•  MARISA IACOBUCCI, Adult Services Consultant

 I will be out of the office today, February 15th.  If you have any questions on the annual reports please contact Annette, ext. 27.  Thanks.

  

• ELAINE KNAPP, Administration

 New library directors:

Cady Library in Nichols:  Karen Rathke. 

Newfield Library:  Tina Winstead.     

 The new System Directory is being printed today and hopefully be in delivery bags next week!

  

• CAROL HENDRIX, Administration

Road Trip

Hey, want to go on a road trip??  The System van will be traveling to Albany on March 11, 2008 – Library Lobby Day - and we would really like to have you as a passenger! Come on and join us and voice your wishes for more library funding! You will receive an informational packet full of helpful information and get to play travel games and sing songs! Please contact me if you, a staff member or trustee would like to ride with us or for more information.  Email:  chendrix@flls.org or by phone: x21.


 

• ANNETTE BIRDSALL, Youth Services Consultant

Important Dates:

February 22^nd All summer reading t-shirt orders due.  Please send in the form or an email with zero as your choice if you are not interested so I don’t have to call the 10 of you I haven’t heard from.  Thanks!

 

February 28^th Fun & Games System Meeting

If you plan to reserve the gaming lab, are interested in gaming at your library, or just want to have some fun!  RSVP to snorton@flls.org to join us!

http://www.flls.org/youth/Gaming%20Workshop%20flyer.pdf

 

March 1^{st Deadline} for ordering summer reading certificates, records etc. 

https://www.highsmith.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?catalogId=11000&storeId=10001&langId=-1

 

March 20^th Summer Reading System Meeting

RSVP to annette@flls.org to reserve your spot for craft, display, programming ideas and a quick performer showcase.

 

& Other News

Have you visited our new blog for YA notes? Check it out & feel free to post your comments:

http://ysflls.wordpress.com/

 

My Schedule & Your Questions 

I will be in Chicago from February 16- February 20, 2008.  If you have questions on the Annual Report on Early Literacy or Summer Reading, Marisa (x.26) will help you in my absence.  If you need storytime resources, please contact Sam (x.29).

 

• MELANIE HEMINGWAY, Outreach Services

Does your library have literacy tutors and/or patrons who need more resources to learn English better or to learn English as a second language?

This company may be of interest: 

http://www.videolanguage.com/learn_English.html

Their product:  In English, On Your Own - a series of 20 one-hour DVDs:

• Units 1-4 are the beginning level, entitled, In English, On Your Own (12 hours)

• Units 5-12 are the intermediate level, entitled, In English (8 hours)

 I have further details from a salesman, if anyone needs more information.

 

• LINDA BEINS, ILL/Reference Coordinator

DELIVERY

There will not be any deliveries on Presidents Day, Monday, February 18.

Many thanks to all who are shoveling and salting your walkways so that Tom and George can get into your library buildings safely this winter!

 

RECYCLED REFERENCE: Let me know by February 22 if you are interested in this item for your library:

• Harris New York Manufacturer’s Guide (2006)

 

DATABASES Learning Express

Remember to use your library card as your user name and a password of your choosing when registering to use Learning Express. To answer other questions about accessing this database go to the Learning Express Registration Help at  http://www.learnatest.com/LearningExpressLibrary/registrationhelp.pdf .

 

DATABASE TRAINING

ReferenceUSA as a Career Search Resource

Date:      Wednesday, February 27 2008

Times:   10:00 AM EST or 2:30 PM EST

 You can use ReferenceUSA as a career search resource. Learn how to

1.  identify companies that match the user’s skill set,

2.  narrowing the field to meet the users’ unique criteria,

3.  contacting the company and

4.  using the information in ReferenceUSA to prepare for an interview. 

Call (800 808 1113 x 3736) or email (rickwhite@infousa.com) Rick White if you plan to attend or have questions about this webinar.

Join Instructions for Instant Net Conference: 

1. Meeting URL

http://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=741873262&p=&t=c

1. Enter the required fields.  No Pass Code is Needed!

2. Indicate that you have read the Privacy Policy.

3. Click on Proceed.

4. Toll Free Numbers/ Pass Code

10:00 AM meeting          888 793 1858 / 41924

        2:30 PM meeting    888 391 6568 / 28580

(Use *6 to mute and unmute the phone)

 WEBSITES

Add this website, where you can view video excerpts of speeches by Martin L. King, Jr., to the list of Websites to Celebrate Black History Month.  http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=martin+luther+king&search_type=&search=Search 

 

NOTABLE BOOKS  ALA’s Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has compiled its 2008 list of outstanding books for the general reader. “These titles have been selected for their significant contribution to the expansion of knowledge and for the pleasure they can provide to adult readers”. [RUSA 2/1/08] http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/february2008/notable08.htm

 

ONLINE REFERENCE RESOURCES

      The Census Atlas of the United States

  http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/censusatlas/ has more than 700 maps that summarize data from 1790-2000. The Atlas is arranged by topic and addresses the questions: “who we are, where we come from and what we do”. Most of the maps have county-level detail. This resource is also available in print format.

  

      Statistical Abstract of the United States (2008),

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/index.html, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.

There are links to the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, County and City Data Book, MapStats, Historical Statistics, and State Rankings. The section on Elections  http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/elections.html covers presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial elections but also includes summary tables on congressional legislation; state legislatures; Black, Hispanic, and female officeholders; population of voting age; voter participation; and campaign finances.

      2008 Elections

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2008/2008elections.html looks at the population, selected characteristics, and 2004 voting percentage of each state as it approaches its 2008 primary or caucus.

 

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What are the average length and diameter of tornadoes?       

Average length is 5 miles (range = few feet to greater than 100 miles)

Average diameter is 220 yards (range = few feet to more than a mile)¹

 

According to the Online Tornado FAQ by Roger Edwards, Storm Prediction Center  http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#TOP#TOP, tornado forecasting was banned in the U.S. before 1950 because of the fear that a predicted tornado would cause panic. As more was learned about the weather patterns that produce tornadoes, forecasting tornadoes was considered a responsibility of the Weather Bureau.

 

¹ “National Weather Service watches and warnings”, World Almanac & Books of Facts, 2005, p. 184.

[Accessed at www.flls.org → Electronic Databases → Science →Science Reference Center]

 

   THIS WEEK’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK

This year is the 101^st anniversary of the Hershey Kiss. In 1906, the small central Pennsylvania village where the Hershey chocolate factory was located was renamed Hershey, PA. What was its original name? Who controls the largest percentage of the Hershey Foods Corporation’s voting stock? How many Hershey Kisses are made daily?

 

Submit your own Question of the Week for inclusion in future FLLS Bulletins by emailing me at lbeins@flls.org !