The Connecticut State Library is beginning the recruitment of library teams to participate in the IMLS-funded “EXCITE Transformation for Libraries” program!

Public, academic, and special libraries are invited to send four-person teams to participate in the Core Program training in Cohort 1 or 2. 

Thanks to a grant from IMLS in the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians category, this training opportunity is TUITION FREE (a value of $4,400 per person). Also, library teams will receive up to $2,000 to be used towards travel, lodging, and staff coverage.

Applications for Cohort 1 are due by November 1, 2017.

For more details, please go to the EXCITE recruitment page.

 

EXCITE Transformation for Libraries is an intensive team-based experiential learning program that will teach collaboration and innovation skills, result in programs and services that respond to community input and demonstrated needs, lead to cultural change at libraries, and sustain project impact through extended training. 

The learning is led by Jeanine Esposito from Innovation Builders, an organization with experience guiding organizations such as PepsiCo, United Health, and several public libraries to innovate new products and services and transform ways of doing business.

 For more information please contact Dawn La Valle at 860-757-6665 or [email protected] .

2017 Futures Conference Recap

“How do you predict the Future? Create It” – Abraham Lincoln

The Connecticut State Library was proud to partner with our Northeast state library colleagues in presenting the 2017 Futures Conference held at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Over 365 librarians from the Northeast and from around the country descended on Atlantic City to hear notable futurists share their vision such as David Pescovitz, research director at Institute for the Future; Rakia Reynolds, founder and CEO of Saki Blue Media; Kevin Mitnick, the most elusive computer break-in artist in history; Cindy Ball from Oculus Rift; Phil Bowermaster, Acceleration Strategist; Anthony Iovino, partner in the firm of Arcari & Iovino Architects; Dr. James Hughes, distinguished professor and nationally recognized academic expert on demographics; and Nicole Baker Rosa with the Futures School.

Attending librarians began a discussion on how libraries need to change in order to thrive in the next decade. Exploring a morphing of imagination, inspiration, and information that will transform the way libraries and librarians look at the future. Finally we engaged in small group discussions where everyone walked away with a plan to navigate the future through newly envisioned possibilities.

But why wait for the future? Let’s start now. Libraries and librarians can begin by unlocking our futurist mindsets to understand the need for empathy, engagement with our community and the need to provide immersive, experiential opportunities to accommodate future library patrons.

This is not the end of this journey, stay tuned…

FutureCon17 recordings will be made available by the Connecticut State Library.

borrowIT CT Expenditure Report is Due in October

This is a reminder that libraries have until October 31, 2017 to report on how they spent the borrowIT CT (formerly Connecticard) reimbursement payment received in April 2016 (i.e. not last April, but the April 1½ years ago). Most libraries have already spent this money already, but even if they haven’t the report should be done now. Please use this online form:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CCardExpReport

The amount of the payment libraries received in 2016 is available on the report form. 

If you have questions or aren’t sure if your library has submitted its report, please contact Tom Newman , [email protected]. About 70 libraries have not yet filled out the report. 

Public Library Annual Report Reminder

Information on completing the 2017 Annual Report to the State Library was e-mailed to all public library directors last July. This is a reminder that the deadline for submitting the Report is 4 P.M. on November 15. The Annual Report is critical for state and national data gathering on public libraries.

 

Libraries will again be using an Excel report form (an .xlsx file) which you will fill out and then send back to me. See the Annual Report webpage http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/stats/annreport for:

•                   A printable list of the questions on the report form

•                   An instruction sheet

•                   The report form itself (to download when you are ready to complete it)

There are almost no changes from last year.

Public libraries are required by statute CGS Sec. 11-25 (a) to submit an Annual Report in order to receive State Aid, borrowIT payments, or other state appropriations.

Please contact Tom Newman, [email protected], with questions. Thanks in advance to all those who will be assisting with the annual report. And thanks to all those who have submitted their reports early.

 

E-rate Season is Starting Again!

 

Even though you only recently started your Fiscal Year 2018, it’s already time to start thinking about federal E-rate funding to help pay for internet service and computer network expenses in FY 2019. Most libraries in CT qualify for discounts of 50% or more.

Contact Maria Bernier, E-rate Coordinator, for information on how to save money: [email protected] , 860-704-2204. 

 

ProQuest Database Subscription Changes

 

Recently, ProQuest made a change to researchIT CT database subscriptions. Until this summer, those subscriptions included ABI/Inform and Hoover's Company Capsules and Profiles. ABI/Inform was available during the past year to academic and public libraries.

Because most of the profiles in Hoover's are duplicated in ABI/Inform, the ProQuest Business Marketing group replaced Hoover's with the Business Market Research Collection to provide information not already included in ABI/Inform, plus some additional market research content.

Now academic and public libraries continue to have access to ABI/Inform and in place of Hoover's, the Business Market Research Collection. Here is the link to the Business Market Research Collection:

https://search.proquest.com/marketresearch?accountid=46995

Questions or comments can be sent to [email protected].

The findIT CT catalog continues to grow and it now contains the holdings of 267 libraries. We are beginning the process of updating the findIT catalog. We have updated Bibliomation and LION holdings and we will be asking Library Connection for their holdings soon. Once we update the large networks, we will be asking the smaller networks and the independent libraries for their extracts. The list of libraries in findIT is at http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/finditct/librariesinfindit and the list contains the date of the library's extract. 

Questions?

Contact Steve Cauffman, [email protected] or 860-704-2223.

We are rolling out requestIT CT statewide. The first training session took place on September 12 at the Middletown Library Service Center. So far, 57 libraries have been trained on requestIT CT and are participating. We estimate that 120 libraries will be participating in requestIT by mid-November. The list of libraries participating in requestIT is at http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/requestitct/participatinglibraries

The list of upcoming requestIT training sessions is at https://is.gd/wxmC7I . (Training sessions for October appear in the Professional Development section of this newsletter.) Due to the unexpectedly high demand for training, we will be adding more sessions to the list soon.

Questions?

Contact Steve Cauffman, [email protected] or 860-704-2223.

requestIT CT Training

Tuesday, October 3 from 10-1 & 1:30-4:30

Hall Memorial Library in Ellington   

For details and to register, visit  http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3574432 & http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3546522

And repeated on

Tuesday, October 17 from 9-12 & 1-4

Northwestern Community College

For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3546538 & http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3574435

And repeated on

Wednesday, October 25 from 10:30-1:30 & 2:30-5:30

Wilton Library Association

For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3546552 & http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3554770

Hands-On Legal Reference for Public Libraries

Wednesday, October 18 from 1-4

Hall Memorial Library in Ellington

For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3610073

Supercharged Storytimes

Thursday, October 19 from 9-12

Middletown Library Service Center

Note - Workshop is FULL but there is a waiting list available

For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3457048

Mental Health 101:Community Awareness Program

Tuesday, October 24 from 10-3

Middletown Library Service Center

For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3395784

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

Reminder: MLSC New Hours – October 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 October will be:

Wednesday, October 4: Open 7 am to 4:30 pm

Thursday, October 5: Open 8 am to 8 pm

Saturday, October 14: Open 9 am to 12 pm

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.