$6 ILL Fee To Be Suspended

The MHLS Board of Trustees voted last week to suspend the $6 ILL fee for patrons of member libraries who are seeking items obtained through OCLC searches done at the System as of September 1st, 2007.

It is very important that staff explain to patrons that this fee is suspended due to the one-time funding increase and that patrons can help make the increase permanent by writing or calling their state legislators to thank them for the additional funds given to the Systems in NYS this year.

In light of the additional one-time funds allocated to the System by the NYS Legislature the board was faced with the task of allocating these funds appropriately. Input obtained from the Director’s Association helped MHLS staff and the Board’s Finance Committee craft a priority list for the full Board to work from.

As you may recall the $6 ILL fee was instituted for public library patrons when the System’s funding was cut a few years ago after years of flat funding. While funding is still essentially flat, the additional one-time funds received this year can help eliminate the burden that had been passed on to patrons in harder times.

Talking Points for library staff to use with patrons affected by this change:
· Beginning September 1st, 2007 the $6 ILL fee will be suspended.

· This fee suspension is thanks to an additional one-time increase allocated to the Mid-Hudson Library System by the NYS Legislature in fiscal year 2007-2008.

· “If you benefit from this service and want to see the fee remain suspended please thank your state senator and assemblyperson for increasing System funding and ask that the increase be made permanent.”

MHLS Announcements
Request-a-Title / Your Library Account Bookmarks are available through the online Material Request Form. These bookmarks have been upgraded and the text reduced to make it easier for new patrons to learn about these features of the Online Catalog. Available in packs of 20, free of charge, at http://midhudson.org then Material Request Form, or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/forms/material_request.htm.

The MHLS Board of Trustees met on Thursday, July 12th, in the MHLS Auditorium and:
· Approved the Directors Associations recommendation to suspend all ILL fees, commencing September 1;
· Approved the revenue and expense adjustments to the 2007 budget;
· Approved the 2007-2008 Central Library State Aid budget applications;
· Approved the Central Library’s Temporary Access and Demolition and Construction easement agreements;
· Viewed a Power Point summary of the System’s Continuing Education Program.
The next meeting of the Board is Thursday, September 21st at 10:00am in the MHLS Auditorium.

Professional Development
Hudson Valley Conference on Boys and Reading with Michael Sullivan: On August 23, Hudson Valley librarians, school administrators and parents can benefit from hearing Michael Sullivan speak at Dutchess BOCES on Rt. 44 in Poughkeepsie. Sullivan is a nationally recognized speaker, librarian, author and passionate advocate for boys and reading. He will discuss the huge negative impact poor literacy has on young males and offer creative suggestions to schools, libraries and parents for nurturing a life-long love of reading in this population. The schedule is as follows:
1 - Morning session (8:00-11:30am): Boys, Reading and the Culture of Literacy (for school administrators, library directors and staff)
2 - Afternoon session (12:30-4:00pm): Connecting Boys with Books (for public and school librarians)
3 - Evening session (7:00-8:30pm): Boys Read? Really, No Joke! (free for parents and general public) [Posters for the parents' session are going out to each Dutchess library and to other libraries in closest proximity to Poughkeepsie. If you didn't get one and want one, you may download it from the Youth Services Dates to Save area of the website at
http://midhudson.org/department/youth/main.htm.]
Registration:
· Sessions 1 and 2: Registration for the morning and afternoon sessions through the MHLS online calendar at http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp
· Session 3: Parents sign up by calling Dutchess BOCES at 845.486.4840 x3061.
This series of programs is being jointly sponsored by MHLS, Dutchess and Ulster BOCES School Library Systems, Dutchess BOCES Educational Resources Division and the Mid-Hudson Principals' Center. For further information, contact MHLS Youth Services Coordinator, Margaret Keefe at 845.471.6060 x35.

Online courses free for public library staff in New York: The New York State Library and the New York Library Association have partnered together to provide free online training covering a variety of library-related skills for all levels of public library staff thanks to a grant from the Gates Foundation. Element K and WebJunction are the two providers of the free online training. Visit the NYLA website at http://www.nyla.org and click on the Training on the Go! icon to learn more about this new initiative, see the course listings and apply for your access code. A green fact sheet about this program is included in this delivery.

Programming
Organize Author Visits to your Library with BookTour: BookTour.com was founded in late 2006 by three authors who believe that technology can transform how authors find receptive groups of readers. This is a free online service that connects authors and potential audiences of all sorts. Authors create their own page (biography, books, tour dates and availability) and any group looking for speakers can find them and contact them directly to arrange for an appearance. Relevant information for both authors and venues can be added in minutes through a simple fill-in-the-blanks interface. Connecting authors with potential audiences then becomes as easy as searching (by geography, book titles, subject, dates of availability) and sending an email.

Youth Services
Materials with the Teen Seal of Approval @Your Library: The MHLS Health Information Project’s summer Teen Intern Program is off to a great start at libraries in Beacon, Coxsackie, Kent, Kinderhook and Kingston. The Program’s mission? To have teens evaluate DVD’s, websites and books that will help them and other young adults make better-informed life decisions and to provide easy availability of their selections through the System. While these interns are at work choosing this summer’s top rankings, you can point your teen patrons to materials that have the teen seal of approval from past programs. By directing them to the Project website at http://hip.midhudson.org, they will find summaries of high-interest fiction titles, teen book reviews, and listings of nonfiction titles, and peer-reviewed DVDs and websites. For easy access, all materials are linked to the online catalog. To make it even easier for your teens, you can print and post the lists by the YA section. Project bookmarks are also available through our office. Contact Barbara Clapp, Health Information Project Coordinator: 845.471.6060 x23 or bclapp@midhudson.org

Job Openings
The D. R. Evarts Library, Athens, NY, is looking for a part-time clerk to work Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and some Saturdays. Applicants should be motivated, personable, able to multi-task and have a working knowledge of Microsoft Applications. Job responsibilities will include being the children's room coordinator and attending MHLS workshops. Resumes and letters of interest should be sent to the D.R. Evarts Library, 80 Second St., Athens, NY, 12015 or emailed to: athens@mhcable.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.