2007 Vote Round-Up

2007 was a good year for member library votes with a success ratio of 20:3.

Three libraries had their budgets voted on for the very first time this year: NorthEast-Millerton, Red Hook and Tivoli and were successful. New Lebanon was also successful; this was their second 414 vote. Patterson is currently waiting for the absentee ballots to be counted to learn the outcome of their 414 vote. We applaud these libraries for taking the necessary steps to solidify their operating support from their local communities.

[Type of library key: SP = special district public library; SC = school district public library; M = municipal library; A = association]
NOVEMBER 2007
NorthEast-Millerton (A) Win 225-104
New Lebanon (A) Win 217-149
Patterson (A) N/A*
Poughkeepsie (SP) Win 4026-2116*
Red Hook (M)/Tivoli (A)** Win 1013-437
OCTOBER 2007
Hurley Library (SP) Win 38-3
SEPTEMBER 2007
Town of Ulster (SP) Win 151-109
West Hurley Library (SP) Win 33-2
Woodstock (SP) Loss 991-196
Rosendale (SP) Win 201-23
Saugerties (SP) Win 300-12
Fishkill (SP) Win 35-0
Staatsburg (SP) Win 30-0
AUGUST 2007
Plattekill (SP) Win 28-6
JUNE 2007
Esopus (SP) Win 350-200
Kingston (SP) Win 276-125
Marlboro (SC) Win 62-3
Mahopac (SC) 1st attempt: Loss 379-333
Mahopac (SC) 2nd attempt: Win 678-510
MAY 2007
Beacon (SC) Loss 921-1521
Catskill (SC) Win 622-252
Chatham (SC) Win 458-301
APRIL 2007
Highland (SC) Win 36-3

To view a retrospective listing of library votes visit http://midhudson.org/vote/Toolkit/member-library-votes.htm.
*Results are unofficial; Absentee ballots have not been counted yet
**Joint 414.


MHLS Announcements
MHLS will be closed:
· Thursday, November 22nd: no deliveries
· Friday, November 23rd: there will be deliveries

Professional Development
Scholarship money available for future librarians: The American Library Association (ALA) has more than $300,000 for students who are studying library science or school library media at the master's degree level. Scholarships typically range from $2,500 to $6,500 per student per year. The application and instructions are available on-line at http://www.ala.org/scholarships. The application deadline is March 1.

Resource Sharing & Millennium
From the MUG: Screen captures from the presentation on the new release of Millennium shown at the Millennium Users Group (MUG) are available on the Resource Sharing & Millennium section of the MHLS web site: http://midhudson.org/resource/Millennium/release2007.pps
If you weren't able to attend the MUG meeting, you may need a little more explanation. You can find the release notes at this link.
http://midhudson.org/resource/Millennium/Release2007.pdf
Both are linked at the bottom of the menu of Millennium items on the Resource Sharing & Millennium page (bottom right).

Youth Services
Early Literacy Parenting Workshop Initiative (with prizes): As a follow up to the Parenting Workshop presented at MHLS by Carol Rodriguez (PPLD) on October 11, MHLS is offering an Early Literacy Parenting Workshop Initiative to motivate member libraries to present workshops to local families. Many materials are available online and at MHLS to help with these workshops, including scripts, videos, printable handouts, surveys and more. The Initiative will be in effect from November 12, 2007 to May 16, 2008 so the workshops need to be presented between those dates, with the report due June 6, 2008. There will be prizes awarded to those libraries who put the most outstanding effort and creativity into workshop planning, presentation, partnerships and assessment. The first place prize is an early literacy kit, which the winning library could put into circulation for parents to use to promote literacy at home. The kit is a $124 value and was designed by the Vermont Center for the Book, from their Mother Goose initiative, which includes a wonderful array of resources. Other prizes will be smaller kits from the same source. For more information: http://midhudson.org/department/youth/main.htm, under What's New.

Facts about teen reading: A poll of 1,200 12- to 18-year-olds done this year for the American Library Association found that:

· 31 percent visit the public library more than 10 times a year, and 70 percent use their school library more than once a month.
· Of those who regularly use libraries, 78 percent indicated they borrowed books or other materials for personal use; 60 percent said they did so from school libraries.
· According to the Public Library Data Service Statistical Report, nearly 90 percent of public libraries surveyed offer young adult programs, with more than half - 51.9 percent - employing at least one full-time worker dedicated to young adult programs and services. In 1995, just 11 percent of libraries had employees dedicated to youth services.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
Know someone who has made a difference in your library community, or who has traveled that extra mile to make things significantly better and/or more effective for your library? Nominate them for the Velma Moore Award. The award will be presented at the Trustees Institute May 2 – 3, 2008 at the Holiday Inn, Saratoga Springs, NY. This award was established in 1962 to honor the memory of Velma Moore who worked as a very effective library activist from 1947 to her death in 1961. Mrs. Moore was one of the chartered members of the Library Trustees Foundation of New York (predecessor of NYSALB). The award carries a $750 stipend to be donated to the library or library service of the award winner’s choice. The winner will be presented with an attractive engraved plaque at the NYSALB Trustee Institute each spring. Think about community volunteers, library trustees, library friends, library staffers, in fact anyone whom you believe has made an important difference in your library community. Submit a one-page nomination letter with relevant information that describes the individual’s commitment to library service. Include his or her name, address, phone number and email address. Send the nomination to the Velma Moore Award Committee at kls823@rochester.rr.com or mail it to Karen Achilles, 4477 Snug Harbor, Geneva, NY. The nominator should include their full contact information as well. The deadline for submission of this prestigious annual award is February 15, 2008.

Trustee Resources
Reminder: 2007 Executive Committee / Director’s Forum to be held this Saturday, November 17th from 10:00am – 1:00pm. This year’s topic is Legal Issues in Personnel. Trustees are encouraged to attend with their director. Register online at http://midhudson.org then Calendar.

Administration & Management
The Association for Rural and Small Libraries is now partnering with WebJunction and has moved their resources to: http://www.webjunction.org/arsl. Here you can find ARSL journal articles, newsletters, organization and event information, and discussions.

Job Openings
Recreation Program Director: Hands-on position to develop, implement, and supervise public library after-school recreation and education program for youth, ages 6 to 16. Reports to Executive Director. Research grant opportunities, write, submit, and track grant applications. Related Bachelor’s Degree plus two years of successful youth supervision, or comparable combination of education and experience. Certification of CPR training. Computer literacy and excellent communication skills required. Salary commensurate with experience. Equal Opportunity Employer. Please send letter and resume to Morton Memorial Library, P.O. Box 157, Rhinecliff, NY 12574. No agencies or phone calls, please.

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.