Margaret Keefe Retires

Margaret Keefe, Coordinator of Youth Services will retire at the end of this week. Throughout her 9 years at MHLS, Margaret has helped member libraries provide quality library service to our youngest of patrons with professionalism, perseverance and good humor. Margaret has supported member libraries during an era of tremendous growth. She has helped libraries of all shapes and sizes manage new and exciting opportunities for their communities - outreach to teens, advancements in technology and new formats - and deal with the challenges of collection development and space planning. Margaret was recognized as a leader in her field by her peers in 2005 when she was elected as President of the Youth Services Section of the New York Library Association.

Margaret's accomplishments include the award-winning Kids Catalog interface, the growth of the EZ Library Program Database, the Lifelines Homework Help web site, the Homework Help Centers Project and the Growing Readers at Your Library program. One of her legacies will be the Battle of the Books program which has grown to include more than 200 local kids from around the System who take book trivia pretty seriously - a great program that helps a tough age group get involved with the library and reading for fun.

Margaret believes strongly in cooperation amongst libraries and worked effectively to promote school-library partnerships and statewide collaboration. Margaret, along with her RCLS counterpart Randy Enos, designed and implemented the statewide summer reading program in 2003 and helped steer the NYS Division of Library Development to streamline the summer reading program and take advantage of the national Collaborative Summer Library Program which is now in place.

"Margaret has enabled me to provide our community's children, teens, parents and families with top quality programs, materials, and information through the high caliber of services she has provided to me and all of the youth services departments in MHLS."
-Ginny Figlia, Youth Services Librarian, Howland Public Library

"During my early years taking over as director of the Greenville Library I was always able to rely on advice and assistance with a call to Margaret. Her work as head of Youth Services has inspired all of us to enhance our programs/services for younger patrons."
-Barbara Flach, Director, Greenville Library

"When I started working at LaGrange, Margaret made me feel very welcome in the Mid-Hudson "family" and was always available to answer any of my questions so quickly. She will be greatly missed." -Alison Francis, Youth Services Librarian, LaGrange Library

"Margaret has been wonderful to work with... The information that she has given on both the listserv, and in person has been helpful, and the workshops that she has helped to coordinate for the youth services staff have been a blast to go to. She always was reachable, warm, and friendly, and she will be sorely missed in Plattekill." -Angie Antzak, Plattekill Public Library

"Margaret has always kept her finger on the pulse of current issues and trends in the field, and shared this information ... This is an enormous help to busy front-line youth services staff in large and small libraries alike. Margaret has been a true asset to the library system; her professionalism and comprehensive knowledge of the youth services field will be missed."
-Beth M. Zambito, Youth Services Librarian, Poughkeepsie Public Library District

"Margaret has been an incredible resource for me, in my work, and for all of us. She has shared so much information with us so thoroughly, at such an amazingly productive level, always with good humor, common sense, and good judgment. Everything she does is always accomplished and shared with us in her very appealing, kind, patient, funny, modest, low-key way. Margaret has made us all smarter, and better able to deal with priorities. -Stephanie Morgan, Kingston Library

"Margaret was an encouraging and supportive mentor to all Youth Services personnel, responsive to our needs and inspiring us to strive to be even better. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to work with Margaret."
-Chris Pattantyus, Grinnell Library Association

"The Youth Services Department, as it has grown under her direction, has been invaluable to our small library. The resources, both human and material, could not have been duplicated in this library. We have been able to develop our programs with a sophistication that belies our rural community of 3,000. Thank you, Margaret.
-Midge Quick, Director, NorthEast-Millerton Library

"To me Margaret embodies what's best about librarians - their generosity, ability to collaborate and connect people with information while also inspiring people to do things they didn't know were possible."
-Erica Freudenberger, Tivoli Free Library & MHLS Health Information Project Assistant

"M is for magnificently helpful. A is for awesome in every way. R is for reliable. G is for gorgeously dressed at all times!
A is for articulate. R is for reading guru. E is for easy-going & energetic. T is for top-notch.
Put it all together and what do you get?...Someone who will be greatly missed by all…MARGARET!"
-With love from Gail, Cindy & Joan, Mahopac Public Library

Margaret has been a fantastic asset to the System and its members and will be greatly missed by many.

MHLS Announcements
Contacting the Youth Services Department: We are currently interviewing to fill Margaret's position, however, during the period between when Margaret leaves (on May 15th) and we fill the position please use the email address: youth@midhudson.org for system services from this department. Kerstin Cruger, Merribeth Advocate or Rebekkah Smith Aldrich will do their best to help you.

Training for New Staff: Register now for the June 15th workshops: Orientation for New Library Staff and Millennium Circulation Essentials at the MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie). Both programs are designed for new library staff and volunteers, but open to all who would like to attend. Register through the MHLS web calendar at http://calendar.midhudson.org

10:00am - noon: Orientation for New Library Staff
This workshop provides introductory, baseline information about working effectively in a public library and in the Mid-Hudson Library System. The workshop will cover:
- The role of the public library in our communities
- How your library fits into the library structure of New York State
- Your role as a library representative
- Helping patrons find what they want
- Overview of the online catalog, HOMEACCESS databases and interlibrary loan
- System wide resource sharing concepts and issues
Presented by Josh Cohen - MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich - MHLS Coordinator of Member Information and Merribeth Advocate - MHLS Outreach & Education Coordinator.
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1:00 - 3:00pm: Millennium Circulation Essentials
This workshop provides introductory, baseline information about Millennium including common circulation & Patron data entry tasks. The workshop will cover:
- Patron Records-How, when and why we create patron records
- Checkin / Checkin for the Book drop
- Checkout: Dealing with it all from pop-up messages to missing parts
- Holds: How they work and what you need to know to keep on top of the process
- Fines and fees: How fines work, how to create and add manual fines, waiving, fine history
- Printing notices: Pages, bills, overdues, hold pickup
- Entering items at the circ desk
- Neat tricks-things to save you time and work!
Presented by Laurie Shedrick, MHLS Automated Systems Manager

Professional Development
Save the date! October 14 - October 17, 2009
New York Library Association (NYLA) Annual Conference & Trade Show in Niagara Falls, NY. In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for details about programs, special events and registration information for this year's conference. Featured speakers for this year's conference include Joyce Carol Oates, author and Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum, the Unshelved guys. Mark your calendar for this exciting, once-a-year event! Encourage a new person to join NYLA and you and your new recruit have the chance to win a free 2009 NYLA Annual Conference registration. Visit http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1002 for details

Is Your Library a Learning Organization?
A learning organization...
- Creates a culture that encourages and supports continuous learning, critical and innovative thinking;
- Allows mistakes and values employee contributions;
- Learns from experience and experiment; and
- Disseminates new knowledge throughout the organization for incorporation into day-to-day activities.
[WebJunction, Crossroads Newsletter, May 2009]

Youth Services
Reminder: The Play, Move and Sing in Storytime Workshop with Sukey Molloy has been rescheduled for Thursday, June 11th at the MHLS Auditorium. Registration information is available at http://calendar.midhudson.org/

Job Openings
Head of Youth Services: The Poughkeepsie Public Library District is looking for a creative, energetic, flexible and experienced leader to head their Youth Services Department as they return to our renovated downtown building, serving users from birth through 8th Grade and their caregivers. The ideal candidate will possess excellent interpersonal skills; is customer-focused; has expert knowledge of literature for young people, programming, service trends and practical applications for emerging technologies; and demonstrated leadership ability. Qualifications include a MLS from an ALA accredited program, possession of a NYS Public Librarian's Professional Certificate, and a minimum of four years of fulltime post-MLS professional librarian experience, preferably working with preschool and/or school age children in a public library, and at least two years of supervisory experience. To read the full job description go to http://www.poklib.org/about/jobs.htm This is a Competitive Civil Service appointment. The Librarian III hiring range starts at $50,861 plus benefits as per CSEA contract depending on qualifications and experience. Three current references are required. For further information and to submit an application, contact Lauren Muffs, Assistant Director, Poughkeepsie Public Library District, 93 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY.

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.