Talking Book & Braille Services

The NYS Talking Book and Braille Library provides free library services for people with visual and physical limitations, including special services for children and young adults from ages 3 to 19. There are over 3,000 registered Talking Book uses in the MHLS service area:
· Columbia: 378
· Dutchess: 1,314
· Greene: 218
· Putnam: 334
· Ulster: 830

Stephanie Holbrook, on behalf of the National Library Service, Library of Congress says "Talking Books helps people of all ages whose low vision, blindness or physical handicap makes reading a standard printed page difficult and has helped participants in the program read seven times more than the average reader, or approximately 35 books a year! The Talking Books program can be equated to a program similar to the online video renting service, Netflix, except at no cost to the patron. Through NLS' national network of cooperating libraries, books and magazines on cassettes and in braille, as well as audio equipment, are mailed straight to people's door, free of charge. Patrons can then keep their orders for as long as necessary and can order as many as they wish. This service offers a much needed way for millions of Americans stay connected, and allows them to continue to read, learn and enhance the quality of their lives."

Information and applications for the NYS Talking Book and Braille Library are available at http://midhudson.org/outreach/main.htm#pd as well as through the MHLS Online Material Request Form at http://midhudson.org/forms/material_request.htm.

MHLS Announcements
March 1st, the deadline to apply for the MHLS PLA Conference Grant, is approaching fast. To apply, you need to submit a letter to Josh Cohen stating intent to send staff to the PLA conference. The letter must be signed by the Library Director and received at MHLS no later than March 1, 2006. All libraries applying for the PLA Conference grant have, by default, chosen Incentive Package C for 2006. The following libraries have applied for the PLA Incentive:
· Beacon, Howland Public Library
· Kent Public Library
· Kinderhook Memorial Library
· Marlboro Library
· Millbrook Free Library
· Patterson Library
· PPLD
Libraries which were under Incentive Package C last year but do not apply for the PLA Grant this year, will be considered to have chosen Incentive Package B for 2006. If you have any questions about the Incentive Packages you may look up information on them, on our web page at http://midhudson.org/admin/budgeting/main.htm or you may call Doris Formby at x10.

MHLS Libraries
Three MHLS member libraries are participating in the Southeastern New York Library Resources Council's Training for Digital Asset Management through the Hudson River Valley Heritage Program. Key outcomes anticipated in this grant-funded project are the development of staff expertise in creating digital projects and the grown of the Hudson River Valley Heritage (HRVH) collections through the addition of newly digitized materials: http://www.hrvh.org. MHLS Libraries:
· Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection - Elting Memorial Library (New Paltz)
· West Hurley Public Library
· Woodstock Public Library

Professional Development
[Registration for these events has closed out since the MHLS Bulletin for this week was published. Get on the waiting list by calling 845.883.9065] Robert Lackie returns to SENYLRC on Friday, March 17, 2006 with two workshops. The Changing Face of the Scholarly Web: Finding Quality Free Full Text Articles and Books will be held from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. Training for Effective Database Use: How to Teach Database Searching will be held in the afternoon from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. For additional information and online registration, go to http://www.senylrc.org/ce/.

Nylink offers online workshops and brief webinars on a range of topics. Upcoming online opportunities include:
Starting March 6:
* Implementing Virtual Reference, a four-week class
* Web Design for Librarians, a four-week class
Starting April 17:
* Information Technology & Society, a four-week class
* Understanding Databases, a four-week class
Visit http://nylink.org/training/disted.htm on the Nylink web site to review our list of online offerings.

The Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) in Boston is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for the inaugural year of the innovative Ph.D. in Managerial Leadership in the Information Professions degree. Applications and program materials can be found at the program website: http://www.simmons.edu/gslis/phdmlip.

Resource Sharing & Millennium
Catching the Typos in Library Catalogs:
Most frequent typos:
· Accomodat*
· Archael*
· Cincinatti*
· Divison*
· Government Mangement*
· Occurence*
For the full list visit: http://tinyurl.com/bc32h
[As seen in Library Journal, January 2006.]

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
New Woman's Day initiative asks readers to share stories on how the library has changed their life
http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/februray/howhasthelibrary.htm. It's long been acknowledged that libraries have the power to transform lives. Woman's Day magazine wants to hear about it. As part of its latest editorial initiative, Woman's Day magazine is collecting stories on how the library has changed its readers' lives. The magazine announced the initiative in its March 7th issue. In the issue, it declares that "libraries are magical places" and asks readers to submit their stories in 700 words or less. Stories can be sent to womansday@ala.org from now until May 10, 2006, when the promotion closes.

Youth Services
There is still time to take advantage of the early registration rates for the Youth Services Section's 2006 Spring Conference, "Snapshots: Focus on Youth Librarianship." Corning, NY on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1. The conference offers workshops that cover the myriad of services that libraries offer to the youth of our communities. The invited speakers and authors will challenge how we "see" books and their illustrations. Keynote speaker: Barbara Kiefer, a Professor in the School of Teaching & Learning at Ohio State University and author of The Potential of Picture Books: From Visual Literacy to Aesthetic Understanding. Luncheon speaker: photo-illustrator, Bruce McMillan. Bruce's books have received many accolades. Most recently, Going Fishing has been selected as a NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book. And, The Trouble With Chickens has been selected as a New York Times Best Illustrated Book 2005, as a Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Book 2005 and has been given a Parent's Choice Foundation Approved Seal Award. Saturday Breakfast Program speaker: This year, Tedd Arnold, the author of Hi! Fly Guy, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award honor book for 2005. Questions?: contact chair, Lorie Brown at brownl@stls.org.

Administration & Management
During the week of February 20, a national survey of public library Internet connectivity will be sent to public libraries throughout New York State and the rest of the country. This biennial survey, conducted since 1994 by Dr. John Carlo Bertot and Dr. Charles R. McClure of Florida State University's Information Use Management and Policy Institute, focuses on advocacy, impacts, benefits, and challenges of public access Internet services in public libraries. The survey provides valuable data regarding public library Internet connectivity, use, and involvement that enable practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to understand the nature, extent, and changes of public library Internet connectivity. It also allows for comparative statistics statewide and nationally.

The MHLS Bulletin welcomes submissions from member libraries that would be of interest to other member libraries at bulletin@midhudson.org. The MHLS Bulletin online: http://midhudson.org/bulletins/main.htm.