Picks of the Week: August 17 - 23, 2008

Website of the Week -- FedStats

FedStats is a gateway to statistics for 100 Federal agencies, providing links to the full range of official statistical information available to the public from the Federal Government. You can track economic and population trends, education, health care costs, aviation safety, foreign trade, energy use, farm production, and more. You can access official statistics collected and published by more than 100 Federal agencies without having to know in advance which agency produces them. Go to: http://www.fedstats.gov.


Publication of the Week -- Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators by Patrick M. Lencioni

From the publisher: In the years following the publication of Patrick Lencioni’s best-seller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, fans have been clamoring for more information on how to implement the ideas outlined in the book. In Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni offers more specific, practical guidance for overcoming the Five Dysfunctions—using tools, exercises, assessments, and real-world examples. He examines questions that all teams must ask themselves: Are we really a team? How are we currently performing? Are we prepared to invest the time and energy required to be a great team? Written concisely and to the point, this guide gives leaders, line managers, and consultants alike the tools they need to get their teams up and running quickly and effectively. Preview this book on Amazon.com.


Trend of the Week -- Value of Volunteer Time Rises

Independent Sector, in a study earlier this year, announced that the 2007 estimate for the value of a volunteer hour has reached $19.51, which increased from $18.77 per hour in 2006. IS calculates the hourly value of volunteer time based on the average hourly wage for all non-management, nonagriculture workers as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 12 percent increase to estimate for fringe benefits. Go to: http://www.independentsector.org.


Resource of the Week -- The Evaluation Exchange

The Evaluation Exchange is the Harvard Family Research Project's evaluation periodical, The Evaluation Exchange, addresses current issues facing program evaluators of all levels, with articles written by the most prominent evaluators in the field. Designed as an ongoing discussion among evaluators, program practitioners, funders, and policymakers, The Evaluation Exchange highlights innovative methods and approaches to evaluation, emerging trends in evaluation practice, and practical applications of evaluation theory. It goes out to its subscribers free of charge 3–4 times per year. Go to: http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~hfrp/eval.html.


Tech Tip of the Week -- Entering the Current Date in Word 2007

• Click the Insert tab on the Ribbon
• In the Text group, click Date and Time
• Choose the desired date format
• If you want the date to be updated every time you open the document, turn on the “update automatically” check box
• Click on OK