From the Vermont State Librarian

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Act 37 of 1894 which was passed by the Vermont Legislature and which established the Board of Library Commissioners, the predecessor to today's Vermont Board of Libraries and the Department of Libraries. Over the years this body became known as the Free Public Library Commission and later the Free Public Library Service and in 1970 joined the Vermont State Library to form what we now know as the Vermont Department of Libraries.

It is staggering to think of the monumental changes that have taken place in libraries over the past 120 years and this anniversary provides us with an opportunity to look back at where we have come from, to assess where we are today and to plan for the future. Today's Board of Libraries is made up of seven citizen members appointed by the Governor and serves as an advisory group to the State Librarian. At our December 2013 meeting the Board charged me with the task of compiling this year a report on the current "State of Vermont's Libraries" with a focus on public libraries and with recommendations for the future. What better way to mark this 120th anniversary than to take a good look at where we are today, to see how we compare with other states, and to lay solid groundwork for the years to come? This project will require the work of a good many people and those of you in public libraries will play an important role in providing data, participating in discussions, and helping me as we work to set future direction. We will want to be realistic and grounded, but we also must be bold and open to innovation and possibility.

The Department of Libraries - what is now referred to as VTLIB - is a small department of 26 employees. One of our challenges is that we can easily be missed in the workings of state government because we are small. We have a correspondingly small budget of $3.8 million, which includes state, federal and special funds. Approximately 70% of our budget comes from the State General Fund; another 25% is federal LSTA funding, which comes to us as a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and the remaining 5% comes from other sources, including library membership fees for the Vermont Online Library.

This month brings my own version of March Madness with Town Meeting and the mid-point of the Vermont legislative session. Our FY2015 budget request which I have presented to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees includes an overall increase of 2% with built-in increases in personnel costs and a new budget item of $45,000 to microfilm the backlog of Vermont newspapers at the State Library. I have just sent out my annual Town Meeting survey to public libraries to assess the status of library budgets. But even without that data I know we can celebrate two major Town Meeting successes: (1) in Waterbury (vote approved for a new town hall/library building. Hurrah!), and (2) Manchester (approval of a significant budget increase as they plan a move into their new library building in September). Congratulations to those libraries - and to the rest of you who have the strong support of your local communities.

So after 120 years, with a very different look and feel, the Department of Libraries remains engaged in the important work of improving library services to meet the changing needs of Vermonters. You will read in this newsletter about some exciting milestones (our first Vermont-produced audio recording for the blind and FiberConnect success) and a new opportunity for public libraries (the Edge Initiative). I feel very privileged to serve as Vermont's State Librarian as we begin the next 120 years and, as always, welcome your comments and ideas. You can contact me at: martha.reid@state.vt.us.

Regards,

Marty Reid  

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145 Libraries Meet State Minimum Standards for FY2013 

Each year Vermont's 183 public libraries have the opportunity to complete an application in order to meet the Minimum Standards for Vermont Public Libraries for the immediate past fiscal year. Libraries may choose to apply for one of two sets of standards (basic level: 1986, and higher level: 1998) which outline elements essential to the provision of community-oriented public library service in Vermont. The Standards emphasize these essentials in four areas: public service, public access, interlibrary cooperation and community involvement. The standards provide a basis from which libraries in even the smallest Vermont towns can proceed to improve service. We are very pleased to announce that the Wells Village Library in Wells met Minimum Standards for the first time.

This year 145 libraries met the requirements for Vermont's Minimum Standards; 35 of these libraries met the more stringent 1998 Standards. Two of the libraries were judged to meet Standards after submitting letters of appeal to the State Librarian. To see the complete list of libraries which met Standards in FY2013 and to read the 1986 and 1998 versions of the Minimum Standards for Vermont Public Libraries, see: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/standards. Congratulations to all 145 libraries!

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Edge Initiative Makes Start in VT 

For the past three years a coalition of national organizations has been planning, developing and testing the Edge Initiative and has now introduced this program in a limited way in all 50 states. This year the Department of Libraries will work with 21 public libraries to preview this library improvement program before launching it statewide in 2015.

The Edge Initiative was developed by a coalition of leading library and local government organizations with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and led by the Urban Libraries Council. It was created with the vision that all people should have opportunities to enrich and improve their lives through open access to information, communication and technology services provided by public libraries. Edge is a management and leadership tool that will help public libraries assess their current technology services and make improvements that will better serve their communities. It has already been used successfully by libraries in a group of pilot states.

This winter we are working with six libraries (part of a national random sample) to submit the Edge Assessment Tool to help build a national data set for the Edge Initiative. The Assessment includes questions about the library's current status (and plans for the future) for programs and services related to public access technology. The six libraries which are taking part in this data set are: Barnet Public Library, Castleton Free Library, Cavendish Fletcher Community Library, Lincoln Library, Springfield Town Library, and Dorothy Alling Memorial Library (Williston). Later this year the Department of Libraries will select 15 additional libraries to complete the Assessment and participate in the Edge Initiative preview. Reports from libraries in the pilot states have shown that the program is both flexible and effective in improving services to local communities. We hope for wide participation by public libraries in 2015. If your library is interested in being part of the preview group this fall, please contact Marty Reid at: martha.reid@state.vt.us. Read more about the Edge Initiative at: http://www.libraryedge.org/.

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VT FiberConnect Reaches 42 Libraries 

We've done it! Forty-two libraries have been "turned up" by Sovernet with high-speed, high-capacity fiber optic broadband, and all but one of these libraries are now connected to the State Wide Area Network for Internet service. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is "turned-up" but not yet connected and the last of the 43 libraries in this project (Manchester) will be connected with fiber when they move into their new building sometime after Labor Day.

The Department of Libraries has been working with these libraries for three years, and with the Vermont Telecommunications Authority for longer than that, with the submission of their federal broadband (BTOP) grant application to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) way back in 2010. VTLIB was one of 14 state library agencies to secure supporting grant funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for this project, which made it possible for these libraries to participate. Libraries in the following towns are now using their Sovernet fiber-optic connections: Arlington, Barre, Bellows Falls (Rockingham), Bennington, Brattleboro, Cabot, Castleton, Danville, Dorset, Dover, Fair Haven, Guilford, Hardwick, Hartford, Lyndonville, Marshfield, Montpelier, Newfane, North Bennington, Pittsford, Plainfield, Poultney, Pownal, Putney, Quechee, Randolph, Reading, Rupert, Rutland, Sharon, Vernon, Wardsboro, Weathersfield-Proctor (Ascutney), West Rutland, Westminster West, Weston, Whitingham, Wilder (Hartford), Wilmington, Windham, and Windsor.

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State Treasurer, State Librarian Urge Library Visits for Financial Literacy

Vermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce and State Librarian Martha Reid are partnering to promote financial literacy in Vermont. Watch for the press release in late March suggesting Vermonters visit local libraries April 5 - 12 to celebrate Money Smart Week.

A Money Smart Week web site listing library resources will be available at MoneySmart.Vermont.gov. The American Library Association is sponsoring the national public awareness campaign as a means of mobilizing libraries in the effort to help Americans better manage their personal finances. The Vermont library resources include books, DVDs, and an audio that will be available for interlibrary loan from the Midstate Library Service Center by April 5. Titles on personal finance like Living Large for the Long Haul, The Economy of You, and Raising Financially Confident Kids feature national figures who discuss budgeting, retirement, savings, and other financial issues.

National studies continue to point to a need for people to bolster their financial literacy. Last year, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation released state-by-state results of a financial capability survey. Their results showed Vermonters were tied for fourth worst in the nation at saving for emergencies. Sixty-two percent of Vermonters reported not having rainy day savings to cover three months of unanticipated financial emergencies. In the spending versus saving area, 41 percent of Vermonters reported spending less than their household income and 32 percent reported paying only the minimum payment on their credit cards during the past year.

Libraries in search of relevant, local programs for Money Smart Week will find suggestions at the Financial Education Resource Clearinghouse. The clearinghouse lists organizations in Vermont that provide free or low cost programs on topics like budgeting, credit reports or consumer rights. The Vermont Department of Libraries will be sending each public library bookmarks and tabletop signs for distribution and display during Money Smart Week. Please join us in promoting financial literacy in Vermont.

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Register Now for 2014 VT Library Tech Unconference 

Registration is now open for the free 2014 Vermont Library Tech Unconference, which will take place on Wednesday, April 9, from 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., at Midstate Library Service Center in Berlin.

This is the second time the event has been held; the first one took place in September of 2012. The intention is to bring together library staff members from across the state to talk about their work with technology, both strategies and challenges. All levels of skill are welcome. Come hear what other libraries are doing, and share your ideas!

What is an unconference? Different from a workshop or lecture, an unconference is a participant-driven approach celebrating our everyday problem solving. We'll collect discussion ideas and create sessions that center on a tech topic. Each of the three periods will have 3-4 simultaneous sessions, offering a variety of choices for participants to share challenges and innovations.

The 2014 Vermont Library Tech Unconference is cosponsored by the Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) and the Vermont Library Association (VLA). As we get closer, we'll be sending out a list of registered folks to facilitate carpooling. NOTE: Six credits can be applied to the technology requirement for VTLIB certification for attending this event.

More information and the online registration form are available at: http://goo.gl/7Jxp80.

Contact Josh Muse at jmuse@colchestervt.gov with any questions.

First VT-Based Audio Book Released for Blind, Physically Handicapped 

The Department of Libraries is pleased to announce the completion of its first locally produced audio book for the blind. The Department's Special Services Unit, which includes the Vermont Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, will add this new recording to the wide selection of audio book recordings now available from the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped. These digital recordings are available by mail at no cost to eligible Vermonters of all ages.

The first Vermont title in the Department of Libraries' recording program is Invasion on the Mountain, by Vermont author Judith Edwards, the first in a trilogy of historical fiction for middle school readers about the Civilian Conservation Corps on Mt. Ascutney in the 1930s. The book, which will appeal to adults as well as youth, was recorded at the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired with the help of volunteers. The book was narrated by Frederick Barrett of Richmond and monitored by Monique Signorat of Montpelier. The focus of this recording program is to use local resources to record Vermont books that are not available nationally. The Department will continue the recording program with the other two titles in the Edwards' trilogy.

The Department plans to add more Vermont content to the audio book collection available from the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (NLS). NLS records some 2,000 titles each year, including books by Vermont authors Chris Bohjalian, Katherine Paterson, and Archer Mayor. The locally recorded books will include both fiction and non-fiction about Vermont and by Vermont authors, including books by Howard Coffin, Chris Graff, Jody Williams and Sydney Lea. The audio books will be available to those who cannot read regular print due to visual or physical impairment.

The Department's Special Services Unit provides a program of advice and consultation to public and school libraries and to libraries in state institutions, providing books and audio materials to persons having difficulty using a library. The Vermont Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, located in Berlin, is a regional network library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, providing recorded books and other materials to qualifying individuals. To apply for these free library services, including "talking books," large print books, materials in braille, or audio-described videos, citizens can contact the Special Services Unit at: 800-479-1711 (toll free in Vermont) or 802-828-3273. Special thanks go to Teresa Faust, Head of the Special Services Unit, for launching this project and to Aidan Sammis for his supporting work to make this project a success.

Celebrate Reading with the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Program  

One of the best ways to get kids in grades 4-8 hooked on books is to introduce them to the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award program, Vermont's child-selected book award for children in grades 4-8. Spring is an exciting time for DCF readers because they are getting ready to vote for their favorite book of this year, and at the same time they find out about the books nominated for next.

New list

The DCF committee chose the 30 books for the new list earlier this month. That list, of books nominated for the 2014-2015 school year, is posted on both the DCF website (www.dcfaward.org) and the Department of Libraries' website: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/cbec/dcf. From a pig who wants to be a sled pig (The Adventures of a South Pole Pig by Chris Kurtz) to a creepy book about a haunted doll (Doll Bones by Holly Black) to a story about the ostracizing and hunting of albinos in modern day Tanzania (Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan), there truly is something for everyone.

Voting

Voting for this year's list is due by Friday, April 18. All children in grades 4-8 are welcome to vote, provided they have read at least five books on the 2013-2014 list. After the students' votes are tallied, librarians should go to the DCF website, www.dcfaward.org, and enter the votes online. The author of the winner will be invited to come to Vermont for a ceremony to be held at the end of May or beginning of June.

DCF Materials available

Dorothy's List on VPR

This year, Vermont Public Radio has been featuring a different DCF book each month on a program called Dorothy's List. Each month, VPR reporter Amy Kolb Noyes goes to a different school or public library in Vermont to meet with students who have read the featured book. The students ask questions  that Amy then poses to the author when she interviews him or her. Then the program is aired during Vermont Edition on the first Monday of each month. April's book is After Eli by Vermont author Rebecca Rupp and in May they will highlight the winner of the 2014 DCF Award as well as introduce the books on the 2014-2015 list.

VTLIB Awards Hands-On Science Grants to 14 Libraries  

Fourteen public libraries have received grants through VTLIB to provide high tech summer programming for children and teens in support of the Collaborative Summer Library Program theme, Science.

These awards are made possible through the Vermont Community Foundation's Innovations and Collaborations grant program. The grant, written by Susan O'Connell of the Craftsbury Public Library  in collaboration with Mara Siegel of VTLIB, is to develop innovative scientific programs, train science educators, and bring these programs to libraries around the state. Vermont Makers, a community that encourages projects blending the arts, sciences, and technology, is spearheading the curriculum development, with the help of UVM's College of Engineering and Mathematical Science Department and the folks from the Champlain Maker Faire.   

Each of the 14 libraries selected for the grant will host two programs, chosen from the following topics: E-textiles, E-Origami, Toy Hacking, Squishy Circuits, and Creature Creations. Each program will come with the necessary curriculum and materials which will become property of the library for future use. To learn more about the programs available, please see:

Creative Creatures: Solar Powered Plastic Fantastics

Toy Hacking: Because Your Toy is More Fun on the Inside!

From Space Suits to High Fashion: A Hands-on Introduction to E-textiles

Squishy Circuits: Building Circuits with Conductive Play Dough

Tape, Paper, Circuits: E-origami

All of the curricula will be available free online to all libraries by the end of the summer.

The grant recipients are Aldrich Public Library, Barre; Bennington Free Library; Castleton Free Library; Charlotte Library; Craftsbury Public Library; Fairfax Community Library; Groton Free Public Library; Jericho Town Library/Deborah Rawson Memorial Library, Underhill; Poultney Public Library; Quechee Public Library; Arvin A. Brown Public Library, Richford; Warren Public Library; Westford Public Library; and Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston.

U.S. Government Expands eBook Offerings 

In our November 2013 Newsletter was an article about the announcement of the very first U.S. Government document offered by the Government Printing Office (GPO) as an eBook. Although U.S. Government documents are available as eBooks from third-party vendors, the list of eBooks offered free of charge by the GPO has now grown to over 100 titles. These titles are joining the growing number of online resources that have been a vital part of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) for over 20 years. Users can download GPO-provided files of eBooks for use on various eBook reading devices.

eBook titles can be accessed via catalog records available in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP). Catalog records include descriptive information, as well as Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) that link to the eBook titles. PURLs provide web links that can be reliably cited in other publications. Each CGP record displays the available formats for a title -- .mobi, .epub, as well as other digital formats. Every month, newly-acquired eBook titles are added to the CGP for public access.

You can also browse all available eBook titles on the CGP. Download eBook titles by clicking on the PURL link located the Internet Access field. For those who actually do "read the manual", you can  download the documentation.

New Books in the CBEC Professional Collection  

These titles may be borrowed from the Children's Book Exhibit Center. 

Anderson-Newham, Susan. Cooking Up a Storytime. ALA Editions, 2014.

Barr, Catherine. Best Books for High School Readers. 3rd Edition. Libraries Unlimited, 2013.

Barr, Catherine. Best Books for Middle School and Junior High Readers. 3rd Edition. Libraries Unlimited, 2013.

Brown, Amy. Let's Start the Music: Programming for Primary Grades. ALA Editions, 2014.

Del Negro, Janice M. Folktales Aloud: Practical Advice for Playful Storytelling. ALA Editions, 2014.

Expanding Minds and Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Afterschool and Summer Learning for Student Success. Edited by Terry K. Peterson. Collaborative Communications Group, 2013.

Feinberg, Sandra, et al. Including Families with Special Needs. Revised by Carrie Scott Banks. Neal-Schuman, 2014.

Klipper, Barbara. Programming for Children and Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder. ALA Editions, 2014.

Preddy, Leslie B. School Library Makerspaces: Grades 6-12. Libraries Unlimited, 2013.

Roginski, Dawn R. A Year in the Story Room: Ready-to-Use Programs for Children. ALA Editions, 2014.

Shaia, Lisa M. After-School Clubs for Kids: Thematic Programming to Encourage Reading. ALA editions, 2014.

Sykes, Judith A. Conducting Action Research to Evaluate Your School Library. Libraries Unlimited, 2013.

Teen Games Rule!: A Librarian's Guide to Platforms and Programs. Edited by Julie Scordato & Ellen Forsyth. Libraries Unlimited, 2014.

Trelease, Jim. The Read-Aloud Handbook. 7th Edition. Penguin, 2013.

Vardell, Sylvia M. Poetry Aloud Here 2: Sharing Poetry with Children. ALA Editions, 2014.