LibraryU

LibraryUsers are saying...

"I just completed my first course at LIBRARY U, “Dealing with Angry Patrons”.  I loved the experience because it was concise and informational. 

In June, I started at O’Fallon Public Library as a part-time Librarian Assistant at the circulation desk.  At this time, I cannot afford to go back to college to get additional coursework in library science.  Library U helps me to  earn educational credits for needed job information in order to improve myself and get completion certification for my library supervisor. 

I found the course set up in a way that was easy to manipulate and complete.  The design of the web pages were very clear. And I particularly  liked the idea that if I started the course late in the evening, I could save it and begin (and finish the course) the next day. 

I cannot say THANK YOU enough!"

Kathleen P.
Illinois LibraryU User

Free for All!

Recently I received the following email:

"I visited your website and thought I had died and gone to heaven. We are in the process of planning and implementing on-line trainings and tutorials. Are your trainings available free to anyone, or limited to Illinois librarians only?" - Training Coordinator, Pioneer Library System, OK

This is only one of many emails we receive asking about the cost and access to LibraryU. Thankfully we can continue to say that LibraryU is free, and available to all who want to use it thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Illinois State Library. So enjoy!

Scheduled LibraryU Outage

The LibraryU server will be down for two hours from 7:00 am - 9:00 am (CDT) for scheduled maintenance. Thanks for your patience and sorry for the inconvenience.

LibraryU Included in Blended Learning Guide

LibraryU continues to meet the online learning needs of library staff and has now grown to over 7,300 registered users. Recently, WebJunction, an online library community site, created a Blended Learning Guide featuring tools, tips and best practices for a blended learning experience. LibraryU was selected as a case study of  one of the successful training programs included in the guide. You can read or download the Blended Learning Guide on the WebJunction site.

LibraryUsers are saying...

OK, we know it was only published a few days ago, but we're already hearing great things about the latest LibraryU module - TrusteE-Training.

"I completed the "TrusteeE-Training" module and found several other modules at "LibraryU" that are worthwhile. I also completed the "Budgeting Basics" module and am starting the "Library Automation" module. I'll probably take several more."

Rich Henders, Illinois Public Library Trustee and Library System Board Member

If you want to be a better trustee and board member, visit LibraryU and enroll in TrusteE-Training (TRU005) for a unique and interactive learning experience.

(For a full description of this module see the previous posting)

Calling All Trustees

Did you know there are over 80,000 elected public library trustees in the United States? Chances are, when first elected, a significant percentage of those 80,000 thought serving as a public library trustee would simply mean sitting in a meeting once a month and casting a vote every now and then. Or maybe they were under the misperception that serving on the library board just meant making suggestions for the best books to be purchased by the library.

Thankfully, library services have come a long way from the "books only" image that they once had. Electronic resources, reader’s advisory, the Internet, databases, multi-media and 24-hour reference service on demand are just a few of the many services that libraries have to offer in this information age. However, this means that today’s libraries face many more complicated issues concerning information access, censorship and information literacy. Because of that, the job of a library trustee may be more challenging, but also more stimulating and rewarding in the long run.

TrusteE-Training (TRU005), the most recent addition to the LibraryU catalog, reinforces trustee roles and responsibilities and addresses some of the issues public library trustees face today. Presented in 4 segments each requiring approximately 15 minutes to complete, this module uses creative interactive exercises and real life scenarios to educate and encourage trustees in their role. Enroll now at http://www.libraryu.org. NOTE: Although this module has an Illinois focus, much of the information is relevant to public library trustees in general.

Got time?

Sorry, we can't help you find time, but we can help you organize your time by giving you the estimated time of completion for each LibraryU module. Just go to LibraryU and click on "Courses" from the left hand menu. You'll see the full list of LibraryU offerings. You can click on any module title to find out how long it will take the average learner to complete the content. If you're faster than the average bear, then maybe you'll even have time to complete a Jigsaw puzzle online!

And the survey says...

Take a look at the recent publication of OCLC/WebJunction - Trends in E-Learning for Library Staff: A Summary of Research Findings.

On p. 22, when asked "to name the self-paced e-learning authoring tools and/or learning management systems currently used by their library organizations," included in the list of responses from the 651 organizations surveyed....LibraryU! Thanks to all of you who have made LibraryU your choice for e-learning.

Let's start at the very beginning...

a very good place to start, particularly when it comes to cataloging! LibraryU is happy to announce the publication of CAT001 - Introducton to Cataloging for Non-Catalogers, the final and foundational module in our popular Cataloging series - MARC in Your Library.

Why is cataloging important? What are library catalogs and why are they needed? The answers to these questions plus an introduction to descriptive cataloging, classification and subject analysis are all included in this new LibraryU offering authored by Lynnette Fields, Cataloging Trainer from The MARC of Quality. Enroll today at http://www.libraryu.org and learn the answer to the burning question - Who is Charles Cutter and what do his rules have to do with cataloging?

LibraryU Makes Library Hotline

Check out the August 21 edition of Library Hotline. You'll find an article on p. 6 about our most recent announcement regarding LibraryU registrations. Cool.

LibraryU Passes the 5,000 Mark

Our lives are made up of many numbers these days. Things are available 24/7. We say someone gave a 110% effort. A company advertises their corporate vision as 20/20, and it goes on and on. So what’s the big deal about 5,000 registered LibraryU users then?

Here are just a few interesting things surrounding the number 5,000. 

• The chefs for the Cincinnati Bengals spent $100,000 on 5,000 pounds of pork, beef and chicken to feed the team during training camp this spring
• There are about 5,000 refugees from all over the world that the federal government has paid to resettle in the Shenandoah valley through the Virginia Council of Church's Refugee Resettlement Program
• On August 6, a 5,000 year old golden dagger was unearthed in a tomb in central Bulgaria
• At http://www.zompist.com/numbers.shtml you’ll find numbers from 1-10 in over 5,000 languages
• AOL will eliminate 5,000 jobs in the next six months according to an August 4, 2006 report

OK, you may still be asking, what is the big deal about 5,000? The answer is – it’s not the number 5,000, but what it represents that makes the difference. For LibraryU, it represents 5,000 learners from library organizations all over the world enrolled in approximately 20,000 courses translating to a 25% increase since April, 2006 - and that’s a big deal. Thanks to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Illinois State Library and the Illinois Regional Library Systems, today we can say 5,000 means a lot to us.

Paperless Certificates

If you would like to send proof of completion of a LibraryU module, but don't want to have to mess with printing and mailing, you can also use the following instructions in save a file of your certificate that can be emailed.

1. View the Certificate

2. In the browser, select

File --> Save Page as --> choose Web Page - HTML only (NOT web page complete)

3. Remember where you save the file

4. Attach the file to an email message

These instructions should work in general for either IE or Firefox browsers.

New Flash Tutorial

Have you had problems printing a certificate of completion for LibraryU? Has your class status shown as "in progress" when you know you have completed all the coursework? Try our new tutorial on solving these problems.

Go to the LibraryU homepage where you will find a link like you see in this sample screen that will launch a step-by-step tutorial in flash, with audio instructions in a blank window. Be sure to turn your computer speakers on to listen to the audio presentation. If you do not have speakers, you can still view the demonstration. Click on the "Notes" tab along the top left section of the presentation to read the tutorial narrative.

LibraryU and EGames Generator

Recently LibraryU was mentioned in the newsletter for a unique program that allows the user to create interactive and educational games online. Here is what the EGames Generator Newsletter had to say:

Gates Funded Groups Using eGames Generator

LibraryU -- a Bill and Melinda Gates funded organization (<http://www.libraryu.org>) uses eGames Generator to reinforce content in their asynchronous online modules. LibraryU is a project based in Illinois that develops continuing education courses for librarians. Lisa Barnhart from LibraryU said, "After reading a great deal about the value of interactivity and reinforcement in online learning, I ran across the eGames Generator and found it to be the easiest and quickest way to create an interactive game to test and reinforce learner knowledge."

Many of LibraryU's online modules contain eGames built with eGames Generator. Some titles include:

• Essential Elements of Interlibrary Loan
• Creating a Web Expedition...
• Turning Library Science into Rocket Science

Learn more about this great organization at: <http://www.libraryu.org>

Learn more about the philanthropic work of Bill and Melinda Gates at: <http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm>

If you are interested in this unique (and free) interactive game software, you can find out more at https://egames.clsllc.com.

LibraryUsers are saying...

Well it's been a little while since we passed along some of the feedback that we regularly receive on LibraryU. If you aren't convinced yet of what LibraryU can do for you, read some of the recent comments from our users

"I live in a small town in Southwest Missouri. We have a city county library with a director who has never even worked in a library and a library board with nine members, only one of whom bothered to take the trustees workshop offered by our state. If we can get any of them to use LibraryU, it will be a miracle and a God-send. Thank you for this wonderful resource!"

Sincerely,
A concerned library user ________________________________________________________________________________________

"...I am enjoying the learning.  We are all going to be using this website since it is so user friendly and interesting."

Alaska LibraryU User

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"Hello!

I recently discovered LibraryU and am thrilled at the services!  How often do new courses get added to the list? Thanks!"

Young Adult Senior Clerk

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