LTLS - Quick Connections

Assess Impact of Computers and Internet

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) invites proposals for a project to study the impact of free access to computers and the Internet and related services at public libraries on individuals, families, and communities. The purpose of the study is to provide original research to assist the library and information science field, community planners, state and local governments, and policymakers. All types of libraries, except federal and for-profit libraries, may apply. Visit this web site for more information; deadline is September 14, 2007.

ILA Conference Poster Sessions and Talk Tables

It is not too late to become part of the ILA Conference program by presenting a poster session or talk table. For more information on these activities, see the Conference program or contact Connie Steudel, Carbondale Public Library, 618-457-0354, or csteudel@shawls.lib.il.us. The deadline to submit applications is July 20, 2007.

Thomson Gale TEAMS Award

The Thomson Gale TEAMS (Teachers and Media Specialists Influencing Student) Achievement Award recognizes and encourages the collaboration between the teacher and media specialist to promote learning and increase student achievement. Three winners will each receive a $2,500 cash award, Thomson Gale products, a one-year subscription to Library Media Connection, and the Educator's Professional Bookshelf from Linworth Publishing.

Nominations will be evaluated based on demonstrated collaboration between media specialists and teachers during the 2006/07 school year; effective techniques that positively impact student learning and achievement; support received from school leadership; and ability for others to replicate this best practice. All K-12 public and private schools in the US and Canada are eligible to enter. The nomination may be submitted by a library media specialist, teacher, principal, student, or parent. Visit the Thomson Gale TEAM web site for complete requirements and submission form. Deadline is Sept 6, 2007

WebSearch University: Special Rate for ILLINET Members

WebSearch University will be held September 17-18, 2007 at the Washington Marriott located at 1221 22nd Street NW in Washington, D.C. A special rate of $395.00 is available to ILLINET member libraries. This is $100 off of the early bird registration fee that is being offered until August 24. The pre-conference workshops on September 16 are not included with the discount.

This conference will provide:
+ Practical tips and relevant search techniques.
+ Tips on how to find relevant Web sites for specific topics.
+ What Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 are all about and how it affects you.
+ Cutting-edge technologies, including wikis, podcasts, and visual search.
+ What's new with major and niche search engines.
+ How to outsmart Web Search engines.
+ Advanced search techniques from the world's best searchers.

For detailed program and registration information, go to: http://www.websearchu.com.

To receive the discounted price, send your registration with check made payable to Information Today Inc. no later than August 17 to: Jill Heffernan, Illinois State Library, ILLINET/OCLC Office, 300 South Second Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701-1796.

EBSCO Free Trial for Illinois Public Libraries

Great news! EBSCO Publishing is offering free access for Illinois public libraries to several of their premier databases. The premise of this trial is for participating libraries to preview the databases and report back as to which would of interest to your library. It is anticipated that this process will result in access to popular EBSCO databases at discounted rates. This trial, arranged on behalf of the Illinois Library Systems and the Library Partnership Trust (LPT), runs until July 15, 2007.

The databases available on this offer are:

Home Improvement Reference Center
Auto Repair Reference Center
Small Engine Repair Reference Center
Consumer Health Complete
Salud en Espanol (Consumer Health Complete Spanish version)
Points of View Reference Center
Literary Reference Center
History Reference Centers
Science Reference Center
NextReads

Links to the databases and feedback form, along with contact information can be found on the Library Partnership Trust website at: http://www.lptrust.org/offer_detail.aspx?psID=9.

WebJunction Illinois Wants Your Pictures!

As part of the upcoming launch of WebJunction Illinois later this year, developers want to create a "group portrait" of the Illinois library family. They're looking for photos of your libraries, your library staff and volunteers, programs at your libraries, special collections, artwork and artifacts, basically the people, places and things that comprise libraries in Illinois. School, public, special, or academic libraries and regional library systems are all invited to be a part of this historic project.

Go to the LibraryU homepage (http://www.libraryu.org) to find out how to upload to the Illinois Libraries Flickr photo group, then look for the results of your contributions to take center stage when WebJunction Illinois goes live this summer. Please be sure that your library has a release for photos that you upload that include images of any people other than library staff.