NEW to BadgerLink: Encyclopedia Britannica Mobile!

Looking for a reliable resource for information when you are on the go? 

Look no further than BadgerLink!

Encyclopedia Britannica, a BadgerLink vendor, has taken their thoroughly researched and vetted articles and made them available to all customers to use on mobile devices, including smart phones (iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry) and tablets (iPad, PlayBook, etc.). Users will have access to over 120,000 articles, and thousands of images, that are available on Encyclopedia Britannica!

This advertisement-free resource is easy to use! From your mobile device, go to the BadgerLink Homepage at www.badgerlink.net, then go to the Encyclopedia Britannica section and click on Mobile! You can type your search term right into the search box or you can browse through the articles alphabetically.

And don’t forget about EBSCOhost Mobile! From your mobile device, go to the BadgerLink Homepage at www.badgerlink.net, then go to the EBSCO section and click on EBSCO Mobile.

If you have questions about Badgerlink, please contact BadgerLink technical support by using this web form: http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/bl_sup.asp

National Library Week April 8-14

Are you ready for National Library Week.  ALA has some great materials you can easily use: 

• A printable poster
• Public Service Announcements (both video and audio)
• A web button
• A press release
• An Op-ed
• Videos by the honorary chair, Brad Melzer

There are materials to purchase too (you still have time).


Check out this handy page and get ready for the big week.
www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

Teen Tech Week is March 4th-10th

School and public libraries can promote Teen Tech Week™ (March 4-10) with online resources offered by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).  

Teen Tech Week is a national initiative sponsored by YALSA and is aimed at teens, their parents, educators and other concerned adults. The purpose of the initiative is to ensure that teens are competent and ethical users of technologies, especially those that are offered through libraries such as DVDs, databases, audiobooks, and videogames. Teens need to know that the library is a trusted resource for accessing information and that librarians are the experts who can help them develop the skills they need to use electronic resources effectively and efficiently.

YALSA has created a number of publicity resources for you to use to promote your library's Teen Tech Week involvement. The toolkit includes templates for: press releases; public service announcement scripts; sample letters to the editor (one from teens, one from parents; and a proclamation. The standard Teen Tech Week Get Connected logo is also available for download.

Free Download Teen Tech Week PSAs featuring Tom Kenny, the voice of Spongebob Squarepants are also available. The six PSAs were provided by Galaxy Press. Download all six PSAs (zip file containing six mp3 files). 

The 2012 Teen Tech Week theme of “Geek Out @ your library” fosters teen creativity and positions the library as a physical and virtual place for safe exploration of the many types of technology available at libraries, including DVDs, music, gaming, video production, online homework help, social networking, tech workshops, audiobooks and more.

Teen Tech Week partners are ALA Graphics, Audio Publishers Association, AudioGO, Figment.com, Hackasaurus, Peachtree Publishers, and Tutor.com.

For more information on Teen Tech Week, please visit www.ala.org/teentechweek.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos, and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.

If I Could Travel in Time, I'd Visit....

Doodle 4 Google, a contest where students (open to all K-12 students in U.S. schools (including homeschoolers)  in the United States use their artistic talents to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see. 


This year ask students are asked to exercise their creative imaginations around the theme, "If I could travel in time, I'd visit…" One lucky student artist will see their artwork appear on the Google homepage and take home some cool prizes--and as a special bonus, the winning artwork will appear on a limited edition of Crayola's iconic 64 box!


What are the prizes for winners?

• The winning doodler’s artwork will be featured on the U.S. Google homepage for one day on May 18th, 2012.
• The National Winner will also get a $30,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of his or her choice, a trip to New York City for an event on May 17, 2012, a Chromebook, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it. We'll also award the winner's school a $50,000 grant towards the establishment of a computer lab or technology programming.
• Each of the other 4 National Finalists will win a $5,000 educational grant to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to New York City for an event on May 17, 2012, a Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.
• Each of the other 50 State Winners will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 17, 2012, a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it, and their doodle -- along with those of the National Finalists and Winner -- will be featured in a special exhibit at the New York Public Library.
• Each of the other 200 State Finalists will receive a certificate and see their artwork featured on the Doodle 4 Google contest website.

How to enter?  http://www.google.com/doodle4google/info.html

Building a 'Library Aware' Community: Making the Connection

Does your library need to build stronger community connections, but the thought of where to start leaves you feeling overwhelmed? Here is a webinar that will inspire you to kick-start the process. 

Four amazing librarians will share the philosophies that helped them integrate outreach into their library's DNA.

Thursday February 16th at 1pm.

This will also be available as a webcast archive if you can't attend on February 16th.

visit 
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/tools/webcast/893129-388/building_a_libraryaware_community_making.html.csp

Ellsworth Elves and the Mystery Quilt

Your local library elves at the Ellsworth Public Library had a very fun holiday season, as shown by the photo.

We had a great time over Christmas with lots of holiday events. Now, to start out the new year, the library elves have scheduled many more fun, interesting and valuable programs.

As part of the Ellsworth Sesquicentennial Celebration, the library is inviting the public (individuals or groups) to help create a fabric mural to be displayed at the library throughout the summer. Each person or group who participates will create a panel commemorating a landmark or scene from the Ellsworth area, past or present. Anyone is welcome to participate. Visit the library for more information or give us a call.

The yearly Mystery Quilt will be in full swing with the first clue available as of Thursday, Jan. 19. Don’t know what a Mystery Quilt is?

Clues are given out each week on how to create a quilt step by step. The quilter doesn’t know what the completed project will look like until several clues have been given. It’s a lot of fun and there’s much anticipation.

At the end of the program, all those who took part meet for an evening of sharing where everyone shows their completed quilt (or as much as they have done!). There’s lots of oohs and aahs and refreshments, too. This program has grown over the years and many regulars at the library can’t wait to take part.

For more please read the Jan. 11  Pierce County Herald article.

Shelley Anderson is the Ellsworth Library Director.

Hey Book Lovers, Be a Bookgiver on World Book Night, April 23, 2012!

Do you love a book so much you want everyone to read it?

World Book Night launched in the UK in 2011 and saw passionate readers across that beautiful country, give 1 million books to light or non readers to spread the joy and love of reading. Reading changes lives and at the heart of World Book Night lies the simplest of ideas and acts - that of putting a book into another person’s hand and saying ‘this one’s amazing, you have to read it’.

Now, it's our time to join the cause.

World Book Night 2012 will be held on April 23 - in the US and the UK - and we’re looking for 50,000 volunteer book givers to hand out 20 copies each - for a total of 1 million free special World Book Night paperbacks!

In order to be a book giver you must be:

• Aged 16 or over and a resident of the United States
• Able to pick up 20 copies of your book from your local bookshop or library
• Committed to giving your books away on World Book Night to non or light readers

Givers will be chosen based on

• Where, to whom & why you want to give books away

For more information about the specially chosen World Book Night books click here

To read the terms and conditions of being a World Book Night giver click here

CLICK HERE TO APPLY