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New Books in the Library Science Collection @ the State Library
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 From the State Librarian
April is the month when librarians, library trustees, school administrators and citizens of all ages celebrate libraries during National Library Week and School Library Month. On April 15, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a proclamation for National Library Week that recognizes libraries as the "heart of their communities" and librarians as "trained, tech-savvy professionals." Walk into any library in Vermont, and you will encounter a wide range of services and resources: public access computers and WiFi, e-books and subscription databases, reference service, classes for students, programs for folks of all ages, librarians ready to help - and, of course, thousands of books. Read more
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129K Historical VT Newspaper Pages
Now Freely Available
All of the titles digitized under Phase I (2010-2012) of the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project are now online at Chronicling America. Nearly 130,000 historical Vermont newspaper pages can be searched or browsed on the website. One can search all of Vermont's titles or individual titles using a simple keyword search. Since the pages can be accessed for free from any computer connected to the internet, this literally puts Vermont's history at your fingertips. Chronicling America now boasts titles from all over the state, including Bennington, St. Johnsbury, Middlebury, Brattleboro, Burlington, St. Albans, Newport, Rutland, Woodstock, and Montpelier. Read more
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VT Librarians Noticed Nationally, Locally
Congratulations to Amber Hunt of the Marlboro College Library and Lydia Willoughby of Vermont Technical College Library for being named Movers & Shakers of 2013 by Library Journal in its March 15 issue. Amber was cited for her leadership in adoption of open-source software. Lydia was cited for a number of advocacy and outreach activities including the founding of Rural Librarians Unite. Amber and Lydia join Vermonters Stephanie Chase, Meredith Farkas, Trina Magi, and Jessamyn West, who were dubbed Movers & Shakers in previous years.
Congratulations also to Beverly Major of Westminster West Public Library, who was recognized with her husband, Randy, by the State Legislature, for years of service to the community and the state. The award was presented as a surprise at Westminster Town Meeting, and an article on the award appeared in the Brattleboro Reformer.
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Moretown Educators Travel to Fairytale Lands
Meg Allison, the school librarian, and Pam Dow, the first and second grade teacher at the Moretown Elementary School are going to have an enchanted two weeks this summer as they tour Paris, the Loire Valley, Tuscany, Florence and Venice. And, they got a grant to do it. The grant was written to give Meg and Pam the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds, tastes, and landscapes of the medieval and Renaissance-inspired fairy tale. They wove in everything from Charles Perrault (from Paris) to Collodi's Pinocchio (from Tuscany). Read more
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DCF Book Award 2013-14 List,
Materials Available
 The Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) Book Award committee selected a new master list of 30 books for the 2013-14 school year at an all day meeting filled with lively discussion and passionate opinions. The list is posted on both the DCF website (www.dcfaward.org) and the Department of Libraries' (VTLIB) website: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/cbec/dcf. In addition, there is a checklist on the VTLIB website that students can use to keep track of the books as they read them. Read more
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GMBA Announces New Website, List,
Committee Openings
Thanks to Sue Monmaney, librarian at Montpelier High School, the Green Mountain Book Award (GMBA) has a brand new website. Designed for both educators and students, the website is: https://sites.google.com/site/greenmountainbookaward/. And, for the first time, students can vote online themselves, instead of going through their teacher or librarian. The deadline for voting for the 2012-2013 list is May 31. Read more
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Center for Cartoon Studies Donates
Teen Scholarship
 For the fifth year in a row, the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction has donated a full scholarship to the Department of Libraries so a Vermont teen can attend their one week workshop, "Create Comics," this summer. This full scholarship, worth $900, includes the workshop, supplies, morning and afternoon snacks, lunch and evening student activities. Lodging is not included, but there is a very inexpensive hostel option at the nearby Hotel Coolidge. Any Vermont student age 16 or older (must be 16 years old by June 1, 2013) is eligible. The workshop will take place in White River Junction on July 8-12, 2013. Read more |
Movies for the Blind in Local Libraries
Believe it or not, there are movies intended for use by persons who are blind or have low-vision. And chances are some of these are already in the local public library.
Audio-described videos are films containing additional audio describing important visual aspects of the movie. In the quiet intervals between lines of dialog, the "viewer" will hear a description of a facial expression, or an explanation of what caused a loud boom. In Spiderman, for example, the audience sees what no on-screen character does, that a radioactive spider has bitten Peter Parker. By way of the audio description, a person who is blind learns that this has happened. The video containing the audio description shows the original film, so sighted viewers can enjoy the film along with those with low vision. Sighted viewers of audio described movies say they actually learned more information about the film than they would have without the added audio. Also, the sighted viewer does not need to explain things to the non-sighted viewer. No special equipment is required; the video plays on a regular DVD player. Read more
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ONLY COMPLETE ARTICLES BEYOND THIS POINT
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From the Vermont State Librarian
April is the month when librarians, library trustees, school administrators and citizens of all ages celebrate libraries during National Library Week and School Library Month. On April 15, Governor Peter Shumlin signed a proclamation for National Library Week that recognizes libraries as the "heart of their communities" and librarians as "trained, tech-savvy professionals." Walk into any library in Vermont, and you will encounter a wide range of services and resources: public access computers and WiFi, e-books and subscription databases, reference service, classes for students, programs for folks of all ages, librarians ready to help - and, of course, thousands of books.
It's those books that I am thinking about today as I write this column, because browsing for good books to read is still the main reason why I visit my local public library. That will come as no surprise to most of you readers - books are still the "brand" of libraries and the New Book Shelf is the first destination for many library visitors. Yes, I own an iPad and I purchase e-books and enjoy reading them. And yes I love bookstores. And yes I value the broad mission of 21st century libraries which goes far beyond books. But one thing that I love about libraries - and have always loved about libraries, is the opportunity they offer for book browsers like me. From the first library I remember (the public library in Green Springs, Ohio) to my wonderful high school library (and the amazing Cleveland Public Library which I used as a teenager), to the academic libraries I used in college and graduate school, to the many public libraries I have worked in, to my local public library in South Burlington, I have been a browser of the stacks. And I thank the librarians along the way who have made those books available to me - the old dusty primary sources of European history, the complete sets of titles in all those mystery series, the rich collections of essays that I stumbled across in the 800s, the off-beat travel memoirs, the how-to section when I helped build a house, literary fiction (along with junky beach reads) and so much more. It's hard to imagine what my life would be like without the ability to read - and without free access to books (and the freedom to browse) at our nation's libraries. It's safe to say, for starters, that I would be less informed, less worldly, and poorer in spirit.
For the first time in my career as a librarian, and with a good bit of irony considering my job title, I do not actually work in a library. Nor do I have much time to read book reviews. Like many of my fellow library users, I rely on librarians to select a wide range of books on a variety of subjects to make browsing a real pleasure: introducing me to new authors, stimulating my curiosity, satisfying my longing for good writing and for learning, and giving me the delight that comes with discovery. And because I am a librarian and love to share with others the good books I find, here are two titles I am currently reading (and enjoying) that I found during a recent browsing expedition at my local library's New Book Shelf: The Forgotten River: a Modern Tale of Survival, Identity, and the Inquisition, by Doreen Carvajal, and The Lost Carving: a Journey to the Heart of Making, by David Esterly. My browsing was a success because I was introduced to two terrific books I would most likely never have encountered (except, perhaps, at another library). Sure, I went to the library carrying my ever-growing wish list of selected books that I want to read - and I took some of those books home, too. But did I go to the library looking for something to read about the Spanish Inquisition or the legacy of a 17th century wood carver? No. These are just two delicious examples of what browsing at a library have uncovered for me. Now if you librarians out there could just figure out a way to produce a library card that gives me more than 24 hours in a day, I would be very happy indeed. We all know the mantra: so many books, so little time.
Happy browsing - and reading!
Martha Reid
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129K Historical VT Newspaper Pages Now Freely Available
All of the titles digitized under Phase I (2010-2012) of the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project are now online at Chronicling America. Nearly 130,000 historical Vermont newspaper pages can be searched or browsed on the website. One can search all of Vermont's titles or individual titles using a simple keyword search. Since the pages can be accessed for free from any computer connected to the internet, this literally puts Vermont's history at your fingertips. Chronicling America now boasts titles from all over the state, including Bennington, St. Johnsbury, Middlebury, Brattleboro, Burlington, St. Albans, Newport, Rutland, Woodstock, and Montpelier.
These Vermont titles are just a fraction of the more than six million pages of freely available, keyword-searchable historical American newspapers on Chronicling America. The standards used to digitize and archive these six million-plus pages ensure that they will be preserved for decades to come. This tremendous archive of American history "as it happened" has the backing of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and will be with us for the foreseeable future.
Erenst Anip joins the VTDNP as Project Librarian, replacing Tom McMurdo, who departed for VTLIB in November 2012. Erenst brings a wealth of newspaper digitization experience to the VTDNP as the former Project Manager of the Hawaii Digital Newspaper Project. Erenst served as Social Media Lead for the UH Manoa Library, and will bring a positive new dimension to the VTDNP. Erenst was Co-Director of the Language Documentation Training Center and taught in the Indonesian Language Program at UH Manoa. Erenst earned his MLIS from the University of Hawaii.
Erenst is a welcome addition to the VTDNP who will preside over the digitization of some of Vermont's most interesting historical newspapers in Phase II of the project. Included on the list for titles to be digitized in the upcoming months are the Cronaca Sovversiva and Le Patriote Canadien. The Cronaca Sovversiva was a turn of the twentieth century Barre anarchist newspaper in Italian. Le Patriote Canadien was a French-Canadian revolutionary newspaper published in Burlington in 1839-40. Le Patriote Canadien was the first French-language newspaper in New England. It was published in English and French. These augment a great selection of English-language Vermont titles from the 19th and early-20th century.
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Moretown Educators Travel to Fairytale Lands
Meg Allison, the school librarian, and Pam Dow, the first and second grade teacher at the Moretown Elementary School are going to have an enchanted two weeks this summer as they tour Paris, the Loire Valley, Tuscany, Florence and Venice. And, they got a grant to do it. The grant was written to give Meg and Pam the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds, tastes, and landscapes of the medieval and Renaissance-inspired fairy tale. They wove in everything from Charles Perrault (from Paris) to Collodi's Pinocchio (from Tuscany).
The grant is through The Rural School and Community Trust, 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."
Meg and Pam will be working together all next year "to bring the wonder and magic, the science and the stories, of fairy tales to their students," says Meg. They expect to immerse the first and second graders and maybe the whole school into the fairytale world.
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DCF Book Award 2013-14 List, Materials Available
The Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) Book Award committee selected a new master list of 30 books for the 2013-14 school year at an all day meeting filled with lively discussion and passionate opinions. The list is posted on both the DCF website (www.dcfaward.org) and the Department of Libraries' (VTLIB) website: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/cbec/dcf. In addition, there is a checklist on the VTLIB website that students can use to keep track of the books as they read them.
To help teachers and librarians plan and run their DCF programs, VTLIB staff and the DCF committee create and distribute many support materials. DCF bookmarks with the list of the 30 books nominated for 2013-14 will be available at the DCF Conference on May 3, the Dynamic Landscapes Conference on May 16, the Vermont Library Association Conference on May 21 and the DCF ceremony. In addition, there is a template for the bookmarks on the VTLIB website above. A booklet of reviews and discussion questions for each book will also be available at those conferences and then on the VTLIB website. Librarians and teachers may also request spine labels, stickers for the winning books and posters from April Kelley at april.kelley@state.vt.us. All of these materials are free of charge, thanks to the Friends of DCF.
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GMBA Announces New Website, List, Committee Openings
Thanks to Sue Monmaney, librarian at Montpelier High School, the Green Mountain Book Award (GMBA) has a brand new website. Designed for both educators and students, the website is: https://sites.google.com/site/greenmountainbookaward/. And, for the first time, students can vote online themselves, instead of going through their teacher or librarian. The deadline for voting for the 2012-2013 list is May 31.
The GMBA committee selected their new master list in March, fifteen great books for teens (grades 9-12), for the 2013-14 school year. It is posted here: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/gmba and on the site above. The new website has a link to a GMBA Goodreads group, information about the books and authors, and how to connect with other GMBA fans on social networking sites.
For the upcoming year there will be three openings for adults and two openings for students on the GMBA committee. This is a great opportunity for someone who loves to read books for teens to meet with others with the same passion for bringing books and teens together. Anyone interested in applying should email a letter of interest, a resume and two reviews of young adult books of their choice, one positive and one negative, to Grace Greene (grace.greene@state.vt.us ) by June 1. Please see the website for more information.
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Center for Cartoon Studies Donates Teen Scholarship
For the fifth year in a row, the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction has donated a full scholarship to the Department of Libraries so a Vermont teen can attend their one week workshop, "Create Comics," this summer. This full scholarship, worth $900, includes the workshop, supplies, morning and afternoon snacks, lunch and evening student activities. Lodging is not included, but there is a very inexpensive hostel option at the nearby Hotel Coolidge. Any Vermont student age 16 or older (must be 16 years old by June 1, 2013) is eligible. The workshop will take place in White River Junction on July 8-12, 2013.
Vermont teens interested in the scholarship should apply through their local school or public library. The only entry requirements are: (1) that the student is at least 16 years old, and (2) the applicant has the ability to attend the entire workshop in July. The contest will be conducted through the library (school or public) and librarians will be responsible for sending in the entry forms to the Department of Libraries (VTLIB) by April 26, 2013. VTLIB will hold a drawing and will let the winning student's librarian know the results.
Entry forms are available for download at: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/cbec/ccs. For more information about the workshop and the Center for Cartoon Studies, please visit: www.cartoonstudies.org.
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Movies for the Blind in Local Libraries
Believe it or not, there are movies intended for use by persons who are blind or have low-vision. And chances are some of these are already in the local public library.
Audio-described videos are films containing additional audio describing important visual aspects of the movie. In the quiet intervals between lines of dialog, the "viewer" will hear a description of a facial expression, or an explanation of what caused a loud boom. In Spiderman, for example, the audience sees what no on-screen character does, that a radioactive spider has bitten Peter Parker. By way of the audio description, a person who is blind learns that this has happened. The video containing the audio description shows the original film, so sighted viewers can enjoy the film along with those with low vision. Sighted viewers of audio described movies say they actually learned more information about the film than they would have without the added audio. Also, the sighted viewer does not need to explain things to the non-sighted viewer. No special equipment is required; the video plays on a regular DVD player.
Audio-description has been around for a number of years, but only now are these videos becoming widely available. In 2012, 86 described videos were released commercially. So far in 2013, films such as Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty have been released with audio description. All of Sony's videos are now being released with audio description, but none of Warner Bros.' videos have it. Audio description is sometimes listed on the box, and sometimes not. Besides "audio description," the feature might be called "DVS (described video service)" or "English description." Cataloging records may list "Video recordings for people with visual disabilities" as a Genre/Form, and may include "Audio described" as a Language note, or possibly "Audio Described English" in the Details field.The audio description feature is turned on by accessing the audio menu, just as subtitles or director's commentary is turned on or off. The aggravating thing about DVDs is that the audio menu is visual and not consistent from one DVD to another. This means a blind viewer often needs the assistance of a sighted person to turn the audio description on.
The increasing number of home videos being released with audio description makes it very likely that a library that has purchased new videos in the past couple of years has some audio described videos in its collection. Movie night at the local library could prove even more accessible if the audio description feature was to be turned on for the show.
Audio description is a particular mission of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), and a list of audio described videos can be found on its web site, http://www.acb.org/adp/index.html. The local ACB affiliate, the Vermont Council of the Blind, is active in this mission as well, and has purchased the described videos currently in the collection of the Department of Libraries, Special Services Unit.
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New in the Library Science Collection
These titles may be borrowed from the State Library.
Blended Learning Guide. Dublin, OH : WebJunction : OCLC, 2007.
Farney, Tabatha. Web Analytics Strategies for Information Professionals: a LITA Guide. Chicago : ALA TechSource, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.
Kennedy, Marie R. Marketing Your Library's Electronic Resources: a How-to-do-it Manual for Librarians. Chicago : Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.
Schull, Diantha Dow. 50+ Library Services: Innovation in Action. Chicago : ALA Editions, an imprint of the American Library Association, 2013.
Staff Development: a Practical Guide. Chicago : American Library Association, 2013.
The Joy of Computing: a Cookbook for Small and Rural Libraries. United States : MaintainIT Project, 2007.
Toward Equality of Access: the Role of Public Libraries in Addressing the Digital Divide. Seattle, WA: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2004.
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