Upcoming January OPAL programs

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1:00 p.m. Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:
Yahoo! Let's Ask Jeeves How to Google: An Introduction to Searching the Internet
Learn some of the tips, tricks, and best search engines for finding any type of information on the World Wide Web. This program is designed for older adults, but everyone is welcome to attend. Co-sponsored by the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service and the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center and facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.


Wednesday, January 4, 2006 beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7:00 p.m. Central, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, and 1:00 a.m. GMT:
The Mouse Pad Traveler: Using the Internet to Plan and Purchase Your Travels
Airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, maps, itineraries, and other travel essentials can be researched and purchased on the Internet. Learn some of the best tips, tricks, and websites for planning your next trip. Advice also will provided on how to avoid credit card fraud, identity theft, and online rip-offs. This program is designed for older adults, but everyone is welcome to attend. Co-sponsored by the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service and the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center and facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.


Thursday, January 5, 2006 beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7:00 p.m. Central, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, and 1:00 a.m. GMT:
Yahoo! Let's Ask Jeeves How to Google: An Introduction to Searching the Internet
Learn some of the tips, tricks, and best search engines for finding any type of information on the World Wide Web. This program is designed for older adults, but everyone is welcome to attend. Co-sponsored by the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service and the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center and facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.


Friday, January 6, 2006 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 10:00 a.m. Central, 9:00 Mountain, 8:00 Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
First Fridays: Where in the World are Jessa & James?
Join us on the first Friday of each month to catch up with Jessa and James, our infamous bug artists of Project INSECT! Find out where they are, what they're up to, and what insect they're working on!
Presented by the Johnson County Library in suburban Kansas City.
This OPAL public event will be held in the Atrium.


Monday, January 9, 2006 beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1:00 p.m. Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:
Finding Health Information Online: An Introduction
There are thousands of websites containing health information and advice for individuals. Learn what are some of the more reliable online resources, and how to evaluate the quality of health information found online. This program is designed for older adults, but everyone is welcome to attend. Co-sponsored by the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service and the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center and facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.


Tuesday, January 10, 2006 beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:
OPAL and tcConference version 4 Intermediate Session for Moderators
This session will provide intermediate tips and techniques for moderators of OPAL online events. We will focus on use of the administrative module, which allows you to add and delete users and moderators, customize your room, obtain usage statistics, etc. We also will cover how to record, archive, and podcast OPAL events. Plenty of time will be reserved to address specific questions from attendees. Facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Tuesday, January 10, 2006 beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7:00 p.m. Central, 6:00 p.m. Mountain, 5:00 p.m. Pacific, and 1:00 a.m. GMT:
Finding Health Information Online: An Introduction
There are thousands of websites containing health information and advice for individuals. Learn what are some of the more reliable online resources, and how to evaluate the quality of health information found online. This program is designed for older adults, but everyone is welcome to attend. Co-sponsored by the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service and the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center and facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.


Wednesday, January 11, 2006 beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:
The Armchair Traveler
Get set to travel to far-flung locations and down-home sites at the click of a mouse. Join Library of Congress tour directors who will lead you in surfing the library's online collections and resources from Aruba to Zimbabwe and from Rutland, Vermont to Redding, California. All aboard! Presented by the librarians at the Library of Congress.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Thursday, January 12, 2006 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 10:00 Central, 9:00 Mountain, 8:00 a.m. Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
OPAL and tcConference version 4 Intermediate Session for Moderators
This session will provide intermediate tips and techniques for moderators of OPAL online events. We will focus on use of the administrative module, which allows you to add and delete users and moderators, customize your room, obtain usage statistics, etc. We also will cover how to record, archive, and podcast OPAL events. Plenty of time will be reserved to address specific questions from attendees. Facilitated by Tom Peters.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Thursday, January 12, 2006 beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 2:00 Central, 1:00 Mountain, noon Pacific, and 8:00 p.m. GMT:
Wiki World: An Introduction
Wikis are democratizing the World Wide Web in a way that no other Web application has. A wiki allows a group of people to collaboratively develop website with no knowledge of HTML or other markup languages. Any member of the wiki community can add to or edit anyone else's content, which is what makes Wikis so revolutionary and so controversial. Wikis are being used by librarians as knowledge repositories, subject guides, conference planning vehicles, and Intranets, but they could be used in any situation where quick and easy online collaboration is a goal. This session will explain what wikis are, how they could be used in libraries, and what to consider before creating one of your own. Presented by Meredith Farkas, Distance Learning Librarian at the Kreitzberg Library atNorwich University in Vermont. Meredith is the author of the blog Information Wants To Be Free and the creator and administrator of the ALA Chicago 2005 Wiki and Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki. Sponsored by the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Tuesday, January 31, 2006 beginning at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7:00 Central, 6:00 Mountain, 5:00 Pacific, and Midnight GMT:
Book Discussion of the 1880 Russian novel, The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The melodramatic tale of Fyodor Karamazov and his sons: Alyosha, Dmitri, Ivan, and the illegitimate Smerdyakov. The death of the father and conflicts of faith are key themes in this panorama of nineteenth-century Russia. Acclaimed 1990 translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
NLS audiobook version: RC 50370 (8 cassettes; read by Ken Kliban)
This OPAL public event will be held in the Atrium.


Friday, February 3, 2006 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, 10:00 a.m. Central, 9:00 Mountain, 8:00 Pacific, and 4:00 p.m. GMT:
First Fridays: Where in the World are Jessa & James?
Join us on the first Friday of each month to catch up with Jessa and James, our infamous bug artists of Project INSECT! Find out where they are, what they're up to, and what insect they're working on!
Presented by the Johnson County Library in suburban Kansas City.
This OPAL public event will be held in the Atrium.


Wednesday, February 8, 2006 beginning at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 1:00 Central, noon Mountain, 11:00 a.m. Pacific, and 7:00 p.m. GMT:
Topic to Be Announced
Join us for a fascinating tour of some of the digital riches at the Library of Congress. Presented by the librarians at the Library of Congress.
This OPAL event will be held in the Auditorium.


Thursday, February 16, 2006 :
Day of the Digital Audio Book
This inaugural event for LibraryU Live! will include online self-paced LibraryU modules combined with a day of live events in the OPAL online auditorium and will feature three separate sessions on the exciting and innovative activities going on in libraries in the area of digital audio books. A bonus "brown bag lunch" will provide participants with the opportunity to listen to experts talk about their experiences with a range of creative digital audio book programs.
This special day of online events and discussions if free of charge, but we do as that you REGISTER.
Presented by OPAL and LibraryU.
This OPAL event will be held in the online Auditorium.