Western Massachusetts Library Club Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting at the Holyoke Public Library

Wednesday, October 29 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Registration & Light Refreshments Business Meeting & Elections A la Carte Luncheon to Follow

Program: Mountain Park with Guest Author Jay Ducharme

Please make your reservation for the luncheon along with your meeting reservation by Sunday, October 26. Email: lakmary729@lycos.com or Telephone: Franklin Taplin - 413/534-0867

Directions to the Holyoke Public Library

Visit the Western Massachusetts Library Club Website

Chibiconn V: A HIT!

On September 27, 2008, the Springfield City Library opened its doors to the anime fans of Western Massachusetts with a vast selection of anime showings on the Community Room’s big screen! Starting off with the classic 1963 anime Astro Boy, the day showcased anime for all ages and tastes. Among those shown were: Glass Fleet (a sci-fi drama about a rebellion against a cold and ruthless ruling class), Emma: A Victorian Romance (A Jane Austen-type period romance), and Ghost Stories (a hilarious re-dub of a spooky ghost-chasing tale, filled with Daily Show type humor). Between each showing, a series of door prizes, generously donated by several anime companies and contacts, were given away.

On Sunday the 28th, the crowds returned for our headliner contests and guests. The Anime Music Video contest was cancelled due to lack of entries, but we still enjoyed a showing of AMVs, some created by our young patrons, some showcased as winners from local conventions through the years! Next, we were treated to a manga workshop presented by Bettina M. Kurkoski. Bettina is a professional artist and manga creator for Tokyopop, and she did a wonderful job of not only teaching drawing tips, but also explaining the complicated buisness of being a professional artist. From agents to contracts to computer programs to figure sketching, she covered everything you need to know.

Then it was on to the cosplay and skit contest. The costumes were varied and the skits were well written. The art contest followed with a fantastic display of the creativity of the next generation of manga and animation artists on hand. Every piece was interesting and refreshing, and our judges had plenty of trouble narrowing the winners down.

By the end of the day our final count was in! 127 anime fans had passed through our doors to join the fun! What did they have to say about the festival? Here are just a few comments!

“It gave me the spirit of anime, the real anime spirit.”

“I had never really tried to cosplay before, but Chibiconn absolutely made me get some motivation and discover that I actually enjoyed anime and making costumes!”

“I love anime and I like to meet other people who like anime.”

Safe to say, the event was a hit!

NELA Conference 2008

Sunday afternoon in Manchester NH was a time to attend great programs and greet old friends at the opening day of the 2008 NELA Conference! In the accompanying photos, enjoying the Vendor's Exhibits are Mary King (WMRLS), Joan Powers (Undermountain Elementary School, Sheffield) and Madeleine Charney (DuBois,UMASS) with her darling son, Eli.

Read More About It! Visit the NELA Conference Blog

Work Like A Patron Day

Brian Herzog, a reference librarian at the Chelmsford Public Library, is the author of the blog, Swiss Army Librarian or, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Fear and Loathing at a Public Library Reference Desk. With colleagues at the Chelmsford Public Library, Brian recently celebrated "Work Like a Patron Day" in which staff experience the library from the patron's point of view.

Must Reading is Brian's Work Like A Patron Day Proposal (excerpt below) and Event Recap.

"I’m proposing “Work Like A Patron Day” on October 15th. In honor of the day, I think library staff should (when possible):

• enter and leave the library through the public entrance (not the staff doors)
• use the public restrooms
• use the public computers to do your work
• reserve public meeting rooms for meetings
• follow all library policies"

Worthington Library receives ALA/Fetzer Institute Award

Good news from the Worthington Library!

"The Worthington Library is one of 50 libraries to be chosen for the ALA/Fetzer Institute “Let’s Talk About It: Love & Forgiveness” grant. The grant awards the library $2500 to cover project director training in Denver, honorarium for the local scholar who will run the book discussion series and any other expenses. Worthington chose the topic: “Love and Forgiveness in the Light of Death” which follows nicely our well-received series last year on spiritual practices in our community. We are partnered in the grant by The Worthington Health Center, the Council on Aging and the Congregational Church. Our local scholar is Walter Wright, Academic Dean of Clark University and a PhD in Philosophy. We are very happy to have received this grant."

~ Leona Arthen, Director, Worthington Library

In Good Spirits Opening This Weekend!

I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a really great musical opening at the Shea Theatre in Turners Falls Ma this Friday! The show runs Oct 17-18 & Oct 24-25 at 8pm. They’ll also be matinees on Sunday Oct 19 & 26 at 2pm!

The musical is “IN GOOD SPIRITS”, a hysterical comedy about 5 ghosts that haunt a theater and the second rate community theater group that moves in with them. Will the ghosts scare them out, or help them out? If you’ve never seen a show with dancing sharks, prima donnas, and haunted bathrooms all set to toe tapping tunes, you have to see this one!

Best of all, several local librarians are in the cast and crew, including the Jones Library's own Sondra Radosh, producing the show! (and a certain Springfield library associate in the chorus as well! LOL )

Reserve tickets by phone at the Shea Box Office, 413-863-2281, ext. 3. Or you can go to http://www.arenacivictheatre.org/

Sarah HW
Springfield City Library

Library License Plates to benefit Massachusetts Libraries

From the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System website:

"Be among the first with a library license plate!
Celebrate libraries by proudly displaying the new MA library license plate and encouraging your staff members, friends, trustees, or members to join us!
The Central Massachusetts Regional Library System (CMRLS) announces it is now accepting advance applications for a new specialty license plate celebrating libraries in Massachusetts.

Proceeds will benefit public, academic, special and school libraries across the state that belong to a Regional Library System. Equitable shares of the proceeds will be made available to qualifying libraries through an open grant process. Funds will not be used to supplant library budgets.

If you'd like to be the owner of a low library license plate number, apply now!"

Read more about Massachusetts Library License Plates

Apply for a Massachusetts Library License Plate

Summer Reading Program Updates

Greetings All,
I have 3 calendar years of Summer Reading Program (SRP) updates to share with you:

2008 – Thank you to all who evaluated last summer’s program. We’ve compiled your feedback and it is now posted online .





2009 – The links to the complete manuals for both the general and teen 2009 SRP are now posted on our WMRLS READS! blog . The Massachusetts Regional Library Systems are now working to finalize the 2009 order form of free promotional materials for our member libraries (posters, bookmarks, reading records, certificates). Our goal is to have the complete library order form for 2009 materials posted to our WMRLS READS! blog by mid-November.


2010 - It's time to Vote for our 2010 Massachusetts Regional Library Systems Statewide Summer Reading Program Theme. Our online Summer Reading Program Ballot - - runs today through Monday, November 3. We'll announce our winning 2010 Summer Reading Program Theme on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.

~ Sincerely, Janet Eckert, WMRLS

Clip art from LibraryClipArt.com

Going Green Institute - December 4, 2008

From the Library Journal Going Green Institute Website:

Going Green Institute

December 4, 2008 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building

Admission is free ~ Register soon as seats are limited

"The fourth Library Journal Design Institute moves to Connecticut for a one-day think tank on green design. We will bring together leading architects, designers, librarians, and vendors to hone in on the challenges and solutions we face in making libraries sustainable. As previous Green Design institutes have shown, there is much more to sustainability than making our libraries green. With every Green Design Institute, we've taken a leap forward in knowledge and understanding, but there is so much more we can learn from these experts and each other. Join us for a day-long series of green-themed presentations, panels, and breakout sessions, and learn the latest developments, options, costs and strategies being adopted.

We'll also reprise one of the most successful features of the day: hands-on breakout sessions with architects. Each librarian attendee will have a chance to have their design challenge be the focus of one of the six architect-led breakout sessions. The design challenges do not have to focus solely on going green, but the breakout session will incorporate green solutions into the design.
Limited to 100 attendees, the seminar is for those considering a new building project or renovation, in the fundraising or pre-bond stage, or in the early building process."

Coffee Bars, Computer Blogs, & Cybrarians

A big thank you to Bonnie Isman, Director of the Amherst Libraries, and guest presenter of today's inspiring WMRLS Continuing Education Workshop titled Coffee Bars, Computer Blogs, and Cybrarians, Oh My! It’s Not your Grandmother’s Public Library.

This presentation was originally conducted for the Greenfield Senior Symposia series and to other local organizations. The content was designed for community groups with the hope of stretching their minds about the kinds of things that libraries can do. Using slides, websites, and a special DVD presentation, Bonnie gave participants a whirlwind tour of the history of American libraries and concluded by showcasing 21st century libraries and the incredible services and programs that they provide their communites.

Posted below is a sampling of the material that Bonnie shared with us.

YouTube Presentation: Jones Library English as a Second Language (ESL) Tutoring



Carnegie Libraries -
http://wmrls.blogspot.com/2008/01/catalogue-of-photographic-exhibition-of.html

Cerritos launches "The Experience Library" - http://www.ci.cerritos.ca.us/library/experience_library.html

From Awareness to Funding: A study of library support in America © 2008 OCLC -
http://www.oclc.org/reports/funding/default.htm

In Search of Solutions: How People use the Internet, Libraries, and Government Agencies to Find Help - http://pewresearch.org/pubs/677/in-search-of-solutions

Libraries with Coffee Shops - http://wikis.ala.org/professionaltips/index.php/Libraries_with_Coffee_Shops

The Library History Buff (Look for "The First Bookmobile")- http://www.libraryhistorybuff.org/

Library pioneers strove for a place in history. Republican, The (Springfield, MA) - July 28, 2008 Author: STAN FREEMAN Edition: ALL Section: NEWS Page: A01

Number of Libraries in the United States -
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/hqops/library/libraryfactsheet/alalibraryfactsheet1.cfm

The Peterborough Town Library:The Oldest Free Public Library in the World Supported by Taxation - http://www.libraryhistorybuff.org/peterborough.htm

Wyoming Libraries - http://wyominglibraries.org/

Nikki Giovanni at STCC

On Friday, October 31, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. in the gymnasium of Scibelli Hall, the College will welcome world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni.

This is the first program in a series of Diversity Speakers/Art events sponsored by the Diversity Council for the 2008-2009 season. This event is also being sponsored by: Mass Mutual, Mass Mutual Center, Baystate Health, Black Men of Greater Springfield, Springfield Health & Human Services, American International College, PeoplesBank, The Point of View, Unity First, Springfield College and WNEC.

Ms. Giovanni, who is one of the most widely read American poets, is considered a National Treasure. Oprah Winfrey recognizes Ms. Giovanni as one of Oprah's twenty-five Living Legends. Ms. Giovanni calls herself "a Black American, a daughter, a mother, and a professor of English". Her focus is on the individual, for she believes in the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus in the lives of others.

Ms. Giovanni has written 30 books for adults and children, some of which have been on the New York Times Bestseller list. Her most recent children's book, Rosa, illustrated by Bryan Collier (and which our library has, among other books of hers, in its children's collection,) was a Caldecott Medal Honors book and won the Coretta Scott King award. She has received numerous other awards. Click on http://nikki-giovanni.com/awardsnhonors.shtml to get that list.

Ms. Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Attached is You-tube video clip of how she rallied the Virginia Tech community after the tragedy in April, 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zrJhtH-SHY.
The text she composed can be read at: http://www.vt.edu/remember/archive/giovanni_transcript.html

Lynn Coakley
Coordinator of Technical Services & CLGS coordinator
Library
Springfield Technical Community College
One Armory Sq.
Springfield, MA 01102
413.755.4565
fax: 413.755.6315
lcoakley@stcc.edu

Summary of Technical Services Roundtable

Yesterday the latest technical services roundtable was held at the North Adams Public Library.  At the meeting:

The attendees stated that they would like to see more activity on the CWCAT message board. Janet Schrader encouraged us to use CWCAT to communicate with each other about all tech services topics – whether or not C/W MARS cataloging is involved.  The attendees agreed that if we have more continuous activity on CWCAT, then we can send fewer messages to WMRLS and CWINFO.

The MLA Technical Services Section is seeking a candidate for Vice-Chair (2 and a half year committment) to fill an immediate vacancy, as well as candidates for Vice-Chair (3 year), Secretary (2 year), and Member-at-Large (2 year) to be elected at this year's conference in Springfield.  If interested please contact Cecile Bianco (Cecile.Bianco.umassmed.edu)

Libraries were reminded that they are obligated to follow the street dates for materials provided to them by their distributors. 

C/W Mars is actively working on customized templates for libraries seeking to print spine labels from Millenium Cataloging.  If you are interested and your library uses a laser printer, please contact Janet Schrader (jschrader@cwmars.org), if you use a continuous feed printer please contact Tom Corbett (tcorbett@cwmars.org).  It is also recommended that you send C/W Mars an example of your label stock along with its item number.  Click here for further information.

Libraries are strongly urged when adding items containing multiple parts to clearly label on the container what parts are included.  When cataloging these items it is recommended that you only use one barcode for the set as a whole. This is intended for items that circulate throughout the network and on which patrons/staff can place holds. The single barcode is so there will not be multiple item records for what is actually a single item.

A list of all current itypes has been posted to the C/WMars website for quick reference. 

Carolyn Platt wanted to know which products we prefer for attaching book jackets.  Some libraries like fiber or filament tapes, and no one worries about covering up information!

Laura Dankner of the Milne Public Library in Williamstown has volunteered to compile a list of commonly used supplies for covering books.  Please post your supply lists to the CWCAT list for this project. 

Jeremy Goldstein gave a talk on LibraryThing and LibraryElf, and will be happy to answer any questions on either topic (jgoldste@cwmars.org).

The next meeting will be held at the Westfield Athenaeum in February.