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We are thrilled to introduce a new initiative of the CT State Library Division of Library Development. Building on its roots in the Growing Equitable Library Services (GELS) series, TIAL will officially launch this fall!

Here are a few of the opportunities you can look forward to:

• Professional development on accessibility and aging
• Engagement with creative aging programs
• Resources in a variety of formats related to accessibility and aging

Stay tuned...

This month, we will announce new TIAL opportunities, including the first professional development series. In the meantime, visit the Towards Inclusive Accessibility in Libraries (TIAL) LibGuide to learn more.

The CT State Library Division of Library Development and the CT Age Well Collaborative are partnering to create library staff trainings to support aging, disability, and dementia inclusivity. To inform our work and prioritize training topics, we invite library staff from all levels and positions to complete our short – six question! – survey on key training needs for age and ability inclusion. Your input is valued and needed!

Complete the TIAL Survey for Key Training Needs: Age & Ability Inclusion

The survey will be open from October 1-31. Following the close of the survey, the partners will review and analyze the results, which we will share with the CT library community in a virtual webinar on Thursday, December 12 at 11:00 am – REGISTER for Survey Results! Aging & Inclusion Training Needs and 2025 Schedule with the CT Age Well Collaborative!

Congratulations to the CT Library for Accessible Books and the following Hub Libraries for being included on the AgeWell Across Connecticut list!

• Bristol Public Library
• Danbury Public Library
• Darien Public Library
• Killingly Public Library
• Otis Library (Norwich)
• Simsbury Public Library
• Slater Library (Griswold)
• Southington Public Library
• Stratford Public Library
• Weston Public Library

For more information about the Connecticut Library for Accessible Books, please visit the CTLAB website or call (860) 704-2220. 

Equal access to information is always a goal for libraries, and this opportunity will help members of your community enhance their skills so they are able to access the information they need.

If your library is interested in being set up to use Northstar, please email Gail Hurley at Gail.Hurley@ct.gov. Training will be scheduled later this fall. For more information, please visit Northstar’s website.

The GELS Grant is a six-month grant initiative to support a library on their journey to providing equitable services in their community. Principal public libraries can apply for up to $3,500.

Important dates:

• Applications accepted – Tuesday, September 3-Thursday, October 31, 2024
• Application deadline – Thursday, October 31, 2024, by 4:00 pm
• Grant awards announced – Monday, December 2, 2024
• Grant period – Thursday, January 2-Monday, June 30, 2025
• Midpoint Report due – Tuesday, April 1, 2025, by 4:00 pm
• Grant funds must be fully expended – Monday, June 30, 2025
• Final Report due – Wednesday, July 31, 2025, by 4:00 pm

Learn more and find all related grant materials including Instructions, Applications, and Reports on the GELS Grants LibGuide page.

On a related note, look for a live PCI Webinar: Customer Service Programming on Serving Our Customers – a set of three workshops to be held on Wednesday, October 23 from 12:30-4:30 pm.

Special Technology in Libraries Series Kicks Off in October with David Lee King

Please join us for a series of six online technology workshops with David Lee King beginning in October. Scheduled workshops in the series include:

• Emerging Tech Trends in Libraries, Part 1
• Emerging Tech Trends in Libraries, Part 2
• Social Media Update for 2025
• Tech Tools That Make Your Work Easier
• Digital Media Labs & Production Studios
• AI and the Future of Libraries

More details on these and other fall workshops, including registration links, coming soon!

Planning Ahead for Summer with the Library in 2025?

Sign up for the 2025 iREAD Resource Guide!

Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024

We know that preparing, planning, and implementing summer reading is practically a yearlong cycle- which is why we are thinking ahead!

If you are a principal public library and interested in accessing the 2025 iREAD Resource Guide, visit the iREAD Page and sign up in the digital form.

Each library system will receive one email with an access code to the iREAD resource guide. Files must then be shared with relevant departments and branches. Please check with all staff members that run summer programs prior to submitting the form, to prevent duplicate entries. The access code email will be sent to the first person who submitted the form. 

The theme for 2025 is Level Up at Your Library: “Play is one of the ways we learn to relate to others, to think in new ways, and to foster friendships, new and old. Level Up at Your Library is an all-ages summer reading program based around puzzles and games. Whether you’re playing with STEM concepts or gamifying your reading logs, learning to play chess or how to code video games, iREAD 2025: Level Up at Your Library reminds us that libraries are not just a space for knowledge, they are a space for fun!"

An informational webinar about the 2025 iREAD program will be held on Wednesday, October 23 from 11am-noon. Please use this link to register for the iREAD webinar. 

As with previous years, each library is free to make the best decisions for their community, which may be a different library theme, or no theme at all.

For any questions about the iREAD resource guide, summer reading, or summer reports, please check the Frequently Asked Questions page. If you need further assistance, reach out to Children/YA Consultant Kym Powe at Kymberlee.Powe@ct.gov.

To learn more, explore the Libraries Without Borders LibGuide.

Assessing Library Utilization and Awareness

Wednesday, October 9 | 1:00-3:00 pm

Register: Assessing Library Utilization

Using Data to Inform Program Design and Library Services

Tuesday, October 29 | 1:00-4:00 pm    

Register: Using Data

Social Media as Effective Awareness and Promotion Strategies (Part 1)

Wednesday, November 13 | 1:00-4:00 pm

Register: Social Media (Part 1)

Social Media as Effective Awareness and Promotion Strategies (Part 2)

Thursday, November 14 | 1:00-4:00 pm

Register: Social Media (Part 2)

Community Canvassing as Effective Awareness and Promotion Strategies

Tuesday, December 10 | 1:00-3:00 pm

Register: Community Canvassing

Optimizing Community/ Library Partnerships

Wednesday, January 15 | 1:00-4:00 pm

Register: Optimizing Partnerships

Models for Expanding Access through Community Partnerships

Tuesday, February 4 | 1:00-3:00 pm

Register: Models for Expanding Access

Developing Internal Processes and Systems for Ongoing Outreach

Thursday, March 6 | 1:00-4:00 pm

Register: Developing Internal Processes

Have Questions? We’ve Got Answers!

All information, programs, resources, and services related to CT libraries have been curated and organized and is only a click away! The information you need can be found on DLD's LibGuides, which offers the most comprehensive overview of library information in CT, including:

• Professional Development Workshops and Programs
• CIPA requirements
• Numbers and types of CT Library Outlets
• Legal issues pertaining to CT Libraries

Bookmark our homepage and add it to your desktop! 

And remember, your DLD Library Liaison is also your go-to resource for answers to all your questions.

This program may be a viable alternative for libraries that don't want to apply to participate in the FCC Cybersecurity Pilot Program. We believe this cycle is a 70/30 split on cost (70% CISA, 30% applicant) with a 4-year performance period.

In an effort to ease the transition, the CT State Library will be offering transition assistance. Please note that there is extensive training for Form 470 available on the Universal Services Administrative Company’s (USAC) website.

New Requirements

Beginning this fall, each affected library must do the following:

File a Form 470.

• Libraries who need to file a Form 470 should make time to upload this outreach to vendors during September, October, or November.

Evaluate vendor responses according to a USAC-model rubric.

• Libraries must set aside hours to evaluate internet provider bids before January 10.

Select their vendor before they can file for a discount during the January-March application window.

Transition Assistance

Have questions? Need help? Please email Christine Gauvreau at Christine.Gauvreau@ct.gov schedule an appointment. Chris is remaining State E-Rate Coordinator and will continue to consult with public libraries and give instructions to public libraries on E-Rate.

Participants will leave being able to analyze their own library data for utilization patterns and to identify relevant library awareness strategies. This session will set the stage for using this data to inform library decisions in the October 29th session, Using Data to Inform Program Design and Library Services.

This session is part of the Reimagining Library Outreach and Access series of 10 workshops taking place through March 2025 that will provide library staff with strategies, tools, and frameworks to expand their reach and impact within their communities. Using their own library and local data, participants have the opportunity to evaluate barriers to access within their own communities and to reconsider their approach to outreach utilizing their existing assets and structures.

For more information and to register for future workshops in this series, please see the full description in the Initiatives & Announcements section above.

Join Children/Young Adult Consultant, Kym Powe in person at the Middletown Library Service Center to go through the Brain Architecture Game and discuss as a group the potential impact of public libraries on early childhood experiences and outcomes. What are we doing, what could we be doing, and what supports do we need as library workers to uplift our youngest patrons?

NOTE: THIS IS AN IN-PERSON WORKSHOP AT THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY SERVICE CENTER

This presentation introduces emerging technology trends and shows how those trends are reshaping library services. Examples on how to incorporate and adapt these evolving trends into libraries will be provided.

Participants will leave being able to distinguish the relationship between usage and awareness and to apply their library's data to decisions such as program selection and resource offerings. This workshop includes a working session for participants to analyze community awareness through their library's communications.

If available, please bring any utilization and/or awareness data to which your library currently has access. Examples of this could include your library's internal data around newsletter reach, program attendance, circulation, and the percentage of residents who have and utilize their library card. Most of this information can be found in the CT's Public Libraries: A Statistical Profile, 2022-2023, available on the Connecticut Public Libraries Statistics LibGuide.

This session is part of the Reimagining Library Outreach and Access series of 10 workshops taking place through March 2025 that will provide library staff with strategies, tools, and frameworks to expand their reach and impact within their communities. Using their own library and local data, participants have the opportunity to evaluate barriers to access within their own communities and to reconsider their approach to outreach utilizing their existing assets and structures.

Visit our calendar

Discover Connecticut Authors and History in the Palace App!

Did you know that we have ten different focus areas for our collection in the Palace app? One of those areas is Connecticut: we have titles by CT-based authors and about the state as a subject. You can even take advantage of our Connecticut History Lane, which can be used by any participating library for improved discoverability in Palace! If you are not sure how to add a lane, please contact us and we can add it for you.

We continue to purchase materials from Baker & Taylor and the Palace Marketplace, and the Palace Bookshelf has been expanded, as well.

The Connecticut State Library collection offers many titles that you won’t find anywhere else. The eGO CT program now provides access to over 40,000 items for Palace and the eGO Community Sharing Program for K12s, serving over 340 sites including public, academic, and K12 libraries. 

For more information about eGO CT, the Palace app, or the eGO Community Sharing Program, please contact Brad Bullis, Digital Content & Innovation Coordinator, Connecticut State Library/Division of Library Development, at Bradley.Bullis@ct.gov.

EBSCO Resources for Middle School – researchIT

Wednesday, October 9 | 3:30-4:30 pm

Register for EBSCO Resources for Middle School - researchIT

Join us for an overview of EBSCO resources for middle school, including the Explora interface, designed for middle school students, and the curated databases that support their research.   

EBSCO Resources for High School – researchIT

Friday, October 11 | 3:30-4:30 pm

Register for EBSCO Resources for High School – researchIT

Join us for an overview of EBSCO resources for high school, including the new and improved EBSCOhost, Discovery (OneSearch), and Explora interfaces, and the curated databases that support high school research.    

New eAudio Titles Now Available in the Palace Project app!

Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young (Middle School)

Maisy Loves Bees by Lucy Cousins (Board Book)

Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu (Middle School)

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow (Middle School)

Stay My Baby by Lana Button (Board Book)

The Flyers by Beth Turley (Middle School)

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson (Middle School)

The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk (Adult Nonfiction)

Three Pockets Full by Cindy L. Rodriguez (Picture Book)