With help from Melissa Kelly of FRC, Ann Hoey presented an Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library workshop to 20 participants at the Hooksett Public Library. These participants were early learning professionals interested in getting a taste of the early literacy project being promoted to libraries involved in the Links to Early Learning grant as well as to other NH libraries. The workshops target parents and caregivers of young children and help them in their roles as their children's first teachers. After the workshop in Hooksett, many of the participants expressed their enthusiasm in the workshop series, and asked "How do I get this program into my community?" To offer this program to your community, librarians are encouraged to check out the Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library kit from the state library, partner with an early childhood agency in their community, and contact Ann at ahoey@library.state.nh.us for help in running a workshop.
Kids, Books and the Arts 2005 library grant applications are being reviewed and decisions will be made in mid to late May.
NHAIS Services is launching an ORIGINAL CATALOGING PROGRAM, effective immediately. The NHAIS Services section of the New Hampshire State Library is launching a new program to create cataloging records for items previously unavailable in OCLC and the NHU-PAC. This project will enhance the value of the NHU-PAC as a resource for interlibrary loan and contributes to our mission of enhancing the New Hampshire Union Public Access Catalog (NHU-PAC) to accurately and completely reflect the holdings of New Hampshire’s libraries.
Who is eligible to have materials cataloged through this program?
NHAIS libraries who are current NHAIS ILL participants are eligible to have materials cataloged through this program.
What kinds of materials will be cataloged?
This program will include books and audiovisual materials. Primarily we will focus on English language materials but may include some materials in other languages. Maps, serials, and computer files will NOT be included in this program.
How will materials be selected for cataloging?
Items for original cataloging will be selected from the requests we receive through the normal NHU-PAC cataloging process. Priority will be given to materials requested by more than one library.
When a NHAIS library adds a brief record to the NHU-PAC and we cannot find an OCLC record that matches the information that has been provided by the library NHAIS Services sends a request for additional information on the item, typically a copy of the title page and verso. Often we can locate an appropriate OCLC record for the item based on this additional information. Materials for which we determine that no OCLC record exists will be placed in a queue to be considered for original cataloging.
In some cases libraries send NHAIS Services MARC records from a source other than OCLC -- Bibliofile, Baker & Taylor, etc. -- and their holdings are added to the NHU-PAC by matching these records with existing OCLC records. When a clear match cannot be made from the MARC record sent by the library these records may also generate requests for additional information and will become part of the queue for original cataloging if we determine that no OCLC record is available for the item.
How can I participate in this program?
If an item that your library holds is selected for original cataloging you will receive an ILL request for the item through the NHAIS ILL system. If you are willing to lend the item to us for cataloging you will fill the request just like any other ILL. If you don't wish to participate in this program all you need to do is refuse the ILL request. If you are willing to participate but are unable to lend the item (if it is checked out, for example) please add a note to the ILL request when you set it to not available. This approach provides a way to track the location of the materials and allows us to control how many items we have at any one time so that they can be returned to the owning library as quickly as possible. Do not send any materials for original cataloging unless we request them.
Eleanor O'Donnell retired on Friday, April 29, 2005 after 37 years of service at the state library. In recent years, she supervised the Technical Services division. She will be greatly missed by all who worked with her.
