Wednesday, August 26, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

08/24/09
I finally broke down and bought a new phone. It all came about when my old phone’s battery kept going out when someone called. My standard answering procedure started being “talk fast, my battery is going out”. Not real professional. So, I stepped into the twenty first century and bought a phone that has a qwerty keyboard so I can text, a camera for taking pictures, and a speakerphone, etc. The good thing is that it only cost me ten dollars and my monthly bill is not supposed to be too much either. One reason that I needed text is to keep in touch with my daughter who will be having a baby soon. She is Queen of Text. The other reason is to get better at texting and understanding text language that we are using in a national collaborative text messaging service.

My Info quest--- In a press release written by Kitty Pope of Alliance Library System, My Info Quest is the first collaborative text messaging reference service of its kind. Alliance Library System (http://www.alliancelibrarysystem.com) in East Peoria, Illinois has partnered with approximately 50 participating libraries (including Little Elm Public Library www.littleelm.org/library ) across the United States, Altarama (http://www.altarama.com) and Web Clarity Software Inc. (http://www.webclarity.info) developers of Peoplewhere (http://www.peoplewhere.com) to build this exciting new reference service. To use this service just txt (309) 222-7740 and put “LEL” before your question if you are in the Little Elm or surrounding area. The LEL shows that you are in the Little Elm Public Library area. A librarian somewhere across the United States will text an expert answer to you within ten minutes of the hours of service. The service runs Monday through Friday 8am-10pm and Saturday 9am-5pm Central time. Standard txt msging rates apply.

Speaking of service, how are we doing? We would like to hear from you. Please visit our survey at http://tinyurl.com/lelibrarysurvey and let us know what you think. Our goal is to provide you with the best service that we can. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Last minute reminders! If you picked up the Texas Tornado Hockey Reading program forms, they are due by Thursday, August 27th at 8pm to be eligible for the drawing on Saturday, August 29th at 10:30am. That is when Texas Tornado Hockey Team mascot Ike the Polar Bear visits family story time and will draw the winning entries for a free hockey game voucher provided by Little Elm Friends of the Library. Remember that the reading program is for all ages but kid’s ages 6-12 who read or listen to ten items will automatically receive a voucher for the October 24th hockey game. Also, August is National Inventors Month and Inventors Digest magazine is hosting a national youth essay contest for ages 12-17. Forms can be picked up at the library or by visiting the website at www.InventorsDigest.com. The contest ends August 31st.

Mum’s the word! The library is hosting a mum workshop on Thursday, September 3rd at 6:30pm. The workshop is being presented by Woodhaven Creations for thirteen years old and up. The fee is only $15 but registration is required so give us a call at 214-975-0430 by Monday, August 31st at 5pm to reserve your spot!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
08/17/09

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Look no further! Little Elm Library, Little Elm Chamber of Commerce, Point Bank, Capital One Bank, Independent Bank, and Sterling Bank all have last chance tickets to see the Frisco RoughRiders play the NA Naturals. It is Little Elm Family Night at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark on Saturday, August 22nd at 7pm. Don’t have a family? Bring your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. The idea is to kick back and relax for a good cause. The ticket cost $12 and includes a PlayBall game program, pre-game player autographs, bullpen section ticket, and a limited edition RoughRiders hat. A portion of the proceeds goes to benefit The Ryan Project (www.theryanproject.org) for more information about this event contact Laura Avis at 214-975-0406. Let’s PLAY BALL!

The ball game will be a great way to spend the evening but while you are at the library buying tickets for the game, make sure to visit the monthly business and craft fair going on from 11-2. Who knows what goodies you will find to start the school year or get a jump on holiday gift buying. Businesses and crafters who will be at the fair Saturday, August 22nd include New Home Locaters, Avon, 1st Class DJ Service, Scentsy (wickless candles), Little Elm Knitting Club, Woodhaven Creations, Marilyn S. (quilt pot holders and lap quilts), Linda D. (wire wrap), Enchanted Dragonfly (handmade jewelry), Mrs. Martins Goodies (stained glass and wood craft), Kelly Elise Creations (handmade wall plaques) and local artist Pali will be doing henna art. Members of the Little Elm Craft Guild will be on hand to sign up members and answer questions.

Saving money is the name of the game all the time but especially this year. The library is once again selling the Entertainment Passbooks for the Dallas area that includes Little Elm, Aubrey, The Colony, Frisco, and Denton, just to name a few. The book is only $20 but the money you will save with the coupons is priceless and a portion of the proceeds goes to help the library.

Speaking of saving money, this weekend (21st, 22nd, and 23rd) is tax free weekend so while you are out buying items, please consider buying some extra school supplies to donate for those kids who need them. The library, Communities in Schools (www.CISNT.org), and The Ryan Project are partnering together to collect school supplies to benefit students in Little Elm ISD. Supplies will be collected through September 17th at Little Elm Library, Little Elm High School, and Living Word Baptist church. For more information call Tina at 214-975-0430 or Correne Lynch-Fierro at 972-292-1840, ext. 26005.

Another way to save money is to check out books to read. New books added to the collection this week include Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand; Delicacy by C.L. Kelly; and Scrapping Plans by Rebeca Seitz. Is there something you need to know? Give us a call and tell us so. Contact us at 214-975-0430 or send us an email at library@littleelm.org.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

YaaaaaaaHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This is supposed to be a reflection, but I have been reflecting all along in my blogs. Some recap worth mentioning (or not depending on who you talk too). I don't know that I really had a favorite. I liked the opportunity to do the 23 because I have been wanting to learn about these applications for a long time and always put it aside for later, where this made me learn it within a time frame. My least favorite I think was the wiki but that may be because that is what I currently remember that gave me a headache. Wiki was challenging (thank goodness my staff member Laurie was around). Laurie also said that Twitter will be the most challenging for me since I have to keep things brief, hah I'll show her. RSS feeds were confusing but maybe it is because I need more practice. As I said in the previous blog, I have already incorporated a lot of what has been learned into daily library applications and plan on adding more. Staff will be required to apply something they have learned and we are also going to work on another 23 things, submitted by staff. We will also come up with other ways that the public will benefit. Some of the things that I have learned I have already been doing in other library projects. So TTFN and keep up with Little Elm Library Page by Page!

Wild Things

The North Texas 23 Things has been a rewarding experience though sometimes challenging (as it should be). I did require all my staff to participate so we all could benefit from the trials and tribulations in order to better serve our patrons. In order to expand on what we have learned, I have not only asked staff to pick something out of the 23 things to focus on and do something for the library I have also asked staff to pick three more sites that they would like for us all to learn so we can do our own 23 things project. From my blogs, you can see that my goal has been to incorporate as much as possible into everyday library use, but I hope that we can also figure out creative ways to share this information with our patrons as classes, bookmark guides, etc.

Is There a Doc in the House?

After doing so many things in a days time I have a headache and could use a doc about now. Google Docs is actually pretty cool. The form application reminded me of surveymonkey but I liked the fact that I could use a theme to dress it up so I chose blockheads because that is how my head feels right now and I like the colors. It also made me laugh, which I needed. The presentation reminded me of PowerPoint. Spreadsheet seemed like a combination of Excel and Access. I am still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles. I liked the concept where you can invite others to work on the project together and chat. Today I chatted with myself, but not very long because I had to finish the 23 things. I definitely plan on using Google Docs at our library.

Hey Wiki Your So Fine

I decided to search Swine Flu and was given a redirect to 2009 flu pandemic. At the beginning of the article it does have see also references (one being swine flu) and also states that it is about the pandemic itself and information about the virus causing it can be found somewhere else. The article was very thorough and has many references so I would trust the information. It did not surprise me to see a lot of discussion on this topic. Looking at the history it was interesting to see the number of changes that occurred in one days time. Okay, I did the practice wiki and realize that I need a lot more practice before I do my own for the library. This project was a challenge for me. Maybe it is because I am working on it last minute on what was supposed to be my day off :-) I think I want to change by blog title to Hey Wiki Hear my Whine. On to Google Docs...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Tubing the Internet

First of all, I thought that our library had a YouTube account but I did not find anything under the library's name so I just started looking at some Little Elm tubes...The first was entitled Coming to Little Elm--Limited Engagement promoting the musical Bye-Bye Birdie. The promo had still pictures moving in and out with music. I thought it was pretty well done. The title is what caught my eye because I was wondering what the library did not know about. I also watched a Little Elm Autumn Fest 07 HipHop video of a HipHop group performing during the 2007 Autumn Fest. It was pretty good videography though it did not look like it was done by a professional. It would be useful to promote future Autumn Fests. I did notice that after watching that Hip Hop tube, other Hip Hop tubes came up for me to choose, so I liked that option. After perusing down Little Elm Lane I decided to go back to the Library world and found a tube entitled Discover a New World @ Columbus Public Library. Wow, was I impressed. The purpose was to show what the library had to offer. Very unique format with animation and popups. I had never seen a tube done in this fashion before but then again, I do not spend a lot of time on YouTube, though my patrons do. Since I just finished learning about Twitter, I watched a tube that was answering Twitter questions. The camera was focused on the individual answering questions. The camera would pan from the screen with the question to the individual reading the question and then answering them. Though the picture was clear and the reason behind what the purpose was understood, I thought the format was pretty boring. I do think that YouTube use by libraries can be very beneficial to promote what libraries are doing to various age groups and also help to train staff or general public about different things. I did try to sign the library up for an account but have not been successful yet but after I get finished with the 23 things assignment, that will be my next goal.

Here Birdy, Birdy, Birdy




Rockin' Robin has always been my favorite song, though Disco Duck is a close second. Must be a bird thing. (Thanks to OpenPhoto for Disco and Duck photos). Twitter was simpler than I thought and I found I CAN keep my info short. I am thankful it keeps count for me but so far I have not gone over. Having to keep my column to a certain length every week has probably helped me be more aware of verbage length but I really need to work on just writing enough to stay within the box when I am blogging (except for my column of course). I am currently following 11, have three followers, and made two tweets. I plan on using this account to let people know when a new column is out but I also think it will be a great way to keep people aware of upcoming programs and what's happening on a daily basis. Best laid plans...kind of like resolutions, works the first couple of days :-) I still say, marketing is a full time job in itself, but very important. I am going to look more into the hashtags and maybe see if I can use that for my Page by Page newsletter. My Twitter account name is littlelmlibrary. Notice it only has one e. The account name cut me off at y which made the name librar so I figured the name would flow better with one e because it still looks like it is supposed to. I hear about Twitter everyday but I heard about it on the radio today when the announcer was asking who does it and they reported a story that mentioned a woman was tweeting while giving birth. Screaming was the norm in my day :-) Tweet Tweet for now!

IM Wat IM

Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would. IM or instant messaging, a concept that I tried years ago when first learning about computers. I did not like it then as a home use but have learned the benefits of it in the workplace. Since taking the 23 Things Web 2.0 experience but before learning about IM in the 23 things lesson, we have become part of a national pilot program of mobile reference service My Info Quest (the patron texts an answer and librarians answer via the computer). IM has come into play while attending the numerous meetings leading up to and during the project. The meetings are a combination of web, IM chat, and audio. Talk about multi-tasking :-) Since becoming involved in the mobile reference project I have been occasionally practicing text speak in conversations with staff. That gets interesting. As I get better at it, I will probably try it with some of our patrons to promote the mobile reference service. I do think IM has a place in the library setting and in regards to the text service, the IM lingo is important because you are only allowed so many characters. This can be a challenge for someone like myself who is very wordy or as some people have said about my writing style "chatty". I think the funniest thing is that IM lingo has been around for years, probably even before computers, it just wasn't called IM. I did choose gmail/google talk mainly because I already have my blog in google, and the reference service is provided through gmail so I figured this would give me even more experience with the various different functions google has to offer. TTFN and CHREO (made that one up...send your comments on what you think it means)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

08/10/09

History has been made by bridging communities! Have you tried the new bridge? I have not had a chance yet but people have told me that it saves a lot of time. I think the most exciting thing about the bridge is that it’s another part of Little Elm history. Little Elm is considered the Town with Lake Attitude and the bridge helps add to that reputation. For those who live in town the bridge provides a very important time saver connection to the other communities across the lake. The bridge also provides easy time saving access for the other communities to see all the wonderful things that Little Elm has to offer. So I would just like to say, come on over and see us, the water’s fine and we are ready to welcome you.

Speaking of bridging communities, PointBank has been serving numerous cities in Denton County for years and gives back to the communities in many ways. One way is by holding an annual charity golf tournament where the proceeds are given to the public libraries in the communities of Denton County that PointBank serves. Little Elm Public Library recently received a check for $1,277 from the 2008 tournament to be used towards the renovation and expansion of the library. PointBank’s 2009 annual Charity Classic Golf Tournament benefit fundraiser is going to be held on October 24th at Castle Hills Golf Club in Lewisville. They are taking registrations now. Forms are available at PointBank locations and at the Little Elm Public Library. For more information contact Deke Alexander at 940-686-7049 or David Fuller at 940-686-7021. The deadline for entry is September 30th. On behalf of the public libraries that serve Denton County, we appreciate your continued support.

Other events of interest coming up in the next few days include the monthly Little Elm Friends of the library meeting on Thursday, August 13th at 7pm. Friends are important to the successful growth of the library so come check out what’s happening!

On Saturday, August 15th, at 10:30am, family story time will be hosting Molly the Schipperke, certified through Therapy Dog International. This will be Molly’s first time with us so drop by to meet her. We hope to have her visit the third Saturday of every month. Beat the heat and stay at the library to make a summer memories book or jewelry with Woodhaven Creations. The program runs from 12-2, is open to any age and cost $5 per project. Registration is required so call 214-975-0430 to sign up. Also on that day the Knitting Club meets from 1-2. Bring your project and spend time with others who like to knit.

If you like to spend time reading, new bestsellers added this week include Rain Gods by James Lee Burke; Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini; Unmasked: the Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin; Burn by Linda Howard; Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance; Return to Sullivan’s Island by Dorothea Benton Frank; The Defector by Daniel Silva; Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner; The Apostle by Brad Thor; Black Hills by Nora Roberts; and The Devil’s Punchbowl by Greg Iles. We look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

What's Happening @ the Little Elm Public Library

Little Elm Public Library newsletter
08/03/2009
Texas Tornadoes become part of the whirlwind of August activities @ the library. All ages can join the hockey reading program from August 1st through 27th. Any age can pick up the special form, read or listen to ten items and receive reading rewards. Kids ages 6-12 who complete the reading program will receive a voucher for a complimentary end zone ticket to the October 24th game. All other ages that complete the program will get put into the age category drawing for a complimentary end zone ticket provided by the Little Elm Friends of the Library.

While you read, bookmarks are very useful to hold your place during times you are not reading. During the month of August, we are encouraging people of all ages to enter the Inkheart bookmark contest. The goal is to create a bookmark that appears to come alive. All entries become the property of the Little Elm library. The first place winner will receive an Inkheart DVD donated by Ms. Sylvia, a longtime library supporter. The remainder of the bookmarks will be donated to a children’s charity to be determined. Entry forms can be picked up starting August 1st and all entries need to be turned in by Monday, August 31st.

The bookmark contest is being held in conjunction with the Scholastic Book Fair. We are encouraging families to create bookmarks together. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is published by Scholastic. Over the years, the Little Elm library has been hosting Scholastic Book Fair fundraisers, which carries hundreds of titles, including Inkheart. The library will be holding the next book fair between Saturday, August 8th and Wednesday, August 12th during library hours (M/W 10-5:30; T/TH 10-8; and Sat 10-3).

A special free program for women entitled A Woman’s Guide to Money Matters will be held on Saturday, August 8th starting at 10:30am at the Little Elm library. Call Linda C. Bullwinkle, an EdwardJones Financial Advisor at 972-292-1824 to reserve your space.

Also on Saturday, August the 8th, it is dog day at the library. First spend time with Megan and Maggie the dog for the 10:30 family story time and then Clifford the Big Red Dog will visit around 10:50am.

Texas Tornado Hockey Team mascot Ike the Polar Bear will be visiting toddler time and story time on Wednesday, August 12th from 10:30-11:30. Bring your camera!

The Little Elm Crafter’s Guild has been holding numerous craft classes for adults and children. On Tuesday, August 11th, sign up for the Intro to jewelry design class for ages 13 and up that starts at 6pm. The fee is ten dollars and there is a supply list. They have also started a Knitting club that will be meeting on Saturday, August 15th at 1pm. If crafts are your passion, come join the Crafters Guild, all crafts welcome!

If reading is your passion, new bestsellers added this week include: Burn by Linda Howard, Black Hills by Nora Roberts, and The Devil’s Punchbowl by Greg Iles.
For more information contact the library at 214-975-0430 or email library@littleelm.org.