Special - Membership Meeting 4/30

MEMBERSHIP MEETING NOTES

1. Meeting agenda. If you’ve ordered a meal we should have your check (or it should be in the mail). Please don’t bring your payment to the meeting.

2. We are still seeking Advisory Council candidates –find a great lay representative to represent your library size and region.

3. There is still time (until noon Friday) to submit your library report for the meeting. Brag a little!

4. Registration is going well – it should be a great meeting but please, if you have flu symptoms stay home and care for yourself.

5. Parking is limited – carpool if you can. Google map here.

6. We’ll have reserved parking for Monday’s meeting. Enter the parking lot between the DART station and the Granville Arts Center. Watch for our parking volunteers.

7. Check the NETLS website before leaving for the meeting. If the meeting is cancelled for any reason, we will post a notice on the website announcements. (And we’ll send a notice to both the director’s list and NETLS news list.)

8. There are apartments under construction directly across from the Atrium so lanes are reduced on Fifth Street. Austin Street between the Central Library and the Arts Center is closed. The easiest access is probably turning south onto Fifth Street from Walnut Street, then left into the parking lot.

9. The Advisory Council will have a brief meeting after the membership meeting is adjourned.

P.S. Thank you for meeting the System Membership Application deadline!

NETLS Information & Updates 4/27

A BIG thank you to everyone who has registered for the upcoming Membership Meeting! Your early registration means we can accommodate everyone comfortably. (If you registered and have paid for lunch we’ll have a meal for you, too!)

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BY THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 30

We’re getting to a critical deadline period for these projects:

1. Applications for system membership must be in Austin by April 30. Applications will *NOT* be accepted after this date. Non-members are not eligible for Lone Star Library funds.
2. We are seeking nominations for Advisory Council. We need to elect one new regular member and one alternate. Please convince your regular (not alternate) lay representative to run to represent your region on the Advisory Council. Those nominations received before Friday, May 1 will be listed on the ballot included in packets. Bylaws permit nominations from the floor. (We expect to have a very brief meeting of the council immediately following the meeting.)
3. Registration and meal payment deadline is Friday, May 1. (Please do not bring payments to the meeting.)

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SWINE FLU

You may be getting questions from library users about the news reports of swine flu in Texas. The most authoritative information is from the Center for Disease Control -- their reporting of infections on the web lags a little from numbers in the press. Transcripts of CDC Press Briefings are accessed from a tab on this page. Link to state resources here

Provide tissues, make sure soap is available in restrooms, offer disinfecting wipes to users so they protect themselves by wiping surfaces they touch. It is believed that transfer is from hand to nose, mouth or eyes so keep hands clean and away from the face. County health officials do have the authority to order facilities closed to limit gatherings and exposure, since they haven’t done so . )

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NEED STUFF?

Try these resources:

• GovDeals auction site, used items
• René Bates Auctioneers, used items
• Texas Correctional Industries for new items packaged or produced by TCI
• TIBH Employment for Texans with blindness and other disabilities
• Ask your colleagues if they have what you need and can donate it
• Check out discount purchasing at State Purchasing or other joint purchasing sites.
• For software start with TechSoup Stock or SHI
• Ask NETLS if we can negotiate a discount for you

DEADLINES

April 24 Irving Para Los Niños

April 30 ROSA - Reaching our Spanish-Speaking Audience 6CEUs Denton, 9:00am - 4:30pm (Registration starts at 8:30am) http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/workshops/rosa/index.html

By May 1 - Payment for Membership Meeting Luncheon(s) due

May 4 NETLS Membership Meeting, Garland (subtle, eh?)

May 6-7 Amigos Membership Conference

May 14-15 Small Library Management Program, Lewisville

May 14 – 16 Book Sale, Garland South Branch

By May 18 Woman's Day article contest for your library users

May 18-21 Innovative Users Group Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA

May 20-22 Evergreen (ILS) International Conference, Athens, GA

By May 22 Apply for Dollar General Grants range in amounts up to a maximum of $3,000 each. Dollar General offers support for youth literacy and school programs in areas served by Dollar General stores

By May 22 Applications due for Save America's Treasures Program

By May 22 Advanced registration deadline for ALA Conference

By May 29 Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine

By May 31 Target Early Childhood Reading Grants online application for programs taking place between October 1, 2009, and September 30, 2010. Notification about your request status by September 30, 2009. Most grants are between $1,000 and $3,000.

June 12 Attack Your Collection: Weeding with Crew South Garland Branch, Nicholson Memorial Library System

By June 15 For 501C(3) only. Best Buy Children’s Foundation supports and strengthens communities by funding nonprofit organizations and programs that provide opportunities for youth

June 17 Community Partnerships: Moving from Talk to Action Rockwall County Library

June 18 Community Partnerships: Moving from Talk to Action Palestine Public Library

June 24 Community Partnerships: Moving from Talk to Action Paris City Council Chambers

June 25 Community Partnerships: Moving from Talk to Action Longview Public Library

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Bottom of the Page:

Entertainment Weekly’s salute to librarians during Library Week

Twitter

NETLS Information & Updates 4/14

Happy Library Week! … Spread the joy -- send us photos of your library week events

The Awards Committee met this week to cull through Awards Nominations and select winning nominations – support the fine work throughout the region at our May 4 Membership Meeting. Let us know you’re coming!

The TexShare Courier service is in the process of being rebid for the coming fiscal year(s). We don’t yet know what the cost for the service will be in the coming year – I’ll announce the cost to this list as soon as we are informed of the new rates.

A mailing list specifically for posting new developments in Interlibrary Loan has been created. Go to http://lists.tsl.state.tx.us/mailman/listinfo/ill_lists to subscribe to the list. The library community is welcome to post questions, comments and suggestions. A website is also available to obtain information from the ILL Task Force. http://www.texshare.edu/newsletter/resourcesharingprojects/

Keep your fingers crossed – at this point both the exceptional funding request for Lone Star Libraries and the Library Systems are included in the proposed state budget. If these provisions remain in the budget we may see in increase (!) in funding. The budget has been approved by the Senate and is out of the House committee (the House version is larger than the Senate version). Track the budget yourself at http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/BillStages.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1

“Back Issues” of NETLS Information & Updates are located on the blog reached through the link above the coordinator on the Contact Us page.

This week in NETLS Libraries:

Ending April 15 Libri Foundation Books for Children for small libraries (under 10,000 service population) in rural areas (30 miles from city with population over 40,000). Match your fundraising up to $350 2:1 so max available to spend is your $350 + $700 grant = $1,050

Ending April 15 – New deadline for Books and Babies Matching Grants

Ending April 15 Citizenship Grant, partner with your city, county, school district, etc. Agencies indicate interest by April 15

Ending April 15 Early (discounted) registration deadline for Amigos Member Conference

April 16-17 KohaCon 2009, Plano

April 17-18 Author Joe Garner Turman, will be signing his award winning books, Getting On With the Going and Buddy at:Noonday Community Center Friday, April 17, from 12-3pm & Scroll Christian Book Store Saturday, April 18, from 11-2pm

April 17-18 Dallas Children’s Book Fair and Literary Festival

April 20 Romance author, Jody Thomas presents at Carrollton’s Josey Ranch Lake location. (See the flyer)

Learning Opportunities:

Attack Your Collection: Weeding with CREW http://www.netls.org/continuing-education

Registration opens for six online tutorials free through NETLS

§ These are Lifelong Education @ Desktop (LE@D) courses. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE COURSES THROUGH LE@D. You may take them for free only through NETLS.

§ Register online until Friday, April 24, at http://host.evanced.info/netls/evanced/eventcalendar.asp?ag=&et=In+Person%2C+Online+Tutorial%2C+Videoconference%2C+Webinar&dt=mo&mo=4/1/2009&df=calendar&cn=0&private=0&ln=0.

§ You may take as many of the six courses as you wish.

§ Course instructions will be emailed to you around May 1. You will have all of May and June to complete the tutorials.

§ CE Certificates will be mailed to you in early July.

Here is a list of the six courses NETLS is offering with a link to more information about each course. AGAIN, DO NOT REGISTER THROUGH LE@D!

Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults: Information and Free Registration Through NETLS
Reading Reluctant Readers Information and Free Registration Through NETLS
Reaching Teenagers: Information and Free Registration Through NETLS
Trends in Children’s Literature: Information and Free Registration Through NETLS
Leadership in Libraries: Becoming an Everyday Leader: Information and Free Registration Through NETLS
Weeding: It’s Not an Option: Information and Free Registration Through NETLS

Membership Meeting May 4! Let us know to expect you there!

NETLS Information & Updates 4/8

The TSLAC website, email, and Plinkit sites are currently experiencing intermittent difficulties. These problems have been reported and are being addressed.

Keep your fingers crossed – at this point both the exceptional funding request for Lone Star Libraries and the Library Systems are included in the proposed state budget. If these provisions remain in the budget we may see in increase (!) in funding. The budget has been approved by the Senate and is out of the House committee. Track the budget yourself at http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/BillStages.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB1

I know many of you have been concerned about the issue of lead in children’s books. There is a bill in the US Congress designed to exempt “ordinary books” from the CPSIA and requirement for testing books for lead.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.01692:

Coming up soon:

April 10 Deadline for grant application to National Book Fund grant to support adult literacy.

April 12 - 18 National Library Week Explore the resources (an image of the print ad is attached)

-- National Library workers day is April 14

By April 15 Libri Foundation Books for Children for small libraries (under 10,000 service population) in rural areas (30 miles from city with population over 40,000). Match your fundraising up to $350 2:1 so max available to spend is your $350 + $700 grant = $1,050

By April 15 – New deadline for Books and Babies Matching Grants

By April 15 Citizenship Grant, partner with your city, county, school district, etc. Agencies indicate interest by April 15

By April 15 Early (discounted) registration deadline for Amigos Member Conference

April 16-17 KohaCon 2009, Plano

April 17-18 Dallas Children’s Book Fair and Literary Festival

April 20 Romance author, Jody Thomas presents at Carrollton’s Josey Ranch Lake location. (See the flyer)

By April 20 (Expanded deadline) PLDS If you participate in the Public Library Association's (PLA) annual Public Library Data Service (PLDS) Statistical Report, please note the extended the deadline for receipt of completed questionnaires.

April 24 Irving Para Los Niños

April 30 ROSA - Reaching our Spanish-Speaking Audience 6CEUs Denton, 9:00am - 4:30pm (Registration starts at 8:30am)

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/workshops/rosa/index.html

By May 1 - Payment for Membership Meeting Luncheon(s) due in NETLS office.

May 4 -- NETLS Membership Meeting, Garland

An area library is looking for a used microform reader – if you have a working model that is not being used, let me know and I’ll connect you with that library’s director.

Stay current with ALA (and division) Grants

The Forest Hill Public Library (in the I20 corridor near Ft. Worth) is seeking a library director and library page. Advertised closing date is April 27. Contact jerline@netzero.net for more information.

Many of the programs offered at TLA Conference 2009 have handouts posted online.

More May dates

May 6-7 Amigos Membership Conference

May 14-15 Small Library Management Program, Lewisville

May 14 – 16 Book Sale, Garland South Branch

By May 18 Woman's Day article contest for your library users

May 18-21 Innovative Users Group Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA

May 20-22 Evergreen (ILS) International Conference, Athens, GA

By May 22 Applications due for Save America's Treasures Program

By May 22 Advanced registration deadline for ALA Conference

By May 29 Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine

Bottom of the page treat:

Now turn on the speakers for silliness in this book club review.