September 2009 Van Delivery News

The NH State Library will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2009 in observance of Labor Day. There will be NO VAN DELIVERY on that date. If you are a Monday only stop you may want to make other arrangements with your van driver for a delivery that week.

For a complete list of all of the holidays the State Library is closed, please visit http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/services/librarians/van_delivery/instructions.html (the van delivery instructions) and scroll down to "NO Van Service".

If for any other reason (e.g. bad weather) van service on a particular route(s) does not operate, libraries will be notified via an e-mail message. If your library does not receive van service on a particular day, please check your e-mail before calling the State Library.

Please remember to properly label each item which you are sending via the Van Delivery Service. This will help ensure these items make it to the correct destination in a timely manner.

If you need a refresher on how items should be marked for the van, please refer to the Van Delivery Service - Instructions, http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/services/librarians/van_delivery/instructions.html, and scroll down to number 3 of the guidelines, "Addressing material to be sent on the van".

To print a current van directory list arranged in alphabetical order by library, please use the PDF version which is available at http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/services/librarians/van_delivery/documents/vandirectory.pdf

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print this pdf file.If you do not have it installed on your machine, you may down load it for free from http://www.adobe.co.uk/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Due to the ever increasing load of materials transported by the New Hampshire State Library van delivery system, our vans can reach maximum capacity before the end of a van route, especially following long weekends and holidays. Our drivers can decline to accept materials if they feel they cannot fit them safely on their van. We are also asking libraries to please be aware of volume during times when there is likely to be a problem. You should prioritize your materials to be picked up, in case some items must be left until the next van pick up. That will allow us to immediately transport the most important items as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions you may contact Donna Gilbreth at 271-2060 or Diana DeCota at 271-2206.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.


Diana

Fall 2009 NHU-PAC classes

Classes in using the NHU-PAC for cataloging, searching, and interlibrary loan will be offered in Gilmanton on September 10 and in Concord on October 27. For details and to register online, go to http://www.nh.gov/nhsl/nhais/locations.htm and click on the "online registration system" link. There is no charge for these classes.
If demand warrants, a North Country date may be added to the schedule (send a message to David Harris if you're interested in that) but otherwise the above two dates are it for NHU-PAC classes until at least next spring.
If you're wondering whether it's worthwhile to go through training now when there's talk of a new statewide system, be aware that it's likely the current NHU-PAC system will be in place for at least the next couple of years. The topics covered in these classes will be useful for some time to come.

Memo from the State Librarian

To: The New Hampshire Library Community

From: Michael York

Subject: Library Automation

Date: August 19, 2009

During the last 18 months I have spoken with many of you about the State Library’s goal to expand its role in library automation. The discussions have centered on the challenges surrounding automating or upgrading existing systems especially in small and medium-sized libraries. Although the challenges remain, and are exacerbated by the current financial environment, tremendous advances in technology and internet connections allow the State Library to consider the automation needs of the local libraries in ways simply not possible in the past.
Since the early 1930s, the State Library has been responsible for the statewide union catalog of library holdings. As a partner with our local libraries, we have built a system of two million records and six million holdings. The State Library automated interlibrary loan in the 1980s, added full-text databases in the 1990s, and provided the framework and funding to the Audiobooks Consortium in 2006. We want to build on this strong foundation of providing services and resources to local libraries.
The advent of open source software for library automation systems has changed the way we look at library automation. Although open source software is available free of charge to those who wish to adopt it; hosting and maintaining the software is not free. There are costs associated with housing data, staff training, updating systems, and any desired customization projects performed on open source systems to fit the libraries’ needs. This work can be done in-house or be out-sourced; either way, there are costs associated with open source automation systems. All of the normal costs that libraries incur when running a proprietary library automation system will be present with an open source system, with the exception of the license fees charged by proprietary vendors.
In an effort to assist local libraries with their automation needs, the State Library is proposing a consortium-type system, modeled after the current New Hampshire Downloadable Audiobook Consortium. The goal would be to settle on one, perhaps two, open sources systems. The State Library would work with the vendor(s) to establish consistent pricing for the hosting and maintenance and to help make the process of joining as simple and cost-effective as possible.
I believe that when the New Hampshire State Library is a partner with local libraries, either providing or facilitating services, the citizens of the state benefit from valuable services that would not have been feasible without this partnership. It is my hope that local libraries and their communities would also benefit from a partnership with NHSL on the matter of library automation.

The goal is to start very soon with this project. I will be meeting with Mary White, Director of the Howe library next week to discuss what their immediate plans are and to develop a timetable based on the information I receive from her. We would like to hear from libraries about their interest in this proposal; if the response is sufficient we can establish a plan to bring this consortium online. I would expect to be talking with librarians in groups in September and individually about needs and resources in October. Please contact me at the State Library

Sincerely,
Mike

Michael York
State Librarian
New Hampshire State Library
20 Park Street
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
603 271 2397
Cell 603 419 7100
Fax 603 271 6826
michael.york@dcr.nh.gov

LOST BOOKS - July 2009

Lost books (and other items) list for July (and one new one for August). List is also available at http://nhaislostbooks.pbwiki.com/. You can add/edit/delete from the online list anytime by creating an account. (List compiled by Mary Cronin, Madison Library)

August 2009
Is anyone missing their DVD of Charlotte's Web (Widescreen format)? It was shipped to us by the Dunbar Free Library, but is not ours. There is no library barcode or identifying markings, except for a label on the DVD, "CAPTAIN VIDEO 46371" and a spine label
"J DVD CHA."There is a clear pocket on the back of the case, with a date due slip.
Marilyn Swan, Director
Effingham Public Library
603-539-1537
marilyn@effingham.lib.nh.us

July 2009

Cop Without a Badge: The Extraordinary Undercover Life of Kevin Maher by Charles Kipps
It belongs to Hall Library in Northfield it was borrowed by us and might be floating around without a routing slip
Thanks
Dana Donovan
Kensington Public Library
603-772-5022
dana.kpl@comcast.net
******
Nashua Public Library requested the book A guide for nursing home social workers by Elise Beaulieu from Rivier College. It was shipped to us two weeks ago, but never arrived. Has any one seen it? Thanks. Judy
******
Could everyone check their shelves for the following two items:
We returned Fruitless Fall by Rowan Jacobsen to Pelham Public Library in June and they still have not received it.
We also sent the audio (cd's), Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver to Hall Memorial (Northfield/Tilton) on June 12th and they have not received.
Thank you all for checking.
Annette Marquis
Bethlehem Public
*****
Nichols Library in Center Harbor shipped the abridged audiocassette Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen to Gordon-Nash/New Hampton on July 10th. It has not arrived here. Has anyone received it by mistake? Thanks, Linda
Linda Dowal, Director
Diane Gilson, ILL
Gordon-Nash Library
69 Main Street
New Hampton, NH
03256
744-8061
FAX 744-6555

Brief NHU-PAC searching outage 8/13

Thursday, August 13: NHU-PAC searching will be disabled for a few minutes starting at 7:40 a.m. This is to allow installation of an updated index. Searching service should be restored within 10 minutes.

Holdings Maintenance is Back

The holdings maintenance section of the NHU-PAC is back up and running. Sorry for any inconvenience the outage caused you.

Holdings Maintenance Currently Unavailable

The holdings maintenance portion of the NHU-PAC is currently unavailable (since Saturday based on the email messages in the NHAIS Help Desk inbox).
The issue is being worked on and access will be restored as soon as possible.