eResource Challenge Week 1 – Downloadables

Before we get to the challenge, we want to address some confusion that more than one participant experienced in trying to complete the first challenge.  Several people emailed asking where to submit their response.  The link at the bottom of the post will take you to a SurveyMonkey.  The scenario will be provided again and you should submit your response in the text box below the scenario.  The SurveyMonkey will also provide direct links to the resources you will use to answer the questions.

Now, on to the challenge!

Today we’ll tackle the first downloadables challenge.  This one will highlight what we feel is a great new feature of the Next Generation Catalog (NGC) the eiN is working on.

The Challenge:

In the NGC, search for your favorite genre then limit to the OverDrive READ format and available copies.  Pick a title and go through the checkout process.  Once the book is checked out, go through the process of returning the book, but don’t leave the NGC!

Follow this link to complete the challenge.

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eResource Challenge Week 1 – Databases

Welcome to the first challenge!   You’ll find the scenario for the exercise below, along with a link that will take you step by step through the challenge.  From there you will find links to the resources and questions to respond to based on the scenario.

Don’t forget, the questions are just a guide. Use them as a starting point to explore the resources. Your responses can be brief, include bullet points, incomplete sentences, whatever is easiest for you.

The Scenario:

A college student approaches you and says, “We’re studying Willa Cather in my Lit class. Our teacher said she lived in Pittsburgh for a while and offered extra credit if we can find the following:  10 points for finding a street she lived on in Pittsburgh and 10 points for finding an article that talks about Cather’s literary development while in Pittsburgh. 

Follow this link to complete the challenge.

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eResource Challenge Teams Announced!

The 2013 ACLA eResource Challenge teams have been formed!  Teams are composed of staff at all levels from all across the county: from pages to library directors, from South Park to Northland.

A few things to know:

  • Since this isn’t a library vs. library or region vs. region challenge, we did our best to mix up the teams as much as possible.  We tried not to have more than one person from a library or department on the same team.
  • We heartily endorse friendly taunting among co-workers.
  • Most teams are made up of ten members.  Three have nine members.  That difference will be factored into the participation calculations.
  • Some EREC and Downloadables Committee members are on teams. Their responses will count towards team participation, but they are not eligible to win individual prizes.
  • We’ll be sending each team an email so you will have contact information for your entire team.  Once you receive your email, please take a minute to introduce yourself to your teammates.
  • Your team is there to help encourage you to participate, but you can also consider them your personal resource for questions you find particularly challenging.
  • It’s important to remember which team you are on.  You will need to include this information every time you submit a Challenge response.  Don’t forget, the team with the highest rate of participation will be named ACLA eResource Challenge Champs and win bragging rights!

Check for your team here: ACLA eResource Challenge Teams 2013

We’re looking forward to the first Challenge tomorrow!

The EREC & ACLA Downloadables Committee

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eResource Challenge Instructions

Thanks to everyone who signed up to participate in the ACLA eResource Challenge!

Today’s post will provide a little more information about how the Challenge will work.  The Challenge, developed by the Electronic Resources Evaluation Committee (EREC) and the ACLA Downloadables Committee, is designed to be a quick, fun way to increase your knowledge of the electronic resources available at our libraries.

All registrants are being randomly assigned to a team.  Teams will be announced Monday.   The first official challenge will be posted on Tuesday and our friendly competition will begin!

Here’s how it will work:

Each week for six weeks, starting on September 24, two new challenges will be posted on this blog, along with a survey link. Just click on the survey link to submit your responses.

The first challenge each week will focus on databases. We’ll include specific questions to prompt you, but what we’re really interested in are your brief observations and comments, so don’t feel tethered to the questions. The second question each week will focus on downloadables. Again, we’ll provide specific questions, but in this case, the answers are not subjective, so please stick with the questions.

For each exercise you complete you will be entered to win one of our great prizes.  The more challenges you complete, the better your chances of winning.  Three lucky participants will win a Google Nexus 7 tablet.  One winner from each team will win a gift card. We’ll draw the winning names during the first full week of November.

You may be wondering whether one team will really beat the other. The cross-county competition is meant to make the challenge more fun and to help us learn from one another. We’ll compile some of the most useful responses to share with everyone, but your answers won’t be judged, either individually or as a team. Really, the winning team is the one whose members learn the most about our electronic resources. We will tally and publish our results though, and the team with the highest rate of participation will be declared ACLA eResource Champs and earn bragging rights.

Enjoy the Challenge!

The Members of EREC and Downloadables

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