ELM Overview Webinar with Minitex

Electronic Library for Minnesota provides quality online information resources to all Minnesota residents via their local libraries and the ELM Portal and MnLINK Gateway. ELM offers magazine, newspaper, and journal articles, reference sources, and electronic books appropriate for a variety of users. Currently, ELM has resources from EBSCO, Gale, ProQuest, OCLC, and NetLibrary. A reference librarian from MINITEX will provide an overview of ELM, including content, features, and access points.

Who should attend?: Anyone who is not familiar with the Electronic Library for Minnesota or who wants a refresher of ELM’s content.

June 15, June 26, July 19 and Aug 2

http://www.minitex.umn.edu/train-conf/webinars/upcoming.asp#63

Talk of the Stacks @ Mpls. Public

Talk of the Stacks
Unexpected Life of Books: Sven Birkerts and Lewis Buzbee
A conversation – moderated by former Bookcase owner Gail See – with 2 award-winning authors and critics, who started their careers as booksellers and ultimately became authors themselves. Sponsored by The Friends and U.S. Trust. For more info: 612-630-6174 or www.friendsofmpl.org Free and open to the public.
Central
Pohlad Hall S-280 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thu., June 7, 2007

PEN PALS AUTHOR LECTURE SERIES @ Hennepin County

The Library Foundation of Hennepin County has posted the 2007-2008 PEN PALS AUTHOR LECTURE SERIES

Kaye Gibbons
Thurs, Oct. 11, 2007, 7:30 pm
Fri, Oct. 12, 2007, 11 am.
A North Carolina native, Gibbons wrote her first novel, Ellen Foster, while studying at the UNC-Chapel Hill. This extraordinary debut won numerous awards and set the stage for a prolific career. She has since authored seven critically acclaimed books including A Virtuous Woman, Charms for the Easy Life, and Divining Women. She has likened the writing process to “looking over an abyss and knowing that I have to jump.”

Tracy Kidder
Thurs, Nov. 1, 2007, 7:30 pm
Fri, Nov. 2, 2007, 11 am.
Widely regarded as one of the living masters of nonfiction. Best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning The Soul of a New Machine, an account of the development of the minicomputer. His second book, House, reads like a novel but chronicles the design and construction of the award-winning Souweine House in Amherst, MA. His latest book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, tells the remarkable story of charismatic doctor Paul Farmer, a world-class Robin Hood who has devoted his life to curing infectious diseases.

Daniel Handler
Thurs, Dec. 6, 2007, 7:30 pm
Fri, Dec. 7, 2007, 11 am.
Handler is the author of the novels The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, a collection of short stories about love. Under the name Lemony Snicket he also has written the best-selling children’s collection A Series of Unfortunate Events. Handler has also worked in film and music, most recently in collaboration with composer Nathaniel Stookey on a piece for the San Francisco Symphony entitled “The Composer Is Dead.”

Yann Martel
Mon, Apr. 21, 2008, 7:30 pm
Tues, Apr. 22, 2008, 7:30 pm.
Born in Spain of Canadian parents, Martel had an international upbringing in Costa Rica, France, Canada and Mexico. In 2002 Martel came to public attention with his prizewinning second novel, Life of Pi. This epic survival story involves the son of Indian zookeepers shipwrecked with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Other works include his first novel, Self, and a collection of short stories titled The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios.

Robert Alexander
Thurs, May 8, 2008, 7:30 pm
Fri, May 9, 2008, 11 am.
For more than 30 years Robert Alexander (aka mystery writer R.D. Zimmerman) has traveled extensively in Russia, and is the bestselling author of The Kitchen Boy and Rasputin’s Daughter. His newest book, The Romanov Bride (due May, 2008), tells the tragic story of the Tsaritsa’s sister, Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Raised in Chicago, he now lives in Minneapolis.

Current season ticket holders will receive their renewal forms in the mail starting the week of May 15th. Season ticket renewals will be on sale from May 15 – June 15th.

New season tickets will be available for sale on June 25th.

Tickets to individual lectures will go on sale August 1st.

For more information please call the Foundation office at 952-847-8637 or UptownTix at 651-209-6799.

http://www.hclib.org/pub/info/support/penpals2007_08/

Magers and Quinn Booksellers has a blog!

Local Twin Cities bookstore Magers and Quinn Booksellers has a blog!

Featuring “news from the biggest independent bookstore in Minneapolis–events, book industry news, and more.”

Visit their blog at http://www.magersandquinn.blogspot.com/

Or their bookstore at www.magersandquinn.com

Does the MLA has a blog?

Does the MLA have a blog?

Yes, the MLA has a blog! The MLA Update: News from the Minnesota Library Association was created in April 2007.

Check them out at:
http://mlaupdate.blogspot.com/

Teen Second Life: Library Services in a 3D world Webinar

Teen Second Life: Library Services in a 3D world

Date : May 22, 2007
Start Time : 11 a.m. Eastern
Length : 01:00:00

“Where you can fly, design clothes, make movies, build your own house, stream music, and more. Learn how this immersive space can help keep library services relevant to teens.”

http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/index.php

ACRL Online Seminar: Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 1

Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 1
An ACRL Online Seminar
May 14-June 9, 2007

Registration information is at the bottom of this page.

(Registered participants, log into WebCT here. Trouble accessing WebCT? Visit the WebCT troubleshooting page.)

Course Description:
This four-week course focuses on the basics of Web site planning and design and content development, with a concentration on academic libraries. The course will also examine Web standards, usability, and accessibility. XHTML and CSS (external) will be introduced. Students will be expected to be able to create a basic HTML Web page before beginning the course. However, XHTML/HTML basics tutorials will be provided for those who need more practice. Students will plan and design a representative site during the course.

“Designing Web Sites for Academic Libraries, Part 1″ is a primarily asynchronous seminar, allowing participants to work through course material at times convenient to them throughout the week. Participants may also choose to schedule online chat time with the instructor, as they feel necessary. Specific material and activities are expected to be covered during each week of the course. Threaded discussion forums will be available for use in activities and other course-related conversations.

Weekly Schedule

Week 1: User Centered Design: Needs Assessment and Design Planning
Week 2: Review of HTML/XHTML and CSS Standards
Week 3: Creating Draft Organizer Page
Week 4: Final Project: Validating XHTML, CSS (External), and Accessibility Standards
This seminar will be delivered through WebCT.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Plan and design a Web site for usability and accessibility for selected users/groups.
Understand and apply Web standards
Develop basic Web site contents for selected users/groups.
Use DreamWeaver (MX2004 or higher preferred) or a text editor to create usable, accessible, and interesting Web pages. Participants may use FrontPage if they are already trained in and using the software.
Participants will end the session with a completed Web site plan and design, and a main Web page that illustrates how the design will be implemented and will allow for minimal usability and accessibility testing. These pages will also be validated XHTML with external .css.

Course Materials:
All of the required readings and activities for the course will be available online, but it will be useful to have available the references in the recommended materials listed below.

(Strongly recommended) Jennifer Niederst (2006). Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Ed. O’Reilly. ISBN: 0-596-00987-9
Elizabeth and Eric Freeman (Forthcoming Dec. 2005). Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML. O’Reilly. ISBN: 0-596-10197-X (recommended for those students who come to class with no HTML experience)
Carrie Bickner. (2005) Web Design on a Shoestring. New Riders Publishing: Boston ISBN 0-7357-1328-6
Donald Norman (1988). The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books ISBN: 0-385-26774-6
Audience:
Librarians and other information specialists who want to learn to design usable, accessible, standard Web pages that will attract the intended users and encourage and invite them to persist and return to the site.

Experience working with the academic library patrons in any subject area chosen is assumed. Level of instruction is intermediate in regard to academic library experience, beginner in regard to XHTML/CSS and Web design experience.

Participants should know how to use e-mail and a current standard Web Browser. Mozilla/Firebird , Netscape 7.0, Safari or IE 5.5 or higher is preferred. Some HTML or HTML editor experience will be useful.

Instructor:
Diane Kovacs, Kovacs Consulting

The instructor has been teaching Web Design and related topics for more than 13 years including LIS590LWL Designing Web Sites for Organizations for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign GSLIS LEEP program.

More information on Diane Kovacs

Course Requirements:
Your participation will require approximately three to five hours per week to:

Read the online seminar material
Post to online discussion boards
Complete activities, which will result in a basic draft academic library oriented Web site
Complete a seminar evaluation form
Registration
ACRL member: $150
ALA member: $195
CACUL member: Can $205 (charges will be made in U.S. dollars)
Nonmember: $205
Student: $65

http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlproftools/webdesign1.htm