Congratulations to ARSL Conference Grant Winners

The State Library is pleased to announce the six recipients of scholarships to attend the Association for Rural & Small Libraries Annual Conference this fall.  From dozens of applications submitted in May, six Iowa librarians—one in each District—will represent their library at the ARSL Conference, this year scheduled for September 20-23 in Witchita, Kansas.

Congratulations To

-Lisa Van Gorp @ Colfax Public Library  (Central District)

-Geri Delaney @ Ventura Public Library (North Central District)

-Kim Albright @ Hopkinton Public Library (Northeast District)

-Brenda Klaassen @ Hospers Public Library (Northwest District)

-Christine Westercamp @ Farmington Public LIbrary (Southeast District)

-Felicia Williams @ Lamoni Public Library (Southwest District)

The purpose of the grants is to help Iowa library staff improve service to their communities through continuing education and training for library personnel. The ARSL Conference is especially relevant to the majority of Iowa libraries, which serve populations under 2,500.

These conference grants will actually be handled as reimbursables, with the money issued to the libraries named above rather than to the individuals traveling.  The librarians attending, though, have pledged to participate in an online panel discussion later this fall, sharing their conference experience and their favorite education sessions.

These ARSL Conference 2023 Grants were funded through the
Institute of Library and Museum Services, under the under the provisions of
the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by
the State Library of Iowa.

New Lunch & Learn Series

Lunch with the State Library

From your Education & Training Team’s fevered imagination comes this new series: Lunch with the State Library ?  Debuting next month, this series presents  quick bites of continuing education once-a-month.  Beginning with the new fiscal year in July, each month will focus on programs, products, and services from the State Library.  These are scheduled for the first Thursday of the month from 12:15-12:45PM.

Continuing Education Consultant Samantha Bouwers has a fun description: “Soup’s on! Introducing Lunch with the State Library, a year-long series of short sessions designed to give library workers a high-level overview of a featured product or service available to them through the State Library.  All intended for staff to learn and use these products and encourage patrons to use them, too. Our learning objectives are for you to be able to:

-Describe the product/service showcased that month
-Determine if/how you want to use that product/service in your library
-Explain the value of that product/service to your staff, board, and patrons

So grab your lunch and make plans to join us for a quick 'bite of learning' about how the State Library helps you help your community.”

Here’ are the dates and topics scheduled July through October:

July 6 ==  WhoFi
August 3 == Brainfuse
September 7 == Library Statistics
October 5 == Accreditatio

Register in IALearns

From Brainfuse HelpNow .

Summer Skills Camp

The summer season is here and with it the always anticipated Summer Reading Programs in libraries across the state.  As your staff gets into the swing of summer, remember that Brainfuse has a fun resource to compliment in-person programs by engaging kids with online learning.  It’s Brainfuse Summer Skills Camp
and it’s available to all Iowa libraries using Brainfuse HelpNow.

From staff at Brainfuse, here’s a promo piece to use locally: “Don’t let what you learned in school fade away this summer! Like any other skill, academic skills require practice to stay sharp. Keep your brain engaged and prevent the summer slide by visiting the Online Summer Skills Camp.”

Diane Bizzle with Brainfuse writes “The Summer Skills Camp topics are more or less the same as the ones covered during the rest of the year, just with less detailed lessons, more visual displays, and shorter worksheets. There are more activities and fun suggestions to encourage learning in the summer months and reduce the summer slide.”  

Here are a few examples of Summer Skills Camp activities

-Elementary Science: use baking soda to create a fizzy lemonaide, use lemon juice to create invisible ink, inflate a balloon with baking soda and vinegar
-Middle School Match: design future Super Bowl logos using Roman numerals, use hoola hoops and bean bags to explore Venn diagrams
-Middle School Science: build a solar-powered water purifier, build a solar-powered oven using a pizza box and tin foil

About HelpNow

HelpNow is a unique tutoring, homework help, and studying suite designed to assist patrons of all ages succeed. HelpNow features include:

-Foreign Language Center with a powerful vocabulary builder
-24/7 Question Center providing explanations of concepts, not answers
-SkillSurfer Learning Library with unlimited access to self-paced learning through lessons, video tutorials, and practice tests on a wide range of subjects
-Summer Skills Camp, Flashbulb Flashcards, cloud storage options, and more!

Lots of Brainfuse marketing materials to help promote HelpNow, JobNow, and VetNow linked from our website at the button below.  If you need help getting started with Brainfuse at your library, please contact your District Library Resource Technician

Learn More About Brainfuse