" and suspect that you should know more, read on. If you'd like to learn about discounted pricing on library resources from Minitex CPERS, read on. And if you missed MC Hammer's recent announcement, then by all means read on as well.
Read on:
MLA Annual Conference Recap
Four Ereaders, Four Librarians, One Good Reminder
Citation Tracking and Bibliometrics
AskMN Welcomes Two New Libraries
ELM Spotlight
The CPERS Column
This 'n That from the Web
Library Technology Conference 2012, Call for Proposals
WebJunction MN
MN Digital Library
Thanks for reading Reference Notes!
In this issue, you'll hear news from Minitex: News that may make you sad, news that may make you feel like celebrating with us, and news that may inspire you to chat. You'll find news from Minnesota librarians, too: a guest article on the library as more than books, a note of congratulations on good work done, and a pointer to a great study on college students' leisure reading habits. You'll also find an article on an interesting new tool from Google that applies massive scale data analysis to human cultural studies. Plus some fun tools for aggregating and sharing information in This 'n That from the Web.
Bill DeJohn Retires]]>Minitex Celebrates 40 Years
AskMN FY11 Report
MN Library Certification Takes Off Again!
Library So Much More than Books
Culturomics
Reading for Pleasure at Gustavus Adolphus
Congratulations to Peter Bremer
ELM Spotlight
This 'n That from the Web
A Revolutionary Source for History Day
MN Digital Library
Presentations from ALA Annual 2011
Upcoming WebJunction Webinars Open to All
Minitex Fall Trials for Electronic Resources
The Toughest Reference Question Ever?
In this issue we extend heartfelt congratulations to three great Minnesota library leaders on their retirements and to one excellent media specialist in particular on her work with History Day. We also announce some of the all-new webinars we have scheduled for the fall. Don't miss these - we've got some great ones this year. We talk about our work with a group of learners in a program called OLLI. And we share some statistics on the ELM instruction we did in FY11. Hazard a guess as to how many people attended ELM instructional sessions last year and then see how close you came on the last page of the newsletter.
TOC:
When Libraries Collaborate
MNopedia: The Minnesota Encyclopedia
Minnesota History Day Media Specialist of the Year Award
ROI Congratulates Minnesota Library Leaders on Their Retirement
ELM Spotlight
Making ELM Access Easy
ROI Fall Semester ELM Webinars
This 'n That From the Web
Instruction for All
Minnesota History Documents in Minnesota Reflections
Enhancements Added to WebJunction Minnesota
Reference Outreach and Instruction Accomplishments in FY11
Thanks for reading Reference Notes!
A Tour of the New ELM PortalELM Spotlight
What Researchers Don't Know Can Hurt Them
Rediscovering America in Libraries
Understanding User Needs Through What Is Said and What Is Not Said
Squrl It!
WJMN Update & List of Learning Opportunities
Thanks for reading!
]]>We are pleased to announce that the transition of eBooks and Audiobooks on EBSCOhost is nearly complete. Over the coming days, you may notice that when you log in to NetLibrary to access these products you will automatically be forwarded to EBSCOhost.]]>Over the previous months we have sent Weekly eBooks Updates to outline the important changes this transition will include. If you missed a previous Weekly eBooks Update, please click here to view the archives.
Please note that the preview period of eBooks on EBSCOhost will be concluded once the transition is complete. You will then be able to access your own collections automatically via EBSCOhost.
In addition, if you are interested in your NetLibrary reports and statistics, please access the Library Resource Center immediately because once the transition is complete, you will no longer be able to do so.
Be sure to visit EBSCO's Support Site to learn about all of EBSCO's products, search among thousands of FAQs, download Flash tutorials, Help Sheets or User Guides, or communicate with Technical Support at any time, using the EBSCO Online Support Form.
In this issue, covering June 2011, we announce the redesigned ELM portal and provide information on migrating to ProQuest's new platform. We also have dispatches from New Orleans and the 2011 ALA Annual Conference. We have a couple of notes about some great things we've heard about coming out of Minnesota libraries. Plus, something called SnackTools. Could it have something to do with food? You know you're curious. Finally, this issue of Reference Notes announces the discontinuation of Minitex's reference referral program - a program that has served Minnesota libraries well for 38 years.
Here's the full TOC:
Success @ Grand Rapids Public Library]]>
Women's History in Legislative History Timeline
ALA Annual 2011: New Orleans
SnackTools
ELM Spotlight
A New & Improved ELM Portal Is Here!
ELM Spotlight Webinar Series
If You're Ready, ProQuest Is Ready
Minitex ROI at Upcoming Conferences
Minitex Discontinues Backup Reference
Augsburg College-Lindell Library Joins AskMN and Other Updates
WebJunction Events
The Hennepin County Libraries will recall their deep-rooted history, celebrate their ongoing success, and look forward to their future endeavors with their summer-long exhibit, "For Use: 125 Years of Library Service in Hennepin County," at the Minneapolis Central Library.A grand opening program and reception will kick off the event at 7 p.m. Thursday in Pohlad Hall at the Minneapolis Central Library.
In this issue we share write-ups of great sessions from the 2011 ARLD Day conference; you can use them to learn what projects, programs, and services your colleagues from across the state are working on. We report on a review of studies on the value of media specialists in schools; you can use this to support your school library. And we offer a teaser on a new tool that ties ELM content to K12 academic standards; you can use this as something to think about over the summer.
You can use these articles for all sorts of other things:
ARLD Day 2011 Recap
MCTC Libr@ry's Website: A Portal to Research Success!
MN Learning Commons: For 21st Century Learning
Seamless Library Instruction for E-Learning
QR Codes in Libraries: Beyond Signage
Launching a Mobile App
Avoiding the Dangers of Personalization
ELM Spotlight
AskMN: The Librarian Is In!
WebJunction MN Featured Courses
Digital Delights: June is Bustin' out all Over!
Federal Government Zeroes Out School Library Funding
School Library Impact Studies
Share Your Thoughts on Minnesota Libraries in 2025
Remember, if you're seeing this you're in "the know" about Reference Notes' recent move to online-only publication. Please consider your professional network and encourage folks who might be interested to sign up to receive Reference Notes via listserv or blog.
Britannica Online Academic Edition
Join us to learn new ways to get students started on their projects using Britannica Online Academic Edition. During this 2-hour, hands-on training session, participants will have their questions answered and learn about Britannica Online's special features, including:
- Research tools to compare countries using demographic and economic statistics, including built-in graphing and charting tools.
- The Workspace storage tool for students and faculty to collect their own research materials for future use.
- Resources for every subject including History, Geography, Art, Humanities, Business, Science, and Technology.
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
To register click here.
Britannica Online Public Library Edition
Join us to learn ways to help both children and adults find answers to their questions and get started on projects, using the new Britannica Online Public Library Edition. Bring your questions and our Expert Britannica Trainer will be glad to answer them during this 2 hour presentation. Participants will learn about special features including:
- "Kids" section with reference and educational materials for elementary and middle school students.
- The World Data Analyst for patrons to study and compare different statistics from countries all over the world.
- The Workspace storage tool for patrons to collect their own research materials for future use.
- Resources for every subject including History, Geography, Art, Humanities, Business, Science, and Technology.
12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
To register click here.
Britannica Online School Edition
Join us to learn new ways to do research projects with students using Britannica Online School Edition and to get ideas for integrating technology into your classroom! Bring your questions and we will be glad to answer them during this 1.5 hour presentation. Elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools will learn about special features including:
- The Workspace storage tool for students to collect their own research materials for future use.
- Classroom curriculum resources for American History, World Studies, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and all levels of Language Arts and Math.
- Expanded video and media content, including a video download feature.
- Learning Zone feature for PreK-2nd grade students
- Integration of Minnesota Academic Standards
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
To register click here.