Volume 1, No.8 | September 2017
Your monthly news & updates
Announcement
The Connecticut State Library is the recipient of an FY2017 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program award in the amount of $387,250 for the project “EXCITE Transformation for Libraries.”

The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21) supports developing a diverse workforce of librarians to better meet the changing learning and information needs of the American public by: enhancing the training and professional development of librarians, developing faculty and library leaders, and recruiting and educating the next generation of librarians. The awards are made through the FY 2017 second cycle of the National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

The American Library Association’s "Libraries Transform" public awareness campaign implies both that libraries transform the lives of patrons and that libraries are transforming as organizations with new services and ideas. Yet there are few solutions offered for how librarians can transform themselves by learning new skills and a mindset to encourage innovation and experimentation at their libraries. Earlier this year the State Library's Division of Library Development piloted the EXCITE project to address these needs. "We sought to identify an innovative program of training that would address the overall culture of the library, the way library staff interact with each other as well as how they interact with the public, their partners, and stakeholders," said Dawn La Valle, Director Division of Library Development and project director. According to La Valle, "his generous grant will give the State Library the opportunity to continue and expand on the work started by the pilot project both in Connecticut and the Northeast.
 
State Librarian Kendall Wiggin said that "by funding this project, the Institute of Museum and Library Services recognized the importance of the work that the Division of Library Development has been doing with EXCITE and the value of building our capacity so that more librarians can participate in this game changing program."
 
For more information please contact Dawn La Valle at 860-757-6665 or [email protected] .

Service Spotlight
requestIT CT Training Sessions

Overview
requestIT CT is the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system in the findIT CT statewide library catalog. Starting on September 12, 2017, requestIT CT is open to all libraries in Connecticut.

If your library would like to participate in requestIT CT, then please register for a training session. At each session, requestIT CT Coordinator Steve Cauffman will walk you through the basic requestIT CT ILL system. The basic ILL system allows staff members to place requests for patrons. Steve will show you how to place a request and how to update requests so that they make their way through the entire ILL process successfully. Your library will be live on requestIT CT starting with a training session, so you'll be able to go back to your library and begin using the system.

Training Sessions
An up-to-date list of training sessions, locations, and dates is at https://is.gd/wxmC7I . requestIT CT training sessions are hands-on and are 3 hours long. You only need to attend one training session. More sessions will be announced if the classes fill up quickly.

Requirements
The following are requirements for participating in requestIT CT and for attending a requestIT CT training session:
  • Submit your library’s holdings to us (if you haven't done so already) so that they can be added to the findIT CT catalog. Ideally your library’s holdings will be in the findIT CT catalog by the time you attend requestIT training.
  • Be willing to lend materials from your library’s collection through requestIT CT in addition to borrowing materials from other libraries participating in requestIT CT.
  • Abide by the Interlibrary Loan Code of the United States (http://www.ala.org/rusa/guidelines/interlibrary) for all Interlibrary Loan requests processed through requestIT CT

Fees
Cost to attend requestIT CT training: Free

Participation Fee: There will be no requestIT CT participation fee through December 31, 2017. We anticipate that we will begin charging for participation at some point in calendar year 2018. We expect that the fee for the first year will be approximately $325, which had been the fee from 2010 for participation in the previous statewide system.

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



                       
Reminder - - It's not too late to register for this great opportunity!

Join librarians from across the country in beginning a discussion on how libraries need to change in order to thrive in the next decade. We imagine a morphing of imagination, inspiration, and information that will transform the way libraries look at the future. Hear speakers share their vision, engage in small group discussions and be a part of a conference where EVERYONE walks away with a plan to navigate the future through newly envisioned possibilities.

Presenters include:
Kevin Mitnick  World's most famous hacker
David Pescovitz   Institute for the Future
Dr. James Hughes   Dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
The Futures School   Offering hands-on training in forecasting the future
Anthony Iovino  -   Arcari + Iovino Architects

Registration:
Library staff located in states that are Sponsoring Partners (including CT) can purchase tickets for $195 using a specifically provided  ACCESS CODE.

To obtain your Access Code please contact:  Dawn La Valle, Director, Division of Library Development, at  [email protected]  or (860) 757-6665. Click  here  to register.

Hotel Accommodations:
A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at the Borgata at the rate of $114 (plus 14% Occupancy Tax and $5 Atlantic City Occupancy Fee) per night.
For reservations  register online  or contact the Borgata Hotel Reservations Department at 609-317-1000 and identify yourself as an attendee of the Futures Conference using Group Code : GBNJL17 .
Service Spotlight
LSTA Five-Year Plan (2018-2022)
 
CSL's new LSTA Five-Year Plan for the fiscal years 2018-2022 is now available . This plan describes the goals and related activities that will be funded through the state’s LSTA allotment, about $2 million per year, complemented by matching funds from the state. Each goal addresses several of the eight LSTA purposes and is based on indentified needs.
 
Goal 1. Support the impact of libraries as community anchors with increased institutional capacity, community partnerships, and programming focused on the seven literacies.
Goal 2. Improve access to information and library resources for all residents of the state.
 
CSL's top priority is to emphasize the role of libraries as anchor institutions within their communities and to help librarians gain skills, knowledge, and resources in order to serve their communities' needs. Building on the Aspen Report's themes of People and Place, CSL will help public libraries cement their place as essential organizations that are central to the quality of life, civic and cultural engagement, and economic vitality in every municipality.
 
As a second priority, CSL will continue to support statewide programs that represent the foundations of library service to all people in CT, building on the Aspen Report's theme of Platform. This priority ensures that all CT residents regardless of location, ability, or socio-economic circumstances, will have equal access to quality library services.
 
CSL will meet these goals through a combination of statewide services and programs, special projects, and possible subgrants to libraries. Specific projects and activities may change in response to state budget conditions and CSL's continual reassessment of library needs. As in past years, CSL will continue to pilot and test new initiatives with libraries to determine through data and feedback whether they will be useful to the statewide community. With limited resources, CSL must conduct its due diligence and lay foundations before moving forward with anything new.
 
More information about the IMLS Grants to States program and LSTA funding is available online.
 
Service Spotlight
Online Magazine and Journal Finders

In June researchIT CT conducted an online survey to determine interest in and use of our online journal and magazine finders ("finders"). That survey closed on June 16, 2017. The survey showed that interest in the finders was high by those who used it, but that overall usage was low. Given the uncertainty in the state budget, the decision was made to put funds usually devoted to the finders towards sustaining our subscriptions to the ProQuest newspapers. Journal and magazine title search is still possible for individual researchIT CT EBSCO and ProQuest databases here:

Links to the finders ("Online Magazines - Public & K12" and "Online Magazines - Academic") will be removed from the researchIT CT web site on September 1.

Questions and comments about this decision can be sent to [email protected].
Event Spotlight
CSL at the National Book Festival
 
If you’re in DC over Labor Day weekend, visit the Connecticut booth at the National Book Festival! CSL and Connecticut Humanities will staff a World War I-themed booth with Sgt. Stubby as our mascot. If you can’t make it to DC, you can learn about CT’s involvement in WWI online: http://ctinworldwar1.org/
Hours Reminder
Reminder: MLSC New Hours – September 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 September will be:
Saturday, September 2: Open 9 am to noon
Wednesday, September 6: Open 7 am to 4:30 pm
Thursday, September 7: Open 8 am to 8 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.
Event Spotlight
SAVE THE DATE! October 19, 2017, 9:00-12:00

Supercharged Storytimes at the Middletown Library Service Center

Supercharged Storytimes is a transformative way to approach planning, executing, and reviewing storytime plans using scientific research and proven methods of success. Through an IMLS grant, the Washington State Library funded Project VIEWS2 to discover ways to tie library activities to educational results and brain development. Children’s librarians can make a difference in children’s lives, and the VIEWS2 research details these concepts. Class participants will learn the Project VIEWS 2 framework and planning tools and will create a storytime plan using the framework that they can take back to their library. Open to anyone who works in children’s services and plans storytimes.
Objectives:
  • To understand the research behind Project Views2 and its importance for library storytimes
  • To learn the Project Views2 framework and planning tool and ways that it intersects Every Child Read to Read concepts
  • To plan a storytime using the Views2 Planning Tool 

Also, save October 13 for the annual CLA Children's Section Meeting ! Details will be forthcoming - watch goodnightmoon.

Webinars you might also be interested in, check the CSL Continuing Education Calendar :
A sample of programs for September: ALA Managing Children's Services webinar on September 7 from 3:00-4:00 pm (FREE), AASL Beyond Book Reading: Building Science Literacy with Hands-On Activites September 12 from 7:00-8:00 pm (FREE),  ALSC From Apps to Robots: How to Evaluate Digital Media for Literacy Learning, Part 1 on September 19 from 2:00-3:00 pm (FREE), Connecticut Association for Reading Research: Megan Dowd Lambert- Read Aloud & The Whole Book Approach in West Hartford on September 19 from 4:30-7:00 pm ($40.00) and more! Be sure to check the calendar regularly
Professional Development
EBSCO Databases and Interfaces for Elementary School Libraries
Free researchIT - EBSCO Webinar
Tuesday, September 5, 3 pm – 4 pm
Cost: Free      
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3457320
And repeated on
Thursday, September 14 from 7 pm to 8 pm
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3457322

EBSCO Databases and Interfaces for Secondary School Libraries
Free researchIT - EBSCO Webinar
Wednesday, September 6, 9 am to 10 am
Cost: Free
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3457288
And repeated on
Tuesday, September 12 from 7 pm to 8 pm
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3457297          

EBSCO Explora
Free researchIT - EBSCO Webinar
Wednesday, September 13, 7 pm to 7:45 pm
Cost: Free      
For details and to register, visit http://cslib.libcal.com/event/3457360  

Using Microsoft Excel for the State Report
In person workshop
Thursday, September 21, 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/3528971


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

DLD | CSL |860-757-6665 |  http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/dld/home