Nationally 58% of American adults are library cardholders. Are at least 50% of your local residents library cardholders?

- Yes? Well then, what's your new goal? ;-)

- No? Sounds like there's some work to be done!

Library Card Sign-up Month is a great excuse to remind residents in your community about the value of a library card. It is a perfect time to reach out to parents and children and let them know that a library card is the most important school supply of all.

The American Library Association makes it easy to promote Library Card-Sign Up Month with sample press releases, web graphics, a proclamation, a "60 Ways to Use Your Library Card" slideshow and more, all freely available through their web site: http://bit.ly/MgTIYX 

Springboard off of this national campaign in your community! Here are some ideas for getting the word out beyond your "inside audience":

• Get basic info on how to get a library card front and center on your web site, what you might think "everyone knows" is actually a mystery to non-users. Make it easy to find out and easy to get!
     
• Challenge your board and Friends to recruit new library users - make it a game! Who can recruit the most new users? Arm them with talking points about the goldmine of access people have with a card and make sure they know what someone needs to do to get a card. Word-of-Mouth marketing is the #1 way to get the word out about the value of a library card and the library.

• Ask your village/town/county board to adopt the proclamation at an upcoming public meeting http://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/library-card-sign-month-2013-sample-proclamation
       
• Work with your local schools to have a presence during Open House events; ask to send a promotional piece through the schools "backpack mail" program - either in print or electronically; see if you can get a spot in their next newsletter to promote how easy it is to get a card and all the wonderful things you can do once you have a card.
     
• What other agencies/organizations have newsletters and enewsletters in your community? Would they be willing to carry a short message about all you have to offer and how easy it is to get a card?

Interested in helping to govern the Mid-Hudson Library System? The MHLS Board of Trustees is looking for a representative from Columbia County. Appointments are approved by the membership in October at the MHLS Annual Meeting. The term begins January 2014. Contact Mike Nyerges, Executive Director, at director@midhudson.org, by September 13th for more information.    

MHLS welcomes Sarah Potwin as the new director of the LaGrange Library. Sarah comes to LaGrange from the Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton, Florida.

On Monday September 9, from 11:00am - 12:00pm, the New York State Library will offer a free one hour webinar by Bob Freeman, Executive Director of the NYS Committee on Open Government. He will provide an overview of the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Laws and respond to questions. The webinar will be archived on the State Library's website at a future date. Library and system trustees, library directors, library system directors and staff are encouraged to attend this webinar. The webinar will count as continuing education for New York State Public Librarian Certification. The URL for the webinar session is  http://bit.ly/19OppEF. Registration is not required.

Library Journal is seeking nominations for their annual Best Small Library in America award. Cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the award was founded to encourage and showcase the exemplary work of these libraries. Now in its tenth year, the award honors the public library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less. Members of the editorial board of Library Journal, librarians from around the country, and a representative from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will judge nominations based on key factors, including:

• Creativity in developing services and programs that can be replicated by other libraries, including outreach to special populations
• Innovation in introducing and supporting public access to computers and the Internet
• Success in educating patrons in computer use, and measuring the results of technology usage
• Use of technology to expand the reach of library services
• Demonstrated community support
• Sustained cooperation with other libraries
• Partnerships with other agencies and businesses
• Increase in library use, particularly by new users
• Evidence of library's role as community center

The winning library will receive a $20,000 cash award, a feature story in the February 1, 2014 Library Journal, membership and conference costs for two library representatives to attend the Public Library Association Biannual Conference in 2014 in Indianapolis, IN, and a gala reception at the conference. Two finalist libraries will be awarded a $10,000 cash award as well as membership and conference costs for two library representatives to attend the PLA conference and the gala reception in 2014. The postmark deadline for nominations is October 14, 2013. Nomination guidelines: http://bit.ly/QrkSfS