March 2009

Table Of Contents
Legislative Day Is Set For March 10
Cape Vincent Paper Added To Historical Site
Questions For NNYHN Site
Board Nominations
Continuing Education Poster Is New Format This Season
Mark Your 2009 Calendar ...
Excellence Award Nominations Being Accepted
People In The News

Legislative Day Is Set For March 10       

Libraries across New York are faced with an $18 million reduction in state aid in the 2009-10 State Budget. Now is the time to tell elected officials how devastating this cut will be.

Library Legislative Day 2009 is scheduled for March 10 in Albany. Meetings with legislators have been scheduled as follows:

  • 10:00 a.m. - Senator Joseph Griffo in 302 LOB
  • 10:30 a.m. - Senator Elizabeth Little in 506 LOB
  • 10:30 a.m. - Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell in LOB 325 (Not 602)
  • 11:00 a.m. - Senator Darrel Aubertine in 903 LOB
  • 12:30 p.m. - Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava in 329 LOB
  • 1:00 p.m. - Assemblyman William Barclay in 546 LOB
  • 1:30 p.m. - Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward in 940 LOB
  • 2:00 p.m. - Assemblywoman Janet Duprey in LOB 937

Legislative Breakfast Reception 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.:  NYLA will host an informal buffet breakfast for legislators and staff to meet with library advocates from around the state in Meeting Room 6 in the Concourse of the Empire State Plaza. Legislators will also be given the opportunity at this time to have their photos taken for the annual READ posters and bookmarks that are used to promote the Statewide Summer Reading Program.

Rally and Speeches 11:30 a.m. to noon: Library advocates will rally in Meeting Room 6 to voice their support for library funding and provide a visual demonstration of the strength of the library community to legislators and their staffs. Various speakers are scheduled.

Lobby Day Handouts:  Advocacy materials will be distributed to Lobby Day attendees to use in their meetings with legislators and staff.

Pre-Lobby Day Activities:  Various NYLA affiliates will be holding meetings on Monday, March 9 at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road. The New Yorkers for Better Libraries Political Action Committee is also holding a fundraising Gala the evening of March 9, 2009.

For those unable to attend this special day, please write your elected assembly member or state senator and let them know how valuable libraries are to your community.

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Cape Vincent Paper Added To Historical Site

For those interested in finding out more about the lake side community of Cape Vincent, much information is now available on line. And that includes smuggling activities on Lake Ontario in the early 1900s!

The "Cape Vincent Eagle," with a run from 1872-1951 has been added to the Northern New York Historical Newspapers site found at news.nnyln.net. The site is provided free of charge to the public by the Northern New York Library Network.

The page for this newspaper also includes the "Cape Vincent Gazette," with a run from 1858-1861, and the "Frontier Patriot," with a run from May-October 1862. Most of the material before 1906, however, consists of only scattered issues. The "Cape Vincent Eagle" was published in Jefferson County.

An article in the July 17, 1902 edition of the "Cape Vincent Eagle" stated, "The retail merchants of Kingston have decided to memorialize the Minister of Customs at Ottawa, calling attention to the alleged large amount of petty smuggling that is carried on between Ogdensburg, Cape Vincent, and Kingston by excursionists, and asking that steps be taken to stop it. The merchants of Brockville have also taken the same step to prevent smuggling."

The Cape Vincent papers join 37 other newspapers, including more than 1,328,000 pages on the Northern New York Historical Newspapers site. Go to news.nnyln.net for a complete listing of on-line papers, which may be searched by county or individual paper. The next title to be posted will be the "Black River Democrat" published in Lowville, Lewis County.

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Question For NNYHN Site

Some users of the Northern New York Historical Newspapers site have asked, "Why are the hits not highlighted in blue any more?"

The answer is that Adobe Reader Version 9 automatically disables the ‘Hit’ highlighting by default. To turn the highlighting feature on, go to Edit, Preferences, Search and check the Enable Search Highlights option.

Users who wish to avoid this problem entirely should defer use of Adobe Reader Version 9.

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Board Nominations

The terms of three Northern New York Library Network Board of Trustees members will expire on June 30, 2009.

Judy Chittenden of Canton, Allison Wheeler of St. Lawrence-Lewis School Library System, and Michael Zemany of Alice Hyde Medical Center have completed full five-year terms on the Network’s board, and their contributions are deeply appreciated.

Anyone with suggestions for individuals they feel would make good representatives for libraries and good advocates for the library community is asked to send those names by April 3, 2009 to: Nominating Committee, NNYLN, 6721 US Hwy 11, Potsdam, NY 13676.

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Continuing Education Poster Is New Format This Season

The NNYLN’s spring-summer 2009 continuing education course schedule will be distributed in a new format this year.

The Network has created a one page poster listing the title, date, time, instructor and fee for each upcoming class. Full course descriptions may be found on the Network’s website .

It is the Network’s hope that recipients will find a place for the poster on their office bulletin boards, staff rooms, or wherever they deem appropriate as a reminder to find time to further their job skills through attendance at continuing education events.

Participants will still be able to register online, or call their registrations into the Network office.

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Mark Your 2009 Calendar ...

Wednesday, March 4 - The Winter Webinar "Keeping Current/Keeping Up" will be broadcast from 2:15-3:45 pm on participants’ computers. There is no charge to attend.

Monday, March 9 - "Video for the Library Website" will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the NNYLN in Potsdam. The fee is $15 for library staff, and $59.95 for all others. Lunch is included.

Tuesday, March 10 - Legislative Library Day in Albany. For more information, go to www.nnyln.org

Monday & Tuesday, March 16 & 17 - "Managing Your Historical Photographs" will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. On March 16 it will be at NCLS in Watertown; on March 17 it will be held at CEFLS in Plattsburgh.

Wednesday, March 18 - The Winter Webinar "Technology & Literacy" will be broadcast from 2:15-3:45 pm on participants’ computers. There is no charge to attend.

Tuesday, March 24 - "Microsoft Excel, Level 2: Office 2007" will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the CEFLS in Plattsburgh. The fee is $15 for library staff, and $59.95 for all others. Lunch is included.

There is no charge for "Blue Line" library staff members to attend any event.

To sign up for a class or for more information, go online or call the NNYLN at 315-265-1119.

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Excellence Award Nominations Being Accepted

The Northern New York Library Network is accepting nominations for the NNYLN’s 2009 Award for Excellence in Library Service.

Library staff members and supervisors are encouraged to nominate someone in their institution for this annual award. A nomination form is located on-line at mail.nnyln.org/exaward.html.

Any staff member of any library within the Northern New York Library Network's service area is eligible to receive the award.

This year’s award will be given during the Network's Annual Meeting to be held May 21, 2009 at Clarkson University’s Cheel Center, Potsdam.

The Network encourages nominations of someone fellow colleagues or supervisors feel should be recognized for his/her outstanding service to libraries. Nominations may be made by directors /supervisors, co-workers, or board members.

Confidential nominations may be made to the Network via U.S. mail at 6721 US HWY 11, Potsdam, NY 13676; or by using the on-line form. Nominations must be received by April 21, 2009.

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People In The News

Wayne Miller is the new Director at the Ogdensburg Public Library. He replaces David Franz, who retired.

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