- Metrowest Marketing & Branding Project
- Save Gas, Take classes online
- MassCat Update
- Continuing Education Registration – Up Close and Personal
- Director Essentials
- MARLS Coop Extended for FY09
- Getting WILD at the Library!
- Fun Facts
- Youth Services Librarians live it up with math, games and a special guest at MLA 2008!
- Greetings from the Reference Department at the Newton Free Library
- From The Bookshelf
- Summer Workshops
Metrowest Marketing & Branding Project
by
Sunny Vandermark
At the end of March the Metrowest PR & Marketing Committee (Katie Baxter, Noble and Greenough School; Charlotte Canelli, Dover Town Library; Jeff Cramer, Thoreau Institute; Dee Magnoni, Olin College; Bobbie Myles, Lincoln Public Library; Diane Wallace, Bacon Free Library; and Sarah Sogigian, Sunny Vandermark and Judy Zomer, Metrowest staff Liaisons) issued an RFP for a marketing firm to assist us with our marketing and branding project. Two proposals were received. Committee members reviewed both, discussed them in depth and selected Extra Mile Design as our marketing firm.
Metrowest’s recently adopted strategic plan places significant emphasis on raising visibility for Metrowest and its member libraries. Our strategic planning envisions that this project will result in objectives including: maximize member use of Metrowest services; define and promote the unique role of Metrowest; increase visibility for members through the Region’s presence; increase brand awareness for Metrowest; and increase opportunities for collaboration with other Metrowest area organizations.
Two focus groups, held on June 2, had representatives from all types of member libraries. Input from the participants and from members of the PR & Marketing Committee will inform the work of the marketing firm. We anticipate presenting our new logo and other materials at our upcoming Annual Council of Members meeting on November 12. There might be previews along the way!
Save Gas, Take classes online
by
Rita Gavelis
Yes, that’s right. With gas reaching $4.00 a gallon, you may have wondered how you can afford to participate in continuing education classes. Well, guess what? You can stop worrying. Metrowest has purchased coupons for WebJunction, a library cooperative dedicated to providing training to librarians throughout the country. With our coupons, you can take classes online, at your convenience, in a broad range of topics. From basic computing to business and management skills, WebJunction has classes for you.
To view a list of courses available through WebJunction, go to http://www.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=442
If you find a course you like, simply register, add the course to your shopping cart. Go to checkout and use our coupon code. This will take care of any enrollment fees associated with the course.
For more information and a coupon, contact Rita Gavelis at the Metrowest Office.
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MassCat Update
by
Rita Gavelis
As many of you know, MassCat is embracing the Open Source movement. On July 1, MassCat will adopt a new integrated library system, Koha. In the new system, MassCat members have an Opac and the option to have Circulation, Cataloging, and Acquisitions module. Yes, this is a fully integrated library system.
Currently, all the library holdings for our MassCat members is being migrated to the new system. We hope to have everything uploaded in June. We will keep you posted on any developments.
In the meantime, MassCat will be creating committees to cover the various modules associated with the new system, i.e. a Circulation Committee, Acquisitions Committee, and Cataloging Committees. These groups will be working on policies, as well as testing out the system. If you are interested in participating in any of these committees, please contact Rita Gavelis at the Metrowest Office, or Nora Blake at MassCat.
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Continuing Education Registration – Up Close and Personal
by
Rita Gavelis
If you have registered for one of our workshops recently, you may have noticed a change in our registration form. We now use Advanced EventKeeper Registration, provided by Plymouth Rocket.
With Advanced EK Registration, you have the ability to create an account and keep track of all the classes you are taking with Metrowest.
The advantage of this is you can view a history of all the workshops you attended. You can cancel your registrations without having to call the Metrowest office. You will also receive automatic reminders of classes.
To create an account, you simply register for a class and create a password. As long as you use the same email address when registering for workshops, you will be able to see every class you have enrolled in.
This is a great feature which not only allows you to manage your own account, but frees up a great deal of Metrowest Staff time, so we can work on other projects to benefit you.
If you have any questions regarding the new registration form, you can view instructions on our CE page at: http://www.mmrls.org/ce.html
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Director Essentials
by
Sunny Vandermark
Approximately 65 people gathered at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on May 20 for a full day Director Essentials workshop. The workshop was for new library directors—those with 2 years or less in their current job—from all types of libraries.
What is Director Essentials? Director Essentials is a two year federally funded LSTA grant awarded by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to provide this workshop and ultimately a website for Massachusetts Directors in all library types.
The workshop offered a number of speakers on essential topics for new directors to consider. Nancy Hunter Denney introduced her style of leadership called Zing! Zing is an approach to influencing others and how influential librarians are. Krista McLeod (Nevins Memorial Library, Methuen) and Susan Watkins (Nease Library, Eastern Nazarene College) offered practical advice on leadership, advocacy and managing change. One interesting observation made was that as a new director, the director is change!
Cheryl Bryan (SEMLS) gave a brief overview of the wiki that is the precursor of the Director Essentials website. There are a number of hot links to topics of interest to directors. The Director Essentials advisory committee, with input from directors across the state, will continue to develop the wiki into a portal to numerous resources.
Cindy Roach wrote three case studies that participants discussed as a way to consider how to handle different personnel issues. Following lunch there were two sessions of table talks on such topics as budgeting, statistics, grants, time management, board relations, assessment and accreditation. Notes from the case study discussions and the table talks will be available on the wiki.
And, in closing Elizabeth Thomsen provided some parting words on customer service, including four critical words from her Uncle Mac; “I need your help.” A great salesman, Uncle Mac’s advice was not to tell people what you, as the librarian, could do for them. Rather ask for their help. Most people are willing to help. Thanks Elizabeth for sharing that great advice.
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MARLS Coop Extended for FY09
by
Judy Zomer
The Metrowest Massachusetts Regional Library Systems is happy to announce that the MARLS Cooperative has been extended through FY09. With the exception of two vendors, Video Shopper, Inc (Video Shopper) and Archival Products, all vendors will continue to work with the cooperative. The two aforementioned vendors, who mainly supplied cases for various media, will no longer be participating as of July 1, 2008.
All Metrowest members currently enrolled in the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems Supplies and Materials Cooperative are automatically eligible to continue participating in the FY09 coop. Any members who wish to join the coop must fill out the pledge and participation forms and send or fax them to the regional office. Additions to the coop are added on a quarterly basis, starting July 1, 2008.
If you need more information about the coop please call Judy at the Metrowest office or visit our web site at http://www.mmrls.org/supp.html
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Getting WILD at the Library!
by
Sarah Sogigian
Librarians across the state are gearing up for another fun filled summer at the Library! This year’s statewide summer reading theme is Wild Reads for the kids and X-Pect the Un-X-Pected for teens. Reading logs, bookmarks, and certifications have been ordered, online reading programs have been set up, and performers have been booked. All we need now are the kids….and some warm weather.
This year marks the second year of a three-year contract with Evanced Solutions for the use of their online summer reading program. Over 8 more Metrowest libraries have joined the program, making this year’s grand total of online participants 28 libraries!
There is still time, it you would like to register your library to use the program.
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Fun Facts
by
Sarah Sogigian
Did you know…?
That Massachusetts is the first state in the nation to offer an online summer reading program to all of its regional members?
That the program is generously sponsored by the Mass Board of Library Commissioners?
That this online program can be used YEAR ROUND? You could make an online program for Teen Read Week, to promote your One Book-One Town program, or create an online book club!
And rest assured, as you get ready for summer 2008, the youth services consultants are hard at work planning summer 2009 and beyond!
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Youth Services Librarians live it up with math, games and a special guest at MLA 2008!
by
Sarah Sogigian
The Massachusetts Library Association’s annual conference was held at the Sea Crest Resort in Falmouth this past May. Our annual meeting was held on Wednesday, May 7, when we welcomed our new officers:
Sue Ellen Szymanski, Milford Town Library, Chair
Maureen Ambrosino, Central MA Regional Library System, Vice-Chair/Chair Elect
Bonnie Peirce, Dover Town Library, SecretaryWe also heard from Gretchen Hunsberger from Reach Out and Read, a program started 20 years ago by a Massachusetts doctor. Its mission is to provide new books to children 6 months to 5 years old when they visit the doctor. Doctors found that developing listening and language skills early on, improve the child’s skills when they reach school age. For more information on Reach Out and Read, visit www.reachoutandread.org.
Illustrator Gareth Hinds was our guest speaker. Mr. Hinds is the author/illustrator of the graphic novel adaptations of Beowulf, King Lear, and his new book is The Merchant of Venice. He came prepared with his laptop and demonstrated his art process, and even drew a panel for his latest book. He also spoke about his education, attending the same high school as Frank Miller (who created Sin City, among others) and his experience as a video game artist, who worked on many of Pixar video games. To learn more about Mr. Hinds and his work, visit www.garethhinds.com
A new event this year was the YSS game night, where librarians could try their skills playing with a Nintendo Wii, Rock Bank on a Playstation, and several other video games. The event went well into the night, and looks to become an annual event. I spent the night beating two librarians from the Salem Public Library on MarioCart. And watching NMRLS consultant Susan Babb bowl herself silly on the Nintendo Wii.
SEMLS consultant Vickie Beene-Beavers presented a workshop on Financial Literacy for Teens. She offered many free resources for providing advice and activities for teens.
One of the most popular programs of the year was Mix in Math with Martha Merson from TERC. During this program (which may Metrowest libraries participated in), Martha spoke about how to incorporate math activities into programs you already lead at your library. Then, participants were able to try out the different projects and activities that Martha had available. She also provided participants with handouts, activities, and more to help them get started in their own libraries!
Though our annual conference has come to an end, we are already working on some great programs for next year’s event. If you have some ideas, or want to join YSS, please contact Sarah Sogigian, Trainer/Consultant for Youth Services, Metrowest Region.
For more reports from our annual conference, please visit: http://yssmla.blogspot.com/
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Greetings from the Reference Department at the Newton Free Library
by
Elinor Hernon
We have added several more features to our library web site that you might find useful in your reference work. As previously reported, Newton started a fun and informative Library Photo Album using Flickr last year.
These photographs promote library services, show the library from different angles and at different times of the year, and document library programs, work flow and patron/staff interaction. Featured above is a picture taken in our library parking lot that promotes our automobile repair database. Once on the web site, click on the picture and you are linked to this resource. Featured below is a photograph of one of our children's storytelling programs. Click on this picture and you find a link to the Children's Room and its programs.
The Flickr photographs are organized by topics or "tags" so that you can view all the pictures about such things as book displays, blogging, graphic novels, or English as a second language. Of special interest to all of you in Metrowest are the photographs on Regional Reference. These pictures highlight our services to you as your regional reference service provider.Many more links to helpful web sites have been added to Newton's home page over the past few months. These links are also organized by topic. Recently added to our page for consumers is Video Jug, a web site that offers many instructional videos on a wide variety of topics such as pet care, parenting and health. Also for consumers, we have posted a link to Low Impact Living which provides information about environmentally-friendly products and lets you calculate your environmental impact. Still another useful site for consumers is one called Skin Deep. This one is produced by a nonprofit organization called the Environmental Working Group. Their site provides a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products. See all the our web links organized by subject at newtonfreelibrary.net. Click on the box that asks the question:
Have you tried our online databases? to see the list of topics. New listings are added each week.
See the new bibliographies we add on a regular basis as well. New ones include "Boston Nonfiction" and "Knitting for Beginners and Experts". As always we welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions -
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From The Bookshelf
by
Carol Shilakowsky
How connected is your library to the Internet? Do you have an Interactive Website? Do staff members have individual Palm™ hand helds or text-messaging cell phones? Do you have a BLOG? a WIKI? Do your patrons have access to tutorials, reference databases, Internet gaming? Metrowest plans to get you up to speed this summer with the technical and social aspects of updating your Web capabilities with classes, workshops and tutorials. Here is a partial definition of Web 2.0 according to Wikipedia:
Web 2.0 is a term describing the trend in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. The term became notable after the first O'Reilly Media Web 2.0 conference in 2004. Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to any technical specifications, but to changes in the ways software developers and end-users use the Web.
And here are some books we have in our Professional Collection that may provide additional information:David Johnson and Rick Broida. How to do Everything with Your Palm™ Handheld, 4th Edition. McGraw-Hill/ Osborne: 2003.
Linda W. Braun. Technically Involved: Technology-Based Youth Participation Activities for Your Library. ALA: 2004.
Phil Bradley.getting and staying noticed on the web: your web promotion questions answered. facet publishing: 2002. [sic.]
Anne Grodzins Lipow. The Virtual Reference Librarian’s Handbook, (incl. CD). Library Solutions Press: 2003
Jerry Joyce and Marianne Moon. Plain & Simple: Windows Vista. Microsoft Press: 2007.
In The Social Life of Information (HBS Press: 2000), authors John Brown Seely and Paul Duigud, stated that “for years pundits have predicted that information technology will obliterate the need for almost everything-from travel to supermarkets to business organizations and to social life itself.”
In 2000, however, individual users were skeptical, and decided that with info-glut, software crashes, viruses, error messages and general end-user frustration, nothing of the sort would ever happen. Not many computer users then could have seen how computer connected cell phones, blogs, wikis and the variety of other social and informational sites that have proliferated during this decade alone, would be such an integral a part of Society as we know it today.
The authors, as visionaries, drawing from historical, social and cultural research challenged the “sweepingly” negative predictions. They wrote a book eight years ago that explained WHY the tools, jobs, and organizations targeted for “future extinction” would provide useful social resources that society would keep rather than abandon, and that technology would serve to enhance and complement these social communities, organizations and institutions, rather than destroy them.
There is still a debate, but this book allows for a nostalgic look back. Check it out!
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Summer Workshops
by
Rita Gavelis and Sarah Sogigian
A few years back, Metrowest had a week long series of workshops as part of a Web Academy. This August we are bringing the Academy concept back with our Library 2.0 Academy.
Library 2.0 is the incorporation of Web 2.0 tools such as Wikis, Blogs, and videocasts into a library setting. Our Library 2.0 Academy is a series of workshops that cover those various tools: explaining what they are, how libraries are currently using them, and how to set them up in your library.
Each workshop is 3 or 6 hours long. If you take 9 hours of classes, you will qualify to receive 10 PDP's. This might not mean much to our public librarians, but those of you who work in a school know how important PDPs are.
To view our academy classes, go to: http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=MMRLS
See you there!
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Sizzling classes at Metrowest!
While the sun is shining and temps are soaring, there is no cooler place to be than Metrowest this summer! We've got info on all the topics you want to learn about! Some of our summer specials:
On June 17, Maureen Ambrosino from CMRLS visits Metrowest with her Teen Crafts program. July 9 brings "IM HR! R U? Instant Messaging Basics", a
hands on workshop in our new computer lab. Learn the basics of instant messaging, which is another great-and free!-tool you can use to reach your patrons.Is the temperature causing some of you patrons to get a bit hot under the collar? Learn some new tips on working with those difficult patrons in the summer months on July 17. "I Pay Your Salary!: Work with the Public, Not for Them" will share some tips and tricks for everyday use at the library.
Ready for the school year and all it brings with it? Get a head start on Teen Read Week, which will be celebrated in October, by coming to our Teen Read Week: Books with Bite planning session. Discuss ideas and learn from others in our region to help your library celebrate this important event!
Speaking of teens, what DO they do in the library? "What to do with those teens: programs, ideas, and solutions" will present programming ideas designed specifically for them, and also keeping in mind your budget and space concerns. Field Trip! This program will be held at the Ashland Public Library on August 28.
- To get a complete listing of the continuing education schedule please log on to
http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=MMRLS
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