Adult Programmers To Meet

Be Strategic! That's the topic of the next Adult Programmers Users Group meeting: Tuesday, March 31st from 10:00am - 12:00pm in the MHLS Auditorium.

Join us for a lively discussion about making the most out of adult programming in your library. This session is ideal for library staff currently doing adult programming and for those interested in expanding their programming to include adult patrons. With a focus on how to "Program Strategically" we will cover:
· Best Practices for designing and promoting programs to maximize attendance
· Learn how to develop a programming "cycle" to save time and energy
At this session participants will share their Adult Programming Challenge (APC) results. The APC asked member libraries to target a group that isn't currently using the library and use the technique shared (and shown below) to reach them through programming. Even if you didn't participate in the Challenge or haven't come to an APUG session before, join in and learn from your peers how you can make the most of programming at your library!
This group is facilitated by Josh Cohen, MHLS Executive Director, Merribeth Advocate, Outreach & Education Coordinator & Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Coordinator or Member Information.
Register online at http://calendar.midhudson.org/

Adult Program Challenge:
1. Identify a target audience that isn't currently using your library or could use your library more - newly retired, active senior citizens, firefighters, etc.
(get some ideas at http://midhudson.org/byb/toolkit/targeting-ideas.htm)
2. Find out what topic for a program would interest your group.
3. Find out how this group gets their local information - newspaper? Local email list? Word-of-mouth from friends? Grocery store bulletin board?
4. Plan your program; possibly have a presenter from your target group run the program.
5. Advertise your program in new ways, targeted specifically to the group you are trying to reach.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
Have you signed the petition yet? http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mhls/

More than 300 area library supporters already have! The petition will be used on Library Lobby Day in Albany, Tuesday, March 10th (learn more about Lobby Day at midhudson.org). When you sign you'll need to know who your NYS Legislators are, if you're not sure, check the list on the MHLS site: http://midhudson.org/funding/advocacy/legislators_adv.htm
Check out some of the great comments being left on the petition:
· The free public library is one of the best ideas this country ever had. Keep our libraries funded!
· As my income has been cut and my taxes rise, I have been forced to cut luxuries such as the Internet. I have started to access the library again for the first time since I was a child.
· Libraries support communities!
· Please do not limit this, as we not only use it for education, but also as a tool to save money in this tumbling economy.

Reference & Collection Development
Reading on the Rise: For the first time in more than 25 years, American adults are reading more literature, according to a new study by the National Endowment for the Arts. Reading on the Rise documents a definitive increase in rates and numbers of American adults who read literature, with the biggest increases among young adults, ages 18-24. This new growth reverses two decades of downward trends cited previously in NEA reports such as Reading at Risk and To Read or Not To Read. Trends in media and literary preferences:
· Fiction (novels and short stories) accounts for the new growth in adult literary readers.
· Reading poetry and drama continues to decline, especially poetry-reading among women.
· Online readers also report reading books. Eighty-four percent of adults who read literature (fiction, poetry, or drama) on or downloaded from the Internet also read books, whether print or online.
· Nearly 15 percent of all U.S. adults read literature online in 2008.

Programming
The Stone Ridge Public Library hosts a New Yorker Discussion Group each month. Participants are encouraged to bring any "discussion questions or thoughts" about four articles in recent issues (chosen articles for January 2009 listed below) and their wish list of articles for discussion at future meetings. January 2009 articles:
1. December 8th issue: (p. 60) OUTSIDE AGITATOR: Naomi Klein reboots the left by Larissa MacFarquhar
2. December 15th issue: MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: The trouble with talent spotting by Malcolm Gladwell
3. December 1st issue: (p. 48) ANATOMY OF A MELTDOWN: Ben Bernanke interprets the crisis by John Cassidy
4. November 24th issue: (p. 114) LAND OF LOST SOULS: David Rabe's America by John Lahr

Youth Services
"Celebrate! ¡Celebremos!": Registration is open to request complimentary brochures featuring a great book list with bilingual, Spanish-only, and English titles for children. "Celebrate! ¡Celebremos!" can be used to celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) on April 30th. Día celebrates the importance of advocating literacy for every child, regardless of linguistic and cultural background. To request the "Celebrate ¡Celebremos!" brochure, visit the Día Web site at http://www.ala.org/dia. Libraries that register their Día events through the Web site will receive complimentary copies of the brochure, while supplies last.

Trustee Resources
What to Expect at Lobby Day or "The Lobby Day Experience": Lobby Day, Tuesday, March 10th, is an important day for New York's libraries as supporters converge on Albany to present a united front to legislators. Walk through the day online first in the MHLS Advocacy Toolkit: http://midhudson.org/funding/advocacy/09lobbyday.htm#experience

Reminder: Securing Your Library's Future, presented by Libby Post, President and CEO of Communication Services in Albany, New York: Workshop, Friday, March 6th from 1:00 - 5:00pm. This workshop is perfect for libraries that have never done a 414 vote to lock in their budget and for those libraries that have done a 414 vote but would like to see their budget voted on annually without the petition process. To learn more and to register online go to http://calendar.midhudson.org/

Administration & Management
Did you know?
Leave for Breast Cancer Screening
Section 159-b of the Civil Service Law allows male and female employees to take up to four hours annually of paid leave without charge to leave credits for the purpose of breast cancer screening.
Leave for Prostate Cancer Screening
Section 159-c of the Civil Service Law allows all male employees to take up to four hours of annually paid leave without charge to leave credits for prostate cancer screening.
NYS Civil Service Law applies to three of the four types of public libraries in NYS: municipal, school district public libraries and special district public libraries.

Are you a new or "new-ish" director? Reminder: The Roundtable for New Directors will meet after the March 3rd Director's Association meeting. This is a group for directors who have been in their position for 3 years or less to give you the opportunity to meet with others dealing with similar situations and to find answers and contacts to help you in your day-to-day life at the library. The meeting includes lunch. Topic: Legacy Issues. Register online at http://calendar.midhudson.org/

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.