Your Monthly News & Updates |
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Initiatives & Announcements |
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The Welcoming Library | Coming October 4th!
The Middletown Library Service Center (MLSC) is hosting the I’m Your Neighbor Books’ Welcoming Library. The Welcoming Library is a collection of acclaimed children’s picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families.
Given the national conversation about immigration, the Welcoming Library seeks to raise awareness and build sensitivity for all ages through children’s literature. The mission of the Welcoming Library is to allow readers to both meet a stranger on the page and to see aspects of their own family reflected.
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Each book contains a discussion guide affixed to the inside back cover to facilitate engagement in the topics of welcoming and belonging. Whether it is a parent discussing a picture book with a child or a public library story hour, these books will foster crucial discussions on what it means to arrive in a new culture, country, or community. Readers who are “new arrivals” themselves may see their cultures and communities reflected in the narratives in this collection.
I’m Your Neighbor is a larger literacy movement founded to draw attention to immigration children’s literature and to its potential to start sometimes difficult conversations about who belongs here, welcoming, assimilation, and how to celebrate all families.
Beginning Monday, October 4, four Welcoming Library kits will be available for borrowing from the Middletown Library Service for 3 months. Visit the Book Bundles page to make your reservations on Monday.
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Meet Our Partner: CT Coalition to End Homelessness
Individuals that are experiencing poverty or homelessness constitute a significant amount of those that frequent the library today. Library staff represent a crucial part of the emergency homeless response system. It is not uncommon for library staff to be a first point of contact for someone currently experiencing, or at imminent risk of, homelessness - which provides libraries with an important opportunity to change lives. Unfortunately, there continues to be an urgent need to assist those that are experiencing poverty and homelessness, which makes it essential for libraries to know how to effectively respond to their needs.
The CT State Library Division of Library Development is pleased to be partnering with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness to provide 2 training sessions for library staff to build their toolkit as they potentially help people navigate their housing crisis. There will be an introductory session on October 19 ( learn more and register) and an advanced session on November 16 ( learn more) with more limited capacity as it will take a deeper dive, get into more specifics, and include practice work. The 2-part training will provide an overview of the homeless response system and provide basic knowledge about available resources as well as focus on how to effectively intervene in a housing crisis and assist in connection to services.
Both trainings will be presented by two staff from CCEH:
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Amber Freeman, Interim Director of Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, oversees training, technical assistance, community impact and financial assistance programs for CCEH. Amber comes to CCEH with over twenty years of experience in the human service and behavioral health field, with the last 10 years being in management positions. Amber has worked in various capacities with individuals and families in diverse settings. Amber has experience with compliance, working with and managing programs for individuals with mental health, substance abuse, and co-occurring diagnoses as well as individuals experiencing homelessness and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Amber is a two-time graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, VA where she received her BA in Psychology Education and her MA in Community Agency Counseling.
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Diana Berube, Program Manager for Prevention and Exit Strategies, began work in the homeless services field in Connecticut in 2015 as a Grant Coordinator providing McKinney-Vento services to unstably housed students and families for Bristol public schools. Diana previously was the Housing Coordinator for the task force to end homelessness in her hometown of Bristol as well as a Navigator for St. Vincent DePaul Emergency Shelter. In both roles, she worked in the community identifying people experiencing homelessness and helping them navigate homeless and housing services. Her most recent position was conducting assessments as a Housing Support Specialist at the Central CT Coordinated Access Network Diversion Center.
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News from the CT Digital Newspaper Project!
We are happy to share some exciting news from the CT Digital Newspaper Project! The CT State Library was awarded a fifth, two-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to continue to digitize CT’s historic newspapers, and make them freely available in the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America database. This supplemental grant runs from 9/1/2021 – 8/31/2023. The award amount was $147,734, bringing our total award to date, to $1,251,015. Stay tuned for news of some exciting content as we begin to work with our newspaper advisory board on title selection.
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Vision
SERC believes that all students have the right to access opportunities and experiences that reflect and respect their differences and abilities.
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Meet Our Partner:
State Education Resource Center Library
Did you know the State Education Resource Center or SERC (formerly the Special Education Resource Center) Library is back up and running?
SERC was closed from around 2016 to late 2019 but are now open in our 100 Roscommon Drive, Middletown location. Anyone who works, lives or attends a higher institution in Connecticut can get a library card to check out materials. To learn more:
What’s changed?
A lot of our collection is still in storage, but we have our highest circulating materials available and are currently working on updating the collection, starting with our tests and assessments. Because of the pandemic, we are also currently requiring folks to reserve items ahead of time and schedule an appointment to pick up and return items; there is currently no in-person browsing of the collection.
Contact SERC!
We welcome new and returned patrons and partners – please help spread the word! You can reach us at libraryhelp@ctserc.org or (860) 740-2102.
The SERC Library has three librarians, all who have been hired recently and who are SO excited to join the SERC team and support the research and information needs of Connecticut parents, educators and SERC staff. These three librarians are passionate about providing services and support to all library users, and improving access and inclusion for all. Learn more about them below:
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Megan Devine is one of the newest members of the SERC Library staff. She earned a Bachelors in English and Secondary Education Certification from the University of Saint Joseph, and a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. She taught English for seven years in middle school and is excited to be able to apply her knowledge and experience to assist the world of SERC! Outside of work, she gravitates toward all things coffee-related, has a passion for sewing, and loves to travel. |
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Elizabeth Karr is a new Connecticut resident, transplanted from Montana (although she must admit, she is originally from California). Elizabeth has worked in a variety of different types of libraries, from public to academic and federal. Elizabeth has a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from San José State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Loyola Marymount University (California). Her two dogs (Indiana Bones and Boon) rule her and her partner’s lives. |
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Prior to becoming a librarian for the SERC Library in August 2021, Peter Williams had worked in special education as an ABA Tutor. He obtained his Master of Science in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, he enjoys performing and recording music as he has over twenty years of experience with percussion instruments. |
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Meet CT Pages
CT Pages is a channel for sharing community engagement success stories by libraries with and for their communities. Beginning in fall 2021, the CT State Library Division of Library Development is partnering with CT libraries to create and release monthly short video conversations with the library staff who make things happen.
In our very first edition, meet Mary Beth Rassulo Assistant Director and Head of Youth Services at the Easton Public Library who enlivens us with her reflections of their pre-COVID revamped Summer Reading Program designed to specifically connect and engage their small, rural community in Fairfield County. From milking cows to keeping bees, hear how the Easton Public Library created a fresh Summer Reading Program on a minimal budget by tapping the humans and resources right in town!
And we need more to share! We are always seeking submissions for consideration. Do you have a creative, program, service, activity, partnership or project that you want to share with your library neighbors?
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Workshops and Programs | October |
Teen Summit 2021
Friday, October 8 | 10 am-4 pm
It is an entirely online, and entirely free, professional development conference for library staff who work with teens. This year’s schedule includes:
All sessions will be recorded and accessible at the MLS Vimeo Teen Summit Showcase. Final program will be coming soon. Register via the link above to get access to the conference platform and to get updates about recordings. Brought to you by the Massachusetts Library System, the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services, and the Connecticut State Library, and supported by the state libraries of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
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Over the next several months we will be offering workshops touching on various areas of library management. We are opening the series with three sessions in October and stay tuned for more in the coming months. |
Lead Your Library: Core Competencies - Director Handbook
Wednesday, October 13 | 1-2 pm
Come join DLD staff as they help you naveigate throught the "ITs", the web site, and handbook, Let us share information about the free resources and services DLD provides to you. Everyone will leave here learning something new to benefit their library and community. Bring all your questions along to us. DLD is here to help!
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Lead Your Library: Core Competencies - What Patrons Really Want: Assessing Community Needs
Wednesday, October 20 | 10:30 am-12 pm
Join DLD staff in this interactive zoom session and participate in some of the exercises that contribute to a powerful community needs assessment. This information session is designed to help librarians who wish to apply for grants effectively determine the specific community and target audience for whom they will be creating programs or services. Participants should leave better prepared to fulfill the “need” requirement of a grant application than before. Organized around a case study, this session will allow library directors and all library staff to engage in hands-on experience with activities from the Aspen Re-Envisioning Libraries Guide. It will include exercises built from EXCITE Transformation for Libraries workshops that help a library learn to do empathy mapping and how to script community conversations that can reveal what patrons really want. Librarians in all staff positions who will be involved in writing grant applications are encouraged to attend.
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Lead Your Library: Core Competencies - New Library Construction: A Branch Manager's Perspective
Tuesday, October 26 | 2-3 pm
Diane Brown, Manager of New Haven Free Public Library, Stetson Branch, will walk participants through the process of new library construction. She will share details about her direct involvement and the impact it has on the project from start to finish.
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Library Coding from Scratch
Thursday, October 14 | 9-10:30 am
Thursday, October 14 | 10:30 am-12 pm
Are you intrigued by the thought of starting a library coding club for kids or teens but have absolutely no idea about coding? Do you feel STEM programs would enhance your Library’s offerings, but feel out of your depth and have often said, “I’m not a computer person”? Then this class is for you. This workshop will introduce participants to Scratch computer coding, and the only experience you need is how to use a mouse and the internet. Participants will identify a few online resources suitable for youth coding, then work through basic Scratch projects to build confidence as a Coding Club leader. Discuss potential topics for your coding club and ways to host remote classes. This hands-on class - specifically and only for true beginners - will help you develop a marketable skill and attract new patrons to your library.
Objectives:
- To identify online resources that can be used to support youth coding
- To understand the underlying principles of Scratch computer coding
- To build beginner coding skills in Scratch such as movement, speech, backgrounds, and inputs.
- To develop potential youth coding class topic ideas
- To discuss solutions for running a coding class remotely during Covid
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EBSCOadmin
Thursday, October 14 | 3:30-4:30 pm
EBSCOadmin is the administrative tool to manage your EBSCO resources. Learn the main components of EBSCOadmin, including general navigation, profile maintenance, customization options that enhance the search experience, authentication choices, and reports & statistics.
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Growing Equitable Library Services:
Preparing Library Staff to Assist People Experiencing Homelessness - INTRODUCTION
Tuesday, October 19 | 10 am-12 pm
The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness is providing part 1 of a 2-day training* for library staff to build their toolkit as they potentially help people navigate their housing crisis. The training will provide an overview of the homeless response system and provide basic knowledge about available resources as well as focus on how to effectively intervene in a housing crisis and assist in connection to services. There will be an emphasis on the practice of Shelter Diversion, which is a strategy that prevents homelessness at the front door by helping people identify immediate alternative housing arrangements to shelter and, if necessary, connecting them with services and financial assistance to help them return to permanent housing. Diversion can reduce the number of households becoming homeless, the demand for shelter beds, and the size of program wait lists. This 2-day training will provide knowledge and resources and will also be interactive and engaging to coach you through having person-centered and respectable diversion conversations with those that are in the library and currently experiencing a housing crisis.
*Please note, part 2 is an advanced session on November 16 with more limited capacity as it will take a deeper dive, get into more specifics, and include practice work. Library staff are welcome to attend either or both sessions.
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borrowIT Expenditure Reports due Sunday, October 31
Libraries that received borrowIT reimbursement payments in April 2020 (at the beginning of the pandemic) must now report how they spent the funds.
The amount of the payment you received is available in the report form. You do not need to submit a paper form.
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Get Ready for the Palace App - Coming this Fall!
Palace is a new e-reading app that will be replacing your SimplyE app. SimplyE was developed by librarians at The New York Public Library, and Palace is built on the same code, but is designed for the needs of libraries beyond NYC. If your library still needs to get configured, let us know. Lyrasis will work with you on an individual basis and the process is quick and easy.
We are preparing for the launch of the new Palace app with a tentative target date of December 1st. A great way to keep up with all things Palace is to join the Palace Project Community hub. Our Open Office Hours are aimed at specifically answering any questions you may have. View the recording from our September 22 edition.
If you are interested in joining the Palace Project Community hub or getting your library configured or have any other questions, please contact Brad Bullis at bradley.bullis@ct.gov. |
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New Professional Development Titles |
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These are just some highlights! We've got lots more professional development titles in our collection - browse!
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Stay Connected! Join our Emails Lists
Our many email discussion lists for the library community help you connect with your peers, whether you're in the office or working from home. Conntech has the greatest reach across the state, and both Goodnightmoon for children's services and Speak for YA services have lively discussions and professional interchange.
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Middletown Library Service Center
Open by appointment only for the foreseeable future
Monday - Friday | 9 am - 4 pm
MLSC will be closed Monday, October 11 in observance of Columbus Day.
MLSC staff, whether in the office or telecommuting, are responding to voicemail and e-mail during business hours of 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, except for state holidays.
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Connecticut State Library | Division of Library Development
Middletown Library Service Center
786 South Main Street | Middletown, CT 06457
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