September 2010

Table Of Contents
Don’t Miss Out On NNYLN’s 2010 Conference
"Trends & Technology" Conference Schedule
The NNYLN: 45 Years And Counting
New Title Added To NNY Historical Newspaper Site
Mark Your Calendar; Job Listings; People In The News

Don’t Miss Out On NNYLN’s 2010 Conference

If you missed out on "Choices & Challenges" last year, don’t let "Trends & Technology" pass you by this fall. If you did attend the last conference, you’ll be equally thrilled to attend this year’s line-up of classes.

The NNYLN 2010 Conference will be held Thursday and Friday, October 14 and 15 at Eben Holden, St. Lawrence University in Canton. The cost for all attendees is $40 for both days, or $25 for one day (either Thursday or Friday). Lunch is on your own Thursday, but is included with a guest speaker on Friday.

A top-notch group of instructors is scheduled to present 11 sessions over a day-and-a-half of class time. There will also be two tours conducted, and the conference will wrap-up with a guest speaker.

As budgets continue to be cut and finances more stringently tightened, an event like the NNYLN Conference 2010: "Trends & Technology" will allow library directors, librarians, assistants, technical personnel, and supervisors, along with archival and museum personnel the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge for a very minimal fee. The range of topics will allow various staff from the same institution to walk away with new information in what ever area of expertise or interest their job entails. Once again this day-and-a-half forum will provide a season’s worth of educational opportunities in one conference.

For complete conference information and to register, go online at www.nnyln.organd click on "classes," or call 315-265-1119. (Brief information on each session is listed in the next story.)

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"Trends & Technology" Conference Schedule

DAY 1 - Thursday, October 14

Select one of three 9:30 a.m. sessions:

"Geeks Bearing Gifts," with Gregg Headrick, NNLM. This class is intended to provide a fun, fast-paced, and informative introduction and update on today's hottest technology trends.

"Book Repair" with Kary Barth, KAPCO. This session is designed to demonstrate quick and easy techniques for extending shelf life on general circulating materials.

"Greening the Library" with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Mid Hudson Library System. Going green doesn't have to mean spending a lot of "green." Increase your awareness and interest in energy conservation and environmentally friendly facility issues.

Attend a class or take a tour at 11:10 a.m.:

"Facebook: Hands On" with Jim Crowley, Crowley Computers. Learn to use Facebook in the library. How to start, what to use it for.

Tour SLU's O.D. Young Library - Built in 1959, expanded in 1980, and renovated in 1999-2000, this is the main campus library.

Select one of three 1:00 p.m. sessions:

"Metadata Made Simple" with Michelle Gillie and Arline Wolfe, St. Lawrence University. Learn to describe collection items in preparation for digitization projects.

"How Much Space Do You Really Need? with Dick Waters, Library Building Consultant. Tailored to the needs of librarians, participants will have an opportunity to learn how a library can accurately assess its space needs.

"WALDO" with Rob Karen, WALDO. Learn about the latest WALDO products and services. Includes an update on LibLime Open source.

Attend a class or take a tour at 2:40 p.m.:

"Microsoft Office 2010: Hands On" with Jim Crowley, Crowley Computers. Students will explore the new features and capabilities to help decide if it’s worth upgrading to the new version.

Tour the Johnson Hall of Science - St. Lawrence University's largest construction project ever, the Johnson Hall of Science features two interconnected buildings of three floors each, plus a partially earth-sheltered lower level.

DAY 2 - Friday, October 15

Select one of three 9:30 a.m. sessions:

"Customer Service" with Deidre Dowling, Nylink. Have fun with... customer service? This session will explore how good customer service affects the library’s bottom line and how some basic ideas can form the basis of a successful customer service program.

"Mash-ups: Bringing Together the Sundry and the Surprising" with Kay Benjamin and Nancy Cannon, SUNY Oneonta. A mash-up is a web application that integrates information from two or more sources, such as a Google map overlaid with population statistics.

"Google Books, Google Scholar" with Cyril Oberlander, SUNY Geneseo, and Shannon Pritting, SUNY Oswego. The Internet offers a wealth of free scholarly resources and finding tools.

Lunch and Guest Speaker at 11:45 a.m.

Marc Pitman will discuss "Telling your story." We all have a great story to share. But more often than not, we don't tell it very well. Discover how to communicate a story to any audience - volunteers, communities, board members donors, prospective donors. Marc will also share a practical three-step process to define an organization's story, one that can be used by everyone in any shop or by key individuals - professionals and volunteers alike.

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The NNYLN: 45 Years And Counting

A little known fact is that in March of 1975 the North Country Reference and Research Resources Council (former name of the NNYLN) issued the first edition of Union List of U.S. Government Documents in North Country Libraries.

This piece of information is part of an entire timeline of the Northern New York Library Network’s 45 year history available online. It may be found at www.nnyln.org, and click on "About Us," then "Timeline."

Some other interesting segments found in this section include the following:

1981, January - Work begins on the OCLC Union List of Serials project, with the Council being the first 3Rs to join the project. Member libraries with OCLC terminals input their own serials; the NC3Rs staff updates holdings of those libraries without terminals.

1987, July - The Council builds and moves into its own office building on Commerce Lane, Canton, the first of the nine 3Rs Councils to own its own "home."

1995, April - Toll-free Internet access continues to expand through NorthNet, the Council's gateway. Free accounts have been opened for library staff and over 200 fee based accounts open for the public. In addition, the Council begins offering public access accounts to area libraries.

2000, October - The Council breaks ground for its new building at 6721 US HWY 11, Potsdam. The facility will house a 21-station computer lab and 60-seat meeting room.

2001, July - The Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York approves the name change request submitted by the North Country Reference and Research Resources Council. The new official name is the Northern New York Library Network.

2004, December - The Network launches the "Northern New York Historical Newspapers" website at news.nnyln.net.

2009, June - The NNY Library Network has a mobile site (nnyln.mobi).

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New Title Added To NNY Historical Newspaper Site

The "Sandy Creek News" from 1871 to 1985 is now online at news.nnyln.net on the Northern New York Historical Newspaper site.

The town of Sandy Creek is in the extreme northwest corner of Oswego County.

In 1895 the paper was described as "an eight-page, six-column, non-political sheet, filled with bright, newsy matter, and is all printed in the office from which it is issued, which is one of the best equipped in the county." (Churchill's 'Landmarks of Oswego County.')

The site also includes the four existing issues of the "Sandy Creek Times," published from 1862 to 1864, as well as four other Oswego County newspapers: the "Fulton Patriot," "Oswegonian," "Pulaski Democrat," and "Sandy Creek News." There are a total of 46 newspapers and over 1,853,000 pages on the NNY Historical Newspapers website.

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Mark Your Calendar...

Monday, Sept. 6 - The NNYLN office will be closed in observance of Labor Day. Wednesday, Sept. 8 - The NNYLN’s Automation Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Network office. Friday, Sept. 10 - The NNYLN Board of Trustees will meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Network office.

Job Listings

  • The Malone campus of North Country Community College seeks a Part-Time Librarian.

  • North Country Library System in Watertown has two job openings. They are looking for a Public Computing Center Technician, and a Public Computing Center Coordinator.

For full job descriptions, go online.

People In The News

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