Friday, February 07, 2003

Friday Notes 2.  An on-line resource for NEILSA Librarians DEADLINES & DATES: I'll try to list all the upcoming dates of importance here, you will have to mine for the details.   February  - BYCA  (Before Your Computer Arrives), someone from your library MUST attend the BYCA workshop. Late spring/early summer workshops. March 24, 25, and 26 Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines Nominate an Outstanding Museum or Library for National Service Award These awards are the nation's highest honor for the extraordinary public service provided by museums and libraries. The deadline is February 15, 2003. See: http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/112102.htm National Award for Library Service: February 15, 2003. http://www.imls.gov/grants/library/lib_nals.htm National Award for Museum Service: February 15, 2003. http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/mus_nams.asp. National Leadership Grants for Museums: March 1, 2003. http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/mus_nlgm.asp National Leadership Grants for Library/Museum Collaborations: April 1, 2003. http://www.imls.gov/grants/l-m/l-m_lead.asp All IMLS grant and award program deadlines can be viewed at: http://www.imls.gov/grants/dedln/index.htm     County Meetings Scheduled: If your county meeting is not on the schedule please contact NEILSA •    Allamakee County Meeting •    Black Hawk County Meeting - When called - seldom •    Bremer County Meeting - April 8, 2002 @ 7:30 in Readlyn •    Buchanan County Meeting - April 22, 2002 @ 7:00 in Fairbank PL •    Butler County Meeting  - April 1, 2002 7:00 Shell Rock PL •    Chickasaw County Meeting •    Clayton County Meeting - April 22 @ 7:30 McGregor PL •    Delaware County Meeting - May 13, 2002 @ 7:00  Edgewood P L •    Dubuque County •    Fayette County Meeting -  April 10th at 1000 @  Fayette Library •    Grundy County Meeting - All meetings start at 9:00 am - 2003 schedule         4/28 @ Dike, 6/28 @ Grundy Center, 10/27 @ Reinbeck •    Howard County Meeting   - April 7, 2003 @ 7:00 Elma PL •    Winneshiek County Meeting CE: The Public Library Management courses, PLM1 and PLM2,  registration deadline for both courses is February 21st. Special Workshops: One & two hour workshops at Fall & Spring county meetings, item specific workshops.     OTHER CE: You must register with the listed provider.  Check: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for_ia_libraries/continuing_ed/index.html          Self-Directed Learning Opportunities: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/Certification/alternate.htm ANNOUNCEMENTS:     In the EYE-OPENER from NWILSA: 3) February Deadline for PLM1 and PLM2 Registration: The Public Library Management courses, PLM1 and PLM2, are coming around again this spring. Please note that the registration deadline for both courses is February 21st. PLM1 and PLM2 are designed for new library directors; completion of both courses is required for new directors to become certified. Director certification is a requirement of DIRECT STATE AID funding in Tier 1. Library directors are allowed first entry into the classes; as room allows, new support staff are also welcome. Both PLM1 and PLM2 are 8-week courses. The first class is always face-to-face in the Des Moines area; thereafter, the remaining 7 classes are held over the ICN much closer to home. The registration fee for each course is $35.00. To register for the spring classes--and to learn the dates and times--go to: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/continuing-ed/cecat.htm As always, we welcome your questions about PLM:-) 5) New Edition of IOWA LIBRARY TRUSTEES' HANDBOOK: This week, every public library should receive 2 complimentary copies of the new IOWA LIBRARY TRUSTEES' HANDBOOK. The new 2003 edition is produced and published by the State Library. One complimentary copy is for the director's office; the second is for each board president. Additional copies for all other board members can be purchased through the State Library for $5.00 each. A cover letter and order form for extra copies will accompany the mailing. Look for this mailing within the week--and thanks to you directors for passing along the second copy to your board president. News of the newest TRUSTEES' HANDBOOK will make a logical addition to your upcoming board agendas.              New LINKS of interest: The DOJ CIPA brief is at http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/2002/3mer/2mer/2002-0361.mer.aa.html <http://www.usdoj.gov/osg/briefs/2002/3mer/2mer/2002-0361.mer.aa.html>; YOU WROTE: snippets from e-mails: Just wanted to make sure that everyone is aware of Follett's incredible deal that will end March 1st. $500 will buy a library Catalog Plus, Circulation Plus, a year of tech support and a multiuser networking license. I've investigated this thoroughly and there isn't any catch. The software is the most recent version. The scanner is another $399, so I'm telling libraries that $899 will get them started. Tom Merchant is Iowa's Follett rep. His e-mail is tmerchant@fsc.follett.com. I think that if a library board has the money and they turn this down, then they just don't give a damn! Suzann :) ********************************************** Suzann Holland, MA, MLS Consultant/Continuing Education Coordinator Southeastern Library Services FEEDBACK: Confulence (With appoliges to "certain libraries.) Once again we are looking for topics or instructors that would be of interest to you. Send your suggestions to me. Ken (:-{}}}     Survey Question: e-rate Consortia members, would you be interested in a 3 hour workshop on how e-rate is done, what part you must play and how to read the funding request form (like the one you just received on the fax). When you respond please send replies to Ken at davenport@neilsa.org or use the "comments" link at the bottom of the blog     REPLIES - CHANGES: Updates – Addresses & such - None reported.   CONSORTIA NEWS & E-Rate:  You know if you are in the e-rate consortia because if you are you received a copy of the funding request via fax with a 24 hour turnaround required for corrections. SUGGESTIONS: 1. If you have a fax and you do not want to miss things you had better have it set for 24/7 or keep your eye on your e-mail.  On really important dead deadlines I will e-mail a warning on the impending disaster, 2. Part of staff training should include some training on when to call the director and ask if something needs immediate attention. Why - Yesterday I talked to two directors who had staff that saved the cookies by calling, today I talked to 4 directors who were off and who lost dollars. 3. If you discover errors in the forms faxed let me know, preferably in writing, I will have a chance to "edit" the requests when the Funding Committment Decision Letter comes in, but I have very limited ability to make changes and none to add funding requests. 4. IF you are getting Gates Foundation dollars for doing some connection upgrates or installs AND if I knew about it (Future Plans) then I asked for e-rate discounts where I could.  The e-rate & Gates Foundation together allow for the leveraging of the funds to about double the funds available to do "stuff". 5. Your Consortia application is about 56 pages in length and requests support for $172,096 or  a little less than an average of $2200.00/library in the Consortia.  You might remind your legislators that those are Iowa dollars that would have gone to other states (primarly California & New York)  if the Consortia had not sucked them back to NE Iowa, this is a perfect example to explain to legislators just what the LSA does for the local public library.. Gates Foundation Grants News: At this point you are a lot more likly to hear than either the State Library or the Library Service Areas.      END PLATE: Long Announcements, Supporting Documents, & other "stuff" Access to Personnel Records of Public Employees: What's Open? What's  Not? The public has an interest in information about employees who conduct the public's business, and more information is available about public employees than about private workers. Various questions might come up: What are public employees paid? Where do they live? Are they doing a good job? Just how much is the public entitled to know? State law requires public employers to disclose certain personnel information, but it also sets limits on public access to personnel records of public employees. Iowa law balances the goal of public accountability with the privacy and security interests of public employees. Here are some guidelines for applying Iowa's Public Records Law (Iowa Code ch. 22) and providing responsible access to information about government employees: Records of payments to government employees are always public, including wages, reimbursed travel, or a cash payment in settlement of an employment dispute. Information about an employee's promotion or pay increase is public, but performance evaluations or disciplinary records may be kept confidential. An employee's individual vacation and sick leave record is open to the public. The public can have access to records that show the number of days employees use for vacation or sick leave, but the medical reason for an employee's sick leave may be kept confidential. A public employee's name and business address is public. But government bodies may keep confidential an employee's home address, gender, and birth date. Public personnel officers need to be familiar with the rules on releasing personnel records. This will assure proper public access to public information, while protecting the appropriate confidentiality of employees' personal information. Citizens who have inquiries or complaints about public records or open meetings may call the Iowa Citizens' Aide/Ombudsman Office ­ toll-free at 888-IA-OMBUD (888-426-6283.) "Sunshine Advisory" bulletins provide information on Iowa's public records and open meetings laws ­ our "Sunshine Laws." The bulletins are a resource for public officials and citizens. Local officials should obtain legal advice from their counsel, such as the city or county attorney. '''''''''''' Iowa Attorney General's Office: Hoover Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. On the Web:http:// www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org (Click on "open government.") Subject: Applications for The Sixties film discussion series available Sender: Rural Library Services <RURLIB-L@LISTSERV.CLARION.EDU>; To: RURLIB-L@LISTSERV.CLARION.EDU Reply-to: Rural Library Services <RURLIB-L@LISTSERV.CLARION.EDU>; X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.0.2 National Video Resources (NVR) and the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office are now accepting grant applications from libraries wishing to host The Sixties: Americas Decade of Crisis and Change. This new six-week library program features scholar-led lectures, documentary film screenings, and readings and discussions on a period of extraordinary change and social conflict in American history. Twenty-five libraries will be selected to serve as pilot sites for The Sixties project. Libraries interested in applying for the pilot site opportunity can download an application at http://www.ala.org/publicprograms/sixties/ . Applications must be received by March 28, 2003. Topics covered in The Sixties series include the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and Kennedys reform agenda, the civil rights movement, Americas involvement in Vietnam and the anti-war movement, the counterculture, and rage and reaction in 1968. Professors John Morton Blum, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University, and Leon Litwick, Morrison Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley, will serve as lead scholars for The Sixties project. The Sixties is supported by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Each library selected will receive a full set of videocassettes to use in the series and to keep as a permanent part of their collection; $1,000 to pay honoraria for local scholars to present the series at the local library; the opportunity to send a team of two people a library staff person and local scholar to a one and half day national training seminar on November 7 and 8, 2003 in Oakland, Calif.; support print materials, including a programmers manual, publicity materials, and downloadable handouts for participants; and national publicity for the series as well as a list of potential local co-sponsors. Libraries of all types are encouraged to apply. The discussion series must be open to a public audience. The Sixties builds on three earlier programs developed by NVR in partnership with the ALA Public Programs Office and funded by the NEH. These programs offer public library programmers and academics a new model for public discussion through the following series: From Rosie to Roosevelt: A Film History of Americans in WWII; Post War Years, Cold War Fears: American Culture and Politics, 1946-60; and Presidents, Politics, and Power: American Presidents Who Shaped the 20th Century. For more information on these series, please visit www.nvr.org . National Video Resources (NVR) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1990 by the Rockefeller Foundation. NVRs goal is to assist in increasing the publics awareness of and access to independently produced media & film and video as well as motion media delivered through the new digital technologies. The mission of the ALA Public Programs Office is to foster cultural programming as an integral part of library service in all types of libraries. Established in 1990, the office helps thousands of libraries nationwide develop and host programs that encourage dialogue among community members and works to establish libraries as cultural centers in their communities. ALA Public Programs Office Linking Libraries, Communties, and Culture www.ala.org/publicprograms publicprograms@ala.org Students dial up trouble in new twist to cheating From eSchool News staff and wire service reports January 31, 2003 As if using the internet to plagiarize term papers isn't enough for today's teachers to be concerned about, six University of Maryland students have admitted to a new wrinkle in the realm of technology-aided cheating: using their cell phones to access answer keys while taking an exam. In a case that surprised university officials, a total of 12 students were accused of using the text messaging functions on their cell phones to receive messages from people outside the College Park, Md., campus exam hall during a December accounting exam. Those aiding the students accessed answer keys posted on the internet by a professor once the exam began. But the students unwittingly fell into a sting set up faculty members, who suspected exam-takers were accessing the answer key. The business school professors posted a fake answer key, then checked the exams to see which matched the bogus answers. It appears most of the 12 students hatched the plan independently of each other and were not connected, said John Zacker, head of the university's office of judicial programs. The school has seen a few similar cases before, but Zacker said this is the largest scheme uncovered on campus involving cell phones. "We've had isolated cases in past semesters, but not in these numbers," he said. The case highlights the ongoing struggle schools face as they try to keep up with technologically savvy students. Some students, for example, troll the internet to find prewritten papers and other material to copy and pass off as their own. Hitotsubashi University in Japan failed 26 students in December for receiving eMailed exam answers on their cell phones, the Associated Press reported. And in Taiwan, a man was caught Jan. 24 receiving questions from students taking a university admissions exam. The man wanted to use the questions to start a school to train students for the test. The scope of the University of Maryland case is unprecedented nationally, said Diane Waryold, executive director of Duke University's Center for Academic Integrity. It's also a sign that students might have a technological edge on their older instructors. "It's a generational issue," she said. "It's safe to say our students are far more [technologically] sophisticated." The six University of Maryland students who confessed will fail the class and have a mark placed on their transcript that indicates they cheated. Five others either met with school officials or are awaiting trial by the school's student honor council. The 12th student died over the winter break. Zacker did not know the circumstances surrounding the death and would not release the student's name, citing privacy laws. The council is also looking for the people who sent the text messages to exam-takers. Some of those found so far were not university students, Zacker said. The number of students caught cheating at the university has risen recently, from 97 cases in the fall semester of 2001 to 156 cases in the fall semester of 2002, Zacker said. But the use of cell phones—many of which allow users to communicate using text messages—is a relatively new twist. Many phones allow the messages to be passed back and forth silently to avoid detection. The accounting exam, for example, was monitored by proctors walking the aisles who failed to notice the cheating. Howard Frank, dean of the business school, said the fake test was posted after professors suspected students were using similar tactics during exams earlier in the semester. In response to the cheating, Maryland Provost William Destler sent a letter to faculty over the weekend recommending they not post answer keys while an exam is ongoing. However, the school has no plans to bar students from bringing cell phones to class, Zacker said. Links: University of Maryland http://www.umd.edu Center for Academic Integrity http://www.academicintegrity.org FROM: "eSN School Technology Alert" <stn-alert@lists.eschoolnews.com>; The fine print stuff blogs - Friday Notes 2 AT -  http://radio.weblogs.com/0108327/ NOTICE – DISCLAIMER - pick one, any one will do. MY disclaimer: Basically my opinions are my own, shared by no one else (sometimes), and are not the opinions of my agency, my board, my co-workers, my parents, siblings, relatives, my dogs or most any other know life form.  Except, of course, those very bright concerned, sensitive, perceptive &, in general, well educated, widely read and cultured individuals who wish to share this peculiar road to ruin, as well as a couple of down & out drugged out beatniks from the good old days. OK?  The "Prime Directive" applies. Edited by: Ken Davenport - NEILSA Consultant davenport@neilsa.org COPYLEFT NOTICE 2002: THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt © COPYRIGHT Please note: material found on the web should be assumed to be under copyright and is presented here for purposes of education and research only. NOTE: If credited [via ???] or [from so & so] it is their material and not covered by my "Copyleft" notice.  Ken SOURCE: {Consultant} D:CorelwpdocsFridayNotes0207.wpd  August 2, 2002 BOILER PLATE FOOTNOTES: 1. WARNING: I will be able to give you about a 5 working day warning on deadlines (by e-mail, less otherwise) I have 10 days to reply, if I miss the deadline, well I won't miss, if you miss  ... I'll send it in late but ... NORTHEAST IOWA LIBRARY SERVICE AREA BOARD MEETING NEILSA Office 415 Commercial St., Waterloo, IA Feb. 10, 2002 2-4:00 p.m.    Agenda 1. Approval of the Agenda 2. Approval of January Board Minutes 3. Review and Approval of January Bills 4. General Business         Board Committees            i. Budget            ii. Personnel        Upcoming meeting schedule & training topics         Other 5. AEA Report 6. Community College Report 7. Administrator's Report          Governor's Budget          IRS update           Other 8. Consultant's Report          E-rate 9. Next Meeting Date, Time and Location Mar. 10, 2003 2:00 p.m., NEILSA Office? 10.Adjourn WORKSHOP:   Lobbying & legislative issues 2:07:08 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Ken Davenport. Last update: 3/3/03; 10:55:13 AM.