The Library of Virginia offers a robust collection of resources to support genealogists, local historians, students, and scholars. Many of these collections can be accessed online without coming to Richmond.
The fall/winter Get the Most Out of LVA series connects you with the resources you need to help your patrons access and use LVA collections from their homes or local library.
The winter DEI Challenge from LDND will focus on serving users with dementia and their caregivers.
Keep an eye out for the challenge announcement in January and be sure to log in to the LVA Niche Academy to take the challenge and learn how libraries can support and sustain members of their community dealing with dementia issues.
Find It VA Tips
Are your users looking for test preparation materials and practice tests that they can access at home? With Homework HelpNow in the Find It Virginia collection you don't need to worry if the ASVAB books are missing or if you don't have the current SAT prep title checked in.
Login to Homework HelpNow from your library website (for remote access, users will need a library card), and take a look at the Skill Surfer section. Here you will find a variety of study guides and practice tests for all the major exams your users might be interested in.
Under the College Entrance Test Prep heading users can access PSAT, SAT, and ACT test prep and practice tests, as well as resources to prep for 14 AP exams. HelpNow also provides CLEP practice tests in 12 areas of study.
Users looking to enter the military or the nursing profession will find ASVAB prep and TEAS and HEIS nursing exam prep in the Adult Learner section, as well as GED prep resources. This section also includes the US Citizenship Test Preparation Guide and US Citizenship Practice Tests.
Brainfuse offers a wide range of marketing materials that you can use to promote HelpNow, including downloadable print materials, website resources, and social media content. You can find the link to all these resources and more on the LDND Info Center's Brainfuse page.
Think about marketing these resources to adult education organizations in your community and to schools (especially to guidance and career departments). Or reach out to the local PTA to see if they can help you get information out to parents of school-age children.
Recent Training: Creating a Safe Library
At the LVA Virginia Library Directors' Meeting in September, Dr. Steve Albrecht discussed how libraries can build a secure environment for patrons, staff, materials, and facilities.
Niche Academy is open to all Virginia library staff members and library associates such as trustees and Friends board members. If you do not have a Niche Academy account, please use your library email address to sign up. If you do not have a library work email, you may register with a personal email, and we will contact you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library.
RUSA Online Training Reports
In partnership with ALA's Reference and User Services Association, LDND is delighted to offer training opportunities for Virginia library staff. This year, we awarded 50 seats in RUSA online training classes.
Scholarship recipients are asked to report out on key points or topics. Read the most recent reports below.
Project Management in Libraries
Lacy Johnson, Wythe-Grayson Library; Kirsten Gallagher, Hampton Public Library
Recently, I was promoted to “Manager of Circulation” at the library in which I work. I was as much nervous as I was excited; this is my first managerial position. Luckily, the American Library Association has plenty of resources available online. With a scholarship from Library of Virginia, I was able to sign up for a class called “Project Management in Libraries.”
One of the first lessons I learned in this class is that there are a lot of things we do in our lives that don’t necessarily seem like projects, but can definitely be managed more easily if we approach them as such. If we look at projects in this way, almost everyone has been a “project manager” in their lives. Anything as small as deciding what’s for dinner, or deciding what to watch next on Netflix, can be simplified with this thought process.
I think those “projects” are small enough that you can probably get by without using a GANTT chart. However, perhaps the biggest takeaway from this course for me was how useful GANTT charts can be for tracking progress. All you have to do is type in your information and it shows a percentage bar for how far you’ve come, and how much more you have to do. (see https://create.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/gantt-charts for Microsoft Office templates for GANTT charts)
Perhaps the most fun thing I learned was the eight styles of influencing. It’s always fun to try to pick out what type you are from a list online. If you think about it, the styles of influencing seem obvious, but it was interesting to read about all of them. [editor's note: the article linked here is not the one used in the class, but is similar].
Most of the concepts in the class were new to me, including:
Managing designing, planning, implementing, and assessing
Using TRIP to figure out what kind of project to meet a need
The Eight Styles of Influencing and how it can help with leading the team on the project
How to use GANTT to keep track of the progress, assignments, due dates, and personnel assigned to tasks
What to write down for project charter/plan as the summary and proposal of the project
Reluctant Leadership
Sara Parker-Gray, Central Rappahannock Regional Library;
I found it interesting that there is a difference between reluctant leadership and imposter syndrome. Those who shy away from leadership are perfectly capable of leading, but don’t want to be in that kind of position. People who have imposter syndrome may be capable as well, but don’t see themselves as leaders because of low self esteem.
Mentors are important as part of a support network. It’s reassuring to talk to someone who has been in your shoes and can guide you through leadership practices that have worked for them.
Accountability and follow-through are both important to successful leadership. Setting realistic goals and reaching them will help you become a better leader
Readers' Advisory Tips and Tricks
NoveList Custom Search Box
Do you want to make it easier for your users to access great reading ideas from NoveList?
The NoveList team can help you support your community of readers by create a custom NoveList search box that can go anywhere on your library website where you want to point readers to new books and authors.
You can work with NoveList support to customize the look and text of the search box, and you can have different search boxes for both NoveList Plus and NoveList Plus K-8 if you like.
Use the search box code on your library homepage, your books and reading pages, blogs or digital newsletters, or anywhere else where you want to connect readers with NoveList.
We think about access a lot in libraries--how can users find our materials, connect with digital content, or discover our programs and services. We also consider website accessibility, making sure our sites are machine-readable, use alt-text, and have good color contrast.
But it's also important to examine accessibility when designing and setting up program spaces. ALA's "Serving Patrons with Disabilities Guide" has a great section on how to set up programming spaces that are both physically and sensorially accessible.
More than 40 local and regional published authors had tables in the main library. The event kicked off with keynote speaker and bestselling author Christina Dalcher.
For more info, contact Alice Cooper, acooper@lancasterlibrary.org
Pamunkey Regional Library
Treasures from the Collection, 1860-1970
"Treasures from the Collection" was presented at the Ashland Branch Library in Ashland, VA. Through the Circuit Court Records Preservation (CCRP) program, a collaborative program between the Library of Virginia and the Virginia Court Clerks Association, the Hanover County Circuit Court was awarded funding to conserve and digitize early records from Hanover County, including land records, marriage records, judgments, and correspondence. Through the presentation of images of irreplaceable court records, plats, photographs, and Civil War graffiti, Frank D. Hargrove, Jr., Hanover County Clerk of Circuit Court presented an educational and entertaining look into some of those important records and the early history of Hanover County.
For more info, contact Carolyn Garner, cgarner@pamunkeylibrary.org
