Nominations for the Library Program of the Year Awards are due on March 27^th.  A program may be nominated by the library, by a community member, or by a Trustee.  The winners will be honored at the SALS 57^th Annual meeting on May 18^th, 2015.  Two awards will be given.  One program per library will be considered.  The SALS Library Services Committee is responsible for the selection of the award recipients.
Eligibility Requirements:

• Program must have been initiated during the 2014 calendar year.
• Any program—adult, outreach, young adult, children, community services or public relations is eligible.
• Selection is based on programs that have demonstrated creativity and innovation, demonstrated community partnerships, enhanced services to the community, or reached a previously unserved constituency.
• Program must have pursued excellence in library services and sought to have the library make a difference in the community.

The program being nominated should be described on library letterhead and accompanied by any supporting materials.  Nominations by e-mail or fax will not be accepted.  The nomination must be received at SALS on March 27^th before 4:30 PM, Attention: Sara Dallas.

Last year’s winners included:  Stony Creek Free Library for their Joe McChesney Showcase and Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library for their program The Holocaust Revisited: A Retrospective Review.
This year’s winners will be announced at the April 21^st, 2015 SALS Board Meeting.  Awards consist of a framed certificate honoring the library’s achievements and a financial award to the library.  In the event that a representative from an award-winning library is not present at the Annual Meeting, the certificate will be given to the library’s Board President for presentation at the library’s next Board Meeting.

The Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) Board of Trustees has approved the Trustee of the Year Awards, and wishes to recognize the hard work and devotion of Trustees in our member libraries.  Last year’s recipients were Susan Jennings of Richards Library and Loretto Hosley of CV Whitney Long Lake Public Library in honor of their above & beyond involvement and support.

An individual may be nominated by the Library Director or a Trustee.  The nomination should be submitted on library letterhead and accompanied by any supporting materials.  Nominations by e-mail or fax will not be accepted.
Nominees should meet the following Eligibility Requirements:

• Member of the Board of Trustees of a SALS member library for the 2014 calendar year
• Initiated service(s), program(s) or community involvement on behalf of the library
• Demonstrated exemplary leadership characteristics
• Pursued excellence in the library and sought to have the library make a difference in the community

One Trustee per library will be considered, and the SALS Personnel Committee will select two award recipients.  Winners will be announced at the April 21^st, 2015 SALS Board Meeting, and the awards will be presented at the SALS 57^th Annual Meeting on May 18^th.  The award consists of a framed certificate honoring the recipient’s achievements; there will not be a financial award.  In the event that the award recipient is not present at the Annual Meeting, the certificate will be given to the library’s Board President for presentation at the library’s next Board meeting.  The nomination must be received at SALS before 4:30 pm, March 27^th, 2015,  Attention:  Sara Dallas.

New ‘Big Library Read’ Book Available March 17^th!
We’re excited to announce the return of Big Library Read, the global digital book club where millions of people from around the world have the ability to read the same eBook simultaneously.
The Book:
Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard by Laura Bates has been called “A powerful testament to how Shakespeare continues to speak to contemporary readers in all sorts of circumstances,” by Booklist.

Shakespeare professor and prison volunteer Laura Bates thought she had seen it all. That is, until she decided to teach Shakespeare in a place the bard had never been before — supermax solitary confinement. In this unwelcoming place, surrounded by inmates known as the worst of the worst, is Larry Newton. A convicted murderer with several escape attempts under his belt and a brilliantly agile mind on his shoulders, Larry was trying to break out of prison at the same time Laura was fighting to get her program started behind bars.  Thus begins the most unlikely of friendships, one bonded by Shakespeare and lasting years—a friendship that, in the end, would save more than one life.

The book will be available starting March 17^th until March 31^st, 2015 and all OverDrive users will be able to request the book without any waitlists or holds.  Join the fun!  Over the past year, thousands of libraries and schools and millions of patrons have embraced the program.