Reminder - - It's not too late to register for this great opportunity!

Join librarians from across the country in beginning a discussion on how libraries need to change in order to thrive in the next decade. We imagine a morphing of imagination, inspiration, and information that will transform the way libraries look at the future. Hear speakers share their vision, engage in small group discussions and be a part of a conference where EVERYONE walks away with a plan to navigate the future through newly envisioned possibilities.

Presenters include:

Kevin Mitnick - World's most famous hacker

David Pescovitz - Institute for the Future

Dr. James Hughes - Dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

The Futures School - Offering hands-on training in forecasting the future

Anthony Iovino  - Arcari + Iovino Architects

Registration:

Library staff located in states that are Sponsoring Partners (including CT) can purchase tickets for $195 using a specifically provided ACCESS CODE.

To obtain your Access Code please contact: Dawn La Valle, Director, Division of Library Development, at  Dawn.lavalle@ct.gov  or (860) 757-6665. Click here to register.

Hotel Accommodations:

A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at the Borgata at the rate of $114 (plus 14% Occupancy Tax and $5 Atlantic City Occupancy Fee) per night.

For reservations register online or contact the Borgata Hotel Reservations Department at 609-317-1000 and identify yourself as an attendee of the Futures Conference using Group Code: GBNJL17.

Public Library Annual Report

Information on completing the 2017 Annual Report to the State Library has just gone out by e-mail to all public library directors.  The Annual Report is critical for state and national data gathering on public libraries.  

Libraries will again be using an Excel report form (an .xlsx file) which you will fill out and then submit by email.  See the Annual Report webpage http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/stats/annreport for:

• A printable list of the questions on the report form
• An instruction sheet
• The report form itself (to download when you are ready to complete it)

There almost no changes from last year.

The firm DEADLINE for submission is 4 P.M. on November 15, 2017.  Though no State Aid funding is expected for FY2018, public libraries are still required, by statute CGS Sec. 11-25 (a), to submit an Annual Report. 

For more information, contact Tom Newman at tom.newman@ct.gov .

New High-Speed Fiber Connections to Public Libraries

As of July 25, six public libraries are using their new high-speed fiber internet connections funded through a combination of E-rate discounts and grants from the state library, made possible by the authorization of $3.6 million in bond funding in 2015. These libraries moved from DSL service at 3 or 6 Mbps to fiber connections starting at 25 Mbps bursting to 1 Gbps, with future capacity over the next 20 years up to 10 Gbps.

Gale Bradbury, director of the Ledyard Public Libraries, noted in her grant report, "Replacing the DSL network with fiber has greatly improved the speed of access for staff and patrons using the internet. We can easily accommodate fast internet access from all 16 library computers and additional laptops or tablets that patrons bring in."

Additional fiber will be installed over the coming months and into 2018, with a total of 49 more libraries connected by next summer.

Funding is available to build fiber from principal public libraries to CEN. For more information about your library’s eligibility for this project, contact Maria Bernier at maria.bernier@ct.gov or 860-704-2204. 

Back to School with ResearchIT CT and EBSCO - Fall 2017

 

EBSCO presents the following K12 database training webinars with trainer Joe Ceterski.  For more information contact Eric Hansen  860-704-2224.

 

(Note that sessions beginning at 7:00 are evening sessions.  Sessions will be recorded.)

 

Databases and Interfaces for Elementary School Libraries

This training session will cover researchIT CT resources available for Elementary School Libraries, including resources for the youngest users. We will primarily focus in Explora, but also discuss lesson plans, Common Core alignment, and other EBSCO resources available for teachers and librarians.

 

Friday, August 25 from 11:00 am – 12 noon

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=t903bbf6cc3e96fcc7f4bca4fe1b59a05

 

Tuesday, September 5 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=tef207d746df45985f93ecee9430c7475

 

Thursday, September 14 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=td07e8e2409b8efe88157c27eab0ef5c1

 

 

Databases and Interfaces for Secondary School Libraries

This training session will focus on individual EBSCOhost databases provided by researchIT CT that are most relevant to Secondary School Libraries. We will cover basic and advanced searching in OneSearch, along with specific interfaces, including Explora for Schools, Science Reference Center, Biography Reference Center, History Reference Center, and more.

 

Tuesday, August 22 from 3:00 – 4:00 pm

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=t7952aa89aaebdc23395247155d4b45d8

 

Wednesday, September 6 from 9:00 – 10:00 am

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=t18943039ae340a131b61f9b6b10acafe

 

Tuesday, September 12, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=t1b1ea35c189e76b4262e2c751b006e98

 

 

EBSCO Explora

Explora is EBSCO’s newest interface for schools and public libraries. Key features include: attractive, user-friendly design; easy-to-browse categories organized by popular topics; topic overviews providing starting points for research; and much more. In this 45 minute session, we will review features and functionality of the Explora interfaces for Primary, Middle, and High Schools, and for Public Libraries. We will also preview new features planned for release over the coming months.

 

Monday, August 28 from 3:00 – 3:45 pm

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=td20a2595c9918cb581afddc2619d0f95

 

Wednesday, August 30 from 9:00 – 9:45 am

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=tb9420d50e34a3dca19f79ae82a2bb202

 

Wednesday, September 13 from 7:00 – 7:45 pm

https://ebscotraining.webex.com/ebscotraining/k2/j.php?MTID=t4de735842a06c048adeff1b65fa9f965

Speak up! Speak out! Public Speaking for Librarians
In person workshop
Tuesday, August 8, 9 am to noon
Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Cost: Free      
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3417201  

Basic Book Repair
In person workshop
Thursday, August 17, 10 am to 1 pm
Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Cost: Free
Only 2 spots left! For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3419432
 

Tip Top Tech Training
In person workshop
Monday, August 21, 1 pm to 4 pm
Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Cost: Free      
Limit of 12 attendees
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3417208

 
For more professional development opportunities, visit the Division of Library Development’s Continuing Education Calendar at https://cslib.libcal.com/