Thursday, April 29, 2010

Google's "Wonder Wheel" + Other Brainstorming Tools

In response to a thread on this topic on the ILI (Information Literacy Instruction) list, Amy Mark at the University of Mississipi created an interesting web page with several tools that learners can use to brainstorm synonyms and other words related to their research topics: Library Instruction: Before You Start

Call for Presenters: "Taking Mobile To the Next Level"

Posted to the American Library Association's RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) list, a call for presenters at the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. This session will be held on Saturday, June 26, from 1:30-3:30 p.m., location TBD:

"Taking Mobile to the Next Level

Is your library offering new and innovative services to patrons via
mobile device? If so, we’d like to hear from you. The MARS Hot
Topics Discussion Group is planning a session at ALA Annual on the
latest and coolest in library services via mobile, and we're looking
for presenters from libraries of all types who are developing
features on their mobile sites and would be interested in giving a
brief, informal presentation. Our session will include several
presentations as well as time for discussion afterwards. Possible
topics include but are not limited to:

Ebooks via mobile
RFID/QR codes
GIS/GPS functions
Mobile interfaces to catalogs, databases, bibliographic managers and
other tools

If you would like to present at our session, email Anne Houston at
ahouston@virginia.edu with a paragraph
describing your library's initiatives and how you would present them.
The session will be held Saturday, June 26, from 1:30-3:30 p.m.,
location TBD.

*Please excuse cross-postings. Thanks."

Thursday, April 8, 2010

"A LIBRARY FOR EVERY SCHOOL! A Proclamation"

Several international organizations, ENSIL, IASL, and IFLA, have published , “A LIBRARY FOR EVERY SCHOOL! A Proclamation,” on April 2, 2010, an important document describing the benefits and values of school libraries (European Network for School Libraries and Information Literacy, International Association of School Librarianship, and International Association of Library Federations.)

Monday, April 5, 2010

Free Smithsonian Online Conference

Invitation from Learning Times:

LearningTimes is very pleased to invite you to another unique online conference sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution.

The "Smithsonian Online Conference: Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts" is a free series of interactive workshops taking place throughout April 2010. Register now at:

http://www.smithsonianconference.org/expert/

The live online events will be of special interest to educators, entire classrooms of engaged students, and to the general public. Throughout the month, Smithsonian historians, scientists, researchers and other experts share their questions, their methods, and their unique way of thinking in an interactive format that welcomes you to contribute your own ideas.

The sessions span the arts, history, science, and culture, and are organized around four key themes. All events take place live online — you participate and interact directly from your computer in real time. Each session will be recorded and posted after it takes place for on-demand access.

Schedule and Themes

Day One: Understanding the American Experience Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Day Two: Valuing World Cultures
Wednesday, 14 April 2010

Day Three: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe Wednesday, 28 April 2010

Day Four: Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet Thursday, 29 April 2010

To review the complete program and to register please visit:

http://www.smithsonianconference.org/expert/program

Write to si@learningtimes.net with any questions.

Warm regards,

John Walber, CSTP
CEO
LearningTimes,LLC