June 2019 Newsletter
Department News
VTLIB on the News
GNAT TV
State Librarian Jason Broughton was interviewed (along with J. Violet Gannon of the Manchester Community Library and Phyllis Skidmore of the Martha Canfield Memorial Free Library) by GNAT TV about the changing role of libraries.

Watch the interview here: https://bit.ly/2WlKgNY
Vermont Public Radio (VPR)
State Librarian Jason Broughton was interviewed by Jane Lindholm of VPR's "Vermont Edition." The upcoming name change of the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award was the main topic of discussion.

Listen to the interview here:
Make sure to hop on Facebook and check out VTLIB's page on Friday, June 7 at 10am for a live event with State Librarian Jason Broughton! Ask questions, say hello, or brag about your library!

For State Employees
VTLIB is proud to present another speaker for the state employee speaker series Tuesday Talks. This month the event will be on June 18 from noon through one at the Pavilion Auditorium.
 
This month we have two speakers from SafeArt, an organization that works with trauma survivors to help them engage with and transform emotional, mental, and physical injuries of all kinds. Defining trauma as any held injury in body, mind, and soul. The organization has witnessed the healing power of creative expression as beneficial for all and has added offerings to the broader community in addition to our trauma-focused programs. All of their programming continues to be inclusive of everyone and trauma-informed.
 
Stop by and hear how creativity and the expressive arts work as tools to support mental health and overall well-being. Mitch Beck and Cleopatra Griffin will share their personal stories and explain SafeArt's role in the outcome of their stories. They will use poems and excerpts for the two books SafeArt has published. Mitch will share her most recent painting and poem that truly illustrates the work that SafeArt does.
 
Mitch Beck has been involved with SafeArt since 2003 and is currently the facilitator of the weekly Healing Arts for Women Imaginative Care Unit. She has also been working with the Arts Bus for the past five years going from town to town doing art projects with children. For the past seven years she has been working with the One Planet Afterschool Program doing art programming for grades K-6 as well as working with their summer camps. She is a collage and mixed media artist, a writer, and truly believes in the transformative power of the arts to heal.

Cleopatra Redbird Griffin attended the California College of the Arts with a focus on printmaking and textile work, and received her BFA from the University of West Florida. She worked as a chef for many years, but the healing process of creative expression was never far from her. She does a little bit of everything at SafeArt, from administration to art classes/mentorship with kids, event planning, community outreach and programming for their Altus healing spaces (art/writing workshops, yoga, movement, massage). When not in the office she can be found in Montpelier creating and selling her artwork and enjoying the wonderfully supportive community.
 
For more information, please see the event poster here: https://bit.ly/2IfUeq6 . Please feel free to share the poster and event information in your departments. For more information please contact April Shaw ( April.shaw@vermont.gov ).
 
Tuesday Talks is a speaker series presented by VTLIB during the lunch hour one Tuesday each month. The topic and speaker will change each month, but will always be relevant to events or trends in Vermont that affect State Employees. The May talk about Emerald Ash Borers is now available to watch here: https://bit.ly/2HSaNcX
Vermont Law School Updates
The Vermont Department of Libraries is proud to grant funding to the Julien & Virginia Cornell Library of the Vermont Law School to provide legal reference services to state employees and Vermonters. Please see the following updates below.
  • Jane Woldow is the new director of the Cornell Library. VTLIB is excited to work with Jane in her new role.
  • The Cornell Library will be closed from Monday 7/1/19-Friday 7/5/19, but will be open the prior and subsequent weekend days from 9am-9pm. Please plan accordingly.
Information & Access
New Native American Collection
The Vermont Department of Libraries is pleased to announce the creation of a Native American collection in the State Library. The collection focuses on Abenaki and New England first nations, but also contains general interest books. A generous donor provided his personal library as the seed for this collection, including many short-run and hard-to-find materials. Within the collection there are many Vermont-produced Clan of the Hawk publications. This broad-based collection includes materials for children and adults, including coloring books, histories of Native Americans in Vermont, New England and elsewhere, and spiritual volumes. Like all VTLIB materials, these are available through interlibrary loan to libraries throughout Vermont. They can also be taken out directly by state employees. As an interlibrary loan collection, this will supplement the holdings of libraries in the state, both school and public, opening the rich history and tradition of the Abenaki and other New England first nations to new audiences.
 
To find these materials in VTLIB collections, simply search for Native American in the Department of Libraries’ collections. This collection is being actively developed, so new materials will be regularly added. 
Welcome to VTLIB, Lauren!
Lauren Wallace will be serving as the Technical Services Librarian to help catalog rare book materials and provide administrative support to the department. Lauren originally hails from the Greater Los Angeles Area and spent many summers lounging at Newport Beach. She moved across the country to attend Simmons College in Boston, MA, where she received her MSLIS in Archives Management. During her time at Simmons, she was able to secure several archival internships at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum as well as at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Falling in love with New England history and culture, she worked to secure a place to stay upon graduation and moved to South Burlington where she worked part-time at the South Burlington Community Library until she was hired as the Technical Services Librarian at the Kellogg Hubbard Library. Lauren currently lives in Montpelier and spends her free time reading, playing video games, cooking for friends, moonlighting at Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, and doting on her overly affectionate cat, Arthur.
Continuing Education & Small/Rural Libraries
Continuing Education

Upcoming Workshop

June 11, 12:00-4:00 at VTLIB: Opioids & Addiction: Frameworks, Policies and Resources for Public Librarians

VTLIB staff will be joined by staff from the VT Department of Health, Turning Point Center of Central Vermont, the Governor’s Opioid Coordination Council, Vermont Cares, and the state division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs in this workshop covering policies and resources for public librarians.
This is intended for a broad audience of librarians, including those who have already attended Narcan training. The workshop will be part conceptual, part practical information to take back to your library: understanding risk, the effects of addiction on the brain, the state’s initiatives, use of nonjudgmental language when interacting with the public, Narcan and Sharps boxes in libraries, recognizing signs and responding to overdose, and essential print and digital resources for library collections.

Register here: https://bit.ly/2Wij0jj

Community Conversations

VTLIB is partnering with the Vermont Historical Society for a series of community conversations inspired by Northern Vermont University professor Paul Searls’s new book, Repeopling Vermont: The Paradox of Development in the Twentieth Century. This book explores the tensions between growth and preservation, tradition and innovation that characterized Vermont historically and still resonate today. Beginning with a webinar on how to host a discussion on potentially controversial topics, there will then be a series of facilitated discussions at locations throughout the state. VTLIB will have circulating book discussion sets and packets of materials to support librarians hosting local discussions. Dates and more details soon.
CE Highlight: Certificate of Public Librarianship Program

The Vermont Department of Libraries is proud to announce that fourteen librarians were awarded the Vermont Certificate of Public Librarianship on May 22, 2019. Certificates were awarded at the Vermont Library Association annual conference in Burlington. North Hero Public Library's Caroline Korejko is pictured here holding her certificate, with CE Consultant Joy Worland on the left, and State Librarian Jason Broughton on the right.
 
The Certificate of Public Librarianship has been directed by the Vermont Department of Libraries for over twenty-five years. Curriculum comprises required courses in core library areas (Cataloging, Collection Development, Public Library Administration, Reference, and Technology), and additional credits in electives. The certificate is designed to increase consistent professional standards throughout Vermont public libraries and to amplify the work already being done by library staff who have not had other professional library training,
 
This year’s recipients are: Sherri Brickey, Brown Public Library (Northfield), Kristine Caldwell, Deborah Rawson Memorial Library (Jericho), Diane Grenkow, Jeudevine Memorial Library (Hardwick), Emily Heidenreich, Sarah Hibbeler, Dorothy Alling Memorial Library (Williston), Jan Jones, Castleton Free Library. Caroline Korejko, North Hero Library, Wendy Maquera. Bent Northrop Memorial Library (Fairfield), Laura Rochat, Brookfield Free Public Library, Marie Schmukal, Warren Public Library, Stacey Symanowicz, Huntington Public Library, Kathryn Szelag, Brown Public Library (Northfield), Randall Szott, Wilder Memorial Library (Weston), Katherine Zenel-Langlands, Goodrich Memorial Library (Newport).

For more information about the Certificate of Public Librarianship program, visit: https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/continuing_ed/certificate
Small & Rural Libraries

There are still ways to attend the Association for Small and Rural Libraries Conference if you missed getting a slot for full conference attendance:
·        Wednesday pre-conference sessions 9/4, 9am-1pm: Ryan Dowd: How to Compassionately (and Confidently) Handle Problematic Patrons, $60, and/or 9/4, 2pm-5pm: Beyond Diversity 101 with Angie Manfredi, $50.
·        Saturday only registration, $75, includes brunch, 2 breakout sessions and the general closing session keynote with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich.
Details and links to sign up are on the website, www.arsl.info .
Also, ARSL t-shirts are still available to order through July 10th. Multiple orders can be shipped for one fee, so collaborate on ordering! Details here: https://bit.ly/2W6oTLu
CLOVER Corner
Governance & Management
Materials from 2019 Trustees and Friends Conference

The 2019 Trustees & Friends Conference, held on May 21 st at the UVM Davis Center, treated over 120 attendees to a wide range of training resources and information on community engagement, roles & responsibilities, working together, fundraising, recruiting and retaining board members, and more! Materials from the conference (including presenter PowerPoint slides) can be found on our website here: https://libraries.vermont.gov/2019TFC
Fundraising Resources
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Fundraising is an important part of the work of library trustees and friends. Lara likes to pass along helpful fundraising tips, including the ones below:

How to Communicate with Attendees Before Your Fundraising Event , an article from the online site Bloomerang: https://bit.ly/2HdPZuF

The article offers several great tips for connecting with donors if you are planning a fundraising event, including:

  • Communicate early (i.e. very soon after they’ve registered) and enroll donors into your regular fundraising communications (emails, newsletters, future invites, etc.)
  • Leverage Different Communication Channels – email, social media, mailed items, etc.
  • Include in Your Communications a “Call to Action.”

The article also includes several concrete examples of potential topics to discuss in your communications – including confirmation of registration for the event, a method for registrants to easily share their attendance on social media, ticket sales milestones, highlighting silent auction items, announcing VIP access, and a pre-event reminder.

How to Improve Your Library’s Fundraising , an article from the February 2019 “The Voice for America’s Libraries” – a publication from United for Libraries (the American Library Association section for Friends and Trustees)

You can find this article under the "Fundraising" section on this page of the VTLIB website: https://libraries.vermont.gov/services/public_libraries/trustees

This 1-page article (with a very short continuation onto a second page) contains tips on fundraising timelines, what fundraising is not good for, the types of fundraising activities that are easiest to start with, and more.

The article is a good high-level review of fundraising ideas – and things to think about as a trustee or friends board – from membership appeals to endowment drives to sponsorships.
Special Populations & ABLE Library
Farmers Market Going to the Dogs - Sarah Potok, MFA
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Last summer’s visit to Capitol City Farmers Market ended with a snarling, barking and snapping dog lunging at my guide dog. I screamed, unable to see the attacking dog or whether it was leashed. As my daughter grabbed my arm to pull me away, I swore this visit would be my last.
      After guiding me past Positive Pie to stand in front of Capitol Kitchen, my daughter ran after the retreating man, still talking on his cell phone while his dog wandered the length of the leash.
      My attention turned to the laughing and chatting restaurant patrons sitting outside on one of the final sunny days of autumn. They remained undeterred by the commotion a few paces from their tables. I couldn’t see them, but I’m sure they could see me and did.
      I reviewed my own actions while I waited for my daughter to return. I felt slight shame in remembering my scream. A loud “God damn it” followed the scream as I jerked back on my dog’s harness. I felt overly visible and outspoken, grossly unsettled by this third dog skirmish in one short venture to the market.
      My daughter returned with news of her confrontation with the aggressive dog owner. When she’d asked if he was aware of his dog’s attack on a guide dog, he said that everyone is entitled to use the sidewalk. She responded that everyone is entitled to be safe on the sidewalk. Unrepentant, he shrugged and continued his phone call.
      Attacking or causing harm to a guide dog is worth a $500 fine. Apparently, this is needed to ensure my dog’s safety as well as my own and still we are at risk. I am almost more disappointed with bystanders behaving as if viewing a film, unperturbed that their voyeurism might come with a price for people like me to pay by losing our hard-won accessibility.
      Our first outdoor farmers market this spring hosted its first dogfight, within spitting distance of two food stalls. I cannot fathom the reasoning of people who bring their unsocialized dogs into public areas, least of all a place that sells food. Apparently someone posted on a public forum that the farmers market is an excellent place to socialize your dog. How can they not know that it is unlawful to bring pets to a food venue? And what about safety?  
      ADA law dictates that my guide dog is allowed inside restaurants, grocery stores, and anywhere they serve food. This law does not include pets, and for good reason. Two things must be true for a dog to become a legal service animal: they must be trained to perform a specific task or tasks for their person, and they absolutely must be trained for public access. Guide dog graduates must not ever exhibit aggressive or uncontrollable behavior. They must behave around food, people and transportation. The human part of the team must also be trained to handle and control the working dog.
      Where are the health inspectors? Where are the concerned citizens? You don’t have to be blind with a guide dog to tangle with an aggressive dog. Children are often at the perfect eye-to-eye height with dogs. Many dogs respond to eye contact as an act of aggression. Inattentive dog handlers are culpable for any act of aggression instigated by or involving their animal.
      People who think they have the right to bring their untrained and unsocialized dogs into a public food area to wander and interact on long leashes have driven me to wonder if pepper spray is the answer. Do I have enough arms and hands to make it work? I hold my dog’s harness and leash in my left hand. My purse and shopping bags hang on my right shoulder. Do I need a holster for my pepper spray? I know that ultimately it is not the dog’s fault; it is the dog handler who feels entitled to bring their dog everywhere, regardless of behavior.
      I could crusade to maintain the hard-won normalcy and independence provided by my guide dog. The law is on my side. But sometimes fatigue with the issue wins out and I walk away without resolution. And really, the joy of shopping for fresh food from local farms has turned into anxiety.
      Vision is a given for most people, yet so many with the ability to observe don’t pay attention. Without vision, it is essential that I pay attention to everything: sounds, light, bumps, obstructions, curbs, holes in the street and sidewalk, my dog’s leadership combined with my direction, traffic, sidewalk bikers, texters, and pet dogs with inattentive handlers.
      Arrogant entitlement makes my dog’s job more difficult, leaving me to wonder whether gracious and observant behavior has become too much of a burden. Awareness and respect is a small request, along with a modicum of safety for both me and my guide dog. But it is worth so much.        

****
Sarah Potok is our ABLE Library intern.
Quick Links
  • ABLE Library in the National News
 
  • ABLE Library’s New Catalog
 
  • Disability Advocates Worry ‘Conscience Rule’ Could Spell Trouble                      
Youth Services
Letters about Literature
Vermont's Letters about Literature winners were honored at a ceremony at the State House in Montpelier on Friday, May 31.

The Letters about Literature (LAL) writing contest, now in its 26 th year, is sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The Vermont Department of Libraries receives support from the Library of Congress to facilitate the Vermont state competition. For more information about the contest and this year's winners, visit: https://libraries.vermont.gov/vtlalwinners19
Red Clover & Green Mountain Book Award Winners
THE LEGEND OF ROCK PAPER SCISSORS by Drew Daywalt (illustrated by Adam Rex) is the 2019 Red Clover Book Award winner!
THE 57 BUS: A TRUE STORY OF TWO TEENAGERS AND THE CRIME THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES by Dashka Slater is the 2019 Green Mountain Book Award winner!
From Our Neighbors at the Vermont Historical Society
VHS News & Events
Exhibit Reception: Vermont Music Far & Wide
June 6, 4:00-6:00 pm 
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier

Celebrate the exhibition “Vermont Music Far and Wide,” which shares objects and stories from the collections of Big Heavy World, curated by James Lockridge. Music and refreshments throughout the evening, and a curator’s talk at 5:00 pm in the exhibition.
 
Vermont Days Free Admission
June 8, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, VT

Enjoy free admission to the History Museum in Montpelier on Saturday as part of the annual Vermont Days celebration! Make sure to check-out newly installed exhibits on "Sports in Vermont" and artwork from National Life. The exhibits at the History Center in Barre will also be open that day from 9:00 am-4:00 pm with free admission.
 
New Publication & Book Launch:  Repeopling Vermont: The Paradox of Development in the Twentieth Century 
June 22, 1:30-3:00 pm 
Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, VT

Northern Vermont University Professor Paul Searl’s new work,  Repeopling Vermont: The Paradox of Development in the Twentieth Century , is a thought-provoking examination of many of the central tensions in Vermont’s history and culture over the last hundred years. Searls uses the stories of two interrelated communities to explore questions about historic preservation, rural character, community building, and more. The themes he sees playing out in Vermont’s history are still incredibly relevant today.
 
Refreshments and reception will begin at 1:30, and Searls will speak on the research and topics that drove his work beginning at 2:00. The book will be available at the VHS gift shops, or can be ordered online: https://squareup.com/store/vermont-historical-society-museum . See the Continuing Education section earlier in this newsletter for more information on community programming opportunities featuring the book from the VT Dept. of Libraries & VHS.

Vermont Histories & Website Resource List Now Available

We recently compiled a list of some of the best reference books and websites for Vermont history. Check it out at: https://bit.ly/2WNDmR6