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The Wednesday Word: News from the Indiana State Library

In This Issue

  1. Vision Awareness Week Kicks Off at Indiana Vision Expo
     

  2. Take Advantage of Two Great Options to Earn LEUs Online
     

  3. EVPL Director Named Distinguished Hoosier

More Library News:

 

Anderson Herald Bulletin
Birds big part of Big Read contests
Associated Press
Thousands of WWII letters from Ind. now online
Chesterton Tribune
Library plans upgrade of public computers
Elkhart Truth

George Brich will be remembered as 'a great librarian'
Evansville Courier & Press

Basic training: Classes aim to demystify computer use
Fort Wayne News Sentinel

Author is big fan of Doris Day
Fort Wayne News Sentinel

Allen County Public Library honors devoted volunteer
Gary Post-Tribune

Library tries again to grow
Gary Post-Tribune

'Wow' factor evident at renovated Highland Branch
Indianapolis Business Journal

Fort Wayne lures long-time conventions from Indy
Indianapolis Star

County library could be endangered legal resource

Indianapolis Star

Atlanta library to show off updated computer lab tonight
Indiana
NewsCenter - TV (Fort Wayne)

As Economy Goes South, Library Use Heads North
Northwest Indiana
Times

C.P. Family may lose home to library expansion
Northwest Indiana
Times

Library Dedication Saturday
Northwest Indiana
Times

She’s one for the books
School Library Journal

Indianapolis Library Lands $1 Million for Early Literacy
South Bend Tribune

St. Joseph County Public Library's Tutt Branch is now open
South Bend Tribune

Response one for the books
Terre Haute Tribune Star
Public library, Indiana State preparing for possible H1N1 outbreak 

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Vision Awareness Week Kicks Off at Indiana Vision Expo

Indiana Vision Awareness WeekIn celebration of the 75th anniversary for the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library and the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birthday, Governor Mitch Daniels proclaimed Saturday, September 26th through Saturday, October 3, 2009 as Indiana Vision Awareness Week. The purpose of Vision Awareness Week is to encourage everyone to understand the effects of vision loss to not only those citizens who are impaired, but to all Hoosiers as well. Hoosiers are encouraged to use this week to seek and learn information about the abilities of persons who are blind or visually impaired, and to increase their knowledge about the rights and laws that provide assistance in fully integrating them into all aspects of society. Read the Governor's Proclamation here.

The Indiana State Library will kick off Vision Awareness Week at the 2009 Indiana Vision Expo. State Librarian, Roberta L. Brooker will address the crowd and read the Governor's Proclamation. The Vision Expo begins this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. (EDT) at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis. The Vision Expo connects people with vision loss, as well as their families, to new technologies and services. Over 700 people attended the 2008 Indiana Vision Expo, making it the largest low-vision convention in the Midwest.

The 2009 Expo will include more products and service information, and several new features designed to enhance the experience for attendees. Visit the Vision Expo website for a list of vendors, directions, and a complete schedule of events. To learn more about vision loss and the effects vision loss has on the lives of thousands of Hoosiers, check out the many resources available on the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library's website.

Take Advantage of Two Great Options to Earn LEUs Online

Over the past two weeks, the Indiana State Library has introduced both a new opportunity to participate in Lyrasis online courses and a change in the way you enroll in WebJunction Indiana courses. All online professional development opportunities are available at no cost to Indiana library professionals as they have been pre-paid for by the State Library. To clarify, here is some important information to know before taking advantage of these great opportunities through Lyrasis and WebJunction Indiana. 

WebJunction Indiana Self-paced Courses
If you would like to enroll in a course at no charge that is found in the WebJunction Indiana course catalog all you must now do is fill out this form to request the authorization code. If you have less than four uncompleted courses and less than 10 completed classes in the past twelve months, the State Library will provide the authorization code. With this code, you can register for the course by entering the required information. If you are not a WebJunction Indiana community member, register for free at http://in.webjunction.org.

Lyrasis Live Online Courses
Indiana library professionals are now welcome to take one of hundreds of pre-paid live online courses from Lyrasis. Unlike the self-paced WebJunction Indiana, Lyrasis courses are taught live online by professional instructors. Lyrasis courses normally cost between $120 and $220, but are now available for at no cost. The Indiana State Library purchased hundreds of LEU-certified course units for Indiana library professionals.

To enroll, you must first login or register for a Lyrasis Member Account. Available courses may be viewed through the Searchable Classes and Events Schedule. All courses under the “Distance Education” delivery method are taught online with no travel required. When you locate a course you wish to attend, click on the "Register" button, make sure the session, date, and time you selected is correct, and enter the required information. Click the “Add to Cart” button and add ISL2009 in the field labeled “Promo Code” and proceed to the Shopping Cart. Once you check out you will be asked for your payment method. Please select “Bill Institution”. There will be no charge to your institution; this is just a system requirement. View this class registration tutorial to help you get started.

These offers will both last until these pre-paid units are exhausted and perhaps longer depending on the popularity of the courses. View this list of LEU–approved courses for both WebJunction and Lyrasis course LEU value and type.

EVPL Director Named Distinguished Hoosier

Evansville Vanderburgh Public LibraryCourtesy of Amy Mangold, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library

Director, Marcia Learned Au, has been recently named a Distinguished Hoosier. The Distinguished Hoosier Award, signed by Governor Mitch Daniels, is one of the highest honors bestowed upon an Indiana resident and is awarded to individuals who have excelled in their field and worked to better Indiana.

In presenting the award, State Senator Vaneta Becker stated, “No building or library system can be great unless there is true vision and true leadership. It is because of the work of Marcia , that the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library achieved a 3-star rating from the Library Journal earlier this year.  The EVPL is one of only 256 libraries out of 7,115 nation-wide to receive this recognition.”

Awards which Central Library has received under Ms. Au’s direction include a 2005 Design Award from the American Society of Interior Design for Central Library; the prestigious Golden Trowel Award of 2005 from the International Masonry Institute; the 2005 “Best Place to Take a Family Often” award from Evansville Living Magazine; and the 2006 Preservation Award from the Preservation Alliance of Evansville. 

Ms. Au joined the EVPL in 1989 as Assistant Director, and assumed her current position in November, 1995.  In 2005, she was recognized by Leadership Evansville in the Government and Public Service category for “superbly guiding the redesign and advancement of public library services in the Evansville-Vanderburgh community.”