Please, Don't Hang Up…

In today's delivery you will find an instructional card to post by your library phone about calls you might receive at the library from people with hearing and speech disabilities. These patrons use the phone like everyone else - to find out about a book, request information or to get information about a program. They call through the New York Relay Service.

Many deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-disabled people find that businesses, organizations, and individuals they call through relay are unfamiliar with the relay service. As a result, when the Relay Operator announces the call "This is the New York Relay" - the first-time hearing person often (unintentionally) hangs up thinking that a telemarketer is calling.

These hang-ups are frustrating for deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-disabled callers, and they may mean a loss of business and bad customer relations for the library being called. For more information about this service on the New York State Relay Service web site at http://nyrelay.com/.

MHLS Announcements
MHLS will be closed Tuesday, July 4th. There will be no deliveries.

Beginning Saturday, July 1, 2006 please attach the new "Non-Bin Form" (included in today's delivery with the Bulletin and available online at http://midhudson.org/department/delivery/member_library_responsibilities.htm) to any materials going through MHLS Delivery Service that are separate from the regular shipping bins. Such items would be computers, children's dept. materials, audio-visual equipment, rotating collections, Book Club in a Bag kits, etc. Materials will not be picked up unless this form is attached. We would also like to remind all member libraries at this time not to send any boxes of donations through delivery and to notify us ahead of time of any lock and alarm changes. View a complete list of member library responsibilities on the Delivery Services page:
http://midhudson.org/department/delivery/main.htm. Questions can be directed to Tom Finnigan, Delivery Supervisor at x44 or tfinnigan@midhudson.org. Thanks!

The latest edition of the MHLS Trustee Newsletter, Across the Board has been sent to all member library trustees. This issue contains Part 2 of our series of "Evaluating the State of the Library" and focuses on board effectiveness. The latest issue, along with past issues, is available through the Trustee Resources page on the MHLS web site: http://midhudson.org/trustee/main.htm.

MHLS Libraries
The Saugerties Public Library held a Staff Development Day on June 15th. The library was closed for the day so that staff had the opportunity to brush up on some of the basics that can help make their jobs easier. The day kicked off with MHLS Automated Services Manager Laurie Shedrick presenting "Circ 101." Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Coordinator of Member Information followed with "Electronic Resources @your library," a 90-minute overview of all HomeACCESS databases, the OPAC and Internet resources available to help answer patron questions. After a break for lunch, provided by the library, the staff spent the afternoon with Central Reference Library Services Coordinator, Sue Hermans, who covered basic Readers' Advisory skills and Customer Service. For a full list of On-Demand Training and Consultations available to every MHLS member library, free of charge, visit the Professional Development section of the MHLS web site, or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/professional/on_demand.htm.

Libraries in NYS Senator James L. Seward's district have received special legislative grants for the state budget year '06-'07. Senator Seward noted that these grants accomplish his goal of providing needed programs for children without further burdening rural library finances. Each library building will receive $1,000.
· D.R. Evarts (Athens)
· Cairo Public Library
· Catskill Public Library & the Palenville Branch
· Heermance Memorial Library (Coxsackie)
· Greenville Public Library
· Haines Falls Free Library
· Hunter Public Library
· Windham Public Library

Professional Development
Reminder: Library Blog Workshop is being held in two locations:
· Monday, July 10 from 10am-noon at the MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie)
OR
· Tuesday, July 11 from 1pm-3pm at the Kingston Library (55 Franklin Street, Kingston)
Register online: http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

Trustee Resources
Have You Made the Connection? Managing a successful Get out the Vote campaign requires more than just assuming your supporters will be there when you need them. During the Connecting with Yes Voters workshop held in the MHLS Auditorium on June 8th, presenter Libby Post emphasized the importance of making direct contact with voters so that they will feel allied with you when the day of your vote rolls around.

Some of the strategies Libby discussed for making this connection include:
· Contacting voters via the phone, direct mail, or through door-to-door activities. Mailings should be targeted with different aspects of your library's message highlighted among different groups.
· Creation of a voter database to identify your base of voters and to remain in contact with them. This is a powerful tool that can be used while planning your vote and for additional activities such as: fundraising, program invitations, and finding new volunteers, board members and Friends.
· Registering people to vote at the library: always have forms available at the library, make use of the online voter registration form* and consider having Friends or volunteers run voter registration drives. [*http://www.midhudson.org/GTY/boe.htm]
Member library participants reported being pleased with how this workshop session helped them move their campaigns a step further and the discussion that took place about targeting yes and undecided voters. Visit [http://www.midhudson.org/GTY/Connecting-with-YES-Voters.pdf] to view the entire workshop presentation.

Job Openings
The Germantown Library is looking for an outgoing, energetic part-time librarian (certified or attending library school) to serve a small (2,000) but devoted community. Duties include reference, circulation, weeding, collection development, programming. This is a particularly exciting time for our library - in November, our community passed a resolution that will guarantee funding and we are planning to break ground on a new building this year. Please send cover letter and resume to Ginny Atwell, President, Board of Trustees, The Germantown Library, P.O. Box 50, Germantown, NY 12526, or e-mail oldheads@valstar.net.

The NYS Department of Correctional Services currently has an opening for a Library Clerk II at Green Haven Correctional Facility. This employee assists the facility librarian in all aspects of a small public-model library in a state correctional facility. Responsibilities include clerical support, reader advisory, classification and circulation, supervision of inmate library clerks, and independent management of the program in the absence of the librarian. The part time position is for 20-hours/ week, afternoon and evenings. Salary is approximately $13/hour. Civil Service requirements apply; however, off-list candidates will be considered. Minimum qualifications are a high school diploma and any level of library experience.
For further information and application details, or to send a resume, please contact: Green Haven Correctional Facility (Dutchess County) [male, maximum security prison], 594 Rt. 216, Stormville NY 12582; 845.221.2711, Robert Cunningham, Deputy Superintendent for Programs -or-Bridget Wojnar.

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.

Member Libraries are welcome to submit items of interest and job openings to the MHLS Bulletin: bulletin@midhudson.org. The MHLS Bulletin is available on line at http://midhudson.org/bulletins/main.htm.