OCLC and WebJunction recently teamed with ALA and PLA on a great report on voter perceptions and how they affect library funding. The report is called From Awareness to Funding: Voter Perceptions and Support of Public Libraries in 2018. Here is OCLC's Steph Waite on what the study reveals and, most importantly, how your library can speak to the major voter segments when your library funding measure is on the ballot.

TechSoup for Libraries contributor Sophia Guevara tells us about three new visual marketing tools that can give your supporters a fresh new look at your work. Check out PowToon, Animaker, and Emaze. All of them have free versions and are easy to use.

Here's a roundup of some great new mobile apps for good that you may well have not heard of yet. They were all recently demonstrated at a Public Good App House event in San Francisco. In honor of election season, we feature Purple Patriot, an app that empowers women to shape government by taking civic actions every week. The name Purple Patriot is meant to be inclusive to both Republican and Democratic parties. The new app 5 Calls makes it easy for anyone to see current hot-button news and then call their congressional representative about them. See short videos describing all of the new apps here.

EveryLibrary is the first and only national nonprofit organization dedicated to building voter support for libraries. Its primary work is to support local public libraries when they have a referendum or measure on the ballot. Find a list of their successful campaigns here. They train and coach libraries for campaigns in three ways:

• By training library staff, trustees, and volunteers to plan and run effective Information campaigns
• By assisting local Vote Yes committees on planning and executing get-out-the-vote work for their library's measure
• By speaking directly to the public about the value and relevance of libraries and librarians

EveryLibrary founder and executive director John Chrastka and political director PC Sweeney have literally written the book on modern library political advocacy, Winning Elections and Influencing Politicians for Library Funding. This guidebook helps librarians, library workers, directors, friends groups, and boards understand the strategies, resources, and tactics necessary for positive political action to influence local politicians and voters.

This month we feature news on some new truth-seeking civics apps from the Library of Congress, the ilovelibraries What's Your Library Worth Calculator, the free tech training resource Gail's Toolkit, now hosted in PLA, the latest on the Amazon vs. public libraries controversy, and TechSoup's own Marnie Webb on open data and how libraries serve as conduits between users and technologies. We hope you enjoy our batch for this month!

For the entire month of October, we're offering a 5 percent discount on select refurbished laptops and desktops in our catalog.

All our refurbished computers meet stringent standards for reliability, and many include one-year warranties. And we offer a wide range of hardware options, from basic, entry-level desktops to powerful laptops, so we have a hardware option for almost any need.

This offer is good through October 31, 2018.

Free Webinar: 12 Steps to Stay Safer Online

Tuesday, October 16, 2018
11 a.m. to noon (Pacific)

Register at: https://page.techsoup.org/-12-steps-security-online-102018-webinar

Proper digital security is an essential piece of building a trustworthy organization. Libraries rely on the goodwill of their patrons to support them and their missions, so it's crucial that they have access to tools that will protect their data and infrastructure. In this webinar, Michael Enos, Senior Director of Community and Platforms at TechSoup, will teach you practical tools that your organization can use to ensure online security. We'll cover several major areas of digital security, including

• Social media safety
• Maintaining security in and out of the office
• Safety in the cloud
• Data privacy and protection

Read more.

Free Webinar: Microsoft in the Cloud: Making Migration Easy

Monday, October 22, 2018
11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (Pacific)

Register at: https://page.techsoup.org/migrating-to-cloud-microsoft-cloud-webinar-10222018

The shift to the cloud allows nonprofits and libraries to further optimize their technology, allowing them to better serve their communities. The migration to the cloud also reflects a larger, global trend to move IT infrastructure to a cloud-based model. In this 30-minute webinar, we will discuss the following:

• What is the cloud?
• Microsoft's product offerings from TechSoup (from basic to a fully optimized product set)
• How to register through Microsoft and TechSoup
• Deciding what products are right for you

Read more.

Free Webinar: Is the Cloud Safe? Ensuring Security in the Cloud

Register at: https://page.techsoup.org/symantec-is-the-cloud-safe-webinar-10252018

Thursday, October 25, 2018
11 a.m. to noon (Pacific)

When switching to the cloud, many nonprofits wonder how cloud apps and services, such as Microsoft Office 365, G Suite, Box, and Amazon Web Services, will affect their organization's security. Cloud apps and software offer a multitude of benefits to nonprofits when it comes to keeping their devices and data safe. In this 60-minute webinar hosted by Deena Thomchick, senior director of cloud security at Symantec, we will cover the many security benefits of switching to the cloud. You will learn:

• Benefits of adopting cloud apps and services
• What you are responsible for and what your cloud provider is responsible for when it comes to security
• Risks to look out for when using cloud apps and services
• How to mitigate risks with best security practices for email, endpoints (including laptops and mobile devices), content, and users

Read more.

Free Webinar: Maximize Your Giving Tuesday Fundraising and Engagement

Register at: https://page.techsoup.org/webinar-giving-tuesday-2018

Thursday, November 1, 2018
11 a.m. to noon (Pacific)

As Giving Tuesday has grown to a global day of giving, this is a unique opportunity to engage with your donors, supporters, and volunteers — and raise some money for your library. To help you get the most out of Giving Tuesday, this webinar will discuss:

• Picking a campaign theme
• Focusing on your audiences
• Getting the timing right
• Inspiring millennials
• Making it viral
• Using video
• Harnessing social media
• Making your campaign multichannel

Read more.

Free Webinar: Intro to Building PDF Forms

Register at: https://page.techsoup.org/intro-to-adobe-pdf-forms-112018-webinar

Tuesday, November 13, 2018
11 a.m. to noon (Pacific)

With the world transitioning away from paper processes, a majority of forms are now going digital to improve efficiency and convenience. In this webinar, you will learn how to use the Adobe Document Cloud to

• Convert electronic or paper documents to PDFs, complete with fillable forms
• Navigate through new and updated features within the product you may not be familiar with
• Help your library rethink the way it automates, optimizes, and manages document workflows to reduce costs and increase productivity, security, and compliance
• Implement electronic signatures to your documents, regardless of where you are and what device you're on

Read more.

Archived Webinars

Missed any of our most popular webinars? No problem. They're all recorded and available to watch for free on demand. Check out all our archived webinars at http://www.techsoupforlibraries.org/events/archive