Train-the-Trainer: HOMEACCESS

HOMEACCESS databases have so many great resources: information to fix your car, improve your health, get the best price for your collectables, improve your employment prospects… There is so much great stuff it can be challenging to let patrons know how HOMEACCESS can benefit them. We are offering a special workshop to make this easier:

HOMEACCESS Databases - a Train-the-Trainer session will be presented on Friday, October 30th
from 10:00am - 12:00pm in the MHLS Auditorium (105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie)

This workshop was designed in response to requests from library directors and staff who want to provide an exciting informational program for patrons about the databases all MHLS libraries offer. Each attendee will get a copy of a PowerPoint presentation you can use at your library to introduce your patrons to the HOMEACCESS resources. It will also cover tips on using the presentation with the public and easy ways to plan the program. For more information contact Sue Hermans, Head of Reference and Adult Services & Coordinator of Central Library Services at the Poughkeepsie Public Library District at shermans@poklib.org.

Register through the online calendar at http://calendar.midhudson.org/.

MHLS Announcements
We want to reassure everyone that items like the database bookmarks, library registration cards and the library card brochure will continue to be offered through the Online Material Request Form [http://midhudson.org/forms/material_request.htm] after the retirement of Print Services staff Deb Begley and John Plambeck at the end of this year. Questions? Contact Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator of Member Information (rsmith@midhudson.org or x239)
MHLS Libraries

Scott Murphy, Congressman for the 20th District came to the North Chatham Library last month for the grant presentation of the We the People "Picturing America" Bookshelf, a collection of classic hardcover books for young readers. Following the presentation, Mr. Murphy provided information, answered questions and participated in a lively discussion of the House bill on Health Care Reform.

Professional Development
Readers' Advisory Conference:
By The Book: RA in a Dynamic World at the Albany Public Library, Albany, NY on November 13, 2009. The featured speaker will be Cynthia Orr, winner of the 2004 American Library Association Margaret E. Monroe Award for service to adults and an editor of "The Reader's Advisor Online," a website and blog aimed at readers' advisory and collection development for public libraries. With an exciting sequence of programs for professional and paraprofessional staff scheduled for Friday, November 13th, APL's By the Book event is designed to give attendees real-world readers' advisory tips and techniques that they can implement in their libraries. Cynthia Orr will begin the morning session with a presentation on what library professionals should know about the reading habits of the public. Ms. Orr will also present an afternoon session on how to stay current in a rapidly changing environment and lead a breakout session about the future of readers' advisory. Attendees may choose to participate in two breakout sessions. Other topics, each led by APL staff, include conducting readers' advisory on the move, readers' advisory for children if you are not a children's librarian, and going Dewey-free. These sessions are designed to give attendees the opportunity to discuss current issues with colleagues facing the same challenges.
The fee for registration is $65.00 (includes lunch). Student registrations are available for $25 (student ID required). Registration must be received by Friday, November 6, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.albanypubliclibrary.org/readers/raconf or contact Amy Maurer McLaughlin, Program Manager, mclaughlina@uhls.lib.ny.us or 518.427.4349.

Marketing, Advocacy & Funding
From the book, "Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business" by Erik Qualman:
- By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers… 96% of them have joined a social network.
- Social Media is the #1 activity on the Web.
- 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media.
- Years to Reach 50 million Users:
- Radio (38 Years),
- TV (13 Years),
- Internet (4 Years),
- iPod (3 Years)
- Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months
- iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
- If Facebook were a country it would be the world's 4th largest between the United States and Indonesia.
- Wikipedia has over 13 million articles…some studies show it's more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica…78% of these articles are non-English.

Reference & Collection Development
Be sure you have the correct link into HOMEACCESS for The New York Times on your web site. The link changed in August. To get the button and the correct link visit the MHLS web site at http://midhudson.org/admin/web/buttons.htm

A team led by AT&T Research engineers has won the $1 million Netflix Prize for devising the best way to improve the company's movie recommendation algorithm, which generates an average of 30 billion predictions per day, by 10 percent or more. In a way, Netflix's recommendations are the equivalent of Readers' Advisory (RA) in libraries - just on a much larger scale. Who knew RA was such big business!

Programming
Check out this great idea from the Plattekill Public Library: a "Local Business Owners Meeting." The Plattekill Library hosts this meeting regularly at their library, bringing in guest speakers and giving business owners a chance to network with their peers. For example, the September meeting of this group at the library will hear from two guest speakers from SCORE - a nonprofit organization that considers itself "Counselors to America's Small Business" - to discuss how to get stimulus money for a small business and where to go when the banks say "no." By hosting this meeting the library provides a great service and facilitates a stronger relationship with local businesses.

Choose Privacy Week, May 2 - 8, 2010, will invite library users into a national conversation about privacy rights in a digital age. A Choose Privacy Week Resource Guide from the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom will give librarians the information and resources they need to implement programs on privacy in their libraries. The guide will contain out-of-the-box activities, events, and other suggestions for educating and engaging library users, helping citizens think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy. Learn more about Choose Privacy Week at http://www.privacyrevolution.org/

Youth Services
It's time for the 3 Apples Book Award Nominations. Librarians have until October 31st to submit children's nominations for the:
- Children's Award
- Teen's Award
- Young Reader's Award
The 3 Apples Book Award was created for New York State children and teens as a way to encourage recreational reading by having children be involved in the selection and nomination process. Visit http://www.3applesbookaward.org for more information.

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.