Tune in to hear about the best speakers, programs and events of the 2011 ALA Annual Conference held last month in New Orleans. Learn what the Hot Topics of the conference were, how these issues relate to Nebraskans, and how we can address these issues in our libraries. NCompass Live - July 6, 2011

1. My Favorite Things ALA 2011 Jessica Chamberlain Northeast Library System

2. Favorite Exhibitors www.BetterWorldBooks.com Libraries send unwanted books to the warehouse. Shipping is free. They attempt to sell your books and you get a percentage of the net profit. If they cannot sell your book, it is donated to a literacy charity. No book is thrown away. http://www.betterworldbooks.com/Info-Discards-Donations-Program-m-4.aspx

3. Favorite Exhibitors www.ThriftBooks.com Similar to Better World Books – Libraries send unwanted books to the warehouse and shipping is free. They attempt to sell your books and you get 50% of the net profit. Will set up an online store just for your library if you want it, therefore getting you direct sales and a higher percentage of the profit.

4. www.BookMooch.com Great for swapping your unwanted titles for “new to you” titles from others. Not great for getting rid of tons of unwanted books, but excellent for finding new homes for handfuls of books. Favorite Exhibitors

5. Favorite FREEBIES Secrets of the Sequence Videos With Lesson Plans www.sosq.vcu.edu Videos are 10-15 minutes in length and can be downloaded or streamed from the web. Each video has a lesson plan. Aimed primarily for high school audience, but could be used in many settings including home-school and GED classes.

6. Favorite FREEBIES Museum in a Box Series www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/mib.htm Flight and aeronautics lesson kits can be borrowed from NASA. The kits have lessons plans and items relating to flight. Aimed at K-12 audiences and would be excellent for a Summer Reading Program activity or as a resource for teachers and homeschoolers.

7. Favorite FREEBIES GO! www.agfgo.org

8. Beautiful (and Cheap) Websites and Tools for Low-Tech Libraries Free - fonts at www.dafont.com Free – backup, sync and access files from multiple devices – www.dropbox.com www.wuala.com (3-2-1 backup rule for important files is 3 copies in 2 formats and 1 copy off-site.) Free – password security check www.howsecureismypassword.net Favorite Sessions