Teacher's Holocaust Workshop with Author Doreen Rappaport

Friday, October 26 • 1:15pm • Alper JCC

Teacher’s Holocaust Workshop, Doreen Rappaport,

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust

1:15pm - 3pm

Russell Theater

Dave and Mary Alper JCC

11155 SW 112 Avenue

Miam, FL 33176

Doreen Rappaport is the author of numerous award-winning nonfiction books for young readers. In her latest book, Beyond Courage, The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust, she illuminates the defiance of tens of thousands of Jews across eleven Nazi-occupied countries during WWII. Author presentation is open to the community and there is no charge.

Call 305-271-9000 z268 or email Marcy Levitt at mlevitt@alperjcc.org for more information.

Website: http://jewishmiami.org/resources/community_directory/events/teacher_s_holocaust_workshop_alper_jcc_jewish_book_festival 

Torah Aura Webinars

Torah Aura, publisher of Jewish educational materials, now offers free webinars for educators! A webinar is a seminar offered live via Internet. Because a webinar is live, teacher and students can interact, just as in a regular classroom situation. However, webinars are recorded and can be viewed later (non-interactively) by those for whom the scheduled webinar time is not convenient.

Torah Aura's webinars expand upon the company's printed materials, talking about ways to use various titles and also furthering the discussion on each book's topic. Webinars currently listed on the Torah Aura site address issues such as prayer, lifecycle, Israel, and Jewish heroes.

Torah Aura explains how easy it is to partipate:

Basically, you just need any Mac or PC that is connected to a high-speed (not dial-up) internet connection. In order to hear the presentation, you’ll also need computer speakers (or you can listen to the audio over a plain-old phone connection, like dialing into a conference call). You can ask questions by simply typing them in (kind of like typing in a chat room or instant message), or you can ask via audio using a microphone connected to your computer or your phone handset. In a nutshell: as long as your computer isn’t totally ancient, and as long as you have an internet connection that’s faster than dial-up, you’re good to go.

To learn more or to sign up for a webinar, visit http://tapbb.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/torah-aura-professional-development-webinars/.

Summer Conference in Cleveland

Here's your invitation to a unique conference for Jewish educators!

Moreh L'Morim: An Educator's Guide to Perplexing Times will be held at Siegal College in Cleveland, Ohio from August 9-12, 2009.

The conference features outstanding national educators like Vicky Kelman and the staff of the Teva Center for Judaism and Ecology, as well as the full resources of Siegal College and the Cleveland Jewish community. Participants can choose intensive tracks of study or pick from a wide variety of workshops and discussions. Participants can also elect to join in a single day of Jewish learning and professional development. Evening cultural and recreational activities will be available, as well as ongoing opportunities to network with Jewish educators from communities across the country.

Visit www.siegalcollege.edu/summerinstitute.php for details and registration! Educators from Cleveland and our MAHAR partner communities (Akron, Canton, Youngstown and Pittsburgh) are eligible for discounted fees.

Contact conference coordinator Lisa Kollins directly with questions: summerinstitute@siegalcollege.edu or (216) 464-4050.

Free Local Conference on Children's Literature

Here's a press release I received about Broward County Library's annual children's literature conference. I hope to see many of you at the event!

For Immediate Release

Broward County Library invites you to attend its
22nd Annual Conference on Children’s Literature:

JUBILEE! A CELEBRATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR BOOKS

Friday, April 24, 2009
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

For information contact:
Lucia Gonzalez
954-357-7501
Lgonzalez@browardlibrary.org

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE ON CHILDRENS LITERATURE

Broward County Library’s Conference on Children’s Literature will be held Friday, April 24, in conjunction with the Ashley Bryan Art Series, and the Children’s BookFest, a weeklong celebration of Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros…Children’s Day/Book Day. The purpose of the Conference is to offer a learning experience for those who select and provide books for youth: teachers, librarians, media specialists, childcare providers, and parents. The theme: “Jubilee, a Celebration of Young People and Their Books” will focus on teen books that engage and inform as they ignite teens’ interest in community, culture, and the world. All who attend will gain skills and knowledge applicable to working with youth in today’s classrooms and libraries.

The conference is offered completely free of charge. Advanced registration is strongly suggested, as seating is limited.

SPEAKERS

• TONYA BOLDEN is the author of more than twenty books for the young. Among them are Tell All the Children Our Story: Memories and Mementos of Being Young and Black in America, The Champ: The Story of Muhammad Ali, and Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl. Bolden’s latest book is UpClose: W.E.B. Du Bois

• DONNA GEPHART has been writing humor for twenty years, as an editor at a greeting card company and has sold stories, poems and essays to a number of magazines, including: Family Circle, Parents and Highlights for Children. As If Being 12 ¾ Isn’t Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President! is her first novel. She lives in South Florida with her husband and two teenage sons.
  
  
• MEGAN HONIG is the Teen Collection Specialist for New York Public Library. She is well known as a presenter at state and national Conferences. Her latest article, in VOYA August 2008, discusses “street lit” and teens.

• G. NERI has been a filmmaker, interactive media producer and illustrator. He has taught animation to inner-city teens in Los Angeles. His book, Chess Rumble, was listed on the ALA Notable Booklist. He now lives in Tampa, where he writes urban teen fiction, especially for boys.

• JAMES E. RANSOME is a renowned children’s book illustrator and painter. The Children’s Book Council named him one of “seventy-five authors and illustrators everyone should know”. Ransome has received both the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and the IBBY Honor Award for his book, The Creation. He has illustrated more than 40 books, including Sky Boys (the 2006 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book and ALA Notable Book), Major Taylor and many other highly acclaimed titles.

REGISTRATION

There is no registration fee but seating is limited. After April 10, please call to check on seating availability

To confirm e-mail Annie Smith at asmith@browardlibrary.org

For conference information please call Nancy Murray at (954) 357-7336

LUNCH

Lunch is not provided. Please bring lunch or a list of area restaurants will be provided.

LOCATION

African-American Research Library and Cultural Center
2650 Sistrunk Boulevard
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311
954-625-2823

GENERAL LOCATION

The branch is located on West Sistrunk Boulevard (6th Street) between NW 31st Street on the west, I-95 on the east, Sunrise Boulevard on the north, and Broward Boulevard on the south.

Book Discussion: Spiritual Radical

Correction: Date has been changed from April 26 to April 19!

Temple Beth Am's Ideas Through Books Series
Sunday morning, April 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM in the Chapel

Join the discussion led by Larry Apple on the newly published
Spiritual Radical: Abraham Joshua Heschel in America, 1940-1972 by Edward K. Kaplan

Guest host Larry Apple will lead us in a discussion of Heschel, as described in this latest biography by Edward K. Kaplan, and through a collection of his essays found in Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity. “This religiously contentious world needs the noble witness of Abraham Joshua Heschel more than ever. Edward K. Kaplan's lucid and compelling account of Heschel's life in America is an urgently important book."-James Carroll, author of Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews.

Ideas Through Books meetings are free and open to the public…. AND we serve bagels and coffee. Call us in the Temple Beth Am library to let us know how many to expect: 305-667-6667 x 128. Info on Temple Beth Am is at tbam.org.

Jewish Music Lecture at FAU

FAU Libraries’ Judaica Sound Archives to Host “The Development of Jewish Art Music” with Paul Green

WHAT:
“The Development of Jewish Art Music,” a lecture and demonstration by clarinetist Paul Green exploring Jewish art music from its biblical roots to modern times with excerpts from vintage phonograph recordings.

WHEN:
Wednesday, April 1, at 3:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Florida Atlantic University
Wimberly Library
Fifth Floor East
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431

COST:
Free and open to the public.
JSA donors can reserve seats
by calling the JSA.

CONTACT:
JSA at FAU Libraries at 561-297-0080

DESCRIPTION:
Paul Green teaches clarinet and chamber music at Florida Atlantic and Florida International universities, and is principal clarinetist of the Florida Grand Opera, the Concert Association of Florida and the Boca Raton Symphonia. He studied with the noted clarinetist Leon Russianoff and performed Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals” in a Young People’s Concert with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. Green received a Bachelor of Art degree in music theory and composition from Yale University and a Master of Science degree in performance from The Juilliard School in 1972.

The JSA has been collecting, preserving and digitizing Judaica sound recordings since 2002. For more information, visit www.fau.edu/jsa.

Educational Technology Conference

"Our Students' Futures: Some Assembly Required" is the theme of the 2009 Palm Beach County Educational Technology Conference. The event will be held on Friday March 27, 2009, 8am-4pm at the Santaluces Community High School in Lake Worth. There will be sessions on technologies used to enhance reading, presentation skills, using programs like Photoshop and VoiceThread, podcasting, vodcasting, and more. Although the pre-registration period has ended, you can still attend by signing up at the On-Site Registration table on the day of the conference. The conference is aimed at educators, and although it is sponsored by the Palm Beach County School District, public and private educators from around South Florida are welcome to attend.

For information on the conference, including a full schedule, a list of keynote speakers, and directions to Santaluces, visit pbspaces.com/techconf.

Storyteller Diane Wolkstein Coming to South Florida

Diane Wolkstein is a renowned storyteller and author. She focuses on folk tales from around the world, and invokes her own Jewish heritage in her books Treasures of the Heart: Holiday Stories That Reveal the Soul of Judaism and Esther's Story. She will be giving several performances and workshops in South Florida this February.

Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7-9 PM
Palm Beach Storytelling Guild Meeting

Luis Hernandez Salon and Art Studio, 142 SE 5th Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483, phone 561-353-0338. Directions to the meeting; I-95 or Turnpike To Atlantic Ave Delray exit east. Go to SE 5th AVE (Federal Hwy south) and make a right. Pass SE 1st ST traffic light and find the 5th unit on your right.

Saturday, February 14, 2009, 12:30pm
A Taste of Love: A Valentine's Day Special

Willow Theatre, Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida (View Google Map), Admission: $25 (including lunch), Reservations: (561) 347–3948.

This event is part of the series "A Cultural Feast: A Deliciously Different Performance Event," and is sponsored by the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters at Florida Atlantic University.

Sunday, February 15, 2009, 10AM-2PM
Storytelling Workshop with Diane Wolkstein, FAU in Boca Raton

Diane's workshops are for everyone who loves stories, wants to hear more stories, and wants to learn to tell more stories. In her workshops, she incorporates exercises dealing with voice, gesture, and character development. Depending on the focus of the workshop, she speaks about story content, understanding of story genres (folk tale, fairy tale, myth, epic), and understanding the persona of the storyteller.

Everyone who attends has the opportunity to tell at least one story. Among those who attend her workshops are parents, librarians, actors, therapists, educators, writers, dancers, lawyers, and taxi drivers. There is always a cross section of people and of interests, creating lively participation and interaction. Participants at Diane's workshops leave with an increased appreciation of the skills and importance of storytelling as well as with a treasure: a new story — their story.

Registration fee: $75.00 per person
To register, please contact: cneile@fau.edu

Valuing Libraries Workshop

SFAJL's "Valuing Libraries" workshop on January 8 was very successful! We had 36 people in attendance, SFAJL members as well as many other librarians from the community at large. Our speaker, Joanne Roukens, was funny, down-to-earth, and incredibly well-organized! She provided us with a multitude of handouts, lists of further resources, and step-by-step instructions on articulating the value of our libraries. Links to the handouts are below - please feel free to reproduce and share.

=============================

PART 1 of the Workshop is VALUING YOUR SERVICES

"Valuing Your Services" Powerpoint presentation - this Powerpoint will walk you through the first half of the workshop. It includes live links to many additional resources.

Workbook, Part 1 "Valuing Your Services" - This is a Word document. You can fill in the blanks with info about your own library.

Neptune Public Library Example

Niceville Library Sample Value Sheet

Fill-in Worksheet for Your Library - in Excel

Resource List, Part 1 - with links

PART 2 of the workshop is MAKING YOUR CASE

"Making Your Case" Powerpoint presentation

Workbook, Part 2 "Making Your Case" - a Word document for you to fill in

Strategy for Communication document - a Word document, fill in the blanks with your specifics

Resource List, Part 2 - with links

"Dear Mayor" Impact Letter Example

If you have questions or comments, please contact our instructor, Joanne Roukens, at jroukens@hrlc.org.

Are YOU Valuable?

In these days of shrinking budgets, it's more important than ever that librarians be able to show that their libraries provide value. After all, you don't want to be the "fat" that gets trimmed when your organization tightens its belt (sorry for the mixed metaphor)!

AJL wants to help YOU prevent such a dire situation. That is why we are flying Joanne Roukens down from New Jersey to offer her acclaimed "VALUING LIBRARIES" workshop!

On Thursday, January 8, 2009, from 10am to about 3 or 4pm, Joanne will lead us through hands-on exercises that any library can use to clearly demonstrate its value to patrons, management, and other stakeholders. She'll teach us to evaluate our programs and services, calculate the "return on investment" to our institutions, and articulate the value of our libraries in a demonstrable way.

I attended this workshop when it was held at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention last June in Cleveland, OH, and I must tell you that it was absolutely amazing. Not only is Joanne an intelligent and entertaining speaker, but the importance of the content is absolutely crucial to libraries. The tough economic times make it especially relevant, but we all know that libraries need to prove their value at all times, so that we don't get taken for granted. Although the program is coming to South Florida on a work day, I'd say it's absolutely worth missing one day of work for a session that can help your library on such a profound level.

The workshop will be held at CAJE (Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education) in Miami, at 4200 Biscayne Blvd. There is no charge for the program (original $15 fee has been waived!), and kosher lunch will be provided to participants for free. RSVP is required: email info@sfaj.org.

Joanne Roukens was named the New Jersey Library Association's 2007 Librarian of the Year. She's the Executive Director of Highlands Regional Library Cooperative in Denville, NJ, which serves 975 libraries in a 7-county region. Above, you can see Joanne's terrific attitude, as she poses with the NJLA SuperLibrarian mascot.

German Library Director Addresses Jewish Librarians' Convention

Barbara Schneider-Kempf, the Director General of the Berlin State Library in Germany, has accepted an invitation to speak at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention in Chicago in July, 2009. She will present the findings of the Berlin State Library's study of books stolen by the Nazis and incorporated into German libraries. According to the German newspaper Die Welt, it is estimated that up to 150,000 of the books at Berlin's Central and Regional Library headquarters are thought to have been stolen by the Nazis from Jews, freemasons, social democrats, and others persecuted under Hitler's regime. A major aim of the new research project is to identify volumes that can be restored to the original owners or their heirs.

"In keeping with our convention theme of 'Empowering Librarians for the 21st Century,' we owe this amazing opportunity to electronic communications," said AJL President Susan Dubin. "An AJL member read about the study online and posted a link to AJL's listserv; our convention committee read that posting and subsequently emailed the Berlin State Library. We're excited to be able to connect in this way, and we're so pleased that we'll soon be connecting in person."

The Association of Jewish Libraries' 44th annual convention will be held July 5-8, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. Librarians, archivists and scholars from numerous disciplines will meet to share their interest in Judaica librarianship and related areas. Ms. Schneider-Kempf's presentation, "Stolen Books: The Third Reich's Exchange Center and the Prussian State Library,1933-1945," will be a highlight of the convention, and will complement the keynote address by Northwestern University scholar Peter Hayes who has written numerous books on the Holocaust. For more information about AJL and its convention, visit www.jewishlibraries.org.

Chanukah Storytelling

Chanukah Happening, a storytelling event, will take place at Temple Sinai in Delray Beach on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 6:45pm. Admission $5. The Palm Beach County Storytelling Guild says:

Chanukah is a special time for storytelling! We retell the story of the Maccabees to rekindle our courage and faith. We carry within us many personal and family stories and favorite folktales about the holiday season. They may be stories that move us to tears or laughter, inspire, teach, and/or learn. Come share them with us and we will offer latkes and dreidels in return!

Contact Elisa Eisenman at 561-499-0712. Temple Sinai is located at 2475 West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach.

Teaching with Comics

I've just received word from Lissette Mendez, the program coordinator for Miami Book Fair International and the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, that there will be a special program about teaching with comic books on Friday, November 14, 2008. This is a great opportunity to learn something extremely cool, that your students can really relate to. As Lissette says, "MAUS is a literary classic, but there are many, many comics that can be used in the classroom." (Art Spiegelman, author of MAUS, will be at the Fair this year, by the way.)

Full details are included in the press release below.

The world of comics comes alive at the 25^th Anniversary Miami Book Fair International with a new component dedicated to comic books and graphic novels. Presented in collaboration with Diamond Book Distributors, the Comix Galaxy will present sessions with creators/authors, a gallery exhibition of original comics artwork, and the participation of comics publishers and retailers, as well as a day of free panel discussions for librarians, educators, and parents who want to teach using comic books and graphic novels. The School of Comics: All About Graphic Novels, Comic Books and Manga will be held on Friday, November 14, at Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Wolfson Campus, 500 N.E. Second Ave., Building 7, Room 7128. A complete list of Comix Galaxy panel discussions is listed below:

10-10:50 a.m. Welcome Session: Panel Discussion with Arlene Allen, Robin Brenner, Adam Johnson, Tom Kealey, Francoise Mouly and David Serchay
Witness the explosion of graphic novel and comics related blockbuster movies and television shows, such as Heroes on NBC. The success of graphic novels began in a place where it was least expected: the library. Facilitators will discuss what led to this point and what can be done to capitalize on this new form of literacy.

11-11:50 a.m. Graphic Novels: Introducing an Exciting Format that Draws New Readers! Facilitated by Librarian David Serchay
Graphic novels have an increased presence in libraries, and while titles are not suitable for all ages, more and more titles are being created for younger readers. They are even being used in classroom activities and reading lists. Serchay discusses what sort of graphic novels are available, and how to discern age-appropriateness. Why librarians and educators should have them in their library (or collection), how to purchase, catalogue and shelve them, how to publicize the collection, and how to make use of it in the library, media center or classroom.

1-1:50 p.m. Welcome to Manga! What is this stuff from Japan? Facilitated by Librarian Arlene Allen
This entry-level session will be a gateway into the world of Japanese manga comics. How should librarians and educators select manga and create manga reading clubs? Is there a difference between manga and anime? Adding manga and graphic novels to a collection can deliver circulation numbers and bring in an entirely new and different reading population.

2-2:50 p.m. A Deeper Look At Manga: The world of the Otaku
Facilitated by Librarian Robin Brenner
Robin Brenner’s appearance courtesy of Bookreporter.com and TeenReads.com
Due to its origins in Japanese culture, manga carries with it an entire world of iconography and meaning. Beyond the characters--Pokemon, Naruto, Sailor Moon and Fruitsbasket, there are themes and languages that are part of each genre within the manga format that continue to delight, entertain and even educate a generation of new readers. What is Shojo, Yaoi, Shonen, or Josei? This session will reveal the deeper, hidden meanings in the language of the Otaku, or fan of manga.

3-3:50 p.m.Comics and Writing: Shake Girl, The Stanford University Graphic Novel Project
Facilitated by Professor Adam Johnson
Professor Adam Johnson created a unique project for Stanford University's Creative Writing Department combining comics creation and creative writing. In just ten short weeks, his students created a phenomenal story based on true events that took place in Cambodia--the graphic novel, Shake Girl. During the course of the program, the students studied the craft of storytelling through this exciting medium, and collaborated to write and publish their own book. Johnson will discuss the development of this program and what it can mean to writing programs of all levels.

Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions, but it is not required.

The School of Comics: All About Graphic Novels, Comic Books and Mangais free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register visit www.miamibookfair.com and click on Comix Galaxy. To obtain more information, please contact Lissette Mendez at 305-237-3940, Lissette.mendez@mdc.edu.

Jewish Children's Book Writers Conference

Okay, so this isn't Floridian news. But if you plan to travel to the Big Apple in November, maybe you'll have a chance to attend the 10th Annual Jewish Children's Book Writers Conference at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. It takes place on Sunday, November 23, 2008, 9am-5pm, and it costs $95 to register ($110 after November 1).

The conference is a good learning and networking opportunity for anyone who aspires to write or illustrate Jewish-content books for children.

Featured speakers are associate agent Michelle Andelman of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, publisher David E. Behrman of Behrman House, executive editor Michelle Frey of Alfred A. Knopf and Crown Books for Young Readers, editor Larry Rosler of Boyds Mills Press, director Joni Sussman of Kar-Ben Publishing, and illustrator’s agent Melissa Turk of Melissa Turk & The Artist Network.

Award-winning author Johanna Hurwitz will give opening remarks, and the day will include sessions on publishing and writing in Israel, the Sydney Taylor Book Award and Manuscript Competitions, and individual consultations with editors and agents from past conferences.

More info at 212-415 5544 or library@92Y.org

Learn Better Googling

Here is an online course that might be of interest:

Title: Essential Tools & Tips for Successful Web Searching (online learning course)

Dates: August 26, 2008 – September 22, 2008 To register for this workshop: Use the online registration form at http://infopeople.org/workshop/385

Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and $150 for those out-of-state

"Google it" is the way a lot of people find information. Often, we (and our library users) "ask Google" and are amazed how often it works. But sometimes we get too much. Or, even when we know the answer is on the web, we cannot construct a search that pulls out just what we need.
We get millions of search results and wonder "What next?" We lack a search strategy for navigating the billions of web pages and other stuff that's out there.

· What goes on in search engines? How do they "think" about searching?
· What are today's best search engines after Google? Why are they the best?
· What are the most useful search commands? Will they work beyond Google?
· How can I create searches that effectively zero in on just what I need?
· When is it time to turn from web search engines to subject directories?
· How can I find good, specific directories on subjects my users or I need to explore?
· Is there a best search strategy for searching for a variety of information?
· How do I deal with the need to evaluate all the stuff on the web quickly?

In this course, you will explore answers to all these questions and more. It offers a comprehensive introduction to the best search engines and general subject directories, to many ways to use them to find information quickly and efficiently, and an overall search strategy applicable to most web searching. It is designed for those who want to refresh their web search skills or are fairly new to web searching. It consolidates the instructor's 12 years of experience teaching web search.

Workshop Description: This four-week online learning course will help you at the reference desk or in any situation where you think, "I bet that's on the web; let's take a look." It is designed to enhance your speed and confidence deciding where to search, why, and how. Through online readings and individual exercises, you will be able to apply and practice the essential tips and tools of web searching. The instructor will provide, cheat sheets that can be used after the course.

During the course, you will be doing exercises and taking quizzes to help you verify your grasp of the tips and tools explained in the weekly readings. You will also participate in online discussion forums and have a chance to submit a real question from your own experience to be searched and answered by another student in the class. We will discuss your successes and frustrations with this "ready for anything" exercise in terms of the search strategies offered in this course.

Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and complete the following learning modules:
Module One: The Best Web Search Engines Today How search engines work Strengths and weaknesses of the best search engines Essential search principles shared by almost all search engines Module Two: Using Limiter Commands to Focus Your Search Results Essential limiter commands and how they work Building effective searches using and combining limiter commands Module Three: When to Turn to Subject Directories The best general subject directories today The essentials of evaluating what you find on the web Using Google to find specialized subject directories and link-rich pages Module Four: Being "Ready for Anything"
Developing search strategies for different kinds of questions Analyzing questions, learning as you go, and remaining flexible

Instructor: Joe Barker. Until June 2007, Joe worked full time as a reference and instruction librarian at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Doe library and the Moffitt undergraduate library.

He also maintained an online web searching tutorial which remains one of the most heavily used resources for finding and evaluating information on the web. He has been teaching web searching for Infopeople, especially in connection with answering reference questions, since 2000 on topics such as PowerSearch, State of the Art Web Searching, Extreme Googling, Making the Most of the Post-Google Web, and Web 2.0: Searching Innovations.

Online Learning Details:
This four-week course will be taught online using the web. When you register, you will receive a registration confirmation that will include the URL to get to the course, as well as a username and password.

Every student proceeds through the online learning modules at his or her own pace. Students should expect to commit to spending a minimum of 2½ to 3 hours per week on this course in order to be successful.

You can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night. However, you will be expected to log in to the course each week to do that week's assignment. We ask that you log in sometime during the first week of the course to begin the course work.

Your instructor will be available for limited consultation support for two weeks after the official end date of a course, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that, to give those who have fallen behind time to work independently on the course. However, you will be expected to accomplish the majority of the course in synchronization with your peers during the first four weeks.

Who Should Take This Course: Anyone from the library community with an interest in improving his or her skills and efficiency at finding information on the Web. This course covers the essentials of using search engines and subject directories, and shows how to integrate them into search strategies to find what you need. It also succinctly covers evaluating web information. It will be followed by an Advanced Searching online course.

Prerequisites:
This course is taught over the web. You must:
Have an Internet connection and Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
Be able to save Microsoft Word .doc or Adobe .pdf files to your computer and print them out. (For .doc files, a free Word Viewer is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en. Search for "Word Viewer." For .pdf files, a free Adobe Acrobat Reader is available at http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html).
Be comfortable navigating on the web and navigating back and forward on a website that uses frames.
To be most successful in this course you should be willing to share information with your colleagues and be willing to spend time reading and participating in the weekly discussion boards.

System Requirements: The online learning product that Infopeople uses is called Angel. The following are minimum system requirements for using Angel. You will need access to a computer that has at least these specifications to participate in an online course:
Windows:
Internet Explorer 6.0 and above, Netscape 7.1 and above, or Firefox
1.5 and above
Macintosh:
Mozilla 1.4 and above (which is the same engine as Netscape 7.1), Safari 2.0 and above, or Firefox 1.5 and above OS X and above (OS 9 will NOT work with our online learning product) If you are not comfortable with any of the above, please consider taking this course with a colleague who does meet these requirements.

To view a complete list of Infopeople workshops and for general information about Infopeople Training opportunities, go to the main Infopeople Workshops page at http://infopeople.org/workshop

If you have questions about registration or scheduling of workshops, please contact Linda Rodenspiel, the Infopeople Project Assistant, at assist@infopeople.org or by phone at 650-578-9685.