Happy New Year, MLS Members!

I’m pleased to share with you our January Member Update. You may have seen some emails about our new training calendar and new database offerings; all of that info is included in the update, as well as some other news. It’s a busy time of year, with Legislative Season kicking off, too. We hope to see you at the Legislative Events happening around the state (those can be found on the MA Library Association’s calendar of events). We’re happy to support the Legislative Agenda Priorities for the year, and for the opportunity to advocate for these and our ask for a 3% increase to sustain Statewide Delivery. We’ve update our Value of Service Tableau, which identifies the value of MLS services by library, network, and type. We hope you find this tool useful and thank you in advance for your advocacy work! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or comments!

Consulting and Training Services 

Continuing Education Opportunities:

Census 2020: MLS has been supporting MBLC’s efforts to engage libraries in preparation for Census 2020.  In the fall, MLS hosted a webinar with the MA Complete Count Committee Coordinator and a Census Bureau Partnership Specialist. A recording of this program is now available online, along with resources from the speakers, at https://vimeo.com/378584498.

Climate Resilience Hubs: Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW) invites Massachusetts libraries to serve as Climate Resilience Hubs.  To serve as a hub, libraries must offer at least one program on climate preparedness each year, provide educational materials created by CREW, and display a Climate Resilience Hub decal.  Libraries can also provide other optional services.  In collaboration with CREW, UMass Amherst, and MBLC’s COSTEP (Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness for Cultural Heritage in Massachusetts), MLS will host a 3-part webinar series starting in February. The link to register for the events is http://bit.ly/3ajXT3j

Small & Rural Library Management Webinar Series: MLS and three other state library systems have teamed up with ALA Publishing to provide webinar series focusing on management skills for small and rural libraries.  This series is free of Massachusetts library workers, sponsored by a grant from the Manton Foundation.  The link to register for the events is https://bit.ly/359u0Pp.  The webinars are:

  • Balancing Library Management with Day-to-Day Responsibilities: A Guide for the Rural Library (Postponed)
  • Hiring and Recruiting Library Workers: A Guide for Small and Rural Librarians (Feb 7)
  • Building Community Partnerships: A Rural Library’s Guide (Feb 14)
  • Library Security for Small and Rural Libraries (Feb 21)

Small Library Forum: The 2020 Small Library Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at the Hogan Center, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester. More information will be forthcoming.

Word of Mouth Marketing: Cohort 2 of the immersive Word of Mouth Marketing program has wrapped up.  That cohort was a four-month immersive program.  Four libraries participated: Newbury Town Library, Reading Public Library, Worcester Talking Book Library, and Libraries of the College of the Holy Cross.  WOMM campaigns addressed local funding, onboarding new cardholders, outreach, and digital archives.  Applications are now open for Cohort 3, which will take place through the spring.

Apply: https://forms.gle/PGA9uenhkbzKnpRj6

Resource Sharing

New Databases
The MBLC announced the addition of 4 databases. MLS is pleased to continue our work with MBLC to offer these additional titles to the membership. MLS is currently planning trainings to assist members in the promotion and use of these titles.

New databases available state-wide as of January 6, 2020.

Opposing Viewpoints (Gale) covers timely issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Informed, differing views help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions.

Career Transitions (Gale) provides guidance and essential activities for job seekers and those investigating new career options, including students, soon to be graduates, and adults new to navigating the modern job market.

HeritageQuest Online (ProQuest) provides access to more than 4.4 billion records. It delivers an essential collection of genealogical and historical sources—with coverage dating back to the 1700s—that can help people find their ancestors and discover a place’s past.

Science Database (ProQuest) is a growing resource of 7.3 million full text articles from over 1,600 sources. In full-text format, researchers have access to all the charts, diagrams, graphs, tables, photos, and other graphical elements so vital to scientific and engineering literature.  Supports the needs of students studying applied and general sciences.

Research Companion (ProQuest) helps students do more effective scholarly research and supports educators as they teach the core information literacy principles of finding, evaluating, and using information.

In-person Gale sessions will be happening later on in the spring. All sessions will be recorded. Please sign up to get the recording, even if you cannot attend:  https://calendar.masslibsystem.org/

New and Returning Members

 

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