Do:

1. Visit http://mn.webjunction.org/ and register (if you haven’t already).  The link is in the grey box in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and if you need a bit of help there is a tutorial available http://blogs.minitex.umn.edu/reference/Create%20Flash.swf (link is under “Quick Links” in the blue box)

** Be sure to choose Minnesota as your affiliation in step 3 ** 
(Please be aware that you may receive an email asking for verification asking about which library you work for.  This is simply to ensure that this service is available to Minnesota library staff only due to funding restrictions.)

** Be sure to click the “remember me” box under where you login.  This enables you to access the subscription-only benefits of WJMN, such as courses at no cost to you, as well as being able to access your friends list, bookmarks, etc.

2.  Friend a multitype person!  Go to “My WebJunction” and select “Find a friend.”  You can search by name, location, etc.  When you find the profile of the person you’re looking for, select “Add as friend” and a notification will be sent to that person.

3.  Look at the Minnesota Library Community Calendar of Events on the homepage.  This feed lists the most current five events, and you can also visit the whole calendar to plan farther ahead.

4.  Click on the “Courses” tab and browse the course catalog.  (Note: The course listings, such as “Adobe Acrobat (8)” do not look like typical underlined links, but they are clickable.)  Choose a topic that interests you and click to find the individual courses in that area.  Click on a specific course title to find out more about the course – description, duration, etc.

** IMPORTANT **  As Minnesota library staff members and registered WebJunction Minnesota users, you are eligible to sign up for classes at no cost to you. HOWEVER, please only register for two classes at a time, and only if you plan to complete them.  We have a limited allotment of course units available, so please don’t use them up just browsing.

5.  Visit a discussion forum.  Two of the more active ones:
MN Destiny User Group - http://www.webjunction.org/722
MN Early Career Librarians - http://www.webjunction.org/740/resources/overview

Click on the “Discussion” tab to view the various discussion threads.  Feel free to join in!  Have a topic of interest but can't find a discussion?  Feel free to start your own!  (Contact the WJMN Team if you need help or can't find an appropriate home for your discussion.)

Blog Prompts

For the Curious  (optional)

• Browse WebJunction Central for more resources that are not Minnesota-specific.
  
  
• Be famous!  Sign up to be featured in the WJMN Member Spotlight!  There is a link to our brief questionnaire in the pink box at the top of the Spotlight section on the WJMN homepage.
  
  
• The goal of WJMN is to be a one-stop shop for Minnesota library resources.  To achieve this goal, we need help from our members.  Do you have a policy, report, or any other material that could be helpful to staff in other libraries?  Here’s how to submit your information:
  1.  Click on the “WJ Minnesota” tab at the top of the page
  2.  Click on the appropriate category under “MN Resources” (i.e. “Funding” or “Patron Education”)
  3.  Click on the “Documents” tab
  4.  Click on “Submit Document” and follow the directions.  You can enter the information into a box that is provided, or you can upload a document (.doc, .pdf, .ppt, etc)
  5.  Sit back and bask in the glow of having contributed to the betterment of Minnesota libraries!