VTLIB's New Assistant State Librarian!
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Of Janette, State Librarian Jason Broughton says, "We are absolutely certain that she will add another layer of success to our efforts on offering diverse and robust programming, to our grants management efforts, and for opportunities for the libraries across Vermont."
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State Librarian Appointed Co-Chair of Census Committee
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State Librarian Jason Broughton has been appointed as co-chair of the
Vermont 2020 Complete Count Committee
by Governor Phil Scott. This committee, which the state librarian will co-chair with Michael Moser of the Vermont State Data Center (
https://www.uvm.edu/crs/vtsdc
), will create and implement strategies to ensure a complete and an accurate census count in 2020. Of his appointment, Broughton says, "
I believe libraries will play a vital role in helping provide Vermonters with information about the census to ensure Vermont gets the most accurate count possible...I hope to ensure that we obtain our highest counts across areas that have been under reported or represented."
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April Shaw to Present at National Conference
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April Shaw, Government Services Librarian & Head of Interlibrary Loan, will be presenting at
OCLC's Resource Sharing Conference
in San Antonio, Texas, in March 2020! April's accepted conference proposal focuses on Vermont's Interlibrary Loan Round Table, which she introduced in August 2018 and includes librarians from public, school, and academic libraries. The group meets quarterly to discuss issues relating to interlibrary loan and to work together to highlight the importance of this service in the state. Within the first year, the group created a best practices list for interlibrary loan, customizable posters to promote interlibrary loan services, and is currently revising the Vermont Interlibrary Loan Code to be in line with current statewide resources and the most recent USA Interlibrary Loan Code. Her session will highlight this collaborative work and to give tips and advice to other attendees about how they can begin an interlibrary loan round table in their area!
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Notice: There will be no Tuesday Talk in December. We will start back up again in 2020!
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News from CLIC, the Public Law Library
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A CLOSER LOOK: Legal Research Databases
The legal research databases offered for walk-in use at CLIC include
Westlaw
and
Lexis Advance
, which are online subscription legal research databases used by lawyers and legal professionals. These databases contain legal documents and discussions about the documents, such as court decisions, statutes, regulations, encyclopedias, treatises, and dictionaries.
Other general legal databases available:
- Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
- Criminal Justice Collection (Gale)
- HeinOnline Online Law Journal Library
- LegalTrac (Gale)
- Proquest Congressional
To search these databases visit
http://libguides.vermontlaw.edu/public
, and then visit CLIC to access all the legal research databases from a CLIC computer; we just added a third research station!
Prison Library Volunteers Needed
Vermont Department of Corrections (DoC) is seeking library volunteers to increase inmate access to the library at the Northeast Correctional Complex located in St. Johnsbury. Interested persons must complete an application and DoC training. Please e-mail Volunteer Coordinator Karen Holmes (
Karen.Holmes@vermont.gov
) for more information.
Please note
:
The Julien & Virginia Cornell Library and CLIC will be closed December 21, 2019 to January 5, 2020.
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Continuing Education & Small/Rural Libraries
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Continuing Education Updates
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On December 13 from 10:00-11:00am, VTLIB will be hosting a
webinar
on how libraries can support students and their caretakers who are pursuing homeschooling or other study outside of traditional schools. Presented by guests from the Agency of Education, this will cover documentation necessary to enroll and report on home study in Vermont, suggested organizations that support home study and personalized learning, and how libraries can make these paths accessible and easier for people. The registration link for this webinar (and all of the other workshops and webinars discussed in this article) is on the VTLIB website:
The
Winter 2020 Orientation for the Certificate of Public Librarianship (CPL) program
will be held as a one-hour webinar on Friday, January 10, from 10:30-11:30am. Orientation is required for all people enrolled in the CPL so if you are enrolled and haven’t taken orientation, you need to do it even if you have already begun taking classes. This will be recorded for people unable to attend on January 10.
VTLIB is hosting two
genealogy workshops
for librarians on January 16 (snow date January 23). From 10:00am-12:30pm, guest presenters Paul Carnahan from the Vermont Historical Society and Mariessa Dobrick from the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration will share an overview of the services their organizations provide and tips on genealogy reference questions. From 1:00-3:00pm there will a session on Radical Genealogy, with guest presenter Dorie Wilsnack. Radical Genealogy examines family histories in the context of concurrent political and social movements, with the aim of learning more about how the experiences of ancestral experiences with issues like immigration, religion, and economic status can affect a person’s contemporary life.
CPL core courses
in both Information Sources & Services (Reference) and Cataloging will be held in the spring. The Information Sources & Services course dates are April 29 & May 14, and attendance on both days is required to receive credit. There will also be another series of Narcan trainings throughout the state. Check the CE page of our website for the dates and locations of these upcoming workshops, and to register:
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Small & Rural Library Round Table Beginning January 22
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There will be an inaugural meeting of a VTLIB-facilitated
Small & Rural Library Round Table
on January 22, from 1:00-3:00pm at VTLIB. The idea of this round table is for directors/staff from libraries with small staffs, small buildings, and small budgets to gather to discuss issues that are either unique to small libraries, or issues that affect small libraries in different ways than they do larger libraries. Examples would be security, working with volunteers, staffing challenges, lack of space, rural transportation challenges and...if you’ve read this far, you most likely have other things to add to this list!
Once we meet we will decide as a group on topics for future meetings, but at the first one we'll be discussing diversity and inclusion. We had a few workshops related to these topics this fall, and among other things, an undeniable takeaway was that these issues manifest very differently in rural settings than they do in more populated areas. The populations are different, the resources are different and often significantly less robust. These opportunities and challenges require creative and resourceful responses from librarians. Let’s bring our wide range of knowledge, experience, and compassion to the meeting and work on this together.
There will an option to attend this virtually. Also, there is no set definition for small and rural for this round table: if that designation resonates for you- the person who likely knows your library best- please join us. Visit the VTLIB website to register:
https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/continuing_ed
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Special Populations & ABLE Library
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ABLE Library Recording Added to National Catalog
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A locally-recorded title from the
ABLE Library
has been selected for the national catalog at the Library of Congress. “Norwich: One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence” by Karen Crouse (2018) was recorded here in Barre by our amazing volunteers corps. This is Vermont’s first locally-produced audiobook to be added to the national catalog, making it accessible to any National Library Service (NLS) patron in the country. Congratulations to ABLE Library staff and volunteers for making this “first” come to life!
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- “Diversity in the Stacks Initiative Aims to Make All Students Feel at Home in the Library” – The Daily Pennsylvanian - https://bit.ly/2rS8eBO
- "Damn It, That's Huge: Actors With Down Syndrome Are Finding More Work in Hollywood” – Hollywood Reporter - https://bit.ly/2DIKwut
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National Library Legislative Day Contest for Teens!
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The Vermont Library Association and the Vermont School Library Association are offering an awesome opportunity to one lucky Vermont teen! The two organizations are partnering to bring one Vermont teen and an adult chaperone to
National Library Legislative Day
, an annual event held in Washington, D.C. to advocate for libraries. To enter, teens must simply answer the question, "What do Vermont's libraries mean to you?" in the format of their choice!
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Drag Queen Storytelling Workshop
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Part of a trio of VTLIB workshops focusing on inclusion practices for special populations, this will be a peer-led exploration of this emergent programming model. Learn more about what a
Drag Queen Story Hour
entails, what the purpose of the program is, what books/resources are used in service of this purpose and how to consider marketing and community engagement for offering this program in your library. This workshop will be facilitated by VTLIB's Vin Livoti with guests Nikki Champagne and Emoji Nightmare. It will be held on Tuesday, December 10, from 1:00-3:00pm at VTLIB in Barre. Sign up here:
https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/continuing_ed
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Total number of interlibrary loan requests made in October 2019
: 5696
Books: 4971
Videos: 452
Audiobooks: 251
Articles: 9
Music CDs: 13
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Top 5 requested DVDs:
- Whiplash
- The Great Gilly Hopkins
- A Year in Provence
- The Asphalt Jungle: The City Under the City
- Pacific Heights
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Top 10 most requested book titles (with most requested at the top):
- The Education of Little Tree (Carter)
- Where the Crawdads Sing (Owens)
- It Can’t Happen Here (Lewis)
- Johnny Tremain: A Story of Boston in Revolt (Forbes)
- March: Book One (Lewis)
- The Bitter Side of Sweet (Sullivan)
- The Seeking (Thomas)
- Freakanomics (Levitt & Dubner)
- The Library Book (Orlean)
- Lucky Boy (Sekaran)
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Volunteer Recognition and Appreciation
At every VT public library,
volunteers
play a role unique to that library and that community. How do you show your appreciation to your volunteers during the giving season – and will that method of appreciation:
(1) be meaningful for your volunteers,
(2) help them feel appreciated, and
(3) recognize the importance of their work to the success of the library?
Some tips/ideas for volunteer recognition (
Please note that the VT Dept. of Libraries does not endorse any of the websites linked below – but we hope that these tips will help you brainstorm recognition ideas that would work for your library
):
- “Volunteer recognition can be public or private and should be appropriate to the person and [their] contribution. Most of all, it should be honest and demonstrate some particular insight into what that person has done.” (From https://www.energizeinc.com/art/recognizing-volunteers)
- If you are considering a Volunteer Recognition Event, check out this article from CharityHowTo (https://www.charityhowto.com/blog/how-to-host-a-more-meaningful-volunteer-appreciation-event) which offers tips such as:
- Share success stories (e.g., a volunteer challenge that resulted in triumph).
- Make space during your event for expressions of appreciation between volunteers (e.g. a gratitude wall).
- Consider hosting a potluck where volunteers and board members can break bread together.
- Would some of your long-time volunteers be ready for (and deeply appreciate) a more substantive role – such as mentoring new volunteers, helping to redesign the volunteer training program, or becoming community ambassadors? Developing a “Volunteer 2.0”-type position could be a meaningful and valuable way to recognize volunteers and help them stay engaged. (From https://www.energizeinc.com/hot-topics/2018/april)
- “Ideas to Say Thanks” from Wild Apricot’s Volunteer Appreciation Guide (https://www.wildapricot.com/articles/volunteer-appreciation-guide):
- Have an annual "Design the Volunteer T-Shirt" contest.
- Have a "Volunteer of the Month" and post their personal story on your webpage.
- Ask a volunteer if they would like to take a 15-minute coffee break with you.
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We’d like to remind everyone that the submission period for the
Annual Public Library Survey
(aka the Annual Report) opens on Monday, Dec. 2. The survey is managed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and consists of statistical questions covering circulation, programming, financials, services, and more. Each public library in the nation submits their data annually, and this data is ultimately used by state and federal agencies, policy makers, other libraries, and the public. The submission period runs until Friday, January 31, 2020, with a 2-week extension available by request. Each library has their own login information, which does not change from year-to-year. We’ve sent out a report reminder to the contact address we have for each library – if you did not get your report email, or if you have questions on any aspect of the report, please contact j
oshua.muse@vermont.gov
. You can read more about the report here -
https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/news/annualreport
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Solving Vermont's CDL Shortage
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Vermont, like many states, faces a shortage of truck drivers that hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL). To help remedy this, the Vermont Department of Libraries has contracted with EBSCO to provide free, statewide access to
Learning Express Library
. In a broad array of career, school, and certification options, Learning Express Library offers many license tests, including the CDL.
A brief overview of the resources available shows ten different practice tests and resources for the CDL, alone. Tests: CDL General Knowledge Practice 1 and 2, CDL Combination Vehicles Practice, CDL Air Brakes Endorsement Practice, CDL Hazardous Materials Endorsement Practice, CDL Passenger Transport Endorsement Practice, CDL Doubles and Triples Endorsement Practice, CDL Tank Vehicles Endorsement Practice. Tutorials: Commercial Driver’s License Test Prep.
This is just one of dozens of careers that one can pursue using Learning Express Library resources. All provided at no cost to Vermonters by the Department of Libraries.
So, how do you access these great resources? If you are a State of Vermont employee, use this URL to get started:
http://bit.ly/vtlib_lx_state
. That link is for State Employees only, please!
If you are not a State Employee, contact your local library for access. Every library in Vermont has a handy link that will get you started!
Watch this space for highlights of VTLIB databases every issue!
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From Our Neighbors at the Vermont Historical Society
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Saturday Museum Program: Children's Vermont History Story Hour
December 14, 1:00 pm
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, VT
Celebrate the winter season with a reading from a Vermont history children’s story. During the reading, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and treats. Program is included with the price of admission to the Museum, free for members.
Third Thursday: Burlington Brewing- A History of Craft Beer in the Queen City
December 19, 12:00 pm
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, VT
The Queen City fosters a unique culture around beer and farm-to-table cuisine. Daniel Standiford established the city’s first brewery in 1880. Prohibition ushered in a dry era that remained for more than a century until Greg and Nancy Noonan fought the law and established Vermont Pub & Brewery in the late 1980s. Authors Adam Krakowski and Jeff S. Baker II explore Burlington’s sudsy history from early newspaper clippings to modern-day tastemakers, along with some delicious recipes. Free and open to everyone.
Winter Book List
Leahy Library Winter Break
The Vermont Historical Society’s Leahy Library will be closed for its winter work break from Monday, January 13, through Friday, January 31. We will reopen with our regular hours on Tuesday, February 4. We will not be responding to reference inquiries during this time so we can get some collections work done.
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