CE Anytime, Anywhere

Continuing Education for member library staff, Trustees and Friends – Anytime, Anywhere. Check out the On-Demand Consultation and Training offerings and bring in what you need, when you need it at your library. New offerings are available in addition to old favorites, a selection is listed below:
For Staff: customer service, HOMEACCESS training, local history, Millennium-related training, OPAC Training, reference interview, volunteer management…

For Trustees: community focus group facilitation, long-range planning, space assessment/planning, sustainable funding, capital campaigns, friends groups…

For Friends: Role and Responsibilities of Trustees, the Director and the Friends, long-range planning, communicating with your community, fundraising…

The full listings are enclosed with this week’s Bulletin and available online:
- Staff: http://midhudson.org then Professional Development or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/professional/on_demand.htm
- Trustees: http://midhudson.org then Trustee Resources then MHLS Support or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/trustee/system/main.php
- Friends: http://midhudson.org then Marketing, Advocacy & Fundraising then Fundraising then Friends Groups then Getting Started or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/funding/fundraising/Friends/on_demand.htm

MHLS Announcements
Incentive Program Claims Reminder: July 15th is the deadline to send in claims to be included in this summer’s incentive checks. Please call Doris Formby at extension 10 or e-mail to dformby@midhudson.org if you have any questions or need help filing your claim. For more information and Claim Forms go to: http://midhudson.org/admin/budgeting/main.php

All tables and charts for the Mid-Hudson Library System Statistical Annual Report 2006 data are now available at http://midhudson.org/annual_reports/2006/main.htm Every library should review their data for accuracy by July 16, as then the online files will be used for the print version. Please report any discrepancies to Lena at lsmolon@midhudson.org or 845.471.6060 x36.

Regional Corrections Meeting Held @MHLS: In June MHLS hosted the annual meeting and training for correctional facility librarians who work in the southeastern and east central regions of the state. The major topic of the day was providing services to inmates who are mentally ill. Attending was Assistant Commissioner Reinaldo Medina, Department of Correctional Services Supervising Librarian and Law Library Coordinator Jean Botta, staff from the DOCS central office and over 30 attendees representing correctional facilities from as far West as Oneida County and as far south as Long Island. Also attending was librarian Jane Ward (formerly at Woodstock Public Library, currently at Woodbourne Correctional Facility Library). A full day of training was arranged by Outreach Coordinators from MHLS, Ramapo Catskill Library System and the Westchester Library System. An interactive presentation was made by the Capital District Psychiatric Center Mental Health Players, an improvisational theater group whose task is to develop a better community understanding of mental health problems of everyday life and to dispel the myths, misconceptions and stigma surrounding major mental illnesses. Cort Engleken (shown below), a licensed Clinical Social Worker, provided an overview of mental health issues and how to interact effectively. Representatives from the Re-Entry Task Force spoke about re-entry policies, with the vision of "a safer New York resulting from the successful transition of offenders from prison to living law-abiding and productive lives in their communities." Correctional facility librarians asked that we pass along their thanks to the public libraries for the interlibrary loan support they give.


Professional Development
In June, 54 people attended the Black Belt Librarians: Security that Works! workshop presented by Warren Graham, nationally renowned "guru" of day-to-day library security procedures. During the workshop Warren talked about the essential elements of having a safe library:
1. You must have established rules and regulations for library use.
2. Vow never to say these five things again, because they mean absolutely nothing and can put you in harm’s way sooner or later: a. “He’s harmless.”; b. “He has never been a problem before.”; c. “We have never had a problem before.”; d. “We have always done it that way.”; e. “Other libraries do it that way.”
3. When advising patrons of the rules you must always go by their behavior and never their appearance.
4. You have to be consistent in enforcement.
5. You must control your environment through your constant awareness.
6. Document all security incidents.
7. You must establish a system to train all employees.
8. You must establish a system to control your keys.
9. You must periodically review your procedures because your vulnerabilities change.
10. You need to develop a security checklist to be used on a monthly basis.
11. You must have employee accountability and there must be consequences if proper safety procedures and guidelines are not followed.
12. You need to develop a simple emergency plan for your building in case of fire, severe weather or a bomb threat.
Details that elaborate on each of these elements are in Warren’s book, multiple copies are available through the MHLS Professional Collection (http://midhudson.org/MHLS/professional_collection.htm), or order one of your own at http://www.blackbeltlibrarians.com. Also in the book are eleven tips on how to tell someone “no”, and ten day-to-day staples for security. We hope to have Warren back again during the last week of May 2008.

Reference & Collection Development
Important Information for using Generations on Line at your library: Generations on Line has had a software upgrade. Instructions on how to remove the existing cookie and set the new cookie on your computers, along with username and password info for your library, are included in today's delivery for each library. Available to every member library since 2004, free of charge, Generations on Line, is a self-teaching Internet tutorial and service designed expressly for elderly computer novices. The program can be set up on every public access computer. Generations on Line seeks to reduce the digital divide among seniors through this self-teaching Internet tutorial, expressly designed for computer novices. The target audience is new users 70-year-old and older. The software is an interactive program that guides a novice through a simplified version of the Internet designed for older Americans who have never used a computer. It is a great program to help your senior computer beginners learn how to use a mouse, send e-mail (it offers free email accounts) and start to search the Internet. Normally the fee for this is $350 per library, with $100 maintenance fee per year. But since 2004 it has been free to all MHLS libraries, underwritten by a grant from IBM and AT&T, because so many IBM employees in the area have asked for this service for their elderly relatives. Generations on Line is not available for home or remote use, just from within the library. More information at http://generationsonline.org/

Trustee Resources
The latest issue of the MHLS newsletter for trustees, Across the Board, has been sent out to all member library trustees. This is the first of a two part series on the role of fiscal responsibility. Part 1 covers concepts and legalities, including basic responsibilities, budget development and review, operational funding vs. fundraising, oversight and investments and reserve funds. This and all back issues of Across the Board are available online at http://midhudson.org thenTrustee Resources then MHLS Support.

Job Openings
PT Computer Support Staff Position: One PT opening in the MHLS Department of Computer Operations for a computer support staff and a web specialist. Candidates must have some knowledge of networks, databases and Unix servers. If interested fax to 845.454.5940, email to mtoufali@midhudson.org or send resume to Mid-Hudson Library System, Attn M. Toufali, 103 Market Street, Poughkeepsie NY 12601 by Monday, July16, 2007.

The East Fishkill Community Library has an immediate opening for a part time Circulation Clerk. The job includes nights and some Saturdays. The ideal candidates are friendly, professional, and hard working. Computer skills and effective communication skills are a must. Knowledge of Millennium, although not required, is a plus. The East Fishkill Community Library has a strong customer-oriented philosophy and is a busy and wonderful place to work. Submit resume either by mail, fax or email to: East Fishkill Community Library, 348 Route 376, Hopewell Junction, New York 12533; Fax: 845.226.1404 or email, Colbert@EastFishkillLibrary.org

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.