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In This Issue
Digital Inclusion Survey Open Through Nov. 22
Annual Public Library Report and Standards Application Due Nov. 24
Boards, Directors Budget for Next Year
Money Matters for Trustees & Friends
It's About More Than Feelings for VELI Librarians
New Youth Services Consultant Is Ready for Prime Time
Collection Development Resources Available Online
New Archive Group Seeks VT Films
Contact Change for Requesting Catamount Earth Guides
Summer Science Grant Programs Successful
LEGO, ALSC Bring Junior Maker Spaces to VT Libraries
LJ Index Awards Two VT Libraries Five Stars
(Story)Hacking the Future of Libraries
The Extraordinary Doings of Nicholas Vattemare
New Books in the Library Science Collection @ the State Library
Helpful Links
Join Our Mailing List
topDigital Inclusion Survey Open
Through November 22
digital inclusion survey logo

The Department of Libraries strongly encourages all public libraries to participate in the new 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey, which is available through November 22, 2014. This tool allows us to map data about our libraries' technology and our communities. It will generate unique and valuable data in the areas of digital literacy, economic and workforce development, civic engagement, and public access to the Internet. It takes between 20 and 40 minutes to complete the survey. Full article

Annual Public Library Report & Standards
Application Due November 24
Twenty-six Vermont libraries have completed the Annual Public Library Survey and Standards Application, as of November 10. Thanks and congratulations go out to them. Libraries have until November 24, 2014 to complete this survey, but please don't delay in submitting it. This is a requirement for those libraries making application for Standards, whether the 1986 or 1998 version. All submissions must be made online at http://collect.btol.com. Nothing should be sent to the Department of Libraries through the mail. For assistance with login information, please contact Rob Geiszler, State Data Coordinator, at [email protected] or (802) 786-3839. Full article
Boards, Directors Budget for Next Year

working on budget Vermont trustees are meeting overtime this month to translate the past 12 months into next year's budget. What are the trends in computer usage, visits, and circulation? Each library will differ. Statistics collected in 2013 showed Vermont total payroll (salaries and benefits) increasing, while total collection expenditures, utilities and fuel dropped. Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2015 is up 1.7%. Library boards also look to the Vermont Library Association (VLA) for the annual director's recommended minimum salary. The VLA Board voted in 2014 that the Vermont public library director with an MLS or a BA plus VTLIB certification should earn $43,818 ($21.06/hour). In addition to the salary, VLA urges a full benefit package. Full article 

Money Matters for Trustees & Friends

Over one hundred Trustees and Friends traveled to the Summit Lodge in Killington on November 1, where friendly St. Bernards welcomed them to the Vermont Library Association's conference, "Money Matters." State Librarian Martha Reid rallied the group with references to Vermont digital literacy and expanded broadband, as well as national initiatives like the Impact Survey, the LibraryEdge Assessment and the Aspen Institute report Rising to the Challenge: Re-envisioning Public Libraries. VLA officers spoke, including President Toni Josey, Vice President Virgil Fuller and new trustee section leader Howard Burrows. Full article 

It's About More Than Feelings for VELI Librarians

veli logo On November 6, the Department of Libraries (VTLIB) and the Vermont Center for the Book (VCB) held a one-day training conference for Vermont Early Literacy Initiative (VELI) librarians about the importance of healthy social-emotional development in young children (birth through preschool). During the More Than Feelings training librarians learned the key components that affect and shape social-emotional development as they practiced hands-on activities and strategies for using books not only to build language and literacy skills, but to directly support relationships, emotional vocabulary, belonging and self-regulation in young children. Librarians received books and hands-on learning materials for story hours and in-library and outreach programming for families and child-care providers. This training was funded in part by the A.D. Henderson Foundation, VTLIB, and the Vermont Department for Children and Families. Full article 

New Youth Services Consultant
Ready for Prime Time 
skippyjon jones

Hello everyone! My name is Sharon Colvin and this is my second week as the Youth Services Consultant. I moved here from Massachusetts where I was a public librarian for 8 years. I'm so excited to meet all of the youth librarians here in Vermont. I was able to meet a great group of librarians at the VELI workshop last week and I have been emailing with many more fabulous people. As I get settled, I plan to get out and visit as many libraries as possible. Please let me know if you have questions, concerns or if you'd like to request a visit. You can contact me at [email protected] or (802) 828-6954. I look forward to working with all of you!

Collection Development Resources
Available Online

The two sessions of the 2014 Collection Development course, a core workshop in the Vermont public librarianship certification program, took place at the Midstate Library Service Center in Berlin and at Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow, in October and November. PDFs of all course materials are available on the Department of Libraries website: http://libraries.vermont.gov/handouts/collectiondevelopment. Full article

New Archive Group Seeks VT Films

film reel State filmmakers and others have recently formed a group to search for, preserve and rescue Vermont's heritage on film and video. The group's mission states: "The Vermont Film Archive group seeks to preserve Vermont's motion picture heritage, and to continue adding to it, as new films/videos are made by the Vermont media community. We also seek to find and preserve valuable raw footage that documents Vermont's cultural, historical, political, or in any way significant, past." Got celluloid? Libraries with information on Vermont films, especially local collections and older films, are encouraged to contact Fred Pond at [email protected].

Contact Change for Requesting
Catamount Earth Guides 
Libraries interested in borrowing sets of environmental discussion guides offered by the Catamount Earth Institute should note that the email address for requesting the guides has changed; please contact Barbara Duncan at [email protected]. For more information about the guides, visit the Catamount Earth Institute website: http://www.catamountearthinstitute.org/discussion-courses/.
Summer Science Grant Programs Successful     
kids in maker workshop This summer, children (and many of their adults) in 14 communities went to their libraries to learn, make, and play as part of "Vermont Libraries and Makers: Spark a Culture of Innovation," a group of hands-on programs encouraging projects that blend the arts, sciences, and technology. The programs were created as part of a grant funded by the Vermont Community Foundation with additional funding by the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. Full article 

LEGO, ALSC Bring Junior Maker Spaces

to VT Libraries 

table full of legos The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and LEGO Systems, Inc. partnered together to bring Junior Maker Spaces to libraries across the country. As a result, 15 libraries in Vermont each received a 25-pound box of LEGOs -- over 10,000 pieces. Full article

LJ Index Awards Two VT Libraries Five Stars 

Two Vermont libraries, Pawlet Public Library and Craftsbury Public Library, received five-star ratings in the latest edition of Library Journal's Index of Public Library Service. Initiated in 2008, this index measures library outputs based on per capita use, comparing libraries within spending peer groups. Learn more about the Library Journal Index and see the list of this year's Star Libraries at http://lj.libraryjournal.com/. Congratulations to Pawlet and Craftsbury!

(Story)Hacking the Future of Libraries  

Storyhack logo The second annual StoryHackVT was held September 27th and 28th in Burlington. This competitive event is modeled on computer hackathons, but instead of developing software, participants come together to collaborate on a digital storytelling project. The Department of Libraries was among this year's sponsors, and the theme was "Restack: Imagining the Future of Libraries." Full article

The Extraordinary Doings of Nicholas Vattemare
Nicholas Vattemare
Nicholas-Marie-Alexandre Vattemare

Pity the poor Monsieur and Madame Vattemare. The Vattemares had to flee Paris during the Revolution and settle in Normandy. Their son Nicholas, born in 1796 and a skilled ventriloquist, had been dismissed from a provincial seminary for insubordination (making it appear that disembodied voices were speaking), and eight years later from medical school, again for insubordination (making cadavers speak). Full article


ONLY COMPLETE ARTICLES BEYOND THIS POINT
digitalDigital Inclusion Survey Open Through November 22

The Department of Libraries strongly encourages all public libraries to participate in the new 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey, which is available through November 22, 2014. This tool allows us to map data about our libraries' technology and our communities. It will generate unique and valuable data in the areas of digital literacy, economic and workforce development, civic engagement, and public access to the Internet. It takes between 20 and 40 minutes to complete the survey.

 

The survey has been in the field for six weeks, but as of November 3, there was only a 16% overall response rate for Vermont libraries. The goal is to get at least a 60% response rate within each state, so that there can be accurate state projections. If enough libraries participate, this will be a great new statewide tool for Vermont.

 

The great interactive tools built by the Digital Inclusion team will help each library:

  • Get a better sense of the community's needs, challenges, and opportunities and be able to demonstrate how library services add value to the community.
  • Communicate with decision makers about the value of the library's technology-enabled services and public access technologies to different communities.
  • Articulate how the library helps build a digitally inclusive community, supporting 21st century workforce development, digital literacy, education, and a healthy community.
  • Identify where the library's services and resources are meeting community needs and where there might be room for improvement or a need for new partners to extend the library's reach.

To participate go to http://digitalinclusion.umd.edu/ and follow the "Take the Survey Now" button. The library's federal code must be entered to log in. A list of the correct codes for Vermont public libraries can be found at http://plftas.pnmi.com/lookup.cfm?VT. Contact Rob Geiszler, State Data Coordinator, at [email protected] or (802) 786-3839 for assistance.

 

The Digital Inclusion Survey is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and conducted by the American Library Association and the Information Policy & Access Center at the University of Maryland College Park, in partnership with the International City/County Management Association.

 

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plsAnnual Public Library Report & Standards Application Due November 24

Twenty-six Vermont libraries have completed the Annual Public Library Survey and Standards Application, as of November 10. Thanks and congratulations go out to them. Libraries have until November 24, 2014 to complete this survey, but please don't delay in submitting it. This is a requirement for those libraries making application for Standards, whether the 1986 or 1998 version. All submissions must be made online at http://collect.btol.com. Nothing should be sent to the Department of Libraries through the mail. For assistance with login information, please contact Rob Geiszler, State Data Coordinator, at [email protected] or (802) 786-3839.

 

Please take note that the Annual Report (the statistics) is for the last completed fiscal year. The Standards, however, are an evaluation of the current year. Please provide current, accurate contact information in the Directory Section (Part 1 of Section A). Current Director and Trustee emails and telephone numbers are very important; include email addresses and telephone numbers that will provide good communication, especially in the case of an emergency. With contact information in hand, the Department of Libraries quickly assessed the condition of Vermont libraries after Tropical Storm Irene. These phone numbers and email addresses are treated with confidentiality and are not shared with anyone outside the Department of Libraries.

 

The new "intelligent" navigation has been well received. A number of libraries have commented that they completed the survey much more quickly and found the process more understandable.

 

More and more funders, legislators and other decision makers want hard evidence of the value of public libraries. Statistics can make a strong case for the public library as an important community institution. Please be sure to complete this report on or before the deadline of November 24. Librarians work hard every day for their libraries and their communities, but this is probably the most important thing that can be done for ALL the libraries in the state.

 

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budgetingBoards, Directors Budget for Next Year 

Vermont trustees are meeting overtime this month to translate the past 12 months into next year's budget. What are the trends in computer usage, visits, and circulation? Each library will differ. Statistics collected in 2013 showed Vermont total payroll (salaries and benefits) increasing, while total collection expenditures, utilities and fuel dropped. Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2015 is up 1.7%. Library boards also look to the Vermont Library Association (VLA) for the annual director's recommended minimum salary. The VLA Board voted in 2014 that the Vermont public library director with an MLS or a BA plus VTLIB certification should earn $43,818 ($21.06/hour). In addition to the salary, VLA urges a full benefit package.

 

Many boards and directors have taken advantage of The Budget Primer, a basic webinar on budgeting, presented and now archived by Common Good Vermont. More advice: every board should check in with the local town government to see whether the town manager or select board has issued general guidelines on utilities, insurance, and expenditures. In Vermont, most incorporated and municipal libraries rely on local tax support.

 

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Over one hundred Trustees and Friends traveled to the Summit Lodge in Killington on November 1, where friendly St. Bernards welcomed them to the Vermont Library Association's conference, "Money Matters." State Librarian Martha Reid rallied the group with references to Vermont digital literacy and expanded broadband, as well as national initiatives like the Impact Survey, the LibraryEdge Assessment and the Aspen Institute report Rising to the Challenge: Re-envisioning Public Libraries. VLA officers spoke, including President Toni Josey, Vice President Virgil Fuller and new trustee section leader Howard Burrows.

 

Library supporters can see keynoter Andrew Roskill's presentation on YouTube: http://youtu.be/L0oi0o5MI78. His PowerPoint may be downloaded from the details box. Roskill carried the group through library travails with eBook pricing, suggesting publishers have made it expensive and arduous for libraries to purchase materials. With the library share of the published word decreasing, most publishers ignore the benefits of eBooks provided by local institutions. Roskill proposed that public libraries may still have a role to play in creating content and hosting local author eBooks and curated exhibits on new platforms.

 

Trustees and Friends can download Money Matters conference materials from the Department of Libraries website:

 

Trustee Trivia 2014 (PDF)

Grant Resources for Libraries (PDF)

Get That Grant (PDF)

Decision Tree for Financial Investments (PDF)

Sample Friends Investment Policy (PDF)

Investing Funds Outline (PDF)

 

Every board should download and make copies of the 2014 Trustees Manual, which now includes updated links and the new Vermont Open Meeting Law.

 

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veliIt's About More Than Feelings for VELI Librarians
On November 6, the Department of Libraries (VTLIB) and the Vermont Center for the Book (VCB) held a one-day training conference for Vermont Early Literacy Initiative (VELI) librarians about the importance of healthy social-emotional development in young children (birth through preschool). During the More Than Feelings training librarians learned the key components that affect and shape social-emotional development as they practiced hands-on activities and strategies for using books not only to build language and literacy skills, but to directly support relationships, emotional vocabulary, belonging and self-regulation in young children. Librarians received books and hands-on learning materials for story hours and in-library and outreach programming for families and child-care providers. This training was funded in part by the A.D. Henderson Foundation, VTLIB, and the Vermont Department for Children and Families.

VELI was established in 2010 by VCB and VTLIB. Over the past four years, the program has brought books, hands-on materials, and training in early literacy and preschool mathematics and literacy to 53 Vermont public libraries, as well as providing training, books and materials to families and community child-care providers. Thanks to VELI, librarians have improved the cognitive content of their programming and elevated the traditional story hour into meaningful learning experiences for children while providing engaging resources for parents with outreach to community child-care providers. Now social-emotional development has been added to the VELI "toolbox."

VTLIB and VCB have submitted a pre-proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as part of its 2015 National Leadership Grants for Libraries funding opportunity. If funded, the grant would train and equip 25 Vermont librarians to incorporate STEM learning experiences for preschool children and their families into all aspects of librarian practice, including library-based and community-based programs.

A two-day training for new libraries will be held in Spring 2015. Libraries interested in joining VELI are encouraged to contact Wendy Martin ([email protected]) about joining the team.


colldevtCollection Development Resources Available Online 

The two sessions of the 2014 Collection Development course, a core workshop in the Vermont public librarianship certification program, took place at the Midstate Library Service Center in Berlin and at Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow, in October and November. PDFs of all course materials are available on the Department of Libraries website: http://libraries.vermont.gov/handouts/collectiondevelopment.

 

Each participant completed a project specific to his or her library, analyzing and determining how to update a selected portion of the collection. The reports on these projects may also be viewed online. For more information about the certification program or other continuing education opportunities from the Department of Libraries, visit http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/ce.


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grantSummer Science Grant Programs Successful 

This summer, children (and many of their adults) in 14 communities went to their libraries to learn, make, and play as part of "Vermont Libraries and Makers: Spark a Culture of Innovation," a group of hands-on programs encouraging projects that blend the arts, sciences, and technology. The programs were created as part of a grant funded by the Vermont Community Foundation with additional funding by the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

 

The grant, the brainchild of Susan O'Connell from the Craftsbury Public Library, provided each library with complete programs -- instructors, materials, and curriculum -- in support of the 2014 summer reading program theme: science.

 

The libraries hosted two events each, chosen from:

  • Squishy Circuits
  • E-textiles
  • E-Origami
  • Toy Hacking
  • Creature Creations

The libraries reported that the programs were an overwhelming success. In the words of one library director, "The kids left with smiles and projects that they could be proud of." The libraries look forward to providing more of these opportunities for their communities.

 

Receiving grants were the 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).

 

Grant partners were the Vermont Department of Libraries, Vermont Makers, Vermont Public Library Foundation, UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Champlain Maker Faire, and the Vermont Library Association.

 

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legoLEGO, ALSC Bring Junior Maker Spaces to VT Libraries 

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and LEGO Systems, Inc. partnered together to bring Junior Maker Spaces to libraries across the country. As a result, 15 libraries in Vermont each received a 25-pound box of LEGOs -- over 10,000 pieces.

 

The Junior Maker Librarian Toolkit, created by LEGO and ALSC's Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee, is available to download for free and contains ideas for developing maker programs for children in libraries.

 

kid with pile of legos The lucky recipients were: Mark Skinner Library (Manchester); Royalton Memorial Library; Burnham Memorial Library (Colchester); Lanpher Memorial Library (Hyde Park); Hartland Public Library; Pope Memorial Library (Danville); H.F. Brigham Library (Bakersfield); Cobleigh Public Library (Lyndonville); Essex Free Library; South Burlington Community Library; Bradford Public Library; Kellogg-Hubbard Library (Montpelier); Rutland Free Library; Carpenter-Carse Library (Hinesburg); and Brown Public Library (Northfield).

 

"That is the most amazing box of Legos I have ever seen!" 

 

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storyhack(Story)Hacking the Future of Libraries 

The second annual StoryHackVT was held September 27th and 28th in Burlington. This competitive event is modeled on computer hackathons, but instead of developing software, participants come together to collaborate on a digital storytelling project. The Department of Libraries was among this year's sponsors, and the theme was "Restack: Imagining the Future of Libraries."

 

When the teams arrived in the morning, they were faced with a choice from among these topics:

 

Library as Information Filter

"Imagine you asked a question into your device of choice and everything, absolutely everything that could respond, does. What would that kind of world look like?"

Library Without Walls

"Imagine a town that has a staff of librarians that serve the community daily, but there's no physical library building. How does that work?"

The Digital Divide
"Look at them, using the web for everything. They still talk to their friends online. Don't they know Google hasn't been up to date in like 10 years?" Imagine your world crossing the digital divide.

 

Throughout the 24 hours, the teams were issued challenges to earn extra points. They were asked to include something in their project, such as a late 21st century library card or a picture or video of a student holding so many books they can't open a door, or to post answers to questions on social media: If you wanted to check out ANY one thing from the library, what would it be? List 3 unusual things a library could loan out in the future. What if the library was locked for a year? Would you notice?

 

View the results at: http://storyhackmedia.com/showcase/.

 

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VattemareThe Extraordinary Doings of Nicholas Vattemare

Pity the poor Monsieur and Madame Vattemare. The Vattemares had to flee Paris during the Revolution and settle in Normandy. Their son Nicholas, born in 1796 and a skilled ventriloquist, had been dismissed from a provincial seminary for insubordination (making it appear that disembodied voices were speaking), and eight years later from medical school, again for insubordination (making cadavers speak).

 

In 1815 however, he began an illustrious career as an itinerant actor, playwright, comic and monologist, giving private performances to European royalty including Queen Victoria, the Dauphine of France, and the Tsar, and performed in French, German or English. He brought his one-man show to Prussia, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Czechoslovakia and the British Isles. He corresponded with, or knew personally, Goethe, Pushkin, Walter Scott, Joseph Hume, Horace Mann, Josiah Quincy (founder of Harvard), Roger Brooks Taney, Daniel Webster, and many other notables of his time, including Vermonters Rev. Zadock Thompson and Henry Stevens.

 

His acting career was not only illustrious; it made him a wealthy man. In addition to supporting many charities, he conceived the idea of an international exchange of culture and ideas, spawned by the gaps and duplications he discovered in European libraries (which he sought out while on tour with his show) and later by the dismal state of public libraries in the United States. He tirelessly communicated with libraries and with governments all over the world, and with U.S. state governments -- including Vermont's -- seeking financial assistance for his dream of a global network of exchanges fostering mutual understanding, culture and peace. Moved by the breadth and nobility of his vision, and caught up by his enthusiasm (as were many others, including the U.S. Congress), Vermont invited him to address the chambers of our Legislature in 1847 and he did so on November 5 at 7:00 p.m.

 

Enthusiasm is one thing, and the $200.00 Vermont appropriated that year for the support of the program seemed promising, but anemic financial support compromised and ultimately hastened the demise of the program. Vattemare died in 1864 realizing that his efforts had failed. The reasons were multiple: his personal temperament was suited more for practical jokes and self-promotion than international network organization; his exchanges were sometimes incomplete or of poor quality; his program lacked significant government support after the initial flurry of funding; and the Smithsonian Institution was soon involved in more exchanges than all of Vattemare's combined.

 

Vattemare might take some comfort, however, from his efforts to enlighten and assist France's "beloved young and beautiful American sister;" he helped found the Boston Public Library and is credited with inspiring today's interlibrary loan system. Vestiges of his original program still exist; there are still books to be found in the Vermont State Library which were received as a part of Vattemare's life's work. M. and Mme. Vattemare would be proud.

 

catalog of the NY state library  Bibliotheca Americana  

Above, two of Vattemare's exchanges in the Vermont State Library: on the left, the Catalogue of the New-York State Library (Albany, Van Benthuysen, 1850), and A Dictionary of Books Relating to America from its Discovery to the Present Time, (aka: the "Bibliotheca Americana") (New York, Joseph Sabin, 1868-1936) on the right.  

 

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libsciNew Books in the Library Science Collection at the VT State Library   

These titles may be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

 

Andrew, Paige G. RDA, Resource Description & Access and Cartographic Resources. ALA Editions, 2015.

 

Halsted, Deborah D. Library as Safe Haven: Disaster Planning, Response, and Recovery: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians. ALA Neal-Schuman, 2014.

 

McArdle, Megan M. The Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Blends. ALA Editions, 2015.

 

The Personal Librarian: Enhancing the Student Experience. Richard J. Moniz Jr. and Jean Moats, editors; Joe Eshleman, Valerie Freeman, Jo Henry, and David Jewel, contributors. ALA Editions, 2014.

 

Santamaria, Daniel A. Extensible Processing for Archives and Special Collections: Reducing Processing Backlogs. ALA Neal-Schuman, 2015.

 

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imls