NCLS Receives $60,000 from Remaining Assets of Constantia Library On Friday, June 15th, Steve Bolton and Amy Zuch traveled to the site of the old Constantia Library (Julie Thurston Library Guild) to receive a donation of $60,000 from the remaining assets of the guild after their dissolution and sale of property. It was wonderful to see the dedicated volunteers who kept the library going for so many years, but was at the same time bittersweet. The Julie Thurston Library Guild was incorporated in the early 1900’s and was

housed in several locations until an old bank building in Constantia was purchased to house the library in the 1990’s. In 2003, the guild held a vote to form a special legislative district library, which was unsuccessful. The guild members re-grouped, added new members, worked on branding and long range planning, and made a second attempt to form a chartered library in 2006. Legislation was written to form a district library once again, but the bill never passed the Senate and therefore never reached a public vote. After nearly a hundred years of operating with

no public funding or paid staff, the library was forced to close. While we wish that the library was still in operation, we sincerely appreciate the donation made by the Julie Thurston Library Guild and will always admire the noble efforts made by its members to provide library services for the residents of Constantia.

From left: Rosalee Wakefield, Norma Williams, Laurie Mahaffy, Steve Bolton, Amy Zuch, Virginia Rosteck and Kay Wojdyla.

July 2012

In this issue…

2012-14 NYS Construction Grant: Applications Due August 17th

Annual Meeting Awards

Flower Memorial Library Summer Reading Kick-Off!

Upcoming Events

"As it is an ancient truth that freedom cannot be legislated into existence, so it is no less obvious that freedom cannot be censored into existence."— Dwight D. Eisenhower

Page 2

2012-14 NYS Construction Grant Applications due to NCLS by August 17th

You may have heard the good news that the State Legislature has once again made available $14 million for public library construction. NCLS will receive $407,060 for the matching grants.

More good news!!! The construction funds can now be used to buy vacant land/buildings and the matching funds requirement could be as low as 25%, depending on the availability of grant funds. This news has definitely stirred interest among our member libraries...we have 25 libraries who have expressed interest in applying for a construction grant award this year!!!

Application forms and other resources are available on the NCLS web site:

http://ncls.northcountrylibraries.org/node/117

Make sure you scroll down to see all of the resources available to assist your library including PowerPoint presentations on the application process and how to fill out the completion “paperwork” once your construction project is done.

2011 NYS Construction Grant Awards Announced The 2011 New York State Construction Grants were announced last month. Fourteen NCLS member libraries applied for and received the following awards:

$ 9,272 - B. Elizabeth Strong Memorial Library of Turin $ 12,250– Central Square Library $ 30,394 - Hannibal Free Library $ 26,469 - Harrisville Free Library $ 13,624 - Hay Memorial Library of Sackets Harbor $ 7,950 - Hepburn Library of Colton $ 2,650 - Hepburn Library of Norfolk $ 29,950 - Massena Public Library $ 52,710 - Ogdensburg Public Library $ 10, 415 -Osceola Public Library $ 22,663 - Parish Public Library $ 2,955 - Phoenix Public Library $ 6,570 - William H. Bush Memorial Library of Martinsburg $ 32,615 - Williamstown Library

Congratulations to all recipients and good luck with your projects!

The NYS Construction Grants are a matching grant opportunity available to libraries throughout the State. If your building is in need of updates or improvements, then a NYS Construction Grant may be right for your library. Contact your consultant or State Services Coordinator, Dawn Vincent, at NCLS for more information.

What is the NYS

Public Library

Construction Grant

Program???

July It’s Time to “Ketch-Up”! Round Table Discussions Friday, July 13th at NCLS 9:30am-noon followed by cookout Topics: Meeting Room Use, Ordering Options, Programming on a Budget, Security Concerns

Page 3

August

Core Reference Skills Tuesday, 8/7,NCLS Training Lab, 1-3:30pm and VIDEOCONFERENCES

Policies and Legal Issues for Libraries Saturday, 8/11, NCLS Meeting Room, 9:30am-3pm This is a full day workshop. Lunch will be provided.

Shelf Help! Tuesday, 8/28, NCLS Meeting Room, 9:30am-noon Thursday, 8/30, NNYLN Meeting Room, 9:30am-noon

Upcoming Workshops

Summer Reading Program Kicks Off at Flower Memorial Library

The Flower Memorial Library kicked off the New York State Summer Reading Program with a ceremony and children’s event on Wednesday, June 27th. Senator Patty Ritchie, Assemblywoman Addie Russell, Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Cultural Education, Jeff Cannell, Karen Balsen from the New York State Library’s Division of Library Development in Albany, and Jefferson County legislator Jennie Adsit all addressed the audience.

Also in attendance were Steve Bolton, Emily Owen, and Joan Pellikka from NCLS. We hope all of you have fun, successful, and well-attended summer reading programs this year! Be sure to send photos and stories for the newsletter!

Register for classes at www.nclsweb.org Continuing Education Class Registration

Please create or log-in to your NCLS web site account first Call Steve Gaines for assistance

Page 4

If your library has information to share in NCLS @ccess, Please contact Amy Zuch at NCLS: 782-5540 or azuch@ncls.org

Automation Update Currently involved in some stage of the automation process are Hay Memorial Library in Sackets Harbor, Clifton Community Library in Cranberry Lake, the Hepburn Library of Lisbon, and the Constableville Library . If your library is interested in automation, please contact your Consultant.

Nominate A Deserving Award Winner!

At the NCLS Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 6th at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, the following awards will be presented:

Library Improvement

To libraries that have demonstrated service improvement over the last two to three years. Examples of areas for consideration include but are not limited to: building projects, library programs, fundraising, budget increases, collection or technological improvements, etc.

Trustee of the Year

Recognizes outstanding achievement by a trustee on behalf of his/her library, either during the previous year or during his/her years of service. The trustee should have given service to the library beyond attendance at board meetings and should be an active library supporter. Nomination criteria: Seeking legislative action that would benefit libraries throughout the state or region Leadership to increase the quality of library service Budget / funding initiatives Promoting public awareness and support for the library Planning for library growth and sustainability Developing adequate physical facilities for a library

Director of the Year

Recognizes outstanding achievement by a library director either during the previous year or during his/her years of service. Examples of outstanding achievement include but are not limited to: Publicity, outreach, and partnerships that have boosted the library’s presence and standing in the community Leadership and management that has increased the quality of library service Affiliation with / involvement in professional organizations Excellent leadership during capital campaign or period of transition Qualities: Innovative, fearless, cooperative, dedicated, forward-thinking

Download the awards nomination form from our web site at

http://ncls.northcountrylibraries.org/node/23