Block Posters
A free site to make posters from photos. Turn your favorite photos into custom posters with BlockPosters.Simply upload your photo. The site blows it up and cuts it into page-sized sections. Download a PDF file with the sections and print them. A little trimming, gluing and taping, and you're done. http://www.blockposters.com/ Recommended by Kathy Stutzman, Warsaw Community Public Library,
Warsaw, IN 46580.

Editors note: I used this to enlarge the 2012 SLP poster for teens: Own the Night. It turned out very well. - Martha

Work Group to Revise Statewide ILL Guidelines Announced
Resources for Libraries and Lifelong Learning and the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) Resource Sharing Roundtable are convening a statewide working group to revise statewide interlibrary loan guidelines.  Feedback on the current guidelines was solicited through conference presentations and surveys distributed throughout the state in 2011.

The guidelines, which were last revised in 2005, will be reviewed by the working group.  Suggested updates will be shared and input will be gathered from the statewide library community.   The group will read and review the current Wisconsin and American Library Association guidelines and the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States Explanatory Supplement.  Additions, deletions, and changes to the existing guidelines will be recommended and discussed.  New language will be drafted to bring the Wisconsin guidelines up to date. The revised guidelines will be shared as online/electronic documents.  The working group does not anticipate distributing a formal, printed version of the guidelines.

The group will meet four times beginning Friday, February 3, 2012, and will complete the draft revisions by April 30.  It will be presented at the 2012 Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries (WAPL) conference by team members in May.

For more information on this project, please contact Martha Berninger, Resources for Libraries and Lifelong Learning Director, at martha.berninger@dpi.wi.gov or 608-224-6161 or Christine Barth, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator, at christine.barth@dpi.wi.gov or 608-224-6171. - Channel Weekly, Vol. 14, No. 17 -- January 26, 2012

Great Backyard Bird Count 
February 17-20, 2012
A joint project of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audobon and Bird Studies of Canada
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.  

• GBBC PowerPoint presentation
  

• Visit our special page for kids!

• Print a regional tally sheet

• Download the GBBC poster PDF

BadgerLunch Webinar Series
Want to learn how BadgerLink can help you? 
Join BadgerLunch Sessions Thursdays at Noon for 30 - 45 minute sessions . To view the full announcement go to:
http://www.badgerlink.net/BadgerLink%20Webinar%20Series%20Announcement_Winter2012.pdf  

February 2     BadgerLearn: Explore Wisconsin’s Collaborative Learning Space and Training Portal
To Join Click: http://ow.ly/84pEU

February 9     Consumer Reports: Connect to Expert, Independently Conducted Studies that Empower Consumers
To Join Click: http://ow.ly/84pZN

February 16    Found In Wisconsin: Uncover Wisconsin's Digital Collections
To Join Click: http://ow.ly/84qni  

February 23    How to Promote BadgerLink: Learn About Ways to Get the Word out About BadgerLink
To Join Click: http://ow.ly/84qpj  

March 1     Q&A: Get the Answers to Your BadgerLink Questions
To Join Click: http://ow.ly/84qrZ

The Timeline for Facebook's Timeline

From Tech Bits, 25 Jan 2012 

American Libraries Direct - January 18, 2012

Google announces rigid privacy policy
Google said January 24 it will require users to allow the company to follow their activities across email, search, YouTube, and other services, a radical shift in strategy that is expected to invite greater scrutiny of its privacy and competitive practices. Consumers will have no choice but to accept the changes. The policy will take effect March 1 and will also impact Android mobile phone users....
Washington Post, Jan. 24

Nine things you didn’t know about Twitter (maybe)
Paul Boutin writes: “Twitter has been augmented with a virtual appliance store of simple, utilitarian features, widgets, and services that let users find interesting posts, create photo albums, or search Twitter more efficiently. Yet unlike, say, Facebook or Microsoft Office, Twitter’s power tools are easy to find and easy to figure out. With the time you’ll save with these tricks, you’ll be able to grab something a lot longer than 140 characters to read.”...New York Times: Personal Tech, Jan. 18

Tablet and e-reader ownership nearly doubles
Larra Clark writes: “The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project announced that tablet and ebook reader ownership nearly doubled over the holidays. Overall, 29% of US adults now own at least one of these devices. This is the first report in a series funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with an advisory group of library representatives—on which I serve on behalf of ALA.”...District Dispatch, Jan. 23; Pew Internet and American Life Project, Jan. 23

Christmas toy story
Will Manley writes: “In 1945 the big toy for Christmas was the Slinky. In 2011 it was the e-reader, and now librarians everywhere are paying the price. ‘I got this thing for Christmas and my daughter said that it would change my life because I can make the print bigger. But she didn’t show me how it works and now she’s gone back to Milwaukee. She suggested I come to the library.’”...
Will Unwound, Jan. 24

Two fun articles about librarians and fashion: 

Toronto library fashionistas

Librarian wardrobe #alamw12

New Websites: Return to top

Life Sciences - FREE Teaching and Learning Resources - http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=54&toplvl=41
With dozens of federal agencies contributing more than 1500 teaching and learning resources, FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence) is one of the most popular Department of Education websites.  Visitors interested in topics ranging from "Animals/Zoology" to the "Human Body" to "Medicine" will find that there is something for every level of learner and educator, and the general public will also find the offerings here quite compelling. The "Animals/Zoology" link offers visitors 35 resources to peruse, including one about the importance of biodiversity, called "Biodiversity Counts," that is aimed at middle school learners.  This resource includes exercises that get kids into their backyards to gather plants and arthropods, and with the help of lesson plans, essays, and
interactives, it will encourage them to analyze and apply their observations from the field.  Visitors teaching students about medicine will find the National Science Digital Library to be a great source for multimedia STEM resources like video clips and lessons offered in a variety of languages, including Spanish and French. [KMG] - The Scout Report -- January 27, 2012

Audubon Magazine - Multimedia - http://archive.audubonmagazine.org/multimedia/index.html
In 1905 the National Audubon Society was named for ornithologist and naturalist John J. Audubon. Its mission is "to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity." The "Audubon" magazine, published by the National Audubon Society, has an online presence with a fantastic Multimedia section that visitors will surely enjoy. There are videos, slideshows, audios, podcasts, and book reviews. Check out the audio entitled "Biosphere Birds" about Mexico's native birds at the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. There is a photo gallery of several birds, as well as of the lush landscape of the Reserve. The "White-Eared Hummingbird" will surprise visitors as it looks nothing like the sleek metallic-tinged hummingbirds most commonly seen in the United States, and visitors will feel like spring has arrived when listening to the sweet, high-pitched song of the "Brown-Backed Solitaire." [KMG] - The Scout Report -- January 27, 2012

Storify - http://storify.com/
If you're looking to create a compelling story using media from different sections of the Web, Storify is worth a look. After signing up for a free Storify profile, visitors can "curate" the elements of their story by dragging and dropping status updates, photos, or videos to make their own interactive tale. A delightful feature of Storify is that it gives users the ability to also write headlines, introductions, and styled text to supplement their narratives. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG] - The Scout Report -- January 27, 2012

Just for fun! - The Joy of Books 
by TYPE Bookstore in Toronto 

Infographics - http://www.good.is/infographics
Arresting infographics cover topics like America's evolving taste for booze, the state of Muslim America, the world of megachurches, and more. - Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2009. 

Techmeme - http://www.techmeme.com/
A computer algorithm sorts through hundreds of tech news sites and blogs throughout the day to identify up-to-the-minute news, which is then arranged here on one page. It also has a Who's Hiring in Tech feature. - Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2009. 

What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen - 
http://www.mint.com/blog/credit-2/what-to-do-if-your-identity-is-stolen-122011/
It seems like hardly a day goes by when we don't hear of yet another business whose customer information files have been breached, so it's a good idea to know how to proceed if your data has been stolen. - Neat New Stuff I Found This Week, http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html, Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2009. 

ALS CALENDAR:  Return to top

Librarian's Meetings:
Wednesday, February 15 at 9:30 a.m. at ALS offices

ALS Board of Trustee Meetings:
Wednesday, February 8 at 6 p.m. at ALS offices

CONTACT US:  Return to top
Please feel free to contact the Monday Memo editor, Martha Gammons, with comments, corrections or library news. 
Phone: 608-758-6695  Email: gammons.martha@als.lib.wi.us, 210 Dodge St., Janesville, WI 53548
Arrowhead Library System Director: Ruth Ann Montgomery, 608-758-6693, email: montgomery.ruthann@als.lib.wi.us
Website: http://als.lib.wi.us
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The Monday Memo© is published weekly by Arrowhead Library System.