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Volume XXXI, Issue IIV - December 2023

What's new at HQ?

2023 was a busy year for Shortgrass- new faces in the office, new projects on the go, and the return of much-missed events like the June BBQ.

Read on to hear about what Shortgrass staff & libraries have been up to this quarter!

Upcoming Events

December 22: Closing at noon. Last day Shortgrass office is open until 2024.

January 2: Shortgrass office reopens for 2024.

January 15: Library Manager Meeting

January 17: SLS Board Meeting

February 19: Family Day - Shortgrass office closed. Missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day.

February 21: SLS Board Meeting

March 18: Library Manager Meeting

March 20: SLS Board Meeting

March 29: Good Friday - Shortgrass office closed. Missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day.

April 1: Easter Monday - Shortgrass office closed. Missed deliveries will be made up on the following business day.

April 15: Shortgrass PD Day

Shortgrass Closing for the Holidays

The Shortgrass office will once again be closed for the holidays. We will be closed from noon on Friday, December 22nd, 2023, and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024.

Partek will be closed from noon on December 22nd, and will reopen on January 8th 2024. Regular service requests will be unavailable this time, but emergency IT services are still available. See below for more information on emergency IT support.

New eLearning Platform in 2024

Starting on January 1st, 2024, Shortgrass Library System will be offering a new eLearning platform to patrons: Udemy. Gale Courses will be retired as of January 31st, 2024.

Udemy is owned by the same company as Gale Courses, but offers more courses and more flexibility. With over 12,000 courses in everything from accounting, to 3D design, to dance lessons, patrons will be able to upskill in a wide variety of areas. The courses are available on-demand, meaning that users can start and finish on their own time.

Watch your inbox for more information!

Shortgrass Christmas Dinner & Social

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2022 Christmas Dinner & Social on December 6th.

It was an evening of delicious food, great company, and the annual holiday game. Thanks to Larry for his awesome work running the Match Game, and to Keltie for making it such a challenge for us all! And thank you to Dwight, for emceeing the event!

See you all next year!

Eighteen Years at Shortgrass Library System

Cataloguer Val Ogden has been at Shortgrass since 2005- so needless to say, she has seen a lot of changes during her time here!

"I started with Shortgrass in May 2005, after moving here from Lethbridge. At the time, there were around 17 total staff here! My shortest interview ever was at Shortgrass- after a brief cataloguing test, I was offered a job on the spot, doing recon for the Prairie Rose School District.

"For most of my time with Shortgrass, I received, catalogued, and processed books for the Medicine Hat School District and the Prairie Rose School District- 34 schools in total! I really enjoyed doing this- the schools had some very interesting items for me to catalogue.

"After the school contracts ended, I moved to cataloguing for the public libraries, where I have been ever since (in addition to filling in for admin, processing, and acquisitions).

"Since I started at Shortgrass, I have seen four libraries join the system; I have moved desks six times; and I have been through two renovations. I also saw the fall of VHS and Large Print block collections, and the rise of programming kits.

"I have so many wonderful memories of Shortgrass, from staff lunches, Christmas parties, courses and workshops, PD Days, conferences, trade shows, and parades. This has been a wonderful career, but I'm looking forward to my new job: retirement! I will miss you all!"

- Val

Five Quick Questions with Val!

We ask Val a few questions about her time at Shortgrass and her plans for retirement- read on to learn the first book she plans on reading!

What is your favourite thing about libraries?

It doesn't matter who you are, there is always something at the library for you. Books, CDs, DVDs, eResources, programs, and services- there is something for everyone.

What will you miss the most about working at Shortgrass?

The staff! And seeing all the items that come in to be processed & catalogued.

What are you most looking forward to about retirement?

Spending more time with my family and my pets, and spending more time glamping (camping in our 5th wheel!)

What is your favourite Shortgrass memory?

There are so many memories! But one of my favourites was our field trip several years ago, to Calgary's new Central Library. We had a wonderful tour by former Shortgrass staff member Anton Chuppin. It was really interesting to watch items being sorted with the RFID tags, and so cool to see all the behind-the-scenes details.

What is the first book that you are going to read once you retire?

I have two books that I plan to read right away: Rick Mercer's new book The Road Years: A Memoir, Continued, and Henry Winkler's new book Being Henry: The Fonz... And Beyond.

Farewell, Val! We wish you all the best for your retirement!

CEO Update

Petra Mauerhoff, CEO

We are reaching the end of an eventful year!

First of all, there have been a number of significant staffing updates in 2023:

• Lauralee, our Manager, Systems & Technical Services, joined us in January;
• Sierra returned for another summer as our Summer Library Assistant;
• Bernadette, our Executive Assistant / Bookkeeper, returned from maternity leave in August;
• Val, one of our Cataloguers, will be retiring this month after eighteen years with Shortgrass. Her cataloguing expertise and willingness to always pitch in will be very missed. Thank you for your service to the Shortgrass Library System, Val!

We have also seen some changes to our Board of Trustees. Dwight Kilpatrick was reelected as our Board Chair; Alison Van Dyke was elected as Vice Chair; and Craig Widmer was reelected as Treasurer. We also said goodbye to several Trustees, and welcomed new representatives from Duchess, Rosemary, Brooks, and Bassano. Thank you to those who served on the board in 2023, and welcome to our new Trustees!

Other significant happenings in 2023 include the launch of the Patron Point email marketing platform; the return of our June BBQ; and our first full year utilizing Partek IT support.

We are now looking forward to 2024, which is already shaping up to be a busy year. Mark your calendars for the Shortgrass Professional Development Day for all member library staff, volunteers, and board members, scheduled for Monday, April 15th!

Stay warm and have a wonderful holiday season.

Petra

Client Services Update

Kait McClary, Client Services Librarian

Programming Kits

Shortgrass has some new programming kits! These kits are available to borrow now- contact Kait for details.

Dress Up: You don't need to wait for Halloween to have a costume party! This kit is full of dozens of costume pieces for young children, and even includes a few books for a dress-up themed storytime!

And coming soon in 2024: Jewelry-Making Kit!

Patron Point: Recommends

One of Shortgrass' major projects this year was getting Patron Point campaigns & newsletters up and running. Effective November 2023, the latest Patron Point project, Recommends, is officially live!

Recommends is an automated reading recommendation newsletter, that will be delivered to subscribing patrons' inboxes monthly. Subscribers can select from 26 genres and categories, and receive lists of books available at Shortgrass member libraries that correspond to their selected interests.

The first newsletters full of recommended reads went out on November 15th, and they will continue to go out on the third Wednesday of each month. The next edition will go live on December 20th, so make sure to encourage your patrons to sign up before that date!

eSkills Challenge

The latest eSkills Challenge is live!

As a reminder, the eSkills Challenge gives you a chance to brush up your skills on different digital resources. Practice logging in, searching, and more, and you'll be an expert in no time! The challenges are open to everyone across the system, and those who successfully complete the challenges are entered in the draw to win a $25 gift card.

This month, we're focusing on Niche Academy! This is a new resource that allows patrons to complete short tutorials to learn how to use our eResources. Follow this link to brush up your skills and enter the draw to win!

Systems and Technical Services Update

Lauralee Gilmour, Manager, Systems and Technical Services

WorkFlows Upgrade – Monday Dec 18th

Shortgrass has scheduled a WorkFlows upgrade to version 4.0.0, for the morning of Monday, December 18th. WorkFlows will be unavailable until the upgrade is complete, at which point Lauralee will send out an announcement to all staff.

We expect WorkFlows downtime to be relatively short: no guarantees, but if all goes well, this upgrade will likely be finished by 10 or 11 am that morning. 

This upgrade will bring us a number of security improvements, in addition to new features, but overall, you will still be able to perform your normal tasks in the normal way. We do not expect this to be a disruptive upgrade in terms of moving things around or changing the steps required to perform a task.

One notable addition in the new version is a "Manage Hold Shelf" option that will be available in the Circulation menu, which you may find useful for holds-related tasks.

If you notice glitches or odd behaviour post-upgrade, please email Lauralee immediately - as with any major upgrade, there will likely be some unexpected issues we need to resolve (the sooner the better!)

Cyber Attack on Toronto Public Library

In late October, Toronto Public Library suffered a massive cyber attack. While cardholder information was not compromised, staff information did fall victim to this attack, as did most of TPL's digital services.

More than a month later, many digital services are still unavailable, and may not be restored until January 2024. For instance, public computers are still unavailable, as are several eResources. Patrons are able to borrow books and register for library cards, but staff are doing this manually!

You can visit TPL's interim website for more information on the cyberattack and regular updates. You can also check out this interview with TPL Area Manager, Jan Dawson, to learn more about what the experience has been like for library workers.

Incidents like this are a growing risk for all organizations, including libraries. Often attackers "get in" to networks through methods like fake emails, phone calls, or texts, aiming to trick staff into thinking it's a legitimate contact. Sometimes these messages can seem very real. If you're ever unsure about a communication you've received, please run it by Partek for a second opinion - better safe than sorry!

Shortgrass will offer more cybersecurity training in the new year, and everyone is encouraged to participate. We will also soon require two-step verification on all staff Google accounts; libraries that indicated they need USB security keys will receive these in the near future. Shortgrass continues to look at ways to improve our cybersecurity practices as the threat landscape continues to evolve.

What's New at Shortgrass Member Libraries?

Five Fun Facts about Irvine Community Library Manager, Joan

1. I live in Irvine with my husband, Greg, and three cats: Millie (aka ‘the witchy one’), age 19 ½, Steele (aka ‘the Lug’), age 9 and Summer (aka ‘the Twerp’), age 4.

2. I play with two friends at senior’s centres. I play keyboard and sing, they play saxophone and drums. We have a lot of fun and so do the seniors!

3. I have two children, Celeste, who lives in Dauphin, Manitoba, and Daniel, who lives in Calgary.

4. I love to colour in my adult colouring books – a gift from my daughter (along with a set of wonderful felt pens which I have worn out).

5. I love to read, especially mystery novels. I do enjoy many other types of books as well.

Joan Côté is the manager of the Irvine Community Library.

CBC was "Out Your Way" to Bassano!

CBC has launched the "Out Your Way" project to reconnect with small communities across Alberta. And their second stop was the Bassano Memorial Library!

On Friday November 24th, 21 community leaders joined CBC staff for a discussion on local challenges, as well as the reasons why Bassano is such an amazing place to live.

Then on Saturday November 25th, CBC and TAL hosted an amazing Family Fun Day! 114 community members visited the library and met with staff from TAL and CBC. People enjoyed more conversation with CBC; coffee; delicious food from 4 different local vendors; crafts, games, and activities throughout the library; and a local musician played in the afternoon (we were not a quiet library at all this day!). There was even a disc golf shoot out- CBC vs TAL!

It was a great opportunity to show off our library to the CBC, as well as for CBC staff to connect with the community. Community members with concerns about the CBC appreciated the chance to chat with CBC journalists and have their thoughts heard.

Christmas Cookie Decorating at Redcliff Public Library

Redcliff Public Library hosted their annual Christmas Storytime & Cookie Decorating program on December 4th. They hosted two full sessions, which went off with a jingle!

Children listened to some Christmas stories and sang some rhymes and songs, with the Reindeer Hokey Pokey being a stand-out favourite. The kids finished off the program with cookie decorating and hot chocolate.

As always, the program was a huge, festive hit!

Barbie Fun at MHPL

MHPL staff members Stephanie, Miranda and Tracy built a life-size Barbie Box photo booth! It was displayed on Halloween, and again at the extremely popular Teen Barbie Night on Nov. 24. Teens packed the library for it, and Mayor Linnise Clark even stopped by to get in on the fun!

Update: Irvine Community Library's New Home!

The brand-new Irvine Community Library is just months away from completion, with an estimated move-in date of late January 2024! Check out the work in-progress (and the awesome new playground that is right outside the library), and stay tuned for future updates!

Stuffy Sleepover at Redcliff Public Library

The stuffed toys at Redcliff Public Library recently had a slumber party!

First our Shake, Rattle, and Read patrons each got to pick a stuffy. It was sleep time for the stuffies, so we ever so quietly walked through the library and put them to sleep on the couch. Then we went back to Shake Rattle, and Read!

After, we went back to check on our stuffies... only to find out they hadn't been sleeping at all!

Redcliff's Newest Local Author

November was National Novel Writing Month, and patrons around the system were invited to practice their writing skills with a jar of prompts.

 A young patron of the Redcliff Public Library used one of these prompts to create a 10-page, fully illustrated novel, which she then generously donated to the library!

The book is complete with a title page, dedication, story, author bio, note to reader to encourage reading, and on the back page, a story synopsis!

Medicine Hat MLA Town Hall Hosted at MHPL

The Medicine Hat Public Library hosted MLAs Danielle Smith (Brooks-Medicine Hat) and Justin Wright (Cypress-Medicine Hat) for a town hall on October 18th, 2023. The event attracted a full-capacity crowd to the Library Theatre. You can read more on PressReader- search for the October 20, 2024 edition of the Medicine Hat News!

In Library News...

Canada Summer Jobs & Young Canada Works Applications Are Now Open

Canada Summer Jobs

Applications for Canada Summer Jobs grants are now open, and will close on Wednesday January 10th. Make sure that you review the applicant guide prior to submitting your application. The application is available here.

Young Canada Works

Applications for Young Canada Works grants are now open, and will close on Friday January 19th. More information is available at this link, and the application form can be found here.

Professional Development & Training

Canva 2.0 for Libraries: Page Layout Design

Join Jennifer Blair for this workshop on page layout design. You'll learn to format your design for social media, flyers, and posters, as well as for the web vs. print. This tutorial focuses 100% on Canva, and is ideal for beginner-intermediate learners.

Wednesday January 10th, 12-1pm

Libby: Engage Your Readers with One-Tap Digital Magazines

Join Overdrive library experts to explore:

• Popular magazine titles your patrons will want to read this fall and holiday season.
• Recently released Libby updates that make it easier than ever to discover and engage with magazines from your library.
• Success stories from a top library who effectively drives magazine circulation in their community.
• And more!

Available any time on-demand.

Dynamic Shelving

Join speaker and school librarian Kelsey Bogan to explore the world of dynamic shelving! This fun and creative webinar is designed to show you how to create accessible, engaging collections for independent browsing — boosting circulation and making it easier for readers to find their next favorite book.

Available any time on-demand.

The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness

Until December 2024, Shortgrass Library System is providing member libraries with The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness. This is an empathy-based training program aimed at providing frontline library staff with the tools to help them manage problem situations.

Consisting of a three-hour Core Training session and 30+ additional one-hour modules, this training is available to all member library staff/volunteers.

While "Homelessness" may be in the title, the course goes far beyond that one subject. Various modules dive into issues such as dealing with unsupervised children and teenagers; handling sensitive subjects such as body odour; de-escalating fights before they happen; and more.

To access the training, please get in touch with Kait. This training is available until mid-December, 2024.

Don't forget that our virtual meeting software, Zoom, is available to all Shortgrass member libraries.

Please contact Bernadette if you would like to book Zoom to host your next virtual program or Library Board Meeting.

Share Your Stories!

Anything new to share? Send us your photos, stories, and updates!

• Screenshots of a popular online event
• Photos of what's going on at your library- displays, programs, renovations, weeding projects
• News about your library

Submit updates to newsletter@shortgrass.ca

Shortgrass Library System

Resourceful by Nature

shortgrass.ca

2375 10th Ave SW, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 8G2

Tel. (403) 529-0550 – Toll Free Number 1-866-529-0550

Shortgrass Library System honours and acknowledges that we are situated on Treaty 7 and Treaty 4 territory, traditional lands of the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Stoney-Nakoda, and Tsuut’ina as well as the Cree, Sioux, and the Saulteaux bands of the Ojibwa peoples. We also acknowledge and honour that we are on the homelands of the Metis people.

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