Central Library Survey

The Central Library Training Survey is now linked to the center of the midhudson.org homepage. The survey is composed of 31 questions, and should take about 12 minutes to complete. Survey responses are due on
December 21, 2007.

In the spring over 200 staff responded to the original Central Library Training Survey. Thank
you! This final "check-up" survey will complete the evaluation planned by the Committee.

The survey was designed to help member library staff receive the continuing education/training opportunities that might be needed to best serve your patrons' reference needs. Now, after more than a dozen training sessions in 2007 we want to measure the impact of these services. The Central Library Advisory Committee would greatly appreciate your participation in the second part of the training assessment.

Who should take the survey? All staff that works with patrons. If you took the survey in the Spring - yes, we do want you to respond again. If you did not take the survey in the Spring, but you do work with patrons, please take the survey now.

If you are not able to answer all the questions correctly - that's okay! The survey is an assessment to help us identify training needs, design targeted training in related areas and continue to improve services.

We are looking for responses from every library but we are NOT looking to rate your library. Responses will be combined into an overall summary.

Questions? Please contact Merribeth Advocate, MHLS Outreach & Education Coordinator at madvocate@midhudson.org or 845.471.6060 x54.

MHLS Announcements
The MHLS Board of Trustees met on Saturday, December 8, in the MHLS Auditorium and:
-Designated HSBC as the System’s 2008 bank of business;
-Authorized the Executive Director to execute the terms of a new three-year contract between the CSEA and the System;
-Approved a 3.5% salary increase for non-union staff;
-Approved the System’s 2008 Budget;
-Elected its 2008 Board Officers;
-Approved submission of a Variance Request for the Patterson Library.
The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 10:00am in the MHLS Auditorium.

2008 MHLS Board Meeting Dates:
Saturday, January 26
Saturday, March 15
Wednesday, May 21
Wednesday, July 9
Wednesday, September 17
Friday, October 3 (tentative date for the 49th annual meeting)
Saturday, December 6

MHLS Board Officers for 2008:
President: Marie Smith (Dutchess Co.)
Vice President: William Conine (Greene Co.)
Secretary: Jennifer Lange (Ulster Co.)
Treasurer: Frank Tuttle (Columbia Co.)

2008 Meeting Dates for Advisory Committees:
Resource Sharing:
Wednesday, January 23 (snow date: 1/24)
Monday, March 24 (snow date: 3/25)
Friday, May 16
Thursday, July 24
Tuesday, September 16
Friday, November 21 (snow date: 11/25)
Central Library / Collection Development:
Thursday, February 21 (snow date: 2/26)
Friday, April 4
Monday, July 28
Wednesday, October 22
Marketing & Programs:
Friday, March 14 (snow date: 3/21)
Wednesday, June 4
Monday, September 22
Thursday, December 11 (snow date: 12/12)
Continuing Education / Professional Development:
Monday, June 23
Tuesday, October 28

Pending Action Memos due Monday, 12/17:
· 07-14: Member Information Update
· 07-13: Bulk Order of Delivery Slips
[Both are available at http://midhudson.org/action_memos/main.htm]

Professional Development
SEAL ILL System Training Workshop: Monday, December 17th from 9:30am - 3:30pm at the Southeastern NY Library Resources Council (21 S. Elting Corners Rd., Highland, NY 12528). SEAL - Southeastern Access to Libraries - is the “next step” in fulfilling library patron requests when you haven’t found what they want in Millennium or the New York State Library collection. Using SEAL, library staff can search for materials, identify library holdings, and place interlibrary loan requests to other participating libraries in the region by electronic transmission via the Internet. Libraries also receive requests from other participants and respond to these requests electronically. SENYLRC encourages all libraries in the region to perform their ILL management using the no cost SEAL service. SEAL comprises the virtual union catalog of the region and the electronic interlibrary loan management system. The virtual union catalog includes the online catalogs of the Mid-Hudson and Ramapo Catskill Library Systems; Dutchess, Orange-Ulster, Sullivan and Ulster School Library Systems, Magazines and Journals in the Southeastern Region as well as catalogs from the area's college, hospital and special libraries. SEAL is accessed through the Internet at http://seal.senylrc.org. For online registration: http://www.senylrc.org/reg/ There is no fee for this workshop. (You may bring your lunch or a deli lunch is available for $6.00. Please bring exact change.) Please call Southeastern 845.883.9065 if you have questions about this program.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
“Boomers at a Glance” From “What Boomers Want,” as seen in Library Journal, July 2007, by Beth Dempsey.
What boomers need:
· Help plotting retirement that includes work (maybe an entirely new career), volunteerism, leisure, travel, and continued learning. Retirement extends to the business community at large—businesses need help preparing for the “brain drain” that occurs when boomers retire
· Financial planning and job training for women at risk of poverty
· Healthy living and fitness workshops
· Arts, culture, lectures, and programs for mental agility
· Genealogy and support in capturing life stories
What boomers bring to the library:
· Deep pockets for fundraising—it's the age group with the highest net worth
· Volunteers with knowledge and skills to share (no book shelvers here)
· Numbers—it's a huge market that imprints its behavior on Generation X
Where to start:
· Assemble focus groups and advisory boards with connected, opinionated boomers in your community
· Do your homework Research on boomers abounds
· Identify community partners that can bring expertise and new outlets for marketing library programs to boomers
· Consider mobilizing a communitywide outreach effort with the library in the coordinating role

Administration & Management
Don’t Throw Away Your Tax-Exempt Status: Beginning in 2008, small tax-exempt organizations will have a new filing requirement. It’s short, easy and electronic – it’s the new e-Postcard. If you are a tax-exempt organization that normally has annual gross receipts of $25,000 or less and does not have to file Form 990 or 990-EZ, you must file the e-Postcard. The e-Postcard is due by the 15th day of the fifth month after the close of your tax year. So if your organization operates on a calendar year, the e-Postcard is due by May 15 of the following year. What happens if you don’t file? You risk losing your tax-exempt status! If you think this new filing requirement may apply to your organization, go to http://www.irs.gov/eo for complete details and while you’re there sign up for Exempt Organization’s free email newsletter, EO Update, to receive up-to-date information posted on the charity pages of irs.gov.

Do you need a Social Software Policy for your library? Is your library expanding its presence on the web to include social networks such as MySpace or Facebook or blogs that are open to user comments and user-provided content? Check out a new addition to the MHLS Sample Policies & Development Tips page, “Social Software Policies”: http://midhudson.org then Trustee Resources then Policies then Sample Public Library Policies & Policy Development Tips then External, Internet, Social Software or get there directly at http://midhudson.org/department/member_information/library_policies.htm#social

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.