New Appointments to the Board

December was a busy month for board appointments with two new appointments: Mary Rose Quinn and Frank Murphy; and the reappointment of Vice Chairman, George Comeau.

Mary Rose Quinn of Woburn has been appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve on the nine-member Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC).

Currently the Director of the Stevens Memorial Library in North Andover, Mary Rose has been a librarian for 20 years, working in public libraries for the last 17. She serves on the Massachusetts Library Association's Legislative and Public Relations Committees and has served as Chair of the New England Library Association's Information Technology Section and on the Executive Boards of both NOBLE and the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System. In addition, she worked on the Steering Committee that formed the Friends of the Woburn Public Library and the MBLC's committee planning services for patrons with disabilities. Mary Rose has her MS-LIS from Simmons College and ABs in English and History from Boston College. Mary Rose Quinn replaces Edward L. Bertorelli whose term had expired. Commissioner Bertorelli served on the Board for twelve years, including two as Chairman.

George T. Comeau, Esq. of Canton has been reappointed by Governor Deval Patrick to a five-year term on the nine-member Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Francis R. (Frank) Murphy has been appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve on the nine-member Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

From Arlington, Murphy was an Information System/Network consultant to NATO and MITRE before retiring and beginning his volunteer work with libraries. He became a Robbins Library (Arlington) Friends Board member and in 2001 was appointed to the Robbins Board of Trustees where he served a term as Chairman. He has been actively involved with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners as a member of the State Advisory Council on Libraries and as a member of the State Aid Review Committee. In addition, Murphy has served as a Board member of the Massachusetts Library Trustees Association. Murphy replaces Joseph S. Hopkins who passed away in June, 2007.

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Board Launches New Advertising Campaign

Today's libraries are no longer just places to check out books: they have something for everyone. With the launch of a new advertising campaign and Website, <http://libraries.state.ma.us/>, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) seeks to increase awareness that today's libraries offer everything from Internet access to music, movies, 24/7 on-line access to resources and databases, newly released books, literacy programs for children as well as a variety of programs and events for adults.

In addition to helping people locate a library near them, the new Web site will highlight some of the services that libraries offer. Users will be able to locate a library with Wifi (almost 70% of libraries offer this service), reserve books, movies, and music on-line, and use on-line resources. "Our on-line resources give people the simplicity of Google-like search with a yield of information that is from reliable sources and includes full-text articles," stated MBLC Director Robert C. Maier. Visitors to the new Web site can access the on-line resources using their library card from anywhere Internet is available.

Funding for the Web site is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

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Marketing Campaign Toolkit

The tool kit that accompanies the marketing campaign is now available at <http://mblc.state.ma.us/campaign>.

You'll see links to both the tool kit and a feedback form in the box on the right.

The tool kit introduces the various parts of the MBLC's new Three Year Marketing Program, describes launch elements, and provides information on how Massachusetts Libraries can understand and support the program and provide feedback. Additional components of the Tool Kit will be introduced as they are created

Here are the links to the TV and radio ads:

<http://www.masslibraries.org/tv>
<http://www.masslibraries.org/radio>