The Vermont Department of Libraries has submitted an application for $601,753 in Federal grant funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program for Public Computing Centers. According to Martha Reid, State Librarian, the BTOP grant awards will be announced in November. “If we receive this grant award, thousands of Vermonters will have access to free computer training at a variety of locations around the state and four of our busiest public libraries will be able to purchase additional computers for public use.”
American Heritage Preservation Grants – Funding Available from IMLS and Bank of America
The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) can help you apply for a preservation grant available from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation for your institution’s paper-based collections.
American Heritage Preservation Grants will be awarded in amounts up to $3,000 to assist in the preservation of endangered and fragile American art works, rare books, scientific specimens, and historical documents (photographs, maps, deeds, etc.). Objects should be of significance within the heritage of the community. Targeted to meet the needs of small to medium size organizations, these grants are available to fully fund projects in three areas: treatment of library, museum or archival collections; improvement of collections storage; and environmental improvement of collections.
Annual Board Retreat 2009
Vermont Library Association Board Retreat
August 5, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
St. Michael’s College
DRAFT MINUTES
Present: Marti Fiske (Vice-President/Presiding), Judah Hamer (Past President), Brenda Ellis (Past Secretary), Sharon Thayer (Membership chair), Kip Roberson (NELA – New England Library Assoc. Rep), Nancy Wilson (ALA Councilor); Larraby Fellows (outgoing CSL- College & Special Libraries), Jill Coffrin (Outgoing Youth Libraries Section), Jane Napier (President – YLS), Grace Greene (DOL/VLS Awards Committee), Amy Grasmick (Personnel), Lucinda Walker (Public Libraries), Helen Linda (Advocacy), Deb Bullock Spackman (Government Relations)
Meeting was called to order at 10:05 a.m.
Peer Reviewers Needed for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program
Greetings,
I am forwarding this message from IMLS calling for peer reviewers of applications for federal ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) BTOP (Broadband Technology Opportunities Program) grant funds.
NTIA “encourages interested library and museum professionals to review grant applications for the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP)” and some of you may be interested in being part of the review process.
The Department of Libraries is a participant in two applications that have been submitted to the BTOP program: (1) Public Computing Centers (as the major applicant), partnering with The Vermont State Colleges and 65 public libraries, and (2) Sustainable Adoption of Broadband: The VT Council on Rural Development is the lead contact and the Department of Libraries is one of several grant partners.
Librarians who are somehow connected with either of these grants may not be eligible as reviewers, due to a conflict of interest. For more information, please see the message below.
Marty
CORRECTION: Library Reports and Standard Training in Ludlow not Full
Please see original post for more information on this event.
Hello Everyone,
We have learned that the registration deadline for the Bibliostat Collect training on October 1 at 9:30 in Ludlow was accidentally set to 8/24. If you tried to register, you were told that the session was full, but that’s not true. The deadline will be changed to 9/24 in the next few days. As soon as we change that date, you’ll be able to enroll. If you want to register for this training, please wait until the end of this week, or early next week. Then, click on the link for the Fletcher Memorial Library, Ludlow: http://tinyurl.com/lh7lc5 . It should work by Friday, but if not, try again next Monday. The session is not full.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Rob Geiszler
Regional Consultant
Vermont Department of Libraries
271 North Main Street
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 786-3839
Annual Public Library Report and Standards Application — important training sessions, October 1 — Ludlow or Midstate
Every fall the anticipation among librarians is palpable: the trips to the office supply store to purchase new pens, pencils and erasers, perhaps a pencil sharpener, a manila envelope or two, maybe even a new calculator. Who can resist the lure, the absolute delight, of completing and filing the Annual Vermont Public Library Report and Application for Minimum Standards? Oh, the thrill of the hunt to find copies of last year’s report, and those reports given to the Trustees and SelectBoard. What about the hours hunched over the forms, punching the calculator buttons?
Traveling Doll and Book Exhibits FREE for the Borrowing
Many of you have hosted the traveling doll and book exhibits but there are many who have not.
They are sponsored by the United Federation of Doll Clubs, Region 15 and by the Green Mountain Doll Club of Vermont.
I am now booking 2010.
For those you wish to learn more about how your library can host these FREE and FUN exhibits, just drop me a line.
UVM Researcher (Reference Librarian, Trina Magi) Studies Internet Privacy
From the Burlington Free Press article
When a student clicks on a commonly used research Web site such as JSTOR, FirstSearch or WilsonWeb — and they do it as routinely as earlier generations picked up the Reader’s Guide to find magazine articles — they are increasingly under surveillance.
Magi, who researched the issue over the past year, found that many library database “vendors” are evolving in the Web 2.0 social networking milieu of Facebook and My Space by offering personalized features that capture student research patterns or browsing results. That information, which over time can amount to a personal dossier, has commercial value.
Magi’s findings will appear in College and Research Libraries, a professional journal. She has won national awards for publicizing the dangers to library patrons of the 2001 Patriot Act, which allowed federal agents, acting on no more than a hunch, to scrutinize borrowing records looking for suspicious interests and forbade librarians from alerting the targets.
Nominations open for 2009 I Love My Librarian Award
From the American Library Association:
Nominations open for 2009 Carnegie Corporation Of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award
NEW YORK – Nominations open today for the 2009 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.
The award invites library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations will run through October 9 and are being accepted online at ilovelibraries.org/ilovemylibrarian.
Libraries and Ken Burns’ “The National Parks”
Join the excitement around the Vermont Public Television premiere of Ken Burns’ new series, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea on September 27, 2009.
- Schedule a community preview and discussion of The National Parks. Get the 45-minute preview DVD of the series, electronic invitations, template press release and flyers to promote the event from outreach@vpt.org or
1-800-639-3351. - Link to the VPT website http://parks.vpt.org from your website so people can see information about the film series and the State Parks photo contest.
- Schedule a Ranger from Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park or one of the Vermont State Parks to participate in the preview. For National Park Rangers, contact Tim Maguire, Chief of Visitor Services, at 802-457-3368 x18 or by e-mail: Tim_Maguire@nps.gov. For State Park Rangers, contact Nate McKeen, Chief of Park Operations, at 802-241-3664 or by e-mail:
nate.mckeen@state.vt.us. - List events related to the Ken Burns premiere on the Public Television website by contacting outreach@vpt.org or 1-800-639-3351.
Amy Howlett
VT Department of Libraries