September 2022 Newsletter | |
Update from State Librarian Catherine Delneo | |
New Geographic Naming Procedure | |
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In addition to serving in an advisory capacity to the State Librarian, the Vermont Board of Libraries is responsible for naming geographic locations including mountains, streams, lakes, and ponds in Vermont.
(https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/10/009/00152)
Recently, the Board undertook a major effort to revise their Geographic Names Procedure, which was originally adopted in 1991 and had been most recently revised in 2015. You can find the current procedure here: https://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/AboutUs/Board/GeographicNamesProcedure_RevisionsAdopted_082322.pdf
The first goal for the revisions was to provide members of the public with a clear understanding of the entire Geographic Naming process.
Toward that end, the new procedure outlines:
- the steps that must be taken to initiate a Geographic Names request,
- how people can strengthen their petition by conducting research and including historical documentation with their petition, and
- the elements the Board considers making geographic naming decisions.
The second goal for the revisions was to clarify the roles and responsibilities around geographic naming in Vermont. Specifically,
- the petitioner conducts research in support of their naming request and to make their case to the Board of Libraries,
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the Board of Libraries makes naming decisions consistent with state statute,
- and our team at the Department of Libraries supports the Board of Libraries in their work.
The third goal was to have one centralized procedure document for use by the petitioner and the Board.
Hopefully, the revised procedure will help petitioners know what to expect throughout the geographic naming process, demystify the process itself, and increase Vermonters’ access to this opportunity.
My hope is also that Vermonters will visit their local libraries and historical societies to get started in their research – and the Board has encouraged them to do just that in the newly revised procedure!
The Department of Libraries is planning to host a webinar for the public and librarians to learn about the Geographic Naming in the coming months and will share more details about that webinar when they are available.
Catherine Delneo,
State Librarian and Commissioner of Libraries
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Vermont State Employee Book Club
Thanks to support from Vermont Humanities, the State Employee Book Club returns this fall! We will be reading The Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont Drawn by New England Cartoonists, which is this year's Vermont Reads title.
Details on discussion sessions for the fall and sign ups are still being solidified. All copies of this title have been requested. Please contact April Shaw (April.shaw@vermont.gov) if you would like to borrow a copy through interlibrary loan, or have your own copy and would like to be notified when the discussion sessions are scheduled for November!
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ABLE Library & Inclusive Services | |
ABLE Book Club
Join us for the ABLE Library book club! Our next meeting is on Wednesday, September 21, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm. We will be discussing The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (Book number: DB099791). We meet online and by phone. Please call (802) 636-0020 or (800) 479-1711 or email us at Lib.AbleLibrary.vermont.gov to find out how to get a copy of the book and sign up.
ABLE Library Statistics for July 2022
Total number of checkouts: 9,071
Digital cartridge titles: 7,114
Large print: 636
BARD app (audio or braille books downloaded by patrons): 1,321
Top 5 Most Popular Books:
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Little Souls by Sandra Dallas (DB107811)
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Sense and Second-Degree Murder by Tirzah Price (DB108117)
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Clive Cussler’s Dark Vector: A Novel from the NUMA Files by Graham Brown
- (DB108266)
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22 Seconds by James Patterson (DB108061, LP108061)
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The Recovery Agent: A Gabriela Rose Novel by Janet Evanovich (DB107814, LP016934)
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Memorable Times Café
Join the Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) and the ABLE Library on Wednesday, September 7, 2022 from 10:30 to 11:30 am for Memorable Times Online. We are cohosting with our friends in Scotland this month, and the theme will be: Stick Around! We’ll have a transatlantic look at sports that involve a bat or stick (and often a ball!). Come and enjoy stories and memories of baseball, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, golf, cricket, and shinty with some film clips and musical accompaniment. Attendance is free, and we warmly welcome new participants. Please contact Barb Asen at CVCOA for more information or to register: basen@cvcoa.org or 802-476-2681.
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Inclusive Library Services
To support libraries that serve immigrants, refugees, and new Americans, VTLIB has created a document that outlines basic public library services. Many people moving here from other countries are not aware of the services offered by Vermont public libraries. The document has been translated into the most commonly spoken languages in Vermont other than English. Editable versions and PDF versions are available to download on our Inclusive Services page. Please reach out to Karen Gravlin (karen.gravlin@vermont.gov or 802-272-4912) if you have any questions. This project was funded through our Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) ARPA grant.
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Noteworthy Finds from the Cataloging Desk | |
Golden Dome & Redo Clover Conference | |
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The Vermont Golden Dome & Red Clover Book Award virtual conference will take place Thursday, September 29, 2022! This is an opportunity for librarians and educators to learn more about each book award, get inspired by authors of winning titles, and discuss ways to promote and engage book award participation at school and libraries across Vermont. You can find the full agenda, registration information, and meting links, on the Vermont Department of Libraries Continuing Education page. https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/continuing_ed
You can find more information about all three Vermont youth book awards as well as a list of the 2022-20223 nominated books for each book award on the individual pages for each award:
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Continuing Education Opportunities this Fall | |
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The Department of Libraries Continuing Education fall calendar continues to fill up with trainings on a range of topics. This fall is especially rich in collaborations with other organizations and state departments. These include UVM Extension, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation, the Department of Health, and the state Attorney General’s Office. Other workshops, partnerships, and guest presenters are in planning mode and will be posted on the VTLIB website CE page as they are finalized: https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/continuing_ed Many workshop topics are relevant to trustees, and registration is open to them in most cases.
In addition to synchronous online training, VTLIB continues to offer access to online training from other providers via Niche Academy. Content is separated into academies for library staff, trustees, and youth services staff. Recordings of VTLIB trainings are also archived on Niche Academy. Links to access each academy are on the website CE page referenced above.
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Welcome to the halfway mark between Town Meeting Day 2022 and 2023. By now, new trustees have settled into their roles. Whether you are a new or seasoned trustee, VTLIB has information to help you. If you need general training, whether for yourself or to help orient new trustees, VTLIB has you covered. The Trustees page (https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/public_libraries/trustees) has been reorganized for more structure. Links under ‘Core Toolkit’ provide background knowledge to trusteeship.
‘Additional Core Materials’ provide a deeper dive into trustee training. You can visit the Niche Academy Friends and Trustees Academy for excellent content from VTLIB and outside providers. Niche Academy videos assist in growing your knowledge of both trusteeship and librarianship. You will see even more information under the ‘Additional Trustee Resources’ heading. These links have information about more specific trustee tasks.
You may have questions that are not answered by the online resources. You may have concerns about a particular topic and want to talk with someone about it.
The Consultant for Governance and Management, Tonya Ryals, is available for any questions or concerns from trustees. You can reach her at tonya.ryals@vermont.gov or 802-798-2480. She is always happy to assist you with matters impacting your library.
Please note that the Trustees’ Manual is currently being revised. We are working toward releasing an updated version of the manual. This 7th edition will bring it up to date. The revision will also include helpful new sections. Finally, it will also be more accessible with added headers, updated link formats, and with language encouraging easier reading.
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September is National Preparedness Month | |
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September is National Preparedness Month, an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. Public libraries play an important role in preparedness as trusted sources for reliable information and a history of connecting community members to resources during emergencies. Library buildings can serve as staging areas for recovery efforts, and spaces that offer water, heat, and internet. In recognition of National Preparedness Month and to further educate library staff on ways to support their communities during emergencies, the Department of Libraries is featuring a video created by staff from the Department of Health Division of Emergency Preparedness and Injury Prevention. It is on Niche Academy, along with related online resources, a book list, and information on how to access printable materials in a variety of languages to share with patrons. That can be accessed here: https://my.nicheacademy.com/vtlibwebinars?category=8552
You might also explore the federal government’s Ready.gov site for emergency preparedness resources.
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Fall 2022 Small and Rural Libraries Round Table | |
Mark your calendars for the Fall 2022 Small and Rural Libraries Round Table, which will be held online Friday, October 7, 2022, 10:00-11:30am. All library staff who consider their libraries small and rural are welcome to these quarterly round tables. September’s session will begin with reflections from those who attended the 2022 Association for Rural & Small Libraries annual conference. Additionally, all attendees are invited to share what they like best about working at their libraries and what they consider their library’s biggest strengths. Link to registration is here. | |
Total number of requests: 4895
- Books: 4522
- Videos: 256
- Audiobooks: 94
- Music CDs: 12
- Articles: 10
- Music Score: 1
Top 4 requested audiobooks:
- Braiding Sweetgrass (Robin Kimmerer)
- Before We Sleep (Jeffrey Lent)
- The Care and Management of Lies (Jacqueline Winspear)
- The Little Paris Bookshop (Nina George)
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Top 10 most requested book titles in June 2022 (with most requested titles at the top): |
- When Everything Changed (Gail Collins)
- The Dry Grass of August (Anna Jean Mayhew)
- Before We Sleep (Jeffrey Lent)
- The Secret Life of Lobsters (Trevor Corson)
- Migrations (Charlotte McConaghy)
- I Must Betray You (Ruta Sepetys)
- The Music of Bees (Eileen Garvin)
- We Begin at the End (Chris Whitaker)
- Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
- Peace Like a River (Leif Enger)
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Online Resource Use July 2022 | |
We’d like to share the July stats for the online resources offered by the Department of Libraries. Learning Express and Vermont Online Library are free to all libraries (public, school, or academic), while Universal Class is only available to public libraries.
Learning Express
Learning Express provides training to develop workplace, academic, and job-hunting skills. It offers training for occupation exams, skills for school, exploration of careers, resume and interview help, and more.
Note – We’ve changed our approach for Learning Express statistics. The spreadsheets will now be broken down by calendar year, with a different tab for each month. You can find them on the Learning Express Stats Page.
Sessions – 44 | Registrations – 15
Tests – 40 | Tutorials – 2 | Computer Courses – 18 | eBooks – 3
Resumes – 0 | Job Searches – 2
Most Used Resources:
- Tests – GRE Practice Test, Praxis Elementary Education, Paraprofessional Exam, CLEP Principles of Management, Grammar Practice, SAT
- Tutorials – Intro to GED, GED Math Test
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eBooks – Educational ParaProfessional Test Prep, Test of English for International Communication Test Prep
- Computer Courses – Adobe Photoshop, Using the Internet, Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator, Microsoft Excel
Universal Class
Universal Class offers a wide range of online courses (from business to cooking, computers to social work) that are led by a real instructor, and that can be completed at your own pace.
New Registrations – 55 | New Courses Started – 193 | Login Sessions – 806
Lessons Viewed – 7,217 | Videos Watched – 5,255 | Student Submissions – 7,673
Most Active Classes – Biology, Pre-Algebra, World War II, Ancient Civilizations, Writing Basics, Astronomy, Excel, American Government, How to Draw
Vermont Online Library
The Vermont Online Library covers everything from magazine and newspaper articles to DIY car repair and business help, Vermont Online Library can help with any topic. Users can (with a bit of work) even read articles by issue from some popular magazines, such as The New York Times, Economist, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Highlights for Children, National Review, and Runner's World.
Sessions – 13,371 | Average Session Length – 22.87 minutes | Text Retrievals – 5,352
(Note about Sessions – This number is a bit misleading, as it counts multiple sessions when a user searches multiple databases at once)
Most Used Databases – Academic OneFile, Opposing Viewpoints, General OneFile, News, OneFile Select, Biography, Virtual Reference Library
Chilton Library Retrievals – 59
Read more about Learning Express, Universal Class, or Vermont Online Library, or email Josh Muse with any questions.
Image credit: Creative Commons By John Morgan
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Community Legal Information Center (CLIC) | |
New Hours of Service Started August 29, 2022!
To better serve our Vermonters in support of their legal reference needs, the CLIC Coordinator will now be onsite Monday through Friday from 10:30am to 4:00pm.
We have multiple ways that patrons can seek reference requests:
- In person – at Vermont Law and Graduate School, 164 Chelsea Street, South Royalton, VT 05068.
- By telephone – (802) 831-1313 (Ask A Law Librarian Line)
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By email – clic@vermontlaw.edu
CLIC self-service is open during normal VLS Library hours, which are Monday through Sunday from 8:00am to 8:00pm.
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Congrats to Our Neighbors at the
Vermont Historical Society
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Starting in September 2022, thanks to funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Vermont Historical Society will embark on a 2.5 year project to collect and document oral histories of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vermont.
This grant will be used to capture, preserve, and share the stories of Vermonters during the pandemic, which will include 100 oral histories from first responders, healthcare workers, educators, retail workers, and others. This funding will support four new field interviewers, who will be trained by the Vermont Folklife Center, and who will be responsible for collecting the majority of the oral histories for this project.
In addition to the collected oral histories, VHS will partner with acclaimed author and journalist Garrett M. Graff (author of Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, Watergate: A New History, and Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself–While the Rest of Us Die), to produce a book documenting the state’s response to the pandemic based on those interviews. VHS will also produce a limited-run podcast using the oral histories and other archived audio.
Vermont’s response to the COVID-19 project was widely recognized, and the Vermont Historical Society began documenting the outbreak starting in March 2020, collecting photographs, oral histories, data, and items related to Vermonters experiences during those early days. Presently, the collection contains more than 650 items, ranging from signs, to masks, to vaccine vials, and more. Collecting COVID-19: A Vermont Story will build upon these early efforts by preserving the stories and objects related to the pandemic.
Vermont Historical Society Executive Director Stephen Perkins says “So often historians wait decades to record and preserve first-hand reflections of historic events. I'm honored we have received the support to preserve the stories of this trying time for the benefit and instruction of future generations.”
Senator Patrick Leahy says “Our state is fortunate to benefit from the essential work of the Vermont Historical Society. This is part of why I have long fought to ensure the Institute of Museum and Library Services is well-resourced and able to provide federal support to those charged with recording our local histories. I am grateful that such a profound time in Vermont will be properly preserved with this funding.”
Senator Bernie Sanders says “Given the unprecedented times we are living in, it’s more important than ever that we preserve the stories of Vermonters, especially our front line workers. I congratulate the Vermont Historical Society on receiving this “Museums for America” grant and thank them for doing this important work. I very much look forward to seeing the results of this COVID-19 oral history project.”
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the project, please contact project director Amanda Kay Gustin, Director of Collections and Access at the Vermont Historical Society, or make sure to follow the Vermont Historical Society on social media or by visiting its website, www.vermonthistory.org.
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