Media and Technology Section
Updated: October 28, 2003
Summer 2003 Newsletter
Libraries @ the Heart: MATS at the WLA Fall Conference
The WLA Fall Conference is coming right up (October 28th-31st), and
MATS has some exciting programs planned (including a session with Roy
Tennant!) Find out all the details in this article.
Assistive
Technology Fair at WLA – We need your help!
…and speaking of the exciting programs at WLA…..be
part of the Assistive Technology Fair! If your library is doing ANYTHING
with
assistive technology, consider helping out with this event. Find out
how (it may not be as hard as you think!) in this article.
Gates
Foundation Grant Provides Public & Staff Training Opportunities
by Inese Christman, Marathon County Public Library
Something’s happening at the Marathon County Public Library that
has staff members attending technology training….for FUN! Find
out what it is, and some resources you can use, too, in this article.
BadgerNet Rebid
By Bob Bocher, DLTCL
BadgerNet, a network many of us use to send email and look at web pages,
is about to change dramatically. Find out more about this important state
project that will impact many libraries throughout the state.
Quick Tip: An Excel timesaver
By Marlys Brunsting, Cofrin Library, University of Wisconsin – Green
Bay
Learn how you can save time and typing in Excel with a feature called
autofill.
Libraries @ the Heart: MATS at the WLA Fall Conference
We hope you have the 2003 Wisconsin Library Association conference on your calendars! If you haven’t already, make sure you save October 28th through the 31st to attend some great programs in Milwaukee. This year’s conference theme is “Libraries @ the Heart.”
MATS will be sponsoring several fantastic programs at the conference. Take a look:
- “What’s Hot and What’s
Not: Library Technologies and Trends from Applets to Z39.50” will
be presented by none other than Roy Tennant! This nationally-known
speaker/author will highlight
trends to watch, identify strategies that individuals and organizations
can use to keep up, and finger both dead technologies and those that
are likely to emerge as essential to libraries. You won’t want
to miss this program!
- “5
Things You Need to Know About…” will
be presented by the entertaining team of Gerri Moeller (OWLS) and Joy
Schwarz
(Winnefox). Gerri and Joy will share their favorite tips and tricks on
a variety of software and web tools, including Excel, Word, Access, Dreamweaver,
Fireworks, Google and more.
- MATS will also be hosting an Assistive Technology Fair. (See related article in this newsletter for more details.)
In addition to these great programs, MATS will be co-sponsoring additional sessions with other WLA sections:
- “Barrier-Free Access to Online Information Resources at Academic Libraries”
- “Is MARC dead? What Comes Next?”
- “Undertaking a Digitization Project: ‘Milwaukee Repertory Theater Photographic History’”
Please show your support for MATS and WLA by attending these great programs. For information about other events coming up at the conference, visit the WLA web site at http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2003/. See you there!
Assistive Technology Fair at WLA – We need your help!
Is your library doing anything with assistive technology? Have you installed screen readers? Special mice or keyboards? Or anything else to help make your computers more accessible? Then we need your help!
We’re trying something new at the WLA Conference this fall: an Assistive Technology Fair. The goal of this event is to provide WLA members with the opportunity to try out different assistive technology products and to learn from what other WLA members have done with assistive technology.
There are 4 ways that you can help:
- Create
an “idea sheet”: Share your experiences by
writing a little explanation of what you’ve done with assistive
technology in your library and what’s worked for your community
(and what hasn’t worked).
- Bring your equipment to the fair: If you have a piece of
assistive technology that you think others would like to see or try,
and you are
willing to transport it to the WLA conference, that would be great!
- Demonstrate your technology: Be there during the fair to
show others how to use the assistive technology you are using in your
library.
- Be involved with the planning: This fair is a brand new event, and we could use some help pulling it all together! If you have some enthusiasm for this topic, and want to share it, help us plan this event.
Gates Foundation Grant Provides Public & Staff Training Opportunity
By Inese Christman, Marathon County Public Library
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has provided the Marathon County Public Library with a very exciting opportunity. Utilizing some of our Gates Foundation grant monies, we have established a Gates Computer Lab at our Headquarters Library in Wausau.
Our Gates Lab consists of nine GLCs (Gates Library Computers), a Gates-funded
ViewSonic projector and a laser printer.
So why is this so helpful to our library? We now have the equipment
necessary to provide training for the public and the staff. The really
neat little ViewSonic projector makes it easy for the trainer to show
a Powerpoint presentation in conjunction with doing a hands-on workshop.
In March 2003, we offered Basic GLC sessions to familiarize customers with what the Gates PCs have to offer. The Gates Lab has also created an opportunity for our Reference Staff to expand their public training efforts. The Gates computer tutorials, class outlines, and printed materials have enriched our knowledge of various computer programs and provided staff with a good place to start when creating class curriculums. Instead of offering Basic Internet Training again and again, we are now able to develop and offer classes on our Electronic Databases, Microsoft Office products, and an Introduction to Computers for Beginners. We continue to expand the list of topics and class times to meet the needs of our public.
Our staff also have more computer training opportunities with the new lab. Before we opened the Gates Lab, we had every staff member complete the Basic GLC session. Many staff members were excited to learn about the new computers and all of the software programs available. Staff who had not normally been involved in doing training had a chance to share their knowledge by stepping into the role of trainer. We prepared them by offering a “Train the Trainer” session. This was a wonderful opportunity for staff members who hadn’t done training before to come forward and do a really good job training other staff members.
Our Technology Tidbit Thursdays are carrying on this type of training effort by asking each department to select a staff member and a topic for a short 20-30 minute class for other staff. These have become quite popular with staff. At noon on Thursdays, we have staff members offer quick bits of knowledge for other staff attending these sessions. At the end of a 10-minute lecture, participants do a hands-on exercise and have a chance to ask questions for an additional 10 minutes.
It is very difficult to schedule longer training sessions for staff that are covering desks and working with the public. Technology Tidbit Thursdays have been one way that we can offer short learning sessions. We noticed that many staff members like to attend the sessions for “FUN” and to show support for their coworkers. These Tidbit sessions provide an opportunity to tap into the wonderful resource of our own staff and to share learning experiences with one another in an enjoyable way.
Note: Some of the training materials Inese mentioned in this article are now available to libraries that didn’t receive Gates computers. To find them, visit the “Learning Resources” area of WebJunction, a new website created by the Gates Foundation and OCLC:
BadgerNet Rebid
By Bob Bocher, DLTCL
State government is in the process of rebidding the state's BadgerNet telecommunications network. The current contracts for BadgerNet expire in 2005. Over 1,100 libraries, K-12 schools, institutions of higher education and government agencies are now part of the BadgerNet network. Just about any place you go to on the Web or anytime you send an email outside of your library, the packets of information are transported over the BadgerNet network. The key goal of the new BadgerNet is to have a standards-based, affordable network with the bandwidth needed to support multiple applications and statewide connectivity.
To help determine the needs for the new network, the major educational agencies in the state created WENCC, the Wisconsin Educational Network Collaboration Committee. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is a WENCC member. In April 2002 the DPI, as part of its WENCC responsibilities, sponsored a day-long library focus group session to get input from the library community on its networking needs. Some of the key findings were:
- Technology and networks are mission critical for library operations
- Libraries use technology and networks to receive hard (i.e., print) goods and providing print materials is still a core library function
- BadgerNet and direct Internet access help to equalize access to information throughout the state
- BadgerNet dataline discounts for schools and public libraries are critical for equal access
- Advanced library services (e.g., interactive video reference) often require more bandwidth
- Networks can help foster greater library cooperation
- The library is a place with and for people
WENCC is now in the process of developing bid documents and a draft Request for Information (RFI) for the new BadgerNet network was released July 30. The tentative timetable is to sign a new contract with one or several telecommunication and networking companies by early 2004. Actual network implementation will start later in 2004 and the new network will be fully operational by December 2005.
For more information on WENCC, including detailed documents on how the new network will be used, see http://www.teachwi.state.wi.us/WENCC/wencc.html or contact Bob Bocher, Department of Public Instruction, Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning, 608-266-2127, robert.bocher@dpi.state.wi.us.
Quick Tip: An Excel timesaver
By Marlys Brunsting, Cofrin Library, UW-Green Bay
When typing a series of information in rows or columns, you can type the first few cells and let Excel finish filling in the series (this is called Autofill). For example, type the first few months of the year into the first 3 columns of your worksheet:
Now select those 3 cells and move your mouse to the small black square in the lower right corner of that selection. The small black square is called a fill handle. Your pointer will change to a black cross.
Click and drag the fill handle across the cells you want to fill and then release the mouse button. Excel filled in the rest of the year!
You can do the same with numbers, times, days of the week, years, and text that has a pattern. If you drag down or to the right, the cell values will increase. If you drag up or to the left, the cell values will decrease.
