Saturday, January 24 is WMRLS Night at the MassMutual Center!

Dear WMRLS Member Libraries:

The Springfield Falcons Hockey Team is sponsoring a fundraiser to benefit the WMRLS bookmobile service. It will be their home game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 24, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, against the Providence Bruins. If your library is interested in helping promote this event to your staff and users, please read further to see how you can help…

The Falcons have provided WMRLS with flyers and tickets for the game. Would your library be interested in selling tickets? We’d ask you to post the flyer at your library and request the number of tickets you would like to sell to your staff, trustees, friends, and users. They’re for a discounted price of $10 per ticket, and WMRLS will receive $3 per ticket sold, which will be used to purchase materials for the bookmobile. Just fill out the online form at our page for this fundraiser, at http://forms.wmrls.org/wmrls-falcons.html and we’ll send the requested number of tickets to your library ASAP. Depending on your timing, the tickets could be used as last-minute Stocking Stuffers, or for a family outing.

An added benefit is that members of the public who donate a new or lightly used hardcover children’s book at the game will receive a coupon that they can use to purchase a ticket for another game, on either February 20 or 21, and get a second ticket for free. We hope some of the donated books will be able to be added to our bookmobile collection.

So, if you’re willing and able to help promote this fundraiser and sell some tickets, you’ll be benefiting WMRLS and helping introduce area hockey fans to the Falcons.

Thank you, and we at WMRLS wish all of you a Happy Holiday Season!

~ John Ramsay, Regional Administrator, Western Massachusetts Regional Library System

Wendell Free Library featured in 12/15/08 Library Journal

Congratulations to the staff and trustees of the Wendell Free Library. Wendell is one of five Massachusetts public libraries cited in Public Library Buildings: 2008 of the article "Library Buildings 2008: Keeping the ''ECO'' in Economy: Public and academic buildings combine for 213 projects in 2008" by Bette-Lee Fox [Library Journal, 12/15/2008].

Technical Services Roundtable February 3rd in Westfield

Hello Everyone,

You are invited to our next Technical Services Roundtable meeting, at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3rd (the 4th if it snows, which hopefully it won't) at the Westfield Athenaeum.

Jeremy Goldstein, of the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, will be moderator.

Please RSVP and send agenda items to jeremy at jgoldste@cwmars.org

I look forward to seeing everyone in February.

Time to Order 2009 Summer Reading Program Materials

Greetings WMRLS Member Libraries,

Ready, Set ... Order! Summer 2009 is a long way away, but it's time to order your paper materials! This year's program highlights space and is called "Starship Adventure at your Library". The teen component is called "Find What's Out There at the library". Librarians who are conducting summer reading programs for adults are welcome to use either program theme. Deadline for orders is January 20, 2009. It's going to be a fantastic summer!
The order form URL is: http://surveys.wmrls.org/2009starship

~ Sincerely, Janet Eckert, WMRLS

Our 2009 Massachusetts Summer Reading Program is funded by your local library, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Libraries Are More Popular Than Ever!

Featured on the NBC Nightly News on December 10, 2008:

WMRLS Opening at 10:30 today - Delivery Very Limited

Dear Western Region Libraries:
Due to widespread icing of roads through much of our service area, the Western MA Regional Library System will be opening late at 10:30, today, Dec. 12, 2008. A modified delivery schedule will be in effect. Libraries whose deliveries are canceled will be contacted by telephone after WMRLS Headquarters opens. Thank you for your understanding and for passing this message along to key staff at your library. ~ John Ramsay, Regional Administrator

Must-See Sites for Technical Services

Thank you to Jeremy Goldstein, Berkshire Athenaeum Cataloging Supervisor, who inspired participants who attended today's WMRLS continuing education workshop "Must-See Sites for Technical Services". Jeremy's recommended technical services (and more!) websites are now featured on our WMRLS Cataloging & Classification webpage.

Thank you, too, to Dodie Gaudet, Bibliographic and Technical Services Consultant (Central Massachusetts Regional Library System). Dodie developed the original "Must See" workshop and generously granted permisssion to adapt this program for our region.

* One of the many benefits of WMRLS membership is free-of-charge continuing education workshops for member library staff on such topics as technical services, reference databases, long range planning, and guidance for library staff in new technologies.

The Bill Dwight Show

I was on the Bill Dwight Show this Monday talking about libraries and library stuff. It's available as a Podcast. I am on about half way through the December 1 show. In this show I talked a lot about the intrinsic value of the library as social space.

I am also on talking about libraries and the Amazon Kindle on the November 21, show. I think I am on for about 15 minutes about 12 minutes into the Podcast.

It was fun and, I think, a good way to profile libraries and librarians to the public. It looks like I will be on as a semi-regular "library guy" guest.

The show is on AM 1240, 1400 and 96.9 FM. Bill Dwight is a former Northampton City Councilor with a pretty colorful past. I don't know where the rest of you all might be but you might have a local AM talk news show that would welcome a library correspondent. If it's your cup of tea it's a great way to promote libraries in general and programs or other happenings at your library specifically.

Best,

Adam Novitt
Pelham Library

"Prejudice against gamers"

Three cheers for Sarah Hodge-Wetherbe of the Springfield City Library whose response to Joseph Grosso's "Mission Aborted" [BackTalk, Library Journal, 9/15/08, page 34] is published in the November 15, 2008 issue of Library Journal.

From Sarah's article, titled "Prejudice against gamers":

"... Gaming (along with anime, manga, and comics) has opened up the library for kids and teens. We have introduced things like digital editing, writing fan fiction based on games kids enjoy, and creating plans for video games. Gamers create online videos set to music and use text to read and write back and forth online in massive multiplayer games. They write and read reviews to help the library select games.... Games teach players about community interaction, history, civics, and many other subjects.... " - Read more at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6611583.html

Western Massachusetts Literacy Champions

Congratulations to ....

Candy Cross, Children's Librarian of the Wheeler Memorial Library in Orange who has been chosen as a 2009 Massachusetts Literacy Champion. Candy joins WMRLS Members' Massachusetts Literacy Champions - Jean Canosa-Albano (Springfield City Library - 2008 Champion), Haydee Hodis (Brightwood Branch, Springfield City Library - 2007 Champion), Marilyn Antonucci (Springfield Public Schools - 2006 Champion), Lynne Weintraub (Jones Library, Amherst - 2005 Champion), and Janet Kelly (Springfield City Library - 2003/04 Champion)

From the Massachusetts Literacy Champions website:

"The Massachusetts Literacy Champion Program is supported by Verizon Check Into Literacy program foundation.verizon.com and the Massachusetts Literacy Foundation http://www.massliteracy.org/. Each Literacy Champion receives $3,500 in grants to support their literacy program and professional development."

WRapper November/December Newsletter Now Online

Extra! Extra! Read All About ...

A New Outlook at the Wilbraham Public Library by Christine Bergquist, Wilbraham Public Library

Berkshire Athenaeum's Renovations to the Local History and Reference Departments by Ronald B. Latham, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield

Bookmobile: Keeping Up with the Times by Mary King, WMRLS

Election Results by John Ramsay, WMRLS

Forbes Library Welcome Kiosk by Janet Moulding, Forbes Library, Northampton

Forbes Library's Spanish Language Website by Lisa Downing, Forbes Library, Northampton

Happy 100th Birthday to the Griswold Memorial Library by Betty Johnson, Griswold Memorial Library, Colrain

"Leading Change: Working with Emotional Issues" at NELA by Mary King, WMRLS

Medspeak Project Update by James L. Craig, UMass Amherst Libraries

Milne Library's Environmental Education Program Series by Mindy Hackner, Milne Library, Williamstown

North Adam's Take Charge Energy Kits by Marion Grillon, North Adams Public Library

November Storytimes Celebrate Picturing America by Margo Storozuk, Southwick Public Library

October Hero - Ed Popielarczyk by Janet Eckert, WMRLS

Owen Listens to Youth Read at the Richmond Free Public Library by Kristin Smith, Richmond Public Library

Palmer's Platinum Patron Recognition Program - Reading Rewards by Helene O'Connor, Palmer Public Library

Reading, Writing and History by Pat McLeod, Milne Library, Williamstown

Save the Date: UMass Amherst Libraries Dinner with Friends on April 4, 2009 by Leslie Schaler, UMass Amherst Libraries

Southwick Public Library Celebrates Family Literacy Month by Margo Storozuk, Southwick Public Library

Successful Programs at the Dickinson Memorial Library by Angela Rovatti-Leonard, Dickinson Memorial Library, Northfield

Survey Says ... Tips on Planning a Young Adult Survey at the Library by Mia Cabana, West Springfield Public Library

The East Longmeadow Public Library Receives Stavros Access Award for 2008 by Sue Peterson, East Longmeadow Public Library

With the Help of the GCC Library, I Got an A on My Paper! by Hope Schneider, Greenfield Community College Library

WMRLS Disc Repair Machine Now Available to Public Libraries Serving Populations of 2,500 and under by Becky Marconi, WMRLS

Worthington Library receives ALA/Fetzer Institute Award by Leona Arthen, Worthington Library

WMRLS Continuing Education Workshops - January 2009

And More!

Now online at http://www.wmrls.org/wrapper/november2008.pdf

February 3, 2009 is deadline to apply for THE BIG READ grant

From the National Endowment for the Arts THE BIG READ website:

"The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The Big Read brings together partners across the country to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment. Approximately 400 organizations in communities of varying sizes across the country will be selected to participate in The Big Read from September 2009 through June 2010."


An overview of THE BIG READ featured in the November 15, 2008 issue of Library Journal:

1. "Big Read, Big ROI: How the one-book program extends the library's most trusted brand" by Beth Dempsey.

Recent THE BIG READ video posted on YouTube:
"Claymation reenactment of the novel the Great Gatsby for Waukesha's BIG READ celebration."