The Soapbox

Patron Suggestion: Put the Lions’ eyeglass collection box in the lobby where it is more easily seen.

Response: We moved the Lions’ collection box to the Community Information area across from the elevators on the first floor.  This is a very visable and popular place in the Library.

Photo credit: Marko Milošević

We’ll be performing a major upgrade on our circulation software tomorrow. The good news is that it will fix a number of known bugs in our system. The bad news is that most of our online services will be unavailable tomorrow morning.

Both library catalogs will be offline. You can still search our collection by using the LinkIN interface. You’ll still need to call the library if you wish to place holds.

You also won’t be able to register for programs, pay fines, or check your library account. We’ll get things back online as quickly as we can. Thank you for your patience.

Please take a few minutes to watch this testimonial to the Library! Georgijana Gilmore, a recent Skokie resident, talks about how the Skokie Public Library has helped change her life by furthering her career.  If you are interested in telling your story (about the Library or not) please let us know!  We would be happy to facilitate via SkokieStories.

Volunteering is a great way for adults, kids, teens, and families to help their community.  SkokiesServes.org is a regularly updated online directory of volunteer opportunities in the Skokie area.  Individuals seeking to help can find volunteer opportunities and a list of organizations that need volunteers.

Organizations can use the site to post their own opportunities and find qualified individuals who want to help their community.

SkokieServes.org  is free and easy to use.  Check it out at SkokieServes.org. 

SkokieServes.org is brought to you by the Skokie Public Library and other members of the Skokie Community Leaders Network

The United Nations General Assembly has designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. As part of our series of programs for the traveling exhibit “In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak” this month’s Cafe Society will feature Audrey Cantor from Holocaust Community Services, a program of Jewish Child and Family Services. Audrey will be joined by twoHolocaust survivors. We will be discussing the importance of this holiday and the themes raised in the Sendak exhibit.

Cafe Society is series of conversations where families, friends, citizens and neighbors come together to discuss current events and other political and social issues. By exchanging in a meaningful exchange of ideas and perspectives, these conversations enliven the core of democracy and empower the public.

CLICK HERE to register with your library card, or call 847.673.3733.

[Staff Day was held on December 16th. We closed the library for a series of workshops and activities designed to help us better serve the public. Director Carolyn Anthony provides this writeup of the keynote address. What skills do you think are essential to making positive change in the modern world? How can the Library support these? Please let us know in the comments.]

Marsha Semmel, Director for Strategic Partnerships at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, spoke about 21^st Century Skills as the Keynoter at Staff Day at the Skokie Public Library December 16. Marsha organized a Task Force that met with an IMLS Project Team from mid-2008 to mid-2009 to develop a framework for how libraries and museums could incorporate 21^st Century Skills into their operations. The publication “Museums, Libraries and 21^st Century Skills“ (pdf) was issued later in 2009. Skokie Public Library is one of the featured case studies profiled in the publication.

Marsha introduced the new Strategic Plan for IMLS, with Goals for the period 2012-2016. The first three of five goals have particular relevance for Skokie Public Library.

•  Goal 1—IMLS places the learner at the center and supports engaging experiences in libraries and museums that prepare people to be full participants in their local communities and our global society.
• Goal 2—-IMLS promotes museums and libraries as strong community anchors that enhance civic engagement, cultural opportunities and our global society.
• Goal 3—-IMLS supports exemplary stewardship of museum and library collections and promotes the use of technology to facilitate discovery of knowledge and cultural heritage.

She also talked about Thomas Friedman’s recent book That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back.  Technology has made significant changes, even since 2005 when The World is Flat was published. It is imperative that we engage in lifelong learning to keep up with the change. Most of our time, even when we are enrolled in formal learning, is spent outside the classroom and most of our life is spent in the informal learning environment. How can libraries take advantage of the opportunity to assist people in being lifelong learners, acquiring the skills they will need to be employable in the rapidly changing economy? Libraries have opportunities to offer services that fill the gap for informal learners of all ages. They can also become involved in the Do-It-Yourself and Maker Culture.

 Numerous associations and corporations have partnered in furthering 21^st Century Skills. Illinois is one of 21 states that have signed on to promoting the 21^st Century Skills program. In addition to being digitally literate, people need access to online learning systems and the bandwidth to use online resources in both text and media formats. IMLS has developed a Framework for Building Digitally Inclusive Communities. (PDF) SPL Librarian Frances Roehm has worked on this project.

 Marsha explained that 21^st Century Skills can be broadly grouped into three categories of:

•  Learning and Innovation Skills
• Information, Media and Technology Skills
• Life and Career Skills

Another shorthand notation is the 4 “C’s” of: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, and Critical Thinking. Twenty-first Century Skills also deal with different types of literacy such as financial literacy, civic literacy, health literacy and environmental literacy. These skills help people be engaged and productive members of a community.

Libraries are called on to be more user-driven, more digital, more collaborative, engaging individuals and becoming embedded in the community. Learning outcomes need to be more purposeful than assumed.

 The Illinois State Library’s ILEADU program is an IMLS-funded replicable model for team and project-based learning to build a sustainable technology immersion program.

She concluded with a quote from David Lankes on a new librarianship in which librarians transform their communities, expecting more from ourselves and our libraries and teaching our communities to expect more from us.

Marsha complimented the Skokie Public Library on the degree to which we were already embedded in the community. Staff engaged in a lively exchange with her. Throughout the day, staff video productions were shown, including some coverage of the day’s activities. A number of staff have been involved in “video bootcamp”, learning the tools of production. It is clear that many staff demonstrate use of 21^st Century Skills, showing people their value while affirming the Skokie Public Library as a vital institution in the 21^st Century.

From all of us at Skokie Public Library…

(Click to download, save, or print our 2012 year-at-a-glance calendar)

It takes three occurrences for something to become a trend, right? If that’s true, then our Annual Reading Survey just became trendy.

For the uninitiated, we conduct a survey at the end of each year to get a sense of your reading interests. Whether it’s fiction, a computer manual, a news blog, or your friend’s Tumblr, we’re curious to see how you consume all the words that are out there. But it’s not just what you’re reading – how you choose to read is also important. The proliferation of eReaders, tablets, and on-the-go technology makes it just as necessary that we find new ways to serve everyone in the Skokie community.

All responses are private, and we will not use this information for any purpose other than improving library materials and services.

Please take a few minutes to respond to our survey. We’ll share the (anonymized) results in late January 2012. Thanks for your responses!

The Library has eBooks that you can download to your eReader at no cost and have for three weeks.

You can download these eBooks to a Kindle, iPad, Sony eReader, Nook,  Kobo eReader or other eReader.

Go to  http://nsdc.lib.overdrive.com to see the eBooks we have available for you ( or go to our website http://www.skokielibrary.info and click on Reading and then on eBooks and eAudiobooks to get to this page ).

Also if you are looking for a specific title in our catalog, it will indicate if we have that title in eBook format.

For help in downloading an eBook to your eReader go to http://nsdc.lib.overdrive.com and click on Download Digital Media Guided Tour and /or My Help.

The Library also has Sony eReaders that you can check out.  Ask at the Readers Services Desk or at the Youth Services Desk.

Patron Suggestion:  I called the Computer Lab four times today and got a message everytime that I should call back later.  There should be a way we can leave a message.

Response:  We have added voice mail to the Computer Lab phone so you can now leave a message.  In the future we also plan to provide the option of on line reservations for computers.