Welcome to your Best Practices Wiki!

Book reviews on your own library’s web site... and the reviews are written by YOUR patrons! Imagine... your Library web site is the place where your patrons go to get recommendations from other people in your community on what books to read! Now imagine your Library’s web site IS such a place and it hardly impacts your budget at all.  Sound impossible? Well its not!  And it is better than you think! Your library can have a truly interactive mechanism, completely integrated into your online catalog for as little as $100.00 per month. Check out Chilifresh.com

Password Managers 

There are several free software titles available to assist you in managing your passwords. These password managers remember your logins and passwords for you. Available titles include:

KeePass                http://keepass.info

Password Safe      http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net

Roboform              http://roboform.com/idex.html

My Wallet

You can also check Softpedia for information and product reviews on these and other password managers, as well as other types of software. Visit the web site at www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Password-Managers-Generators.

April 2, 2008

 Waiver for Donating Hardware

There may come a time when your library has computer hardware it would like to donate to another group such as the Boys & Girls Club or Senior Center. If you do, you should consider having the organization sign a waiver so that they do not come back to the library if the computer doesn't work as expected. Here's an example:

"This hardware is provided 'as is' and without any express or implied warranties, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will the [Your Library Name] Public Library be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this hardware." 

{Thanks to Christine Peterson, Continuing Education Librarian, Amigos}

March 7, 2008

Photo Waivers / Consent Forms

If you plan on taking photos of people at library functions and uploading them to a photo storage service such as Flickr, here are some examples of photo waivers / consent forms you can use:

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/news/presspass/release.pdf

http://www.ewu.edu/x26370.xml

http://www.mmpl.org/Photo.pdf

http://www.cityoforange.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=5595

http://www.deorah.lib.ia.us/services/releaseform/view

September 11, 2007

Making Money From Donated Books

Are you looking for a way to raise money while ensuring your donated books find a good home?  bLogistics will list your materials for sale on Amazon, eBay, Alibris, Barnes & Noble, and other sites. Your library receives 50% of net sales. bLogistics accepts shipments from boxes to truckloads, arranging shipping so you pay freight after the sale. For more information visit blogistics.

August 10, 2007

Tech Soup Equals Low-Cost Software for Libraries 

Public libraries are eligible for new, donated software distributed by TechSoup Stock, a nonprofit organization. You can receive software donations for small administrative fees - save 80-96% of the retail cost! Your patrons will enjoy using the latest software such as Microsoft Office ($20) and Encarta ($3). Go to http://www.techsoup.org/stock/libraries/.

June 27, 2007

Food, Toiletries For Fines

People with overdue fines at the Wethersfield (CT) Library can pay them off with nonperishable food items or toiletries such as toothpaste. The library is collecting food and other essentials needed by their local food bank in exchange for forgiving fines. Read the complete article at The Advocate. Closer to home, Abilene Public Library has offered a program called Food for Fines during December for the past several years. Cooperative programs like this not only provide a service to the community, they build goodwill while also clearing a lot of pesky overdue fines.

June 14, 2007

Reader's Advisory 

Mid-Continent Public Library (MO) offers a Reader's Advisory page. The page provides links to databases of book movie tie-ins, juvenile series and sequels, award wining authors and titles, and suggested reading lists for kids, teens, and adults.

June 12, 2007

Keeping Up With New Books 

The Wellsley Free Library (MA) has developed several newsletters to help keep their patrons informed both about new additions to the library's collection, and about bestsellers and books being discussed on the talk show circuit. Take a look at Wellsley Free Library Newsletters.  

Introducing NAEIR 

Using NAEIR can be a cost-effective way for your library to purchase some of the items it uses on a regular basis, including office supplies, paper goods, cleaning supplies, and arts and crafts items.

NAEIR (National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources) is a nonprofit organization that helps other nonprofits, schools, and public libraries by soliciting donations of valuable, new merchandise from American corporations and redistributing the merchandise to members. Members pay a yearly subscription of $595, which entitles them to 5 catalogs of merchandise to choose from throughout the year. All merchandise in the catalogs is free. Members pay only shipping and handling charges.

NAEIR solicits donations from manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers all across the United States. While many products are offered as donations, NAEIR only accepts donations of items that members want and need for the administration of their schools and nonprofit organizations. Only brand new products are accepted. Companies donating merchandise to NAEIR often receive tax deductions, clear out warehouse space and receive the philanthropic benefit of knowing that their products are going to be used at deserving schools and nonprofit organizations. Schools and nonprofit organizations pay a membership fee to participate in NAEIR. Organizations that become NAEIR members must agree to use the merchandise received through NAEIR in accordance with IRC section 170(e)(3), which states that the merchandise must be used for the care of the ill, needy or minors and cannot be bartered, traded or sold. The merchandise can be given directly to the qualifying individuals an organization serves or used in the administration of the organization. Once merchandise is received at NAEIR, it is sorted, processed and cataloged. NAEIR publishes five 200 page catalogs per year. Each month, NAEIR members receive fliers featuring kits of related merchandise or individual items. 24 hour access to our online requesting site. Merchandise offered in the catalogs can be as diverse as office supplies, paper goods, decorations, books, audiocassettes and cds, arts and crafts supplies, novelty items, toys, puzzles, janitorial and cleaning supplies, tools, and hardware. For additional information, go to http://www.naeir.org. You can also open the attachment below (pdf) for more information.

2006NAEIRFactSheet.pdf 

Longmont Public Library (CO) Rewards Radically Good Behavior

Is your library troubled by packs of unruly teenagers? If so try imitating Colorado’s Longmont Public Library (LPL) by rewarding “Radically Good Behavior.” According to the article in the May 7, 2007 issue of Library Hotline, LPL experienced a year of well-behaved teens thanks to its Radically Good Behavior Raffle.  Library staffers hand out raffle tickets to any teen exhibiting good behavior. “You’ve been caught!,” the tickets exclaim. “Your behavior was radically good.” Ten lucky teens are chosen each month, the winners receiving $10 gift certificates to local merchants. By recognizing good behavior rather than focusing on bad behavior, LPL librarians have noticed a difference.

Friends of  the Library Appeal Letter

Louise Ledoux (Crockett County Public Library, Ozona), and friends, have come up with a letter to use for their annual appeal: Crockett Appeal.doc. Substitute your library's name and specific information. 

 Moving Your Small Library?

Carol Bird, director of the Matson Public Library in Princeton, Illinois, suggests letting your patrons help with moving your library's books when it's time to relocate your library. Purchase bags printed with your library's name and contact information and load them with 10 books each. Library patrons can check out a bag of books, and keep the books until the new library is ready for them. Patrons return the books after the move, and keep the bag for their efforts. (American Libraries Direct 5/23/07, from the LaSalle (IL) News Tribune, 5/17/07)

Cash Paid For Library Books and Materials

Better World Books will sell your library's discarded books and other materials. Through its Library Discards & Donations Program, they will sell your library's hardcover fiction and nonfiction, textbooks (2000 or newer), trade paperbacks, and CDs, DVDs, and VHS cassettes, among other items. Materials must be in saleable condition with no water damage, mildew or mold, missing pages, spine damage, missing parts, etc. There is absolutely no cost for this service: no service agreements, sign-up fees, monthly fees, or one-time fees. They provide the boxes for packaging, and they pay for shipping your books to their warehouse. As long as the materials have not been previously offered for sale or donation to employees, the general public, or any third party, your library is eligible to earn a percentage of net sales (sale price of the book or item minus any marketplace commissions). For more information, visit Better World Books.