Please join us for any or all of the sessions. All listed times are in Eastern, check out timezoneconverter.com to convert start time to your local time zone.

Here are the details and registration links:

• TechAtlas for Libraries – Introduction to Inventory Tools
  March 10, 1:00 – 2:00pm (Eastern time)
  Join us as we explore the technology inventory tool features in TechAtlas. The TechAtlas tools can help your library build a complete inventory of your technology resources – everything from computers to digital cameras. You can even use a great set of automated inventory tools to help make the process easier. Participants will be lead through a live demonstration of TechAtlas and hear best practices about inventory management.

  Register for this Session.

• Implementing an Online Help Desk – Event Tracker
  March 16, 2:00 – 3:00pm (Eastern time)
  Event Tracker is a tool within TechAtlas which allows users to create an online “help desk” so they can track all of the requests and solutions to computer troubles in the library. When a staff member reports the problem using the web-based form, TechAtlas notifies the designated technical support staff by e-mail. After the problem has been resolved, there is space in Event Tracker to include the solution. This creates a knowledge base that can be referred to later if the same problem occurs. It also helps you to stay on top of all the technology tasks that need to be completed in the library. Note that you may find the free session on the inventory tools on March 10 helpful, but it is not required.

  Register for this Session

• Technology Planning with TechAtlas
  March 24, 3:00 – 4:00pm (Eastern time)
  Join us as we explore the technology planning features in TechAtlas. The TechAtlas tools can help your library build a technology plan starting with defining your mission and vision, creating goals and objectives and all the way through budgeting your expenses. We’ll discuss important tips for libraries that apply for E-rate funds and that are creating a technology plan as a requirement for that program. Participants will also see a live demonstration of TechAtlas and hear best practices about technology planning and how to help lead your library into the future through effective planning.

  Register for this Session

For those who won’t be attending the conference f2f, we aim to provide you with conference coverage here on WebJunction. If you’re a WebJunction member who would like to help cover the conference for the community (the f2f or Virtual PLA versions), let us know and we’ll set you up as a guest blogger!

Wednesday, March 24

If you plan on arriving early, there are over a dozen preconference events to consider but you won’t regret attending this one. Longtime WebJunction member and super hero of accidental technology trainers, Stephanie Gerding will kick-start your conference adventure.

The Accidental Technology Trainer

Presented by Stephanie Gerding
8:30 am-12:00 pm, Oregon Convention Center – A105-106

Accidental technology trainers are responsible for technology training in labs, classrooms, or one-on-one with users or staff. You will learn about great tools and techniques, the most common concerns of technology trainers, and get helpful advice resulting from many years of coordinating and providing training for public libraries. You’ll discover why learning styles are important; how to create an interactive learning community; strategies for communicating about technology; and techniques for using activities, games, storytelling, and case studies.

Exhibits Open/Reception
4:00pm-6:30pm

Stop by and visit WebJunction at the OCLC booth, #1847 in the exhibits hall. We’ll also be there on Thursday from 9:30-5 and on Friday from 9:30-4.

Thursday, March 25

LITA’s Top Technology Trends
8:30-9:45 am, Oregon Convention Center – B113-116

A panel of LITA leaders who are acknowledged for their reputations and expertise in the library and information technology fields will discuss and debate the top technology trends in public libraries. WebJunction’s Michael Porter will be joined by David Lee King, Joan Frye Williams, and Michelle Frisque.

Geek the Library: Putting Theory into Practice
8:30–9:45 am, Doubletree Hotel Portland, Oregon Room
Please register for this session

Geek the Library is a public awareness pilot campaign implemented in select communities in Iowa, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. After several months, the results of the pilot are in. Were we able to increase awareness of the need for public library funding? Get the full scoop, and find out how you can implement Geek the Library in your community.

Power up Your Learning Organization
2:00-3:15 pm, Oregon Convention Center – A105-106

Transform your library into a Learning Organization. Discover new strategies and tools that move staff beyond training to proactive learning. Explore opportunities for self-directed, online, and social learning. Discuss ideas for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and mentoring. Then put these ideas into action. You won’t want to miss one, staring some of the WebJunction community’s brightest stars: Betha Gutsche, Jennifer Fenton, Kathleen Gesinger and Michele Leininger.

Latinos and Public Library Perceptions (Talk Table)
4:00-5:15 pm, Oregon Convention Center – A103-104

In partnership with the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, WebJunction published research about library use and perceptions of more than 2,860 Latinos nationally. At this talk table, discuss the findings and recommendations for increasing Latino library use and suggest best practices for implementing outreach to Spanish-speakers in your library community. Facilitated by WebJunction’s Jennifer Peterson and SLO program coordinator/trainer, MaryKay Dalgreen, Oregon State Library.

WebJunction’s Party with Competencies
6:30-8:30 pm, Doubletree Hotel Portland, OCLC suite 1455
Please register for this session

Grab a bite and a sip and connect with the people and proven competency resources that can help your library! We’ll have plenty of fun, food, festivities, good company and practical material for you to enjoy and take back to your library to help you and your staff learn and work more effectively.

Friday, March 26

OCLC Update Breakfast
7:30–8:45 am, Doubletree Hotel Portland, Hawthorne/Sellwood/Ross Island Rooms
Please register for this session

Join OCLC President and CEO Jay Jordan for breakfast and an update on what’s new at OCLC, including service enhancements and new initiatives that make information access easier. Share your questions and discussion with your colleagues at WebJunction’s roundtable discussion.

2010 Perceptions of Libraries in Changing Economic Times
10:30 am–12:00 pm, Doubletree Hotel Portland, Hawthorne/Sellwood/Ross Island Rooms
Please register for this session

In 2005, OCLC published a groundbreaking report, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources. Five years later, OCLC has embarked on an updated study about library users and their information-seeking behavior, paying particular attention to the perception of libraries in these current economic conditions. Join Cathy De Rosa, Vice President for the Americas & Global Vice President of Marketing at OCLC, for an engaging discussion of the findings from OCLC’s latest research.

Expanding your world through Web Conferencing
2:00-3:15 pm, Oregon Convention Center – E141-144

Join panelists Jennifer Peterson, Karen Burns, and Cindi Hickey for a session filled with experience and expertise in online engagement! We’ll discuss our own use of web conferencing tools to host online conferences, produce e-learning activities, conduct capacity building for remote staff, and host virtual meetings and focus groups. Together we will share best practices for presenters, ideas for integrating web conferencing with other technologies, and user success stories.

Two participant generated documents from the conference deserve special recognition:

The Participant Marketing Ideas compiled from the presentation by Cindi Hickey and Janie Rutherford, M&M: Maximum Marketing/Minimum Investment is filled with suggestions and examples on everything from calendar tools to ways of marketing your databases and from partnerships in marketing to leveraging social media tools in marketing efforts. Kudos to Cindi and Janie for putting participant engagement at the core of their presentation!

And longtime WebJunction member, SLO trainer, and Utah State Library’s Library Consultant/State Data Coordinator, Juan Tomás Lee has graciously shared his document collecting Participant Notes, a thorough and thoughtful compilation from all 10 sessions!

We have heard from many of you that you attended the conference along with a group of colleagues and are excited to hear that you are sharing your learning with others via staff meetings and wikis. Please let us know how that experience worked for you or how you are applying new skills, tips or tricks on the job.

And thank you again for your participation. We are thrilled to see that the online conference model sustains WebJunction’s commitment to collaboration and learning and it doesn’t happen without you!

View complete conference archives »

Register for the event »

For more information on the program and how to apply, see the USDA Rural Development fact sheet.

Applications are handled by USDA Rural Development field offices. To reach the USDA Rural Development contact for a specific state, visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/ – adding the two-letter initial of the state to the end of the URL.

David says, “Google Wave is a collaborative, instant messaging service which began in a preview (alpha) edition in 2009. Google Wave may change the very face of virtual reference. This group is for libraries/librarians and others who wish to connect with one another outside of Wave and share ideas, projects and tools about and for Wave”.

And he’s already started 3 great discussions: Google Wave Resources, Books about Google Wave, and Are you Waving?

Stop on by the new group or browse other WebJunction Groups.

1. Pick which sessions you most wish to attend: You aren’t required to attend every session. You will be able to re-enter sessions as your schedule permits, and the sessions will be archived so you can catch up on those you missed.

2. Make it a team event: Set up a computer for your staff to drop in as they’re able. Or, invite your colleagues to each attend one session and share what they learned in a follow-up session.

3. Bring your success stories: We’ll invite folks to ask lots of questions via chat, but please come ready to share stories and links to relevant resources. This online format provides a multitude of ways to exchange ideas and experiences!

Conference details »
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• Sandra Nelson with The Planning Puzzle: Integrating your Strategic Plan and your Technology Plan
• Stephanie Gerding with Library Grants 101
• Joshua Dodson and Laura Slavin with WordPress for Library 2.0 and Beyond
• Pat Carterette with Learning When There’s No Time (or Money) to Learn
• Karen McCoy with Implementing Reliable Instant Messaging at Your Library.

You won’t want to miss this valuable learning opportunity for you and your staff. Full program and speaker information is now available and registration is free and open to all.

WebJunction’s StoryTubes group has been following the project over the years but we were so pleased to see StoryTubes win the well-deserved PLA Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award in 2009. Alan Harkness, chair of the PLA award jury said that the StoryTubes project was chosen for the prize because it “captured the essence of using technology in an innovative way to tie back into a core business function of public libraries: sharing the joy of reading.”

“The StoryTubes project gave local kids a means to use technology they were interested in to talk about stories. The way that this project brought the community together to vote on the videos the children made was quite original and easily replicated in libraries everywhere.”

Project participants have more than doubled across the nation each year as more young people and educators are discovering the creative magic of matching kids’ love of reading with their interest in technology.

Visit the StoryTubes site to hear how the project has impacted reading efforts in schools and libraries around the country and then download materials to promote in your own community. And be sure to join the WebJunction group if you’re a StoryTubes librarian!

Beginning with this week’s webinar, WebJunction online events will be hosted using the WebEx online conferencing tool. This will allow for a more stable environment for larger groups where audio and load-time for slides has been problematic in the past.

Attending one of our free live online events will remain relatively unchanged:

• Registration will still be taken via our Events Calendar http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventcalendar.asp.
• Registrants will be sent an email with the link to join the event and can join the event up to 30 minutes before start time.
• The event’s audio will stream over computer speakers or headphones (as Audio Broadcast) but attendees will also be provided with a toll-free option to join by telephone.
• We will continue to use a chat feature for you to engage with other attendees but will add a Q&A feature to manage questions directed to presenters.
• As in the past, all portions of the event will be archived and made available with related resources on the event’s archive page on WebJunction.

Thank you for your webinar participation and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday for Integrated Library Systems: Open Source and Customization, a 1.5 hour session moderated by Marshall Breeding.