Not a fan of peanut butter?

If you're not a peanut butter lover, unlike President Obama's daughters, you may not need to check out the FDA's peanut avoidance widget. But how about some other .gov tools? I thought you'd never ask!

Here are a couple from the EPA - one that provides tips on how to combat climate change:

Or here's one for finding the watershed in your area:

Maybe you're wondering what you and your patrons can do to help save the environment? Check this out:

These and several more EPA tools are snazzy to look at and easy to add to using simple copy and paste into your site's code.

But maybe the EPA isn't your cup of tea, either. If greening the planet isn't quite doing it for you, maybe you'd prefer keeping track of the FBI's ten most wanted. If you're always peeling your eyes for missing persons and criminal types, the FBI's got you covered.

They've even provided a history widget!

How cool is that?!
(And there are more to choose from, too.)

You can find a longer list of various different .gov widgets here in a very nice list courtesy of the McNeese Government Documents Department's wiki.

It's a countdown!

Here's something fun - have you ever wanted a way to show visually your library's progress toward some goal? Maybe you have a YA group reading their way through 100 books, or you'd just like to track how many blog posts you manage in a month.

Here's a tool for you:
The Ticker Factory lets YOU
create your very own graphical tracker.

Although the main push of the site appears to be tracking for babies, ovulation/menstruation, the trackers available include some for building your savings, crafts & hobbies, weddings & birthdays & special events, weight loss & fundraising. With a wide variety of ticker rulers to choose from, you can create and re-configure to your heart's content.

I created this one for a fictional event to take place next month.

After selecting the ticker & slide you like, the site generates the html code for you - you can choose from large or small image size, light or dark backgrounds, and then just select the code appropriate for your particular intended use. The tickers can be used on Facebook, message boards, MySpace, MSN, webpages, blogs (duh!), and are even with iGoogle.

Lesson-free week & a pair of (almost) widgets

No assignment this week, but I thought I might mention a couple of interesting (almost) widgets that have come in handy here.

Widget #1: A nifty promo-item that all SD libraries should have access to - netLibrary's e-book of the month

Last month (November) it was a book on surviving the mortgage crisis. This month - timely as always - the featured title is Barack Obama : the new face of American politics. netLibrary's widget embedded in your website could look like this:

Clicking on it will take patrons directly to netLibrary, where they can access the featured e-book (note: they will need to log in if not in a library or IP-verified location). The banner's available in horizontal (above), vertical-large, and vertical-small formats.

Once the script is embedded in your webpage, it automatically updates to each month's new feature - no maintenance required. That's great, but - bonus - netLibrary also provides lots of nifty promotional materials for your patrons. You can learn more about monthly ebooks, download the linking script, and find out how to get those free promotional items for your library in netLibrary's Tools for libraries section.

Which they don't exactly make easy to find, let me tell you!!!

But here's a great opportunity to use that delicious account you created last week and save the link for future reference :)

Widget #2 : Ever wondered about (or wanted your patrons to know) exactly how much the services your library provides are worth in today's economy? To find out, check the Value of Library Service Calculator

Originally created by the Massachusetts Library Association, and made freely available for any library's use, this is a nifty, customizable calculator that allows your patrons to see just how much their library use is worth in monetary terms. A quick Google search or the MLA website will produce a downloadable Excel file that you can edit to add your own values, or simply plug in to your library's website. Maine's State Library is using it to promote the value of libraries in their state, as is the Denver Public Library, and many, many others in communities across the country.

A few rough guesses as to my use of library materials and interlibrary loan - no databases or other services included - in the last year fixed an approximate valuation of my personal library use.
Here's an eyeopener: if I lived in Maine, I'd have to spend nearly $6,000 out of pocket to recoup my usual library activities. (And that's just books & serial use, not including online stuff!). In Denver the average value is calculated by monthly use. They've also added in an ROI (return on investment) calculation per dollar spent. There, I'd be spending about $491/month on books & periodical items, and my ROI for taxes would be $1=$118.08.

So there you have it. Two interesting tools you too can make use of on your library's site with only a bit of effort on your part.

Wonderful Widgets!

Most, if not all South Dakota libraries should have access to Gale's Virtual Reference Library.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
(licensed by SD State Library)

Did you know you can add a widget to your library's home page that will allow your patrons to type their terms right in and search? I didn't. The full story is available in Gale's November Re:Sources newsletter. If you don't currently subscribe, there's a link to click to do that little thing, as well.

Gale's widgets are easy to add & sort of cute.

Happy searching!