Category: Content Ideas

Looking for a new addition to your library Web site? What about a Jobs and Careers resource page?  For examples, visit Atchison Public Library or Johnson County Library.  You could highlight the State Library of Kansas LearningExpress database, with its resume, cover letter and “Job and Career Accelerator”:

Other resources and library Web sites with Job and Career pages:

• Olathe Public Library
• Kansas WebJunction Workforce Services
• Derby Public Library
• State Library’s Thriving in Tough Times
• Wichita Public Library

Are there other sites you recommend? Share them in the comments!

At midnight, the contract with OverDrive ends and references to Audiobooks, Music and More should be found and replaced with the new Kansas EZ Library page.    We created a simple button for the Burlingame Community Library‘s site using an Image Widget, the hyperlink “http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks” and this graphic:

You may also consider adding or embedding a OneClick Digital tutorial on your Web site, to help promote this new platform.  Videos can be found on the OneClick Digital Help Page.  Adding a link to the Kansas Library Card to help patrons register for the new service might be a good idea, too.

Today during the State Library’s database focus group discussion at the NEKLS office, several free databases were shared by attendees.  I want to share those with you, in case you are looking for additional resources for your Web site!  I’d also like to share the KCKCC Library‘s Research Guides created by Cheryl Postlewait – many of these databases are FREE!  If you’re asked for a login, assume they’re subscription 😉

Kids Health - http://kidshealth.org/ – has sections for parents, kids, teens and and Educators site.

Medline Plus – A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

Library of Congress – http://www.loc.gov/ and the  “Especially for librarians” site: http://www.loc.gov/library/

HealthFinder.gov –  http://www.healthfinder.gov/ from the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services

Agricola – http://agricola.nal.usda.gov/ - Agriculture, pets, livestock resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (see a theme here??)

PopMatters – http://www.popmatters.com/– All things popular culture – “What is goth?” Answer: “Beyond Black, Rethinking Goth”

Kansas Career Pipeline - http://www.kansascareerpipeline.org/ – This one came up for resumes, career help, job placement, job skill building and for all ages – students and adults…very useful and FREE!  Supported by the Department of Commerce – thank them!

NOLO - http://www.nolo.com/ – Law for all: legal forms, Find a lawyer, free legal information

Kansas Legal Services - http://www.kansaslegalservices.org/ – Free legal forms, job training, mediation and more

TeacherTube - http://www.teachertube.com/ – YouTube for educators

Consumer Search - http://www.consumersearch.com/ – Consumer Information and Product reviews

CIA World Factbook - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html Maps, country profiles, history, country comparisons – a Student’s Dream!

What Free sites and resources do you use?  Share!

As I was helping one of our libraries set up their first KLOW site, I pulled together a short list of free Readers’ Advisory sites that I thought would help lessen the impact of losing NoveList.

These were added using “Links > Add New.”  I also created a Link Category of “Readers” and assigned all of these Reader-related links to that Category.

This gave me more choices for how to display the links in a sidebar using the Links Widget, set to only display this category of links.

Readers

• Amazon – Great reviews, information about authors, and a source for hard-to-find ISBNs!
• Barnes and Noble – Again, they have reviews and other ‘crowd sourcing’ elements that may help your patron find that next great read.
• Fantastic Fiction – Out of the UK, this site provides bibliographies for over 30,000 authors and information on over 350,000 books.
• Goodreads – Book lists, book recommendations AND a patron can use this site to keep track of what they’ve read or want to read.
• What’s Next? – Courtesy of the Kent District Library, if you need to know What’s Next in a Series – this is the site to use.