volume #4 issue#19

May 10, 2007

Prairie Views: the newsletter of the Prairie Area Library System

System News

PALS Board Meeting
The PALS Board will meet on Tuesday, May 15, at 10:00 a.m. at the PALS Rockford Service Center. The agenda for the meeting is now posted on the PALS website.

Congratulations!!
Congratulations to the first three graduates of the UW-Madison/PALS cohort group! Sarah Carlin, Brian Smallwood, and Janet Johnson will graduate this May with their Master's Degree in Library and Information Studies. These students began their studies in the fall of 2005 and are looking forward to completing this phase of their education. Congratulations!

Events/Continuous Learning
CLeO: All continuous learning events sponsored by PALS are open to all staff or representatives of member libraries. Registration is required for all PALS continuous learning programs. To register, visit the PALS CLeO at http://www.palsnet.info/events/

Information on registration, how to set up a CLeO account, and PALS procedures for continuous learning can be found on the PALS website at: http://www.palsnet.info/services/cl/default.asp

PALS Events by Month

NIU Class at PALS Service Centers this Fall
"Instructional Technology Tools" (ETT 530) will be offered this fall via videoconference at the three PALS Service Centers (Rockford, Shorewood, and Coal Valley) from Northern Illinois University. The class will run on Thursdays from Sept. 13-Dec. 13 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. There are also two lab sessions required on the NIU campus in DeKalb. Those will be held on Sat., Oct. 20 and Sat., Dec. 1st from 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

A second class, "Introduction to Educational Research" (ETR 520) will also be held this fall. Students can take it online or attend class at NIU--Rockford, NIU--Naperville, or NIU--DeKalb. Both classes are media electives for those interested in school media certification, endorsement, or the master's degree in Instructional Technology. For specifics on registering or further information on the NIU/PALS program partnership, please contact Karen Woodworth Roman, Program Advisor, at 815-753-9321 or kwoodworth@niu.edu, Jane Lenser janel@palsnet.info, or Norma Applegate normaa@palsnet.info.

Fall 2007 LTA Classes at Rockford and Coal Valley Service Centers
Attention library support staff! Are you looking for opportunities to learn more about the library world? Are you looking toward advancement in your current position or in your career? Then the LTA (Library Technical Assistant) Program may be for you. In past years, PALS has offered the LTA program from the College of DuPage via videoconference at both the Rockford and the Coal Valley Service Centers. We are considering offering this opportunity again in fall 2007.

If you are interested or for additional information, please contact Dawn DiVenti dawnd@palsnet.info
This is a great way to enter or re-enter the academic environment.
Check http://www.cod.edu/LTA for more information.

Limited Openings
The Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS), in cooperation with the UIUC Office of Continuing Education, is pleased to announce a limited number of registration openings in several on campus and online Summer 2007 graduate level credit courses via the Community Credit Academic Outreach Program. Formal admission to the University is not necessary, but a bachelor's degree is required. Those interested in taking a class should fill out the Request to Enroll in GSLIS Course(s) form. You will be contacted regarding availability and registration procedures.

Summer Session Two begins June 9 and ends August 2.

Online (LEEP)
LIS 504 LE Reference and Information Services Lori Mestre Live sessions Tu 4-6 pm On campus Saturday, June 9
LIS 530 GLE Legal Resources Travis McDade Live sessions W 4-6pm On campus Tuesday, June 12
LIS 590 SDL Digital Social Sciences William Wheeler Live sessions W 6:30-8:30 pm On campus Saturday, June 9
LIS 590 SLE HR Mgmt in Library and Info Centers Debra Wilcox Johnson Live sessions M 4-6:15 On campus Sunday, June 10
LIS 590 TML Topic Maps Patrick Durusau Live sessions Tu 6:15-8:15 pm On campus Tu Wed June 12 and 13

A list of classes available for the summer semester and the enrollment form are located at http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/programs/cpd/Community_Credit/

Teen Second Life: Library Services in a 3D World
Presented by Kelly Czarnecki, Technology Education Librarian for Teens and Youth, ImaginOn, the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County
Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 12 p.m. - 1 pm
Have a look inside this new world just for teens. Second Life has created a grid just for teens. They can do the same things as on the adult grid - fly, design clothes, make movies, build their own house, stream music, and more - but the grid is for teens only. Learn how this immersive space can help keep library services relevant to teens. Register now to take part in this FREE webinar.

Kelly Czarnecki holds a Master of Education degree in Educational Policy and a master's degree in Library Science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She came to the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County after working four years as a young adult librarian in a public library and one year in an academic library. She is co-leader of Eye4You Alliance Island, a project to offer library services in the 3D environment of Second Life for teens. She works to engage teens at her library in building new insights that will give them competitive skills in the school and eventually in the work environment. Czarnecki presented on gaming at the American Library Association Midwinter Conference in 2007, the North Carolina Library Association Technology and Trends Conference, Computers and Libraries, Five Weeks to a Social Library, and several libraries throughout the United States. Her projects have appeared in American Libraries, School Library Journal, YPulse, and the Young Adult Library Services. She is currently working on a gaming column for School Library Journal and a book chapter with Information Today, and she is teaching an online class for librarians of the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Register for this SirsiDynix Institute webinar at: https://events.livemeeting.com/SirsiDynix052207Reg.htm If you have missed previous SirsiDynix Institute events, or are unable to make this one, we have an extensive archive posted at http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/archive.php. You can check them out at any time. More 2007 SirsiDynix Institute events are being posted each week: http://www.sirsidynixinstitute.com/

Member News

Condolences
Franklin Grove Public Library notified us that Joan Sankis passed away last week at home. Joan had been a staff member at Franklin Grove Library for 6 years and served as interim director for one of those years. Our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and family.

Congratulations & Welcome!
To the new director of the Colona Public Library, Phyllis Von Arb. Phyllis is just completing her MLS from U 0f W - Milwaukee. Some of you already know Phyllis because she did internships at PALS CV and Davenport PL Special Collections. Please welcome Phyllis to the Coal Valley neighborhood.

Other new PALS public library directors:
Jeff Munson, Creston-Dement Public Library
Kimberly Winter, Elizabeth Township Public Library
Brenda Hartman, Peru Public Library
Paul Seelau, Scott County Library System
Congratulations to all!

Congratulations and Farewell!
Long-time Plainfield Public Library District Head of Children's Services Deb Piunti has announced her retirement - and impending nuptials! Deb retires effective June 30th, but her last day at the library was Thursday, May 10th. She'll be married in Alabama on Monday, May 14th to Doug Clemons . She will be on sick leave until her resignation date, due to her fiancé/husband's surgery on May 15th. We wish Deb and Doug a long and happy marriage enjoying her retirement together, and a speedy recovery for Doug!

Rock Island Library Seeks Entries for Two New Children's Room Murals
Murals will be painted by student artists this summer · Entries are due to library by Thursday, May 31.
Your child's artistic talent could be on permanent display in the Rock Island Public Library's downtown Children's Room. But first, he or she needs to enter. The Rock Island Library received a grant from Quad City Arts in January to fund the production this summer of two murals for the newly renovated Children's Room. Project facilitator Gloria Burlingame is currently seeking design entries from students for two mural themes: "Ideas A-Float" and "Literary Lions and Other Critters Between the Covers." Some entrants will also be selected to help paint the two murals.

"Ideas A-Float uses a river theme of floating books, while Literary Lions is a alphabet theme that uses animals or book characters from students' favorite books," explains Sue Foster, Director of Children's Services at Rock Island. "We're looking forward to having these colorful murals convey the enjoyment, love of learning and values that make libraries such a positive place for families and children." Completed entry forms are due back to any Rock Island Library location by 5 p.m., Thursday, May 31. Several designs and painters will be selected for the project. Mural painting will begin on Tuesday, June 12, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and will continue for five or six weeks afterwards. "We really want the murals to reflect the images and ideas of children, which is why we're using a call-for entries format," adds Foster. The project is open to children in grades 4 through 6 who attend schools in Rock Island and Milan, or who live in the Rock Island/Milan service area. Homeschooled children are eligible. The call-to-entry form can be picked up at any Rock Island Public Library location. For more information, contact the Children's Room at 732-7360.

Funding for the library's Children's Room mural project came from Quad City Arts Dollar$: Community Access to the Arts funds, provided by the Illinois Arts Council, the Riverboat Development Authority, the Doris and Victor Day Foundation, the John Deere Foundation, the Mary Iva Gittens Knouse Charitable Trust, Quad City Arts Partners and Festival of Trees.

Missing Books - we've added a new section to Prairie Views where members are welcome to post information about materials that are missing in transit. As with all Prairie Views submissions, please send to prairieviews@palsnet.info.

Missing
FROM JWHB Joliet West HS TO Joliet Public
Humanity: a moral history of the twentieth century
Glover, Johathan
909.82 GLO 3196700678777
(Joliet Black Rd book)

Freebies/Exchanges/For Sale/Wanted

Prairie Area Library System offers a means for members to share discarded items to needy libraries. Procedures are outlined in the Reference Member Services Guide http://www.palsnet.info/services/reference/reference_guide.asp They are also outlined below.

Libraries wanting to offer up materials can email to Prairie Views, providing the following information:
*Library's name and phone number
*Title(s) of the items discarded

A list will be compiled for inclusion in the weekly Prairie Views newsletter. Anyone interested in freebies are to contact the library directly, (no earlier than Monday following the listing). Members are responsible for making their own arrangements. The PALS van delivery may be available for transporting items, as space and time permits. Contact your Service Center Delivery Manager to arrange for delivery of large shipments.

PALS Members - please remember that you are asked to not request or release any items whether they are Free or For Sale until Monday following the publication of the announcement in Prairie Views. This gives library staff a chance to see the message and request the materials if they are interested. Thanks for your cooperation - we have had several complaints in recent weeks about items being released before Monday.

Rock Valley College
Giveaways:
Applied Science & Technology Index 1984-1996
Bibliographic Index 1956-1994
Biological & Agricultural Index 1964-1996
Biology Digest 1975-1996
CINAHL 1977-1996
General Science Index 1978-1996
Library Literature 1961-2003

These cannot be sent on the delivery, arrangements will have to be made to pick them up.

If interested contact:
Brent Eckert
b.eckert@rockvalleycollege.edu

Wanted
Manual or electric typewriter with a card platen roller to borrow or buy if inexpensive, for a volunteer church library. Contact Mary Carol Powers.

Kaplan University
is offering the books in the attached list free-of-charge. Please email requests to Jennifer Smith at jsmith@kucampus.edu

Job Openings
Jobs can be submitted on the PALS website at http://www.palsnet.info/jobs/ or by sending them to prairieviews@palsnet.info. All jobs submitted by either method will be included in Prairie Views for one week and will be posted for 120 days on the PALS website unless the library posting the job requests that it be removed before 120 days. Visit http://www.palsnet.info/jobs/ to views all the job ads that PALS currently has posted.

No Jobs this week.

Reference and ILL News
No Reference and ILL News this week.

Youth Services and School Library News

Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards
Children's book illustrator Kristen Balouch and writer Kelly Cunnane will be awarded the 2007 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for their outstanding work in children's literature. Kristen Balouch will receive the New Illustrator Award for her book, Mystery Bottle (Hyperion, 2006), a heartwarming story about a young boy and his grandfather separated by the distance of their countries and united by a mysterious bottle.
The 2007 New Writer Award will go to first-time children's book writer Kelly Cunnane for For You Are A Kenyan Child (Atheneum, 2006), illustrated by previous Keats Book Award winner Ana Juan, which recounts a day in the life of a young boy growing up in a small Kenyan village.
The Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards are given annually to an outstanding new writer and illustrator of picture books for children (age 9 and under) and are presented jointly by The New York Public Library and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. The selection committee reviews entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, strong and supportive families, and, true to the nature of Ezra Jack Keats' own picture books, the multicultural nature of our world. To be eligible, writers and illustrator must have published no more than three books. At the award ceremony the winners are presented with the Keats Book Award medallion and a check for $1,000.

IREAD
The 2007 iREAD committee is pleased to announce that the Adler Planetarium will be a partner of iREAD this summer and they have created a website that has all the information librarians, parents and kids might need. Here is the link to the information.
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/education/iread/index.shtml#lib

2008 IREAD - Get in the Game--Read
The IREAD committee is once again going to be holding a more interactive showcase for the IREAD manual at the ILA conference in October. They are asking for help in making this possible. There are so many talented individuals in the library systems throughout the state and they want to use those talents. They are looking for individuals who can bring some ideas and talents to the ILA conference? Ideally they would like several members from each library system to bring crafts, games, slogans etc to the conference so others could gain some valuable ideas for the upcoming summer. This years conference will be held in Springfield from October 10 – 11 and the showcase will be featuring ideas for the 2008 theme “Get in the Game –Read!” If you are interested in sharing, let Jane or Norma know and we will pass your names on to Julie Robbins. Thanks.

Programs-in-a-Box Available to Borrow
The Youth Services Forum (YSF) is pleased to announce that we have started Programs-in-a-Box to help Youth Librarians with their program planning. The YSF has put together different themed programs (each in its own container) that can be checked out by Illinois librarians. Each box contains materials for a great themed program and includes books, puppets, craft suggestions and other creative ideas for a fun and entertaining event. So far, five Programs-in-a-Box are available covering the following topics: Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Captain Underpants, and Parachute Play.

To find out more about Programs-in-a-Box or to reserve one, please contact Lori Craft at the Itasca Community Library by phone at(630)773-1699 or email lcraft@linc.lib.il.us.

The attached program guides list what is in each kit and gives program suggestions.
Bob the Builder
Captain Underpants
Dora the Explorer
Parachute Fun
Thomas the Tank Engine

Step Up to the plate @ your library :
Baseball and libraries team up for end-of-the-school-year program Did you ever notice that as the weather gets warmer, attention spans get shorter? If you're looking for a way to keep your students engaged through the end of the school year, join AASL, ALA and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Step Up to the Plate @ your library. The program brings together two of America's favorite pastimes - baseball and libraries -to encourage reading. Children and young adults between the ages of 9 to 18 years of age are invited to go to their library, check out a book about baseball and describe how their favorite character inspired them. One grand prize winner will receive a trip to the Hall of Fame in October 2007.

The program Web site at http://www.ala.org/baseball offers free promotional tools to help libraries sponsor the program locally. Tools include program logos in both English and Spanish and a toolkit that includes sample press materials and programming ideas. Kids are not the only winners in Step Up to the Plate. The library that brings in the most entries will win a $100 bookstore gift certificate, and three runners up will be awarded a $50 ALA Graphics gift certificate.
All four will also receive a copy of Lawrence Hogan's Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball (published by National Geographic Society).

The program concludes September 1, 2007. First-place prize packages also will be awarded (five in each of four age categories: age 9-11; 12-14; 15-16 and 17-18) and include a commemorative hardbound copy of the Hall of Fame Yearbook; Hall of Fame t-shirt; commemorative set of 20 Hall of Fame baseball cards; DVD copy of the classic baseball movie, "The Sandlot;" miniature souvenir Akadema Pro baseball glove; and a Jackie Robinson History Lives poster from ALA Graphics.

New Thomson Gale School Offer Still Open
There has been great interest expressed from Illinois high schools for the new Gale Virtual Reference Library(GVRL) package. In response to your feedback, a reduction of up to 50% in the purchase price for GVRL has been negotiated. This tremendous offer will provide unlimited in-school and remote access to 326 reference titles. It also significantly reduces the age of a reference collection, provides significant coverage of all curriculum areas, and much more. For more information visit the Library Partnership Trust site, http://www.lptrust.org.

Public Library News
No Public Library News this week.

Academic Library News
No Academic Library News this week.

Special Library News
No Special Library News this week.

Support Staff News
No Support Staff News this week.

Technology Services News
No Technology Services News this week.

E-Rate Corner

As June 30 approaches, it is time for many of you to receive your E-rate funds from the phone companies. This process involves the BEAR form – Billed Entity Applicant Reimbursement form. The phone companies will not automatically send the funds to you – you must request them by way of this form. In addition, each phone company may also have their own form that must be filled out in addition to the BEAR. Most of the information on this 4 page form is contained on your funding commitment decision letter. Tune in next week when I will list the SPIN numbers and phone and fax numbers for the most commonly used phone companies. For

E-Rate help contact Marilyn at PALS Rockford; email: marilynj@palsnet.info or phone: 815-229-4470 or ext. 4470.

New Books at PALS
No New Books at PALS this week.

Library News Around the State & Nation

WebJunction Illinois Wants Your Pictures!
As part of the upcoming launch of WebJunction Illinois later this year, developers want to create a "group portrait" of the Illinois library family. They're looking for photos of your libraries, your library staff and volunteers, programs at your libraries, special collections, artwork and artifacts - basically the people, places and things that comprise libraries in Illinois. School, public, special or academic libraries and regional library systems are all invited to be a part of this historic project. Go to the LibraryU homepage ( http://www.libraryu.org) to find out how to upload to the Illinois Libraries Flickr photo group, then look for the results of your contributions to take center stage when WebJunction Illinois goes live this summer. Please be sure that your library has a release for photos that you upload that include images of any people other than library staff.

"Library Appreciation Night" at the White Sox
Baseball season is getting underway so it is time to make plans for "Library Appreciation Night" at the Chicago White Sox game on Thursday, July 5th at 7:11 p.m. On this special night, bargain priced tickets are available to librarians, library staff, trustees, and their families and friends. Tickets normally priced at $35 and $16 are available for $17.50 and $8 respectively. Tickets must be ordered ahead of time with a deadline of June 1st. Please see the flyer for more details.

Help the Greensburg, Kansas, Library
For those of you who would like to help the Greensburg, KS, Kiowa County Library after the devastating tornado they suffered, the Kansas Library Association Educational Foundation has set up a fund for donations. KLA EF is a 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. The most recent report is that the library building was essentially sheared off three feet above the ground. Everything below three feet is sitting in water, making it a complete loss. PLEASE DO NOT SEND BOOKS, there is no place to put them. Navigate to the link below. Contributions can be made with a credit or debit card through PayPal, or you can print the PDF form and send a check or money order. All donations should be unspecified, so their FEMA and other relief aid will not be affected.

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/KLA/greensburg.html

Thank you to everyone who has expressed a desire to help one small town in Kansas recover and rebuild their library.
Michelle Swain Kansas Library Association President

ALA Offers Tools to Assist Libraries Assessing Privacy Practices
(CHICAGO) As part of its effort to support libraries and librarians seeking to improve their protection of library users' privacy, the American Library Association (ALA) is making available new tools to help libraries conduct audits of its privacy policies and procedures. A privacy audit is a technique for assuring that a library's privacy policies and goals are supported by its practices, thereby protecting library users' confidential information from abuse and protecting the library from liability. A privacy audit can help ensure that procedures employed by the library meet privacy and confidentiality requirements by examining how information about library users and the library's employees is collected, stored, shared, used and destroyed.

Designed to aid in data collection and organization, ALA's privacy audit tools are available on the ALA Web site at www.ala.org/privacytools. Developed by ALA during its own 2003 privacy audit, each tool is a document template that can be adopted and changed to serve the needs of the individual institution. Those using the templates are invited to contact ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom at 800-545-2433 x 4223 for additional information and guidance on conducting a privacy audit. Additional privacy audit resources are available through the California Digital Library’s Systemwide Operations and Planning Advisory Group (SOPAG) at http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/privacytf/privacy_audit.html.

News from Vendors
No News from Vendors this week.

Legislative/Advocacy News

Monday, 14 May 2007, Is a Day of Unity for the Illinois Library Community to Demonstrate Our Opposition to House Bill 1727
ILA Public Policy Committee's Action Plan Regarding Proposed Mandatory Internet Filter Legislation In response to the Illinois House of Representatives passing House Bill 1727. ILA requests that libraries communicate and/or demonstrate the negative effects of this legislation. Because the association is a strong promoter of local control, we are recommending that local libraries determine the most appropriate action for their community and act accordingly. The committee did, however, declare: Monday, 14 May 2007 is a day of unity for the Illinois library community to demonstrate our opposition to House Bill 1727, the mandatory public and school library Internet filter legislation.

On Monday, 14 May, the committee recommends the following possible actions:

* Communicate with your Senator. Write, fax, and call. Please do all three. If you do not know your Senator or don't know the Senator's phone or fax numbers please go to: http://tinyurl.com/9m8ok type in your zip code and you will find your Senator's contact and biographical information.);

* Turn off the Internet. If you proceed with this option, inform the public by posting signs in the library explaining why the Internet is turned off for the day. Possible language for the sign follows: If HB 1727 becomes law, Your library will be forced to filter all public computers. Your library will be forced to provide a companion over the age of 21 for any minor requiring unfiltered computer use for homework research. Your library will be required to attest to compliance in writing (and since we know how easily filters can be comprised, we cannot in good conscience attest to this) or lose the state per capita funds and any state grant funds. Given the requirements of HB 1727, your library may need to remove all public computers due to: the legal liability incurred by attesting to compliance when we know that filters do not work in all instances; the costs of filtering software, and installation and maintenance costs for that software; and the cost of the additional staff required for providing supervision of any minor using an unfiltered computer for homework or other research and for the removal of filtering software whenever an adult has a legitimate, lawful need for using an unfiltered site. This is an unfunded mandate.

* Download and install a demonstration filter. Be prepared to show how this filter blocks legitimate research use; and

* Maximize filtering software usage. If your library uses filters and if this legislation is passed, libraries will need to maximize the filter settings in order to fulfill the legislation's intent. If on Monday, 14 May, your library maximizes your filters, this will demonstrate to the public both the problems with excessive filtering and the need for local control on establishing reasonable settings for your community.

Each library is encouraged to participate in some way to demonstrate opposition to HB 1727. To share what your library is doing for Day of Unity in Illinois Libraries go the http://illinoislibraryday.info or http://www.illinoislibraryday.info/cgi-bin/unity/unity.cgi. Use the form to describe how you are participating in the Day of Unity. Be sure to include your name, library, and phone number.

33rd National Library Legislative Day Attracts 400+ Library Advocates to DC
May 1 and 2, 2007, marked the 33rd Annual National Library Legislative Day events. This year, over 420 participants from 47 states came to Washington, DC, to speak with their Members of Congress about the needs of libraries in the areas of funding, telecommunications, copyright, privacy and government information. One of the participants was Danny Chapman of Lake Forest, IL -– winner of the National Library Legislative Day 2007 Student Contest, which decided the theme and logo of the annual event –- who visited his legislators with the delegation from the Illinois Library Association. For his winning contest entry, Danny won a free trip to DC.

Just So You Know

Attention library support staff!
Joliet Junior College is a great place to learn and form life long networks. We are accepting registrations for the following LTA courses. Interested in knowing more about the LTA program at Joliet Junior College?

Contact Catherine Suchy at 815 280 6604 or visit http://www.jjc.edu/lrc/ and click on Library Careers. Current course offerings are:
LTA 202 Readers’ Advisory and Programs with Mary Soucie starting 8/23 R
LTA 201 Cataloging and Classification with Catherine Suchy starting 8/22 W
LTA 101 Introduction to Libraries with Susan Prokopeak starting 8/20 M

Grant News
No Grant News This Week.

On the Internet
Our website picks of the week are supplied by Marylaine Block, Writer, Internet Trainer and "Librarian Without Walls," http://marylaine.com/.

NEAT NEW STUFF May 11, 2007

Better Than Roses
In honor of my daughter-in-law Cindy Block on her first Mother's Day, I bring back a column I originally wrote for Fox News Online in which I ask how much you REALLY know about your mother?
http://marylaine.com/myword/mother.html

Bike Trails, Paths & Routes from over 40 Countries
This site "helps cyclists share knowledge of good bicycle routes." New Jersey State Library's marketing guru Nancy Dowd says, "imagine making these (or have your favorite biking customers do it) for your town- adding your library as a stopping place, of course!"
http://www.bikely.com/

BookLovers Wiki, Princeton Public Library
If your library is considering opening a wiki to the public, take a look at what Princeton (NJ) Public Library is doing: it invites members of its summer reading groups to contribute reviews to their wiki.
http://booklovers.pbwiki.com/Princeton%20Public%20Library

Countdown to Real ID, May 11, 2008
States are required to implement the Real ID law by May 11, 2008, at considerable uncompensated expense, and some states are resisting. The National Conference of State Legislatures offers the full text of the act here, along with related federal and state legislation, critiques by governors, and news stories about it.
http://www.ncsl.org/realid/

GameDaily
In addition to videogame reviews, downloads, cheats and demos, for every game platform, this 2007 Webby award finalist offers several useful guides: to family-friendly games, sports games, anime games, and more.
http://www.gamedaily.com/

Geography Network
"provides access to geographic content from hundreds of organizations around the world. The content ranges from dynamic map services that can be viewed online to static geographic data sets that can be downloaded for use with mapping software." You can specify the location, the type of data needed, and content themes and/or keywords.
http://www.geographynetwork.com/

Glass Art Photo Gallery
If you're a practitioner or admirer of glass art, check out the gorgeous galleries, browsable by artist or category - glass beads, jewelry, marbles, stained, painted, and carved glass, etc. Also includes tips and how-tos, links to related resources, and a forum for artists.
http://www.glassartists.org/

HubbleSite
out of the ordinary, out of this world
No wonder this site won both a 2007 Webby award and a People's Voice award. Besides the gallery of Hubble images and videos, there's info about the discoveries this space-based telescope made possible, astronomy teaching resources, interactive features and podcasts, an FAQ file, and even instructions to kids on building a scale model.
http://hubblesite.org/

Intute:
the best web resources for education and research
Over 115,000 high quality educational web resources selected and annotated by subject specialists at several UK universities.
http://www.intute.ac.uk/

LibSite:
A Recommendation Service for Library-related Websites
Reviews of interesting and important web resources for librarians; feel free to add your own recommendations.
http://libsite.org/

NPR Podcasts Directory
This 2007 Webby and People's Voice award-winner includes over 450 podcasts from member radio stations on a wide range of topics - Car Talk, Speaking of Pets, The 90-Second Naturalist, Sports with Frank DeFord, GeekSpeak, and more. Browse by topic, title, or provider.
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

Reading Stack at Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/groups/readingstack/
Here's a fun meme to spread: take a photo of the pile of books you're hoping to get around to reading. Then, once you've finished one from the stack, post a comment on it.

Safe and Well List
American Red Cross
This is a great idea: People in areas hit by tornadoes and other disasters can register here to let people know they're safe; friends and relatives can check the database for word on their loved ones' safety.
https://disastersafe.redcross.org/

Prairie Views will be published weekly on Thursdays on the PALS website. PALS member libraries are encouraged to send items for inclusion to prairieviews@palsnet.info by Tuesday of the week you would like your information to appear.

We will send an email reminder each week when the new issue is available on the PALS website. If you do not currently receive email reminders, please send a message to prairieviews@palsnet.info to have your email address added to the reminder mailing list or visit http://mailman.palsnet.info/mailman/listinfo to subscribe or unsubscribe yourself.