VT Libraries Add Videoconferencing Capability 

Fourteen Vermont libraries across the state are now offering videoconferencing, thanks to a grant from Google. The addition of videoconferencing will allow library users to connect with, and broadcast to, the world at large. Videoconferencing allows people to connect with voice and video within the state and beyond our borders. Libraries will also experiment with importing programming or making existing programs available on YouTube via Google Hangout. The videoconferencing capability was made possible through a donation of $77,000 by Internet giant Google.

"Getting around in Vermont can be tough," said Head of Google Community Affairs Matt Dunne. "These videoconferencing facilities in our libraries are a natural fit. They allow Vermonters to connect with one another without lengthy drive-times. They also allow Vermonters to connect with the diverse cultural offerings that exist outside our borders."

The 14 libraries were chosen based on a variety of factors including geographic location, population density and Internet speed, and all are up and running with staff trained to help Vermonters get started.

"We're planning an entire week's worth of activity around this equipment," said Rutland Free Library Assistant Director Randal Smathers. "We want to be sure that our community knows that this incredible resource is available to them, and for them to really start thinking about the possibilities."

Library patrons will be able to connect and collaborate with anyone using conventional videoconferencing equipment and applications like Google Hangout or Skype.

The following libraries will have the new service:

Martha Canfield Library, Arlington

Midstate Library Service Center, Berlin

Bradford Public Library, Bradford

Brooks Memorial Library, Brattleboro

Fletcher Free Library Burlington

Cobleigh Public Library, Lyndonville

Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury

Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier

Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville

Goodrich Memorial Library, Newport

Rutland Free Library, Rutland

St Albans Free Library, St Albans

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston

Norman Williams Library, Woodstock

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Role for Public Libraries in VT Health Exchange 

When the Vermont Health Exchange Open Enrollment period begins on October 1, many Vermonters will look to their local library for help. As the only place with free internet access in some Vermont towns, and the community center of so many towns, Vermont's public libraries are certain to receive visits from many people who normally do not use the Internet and may need assistance.

Over the past year, the Department of Libraries (VTLIB) has been working with Vermont Health Connect to assure that public libraries are armed with the information they need to serve their patrons during a time of change. Starting in August, the VTLIB will host webinars led by Vermont Health Connect, bringing information to the libraries and keeping communication flowing. Public libraries will have access to speakers for local forums, handouts with enrollment information and links to the Vermont Health Connect website. For more information on the Open Enrollment and the Vermont Health Connect, visit their website at: http://vermonthealthconnect.org/.

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Checklist Aids ADA Renovation

Determining what changes should be made to get a 100-year-old library, or any public building, in line with today's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards can be daunting. The first step could be to walk through the building with the ADA Checklist, available at www.ADAchecklist.org. The Checklist was featured at a field training workshop held at Bradford Public Library by the New England ADA Center, a Project of the Institute for Human Centered Design, Boston. Library Director Debra Tinkham and several Bradford trustees participated in the training session to examine the specific needs of their library. Other participants represented two other Vermont libraries, the Vermont Department of Libraries, a library system in New Hampshire, and Disability Rights Vermont.

Armed with tape measure, smart level, and door pressure gauge, the group examined the library entrance, service areas, and bathrooms. While some fixes would be major, some are not so costly. The full title, "ADA Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal," indicates that recognition that some improvement can be made relatively easily is part of the goal.

The New England ADA Center invites questions on the ADA at 1-800-949-4232, or [email protected]. The Center holds a training session annually in each of the states it covers; last year's Vermont training was conducted in a recreation facility. The Vermont Community Development Program also had a presence at the workshop, to make participants aware of its Access Modification Grants and Planning Grants, which can aid public buildings in making ADA improvements. For more information on these, contact Lisa Ryan at [email protected].

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RDA: It's Probably Already in Your Library Catalog

We are now just over four months into the official RDA (Resource Description and Access) cataloging rules era, and, chances are, many of you reading this have not noticed much of a change. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First is that RDA is not a radical departure from the previous AACR2 cataloging rules. The nearly 15 year period between when a replacement for AACR2 was first proposed in the late 1990s and Library of Congress' official adaptation of RDA on March 31, 2013, created a lot of expectations and anxiety about RDA. RDA unintentionally was built up to seem like more of a transformation than it actually is. Though RDA is just a few MARC field changes for most of us, it is a real improvement over AACR2, offering a flexible cataloging standard that can grow with advances in the way we handle and ingest information.

The most noticeable differences with RDA are the new 336, 337, and 338 fields. Catalogers may have seen these in records that they are importing into their catalogs. These fields replace the AACR2 "General Material Designation (GMD). The GMD appears at the end of the 245 title field in subfield h in AACR2 records, and typically looks something like this:

245 00 2002 Vermont rivers report $h [electronic resource].

RDA uses the 336-338 fields to more accurately describe how the work is manifested in a given item. In this case, the AACR2 "electronic resource" could be more accurately described in RDA as:

336 $a text $2 rdacontent

337 $a computer $2 rdamedia

338 $a computer disc $2 rdacarrier

Instead of wondering with AACR2 what the "electronic resource" is, what equipment is needed to read it, and what medium it is on, RDA explains all of those things. It is a text document (336), readable on a computer (337), on a computer disc (338).

Another field to note is that RDA moves the publication information from the MARC 260 field to the MARC 264 field. These changes-the 336-338 and 264 fields-are the most noticeable, common adjustments with RDA. The key to using these fields is to make sure that the local online public access catalog (OPAC) is displaying them properly.

Speaking of OPACS, the second reason many of us haven't noticed a change with RDA is that most OPACs have been slow to exploit the advantages of RDA. This is going to be a gradual transformation, coming over a number of years. As new software is designed that incorporates linked data into cataloging records, RDA will be part of that revolution. For now, as mentioned above, make sure that your existing system displays the 336-338 and 364 fields properly.

RDA is a forward looking, much more open-ended system than AACR2, and promises to be part of some exciting developments in cataloging in the next several years. Those records already in your catalog today may be part of that change tomorrow.

For more information about RDA, consult this excellent video overview from ALCTS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7ePkTc3lg&list=PL1AAFB573158DC4A1. There is also a series of videos from ALCTS, accessible here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1AAFB573158DC4A1.

 Focus on VOL: Powerspeak Languages

Among the electronic resources available through the Vermont Online Library (VOL) is an interactive, on-demand foreign language program called Powerspeak. It's ideal for students, business people, leisure travelers, ESL patrons, and anyone who simply wants to experience the cognitive benefits of learning a new language. Powerspeak provides introductory level training in 8 foreign languages plus English for speakers of Spanish and Mandarin. The languages are:

Spanish

French

German

Mandarin Chinese

ESL for Spanish Speakers

ESL for Mandarin Speakers

Russian

Italian

Japanese

Korean

Powerspeak provides a learning experience that uses audio, video and interactive lessons. Activities include: Matching Pictures, Listen, Record and Compare, Audio Matching, Spoken Practice, Pictures, Walk-Through, Check Your Understanding, and much more.

As with all VOL resources, Powerspeak is available through many Vermont public, school and academic libraries and through those libraries users can access it from anywhere with Internet access. For more information contact your library or visit http://www.vtonlinelib.org/ to locate a library near you.

New in the Library Science Collection at the Vermont State Library 

These items may be borrowed from the State Library. Many of these titles are located in the Library Science Collection, and others are available through the Children's Book Exhibit Center. 

ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science. American Library Association, 2013.

Burke, John. Neal-Schuman Library Technology Companion: A Basic Guide for Library Staff. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

Coleman, Tina, and Peggie Llanes. Teen Craft Projects 2. American Library Association, 2013.

Crawford, Walt. Give Us a Dollar and We'll Give You Back Four: Public Library Funding and Benefits. Cites & Insights Books, 2012.

Dietzel-Glair, Julie. Books in Motion: Connecting Preschoolers with Books Through Art, Games, Movement, Music, Playacting, and Props. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Ceremony [videorecording] prepared and presented by the Vermont Department of Libraries. RETN Media Center, 2013.

Farmer, Lesley S. J. Library Services for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. American Library Association, 2013.

Ghoting, Saroj Nadkarni, and Pamela Martin-Díaz. Storytimes for Everyone!: Developing Young Children's Language and Literacy. American Library Association, 2013.

Hopkins, Carol Garnett. Artsy Toddler Storytimes: A Year's Worth of Ready-to-Go Programming. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

Jones, Ed. RDA and Serials Cataloging. American Library Association, 2013.

Lear, Brett W. Adult Programs in the Library. American Library Association, 2013.

Naidoo, Jamie Campbell, and Sarah Park Dahlen. Diversity in Youth Literature: Opening Doors Through Reading. American Library Association, 2013.

Tumbleson, Beth E. Embedding Librarianship in Learning Management Systems: a How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

Velasquez, Diane. Library Management 101: A Practical Guide. American Library Association, 2013.

Walters, Suzanne. Breakthrough Branding: Positioning Your Library to Survive and Thrive. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.