The MHLS Book Club in a Bag program begins its 9th year! The Book Club in a Bag program was launched in 2006 through the MHLS Marketing Advisory Committee. The goal was to help libraries target book groups by offering a book club "program-to-go" available through the library.

Now in its ninth year the program continues to grow offering patrons more than 140 fiction and non-fiction titles to choose from, downloadable discussion questions, and an online reservation system to effortlessly schedule, browse and reserve kits from home.

What is in a bag?

• 10 Copies of a title
• Discussion Questions
• Discussion Leader Tips
• Book Sign-up Sheet (to help keep track of the books)

Reservation System Features:

• My Kits allows the patron to view present or future reservations and gives them the option to cancel a kit.  
   
• Downloadable discussion questions are available for every kit. Choose the list option and click on the Download Discussion Questions link found in the kit description. 
   
• Welcome/Help This link provides a quick start guide to help your patrons get started reserving kits and using the My Kits feature.

Tips for Circ Staff:

When a kit arrives at your library don't check it in! Here's what to do:

1. Locate the paper tag attached to the handle of the kit.
2. Contact the patron whose name is on the tag and let them know their kit has arrived. The patron has until the date stated on the tag to pick it up.
3. When the patron comes in to pick up the kit then check it out to them in Sierra.

The loan period is a generous 6 weeks. Kits cannot be renewed and there is a $1 a day fine for overdue kits so, please encourage your patrons and book groups to plan ahead.

For more staff information related to the BCB program go to: http://midhudson.org/bcb/staff.htm For a complete listing of titles and to browse, schedule and reserve kits visit http://midhudson.org/bcb/ or access this link from the front of Online Catalog under the "Format" list! 

Recently Added Titles:

• The American Heiress, Daisy Goodwin
• The Cabinet of Wonders, Marie Rutkoski
• The Emerald Atlas, John Stephens
• Hole in My Life, Jack Gantos
• Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, James Patterson
• Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
• Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline
• The Passage, Justin Cronin
• Room, Emma Donoghue
• Russian Lover and Other Stories, Jana Martin
• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed

NYLA Provides Disaster Relief to Area Libraries: Both the Putnam Valley Free Library and the Catskill Public Library have recently benefited from the New York Library Association's Disaster Relief Fund. Putnam Valley is dealing with serious structural integrity issues caused by severe water run-off from the recent hurricanes and Superstorm Sandy. The Catskill library suffered flooding of their bottom floor, which houses their wonderful - and recently renovated - children's room when a pipe burst. The Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison benefited from the fund in 2011 after Hurricane Irene flooded the basement of their library. The NYLA Disaster Relief Fund provides financial assistance to libraries in New York that have been damaged or destroyed by natural or manmade disasters like flooding, hurricanes, fire, etc.  Donate to the fund. Your donation will go toward repairing a library building, replacing destroyed items in the collection, and more. Be a part of another library's comeback story!  

What did Clinton Community Library Director Terry Sennett do when she learned one of their Story Time Buddies is stricken with cancer? She stepped up to help raise awareness and funding about the need for more research funds for childhood cancer. She raised over $1,300 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation! "I am having my head shaved to raise funds for childhood cancer cure research AND to honor our friend, Mac, (Mac Attacks Neuroblastoma)," said Terry, "He is my hero. He keeps on truckin' no matter what gets thrown his way."

Resource Sharing & Sierra

Youth Services
MHLS Summer Reading Mini Grants: 17 mini-grants of $400 each are available to incentivize new collaborations with agencies for collaboratively-planned projects that will:

• increase the number of families involved in local summer reading programs

AND

• foster collaborations with community agencies in support of "Summer Reading at New York Libraries"

Get more information and download the application (due April 9).  

The New York State Library is pleased to announce that Summer Reader Online Record Software is available for 2014. Since 2010, they have offered access to Summer Reader to every MHLS member library as a component of statewide "Summer Reading at New York Libraries." There is no charge to you or to the Library System.

Summer Reader (developed by Evanced Solutions) is a web-based online summer reading record system that allows children, teens and adults to track their reading, work towards a reading goal, write reviews, and much more. For summer it provides an easy online opportunity for participants of all ages to log books, read and write reviews and add to your summer reading statistics. Summer Reader assists library staff in easily managing summer reading logs, prize drawings, and building exciting educational programs that fit the needs of local communities. Summer Reader can also be used for year-round reading engagement for other public library programs and interest groups such as Battle of the Books, Big Reads, book clubs, etc. Access more information.

Upcoming New York State specific Summer Reader webinars:

New User Class: March 18, 11:00am

Spring Cleaning Session: March 19, 1:00pm

Admin Follow-Up Session: April 2, 11:00am

Summer Reader Q&A Session: April 24, 11:00 am

Fall Clean Up Session: October 16, 2014, 1:00 pm