Online Workshops

The following is a list of Spring 2008 Online Workshops offered through the GSLIS Continuing Education Program.

Programming for Babies and Little Ones: From Research into Action

March 1 - 31, 2008
Preview at: http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/librarycourses/littleones.cfm

Feel like you are just doing the same old, same old when it comes to events for young children? Want to jazz it up or add new and different types of programming? This workshop will take you from current research on brain development and the developmental stages of infants and young children through to program design and implementable programs for you to utilize in your library. We will explore the use of music, movement, flannelboards, puppets, crafts, parachutes and scarves, and more. You will leave with tons of practical ideas and lists of resources to use in storytimes and programs.

Faculty: Bonnie Peirce, GSLIS Alum, Head of Children's Services, Dover Town Library, Library Journal Mover and Shaker (2007), co-founder/CTO of http://thebestkidsbooksite.com, founder of http://librarygoddesses.blogspot.com and http://libraryyouth.ning.com; wizardhere@gmail.com

Introduction to Standards Compliant Web Design with (X)HTML + CSS

March 1 - April 15, 2008 - 6 weeks
Preview at: http://watercovewebdevelopment.com/gslisce/css08/preview.html

Librarians have the primary responsibility for building and maintaining the web presence of many libraries, schools, and School Media Centers. While WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) editors, such as Dreamweaver and FrontPage, are solid tools for these tasks, more comprehensive understanding of (X)HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is required for finer control of the look and feel of webpages and for addressing issues of usability and accessibility.

Topics of this six-week workshop include: the differences between (X)HTML and HTML; why tables for page layout should be avoided; what separating content from presentation means; and the importance of well-structured documents. This workshop will review marking-up documents with (X)HTML and provide an overview of CSS selectors, specificity, inheritance, and the box model of CSS. This workshop requires use of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to upload completed exercises to provided space on a server; webpages will be written in Notepad, Notepad 2, or a similar text editor; and all workshop exercises are to be viewed with Firefox and Internet Explorer with Web Developers' Toolkits installed. The first Module will focus on installing and completing test run of FTP and development tools.

Faculty: Teeter Bibber, GSLIS Alum, Systems and Digital Initiatives Librarian, Patten Free Library, Bath, Maine, and Web Developer since 1999; tbibber@mac.com

Where the Teens Are: Using Technology to Get Your Message Out to Adolescents

March 1 - 31, 2008
Preview at: http://simmonswta.wikispaces.com/

Expecting teens to come to the library for programs and services just doesn't cut it anymore. Today, we need to go to where teens are. In many cases, technology can really facilitate outreach to teens. In this workshop you will find out about tools teens currently use to connect with their friends, teachers, librarians, and others. You will explore how to use these same tools to connect with teens outside of the library as a way to let them know what you have available both inside and outside of the physical building. Each week we will explore a different technology - new and emerging - that you can use to connect with teens. Technologies covered include text messaging, mobile blogging (for example, Twitter), MySpace bulletins, Skype, and more. By the end of the workshop you will know (1) remote technologies available to connect with teens; (2) criteria to use to select the best technology to inform teens about library programs and services; and (3) how to get feedback from teens about the technologies they use to communicate with each other. You will need a computer with Internet access (high speed is preferred), e-mail, and a text messaging-enabled cell phone.

Faculty: Linda Braun, GSLIS Alum, Adjunct Instructor, GSLIS, Simmons College, Educational Technology Consultant with LEO: Librarians & Educators Online, author of six books including Teens, Technology and Literacy: Or Why Bad Grammar Isn't Always Bad (2006), Technically Involved: Developing Web Based Youth Participation for your Library (2003); lbraun@leonline.com

Taxonomies and Controlled Vocabularies

April 1 - 30, 2008

Preview at: http://www.hedden-information.com/
GSLIScourse-outline-taxonomies-spring.htm

Taxonomies are becoming popular for organizing information in business knowledge management, enterprise content management systems, and intranets. Are these taxonomies different from literature retrieval thesauri? How does one go about creating a taxonomy? This online workshop will provide recommended best practices for how to create terms, relationships, and variants for different kinds of taxonomies or controlled vocabularies, and will also introduce different software tools for doing so. Whether you need to create a taxonomy to organize information on a web site, classify information in a content management system, establish a controlled vocabulary for a periodical or database indexing project, or simply understand how to use them better taxonomies, this workshop will get you on your way.

Faculty: Heather Hedden, Information Taxonomist at Viziant Corporation, Principal at Hedden Information Management, formerly Controlled Vocabulary Editor at Gale/Information Access Company, and author of "Indexing Specialties: Web Sites"; heather@hedden.net

New Technologies You Need to Know

April 1 - 30, 2008

Mobile, Handheld, Blogs, RSS, Wikis, IM, Podcasting, Mash-ups, Folksonomies. Curious about the latest trends in technology affecting our library and information settings? Even if you do not own a PDA or do not want to search the library on your “smart” phone, odds are you have patrons who do. Even if you have not set up an account at Flickr, Furl, or del.icio.us, you can benefit from seeing the innovative applications of libraries that have. This workshop will present these technologies and their creative applications. The course is divided into a series of self-paced learning modules, allowing you to complete the course in any sequence and at your convenience. A bulletin board permits interchange between participants. You will need a computer with Internet access and Adobe Acrobat to complete this course.

Faculty: Megan Fox, Web and Electronic Resources Librarian and Adjunct Faculty, GSLIS, Simmons College; fox@simmons.edu

Engage the Senses through 3-D Virtual Worlds

April 5 - May 3, 2008

You probably have heard the term, 'virtual world', but you might be a little afraid to try one out. Fear no more as this workshop series is geared to help you get started and allay some of your fears (and maybe some misconceptions too.)

There are over 100 virtual worlds and some have been around for many years. (You can find a list of virtual worlds by going to http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/info/categories.shtml.) Schools and libraries are entering these worlds for professional development and student education.

Not all virtual worlds are alike and chances are, not all will be right for you or your library customers. Web 2.0 technologies are a big part of these worlds and some features are the same from world to world. These similarities include setting up and using an avatar to communicate with others, the ability to network with others, and opportunities to exchange information with others while “in world.”

Don't be afraid to jump in and find which world and communication format suits you best. Once you become familiar with just a few you will be able to figure out which is right for you and your library’s customers.

In this workshop we will explore a variety of 3D worlds including Second Life, Gaia, There, Whyville, and World of Warcraft. You will discover how and why teens are using these communities for learning and entertainment. And, you will find out how libraries can integrate virtual spaces into their programs and services for teens.

Since virtual worlds tend to require current technology in order to run them in order to participate in this workshop you’ll need access to:

A Cable or DSL internet connection
A pentium III (or better) processor
An NVidia or ATI Radeon video card (less than 3 years old)
1 GB of computer memory
Quicktime software

You can learn more about System Requirements and Recommendations for Second Life, including Mac and Linux options, can be found at: http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php. If your system does not meet these requirements, or, SL crashes frequently, you may wish to try a "light" SL viewer - just like looking at the Internet in a different browser:

OnRez browser, for MAC or Windows, by Electric Sheep: http://viewer.onrez.com/
The Cool SL Browser, by Henry Beauchamp, for Linux: http://sldev.free.fr/
Movable Life, log into Second Life via the web and without downloading software: http://movablelife.net/login.aspx

Faculty: Linda Braun, GSLIS Alum, Adjunct Instructor, GSLIS, Simmons College, Educational Technology Consultant with LEO:Librarians & Educators Online, author of six books including "Teens, Technology and Literacy: Or Why Bad Grammar Isn’t Always Bad" (2006), "Technically Involved: Developing Web Based Youth Participation for your Library" (2003); lbraun@leonline.com; Kelly Czarnecki, Technology Education Librarian, ImaginOn, Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Library Journal Mover and Shaker (2007), owner of Eye4You Alliance Island in Teen Second Life, co-chair of YALSA Gaming Discussion group, writer for SLJ column, The Gaming Life, kczarnecki@plcmc.org; and Beth Gallaway, GSLIS Alum, library trainer/consultant, co-convener of the YALSA Teen Gaming Interest Group, Library Journal Mover and Shaker (2006), and author of "Get Your Game On: Video Games and Libraries"; informationgoddess29@gmail.com

Wikis in Libraries: Building Interactive Collections and Knowledge Repositories

May 1 - 31, 2008

This workshop will: (1) provide an overview of the wiki phenomena and distinguish its position in citizens' media and the free culture movement; (2) explore a variety of ongoing projects in the wiki and library community, exploring the possibilities and applications for public libraries; (3) examine online wiki services and hosting options; and (4) detail the process of producing a local library wiki and its implementation. Participants will produce a library wiki, and be able to steward and contribute to ongoing wiki projects.

Faculty: Bonnie Peirce, Head of Children's Services, Dover Town Library, founder of B3OK, an open, global, mobile knowledge network connecting the physical and digital worlds, co-founder of http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com, and founder of Library Goddesses; wizardhere@gmail.com

Isn't otaku a kind of sushi? Graphic Novels, Manga, and Anime

May 1 - 31, 2008

Join local graphic novel, manga and anime enthusiast (and librarian) Robin Brenner for a look into the world of graphic novels, Japanese manga (print comics), and anime (animation). Learn about the history of the art form, the elements that make it unique, where to find more information, how to understand and attract fans and new readers, how to create programming ideas and opportunities, and how to build the best collections for libraries. This workshop will concentrate on core collections and new titles as well as highlighting the latest trends in Japanese manga and anime, the top selling titles with teens. Participants will need a computer with Internet access, e-mail, and the ability to open Powerpoint, PDF, and audio files such as mp4 from iTunes or mp3.

Faculty: Robin Brenner, Teen Librarian, Brookline Public Library, and creator /editor in chief of the graphic novel review website No Flying, No Tights; robin@noflyingnotights.com

Digital Imaging Basics: Creating Faithful Digital Surrogates

June 1 - 30, 2008

As librarians and archivists consider digitization as a way of providing broader access to the treasures in our care, how can we ensure that we digitize responsibly? Anyone can buy a desktop scanner and start scanning, but what does it take to produce digital objects that can serve as faithful surrogates for their analog counterparts? How can we create digital objects that can be managed and preserved over time? In terms of time and resources, what must we invest in the digitization process, and how can we protect that investment? This workshop will provide an introduction to the techniques required to convert paper-based library and archive collections to digital formats, with an emphasis on creating high quality digital masters. Topics will include scanning and digital photography, selecting equipment, color management techniques, benchmarking image quality, file format options, capturing technical metadata, digitization workflow, and working with vendors.

Faculty: Eleta Exline, Digital Collections Librarian, University of New Hampshire; eleta.exline@unh.edu

Information Entrepreneurship

June 1 - 30, 2008

Explore the exciting field of information entrepreneurship with a focus on independent information businesses, also called information brokerages. Workshop Topics will include Education, Skills, and Traits for Information Entrepreneurship, Developing a Business Infrastructure, Marketing and Sales, Product Development and Deliverables. We will discuss activities pursued by independent information professionals (IIPs) such as online research, monitoring, tracking alerting, telephone research, manual library research, legal research, public records research, market research - secondary/primary, competitive intelligence, company research, industry research, patent research, medical information retrieval, prospect research, due diligence research, consulting (which depends on interests, background, and skills), teaching, and training.

Faculty: Amelia Kassel,President, MarketingBase, a business research and information consultancy firm; amelia@marketingbase.com

ILL and Resource Sharing: Best Practices, Practical Innovations and New Directions

July 1 - 30, 2008

ILL/RS is an integral service provided by libraries to their users. In today's rapidly changing information landscape, ILL/RS services have become hubs through which myriad services and systems converge. In this workshop, we will examine best practices and strategies in providing ILL services, discuss practical innovations you can adopt to better serve different user populations, and explore the exciting new directions ILL/RS systems and services are heading in. Learn how to use ILL data effectively; evaluate ILL/RS partnerships and programs, and develop new services to connect local and distance populations to your library.

Faculty: Evan Simpson,Assistant Director for Resource Sharing, Brandeis University Library and Technology Services; esimpson@brandeis.edu

Plan, Prepare, Promote: Marketing Your Library

August 1 - 31, 2008

Libraries have so much more to offer their patrons than the Internet or a café Bookstore, but how do we let our patrons know about all the great resources and services? This workshop will outline the basics for preparing a coordinated marketing campaign for any type of library- everything from targeting audiences, to planning events, and making the best use of physical and virtual space. We will discuss theories and practical applications, share ideas, and explore resources. To take full advantage of this course, you should have a computer with an Internet connection, access to Powerpoint, and (very!) basic knowledge of how to post to a Wiki or blog.

Faculty: Laura Saunders,GSLIS Alum, Adjunct Instructor, GSLIS, Simmons College;laura.saunders@simmons.edu

Instructional Design: Creating Materials for an Online Course

August 29 - October 3, 2008

What is the difference between preparing to teach an online course and preparing to teach in a face-to-face setting? A lot! Many who are new to online teaching are surprised at how much planning and writing is involved. This workshop orients participants to the ins and outs of online course design and authorship. This workshop is non-technical and software agnostic; we will not focus on the technical process of posting materials within a learning management system. Instead, we will concentrate on instructional design and materials preparation. By the end of the workshop, you will have developed (1) a sample syllabus and other orienting materials; (2) an online community-building warm-up activity; (3) the text for one online “session,” including an activity/assignment; and (4) a strategy for assessing student learning.

Faculty: Gail Matthews-DeNatale, Ph.D., Associate Director of Academic Technology, Simmons College; gmdenatale@simmons.edu