At the New England Library Association Annual Fall Conference we honor an outstanding librarian from New England with the Greenaway Award. If you know someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the library field in New England consider nominating them for this award. The Greenaway Award committee will accept nominations until June 1. The candiate must be a NELA member, or have been one in the past. Full details are here http://www.nelib.org/greenaway/index.htm
New Winnie Belle Learned Grant Round
There is a new Winnie Belle Learned Grant round for youth services. Deadline: May 29, 2009. Our fabulous benefactor, Dr. Burnett Rawson, is very pleased with the projects for children’s and young adult services that we have funded so far in Vermont, and he is eager to fund more. For this round, he is particularly interested in early childhood serves, and services to new immigrant populations, but he is open to anything that will benefit children, teens and families. For more information, and the application form, go to: http://libraries.vermont.gov/libraries/vplf
If you have any questions, please ask me!
Grace
Grace Worcester Greene
Children’s Services Consultant
Vermont Department of Libraries
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609
802-828-6954
Fax: 802-828-1481
grace.greene@mail.dol.state.vt.us
2009 Save America’s Treasures Grants
Deadline is Friday, May 22, 2009 (in-hand deadline, not postmark)
SAVE AMERICA’S TREASURES grants are available for preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and nationally significant historic structures and sites. Grants are administered by the National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
2009 Save America's Treasures Grants
Deadline is Friday, May 22, 2009 (in-hand deadline, not postmark)
SAVE AMERICA’S TREASURES grants are available for preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and nationally significant historic structures and sites. Grants are administered by the National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Read more
DOL Information about federal stimulus funds
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and Libraries
Even before the “stimulus bill†was signed into law in February, librarians in Vermont and across the country were hard at work trying to make sure that some of this money gets to libraries. There are still many unanswered questions about this funding package and new information trickles in each week. DOL is in regular contact with State officials and also with the ALA Washington Office and other state library agencies and I will pass along news as it comes our way.
Some of the biggest money will come to the State of Vermont, in the “Stabilization Funds.†Most or all of that money that comes directly to the state will be directed to projects other than libraries. But there are other ARRA funding programs that are potential sources for us to tap. Read below for tips:
Public Libraries: make sure you are in communication with your town officials. Municipalities will receive a portion of the stabilization money and libraries could be eligible public projects.
Public Library Statistics now available for 07-08
Public library statistics are available for Vermont on this page. There’s no summary page, but here are a few statistics that might be interesting. Feel free to use the comment section to pull out your own noteworthy statistics.
- Vermont has 182 public libraries, the largest number of libraries per capita in the US.
- 174 of these libraries have Internet access; 160 of these have high speed access. Do the math, that’s 14 libraries with dial-up and eight with nothing.
- Half of the public librarians in the state have MLSes or the equivalent.
- 73% of Vermont library funding comes from local taxes; 27% comes from other local sources (grants, fundraising)
- Eleven public libraries filter internet access on all terminals (as opposed to some libraries that offer a children’s filtered option)
Conference Scholarships
Don’t forget, scholarships for the cost of attending the conference in May are available. Don’t let the cost of attending keep you away; last year there was scholarship money left over! Click here for details.
The Beatles Had It Right
Sometimes we just need a little help from our friends. You may be a new librarian who feels at sea. Or you may have a library project or issue that you would like to talk with another professional about. The Vermont Library Association can help you connect with people who can help you out. Over a dozen VLA members from all over the state have agreed to act as a mentor for public librarians. Contact Lucinda Walker 802-649-1184 lucinda.walker@norwichlibrary.org if you would like to find a mentor in your area.
National Library Week April 12-18
How are your plans coming for celebrating National Library Week this year, April 12-18? WCAX/ Channel 3 is broadcasting Vermont librarians Debbie Landauer and Amy Howlett booktalking some public library favorites on Monday, April 13 following the noon news. Their annotated list is online at http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/misc/natlibwk09.pdf . Feel free to use this list any way you like—for bookmarks, local articles, handouts, etc.
For more ideas, free radio PSAs and model letters to the editor, check out the American Library Association at http://www.ala.org/nlw . New York Times best selling author and actress Jamie Lee Curtis is the Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2009.
Amy Howlett
VT Department of Libraries
(802) 463-0142
amy.howlett@mail.dol.state.vt.us