From the State Librarian...   

Linda Lord, State Librarian 

Last session, the Maine State Legislature approved adding a "Maine Public Library Fund" check off to the 2012 state income tax forms. In addition to receiving adequate funding to pay for this addition to the Schedule CP (voluntary check off form) - the cost of which is not yet known, the Fund must raise $10,000 for calendar year 2012 with increasing increments of $3,000 each year until $25,000 is reached in 2017 and succeeding years.

The following is a quote from the law Sec. 1. 27 MRSA Subsection 8

Maine Public Library Fund

"...The fund is administered by the State Librarian. All money deposited in the fund and the earnings on that money remain in the fund to be used to provide grants to free public libraries for use in providing services identified as priority services by the State Librarian..."

Priority will be given to grants that benefit all or a significant number of Maine public libraries (e.g. downloadable books, van delivery, programs that all can attend, special consultant services from which all can benefit; reciprocity agreements among libraries).

Please inform everyone you possibly can about this opportunity. Print bookmarks and a poster on the tax check-off page (right sidebar top); "Like" the Maine Public Library Fund" check off on MSL Facebook!  

All tax check offs are on Schedule CP Voluntary Contributions form. The Maine Public Library Fund will be on line 8 just before the total amount line. Transfer the amount checked off on Schedule CP to line 32 on the long or short form 1040ME.

Maine taxpayers using the I-File system will also see the Maine Public Library Fund on line 8 of the Schedule CP voluntary contributions page.

Kathy Brunjes was born in Brunswick Maine and graduated from Brunswick High School. She received her BS from the University of Southern Maine and her MS in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina.

For the past 13 years, Kathy was the director of library services at the Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. In 2005, she received the Eleanor Cains Distinguished Medical Librarian Award for her work instituting the Maine Humanities Council Literature and Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Healthcare program.

Kathy was appointed to the library commission in 2011 by Governor John Baldacci. She also served on the Central Maine Library District board and chaired the Maine Health Sciences Libraries Consortium (HSLIC) Board and the North Atlantic Health Sciences Libraries Board.

But Kathy wasn't just about libraries. She was passionate about endurance riding, representing the US all over the world- Spain, Abu Dhabi and Malaysia. She served on the board of directors for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), the Youth Sports Committee, the Administration and Finance Working Group, the Endurance High Performance Committee and was the chair of the Endurance Eligible Athletes' Committee. Kathy loved young people and mentored young riders making sure they got a solid start in the sport.

Snapshot 2012 was held during the week of October 15th. One hundred twenty seven libraries of all types participated in this semi-annual event. The breakdown by type of library is: 13 academic, 89 public, 19 school and 6 special libraries. The Maine State Library offers a big Thank You to all the libraries who took the time to be part of Snapshot 2012. We couldn't do this without your involvement.

The total value of the reported activities was $861,051 - imagine how large that number would be if all Maine libraries had participated. During Snapshot week, libraries:

            Welcomed 33,407 people

            Loaned 40,041 books and more

            Helped 9,108 people access the Internet

            Answered 2,946 questions

            Assisted 43 job seekers

            Offered 240 programs for all ages

            Taught computer skills to 693 people

Chris Boynton, Outreach/Special Services Coordinator

Braille books, magazines, and music scores are now available on BARD as Web-Braille files. Visit  https://nlsbard.loc.gov  

Web-Braille files are in contracted braille ASCII format. Each file represents one volume of a braille book or magazine. Each volume of an NLS-produced book is named with the book's BR and volume numbers and has a ".brf" file extension.

BARD Web-Braille files may be downloaded for viewing off-line or for embossing. Reading Web-Braille files requires a braille display, braille-aware notetaker, or braille embosser. In addition, Web-Braille files may be listened to with a player that has text-to-speech capabilities such as a Victor Reader Stream.

If you are not able to use Web-Braille files, you may choose BARD's "audio only" option. To display only audio materials select the Update Account Settings link toward the bottom of the BARD page. Use the combo box next to the language "display format results," to select Audio Only.

Valerie Osborne, Northeastern Maine Library District 

Greetings!

For those of you who follow the podcast Books on the Nightstand, you possibly saw "Two Books I Can't Wait for You to Read."

We decided to compile a list of what we all see as the two books that the Maine library community would rave about if they had the opportunity. These selections aren't necessarily "new" titles. They are two books that the library community want others to pick up. (Note: We encouraged people to stay away from books that are so well known like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hobbit, etc.)

Download the PDF list [152 KB] or list in Excel [33 KB] if you wish to edit it.  

Here is your chance to do some passive readers' advisory!  Why not create a display entitled All Time Favorites from Maine Librarians or some catchy title that will pull patrons to these books.  As the books fly off the display shelf, be sure to replenish it with others from the list.   

A special thanks to all who took part.  Whenever you read something that you would like to share, please feel free to share what you are reading -  What Librarians Are Reading.

Becky Ames, Director of Simpson Memorial Library, Carmel 

If you didn't make it to the Tri-District Council Meeting, at the Augusta Civic Center, on September 27,  you missed a great presentation! Witty, funny and with no holds barred, Warren Graham presented an excellent program on customer service.

Warren has been a security professional for twenty-five years, with the last seventeen spent as Security and Safety Manager for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. After retiring he established the Warren Graham Training and Consulting Company.

His customer service expertise was clear. Warren had Nineteen Customer Service Points, and no, he didn't pass out notes, we had to take our own. Warren believes you remember his points better if you write them down, as opposed to being given them. Clearly, a man who has put a lot of thought into his presentation, Warren's points were simplistic and logical. I think of them as Warren-isms. Some of them were common courtesy like Point #1. "Use Please, Thank you and You're Welcome," or #2, "Greet people pleasantly and look at them while you greet them." I especially liked #3. "Recognize when to leave people alone." Some people just like to come in and browse. Another good one was #4. "Ask them if they need help before they ask you." As Warren put it, "It helps to ID bad people. It's a big deterrent to "people doing bad things." I think of it as knowing who came through the door.

I believe Warren's best story was of his co-worker, "Mary." He changed her name for reasons librarians will understand. "Mary's" "over-reaction" to being touched on the arm by an elderly gentleman as he thanked her for finding the information he needed was funny. Not for Warren however, as they all ended up in the Administrator's office. How many of us have thought about whether we are suited for our jobs. It's certainly something to think about.

The afternoon session was equally as good. Warren spoke on library security. One point made was, "The teen area is for teens, not adults." I have found this one to be true, "Libraries that have patrons doing something, instead of letting patrons hang out, have less trouble."

The question and answer session at the end of the day covered a lot of information. It was interesting to hear what other libraries were dealing with and their concerns. I thought Warren's responses to the questions were very helpful.

Warren had some really, really good points. While I'm not going to list them all, I can say Warren's presentation did make an impression on me and made me think of how I was doing my job. I do greet my patrons, but did I look at them and acknowledge them each time? Am I a "pointer" or a "walker," when it comes to giving folks directions to materials they need? Am I "professional" with my patrons? How will I present Warren's Nineteen Points to my staff of volunteers?

I would like to thank the District Consultants for bringing Warren Graham to Maine. I know the program was a benefit for my library and I hope other librarians enjoyed his presentation as much as I did.

The Maine State Library is holding a number of regional meetings on the topic of digital literacy. These three-hour workshops, presented by Janet McKenney and Jared Leadbetter, will be held at several locations throughout the state so that every library will have a chance to participate. Check the December calendar for a workshop closest to you!

Digital Literacy

Upcoming Events

ALA (American Library Association) Mid-Winter Conference 

Upcoming CE

Coming in the spring: Two virtual classroom continuing education events: "Be a Great Boss" and "Being Indispensable: A School Librarian's Guide to Becoming and Invaluable Leader."

Look for announcements on MELIBs and MEINFO and register on the statewide CE calendar.

What's Everybody Reading these Days