From October 12 - 26, 'The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett' by Chelsea Sedoti will be available for every patron that wishes to read it-no holds, no wait lists.

The Big Library Read (facilitated by OverDrive) is a reading program through the library that connects millions of readers around the world with the same eBook at the same time without any wait lists or holds. By participating in the Big Library Read, we are joining a global movement of passionate readers and library patrons who support the availability of digital materials at libraries - and it's a great way to increase circulation.

This time around, the title will be available in both E-Book and E-Audiobook formats - both will be available for instant unlimited access on the MHLS Digital Download page at  http://mhls.lib.overdrive.com/ and there will be a promotional spotlight at the top of that page. Posters, handouts, press release, social media graphics are available here: http://bit.ly/2ekIsfN

Congratulations to seven MHLS member libraries who each received $225 from the 2017-2018 New York State Library's Family Literacy Library Services grant program administered by MHLS. Each library had a staff member complete the 4-week ALA eCourse: Connecting with Early Childhood Development. This represents a total of 168 hours of professional development! 100% of attendees reported that it was worth their time, that it improved their knowledge in assisting families with children from birth-school entry in developing the early literacy skills, and that they implemented ideas from the eCourse!

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Active Shooter Preparedness: The shooting at the Clovis-Carver Public Library in New Mexico has a lot of library directors thinking about policies and staff training this past week. Gillian Thorpe, Director of the Julia L. Butterfield Library in Cold Spring, summed it up well in a Facebook post to her community:

 

"...I spend most of my time reading policies. Policies that I hope will make my library safe, strong, and sustainable. It's a very tough job, but we do it [because] we want to help make your life better, easier, and less stressful. So, we risk being an open building where anyone can walk in with whatever motive. And we will remain open and strong because that's what we do."

 

It may be time to review Active Shooter preparedness resources with library staff at your library: "Active shooter incidents, in many cases, have no pattern or method to the selection of victims, which results in an unpredictable and evolving situation. In the midst of the chaos, anyone can play an integral role in mitigating the impacts of an active shooter incident. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides a variety of no-cost resources to the public and private sector to enhance preparedness and response to an active shooter incident. The goal of the Department is to ensure awareness of actions that can be taken before, during, and after an incident."

Check out the  Active Shooter Preparedness Program from (DHS) [http://bit.ly/1ZRmiBD] where you can download an Active Shooter Preparedness Program Fact Sheet which includes information about a 1-hour online course. DHS also provides an 8-minute training video appropriate for use for staff: "Options for Consideration Active Shooter Preparedness": http://bit.ly/2ekJTuv

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