Special libraries

Nov 12

Spring SLIS Online Continuing Ed Courses

SLIS has released the online courses it will be offering for Spring 2014, and it’s a lively and interesting mix with material useful to librarians in all types of libraries. Some highlights include:

The Spring Grant Writing Workshops Series – This three-part series is designed specifically for library staff and students will help new and experienced grant writers alike brainstorm, polish, and submit grant proposals.

Project Management for Librarians – This course is designed to help library staff understand and manage the life cycle of projects, large and small, going on at their library.

Digital Asset Management – Aiming to help you deal with your digital “stuff,” this course will lead you through a systematic process of finding, inventorying, assessing, describing, and managing your library’s or archive’s digital objects.

Get Your Ducks in a Row: Disaster Planning – Don’t be caught off guard! This course will help you identify the information your library needs to have on hand, develop a simple disaster plan, and devise a strategy to keep the plan current.

Working Successfully with Your Library Board – Building a successful, supportive, and honest relationship with your library board is a crucial factor in the success of your library and its projects. This course will teach you the ways you can foster a positive relationship with your board.

Nov 5

We’re looking for experts!

WiLS is happy to announce that we are now recruiting experts for our “Experts Connection” service. We’re looking for smart, talented people in the Wisconsin library community that are interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise with others for paid projects.

Mango Premiere

Mango Languages is launching an innovative new product that teaches language skills using popular films. Learn more about Mango Premiere here: http://www.mangolanguages.com/mango-premiere/libraries

As part of the launch of this new product, Mango is making a special offer to new subscribers. Any library that purchases the original Mango Languages product before December 31, 2013, will receive access to the first 20 Mango Premiere films free. Contact WiLS today for pricing on Mango Languages!

Oct 2

EBSCOhost Interface Enhancements Coming in October

On or after 29 October 2013, EBSCO is releasing several updates and enhancements to the overall look of the Search, Search Results, and Detailed Record pages within EBSCOhost. These updates provide a more visually appealing and intuitive interface for users and are a part of continued efforts to improve the EBSCO search experience based on customer feedback and requests.

The complete list of updates, including updates specific to customers of EBSCO eBooks and EBSCO Discovery Service, is available on the EBSCO Support Site at http://support.ebsco.com/support_news/detail.php?id=795

Oct 1

Service Highlight: Savings from Elsevier

Through a new partnership with Elsevier, WiLS members can tap into ScienceDirect’s vast repository of knowledge on an as-needed basis and with significant savings. ScienceDirect ArticleChoice provides a flexible way to access the content from the ScienceDirect platform. Pay only for the articles you need, when you need them. WiLS members pay $19.50 per article; a savings of more than 30% over list price! For more information, contact Jeff at

Oct 1

Cast your ballot!

Elections are now open for two WiLS board seats: a K12 representative that will serve until July 2016 and a Special/Government Library representative that will serve until July 2015.

(Image from the History of UW-Superior, UWDC collections)

WLA Conference – Play, Create, Innovate

The Wisconsin Library Conference is just around the corner, October 22-25. When you are in the exhibit hall, please be sure to look around the corner for us! You can find us in booth 205 on Wednesday, 10/23, and Thursday, 10/24

Sep 17

ProQuest offers “StatWeek” webinars

September 24th through the 27th is Statistical Week! Celebrating the year of statistics, ProQuest is showcasing their statistical offerings. Check out these webinars for a reminder of how you can use these unique resources for research and reference, and a quick review of how they fit into the larger ProQuest statistical picture:

Statistical Insight : US Federal statistical content
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, 3pm Eastern Daylight Time
https://proquestmeetings.webex.com/proquestmeetings/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=717177700
This webinar will look at the US Federal statistical offerings in Statistical Insight. Long time users will recognize ASI (or American Statistical Index) as the premiere index to statistics produced by the U.S. government.

Statistical Insight : US State government, business, and research institute statistical content
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, 11am Eastern Daylight Time
https://proquestmeetings.webex.com/proquestmeetings/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=712682085
This webinar will look at the US State government, business, and research institute statistical publications in Statistical Insight. Long time users will recognize SRI (or Statistics Reference Index) as the premiere index to statistics produced by US State government, business, and research institutes.

Statistical Insight: International Statistical content
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, 11am Eastern Daylight Time
https://proquestmeetings.webex.com/proquestmeetings/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=715162516
This webinar will look at the international statistical publications in Statistical Insight. Long time users will recognize IIS (or the Index to International Statistics) as the premiere index to statistics produced by international organizations such as the UN, EU, IBRD, and more specialized IGOs.

Statistical Abstract of the U.S.
Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013 11am, Eastern Daylight Time
https://proquestmeetings.webex.com/proquestmeetings/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=717672172
One of the most widely held statistical annuals in the world, the Statistical Abstract of the U.S. has been produced by ProQuest, starting with the 2013 edition. This webinar shows you the what’s in the new ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States Online Edition and how the PDFs and spreadsheets can be put to use in your library.

Statistical Abstracts of the World
Friday, September 27, 2013, 1pm Eastern Daylight Time
https://proquestmeetings.webex.com/proquestmeetings/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=713949135
In this webinar we’ll be looking at our newest offering, the ProQuest Statistical Abstracts of the World, a collection of statistical abstracts from approximately 40 countries. These tables from the publications will be both individually and cross-searchable. Global and regional statistical compendia issued by international organizations and research firms will also be included.

Sep 13

Fill the empty seats on the WiLS board!

Nominations are currently being accepted for two positions on the WiLS board: a K12 representative that will serve until July 2016 and a Special/Government Library representative that will serve until July 2015. Read more

Sep 13

What’s up at WiscNet? Learning opportunity

WiscNet is hosting a “What’s up at WiscNet?” session next Thursday. We know the developments at WiscNet are critical to many of our members, so we wanted to share this information with all of you, from John Pederson:

Hello everybody! A number of folks are asking when the final installment of “What the FAQ WiscNet?” will roll out. Thursday, September 19th, 10:00am. I’m hosting a Google Hangout next week that will both recap where we’ve been [Part #1], [Part #2] and address the most recent developments regarding WiscNet. I know many of you are either coming back off summer break or rebounding from the craziness surrounding teachers and students coming back to school. This will be an excellent chance to catch up on what you need to know about the recent past, present, and future status of WiscNet and the aftermath of another legislative budget session late last spring.

What’s Up at WiscNet? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Thursday, September 19, 2013 – 10:00am – 11:00am
Google Hangout We’ll be online around 9:45am.

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