Administration - 603-271-2392

Installation and testing of a sprinkler system, and renovation of the electrical system, are still going on at the state library at 20 Park Street; massive building renovation is going on at the Dolloff Building on the State Hospital campus, which houses the Talking Books service. If you visit either site, please be patient with noise, dust, confusion, and occasional detours.

Forty-two librarians attended NH Librarians' Day in Washington on September 13. They met with certain members of House and Senate, rode on the Congressional trolley, and visited the National Portrait Gallery. Escorts from the State Library were Michael York, Darlene Reinhard, and Diana DeCota.

The 2007/2008 Moose License Plate Conservation awards have been given to one library, the Madison Public Library, and six towns for conserving town records and other preservation efforts.

Center for the Book - 603-271-2866

A kickoff ceremony for the Big Read project in NH will be held on Monday, October 1 at the State Library. The focus of the Big Read is Fahrenheit 451.

Michael York, Mary Russell, and Charles Shipman attended the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC, the weekend of September 29 and staffed a booth on New Hampshire's library community and the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library.

Electronic and Government Information Services - 603-271-2143

Fall Workshops at the State Library begin October 3. Workshops will cover NHewLINK databases, technology, online reference resources and more. There is a new online catalog, calendar and registration form. Visit www.nh.gov/nhsl/training/ for more information and registration forms.

The set-up fee to join the NH Downloadable Audiobooks Consortium has been reduced!

The new, one-time set-up fee has been reduced to $300. Please see the schedule of consortium fees below.

Current Consortium Fee Schedule:

• Libraries serving populations numbering less than 2500: $200/year
• Libraries serving populations less than 10,000: $500/year
• Libraries serving populations greater than 10,000: $1000/year

Beginning in October, Bobbi Slossar will start to collect information from public libraries wishing to join the Consortium. This round of libraries is scheduled to launch the audiobook service to their communities in December. If you are interested in joining the consortium, or simply have questions, please email Bobbi at bslossar@library.state.nh.us or give her a call at 271-2143.

Library Development Services - 603-271-2865 (Concord) - 1-800-462-1726 (Lancaster)

The Census Bureau and State Data Coordinators are working on the last edit checks of the FY2006 annual reports, hoping to have the final compilation ready by early 2008.

Sue Palmatier is preparing the FY2007 NH Public Library Annual Report for programming; the deadline is planned for early spring.

The NH State Library announces the following Modular courses for the Fall of 2007:

“The Reference Interview” in Rochester starting 27 September Hurry!

“The Reference Answer” in Rochester

“Cataloging Overview” in Loudon

“Classification” in Loudon

“Children & Youth Services Overview” in Boscawen

“Juvenile Non-Fiction Collection Development & Management” in Lebanon

Details and registration form are online at: www.nh.gov/nhsl/training/modules/

If you have questions, please call Tom Ladd at 800-462-1726.

The second annual National Friends of the Library Week will be celebrated October 21-27, sponsored by FOLUSA and JanWay Company. A sample press release, letter to the editor, and proclamations for public, school, and academic libraries are available at FOLUSA's web site: www.folusa.org/sharing/national-friends-week.php.

FOLUSA is Friends of Libraries USA, the national organization that motivates and informs state and local library support groups, advocates for libraries, and strengthens awareness of the value of libraries throughout the country. JanWay produces tote bags and other library promotional products.