Advocacy seems to be the buzzword of the year. With a new superintendent in my district, I decided I should be doing some targeted advocacy of my own. I knew my superintendent liked technology, and he has said he learns visually, so I decided I’d work with the other librarians in my district to create a short video about what we do.

I’d been hearing raves about Animoto, so I signed up for an educator’s account. This took a while, but was worth it since it’s so easy to use. I uploaded pictures from all of our libraries, gathered statistics and some examples, and put it all together into a simple, punchy promo.

We invited the new superintendent to one of our monthly meetings and started off by showing him the video. He loved it and asked to put it up on the district website and to share it on the city’s cable network. After the video we had a lengthy, useful conversation about the district and our role in it. We even got down into nitty gritty money details. Of course nothing in this economy is guaranteed, but this seems to have been a simple, effective way to open up dialogue.

Having a snazzy web presence doesn’t have to cost a lot. One of the great things about the Web 2.0 environment is that so many tools are available for free. What’s more, you don’t have to have particularly sophisticated technical skills to create something that looks great and is fully functional. Sites like Wikispaces, Pageflakes, and Animoto provide the templates, the underlying coding, and the storage. You can even build your entire website using a free service like Google Sites. When you use tools like these, you are taking advantage of cloud computing, meaning your content lives on externally hosted servers and is accessible to anyone who has web access.

Why use Web 2.0 tools and cloud computing – I mean, besides the fact that they are (mostly) free and easy to use? Noted social learning consultant Steve Hargadon believes that Web 2.0 is the future of education.  Although his examples target school settings, his rationale applies to all types of libraries. We are in an age of unparalleled opportunity for collaboration, participation, creativity, innovation, and publication. Yes – information overload like we’ve never imagined it. Cloud computing and Web 2.0 tools help us manage and deliver the services our users need in this environment.

Where to start? Fortunately, this profession is filled with caring folks who are happy to share what they know. Here are two  great resources that can help you pick and choose:

Donna Baumbach’s WebTools4u2use

A nearly comprehensive resource that covers every Web 2.0 tool from photo and video sharing to drawing, charting, and mapping tools. Draw from it and add to it.

The 2009 AASL Conference Smackdown session wiki

Whew, what a session that was! Fortunately, its resources live on in the wiki, where you can link to free tools for reading promotion, digital storytelling, information fluency, and digital citizenship.

Take 15 minutes a day to play with a new-to-you Web 2.0 tool. You won’t regret it!

WordFest: Banff-Calgary International Writers Festival is an annual literary festival taking place Oct. 9 - 14, 2007 in Alberta, Canada. One of Canada’s premier literary festivals, WordFest 2007 features over 75 writers of local, national and international stature and will attract more than 12,000 individuals.

Children’s and young adult’s literature will be highlighted in the First Calgary Savings Book Rapport Programme. Festival Director Anne Green tells us:

“Book Rapport brings students up-close and personal with their favourite authors, which is a rare and fantastic opportunity for them. Students can hear the authors read, ask them questions, while teachers have a creative way to bring life into literature.”

Anne adds that this year’s Book Rapport Programme offers a superb line-up of KidLit writers, including the following award winning Canadian authors:

Canadian superstar Kenneth Oppel. Oppel, recipient of numerous prestigious literary awards, is the author of the million-copy-selling Silverwing Saga and has more than twenty children and young adult books to his credit. “To have Ken Oppel attend WordFest is great news for Calgary’s schools, students and families,” says Anne.

First nations writer Larry Loyie and his partner Constance Brissenden. In 2003, Loyie and Brissenden won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction for their children’s book, As Long as the Rivers Flow which was inspired by Loyie’s Cree childhood and the true story of his grandmother’s confrontation with a grizzly. As Long as the Rivers Flow is about a First Nations boy’s last summer spent with his family in the bush before being taken to residential school. The second book in this series When the Spirits Dance recounts the dramatic changes to the boy’s life when his father is sent overseas in World War 2.

Quebec writer Michel Noël. Noël has over fifty books to his credit and has written several award-winning books for young people, including Pien, which won the 1997 Governor General’s Award for French language children’s literature. His novel Good for Nothing, winner of the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, takes place in northern Quebec in 1959 and is the story of young Métis who seeks to establish his own identity and find out more about the mystery surrounding his father’s death. The book provides compelling insights into many issues faced by First Nations people during this time (residential schools, racism, land claims etc.) as well as the ongoing struggles of native communities today. Noël was named Citizen of the World by the Canadian Association for the United Nations for his work in seeking better understanding among people.

For those of us who can’t attend WordFest in person, we can still take part! Pop culture writer Hal Niedzviecki will be writing the first official WordFest blog. Niedzviecki describes it as “a gossipy insider look at what’s going on and where to be, what’s not to be missed, who is who, and the opportunity to have your questions answered.”