Trustee Essentials

Trustees looking for a clear summary of the essential elements of being a library trustee will want to register for one of the fall sessions of Essential Trustee Duties and Responsibilities. Note that these are the last 2 sessions being offered in 2009.

- Thursday, September 17 from 6:00 - 8:00pm @MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie)

- Saturday, September 26 from 10:00am - 12:00pm
@ Morton Memorial Library in Rhinecliff
(82 Kelly St., Rhinecliff) -please note new location!

Presented by Josh Cohen - MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich - MHLS Coordinator of Member Information and Merribeth Advocate - MHLS Outreach & Education Coordinator.

Target Audience: Especially for new board members, but open to all. Library board members looking for essential, baseline information to increase their effectiveness in serving on a library board will benefit from attending this session.

Learning Objectives: Attendees will learn effective ways to carry out the nine essential library trustee duties and responsibilities (everything the library board does either falls within one of these duties or is done in support of them). Note: these sessions feature the updated content that was introduced last year.

There is a $100.00 incentive grant to libraries if they send at least three trustees in 2009 to a MHLS trustee essentials and/or advanced workshop. The System will mail checks based on attendance. Light food will be served. View the Workshop Notice at http://midhudson.org/ce/2009/trustee_fall.pdf

Registration is required. Register online at http://calendar.midhudson.org or by calling 845.4716060 x246

MHLS Announcements
The MHLS Print Services Department will stop accepting jobs from member libraries on Friday, October 9, 2009. This will enable Print Services to finish outstanding projects, as well as coordinate the disbursement of files to member libraries in preparation of the retirements of Print Services Manager Deb Begley and Press Operator John Plambeck. Both are retiring at the end of the year.
In this week's delivery each library will receive an Action Memo addressed to the library director that gives you the opportunity to request files or materials from the Print Department including, but not limited to:
- Photographs on file
- Logos - Please choose a format from the following (TIFF, JPEG, PDF, EPS)
- Bookmarks - PDF format (Press Quality)
- Stationery packages

The new library card brochure is now available! Your Library Card: Always Valuable, Now Priceless is here just in time for Library Card Sign-up Month. In the delivery with this week's Bulletin is a starter packet of 10 brochures. More can be requested, in packets of 20, on the MHLS Material Request Form found at the bottom of http://midhudson.org - or http://midhudson.org/forms/material_request.htm
The new, streamlined brochure highlights what patrons can do with their library card in the online catalog and through HOMEACCESS. It carries through the tagline, "Stop Searching. Start Finding." found at the head of all the database bookmarks designed through the Marketing & Program Advisory Committee and features the graphic found on more than 60% of member library web sites that helps patrons link into our suite of databases. The brochure also explains how to get a library card, who MHLS is and lists all member libraries and the general web address of http://midhudson.org/libraries to help patrons connect with your library's web site.

MHLS will be closed Monday, September 7th. There will be no deliveries.

Resource Sharing & Millennium
Extra session of the mandatory Millennium Circulation Workshop added: Wednesday, September 9th from 1:00 - 3:00pm in the MHLS Auditorium. Register online at http://calendar.midhudson.org

Reference & Collection Development
101 Best Genealogy sites in the August issue of Family Tree Magazine are made up of ten lists of sites, most of them free:
- 10 Best Web Sites to See Dead People
- 10 Best Web Sites for Vital Records
- 10 Best Web Sites for International Searches
- 10 Best Web Sites for Military Research
Check out all the lists at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/101for2009/

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities: The feature article in the Summer issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal, "Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities," reports on the increasingly important role public libraries are playing in our cities and towns. The article also focuses on how libraries can strengthen downtowns and main street districts. The article is available as a pdf file at no charge. They are granting blanket permission for librarians (and others) to either photocopy or redistribute the pdf. Download a complimentary copy from the "Spotlight On…" section of http://midhudson.org. Share this information with others!! The article will provide a valuable resource in showing the benefits that strong libraries can bring to cities and towns - regardless of their size. If you have any questions, contact: Wayne Senville, Editor, Planning Commissioners Journal 802.864.9083; pcjoffice@gmail.com; http://www.plannersweb.com

The EBSCO Excellence in Small and/or Rural Public Library Service Award provides recognition and a $1,000 honorarium to a public library serving a population of 10,000 or less that demonstrates excellence of service to its community as exemplified by an overall service program or a special program of significant accomplishment. The award honors a public library for all or any of the following:
- Uniqueness of service of program.
- Impact of program or service on community.
- How the service or program will affect the future of the library and its community.
Nominations accepted at http://www.pla.org until 1.1.2010.

Youth Services
Kids' Port Goes Live Today! Member libraries with MHLS-managed web sites will see this new button on their site which links patrons to http://kidsport.midhudson.org - the new web portal for kids (pre-school to age 10) and their parents with fun links, homework help and how kids can make a difference in their community. Make Kids' Port the home page on computers in your children's area to help introduce patrons to this new resource. If you manage your own web site the graphic and alt tag language are available at http://midhudson.org/admin/web/buttons.htm

Bookmarks to promote this new resource to your community are in the delivery with the Bulletin this week and through the Online Material Request form found at the bottom of our home page: http://midhudson.org. This is a two- sided bookmark, one side says "HEY KIDS!" the other "HEY PARENTS!" The bookmark could be a great PR tool during local school open house nights, to take with you when you visit school librarians, principal and school superintendants - see if they will link to your library's web site from the school web site while you're at it! Don't forget to include it with the new library cards you issue during Library Card Sign-up Month as well - that's a great time to introduce new patrons to all your library (and your web site) has to offer.

PAGE 3: "Around the System - August 2009"

PAGE 4: September 2009 Calendar: 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.