WebJunction

We have lots of exciting news for July's update! And now that most of the Rural Sustainability project's on-the-ground workshops are completed, we want to be sure you know that the Rural "community of practice" on WebJunction is here to stay, and we hope to continue the momentum with your help. If you'd like to become more involved, contributing your stories or resources, please drop us a line at rural@webjunction.org.

In Focus Webinar: Highlights from Rural Forum @ ALA

Each month the Rural Library Sustainability Project presents an hour-long webinar related to the work of sustaining rural and small libraries. This month, we're pleased to be bringing together the wealth of stories and experiences from some of the 180 Rural staff winners, trainers, and presenters who gathered in D.C. for the Rural Forum. We'll recap the highlights and share what we learned from the day-long preconference and from the overall ALA experience on July 26 at 11:00 AM PT/ 2:00 PM ET. If you can't join us, be sure to take a look at the Rural Forum @ ALA area on WebJunction for presentations and resources; check out some of the pictures from the gathering; and see more of the continued discussions among those who attended ALA and the preconference.

We are pleased to announce that all WebJunction webinars have the added option of closed captioning! And we have also received feedback from a few of you with limited Internet access (e.g. dial-up), that the webinars are a challenge to view. Beginning with the April 2007 session, we are providing links to a downloadable PowerPoint presentation and audio file associated with each of the archived topics. We've updated this information on Joining the webinars and will continue to post webinar archives and quick links at Rural In Focus.

Rural Library Sustainability Online Course Now Available!

We are pleased to announce the arrival of WebJunction's Rural Library Sustainability Online Course, based on the success of the RLS workshop curriculum and the growing exchange of information, ideas, and expertise on WebJunction.org. This free, self-paced online learning experience is available to all in the WebJunction community who are interested in exploring new strategies for sustainability through a manageable and achievable action planning process. Find out more or visit WebJunction's Course Catalog to enroll now.

Course Highlights

In addition to the new Rural Course, take a look at all the other great learning opportunities in our Courses area, including WebJunction's Course Catalog and the E-Learning Clearinghouse. WebJunction is expanding our facilitated course offerings in our online course catalog. The most recent additions are courses from three Regional Service Providers including Amigos, Palinet and OCLC Western. Be sure to check out the Course of the Month which is made available for the low price of $10! (WebJunction Community Partners may enroll in this course and all others in the course catalog at no cost, thanks to their state libraries). July's Course of the Month is Photoshop and in August we'll feature Quickbooks. And remember, any course you purchase through WebJunction is available to you for one full year.

 

Rural Message Board Highlights 

If you're new to WebJunction, be sure to visit Getting Around WebJunction Rural, which includes instructions on posting to the discussion boards.

North Carolina Action Plans

It's time to highlight the great action planning from workshop participants in North Carolina! Everyone is always welcome to view the state-specific discussion areas and glean from the great ideas that are being generated, and so this month be sure to check out North Carolina's Action Plans! Thanks for all your great work for your communities and for your state!