The Shoestring Library


Book Description

An organized collection of budget saving methods, materials, and strategies, these tips are all tried-and-true examples of ways to stretch the media specialist's budget and time, and change even the drabbest library into an inviting oasis of learning. The Shoestring Library offers hope, incentive, and direction to librarians who lack everything but passion. The book is organized around 300 hints—more than 114 of which are green alternatives—for administering a library in tough times. The book is divided into two parts, Support Functions and Physical Plant. The support section investigates such topics as how to best use volunteers and how to get free materials for your library. The physical plant section, amply supplemented with dozens of photos, helps a librarian identify and fix problems with dismal walls, ceilings, windows, shelving, desks, seating, and lighting, proposing low-cost or no-cost solutions to all these woes. Instructions are practical and thorough, concentrating on reuse, re-purposing, and recycling, and each idea is reversible. For quick access, chapters sport distinctive icons; time-management tips, for example, are distinguished by an alarm clock. Designed for institutions from preschools through college, The Shoestring Library proves that there is no expiration date on learning.




Library Marketing Basics


Book Description

Here is an accessible, step-by-step, easy to understand, and hands-on resource for any librarian who is interested in learning basic marketing tips to raise the profile of their library. While other books on library marketing are dense and assume that the library has a full-time marketing staff person, a publicist, a graphic designer, and a big fat budget., this book offers tips and tricks (often free) that any librarian can do to market the library. It will focus on the small changes to the services a library provides to raise its profile. Library Marketing Basics is designed for beginners who are new to library marketing. Any librarian can market their library, but they must understand what true marketing is all about, and how to do it right. In this guide, you'll: Learn what true library marketing is, and what it’s not Plan a large scale marketing campaign / awareness campaign on a shoestring budget Learn how to market yourselves as librarians! Develop your own professional identity and brand Learn tips and tricks on obtaining buy-in from your colleagues and the entire organization, even if they are resistant! Learn how to develop relationships with stakeholders in order to raise the profile of your library You'll also find practical examples from the non-library /corporate sector on how to use currently existing marketing tools and apply them to your library. The book focuses on developing a “library” brand, in addition to creating an effective marketing plan, social media guidelines, identifying assessment tools, and providing best practices when developing signage, writing website vocabulary, and designing promotional materials. Library Marketing Basics will show that you don’t need a big budget to market the library. You just need a small team of like-minded colleagues to brainstorm creative ways to raise awareness with your audience. Marketing is all about the valuable intangible and tangible aspects (of your library) and how you connect them with your users.




Shoestring Chic


Book Description

Extraordinary style for less.




Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan on a Shoestring


Book Description

"This indispensable guide is armed with concise, easily digestible ratings from an authoritative dream-team of praciticing librarians and information professinals." "E-Reference Ratings test drives 180 resoruces in 14 subject areas, from Arts to Science to Technology and everything in between. Each subject category is matched with an easy-to-understand chart that ranks tools from one to four stars, in seven categories, including Scope, Writing, Design, Bells and Whistles, Ease of Use, Linking, and Value." "In-depth descriptions of each tool are included, and a multitude of added features, including contributor biographies and exhaustive indexes, will earn this guide a spot at every reference desk."--Jacket.




Web Design on a Shoestring


Book Description

With the struggling US economy, many businesses have had to implement steps to curb expenses and pinch pennies. One of the first areas to feel these cutbacks is the web site design and development group. Employees have been asked to fill roles previously held by other employees due to staff reductions. At the same time, these remaining employees are expected to execute robust and efficient mechanisms for their corporate web sites on a tight or non-existent budget. Developers and designers are looking for shortcut tools to get there. It's all about getting more bang for the buck. Web design on a Shoestring is the tool these web site developers and designers need. It reveals all sorts of free or inexpensive resources that are available but unknown. More specifically, Carrie Bickner shows you how any individual can do the things a team of web professionals are often brought in to do. Learn how to create a pennywise plan so that you avoid being nickled and dimed to death later. Find out the best ways to test your web sites efficiencies and functionalities. Understand the most effective content management systems, and the commercial products to use or avoid - all with no dollars being spent.




Chic on a Shoestring


Book Description

Chic on a Shoestring is your entrée into the world of high fashion that will inspire you to create your own covetable clothes and accessories. Learn to transform ornate trims and vintage buttons into spectacular brooches, craft a favorite silk scarf into a chic top, or rework flea market shoes into fashionable showstoppers. With more than 40 unique and stylish ideas—including quick and easy no-sew projects—Chic on a Shoestring will inspire first-time and experienced crafters alike.




Embedded System Design on a Shoestring


Book Description

In this practical guide, experienced embedded engineer Lewin Edwards demonstrates faster, lower-cost methods for developing high-end embedded systems. With today's tight schedules and lower budgets, embedded designers are under greater pressure to deliver prototypes and system designs faster and cheaper. Edwards demonstrates how the use of the right tools and operating systems can make seemingly impossible deadlines possible. Designer's Guide to Embedded Systems Development shares many advanced, in-the-trenches design secrets to help engineers achieve better performance on the job. In particular, it covers many of the newer design tools supported by the GPL (GNU Public License) system. Code examples are given to provide concrete illustrations of tasks described in the text. The general procedures are applicable to many possible projects based on any 16/32-bit microcontroller. The book covers choosing the right architecture and development hardware to fit the project; choosing an operating system and developing a toolchain; evaluating software licenses and how they affect a project; step-by-step building instructions for gcc, binutils, gdb and newlib for the ARM7 core used in the case study project; prototyping techniques using a custom printed circuit board; debugging tips; and portability considerations. A wealth of practical tips, tricks and techniques Design better, faster and more cost-effectively




South America on a Shoestring


Book Description

Provides information for the budget traveller on getting around South America and recommends places to see, accomodations, and restaurants.




The Shoestring Girl


Book Description

This second edition of The Shoestring Girl: How I Live on Practically Nothing and You Can Too is filled with tips and tricks for living on very little money. Subjects range from living in the country to living in the hood, with special attention given to food (recipes, raising your own, wildcrafting), medical care, fashion, how to deal with excess clutter, budgeting...even how to make money when you're broke. This 131,000 word book is several times the length of the original and is sure to have information to help anyone start saving money.




Teaching on a Shoestring


Book Description

Explores the educational value and potential of everyday objects for young children and suggests practical objectrelated activities to help develop learners cross-curricular skills. In an age of ever-tightening budgets, schools are careful to spend less and to spend wisely when building up collections of resources. With these value-for-money principles in mind, Grigg and Lewis examine the use of everyday objects in effective early years teaching and learning and go on to illustrate how they can be better exploited to develop in learners the four skills widely regarded as essential in the 21st century: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Attractively laid out for easy reference, Teaching on a Shoestring dedicates a section to each object and includes: background information and interesting facts about the object, questions and focus points for the teacher to consider pre delivery, guidance on the resources and preparation required to carry out the suggested activities, and further ideas and signposts to follow up on and extend the learning. Suitable for early years practitioners, NQTs, parents and all those who work with young children.