Blog Archives - Nicolet Federated Library System

EDGE: Management and Leadership Tech Tool

12/22/2015

Edge is a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind management and leadership tool, helping libraries create a path for the continuous growth and development of their public technology services.

Through an easy-to-use suite of tools, Edge supports libraries in making strategic decisions and identifying areas for improvement. The Edge Toolkit provides libraries an overview of current public services and community engagement. From operations to partnerships and programming, the toolkit generates recommendations for implementing best practices to align with future growth and community priorities. It also provides useful resources to demonstrate the library’s community service to community leaders.

Edge was created with the vision that all people should have opportunities to enrich and improve their lives through open access to information, communication, and technology services provided by public libraries. Led by the Urban Libraries Council, the Edge Initiative was developed by a national coalition of leading library and local government organizations and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. More on Edge...

Building STEAM with Dia Toolkit

12/22/2015

STEAM is an educational initiative more than thirty years in the making. In 1983, the National Science Board reported on the serious educational deficiencies of American students in the subject areas of STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math. In addition to outlining American students’ lack of competencies—in particular, compared to their peers in other countries—the commission also proposed the creation of STEM curricula that was both revised and intensified. The impetus for their curricular recommendations, according to the commission, was to ensure that American students would be competent and competitive in STEM areas by 1995, equipping the twenty-first-century American workforce to be among the strongest in the world. By Amy Koester from The Building STEAM with Dia Toolkit...

The Building STEAM with Día Toolkit, made possible by a generous donation to the Association for Library Service to Children from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, provides a research-based overview of the importance of intentionally planning for the inclusion of diverse content and community partners in STEAM programming. The toolkit also includes easy-to-follow sample programs and tips to get started with a Día STEAM program. As we near the 20th year of the celebration of Día, we would love for your library to kick off your Día year by thinking about Building STEAM with Día! More on Dia...

Teen Tech Week 2016

12/21/2015

Teen Tech Week is when libraries make the time to showcase all of the great digital resources and services that are available to help teens succeed in school and prepare for college and 21st century careers.

Celebrate the next Teen Tech Week with us, March 6-12, 2016, with the theme "Create it at your library." Find more information here.

Libraries Transform (from WVLS site)

12/21/2015

On October 29, American Library Association (ALA) President Sari Feldman officially launched Libraries Transform, a national public awareness campaign that will highlight the transformative nature of our nation’s libraries and elevate the critical role libraries play in the digital age.

As part of the national launch, Feldman will tour a variety of libraries in Washington, D.C. to view the power of libraries in action and to gather best practices that will be shared with the library profession and the public at large.
Rapid advances in technology are fueling a library renaissance. No longer just places for books, libraries now offer an assortment of free digitally-based programs and services including 3-D printing, ebooks, digital recording studios and technology training. Such tech-based resources are transforming lives through digital literacy and lifelong learning, contributing to education, employment, entrepreneurship, engagement and empowerment. Yet libraries are often overlooked as catalysts for powerful individual and community change.

“Today’s libraries are not just about what we have for people, but what we do for and with people,” said Feldman. “The goal of the Libraries Transform campaign is to change the perception that ‘libraries are just quiet places to do research, find a book, and read’ to a shared understanding of libraries as dynamic centers for learning in the digital age. Libraries of all kinds foster individual opportunity that ultimately drives the success of our communities and our nation.”
"This is an exciting time for libraries, as institutions of all types continue to transform to meet the digital and print information needs of their users,” Feldman said. “It is through the transformation of library organizations that library professionals can continue to fulfill their role in leveling the playing field for all who seek to transform their lives through education and lifelong learning.”

For more information about Libraries Transform please visit http://www.librariestransform.org.

Sherry Machones

Library Director
Wisconsin Small Libraries Chair
American Library Association Councilor
Stonewall Book Award Committee Juror

Printer Ink Refills at Costco = Huge Savings $$$

12/15/2015

Yahoo! Finally, a break from those insane printer ink prices. Costco now refills your ink cartridges for just a fraction of what new ones cost. They do both black ink and colored for most of the popular models (sorry, no toner for laser printers). The refill for my home printer cost me $9.49 for black or color instead of the usual $19 for black and $24 for color.

You will find this service at the Photo Center. Their system will clean, refill, and test your cartridge while you shop. Though the website says "...in an hour", it should only take them about 15-20 minutes. Expect to pay for it at the Photo Center counter. Here are the details as well as links to supported cartridges.

FREE Electronics Recycling Services at Best Buy

12/15/2015

Basically, you can drop off three items per day for free - yes, free! There are, of course, some limitations: first, it is supposed to be for residents, not businesses; second, big appliances are hauled away from your home for free if you buy a replacement from Best Buy and have them delivered to you. None-the-less, it is a great service for our communities as it properly disposes of all that recyclable or toxic stuff. Of course, they are probably hoping you stay and browse around the store afterward... :)

When dropping things off, the small items go into bins in the vestibule while larger items (TVs, printers, monitors, phonographs, etc.) can be put in a cart and left inside the store, somewhere near the entrance (they will direct you where to put it). They have had me park just outside the doors in the No Parking area while I unload, though you may want to check with them first.

Full details are easy to find on their site.

The Cube Projector- Awesome Gadget/Tool

12/11/2015

The 2-inch Rif6 Cube is a portable projector that projects up to 120 inches. (Photo: Rif6)

RIF6 CUBE POCKET SIZE HOME CINEMA
For movie lovers on the go, give the RIF6 Cube. It's a tiny projector with a big attitude. Connect it to your tablet or smartphone and prop it up to turn almost any setting into your very own theater.
Use it to project movies, TV shows, video games, photo albums and more. The cube takes any image from your smartphone or tablet's screen and projects it to a 120" display on the wall or ceiling. Plus, it uses long-lasting LED lighting to ensure the image is crystal clear. It's available on Amazon starting at $270.

Stop Windows 10 Upgrade Popups

12/7/2015

Microsoft has taken it upon themselves to invade our desktops with an annoyingly constant pop-up message badgering us to upgrade to Windows 10. This may be a great path for most consumers to follow; however, businesses have myriad challenges to overcome before diving headlong into a new operating system. I have decided that it is time to stop the madness that is Microsoft marketing and put an end to the upgrade onslaught.

Please follow the procedure below (on staff computers) to ebb the tide of Windows 10 popups. Though this should restrain the majority of them, there may still be a few that appear, especially if the upgrade process was already initiated and/or an error has occurred. In these circumstances, contact me directly for some elevated mojo.

Click on little white triangle in the notification area (on the left side of the system tray, which is usually in the lower right corner of your monitor, by the time/date). If there is no triangle, follow these steps to make it appear:
1. Right-click somewhere on the Taskbar (shaded bar across bottom of Desktop where open program names are shown) that does not have anything on it
2. Select Properties
3. Select Customize button (Notification area section in middle right of window)
4. The window you want will open so continue with step 3 below; however...
5. Uncheck the Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar checkbox in the left corner so you can pick and choose what you want in your notification area
6. Select OK to close the window
Select the Customize link
Find GWX in the list on the left (usually towards the top)
In its drop-down box on the right, select Hide icon and notifications
Select OK (lower right) to close the window

Please share this goodness with your staff to encourage peace and harmony for all. Public computers, however, require lots more effort as each machine must be thawed for the setting to be remembered. If the popups become a hassle for you and your patrons, let me know and I will make the changes sometime when you are closed.

John

ILEAD Project Spotlight #3: Team Digital Humanities by Stef Morrill

12/1/2015

The project:
In 2007, hundreds of people came to the Milwaukee Public Library to record StoryCorps interviews. Team Digital Humanities' project provided access to some of those interviews via an Omeka exhibit, which includes items from throughout the Milwaukee Public Library collections, so users can not only listen to the interviews but can use the exhibit as a jumping-off point for further research.

Something that struck me about it....
What I love about this project is how it uses digitized historical content to expose people to more than just the singular object: it puts the recording in context through the associated items from other parts of the collections. The team isn't done yet! They hope to get all of the StoryCorps interviews accessible on their website and to use the work done on this project to expand appreciation of all the rich collections in the Milwaukee Public Library.