Showing posts with label LSTA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LSTA. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2011

Hartford Public Library YA Success Story

The Hartford Public Library's Community Needs Assessment project of the 2010-2011 LSTA cycle devoted the kind of time and attention to young adults that is rarely seen in libraries today.

The project founded a Teen Space Advisory Council composed of young adults from different schools in Hartford. They spent countless hours identifying and quantifying their vision of what the library could do to best serve youth with technology, study space, comfortable yet functional furnishings -- and after-school snacks!!

Read the Success Story on the Webjunction grants page.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Reception, Hartford Public Library, July 9: Arts & Archives on the ARTWALK: The Intersection of History and Art Featuring Mary Catherine Bateson


Saturday, July 9, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. at the Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library for the Opening Reception of Arts and Archives on the ARTWALK: The Intersection of History and Art.

This event features Distinguished Cultural Anthropologist and Best-Selling Author Mary Catherine Bateson.

Arts and Archives on the ARTWALK is Hartford Public Library’s showcase exhibit of original works created by burgeoning artists in the “Arts and Archives: Master Classes in the Arts and Humanities for Older Adults” workshop series held at the library this past year. Master artists provided hands-on instruction in sculpture, pen-and-ink drawing, visual arts, poetry writing, memoir writing, digital photography, and music appreciation with a focus on blues and jazz. Each series included a Hartford heritage-based seminar and made available the special collections of the library’s Hartford History Center.

Mary Catherine Bateson, daughter of noted anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, lectures extensively on creative aging. Four of her books, including her most recent title, Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom, will be available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit the Hartford Public Library’s services to the community. Dr. Bateson will sign books after her remarks.

“Arts and Archives: Master Classes in the Arts and Humanities for Older Adults” is funded in part through the Library Services and Technology Act of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The reception and exhibition is free and open to the public. The exhibition will run on the library’s third floor ARTWALK through September 2, 2011.

“We are not what we know but what we are willing to learn.” ~ Mary Catherine Bateson

For more information contact Brenda J. Miller, Curator, Hartford History Center, Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103-3075, 860 695-6347.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Picture Book Math, Picture Book Science at the Hartford Public Library


The Hartford Public Library is collaborating with the Connecticut Science Center to bring age-appropriate understanding of numeracy, scientific inquiry, and literacy for Hartford children age 3-6.

It's the kind of LSTA project that is scaleable to any size community and which is based on a foundation of solid, specific curricula developed by the State Department of Education.

Check out the best practices story and smiling kids on CT.WebJunction.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Thompson Public Library, Community Book Bags


The Thompson Public Library's Community Book Bags LSTA project is wrapping up a very successful year thanks to the hard work and positive energy of children's librarian Kim Flynn.

Check out the best practices story on WebJunction.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Cragin Memorial Library's CNA grant

The Cragin Memorial Library's 'best practices' piece about their community needs assessment grant is up.

Check it out at blogjunction or webjunction's Success Stories area.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Grant Success Story: Hartford Public Library


The Hartford Public Library is having standing-room-only success with its LSTA-funded program for older adults, Arts and Archives: Master Classes in the Arts and Humanities.

Coordinator Brenda Miller took time for a little Q&A recently so that some of the project's best practices could shine. This is a replicable program that stimulates the creative and artistic talents of patrons and which can be scaled to any size library in a variety of ways.

The story is located right here on the Grant Success Stories page of WebJunction Connecticut.

LSTA stands for Library Services and Technology Act, funding distributed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

12/15 Webinar: E-Rate, CIPA, and Library Filters: What You Need to Know


The requirements governing E-Rate, CIPA, and filtering in libraries is boring. And confusing. But it's also The Law and it can save your library a lot of hassle and money if you do it right.

So don't freak out (see: left) but consider attending this webinar if any of these apply to you:

* Your library decided not to apply for E-Rate funds because of the filtering requirements
* You get E-Rate or LSTA funds that require filtering but you aren't sure if you are in compliance
* Your library doesn't filter but worries about laws you don't know about
* You're not sure when patron Internet use shifts from Free Speech to Harassment
* You wonder if there's anything new in filtering technology

Speaker will explain the elements that libraries need to address when developing or revising their Internet Use Policies and using technology to enforce them. Whether you apply for E-Rate now or are wondering if you should, this webinar will provide useful tools for navigating these sometimes muddy waters.

At the end of this one-hour webinar, attendees will have:
*a basic understanding of the filtering requirements for libraries that receive E-Rate and LSTA funds
*a knowledge of best practices for using filters in libraries aside from E-Rate and LSTA requirement
*a introduction to how internet content filters work
*an update on what's new in filtering technology
*a review of free speech and sexual harassmentlaw as it applies to the Internet in public and school libraries

This one-hour webinar will be of interest to library staff responsible for filing E-Rate documents, public service staff, library administrators, and IT staff in charge of public access computers.

For the details and to register visit this InfoPeople site.

Remember, no freaking out.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Ferguson Library, Stamford CNA success story


Check out the new success story up on WebJunction Connecticut about the Ferguson Library in Stamford's Community Needs Assessment grant.

On the far left, Marilyn is one of the lucky older adults selected to share her opinions and needs with the library during the process.


Above, Cindy Kemp of Ipsos Understanding Unlimited is shown facilitating the second session of the day.


Sunday, November 7, 2010

Hartford Public Library's 'Arts and Archives' LSTA project


Some claps go out to Hartford Public Library's older adults LSTA grant project, Arts and Archives: Master Classes in the Arts and Humanities for Older Adults.

The project has drawn waiting list crowds and attracted WFSB's local interest show Better Connecticut.

The piece aired Wednesday, October 27th at 3pm on WFSB, but you can view the show online at the WFSB site.

Carolyn Condon, Associate Producer of Better CT, remarked on "how amazing it is that every person in the class was able to create such great work in only a short amount of time.”

  • "Shoes off, please." One of the first Arts & Archives sessions had participants drawing their shoes.
  • Shoes off, please

    Hartford Public Library
    500 Main Street
    Hartford, CT 06103
    860-695-6284

    Mary Albro, Penny Rusnak, and Brenda Miller - kudos!

    Thursday, September 16, 2010

    Update: Guidelines for Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums released

    IMLS Releases Guidelines for Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums

    This is a new grant program that will provide one-year grants of $10,000 to $25,000 for innovative projects that respond to the challenges and opportunities facing cultural heritage institutions in a rapidly changing information environment.

    Deadline for applications: November 15, 2010.

    Successful proposals will address problems, challenges, or needs of broad relevance to museums, libraries, or archives, will test innovative responses to these problems, and will make the findings of these tests widely and openly accessible. Grant funding may include all activities associated with planning, deploying, and evaluating the innovation, as long as the expenses are allowable under federal and IMLS guidelines. Examples of projects that might be funded by this program include, but are not limited to:

    * exploring the potential of highly original, experimental collaborations,
    * implementing new workflows or processes with potential for substantial cost savings,
    * testing new metrics or methods to measure the impact of promising tools or services,
    * rapid prototyping and testing of new types of software tools, or creating useful new ways to link separate software applications used in libraries, archives, or museums,
    * offering innovative new types of services or service options to museum, library, or archive visitors, or
    * enhancing institutions’ abilities to interact with audiences in new ways to promote learning or improve services, such as through the deployment of innovative crowd-sourcing techniques.

    Full press announcement.