MEMBER LIBRARY WEEKLY BULLETIN

No. 03-18                                                                                                                                                   May 2, 2003

Reminder: Your printout for the 2003 Book Replacement Grant is due May 15.  If you have any questions, please contact me.

I will be out of the office today, Friday, May 2.

WEB REFERENCE WORKSHOP

Next month’s System Meeting, on May 22nd will feature WALTER MINKEL, Technology Editor of School Library Journal. Mr. Minkel will present a workshop on using the web as a reference tool with youth.

Processing Materials for Summer Reading

Please send in any books, etc. you would like to have processed for Summer Reading by May 15. This will expedite the processing of these time sensitive materials and assure they reach your library shelves by your Summer Reading Kick-Off! The processing of any materials for Summer Reading received after June first may be delayed.

Family Reading Partnership

The Family Reading Partnership has a new website! For more information about who they are, what they do, and upcoming events, please check it out at http://www.familyreading.org/. 

Cornell-Scholastic Book Pick UP

If you responded to the offer for donated books from Scholastic, you (hopefully) will already have received this message:

I am forwarding this message from Beth Fontana with directions about picking up the Scholastic/Cornell books to everyone who is receiving books (even if you are planning to pick them up at FLLS). That way you have the information if you happen to be in the area, have time that day, etc. (If you are unable to get to Cornell, you may pick them up at the System. Details about how to do that will follow next week).

If you have any questions, please let me know.

I will be at Cornell at some point on May 3rd, I’m not sure when. Perhaps I’ll see you there!

The book pick up is NOT on Cornell’s campus, it is at a warehouse off Route 13. It sounds fairly straightforward and should be a quick trip.

Here are the details from Beth Fontana at Cornell:

It is not necessary for the librarians themselves to pick up their own books--they can send a volunteer or have one person pick up books for several libraries.  Each library will receive at least 45 books, and in most cases, we were able to pack them in a single box for each library.  The boxes are labeled simply "public library" or "school library" -- so there's no need to search for a particular box for a specific library. 

Directions to the Cornell warehouse: 

From the south: Take Rte. 13 North through Ithaca and past the Tompkins County airport. At the next traffic light, turn RIGHT onto Hanshaw.  Turn LEFT onto Abbott Road (at the sign for NYS Armory).  Go past the Armory, down to the large gray metal building with green stripe on left.  That is the Cornell warehouse.  Turn LEFT into the drive and go around to the front of the warehouse.

From the north:  Take Rte. 13 South, through Dryden heading toward Ithaca.  Go past NYSEG and stay on Rte. 13 through the traffic light at intersection with Rte. 366.  The next traffic light is at Hanshaw Rd.  Turn LEFT onto Hanshaw.  Turn LEFT onto Abbott Road (at the sign for NYS Armory).  Go past the Armory, down to the large gray metal building with green stripe on left.  That is the Cornell warehouse.  Turn LEFT into the drive and go around to the front of the warehouse.

Volunteers will be on hand to assist in carrying and loading boxes between 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 3.

New Videos:  Beginning immediately, new videos will be kept at the system for ILL request only for one month.  We had been keeping them here for three months, but we will now be releasing to deposit collections sooner.  Please remember that even though they are in deposit collections, they can still be requested.

GOOD NEWS FROM ALBANY ABOUT THE NEW YORK STATE BUDGET   

According to Susan Keitel, Director of the New York Library Association, the advocacy efforts of the library community have paid off and our legislators have heard our message.  The budget bills currently in the Legislature include full restoration of the $13.3 million in library aid that was cut by Governor Pataki.  The budget process is not yet over, and our restored library aid is not guaranteed. For the budget to become law, the Governor must sign the budget bills, or if he vetoes them, the Legislature must work to over-ride each veto.  What remains to be seen is whether agreement can be reached by the Legislature and the Governor on revenue to support the proposed spending, whether the Governor will sign the budget bills sent to him, and finally, in the case of a veto, whether the Assembly and the Senate will be willing and able to override.

However, this is good news.  You can be proud that your advocacy efforts in your own communities have contributed to this development.  FLLS certainly appreciates your help.

What do we do now?  First, and most important, we say “Thank You” to our state Senators and Assemblypersons for their demonstrated support for libraries. Second, we remain cautiously optimistic, but poised to take further action within the coming week or two, depending on what develops in Albany.  Stay tuned for more information. 

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