New Children's Books, courtesy the Winnie Belle Learned Fund

We've added quite a few new and classic children's books to the collection, thanks to a generous grant from the Winnie Belle Learned Fund and the Vermont Public Library Foundation:

Queste	Angie Sage, Gerard Doyle
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader	C. S. Lewis, Derek Jacobi
The Silver Chair	C. S. Lewis, Jeremy Northam
The Magician's Nephew	C. S. Lewis, Kenneth Branagh
Prince Caspian	C. S. Lewis, Lynn Redgrave
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe	C. S. Lewis, Michael York
The Hidden Staircase	Carolyn Keene, Laura Linney
The Secret at Shadow Ranch	Carolyn Keene, Laura Linney
The Secret of the Old Clock	Carolyn Keene, Laura Linney
The Night Before Christmas	Clement Clarke Moore, Anthony Edwards
The Dragon Rider	Cornelia Funke, Brendan Fraser
Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost	Cornelia Funke, John Beach
Inkheart	Cornelia Funke, Lynn Redgrave
The Pilgrims of Rayne	D. J. MacHale, William Dufris
Raven Rise	D. J. MacHale, William Dufris
Peter and the Shadow Thieves	Dave Barry, Jim Dale, Ridley Pearson
Peter and the Starcatchers	Dave Barry, Jim Dale, Ridley Pearson
Diary of A Worm	Doreen Cronin, Alexander Gould
The Time Paradox	Eoin Colfer, Enn Reitel
The Lost Colony	Eoin Colfer, Nathaniel Parker
The Quest Begins	Erin Hunter
Sunset	Erin Hunter, Nanette Savard
Twilight	Erin Hunter, Nanette Savard
The House on the Cliff	Franklin W. Dixon, Bill Irwin
The Missing Chums	Franklin W. Dixon, Bill Irwin
Curious George Rides a Bike	H.A. Rey, Bruce Johnson
The Ugly Duckling	Hans Christian Andersen, Lynn Whitfield
Red Riding Hood	James Marshall, Donal Donnelly
The Three Little Pigs	James Marshall, Fritz Weaver
Goldilocks and the Three Bears	James Marshall, Joyce Ebert
Keeping Score	Linda Sue Park, Julie Pearl
Goodnight Moon	Margaret Wise Brown, Buffy Allen
The Magician	Michael Scott, Eric Singer
The Three Billy Goats Gruff	P. C. Asbjornsen, J. E. Moe, Rex Robbins
Dealing With Dragons	Patricia C. Wrede, Full Cast
Searching for Dragons	Patricia C. Wrede, Words Take Wing Repertory Co
Calling on Dragons	Patricia Wrede, Words Take Wing Repertory Company
Talking to Dragons	Patricia Wrede, Words Take Wing Repertory Company
Amelia Bedelia Audio Collection	Peggy Parish, Suzanne Toren
Officer Buckle & Gloria	Peggy Rathman, John Lithgow
Johnny Appleseed	Reeve Lindbergh, Mary McDonnell
The Sea of Monsters	Rick Riordan, Jesse Berns
The Battle of the Labyrinth	Rick Riordan, Jesse Bernstein
The Titan's Curse	Rick Riordan, Jesse Bernstein
The Lightning Thief	Rick Riordan, Jesse Berstein
This is The House That Jack Built	Simms Taback, Mandy Patinkin
Danny and the Dinosaur	Syd Hoff, Ruis Woertendyke
The Lost Years of Merlin	T.A. Barron, Michael Cumpsty
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel	Virginia Lee Burton, Rod Ross
Doctor De Soto	William Steig, Ian Thomson

You'll find picture books -- great for making your own readalong sets -- classics, such as the Narnia series and some titles from the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and some new titles by Erin Hunter and Rick Riordan. Thank you for the generous gift, and point your patrons and students towards these new titles!

Listen Up! selection committee openings

We have two openings coming up for public librarians on the Listen Up! Vermont selection committee. Members of the committee are responsible for purchasing all of the titles for the Listen Up! collection, balancing the needs from schools and publics, children and adults, classics and new releases.

The committee tends to do all of its work by email, with the exception of very rare meetings to make large purchases — for example, our opening collection, and perhaps our opening mp3 collection. Feel free to contact Stephanie Chase at schase[at]stowelibrary.org if you would like to speak with a current committee member concerning the commitment.

If interested, please send a letter of interest (by email is fine) to Stephanie Chase, Stowe Free Library, PO Box 1029, Stowe, 05672 by Friday, August 15th. Please let us know why you are interested in serving, as well as your experience with Collection Development. To view the Selection Policy for the Green Mountain Library Consortium, please visit http://gmlc.wordpress.com/about/policies-selection/.

A Cartoon & a Reminder

I thought I would share this funny cartoon from the New Yorker that my Trustee Board Chair brought in for me -- click on the link to see the cartoon from the April 18, 2008 issue, entitled "Audio Books" :

http://www.cartoonbank.com/item/125082

And don't forget about those Digital Library 101 trainings, starting up next week!

News on mp3 files

Some of you may have seen the announcement that the District of Columbia Public Library is the first in the country to circulate mp3 files using OverDrive (check out their mp3 collection). Read about it, briefly, at the Library Journal site: DCPL First to Offer mp3 Audio Downloads.

We're told that our ability to purchase, and therefore make available to patrons, mp3 files is "coming soon." Rest assured that as soon as we are able to purchase titles in this format, the GMLC will be! From the looks of the courses offered in OverDrive's Open Training Month in September, my guess is that we might have access around then.

Speaking of the Open Training Month, have you signed up? I have! Let's aim for winning that Consortia prize!

Open Training Month in September

Can't make the Digital Library 101 trainings in July? Missed one of our old trainings? In September, OverDrive is hosting a series of free instructor-led trainings, much like those we have been doing in the past. And the best news? We can win a prize -- content credit! -- for participation. The winner in each category will be selected based on number of courses attended and percentage of staff participating. Let's try for that Consortia prize!

Here's the announcement from OverDrive:

Our expert trainers will provide an educational and fun program designed to increase staff knowledge and maximize circulation of your OverDrive download library. The curriculum includes 5 courses, covering each area of your download service: Collection Development, User Experience, Patron Support, Promotion, and Reports. Plus, don't miss what's new for your download library!


Course List:

1. Collection Checklist: 10 Steps to a Successful Download Collection

2. Digital Library 101: Browse, Check Out, and Download!

3. Patron Support: Become an OverDrive Download Library Specialist

4. Community Outreach: Introduce New Patrons to Download Media

5. Real-Time Reports: Size-up Success . and Stay on Track


Training sessions will be offered four days a week throughout September with open enrollment and a contest for participating libraries.

More than 2,000 librarians participated in Training Month 2007, and four libraries were the lucky winners of OverDrive's Training Month award packages. Don't miss out in 2008!

To register for OverDrive's Open Training Month for library staff, go to:

http://www.overdrive.com/products/dlr/training.

We look forward to meeting with you in September!

Sincerely,
OverDrive's Training Team

Training Opportunities

Don't miss out on the Round Two trainings, beginning in two weeks!

All of our Listen Up! Vermont participants -- whether you started in January or now in July -- are able to access our second round of Digital Library 101 trainings. Here are the dates, followed by the participant codes:

Monday, July 21st at 3pm - 5736006

Tuesday, July 22nd at 10am - 5736006

Wednesday, July 30th at 10am - 7301070

Thursday, July 31st at 3pm - 7301070

As in the past, the trainings can be done anywhere that you can be online and on the phone at the same time. This is a FABULOUS training, covering all the basics, and it lasts about 90 minutes. Please contact Stephanie if you need help accessing the trainings. An email will be sent to all with the access information.

This is a great opportunity for you to learn about the Listen Up! Vermont service, have new volunteers, staff, or teachers get caught up, or have a brush-up yourself.

Welcome Round Two Members!

We've continued to add new Round Two Members:

• Cabot School
• Fairfax Community Library (public library patrons only)
  
• Johnson Public Library
• Main Street Middle School, Montpelier

This brings the total to 98 libraries. Hurrah!

New Always Available Titles

We have added 25 additional Always Available titles to the Listen Up! Collection. These titles allow unlimited users to download the audio book -- so point your patrons to the Scott McClellan book, What Happened!

Title	Author
Cry, the Beloved Country	Alan Paton, Michael York
The Rest Is Noise	Alex Ross, Grover Gardner
The Smell of the Night	Andrea Camilleri, Grover Gardner
The Alien Within	Ben Bova, Stefan Rudnicki
Star Brothers	Ben Bova, Stefan Rudnicki
Voyagers	Ben Bova, Stefan Rudnicki
David Copperfield	Charles Dickens, Frederick Davidson
Oliver Twist	Charles Dickens, Nadia May
Bleak House	Charles Dickens, Robert Whitfield
Crime and Punishment	Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anthony Heald
Comfort Food	Kate Jacobs, Barbara Rosenblat
The Capture	Kathryn Lasky, Pamela Garelick
The Journey	Kathryn Lasky, Pamela Garelick
The Rescue	Kathryn Lasky, Pamela Garelick
The Siege	Kathryn Lasky, Pamela Garelick
All the Sad Young Literary Men	Keith Gessen, Scott Brick
Armageddon in Retrospect	Kurt Vonnegut, Rip Torn
Madness	Marya Hornbacher, Tavia Gilbert
Enchantment	Orson Scott Card, Stefan Rudnicki
Lost Boys	Orson Scott Card, Stefan Rudnicki
Seventh Son	Orson Scott Card, various readers
The Picture of Dorian Gray	Oscar Wilde, Simon Vance
The Cat Who Walks through Walls	Robert Heinlein, Tom Weiner
What Happened	Scott McClellan, Scott McClellan
Europe Central	William T. Vollmann, Ralph Cosham

FYI -- OverDrive Monthly Maintenance

For your information:

OverDrive - Recurring Monthly Maintenance Window

In a continuous effort to provide our partners with a robust and secure server platform, OverDrive is establishing a monthly maintenance window to allow for systems maintenance should it be needed. This maintenance window will be scheduled for the third Thursday of every month, from 6:00 am - 8:00 am (Eastern Time).

All OverDrive sites, including Content Reserve and your OverDrive-hosted website, may be down for all or part of these regular maintenance windows. It is also possible that your website will not be affected during some maintenance windows. Please be assured that if your library site is affected, we will make every effort to display informative messaging to patrons that visit your site during any outage.

The first maintenance window is scheduled for Thursday, July 17 from 6:00 am - 8:00 am EDT.