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In This Issue
From the State Librarian
Vergennes Woman Is Postal Carrier of the Year
VT Public Library Stats Now Available
Town Officers' Education Conferences in April
Public Libraries Become Talking Book Demo Sites
Hemingway's Cuban Villa; McMurdo on NEDCC Advisory Council
VTLIB Changes VUC Submission Procedure
New Books in the Library Science Collection @ the State Library
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topFrom the State Librarian

MartaReidVTStateLibrarian

The March/April issue of American Libraries (American Library Association/ALA) features the 2013 "Emerging Leaders," describing these 55 young library workers from school, public, and academic libraries as "the new library rising stars, the generation that will move, shape, and influence the present and future of the ALA and the library profession."

 

I was struck by the fact that this celebrated group (who are required to attend two national ALA conferences in the coming year, among other commitments) includes only one person from New England, and (not surprising) few who work in libraries other than those located in large metropolitan/suburban centers. And it got me thinking - as I often do - about the shifting library leadership here in Vermont and how we can best prepare and celebrate our own emerging leaders.  Read more 
Vergennes Woman Is Postal Carrier of the Year

blue ribbon Faye Hebert of Vergennes is the 2013 Postal Carrier of the Year. Hebert was nominated by a postal patron who receives talking books in the mail. The award is cosponsored by the Vermont Department of Libraries, Special Services Unit, and the Vermont Council of the Blind, to recognize postal carriers who go above and beyond routine service for their visually or physically impaired postal patrons. The award also brings attention to the important role the US Postal Service and its predecessors have played in the delivery of braille and talking books since the inception of the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped in 1931. The award will be presented at the annual meeting of the Vermont Council of the Blind in April. This is the third year for the award. Previous winners were Pete Vermette of Chelsea and Elizabeth St. Louis of Craftsbury.

VT Public Library Stats Now Available

The new edition of the Vermont Public Library Statistics is now available and was mailed to participating libraries last week. The statistics are posted to the Vermont Department of Libraries website at libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/stats/plstats in a pdf format of the report and in an Excel version of the data.  Read more

Town Officers' Education Conferences in April

The 68th Annual Town Officers' Education Conferences will take place in Burlington, Killington and Fairlee in April, and the Department of Libraries will again participate, offering a track of workshops for trustees. Trustees need not be from municipal libraries to participate. All public libraries in Vermont are encouraged to participate and library directors may wish to attend with their trustees as well.

 

This year's workshop topics are: "Working Effectively with Town Government and Selectboards," "Staff Issues: Hiring, Evaluating, Salaries, and Succession," "Your Library's Legal Identity and Why It Matters," and "Statewide Digital Resources."  Read more  

Public Libraries Become Talking Book Demo Sites 

talking book demo

Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury and Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro have joined Springfield Town Library, Bennington Free Library, Rutland Free Library, and Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock as demonstration sites for digital talking book players from the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (NLS), represented in Vermont by the Department of Libraries, Special Services Unit (SSU). With ready access to the player, library staff at these libraries can more easily explain the free service to their patrons. Public librarians are among the competent authorities permitted to certify that a patron has a qualifying condition for NLS/SSU service, and a number of public library patrons have become NLS/SSU patrons after being informed of the service by their public librarians. Some of the demonstration site libraries are also allowing other public libraries in their counties to borrow the NLS digital book player for their own outreach activities. In addition to the NLS digital book player, demonstration libraries receive a sampler cartridge containing several audio books and periodical book catalogs listing the newest titles available from the service. Cobleigh Public Library in Lyndonville and Fletcher Free Library in Burlington are expected to become demonstration sites in the near future. Other libraries desiring to become demonstration sites are asked to contact Teresa R. Faust, Special Services Consultant, [email protected], or 1-800-479-1711.

Hemingway's Cuban Villa;
McMurdo on NEDCC Advisory Council  
VTLIB Collections & Digital Initiatives Librarian Tom McMurdo was elected to the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) Advisory Committee in February. The Committee meets quarterly, and following each meeting we will share a highlighted project, or updates in preservation practices from the NEDCC here in the VTLIB Newsletter. This month's feature is NEDCC's work with Cuban preservationists at Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway's home just outside Havana.  Read more  

VTLIB Changes VUC Submission Procedure 

card catalog The Vermont Department of Libraries Technical Services Unit (TSU) made a change this month to the procedure that participating libraries use to submit their holdings updates to the Vermont Union Catalog (VUC). The longstanding policy whereby libraries printed and mailed their additions and deletions to VTLIB has been replaced by an electronic submission policy. VTLIB now asks that all libraries that submit additions and items for deletion for the VUC, email them to  [email protected].

checkitoutlogo

We asked a number of organizations throughout the state to recommend the best books for the general public on their subject of specialty. This month we feature the American Precision Museum, which is housed in the former Robbins & Lawrence Armory building in Windsor. Executive Director Ann Lawless recommends these titles:

precision valley cover

Broehl, Wayne G., Jr. Precision Valley: The Machine Tool Companies of Springfield, Vermont. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1959.

This title is out of print, but is available from several libraries in the state and from used book dealers. Includes the Jones & Lamson Machine Company, Fellows Gear Shaper Company, and Bryant Chucking Grinder Company. Museum founder Edwin Battison worked for Fellows early in his career. 


ONLY COMPLETE ARTICLES BEYOND THIS POINT

MARTYFrom the Vermont State Librarian

The March/April issue of American Libraries (American Library Association/ALA) features the 2013 "Emerging Leaders," describing these 55 young library workers from school, public, and academic libraries as "the new library rising stars, the generation that will move, shape, and influence the present and future of the ALA and the library profession."  

 

I was struck by the fact that this celebrated group (who are required to attend two national ALA conferences in the coming year, among other commitments) includes only one person from New England, and (not surprising) few who work in libraries other than those located in large metropolitan/suburban centers. And it got me thinking - as I often do - about the shifting library leadership here in Vermont and how we can best prepare and celebrate our own emerging leaders. We face a real challenge in our state, particularly in our public libraries. Unlike almost every other state in the country, we have no large metropolitan libraries or public library systems - the kind of libraries (with robust budgets and a wide array of services) that attract many young library professionals. We have no on-site MLS degree program available in our state. Many of our public libraries are small with limited hours of operation, and in too many cases the library employees provide their communities with outstanding service, but work with low salaries and no benefits. This contributes to a fairly high turnover rate in library staff. We are losing some of our "best and brightest" public library directors to retirement (Susan Overfield and David Clark, for example) and others are moving to new positions out of state (Mary Danko and Kip Roberson, for example). On the other hand, we have welcomed librarians who are choosing Vermont as their new home (Richard Bidnick, Abby Adams and Scott Murphy, to name a few) and some of our most promising library leaders have come not from backgrounds of librarianship, but from education and other related fields. All of this variety means that we have a vibrant and dedicated public library workforce that includes library directors, adult and youth services librarians, and circulation and technology assistants, and it is noteworthy that our pool of library leaders goes well beyond those who have earned a Master's degree in Library Science.  

 

The Department of Libraries has long provided formal training for public librarians via our Librarian Certification program, and we expect to award Certification status to 13 Vermont librarians in May. We celebrate those who have completed the Certification program and who are working on earning certification, because they are a vital part of our state's current and future library leadership. We also support other important leadership training opportunities: the Vermont Library Association is a partner in the NELLS program of leadership training through the New England Library Association. Many Vermont librarians have taken the opportunity to participate in this program - and more will attend the training this summer. Many Vermont librarians attended the Library Leadership Day led by (then) ALA President-elect Maureen Sullivan, a program co-sponsored by the Vermont and New Hampshire library associations. Because the library profession does not stand still and there is always need for more training and learning, the Department of Libraries has included library leadership as an important part of our strategic planning, and we are working to: (1) develop a new program of Leadership training for public library staff as part of our Continuing Education program; (2) create a series of Management workshops for public library directors; (3) offer a competitive financial aid grant for librarians to attend the 2013 Association of Rural and Small Libraries' conference in Omaha; and (4) explore funding opportunities to support a scholarship program for graduate library science education. Next year we will mark the 120th anniversary of the Vermont Free Public Library Department. What better opportunity for Vermont to celebrate our past success and work together for a bright future of outstanding libraries and library leadership in our state.

 

Marty Reid  

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statsVT Public Library Stats Now Available

The new edition of the Vermont Public Library Statistics is now available and was mailed to participating libraries last week. The statistics are posted to the Vermont Department of Libraries website at libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/stats/plstats in a pdf format of the report and in an Excel version of the data.  

 

Library directors and trustees are asked to complete a survey reporting statistical data from their most recent fiscal year each October. The Department of Libraries then reports this information to the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and gets requests throughout the year from Vermont organizations, state and local government, non-profit organizations and the media for the data.  

 

Among the information gathered by libraries are the number of public computers available, number of programs held by the library for children and adults, size of collections including books, magazines and online databases, the number of hours the library is open, income from municipalities and other sources, and the expenses of each library. The data is divided into categories based on the size of the population served. The Annual Report also points out some trends within Vermont libraries as well as showing how Vermont compares to libraries nationally.

 

If you have any questions about the statistics, please contact Rob Geiszler, the State Data Coordinator, at 802-786-3839 or [email protected]

 

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toecTown Officers' Education Conferences in April

The 68th Annual Town Officers' Education Conferences will take place in Burlington, Killington and Fairlee in April, and the Department of Libraries will again participate, offering a track of workshops for trustees. Trustees need not be from municipal libraries to participate. All public libraries in Vermont are encouraged to participate and library directors may wish to attend with their trustees as well.

 

This year's workshop topics are: "Working Effectively with Town Government and Selectboards," "Staff Issues: Hiring, Evaluating, Salaries, and Succession," "Your Library's Legal Identity and Why It Matters," and "Statewide Digital Resources."

 

The keynote this year will be a panel discussion headed by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos and entitled "Great Communications: "Whose Job Is It, Anyway? Leaders, Citizens and Inclusive Democracy." Vermont is fortunate to have many very dedicated library trustees, and these all-day workshops offered in the Spring, as well as the Vermont Library Trustee Association Annual Meeting in the Fall, are a place where trustees can not only learn or update skills required for the job, but also meet other trustees and share with one another.

 

For details and registration, please go to www.uvm.edu/extension/toec. If you have questions about the conference, please contact Christine Friese, Assistant State Librarian at 802-828-2714 or [email protected].

 

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 worldHemingway's Cuban Villa; McMurdo on NEDCC Advisory Council  

VTLIB Collections & Digital Initiatives Librarian Tom McMurdo was elected to the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) Advisory Committee in February. The Committee meets quarterly, and following each meeting we will share a highlighted project, or updates in preservation practices from the NEDCC here in the VTLIB Newsletter. This month's feature is NEDCC's work with Cuban preservationists at Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway's home just outside Havana.

 

Hemingway lived at Finca Vigia, "Lookout Farm," from 1939-1960. He completed For Whom the Bell Tolls and wrote The Old Man and the Sea, Across the River and into the Trees, and numerous short stories while living there. The house contains Hemingway's personal library, letters, manuscripts, and virtually all of the family's belongings, which were abandoned to the Cuban government after the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. He was being treated for depression in the US at the time, and could not return to Cuba, despite his good relations with the revolutionary government up to that point (see this Wikipedia article for more background on Hemingway in Cuba).

 

This incredible collection was left in the hands of the Cuban government. Finca Vigia is a highly valued cultural institution in Cuba, and, interestingly, it is also on the US National Trust for Historic Places list. Despite its prized status in Cuba, the Cuban government has provided limited funds for the upkeep and preservation of the building and collections. Additionally, preservation in this tropical environment presents special difficulties. The lack of funds, training, and expertise for the conservators charged with preserving the collections remains a challenge.

 

The NEDCC began working with the staff in the 1990s. They continue conducting hands-on instructional workshops in book and paper conservation both at Finca Vigia and at the NEDCC facility in Andover, MA. Paper conservator Nestor Alvarez Garciga, and the late Rosalba Diaz, Museum Director, enthusiastically embraced the NEDCC and have implemented preservation practices based on NEDCC instruction. Because of the US embargo of Cuba, NEDCC staff is limited to instruction, and cannot provide preservation materials to the Museum. Despite these limitations, the cooperation between NEDCC and Finca Vigia is yielding excellent results. In addition to improving paper conservation, the museum is proceeding with a program to replace the large number of first-edition dust jackets with facsimiles. This protects the originals from the tropical sunshine, and removes them from a public area of the museum.

 

Besides the library, manuscripts, and letters, this incredible collection features Hemingway's bullfighting posters, scrapbooks, diplomas, maps, and albums. The museum also houses a collection of revolutionary posters from around the world. The NEDCC is working with the conservators at Finca Vigia to make sure that all of this remarkable material will be preserved for future generations.

 

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tom  VTLIB Changes VUC Submission Procedure

The Vermont Department of Libraries Technical Services Unit (TSU) made a change this month to the procedure that participating libraries use to submit their holdings updates to the Vermont Union Catalog (VUC). The longstanding policy whereby libraries printed and mailed their additions and deletions to VTLIB has been replaced by an electronic submission policy. VTLIB now asks that all libraries that submit additions and items for deletion for the VUC, email them to  [email protected].

 

This policy change only affects those submissions that are for the VUC, and does not affect any other service that VTLIB provides. Libraries in the VOKAL consortium, or who have not been submitting holdings to VTLIB, should continue as normal not submitting holdings. Unautomated libraries and libraries that do not have an online-accessible ILS that is currently integrated with the VTLIB Web2 system should submit holdings to VUC. But, a general rule is that if a library is not currently submitting holdings via mail, that library should not start holdings submissions.

 

This change will benefit both libraries and VTLIB by reducing costs and work. Libraries that are automated won't have to print reports and mail them, saving both paper and mailing costs. Instead libraries can simply run a report and email it. This is not only more efficient, it is also much more environmentally responsible. Unautomated libraries can now fill in a VTLIB-provided Excel sheet and email it. This has the added benefit of a being a locally archivable record of the library's collection changes over time. Libraries in need of this sheet should contact Tom McMurdo at [email protected].

 

This change will improve the VUC, making it more timely and useful to the Vermont library community.

 

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VTLA checkitoutlogo
We asked a number of organizations throughout the state to recommend the best books for the general public on their subject of specialty. This month we feature the American Precision Museum, which  

is housed in the former Robbins & Lawrence Armory building in Windsor. Executive Director Ann Lawless recommends these titles:

  

precision valley cover

Broehl, Wayne G., Jr. Precision Valley: The Machine Tool Companies of Springfield, Vermont. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice-Hall, 1959.

This title is out of print, but is available from several libraries in the state and from used book dealers. Includes the Jones & Lamson Machine Company, Fellows Gear Shaper Company, and Bryant Chucking Grinder Company. Museum founder Edwin Battison worked for Fellows early in his career.

 
 

rosie's mom coverBrown, Carrie. Rosie's Mom: Forgotten Women Workers of the First World War. Boston, Mass. : Northeastern University Press, 2002. 

Although the World War II posters of Rosie the Riveter remind us of the women who contributed to the nation's war effort in the 1940s, the women workers of World War I are nearly forgotten. The Museum's consulting curator wrote this book about the more than one million women involved in war production.

 

 

tool builders cover

Roe, Joseph Wickham. English and American Tool Builders: The Men Who Created Machine Tools. New Haven : Yale University Press, 1916. Lindsey Publications reprint, 1987.

This is out of print, but available from used book dealers and as a free Google e-book. Includes a chapter on Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor. "It was never large," Roe writes, "...but few plants have had such a great influence on American manufacturing." 

 

 

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newNew in the Library Science Collection 

These titles may be borrowed through interlibrary loan from the Vermont Department of Libraries, Central Collection.

 

Managing in the Middle : the Librarian's Handbook. Edited by Robert Farrell and Kenneth Schlesinger. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

 

Michel, Jason Paul. Web Service APIs and Libraries. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

 

Public Library Core Collection. Nonfiction : a Selection Guide to Reference Books and Adult Nonfiction. 14th edition. Edited by Eve-Marie Miller, Christi Showman Farrar and Liza Oldham. Ipswich, Mass. : H.W. Wilson, a division of EBSCO Pub., Inc., 2013.

 

Reflecting on the Future of Academic and Public Libraries. Edited by Peter Hernon and Joseph R. Matthews. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

 

Solomon, Laura. The Librarian's Nitty-Gritty Guide to Social Media. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

 

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imls