October 2009

Personnel of NNYLN member libraries recently took advantage of the Professional Development Grants to attend events outside the area.

Mary Beth Bell of SUNY Oswego’s Penfield Library attended the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Chicago in July.

"I attended a RUSA STARS get together," she reported. "One program that was a comfort to me was focused on how libraries are managing journal cuts in an age of aggregated databases. Since we have been engaged these past few months in figuring how to cut $50,000 from our materials budget with the least possible damage to important content, I was happy to hear we approached our task with the same kind of criteria that others are applying, including examining such things as cost per use and duplication of titles across several databases at a time."

Carleen Huxley of Jefferson Community College’s Melvil Dewey Library in Watertown also attended the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.

"I attended the 2nd National Dialogue on the Curriculum of Readiness for the 21st Century Librarian," she noted. "This was a pre-conference session with the purpose of promoting further discussion on how to recruit students from underrepresented populations into the library and information profession. Dr. Irene Owens from the University of Texas was the leading guest speaker. In her speech she expressed concern over the lack of diversity within the library profession versus the growing diversity within the student/general population.

"I caught the last part of I’m a Leader, I’m a Follower: Middle Management Theory and Practice," Ms. Huxley continued. "This turned out to be a valuable session for me. Although my position at Jefferson Community College isn’t strictly considered middle-management, the philosophies presented still definitely apply. Perhaps the most valuable tips I brought back from this session were, ‘leadership is based on helpfulness,’ how to ‘distinguish helpfulness from pleasantness or niceness,’ and finally how ‘helpfulness develops trust and if people trust you then they will follow you’"

She said the session most pertinent to her job as a librarian at JCC was Connecting First Year College Students with the Library. This was a panel presentation consisting of librarians and educators from several different community colleges.

"Presenter Donna Younger of Oakton Community College, likened a successful college experience to horse racing. That is, the better the start the better likelihood of a successful ending," Ms. Huxley said.

Steve Gaines of North Country Library System in Watertown attended the MYSQL Database Administration Training in Washington, DC on July 27-31, 2009.

He said some of the topics covered during the conference included: describing the MySQL Architecture, general operational characteristics and resources utilized for running it; performing the most common Database Administration (DBA) tasks utilizing the various programs contained within the MySQL application; activating and managing numerous server logs ; evaluating data types and character sets for performance issues; utilizing MySQL monitoring tools to improve server performance; and comparing multiple environment options to improve server performance.

"During this week, I successfully completed the five-day class and all associated assignments," Mr. Gaines said.

His action plan is to, "Upgrade the current NCLS MYSQL databases to version 5.1. Setup backup schemes to optimize a Disaster Recovery Plan, and convert the NCLS website to a MYSQL based CMS such as Drupal," he added.

Archives Month 2009 is being celebrated the entire month of October and the public is invited to attend the events being sponsored throughout the state. The Northern New York Library Network’s Documentary Heritage Program is proud to announce the following activities throughout its seven-county region:

The Lake Placid North Elba Historical Society, 242 Station St., Lake Placid, will sponsor "Preserving History to Help Us Learn in the Future" from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on Oct. 8. Join in on this open house and tour of the facilities to celebrate the progress of "The Cornerstone Project" to properly organize and document the LPNEHS collection. Demonstrations of the program "PastPerfect" and how this program will enable users to indentify, exhibit, access, store and collect items that are germane to our local history and to use them in understanding the past and the future. A ceremony to honor donors and volunteers of "The Cornerstone Project" will take place at 6:00 p.m., with a reception to follow. For more information, contact Pat Kelly at 518-524-0959.

The Thousand Islands Museum, 312 James St., Clayton, will sponsor "Clayton’s History in Pictures" at 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 14. Take a tour through the "Made in Clayton" displays of items made here from the 1800s to 1930. Visit the Sam Denny Room, along with the Decoy and Muskie Hall of Fame. Historic slides including a video from 1939 of Frink Sno-plows at Tug Hill will be shown. For more information, contact Sharon Bourquin at 315-686-5794.

The DeKalb Town Historian’s Office, 696 East DeKalb Road, DeKalb Junction, will sponsor "Researching Your Family Roots in the Town of DeKalb" from 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Oct. 17. This open house will host a special Saturday afternoon opening of the Town of DeKalb Historian’s Archives. An overview of records will be available for researching your roots in the Township of DeKalb. Research assistance will be available from the historian and deputy historian. For more information, contact Bryan Thompson at 315-347-2178.

The Flower Memorial Library, 229 Washington Street, Watertown, will sponsor "First Steps in Genealogy" from 6:00-7:30 pm on Oct. 20. Participants will learn how to start their family history search, how to stay organized, and some of the many fantastic resources available to help with their research. Although the class is free, classroom space is limited, so please call and reserve your spot. For more information, contact Yvonne Reff at 315-785-7714.

The Town of Croghan Historian’s Office, 9882 State Rt. 126, Beaver Falls, will sponsor "Choosing Our Better History in Education and Agriculture" from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm on Oct. 24. A display will be set up of the country schools in the Town of Croghan with a look at what a day at school might have been like. There will also be a display of the changing farm from buildings to equipment. For more information, contact Jack or Mary Sweeney at 315-346-6201.

The Wilmington Historical Society, Wilmington Community Center, 7 Community Center Circle, Wilmington will sponsor "Archives Day: How Deep are Your Wilmington Roots?" from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. on Oct. 24. Materials and assistance will be given to adults and children to begin a family tree, or to continue a family ancestry search. For more information, contact Karen Peters or Merri Peck at 518-420-8370.

SUNY Potsdam College Archives & Special Collections, Crumb Library, SUNY Potsdam, 44 Pierrepont Ave., will sponsor "The Archives Behind the Scenes" from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Oct. 29. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the recent renovations to the main archives room and a chance to see the "secret" basement storage room. Various donated items new to the collection will be highlighted as well. Meet in the main archives patron room of Crumb Library on the second floor, Room 234. Come for the entire event or whatever time during the event you are able to attend. For more information, contact Jane Subramanian at 315- 267-3326.

The Chateaugay Historical Society will sponsor "The Chateaugay Chasm," held at the Chateaugay Memorial Library during library hours: Mon. & Wed., 10:00 am - 7:00 pm; Tues., 9:00 am - 1:00 pm; Sat., 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, from Oct. 5 - Nov. 16. An exhibit of old photos, memorabilia and an historic painting of the Chateaugay Chasm. The Chasm is a place of natural beauty located on the Chateaugay River just north of the village. During the 1880s it became a popular tourist attraction. For more information, call Mary Humiston at 518-497-6685, or call the library at 518-497-0400.

The Clinton County Historical Association/Museum, 98 Ohio Ave., Plattsburgh, will sponsor "Clinton County History in Six Galleries" from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays during the fall. This exhibit will be held in the museum in the 1905 three-story US Infantry Band Building. It will feature the "Champlain Tercentenary (1909) Exhibit" in this quadri-centennial year. There will also be exhibits on Redford Glass, musical instruments, War of 1812, portraits of county pioneers, Hotel Champlain, and more. For more information, contact Carol Blareslee-Collin at 518-561-0340.

Monday & Tuesday, October 5 & 6 - The Northern New York Library Network’s 2009 Conference: "Choices & Challenges" will be held at the Cheel Center, Clarkson University, Potsdam. For complete details, go to the Network’s website at www.nnyln.org, click on "Classes" and then on the direct link to the event. Remember, this is a season’s worth of educational opportunities in one conference!

Monday, October 12 - The NNYLN office will be closed in observance of Columbus Day.

Wednesday, October 21 - "Microsoft Access, Beginning Level: Office 2007" will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the NNYLN in Potsdam. The cost is $15.00 for library staff, free to "Blue Line" library staff, and $59.95 for all others. Lunch is included.

Monday, November 9 - "Microsoft Access, Level 2: Office 2007" will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the NNYLN in Potsdam. The cost is $15.00 for library staff, free to "Blue Line" library staff, and $59.95 for all others. Lunch is included.

Heather Harrison is the new Public Services Librarian at Paul Smith’s College. She is replacing Inger Krueger who left for a new position in Abu Dhabi.