2019 Public Library Director Summit
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On October 23, VTLIB hosted the 2019 Public Library Director Summit at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. We started off the day with updates from all VTLIB divisions (library advancement, information and access, and administration.) In this photo, ABLE Library Director/Special Populations Consultant Vin Livoti is discussing the exciting new programs at ABLE!
Directors spent the afternoon in facilitated discussions, where they were able to converse with colleagues at other libraries of a similar size about issues facing their libraries. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and we were thrilled to see everyone! You can see handouts and links shared from the day here:
https://libraries.vermont.gov/plds19
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Vermont "Capitol for a Day" in Orleans County
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Governor Scott's "Capitol for a Day" initiative, which takes the governor, cabinet members, and other state officials to a different county in the state each month, made its way to Orleans County this October. As a part of the day's events, Secretary of Administration Susanne Young, State Librarian Jason Broughton, and Racial Equity Executive Director Xusana Davis visited Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport.
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Vermont's New Poet Laureate
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At the end of October, State Librarian Jason Broughton attended the appointment ceremony for Vermont's new poet laureate, Mary Ruefle of Bennington, at the Vermont Arts Council in Montpelier.
For more information about this accomplished poet, take a look at this recent article in the
Brattleboro Reformer
:
https://bit.ly/36mjO8c
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VTLIB presents another speaker for the state employee speaker series Tuesday Talks. This month focus is on Hunger in Vermont: Programs, Projects, and Research. The talk will be held on Tuesday, November 19 from 12-1pm at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier. Recordings of Tuesday Talks are now available through a partnership with ORCA. Previous months recordings and information about future Tuesday Talk programs is available on our website:
https://bit.ly/2q2t1Sc
.
Join speakers from both the Vermont Food Bank and the Hunger Council of Vermont and for a frank discussion about food insecurity in our state with a focus on the populations and support services here in Washington County. Be part of the conversation and bring a canned good to support local food programs! For more information, please see the event poster here:
https://bit.ly/2ooe4JU.
Please feel free to share the poster and event information in your departments. For more information please contact April Shaw (
April.shaw@vermont.gov
).
Tuesday Talks is a speaker series presented by VTLIB during the lunch hour one Tuesday each month. The topic and speaker will change each month, but will always be relevant to events or trends in Vermont that affect State Employees. All Tuesday Talks are open to members of the public as well.
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News from CLIC, the Public Law Library
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Have you ever recommended that a patron seek legal advice? Do you know what legal services are available in your area?
We have a LibGuide for that!
Last month we shared the Vermont Law Research Guide for individuals who would like to do legal research, whether for an academic paper, to build a case, or just for the need-to-know. Although most individuals are capable of doing legal research on their own, it is often a good idea to talk through an issue with an attorney. In this situation, the obvious question “Who do I call?” does not have an obvious answer. It is our hope that this collection of civil legal services flowcharts will help individuals navigate their options based on the county where they reside:
https://libguides.vermontlaw.edu/clic/legalresources
As always, feel free to Ask a Law Librarian if you need assistance getting started with legal research. You can call 802-831-1313 or email
reference@vermontlaw.edu
The League of Women Voters & Kellogg-Hubbard's Library's 2019-20 Speaker Series on "Criminal Justice in Vermont"
The recording of "The Impact of Inceration: Women, Families, Society" panel that Kassie Tibbot of CLIC participated in on October 9 can be found here:
https://youtu.be/i5YCKA5Gwek
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 November 28 & 29.
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The leaves are dropping, and the days are getting cooler, which is clearly a sign that the Annual Public Library Survey (aka the Annual Report) is coming up again. Each year, every public library in the nation is intended to submit their annual statistics, covering financials, circulation, programming, and more! These stats are used by IMLS, state and federal governments, state agencies, other libraries, and the public. This year’s submission period will start on Dec. 1, and run until Jan. 31, 2020, with a 2-week extension by request. For those new to the survey, or looking for a refresher, we’ll be holding an online session Nov. 13, and an in-person one Nov. 14 (
https://bit.ly/2N0BBtW
to sign up). And as always, if you have questions about any aspect of the report, please contact Josh at
joshua.muse@vermont.gov
.
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Total number of interlibrary loan requests made in September 2019
: 5013
Books: 4419
Videos: 391
Audiobooks: 180
Articles: 11
Music CDs: 11
Music Scores: 1
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Fun fact
:
40 requests had the word “ghost” in the title.
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Top 10 most requested book titles (with most requested at the top):
- The Bluest Eye (Morrison)
- Educated: A Memoir (Westover)
- The Library Book (Orlean)
- Little Fires Everywhere (Ng)
- 12 Rules for Life (Peterson)
- Something in the Water (Steadman)
- Being Mortal (Gawande)
- The Hate U Give (Thomas)
- The Flight Attendant (Bohjalian)
- Becoming (Obama)
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Special Populations & ABLE Library
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Storytelling Workshop Trio
Over the next 6 weeks, VTLIB is offering a trio of storytelling workshops focusing on inclusion practices for special populations, including: Multilingual Storytelling, Adaptive Storytelling, and Drag Queen Story Hour!
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- Disability Scoop - Campaign Aims To Create 1 Million Jobs For People With Disabilities: https://bit.ly/2pub27k
- Good News Network – 12-Year-Old Volunteer Gives a Rescued Pup a Wheelchair Made of LEGOS: https://bit.ly/2BXeWsc
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Why Should Public Libraries Care About The 2020 Census?
The American Library Association (ALA) and United for Libraries (the Trustees and Friends section of ALA) are encouraging libraries around the United States to work with their communities to encourage a fair, inclusive, and complete count in the 2020 Census.
The VT Dept. of Libraries encourages VT libraries to promote the 2020 Census for several reasons:
- The 2020 Census is going online – and many community members will rely on your library’s computers to complete the Census. The online Census opens April 1, 2020.
- Census data are used to make decisions about how and where to spend more than $800 billion each year for services and programs communities rely on, including federal funding for libraries. Each person in your town who does not fill out the census won’t be counted in federal and state calculations on eligibility for funding and services.
- The Census is also the basis for drawing districts for federal, state, and local offices.
For more information about the importance of the Census for libraries, ideas for the role of public libraries in promoting the 2020 Census, and resources to help advocate for a fair, accurate, and inclusive Census, visit
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/govinfo/census
.
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Effective Advocacy: The E’s of Libraries
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Effective library advocacy must overcome two main hurdles:
1.
Past Perceptions: While many libraries continue to provide a quiet place to browse a wide range of books, for most libraries that is only one part of their current offerings and services.
2.
Lack of a “Dominant Activity”: Public libraries do so much that it’s hard for the public to understand exactly what it is we do. Libraries don’t have an
easy
,
organized
, and
memorable
way to help people understand how amazing our libraries are.
According to the American Library Association, effective advocacy must be three things:
1.
Meaningful/Persuasive
– Our advocacy message needs to have meaning for each audience we speak to; we need to say something that “speaks to their interests” and will resonate with them.
2.
Organized
– Our advocacy needs to be part of a focused, consistent, organized plan.
3.
Memorable
– Our advocacy message must be easy to remember so that others can grasp onto it, repeat it, and spread the word (like a good marketing campaign).
Our advocacy work needs a
consistent theme
with
tailored, easy-to-remember messaging.
The American Library Association recently released an advocacy tool that meets the three requirements above: “The E’s of Libraries” –
1.
Education
2.
Employment and Entrepreneurship
3.
Empowerment
4.
Engagement
5.
Everyone (Benefits)
The idea is that librarians and trustees pick one or two of the 5 E’s to speak about depending on the audience or the purpose of the advocacy effort – be it talking to the Selectboard or the Rotary, writing a column for the local paper, or speaking to a patron at the front desk.
As always, feel free to reach out to Governance and Management Consultant Lara Keenan to talk about these or any other topics:
lara.keenan@vermont.gov
; 802-636-0026.
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Vermont Rural Life Survey
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VPR and Vermont PBS recently published the results of the “Vermont Rural Life Survey.” This survey is part of a project called “This Land: The Changing Story of Rural Vermont,” which explores education, the economy, health care, housing, workforce training and more in rural Vermont. The survey asked over 800 Vermont residents about quality of life in rural communities, levels of optimism, perceptions of how well elected state officials understand rural life, what can be done to improve the quality of life in rural areas, and whether or not young adults should be encouraged to stay or leave, among other related topics. There is a prevailing emphasis on community in both the questions and answers, and the relevance to libraries is significant. Survey results, archived related VT Edition stories and more here:
https://www.vermontpbs.org/thisland/
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Red Clover Book Award Conference
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On October 11, VTLIB hosted 80 librarians in Barre for a day of celebrating picture books at the Red Clover Book Award Conference! Our keynote speaker this year was Minh Lê, author of 2019-2020 Red Clover nominee DRAWN TOGETHER, and there were three sessions of fabulous workshops on the topics of technology, art, writing, and more!
For more information about the Red Clover Book Award (Vermont's children's-choice picture book award) visit this page on our website:
https://bit.ly/2u0RZ3p
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2019 Agricultural Literacy Week
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VTLIB is proud to partner once again with Northeast Organic Farming Association - VT (
https://nofavt.org/
) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture for 2019 Agricultural Literacy Week!
The theme for this year is "Celebrating Our Culinary Traditions," and the opening event will take place at VTLIB in Barre on November 19. At this event, Barre Town Elementary School students will work with cookbook author Katie Webster to create a "Vermont Sampler." In addition to three other main events during the week at libraries around the state, libraries and community centers will also be hosting "Simple Suppers," events that encourage community members to cook together using local ingredients and to listen to words of wisdom from local farmers. For more information about the November 19 event, visit:
https://bit.ly/2NrJRCm
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Girls Who Code
Here's another plug from for VTLIB for starting a coding club at your library with “Girls Who Code!” GWC has a great support system: every club has access to a Clubs Success Specialist. In addition, libraries receive free materials and programming ideas, which means less time spent planning and purchasing, and more time coding! The club leader does not need to know how to code, and despite the name, the clubs are gender-inclusive. Anyone over the age of 18, including a community volunteer, can run the club, making for great partnership opportunities with schools or community businesses. More information on how to join in VT:
https://libraries.vermont.gov/vtlibgirlswhocode
.
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From Our Neighbors at the Vermont Historical Society
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Fiber-Dyeing Using Natural Materials
November 9, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier VT
An educational and engaging hands-on afternoon with Justin Squizzero from the Burroughs Garret in Newbury, Vermont. Justin creates handspun, naturally-dyed, hand-woven textiles using methods and equipment from the 18th and 19th century. In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of natural dyeing using plants, minerals, and insects. $10 fee, Free for VHS Members. Registration info here:
https://vermonthistory.org/calendar/saturday-museum-program-fiber-dyeing-using-natural-materials
Third Thursday: When the Irish Invaded Canada
November 21, 12:00pm
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier VT
Christopher Klein shares t
he
outlandish, untold story of the Irish American revolutionaries who tried to free Ireland by invading Canada. Third Thursday talks are free & open to everyone.
Connecticut River Myths & Legends
November 1, 2019 – May 1, 2020
Vermont History Center, Barre, VT
The Connecticut River runs from the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, and the communities on its banks have varied and interesting stories to tell. This exhibit, on loan from the Connecticut River Museum, highlights the vivid personalities, local legends, wildlife, and traditions of towns from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire – and of course, Vermont.
A Footpath in the Wilderness: The History of the Long Trail
Opens in November
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier VT
This new exhibition, in partnership with the Green Mountain Club, explores a century of history on the Long Trail, a Vermont institution. Featuring panels and historical photographs, on exhibit in the Calder Gallery through April, 2020.
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