Connecting Boys with Books

Michael Sullivan's Connecting Boys with Books workshop will be held on Friday, May 19th from 9:00am - 3:00pm in the MHLS Auditorium. Michael Sullivan, nationally known librarian, author and speaker, will address the issue of getting boys to read, including: The Problem, Perception, Boys and Girls are Different and the Solution. He will present inexpensive, concrete ideas for programs and activities that will get boys excited about books, reading and the library. He'll include what appeals to boys, including booktalks and how to booktalk to boys, active learning, which includes programming, outreach and competition.

All library staff and teachers interested in motivating boys to become lifelong readers will benefit from this presentation. This workshop is being co-sponsored by Mid-Hudson Library System and Dutchess and Ulster BOCES School Library Systems.

The workshop will cover:
· Differences in boys that affect the way they learn and participate
· How libraries can adapt their programs to accommodate these differences
· Specific program ideas, books and activities that will draw boys to reading and keep them interested

Registration (2 Steps!):
1. 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 Non-MHLS library staff choose 'Non-MHLS library' from the 'Select Your Library' drop-down list.

2. Cost of the workshop is $20 ($30 if you are not from a library in MHLS or Dutchess or Ulster BOCES SLS). Please send checks, made payable to MHLS, to: MHLS Business Office, 103 Market St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Mark 'Connecting Boys' on the check. You will be officially registered when your check is received.

MHLS Announcements
Thanks to a great outreach idea from the MHLS Marketing & Program Advisory Committee, eighteen member libraries have banded together to bring the Book Club in a Bag Program to all patrons of the Mid-Hudson Library System. This program consists of 35 bags, each containing at least 10 copies of a single title and discussion questions to help patrons holding "do-it-yourself" book clubs in their own homes with friends and family connect with their library. (Of course the bags are also available for library book discussion groups as well!)

Since this program is open to all patrons of all member libraries it is important for front desk staff at all libraries to familiarize themselves with this program and the procedures for requesting a bag for a patron before we "go public" with the program later this week (4/6).

There is a special "Staff Support Page" designed to help orient staff in member libraries to this program so they are able to help a patron and answer any questions that arise: http://midhudson.org/program/BCB/staff.htm It is very important for all library staff working at the front desk of all member libraries to be familiar with the procedures described on this page as they are an integral part of the booking procedure.

MHLS Libraries
The Poughkeepsie Public Library District been selected to host a new tour of "Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation," an exhibit which reexamines President Lincoln's thoughts about slavery throughout his political career and the conditions which led to the Emancipation Proclamation. The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office (PPO) and The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif., organized the exhibit with grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, Washington, D.C. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York, provided additional support. For more information about this exhibit visit http://www.ala.org/ala/ppo/currentprograms/foreverfree/foreverfreeabraham.htm.

Resource Sharing & Millennium
Please remember to empty your review files in Millennium. You can export or print the information that they contain, but the files themselves should be emptied so that others can use them. Questions? Contact Laurie at x21 or lshedrick@midhudson.org.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
Happy National Library Week! Be sure to invite your area legislators to events at your library this week - it's a great chance to show them what you are doing for your community!

Youth Services
"Nothing but the Best: Professional Standards for Youth Services in Public and Association Libraries in NYS": A committee of youth services librarians from around the State has been working on revising the NYS Youth Services Standards and has a draft ready for public comment. This document draws on the previous standards publication created by YSS in 1994. It is hoped that this resource will be of value, not only to youth services librarians as a guideline for their professional performance, but also to library administrators and Boards as they do long-term planning in their libraries. To view this document visit the MHLS Youth Services Department website: http://midhudson.org/department/youth/main.htm (it's in the left column.) Comments are very welcome: please send feedback to ahewett@mail.nysed.gov until April 21, 2006.

Reference & Collection Development
MHLS libraries are eligible for a free on-site visit from the professionals at Lower Hudson Conference's Hudson Valley Region Documentary Heritage Program (DHP), which serves eight counties including all five MHLS counties. The DHP is a statewide records program designed to locate and organize NYS historical records. During the visit (about 90 minutes) they will review your local history collection and suggest a plan and next steps. To date, visits have been made to libraries in: Rosendale, Kingston, West Shokan, Cold Spring, Marlboro, Pawling, Carmel and Patterson. Visits are currently scheduled to: Red Hook, Catskill, Saugerties and Haines Falls. Many member libraries signed up for this at the beginning of 2005, through an MHLS Action Memo, but not all received their on-site visit. If your library did not yet get a visit from DHP, please contact our Regional Archivist, Erica Blumenfeld or the Program Coordinator, Dianne Macpherson, directly at 914.592.6726, or lowerhudson@msn.com. If your library received a visit prior to your employment, you can request a copy of that report from DHP. Additional information about DHP at http://lowerhudsonconference.org/Programs/DHP/dhp.html

Trustee Resources
Spring 2006: Trustee Education Schedule
Trustee Essentials: Essential sessions are designed to provide public library trustees with information about the following areas: Background & Structure of Libraries in New York State, Roles & Functions of a Board, Running Effective Meetings. Essential sessions will be held on:
· Saturday, April 22 @ Catskill Library, 10 am-12 pm
· Monday, April 24 @ Mahopac Library, 6-8 pm
Advanced Trustee Education: "Building Community Support for your Library"
· Wednesday, May 10 @ Mid-Hudson Library System Auditorium, Poughkeepsie, 6-8 pm
· Saturday, May 20 @ Hudson Area Association Library, 10 am-12 pm
Register online through the MHLS Calendar: http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

Job Openings
Part-time Tech Services Clerk: 6-14 hours a week (Wed 2-8, alternate Saturdays 9-5) Responsibilities include material processing, repair and data entry, as well as circulation. We're seeking candidates who are neat, organized, have a strong propensity for detail and enjoy working with the public. Computer skills are also essential. Apply to LaGrange Library, 488 Freedom Plains Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, fax to 845.452.1974 or complete an application in person.

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.