Letters About Literature Writing Contest for Grades 4-12

The Vermont Department of Libraries and the Vermont Center for the Book invite young readers in grades 4 – 12 to participate in Letters About Literature (LAL), a national reading and writing program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, of any genre—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, contemporary or classic—explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s way of thinking about the world or themselves.

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Vermont Library Conference Workshop Proposals Due Nov. 1

Workshop proposals for the 2012 Vermont Library Conference are due to the conference committee by November 1.  There is no set theme as of yet, so proposals could be on any topic that might be of interest to academic, public and school librarians.  Please send your ideas and proposals to jnapier@kellogghubbard.org Let us know what you’d like to see and we’ll do our best to get it on the schedule!

Free RDA Cataloging Webinars

The American Library Association is hosting several free webinars about the new cataloging code, RDA (Resource Description and Access), which will be implemented within the next year. The webinar “Introducing the RDA Toolkit Virtual User Group” will be held on Wednesday October 5, 2011 and is designed for beginners who need an introduction to the new code and toolkit. “RDA Toolkit Essentials” will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 and is designed for those who already have some familiarity with RDA and would like to learn more. For information about the new code and webinars, refer to the RDA Toolkit website at:http://www.rdatoolkit.org/

Book Giveaway at Midstate Library Service Center: Oct. 6-7

Dear Public and School Librarians,

The Mistate Library Service Center and the Northeast Regional Library have recently finished merging their collections into one.  Due to a large number of duplicates and a general need for weeding older titles, we have thousands of books looking for new homes.  On October 6th and 7th from 8am to 4pm MLSC (578 Paine Turnpike N, Berlin 05602) will be opening its doors to public and school librarians to take these discarded books.   Half of what are being given away are older adult titles, mostly fiction with some biography, and half children’s books, many of which are recent juvenile fiction.   Be sure to bring boxes or bags to help carry your books out.  If you have any questions please contact Jeremiah Kellogg at jeremiah.kellogg@state.vt.us or 802-828-2320.

Now's the Time to Register for the NELA Annual Conference in Burlington!

Education! New and useful product and services! Networking! Inspiration!  Innovations! Authors! Social Events! Colleagues!
All this and more is available at the New England Library Association Annual Conference, October 2 – 4, in Burlington. Learn about Navigating the New Normal in your library. Register by September 23 for lower Early Registration rates. Vermont Library Association and ACRL-New England members receive NELA member pricing. This is a great, affordable professional development opportunity close to home. The deadline to reserve hotel rooms has been extended to Friday, September 9 – get your arrangements made now! Ride Share is also available for folks who want to carpool to and from Burlington.
There are plenty of offerings for academic and special librarians, including a keynote from R. David Lankes on Sunday afternoon that’s sure to please. Check out the program and register today!

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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National Speaker on Digital Marketing and Privacy

Burlington Area Access TV Organizations Bring National Speaker on Digital Marketing and Privacy
Contact Lauren-Glenn Davitian, davitian@cctv.org 802-862-3966 x12

On Thursday, September 22, 2011 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Champlain College, Alumni Auditorium, Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy will speak on how marketers track online and digital footprints, threats to privacy and dramatic changes in the delivery of news, information and entertainment. Digital Media at the Crossroads: Content & Control in the Internet Era is free and open to the public. Chester explores the latest developments in technologically advanced personalized data targeting, the role of the leading online marketing companies, new approaches to policy, its impact on diverse and progressive media content, and implications for the future of democracy and human rights.

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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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