Trustee Essentials Dates Set

Save the Dates for Trustee Essentials this Fall!
Essential Elements of being a Library Trustee: Trustees looking for a clear summary of the essential elements of being a library trustee will want to register for one of the September sessions of Trustee Essentials. Covered will be:

· The background and structure of libraries in NY, how your library fits into the structure, and funding options for your library
· The delineation of the roles and functions of a library board and the best ways to get library work and board work accomplished
· Practical tips for running effective meetings

100% of past participants said they recommend this training for public library trustees. Trustees who attended past sessions said:
- "As a new trustee the meeting was important and informative for me."
- "All through kept things simple and ran a great presentation."
- "Thank you! I believe a workshop like this should be required as soon as a new trustee is elected."
- "Excellent orientation, very helpful handouts."

There is a $50.00 incentive grant to libraries in 2007 if at least one of their trustees attends a MHLS Trustee Essential Education session this year. The System will mail checks based on attendance. Light food will be served. Register for one of the following sessions:
· Saturday, September 8th from 10:00am-12:00pm at the Hudson Area Association Library
(400 State Street, Hudson)
OR
· Monday, September 17th from 6:00-8:00pm at the MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie)

Registration is required. Register one of 2 ways:
1. MHLS online calendar at http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp
2. or call 845.471.6060 x46

MHLS Announcements
Circ Up 7.2%: The 2006 Annual Report data shows that system-wide circulation was up 7.2% between 2005 and 2006. As the attached graph shows, circulation as well as visits (2005à 2006 increase = +4.5%) have been on a steady rise since 2000.

MHLS Print Services Department Vacation Schedule: Deborah Begley will be on vacation from August 13-24 and John Plambeck will be on vacation the week of August 20-24. Both will be back in the office on Monday, August 27th.

MHLS Libraries
Three Dutchess County libraries have received Community Response Grants through the Community Foundation of Dutchess County:
· NorthEast-Millerton Library: $370 to pay for 2 staff members to attend the Bureau of Education and Research seminar entitled, “The Best Children’s Books of the Decade.”
· Pawling Free Library: $2,450 to purchase four thin client computer stations and one server.
· Stanford Free Library: $3,000 to purchase an Early Literacy Station.

Resource Sharing & Millennium
WebPAC Pro is back in the OPAC! WebPAC Pro helps patrons immediately get to the results they most want with RightResultTM, which brings the best to the top and groups results so users can see when they're moving from the more relevant to less relevant items. Since we were last on Pro, Innovative has added the ability to resort the search by date or title. With the WebPAC Pro upgrade in place, we will soon be implementing Spell-check, which offers patrons suggestion when they have misspelled a word.

Reference & Collection Development
New HOMEACCESS Bookmark Available to promote Consumer Reports - Enclosed with this week’s Bulletin is your first batch of the new Consumer Reports bookmark to go with the suite of bookmarks developed by the MHLS Marketing & Program Advisory Committee that already includes, The New York Times, Price It!, Chilton’s, Health Information and Fiction Connection. There is now a direct link to Consumer Reports in the Magazine section of HOMEACCESS.

Also currently available through the online Material Request Form are vendor provided PR pieces for Chilton’s and Price It!:
Chilton Database Flyer; Price It! Stand Up Sign

Help Shape the SEAL ILL System Review Sessions: We want your input on your use of the SEAL ILL System. If you are a SEAL user please answer the brief 3-question survey linked to the center of http://midhudson.org. Your feedback will be used in the design of the following review sessions. All interested staff from libraries currently participating in the SEAL ILL System are invited to attend the sessions, presented by Judy Fischetti, Southeastern New York Library Resources Council’s Member Services Librarian. Don't miss the chance to attend locally!
· Wednesday, September 5, 9:00am-12:00pm at MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie)
· Wednesday, September 5, 1:00-4:00pm at MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie)
· Friday, September 7, 9:30am-12:30pm at Kingston Library (55 Franklin Street, Kingston)
· Thursday, September 20, 9:00am-12:00pm at D.R. Evarts Library (80 Second St., Athens)
Each session will cover Searching for Materials, Placement of ILL Requests, Managing ILL requests placed for your library's patrons, Responding to requests from other SEAL libraries. At the end of the session you will be able to:
1. Search for and request material in SEAL
2. Request items using a "Saved List"
3. Identify requests needing action
4. Respond to conditional replies, cancel requests and renewal requests
5. Delete old ILL requests from your queues
Note: Libraries that are not currently using SEAL are welcome to become new participants. In order to do so, a staff member is required to attend a full-day orientation training. For further information about the orientation training, the review session or questions about library participation in SEAL, please call Judy Fischetti at 845.883.9065 or email: judyf@senylrc.org.

Youth Services
Materials with the Teen Seal of Approval @ Your Library: The 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 area 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 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.

PAGE 3: Total Circulation vs. Total Visits 2006 Annual Report Data

PAGE 4: August 2007Calendar: http://www.midhudson.org/evanced/lib/eventcalendar.asp

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.