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March 2024 |
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Adult Services Notes |
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Library of Virginia Training |
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Emerging Technology Trends for Libraries |
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Technology has changed the face of libraries and continues to change how we work and how we deliver services to users.
LVA is delighted to have noted library librarian, technologist, and writer, David Lee King, to speak on emerging technology trends, including AI, gaming, XR (extended reality) technologies, and digital creation spaces, and how these trends are re-shaping library services. Attendees will leave knowing what trends to look for, what's the difference between a technology trend and a fad, and how libraries can evaluate and respond to emerging technology trends. |
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This event will be offered in three locations around Virginia:
May 7th: Montgomery Floyd Regional Library, Christiansburg May 8th: Central Rappahannock Regional Library, Fredericksburg May 9th: York County Public Library, Yorktown Seats are limited so register soon for the session closest to you! |
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News from Library Development & Networking
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Spring is testing season for high school students who are getting ready for exams from the SATs to AP tests to ASVAB. It can be a challenge for libraries to keep up with the requests for test preparation materials, but fortunately, Homework HelpNow from Brainfuse, part of the Find It VA collection available to all public libraries, has you covered.
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Once a user logs in to HelpNow from your library website, direct them to the Skill Surfer section of the site for prep packs and practice tests for all the standard college admission tests as well as ASVAB prep and practice tests.
This is a great time of year to promote the test prep resources available from your library to parents and be sure to reach out to the guidance department in local schools to let them know about this great resource.
If you need marketing materials for HelpNow, including flyers and digital marketing tools, you can access a host of Brainfuse marketing tools from the LDND Info Center's Find It VA resources pages.
If you have any questions about Brainfuse please reach out to Barry Trott. |
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LDND is partnering with The University of Maryland College of Information Studies (MCIS) to make a new professional development course developed by MCIS available to Virginia public librarians and professional staff. The Search Better program provides librarians with tools they can use to develop workshops and other mechanisms to help patrons improve their search skills.
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Search Better! reinforces search strategies and ideas so that librarians can then share this knowledge with adult library patrons. Goals include helping patrons understand:
What to do when they find too many results; Want specific sources of content; Want specific structure of content; Want more relevant results; and Want to validate information.
The course consists of four modules and all the work surrounding them will take approximately an hour per module. Once you register you will have three weeks to begin and 60 days to complete the course. You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course from the University of Maryland.
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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.
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Let’s Move in Libraries
Birds of a Feather Conversations |
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Let’s Move in Libraries, administered by Noah Lenstra, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Education, focuses on supporting healthy living initiatives in public libraries, "by helping librarians discover new program ideas, sharing stories of success, and inspiring new community partnerships."
Let's Move in Libraries hosts a monthly online drop-in conversation event for libraries which is a great place to share ideas, ask questions, and get inspiration.
The conversations take place on the third Wednesday of the month starting at 12 p.m. ET, register here. |
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Readers' Advisory Tips and Tricks
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When we talk about readers' advisory, we often focus on the encounter with an individual reader. To be honest, that's the fun part in many ways, connecting someone with books that support and sustain their reading interests.
But we also need to think about analyzing our RA services beyond just looking at anecdotal evidence. Using data to understand the community of readers helps us to better serve individual readers and also helps confirm the value of RA services. Data can help us to make better decisions about collections, spaces, programming, marketing, and RA training. |
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So, what sort of data can we collect?
Circulation data
We can use information gathered from our ILS to look at trends and popularity (or lack thereof) of certain collections. If you collect demographic data when someone gets a library card, circulation information can be parsed out into user segments based on that data. For instance, if you have age-related data you can get a sense of what sort of materials are most attractive to different age groups. So talk to your systems team to see what sort of reports you can get from your ILS that can help develop a portrait of your community of readers. Other RA data |
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Once you have data collected, you can use the insights that it provides to help you inform book displays and reading lists you create (both physical and online), to ensure collection building reflects the reading community, to shape how you use your space for RA and collections, to improve RA marketing and training, and ultimately to build stronger relationships with your reading community.
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Celebrate International Compost Awareness Week |
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Composting is a key measure to support soil health, and with gardening programs being hot in libraries these days, International Compost Awareness Week is a great opportunity to promote healthy living and gardening!
ICAW is May 5-11 this year, and the folks at the Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition have put together a |
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list of great ideas for library programming during the week. Check out the Compost Research and Education Foundation for more information on composting and for a useful manual on celebrating ICAW that includes ideas for press releases, flyers, and social media posts.
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Featured Virginia Programs
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Drink & Discover: Hosting a Tea Party
In February, Hampton Public Library initiated a program titled "Tea Talk" at the Willow Oaks Branch Library.
The initial program explored the conceptual aspects of organic tea. There were 26 attendees at the initial program. After much positive feedback from the community, the branch ran the program again in September, introducing it formally into our bimonthly theme "Drink & Discover: How to Host an Authentic Formal English Tea Party".
A local business partner provided a workshop, including tasty scones and organic tea, and the Hampton Friends of the Library partnered to offer supplies (napkins, silverware). Attendance doubled and we moved to a larger space of our branch library. |
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For more info, contact Reynor Jones, reynor.jones@hampton.gov
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Northumberland Public Library
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On a rainy Friday night in January, sleuths from all over Northumberland County came together to help solve the mystery of the Golden Book and the murder of Jack Montague.
The script, written by Arthur Newman, Community Outreach Supervisor, and Nicole Carrington, Children and Youth Services Coordinator, was acted out by library employees and volunteers ranging from the Teen CYS assistant to the Library Director. |
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The library was laid out like a Western Era hotel called the Grand Northumberland Hotel, with a restaurant, lounge, bar, and great hall. Attendees were welcomed by a concierge who guided them to the great hall for instructions. There they witnessed scenes 1 to 4 and then got to ask questions and meet the
characters all while enjoying a sumptuous meal in the hotel restaurant.
At the end, three of the families attending had figured out who the murderer was and the secret of the golden book was revealed.
Everyone had a wonderful time and so many patrons asked when the next community event was coming up. “What a wonderful community event, this was just what we needed on a dreary January day” shared one family. The event was open to patrons of all ages.
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For more info, contact Jane Blue, jblue@nplibraryva.org
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Recent articles on topics of interest to Adult Services |
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