NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK -- APRIL 10 – 15
Numerous programs are planned throughout NOLA for this special library week.  Just a few of the many activities are listed, but check all the members’ web site for full details.

Kingsville Public in appreciation of their volunteers and the Friends of the Library celebrate their contribution with flowers, bookmarks, and special events. Guest author/photographer, Dr. Parminder Singh will be present to autograph copies of his book.  While in the library stop and view Conneaut in My Memories, a photographic tour of Conneaut & Kingsville areas.  

The Windham Branch of the Portage County District Library will offer Easter Stamp Class on Wednesday, April 12^th at 6pm.   Also, in Portage County at the Aurora Library on April 11^th from 4-5pm come and Meet A Wizard. Be sure to return on April 13^th at 2pm for a puppet show.

The Friends of the Bristol Public Library are hosting a presentation by Jim Bloom, author of Living It Up on the Way Out.  This event will be on Wednesday, April 12^th at 6:30pm.

In Geauga County, both the Bainbridge Library and Geauga West Library will have puppet shows and Rumplestiltskin will be at the Chardon Library. The Middlefield Public Library presents a special family program featuring Children’s Author, Mary C. Ryan.  Check web sites for days and time.

Ashland Public Library will have a full schedule of events including Bill Snyder, Rail Tales: Railroad Stories of Ashland County; Jeni Bull, Yesteryear @APL; EA Glasgow, An Informal Forum: Local Writers’ Coffee and Discussion; Todd Miller, The Union Must Stand: Discussion of a Civil War Diary; and Janet Hollingsworth, Mad Science.

PLA Report
With only standing or sitting on the floor space available in almost every session, PLA in Charlotte, NC was a success with over 7,000 attendees. Even though PLA is held every two years, more and more people are attending and spreading the word of the speakers and exhibits which target public librarians.  Mark your calendars, the next PLA Conference will be March 12-16, 2002 in Phoenix, Arizona.

PLA Tech Notes
Located on PLA web page http://www.pla.org current computer topics are discussed with a minimum of technological terminology.

ALA
If you missed PLA because of a schedule conflict, don't forget that the ALA Annual Conference is July 6-12, 2000 in Chicago, IL.  Two pre-conference workshops which may interest you, “Using What You Count: Turning Statistical Data into Decisions” and  “Smart Marketing: RX to Increase Library Use.”   Registration for the event is online through the ALA’s web site at http://www.ala.org.

Romance Writers of America (RWA)
More than 2,000 romance titles were released in 1999. This constitutes 53% of all mass-market fiction purchased in the U.S. with annual sales of over $1billion. The RWA members voted for their “Top Ten Favorite Books of 1999” and LADY BE GOOD by Susan Elizabeth Phillips was #1 on the list.  

“Librarian’s Day” will be a special part of RWA 2000 National Conference to be held Wednesday, July 26, 2000 at the Marriott Wardman Hotel, Washington, DC.  Programs will include “Women Who Win” by Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, “The People’s Princess and the Working-class Hero” by Kathleen Eagle and Pamela Morsi, “Romance in This New Millennium” by Jayne Ann Krentz, and “Happily Ever Laughter” by Jennifer Crusie.  More information about RWA, their conference, and the other Top Ten Favorites check out their web site www.rwanational.com

Items submitted by:
Jeannette Martin - Email
NOLA Regional Library System

Filters, OpenSource Software and more!
Mattel, owner of the CyberPatrol filtering product, filed suit to stop distribution of both an essay and a utility designed to decrypt their database of blocked sites. While Mattel won both the primary suit and others blocking the redistribution of the software by other sites, a new wrinkle has emerged - it turns out that the CPHACK utility was released on the Internet under the GNU General Public License.

GNU [http://www.gnu.org] has been at the center of the public domain free software movement for years. Under the GNU license once an application is released into public domain any recipient of the program receives a license from the original copyright holder to freely copy, modify and/or distribute the program as desired.

While most legal experts agree that once information is released under GNU license the license cannot be revoked. Mattel is still planning legal action against those site redistributing the CPHACK essay and utility. The impact of any legal decisions related to this case could prove significant for the distribution of information related to computer bugs, security compromises and for public domain software such as Linux, Apache, and PERL. What should you expect in the short term? More lawsuits and more news coverage.

Read more: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,35226,00.html

King e-leads the way
Stephen King's Riding the Bullet e-book has led to an e-boom in the e-book industry. Leading distributors report sales up by almost 300% and with many additional titles beginning to sell very well.  Is this the push that the e-book needed to gain wide-spread public acceptance?

Read more: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,35037,00.html

3com announces Internet appliance
So you weren't too sure about 3com's Palm series of devices? Some said it's too small, it's not powerful enough, monochrome screens won't work, etc. Well while there haven't been too many critics, the company was listening to suggestions for improvements and recently announced plans to release the next generation of Internet appliance using much of what was learned from the Palm. Although details of the new devices are limited at this time it appears that they will have larger color screens, wireless/cellular network connectivity, use the same stylus based hand-writing recognition as the Palm devices, support web access and more.

Read more: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2473921,00.html

Netscape 6.0 Beta Released - Does it matter?
Netscape released the first beta of their next generation Communicator web browser this week, but will it matter?  Once an Internet darling Netscape has fallen far from grace, losing skilled developers, install base and more in the past three years.    Once a junior browser Internet Explorer is now used by more than 65% of Internet users, while Netscape Communicator's market share has slipped to less than 35%.    The bottom line: Despite Netscape's recent Communicator upgrade Internet Explorer remains a technically stronger browser and likely a better choice for libraries.

Read more: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,35350,00.html
NOTE: While Netscape Communicator may be losing the battle to Internet Explorer, look for significant impact by another Netscape product (see next story)

AOL and Gateway to Release Appliance
AOL and Gateway have announced the first product developments from a joint development effort begun last year.  The systems, designed as Internet appliances, will all feature the Linux operating system, Netscape Gecko browser software, and focus on the delivery of AOL content.  Expect the desktop and countertop models to be available this year with a tablet model to follow in early 2001. 

Read more: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20000405/tc/20000405135.html

Items submitted by:
Brad Stephens - Email
NOLA Regional Library System

Sports and Libraries...A Winning Combination!
What do libraries and professional sports teams have in common?  Well, we all know it certainly isn't the yearly paycheck!  One word says it all...MOTIVATION.

Library staff today are motivated by their Directors to provide great customer service, 100% of the time. Professional sports teams are motivated by their Coach to win the "Big Game".  I recently ran across a little story on a basic principle of successful management - Theory X and Theory Y...

Theory X:  Assumption that people are basically lazy and have to be coerced or threatened by autocratic leaders before they will work.
Theory Y:  Assumption that people are creative and responsible and will work hard for democratic managers when encouraged to participate in organizational decisions.

There are times when a manager has to give a shove to get desired results, and although not everyone may need the push, it is often in the best interests of team unity to prod the entire group.  Such was the case for Dave Bristol, San Francisco Giants manager, when he advised his lagging National League baseball team, "There'll be two buses leaving the hotel for the ballpark tomorrow.  The two o'clock bus will be for those of you who need a little extra work.  The empty bus will be leaving at five o'clock."

We all need that two o'clock bus now and again...we can all use a "little extra work" to make sure that our patrons get the absolute best customer service that is available to them.  Who are the "quarterbacks" in your organization?   These are the people who take the ball,  no matter how difficult the situation, and have the ability to score a touchdown.  Of course, we should all know the answer to this question.  Without a doubt, it is our support staff.  Every day, they are faced with difficult decisions...whether to punt, pass, hand off or hold onto a problem within the library.  These are often split second decisions that can allow them to "score a touchdown" or "fumble the ball".

Well, now is your opportunity to put them on that two o'clock bus...get a little extra work in on their customer service skills and have a little fun at the same time!   NOLA presents "Power Charged for Life" a full day workshop for support staff that will be offered to celebrate the efforts that your support staff put into their jobs each and every day.

Attendees will learn how to gain confidence, control and composure in customer service skills and how to diffuse, interact with and eliminate those difficult situations that otherwise may escalate into a big conflict or confrontation.  In other words...learn how to make the decision to punt, pass, hand-off, or hold onto those difficult customer service decisions that occur daily in your libraries!

These workshops will be presented by Dr. Jeff Magee, who is a dynamic trainer who presents more than 100 educational seminars each year to teach people how to go from where they are right now to where they need to be for success.  Jeff has been recognized nationally for his sales and marketing achievements, has taught the internationally recognized Dale Carnegie Seminars, and for nine years has been an author and trainer for CareerTrack and SkillPath Seminars Inc.  His vibrant, dynamic style of presentation will leave your staff exhilarated and ready to tackle their jobs with a new zest for life!

These workshops are offered on two dates for staffing conveniences:  (Click to register)
Wednesday, April 19th
Thursday, April 20th
Both are held at the Avalon Inn and Resort, in Warren, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and include a special luncheon to celebrate Secretary's Day, along with special gifts for everyone attending.

Please register your staff for this important workshop by Wednesday, April 12th to guarantee their spot on the "Winner's Circle"!  And now I'll leave you with one more little sports story to ponder....and to compare to today....

The high paying contracts offered to sports superstars fill the headlines today, but it isn't just a sign of the times today...in the 1930's, New York Yankee Babe Ruth was asked to take a pay cut during the Great Depression, but he held out for his $80,000 contract.  One Yankee official protested, "But that's more money than Hoover got for being President last year."  "I know," said the Babe, "but I had a better year."

Items submitted by:
Lori Putt - Email
NOLA Regional Library System