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Fall Into Books Conference

Minecraft Challenge 2015

RCLS Weekly Memo 1 August 23, 2010

Serving Member Libraries Since 1959

June 29, 2015

Robert Hubsher, Executive Director Ruth K. Daubenspeck, Newsletter Editor

Ramapo Catskill Library System • http://www.rcls.org 619 Route 17M • Middletown, NY 10940-4395 • 845.243.3747

RCLS’ Sue Scott Receives 2015

CLOUSC Award

The Children’s Librarians of Orange, Ulster and Sullivan

Counties (CLOUSC) award committee have announced that

Sue Scott, RCLS Software Support Technician, was the

recipient of their 2015 Recognition Award for her help with

technology and gaming in children’s and teen programming.

The award, presented on June 1 at a luncheon held in

Monroe, is in recognition of an individual or group who has

made significant contributions to and had an impact on the

library services to children and CLOUSC. Sue’s contri-

butions have truly affected all the libraries in CLOUSC and

the RCLS service area. Since Sue joined the RCLS family,

she has made it clear that she is only a phone call away if

any staff member of a library has a question.

Pennie Mercado of the Fallsburg Library who serves as

CLOUSC Award Committee Chair stated, “Comments

received on the nomination form included, but are not

limited to, how valuable Sue Scott’s help was in OverDrive

training, running reports and of course, her gaming

knowledge.”

“We all know that Sue is the go-to person if we have a

gaming question and she has been very beneficial in the

implementation of gaming in several of our libraries. Sue

has also made it very clear that she is ready and willing to

help implement a gaming night at a member library if

needed. Her presentation on gaming, and her creation of the

Minecraft Challenge had all of us excited and many of us

took on her challenge,” Pennie explained.

At the award presentation, Sue received a lovely,

flowering plant and a $40 gift card to GameStop, where she

promptly pre-ordered Fallout 4. This Bethesda Softworks

epic will debut on November 10. Currently in development

for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC, the program

allows participants to choose to play as a man or a woman,

select a specific set of skills and then venture out of a vault

200 years after an apocalyptic event. Played from a first- or

third-person perspective, the game lets players freely roam

around huge environments, interact with memorable

characters, and gain access to more than 50 base weapons

YOU can win this

The “I Love to Read” Quilt plus

Dead Wake by Erik Larson and

the 2015 Caldecott Winner,

The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat

$5 Donation for 1 ticket

$10 Donation for 3 tickets

Proceeds benefit the

RCLS Management Professional

Development Scholarship.

Drawing Friday, September 18, at

the RCLS Annual Meeting. Contact

Dan Hulse at RCLS (ext. 245 or

dan@rcls .org) for t ickets or

information.

June 29, 2015 2 RCLS Weekly Memo

and more than 700 modifications

available. Plus, gamers can take

advantage of a deep crafting and

customization system to create unique

adventures.

Sue explained that she certainly

appreciated the recognition, but really

has nothing but awe for the library

staff who are working with kids every

day.

Fall Into Books

Early Bird Registration for Fall Into

Books 17th Annual Children’s and

Teen Literature Conference must be

p o s t m ar k ed

by Saturday,

July 25. The

C o n f e r e n c e

will take place

on Friday,

October 9 at

the Ramada in Fishkill. School

librarian and information literacy

specialist Jennifer Hubert Swan will

be the keynote speaker. Author/

Illustrator Brian Floca will give this

year’s author presentation.

Visit the RCLS website for more

information or to download a

registration/participant book order

form.

This annual event is sponsored by

RCLS, the Mid-Hudson Library

System, and the following BOCES

School Library Systems: Dutchess,

Orange-Ulster, Rockland, Sullivan

and Ulster.

Nominations for Regents Advisory

Council on Libraries

The New York State Library is seeking by August 1

recommendations for membership on the New York State

Regents Advisory Council on Libraries.

The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries advises the

New York State Board of Regents regarding the New York

State Library, library development programs, library aid

programs and other matters related to the operations of

libraries and library

systems in New

York. The Council

works with the

officers of the State

E d u c a t i o n

D e p a r t m e n t i n

d e v e l o p i n g a

c o m p r e h e n s i v e

statewide library and

information plan and makes recommendations to the

Regents concerning the implementation of the program of

library service.

The New York State Board of Regents will appoint two

Regents Advisory Council members to serve five-year terms

from October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2020. The Council

meets a minimum of four times a year: January (by

conference call), April (Board of Regents meeting in

Albany), September (by conference call) and December (in

person). Members of the Regents Advisory Council are

leaders in a wide variety of endeavors across the State,

including business, human services, education, and libraries.

For more information, see www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/

adviscns/rac/index.html.

The New York State Library particularly encourages

recommendations of representatives of New York State's

broadly diverse population and endeavors to select members

whose geographic diversity and professional and personal

experience will enrich the work of the Council.

Please send nominations, along with a resume, for the

Regents Advisory Council on Libraries by August 1 to:

Paula Paolucci, Office of the State Librarian and Assistant

Commissioner for Libraries, New York State Library,

10C34 Cultural Education Center, Albany, NY 12230; or by

e-mail to Paula.Paolucci@nysed.gov.

Share your library news with the RCLS Weekly Memo. Send your article to rclsmemo@rcls.org

RCLS Weekly Memo 3 June 29, 2015

New BARD Mobile App

Sharon B. Phillips, Regional Librarian, New York State

Talking Book and Braille Library

The BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download)

mobile app for Android devices is now

available! For more information, visit the

Talking Book and Braille Library

website.

The app is available at the Google Play

store. Please help us promote this new

app to your library patrons and others

who use Talking Book services. The new

app allows BARD users to play downloadable books on a

smartphone or tablet, and makes for easy and portable

listening while traveling or vacationing during the summer

months.

If you have any questions about the new Android app, or

about Talking Book services in general give us a call at

1.800.342.3688 or email us at tbbl@nysed.gov

Don’t forget to check out our recent posts on the Talking

Book and Braille Library Facebook page. We hope you will

add some comments and like our page!

Hiring: The first Librarian of

Congress for the Internet Age

Robinson Meyer of The Atlantic writes, “In a month or

six, the United States will get its first new Librarian of

Congress in nearly three decades. This will be the first time

a new Librarian has been appointed since the invention of

the Web. And the new

Librarian could hold a

potentially transformative

role: This could be the

first Librarian, many

experts say, to truly

embrace the Internet as

core to the Library’s

mission.” Daniel Schuman agrees, saying that “the next

Librarian must be a capable manager with a vision for the

library and a strong orientation towards using and adapting

to new technologies.”

Job Openings

Job Postings

Building Your e-résumé

Ready to Read at New

York Libraries Updates

Karen Balsen, Youth

Services Coordinator, Project

Director, Ready to Read at New York

Libraries

The Ready to Read at New York

Libraries website has added new

pages for Early Organizations and

Resources!

Our Partner

O rgan iz a t i on s

page features

i n f o r m a t i o n

about the official

partners of Ready

to Read at New York

Libraries and the early literacy

resources that they provide.

The Ready to Read at New York

Libraries website also has information

ab o u t o t h e r E a r l y L i t e r a c y

Organizations , Early Literacy

Initiatives, and Early Literacy

Resources. These pages will be

continuously updated as we gain more

information and additional resources.

And don’t forget that Ready to Read

at New York Libraries is on Facebook!

Apply for 2016 Class of

Emerging Leaders

ALA is now accepting applications

for the 2016 class of Emerging

Leaders. Details

on the program

criteria as well

as a link to the

application can

be found on the

Emerging Leaders web page. The

deadline to apply is Saturday, August

1. Individuals who are considering

applying to the program should be

new library professionals with fewer

than five years of experience working

at a professional or paraprofessional

level in a library.

Now Hiring

June 29, 2015 4 RCLS Weekly Memo

RCLS/OLA Friends Gathering

RCLS Member Library Friends Groups

gathered on Monday, June 15 to attend The

Annual RCLS / OLA Friends Gathering at the

Cornwall Public Library. Speaker Courtney

Darts, Senior Staff Attorney of Pro Bono

Partnership presented Get By With a Little Legal

Help for Your Friends: Obtaining and

Maintaining Your 501(c)(3) Status.

This program was a condensed version of the

one presented at the 2014 NYLA Conference. Ms.

Darts’ presentation provided information

involving the governance of Friends groups, how

to comply with the new nonprofit regulations and

generally how to manage a Friends group for

continued success.

The Pro Bono Partnership provides free business and transactional legal services to nonprofit

organizations serving the disadvantaged or enhancing the quality of life in neighborhoods in New York,

New Jersey and Connecticut. The Pro Bono Partnership is based out of White Plains and all legal

services are FREE. They only thing our Friends groups pay for are the filing fees with the government.

Once the Partnership performs an assessment of your group’s needs, they set you up with volunteers for

you to work with one-on-one.

The Chester Public Library’s Friends group is currently using their services. While the Pro Bono

Partnership is located in Westchester County, they have not required the group to travel to them. They

have conducted conference calls with the Chester Friends and have found volunteers in our area to do

the work. The project they are working on now with the Chester Friends is a complete rewrite of their

By-laws and creating a Conflict of Interest policy.

Train the Trainers: OverDrive

Sue Scott, RCLS Software Support Technician

Thanks to everyone that took advantage of the one-on-one

OverDrive training on Wednesday, June 24 at RCLS. I want to

thank our Library staff that took the time to come to RCLS and

assist with the

workshop and share

their knowledge:

Dianne Aimone and

L a u r i e A n g l e

(Warwick), Barbara

Cassidy (Port Jervis),

K a t i e E d s o n

(Goshen), Heather

Gorman (Newburgh),

Pam Hawks (Cornwall), Paula Holt (Highland Falls), Jerry

Kuntz (RCLS), Ashley Maraffino (Valley Cottage) and Lori

Mullooly (Wallkill). At RCLS headquarters, participants and trainers work with putting OverDrive on various devices.

Left to right: Heather Gorman (Newburgh Free Library), Mary Ellen Malone (Cornwall Public Library) and Ashley Maraffino (Valley Cottage Free Library).

Speaker Courtney Darts, Senior Staff Attorney of Pro Bono Partnership

RCLS Weekly Memo 5 June 29, 2015

2014 RCLS Annual Program of the Year Awards

At the RCLS Legislative Breakfast and Annual Meeting held on Friday, September 12 Annual Award

presentations were made. The following is a description of a program that was nominated for the Youth

Member Library Program of the Year Award:

Program: Let's Play!

Creator: Claudia Uccellani, Children's Librarian

Nominating Library: Nyack Library

Let's Play! was inspired by a program at the Brooklyn Public Library that used play to drive language

development and early literacy. The Nyack Library worked closely with the Nyack Center, Nyack

School District’s Family Resource Centers (3), and the School District’s Home to School Program, to

develop an afternoon of play for children ages 1-3 and their families. The goal of the program, which

took place on November 16, 2013, was to provide parents/caregivers with an opportunity to learn about

early literacy skills and tips for enhancing language development through a series of fun, play activities

designed for parent-child interactions.

Program flyers were developed in English, Spanish and Creole and distributed widely in the

community and each of our community partners worked hard to publicize the program with their

families and to encourage their attendance. Effort was made to particularly target low­ income, low-

education families with little or no experience with the public library.

Seven play stations were set up and each was staffed with a volunteer from one of our community

partners or with a library person. Their role was to model the activity and interactions with the child,

share early literacy tips, and answer any questions participants had. In addition, Spanish and Creole

speaking volunteers roamed the room, assisting as needed. The play stations included:

Large refrigerator type box with different shaped doors and windows cut out

Homemade playdough station with rollers, shape cutters, etc.

Unsand Box – Baby pool filled with shredded paper and hidden little toys

Big pile of blocks made from recycled materials and stenciled with letters, numbers, etc.

Sensory Crawl/Walk – Large sheets of different textured materials to explore

Finger Painting – easy, clean finger painting over clear plastic bags

Lots of books to explore together

The activities that were developed were chosen specifically for their low-cost and ease of replication

in the home environment, hopefully sending the message that one does not need to be wealthy or

provide elaborate, store bought toys to provide an enriched learning environment in the home. In

addition to the activity stations, a table was set up with a variety of early literacy materials, library card

applications, information from the school district about their programs, and community resources for

families with young children. Each participant also went home with a bag filled with materials

including activity cards for use at home and Early Literacy magnets that we made.

A total of 12 families participated with 18 children in the targeted age range along with many older

siblings. Everyone seemed to have a good time and the program generated additional participants in the

Nyack Library’s Cuentos y Canciones Spanish language storytime, for the school district’s Home to

School program, and for general use of the library and its resources.

RCLS 2015 Annual Meeting Awards

A reminder that nominations for all three 2015 RCLS Annual Meeting Awards must be received no

later than Friday, July 24 by the Awards Committee c/o RCLS. Nominations submitted after that date

will not be accepted. Detailed guidelines for the three awards are available on the RCLS website.

If you have any questions, contact Ruth Daubenspeck at RCLS (ruth@rcls.org or at ext. 222).

June 29, 2015 6 RCLS Weekly Memo

System Calendar

For a complete and up-to-date list of events, including

links to additional information, see the RCLS Calendar.

To add information, contact Ruth Daubenspeck.

July

Friday, 3 Independence Day Observed – RCLS CLOSED

Tuesday, 14 Directors Association, RCLS – 9:30 a.m.

Monday, 20 RCLS Board Retreat, RCLS – 9:00 a.m.

Thursday, 23 Managers Meeting, RCLS – 10:00 a.m.

August

Friday, 7 Emerging Leaders Group Session, RCLS – 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday, 12 System Orientation, RCLS – 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, 13 Directors Association Executive Committee, RCLS – 9:30 a.m.

Friday, 14 Mandatory Construction Workshop, RCLS – 9:30 a.m.

Monday, 17 RCLS Board Meeting, RCLS – 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 19 Emerging Leaders Team, RCLS – 9:00 a.m.

Thursday, 20 Managers Meeting, RCLS – 10:00 a.m.

Deadlines

Friday, July 31 @ 4 p.m.

Management Professional

Development Scholarship

Applications to Grace Riario @

RCLS.

Monday, August 10 @ 8 a.m.

Registration for System

Orientation (8/12)

Thursday, August 13 @ 8 a.m.

Registration for Mandatory

Construction Workshop (8/14)

Wednesday, August 19 @ 4 p.m. Nominations for RCLS Trustee

to Pat Soto @ RCLS.

Monday, August 31

RCLS Trustee Nomination

Biographies to Ruth Daubenspeck

@ RCLS.

Friday, September 11 @ 9:30 a.m.

Reservations for RCLS

Legislative Breakfast and Annual

Meeting (9/18)

RCLS Headquarters E-mail and Extension Directory (845.243.3747)

Robert Hubsher ............ Executive Director ................................................................. 242

John Schneider ............ ANSER Manager and Systems Administrator ....................... 228

Grace Riario ................. Assistant Director & Outreach Coordinator ............................ 233

Chuck Conklin .............. Delivery & Building Maintenance Supervisor ......................... 226

Jerry Kuntz ................... Electronic Resources Consultant ........................................... 246

Amy Haase-Thomas .... ILL/Tech Services Librarian ................................................... 237

Stephen Hoefer ............ Fiscal Officer .......................................................................... 223

Randall Enos ................ Youth Services Consultant .................................................... 240

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