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Image of the Montana State Library Logo
This newsletter serves a biweekly digest to consolidate and archive events and news from various library directed outreach from the Montana Library Network within the Montana State Library. This newsletter will go out on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
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Jennie Stapp, 8/26/22.
All libraries are encouraged to participate and share this information with anyone in their communities who is interested in broadband/internet access in Montana.
Federal funding through the Digital Equity Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has created a once in a generation opportunity to close the digital divide in Montana. To maximize the federal funds that come to Montana to deploy broadband and to support digital inclusion and digital literacy, the State of Montana must draft a 5-year broadband plan and that plan must include community input.
How can Libraries help?
Please complete and promote a 10 minute survey that you and your patrons (18 years or older) can complete about your individual experiences and opinions on broadband access.
The State of Montana has contracted an outside research team (Summit Consulting, LLC) to host a series of outreach sessions across Montana for community leaders. These outreach sessions are crucial to hearing firsthand how internet access (or a lack thereof) impacts your communities. To see if a session is near you, and to RSVP for a session, please click here by Friday, September 2.
At these sessions, Summit will conduct breakout sessions focused on key strategic partners including sessions with libraries and educators.
It may be difficult for many of you to get away during the day to attend these sessions so we are working with Summit Consulting to make sure that virtual options.
Thank you in advance for your participation and helping to close the digital divide in Montana.
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The Public Libraries Survey (also known as the Montana Public Library Annual Statistical Report) will open Monday, October 3 and close Wednesday, November 30. The Public Library Standards require libraries to submit the PLS and review its results with the library board each year (see ARM 10.102.1158, 10).
Rebekah Kamp, Data Coordinator, will be in touch with library directors mid-September to convey instructions and login information.
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The Montana State Library office was severely flooded in early July and is currently inaccessible as it is being restored, with an expected completion date of early 2023. The mailroom has been completely dismantled. As a result, our staff's ability to process, send, and receive items for the hot spot program will be somewhat impaired for the next several months. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we devise a new workflow for shipping and receiving items.
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A group of librarians interested in sharing book kits met online in August to review software options. After discussing their needs, the group arrived at a consensus that simple is best and that a modernized version of the wiki, with some improvements, would suffice (and will not incur a subscription fee!). A library has volunteered to take on this modernization project and will share the updated platform when it is ready.
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The Montana State Library provides lifelong learning support to all Montanans through a combination of librarian professional development and training, program development, and meaningful partnerships. Lifelong Learning projects include sustained, long-term efforts in early literacy, economic development, and summer reading, as well as other topics such as health information, STEM programming, wildlife education, and civic engagement.
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CSLP Voting Results: 2025 Slogan and 2026 Theme!
Thank you to everyone who voted!
The official results are:
2025 Slogan (Art): "Color Our World"
2026 Theme: Dinosaurs!
Apply for the 2022 Ready 2 Read Rendezvous!
Any Montana librarian working with young children and families is encouraged to fill out the 2022 Ready 2 Read Rendezvous Application. Lodging, food, and workshop costs are covered by the State Library - attendees cover their own transportation.
Dates: October 21st - 23rd, 2022
Location: Lewistown, MT
Workshop Descriptions and Bios: See the Ready 2 Read Rendezvous Website
Bat Week Materials Now Available
If any Montana library or school is interested in participating in Bat Week (October 24th - 31st), the Bat Week Package Form is now available! First come, first served, so please submit your requests sooner rather than later.
You can learn more about Bat Week by watching the Bat Week Overview webinar on MSL's YouTube channel from 8/18/22
You can also check out the Bat Week webpage on the MSL Website
Conference: Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL)
registration is now open for the 11th annual CLEL Conference: Bridging the Gap - Thursday, October 6th & Friday, October 7th -- 11 am-4:45 pm MST. Save your spot by registering here.
Visit the CLEL Website to see the schedule and learn about the speakers, Virtual conference registration is $35.
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Conference: Adaptive Umbrella Virtual Workshop
This daylong workshop features interactive sessions about current accessibility topics, led by disability self-advocates and professionals working with the disability community. The day is geared to librarians, educators, and caregivers.
Date: Thursday, October 6th, 2022
Time: 8 am - 1:30 pm Mountain Time
Workshop Descriptions and Speakers on BTPL Website
Registration Form (available until 10/2)
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The MMP is migrating the Big Horn County Obituaries collection to the new Recollect site. This collection was provided by Big Horn County Library and Big Horn County Genealogical Society. Big Horn County is unique in that it is home to parts of the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Reservations, thus these obituaries are an important way to document Native American life in that part of Montana.
Thousands of records require manual matching of file names and metadata. Our summer intern, Grace Price, has been hard at work managing that process. We are excited to have her on board, and are so pleased that she is taking on this challenging task. We have loaded our first batch of several hundred records, with many more to come in the next couple of months.
We hope you will visit the MMP site to explore this valuable historical and genealogical resource. Please follow the link here: Big Horn County Obituaries
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Help Update the MSL Certification Program!
Please complete this survey to share ideas for improving the MSL Certification Program. The Continuing Education and Certification Task Force will meet on September 29. Survey responses will inform the work of the task force.
New MSL YouTube Channel Content
The MSL Vimeo Channel sunsets by the end of 2022. Please subscribe and visit the new MSL YouTube Channel.
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MLA Fall Retreat registration is OPEN! Visit this website to register as either an MLA member (for $150) or a non-member (for $175) before September 16!
The program proposal form is being extended to Monday, September 5.
We only have until Friday, September 9 to book rooms at Chico before the remainder of the block is released to the general tourist population. Mention the MLA Event to be counted towards the room block.
Links and deadlines:
Program Proposal Form Submit by September 5 to be considered!
The registration web page should be available no later than September 7.
Reserve a hotel room at Chico Hot Springs: 406-333-4933 or reservations@chicohotsprings.com Reserve by September 9
MLA Fall Retreat Registration by September 16 to include meals.
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Each library participating in the MontanaLibrary2Go consortia has an account on Overdrive Marketplace. If you are the director of a participating library and you need to know more about your Marketplace account, please reach out for one-on-one guidance and support.
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September
Click on the image below to see the coming months and register for upcoming events.
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