Great Turnout for Library Legislative Day

On Thursday, April 2, several hundred library supporters flocked in record numbers to the State House in Boston for Library Legislative Day. This event was jointly sponsored by the Massachusetts Library Association and the Massachusetts School Library Association. Western and Central Massachusetts libraries were very well represented, many taking the trouble-free and inexpensive bus chartered by the Friends of WMRLS. The bus was registered to capacity.

The day was scheduled advocate for State funding for libraries of all types, along with the regional library systems the automated networks, the Talking Book Libraries and the Board of Library Commissioners. The message was that libraries are essential, but especially now in these troubled economic times. The halls of the State House were filled with people sporting bright green lapel stickers emblazoned with the words “Libraries – Instruments of Recovery.”

If turnout and enthusiasm are any measure, this Legislative Day was a resounding success. With State funding for so many services jeopardized for FY10, it was critical that a massive effort be made to encourage legislators to support libraries.

Sincerely, John Ramsay, Regional Administrator, WMRLS

Mickey and Minnie Mouse visit the West Springfield Library

Mickey and Minnie Mouse visit the West Springfield Library

Register to Win a Free One Day Admission to MLA

Dear WMRLS Libraries:

A generous donation from the Berkshire Legislative Breakfast Committee has enabled the WMRLS to offer a chance for 3 staff people at member libraries.

Any member library staff person who has never attended the Annual Conference of the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) can submit an online form that could be your ticket to win a free registration to a day’s registration MLA (May 5– 8 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield). You can submit only one chance each, and the deadline is noon on April 17. The drawing of the lucky winners will be done later that day, and you will be notified the next week. The 3 winners can pick a day they’d like to attend. WMRLS will pay your registration; you will pay for your lunch and travel.

REGISTER TO WIN A FREE ONE DAY ADMISSION TO MLA

Good luck!

~ John Ramsay, Regional Administrator, WMRLS

New England Carnegies

I'm pleased to announce that updates and additions have been made to the "New England Carnegies" web site at http://www.necarnegies.com.

The site was launched in 2006 in order to honor the 85 public library buildings that Andrew Carnegie funded in New England. A page for each library contains a brief history, an historic postcard image, and contemporary photos. Visitors can take a virtual tour that leads them across the six states.

Now the 10 academic Carnegie libraries of the region have been added as well. That list includes the libraries at Smith College and Mount Holyoke College.

Also added are the texts of historic newspaper accounts of Andrew and Louise Carnegie's visit to Worcester, Mass., in 1913. Andrew participated in laying the cornerstones for the three branch libraries that day.

The web site is maintained by Corinne H. Smith, cataloging and reference librarian at Anna Maria College, Paxton, Mass.; csmith@annamaria.edu.

~ Corinne H. Smith, cataloging & reference librarian, Mondor-Eagan Library, Anna Maria College, Paxton

WMRLS 26th Annual Summer Reading Program Power Workshop

(Coming Soon - A slide show when all pictures are developed)

72 Librarians representing WMRLS (and neighboring) member libraries participated in yesterday's WMRLS 26th Annual Summer Reading Program Power Workshop. In the coming days, we will be updating our WMRLS READS blog with links to program handouts, a slide show with program highlights, and other exciting summer reading program information.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of our program particiants and to our stellar librarian presenters and exhibitors:

* Mia Cabana, West Springfield Public Library
* Sarah Hodge Wetherbe, Springfield City Library
* Deb Cuthbert, Lenox Library Association
* Janice McArdle, Granby Public Library
* Holli Jayko, Adams Free Library,
* Cindy MacNaught, East Longmeadow Public Library
* Jenny Kinder, East Longmeadow Public Library
* Jenn Couturier, East Longmeadow Public Library
* Kay McCormack, East Longmeadow Public Library
* Celeste Bruno, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners
* Steve Swets, Buyer Advertising
* Kay Lyons, Greenfield Public Library
* Martha Richard, Storrs Library, Longmeadow
* Jean Maziarz, Storrs Library, Longmeadow
* Heather Marchetta, Storrs Library, Longmeadow
* Hillary Nolan, Westhampton Public Library
* Lynn Fay, Otis Public Library

Sincerely, Janet Eckert, WMRLS

Buy None, Get Eight Free

Check it out! Great tips on marketing your library and some good ideas you can use almost immediately are included in Alison Circle's blog Bubble Room. In a February posting, she highlighted several British techniques for marketing library value in these tough economic times. My favorite uses the phrase we see every week in the market and goes one better to encourage library use. It's worth a look.

~ N. Janeen Resnick

Breaking the Mold: Innovative Libraries & Programs

Now Available for Loan from the WMRLS Professional Collection:



Edited from the Library Video Network website:

"Breaking the Mold: Innovative Libraries and Programs, a training program that highlights outstanding libraries throughout the world."

Breaking the Mold: Innovative Libraries and Programs, a 25-minute program, visits the Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library to see how they’re able to achieve a 48-hour turnaround time in technical services, the Cerritos (CA) Library to view their outstanding design and display, Hong Kong Public Libraries to view their audio-visual catalog, and several other libraries trying new methods to meet their customers’ needs. “This program lets libraries around the world learn about interesting and successful innovations without having to travel to each of the libraries,” according to Producer Carl Birkmeyer. “It shows you how the West Palm Beach Library (FL) created a dragon academy for their summer reading club and the fantastic efforts of Middle Country Public Library (NY) created a disaster preparedness clearinghouse for their community,” he added. "

Additional Library Video Network productions available for loan from the WMRLS Professional Collection

WMRLS Library Leadership Participants Named

LLMA 09

40 people from across the state will participate in this summer’s leadership conference at Wheaton College in Norton, MA.

8 were from Western Region libraries:

• Paulina Borrego, Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library, UMass Amherst
• Susan Crowther, Chicopee Comprehensive High School
• Penni Martorell, Holyoke Public Library
• Jennifer Hawkes, Chicopee Public Library
• Richard Moon, North Adams Public Library
• Maxine Schmidt, Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library, UMass Amherst
• Carolyn Schwartz, Ely Library, Westfield State College
• Carol Will, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, UMass, Amherst

In addition, two people from WMRLS libraries will serve as mentors to help facilitate the conference and provide support to attendees:

• David Podboy, Reference/Information Commons Librarian at Smith College, was a graduate of the LLMA 07.
• Alison Ernst is Director of Academic Resources at Northfield Mt. Hermon School, former Director at the Graves Memorial Library in Sunderland and former President of the WMRLS Executive Board.

~ John Ramsay, Regional Administrator, WMRLS

Guest Author: Directories on the WMRLS website

Are you looking for information on western Massachusetts authors (and beyond) and/or how to plan and conduct a library Guest Author program? If so, do visit the WMRLS AUTHORS website.

Berkshire Athenaeum Portrait

A rare opportunity to watch the creative process taking place will be afforded to visitors to the Berkshire Athenaeum this Spring, when a new portrait of the library takes shape. The Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum have launched their first public painting event, selecting Pittsfield artist Marguerite Bride to create a watercolor portrait of the library building.  The new work will ultimately hang in the main entrance of the “new” Berkshire Athenaeum, which was built in 1974 and is celebrating its 35^th birthday this year. 

In addition, Marguerite Bride will be blogging the experience at http://www.baportrait.blogspot.com/

WMRLS Library Stars!

For complete information, read "America's Star Libraries" by Ray Lyons & Keith Curry Lance
in Library Journal, 2/15/09

The Library Journal, in its February 15, 2009 issue, announced its first national awards based on a new process for rating libraries. And, we’re delighted to let everyone know that the Lenox and Stockbridge Library Associations earned three-star ratings! Congratulations on this recognition to these two fine Berkshire County libraries!

This assessment is based entirely on 4 per capita service output measures: visits, circulation, program attendance and public Internet computer use. The libraries were ranked and compared with peer libraries, but, in a departure from past rankings, the groupings are based on total operating expenditures and not population.

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

WMRLS Library Budget Crisis Roundtable

The WMRLS Continuing Education Workshop Library Budget Crisis Roundtable offered about 25 member librarians, mostly directors of public libraries, a chance to discuss the local situations that they are facing in their communities. While a few library directors reported cuts to their budgets this year, most libraries are making plans for handling budget shortfalls beginning in July, with options like fewer hours, staff furloughs, layoffs, and reduced materials’ spending under consideration. John Ramsay, WMRLS Regional Administrator, facilitated the conversation and his PowerPoint presentation, which includes several helpful links to budget tools, is shared here.