On December 7, 2012, the Vermont library community was shocked and dismayed at the decision of the Board of Directors of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum to lay off its entire library staff in the name of restructuring. While the Vermont Library Association understands the Board’s responsibility for setting direction for their library during a time of financial stress, now, more than ever, Vermonters need libraries–and librarians. The Vermont Library Association feels that the board’s actions demonstrate a devaluation of libraries and the library professionals capable of leading them through a time of intense change in information resources and society. Librarians are not replaced by the Internet–their skills and training enrich the Internet and facilitate access for all Vermonters.

“As President of the Vermont Library Association, an educational organization that works to develop, promote, and improve library and information services and librarianship in the State of Vermont, I hope the entire library community will join us in support of libraries and librarians everywhere, specifically in St. Johnsbury at this time.” states Deborah Gadwah-Lambert.

The Vermont Library Association would like to express support to all the dedicated St. Johnsbury library staff capably serving the local community.

To express your support as well, consider these steps:

Step One: Contact the Athenaeum Executive Director, Matthew Powers and Board Vice-President, Gil Steil to express your concerns. Send email to inform@stjathenaeum.org or call 802-748-8291.

Step Two: Join the Vermont Library Association, Rural Librarians Unite, and the citizens of St. Johnsbury on the steps of the Athenaeum to “hug” the library, Saturday, January 12th at noon. We will be holding hands around the library in solidarity with Athenaeum library staff.

Posted on Friday, December 21st, 2012 at 2:54 pm in the Advocacy, News, Personnel, Public Libraries, Trustees category.

Richard Michael Shuldiner, former reference librarian at Brooks Memorial Library, died at his home on Blakeslee Street in Brattleboro on December 14th.   He was 65.

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Posted on Monday, December 17th, 2012 at 6:06 pm in the News category.

The VLA Board Members want everyone to know that we are aware of the restructuring at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum and are working diligently with the ALA on a statement and a course of action. Stay tuned.

Letter from the Athenaeum Board of Trustees

http://www.stjathenaeum.org/docs/letter-121212.pdf

Article from the Caledonian Record reposted by VT Digger

http://vtdigger.org/2012/12/12/st-johnsbury-athenaeum-lays-off-entire-library-based-staff-will-hire-for-five-full-time-positions/

If you have any comments, suggestions, etc. re: VLA & the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum restructuring, please feel free to contact VLA President Deborah Gadwah-Lambert at deborahlle [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Posted on Wednesday, December 12th, 2012 at 5:52 pm in the News, Public Libraries category.

In May 2012, The ALA Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) received funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to continue the American Dream Starts @ your library, a literacy initiative serving adult English language learners and their families.  A primary goal of this project is to help public libraries in Dollar General communities add or improve library literacy services for adult English language learners and their families.

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Posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 at 3:07 pm in the Funding Ops, News, Public Libraries category.

Effort supports public computing at 42 libraries and adult education sites

Montpelier, VT – Google has donated 100 computers and funding for software to Vermont public libraries and adult education sites.

Vermont State Librarian Martha Reid announced the gift, which is valued at nearly $25,000 combined.

“Our local libraries have become the hubs of connectivity in many communities and we are very pleased with this public private partnership,” said Governor Peter Shumlin. “This puts power in the hands of Vermonters seeking free access to the Internet and all the benefits – for education, employment opportunities and more – that offers.”

The donation, part of a larger effort by Google to donate surplus equipment from their offices, includes desktop computers and flat screen monitors, keyboards and mice, all completely refurbished and loaded with the latest software operating systems. None of the computers is more than three years old.

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Posted on Wednesday, July 18th, 2012 at 1:31 pm in the DOL, News, Technology category.

Hello all -

I am sad to report that Marjorie Shane passed away last week. Yesterday was the first I’d heard of it and I thought that the library community would want to know. Any time I got the opportunity to work with her I was delighted, she was such fun! She will be greatly missed.

Her obituary is on the Ricker Funeral Home website at this address: http://www.rickerfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1504726&fh_id=11435 Please feel free to sign the guestbook for her family.

Services are on Friday, June 29 at noon at Our Lady Of Perpetual Life in Bradford, VT. The burial will take place in Massachusetts on Saturday the 30th. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers please send donations to either or both of the libraries where she was director:

Groton Free Library – http://www.grotonvt.com/Library/Library.htm)
Tenney Memorial Library – https://tenneylibrary.wordpress.com/

Helen

Posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2012 at 10:44 am in the News category.

Here are the links of the video that Vermont Public Television made at the DCF Ceremony two weeks ago. There are brief interviews with a quite a few kids, as well as with Raina Telgemeier.

http://www.vpt.org/writers VPT Website (with YouTube link embedded and links to reading list offered

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0Mpl27u6GU&feature=plcp Vermont Public Television on YouTube

Grace

Posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 at 7:10 pm in the Awards, DOL, News category.

A message from NELA’s president, Mary Ann List:

Dear NELA Members,

Bill Rogers of Google Maps has launched an initiative to provide indoor maps of New England libraries, public and academic, large and small. The project can expand to other buildings on college campuses.

Public libraries in Portland Maine and Hingham Mass were pioneers, discovering indoor maps early on.  Several of the rest of us have now worked with the Google team to raise the visibility of our libraries in this way.

Google Indoor Maps are in use in several large retail establishments and in 18 Smithsonian museums and galleries.

There are two levels of mapping, both easy and free to the library.

In Portsmouth we loaded our basic floor plans (the same ones we use in-house) in just a few minutes, and then had a Google team come out to do the live mapping (level 2).

Mr. Rogers explains indoor maps for libraries in his letter, which follows.

If you would like to join this project, contact him for simple instructions.

Mary Ann List, NELA President

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Posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 at 7:03 pm in the Academic Libraries, NELA, News category.

The Center for Cartoon Studies is extending a discount to their summer workshops to librarians in Vermont.

2012 Summer Workshops

Children’s Books, June 25-29
Create Comics, July 16-20
Cartooning Studio, July 23-27
Cartooning Studio: Production & Design, July 30-August 3
Master Class in Comics Narrative, August 20-24

To register online: http://ccssummerworkshops2012.eventbrite.com
Enter promotional code: CCSLOVESLIBRARIES
And receive 25% off tuition for any summer workshop

Posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 1:33 pm in the Educational Ops, News category.

Marybelle Singer, director of the Alburgh Library, passed away last week.  It could most certainly be argued that she made the library what it is today.  Her obituary can be found at http://www.kiddermemorialhome.com.  You can also see a piece WCAX did on her at the beginning of the year:  http://www.wcax.com/story/17009463/super-seniors-marybelle-singer. She was very proud of her work at the library and she will be missed dearly by her community.

Jeremiah Kellogg
Library Development Consultant
Vermont Department of Libraries

Posted on Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 at 1:01 pm in the News, Public Libraries, Uncategorized category.