Blog Archives

Low-Tech Maker Fun (from Jody at SCLS)

4/27/2017

Want to make your own slime, lava bottle, ice sculpture painting, or bubble wand? Then you might want to check out Kiwi Crate’s DIY ideas at www.kiwicrate.com/diy. These and other low-tech projects are available with printable instructions that include a messiness rating, age range, estimated time, what you will need, and how to do it.

I first heard about Kiwi Crate Inc. from an engineering listserv. I had been looking for a unique “hand-on” present for my 3 year old grandson who lives in Texas and the Koala Crate (ages 3-4) subscription looked like the perfect gift. The subscription includes a crate (box) sent in the mail with everything needed for 2-3 creative theme based projects, plus additional materials to learn more. Luckily, I was visiting when his first box arrived. It was “Maker Fun”! I am embarrassed to admit that I now want the Tinker Crate (ages 9-16+) for myself.

Once we finished the activities in the crate, we wanted more. I was thrilled when I found the additional and free DIY ideas listed on the Kiwi Crate website. I wonder what our next project will be, maybe the Syrofoam stamps or the marshmallow launcher. Happy Tinkering!

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CultureGrams - Primary Source Reference (from WiLS Posting)

4/21/2017

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CultureGrams is the leading primary source reference for concise, reliable, and up-to-date cultural information on the countries of the world. It goes beyond mere facts and figures to deliver an insider's perspective on daily life and culture, including the history, customs, and lifestyles of the world's people. Culturegrams includes Native recipes, interviews, photos and video in a database accessible from the public library or remotely.

Please use our price quote request form to receive pricing.

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Thinking Mobile (by Kerri at SCLS)

4/13/2017

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This afternoon I pulled up my feed reader and tried to catch up with various blogs I follow. This took me to 3 wonderful posts on the TechSoup for Libraries blog (have I mentioned how much I LOVE the TechSoup blog?) that all had me thinking about mobile devices:

If you're looking for program ideas for helping seniors (or even 45-year olds who need bifocals) make their devices easier to see and use, those first two might be a nice place to start.
The last post has all sorts of interesting links, one of which took me to this article that lists "30 Ed-Tech Apps to Inspire Creativity and Creation." There are some apps here that I've heard of (Aviary and Google Slides, for example) and others that I can't wait to look into (Adobe Capture, LEGO Movie Maker)!

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Cleaning Up Your Patron Database - Address Verification Tools (by Heidi at SCLS)

4/3/2017

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Interested in cleaning up and verifying address information in your patron records? Here are some free tools to help you out.

Free address look-up tools:

SmartyStreets: 250 free lookups every month.
Experian data quality: verify up to 500 addresses for free against the USPS database (no mention if per month or total).
American Factfinder Address lookup: provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, this tool has been used by LINKcat libraries for years to determine the municipality of a patron's legal place of residence. Provides geographical, municipal and political information about the address you submit.
USPS provides address verification and change of address (COA) tools, many through vendors that may allow a set number of free searches and require payment after that.
- The Zip+4 Code Lookup tool can be used to confirm street address, City and zip code information.
- Viewing the USPS change-of-address database (NCOA) requires end-user certification and licensing. There are multiple vendors that are certified and licensed to provide this service; the amounts charged vary according to the number of addresses submitted.

Bulk address mapping tool:

BatchGeo: up to 250 addresses mapped for free each month. Allows you to map out a set of addresses, from Excel format, so you can look at the set and see if any of the addresses you submitted lie outside of the range you are confirming. For example, if you have a set of addresses that are marked as being in the "Town of X", use the BatchGeo mapping software to confirm that all of the addresses lie within that town. If not, use the American FactFinder Address lookup tool to find the correct municipality for an address.

HINT: using the USPS standardized data entry formats may expedite searching, especially when using the U.S. Census Bureau's American FactFinder Address lookup.
USPS Publication 28 - Postal Addressing Standards

Appendix B - Two-Letter State and Possession Abbreviations (p. 55)
Appendix C - Street Abbreviations (p. 59)
Appendix F - Address Standardization — County, State, Local Highways (p. 79)

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Low-Tech Maker Fun (from Jody at SCLS)

CultureGrams - Primary Source Reference (from WiLS Posting)

Thinking Mobile (by Kerri at SCLS)

Cleaning Up Your Patron Database - Address Verification Tools (by Heidi at SCLS)

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