SRP Support From MHLS

Books: A Treasure - 2006 Summer Reading Program

The Youth Services Department again will be offering three summer reading support programs, funded by a grant from the State Library:
1 - Enhance your local summer programs with a Performers Mini-grant. Libraries may apply for $200 to offset a performer's fees. Libraries must indicate how hiring an additional performer to market their summer program (and their library) will help them draw in new audiences, network better with local organizations or otherwise expand what they normally would do with local funds.
2 - The Reach Out Challenge (ROC) encourages libraries to work with local schools and organizations to promote Books: A Treasure in creative ways. Points are awarded for various levels of outreach; several libraries will win either a library banner or another great prize, based on their promotional activities.
[Applications for both the ROC and the Performer Mini-grant are on the summer reading website at http://midhudson.org/program/ideas/Summer_Read2.htm. Thinking beyond the scope of usual library program/marketing activities is strongly encouraged.]
3 - The JanWay incentives for schools program offers libraries an opportunity to order (free from MHLS) small packets of children's and teen's JanWay incentives and posters to take to local schools/organizations for them to promote summer reading. Determine how many local schools//groups your staff will visit and contact Youth Services to order. First five libraries to order children's or teen packets will get a Books: A Treasure T-shirt. All of these programs are explained fully on the MHLS summer reading website mentioned above.

Summer reading manuals and incentives: The summer reading manual (print version) went out in the delivery to each library the week of January 16. (The electronic version is available at http://www.summerreadingnys.org/planners.html.) Included with the print manual is the JanWay incentive order form. You may use the print form or order online at http://www.janway.com/ny2006-srp.htm. The order deadline is FEBRUARY 24! MHLS will not be ordering any extra incentives, records or certificates so plan to order locally as needed. However, each library will get one each of the children's and teen posters, free from the State Library.

Two Summer Reading Workshops: Is your library ready to gear up for a great summer reading program? Thinking of pirates, treasure hunts and other fun ways to promote Books: A Treasure? There are two MHLS workshops to help you get your creative energies revved up. Workshop dates: Tuesday, March 7 in the MHLS Auditorium OR Wednesday, April 12 at the Catskill Library. Back by popular demand (at both workshops), Crafty Carolyn Travers will share her wonderful array of fun crafts tied to great books kids will enjoy. Some MHLS youth librarians have also agreed to share crafts they plan to use. In addition, workshops will cover successes/concerns from past summers, getting more adults involved in summer reading, resources available from MHLS and more. At the MHLS workshop, the AccuCut machines will be available; let us know what dies you want to use and bring your paper to get a head start on your supplies. Register online at http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

MHLS Announcements
Winter Weather: Winter weather can wreck havoc on best-laid plans, don't forget to check x29 and the MHLS main listserv for weather related delays or cancellations of MHLS events.

February Date Added for the Annual Report Workshop for New Directors: Friday, February 9: 1pm-3pm in the MHLS 3rd Floor Training Lab (103 Market Street, Poughkeepsie). Designed for Directors who are new to submitting a NYS Annual Report online with Bibliostat software, but open to all. The workshop is hands-on so space is very limited. You will actually be entering your library data, so bring all data to be entered.
This workshop will cover:
· Logging onto the system
· Entering your data
· Dealing with edit checks
· Writing State and Federal notes
· Submitting
Register online at: http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

MHLS Libraries
NYS Public Library Construction Aid Grants submitted by MHLS on behalf of:
· Kingston
· Elting Memorial (New Paltz)
· Town of Ulster
· West Hurley
have been approved! DLD has said that the 2006-2007 grant round will be announced in March 2006.

Congratulations to the Poughkeepsie Public Library District! They are one of 60 libraries nationwide to be selected to receive a Jewish literature discussion program grant. Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature features scholar-led, theme-based discussions that explore the best in contemporary and classic Jewish literature. Participating libraries will each host a five-part discussion series. Each series features discussion programs led by a local scholar. Selected libraries receive training for the library project director at a national training workshop, program and promotional materials and a $1,500 grant to support workshop travel, program costs and scholar honoraria. PPLD currently is hosting the ALA traveling exhibit, Alexander Hamilton: The Man Who Made Modern America in the MHLS Auditorium. PPLD has fostered many partnerships within the community to bring events to the public surrounding the exhibit - for more information visit their web site at http://www.poklib.org/.

The East Fishkill Community Library is adding a new format to their circulating collection. Playaway is a small digital player loaded with one book. According to library director Gloria Goverman, if the battery is changed regularly, theoretically, the device could last forever. Each Playaway will circulate in a container that looks like a video case that will include a lanyard, a spare AAA battery and "earbuds" (if the patron chooses to purchase them for $1.00). The "earbuds" are not returnable. They are currently cataloged as "no holds" so that the library can assess how well this is going to work. If Playaways are returned to your library, please return them to East Fishkill. More information can be found at: http://www.playawaydigital.com/index_flash.aspx.

Got News? Please remember to share news items that may be of interest to other libraries. Send your news to MHLS Coordinator of Member Information, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich at rsmith@midhudson.org. If you generate a newsletter be sure to include her on your mailing list! Thanks!

Professional Development
Nylink is pleased to once again offer reduced rates to the Computer in Libraries conference. By registering through Nylink for Computer in Libraries 2006, receive a special registration rate of $185 on the full conference registration [more than a 50% savings off the regular conference registration cost of $399]. This rate is available to anyone registering through Nylink. The conference takes place at the Hilton Washington in Washington D.C. on March 22-24, 2006. There are no discounts available for any pre or post conference workshops or daily rates. To receive your discount and reserve your place at the conference, please only use the Nylink online, printable registration form [at http://nylink.org/conf/cl06.htm] and fax it (518.432.4346) or mail it to Nylink [Attention: Anne Siddall] so it is received by Friday, February 10, 2006. Do not use the registration form on Information Today's web site or in the print version of the preliminary program [the reduced rate does not apply on these forms]. Please see http://nylink.org/conf/cl06.htm on the Nylink web site for lodging information, the cancellation policy, a link to the conference program, and the online registration form. Contact Anne Siddall at Nylink via email [siddalla@nylink.org] or phone: 800.342.3353/518.443.5444 with any questions.

The American Library Association and the New York Library Association have teamed up to offer a special joint membership opportunity for Library Assistants and Support Staff. For $54 you can join both organizations. For more information and to download an application visit http://www.nyla.org/content/user_1/NYLA-ALA_SupportStaff_Membership_Brochure.pdf

Resource Sharing & Millennium
Don't forget! MHLS Action Memo #06-02, "Millennium Passwords," was due this week. This important security step is necessary to protect our shared database of patron information. MHLS recommends that you change your Millennium passwords every six months or when a staff member leaves your employ.

Programming
National Library Week: April 2-8, 2006 This year's theme is "Change your world @your library."

Tuesday, April 4th is National Library Workers Day, for more information about this day to honor the hard work of all library staff visit the ALA Allied Professional Association web site at http://www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd.html. For NLW programming ideas, sample press releases posters, banners and other support material visit the ALA web site at http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/nlw/NLW.htm.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office announced today that the deadline for the We the People Bookshelf on "Becoming American" has been extended to March 1, 2006. This spring, ALA and NEH will award a Bookshelf - 15 classic books for young readers on the theme of "Becoming American," plus three of those titles in Spanish - to 2,000 school (K-12) and public libraries. Guidelines and the online application are available at http://www.ala.org/wethepeople through March 1, 2006. Libraries interested in receiving the collection are required to develop and host a program to introduce the collection and its theme of "Becoming American" to students and/or patrons.

Reference & Collection Development
Did you know…The New York State NOVEL (New York Virtual Electronic Library) Databases (all included in HomeACCESS) provide access to wonderful newspaper resources:
· Indexing (1977-present) of America's top five newspapers, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.
· New York State Newspapers:
 o Buffalo News - full-text starting January 1996
 o Herald American (Syracuse) - full-text starting July 2001
 o New York Observer (New York, NY) - full-text starting January 2001
 o New York Post (New York, NY) - full-text starting January 2001
 o New York Times (1977-present)
 o New York Times Book Review - full-text starting January 2001
 o New York Times Magazine - full-text starting January 2001
 o Post-Standard (Syracuse) - full-text starting July 2001
[Thanks to the Long Island Library Resources Council for this summary.]

Booklist announces 2005 Top of the List selections: Booklist magazine, the review journal of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 16th annual Top of the List winners. The eight winning titles were chosen from the annual Editors' Choice selections as the best books and media of 2005.
Adult Fiction: "The March," by E. L. Doctorow (Random)
Adult Nonfiction: "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer," by Kaie Bird and Martin J. Sherwin (Knopf)
Youth Fiction: "Elsewhere," by Gabrielle Zevin (Farrar)
Youth Nonfiction: "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow," by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic)
Youth Picture Book: "Michael Rosen's Sad Book," by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Quentin Blake (Candlewick)
Reference Source: "Encyclopedia of Religion," edited by Lindsay Jones (Macmillan)
Video & DVD: "Einstein's Big Idea" (WGBH)
Audio: "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell," by Susanna Clarke; read by Simon Prebble (Renaissance)

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
"A new library grants blog located at http://www.librarygrants.blogspot.com, is authored by librarians Pam MacKellar and Stephanie Gerding, who also wrote the new book and CD Grants for Libraries (Neal-Schuman). This site features information on the latest grants from all types of sources - government, fountains, corporations, organizations and professional associations - as well as additional opportunities for awards and internships." Library Hotline, 1.23.06

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.