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Monthly Memo Newsletter | August 2020

ARROWHEAD LIBRARY SYSTEM NEWS

Monthly Circulation Statistics

Total Circulations in July 2020

  • Traditional: 68,779 81.5% 81.5%
  • OverDrive/Libby: 11,618 14% 14%
  • Hoopla: 3,838 4.5% 4.5%

Career & Job Search Resources

The Arrowhead Library System website now has a page highlighting career development and Job search resources available through Rock County Public libraries. As more resources are identified or procured, they will be added to the page.

https://www.als.lib.wi.us/site/pages-for-patrons/job-career-search-help/

SHARE NEWS

Brainfuse HelpNow

Friday, August 14, 2020 –  The SHARE Consortium announced the launch of Brainfuse – on-demand, anytime, anywhere eLearning for all ages and levels. Brainfuse HelpNow offers personalized homework help in core subjects (math, reading, writing, science, and social studies) including SAT preparation. Brainfuse also includes The Adult Learning Center. Brainfuse is available to all library patrons for free beginning August 14, 2020. Live virtual tutors are available daily from 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM. Download a user’s guide here: https://www.als.lib.wi.us/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Brainfuse-HelpNow-User-Guide-Libraries.pdf.

Brainfuse is an online tool and can be accessed from any personal or library computers via the library’s website or at https://www.lakeshores.lib.wi.us/brainfuse/login.pl. Log in requires a library card and PIN. 

HelpNow
HelpNow provides differentiated learning solutions for students of diverse needs and backgrounds. Students communicate with live, online tutors using an interactive, virtual whiteboard to chat, write, draw, copy/paste text or images, and graph homework problems. HelpNow also offers skills building and test preparation where after taking a quiz, the user can then connect directly to a live tutor to review the topics and questions covered in the quiz. Both the student and the tutor can view the quiz questions and the corresponding student answers for an intensive test prep which may include loading lessons onto the whiteboard. All live tutoring sessions are saved and can be replayed as well as shared with friends and teachers. 

The Writing Lab and the Send Question Center options give users the freedom to receive assistance at any time of the day without connecting with a live tutor. Users can submit papers through the Writing Lab for detailed feedback. The Send Question Center is for non-writing assignments such as math or science. All reviews and comments from our tutors are found and stored in the Message Center, which is found on the student homepage. For students who prefer to work independently and form their own online study group, HelpNow offers a set of collaborative tools – Meet and Brainwave. Meet allows students to schedule their own online sessions using the Brainfuse Meet whiteboard, which is specifically designed for a group setting. Brainwave is a recordable whiteboard where students can draw, write, and chat and send it to others for feedback. 

Adult Learning Center
Adult Learning Center is the adult learners’ version of HelpNow where patrons access GED prep, U.S citizenship test prep, resume assistance, Microsoft Office support, and Career Resources which lists popular job search links. Microsoft Office support allows patrons to ask questions about Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. The Writing Lab, Send Question Center and the Skills Building are also included in the Adult Learning Center suite. 

STATE & NATIONAL NEWS

REALM Project

REALM project header

As libraries and museums around the country begin to resume operations and reopen facilities to the public, there is need for clear information to support the handling of core museum, library, and archival materials.

OCLC, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and Battelle are conducting research on how long the COVID-19 virus survives on materials that are prevalent in libraries, archives, and museums. The project will draw upon the research to produce authoritative, science-based information on how—or if— materials can be handled to mitigate exposure to staff and visitors.

For the latest results and information on upcoming tests, visit https://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/COVID-19-research-project.html.

ALA Library Card Sign up Month

Social Media Sample Post

September is library card sign up month. ALA offers a marketing toolkit featuring this year’s ambassador, Wonder Woman.

Find more information and graphics here: http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card

Trustee Training Week 2020 Recordings Available

Did you miss the 2020 Wisconsin Library Trustee Training week presentations? Good news! The recordings are available online at https://www.wistrusteetraining.com/recordings.

This year’s sessions were:

  • Core Values of Librarianship
  • Recruiting and Engaging Friends
  • Public Library System Redesign (PLSR) Implementation Update
  • Equity, Diversity, Inclusion: What Library Trustees Need to Know
  • Walk the Line: How Trustees Can Best Lead Their Libraries Without Overstepping Their Authority

Marketing Plan Template Now Available

Based on Kathy Dempsey’s “Cycle of True Marketing,” a state-wide public library system marketing cohort has drafted a marketing plan template that any library of any size can model and adapt. The template includes:

  • A customizable marketing framework that can be adapted to suit a library’s unique needs and community
  • A sample marketing plan, budget, and calendar guides
  • Links to resources that expand on the information presented

For more information watch the webinar introducing the marketing plan template, or you can contact Tovah Anderson at anderson.tovah@als.lib.wi.us.

Illustration: Marketing Cycle

Tech Days 2020 Online, September 23-24

Learn from experts without having to travel — we’ve transformed this annual event from workshops to webinars!

Tech Days 2020 is a series of 4 webinars over 2 days, and you may register here.

You’ll find descriptions of all 4 webinars on the Registration page, where you may sign up for any or all sessions.

When you participate in all four 90-minute sessions of the Tech Days webinar series, you’ll earn the same number of tech-related continuing education contact hours as you would from attending one traditional in-person workshop. 

All webinar sessions will be recorded and available at the Tech Days Resources page.

There is no charge to attend Tech Days, thanks to sponsorship by all 16 library systems and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Public Library Development Team, with funding support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Schedule at a glance:

 

Wednesday, September 23

Thursday, September 24

10 – 11:30am

Technology Training for Non-Techies

Productivity and Technology

11:30am – 1pm

lunch

lunch

1 – 2:30pm

Mind the Gap: How to Navigate Your Way Across the Digital Divide (And Why That Isn’t As Easy As It Sounds)

Change is a Constant: Technology, Service, and Constant Change

 

ALS MEETING CALENDAR

SHARE Directors’ Council:
Tuesday, September 1, 9:30 a.m.
online.

Board of Trustees Meeting:
Wednesday, September 23, 6:00 p.m. at online.

Librarians Meeting:
Wednesday, September 23, 9:30 a.m. online.

CONTACT US

Steve Platteter

System Director
608-868-2872
Email: platteter.steve@als.lib.wi.us

Tovah Anderson

Public Information Coordinator
608-868-2872
Email: Anderson.tovah@als.lib.wi.us

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