From the Vermont State Librarian

Each year Vermont public libraries submit applications to the Department of Libraries (DOL) for meeting Minimum Standards for Vermont Public Libraries. Based on the information supplied in these applications, the DOL determines whether or not libraries meet: (1) the most basic set of Standards (approved in 1986 by the Vermont Legislative Administrative Rules Committee), or (2) the more advanced set of 1998 Standards (which have not undergone the Legislative Rules process), or (3) neither set of Standards.  

The Vermont Standards offer good benchmarks for excellence in library service to local communities, and include recommendations for such things as: hours of service, levels of financial support, interlibrary loan, continuing education for library staff and trustees, library policy, access, collections and local partnerships. The Standards also provide a framework for library self-assessment, strategic planning and budget requests. Find both sets of Standards at: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/standards

The Introduction to the 1998 Standards includes the statements: "Excellence must be defined locally - it results when library services match community needs, interests and priorities" and "Excellence is possible for both small and large libraries [and] rests more on commitment than on unlimited resources." As I travel around Vermont making visits to libraries, I see evidence supporting both of these statements. Some of our best libraries are in small communities with small budgets. Each public library designs services that best meet the needs of its local users and I am continually surprised and delighted at what happens in our libraries.

This year, with approval from the Vermont Board of Libraries, I have determined that 141 Vermont public libraries meet Minimum Standards for 2012. Thirty-seven of these libraries met the higher 1998 set of Standards. I congratulate the library staff and trustees of each of these libraries for their hard work and continued commitment to provide excellence in service to their local communities. In particular, I want to congratulate the Fairlee Public Library and the Varnum Memorial Library (Cambridge) for meeting Vermont Minimum Standards for the first time. To see the list complete of libraries that met standards this year: http://tinyurl.com/MinimumStandardsVT

The Vermont Board of Libraries agrees with me that the Minimum Standards are a valuable tool and measure for ensuring quality library service for Vermont citizens. They also agree with me that our current sets of standards are out-dated. This year we will begin the process to update our Standards program and we will soon appoint a committee to begin this work. The new Standards may not be ready for the next round of Standards Applications this fall, but I can promise that we will have new standards in place in 2013. They will help to ensure quality 21st century library service for Vermonters.

Martha Reid

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 Catamount Library Network Project Selects Evergreen    

At their February 23 meeting, members of the Catamount Library Network, which includes the Department of Libraries (DOL), Brooks Memorial Library (Brattleboro), Springfield Town Library, Rutland Free Library, Fletcher Memorial Library (Ludlow), and Waterbury Public Library, made the unanimous decision to proceed with their project using the Evergreen Open Source software system. The DOL is participating in this project with the vision that the new Catamount Evergreen Network will develop into a statewide integrated library system that includes public, school and academic libraries and which will also support the DOL catalog and the statewide interlibrary loan network.

This decision came after months of investigation, meetings and phone calls with members of Koha and Evergreen library projects around the country (including Vermont's VOKAL Koha group) and conversations with Vermont librarians from public, school and academic libraries. The decision was also based on documentation and recommendations from Lori Ayre, a consultant with the Galecia Group. The DOL hired Galecia Group, based in California, in 2011 to create a set of "features" for the Koha system that could be used as a comparison with a similar Evergreen "features" list. Ayre is highly regarded in the library open source world and is knowledgeable about both the Koha and Evergreen systems. Her expertise and evaluation was a critical, objective component of the investigation process. The new Koha and Evergreen features comparison list, which was an essential tool in the Catamount review and selection process, is now being reviewed by the greater Koha and Evergreen communities. A working copy is available here: http://tinyurl.com/CatamountProject

Ayre came to Vermont in January for an all-day meeting with members of the Catamount network and DOL staff to discuss the needs and requirements of Vermont libraries and the Department of Libraries, including statewide interlibrary loan. Based on a comparison of the two features lists and with the information gathered from Vermont, Ayre later supplied Catamount members with a scorecard rating both the Koha and Evergreen systems and detailing strengths and weaknesses of both systems. After discussing Ayre's documentation, the Catamount group arranged for a conference call with Ayre for follow-up questions and final clarifications. Ayre's recommendation of the Evergreen system for this project was clear and was instrumental in Catamount's final selection decision. In particular, Evergreen was favorably rated for its capabilities as a statewide integrated library system and for the flexibility and power it offers for resource sharing, including the forthcoming Evergreen "Fullfillment" product.

Register to Town Officers' Education Conference

Attention Library Trustees and Public Library Directors! The 2012 Town Officers' Education Conferences, sponsored by UVM Extension, will take place in April in three locations around Vermont: April 3, Burlington Hilton; April 10, Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee; and April 18 at the Holiday Inn, Rutland. The day-long conference includes five workshop sessions with workshops on a wide array of topics for town officers, including library trustees. Once again the Department of Libraries will sponsor workshops designed for public library trustees, though library directors are always welcome. This year's conference includes a mid-day keynote address on Vermont's Irene recovery efforts.

These conferences allow library trustees to strengthen their skills and expand their knowledge, meet with trustees from around their region, hear about approaches and programs used in neighboring towns, and have the opportunity to form partnerships among libraries. Please consider attending the conference this year and encourage fellow public library trustees to attend. Non-trustee town officers are also welcome to join any of the library-focused workshop sessions.

The library-focused workshops this year are:

21^st-Century Library Service in Vermont: Looking Ahead: Join Assistant State Librarian Christine Friese and other Vermont librarians to learn about Department of Libraries initiatives, local, state and national trends affecting libraries and to discuss how Vermont libraries can plan for and respond to changing needs. Is your library future-proof? Does your library have a strong strategic plan, policies for new technologies or new special programs? There will be time to share the changes occurring in your library.

Emergency Planning for Libraries: Is Your Library Prepared? As we know, some Vermont libraries sustained damage from Storm Irene, while others jumped in to become the community hub during a time of stress and need. Has your library prepared an emergency plan? Come learn from those who have and learn about resources available in an emergency situation.

Advocacy 101 and Beyond: Building Community Support and Creating New Partnerships: This year the DOL is promoting and participating in PLA's "Turning the Page" Advocacy training for trustees, librarians and citizens who care about their libraries. Learn about some creative library programs being used in libraries around the state to increase awareness of library services and to support specific projects that benefit public libraries. This is your chance to get involved with the "Turning the Page" online training course (with a Vermont focus) taking place this summer.

Technology Trends in Libraries:

You say you've never used a Kindle? Wonder why your website needs a widget? Does your library lend out iPads? Should you? Do you know what policies these new technologies require? What new costs and issues are inherent with the introduction of e-Readers or iPads in the library? Hear about these topics and then get some hands-on experience using some of these devices.
 

More information and registration can be found at: www.uvm.edu/extension/toec

E-Rate Funding for Public Libraries Increases

The Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund, commonly known as E-Rate, provides discounts to assist schools and public libraries in the United States in obtaining affordable telecommunications and Internet access. The program supports connectivity - the conduit or pipeline for communications using telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections. Discounts for support depend on the level of poverty and the urban/rural status of the population served and range from 20% to 90% of the costs of eligible services.

Recognizing that connectivity in libraries is a key component in the overall success of Vermont public libraries, the Department of Libraries, with financial support of an Opportunity Online Broadband Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been able to enhance the ability of public libraries to participate fully in the E-Rate discount program, providing increased financial support for public libraries telecommunications costs.

2012 Discovering Community Summer Institute

The Vermont Folklife Center's Summer Institute, Discovering Community: Students, Digital Media, and Place-Based Learning, brings together educators for an intensive five-day program June 25 - 29 in Middlebury.

The Institute offers participants basic hands-on experience learning the methods of community-based research, the process of making a mini-documentary, and the skills of working with digital media in a school setting.

Past participants have come from a broad spectrum of roles in the K-16 system, including classroom teachers, special educators, librarians, and administrators. This diversity makes group process a rich opportunity to explore ideas, probe models, and collaboratively visualize site-appropriate applications.

Over the course of an action-packed week, Discovering Community participants work with cultural researchers, media specialists, and fellow educators to explore the power of ethnographic field research and techniques for working with digital audio, video, and photography as documentary tools. Using the Middlebury community as a classroom, Discovering Community models simple strategies for deepening students' relationships to their own hometowns.

The Discovering Community Summer Institute builds on the Vermont Folklife Center's many years partnering with educators on community-based projects, the ever-expanding array of digital tools with recording capabilities, and the do-it-yourself editing and production opportunity that digital technology affords. Three graduate credits are available from Castleton State College upon completion of this course.

Stories and storytelling are at the center of this experience, and as one participant observed, "The personal gain of realizing that there are millions of stories in our own backyards that are ten times more interesting than People Magazine is something that I will cherish".

For registration, tuition, or other information about the Discovering Community Summer Institute and its nationally recognized faculty go to www.discoveringcommunity.org. You can also contact them at 802-388-4964 or info@vermontfolklifecenter.org.

The Vermont Folklife Center seeks to broaden, strengthen, and deepen our understanding of Vermont and the surrounding region; to assure a repository for our collective cultural memory; and to strengthen our communities by building connections among the diverse peoples of our state.

DOL Workshops in April

April 3, 9:30-4:00, Rutland Free Library

Legal Reference for Librarians

April 5, 9:30-3:00, Midstate Library Service Center

Tweens and Digital Storytelling

April 9, 9:00-12:00, Milton Public Library

Materials Review (no registration required)

April 10, 9:00-10:30 (Webinar)

Patrons and Gale Resources: How to Get Them to Skip Google and Use the Library

April 11, 9:30-3:00, Midstate Library Service Center

Basic Interlibrary Loan

April 17, 9:00-12:00, Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow

Materials Review (no registration required)

April 17, 1:00-3:00, Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow

Tech Gadget Workshop

April 19, 9:30-12:00, Aldrich Library, Barre

Adult Program Swap

April 20, 9:00-12:00, Midstate Library Service Center

Strategic Planning - Session 2

Questions? Please contact Mara Siegel mara.siegel@state.vt.us, or (802) 828-2727.

New in The Library Science Collection @The State Library

Bobick, James E. Science and Technology Resources: A Guide for Information Professionals and Researchers. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited, c2011.

Charles, John. The Readers' Advisory Guide to Mystery. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.

Connaway, Lynn Silipigni. Basic Research Methods for Librarians. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Libraries Unlimited, c2010.

Ditzler, Pat. A Book Sale How-To Guide : More Money, Less Stress. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.

Jerrard, Jane. Privatizing Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.

Kahn, Miriam. Disaster Response and Planning for Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.

Reid, Rob. What's Black and White and Reid All Over?: Something Hilarious Happened at The Library. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.

True Stories of Censorship Battles in America's Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.