O&M News
Outreach & Marketing News from SALS
Third Edition, 11/13/15
Email: lbuckley@sals.edu
Website: www.sals.edu
Location: 22 Whitney Place, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Phone: 518-584-7300 209
Facebook: www.facebook.com/southernadirondacklibrarysystem
Twitter: @SouthernADKLib
Social Security Express
The Social Security Administration offers a simple portal to their online tools and forms.
Social Security Express, which has both a Quick Service and a Full Service option, can be added to the desktop of any library interested. We can also add it to your website.
Please contact me if you're interested, and I'd be happy to assist you in adding this feature. You can see an example of the website link on the left sidebar of the Main Site
Free Driver's Ed Program
You can opt into a free program that helps driving students prepare online for the theory part of their permit test at the DMV. They take care of the setup, design, development and maintenance of your driver's ed program. The interface is ad-free, and they will add your library's logo and list your library as a partner at the top of each page.
For more information & to sign up: http://driving-tests.org/library/
Workforce Update
The new Apprenticeship USA Toolkit provides tools and resources on apprenticeship – a proven “earn and learn” model with benefits for both employers and job seekers.
Also, included in the newest Workforce Newsletter: Resources for Staff Working with Individuals with Disabilities
NAMI & USDA Rural Development: Available to present at YOUR library
- NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) serves all four of our counties. Services are available to your patrons with regard to mental health issues. Informational packets are on their way-- you can look for them in the delivery soon.
- USDA Rural Development also serves all four of our counties; they offer many programs that would enable low & fixed income buyers to purchase a house or make repairs to their current home.
If you would like assistance in scheduling a presentation from either of these organizations, feel free to contact me.
Talking Book Library: What's BARD??
Recently I forwarded information about the NYS Talking Book & Braille Library.
An additional service they provide is BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download). There are more than 40,000 digital books and over 50 magazines available for download from this site, and new titles are constantly being added.
To sign up & for more information, visit: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/tbbl/bard/
Demo accounts are available for your library to try if you are interested. Participants must have a TBBL account.
The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Options for Making Your Programs & Materials Accessible to your Patrons
Far from our intention when advertising our services and programs, sometimes our marketing materials exclude people with low vision or other disabilities. Here are a few tips for making your programs & events accessible to your patrons:
- Somewhere on your invitation email, offer to make the space accessible and provide accommodations for those who need them. If they are not offered, people might not ask. You can prepare for that need by having an "auxiliary aids" line in your budget to cover the cost of equipment and services.
- Make at least 3 copies of everything you offer in 18-24 point sans serif font. Use 6'' maximum line length and 1.25 line spacing. Don't justify the text (spread it across the page). Use bold black type on yellow or off-white (non-glossy paper).
- Drop all non-essential graphics and formatting
- At the bottom of every flyer produced, add "Large Print Version Available"
- Provide appropriate lighting and/or an optical reader.
For further reference:
Add a Floor Plan to your Library's Google Map!
What if your patrons could see where your Fiction section is based on a Google Map?
You can add a floor plan to the Google Map of your library!
http://www.google.com/maps/about/partners/indoormaps/
Quotable Quotes from the Aspen Institute's "Rising to the Challenge: Re-Envisioning Public Libraries:
- "Public libraries are engines of development within their communities." (ix)
- "Ensuring access to e-books, other e-content and more-than-adequate high-speed broadband is a big concern going forward because it impacts the public library's ability to fulfill one of its core missions-- to procure and share the leading ideas of the day and enable everyone to participate in the world's coversations." (xi)
- "Key steps in building community leadership to support the public library include improving communications with community leaders, developing community champions, strengthening the intersections with diverse communities and communities of color, reaching out to and engaging with young-professional organizations and demonstrating the collective impact of partners working together." (xii)
- "As public libraries acquire new roles as platforms for lifelong learning and economic and social development, they likely will need to consider new organizational, governance and business models in response to these pressures and trends." (9)
Marketing Corner: Flickrit!
Want a custom slideshow to add to your website in seconds? Try the Flickrit tool!
It makes custom slideshows in seconds! The SALS Flickr Account is already linked, so all you have to do is go to your library's album and copy the string of numbers in the address bar. Or, you can instantly add your own photos of events & programs.
The tool can pull from Instagram, Flickr, Deviant & Picasa.
Contact me if you'd like assistance adding a slideshow to your website.
FTC Updates
Scam-Proof Your Doorstep: warnings about home repair scams, cable reconnect scams, and utility cut-on scams
Spotting Elder Finanical Abuse