49th Annual Meeting

More than 150 library directors, trustees, staff members and special guests attended the System's 49th Annual Meeting at the Culinary Institute of America on Friday, October 5.

Merribeth Advocate, Coordinator of Outreach Services, and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich presented the continuing education session, "Ten Easy & Free Ways to Promote your Library" (see attached).

During the business meeting, presided over by Board President, Marie Smith, special guests Assemblymen Joel Miller and Mark Molinaro (shown above) emphasized the important role libraries play in communities and their intent to continue to promote library services and advocate on behalf of increased funding.

William Conine, Chair of the Board's Election Committee, conducted the election of five trustees to the MHLS Board: Jim Tuttle, from Columbia County, Lisa Baker Brill from Greene County, Martin Miller from Putnam County, and Peter Hoffmann and Sally Rhoads from Ulster County. Each will serve 5 year terms commencing January 1, 2009.

Following the elections, Josh Cohen, Executive Director:
· Presented Employee Service Awards to: Merribeth Advocate, Outreach and Education Coordinator and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator of Member Information for their 10 years of service to MHLS.
· Announced that the MHLS Health Information Project has been awarded the 2008 Joseph L. Shubert Library Excellence Award and presented a certificate of appreciation to Margaret Hirst of the Dutchess County Department of Mental Hygiene, for her valuable support in facilitating the project.
· Introduced the Directors Association Steering Committee members and recognized them for their leadership efforts throughout 2008 and highlighted the charge and accomplishments of each of the System's four Advisory Committees.
· Reviewed the System's Building Your Base web site and encouraged participants to use this valuable tool to build relationships with specific target populations to increase the number of library supporters in their communities.

John Bickford, member of the Trustee Services Committee, presented certificates to the recipients of the Trustee Success Story Recognition Awards. The five trustees whose libraries were awarded $200 are:

Columbia County: Dorothy Balko, Kinderhook Memorial Library, for her model leadership as the chair of the Building & Grounds Committee, a member of the Operations Committee and as liaison to the Friends.
Dutchess County: Marcia Frahman, Howland Public Library for her model leadership in promoting the library to the local community.
Greene County: Dot True, Cairo Public Library for her model leadership as treasurer of the board.
Putnam County: Judy B. Meyer, Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library for her model leadership in standing up to the Town Supervisor who challenged their successful 414 vote.
Ulster County: Earl Johnson, Town of Esopus Library for his model leadership during the construction of the new library building.

Sam Patton, a trustee of the East Fishkill Community Library Board and the New York State Association of Library Boards (NYALB) spoke about the need to keep in contact with legislators on both local and state levels to advocate on behalf of increased funding for libraries.

Keynote speaker, Charles R. McClure, Francis Eppes Professor of Information Studies and Director of the Information Use Management and Policy Institute at the School of Information Studies, Florida State University gave insight into the present status of library technology, the unique position libraries are in ("What we do is truly phenomenal, no one else does what we do.") and the increasingly important issue of adequate bandwidth along with future concerns facing libraries due to decreased funding and technological advances during his speech, "Libraries and Public Access Computing."
Dr. McClure urged libraries to:
· Have a plan. Set priorities. "It is better to do fewer things well than a lot of things poorly."
· Test bandwidth at peak use times (sites like http://www.tellmemybandwidth.com/ can help you do this)
· Work towards making library buildings tech-friendly (wiring, sight lines, etc.)
· Analyze the tech support model you are currently using - could you get better support through a circuit rider or by sharing tech support staff with other libraries?
· Get on the Web 2.0 wave. "If you're not on this wave you will be crushed by it."
· Pay close attention to the ratio between staff and public access terminals - there should be adequate staffing available to help patrons.
· Play the political game correctly. Trustees need to be out there speaking up and fighting for adequate library funding at all levels of government.

MHLS Announcements
Language Learning Bookmark
To help library staff communicate with patrons about the end of access to Rosetta Stone on Friday, October 10th MHLS, with the help of the Marketing & Program Advisory Committee, has developed a web page and bookmark to provide alternate resources to help patrons connect with language learning resources.
· Each library will receive a packet of the new bookmarks in today's delivery. You will be able to order extra from the Online Material Request form: http://midhudson.org/forms/material_request.htm
· If you manage your own web site, be sure to change the link behind the Rosetta Stone button to http://midhudson.org/databases/language.htm to help educate patrons that this service will end soon.

Resource Sharing & Millennium
A new itype for "Gaming" has been added to the list of itypes in Millennium. It is intended for system games like Wii, Xbox and PlayStation. This will allow you to have separate loaning rules for that itype. The itypes are 59 for gaming items that allows holds and 60 for gaming items that are non-holdable. If you wish to use this new itype, you will need to contact Laurie (x21 or lshedrick@midhudson.org) to set up specific loan rules if you do not wish to use the System-wide default: 7days, $1 per day fine, $10 max, 0 renews and 0 grace days.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
Latino Library Usage Report Encourages Service Outreach - More Latinos than previously assumed use public libraries in the U.S., according to a new study sponsored by WebJunction. Latinos are now the country's largest ethnic minority. The new study reports library usage amongst 54 percent of this demographic. Findings:
· While Latinos generally hold positive perceptions of libraries and value the availability of Spanish-language materials, more important is service.
· Latinos and Public Library Perceptions recommends that library workers get to know the local Latino community, to understand demographic diversity.
· Also, advertising in Spanish or via Spanish media should stress
- that the library is a place to learn English, via English-learning materials and children's programs (Nearly 47 percent of Latinos with less than a high school education had never been to a library.)
- the availability of public access computers
- confidentiality
[As seen in Library Hotline, 9.22.08]

"Earning Donor Trust in a Cynical Society":
· Provide real information about how their money is being spent.
· Explain to donors why you do what you do.
· "Stop sending mail to dead people and to people's old addresses."
· Develop tangible programs for people to support.
· Use third-party endorsements.
[From the Prospecting blog of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, http://philanthropy.com/news/prospecting/]

Reference & Collection Development
Helping History Buffs: The current issue of the Central Library Bulletin offers tips and resources for patrons interested in history. History Behind the Headlines: the Origins of Conflict Worldwide, an eBook found in HOMEACCESS, might provide your patrons with perspective on the world today. And Digital History (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/) might help them understand the past, with its collection of primary sources, music, speeches and e-lectures, and historical pictures, movies and maps. This issue also provides tips for helping your patrons find great reads in political biographies, memoirs and American history. To see this issue and all past issues of the Central Library Bulletin, go to midhudson.org and click on the Reference and Collection Development button. Or, get there directly at http://midhudson.org/CL/enews/vol2_iss3.pdf. There is also a copy included in today's delivery to each library.

Youth Services
Help Children Like Reading More - Large-print books are indispensable for many students: Because there are fewer words on a page, reluctant readers are more willing to pick up books and read.
· 15 out of 100 children have trouble seeing. Lots of kids with visual problems have difficulty making sense of what they see and avoid reading. They may benefit from larger font sizes, which allow them to track their reading more easily.
· Learning disabilities impact at least 5% of the population. Many children are bright but bored by the books where the letters are large, but the content is below their intellectual level (ie: picture books). They do not realize the joy of reading because they are forced to read at a level that is of little interest to them. Having access to large print books increases the likelihood that these children can develop a love of reading at levels that match their intellect by helping them compensate for their visual limitations.
· The MHLS Large Print Collection has over 80 J and YA titles in Large Print, all available through the online catalog.
Books on tape to support schoolwork are available at no charge from the NYS Talking Book and Braille Library:
"Students who are learning disabled, blind, low vision or physically disabled may borrow books on tape for English and literature classes, book reports and recreational reading from the NYS Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL). May school districts and parents are unaware of this. They can also connect students to textbooks in alternative formats." Contact the School Services Section of TBBL at 800.342.3688. Children's & teens Home Service Applications from TBBL are available on the MHLS Material Request Forms at http://midhudson.org/forms/material_request.htm

Job Openings
Library Assistant @Gardiner Library: Energetic? Creative? Great with kids? Gardiner library needs a library assistant to develop children's programs, guide staff and volunteers, help select materials for the collection, connect to the community and assist in the management of the library. F/T w/ benefits.
Email resume and cover letter to nboucher@rcls.org

PAGE 4: 10 Easy & Free Ways to Promote Your Library

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.