DALLAS, Texas, September 2 – Amigos Library Services, Inc. will present an online conference “Going Green @ Your Library –Lean, Green, Clean Ideas” on October 7. The online conference will address a variety of “green” issues from LEED certification to practical, low cost/no cost suggestions for library and IT operations.

“This is the first of many online conferences to come from Amigos. Online conferences are green, so this is a perfect kickoff,” says Laura Kimberly, Amigos Continuing Education Services Manager. “This conference will be a great opportunity not only for Amigos members, but librarians far and wide to interact with each other and experts on this important trend.”

Keynote speaker, Florence Mason, will kick off the conference with her talk “Going Green” Successfully. She brings her many years of expertise with libraries, government organizations, and corporations on library building issues, library long range planning, library training, and other issues related to the management of library and information services.

Mason says, “Public library buildings have long represented civic pride and civic ideals in the same manner that academic libraries have been the academic “heart” of many campuses. She adds, “Now at a time when energy conservation and sustainability have become desired social imperatives, librarians are exercising leadership to transform library buildings as important models of green and sustainable practices in communities and on campuses nationwide.”

For more information and to sign up for the conference, visit http://greenlibs.amigos.org/

About Amigos Library Services, Inc.
A not-for-profit, membership-based organization, Amigos Library Services (www.amigos.org) is one of the largest library service networks in the nation, consisting of over 750 libraries and cultural heritage institutions, located primarily in the southwestern United States. Amigos members utilize a comprehensive array of services including cataloging and resource sharing, electronic information resources, preservation and digital imaging, consulting, and training.

For the past few months, staff at the Washington State Library have been working hard, exhaustively scouring the web and compiling quality resources to help library users across Washington State. The result? A thorough guide detailed resources and techniques to help you and your users navigate this tough economy. We've covered numerous subjects, including health and nutrition, family and parenting, finances, job-seeking, and a whole lot more.

Check it out now at http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/hardtimes/

Many Libraries across the nation use book sales as a way to raise money for their local libraries. Booksalemanager.com is a new, free website designed to help libraries advertise their sales.

Booksalemanager.com offers an array of powerful features libraries can use to list and promote their sale. “What really sets us apart is our account feature. At Booksalemanager.com, libraries can create a free account where they can list, edit, and manage their sales. Creating an account gives libraries the option to change their sale information without going through a middle man. This gives libraries more flexibility and control, which is a feature we feel they will appreciate,” stated designer Ryan Landrum.

The site also features a robust search and notification system designed to make it easy for customers to find, track, and be reminded of sales they are interested in. Customers can search for sales by various criteria including zip code, state, sale size, and date range. They also have the option to create their own free accounts where they can save sales to their personal calendar.

Creating accounts also gives customers access to our notifications system. This system gives customers the ability to be notified via email when new sales in their area are listed. “We feel notifications are a powerful way for libraries to connect with customers. Once a library lists a sale on our site, any of our customers in their area will be instantly notified via an email alert. It’s a powerful network we are building to really add value for libraries” added Ryan.

Booksalemanager.com is a completely free resource for libraries. There are no hidden fees for creating accounts or listing sales. “We aren’t trying to bait and switch libraries or people searching for sales. Accounts are free, listing sales are free, and notifications are free. Our revenue comes from ads placed in a non-intrusive fashion. We feel this really creates a win-win for everyone. Libraries have a free resource to advertise and customers have a powerful new search engine to find sales,” concluded Ryan.

For more information please contact Jessica Snavely at Jessica@booksalemanager.com or visit their site at www.booksalemanager.com