Volume 1, No.5 | June 2017
Your monthly news & updates

Service Spotlight

Public Library Construction Grants – Notice of Intent Forms Due by June 30

All those libraries considering applying for construction grants this year should complete the Notice of Intent forms and submit them by the deadline of June 30.  Until the bond fund budget is passed by the legislature we won’t know how much funding will be available for grants this year, but there will be some funds available.  Should the program receive the additional funding requested, we will be accepting grant applications from public libraries for library expansion, new buildings, major alterations, remodeling, accessibility, code compliance, emergency preparedness, and energy conservation.  If no additional funding is forthcoming, there may be limits on the type of applications accepted and the eligibility of libraries applying. 

Library construction grants fund one-half of total project costs up to a maximum of $1 million.  Minimum total project cost must be $50,000.  All interested libraries MUST submit a “Notice of Intent” form by June 30.  The new “Notice of Intent” form and “Timetable and Guidelines” document explaining the grant program for 2017-2018 are available on our Construction Grants web page here:

http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/construction/constructiongrants 

Please contact Tom Newman, Construction Grants, at 860-757-6573, [email protected] for more information.

Service Spotlight

ProQuest Platform Cutting Over to HTTPS June 30

By June 30, 2017 ProQuest will require you to access researchIT CT databases in the ProQuest platform via HTTPS, for an encrypted, more secure way to communicate between browsers and ProQuest.  This applies to the following researchIT CT databases:

researchIT CT Newsstand
ABI/Inform Complete
Christian Science Monitor (1988-present)
Hartford Courant (1992-present)
Hartford Courant - Historical (1764-1922)
Hoovers Company Capsules and Profiles (Academic Libraries only)
Los Angeles Times (1985-present)
New York Times (1985-present)
Wall Street Journal (1984-present)
Washington Post (1987-present)

researchIT CT links to the above databases will be updated for access by all by June 2nd.  That includes the resources above that appear in these  researchIT CT web pages:

Resources for the Public
http://researchitct.org/classicpublic/

Resources for High Schools
http://researchitct.org/classicschool/

Resources for Middle Schools
http://researchitct.org/classicmiddleschool/

Resources for Elementary Schools
http://researchitct.org/classicelementary/

Resources for Colleges & Universities
http://researchitct.org/classiccollege/

Newspapers
http://researchitct.org/newspapers/

 Best Bets – College & University
http://researchitct.org/bestbetscollegeuniversity/

Best Bets – Public
http://researchitct.org/bestbetspublic/

Your library will only need to update links on your own web sites if they include vendor direct links to the resources listed above.  The document called “researchIT CT Database Vendor Direct Links” will be updated with the new ProQuest links by June 2.  That document will be available from this page: http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/researchIT_CT/about-researchIT_CT/Links in the box named “Direct Links to Databases Via Database Vendors.”

Questions about this are welcomed; please send them to [email protected] or call 860-704-2224.

Service Update
findIT CT Logo

We added links to findIT CT from the researchIT CT lists of resources. The logo and link are in the "E-Reference Books & Reading" section on the Resources...for the Public; ...for High Schools; and  ...for Middle Schools webpages. The link is in the "Books, History & Reading" section of the ....for Elementary Schools webpage.


We created a page at http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/finditct/maintenance to keep track of findIT CT maintenance and technical information. The page includes information on the findIT CT backup schedule and other maintenance information.


findIT keeps growing as we continue to add catalogs and library holdings. The catalogs has grown so much that free space on the server is low. We are beginning the process to upgrade the server.  

Service Update

The requestIT CT pilot that began on April 12 continues. Due to the server space issue noted above we plan on delaying the roll out of requestIT statewide ILL and will begin training no earlier than the middle of July.

Service Update

The Governor's Summer Reading Challenge (GSRC), Connecticut Reads, was kicked off at the State Library on May 19, 2017. State Librarian Kendall Wiggin officiated the ceremony and Commissioner of Education Dianna Wentzell, and Governor Dannel Malloy spoke before handing out certificates to last summer's 27 top-performing schools' students and teachers.

As always, the GSRC website was updated at that time to show this summer's theme, and downloadable reading logs, poster, and summer reading information. Also posted were the annual summer reading lists compiled by Linda Williams at the State Library.

You can access that webpage here: https://goo.gl/z6HY35


Service Reminder

MLSC New Hours – June 2017


A reminder that in addition to 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, the Middletown Library Service Center’s new hours for June will be:

Thursday, June 1: Open 8 am to 8 pm
Saturday, June 3: Open 9 am to noon
Wednesday, June 7: Open 7 am to 4:30 pm


If you need Juvenile, YA, or Adult Large Print books and you would like to pick them up at MLSC during our new hours, please let Grace Burchard know by noon this Friday, May 26. She will retrieve the items from the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) in Rocky Hill in advance of your visit and will have them ready for you to pick up. Contact Grace by e-mail [email protected] or phone 860-704-2212.


Questions?
Contact us at 860-704-2200, our main phone number.
Contact Linda Williams ([email protected] ) for specific theme/grade level requests.
Contact Grace Burchard ([email protected]) to reserve book sets.
Contact Grace or Judy Crooks ([email protected]) to pull general selections of children’s books or Books on CD in advance of your visit.

Professional Development

Strategy. Communications. Results.
In person workshop
Wednesday, June 7, 1 pm to 4 pm
Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Cost: Free                   
For details and to register, visit https://cslib.libcal.com/event/3344719
    - and repeated on -
Thursday, June 8, 9 am to noon
Stratford Library Association, 2203 Main St. Stratford CT, 06615
Cost: Free
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3344720

Budgeting and Financial Management (Library Management Series)
In person workshop
Monday, June 19, 9 am to noon
Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Cost: Free                   
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3338471
 

Book Trailers for Beginners
In person workshop
Thursday, June 22, 9 am to noon
Middletown Library Service Center, 786 South Main St., Middletown, CT 06457
Cost: Free                   
For details and to register (limit of 12 attendees), visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3337600

For more professional development opportunities, visit the State Library’s Continuing Education Calendar at
https://cslib.libcal.com/

DLD | CSL |860-757-6665 |  http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/home
Try to illustrate your message or the value you have to offer. Clear and direct language works best. Consider highlighting products or services, sales or promotions, personal bios, and more.

Use strong calls-to-action to direct readers to your landing page or website to read more about the topic. It keeps your email more text-friendly and increases traffic to your site.

Use images that complement your message, and link your images to supporting resources.