MHLS Continuing Education / Professional
Development Advisory Committee
October 24, 2006
MHLS Auditorium | 10:00am - 2:00pm
In attendance: Sally Alderdice, Linda
Deubert (chair), Carol Donick, Bruce George, Phyllis Keaton, Joanne Meyer, Kelly
Tomaseski, Wendy Fuller
Staff: Merribeth Advocate, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Lauren Muffs
Attendance and program statistics
2006
-
Committee reviewed
2006 continuing education / professional development event attendance; over
65 programs with attendances of over 1000.
-
Summaries of evaluations
of workshops since the last committee meeting were sent to the committee
in advance for review, and commented on during the meeting.
-
Discussion regarding
% of libraries not represented at DA meetings and trustee training
-
Proposed
annual letter to directors and trustees encouraging participation at
DA and CE opportunities. Fiscal impact. (See Action
3)
-
DA: examples
of decisions made there
-
Benefits
of on-going CE, testimonials, options for staff/trustee training
(in-house and scheduled)
Library Administration Program
Update
Upcoming 2007 - Quality Services
is the #1 Goal (note: items indicated as 
were
suggested during the committee meeting)
- Resource Sharing
- Millennium For Administrators
- Data Entry Essentials: committee
recommends four times a year around the system
- Circulation Essentials (4)
- Acquisitions
- Millennium Create Lists
- Millennium Advanced Create
Lists
- Millennium Users Group
-
Weeding workshop suggested. Including: Focus on Non-fiction, how to use
Create Lists for weeding, creating a plan for collection development and
weeding, using Bowker analysis, how to know what the community and schools
need.
- Awareness & Advocacy
- Friends Support Group (4):
Committee reported that Friends who attended the Friends Matter event
enjoyed the interactive component; would like Friends Support Group brought
to other counties
- Promoting the Library Effectively
- Getting to Yes: Campaign
Toolkit
- Customer Service: Outside
speaker will be pursued
- Children's Services & Young
Adult Services
- Performer's Showcase (Feb.)
- encourage YS staff to bring their local PTA or school person with them
- 2007 Summer Reading Program
Workshop (Dutchess & Columbia/Greene)
- Book Banquets (Dutchess &
Ulster) - need more public library representation at these events. Reach
out to county Directors. If attendance numbers go up consider expanding
to the other three counties in future years.
- Gaming in Libraries
- How to Conduct a Parenting
Workshop - PPLD offered to host this using their interactive equipment
- Fall into Books Children's
& Teen Literature Conference (Nov.)
- YS Department Open House
(spring & fall)
- Using Technology to Get Young
People Involved in Libraries
- Legalities
for Dealing with Minors in the Library: suggested by committee. Including:
- Mandated reporting
- Kid left alone/supervised
by sibling
- General Adult Services
- Targeted Programming &
Adult Programming Made Simple: committee recommended these be combined
into one session
- Book Discussion Groups (presenter:
Natalie Weilcart
- Readers Advisory (presenter:
Joyce Saricks): committee recommended moving this opportunity to 2008
- Trustee Training
- Trustee Essential Education
(spring & fall)
- Advanced Trustee Education
(spring & fall)
- Exec. Committee / Directors
Forum
- Special Client Populations
- Spanish Language Outreach
(6 sessions)
- Technology
- Training for Front Line Staff
presented by Central Library staff, will be offered in each county; advertised
through regular workshop notice template; registration through MHLS online
calendar.
- "Basic" (Front
Desk Tips & Tricks) content will correspond to the core competency
framework and will include instruction in OPAC use, subject searching
in catalog, rudimentary readers' advisory and SEAL.
- "2nd level"
sessions will include intro to HomeACCESS databases and Google, Useful
Links, CL Pathfinders and PPLD databases.
- Quick & Easy Reference:
will include pre and post questionnaire. Funded through Gates Foundation.
Sessions will be completed by 5/31/07.
- Management & Supervisory
- Small Libraries Roundtable
(quarterly)
- Annual Report Training (Jan.)
- Contracts:
when & how to read
- Bookkeeper/business
manager workshop; Quickbooks?
- Planning & Evaluation
- Starting an Endowment
- Grant Writing (presenter:
Linda London)
- Leadership
- Stop the Whining (or Herding
Kittens: How to Have Influence When You Don't Have Power or Authority)
LAMA Regional Institute
- Tours / Orientation
- System Tour & Orientation
(quarterly)
- Orientation for New Library
Staff (quarterly)
- Construction / Renovation
- Construction Panel
- Energy Audit / Solar Panels
- Facility
Maintenance: suggested by committee
- Also
- Workplace Violence &
Safety Training w/ State police
- Successful Book Sales
- Will be sending to MHLS Steering
Committee some suggested topics for brief inclusion in DA meetings. (See
Action 4)
- Disseminating training w/in
your staff
- Using Wilson catalog
- Using stats to make your
case
- Trends
- Staff evaluation
- Patriot Act, how to comply
- Millennium inventory
- Friends groups for Directors
- Office of General Services
(OGS) Procurement Contracting Services
- Tools for explaining MHLS
to your board, staff, friends and community
- Thin clients
Action Items
- CL staff will look into committee
suggestions for Subject Guides.
- M. Advocate will contact RCLS,
WLS and UHLS for CE partnership opportunities in 2007.
- M. Advocate will send letters
to directors and trustees encouraging participation at the DA and in CE opportunities.
- M. Advocate will send DA Steering
Committee a listing of suggested topics for brief inclusion in DA meetings.
- Committee recommends to the Resource
Sharing Committee that they develop a policy to address problematic data entry
personnel in member libraries (suggestions: targeted invitations passed through
director; individual training with a problem library)
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich & Merribeth Advocate