Did you know Madison Public Library’s Central Library offers resources that may greatly increase your ability start or grow a business? Join us at one of two upcoming free classes offered in conjunction with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC).
Researching Your Business Idea-Madison
Have you made the decision to go into business? The next step is to explore the potential of your business idea. We will focus on examining the feasibility of your business idea, exploring ways to market the product or service, and identify resources for starting your business including an introduction to the business plan.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 6 - 8 p.m.
Register online through WWBIC’s web site or call WWBIC at 257-5450 to reserve a spot for this free class.
Thursday, December 16, 2010, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Register online through WWBIC’s web site or call WWBIC at 257-5450 to reserve a spot for this free class.
Join Madison Public Library and the Urban League of Greater Madison for a FREE four-week class series which provides an introduction to the “soft skills” of teamwork, conflict management, time management, and accountability necessary to find a job or advance your career. All classes begin at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, July 20 - Introduction to Soft Skills: Hard Skills v. Soft Skills
This session introduces the series and explores the differences between soft skills and hard skills, and what skills are valued by employers.
Tuesday, July 27 - Introduction to Soft Skills: Teamwork
This session discusses teamwork, with participants sharing past experiences and participating in communication exercises.
Tuesday, August 3 - Introduction to Soft Skills: Conflict Management
This session discusses conflict management, encouraging participants to complete situational exercises, and discuss relevant personal life experiences.
Tuesday, August 10 - Introduction to Soft Skills: SMART Goals
This session discusses time management and how to create SMART goals for accountability. Participants will create their own goals Discussion concludes with the employer’s view of accountability.
Interested parties will benefit the most from attending all four class sessions, but may also drop in on individual session. All sessions take place at the new Urban League office at 2222 South Park St. in Madison Call Urban League at 729-1200 for more information.
These classes are made possible by a grant to Madison Public Library from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant.
If you’re reading this, you probably already have a Madison Public Library card. So you’re already pretty good at saving money. And now that card is your ticket to saving even more. Now you can use that card to access our brand new online Consumer Reports from anywhere–library, home, coffee shop–with an internet connection. Researching the history and performance of cars, appliances, strollers, etc, just got easier.
Consumer Reports publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory and it’s available to Madison libraries and a few other libraries. Get the most for your money when you need to make a purchase, start your search at Madison Public Library.
And congratulate yourself–you’re one savvy shopper.
The library’s subscription to Value Line Investment Survey has been experiencing technical problems since Sunday, June 13. We will post an update on our web site, Facebook page, and Twitter account when access has been restored.
Whether you’re an IT professional or a technology hobbyist, we have a proposition for you!
The library is investigating a subscription to Safari Books Online, which would offer free access to online technical books by publishers such as O’Reilly, Peachpit, Prentice Hall, Microsoft Press, Apress, Packt, Sams, and other technology publishing companies. The books would be available to anyone who visits a Madison Public Library location or is a City of Madison resident with a valid public library card.
You can help by answering a quick survey. Results from our survey will help us gauge interest, as well as help us decide on a selection focus if the service is chosen. We thank you for taking the time to share your comments with us.
As you may know, the City of Fitchburg is building a public library, and is home to many technology businesses. Fitchburg Public Library may also purchase a subscription to Safari Books Online. All Madison Public Library survey data will be forwarded to Fitchburg library staff for their consideration.
If purchased by Madison Public Library, Safari Books Online will be partially funded through a generous grant for Small Business & Entrepreneurship to Madison Public Library by the Madison Community Foundation. Find out more about the grant or about the Madison Community Foundation.
Based on the success of a 2009 series of job assistance training sessions, Madison Public Library applied for and received a $15,590 federal LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant for 2010 to expand job assistance training sessions at the Central Library and expand them to library branches.
The grant is overseen by our Americorps VISTA employee, Jim Handorf, who has worked with Madison Public Library since September 2009 to increase the library’s partnerships with other agencies to best help Madison-area job seekers find the resources they need to return to work. Upcoming classes at the library are listed below, or additional classes offered by our community partners:
One-on-one Assistance for Job Seekers
Need help looking for a job? We can help you work on your resume and cover letter, set up an email account, locate Internet job sites, improve your computer skills and apply for jobs online. Drop-ins are welcome, or call the site nearest you to make an appointment. Meet our Job Assistance volunteers!
Central Library - 201 W. Mifflin St. - 266-6350
Mondays 1:00 pm-4:00 pm
Tuesdays 5:30 pm-7:30 pm
Hawthorne Branch - 2702 E. Washington Ave. - 246-4548
Thursdays 4:30 pm-7:30 pm
Managing Email
June 2nd 5:00-7:00 - Central Library
Email is the communication method of choice for many people in business today, yet many people struggle to use it to their advantage. This class focuses on writing clear messages, managing the overload of email received and decreasing the time wasted on email.
As a result of this session, you will:
-Write effective subject lines that get attention
-Organize your e-mail to increase likelihood of understanding and action
-Use customer focused language
-Decide when email is the right communication vehicle
-Evaluate your own e-mails for improvement
Presented by Kimberly Bellefeuille, Human Resources Development Manager with General Casualty Insurance.
Must preregister - call 266-6350 to register by May 26.
You Got the Interview…Now What?
June 24 4:30-6:00 - Central Library
This interactive presentation will cover what to do before, during and after an interview and review strategies to calm nerves and be confident during a job interview! Presented by Kelly Cuene of the Business Career Center and Katia Albright from the Adult and Student Services Center in the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. Call 266-6350 to register.
Resumes and the Job Search
June 28, 5-6 p.m. - Hawthorne Library
Learn what to include in a resume and what to leave off, as well as special tips to make your resume unique in a competitive job market. After your resume is perfected, learn how to maximize your time and efforts to find a new job. Presented by Mandy Sussek, Human Resources Professional. Call 246-4548 to register.
Master the Interview
June 28, 6:30-7:30 p.m. - Hawthorne Library
Learn how to answer the most frequent job interview questions while highlighting your skills. Learn to conquer your fear of not knowing what to expect in a job interview. Presented by Mandy Sussek, Human Resources Professional. Call 246-4548 to register.
Networking Your Way to Success
July 22, 4:30 p.m. - Sequoya Library
Presented by Steve Schroeder and Jamie Marsh of the Business Career Center, this presentation will cover how to identify key contacts and utilize different networking strategies in order to build relationships to move your job search forward. Come prepared to learn and practice! Call 266-6385 to register.
For an updated class schedule and other job assistance programs, visit the library’s Jobs page.
These classes are made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction through a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant.
The Dane County Job Service is holding a series of workshops at the Central Library aimed at assisting people get themselves ready for the job search. Called Diversify Your Approach to Employment, the workshops help you analyze your skills and market yourself in the best way possible for today’s job market. Sign-up for the classes online or call 266-6350. And, while you’re at it, register with the Job Center of Wisconsin.
Here’s the workshop schedule:
January 21 - 1-2:30 p.m. Diversify your Resume, 3-4:30 p.m. Marketing your Skills & Cover Letters
February 4 - 1-2:30 p.m. Transferable Skills: Identify Yours, 3-4:30 p.m. Develop a Formal Work-Search Plan
February 18 - 1-2:30 p.m. Diversify your Resume, 3-4:30 p.m. Marketing your Skills & Cover Letters
You asked for it–you got it. Many of you have asked about the Summary Section from the print version of Morningstar Mutual Funds. You can now gain access to the most-current Summary Section via the “Fund Summary” link on the Morningstar Investment Research Center home page. Here is a little background on what value this addition brings to the database.
Commentary
The first several pages of the Summary Section contain the Commentary, written by our editors and analysts. Using in-house research, we delve into sometimes-controversial topics such as the importance of asset allocation to diversification, fund-company ethics, and investors’ rights. The commentaries contain some of the most innovative thinking in the mutual fund industry.
Leaders and Laggards
This section reveals at a glance whose returns are hot and whose are not. This section shows the top and bottom performers, based solely on total returns, for five time periods: year to date, one year, three years, five years, and 10 years. We also provide the fund’s Morningstar category, Morningstar Rating, Morningstar Style Box placement, and sales charges.
Quick Reference
The Quick Reference page contains keys to symbols we use throughout the publication, details of the Morningstar Style Boxes, our publication schedule, and a list of the Morningstar categories and their abbreviations.
Mutual Fund News, Views, and Research
In this section, we report on notable events in the fund industry and keep you up to date on the activities of fund companies. Whether it’s a manager change, the anticipated launch of a new fund, or a fund company merger, these are the events that shape the investment world.
Of course, if you are looking for the most current information on such things as fund prices, Analyst Reports, and performance, make sure to use Morningstar Investment Research Center’s fund data pages. These are updated on a daily basis and will be your best resource for the most up-to-date fund information.
Learn How to Rebalance Your Portfolio for 2010
In today’s economy, who couldn’t use a bit of re-balancing? Join Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance, Christine Benz, as she guides you through the process Wednesday, December 16 at 3pm Central Time. Log on from home or anywhere you have access to a phone and internet connection. To register, send an e-mail to librarytraining@morningstar.com. And, when you do, please mention Madison Public Library.
Madison Public Library has acquired an online subscription to the Value Line Investment Survey. Formerly available in paper at six of our nine libraries, the new online service is available at all nine Madison public libraries, as well as to city of Madison residents with valid library cards.
Value Line is best known for the Investment Survey, one of the most widely read investment services in the world. Value Line online offers the same one-sheet summary as the Investment Summary, but also includes more up to date information on the stocks covered, as well as stock screening, custom reports, industry information, historical data, and email alerts. Madison Public Library’s subscription also includes the Value Line Special Situations Service.
Madison Public Library chose to switch from paper to online access to Value Line after much public input from individual investors and local investment clubs. Paper access will continue for at least six months at most locations that currently subscribe, and you can call the Central Reference Desk to schedule a demo of the new service for yourself or your investment group.
Want to learn more? Visit our online tutorial web site, watch our YouTube video tutorial below, or just log on and get started! (Online help and investment advice is always available in the Education Section tab.
If you have the need or desire to collect demographic data, you must try DemographicsNowNow! So easy to use–you can customize results by geography, choosing the area best suited to your needs. Established businesses, prospective entrepreneurs, business students, and anyone who needs to identify cultural patterns or sociological trends will benefit from this ultra flexible marketing tool. Listen to a 3 minute introductory webcast or be guided through more detailed search tips. Access to DemographicsNow is made possible through a Madison Community Foundation collection grant to the Central Library for small business and entrepreneurship. The database was chosen with the input of several area business and entrepreneur groups.
And there’s more! If you’d like to search both Madison Newspapers or the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, whether it’s for an article, an obituary, or just to browse a day’s events, you’ll find NewsBank to be just the ticket. NewsBank is an easy-to-use newspaper archive containing full text articles from the Wisconsin State Journal (1989- present), Capital Times (1989- present), and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (1990-present). Updated daily, entries exclude advertisements, employment ads and classifieds. You’ll find detailed searching information here. Due to licensing restrictions, both DemographicsNow and NewsBank are only available to customers who visit a Madison Public Library and remotely to Madison residents with valid library cards. We are in the process of arranging access through the library’s wireless networks for those who want to use the database in the library but on their own machines.
These are the newest additions to the library’s extensive list of databases. Searching from home has never been easier.
Did you know Madison Public Library’s Central Library offers resources that may greatly increase your ability start or grow a business? Join us at one of two upcoming free classes offered in conjunction with the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC).
You asked for it–you got it. Many of you have asked about the Summary Section from the print version of Morningstar Mutual Funds. You can now gain access to the most-current Summary Section via the “Fund Summary” link on the 
