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 Teen Services
Meeting Date
Change!
Due to the G-20 Summit, the Teen District Services meeting scheduled
for September 25 has been moved to October 16, 2009. The meeting
will be held at the Sewickley Public Library from 10 am - 12 pm
. The focus will be on Literacy Based Programming - book
discussions, readers theater and more - in addition to our regular
discussions on triumphs and challenges, favorite books and upcoming
programs. Please RSVP to Karen
Brooks-Reese by Wednesday, October 14 if you plan to
attend.
Featured Program
Wednesday, October 21
7 - 9 pm
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main
D.J. MacHale
Author of the insanely popular Pendragon Adventures, a
ten-book series about a 14-year-old guy forced to travel through time
and space to save the world(s), D.J. MacHale is also well known for his
work in film and television. His producing credits include the
Nickelodeon series Are You Afraid of the Dark, the Discovery
Kids series Flight 29 Down, Tower of Terror and Ghostwriter.
Registration
is required for this event. You can register by calling 412.578.2599 or
by completing an online registration form.
Collection Corner
Each October, librarians around the country encourage teens to
"read for the fun of it" during Teen Read Week. This
year's Teen Read Week, "Read Beyond Reality" is
October 18-24. Get in the mood with one of these out of this world titles!
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Continuing
Education
A workshop, Customer
Focus - Unique Resources & Services at Your Pittsburgh District
Library Center (PDLC) will be offered free for directors,
librarians and support staff at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh -
Main, Lecture Hall on Tuesday, November 17 from 9:30 am - 12:30
pm. The workshop will feature professional librarians from
various departments of the PDLC who will discuss and share the hidden
treasures of resources available for customers at your PDLC. Some
of the departments included in the discussion include: First Floor: New
& Featured, Reference Services, Music, Pennsylvania, Job & Career
Education Center, William R. Oliver Special Collections,
Film & Audio and Business. The workshop offers 3
hours of continuing education. Please email Phyllis DiDiano to
register.
The
Webcast Millennials in the Library will
be offered free through the College of DuPage Library Challenges &
Opportunities series on Friday, November 13 from 12 - 1:30
pm. This discussion hopes to clarify once and for all: who
exactly are Millennials and how can libraries better serve them
as customers, students and staff? Registration for the Webcast is not
required.
An
email containing important Webcast information will be sent to
everyone a few days before the workshop. Webcasts can be watched
alone or with a small group at your desktop PC. This workshop offers
1.5 hours of continuing education. All College of DuPage workshops are
sponsored through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries and paid
with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds.
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 Web Resources
Fight Flu Season-Some Simple Office Tips
The filthiest spot in your
office is your phone and desk. Fight germs with inexpensive
alcohol and a paper towel. Excellent tip for public PCs and
workspaces too!
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Library
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Digital Talking
Books Arrive at Library
A new era will soon begin for readers with visual and physical
disabilities. Digital talking books and players are now arriving
at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (LBPH), a regional library for the National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
This new format will eventually replace the outdated analog
audiocassette books and players used since the 1970s. The digital books
and players are being distributed by the Library as they are produced;
however, nearly a thousand customers are on the waiting list in the 36
counties in western Pennsylvania that the Pittsburgh LBPH serves. As
with other LBPH services, preference will be given to veterans in the
distribution of digital book equipment and materials.
The new digital system has many advantages. Slightly larger than
a credit card, the digital talking book is a flash cartridge that
provides a clearer sound quality. An entire book can fit on one
cartridge (for most of the collection) and will play without flipping
sides. The format is very reliable since the cartridge has no
breakable moving parts.
Smaller and lighter than the audiocassette machine, the digital player
is more portable. It also has enhanced navigation features for
the customer to jump to various sections. Consumer testers
appreciated its sound quality, tone, volume responsiveness and variable
speed capability as well as its index and bookmark features.
Approximately 20,000 digital talking book titles are already available
for download to LBPH customers who have a PC with high speed Internet
access and a player capable of playing NLS-produced digital books.
To learn more, call LBPH at 800.242.0586 or e-mail lbph@carnegielibrary.org. You can also visit
the LBPH Web site for additional information.
LBPH's Director Appointed to Governor's Advisory
Committee
Kathleen Kappel, Director of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's
Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) was recently
appointed by Governor Edward Rendell to the Governor's Advisory
Committee for the Blind for a five-year term. Group members meet
quarterly, hold special events at the Capitol and advise the Governor
on blindness issues through the Pennsylvania Bureau of Blindness and
Visual Services (BBVS). The Committee was established by Governor
Tom Ridge in 1999.
BBVS operates under the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR),
which is part of the Department of Labor & Industry. OVR
programs help individuals to prepare for or retain employment.
The Committee advises OVR's Executive Director in all program and
service areas, including but not limited to: Vocational
Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Teaching, Independent Living,
Orientation & Mobility, Specialized Services and the Business
Enterprise Program.
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Shipping Update
Grant Applications
As
the Pittsburgh District Center, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) has
applied for two grants to support the expansion of our automated sorting
system. Last year, the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD)
provided $250,000 in capital dollars to begin the process. However, to
fully automate the system $1,000,000 is needed. CLP completed a RAD
Connection grant proposal for $127,000 and an LSTA grant proposal for
$100,000 to continue the process of building a full system. Each
grant would allow us to add 16 more locations. If both grants are
funded, 32 libraries would be added to the system. Our current
system accommodates 17, but with the ability to fine sort more libraries
on the system, fewer waves would be required. If the grants are
approved additional expansion would be necessary to accommodate all
72 delivery sites, as well as additional induction points to
handle the volume of both holds and returns. Currently, we are
using the system to sort returns, but holds are mainly done manually as
they are much easier to sort by hand. If you have any questions or
concerns, please call or email Tina LaMark
or Perry
Munyon.
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Commonwealth
Libraries 
New Chair of Governor's Advisory Council Chosen
M. Clare Zales, Deputy Secretary for Libraries announced recently that
Governor Edward Rendell has appointed Cynthia K. Richey, Director, Mt.
Lebanon Public Library as the new Chair of the Governor's Advisory
Council on Library Development. Cindy assumed her new position on
August 4.
The Governor's Advisory Council
(GAC) offers advice and makes recommendations to the Governor, the Secretary
of Education and the State Librarian in areas relating to general
policies and operations of the State Library and the Commonwealth's
library program. The GAC has 12 members; three must be trustees of local
libraries, three professional librarians and six laypersons. The
Secretary of Education and the Commissioner for Libraries serve ex
officio. Members serve four year terms and meet as a Council at least 4
times a year. The GAC was established by the Library Code.
A Shared Vision for Public Library Services in PA
A project similar to the Georgia Pines Statewide Integrated Library
System - the Evergreen Project is being
explored for public libraries across Pennsylvania. The vision of having
one integrated library system used by all public libraries in PA is an
initiative whose time has come.
Read more about this idea in A Shared Vision for Public Library Services
in Pennsylvania, a position paper from John Houser, Technology
Coordinator, Health Sciences Libraries Consortium (HSLC).
LSTA Grants Submitted
The Pittsburgh District submitted six LSTA grants to Commonwealth
Libraries by the September 11 deadline. Four grants were
Information Access projects: the Pittsburgh District Library Center
($100,000), to expand the conveyor driven sorting system in the
Shipping Department; West Region libraries ($15,000), for
additional databases; ACLA ($99,954), to purchase self-check modules
for 14 libraries; and Monroeville Public Library ($61,196), to
integrate its catalog into the eiNetwork. Two grants were
Collection Development projects: South Park Township Library and Upper
St. Clair Township Library ($30,000), to create Harmony &
Wellness special collections that would include a programming
and online component; and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh ($50,000),
to update reference and circulating materials in seven important
and heavily used subject areas. Libraries will be notified about grant
awards sometime in February/March of 2010.
Annual Friends and Trustees Institute 2010
Mark your calendars! The Annual
Friends & Trustees Institute for 2010 will be held at the Doubletree
in Monroeville on April 24, the Penn State Conference Center, April 10,
and the Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey on March 20.
For the 2010 event, Library Trustee Presidents, Friends Presidents
and Library Directors can attend the workshops free of charge; others can
attend the event for a fee. More details will be coming later this year.
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PA Library Association (PaLA)
Libraries and Literacy in the 21st Century
A vision for library services in Pennsylvania include a PaLA
initiative - Libraries and Literacy in the 21st Century. It was
framed by a task force of professionals - the NextGen Library Advocacy
Task Force. This initiative redefines the library's role within the
context of five essential literacies that Pennsylvanians must attain in
order to succeed in the 21st Century as citizens, parents, students,
employers, employees and consumers. The Task Force has concluded
that "more than just assets are under-funded in PA.
Pennsylvania's academic and public libraries are under-leveraged in the
Commonwealth's efforts to solve our state's biggest problems. The
common theme among most of these problems is illiteracy- basic, online, civic and social, economic and financial, and health and wellness."
"PA libraries - the People's University - can vitally and
effectively prepare Pennsylvanians to compete and face the challenges of
the 21st Century. For a relatively small state investment, the
power of libraries to help Pennsylvanians achieve literacy in five core
areas as well as support downtown, Main Street, and neighborhood
revitalization can be realized." Read the draft document Libraries and Literacy in the 21st
Centuryto find out more. Also, read the Institute of Museum and
Library Services (IMLS) report, Museums, Libraries and 21st
Century Skills for additional background.
PaLA Annual Conference Registration
There's still time to register for the PaLA '09 Capitalize on Your Future
annual conference, October 18 - 21. Register online and save the $10.00 paper registration processing
fee. Only on-site registrations will be accepted after October 10.
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