There are still plenty of seats available in Library Camp Nebraska. Sign up now! It’s totally free and totally fun!

Potential topics to be discussed currently include:

• The Social Web in the library
• Cheap and free tech tools
• Copyright & Creative Commons
• Public programs
• High Tech / High Touch: are they mutually exlusive?
• Get your free Web presence (for libraries that don’t have one already)
• Privacy in a Social Web world
• Wildly impractical, expensive ideas for your library
• Alternative searching techniques (or, what’s new & cool in the world of searching??)
• Ideas for library marketing on the cheap
• Ideas for new granting agencies/funding sources and/or grant success stories
• Demythologizing the "information wants to be free" (while information may want to be free, it aint cheap to provide it…)
• Community Outreach
• Mentoring
• Instruction
• Expanding the role of the library on campus (PR/marketing/collaboration)
• Exploring the future of library workers: What’s the greatest need in Nebraska?…support for Master’s level v. pre-professional training?

Full details @ http://librarycampnebraska.pbwiki.com/

Did you know that October 15th has been declared Work Like a Patron Day in the library world? Here’s the plan:

• enter and leave the library through the public entrance (not the staff doors)
• use the public restrooms
• use the public computers to do your work
• reserve public meeting rooms for meetings
• follow all library policies

For more background and just why you should try this check out the post on the Swiss Army Librarian  blog.

Cross-posted from the NLC Blog:
It’s time to start learning! The Nebraska Learns 2.0 program starts today. The program is made up of 23 short online lessons called Things. The Things are designed to encourage staff to learn more about emerging technologies on the web that are changing the way people, society and libraries access information and communicate with each other.

In addition to learning new Things everyone who completes all 23 Things by January 30, 2009 will have a chance to win one of nine 8GB Creative Zen MP3 Players. These prizes have been made available through generous donations from ITART, NEMA, and NLA. Also everyone who completes the program before the deadline will receive 15 CE credits. More information about prize eligibility and CE credit can be found on the Nebraska Learns 2.0 website.

Here are a few things you may be wondering about.

• You do not need to register. However, to be eligible for prizes and CE credits you do need to blog your progress. Instructions on how to do this will be included in Thing #3 and Thing #4.
• There is no cost to participate.
• ALL Nebraska librarians, library staff, library friends, library board members and school media specialists can participate. (Other folks are welcome to follow along; however, we will not be offering any official technical support nor will you be eligible for the prize drawings or CE credit.)
• This is a self-directed learning program. No in-person classes will be offered.
• Have more questions? Check out the FAQ on the Nebraska Learns 2.0 website.

To start learning go to the Nebraska Learns 2.0 website: http://l2ne.blogspot.com/2008/09/thing-1-discovery.html

Library Camp Nebraska
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Wednesday 19 November 2008
Sponsored by
The Nebraska Library Commission and
the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Libraries

Library Camp Nebraska is the first of what we hope to be a series of unconferences throughout the state of Nebraska. So, just what is an unconference?

An unconference is the best part of a conference (conversing with your colleagues) stripped out and crammed into a fun and informative day-long event. Unconferences have no pre-selected presenters, just group discussions on the topics that you want to talk about with your colleagues. There are many different ways unconferences can be run. Library Camp Nebraska will be using the BarCamp model this time around.

Library Camp Nebraska will be held at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln Union on 19 November 2008. Participation will be limited to just the first 100 registrants and is open to anyone who is interested in dialogue and conversation about customer-friendly libraries, library 2.0 and how we can all improve our services and organizations to meet the needs of our communities. (There will be tech topics covered, but if you aren’t a techie, come talk about something else.)

For more details and to register head over to the Library Camp Nebraska wiki at http://librarycampnebraska.pbwiki.com/. Please don’t wait until the last minute to register. Seating will be strictly limited to the first 100 registrants. No additional seats will be made available.

(Please feel free to forward to everyone.)