Check out Calgary PL's cool new advertising campaign!

Calgary Public Library has made the news for their innovative "grocery store" ad campaign. The library's marketing department has collaborated with 10 Real Canadian Superstores throughout the city to market the library among the bananas and cold meat. Their posters, with the tagline "everything you're into," are being displayed in the produce and meat departments of each grocery store. This is such an excellent idea because everyone needs to eat! What a great way to target new patrons. While we may not all have CPL's $35000 marketing budget, we do have the resources to approach the local grocery store owner/manager with a poster that markets library services. Ask us if you need help creating one!

Check out the article on the campaign here on CBC's website.

Minister’s Awards for Excellence and Innovation in Public Library Service

Guess what!?  The new Minster of  Municipal Affairs Hector Goudreau has decided to honour the great work that libraries do by offering awards for both excellence and innovation.
The awards, which will presented at this year's Alberta Library Conference in Jasper, will "encourage superior public library service by publicizing successes and providing information and inspiration to other Alberta libraries" (Municipal Affairs, 2010).
There are a total of four awards to be granted:
1. Excellence in Service Delivery
(libraries serving 15 000+)
2. Excellence in Service Delivery 
(libraries serving under 15 000)<

3. Innovation in Service Delivery 
(ibraries serving 15 000+)

4. Innovation in Service Delivery 
(libraries serving under 15 000) 

The awards for excellence will be given to those libraries that are providing traditional service in the best way, while those given for innovation will go to those libraries providing a new service or doing something in a new way.

So, send in your nomination forms and be recognized for the great service that you provide to your patrons.  The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2010.  

For more information and the application form, visit the Municipal Affairs website.

Recycling at the Library

Here's an interesting idea from American Libraries: why not start a recycling center at your library? Laura Bruzas submitted an article to American Libraries about how she started a recycling center in her library for less than $100. Here are her 3 simple steps:
1. Find a space for it.
2. Decide what you're going to recycle and buy a corresponding number of recycle bins.
3. Advertise it.

Pretty simple, if you have the space for it, and it might bring a whole lot of people into the library. You might even be able to find a 'green' volunteer to handle emptying the bins and taking it to be recycled.

Read the full article at: http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/greenlibrary/100-recycling-center-part-1

Interesting, Inspiring Videos

Interesting, Inspiring Videos

Posted using ShareThis

New Block Rotation starting in February.

New Block Rotation Schedule for 2010

Starting in February, the block rotation schedule will change. The new schedule should coordinate better with the delivery schedule. Below is the new list of which library your library will start sending blocks to in February.

YOUR LIBRARY forwards blocks to this library

Arrowwood > Vulcan

Barnwell > Stirling

Bellevue > Fort MacLeod

Blairmore > Pincher Creek

Bookmobile > Bellevue

Cardston > Magrath

Carmangay > Nanton

Champion > Carmangay

Claresholm > Bookmobile

Coaldale > Picture Butte

Coutts > Wrentham

Enchant > Lomond

Fort Macleod > Lethbridge

Glenwood > Cardston

Granum > Enchant (temporarily to HQ)

Grassy Lake > Arrowwood

Hays > Grassy Lake (temporarily to HQ except video block)

Lethbridge > Stavely

Lomond > Milo

Magrath > Raymond

Milk River > Coutts

Milo > Coaldale

Nanton > Blairmore

Picture Butte > Claresholm

Pincher Creek > Glenwood

Raymond > Barnwell

Stavely > Granum

Stirling > Warner

Taber > Vauxhall

Vauxhall > Hays

Vulcan > Champion

Warner > Milk River

Wrentham > Taber

When the blocks are ready to move in February, the new rotation schedule will be attached as reminder. The new rotation schedule will also replace the old on in the librarian’s files.

Also, please remember to contact me as soon as possible if you encounter any problems when moving or receiving your blocks (ie. item not being put in transit, item showing incorrect transit location, item not on block list, etc.)

Another more unusual list...

Okay, so today I seem to be all about lists.  This one is not strictly professional; however, it could possibly help to answer a tricky reference question. Maybe.  Unlike in my last post, this list is not a list of "bests," but a list of "oddities."  Wikipedia (the social encyclopedia) has put together a list of the "unusual" entries that they consider to be both humorous, interesting and "valuable to the encyclopedia."  Take a look and enjoy.  My favourite: "human mail."  Check it out.

Check out this list of lists!

Happy New Year everyone!  We hope you had a wonderful holiday!  
To help you transition back to work, H.W. Wilson has created a List of Lists - a compilation of the many "best" lists for 2009.  Check them out here: http://www.corecollections.net/dec09.htm. 


Also - don't forget to send in your registration form for this year's Southern Alberta Library Conference coming up February 25th - 27th.  For more information about the conference, click here.