WebJunction - About Us

Overview

2011-01-12T19:25:03Z

IMLS grant to WebJunction and State Library of North Carolina will sustain effort to help libraries assist the unemployed

2010-07-06T20:34:32Z

IMLS grant to WebJunction and State Library of North Carolina will sustain effort to help libraries assist the unemployed

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 23 June 2010—The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded OCLC WebJunction and the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) a grant to continue work to provide library-based employment services and programs to assist the unemployed.

The $940,750 grant will fund work to conduct an impact and needs assessment on unemployment in all United States regions, and create a corresponding curriculum that can be tailored to meet local needs so that libraries are better equipped to meet the needs of the unemployed.

WebJunction, OCLC's online learning community for library staff, and SLNC will conduct a train-the-trainer workshop and up to 75 local workshops for public library staff working in the highest unemployment areas. They will deliver presentations at local conferences and make a free version of the workshop available online, in addition to hosting a Web site for ongoing communication among state libraries.

This project follows a previous IMLS funded project launched by WebJunction and SLNC to gather and share best practices for providing library-based employment services and programs.

"The State Library of North Carolina is looking forward to working with WebJunction and our partner libraries as they continue to deliver innovative and effective services and programs for their communities," said Jennifer S. Pratt, Chief of Library Development, State Library of North Carolina.

"WebJunction is eager to continue work with the State Library of North Carolina to help libraries help the unemployed," said Chrystie Hill, OCLC Director of Community Service. "This project will enhance libraries’ ability to provide stable, sustainable infrastructure for their communities’ economic recovery."

"Library services are in great demand as evidenced by the growing numbers of patrons turning to the library to meet their education, workforce, and health information needs," said Marsha L. Semmel, Acting Director of IMLS. "At the same time, information technology has transformed library service and opened the doors to innovation so that libraries can reach diverse people more effectively. In this fast-changing environment, providing training and educational support for librarians and library staff is more important than ever."

The IMLS grant was one of 38 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grants awarded totaling $22,623,984.

WebJunction–Florida launched to offer online learning, community shar

2010-05-20T20:14:28Z

Online courses help keep library staff skills current to meet the expanding needs of the community

DUBLIN, Ohio, May 20, 2010—WebJunction, the leader in online learning for library staff, has partnered with the State Library and Archives of Florida to launch the new WebJunction-Florida. Library staff in Florida can now access courses at no individual cost through the WebJunction community, and use the site to keep their skills up-to-date and help their libraries respond to current patron needs. As part of this online learning community, members can take courses on a wide range of technology and library subjects-as well as connect with other library staff-creating an engaging learning experience.

This partnership takes advantage of WebJunction’s Custom Catalog service, designed to maximize the customization and reach of training through a centralized training catalog with streamlined registration for all users. All WebJunction-Florida participants will be able to access courses, regardless of geographic location or library size. Additionally, as a part of the Custom Catalog, WebJunction-Florida will be able to add unique, Florida-specific courses to the extensive course offerings from WebJunction that form the foundation of the catalog.

“The State Library and Archives of Florida is thrilled to offer the online learning resources of WebJunction to libraries throughout Florida,” said Judith Ring, State Librarian of Florida. “WebJunction-Florida will provide convenient, valuable professional training for library staff to better serve the citizens of this state.”

The WebJunction-Florida site is available now at http://fl.webjunction.org/.

WebJunction-Florida joins 17 library organizations that offer custom communities for libraries and staff. A complete list of links to WebJunction partner communities, is available at www.webjunction.org/partners.

About WebJunction

WebJunction promotes learning for all library staff by providing open, affordable online learning communities. Our members access resources, attend programs, take courses, share knowledge and network with others – all in an environment that fosters collaboration and mutual support.Founded in 2003 and based in Seattle, Washington, and Dublin, Ohio, WebJunction is supported in part by OCLC, grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, partners in library service agencies, and the library community.

About OCLC

Founded in 1967, OCLC is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing library costs. More than 72,000 libraries in 171 countries have used OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend, preserve and manage library materials. Researchers, students, faculty, scholars, professional librarians and other information seekers use OCLC services to obtain bibliographic, abstract and full-text information when and where they need it. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the world’s largest online database for discovery of library resources. Search WorldCat.org on the Web. For more information, visit the OCLC Web site.

About the State Library and Archives of Florida

The State Library and Archives of Florida supports the establishment, expansion, and improvement of library service in Florida within the context of the larger library community by working proactively with library staff, governing officials, trustees, and community supporters. The State Library and Archives of Florida provides many services to libraries in the state through leadership, grants, training, and technical assistance. WebJunction-Florida is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State, State Library and Archives of Florida.

Missouri, North Carolina and Pennsylvania state sites added to WebJunction community

2010-02-08T23:36:03Z

Library staff in these states now have access to courses, articles, discussions and a professional network that will keep their skills up-to-date and help their libraries stay relevant to current user needs.

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 8 February 2010—WebJunction, the leader in online learning for library staff, is working with the State Library of North Carolina, the Missouri State Library, and HSLC/Access PA to launch three new state sites, WebJunction–North Carolina, WebJunction–Missouri and WebJunction–Pennsylvania. Library staff in these states now have access to courses, articles, discussions and a professional network that will keep their skills up-to-date and help their libraries stay relevant to current user needs.

As part of these online learning communities, members will connect with people from across the library community using social and professional networking tools; create and publish their own content; participate in discussions and form interest groups; take courses on a wide range of technology and library skill subjects; and engage in an online community experience that makes learning fun.

"The State Library of North Carolina is thrilled to have established WebJunction–North Carolina at this critical time," said Mary Boone, State Librarian, State Library of North Carolina. "With training and travel funds essentially frozen for many libraries, WebJunction–North Carolina will enable us to create an online learning community that can improve library work skills and services through online training, while also enhancing communications among libraries and library staff across our state."

"Pennsylvania's Office of Commonwealth Libraries is delighted to open the resources of WebJunction to the library community of Pennsylvania. As libraries everywhere are facing increased use and decreased resources, it is imperative we maximize our skills and share our experiences statewide and beyond," said Mary Clare Zales, Deputy Secretary for Libraries, Pennsylvania.

"The Missouri State Library constantly seeks out new learning opportunities for staff in Missouri's libraries. The training courses offered on WebJunction–Missouri are helping us meet our goal of better informed, better prepared library staff serving the citizens of Missouri," said Margaret Conroy, Missouri State Librarian.

"The WebJunction–Missouri portal enhances our ability to communicate with libraries throughout the state, and offers our first platform for personal, interactive online conversation. Furthermore, the ability to put remote libraries in touch with each other will provide them invaluable networking opportunities not available elsewhere," added Ms. Conroy.

Visit these WebJunction partner sites on the Web: WebJunction–Missouri http://mo.webjunction.org/; WebJunction–North Carolina http://nc.webjunction.org/; and WebJunction–Pennsylvania http://pa.webjunction.org/.

Launched in 2003 with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, OCLC and partners from across the library community, WebJunction receives 60,000 visits each month through its courses, content and professional networks.

WebJunction–North Carolina, WebJunction–Missouri and WebJunction–Pennsylvania join 17 library organizations that offer custom communities for libraries and staff: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; WebJunction-British Columbia, a partnership between British Columbia Library Association (BCLA), British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association, and the British Columbia Library Trustees Association; Connecticut State Library; Georgia Public Library Service; the Idaho Commission for Libraries; Illinois State Library; Indiana State Library; State Library of Iowa; State Library of Kansas; Maine State Library; WebJunction–Minnesota, a statewide partnership between Metronet, MINITEX and Minnesota State Library Services; OCLC Global Council; OCLC Research; the State Library of Ohio; Resource Sharing; Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services and the Washington State Library.

To see a complete list of links to WebJunction partner communities, visit www.webjunction.org/partners.

About WebJunction
WebJunction serves to bridge the barriers to learning by providing open, affordable, online learning communities. Members take courses, attend events, share knowledge, and network with others, all in an environment that fosters collaboration and mutual support. The WebJunction vision is to be the place where the entire library profession gathers to build the knowledge, skills and support needed to power relevant, vibrant libraries. Founded in 2003 and based in Seattle, Washington, and Dublin, Ohio, WebJunction is supported in part by OCLC, grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, partners in state library agencies and other library systems and organizations, and the library community.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to 72,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world’s richest online resource for finding library materials. Search WorldCat.org on the Web. For more information, visit the OCLC Web site.

WebJunction connects library staff competencies to new social learning platform

2009-04-30T22:08:44Z

Roll-out of new Competencies is announced

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 16 February 2009—WebJunction, the online learning community for librarians and library staff, has released Library Management Competencies, a guide to courses and resources to help current and aspiring library managers to be more successful in their work.

Library Management Competencies, available on WebJunction.org, includes links to related courses and dynamic resources that will help users build knowledge and skills and increase on-the-job effectiveness. By identifying the key aspects of managing a library and defining the associated knowledge, skills and behaviors, library managers will be better able to tailor their personal learning plans to address any gaps in their skills sets.

All WebJunction courses and programs take place within its unique social learning platform, where people come together around course work and content to gain the most interactive learning experience available to library staff anywhere on the Web.

"We are thrilled to offer this first set of Library Management Competencies to the library field," said Betha Gutsche, curriculum manager for the Competencies project, who also serves on the board of Continuing Libraries Education Network and Exchange (CLENE) Round Table of the American Library Association. "We’re eager to learn how library managers begin using the competencies to identify and build the skills they need to manage libraries."

"As with everything at WebJunction, we welcome input from the library field,” said Ms. Gutsche. "Feedback from librarians and staff will help us move forward with implementing new sets of competencies over the coming year."

There are two paths of discovery from competencies to learning resources at WebJunction. For direct access, users can go to www.webjunction.org/catalog/coursecatalog/competencies to browse the list of Library Management Competency categories. Click the Details & Learning button for each competency statement to see related courses as well as a guide to additional resources available on WebJunction.org. Or, when browsing the Course Catalog, the Details page of any course associated with a competency will link to the associated competencies page.

WebJunction's Library Management Competencies are the first set to be launched from the full Competency Index, an aggregate of competency statements that cover a broad spectrum of library practice and service. In the coming months, WebJunction will continue to roll out additional sections on the Web site, and plans to produce the full Index as a WebJunction publication later this year.

The effort to build the Library Management Competencies into this learning platform began in 2006 when WebJunction received a Library Skills Training grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant was intended to increase WebJunction’s capacity to meet library organization needs to continually develop staff with essential skills for today's libraries. As part of this grant, WebJunction staff worked closely with the originators of many competency sets in the library field, as well as with a cadre of subject-matter-expert reviewers, to complete a full Competency Index. Library staff can use the statements to identify skills they should have or want to develop, create job descriptions, or develop training programs.

About WebJunction
WebJunction has been a leader in social learning delivery for library staff and organizations since 2003. WebJunction works with individuals to build essential skills for their work in libraries, and work with organizations to ensure that they're delivering leading-edge and cost-effective staff development or continuing education programs. Contact WebJunction at info@webjunction.org if you'd like to learn more about the competencies guide, customized learning communities, or custom course catalogs.

In 2002, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded OCLC a three-year grant to build WebJunction as a portal for public libraries and other organizations that provide open access to information. WebJunction is supported in part by OCLC, grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, partners in state library agencies and other library systems and organizations, and by the library community. Launched in 2003, WebJunction is based in Seattle, Washington and Dublin, Ohio. More information is available at www.webjunction.org.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to 69,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world's richest online resource for finding library materials. Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit www.oclc.org

WebJunction's Custom Course Catalog and LibraryU make staff training easy to manage for library organizations

2009-04-30T22:05:28Z

Description of new offering and course options from WebJunction

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 27 March 2009—WebJunction, the online learning community for librarians and library staff, is now offering a Custom Course Catalog, a new service that provides a central location to host, promote and track library staff training.

The Custom Course Catalog allows a library organization to build a training catalog to meet the specific needs of its staff. The catalog can combine an organization's own course listings with selections from WebJunction's online course offerings in an easy-to-manage, always-accessible Web environment.

With the Custom Course Catalog, the library staff learner experiences a straight-forward registration process for courses selected and gathered together from multiple suppliers. A standard Web browser is all the learner needs to access the catalog and courses. Each learner can manage his or her own learning progress—taking multiple courses, tracking individual learning history, and printing certificates of completion.

With the Custom Course Catalog, a library organization's training coordinator has a low-cost way to advertise courses and to monitor staff enrollment, usage and completion rates. The coordinators can choose to include webinars, face-to-face training and other live learning events in addition to self-paced courses. The coordinator can also opt to tie in the Competencies Index, which WebJunction is currently rolling out to help library staff assess and build their skills in key areas of library work.

All training offerings are housed in a unique, private online location, so that each library organization can make courses available only to its designated staff. The catalog is hosted by WebJunction on its proven and widely used platform and backed by WebJunction's support and training groups.

WebJunction's course catalog contains nearly 700 courses selected to help library staff build the skills required to meet the needs of rapidly changing libraries. In February, LibraryU courses joined the WebJunction catalog, bringing many topics relevant to today's library workforce: Web-based reference, marketing, library management, shelving, cataloging, readers advisory, children's services and many more. Visit www.webjunction.org/catalog and click on LibraryU for details on the courses and how to enroll.

The Custom Course Catalog is available in several different configurations, depending on an organization's needs. For more information on these options and on pricing, contact info@webjunction.org.

About LibraryU
Since 2003, more than 11,000 registered learners have taken the online, library-specific staff development courses provided by LibraryU. LibraryU started with LSTA funding as a cooperative project between several Illinois Regional Library Systems. Later, the Illinois State Library received additional funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has been used to create new courses, a wide variety of topics relevant to library staff at all levels. The goals of the LibraryU program are to build library staff skills, and ensure that library staff continue to provide quality services to their patrons and communities.

About WebJunction
Since 2003, more than 44,000 library staff have turned to WebJunction as a leader in social learning for libraries. WebJunction works with individuals to build essential skills for their work in libraries, and with organizations to ensure that they're delivering leading-edge and cost-effective staff development or continuing education programs. Contact WebJunction at info@webjunction.org if you’d like to learn more about competencies, customized learning communities, or course catalogs.

WebJunction, a division of OCLC, is supported in part by grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, partners in state library agencies and other library systems and organizations, and by the library community. Launched in 2003, WebJunction is based in Seattle, Washington, and Dublin, Ohio. More information is available at www.webjunction.org.

About OCLC
Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC is a nonprofit library service and research organization that has provided computer-based cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent, preservation, library management and Web services to 69,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have created and maintain WorldCat, the world's richest online resource for finding library materials. Search WorldCat.org on the Web at www.worldcat.org. For more information, visit www.oclc.org.