Disaster Assistance Information Available

Last week the President made a declaration of major disaster for Vermont in the counties of Chittenden County, Rutland County, Washington County, and Windsor County due to Hurricane Irene and flooding associated with the storm. Below is some informational materials on floods and how DisasterAssistance.gov can help survivors. For your convenience the flood flyer is also in Spanish. Please post so your patrons can have the most up to date information on how to apply for federal assistance. If you have any questions contact Alicia Gilligham as noted below.

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Donations for Flooded Vermont Public Libraries

We have received many calls and emails from people all across the country who want to help our libraries. We are grateful to all of you and want to let you know how you can best help our libraries at this time. For now, please do not send books. Instead, we are accepting cash donations.

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Vermont Arts Council Cultural Facilities Grant Workshops 9/6 – 9/8

The Vermont Arts Council has announced the fall workshops for grantseekers. Many libraries have found funding for their buildings with the Cultural Facilities Grants. To RSVP for a workshop or see more information:

http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/Grants/GrantseekerWorkshops/tabid/229/Default.aspx

Three grantseeker workshops are planned for those interested in learning more about our Cultural Facilities Grant Program. This program helps improve, revive or refurbish historic Vermont buildings as community and cultural gathering places. Awards range from $1000 to $30,000.

  • Tues. September 6 in Manchester at American Museum of Fly Fishing
  • Wed. September 7 in Moretown at Town Hall Montpelier at Vermont Arts Council
  • Thurs. September 8 in St. Johnsbury at Fairbanks Museum

Resources for Flood Damaged Historic Places

It’s obvious that Vermont has been extremely hard-hit by Hurricane Irene. While the winds have been minimal, torrential rains flooded brooks and rivers taking out hundreds of roads and bridges all throughout Vermont. Our hearts go out to the families of individuals lost or injured, and to all the people of Vermont whose beloved places have been damaged.

As a start, we’ve listed below sites for getting up-to-date information about the current condition of Vermont, a checklist of things to do as the flood waters recede, and resources that can help you in cleaning-up and rebuilding.

The Preservation Trust also offers matching grants up to $500 for Emergency Conditions and Engineering Assessments for non-profit, municipally-owned and commercial historic buildings throughout the state. These grants are made possible by in part by the National Trust for Historic Preservation through the Daniel K. Thorne Intervention Fund. If you would like to apply, please contact one of our staff below:

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Raise Funds for Your Library with Vermont Public Libraries Calendars!

Raise awareness and cash at the same time with our beautiful VLA 2012 Vermont Public Libraries Calendar! The time to advertise is now! Production is underway… the calendar is going to be great!

The VLA 2012 Calendar:
Sings libraries’ praise.
Will help you fundraise.
Has gorgeous photo displays.
Keeps track of your days.
Even follows the moon’s phase!
…It’s a calendar that works in so many ways!

Links for two pdfs are below – an info/order form for librarians, and a flyer/order form to print out and post for your patrons, friends, relatives, whomever…

Fill in the top circle of the advertising flyer with your selling price, we recommend $15-$20. Remember that roughly $8.50 will go towards production and shipping costs and your library pockets the rest. At the bottom of that flyer, write who the checks should be made out and given to (your library or your Friends group).

We recommend ordering a small stock for the library to sell after the order deadline. Chances are you’ll get lots of additional interest after you can show a sample copy, especially in November and December. When you’ve got all the forms and checks you think you’ll get, fill out the order form for libraries. To reserve your calendars, place your order by September 15. Calendars will be shipped at the end of October.

Questions? Write us at mkdesign@gmavt.net or marti@williston.lib.vt.us .

Sincerely,
The Calendar Team

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Center for Cartoon Studies Scholarship

Librarians: Alert your budding cartoonists!

For the third year in a row, the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction has donated a full scholarship to the Department of Libraries so a Vermont teen can attend their one week workshop, “Make Comics,” in the summer. This full scholarship, worth $850, includes the workshop, supplies, light breakfast, full lunch and evening student activities. Lodging is not included, but there is a very inexpensive hostel option at the nearby Hotel Coolidge. Any Vermont student age 16 – 19 (must be 16 years old by June 1, 2011) is eligible. The workshop will take place in White River Junction, VT July 18-22, 2011.

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Better World Book Offering Grants for Libraries

$75,000 in Funding Available for Library Literacy Programming
Better World Books is excited to introduce the LEAP Grants (Literacy and Education in Action Program) for Libraries. Applicants will propose a compelling literacy project in their community. It is understood that the needs and opportunities of the communities that libraries serve vary widely and are eager to review a variety of applications.

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URGENT! Call your Representative and tell them to Support the Museum and Library Services Act!

I am forwarding this message from the ALA Washington Office and hope that you will follow-up with calls to Congressman Welch’s office NOW asking that he support the Museum and Library Services Act. This bill will re-authorize the work the LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) federal funding that fuels so many library program across the country. LSTA funding is absolutely critical to quality public library support in Vermont.

LSTA in Vermont is used to support:

  • DOL library consultant program for public libraries
  • Summer reading program for children and teens
  • Cooperative Interlibrary loan program with UVM so that citizens can borrow from UVM collections
  • Vermont Automated Library System (VALS)
  • Continuing education program for public library employees
  • Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
  • Resource sharing grants for public and academic libraries
  • First Wednesday programs in nine public libraries
  • Vermont Online Library databases

Ask Congressman Welch to support this bill for full reauthorization of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the LSTA funding. See below for more information.

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Interested in having an MLIS student for an intern?

The Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode Island invites library and information service organizations to register possible professional field experiences (PFE) on their PFE database. This database is intended to help students in the Professional Field Experience (LSC 595) course locate placement sites, and to help potential host institutions attract appropriate student interns.

Students taking LSC 595 (Professional Field Experience) must complete forty-five hours of work for each credit. Students may take the course for anywhere from one to six credits. Details regarding the course may be seen at http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Academics/Courses/PFE.html. Instructions for viewing the PFE database are also given on this page.

A PFE may be primarily service oriented. For example, the student might work on the Reference Desk and teach information literacy courses in an academic library or the student could catalog new entries in the digital collection of archival institution. The PFE could also be project oriented, where a student could develop a new website or redesign an existing website for a public library or work on a research project for a corporate library. The PFE may also involve a combination of service and projects. The details of each PFE are worked out cooperatively between the student, the supervising library, and the full-time faculty member teaching the course.

If you would like to be listed in the PFE database, please complete the Site Supervisor’s Form at http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/Academics/Courses/PFE/SiteSupervisorForm.pdf and send it to GSLIS as indicated on the form. The full-time faculty member teaching LSC 595 will be happy to work with you and the student to try to find a good match for the PFE.