From the Vermont State Librarian

Last month I was in Seattle to attend meetings of COSLA (Chief Officers of State Library Agencies) and the Midwinter Conference of the American Library Association (ALA). As a member of the ALA Digital Literacy Task Force, I paid particular attention to discussions that focused on digital literacy activities in public, school, and academic libraries, and am happy to share with you the new report issued by the Task Force and the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy, Digital Literacy, Libraries and Public Policy, available at: http://connect.ala.org/node/140464.

This report defines digital literacy as "the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information, an ability that requires both cognitive and technical skills" which covers everything from the most basic tech functions (e.g. using a computer keyboard or downloading an e-book) to creating and sharing with the world one's own digital content. Libraries have been engaged in the digital literacy business for a long time now, and we have been front-runners in helping students, faculty and the general public to use the latest technologies and digital resources well, wisely and safely. But there are still too many citizens (of all ages, including youth) who lack the skills necessary to be fully engaged in our increasingly digital world.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski makes a powerful statement about the important role that libraries play in supporting digital literacy in a short video that was released in January. Watch it at: http://www.districtdispatch.org/2013/02/fcc-chairman-says-libraries-are-more-important-than-ever/ and share it with your work colleagues, library trustees, public officials, funders, community leaders, faculty and administration and citizens. Here in Vermont we have a real challenge: how do we help Vermonters learn and use the digital technologies they need to find and keep good jobs, access e-government resources, be successful students, find accurate and current information, grow successful businesses, use 21^st century communication and become informed and active citizens? Vermont libraries are already at work in this effort, providing computer workstations, Internet access, Wi-Fi hotspots, instruction for students and teachers, computer classes (sometimes in languages other than English), one-on-one computer assistance, programs on e-books and database searching, equipment "petting zoos," and a variety of other programs and resources. Libraries are also forming new community partnerships to make all of this happen. But we must do more.

The Department of Libraries (VTLIB) has been a partner in two federal broadband grant projects. The e-Vermont Community Broadband project provided computers and other equipment to 23 rural public libraries and launched the "Internet Intern" program in some of our public libraries. Forty-three of our public libraries will have high-speed fiber connections by July, thanks to the Vermont FiberConnect project. And now I am happy to report that we are a partner in the federally-funded Vermont Digital Economy project headed by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD). Working with VCRD and the Community College of Vermont, and with additional funding from the Vermont Community Foundation, VTLIB will continue to expand the Internet Intern program to provide one-on-one computer assistance and training to patrons in selected public libraries across the state, with a focus on towns that were hit hard by Storm Irene.

I encourage you to read the ALA Task Force report, watch the FCC Chairman's video, explore the digital literacy needs in your own communities, and work to implement programs in your local libraries to address these needs. The Department of Libraries is ready to lend a helping hand and we look forward to working with you. As always, I invite you to contact me if you have questions or comments, at: martha.reid@state.vt.us.

Marty Reid  

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Connect2Compete Urges: Do One Thing Better Online

On March 21 (3.21) a national, three-year public service campaign designed to "promote the importance of digital literacy skills and motivate individuals and families to access free community resources and training," will begin. The core of the program is to encourage people who use the Internet infrequently or not at all, to do "one thing better online." This campaign, created with pro bono advertising through the Ad Council and organized by Connect2Compete, consists of public service announcements reaching a broad audience using television, radio, print, mobile text and billboards. The messages will send people either to a toll-free phone number or to the website (http://www.everyoneon.org) for help accessing and learning more about the Internet.

Libraries are always in the forefront of efforts to bring information to all and to bridge the "digital divide." Partners in the three-year campaign include the American Library Association (ALA) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The national campaign launch will include local events in a handful of public libraries across the nation, including the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.

Among the resources on the campaign website will be a tool to help users locate sites near them (including all public libraries) that offer public computing access, WiFi hotspots, and digital literacy classes. Libraries will be able to update details as their services evolve. The site will also offer training materials and campaign PR materials that libraries may use to bring the messages to their communities.

Connect2Compete has a broader campaign encouraging Americans to access technology needed in the 21^st Century. Along with its partners, it offers discounted high-speed Internet, low-cost computers, and free online basic digital literacy content. Learn more about Connect2Compete and see a complete list of its partners at http://www.connect2compete.org.

Look for updates on our website as the campaign evolves or contact Assistant State Librarian Christine Friese, christine.friese@state.vt.us or 802-828-2714.

 Catamount Library Network Moves Ahead     

The Catamount Library Network took a significant step forward as VTLIB and the five Catamount consortium libraries signed a contract with ByWater Solutions this month. ByWater will provide hosting and support of the consortium's shared Koha integrated library system (ILS). This is a significant milestone for Catamount after two years of planning. The five member libraries, Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow, Rutland Free Library, Springfield Town Library, and Waterbury Public Library, can now begin putting these plans into action. Over the course of 2013, each library will add their items to the shared Catamount catalog, achieving a unified catalog by late fall.

As the libraries join the shared Koha ILS, service will improve to their users. The shared Catamount catalog will allow patrons to directly request items held at other Catamount libraries for interlibrary loan (ILL). ILL will continue uninterrupted with libraries outside the network, using the current VALS system, but patrons served by the Catamount libraries will see a transparent catalog that includes holdings from all five libraries. Catamount gives library users the ability to choose from the holdings of all of the Catamount libraries from their computer, laptop, or mobile device. Putting the full breadth of library collections directly into the hands of users promises to be an exciting development.

The benefit to library users will expand as Catamount expands. There is much work ahead in 2013 to get the system up and running, but the Catamount Library Network will seek new partners for 2014. VTLIB plans to host an informational meeting for interested libraries next month (March 2013) at the Midstate Library Service Center in Berlin. The date for this meeting will be announced in the near future.

The planning stage of Catamount now yields to implementation. Planning for Catamount has been careful and is framed in anticipation of the expansion and durability of the consortium. Forward-looking policies govern the functioning of the consortium, and, most importantly, cataloging is managed by clear rules. These rules require that each member library have a trained individual -- a "Supercataloger" -- that is responsible for anything that library adds to the catalog. Rules provided without the means to fulfill their stipulations are all but useless. That is why cataloging is viewed as a common endeavor in Catamount, with cataloging expertise shared across libraries through training and support.

With ByWater under contract, the Catamount Library Network makes the next step towards a unified catalog, and becomes an active part of the Vermont Koha community. This robust Koha state -- with VOKAL, and other stand-alone Koha libraries -- offers many avenues of cooperation and mutual benefit in the coming years. Catamount looks toward an optimistic future as part of the Koha library community. One can almost see a unified state catalog on the horizon.

Continuing Education Workshop Registration Now Open

The 2013 Continuing Education Website, http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/ce, and 2013 registration calendar, http://evanced.info/vtdol/evanced/eventcalendar.asp, are up and running.

Each year two of the four five-day core workshops required for public library certification are offered. This year's core workshops are Basic Public Library Administration and Reference. Please note that unlike other workshops, attendance at the core workshops is not first come, first served, but based on a set of factors, including how close the attendee is to the certification deadline.

This year's technology workshops include sessions on interlibrary loan, first aid for computers, creating videos, and technology trends with the always-enthusiastic Linda Braun.

Youth services will be supported with Dig Into Reading (summer reading program), Picture Book Story Time, and the perennial favorite, Materials Review.

Other highlights of 2013 include workshops on grant writing, genealogy, makerspaces, and strategic planning.

There are several other workshops in the works. When they are finalized, notification will be sent out.

Links to descriptions for workshops are found at http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/ce/2013workshops 

For more information, please don't hesitate to contact Mara Siegel, mara.siegel@state.vt.us, (802) 828-2727.

 VPT Holds Story Writing Contest for Grades K-3      

Vermont Public Television (VPT) and the Department of Libraries are co-sponsoring the PBS Kids Go! Writers Contest, an annual writing contest for children in kindergarten through third grades. The contest is designed to promote children's reading skills through hands-on, active learning, as kids write and illustrate original stories. 

Contest fliers, entry forms and rules can be found online at http://www.vpt.org/writers. The deadline is Friday, March 22^nd. 

Twelve winners will be chosen, three from each grade, and announced in April. The winners will have their stories read on VPT and posted on VPT's website. They will be honored at an awards ceremony in May. Each child who enters will receive a certificate of achievement and be invited to read his or her entry at a local story time celebration. 

The winning story in each grade will be sent on to the PBS Kids Go! National Contest where they will compete against stories from all over the country. National winners will be selected in each age group. Vermont has had several national winners in previous years.

 ALA Announces 2013 Youth Book Awards         

Children's literature people around the country eagerly await the annual announcements from the American Library Association's (ALA) Midwinter meeting about the books that have won the association's awards for youth literature. Included on this list are the Caldecott Medal, presented for illustration, and the Newbery medal for writing -the two literary awards that cause more books to sell than any other award.

This year's big winners are:  

Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, published by HarperCollins Children's Books  

Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

This Is Not My Hat, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press. 

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:
Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney ,illustrated by Brian Pinkney and published by Disney/Jump at the Sun Books.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award:

I, Too, Am America, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Langston Hughes and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.  

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

In Darkness, written by Nick Lake, published by Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:
Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal-the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, written by Steve Sheinkin, published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press.

To see a full list, including honor books for the above categories, please visit: www.ala.org/yma 

 Katherine Paterson Wins Laura Ingalls Wilder Award         

The American Library Association (ALA) has bestowed on Vermonter Katherine Paterson an award for the body of her work, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. This prestigious award honors an author or illustrator whose books have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. Her first book, The Sign of the Chrysanthemum, was published in 1973, and her most current book, written with her husband, John Paterson, is The Flint Heart, a title on the current Dorothy Canfield Fisher list, Vermont's child-selected book award for children in grades 4-8. In between she wrote two books that received the Newbery Medal: Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob, Have I Loved; two books that received the National Book Award: The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Master Puppeteer and many other books read and cherished by thousands and thousands of children. In addition to the awards mentioned above she has received several others for the body of work, including the international Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Astrid Lindgren Award, given by the Swedish government.

The Wilder award is presented every other year (every five years when it began) and previous recipients include Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Ashley Bryan and Eric Carle. Paterson will accept the award at the annual ALA Conference to be held this summer in Chicago.

Ten Picture Books from 2012 Selected for Red Clover List  

Three biographies, (four if you count the one about the MGM lion), a book about an all-brother baseball team, a hilarious take off on Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and a look at the concept of infinity are some of the subjects of the picture books on the new list selected by the Red Clover committee. The Red Clover Award, Vermont's child-selected picture book award for children in grades K-4, is administered by the Vermont Center for the Book and co-sponsored by the Department of Libraries. A committee of teachers and librarians choose the list, and then children read and discuss the books during the next school year. The books on the 2013-2014 list are:

Buzzeo, Toni. One Cool Friend. Illustrated by David Small. Dial, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8037-3413-5.

Elliot, a very proper young man, feels a kinship with the penguins at the aquarium and wants to take one home with him.

Helfer, Ralph. The World's Greatest Lion. Illustrated by Ted Lewin. Philomel, 2012. ISBN 978-0-3992-5417-8.

Follows the future MGM lion's life from Africa to the United States and recounts the events of the 1969 flood in which Zamba led the other animals to safety.

Hosford, Kate. Infinity and Me. Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska. Carolrhoda, 2012. ISBN 978-0-7613-6726-0.

After the sight of a night sky filled with stars makes eight-year-old Uma feel very small, she asks people how they think about infinity and gets a variety of answers before realizing the comfort in knowing that some things go on forever.

Jenkins, Emily. Lemonade in Winter. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz & Wade, 2012. ISBN 978-0-3758-5883-3.

Pauline and her brother John-John set up a stand to sell lemonade, limeade, and lemon-limeade one cold, wintry day, then try to attract customers as Pauline adds up their earnings.

Kalman, Maira. Looking at Lincoln. Nancy Paulsen, 2012. ISBN 978-0-3992-4039-3.

A young girl is curious about Abraham Lincoln and sets out to find out more about the life of the nation's sixteenth president.

Markel, Michelle. The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau. Illustrated by Amanda Hall. Eerdmans, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8028-5364-6.

Introduces readers to the life and accomplishments of Henri Rousseau, a self-taught painter who faced harsh criticism but persevered and succeeded.

Schubert, Leda. Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words. Illustrated by Gérard DuBois. Roaring Brook, 2012. ISBN 978-1-5964-3529-2.

An illustrated biography of the famous French mime, Marcel Marceau.

Vernick, Audrey. Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team. Illustrated by Steven Salerno. Clarion, 2012. ISBN 978-0-5473-8557-0.

Documents the story of the Baseball Hall of Fame honorees, tracing how the Acerra family of New Jersey formed their own semi-pro baseball team in the 1930s and became the longest-running all-brother team in history.

Willems, Mo. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. Balzer & Bray, 2012. ISBN 978-0-0621-0418-2.

Presents the wacky story of three dinosaurs, including a visitor from Norway, who insist that they have not tidied up their home and prepared yummy pudding to trap a tasty little girl.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Each Kindness. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Nancy Paulsen, 2012. ISBN 978-0-3992-4652-4.

When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya's shabby clothes and refusing to play with her, but it is too late to make amends because Maya has already moved away.