The newly revised, freshly tweaked New York Library Association's Library Assistants Training Program will be coming to the MHLS Auditorium in January 2014! This program will meet on three consecutive Tuesdays from 9:00am - 4:00pm with an hour lunch break:

• January 7
• January 14
• January 21
• January 28 (reserved as a snow date if any of the other classes are cancelled)

This certificate, non-credit program is open to individuals already working or newly hired in libraries, or people interested in working in libraries. To receive a certificate, the individual must complete the entire 18 hour program. 

The cost for the program is $215 for NYLA Members and $255 for NON-NYLA Members. All materials and lunch are included. To read the student outcomes for each section and to register visit http://bit.ly/1aS8Zcy.  

A message from Tom Sloan, MHLS Executive Director: Star Libraries Make Us All Winners 

The Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library, Philmont Public Library, Red Hook Public Library, Tivoli Free Library, and Windham Public Library have been selected as "American's Star Libraries" as recently reported in Library Journal. Congratulations to the trustees, directors, staff, and communities that are recognized for exceptional circulation, visits, program attendance, and computer use, all based on transactions per capita.

In addition to recognizing individual library excellence, the Star Library national rating system encourages improvement to nationally collected library statistics and library self-evaluation. The report's authors suggest a number of ways a library may use the report data. A start might be to ask and answer a few questions: 

1. Where does your library rank in the national data and why?   
    
2. What are the Star Libraries doing that might be useful to you in delivering services?

Benchmarking is another way to think about comparing one library to another. In many situations, when an organization seeks to improve their services, they benchmark. A comparison might be on operational topics (i.e., philosophies, policies, practices) or service outputs (i.e., circulation, visits, program attendance, computer use). Whatever a library wishes to benchmark, identifying and measuring against a high-performing organization might provide useful information and insight.

The full article on Star Libraries and how to access the data for your library is available at  http://lj.libraryjournal.com/. As always, if MHLS staff might be of any assistance, please contact us.

Help Connect Your Community with their STAR Tax Exemption! More than 900,000 homeowners have yet to register for their Basic STAR property tax exemptions. It's important that homeowners have the chance to register; the average STAR exemption is $700 per year. The enrollment deadline for claiming the STAR Tax Exemption is December 31, 2013. The NYS Tax Department is sending multiple mailings and participating in hundreds of local events to ensure that everyone who is eligible registers and continues to receive the exemption. Help spread the word through your library's eNewsletter, website and in the library. There is a step-by-step video tutorial that walks individuals through the entire process in under five minutes: http://bit.ly/1hgu3h5 .To learn more about STAR registration, visit the Tax Department at www.tax.ny.gov or call: 518.457.2036.

The Mid-Hudson Library System in Poughkeepsie, New York is now accepting resumes to fill a part-time cataloging specialist position. The deadline to apply for this position is December 20, 2013.

Summary: Performs cataloging duties related to bibliographic maintenance to ensure that database records are complete, up-to-date, and accurate, and provides training to staff and member libraries as required.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree; or six months to one year full-time related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• A working knowledge of Integrated Library System (ILS) software.
• Working knowledge of MARC structure.
• Proficiency in searching bibliographic databases for records.
• Familiarity with Library of Congress subject headings and the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules (AACR2) of record organization.
• The ability to write documentation related to cataloging procedures.
• The ability to read and interpret procedure manuals.
• Must be able to demonstrate strong verbal communication skills in phone support and in-person training environments.
• The ability to adapt to changing technologies.
• Familiarity with the Windows 7 operating system and Microsoft Office suite.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience using either the Millennium or Sierra ILS.
• Some background in written Spanish.
• Experience with the RDA cataloging standard.
• Experience with MARC-Edit software.
• Experience with library vendor software including Baker and Taylor Title Source 3 and Midwest Tapes.

Application Process:

• Please submit your resume online as an PDF attachment to jobs@midhudson.org
• Position is expected to be filled within two weeks after application deadline.