New INFOhio video spotlights 21st century skills Be sure to view INFOhio's new video, 21st Century Tools and Electronic Resources for Students, Teachers and Parents. Created in cooperation with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center and with assistance of staff from Centerville City Schools, this video introduces 21st century literacies in relationship to the INFOhio Core Collection of Electronic Resources. The 27-minute production introduces the online resources INFOhio provides to Ohio students and teachers, focusing on the special features that can infuse student learning with 21st century information literacy skills. The Flash presentation is segmented into nine chapters, most about two-three minutes in length. Ohio educators are encouraged to distribute the video to students, parents and colleagues. A link to the new video is a Special Announcement  on the INFOhio home page and the Sitemap. Chapters that relate to specific resources are included on the respective Help Resources pages. Ohio becomes P21 Leadership State OELMA and INFOhio's involvement with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has reached a higher level, now that Ohio has become a Leadership State. Gov. Ted Strickland made the official announcement in late October. Ohio joins 13 other states, including Illinois and West Virginia. Within the next three years, Ohio is committed to: Ensure that every educator participates in at least one significant professional development program focused on integrating 21st century skills into content Update state standards to reflect a combination of skills and content Develop and introduce one significant assessment of 21st century skills An INFOhio and OhioLINK Special Task Force has met since 2008, and the two organizations have published a joint report, Preparing 21st Century Ohio learners for Success: The Role of Information Literacy and Libraries, that includes a list of goals and action steps for transitioning students from high school to college. Learn more ... Brenda Gehm receives Hugh Durbin Award Brenda Gehm, Director of Library Services for Monroe Local Schools, was awarded the the INFOhio Hugh Durbin Leadership Award for 2009 at the OELMA Awards Luncheon on October 23, 2009. Linda Ehrnschwender, recipient of the 2008 Spence White Service Award, was recognized at the same event. Visit our Awards & Grants page to learn more about each honoree. Pictures, presentation remarks and acceptance speeches are linked from the page. Kudos to our recipients! SchoolRooms ordering deadline nears December 15, 2009, is the deadline to join those districts subscribing to INFOhio's SchoolRooms™ for second semester of this school year. Using SchoolRooms, students can search library resources, interactive educational media and the Web – all at once – through a single online portal. In subject-oriented virtual rooms students will find relevant and age-appropriate content to meet their educational needs. Now SchoolRooms subscribers can request that additional links to local electronic resources or research Web sites be located alongside their new SchoolRooms links.  Read the recent announcement. Learn more at: Is SchoolRooms Right for Your Students? - Fact sheets, funding suggestions. INFOhio's Core Collection Plus Price List 2009 has complete SchoolRooms pricing information. The password-protected document requires the same password as used for the Core Collection during 2008-2009. To receive a password, contact your Instructional Technology Center or e-mail central@infohio.org.[PDF 6 pgs] Contact support@infohio.org to request a trial access account for SchoolRooms. Subscribe to SchoolRooms - Online form to begin your order.

Important News, Stories and More Links This year's OELMA Conference included nine sessions on behalf of INFOhio. Most of our presenters are sharing their PowerPoint presentations and handouts on INFOhio Sessions at the 2009 OELMA Annual Conference. This page joins our Meetings page in the About INFOhio section of the INFOhio Web site. INFOhio: What's New With the CAT is the topic of the next INFOhio webinar, December 15, 2009, 3:30 p.m. The one-hour session is presented by Karen Coy, INFOhio Liaison, Hamilton-Clermont Cooperative Association (H/CCA). Learn what the new version, CAT 2.0, has to offer your patrons. Everyone is welcome to attend this free session. Visit Professional Development Opportunities for more information. TRAILS: Helping Students Plot Successful Paths to Information Literacy is the next session in INFOhio's IVDL series. Presented by Jennifer Schwelik, INFOhio Consultant and TRAILS Project Manager, and Jennifer Flaherty, Beachwood High School Librarian, the one-hour session will be held December 16, 2009, at 3:30 p.m. Visit Professional Development Opportunities for more information and a Site Registration Form. INFOhio's progress report for 2008-2009, Go Further and Achieve More With INFOhio, has been added to the Document Library. Crammed with project summaries and statistics, the document includes a list of strategic directions for 2009-2013.