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Thinking about providing health information training for your community? Here's advice from a pro! Dana Abbey is the Health Information Literacy Coordinator for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental region. She has a background in public libraries, library consultation, and prescription drug monitoring. In her current role, Dana works to improve the public's access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health.

Many of us spend a significant amount of time working at a computer. You have probably heard of "sitting syndrome" and may have seen one of the graphics circulating that depict the devolution of humankind. It's clearly important to consider the real world setup that we use as we interact with the virtual world, not only ergonomically, but from an overall quality of life perspective. What can you do to improve your computing time and space?

Happy Spring! In case you missed our newsletter this month, you can view it online, and you can also sign up to make sure it is emailed to you next month. Find out about our upcoming free webinars, our monthly survey, and our library in the spotlight.

When the Independence (KS) Public Library shared the National Library Week radio spot library staff had created, it made me wonder how technology is involved in what other libraries are doing for National Library Week (coming April 14-20, 2013). Here’s what a quick tour of the web revealed… 

At TechSoup, we’re dedicated to providing your library, nonprofit or charity with the resources it needs to tell its story. Participate in our interactive trainings all month to learn valuable production techniques, then create your 90-second video or five-image slideshow, and enter it to win. Your stories inspire others, so let's share them! 

Last fall we wrote about the Independence (KS) Public Library and the Scratch programming classes they were offering for kids ages 8-12. Last Tuesday, the library once again provided its community with an opportunity to learn to be digital creators. They hosted a 4 hour video game design workshop. Game industry pros from E-Line Media! traveled to the small town to provide a workshop for 30 middle and high school students.  The event was made possible because of the National STEM Video Game Challenge and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

When our younger visitors come into the library, they all seem to go straight to the same place--our AWE Early Literacy Stations.  If you are unaware of the AWE Early Literacy Stations,

Thank you to Holly Jin from the Skokie (IL) Public Library for today's presentation: Tech on the Spec(trum): Making Libraries More Accessible for Children with Special Needs. The webinar was recorded -- please feel free to share! Resources that were mentioned during the webinar are linked to in this post. We would love to continue the conversation in the comments. This post is a living document that will continue to be updated over the next few days.

Are you a library leader? Have you been looking for a place to connect and share with other library leaders? Library Lost and Found may be just the virtual place for which you have been searching.

Are you conducting a Community Assessment for planning? This article includes resources for finding existing information for your community. There is a wealth of data available about your community courtesy of federal websites, state publications and databases, and local contacts.