Minutes for the May 12, 2004 Meeting of the Continuing Education/ Professional Development Advisory Committee
MHLS Auditorium, 10am-12pm

Present: Merribeth Advocate (MHLS), (Coxsackie); Sally Alderdice (Claverack), Jody Ford (Stone Ridge), Wendy Fuller (Chatham), Sue Hermans (Central Reference Library Services Coordinator), Joanne Meyer (Rhinecliff); Rebekkah Smith (MHLS), Lena Smolon (MHLS)

Web Calendar:

• Management side of the online calendar reviewed, including categories of events (arranged around the system’s state report categories), waiting list procedure and report capabilities of the software.
• There are over 20 regional workshops and conferences, being offered outside of MHLS that are also included on the online calendar that are of interest to members.
• Committee discussed potential of purchasing a module for the online calendar (E*Notify) that would notify people, by email, of new events in their categories of interest upon request. The committee was in favor of this enhancement. (see Action1)

Workshop Evaluations:

• Reviewed workshop evaluation summaries provided (listed in handouts section below). The new report design, decided on by the committee, has been working well.
• Attendance at northern locations: MHLS staff has implemented the committee’s suggestions of holding multiple instances of workshops in a northern location to reach Greene, Columbia and northern Ulster county. Registration results have been varied depending on the workshop topic, but overall there has been an acceptable response.  Encourage library staff to attend locally.

Users Groups:

• R. Smith reported on the Teaching Technology @Your Library users group, which was very well received. The committee discussed why it worked and how to duplicate the experience in other users groups: gather input from the group, validate it by writing it on flip charts, summarize and add to web site for all to benefit from.
• J. Cohen suggested a new users group that would be tailored to the size of a library – focusing on the problems of small libraries (suggested catering to libraries with 3FTE or less, libraries of a particular budget size range, those who rely on part-time help, those who do not have departments). The committee was in favor of this idea. (See Action 2)
• Committee discussed Reference Users Group low attendance for Legal Resources. Suggested to offer more common topics of interest: Consumer Health, Business Resources, Public Records (10 basic things you need to know to help someone, ex: which office to go to for which records), Genealogy (including the Census). (See Action 3)
• Topic suggested for Administrative Users Group: hiring and firing w/o breaking the law

Web Portal Template from the Central Library:

• May fill role outlined above regarding accessing Public Records
• May be able to work with an LSTA proposal where staff can go to towns as a partner, putting on the web what the towns want up. (See Action 4)

Upcoming Events:

• Summer Rerun series concept offers many sessions to satisfy requests to repeat popular workshops (Electronic Resources Training, Disaster Preparedness, Reference Users Group, Millennium Data Entry Essentials, etc.)
• J. Ford reported that her staff liked the New Residents training done by Kirstin Litwin. An evaluation summary was passed around for the workshops have been held so far.
•   The Committee agreed that M. Advocate should continue to provide updated versions of the list of upcoming events for the year at the Director’s Association meetings.
• The Trustee Education series begins this week. There is a $100 incentive for libraries to send at least one trustee to this series. This year, the Advanced session will focus on managing future trends through planning for the library, building on the work done through the 2022 Project last year. M. Advocate described a training that she and R. Smith attended last week, “The Library Contribution to the Community,” that will be integrated into the Advanced Trustee education. This training speaks to libraries being better able to show themselves as valuable to community decision makers.
• Library agencies have requested the use of MHLS Auditorium to hold upcoming regional workshops.
  • Observing/Reporting child abuse (DLD)
  • NYLA Institute
  • Gates Sustaining Public Access Computing Workshop (DLD/Gates Foundation)

NOVEL Invitational Grant:

• MHLS is applying for an invitational grant from the State Library to help promote the NOVEL databases throughout the region. MHLS is proposing a public presentation that a staff person, hired through the grant, will give to groups such as educators, business groups, parents, media, government leaders, and other groups at library’s request. J. Ford suggested a PSA about the HomeACCESS on WAMC. (See Action 5)

Management for Librarians w/Sandra Nelson:

• The committee discussed the fee for this workshop and the issue of providing lunch. The ultimate recommendation is to charge members $50 and charge a fee of $60 for outside attendees. This will allow MHLS recover the cost of the speaker and cover lunch for attendees. There will be joint publicity with RCLS who is offering a second topic, Policies for Results, with Sandra Nelson the day before the MHLS event.

Electronic Resources binder and web site:

• R. Smith asked the committee to share their responses to the binder when they review it. (See Action 6)

Print materials Update:

• HomeACCESS brochure: R. Smith reported that over 2,500 brochures have been distributed in the first 3 months they have been offered. The limited production of the brochures has worked out well, allowing staff to make corrections immediately.
• Did you find everything…poster and stand-up sign: There was an excellent response to the offering of this item at the DA meeting. This will become part of the “$5 Menu” coming soon – a new resource for members from the MHLS Print Services Department.
  
  

Report to DA

1. Looking to enhance MHLS web calendar with feature that would notify members, by email, of new events in their categories of interest upon request.
2. Many CE events are being held in locations around our region. Please encourage attendance at these locations.
3. Thinking of adding a new users group that  would be tailored to the size of a library – focusing on the problems of small libraries (suggested catering to libraries with 3FTE or less, libraries of a particular budget size range, those who rely on part-time help, those who do not have departments).

Actions:

1.   MHLS staff will investigate purchasing the E*Notify module for the online calendar.
2.   MHLS staff will explore the possibilities of creating user groups organized around library size.
3. MHLS Staff will pass along the committee’s suggestions for future Reference Users Group topics to Sue Hermans, Central Reference Library Services Coordinator.
4. Convey to the Central Library Committee ideas about the Local Web Portal template.
5. MHLS staff will investigate the possibility of PSAs as part of the NOVEL grant.
6. Committee should communicate with Rebekkah their opinions about the Electronic Resources binder and web site.

Handouts:

• Minutes from the February 12^th meeting
• MHLS Web Calendar – Schedule of Events – Detailed Event Statistics Report
• 2004 Regional Workshop and User Groups Summary
• Evaluation Summaries:
  • Performers Showcase
  • Summer Reading Program Workshop
  • Community Presentation Workshop
  • Teaching Technology @Your Library (users group) (2)
  • Reference Users Group: Government Resources on the Web (2)
• Draft of the Management Skills for Librarians workshop announcement
• NOVEL Invitational Grant Abstract (LSTA
• HomeACCESS Use chart
  
  

Next meetings: Tuesday, August 10: review consultations offered

                        Wednesday, November 3

                        MHLS Auditorium from 10am-1:30pm

Submitted by Rebekkah Smith, 5.12.04