SHORTGRASS CLIPPINGS

Volume XI, Issue I - March 2023

What's new at HQ?

Welcome to 2023!

We are excited to welcome our new Manager, Systems and Technical Services, Lauralee Gilmour. She has hit the ground running, and has already made introductory visits to most member libraries. Welcome Lauralee!

Even though there is still snow on the ground, summer planning is well underway at Shortgrass. We have a new summer performer booked for the 2023 SRC Children's Performer Tour- stay tuned for more information!

In other news, new WiFi infrastructure is coming soon to all Shortgrass member libraries! The new hardware will be faster, more secure, and have the capacity to handle more devices simultaneously.

In This Issue

News from Shortgrass

News from Member Libraries

News from the Library World

Professional Development & Training

Five Fun Facts about our Manager, Systems and Technical Services, Lauralee!

1. When I rule the world, libraries will get funding to upgrade their delivery vans to 1930s-style airships. Because obviously.

2. I did the half-marathon at Disney World in January (see photo!), and so did my stuffed camel Annabelle. She made me carry her most of the way though, so she didn't get a medal. She really needs to practice her running more.

3. Annabelle the Camel has a travel blog at annabellecamel.tumblr.com. I keep telling her she should post more often, but she only seems to get around to it a few times a year.

4. I spent five years living in Qatar, where it often gets above 45C in the summer. Thank goodness for AC!

5. I may have a dragon on my desk. Okay...more than one. I will not admit to the full number. (Someone around here may have a dragon problem, but it's not me!)

Lauralee is Shortgrass' new Manager of Systems and Technical Services. She is the person you contact when you need stats or weeding reports, or have any issues with WorkFlows, BiblioCommons, or library eresources.

Joint Manager & Board Summer BBQ and Meeting

After a several-year hiatus, the June Barbeque is returning in 2023. Member library managers and board chairs are invited to join the Shortgrass Board of Trustees and staff on June 21st for networking, a presentation by PLSB, and a shared BBQ lunch. A brief agenda of the day is as follows:

   9.30am: Welcome & refreshments.

   10am: A speaker from PLSB will join us for a session on effective working relationships betwee Trustees and Staff.

   11.30am: Join us for a BBQ lunch.

   1pm: Shortgrass Board Meeting. Library managers and Trustees are invited to attend.

Keep your eye out for an official invitation by email, with RSVP instructions and additional information. We look forward to seeing you there!

Promotional Materials Shared Drive

Something we heard from many of you during our Plan of Service engagement sessions in 2022 was that you were interested in more support in promoting your library, and its collections and services.

With that in mind... Shortgrass now has a Promotional Materials Shared Drive that is absolutely full of promotional materials for member libraries to use!

The drive includes content for promoting digital resources; for promoting library programs (both your own programs, and Shortgrass' programming kits); and promoting books in your collection!

If you do not yet have access to the drive, please contact Kait to request access.

Professional Collection

Shortgrass Library System has a professional development collection that is available to staff at all member libraries! This small but mighty collection of works that will help you develop your skills in programming, management, planning, and more.

To borrow any of these books, log in to WorkFlows and search for the title. Be sure to search under "Keyword" rather than "Browse".

Place the titles you are interested in on hold, and they will be sent to your library.

Are you new to storytimes? Check out Supercharged Storytimes by Kathleen Campana, and learn why storytimes are so important for early literacy development!

Upcoming Events

March 15: SLS Board Meeting

April: Poetry Month

April 7: Good Friday (Shortgrass Library System closed; missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day).

April 10: Easter Monday (Shortgrass Library System closed; missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day).

April 19: SLS Board Meeting

May 15: Library Manager's Meeting

May 17: SLS Board Meeting

May 23: Victoria Day (Shortgrass Library System closed; missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day).

June: Pride Month; Indigenous History Month

June 21: Joint Library Manager & SLS Board Meeting

July 1: Canada Day (Shortgrass Library System closed; missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day).

CEO Update

There might still be snow on the ground right now, but spring is right around the corner!

Shortgrass is very happy to have welcomed our new Manager, Systems and Technical Services, Lauralee. She has been with us almost two months, and has been busy visiting member libraries and moving forward with a lot of major projects, including upgrading Shortgrass' VOIP phones, replacing member library Wi-Fi hardware, and working toward the launch of Patron Point- she has certainly hit the ground running!

Speaking of Patron Point: Shortgrass is extremely excited to announce that we are subscribing to a fantastic email marketing platform that will make promoting services to patrons a breeze. The software was selected to address needs and priorities identified by member libraries in their plans of service and during the most recent Shortgrass strategic planning sessions. Some of the options included in this software are:

• sending out a series of "welcome" emails to new library members;
• distributing reminder emails before a patron's library card expires;
• allowing patrons to subscribe to "recommended reads" automated newsletters; and even virtual library card registration!

In fact, this very email newsletter is our "test run" of the new software. Lauralee and Kait are currently completing their training on the platform, and will be sharing more information in the coming weeks. Thank you to the Alberta Government’s Community Initiatives Program for their support of this project.

At our most recent Library Manager meeting, we were joined by representatives from the Alberta Law Library (ALL) who outlined some on the services they offer to the public- including public libraries. ALL has a location in Medicine Hat, so there is no need to venture all the way to Calgary for legal information! Some LAA posters, bookmarks, and stickers are on their way to your libraries, so you can easily refer patrons with legal questions. Visit the ALL website to learn more.

Finally, although 2023 has just started, we are already planning into 2024. Please save the date for our next Shortgrass PD Day, scheduled to take place on April 15th, 2024! This is a change, as we have always held our PD Days in the fall, but following feedback about uncertain weather and the many holidays & library closures that take place in the fall, we are looking forward to a spring date next year. We cannot wait to see you all there!

Petra

Client Services Update

eSkills Challenge

Our latest eSkills Challenge is live, and features PressReader! Practice your skills with this electronic resource, so that you are ready to help patrons access hundreds of newspapers from around the world.

The challenge will run throughout February and March, closing on March 31st. Participants will be entered into the draw to win a $25 gift card.

Follow this link to take the challenge and brush up on the eresource!

Programming Kits

Shortgrass has three new programming kits! These kits are available to borrow now- contact Kait for details.

Giant Inflatable Bowling- You can set up these giant inflatable pins almost anywhere for a round of giant bowling! Each pin features a cardboard weighted bottom for additional stability.

Giant Inflatable Ring Toss- Improve hand-eye coordination and develop key social-emotional skills with this super-sized multi-player ring toss game!

COMING SOON: Glow in the Dark Mini Golf- play mini golf indoors or out, day or night! This fun 5-hole set is made of neon glow-in-the-dark colours, and includes everything you need for a fun afternoon of minigolf.

Systems and Technical Services Update

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome to Shortgrass! I have really enjoyed chatting with those of you I've been able to meet so far, and looking forward to meeting more! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with comments, questions, or suggestions about any library technology topic or our cataloguing/acquisitions services. I would love to hear from you!

Lauralee Gilmour, Manager, Systems & Technical Services

Customize WorkFlows

Did you know you can customize your font size in WorkFlows? Set it up the way you like it! It's pretty small by default, so often people want to make it bigger - here's how:

What's New at Shortgrass Member Libraries?

Five Fun Facts about Rolling Hills Public Library Manager, Johnene!

1. I have three daughters and a son, and seven grandchildren. My husband and I will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary in April.

2. I look forward to family gatherings for the laughter, great food, a competitive game of Nerds and sleep-overs!

3. I enjoy doing puzzles - especially the wooden Stumpcraft ones. We may have the only wine cellar that has over 100 puzzles sitting on the wine racks plus a few bottles of wine!

4. We enjoy going on road trips and cruises. This past fall we drove across Canada but hurricane Fiona changed some of our plans while we were in the Atlantic provinces.

5. We are kept busy with season tickets to Flames games, Broadway Canada and the Calgary Opera. We can also be found at U of C Dino basketball games!

New ABC Baby Group Launched at the Susan Andersen Library

The Susan Andersen Library in Bow Island launched a new program on March 1st: ABC Baby Group!

Held on Wednesday mornings in partnership with FCSS, the program is aimed at babies 0-18 months, and new parents. This program will introduce early literacy concepts to families, and create a safe and welcoming space for parents to meet and babies to develop social skills. This 12-week program is free, and will feature guest speakers presenting on a variety of infant care topics.

The first program on March 1st was a great success!

Snowman Pixel Art

Libraries across the system participated in the February Shortgrass Passive Program: Pixel Art! Patrons could add a square to the grid when they borrowed books or visited the library, working together to create a piece of art.

Check out the final result of Redcliff Public Library's Pixel Art- patrons enjoying guessing what the image was going to be, and seeing the end result!

In Library News...

The Alberta Library Training & Webinar Calendar

The Alberta Library (TAL) has launched a training & webinar calendar. This calendar contains library-related webinars from the internet, TAL vendor webinars, and TAL member webinars.

You can subscribe to this calendar to stay updated as events are added, and can submit webinars to the calendar yourself by emailing Cole Boychuk at cboychuk@thealbertalibrary.ab.ca.

Follow this link to view the calendar and subscribe!

Increase in Library Operating Grants

The Alberta 2023 budget includes a $3 million increase in funding for libraries! This means that all libraries in the system are eligible for an increase in their 2023-2024 PLSB Operating Grant.

To see the grant amount that your municipal library board is scheduled to receive in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, follow this link.

Professional Development & Training

Building Community Through Book Clubs

Join Davina Morgan-Witts to explore actionable insights from BookBrowse’s report, "The Inner Lives of Book Clubs", based on two surveys of more than 5,000 book clubbers.

Topics include: how the world of book groups is much broader than many perceive it to be, the factors most successful groups have in common, what book clubs look for in their books, what people want from a book group, and how well-placed public libraries are to meet this need.

We will also touch on the shift to virtual book clubs since the pandemic; how to offer multiple, diverse book clubs with minimal staff involvement by partnering with the community; and how to create an inclusive and welcoming environment.

Wednesday April 19th, 12-1pm

Follow this link to register.

Intro to Fundraising

For many nonprofits, fundraising is not only hard work, but it can be overwhelming – and the resources required to fundraise successfully can take away from your core work. But this does not have to be the case.

For organizations large and small, raising needed funds through donor support can – and must – be a powerful part of any nonprofit’s financing model. For “fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.” (Hank Rosso)

This session will introduce the basics of fundraising, with an emphasis on practical tools, tactics, and strategies that smaller organizations can utilize to build capacity and sustainability for their organization.

Wednesday May 17th, 1-2pm

Follow this link to register.

Crash Course in Adventure Stories & Western

Do you have a go-to strategy for helping readers with Adventure Stories and Westerns? Whether your readers are fans of a fast-paced, action-packed quest to save the world or a sweeping tale of survival on the frontier, let NoveList and LibraryReads break down the best Adventure Stories and Westerns have to offer your readers.

Available anytime on-demand.

Follow this link to access.

The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness

Until December 2023, Shortgrass Library System is providing member libraries with The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness. This is an empathy-based training program aimed at providing frontline library staff with the tools to help them manage problem situations.

Consisting of a three-hour Core Training session and 30+ additional one-hour modules, this training is available to all member library staff/volunteers.

While "Homelessness" may be in the title, the course goes far beyond that one subject. Various modules dive into issues such as dealing with unsupervised children and teenagers; handling sensitive subjects such as body odour; de-escalating fights before they happen; and more.

To access the training, please get in touch with Kait. This training is available until mid-December, 2023.

Trustee Education

Attention all Library Board Trustees- here are some handy resources for you!

• Alberta Library Trustee Association's Trustee Handbook- all the information you need, in one handy location.
• The Community Development Unit has a number of upcoming webinars for board members, including sessions on grant writing, the different executive roles on the board, and legal responsibilities. These sessions are not library-specific but will still be relevant for library trustees.
• PLSB offers a range of resources for library boards, including information on their Board Basics workshops- follow this link for more information.

Don't forget that our virtual meeting software, GoToMeeting, is available to all Shortgrass member libraries.

Please contact Lauralee if you would like to book GoToMeeting to host your next virtual program or Library Board Meeting.

Share Your Stories!

Anything new to share? Send us your photos, stories, and updates!

• Screenshots of a popular online event
• Photos of what's going on at your library- displays, programs, renovations, weeding projects
• News about your library

Submit updates to newsletter@shortgrass.ca

Shortgrass Library System
Resourceful by Nature

shortgrass.ca

2375 10th Ave SW, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 8G2

Tel. (403) 529-0550 ext 101 Toll Free Number 1-866-529-0550 ext 101

Shortgrass Library System honours and acknowledges that we are situated on Treaty 7 and Treaty 4 territory, traditional lands of the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Stoney-Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina as well as the Cree, Sioux, and the Saulteaux bands of the Ojibwa peoples. We also honor and acknowledge that we are on the homelands of the Metis Nation within Region III.

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