Reference & Research Never Take Vacations: Xtreme Reference Has You Covered!

We all know that people stay up at night thinking of questions to ask us — or so it seems some days.Reference inquiries and research questions are always in the queue, and the “who?” “what?” “where?” “when?” and “how?” of handling reference and research is a core consideration of our libraries and information services.  But who can keep up with all the latest approaches and technology? Yikes!
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Public Library Funding and Technology Access Survey Follow-Up

Hello Everyone,

Ever wonder if the time you take to complete surveys is of any benefit?  Is it worth it? Does this effort just disappear?

Last fall you probably completed the “Public Library Funding and Technology Access Survey,” sometimes called the “Plinter Survey.” It took some time to do.  Remember all those questions about whether you offer public internet access or do you have a maintenance schedule for your computers or what factors influence your decisions about adding computers or how do you receive IT support?

The results are out.  Here’s the announcement from John Bertot, who’s the guy who created and administered the survey:

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Vermont Libraries Included in Broadband Grant Award

Good news!

The Department of Libraries is happy to confirm that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration yesterday awarded a $33.4 million grant to deploy a fiber optic network across the state of Vermont. The grant award will go to the Vermont Telecommunications Authority (VTA) as part of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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ALA Councilor’s Report #3

My third day representing Vermont at the ALA conference in Washington, DC was  busy and fun. I began the morning early at the Sunrise Speaker session featuring Dennis Lehane. He gave an interesting presentation about books to film and the writing life. He seemed like the kind of guy you would like to have a beer with; witty and self-deprecating. Because I had to attend my second council meeting a friend stood in line at the exhibit hall to score me an advanced reading  copy of his new Partick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro mystery!

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ALA Councilor's Report #3

My third day representing Vermont at the ALA conference in Washington, DC was  busy and fun. I began the morning early at the Sunrise Speaker session featuring Dennis Lehane. He gave an interesting presentation about books to film and the writing life. He seemed like the kind of guy you would like to have a beer with; witty and self-deprecating. Because I had to attend my second council meeting a friend stood in line at the exhibit hall to score me an advanced reading  copy of his new Partick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro mystery!
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ALA Councilor’s report #2

I am pleased to report on my second day at ALA in Washington, DC. Our first Council meeting was held in the morning and we heard reports from committees and officers. We adopted a resolution Reaffirming Equal Employment for GBTL library workers. We also passed a resolution on Non-Discrimination in Conference Contracts. These resolutions will be posted to the ALA website soon.

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ALA Councilor's report #2

I am pleased to report on my second day at ALA in Washington, DC. Our first Council meeting was held in the morning and we heard reports from committees and officers. We adopted a resolution Reaffirming Equal Employment for GBTL library workers. We also passed a resolution on Non-Discrimination in Conference Contracts. These resolutions will be posted to the ALA website soon.
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VLC Survey Results

The results of the 2010 Vermont Library Conference survey are in, and the respondents have expressed three clear preferences: continue meeting on a college or university campus (92%), keep the one day format (67%), and no vendor hall (58%). These results will be used in planning future conferences. Thanks to all attendees who responded!