The Wednesday Word: Library News from Around Indiana

Those colorful, award-winning "Drawn to Reading" bookmarks drawn from the imagination of young Hoosiers are back! This innovative program from Ball State University has again donated thousands of bookmarks to the Indiana State Library for distribution to public libraries across the state.

“Drawn to Reading” is a service-learning project promoting literacy and art education through the creative potential of young people and their immersion into the graphic communications industry. These collaborative efforts yield the printing of colorful and creative bookmarks for the distribution to local libraries to promote literacy and reading. The program is a partnership between Muncie elementary-school students, who create the artwork, and Ball State University students, who digitize the artwork. This project was made possible thanks to the in-kind printing services provided by Excell Color Graphics of Fort Wayne.

This year’s collection consists of several different and colorful bookmarks that will be distributed to all public library districts on INfo Express. School libraries on INfo Express, or those that can make arrangements for INfo Express delivery via their local public library, can request materials by emailing Ejuanda Fields at fejuanda@library.in.gov.

GALE, PDO Offer INSPIRE Webinars throughout Summer

Anyone looking to stay up to date or learn more about the many Gale products available through INSPIRE should take a glance at Gale's Training Event Calendar. Gale offers dozens of free webinars each month on popular databases such as Biography In Context and Testing & Education Reference Center, among several others.

This June, check out these webinars covering popular INSPIRE resources (all times Eastern):

Biography In Context: July 5, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Gale Virtual Reference Library: June 7, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
June 13, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. & July 3, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Testing & Education Reference Center: June 11, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. & June 27, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Some, but not all, Gale webinars are worth LEUs. Eligible Gale webinars will be listed on the WJ-IN Calendar. The State Library's Professional Development Office also offers a few select INSPIRE webinars each month that are worth LEUs, including the INSPIRE eBooks Webinar on June 13. Visit the WebJunction Indiana Online Events Calendar to discover these and more professional development opportunities.

IHB Kicks Off Unofficial State Animal Mock Election

Courtesy of the Indiana Historical Bureau

Voting for the Prehistoric Party primary begins this Friday and the three candidates are already featured on the Indiana Historical Bureau's Facebook page. Already, two very vocal Sloth supporters are threatening to form a Super PAC to help Megalonyx jeffersonii win the Prehistoric Primary. They even have the script for their attack ad drafted! If you're a fan of the Dire Wolf or the Mastodont, show your support beginning Friday.

The Pioneer and Modern Party candidates will debut in coming weeks and the animal from each party with the most votes will advance to the General Mock Election to be held at the Indiana State Fair. Register to vote by liking the Historical Bureau on Facebook, share with friends, and come to the fair early to cast your final vote!

Deadline Approaches for Net Literacy Project

The deadline for submitting a letter of interest in joining the Net Literacy Alliance is rapidly approaching. The aim of this partnership is to make available a number of refurbished computers to public libraries in Indiana to allow them to replace slow and outdated public access computers and OPAC stations, and to expand the number of public workstations.

To be considered for these machines, please update your library’s listing in TechAtlas, and then notify the Indiana State Library Development Office of your interest by June 1, 2012.

You may view an archived webinar on creating an inventory if you need assistance with completing the TechAtlas inventory.

Upcoming Workshops,
Events & Important Dates

Serving Seniors
When: May 24 @ 10:00 AM
Where: Live Online

Overdrive Digital Bookmobile Visit
When: May 24 & 25
Where: Indianapolis Public Library - Central Library

Digital Preservation Outreach & Education Workshop
When: May 31 @ 8:30 AM
Where: Indiana State Library

OCLC: Best Kept Secret: Marketing the Small & Rural Library
When: June 7 @ 2:00 PM
Where: Live Online

EdCamp Indy
When: June 12
Where: Plainfield High School

eBooks on INSPIRE Webinar
When: June 13 @ 2:00 PM
Where: Live Online

ALA Annual Conference
When: June 21-26
Where: Anaheim, CA

2012 Indiana Vision Expo & Vision Walk
When: September 29 @ 9:30 AM
Where: Indiana State Library

View free LEU
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© 2012 Indiana State Library. All rights reserved. The trademarks used herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Indiana State Library, 315 W. Ohio Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202. www.library.IN.gov

The Wednesday Word is a free publication of the Indiana State Library, distributed weekly in an electronic format.
Past issues are archived at the State Library's Newsroom.