August AspenCat Users’ Group Meeting Overview

Discovery Layer updates, Back to School Cataloging Classes, and MORE! Look below to see our meeting agenda and notes! You can also listen to the meeting here.
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Spring Workshop Submission Form

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – cloudLibrary Pledges are Here!

Every December, we ask AspenCat Member Libraries to pledge money for the upcoming year, so that we ensure your patrons have access to a wide variety of eBooks and eAudiobooks. This year, with many of your patrons staying home, that pledge is even more important. If you do not know much about cloudLibrary or do not see the benefit to your patrons, please see the following fast facts!

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2021 Virtual Spring Workshop

CE in your comfy clothes – 2021 Virtual Spring Workshop

Now, more than ever, this is a time for us to come together and share our struggles and successes. Some are unique and some are universal, but we won’t know until we combine our experiences!

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2021 Virtual Spring Workshop

CE in your comfy clothes – 2021 Virtual Spring Workshop

Now, more than ever, this is a time for us to come together and share our struggles and successes. Some are unique and some are universal, but we won’t know until we combine our experiences!

[Read more…]

Returning to Service: Libraries and COVID-19

With various counties and states operating under a range of public health orders, many directors and managers continue to adapt, seeking a return to “normal” in the wake of various waves of COVID-19. CLiC’s guides try to answer a variety of questions:

“As we start to re-open our buildings, how can we do this safely?”

“What’s the potential for material (returned by patrons, or transported by the statewide courier) to be ‘infected’ with COVID-19?”

“What HR considerations are involved with a return to service?”

Guide 1: “Libraries Returning to Service and COVID-19” – V2.0 Dec 1, 2020. First published Apr 5, this updated short guide features four sections:

  • Protect Your Employees and Volunteers
  • Deep Clean Your Library
  • Handle Materials Safely
  • Variables Out of Your Control

Guide 2: “Human Resources Q&A: Libraries and COVID-19” – V1.0 Apr 29, 2020. This 5-page guide features a handful of Q&A-style sections involving the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and other nuanced HR considerations.

We’ll update these guides sporadically as new information emerges.

After the Conference

Last week, we held a successful virtual conference for AspenCat libraries. However, if you were not able to attend, we’ve got you (mostly) covered. Please see below for recordings, slides, and notes. Thank you for helping to make this experience educational and enjoyable! [Read more…]

Access Video on Demand

Looking to add streaming video to your library’s offerings?

CLiC has a Discount!

  • Sit down and view the full series of HBO®’s Chernobyl
  • Get up and learn Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: Basic Training & Self Defense Techniques
  • Get serious and study Career Tips: Tips for a Successful Phone Interview.

CLiC has a great discount with Infobase. Check out its Master Public Library Video Collection which contains thousands of hours of video from Oscar®, Emmy®, and Peabody award-winning documentaries. Take a look at how-to programs that make life easier and richer, top-quality performances spanning the arts, biographies of history makers (past and present), a variety of TV shows and movies, and more.

Did we also mention it includes content from HBO® Documentary Films, A&E, BBC Learning, PBS, National Geographic, ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Bill Moyers, Rick Steves, Globe Trekker, Julia Child, Open University, Annenberg Learner, TED, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, and many more.

Want to learn more? Contact Kira Zimmerman

New Guide

Whether it’s your first day as a Colorado library director or it’s your seven-hundredth day, there’s always a lot to know. Wouldn’t it be great to have an uncomplicated guide? Well, here it is! Introducing the New Director’s Guide for Public Libraries from your Colleagues on Call at CLiC.

  • First time working with a board? This guide covers it.
  • Confused about what to do at the beginning of the year vs. the end of the year? We offer an annual planning calendar.
  • Wondering what statistics to keep and for whom? “Your Library by the Numbers” section has got you covered.
  • Do you have a Friends group or a Library Foundation? Or is it both? Should I have one or the other?  It’s there—in the guide.

The guide provides succinct foundational information with links to find out more when you are ready. No need to page through non-relevant google results or let your questions go unanswered. This guide is written for library directors who are working in the field and need answers now (or maybe yesterday).

The CLiC Colleague on Call team created this guide expressly for new library directors in rural communities just like yours. Not a new Director? You never know what you might find to inspire and refresh.

Sign up for the virtual AspenCat Conference!

This year, we will be meeting together online. Our goal has been to create a virtual experience that draws on elements from a typical in-person conference while also trying to adapt to the virtual setting. The best way we can do this is to ask for your full participation. As always, the AspenCat Conference is FREE! We look forward to seeing you October 27, from 12:00-4:00 PM! [Read more…]