Category Archives: Public Libraries

Public Libraries Section & related news and events.

Public Libraries Section Hosts Franklin County Library Tour

“Franklin County is chock full of wonderful public libraries,” said Catherine Goldsmith, president of the Vermont Library Association’s Public Libraries Section, and director of Starksboro Public Library. Goldsmith worked with Josh Worman, director of Haston Library, and the other libraries of FLARE — Franklin Libraries Are Really Excellent — to organize a tour of six Franklin County, Vermont, public libraries on Friday, Nov, 17, 2023.

The tour began at Enosburgh Public Library, and continued to Haston Library, Swanton Public Library, the Franklin/Grand Isle Bookmobile, St. Albans Free Library, and Fairfax Community Library. The following photos were provided by Josh Worman.

 

Enosburgh Public Library director Brenda Stanley (center) welcomes guests on the first stop of the tour.

Enosburgh Public Library director Brenda Stanley (center) welcomes guests on the first stop of the tour.

 

Tour participants gather in front of the Haston Library main desk.

Tour participants gather in front of the Haston Library main desk on the second stop of the tour.  Standing center is Kevin Unrath, Vermont Department of Libraries library consultant for library operations, who participated in the tour.

 

Swanton Public Library, the third stop on the tour, has a beautiful new mural outside the children’s area.

 

Hadley Priebe (right), executive director of the Franklin/Grand Isle Bookmobile (otherwise known as “Figgy”), explains the nuts and
bolts of running the service.

 

St. Albans Free Library director Becky Manahan tickles the ivories as Starksboro Public Library
director Catherine Goldsmith looks on. St. Albans library loans electric keyboards.

 

Last stop! Fairfax Community Library co-director Sue Wade talks to the assembled tour-goers about the challenges of running a community library.

Library tours provide library staff and library lovers the opportunity to see the buildings, meet the staff, and admire how these libraries do what Vermont libraries do, Goldsmith said.

VLA’s Public Libraries Section strives to extend the ability of libraries to provide equal access to and availability of literary and cultural resources by providing tools and resources to librarians. The section supports librarianship in the state through educational and social events.

Previous Tours:

Addison County Library Tour, September 30. 2022

Northeast Kingdom Library Tour, April 26, 2022

Franklin County Vermont Public Library Tour November 17

Franklin County is chock full of wonderful public libraries. Come see the buildings, meet the staff, and admire how these libraries do what Vermont libraries do. This is a great opportunity to meet other librarians and other library lovers. This Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, tour is organized by Josh Worman, director of Haston Library, and the other libraries of FLARE — Franklin Libraries Are Really Excellent. Youth librarians, you won’t want to miss the light-filled second floor spaces dedicated to youth at St. Albans Free Library.

10 a.m. Enosburgh Public Library
11 a.m.. Haston Library
12 p.m. Swanton Public Library
1 p.m. Lunch at St. Albans Free Library – BYO lunch or buy locally

2 p.m. St. Albans Free Library (with coffee bar – yay!)
3 p.m. Fairfax Community Library

Catherine Goldsmith
President, VLA Public Libraries Section
Director, Starksboro Public Library

Public Library Section Hosts Addison County Library Tour

Librarians from around Vermont gathered in Addison County on September 30 to tour four public libraries. “Last spring’s Vermont Library Association (VLA) library tour in the Northeast Kingdom was so much fun, we decided to do it again, this time in Addison County (mostly),” said Susan O’Connell, president of VLA’s Public Library Section and director of Craftsbury Public Library.

The group visited Starksboro Public Library in Starksboro Common, Russell Memorial Library in North Ferrisburgh, Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes, and Charlotte Public Library (in Chittendon County).  Two of the libraries recently underwent expansion, one created a new teen space in an alcove, and two others have expanded their digital outreach to their communities.

Starksboro Public Library Director Catherine Goldsmith (far right) talks about the history of the library to tour participants.

Starksboro Public Library Director Catherine Goldsmith (far right) talks about the history of the library to tour participants.

 

Group of women standing in a library room with bookshelves and books.

Tour participants in Russell Memorial Library’s new building, which opened in October 2021.

 

Bixby Memorial Free Library Director Catherine Hays (center) greets VLA tour participants on the steps of the library in Vergennes.

Bixby Memorial Free Library Director Catherine Hays (center) greets VLA tour participants on the steps of the library in Vergennes.

 


The Vermont Library Association’s Public Libraries Section strives to extend the ability of libraries to provide equal access to and availability of literary and cultural resources by providing tools and resources to librarians. The section supports librarianship in the state through educational and social events.

Geek The Library!

Have you heard of “Geek the Library”?
It’s an awareness campaign for public libraries, from OCLC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is also coming to a close soon and we’d like all Vermont public libraries to learn about it and consider participating.
We are very happy to have Jennifer Powell of Geek the Library coming to Vermont to offer 2 sessions about Geek, April 30.
The first session will be held at the Dorothy Alling  Memorial Library in Williston  from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
The second session that day will be Brown Public Library in Northfield from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
What is a “Geek the Library” campaign?

  • Geek the Library provides materials and ideas for your local campaigns but you are not required to do any particular activities – you can customize for your town and library. Even very small libraries can use the campaign and integrate it in simple ways to build awareness.
  • You need not have completed Turning the Page or other advocacy training in order to effectively use the campaign – 11 Vermont libraries have or are currently participating in Geek with or without other training. However, if you have completed Turning the Page, this is a terrific place to start in working community awareness of your library with very little project creation on your own.
  • This is a fun campaign, asking for nothing, but building awareness of all the library can offer the community and bringing them in to the conversation.

If your library decides to join the Geek the Library campaign you will receive:

  • Free planning resources-event strategy, gathering and organizing local information
  • Help with local advertising and events
  • Resources to download artwork and print marketing materials, as well as resources to resize templates or other materials, if needed.
  • GTL Web page that can be adopted for your individual library
  • Free PR and promotional material
  • Access to GTL database that includes marketing, data and other resources

To register for the workshops:
Geek the Library – Williston April 30, Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston from 10:00 to 12:00
Geek the Library – Northfield April 30, Brown Public Library, Northfield from 2:00 to 4:00
If you cannot attend one of the two half-day workshops but would like to participate in or to learn more about the “Geek the Library” campaign, please go to:

  1. Visit http://get.geekthelibrary.org/what-is-geek-the-library/

Remember that you can always join Geek the Library campaign on your own and still attend the workshop and talk to Jenny from Geek campaign.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Michael.roche@state.vt.us (802-748-3428)  or Christine.friese@state.vt.us  (802-828-2714) to discuss Geek the Library.

Last Call – Vermont Library Technology Unconference 4/9/14

What are you doing next Wednesday? Here’s an idea:
Register for the 2014 Vermont Library Tech Unconference!
Wednesday, April 9, from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., at Midstate Library Service Center in Berlin.
This is the second time that we’ve held the event; some of you may have attended the first one, back in September of 2012. The intention is to bring together library staff members from across the state to talk about their work with technology, both strategies and challenges. All levels of skill are welcome. Come hear what other libraries are doing, and share your ideas!
Read more→

Green Mountain Library Constortium Seeks Volunteer Listen Up! Vermont Coordinator

Spread the word! Contact the GMLC Executive Director if you’re interested at gmlced@gmail.com
Duties of the Listen Up! Vermont Selection Committee Coordinator:

  1. Ensure new content appears in the collection on a regular basis
  2. Ensure that the Listen Up! Vermont collection spending remains in budget (given by GMLC ED)
  3. Ensure that all purchases conform with the Green Mountain Library Consortium Selection Policy
  4. Ensure that the Listen Up! Vermont collection is meeting the needs of its users – for example, noting popular titles and subjects and maintaining a reasonably low wait period for titles
  5. Responsibly spend any grant funds procured for content, maintaining a record of purchases for grant reporting
  6. Ensure that the cataloging for the content on the Listen Up! Vermont site meets our state and consortium’s appropriate guidelines, including the proper cataloging of Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Green Mountain Book Award, and Red Clover titles
  7. Organizes and facilitates the Listen Up! Vermont Selection Committee’s meetings, communications, and purchases, including periodic updates of the “Staff Picks” Collection
  8. Recruits members for the Listen Up! Vermont Selection Committee, if necessary

Library Advisory Council of the Special Services Unit Meeting

What do your visually-impaired patrons want from your library? What do you as a public librarian want from Special Services?

The Library Advisory Council of the Special Services Unit will discuss these issues at its next meeting, Thursday, Nov. 21, 10am to noon, at the Vermont Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired building, 60 Kimball Ave. (near Comcast), South Burlington.

Public librarians are invited to attend, or to send questions or comments to Amy Olsen, Lanpher Memorial Library, hyde_park@vals.state.vt.us.

The State of Small and Rural Libraries in the United States (IMLS)

New report out from IMLS about the state of small and rural libraries in the US.
http://www.imls.gov/assets/1/AssetManager/Brief2013_05.pdf

Some highlights include:

  • Small and rural libraries make up the majority of public library systems in the United States (80.5%).
  • Vermont has the highest percentage of small libraries in the United States (98.7%).
  • Small and rural libraries continue to provide substantial electronic and digital resources for patrons through access to e-books and publicly accessible computer terminals.
  • Although per capita revenue has decreased over the past three years, visitation and circulation has increased for both small and rural libraries.