| Vol.06-44 | 10.31.06 |
Over 30 member library friends attended the 2006 Friends Matter event held at MHLS on October 12th. Designed as a recognition event for all the hard work Friends do for member libraries, this year's event also included the opportunity for Friends to exchange ideas and learn from each other. Participants engaged in a "Friends Café" which consisted of three roundtable discussions led by a combination of Friends and MHLS staff that focused on just one question: How can Friends Groups help build community support for libraries?
Highlights from the discussions included:
· Have a shared vision with the library board as to the role of the Friends; have a strong mission statement for the Friends;
· Be educated as to what resources and services the library has to offer;
· Help to create a "buzz" in the community about the library;
· Be visible.
· Participate in "non-library" community events. Provide the opportunity for others to become a Friend during community events;
· Assist the library in reaching out to new residents; Sponsor a "Welcome Bag"; Conduct tours of the library;
· Help broaden the library's program offerings for kids and adults;
· Participate in the Chamber of Commerce breakfasts;
· Create a Friends web site* to promote the good work of the Friends;
· Help the library publish a regular newsletter and an annual report to the community.
A transcription of all the ideas shared at the event is available on the MHLS Friends Resources web site (as are samples of Friends' web sites): http://midhudson.org/funding/fundraising/friendsgroups.htm
The Café was followed by dinner and two speakers. First, Mary Heisinger of the Greenville Library's Friends Group shared her Dine & Discuss Book Club that has evolved into a traveling book discussion group. The group reads a book, meets to discuss it in a restaurant, sometimes a local one, sometimes one at a destination related to the title they read (Cooperstown, NY and the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA are two good examples!).The evening's keynote speaker was Bill Pontius, the executive director of the Friends of the Rochester Public Library. Bill spoke about the importance of Friends as Library Advocates. He encouraged Friends to become involved in advocacy at the NYS level, inviting all to join the fun of the NYLA Lobby Day in Albany (March 13, 2007).
MHLS Announcements
We are saddened to share the news that long-time MHLS employee George Maresco passed away last Thursday. George left MHLS due to illness just two weeks ago. George had worked for IBM for 32 years as an electrical engineer before coming to MHLS to work in the Shipping & Receiving Department 13 years ago where he kept up with the ever-rising volume of materials to be sorted through the MHLS Delivery System. George loved music, he played the folk guitar, classical piano and sang love songs (even in the MHLS Delivery area sometimes!) He was an avid reader, rabid Yankees fan and a restaurant critic with an extensive rating system. George was a man with many interests and passions, not the least of which was his family. He was certainly part of the MHLS family and he will be missed.
MHLS Libraries
The Millbrook Free Library has a new director - sort of! Nancy N. Rogers long-time interim director (at two different points in the library's history) has been appointed to the position. Nancy has been with the library for 24 years, most recently as the Children's Librarian. Joan Frenzel has been named the new Children's Librarian.LAMS is local! Election results for the Library Administration & Management Section (LAMS) of the New York Library Association (NYLA) are in: Sherry Haluska, director of the Saugerties Public Library will be the president-elect and Pat Kaufman, director of the Mahopac Library will be the secretary. Howland Public Library director Phyllis Keaton is the current LAMS president-elect and conference programmer with MHLS' own Josh Cohen as treasurer. LAMS is the NYLA section that deals specifically with the concerns of library directors and managers of all types of libraries.
Resource Sharing & Millennium
2007 Closed Dates: 2007 will be here before you know it. It is time to get your dates in to Laurie [lshedrick@midhudson.org] to be entered into the Millennium closed dates table. The dates must be submitted to MHLS at least four weeks prior to the end of the year for most libraries, so it is important that you include the item on your board's November agenda.
Youth Services
KIDS! @ your library® The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced the addition of many new resources to its Kids! @ your library® campaign Web site at http://www.ala.org/kids. The campaign's extensive online toolkit, produced by librarians for librarians, offers many helpful resources for promoting the library to children and their families. The latest materials added to the kit include:
· Camera-ready, customizable materials libraries can use to hold bookmark contests and scavenger hunts, and to enliven programming;
· Downloadable games, puzzles, and activities with library themes especially for kids;
· A media-ready Public Service Announcement (PSA) recorded by Grammy-nominated singer-storyteller Bill Harley, which libraries can share with local radio stations and schools for PA announcements;
· A list of Top Ten Things for Kids to Do @ your library® .
ALSC encourages libraries large and small to get involved with the Kids! campaign. Post the "So Much to See. So Much to Do. @ your library®" campaign logo (downloadable from the toolkit) on your library Web site and link it back to their special http://www.ala.org/families page.
Reference & Collection Development
November is American Diabetes Month and Lung Cancer Awareness Month (3rd Thursday: Great American Smokeout). These national health observances provide an excellent opportunity to feature library materials that address these topics.
To help with future promotion of your health resources, the MHLS Health Information Project website has a monthly health observances page: http://hip.midhudson.org/hip_observances.htm Each listed observance features a link to the sponsor's site and to Health Information Project YA-focused support materials that are available through the online catalog.
Job Openings
Part-time ILL Clerk, Monday-Friday mornings, 15-20 hours/wk. High school diploma and computer experience required, ILL and Millennium experience preferred. Send resume by 11.14.06 to Personnel, Mid-Hudson Library System, 103 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 or by fax to 845.454.5940.Library Assistant: The Howland Public Library in Beacon is seeking a part-time Library Assistant. Responsibilities include youth programming, supervision of a homework center, and circulation desk activities. This is a part-time, Civil Service position, 14-18 hours per week, with scheduled evening and weekend hours. Qualifications: Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university. Starting salary for Library Assistant is $10.25 per hour. Send resume to: Frank Rees, Assistant Director, Howland Public Library, 313 Main Street, Beacon, NY 12508. FAX: 845.831.1165. Email: frank_rees@lycos.com.
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.