This Month at CLC:
NOVEMBER 2022
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Ellen Paul
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I was supposed to talk about membership renewal in this column. And, it’s true that your membership renewal will be in the mail this month and I hope each library will choose to renew, but that’s not what I need to talk about today. I need to talk about all of the attacks across the state on our intellectual freedom, our freedom to read. The pillar that libraries are built on.
I’m proud to say that CLC is working with the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) and the Connecticut Association of School Librarians (CASL) to meet with our elected officials, make sure they understand what is happening in our libraries, and ask for their strong support of libraries and against censorship. But that doesn’t make it any easier for the librarians on the front lines.
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Over the last month I’ve given two presentations on crisis communication: first at NELA with Kate Byroade and Sam Lee, and then again at the CLA Young Adult Librarians conference earlier this week. Both times, at the end of the presentation, there were two reactions from the audience. Some people said, "I’m so glad to know this, it makes me feel so much better." These were mostly the people who have already been through something terrible at their library. But the second thing I heard was, "Now I’m really stressed that this is going to happen to me." And the sad thing is, it probably will.
Whether you work at a public, school or academic library, if you are going through this please know that you’re not alone. Reach out to me, reach out to Sam Lee the co-chair of the CLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, or reach out to your own trusted colleagues.
We can’t go this alone. These are coordinated attacks against libraries, against our freedom to read, and against our first amendment rights. What’s more, I fear that this is the first step to eroding public trust in our libraries and our schools, with the eventual goal of defunding these institutions. We need to stand together more than ever.
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I hope you’ll renew your CLC membership. We’re so much stronger together.
Ellen
Ellen Paul, Executive Director
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UP NEXT: MORE SUPPLIES FOR MORE NEEDS
Jacqueline Cashin
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Hello and happy November! Just a short note to let you know that we are re-opening our supplies bid. We would like to add storage, promotional supplies, art supplies, school supplies, story time supplies, pack and ship, and archival supplies. If you have any suggestions for types of supplies that you would like to see on our contract, or vendors we should invite to bid, please email vendors@ctlibrarians.org and let us know.
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We will be re-opening the contract on January 25, 2023, and all the new vendors will be on contract for you next year. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Jackie
Jacqueline Cashin, Bids & Contracts Manager
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NEWS FOR SCHOOLS
Julie Yulo-Medeiros
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We are sending this newsletter out on November 4, so by the time you are reading these words I hope you will have had an inspiring day at the CASL-CECA conference - and came home with a great prize that you won by spinning the prize wheel at our booth! Here is a photo of Amanda showing off all of our prizes, most donated by our generous vendors. The conference is excellent, and Ellen, Amanda and I are having a great time visiting with all of you.
BOOK DISCOUNTS - YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED
CLC held three book contract sessions for PreK-12 schools in October. I hope you had the opportunity to attend, but if you didn't, a recording is available on our book contract page. I would be happy to help with any questions about getting started using CLC’s 15 book contract suppliers that serve schools.
One of the things we want to let our school members know is that you have lots of options for purchasing books off CLC contracts – Follett, Mackin, Ingram, Brodart, plus 11 more. And you might be surprised to learn which ones will save you the most money. Scroll to 22:05 on the PreK-12 Schools recording on this page to see a price comparison of the four distributors I just mentioned.
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MORE WEBINARS FOR SCHOOLS
We have some webinars coming up this month that are just for our school members. You'll get a lot of information in just 30 minutes! Please register for any and all:
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WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON ELECTION DAY?
Some of you have asked if CLC will be offering professional development on Election Day as we have in the past. We're not doing a full-day training, but we are hosting two Zoom roundtables on that day and we hope you can join us:
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Middle School & High School Librarians Roundtable
Tuesday, November 8
1:00-2:00pm
Zoom
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Elementary School Librarians Roundtable
Tuesday, November 8
2:30-3:30pm
Zoom
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You can register for these roundtables right up until the event start time. Tag another school librarian friend and pop in together. See you on November 8.
Julie
Julie Yulo-Medeiros, Member Relations Manager
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TAKE YOUR CHILD TO THE LIBRARY DAY FAQ
Amanda Stern
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Are you ready for Take Your Child to the Library Day? It feels like February is far away, but it comes up fast, especially as we settle into the holiday season. We would love for this to be the year that EVERY Connecticut library participates in TYCLD. And to help everyone get on the same page, here are some of our favorite TYCLD questions!
Q: What is Take Your Child to the Library Day?
A: TYCLD is an international initiative to encourage families everywhere to take their children to their local library. AND, best of all, it’s a homegrown Connecticut program started in 2011 by Nadine Lipman (retired from Waterford Public Library) and Caitlin Augusta (Stratford Library). It’s a great opportunity to reach out to the community and invite in new library users.
Q: When is TYCLD?
A: TYCLD is typically celebrated on the first Saturday of February. But every library’s situation is different, and some may choose to celebrate on a different day as schedules and staffing permit. The official day for 2023 is February 4.
Q: What do we do on TYCLD? Does it have to be a big production? Do we need to hire a performer?
A: Celebrating TYCLD can be as big or as small as you’d like. If your library has the resources and desire to hire a performer, great! But you don’t have to. Lots of libraries celebrate with homegrown programs (Stratford Library’s bubble wrap room and Burlington Public Library’s family ice sculpture programs are two of my all-time favorites). Still others highlight existing programs, services, and collections. Invite families to the library to play LEGO, read together at a special story time, select books from the collection, or engage in passive activities like scavenger hunts, guess jars, or color pages. Or simply have some special TYCLD coloring pages or bookmarks available to give families who come to the library. You are doing great work already. You can take a program you already have planned and call it your TYCLD activity. That way when new families come into the library for TYCLD, they can find something for them.
Q: Are there any performers offering special programs or prices for TYCLD?
Q: How do I register my library for TYCLD?
Q: Why do we need to register for TYCLD?
A: When you register and tell us how you’ll be celebrating, we pass this information along to the media when we do our outreach. That way libraries in your community know that you’ll be participating. If you don’t tell us, we can’t include your information.
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If you have questions about TYCLD, I’m only an email away!
Amanda
Amanda Stern, Events & Special Projects Manager
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RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY! |
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'Tis the season to renew your library's CLC membership. We will be sending out renewal materials shortly via snail mail and email - and watch that snail mail for a special surprise!
If you'd like to see your invoice now, it is available in your library's CLC member portal. You can log in, view it, print it, and even pay it with a credit card if you would like. Then it will be off your plate for another year. Here's how:
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Go to ctlibrarians.org/profile
- Log in to your LIBRARY'S (not your individual) CLC account.
- Select "Payments & History," then select the DUES tab.
- Your open dues invoice will appear. Click the first icon to view/print, the second to pay online.
Again, this is completely optional - we'll be sending your renewal materials to you. We just want you to know that self-service is available. If you have questions, or you have not received an invoice by mid-November, please contact us at accounting@ctlibrarians.org. Thank you for being a CLC member.
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FINDING DISCOUNT INFO ON THE CLC WEBSITE
Christine Sarrazin
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Hello everyone! As CLC adds more and more vendors and discounts to our offerings, we have been making some changes to the discounts area of our website, ctlibrarians.org.
Every time CLC signs a contract with a new vendor, we create a page on our website with information about that vendor and their offerings for CLC members. While OUR goal is to include as much information as possible about the discounts and prices you are entitled to, many vendors would understandably prefer that this information not be available on the open web. The solution: we're now building vendor web pages with a lot more useful content than we have in the past, but we're putting them behind a login. You may have discovered this if you've been researching our digital resource contracts. As we move toward converting more of our pages over to this format, here are some tips for getting to the information you need.
LOGGING IN
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If your library is a CLC member and you receive regular emails from CLC (like this one), you already have a CLC account.
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In most cases, your username is your email address. You'll find a password reset feature and more information HERE and via the "Sign in" link at the top of every page on our website.
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If your library/school is a CLC member and you do not have an account, REGISTER HERE. We will need to approve your registration before you can log in. (We try to be speedy!)
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FINDING INFORMATION
Discounts Menu: The Discounts drop-down menu provides you with multiple avenues to find information about vendors and discounts. Examples:
- To see a list of all CLC vendors, look under "All Discounts" or "By Vendor/Company."
- To explore digital resource discounts, start with "By Product Type" and choose Digital Resources.
- To see the book vendors that serve school libraries, start with "By Library Type" - choose School Libraries, then Books.
Search: There is a search box at the top of every page on our site. You're librarians, you don't need search tips. But this is important: For best results, log in before you search. Password-protected pages will only show up in search if you are logged in.
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We know your time is limited, and we want ctlibrarians.org to be where you go to find what you need, whenever you need it.
Christine
Christine Sarrazin, Communications & Marketing Coordinator
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THIS MONTH'S PRODUCT WEBINARS
You'll learn a lot in 30 minutes!
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UNIQUE
Communication for Public Libraries
Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 10:00am
For Public Libraries
Unique Management Services offers automated communication solutions that improve public library operations and create better interactions for library customers. Their newest service, MessageBee, can radically enhance your circulation notices and deliver them via email, automated voice, or SMS/text messaging. It can also send newsletters and other patron engagement communications. Join CLC and our Unique Management Services representative to see how Unique and MessageBee can create buzz about your library! Learn about CLC's Unique discounts HERE.
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THE NEW YORK TIMES
FOR HIGH SCHOOLS
Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 1:00pm
For High School Libraries
CLC offers discounts on the New York Times Digital for high schools. Along with your subscription, you get access to the New York Times Education Program, including The Learning Network. This award-winning curricular tool includes lesson plans, news and geography quizzes, student opinion questions, writing curriculum, picture and graph prompts, current events conversations, contests, and professional development webinars. Come to this webinar to see a demo and learn how you can use the New York Times in your school. Learn about CLC's New York Times discounts HERE.
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USING THE FOLLETT TITLEWAVE® DIVERSITY REPORT
Thursday, Nov. 17 at 3:30pm
For School Libraries
Follett developed the Titlewave® Diversity SEL Analysis Tool, a suite of integrated tools to help librarians discover, manage, and report on over 40 diversity-related topics. Librarians can use the report to ensure alignment of their collections with the needs of their students and maximize the impact of the school's or district's purchases against funding and content goals. Join the webinar to see how you can use and benefit from this tool. Learn more about CLC's Follett contract HERE.
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SCHOOL LIBRARIES:
GET THE MOST FROM CLC'S NON-PRINT MEDIA CONTRACTS
Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 11:00am
For School Libraries
Does your school library buy audiobooks? How about DVDs, Blu-Rays, or Playaways? Would you like to expand your downloadable and streaming audiobook options? CLC can help you get started. At this webinar, CLC's Julie Yulo-Medeiros will show you how to navigate our non-print contracts. Learn which suppliers have the products you're looking for. Discover vendors and products you may not have considered before. After just one short session, you'll be able to save time and money on your non-print purchasing.
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DATA AXLE PHYSICAL DIRECTORIES
Time to Order
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CLC is pleased to offer our members the lowest possible price for Data Axle Physical Directories. These print directories are indispensable guides to nearly every business and consumer in your local area. Every CT municipality is covered by at least one directory. Order/renew select 2023 directories by Monday, 12/5. LEARN MORE
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JOBNOW UPDATE
Two New Features
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JobNow subscribers: Brainfuse recently released two new enhancements to JobNow:
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Expert Job Matching - This service helps patrons get matched to open positions based on skills, interests, and preferences. After a user fills out a questionnaire, Brainfuse Job Matching experts will search for available positions that match the requested criteria, including preferences such as salary range, benefits, industry, and more. Within two business days, they will send a response with links and additional information for the positions.
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Life Skills Coaching - Life Skills Coaches will assist users with essential skills such as time management, financial literacy, practical skills, and more.
These enhancements are provided to subscribers at no additional cost. The JobNow homepage has also been updated to improve access on mobile devices. Questions? Contact Diane Bizzle, Director of Outreach at Brainfuse: dweltzer@brainfuse.com. For information on subscribing to JobNow through CLC, visit ctlibrarians.org/jobnow.
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ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP
These are online meetings unless otherwise noted.
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Set the Stage
Monday 11/7 at 10:00am
EVALUATING & EMBRACING AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Learn about how to evaluate and use award-winning children's books with Bina Williams from the Bridgeport Public Library North Branch. Bina is a member of this year's Caldecott Award Selection Committee. This presentation is open to our entire CLC community. A 30-minute discussion will immediately follow for participants of the Set the Stage Program.
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Adult Programming Roundtable
Tuesday 11/15 at 1:00pm
ADULT PROGRAMMING REFRESHER
Welcome back to the Adult Programming Roundtable! Let's chat about which programs we've loved, how we are handling a mix of in-person and virtual, and where to get fresh new program ideas.
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Children's Services Roundtable
Tuesday 11/15 at 2:00pm
INCLUSIVE PROGRAMS
Is your library offering inclusive programs such as sensory storytimes? Does your library open early to welcome families with children on the autism spectrum? Have you attended training to better serve families? If you have, or if you want to learn more, we'd love do what we do best - SHARE!
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Business Librarians Roundtable
Thursday 11/17 at 12:30pm
This group is for public, academic, and special librarians involved in business-related activities, as well as any library staff with interest or expertise in business services. Join us for our next meeting.
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We are delighted to welcome CLC's newest members:
Thank you for joining CLC and over 900 libraries across Connecticut in saving, learning, and collaborating. We're stronger together!
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CLC loves to celebrate our members! We have a new page on our website that we're updating monthly with news from Connecticut libraries - new hires, promotions, awards, grants, and other celebrations. This month you'll find news about people and initiatives from the following libraries and schools:
Avon Free Public Library
Bethel Public Library
Clinton Public Schools
Farmington Libraries
Hartford Public Library
Hotchkiss Library of Sharon
Perrot Memorial Library
Salem Free Public Library
Stratford Library Association
Want to be included next month? Submit your news to Amanda Stern at astern@ctlibrarians.org by November 21. And now ... go read the news!
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We appreciate the important work that you do for your community.
Thank you for being a library hero!
And thank you for letting us help. We are stronger together.
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You have received this newsletter because your library is a CLC member or partner, or you signed up for our mailing list. To adjust your CLC email settings, log into your CLC account.
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