In This Issue
Importance, Uses of Annual Public Library Report
Recommending Books for the Holidays
Trustees and Friends of the Library, Triumphant
First Fed Doc in Audio Form Released
Teens Invited to Promote Summer Reading, Libraries through Videos
Over 14,000 VT Youth Participated in 2013 Summer Reading Program
VELI Trains Librarians from 21 Libraries, One Bookmobile in Math Literacy for Preschoolers
Mock Caldecott Day: VT Picture Book Lovers Select Book of Year, Dec. 6
School Librarian, Teacher Granted Free Trip to Europe
Familiar Faces, Voices Leaving VTLIB
New Books in the Library Science Collection @ the State Library
Helpful Links
Join Our Mailing List

It is that time of year - trees have lost their leaves, holidays are looming and the Vermont Public Library Annual Report Survey is due. Each year public libraries across the country compile and report on data captured over the previous year concerning budget, personnel, materials, services and programs in the library. The data is used at state and federal levels. In Vermont the data is compiled, printed for library directors and posted to the website. It is also sent to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which collects the data from across the country for its own use and that of others in the federal government. Read more 

Recommending Books for the Holidays

Jump into the spirit of the season with the annual Books for the Holidays broadcast December 2. The UVM Extension program "Across the Fence" at 12:10 PM is hosted by WCAX, channel 3 in Burlington. Vermont librarians Amy Olsen (Hyde Park) and Amy Howlett (VTLIB) review some current titles for gift giving. The full list is posted here so libraries can hand it out, create a display or feature the titles in a bookmark. Prepare now to make individual recommendations that expand the list-hot new titles, classics, or local topics and authors. Read more 

Trustees and Friends of the Library, Triumphant 

The first Saturday in November is reserved for Vermont trustees and Friends meeting together - and November 2 saw them, over 50 libraries' worth, at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. The day began auspiciously with State Librarian Martha Reid comparing visits to Red Sox arena Fenway Park (3 million in 2012) to visits to Vermont libraries in fiscal year 2012 - 3.6 million. We love the Red Sox - but how about those public libraries! Read more

First Fed Doc in Audio Form Released 

During a time when leaks of U.S. government information are making headlines, agencies of the government continue to provide as much information as possible to citizens with less fanfare. In addition to providing paper documents, information has been made available in a variety of media and formats including braille and audio- and video-tape. More recently, much effort has gone into making government documents available electronically, and that has resulted in ever-broadening distribution of government documents in the form of floppy disks, CDs, DVDs and downloadable databases. Read more

Teens Invited to Promote Summer Reading,

Libraries through Videos 

spark logo Once again the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), a consortium of states, and the Department of Libraries are teaming up to sponsor a video making contest for teens. Kids 13-18, individually or in teams, are invited to create a short Public Service Announcement promoting the 2014 summer theme, "Spark a Reaction," and promoting reading and libraries. The winner of the Vermont challenge, when approved by CSLP, will receive $275 and his/her sponsoring library will be awarded prizes worth $125. Last year a group of teens from the Brownell Library in Essex Junction won, and the year before it was two teens from Lincoln. This is a great opportunity for young filmmakers to show off their creativity and abilities. The deadline is March 5, 2014.

 

All of the information and forms are here:   http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/srp/childrenteen/teenvideocontest

Over 14,000 VT Youth Participated in 2013

Summer Reading Program 

This summer, in conjunction with the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a national consortium of states, libraries across Vermont celebrated the underground. The slogan for kids was "Dig Into Reading," and for teens it was "Beneath the Surface." Ever creative, Vermont librarians held programs about animals that live underground; archaeology; the Underground Railroad; songs and stories that take place underground; caves and caverns and much more. 152 libraries reported that 12,260 children signed up for the reading program, read a total of 92,226 books plus 658,704 minutes (some count by books and some by minutes so these are two distinct counts). The libraries held a total of 2,629 programs that were attended by 56,485 children. As for the teens, although not all libraries run a summer reading program for this age,  there were 2,033 teens who signed up for the program, and they read 5,603 books as well as 192,501 pages. In addition, 3,937 teens attended 423 programs. Next summer will be celebrating science with the themes "Fizz, Boom, Read" and "Spark a Reaction."

VELI Trains Librarians from 21 Libraries,
One Bookmobile in Math Literacy for Preschoolers

The Vermont Early Literacy Initiative (VELI), a collaboration between the Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) and the Vermont Center for the Book (VCB) has trained a second cohort in math and language literacy for preschoolers. In the fall of 2012, librarians from twenty libraries were trained, and this October we added 21 more libraries plus the Cobleigh Library (Lyndonville) Bookmobile to the list. 

Read more 

Mock Caldecott Day: VT Picture Book Lovers
Select Book of Year, Dec. 6

The Caldecott Medal is one of the most eagerly anticipated awards in the world of children's literature, and causes much speculation about who will win. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Read more 

School Librarian, Teacher
Granted Free Trip to Europe

Mes Allison & Pam Dow Moretown school librarian Meg Allison is the grant seeker we all want to be. Who knew you could get a grant to go to France and Italy for two weeks and have all of your expenses paid? Meg and Pam Dow, the first and second grade teacher at Moretown, discovered The Rural School and Community Trust (http://www.globalteacherfellowship.ruraledu.org/), which encourages teachers "to center their learning in an international travel and study experience, out of which they develop interdisciplinary, place-based learning curricula aligned with their specific state and local content standards." The two educators wrote a proposal to "explore the roots of fairy tales in France and Italy" by visiting castles, landscapes and cities that appear in some of the traditional fairy tales. They wove in everything from Charles Perrault (from Paris) to Collodi's Pinocchio (from Tuscany). Read more   

Familiar Faces, Voices Leaving VTLIB

Meg PageOur resident genealogist and interlibrary loan (ILL) person extraordinaire is retiring. You may know Meg Page from the pleasant voice on the Reference Desk, from taking one of her genealogy workshops, or from her tireless work in the Interlibrary Loan Office. Meg started with the Department of Libraries in November of 1988 and has been a fixture in ILL since then. She has weathered many changes in ILL service, from telephoning libraries with ILL requests, to the online requests of today. Her interest in genealogy has led her to become our resident expert and the 'go to' person to help patrons with their genealogy issues. Meg has also taught the Department's genealogy workshops, provided interlibrary loan services to state employees and maintained the government documents collection. We wish you well in your retirement. We'll miss you!

 

April Kelley Also leaving is April Kelley. Anyone who has ever dealt with VTLIB's Youth Services unit knows how helpful she is. From finding books for people, to creating PowerPoints and Prezis, to making sure that libraries get the summer materials and programs they need, to keeping the website up to date, April is on top of it all. For six and a half years, she has been the assistant to Youth Services Consultant Grace Greene, and in that time has made herself indispensable both to Grace and to many other people in the Department. Now, after graduating from the University of South Carolina library school, she becomes the evening reference librarian at Vermont Technical College. VTLIB and the public and school librarians she has worked with will miss her greatly, but she will still be a Vermont library colleague, and we hope to see her often.


ONLY COMPLETE ARTICLES BEYOND THIS POINT
fiberconnectImportance, Uses of Annual Public Library Report

It is that time of year - trees have lost their leaves, holidays are looming and the Vermont Public Library Annual Report Survey is due. Each year public libraries across the country compile and report on data captured over the previous year concerning budget, personnel, materials, services and programs in the library. The data is used at state and federal levels. In Vermont the data is compiled, printed for library directors and posted to the website. It is also sent to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which collects the data from across the country for its own use and that of others in the federal government.

 

Librarians use the data in presenting to their own board of trustees, local selectboards and other decision makers. They also use it to compare their own library with others in and outside Vermont. As more and more state, federal and non-profit entities require clear data and evaluations to support requests for funding and grants, the survey has become one of the most important ways for each library in Vermont and the nation to support all libraries.

 

The survey is open until Tuesday, November 19, this year. See the current statistical report at: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/stats/plstats. To see statistics from the rest of the 9000 libraries surveyed, go to: http://www.imls.gov/research/public_libraries_in_the_united_states_survey.aspx. For questions about the survey or library statistics, please contact Rob Geiszler, State Data Coordinator, at [email protected].

 

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catamountRecommending Books for the Holidays 

Jump into the spirit of the season with the annual Books for the Holidays broadcast December 2. The UVM Extension program "Across the Fence" at 12:10 PM is hosted by WCAX, channel 3 in Burlington. Vermont librarians Amy Olsen (Hyde Park) and Amy Howlett (VTLIB) review some current titles for gift giving. The full list is posted at http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/misc/BooksForTheHolidays13.pdf so libraries can hand it out, create a display or feature the titles in a bookmark. Prepare now to make individual recommendations that expand the list-hot new titles, classics, or local topics and authors.

 

To host a public library gift book night, reach out to the local independent bookstore in the area. Librarians and book people are a natural team for promoting reading and the books that support reading in the home. Plan an hour or two of booktalking and sharing-a natural way for parents to talk about the books their children love. Make sure to advertise the event well ahead with audiences like grandparents, childcares, and the local parent/teacher organization. Having the book store present means parents can pay on the spot and go home with their new books to wrap.

 

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Trustees and Friends of the Library, Triumphantvol

The first Saturday in November is reserved for Vermont trustees and Friends meeting together - and November 2 saw them, over 50 libraries' worth, at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. The day began auspiciously with State Librarian Martha Reid comparing visits to Red Sox arena Fenway Park (3 million in 2012) to visits to Vermont libraries in fiscal year 2012 - 3.6 million. We love the Red Sox - but how about those public libraries!

 

After an inspiring keynote on building community resilience by Stuart Comstock-Gay, President of the Vermont Community Foundation, folks buckled down for workshops on municipal governance, fundraising, social media, and Friend and trustee responsibilities. Between workshops, during breaks, and at lunch, Vermonters met informally to get their questions answered and find out what neighbors do.

 

The day ended with prizes-the Vermont Library Association gave an iPad mini, won by the Pierson Library (Shelburne); while a Kindle Fire donated by the Vermont Telecommunications Authority headed back to Milton. A Hartland trustee won Tom Bodett's voice on the library answering machine, while Cabot trustee Beth Wade took home the grand prize: lunch with Marty Reid. To experience some of the trivia fun and the annual post-lunch contest, download the Trustee Trivia 2013 Script from http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/trustees - perfect for parties, staff meetings, or a trustee break.

 

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certsFirst Fed Doc in Audio Form Released

During a time when leaks of U.S. government information are making headlines, agencies of the government continue to provide as much information as possible to citizens with less fanfare. In addition to providing paper documents, information has been made available in a variety of media and formats including braille and audio- and video-tape. More recently, much effort has gone into making government documents available electronically, and that has resulted in ever-broadening distribution of government documents in the form of floppy disks, CDs, DVDs and downloadable databases.

 

The Government Printing Office (GPO) breached another media frontier, so to speak, when they announced that the first downloadable audiobook was available on the agency's Federal Digital System (FDsys). Published by the Central Intelligence Agency, the audio book, Getting to Know the President: Intelligence Briefings of Presidential Candidates, 1952-2004, by John Helgerson, is an account of the information sharing process between the intelligence community and presidential candidates and presidents-elect during campaigns and administration transitions. First published in 1996, and now revised and updated to include accounts of intelligence support to candidates and presidents-elect in the three elections between then and 2004, Helgerson's study provides unique insights into the mechanics and content of the briefings, the interaction of the participants, and the briefings' effect on the relationships presidents have had with their intelligence services. The audio book is available in an mp3 format on FDsys, a one-stop site to authentic, published Government information. The print version of the book is also available through GPO's bookstore, of course.

 

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globeVELI Trains Librarians from 21 Libraries, One Bookmobile 
in Math Literacy for Preschoolers

The Vermont Early Literacy Initiative (VELI), a collaboration between the Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) and the Vermont Center for the Book (VCB) has trained a second cohort in math and language literacy for preschoolers. In the fall of 2012, librarians from twenty libraries were trained, and this October we added 21 more libraries plus the Cobleigh Library (Lyndonville) Bookmobile to the list.

 

In addition to information about how preschoolers learn about literacy and math, the librarians learned the basics of the Common Core State Standards so that they could focus on the skills that preschoolers will need once they get to kindergarten. Tracey Watterson, Elementary Math Assessment Coordinator for the Vermont Agency of Education, delivered the keynote speech.

 

Sally Anderson, the director of VCB, taught the majority of the workshop which was mainly about math activities for preschoolers. Using the book she wrote, How Many Ways Can You Make Five: A Parent's Guide to Exploring Math with Children's Books  (Gryphon House, 2012) and her expertise from the multiyear half-a-million dollar National Science Foundation-funded project, "What's the Big Idea?" she taught basic concepts, and led participants in explorations.

 

Armed with this new knowledge and training, these librarians will conduct storytimes, parent programs and training for childcare providers on early language and math literacy for preschoolers. To facilitate the programming, they received 10 books; 6 kinds of math materials (such as linking cubes and magnetic numbers); 10 sets of books and materials for parents for each of three programs, and 5 sets of materials for childcare providers for their training. Even the librarians who swore they knew nothing about math, felt confident about sharing math activities and information after the training. One librarian said, "I feel like this conference has opened up a whole new world of programming opportunities for me." And another rejoiced, "I now believe math can be fun for the first time in my life."

 

Funding for this project was provided by the Turrell Fund, the Library Services and Technology Act through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Winnie Belle Learned Fund of the Vermont Library Foundation. Follow up for the librarians includes a webinar in January and a final training in May, 2014.


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 dcfMock Caldecott Day: VT Picture Book Lovers Select Book of Year, Dec. 6

The Caldecott Medal is one of the most eagerly anticipated awards in the world of children's literature, and causes much speculation about who will win. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

 

Vermont picture books lovers are invited to join the speculation on Friday, December 6, at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier when Leda Schubert, picture book author and faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and Grace Greene, Youth Services Consultant for the Department of Libraries, will present "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: a lively history and discussion of the Caldecott Medal."

 

In the afternoon participants will choose their favorite book of the year from a pre-selected list. Both the registration form and the list of books up for consideration can be found here:  http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/cbec/mockcaldecott. This is the sixteenth Mock Caldecott Day that VTLIB has done, and it is always a lively, fun and exciting day. 

 

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Moretown school librarian Meg Allison is the grant seeker we all want to be. Who knew you could get a grant to go to France and Italy for two weeks and have all of your expenses paid? Meg and Pam Dow, the first and second grade teacher at Moretown, discovered The Rural School and Community Trust (http://www.globalteacherfellowship.ruraledu.org/), which encourages teachers "to center their learning in an international travel and study experience, out of which they develop interdisciplinary, place-based learning curricula aligned with their specific state and local content standards." The two educators wrote a proposal to "explore the roots of fairy tales in France and Italy" by visiting castles, landscapes and cities that appear in some of the traditional fairy tales. They wove in everything from Charles Perrault (from Paris) to Collodi's Pinocchio (from Tuscany). 

 

During the trip, the two detailed the sights, the sounds, the tastes of their adventure on a blog:  http://globalteacherfellowship.blogspot.com/. In early fall they went to North Carolina for a conference for all of this summer's fellows.  During this school year, they will not only bring fairy tales to their students with new insights and understanding, but will begin a unit called the Open Door program, inspired by all of the fabulous doors they saw in Europe. In this program they will be using "door" in both the literal and figurative senses, examining the doors in Moretown and thinking about doors as portals to new worlds and experiences. As Meg and Pam discovered in France and Italy, all stories begin with people and place, so they want to discover Moretown's stories and help the students make up their own.

 

This grant opportunity is an annual event, so other Vermont educators should be planning their adventures, too. The deadline for next summer's travel grants is January 30, 2014.

 

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libsciNew in the Library Science Collection at the Vermont State Library 

These titles may be borrowed from the State Library.

 

Bell, Suzanne S. Librarian's Guide to Online Searching. 3rd ed. Libraries Unlimited, 2012.

 

Carmicheal, David. Organizing Archival Records: A Practical Method of Arrangement and Description for Small Archives. AltaMira Press, 2012.

 

Carr, Mary M. The Green Library Planner: What Every Librarian Needs to Know Before Starting to Build or Renovate. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

 

Chambers, Sally. Catalogue 2.0: The Future of the Library Catalogue. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

 

Crawford, Walt. Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries. ALA Editions, 2014.

 

Dando, Priscille. Say It with Data: A Concise Guide to Making Your Case and Getting Results. ALA Editions, 2014.

 

Edwards, Julie Biando, et al. Transforming Libraries, Building Communities: The Community-Centered Library. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

 

Evans, G. Edward, and Camila A. Alire. Management Basics for Information Professionals. 3rd ed. Facet, 2013.

 

Growing Young Minds: How Museums and Libraries Create Lifelong Learners. Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2013.

 

Hahn, Jim. The Best 100 Free Apps for Libraries. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

 

Hernon, Peter, et al. Getting Started with Evaluation. ALA Editions, 2014.

 

Information Literacy Instruction That Works: A Guide to Teaching by Discipline and Student Population. Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.

 

Library 2020: Today's Leading Visionaries Describe Tomorrow's Library. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

 

Materials review, Fall 2013 [videorecording]. Prepared and presented by the Vermont Department of Libraries. RETN Media Center, 2013.

 

Newbery/Caldecott/Laura Ingalls Wilder Award 2013 acceptance speeches [sound recording]. Scholastic, 2013.

 

Reale, Michelle. Mentoring & Managing Students in the Academic Library. ALA Editions, 2013.

 

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imls