YSS Spring Conference

The Youth Services Section of NYLA will hold its 33rd annual Spring Conference on Friday, April 11 at the Melville Marriott on Long Island. The day-long conference will feature three workshop seesions, plus sessions with teen author Alex Flinn and picture book author/illustrator Monica Wellington. Complete conference information is available in the conference brochure. Register by March 11 to take advantage of early bird discounts.

Attend the 2008 PLA Conference Virtually

This year, librarians who can't make the trip to Minneapolis will be able to participate virtually in the PLA National Conference. Held on Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28, the PLA 2008 Virtual Conference will feature panel discussions, poster sessions, interactive workshops, and chats with colleagues, all from the comfort of your computer.

The Virtual Conference will include many familiar elements of the live conference, and a few that will be unique to the online venue. Registration is now open at the conference website.

ALSC Announces Notable Books

The Association for Library Service to Children has selected its 2008 lists of notable books, videos, and recordings for children. Over 30 new websites have also been added to ALSC's Great Websites for Kids page. See all the newest choices here.

Advocate for School Libraries

We need your help to ensure the inclusion of the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

This is the single most important piece of legislation concerning school libraries that will come before Congress this year. Reauthorization of this bill is critical to the future of school libraries.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will be considering reauthorization of NCLB in the next month. In order for the SKILLs Act to be included in NCLB – that is, to place a state-certified school library media specialist in every school – each member of the Senate must co-sponsor the SKILLS Act.

Use this online link to quickly contact your representatives and support this important legislation.

YALSA Releases New Booklists

Looking to add to your library's offerings for teens? The Young Adult Library Services Association has announced its awards for 2008, which included a number of new booklists. Great graphic novels for teens, Quick picks for reluctant young adult readers, and Popular paperbacks for young adults are just a few of the lists you'll find on YALSA's web site. Check out all the newest lists here.

Grant Opportunity - The American Dream Starts @ Your Library

The American Library Association (ALA) and Dollar General Foundation have partnered to increase literary Services to English language learners. A new grant entitled, “The American Dream Starts @ your library,” funded by the Dollar General Foundation seeks to help public libraries increase their literacy services to adult English language learners. The grant will give 15 libraries a one-time award of $5,000 each.

Grants will be made to public libraries with a demonstrated need to provide literacy services to adult immigrants’ resources to expand or add literacy services for adult English language learners. To qualify, public libraries must be located within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store, distribution center or corporate office. Info and application can be found here. Deadline: January 31, 2008

Fort Plain Renovation Progresses

A nice article about Fort Plain's renovation project appeared in Monday's Daily Gazette. Check it out here.

Benefit Concert at MID

There will be a special concert at the Middleburgh Library on Thursday, January 31, 2008, featuring folk performers Lou and Peter Berryman. The concert, which begins at 7:00 PM, is a benefit for the library. Contact Sonny Ochs at 518-827-4953 for more information.

CDLC Outstanding Student Employee Award

The Capital District Library Council sponsors an annual award for student employees in libraries. The purpose of this award is to reward excellence among young library workers, both to exemplify the high standards sought in library staff and to encourage investigation of librarianship as a career goal. Winners receive a certificate and token prizes, along with the recognition of their supervisors and peers that their work has been exemplary. It will be appropriate for recipients to note this award on resumes and job applications.

Information about the award and nomination details can be found on the CDLC web site. Libraries wishing to nominate a student for this award must submit a registration form no later than March 2, 2008. Questions about the award should be directed to CDLC.

Workshop - Breaking All the Rules

Date: Monday, March 3, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Place: Upper Hudson Library System
Presenter: Michael Sullivan

Michael Sullivan is returning to Upper Hudson Library System by popular demand! Michael will present a half-day program on customer service called “Breaking All the Rules.” This program will present alternative approaches tolibrary service focusing on radical customer service. It pushes attendees to question even the most basic assumptions about what public libraries do and why. It addresses cataloging, reference, collection development, children’s services and programming and asks, “Does this serve our customers?” Methods are offered as examples of radical departures from standard library practice.

This program is free of charge. Please contact Jo-Ann Benedetti at UHLS (437-9880 ext 225) to register.

Workshop - Accessible Webpages

Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Time: 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Places: Upper Hudson Library System
Presenter: Eleanora Morrell

Eleonora Morrell from MicroKnowledge, Inc. will hold a workshop on accessibility and library webpages. In this workshop, participants will become familiar with the importance of website accessibility including:

- Design and legal issues
- Assistive technologies
- Browsers considerations
- Checking for accessibility
- Design tips and techniques

This workshop is designed for individuals who have decision-making responsibilities on web site development and design, those who prepare information for publication on the web, and web developers who want the latest information on accessibility issues and solutions.

This program is $10.00 to cover the cost of lunch. Please contact Jo-Ann Benedetti at UHLS (437-9880 ext 225) to register.

Workshop - Connecting Boys with Books

Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Place: Schenectady County Public Library
Presenter: Michael Sullivan

What is it these days with BOYS and READING?

Did you know?

· Boys are, on average, read 1.5 years behind girls (grows to 3 years by 11th grade)
· Boys receive 70%-80% of the D’s and F’s on report cards
· When asked about reading, 1/2 of high school freshmen and 1/3 of college freshmen responded that they “didn’t read”
· By third grade, 1 out of every 3 boys is in some kind of remedial program

According to librarian, author and boys’ reading advocate Michael Sullivan, we need to change the way we approach reading in our schools and libraries. Michael will share research and solutions that will help us connect boy with books at a free, full day workshop, Connecting Boys with Books, to be held at the Schenectady County Public Library on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. The workshop will run from 9:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., with lunch on your own. Library staff, volunteers and educators are encouraged to attend. Pre-register by calling or emailing Serena Butch, SCPL (sbutch@mvls.info; 388-4513) by February 22. Be sure to invite your local educators, too, as continuing education credits will be issued!

If you can’t make it to the full day workshop, Michael will also be presenting an evening program especially designed for parents, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Attendees will be entered in a drawing to win a gift basket of great boy books for both programs.

(Connecting Boys with Books Program is supported by a generous donation from the Friends of the Schenectady County Public Library, and is co-sponsored by the Schenectady County Public Library, the Mohawk Valley Library System and Capital Region BOCES.)

ALA Announces Award Winners

The American Library Association announced the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards - at its Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. The winners:

John Newbery Medal honors the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner.

Three Newbery Honor Books were named:
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson.

Randolph Caldecott Medal recognizes the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, is the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner.

Four Caldecott Honor Books were named:
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, ill. by Kadir Nelson
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems.

Other winners:

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children:

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis

Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis is the King Author Book winner.

Let it Shine illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan is the King Illustrator Book winner.

A complete list of award winners can be found on the ALA website.

Winners from Last Weeks Mock Newbery and Mock Caldecott Workshop

The results from the Mock Caldecott and Mock Newbery workshop held last week at UHLS:

Mock Newbery:
Winner: The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Honors: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban and Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson

Mock Caldecott:
Winner: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Honors: First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, ill. by Kadir Nelson

Want to see if these selections are true winners? The real awards will be presented next Monday, January 14 at 8:00 AM at the ALA MidWinter Meeting in Philadelphia.

New Book Group Blog

Catch the buzz! Enjoy a new (free!) one-stop book group resource from Booklist Online, "Book Group Buzz." This blog will entertain you as it keeps you up to date on all things book group. A corps of bloggers posts about books that worked well (or books that bombed), and provides organizational tips and read-alike insights. The blog also points you to Web sites that offer book club ideas, reading guides, and other helpful resources.

Grant Opportunity - IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf

The IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf is intended to provide small and medium-sized libraries and museums with essential resources needed to improve the condition of their collections. The Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries' special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.

The Bookshelf will be distributed free of charge to 2,000 institutions. Applications must be submitted online during the application period which runs from March 1 through April 15, 2008.
Complete information and application forms can be found here.

Get the Vote Out!

Help make voting happen for the 2008 New York's Children's Choice and Teen Choice Awards in libraries all over New York State. Children and teens have been reading all year to select New York's 3 Apples Book Award, and it's time to vote!

Voting has begun for both awards! Library staff collects the votes from both children in grades 3-6 or ages 8-12 for the Children's Choice Award and teens in grades 7-12 or ages 13+ for the Teen Choice Award.

All eligible participants must have read or listened to three titles on either list to vote. Note that children and teens can still vote in the final ballot even if they did not participate in the nomination process. Voting can takes place at either their school or public library.

Each member library and branch will receive in the delivery:
Get the Vote Out Instruction Sheet, with website for vote submission;
A new poster listing the Finalists for both Children's and Teen Awards
26 half sheet ballots for the Children's Choice vote, and 26 for the Teen Choice vote.

To get started, create a polling station at your library, put the official list of finalists in a mylar frame, and a box to collect ballots.

The public voting period ENDS on January 20th, 2008.Librarians then tally the votes & submit them online (http://www.3applesbookaward.org), via the “VOTE” section of the 3 Apples Book Award website, by January 31, 2008.

Use the vote as an opportunity to work with your local schools to give children and teens voting rights!

The 3 Apples Book Award is a joint program of the Youth Services (YSS) and School Library Media (SLMS) Sections of the New York Library Association (NYLA).Call or email Sue with any questions!

2008 MVLS Award Nominations Sought

The Mohawk Valley Library System Board of Trustees is currently accepting nominations for the 2008 Trustees Award and the 2008 Library Recognition Award. Both are presented at the MVLS annual dinner and include a $200 award.

The Trustees Award honors individual contributions of time and effort promoting libraries and furthering the work of a library or the system. Eligible nominees are trustees of member libraries or the system or other volunteers who have given outstanding services in developing library services in the region. Paid staff is not eligible. Nominations for the Trustees Award are accepted from trustees, system or library staff.

The Library Recognition Award honors a member library for its achievements in one or more of the following categories:

- A new or continuing program demonstrating: “Excellence in Service.”
- “Sustained Outreach and / or Programming” efforts to reach an underserved and/or new customer population.
- “Innovative Services, Methods or Approaches” to improve library services in their service area.

Nominations may be made by trustees, library or system staff, or Friends of the Library.

Nominations for both awards are due on March 28, 2008. Nomination forms are available on the MVLS website and should be forwarded to the MVLS Awards Committee c/o Mohawk Valley Library System, 858 Duanesburg Road, Schenectady, NY 12306.

Books on the Air Newsletter

Check out the new Books on the Air Newsletter, a weekly email newsletter from the folks at BookLetters. Every Friday, a list of books and authors that were discussed that week on television shows like Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah, and Larry King, as well as those discussed on NPR, appears in your inbox. What a great resource for answering those "I saw it on TV....." questions from patrons! To subscribe, visit this website. You do not have to be a BookLetters customer.

John Scieszka Named LC Ambassador

Jon Scieszka, author of "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales" and the "Time Warp Trio" series, will get the imprimatur of the Library of Congress today as the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. How cool is THAT????

Libraries Seeking Grants Must Register

Libraries planning to apply for federally funded library programming grants from ALA's Public Programs Office are now required to register and apply online at www.grants.gov, a unified electronic storefront created to facilitate interactions between grant applicants and the 26 federal grant-making agencies.

The new federal mandate affects libraries that apply for traveling exhibit grants and other federally funded projects that include a cash grant component. Privately funded projects (like Let's Talk About It!) and federally funded projects with no cash award (like We the People Bookshelf grants) are not affected by this new requirement.

Visit the ALA Public Programs Office website for help in registering with grants.gov.

New NYLA Roundtable?

Several members of the New York Library Association have expressed an interest in establishing a Rural Libraries Roundtable. In order for the Roundtable to be established, 25 members must agree to pay the extra $5 to join. Outlined below is the statement of purpose. Please respond to NYLA Executive Director Michael Borges by January 25th if you are interested in joining this proposed Roundtable.

Rural Libraries Roundtable
Statement of Purpose:
The purpose of the NYLA Rural Libraries Roundtable is to enable librarians, library managers, friends and trustees of rural libraries to keep in touch with each other as well as assist NYLA in its mission and goals. This roundtable could potentially be of interest to libraries of all types including public, school, small urban branches, special and corporate, and small academic.

The roundtable would serve these functions:
1. Create a network of people interested in development of rural and small libraries.
2. Provide a forum for the smallest of NY state libraries to exchange ideas and experiences.
3. Provide an opportunity for continuing education relevant to small, rural and one-person libraries.

Roundtable Structure:
The Rural Libraries Roundtable would be managed by a committee to be elected every two years. The committee structure would be as follows: President/ Vice-President / Treasurer / Secretary – two year terms for each position. The committee would organize events for rural librarians at the NYLA Conference and oversee other activities of the roundtable. These activities might include a newsletter, regional gatherings with speakers, creation of a speaker database for topics of interest to small libraries and other functions requested by the members.

Workshop - Best of the Best

Rescheduled
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2008
Time: 9:30 AM to noon
Place: MVLS Service Center

Join Carol and Sue for their annual look at the best books of 2007. Come early and stay late to select children's preview titles! Plus, the 600+ picture books Sue received during her Caldecott year stint will be up for grabs!

Please RSVP by February 6 to Kathy Insero (355-2010 x 221.)