Brown Bag - Library Newsletters
A library newsletter is a great PR tool to communicate your story and programs in your community. At our July 20 brown bag discussion, participants from public, school, and college libraries shared ideas and sample newsletters from their institutions, in formats ranging from print to online.
Here are two samples of e-newsletters - one from Reading Public Library (this one is set up as a blog) and one from Beverly Public Library. Thank you to Nancy Aberman and Jocelyn Tavares for sharing these with us.
NMRLS bids a fond farewell to Kathy Coleman, our very popular Microsoft Office trainer from TIC. Kathy has moved on to another position. We will be looking for someone to help us train Office software.
If you'd like to try some Microsoft learning on your own, take a look at the WebJunction Learning Center. You'll need to register to take a course, but all are free.
Basic Library Techniques (BLT) - Reference - 2 Day Workshop
Thursday, October 21, 2004 AND Thursday, October 28, 2004
10:00 AM to 04:00 PM
Stevens Memorial Library, North Andover
Please note: Please note that all regional members are invited to attend the Basic Library Techniques series, but be aware that these workshops are designed for the state certification of non-MLS directors of public libraries serving communities under 10,000. The workshops in this series are a combination of the theory, philosophy, and practice of library science.
The two Reference sessions will cover: the reference interview; basic reference resources (print and online); children's and YA reference resources; reference policies; referral and supplemental reference services; and future trends and technologies.
Breakfast Brown Bag: Book Discussion Groups
10/26/2004 -- 09:00 AM to 11:00 AM -- NMRLS, Danvers
Come with your bagel, muffin, or donut to share early morning ideas or questions about your traditional, online, intergenerational, youth, and/or "one community" book discussions.
Brown Bag : Mystery Readers' Advisory
11/2/2004 -- 12:00 PM to 02:00 PM -- Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Wakefield
Leane Ellis will share her sleuthing skills to investigate mystery genres, authors, settings and booklists. Come enhance your Readers' Advisory surveillance techniques!
When Customers Cross the Line : Harassment in the Library
11/5/2004 -- 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM -- NMRLS, Danvers
We hope this hasn't happened to you, but how does one respond when a library user misunderstands your friendliness across a service desk? Has your helpfulness ever been mistaken for something more? What if a library user harasses a member of your staff?
Understanding how to identify harassment and what the law says is a proper response are key issues for both staff and library directors. Attorneys Charles Wagner and Sally Bratten of the Boston law firm of Charles P. Wagner & Associates will provide an overview of these topics and answer your questions.
Population Age Groups: Using Census Information to Plan Library Services
11/10/2004 -- 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM -- NMRLS, Danvers
Cesar Monzon of the U. S. Census Bureau, Boston Region, will instruct us on using local Census information as a tool to plan present and future library programming. Whether you are looking to serve your growing older adult population, toddlers, school-age children, or your business community, learn how to gather Census data items by specific age groups.
Register online for these sessions and more at: www.nmrls.org/ce/ceform.shtml
Coming This Fall!
Statewide Computer Training Workshops and Distance Education Opportunities
The six regional library systems, through funding that the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation mblc.state.ma.us/mblc/publications/newsletter/2004/23_2/gates.php, will work to further the work begun by the Foundation's U.S. Library Program www.glf.org/Libraries/USLibraryProgram. The regions will coordinate and develop statewide and local computer training opportunities for library staff members.
Beginning this Fall and continuing through the Winter, watch for announcements of full-day training workshops in locations throughout Massachusetts. These will be open to all library staffs, so you may attend any of the workshops. Session topics will concentrate on emerging technologies, and each region will center its offering on the needs of its member libraries.
In our most recent continuing education survey, NMRLS members said that they are interested in distance learning opportunities. In addition to the statewide training workshops above, we will focus local efforts on the promotion of e-learning sites for library staff development. If you are interested in this type of training, WebJunction www.webjunction.org/do/Home is a portal funded through a grant from the Gates Foundation and implemented by OCLC and other partners. The "Learning Center" links to distance education courses in areas that include Microsoft Office training, computer networking, and web site design. You'll need to register to take a course, but all are free.
NMRLS is exploring other distance education options. Watch for announcements in our newsletter and on our electronic discussion list.
