Reference On Call: Promotionals and Update

Reference On Call remote services to library patrons are catching on. The Web site is logging 15 to 20 visitor sessions per day and our after hours reference services are logging several calls per day. We have prepared promotional items for NMRLS members to distribute to patrons to generate interest in the service. We have a business-card sized piece that libraries can stamp on the verso with their own name and a bookmark with a space for a library address label to provide for co-promotion of local and regional services. Or, download our model news release to customize and forward to your local media. Please visit the Web site to view and order samples and download materials: 

Many patrons use the Reference On Call site to access electronic databases remotely. Please visit the statistics page to see your patrons' aggregate activity. (Greg Pronevitz)

Reference On Call Update

It's hard to believe, but it's been eight months since the Reference On Call service for early birds and night owls got off the ground. The new service has kept the "ROC" staff on its toes. There has been an increasing number of calls from a widening geographical area with ever-challenging questions. In the past couple of months we have had genealogy questions from Colorado, Minnesota and England. It's been great to see the numbers of questions rising from towns such as Danvers, Lynnfield and Salem, with input from many more. Our most interesting question in March came from a patron who wanted information on the origin of classifying batteries into AA, AAA and so forth. She was pleased that we were able to point her to several print and online resources. 

The successes of the program are due in part to promotional efforts made by individual libraries and NMRLS. So don't forget your library can promote the service in many ways. Create a link off your webpage; order bookmarks and business cards; let your local press know about the service through press releases; or, add a message to your telephone answering machine. (Esmé Green)

2000 Census Figures Show Minority and Under 18 Population Growth in the Region 
by Greg Pronevitz

The 54 towns that compose the NMRLS service area grew by seven percent over the past ten years based on figures released from the 2000 Census*. Minority populations grew at a faster rate. Black and Hispanic population grew by some 87 percent while the Asian population grew by 72 percent. The number of residents under 18 also grew by about 15 percent.

Noteworthy changes in individual towns include a 57 percent growth in total population in Middleton (4,921 to 7,744). The region's largest city, Lowell, grew to 103,439 and has the largest percentage of Asian residents (16.5 percent). Lynn has the highest percentage of Black population with 10.5 percent of a total 81,245. Lawrence has the largest percentage of both Hispanic/Latino (59.7 percent) and the new census category of multiracial (6.2 percent). 

Regional population distribution is similar to statewide percentages in several areas. The northeast, however, has a lower percentage of Black residents and slightly higher percentages in the categories: under 18, white, and Hispanic/Latino.

The regional population increase of 7.1 percent exceeds the state population increase of 5.5 percent while national growth was over 13 percent. Massachusetts retained its rank as the 13th most populous state.

* Figures based on data from Boston.com. This site also provides town-by-town figures for 1990 and 2000.

Legislative Update

The annual Library Legislative Breakfast was not snowed out on March 30th. Mother Nature and heavy traffic played a role in attendance. However, over 60 dedicated librarians, trustees, friends, state senators, and state representatives had a delicious breakfast in Billerica. The Library shined . Attendees were briefed on the statewide legislative agenda to support library services at the state, regional, and local levels. For those who could not get through the snow, please see the legislative agenda. 

NMRLS News:

Electronic Database Cooperative Purchase - Pilot Project for Biographies

Our most recent survey of members indicated that biography resources is the area that members would most like to add to our electronic resources collection. However, our budget is not likely to provide for adding databases. We are considering working with members and vendors to cooperatively purchase a biographical database, e.g., Gale Group's Biography Resource Center and Wilson Biographies. 

I am seeking input from members on the desirability of this project which would be funded entirely by participating member libraries. If you are interested in participating, please contact me . If there is strong interest, we will work with the membership to design a bid process to provide cost effective services through a group purchase. 

NMRLS Executive Board Update

The March 21, 2001 NMRLS Executive Board meeting was postponed because there were no action items for the agenda. The next meeting is at 2:30 PM on April 11, 2001 at the NMRLS office in Danvers.

MBLC Matters—Community Foundations
By Elizabeth Wolfe,
MBLC Liaison to the Northeast Region

Community foundations are nonprofit, tax-exempt, publicly supported grant making organizations. These foundations are public charities which develop broad support from many unrelated donors with a wide range of charitable interests in a specific community. A community foundation has an independent board that is broadly representative of the public interest and maintains a diverse grants program. In addition to making grants, these foundations often play a leadership role in their communities, serve as a resource for grant information and broker training and technical assistance for local nonprofits such as libraries. 

A community foundation can:

• Hold and invest your library's endowment funds
• Provide technical assistance on fund raisingSupport your library's capital campaign efforts.

View a listing of additional community foundations serving Massachusetts. 

Disaster Workshops

The MBLC's spring series of Disaster Preparedness workshops has been set up and will be held at the following locations: 

Monday, May 7, 2001	Hubbard Memorial Library, Ludlow, MA
Tuesday, May 15, 2001	Fiske Public Library, Wrentham, MA
Thursday, May 24, 2001	Eldredge Public Library, Chatham, MA
Tuesday, May 29, 2001	Newbury Town Library, Byfield, MA  (Bring your own lunch, only one lunch store)
Thursday, June 7, 2001	Adams Free Library, Adams, MA
Tuesday, June 12, 2001	Rutland Free Public Library, Rutland, MA

A flyer will be distributed shortly through the Delivery System throughout the Commonwealth to all regional members. If you are interested, please send in the registration information as soon as the flyer arrives. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, M.L.S., C.A.
Preservation Specialist
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Regional ILL Center Update 

By Marilyn Graves,
Interlibrary Loan Librarian,
NOBLE ILL Center

 What materials can I get through the ILL Centers?

This is a question that the ILL Centers are frequently asked. Books and journal articles are the staple of the ILL Centers business and libraries expect the Centers to be able to get them. The question is more easily answered by stating what we have trouble getting. Books are available on audiocassettes and that takes us to a different format. Many libraries don't want to lend AV materials and so that kind of book may become hard to get. Movies/videos / DVD's always come to mind too. Getting a newly released feature length film, like the Perfect Storm, can be a challenge. There are several reasons for this including the restriction on lending AV, but the predominant reason would be that the video is out and has a number of holds on it. Music CD's are another challenge. If they are popular artists and current releases, these also fall into the nonlending category at many libraries. Other hard to get books are thesis and dissertations from universities. Often there is only one copy or the copy is only available on microfilm so they do not lend it. Another type of hard to get book is genealogy. There are hundreds of genealogy sites on the Internet and many state and local genealogy collections but often the materials are old or one of a kind and also in the noncirculating category. In the area of requests for journal materials there is a difference in thought between the college/university libraries and public libraries. Many public libraries lend whole issues of magazines to their patrons and sometimes ask the ILL Centers to get whole issues in an ILL request. By and large the college libraries do not lend whole issues of magazines through ILL even though they may lend them to their faculty and students.

It must sound like we can hardly ever fill a request. Despite many restrictions on lending materials the ILL Centers acquire an enormous amount and variety of all of the above mentioned materials. There are libraries that lend anything! If we can't borrow there are times we go to the publisher or a company or an author to get what we need. The kinds and formats of materials available are as varied as kinds of requests. Not to mention that more and more material is becoming available through websites. We recently filled a request for the May 1885 issue of Harper's Monthly on the Cape Ann quarries. Cornell University has digitized this journal title so it's available full image to anyone. Another time, a book, Cooking with Crisco, was not available to borrow and the good librarians at the Crisco company delved into their archives to produce the needed chocolate chip cookie recipe. Yum. The more correct information that's provided the easier it is to track down materials. So, don't hesitate to send us a request.

NMRLS Regional Reference and Research Center

By Eleanor Sathan
Memorial Hall Library, Andover

Memorial Hall Library in Andover is contracted by the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System to provide supplementary reference service to all NMRLS member libraries. You are encouraged to call the reference desk at Memorial Hall Library with questions that cannot be answered with the materials available in your library. The Memorial Hall reference staff of twelve MLS certified librarians is eager to assist you. This service is available by telephone at 978/623-8401 ext. 31, by fax at 978/623-8407, or via the Web. 

Recent Reference Additions:

Cambridge World History of Food presents a historical approach to the study of food and nutrition. Volume One discusses the diet of the early hominids and gives a detailed description of major categories of staple foods such as grains, vegetables, nuts and animals. Within each category specific foods are discussed; for example, wheat, sweet potatoes and chickens. Volume Two discusses the history of food in countries around the world.

World Music the Rough Guide discusses the development of folk, popular and classical music for countries throughout the world. 

Along with short biographies of accomplished women in a variety of technical fields, American Women in Technology describes a number of technical awards and the women that have won these awards. Areas of technology that are included are all areas of engineering, computer related vocations, mathematics and telecommunications.

Interesting Web Sites: 

Moon phase calendar
Find the phases of the moon for every date from 1951 to 2015 on this web site.

Drug checker
This portion of the website lists information about prescription and over the counter drugs in layman's terms. Check the Dr. Koop home page for drug interactions, lists of clinical trials organized by condition and location, and consumer health information.

Stumper for March:
Why are the business pages of a telephone book yellow?
Answer: In 1883 while printing a telephone directory, a printer in Cheyenne Wyoming ran out of white paper. He had lots of yellow paper available and used it for the business section. Customers seemed to like t his, since it was easier to distinguish the residential from the business listings.
Source: Stern, Ellen and Gwathmey, Emily. Once Upon a Telephone. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994.

Stumper for April:
In what year did Louisa May Alcott's father die?

Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library Update
Submitted by Brian J. Archambault , Head Law Librarian, Lawrence Law Library. 
(The opinions expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries.) 

New and Updated Pathfinders Available on TCLL Web Page:

The staff of the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries has compiled annotated bibliographies, or pathfinders, on various topics of the law. When possible, we've included links to web sources to make the process easier. The pathfinders are available in HTML format and in MS Word Format (better for printing as handouts). The following list is current as of March 30, 2001, and new pathfinders are regularly added (and existing ones updated): 

• Abortion Law 
• Chapter 93A Consumer Protection Act 
• Child Support over Age Eighteen
• Defending Against or Appealing a 209A Restraining Order
• Domestic Violence Laws in Massachusetts
• Emancipation of Minors 
• Harassment/Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
• Homestead Law 
• Massachusetts Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships 
• Massachusetts Mechanics' Liens 
• Rights Concerning One's Criminal Record 
• Summary Process (Eviction) Law 
• Title 5 Septic Regulations in Massachusetts 

Workshop on Computer Assisted Legal Research Being Planned

Tentatively scheduled for mid-June, we will have a hands-on demonstration workshop of the approaches to Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALR), using both subscription-only and freely available Internet databases. Check the NMRLS Continuing Education Calendar for details and registration information.

Massachusetts Case Law and More Available At No Charge Via Internet

Looking for a free Internet source for local and national legal news, as well as a fairly extensive (and searchable) database of court decisions? Then give law.com a try. Actually, by replacing the "ma" in the URL with the postal code of another state, the family of law.com sites provides, in their words, "a locally focused legal destination for each and every state, as well as the District of Columbia", including "local and state-wide news and court decisions as well as a robust collection of resource and law practice guide links". 

Watch for the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries at the Upcoming Massachusetts Library Association Conference

The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries will have a display in the vendor area of the upcoming MLA Conference 2001, to be held in Springfield April 29 - May 1, 2001. This will include an informative and entertaining display of the array of services and materials available at the seventeen Trial Court Law Libraries. A tour of the Hampden Law Library, located in the historic Hampden County Hall of Justice, is scheduled for Monday, April 30.

Lawrence Law Library Continues to Offer Extended Hours

The Lawrence Law Library is open to the public as follows:

Monday through Thursday	8:30AM to 9:00PM
Friday	8:30AM to 4:30PM
Saturday	9:00AM to 3:00PM

Evening and Weekend Hours are made possible by NMRLS funding, as part of the "Reference On Call" service. We are available in person, by telephone, fax or email.

Don't forget that the NMRLS Region includes three of the seventeen Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries: Lawrence Law Library, Lowell Law Library, and the Essex Law Library (Salem, MA). Check our Web site for the Trial Court Law Library nearest you.

Youth Services Column
By Susan Babb

Summer 2001 Reading Program: 
Famous Firsts - First of All…Read!

Be sure to visit the Web site for the latest updates on the Summer Reading Program! Check out ideas for Young Adults, download all the Form Letters you'll need for your program, and contribute to the Summer 2002 Reading List!

School News:

3M Announces Program to Donate $1.5 Million to Schools 

3M announced the company will donate $1.5 million to middle and high schools through its "3M Salute to Schools" program in 2001, which provides much-needed security products that help reduce the loss of valuable library resources.

Now in its second year, "3M Salute to Schools" is sponsored by 3M, in partnership with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association. 3M and AASL both share a strong commitment to education and value investing in the nation's schools. 

"Research shows the highest-achieving students attend schools with good library media centers, and protecting library resources contributes to the overall improvement of library media services for young people," says Harriet Selverstone, president of AASL. "AASL is pleased to again partner with 3M to help school libraries preserve these resources for students throughout the country." 

Applications are available online or by calling the American Library Association Fax-On-Demand system at 1/800/545-2433, then press 4 and request document no. 802. Recipients will be announced at the American Library Association Annual Conference, June 14 through 20 in San Francisco. Applications must be postmarked by May 1, 2001. 

More information about the 2001 "3M Salute to Schools" program.

Follow the Headlines

Follow the headline links on the AASL home page to read the all the AASL news!

New Regional Coordinator for Children's Book Council Choices

Marion DePierro, Library Teacher at the Ditson/Dutile Elementary School in Billerica has been selected to be a Regional Coordinator for the Children's Choices, Young Adult Choices and the Teacher Choices by the Childrens Book Council in New York City.

As a Regional Coordinator DePierro will:

• Recruit about 30 teacher reviewers
• Recruit about 2000 student reviewers
• Receive and inventory about 800 titles, 3 to 5 copies each, and then distribute them to teacher and students
• Train reviewers to read, evalutate and complete a rating form on the books.
• Publicize the project and the final list.

The goals of all three Choices are as follows:

• To develop an annual annotated reading list of new books that will encourage students to read.
• To help teachers, librarians, parents and others find books that students will enjoy.
• To provide students with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them.

Did you ever wonder if you are "doing the right thing" in your library programs? The MLA / Youth Services Section addressed this question during the program, Give Them What They Need: Developmentally Appropriate Programming Twos to Teens: Theory and Practice. The event was held at the Framingham Public Library on Thursday, March 1.

The panelists included:

Mary Wilson, an early childhood consultant, spoke about the developmental needs of infants and toddlers. These factors are essential considerations when planning programs for this age group. The presenter offered a number of resources that librarians could utilize when planning a program. Techniques, using some of the "hands on" resources such as books and puppets, were demonstrated during the program.

Beth Kerrigan, YA Outreach Librarian, Memorial Hall Library, Andover, discussed the programming needs of Young Adults. Having returned from a seminar entitled Serving the Underserved: Improving Customer Service for Young Adults in School and Public Libraries, Beth presented "Seven Developmental Needs for Young Adults." Then the audience broke up into smaller groups and brainstormed programming activities that related to these needs. (See full listing of activities.)

The event culminated with speaker, Eliza Dresang, Associate Professor of Information Studies at Florida State University and author of the book, Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age. The concept of Radical Change refers to the emerging trends in literature for youth that are an outgrowth of the digital age. Types of Radical Change in books include:

• Changing Forms and Formats: nonlinear, nonsequential, multilayerd, interactive formats;
• Changing Perspectives: multiple perspectives, previously unheard voices, speaking for oneself; and 
• Changing Boundaries: new topics, new kinds of community, new ways for characters to respond, unresolved endings. Dresang helped the audience realize the exciting possibilities of connecting youth with literature.

PLA Report: PLA Early Literacy Initiative
by Corinne Fisher
Head of Children's Services,
Reading Public Library

Speakers included: Dr. Reid Lyon of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Russ Whitehurst of SUNY Stony Brook, and Dr. Chris Lonigan of Florida State University, among others. PLA is partnering with the NICHD and NIH to help disseminate information from research findings about how children learn to read. The groups will also work together to help build public library service for preschool children based upon findings in NICHD studies and recommend best practices.

The researchers introduced model projects that incorporate the findings of recent research in the field of emergent literacy. These included projects in which the parents received training at the public library. Parents of infants used a "Bonding with baby" program. Parents of 2-3 year olds were taught the "dialogic reading" method of sharing a book to encourage oral language development. A phonological screening test for parents to give their 4 year olds was developed as well as phonological games for them to make and play.

The 2-day symposium opened with a number of statistics that was truly frightening .but galvanizing in terms of the mission of the public library. The most startling piece of information was that many states look at 3rd grade reading scores to determine the size of future prison populations!

Other research cited proves that:

• there is an 88% chance that if a child does not "get" reading by the end of 1st grade, the child will still be a poor reader at the end of 4th grade
• there is a 95% probability that those children will never catch up with their peers (unless there is extensive, expensive intervention).
• 38% of 4th graders can't read to grade level. Of these, 10-15% will drop-out of high school and only 2% will complete a 4-year college degree.
• Knowledge of alphabet letters upon entry into Kindergarten is a strong predictor of 10th grade reading ability.

Further information on this conference.

National Storytelling Conference, July 11-15

Storytellers and storylovers from across the country are gathering in Providence, Rhode Island this July 11-15 to learn, laugh and share their love of stories at the National Storytelling Conference, to be held this year at Brown University. There will be opportunities to hear some of the best storytellers in the nation. Come learn from them in small group settings, intensive workshops, panel discussions and informal meetings.

The Conference will feature three keynote speakers. Renowned Harvard Paleontologist, Stephen Jay Gould, will speak about "The Human Mind as a S torytelling Device." Gould, a scientist, has spent his career unravelling and telling the story of life on earth. Providence-based Trinity Repertory Theater's Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis, will draw on everything from Aristotle to Angels to help his listeners understand "What Makes Stories Work". Franco-American Maine Storyteller, Michael Parent, will challenge his listeners to be "Quiet Revolutionaries". In a high-tech world, Parent stresses that Storytelling is low-tech and extremely powerful as a tool to counter the voices of mass culture that say one person cannot make a difference. Parent has worked to bridge the divide between cultures, looking for the common ground that unites us as humans.

Recording artist, Bill Harley, is organizing a Sunday afternoon concert to wrap up the conference and has enlisted world-renowned storytellers including Jay O'Callahan, Odds Bodkins, Len Cabral, Heather Forest, Carol Birch, and Harley himself.

There will be the broadest range of topics during the workshops ,including simple storytelling techniques, five-minute stories, wisdomtales, pre-school storytelling, improvisation, using folktales to promote literacy, studying nature through stories and much, much more. There will also be time for music, both in performance and sing-alongs, and music to dance to-a real New England Contra Dance will be part of the Conference. There will even be a parade.

So come join the fun. Bring your questions, your listening ears, and your dancing shoes. For information, or to register, call 800/525-4514 or visit storynet.com.

Upcoming NMRLS Youth Services Programs:
(Registration)

Summer Reading Program Roundtable
Friday, April 13 -- 10:00AM - 12:00PM -- NMRLS, Danvers
Need ideas for your Summer Reading Program? Share your ideas on famous firsts of all kinds - athletic, inventive, exploration, discovery - and grab a few from this roundtable. Bring samples, photos, etc. Let's "blaze the trail" on summer programs!

Not For Directors Only - Creating a Culture of Leadership 
(A Youth Services Toolkit Series) 
4/23/01 -- 1:00PM - 4:00PM -- Tewksbury Public Library, Tewksbury 
Leadership is often identified with directors. This workshop will examine why is it important for youth services librarians to take on leadership roles (to grow professionally and to advocate for librarianship as a profession), what is leadership as compared to management (creates a vision and helps others to grow), and ways to be a leader (demonstrating initiative and sharing responsibilities as well as opportunities). 

Library Media Center/Public Library Cooperation: "The Homework Assignment" 
4/27/01 -- 10:00AM - 12:00PM -- Peabody Institute Library, Danvers 
Hear a panel from three library communities share their successes in cooperation. Danvers, Everett, and Westford school and public librarians will explain how they began to work together; what some of their strategies are; and how they are communicating homework assignments with each other. Bring your questions and your own strategies to share in a lively discussion following the presentations. 

Homeschooling in Massachusetts
5/24/01 -- 10:00AM - 12:00PM -- Beverly Public Library, Beverly 
Tammy Rosenblatt, Director of the Family Resource Center, will cover: current homeschooling regulations in Massachusetts, local, state and national homeschooling resources, and tips on how libraries can be the most helpful to homeschooling families. The Family Resource Center is a lending library and web based resource for homeschooling families in Massachusetts. 

What’s New with Staff and Libraries in the Region?

The new Newbury Public Library was dedicated on Sunday,April 1.

Congratulations to Donna Childs who will become Young Adult Librarian at the Newburyport Public Library on April 30! The Newburyport Public Library will be closed until May 6.

NMRLS welcomes new members:

• Pawtucketville Memorial School, Lowell
• Joseph G. Pyne School, Lowell
• Abbot School, Westford
• Millennium School, Westford
• Burlington Campus Library, Northeastern University, Burlington

Newsletter Deadline for May

Please send your articles to Susan Babb by April 27. 
Share information about your staff and your library with the NMRLS community! Book reviews, articles, letters, success stories are all welcome! 

Job Postings

To have a listing from your library included on our web site, please email the posting to Lucie Gallagher. The listing will be updated the first and third Fridays. 

NMRLS posts library-related jobs on our site for positions within the region or related to the region, e.g., positions in other regional systems, automated resource sharing networks, or at our funding agency, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Other positions outside the region will not be posted.