|
From the State Librarian...
| |
Linda Lord, State Librarian
Introducing Our Own Friends Group
The nascent Friends of the Maine State Library (FOMSL), not to be confused with the Friends of Maine Libraries (FOML), now has 501 (C)3 status and is swinging into action. A web page will be available shortly after Labor Day. If you wish to see the mission and vision statements before the web page is posted, please contact me at linda.lord@maine.gov and I will send an attachment to you.
Tea at the Blaine House
The kickoff event for FOMSL will be a tea at the Blaine House on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012 from 2:00 - 3:30. Attendees will have time to explore the ground floor of this historic Maine house. Monica Wood, author of "When We Were the Kennedys" will be the guest speaker. Librarians, senior citizens and students may join FOMSL for $15; individual contributors for $25; sponsors for $50; and donors for $100. People wishing to join before Sept. 19 in order to attend the tea may send a check made out to Friends of the Maine State Library to Cheryl Ramsay, Maine State Library, 64 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333.
The Maine State Library (MSL) is in dire need of updated equipment but the goal of the FOMSL is not only to support the MSL but to help MSL increase support to Maine libraries.
|
| Meet the Commissioner: Steve Podgajny | |
Steve Podgajny has been the executive director of the  Portland Public Library in Portland, Maine since 2006. Prior to that, he directed the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, ME for 18 years and the Dyer Library / York Institute Museum (now Saco Museum) in Saco, ME for 6 years. He was named Maine Librarian of the Year in 2000 in recognition of his distinguished record of professional service, both to libraries and the broader civic and cultural domains.
Read more about Steve Podgajny
|
|
MARVELous Maine Invitational | |
Stephanie Zurinski, Central Maine Library Consultant
Continuing Education Can Be Fun!
The Maine State Library announces the MARVELous Maine Invitational, an online learning opportunity. The Invitational will begin on September 30th and run through December 15th. The Invitational was developed by Maine State Library staff to introduce you to MARVEL! Maine's Virtual Library. The Invitational encourages library staff to learn more about the resources that provide expanded access to information and research tools to all schools, libraries and citizens of Maine.
Each week, we will explore a different MARVEL resource. It is your chance to Discover...Play ...and Learn about these statewide resources and how they can be useful to you both personally and in your library. This is an opportunity for you to learn at a pace that is comfortable for you and to share your learning experience with your colleagues in the Maine library community.
Blog Along With Us
Participants will set up their own blogs and record what they discover. All the blogs will be accessible to all the participants so that shared learning and discovery can take place. The three district consultants will also be watching the blogs to see what exciting discoveries are being made.
All participants who successfully complete the Invitational will receive 9 CE Contact Hours and their name will be entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize, a free iPad3 (a $499 value). Ten assignments - at least one blog post for each lesson - must be completed by the end date in order to earn contact hours and to be eligible for the Grand Prize. Successful completion is measured by the quality of blog entries and the completion of the pre- and post-tests.
Register online on the calendar - August 30.
For more information, visit http://marvelousmaine.wordpress.com/
The Maine Library Invitational is modeled, with their permission, after the South Dakota Library Challenge: Electronic Resources Edition. South Dakota's inspiration came from Helene Blowers of the Columbus Metropolitan Library and formerly of the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County who developed Learning 2.0, a blog that taught PLCMC staff members about web 2.0 tools.Take a look at the original Learning 2.0 blog .
|
|
MSL to Issue New Library Card!
| |
Jamie Ritter, Director of Reader & Information Services Division
The Maine State Library will begin issuing a new 'branded' library card beginning in September. The new card, designed by staff will feature an iconic Maine image and feature a 'key-tag' as well.
"The new card isn't simply about looks," commented Jamie Ritter, Director of Reader and Information Services, "it's also about creating a more identifiable and lasting link to our services via a branded and professional library card."
View the new library card read about "Opportunities to Improve Service"
|
| Snapshot Day 2012 is Coming This Fall! |
Snapshot 2012 is sponsored by the Maine State Library, Maine Association of School Libraries and Maine Library Association.
Think of it as A Day in the Life of Maine Libraries. We want to capture all the activities that occur in Maine's libraries on one day and package this information in a digest suitable for distribution to legislators, selectmen, chambers of commerce, the business community, your patrons, boards and Friends groups.
It's one way of demonstrating the value of Maine's libraries and we need your help to do it. Please participate! We need 25% of each type of library for a successful Snapshot publication to share with legislators and town officials.
Pick one day during the week of October 15-20, 2012 to be your Snapshot Day to gather statistics, take photos, and collect quotes. After Snapshot Day please share your data via the online Snapshot survey. Deadline for the survey is Saturday, Oct. 27 at 5 pm so we can start compiling the results and create the booklet.
Read the Six Steps to Snapshot Day 2012 Success!
Check out the complete resource guide.
Let us know you are willing to participate.
|
| PCs for Maine: Public Access Computers |
Jared Leadbetter, e-Rate and Technology Consultant
The Information Technology Exchange and the Maine State Library are partnering to offer a program that provides reliable, sustainable computers, software and support to libraries at very low cost. The PCs for MAINE public access computer program is reaching out to public libraries, especially libraries that don't have the budget to afford retail computer costs or expensive computer repairs.
Since 2002, PCs for MAINE has been providing alternative solutions for individuals and families who need computers to achieve an academic or employment goal. Libraries and nonprofits play a crucial role in making computers available to the community, but they are hindered by equipment issues, a lack of technical support, poor product quality and most of all cost.
These public access computers are hand-built in Belfast, Maine using a combination of donated high-end business class computers that are completed with new parts and charitable software licensing. They are complete, tested and ready to use when you get them. They were designed to provide a minimum of 2 years of dependable, hassle-free use.
For more details... Please contact Jared Leadbetter or call 207-287-5620 for more information.
|
|
The 2012 Mainelitzer Award | |
Valerie Osborne, Northeastern Maine Library District
In April it was announced that there would be no Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2012. Could the printing presses have gone silent? Has Maine stopped producing paper? Was there a lack of good books published in 2011? I may not be a literary critic, but I am an avid reader. For anyone who loves a story, there were just so many good reads that might have been chosen. What happened?
The Selection Process
For those who don't follow book awards, this is one of the most prestigious of the lot. The prize is awarded annuallly by Columbia University for a distinguished work of fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. Anyone who can pay the $50.00 filing fee and complete an application along with 4 copies of the book will be considered. A three member jury begins the reading process. The jury submits a list of finalists to a 20 member board. The board is tasked with reading the three works and selecting a winner.
Read more about the selection process, what happened in 2012, why the Mainelitzer and who is our winner... |
|
Sincerely,
The Staff of the Maine State Library
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fall Tri-District Council Meeting with Warren Graham
September 27 | |
Warren Graham is back by popular demand with a new training module that examines the difference between customer service and a "willingness to engage" the patron. This has come about from the many requests Warren's had to expound on his Black Belt Librarians security and safety training.
Complete details and to register. |
|
Other Upcoming Events
| |
Remember to sign up for the MARVELous Maine Invitational today!
Friends of Maine Libraries 20th Anniversary Conference - Oct. 1
For more information
MAINEducation Conference - ACTEM's 25th Annual Technology Conference will be held October 11th and 12th at the Augusta Civic Center. For more information and to register
New England Library Association (NELA) 2012 Annual Conference - Details |
| Upcoming WebJunction Webinars | |
|
|
What's Everybody Reading these Days?
|
 When We Were the Kennedys by Monica Woods -
Pam Goucher, DOE/MSL; Mary Moore, Freeport High School Library A Land More Kind than Home
by Wiley Cash -
Becky Ames, Simpson Memorial Library The Red House by Mark Haddon -
Karen McCarthy Eger, South Berwick Public Library The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Lisa Latulippe, Lewiston Public Library Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn -
Beth Anderson, Westbrook High School;
Valerie Frechette, Central Maine Community College The Yard
by Alex Grecian - Trisha Cantwell, Thorndike Library, College of the Atlantic Defending Jacob by William Landay -
Maggie Frazier, Bangor Public Library;
Jenny Santomauro, Walker Memorial Library A Simple Murder
by Eleanor Kuhns -
Belinda Mansfield, Rangeley Library Check out more of what your colleagues are reading!
|
|
WebJunctions's
New Look
|
Stephanie Zurinski, Central Maine Library Consultant
If you've visited WebJunction (WJ) in the last few weeks, you'll notice some major changes to the website. They've migrated to a new content management system and the entire look has changed. The most important thing to know is that if you had a WebJunction account on the old site but never actually enrolled in a course, you will need to go through the application and approval process again in order to access the course catalog.
If you have any problems accessing your account, contact user support.
Take a look at the new WJ website.
|
|
|
