Department of Libraries Newsletter

In This Issue

Introducing Project MERGE

IRS Filing Required for Libraries

Digitizing Vermont's Historic Newspapers

Vermont Library Substitute Pool

Vermont Online Survey Goes Out to Libraries

Linda Braun: Cutting Edge Technology

Public WiFi Access @ Midstate Library

Winnie Belle Learned Grants Awarded

A Wet and Wild Summer at Vermont Libraries

Banned Books Week Scheduled

Celebrate Teen Read Week

Vermont Girl Honored In National Writers Contest

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Save the Date for Friends

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September 21, 1:45 - 3:45 p.m.
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October 2, 2010
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Fall Conference
Nov. 6, 2010
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VT Library Association
VT School Library Assoc
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From the Vermont State Librarian MartaReidVTStateLibrarian

This month residents of Peacham observed the bicentennial of their public library -- 200 years of library service in this small town is really something to celebrate! To mark the occasion, the Peacham Library asked me to speak on "The Role of the Rural Library in the Technological Age." As you might guess, this is a topic that is on my mind daily and I was glad for the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas. Part of what I had to say was informed by Michael Gorman's book Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century in which he poses some provocative questions:Read more

Introducing Project MERGE

MERGE team at kickoff meeting

Over the coming year the Department of Libraries will merge the book collection currently housed at the recently closed Northeast Regional Library (NERL) with our other library collections in Berlin and Montpelier. Each month we will provide an update on this project in the DOL newsletter. Assistant State Librarian Christine Friese is managing this project and she called together the MERGE team for a Project Kickoff in July. Read more

IRS Filing Required for Libraries

Did you know that organizations that are recognized by the IRS as non-profit (501(c)(3)) must file a tax return with the federal government? Normally this return should be filed by the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of your organization's accounting period (fiscal year). Thus, for a calendar year accounting period, Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF or 990-N is due to IRS by May 15 of the following year. Read more.

Digitizing Vermont's Historic Newspapers

Chris Kirby, Senator Leahy, Lorraine Lanius, and Birdie MacLennan

Lorraine Lanius, Head of the Technical Services Department at DOL, Birdie MacLennan from UVM's Bailey Howe Library and Chris Kirby from the Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury attended the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) Conference at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., during the first week of August. The NDNP is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LC) with the goal of providing an online searchable database of selected digitized U.S. historic newspapers. Vermont was recently awarded a $390,000 NEH grant to digitize up to 100,000 pages of historic Vermont newspapers. Once digitized, these newspapers will be searchable at the "Chronicling America: American Historic Newspapers" website: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ The digitized Vermont newspapers will be available within the next two years. While in Washington, D.C., the Vermont delegation met with representatives from other state projects and also with Senator Patrick Leahy.

Vermont Library Substitute Pool

Vermont libraries are small and staffing can sometimes be a challenge, and that is the reason that the Vermont Library Association has launched a new program called the "Vermont Library Substitute Pool." Participants offer their library skills to libraries in need of a substitute or temp in this win/win program that will help keep library doors open and services running smoothly when a librarian is away due to illness, vacation or professional development. It offers participating librarians opportunities to work temporarily in a different library setting. Each participating library may request a list of "substitute" candidates. If your library is interested in participating in the Substitute Pool program, please contact Helen Linda at Helen.R.Linda@gmail.com / 802-322-1602. To add your name to the candidates' list or to learn more, go to: http://www.vermontlibraries.org/vlspform

Vermont Online Survey Goes Out to Libraries

Linda Braun: Cutting Edge Technology

Linda Braun teaching course to Vermont Librarians

Public WiFi Access @ Midstate Library

It's official! The Midstate Library Service Center (formerly known as the Midstate Regional Library) is now equipped with a public wireless internet signal. In the first week of service, two separate groups using the meeting room gave us rave reviews. This service is the same as that which DOL inaugurated last year at the State Library in Montpelier, using State of Vermont networking services and WiFi services provided by Summit Technologies. It's a simple process to connect any wireless device that uses an internet browser: users just log on with a personal email address and then read and accept the use policy. No need for user name and password. DOL hopes that this service will be of benefit to anyone using the Midstate facility for meetings. DOL also looks forward to expanding training offerings through the use of this convenient, open WiFi network.

Grace W. Greene, Dr. B. Rawson, and Penny

Winnie Belle Learned Grants Awarded

The Vermont Public Library Foundation (VPLF) recently awarded grants from the Winnie Belle Learned Fund to fifteen public libraries to support youth services. These grants are made possible by Dr. Burnett Rawson of Essex Junction who set up this special fund in honor of his benefactress Winnie Belle Learned, a Vermont educator. The fund's goal is to help libraries in Vermont foster literacy, love of learning, critical analysis, and intellectual exploration in their communities among children and teens. This summer the VPLF awarded $18,225 on a competitive basis in grants ranging from $250 to $2,500. Project topics included collection improvement, a program designed to attract boys to the library, and purchase of music DVDs to enhance storytime programs. A list of grantees is available at http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/vplf/vplfawardedround12010.pdf

A Wet and Wild Summer at Vermont Libraries

Banned Books Week Scheduled for September

Sponsored by the American Library Association and a coalition of other organizations, Banned Books Week is September 25 to October 2, 2010. This is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the First Amendment. Many Vermont libraries have participated in Banned Books Week over the years "to bring attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting challenges to books across the United States." This year's theme is "Think for Yourself and Let Others Do the Same."

The American Library Association has issued a list of books challenged in 2009-2010. Once again the list includes classics To Kill a Mockingbird and Anne Frank: the Diary of Young Girl and the picture book And Tango Makes Three. To see the complete list and other downloadable materials, go to: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/free_downloads/2010banned.pdf

Banned Books Week materials can be purchased from the ALA store at: http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=269

Celebrate Teen Read Week, October 17-23,2010

The theme for this year's Teen Read Week is "Books with Beat @ your library®." Sponsored annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association, Teen Read Week was started in 1998 as a way to promote recreational reading and the love of books for young adults. This year the music theme is aimed at promoting audio books, books about music, and listening to music.
Looking for program and planning ideas and Teen Week materials? Go to: www.ala.org/teenread

Vermont Girl Honored In National Writers Contest

What are Vermonters reading this summer? This month we asked several Vermont leaders, both in and out of state government, to recommend books they have been reading. Here is what they had to say:

Governor Jim Douglas is reading The Unknown Rockwell: a Portrait of Two American Families by James A. "Buddy" Edgerton and Nan O'Brien. In his comments about the book, Governor Douglas said, "For so many Norman Rockwell captured the essence of American life. The Unknown Rockwell is a fascinating glimpse into his life right here in our state and region." The book provides a first person account of two families who came from different ends of the economic spectrum but shared a love of family and friendship. Read more

ONLY COMPLETE ARTICLES BEYOND THIS POINT

From the Vermont State Librarian

Do books, libraries and librarians have a future?
In the new "digital library," what happens to the books? What happens to reading?
How do we maintain stewardship of the human record in the 21st century?
What is the meaning of literacy and learning?

In today's world where Kindles, iPods, Google, blogs, Twitter, Digital Rights Management and a whole host of emerging technologies revolutionize how libraries do business, the library's "brand" is still the book. There is no question that 21st century libraries will continue to support reading and literacy, including early learning, functional literacy, and digital literacy. But how will we be delivering these services in the next 10-20 years? At the American Library Association conference in June I attended the program "Libraries: Wanted Dead or Alive?" presented by Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer of the DOK Library Concept Center in Delft, Netherlands, the "coolest library in the world." He dazzled his audience with his multi-media presentation and challenged us to think about how to use current and emerging technologies to meet the needs of our communities. His vision is revolutionary. His verdict is that libraries that don't change and innovate will not survive. Here's what one blogger reported: http://librarywebhead.blogspot.com/2010/06/libraries-wanted-dead-or-alive-notes.html

Current library literature is full of articles exploring what it means to be a library in the 21st century. For readers who want a place to start, here are two articles of interest:

Ralph Raab, "Books and Literacy in the Digital Age" (American Libraries, August 2010)

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/features/07132010/books-and-literacy-digital-age

Tom Peters, "The Future of Reading" (Library Journal, November 1, 2009) http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6703852.html

I'm grateful to the Peacham Library for their invitation to speak - and to audience members for their questions and spirited comments. What is the future of Vermont's rural libraries in the 21st Century? It's a question we should all be talking about and I am glad to bring this discussion to other Vermont libraries. Just send me an invitation.

Martha Reid

Introducing Project MERGE

Over the coming year DOL will merge the book collection currently housed at the recently closed Northeast Regional Library (NERL) with our other library collections in Berlin and Montpelier. Each month we will provide an update on this project in the DOL newsletter.

Assistant State Librarian Christine Friese is managing this project and she called together the MERGE team for a Project Kickoff in July. Jeremiah Kellogg, Regional Librarian at Midstate Library Service Center (MLSC) in Berlin (formerly the Midstate Regional Library) is serving as Project Lead and will be assisted by Northeast Regional Librarian, Michael Roche. The Project Committee includes additional DOL staff and representatives from other state departments, including the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services.

One necessary component of this project is reviewing and weeding three separate book collections, identifying duplicate copies, obsolete items and books in poor condition. Weeding of the MLSC collection (to make room for materials from NERL) is now underway. Once the MLSC weeding is completed the review of the NERL collection will begin. At the same time DOL staff members are weeding the book collection at the State Library in Montpelier to make room for the overflow collection.

When weeding at MLSC is finished, DOL will re-open that facility to school and public librarians. Details on all of these activities will be posted in the September newsletter. Questions concerning the project? Please contact Christine Friese at christine.friese@state.vt.us /802-828-2714.
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IRS Filing Required for Libraries

1. Small Organizations with Gross Receipts Less Than $25,000

Organizations that have gross receipts of $25,000 or less must file a very short tax return. A number of small Vermont libraries and Friends groups are in danger of losing their 501(c)(3) IRS recognition because they have not filed this required annual informational return. This is a tax return, of sorts, but there is no tax to be paid. The IRS simply needs to verify the continuing status of the organization. In particular, they want to have current contact information and verification that the gross receipts are $25,000 or less.

The following information is taken from the IRS website,

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=169250,00.html

"Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations - Form 990-N (e-Postcard).
Small tax-exempt organizations whose annual gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less may be required to electronically submit Form 990-N, also known as the e-Postcard, unless they choose to file a complete Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.

If you do not file your e-Postcard on time, the IRS will send you a reminder notice but you will not be assessed a penalty for late filing the e-Postcard. However, an organization that fails to file required e-Postcards (or information returns - Forms 990 or 990-EZ) for three consecutive years will automatically lose its tax-exempt status. The revocation of the organization's tax-exempt status will not take place until the filing due date of the third year.

Due Date of the e-Postcard:
The e-Postcard is due every year by the 15th day of the 5th month after the close of your tax year. For example, if your tax year ended on December 31, the e-Postcard is due May 15 of the following year. You cannot file the e-Postcard until after your tax year ends."

File the 990-N postcard at this site:

http://epostcard.form990.org/

Have the following information ready before you begin:

Your organization's Employer Identification Number (EIN). This number is sometimes referred to as a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). This is the same number you would have used when you applied for Federal tax-exempt status. An EIN consists of 9 digits and the format of the number is NN-NNNNNNN (for example: 00-1234567).
Your organization's legal name
Any other names your organization uses to do business (DBA name)
Be able to answer the following questions:
Has your organization terminated or gone out of business?
Are your gross receipts normally $25,000 or less?
The organization's mailing address (or P.O. box), city, state and zip code
Your organization's website address (if you have one)
The name and address of one of your organization's principal officers.

If this is the first time you have filed at this website, you will have to create a User ID. Make note of this and keep it in an accessible location so that in subsequent years, your successors will have this information available.

Libraries and Friends groups can fill out this simple form in just a few minutes. Remember: if you do not complete this annually, your organization may lose its IRS recognition. More information is available at:

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=169250,00.html

2. "Supporting Organizations" or Organizations with Gross Receipts Over $25,000

Organizations that have listed themselves as "supporting organizations" and those that have gross receipts in excess of $25,000 but less than $500,000 and which have total assets less than $1,250,000 may file a form 990EZ. A completed Schedule A, or any other required schedules, should accompany the 990EZ. You may file this electronically and at no cost at the Urban Institute website: http://efile.form990.org/ Click on the link "Create new return."

If you have failed to file a 990EZ in past years, you may be subject to penalties, called "compliance fees." and will have to submit some additional information. Please see this article on the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=225704,00.html

Any organization with receipts of $500,000 or more must complete the full Form 990 and any required schedules. These organizations may file online at http://efile.form990.org/ .

3. Be sure to comply. If you have missed the filing in past years, you may correct this oversight by filing this year, but you must do so before October 15, 2010. Any organization that has not filed the appropriate form for 3 consecutive years will automatically lose their (501(c)(3) designation.

For more information, check out the IRS website:

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=218938,00.html

You may also want to read this article:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=222668,00.html