Performer's Showcase

The annual MHLS Performers' Showcase, presented by the MHLS Youth Services Department, will be held on Friday, February 17th from 9:30am-1:30pm in the MHLS Auditorium.

All library staff who are responsible for hiring performers for youth/family programming throughout the year are encouraged to attend this event in order to preview the various performers and assess their suitability for your library.

The workshop will cover:
· Brief performances by approximately 10-15 performers appealing to a variety of ages, from preschool to teens/families
· Flyers from performers not attending the Showcase

Be sure to bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. Register online through the MHLS calendar by going to http://midhudson.org and clicking on Calendar OR get there directly at http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp
To find out if there is a cancellation, call 845-471-6060 x 29.
Questions? Contact Margaret Keefe, MHLS Youth Services Coordinator at x35 or mkeefe@midhudson.org.

MHLS Announcements
Delivery Update: MHLS is still routing GED packets through our delivery system. Students can still drop packets at any member library. Even though we no longer make stops at these two locations, they have made other arrangements to pick them up and drop them off. The following memo was sent to all members a few weeks ago:
http://midhudson.org/MHLS/SEAL_mailing_06.pdf.The only change to this memo is that Kelly Tomaseski and her staff at the Town of Esopus Library kindly agreed to let Ulster BOCES GED drop and pick-up their packets at their library.

MHLS Libraries
The Friends of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District will conduct a series of "Mystery Monday" book discussions at the Arlington Branch Library in the Town of Poughkeepsie. For the next three months, the theme will be "American Policewomen." On Monday, January 30, 2006, the book Stormy Weather by Paula Woods will be discussed. This is the second mystery featuring African-American detective Charlotte Justice who investigates the suspicious death of a respected black filmmaker in Los Angeles. The Mystery Monday series are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required. The sessions are led by Eleanor Charwat, a trustee of PPLD, and by Suzanne Christensen, President of the Friends of PPLD, and are held from 11:00am - noon at the Arlington Branch Library, 506 Haight Ave. (Rte 44-55) in the Town of Poughkeepsie. For further information, check the Friends' website at http://www.poklibfriends.org, or call the library at 845.454.9301.

Professional Development
Readers' Advisory 101, A four-week, Web-based course. First Session: April 17- May 19, 2006. Learn how to become more comfortable in providing readers' advisory (RA) services. Through practice sessions, learn how to use RA tools, craft annotations, read in genres, articulate appeal, and experiment with methods to offer RA services. Readers' Advisory 101 is a distance education, Web-based course tailored for support staff, library technicians, newly hired reference librarians, and those librarians who want to brush up on their skills. The topics covered are introductory in nature. Registration Fees: $130 for RUSA members; $160 for ALA members; $190 for non-ALA members; and $100 for students/retirees. Learn more at: http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaevents/professionaldevelopmentonline/onlinereadersadvisory101course/readadv101ce.htm.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
2006 Public Library Construction and Renovation Needs Survey from the NYS Division of Library Development - Please Respond by February 1: The State Library is conducting an online survey to better identify and document the specific construction and renovation needs of the approximately 1,000 public library facilities in New York State. They are asking that public library directors, or their designated representative(s), complete a survey form for each facility by February 1, 2006. DLD has documented a need of over $1 billion for public library construction. This 2006 survey will help better identify specific needs for individual facilities. Please visit the following web address to complete the online survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=720071537274
1) Please complete one online survey form by February 1 for each facility operated by the library.
2) Please also send photographs of buildings or areas inside and/or outside of buildings that document construction or renovation needs. For example, photographs might document inaccessible entrances or exits, deteriorating walls or windows, outdated boilers, leaking roofs, overcrowded shelves, inaccessible restrooms, etc. Be sure to identify the name of the facility and the construction or renovation need that each photograph is documenting. Submit digital photos to DLDconstruct@mail.nysed.gov or mail photographs to:
Laurie Northrup, Student Assistant, Division of Library Development, New York State Library
10C50 Cultural Education Center, Albany, New York 12230.
If you have questions about the online survey, please email your question to DLDconstruct@mail.nysed.gov

Youth Services
Columbia, Greene, Ulster County Youth Services Meeting: This meeting is designed to create a network and forum for staff dealing with youth services in Columbia, Greene and Ulster counties. MHLS is hoping to get input during this meeting, which will help develop plans for the future direction of the System. This meeting will cover:
· Discussion of issues currently facing your library (relative to library service to young people)
· MHLS services you use
· What issues your library may face in the coming years
· Exploring future meetings to share youth services information and ideas
Please register for this session, it could be the start of a regular users group for youth services staff in your area: Wednesday, February 8th from 10:30am - 12:30pm at the brand-new Palenville Branch Library located on 3335 Route 23A, Palenville, NY 12463. Register online at http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

3 Apples Book Award Participation: The 3 Apples Children's Book Award has been developed by the Youth Services and School Library Media sections of NYLA to encourage the joy of reading for pleasure and to give children the opportunity to honor their favorite books. Each year children in grades 3-6 (ages 8-12) will submit nominations in March, creating a statewide ballot of the 15 most popular titles. Children will listen to or read at least 3 of these titles throughout the year and vote on their favorite in January. Libraries may offer a variety of activities tied to these books and this project can be incorporated into the summer reading program. More information on this project can be found at http://www.3applesbookaward.org/. **MHLS will create a poster to help libraries publicize this project in their local communities. Therefore libraries need to indicate that they will participate in the 3 Apples Book Award project. Be sure to submit the form sent to your library as MHLS Action Memo #06-01 by January 20th.

Administration & Management
At the January Director's Association meeting there was some discussion about the Medical Flexible Spending Account (Flex 125 Plan). Here is a link with a good explanation of this option: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/fsa.html. This link has been added to the MHLS web site under Administration & Management --> Personnel.

Job Openings
Library director: Hudson Area Association Library is seeking a full-time Library Director. Competitive salary. Supervise small staff and volunteers in National Register Listed Historic building. Send resume to: Sharon Almstead, HAAL, 400 State St., Hudson ,NY 12534. E-mail applications or questions may be addressed to tpd@valstar.net.

MHLS recommends that the minimum starting salary of a full or part-time librarian with an MLS degree be at least equal to that of a teacher with a master's degree in the same community.

The MHLS Bulletin welcomes submissions from member libraries at bulletin@midhudson.org. The MHLS Bulletin is available on line at http://midhudson.org/bulletins/main.htm.