Your Monthly News & Updates |
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Initiatives & Announcements |
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We're moving to iRead!
iREAD is a flexible, nonprofit reading program designed by librarians featuring appealing incentives, compelling and adaptable themes, and a comprehensive resource guide chock full of ideas and reproducibles. Connecticut joins Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, Alaska, California, as statewide iREAD partners, as well as all worldwide military base libraries and many individual libraries nationwide, including some here in CT.
Developed and administered by the Illinois Library Association, iREAD offers a summer reading theme, slogan, manual, and graphics program created and curated by youth services librarians. iREAD offers materials for children's, teen, and adult programs and employs four different artists to convey the theme each year. The artwork typically features well known characters from beloved illustrators of picture books and graphic novels. iREAD artwork is made available to READsquared and is used in READsquared SRP templates.
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iREAD Summer 2022: Read Beyond the Beaten Path
Please note, the iRead program manual will be shared with libraries that submit the 2021 Summer Reading Report. For more information visit Summer Reading FAQs.
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iRead State Partner Webinar: Read Beyond the Beaten Path
Wednesday, September 22 | 3 pm EST
Join iREAD partner libraries to learn about the 2022 Read Beyond the Beaten Path program, hear about the opportunity to participate in the 2023 Find Your Voice Resource Guide, and offer input on the 2024 theme. The webinar will be recorded and posted on YouTube for those interested but unable to attend.
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Introducing the Welcoming Library
The Middletown Library Service Center (MLSC) is hosting the I’m Your Neighbor Books’ Welcoming Library. The Welcoming Library is a collection of acclaimed children’s picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families.
Given the national conversation about immigration, the Welcoming Library seeks to raise awareness and build sensitivity for all ages through children’s literature. The mission of the Welcoming Library is to allow readers to both meet a stranger on the page and to see aspects of their own family reflected.
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Each book contains a discussion guide affixed to the inside back cover to facilitate engagement in the topics of welcoming and belonging. Whether it is a parent discussing a picture book with a child or a public library story hour, these books will foster crucial discussions on what it means to arrive in a new culture, country, or community. Readers who are “new arrivals” themselves may see their cultures and communities reflected in the narratives in this collection.
I’m Your Neighbor is a larger literacy movement founded to draw attention to immigration children’s literature and to its potential to start sometimes difficult conversations about who belongs here, welcoming, assimilation, and how to celebrate all families.
Four Welcoming Library kits will be available for check out from the Middletown Library Service for 3 months on October 4, 2021.
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Looking up! deliverIT CT
Volume Count for FY2021
With deep thanks to our driver team lead by Melvin Resto, deliverIT CT has quickly rebounded this year. Our drivers delivered just over 1.325 million items to public and academic libraries around the state in FY2021!
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Emergency Broadband Benefit Update
As a refresher, the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program provides a series of monthly discounts for broadband service and associated equipment to qualifying households. The EBB Program provides eligible households with discounts of up to $50 a month for broadband service, and up to $75 a month if the household is on Tribal lands. It also will provide a one-time discount of up to $100 on a computer or tablet for eligible households.
Since open enrollment began on May 12, Connecticut has signed up over 39,000 residents for the EBB Program! USAC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Tracker, which is updated weekly, provides information on enrollment numbers, including state-by-state participation figures, as well as the amount of funding remaining for the program.
Promote EBB! The Emergency Broadband Benefit Outreach Toolkit is available for download. The outreach toolkit is a collection of social media, printables, and other content to assist communities, outreach partners, and grassroots organizers in raising awareness about the Emergency Broadband Benefit.
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Building CT Pages
Do you have something to share with your library neighbors?
Or perhaps you are looking for inspiration for your next endeavor?
We are excited to be building CT Pages, a channel for sharing community engagement success stories by libraries, for communities. Beginning this fall, DLD will partner with CT libraries to create and release monthly short (15-20 minute) video interviews with the library staff who make things happen.
We are seeking submissions for consideration! Do you have a creative, program, service, activity, partnership or project that you want to share?
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Partnering with Hartford HealthCare
The CT State Library DLD’s new partnership with Hartford HealthCare (HHC) is working to ensure that health services and health information are accessible to all. We know there are a myriad of ways that together we can address the healthcare and health literacy needs of the communities we are all serving.
In August, vaccine clinics were held at the Bentley Memorial Library in Bolton, the Wallingford Public Library, Torrington Public Library, and the first virtual information session in English and Spanish with Hamden Public Library.
And there is more coming! In September, Tolland Public Library, and Preston Public Library will host HHC vaccine clinics and town hall information sessions.
Join us! We are continuing to work with HHC to connect with CT libraries to set up COVID-19 mobile vaccination clinics as well as conduct virtual or in-person COVID-19 vaccine information sessions with HHC providers.
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Workshops and Programs | September |
Beginner Book Trailers with WeVideo
Thursday, September 9 | 9-10 am
Thursday, September 9 | 10:15-11:15 am
Thursday, September 30 | 9-10 am
Join one of these upcoming sessions to learn about the WeVideo environment and design quick and easy book trailers to promote library materials and services with Caitlin Augusta.
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EBSCO Resources
Elementary School
Tuesday, September 14 | 3:30-4:30 pm
Join us for an overview of EBSCO resources for elementary education, including the Explora interface, designed for elementary students, and the curated databases which support their research.
Middle School
Thursday, September 16 | 3:30-4:30 pm
Join us for an overview of EBSCO resources for middle school, including the Explora interface, designed for middle school students, and the curated databases which support their research.
High School
Thursday, September 23 | 3:30-4:30 pm
Join us for an overview of EBSCO resources for high school, including the EBSCOhost, Discovery (OneSearch), and Explora interfaces, and the curated databases that support high school research.
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Library Redesign:
Working with the Space You Have
Wednesday, September 15 | 2-3 pm
Over time, all library buildings, even those that were “perfect” when new, need to be reconsidered and looked at with fresh eyes as library services, collections, and community needs change. Hear practical, manageable solutions from two library directors who refitted existing spaces in their old and not-so-old libraries for new purposes. You’ll learn how they determined the need for those changes, how they paid for them, what exactly they changed, and how patrons have responded. Directors, invite your board members to join you for this!
With presenters Karin Taylor, Library Services Director, Beardsley Library, Winchester; and Kate Byroade, Library Director, Cragin Memorial Library, Colchester.
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Stop Burnout: Five Steps to Re-Energize
Your Work for Your Best Year Ever
2-part workshop
Part 1: Tuesday, September 21
Part 2: Wednesday, September 22
11:15 am-12:30 pm both days
You know what burnout is, even if you don't call it that. You're tired, unmotivated, at times irritable, and wish that it would all just go away. This dangerous condition affects workers in all professions, and leads to poor morale, lower productivity and high turnover. In this interactive, two-part Zoom workshop, you'll look at five steps that will help you: 1) recognize the signs of burnout, 2) identify the causes, 3) own it, 4) explore alternatives, and 5) decide what you want.
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LYRASIS Palace Community Open Office Hours
Tuesday, September 21 | 12-1 pm
Join us for our regular monthly informal Lyrasis Palace Community Open Office Hours. This is a chance for you to pop in and say hi, ask a question or have a discussion about a topic you're interested in. You can ask questions you might have about setups, marketing, or anything else. We'll be available from 12-1 so drop in anytime during the hour. The Zoom link is: https://lyrasis.zoom.us/my/carissaegan
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How to Complete the 2021 Public Library Annual Report
Monday, September 27 | 2-3 pm
Maria Bernier, State Data Coordinator, will provide an overview of the 2021 Public Library Annual Report: how to use the Excel form, changes to questions and form layout, what goes where, and some common mistakes and misconceptions. This session will be especially useful for new directors and for library staff who are new to collecting and entering data in the form. The 2021 Annual Report form was released in mid-July and is due on November 15 by 4:00 pm.
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Strategies for budgets during the time of COVID (We’re not out of the woods yet!)
Tuesday, September 28 | 10-11 am
Join Libby Post, President/CEO of Communication Services for this workshop that will give you the tools and confidence you need to make your case to the community and to your elected officials for your library’s budget.
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Advanced Book Trailers Using WeVideo
Thursday, September 30 | 10:15-11:45 am
Book trailers are like movie trailers, but for books. This book trailer class is for those who have already taken a book trailer class or who have some (advanced-beginner) prior knowledge of digital photos and movie making skills.
Presented by Caitlin Augusta.
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Get Ready for the Palace App - Coming this Fall!
We are preparing for the launch of the new Palace app this fall. We continue to purchase content that will be added to coincide with the launch of the new app. Areas of focus include biography & memoir, children and YA, backlist bestsellers, business and careers, mysteries, self-help, Spanish language titles, and professional development titles for librarians.
Palace is a new e-reading app that will be replacing your SimplyE app. SimplyE was developed by librarians at The New York Public Library, and Palace is built on the same code, but is designed for the needs of libraries beyond NYC. If your library still needs to get configured, let us know. Lyrasis will work with you on an individual basis and the process is quick and easy.
If you are interested in getting your library configured or have any other questions, please contact Brad Bullis at [email protected]. |
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EBSCO LearningExpress | Workforce Solutions
Remember to take advantage of the Connecticut State Library’s subscription to LearningExpress Workforce Solutions (featuring Job & Career Accelerator). This amazing free resource contains hundreds of resources to help users achieve high school equivalency, explore jobs and careers, prepare for occupational certification exams, and develop the core knowledge and skills that are essential to workplace success.
If you have any questions or need information about Workforce Solutions, or any other researchIT CT resources, please contact Brad Bullis at [email protected]. |
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Submit Your 2021 Summer Reading Report!
Deadline | Friday, October 1 by 4 pm
Summer is coming to a close and fall is just around the corner, which means it's time to submit your Summer Reading Report.
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Save the Date! Teen Summit
October 8, 2021
The Massachusetts Library System (MLS) and the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (RIOLIS) are pleased to announce a new partner for Teen Summit 2021, the Connecticut State Library. April Mazza (MLS), Christi Farrar (MLS), and Danielle Margarida (RIOLIS) are thrilled to welcome Kym Powe, Youth Services Consultant at the CT State Library, to the Teen Summit team!
Save-the-Date: Friday, October 8, 2021 - all day, all virtual, all free!
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New in eGO CT!
Selections from The Welcoming Library
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Browse this growing collection, including the titles above, accessible using the SimplyE app. Does your library participate in the eGO Program?
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New Professional Development Titles |
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These are just some highlights! We've got lots more professional development titles in our collection - browse!
Interested in borrowing any of these titles? Contact Judy Crooks at [email protected]. |
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Stay Connected! Join our Emails Lists
Our many email discussion lists for the library community help you connect with your peers, whether you're in the office or working from home. Conntech has the greatest reach across the state, and both Goodnightmoon for children's services and Speak for YA services have lively discussions and professional interchange.
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Middletown Library Service Center
Open by appointment only for the foreseeable future
Monday - Friday | 9 am - 4 pm
MLSC will be closed Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day.
MLSC staff, whether in the office or telecommuting, are responding to voicemail and e-mail during business hours of 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, except for state holidays.
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Connecticut State Library | Division of Library Development
Middletown Library Service Center
786 South Main Street | Middletown, CT 06457
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