Electronic and Government Information Services - 603-271-2143

During the month of July there will be an open enrollment period for public libraries to join the NH Downloadable Audiobook Consortium. If your public library has any interest in joining the consortium, please contact Bobbi Slossar as soon as possible. (Contact information below).

Libraries that have already contacted Bobbi about joining the consortium will be called during the month to gather further information.

Currently, the consortium fee schedule looks like this:

One-time set-up fee paid to OverDrive: $600

Yearly membership fees to pay for content:

Libraries serving a population less than 2500: $200
Population 2500-10,000: $500
Population over 10,000: $1000

Here is a general timeline:

During the month of August, staff members will gain access to the online library for training and practice. The service will go live for your patrons in early September.

Please contact Bobbi if you have any questions!

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

The FY2006 NH Public Library Annual Report is due Friday, July 13th. See www.nh.gov/nhsl/lds/public_library_stats.html for more details.

If your library received a Kids, Books and the Arts grant this summer, please be sure to submit the evaluation form within two weeks of the performance.

Chapter 164 of the 2007 Session Laws of NH will take effect on 17 August 2007.

The full text of the law is available at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2007/HB0226.html but a memo from Terry M. Knowles, Assistant Director of Charitable Trusts in the NH Attorney General’s Office summarizes the new requirements, which are not difficult.

If your board of library trustees holds the PRINCIPAL of trust funds, this law change requires that you file a copy of the investment policy you are already required to have with the AG’s office, and makes some adjustments in permissible investments.

If your board of library trustees does not hold the principal of trust funds, this law has no impact on you.

Special Services - (Family Resource Connection) - 1-800-298-4321

The Family Resource Connection is currently participating in an outreach project coordinated through the UNH Cooperative Extension 4H Youth Development. The project, Operation: Military Kids (OMK) is designed to support "suddenly military" youth and families of the National Guard and Reserves.

The goal of this project is to offer supports for families that have members deployed away from home on military assignments. The children of these families have unique needs for special supports and services even though they still participate in their local community. FRC is partnering with other agencies, such as: UNH 4H, Youth Development Partners, Army Reserves, American Legion, the spiritual community, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Plus Time NH, etc.

Each of the partners has been encouraged to create programs which serve the unique needs of military kids and their families before, during, and after family members are deployed. FRC is choosing to expand its collection of materials to include a focus on families dealing with specific issues relating to deployment. FRC has a free lending library of over 5,000 books, videos, kits, etc. relating to all types of family issues - parenting, mental health, behavior issues, school concerns, chronic illness, grief and loss to name just a few. Materials are available for loan to New Hampshire residents, which are mailed, free of charge (upon request) with a postage-paid return mailer. FRC also has a variety of handouts for parents and relatives who are caring for military children.

If you know anyone from New Hampshire with a family member who is deployed, give FRC a call or share on New Hampshire toll-free number 1-800-298-4321 (NH only). Feel free to contact FRC anytime if you have questions about the program, or if you would like to borrow materials to help family members cope with family issues during deployment.

This year, New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund is celebrating 20 years of "keeping [NH's] children safe and families strong" by providing resources for communities to prevent child abuse and neglect. NHCTF believes the key to keeping children safe is by supporting parents. With this goal in mind, NHCTF has launched a statewide "Strengthening Families in Community Libraries Project."

The objective of the Community Libraries Project (CLP) is to provide essential information about parenting, managing day-to-day stress, nutrition, fitness, child behavior, and child development to each of the public libraries in New Hampshire. Bearing in mind that most communities have a public library, NHCTF hopes to strengthen the 160,000 New Hampshire families with children by providing parenting resources in a publicly accessible location - the public library.

Each New Hampshire public library will receive a portable rack with selected parenting resources, including information from community and statewide family support organizations, as well as other recommended parenting materials. In addition, each public library will be given a 12-volume set of the nationally acclaimed I Am Your Child parenting DVD series produced by Rob Reiner, intended for use according to the needs of each local community.

Tiles in the I Am Your Child Parenting DVD series include:

• A Child with Special Needs
• Discipline: Teaching Limits with Love
• The First Years Last Forever
• Food and Fitness Matter: Raising Health, Active Kids!
• Preparing for Parenthood
• Stop Smoking Now
• Quality Child Card
• To Be A Father
• Ready to Learn
• Why Early Childhood Manners
• Your Healthy Baby

NHCTF's goal is to connect a sponsor and a local agency (or individual) to collaborate with each public library. As of June 2007, 73 libraries have received sponsorships for the Community Libraries Project. NHCTF hopes to raise enough money to sponsor all of New Hampshire's public libraries by December 2008. The following New Hampshire businesses and foundations are contributing sponsors:

• Verizon Foundation
• Samuel P. Pardoe Foundation
• Bank of America
• Fidelity Investments
• Saul O. Sidore Memorial Foundation
• Merrimack County Savings Bank
• First Colebrook Bank

New Hampshire families and public libraries are not the only beneficiaries of NHCTF's 20-year anniversary celebration - future generations will also profit from NCTF's Community Libraries Project. A collective note of admiration and gratitude should echo through New Hampshire's public libraries for the dedication and commitment of NHCTF and their mission of "keeping children safe and families strong." Parents and relatives will benefit from the gifts of parenting resources and supports, which will in turn directly influence their children. The enhanced exposure of families to community resources - in particular public libraries - will open the proverbial "door to literacy," and be cause for celebration throughout New Hampshire's communities.

For questions or additional information about the Community Libraries Project, contact: Diane Hastings, Special Projects Director or Karen Carpenter, Executive Director, New Hampshire Children's Trust Fund, 95 North State Street, Suite 3, Concord, N.H. 03301, or call (603) 224-1279, info@nhctf.org; www.nctf.org.