Big E Ticket Distribution

On the evening of July 20, 2011, volunteers and members of the Western MA Library Advocates Board of Directors gathered at Lynn Coakley's home to distribute prize admission tickets to The Big E. Thanks to Lynn for providing the location and the refreshments. Thanks to Lynn, Jim Craig, Tammy Ely, Bonnie Isman, Sue San Soucie, John Ramsay and Jan Resnick for providing the labor. Big E tickets have been a staple of Summer Reading Program prizes for several years. Eighty-four main libraries and branches each received a pair of tickets for the fair.

The Big E is the largest fair in the northeast and is a New England extravaganza with top name entertainment, The Big E Super Circus, the Avenue of States, Storrowton Village Museum, animals, competitive exhibits, rides, shopping, crafts, a daily parade and a Mardi Gras parade and foods from around the world. The fair runs for 17 days each September. In 2010, over 1,228,418 people attended The Big E.

This Big E ticket distribution was made possible by the Western MA Library Advocates working to support library services in Western Massachusetts and a generous donation by The BIG E.

Author Cailtin Horrocks in South Hadley - Monday, August 22 @6:30

Author Talk, Reading, & Book Signing at the South Hadley Public Library

Thirteen women confront dramas both every-day and outlandish in Caitlin Horrocks’ This Is Not Your City. In stories as darkly comic as they are unflinching, people isolated by geography, emotion, or circumstance cut imperfect paths to peace—they have no other choice. A Russian mail-order bride in Finland is rendered silent by her dislocation and loss of language; the mother of a severely disabled boy writes him postcards he'll never read on a cruise ship held hostage by pirates; and an Iowa actuary wanders among the reincarnations of those she's known in her 127 lives. Horrocks’ women find no simple escapes, and their acts of faith and acts of imagination in making do are as shrewd as they are surprising.

Masha Kabakow Rudman Issues in Children's Literature Collection

UMass Amherst Libraries will launch the Masha Kabakow Rudman Issues in Children’s Literature Collection on September 17, 2011, at the Du Bois Library at UMass Amherst.   

The event will include a self-guided tour of the collection from 2-3 p.m. on Floor 11 and a multimedia program from 3-5 p.m. on the Lower Level.  The program will include an introduction to the collection and comments by authors Jane Yolen and Jacqueline Woodson, and other special guests.  Refreshments will be served.  The event is open to all.

More information: http://bit.ly/masha_rudman.

Writing Program at Greenfield Public Library

Congratulations to Monson!!!!

Monson Free Library is back in business after the tornado struck 6 weeks ago!

Construction Grants Awarded to Western MA Libraries

Congratulations to the Granby Free Public Library, M.N. Spear Memorial Library (Shutesbury), South Hadley Public Library and West Springfield Public Library! They received 4 out of the 8 construction grants approved by the MA Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) this morning. We expect more information on the awarded grants and the wait list to be posted on the MBLC website very soon.

WMRLS End of Era Picnic

On Saturday July 9, 2011, WMRLS staff got together for a picnic to catch up, say good-bye and in general, celebrate almost 50 years of service to the libraries and communities of western MA. We had staff from the very beginning and those who served until this past week. As usual we gathered over food, and a certain baseball rivalry was brought to the fore. The picnic was held at the D.A.R. State Park in Goshen on an absolutely gorgeous day. There was more than a little 'remember when' and a lot of discussion of plans for the future.

We were privileged to have three of our four past Regional Administrators present. Frankin P. Taplin was the Region's first Administrator (1961) and was responsible for encouraging libraries to join and support the new organization. Bruce S. Baker (RA from 1972-1990) took the Region and its first budget increase (yes 10 years on the same budget) through an expansion of services, the move from Springfield to Hatfield, and to becoming a nonprofit. John E. Ramsay (RA from 1991-2010) guided Regional services through the expansion from a public library system to include all types of libraries, the building of the new WMRLS HQ in Whately, and the eventual, budget induced merger into a single statewide system.

The picnic was sponsored by the Western MA Library Advocates, and we offer our sincere thanks for their support. We have a lot to be proud of and much to look forward to. What a grand history of service and a great group of people with whom to share a major portion of our lives.

~Jan Resnick, Former WMRLS Assistant Regional Administrator

BIG E TICKETS OFFER for Western MA PUBLIC libraries

The Western Massachusetts Library Advocates (WMLA) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that arrangements have been made with the Eastern States Exposition to provide to each Western Massachusetts PUBLIC LIBRARY, who are conducting a summer reading program, free tickets for this fall’s Big E in West Springfield. Special thanks go to the Southwick Public Library for their hard work on getting the ball rolling on this.

Now for the details. The Big E will provide two (2) free general admission tickets to each public library in Western Massachusetts with the understanding that these tickets will be used as incentives or rewards for children and teens to encourage them to read over the summer. The winners should be chosen through a random drawing of names at the end of your summer reading program.

To participate:
Place a self-addressed #10 business-sized, STAMPED envelope (SASE) [must hold 2 tickets and one Big E brochure] addressed to YOUR library with “ATTN: [your library’s person designated to receive these valuable tickets]” inside another stamped envelope.

Mail to:
WMLA
ATTN: SUMMER READING
P. O. BOX 609
South Deerfield, MA 01373

NOTE: Your SASE must be received by WMLA by Friday, July 15, 2011.

For security reasons, DO NOT write the words “Tickets” or “Big E” on the outside of the envelopes.

DO NOT send your request through delivery system due to the ongoing change of delivery responsibility.

For Western MA public library systems that have branch libraries, you will need to either send a separate SASE for each branch OR one large envelope with sufficient postage to hold the number of tickets and brochures you are requesting. Please tell us how many branches for which you wish tickets.

The only request that The Big E has made of Western Massachusetts public libraries receiving these free tickets is that the public be notified of their donation to encourage reading among our young people. So please create signs or posters with this information. We at WMLA will send you a generic press release that you can use to notify the media.

The WMLA Board members will process your requests and mail the tickets shortly after July 15th.

Please contact me via email with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your time,


Deborah G. Bruneau, President of Western Massachusetts Library Advocates, and
Director, Adams Free Library
92 Park Street, Adams, MA 01220-2096
413-743-8345
413-743-8344 (FAX)
dbruneau@town.adams.ma.us

Sad Day

This is the very last day of the very last run of the WMRLS Delivery drivers. The Advocates thank all of them from the bottom of our hearts for their years of good-natured, enthusiastic, confident, cordial and professional service. They became parts of our library families and it is,indeed, a very sad day for all of us.

All the best to each and every one

Greenfield Community College Library Open House

Eric Poulin of GCC says:

Just sending out a reminder that the Open House to celebrate the newly renovated Library at Greenfield Community College will be this upcoming Wednesday, June 29 from 2-5 in the afternoon. If you are planning on stopping in to say hello, please RSVP to Eric Poulin at pouline@gcc.mass.edu or 413-775-1834. Thanks—and we hope to see you on Wednesday!

Tornado and library materials

Wonderful sentiment from Rick Moon of the North Adams Public Library re: loss of library materials in the tornado. Thanks to Rick for allowing us to post it on the WMLA One blog

************************************************************

We at the North Adams Public Library send our thoughts to everyone who has been effected by the devastating tornado. In the past days, our library has been contacted by library patrons who had received our materials through interlibrary loan and are wondering what to do if the materials have been damaged or lost. Please understand that library materials are just that, your lives and your rebuilding is the upmost important task for you and your libraries at this time. If by chance a library patron or an individual that you know had items that belonged to our library and either they were lost or damaged due to the tornado, please call us and we will take care of it for you.

All of the staff at the North Adams Public Library want you to know that we are part of the greatest library system and we will work together to make everything possible. If there are any needs that we might be able to help with please let us know.

Sincerely,


Richard G. Moon, Jr
Library Director

North Adams Public Library
74 Church Street
North Adams, MA 01247

(413) 662-3133 Fax (413) 662-3039
library@northadams-ma.gov

Thank You to Western Mass. Delivery Specialists

To all members of the former Western Massachusetts Regional Library System:

As you all know the Delivery Specialists jobs for MLS will be ending on June 30th. Several Western Mass. librarians have expressed their wish to thank these dedicated, caring and hard-working people in a special way.

The Board of Directors of the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates (WMLA) has agreed to oversee this effort. Our Treasurer Sue SanSoucie and Assistant Treasurer Bonnie Isman are very willing to gather any donations for this purpose. This is understandably a very bittersweet time for the drivers. After discussions with Mary King, the drivers have asked that any funds collected go toward a picnic for drivers and their families along with current and former staff of WMRLS at a local park, to provide an “end-of-an-era” opportunity to reminisce. Any donations remaining after the picnic expenses would be divided among the current drivers (including ones who have recently left MLS for other jobs) in an equitable manner.

PLEASE NOTE: MAIL only checks or money orders, made payable to “Friends of WMRLS, Inc.” (our new incorporation is still in process!) and, this is VERY IMPORTANT, on check’s memo line please write “WMRLS Driver Thanks”.

MAIL to: WMLA Treasurer Sue SanSoucie, MLS-Whately, P.O. Box 609, S. Deerfield, MA 01373-0609

Please include a return address. All checks must be received by June 24, 2011.

Please avoid using delivery as we don’t wish to make extra work for the drivers during their last few weeks!

If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your time.

I wish you all the best,

Debbie

Deborah G. Bruneau, President of
Western MA Library Advocates, and
Director of Adams Free Library
92 Park Street, Adams, MA 01220-2096
413-743-8345
413-743-8344 (FAX)
dbruneau@town.adams.ma.us