Mental Health Workshop for Library Staff

When: Next Wednesday, May 19th

Where: Saratoga Springs Public Library, Harry Dutcher Community Room

Join the CDPC Mental Health Players as they portray precarious library scenarios and answer questions about mental illness. The Mental Health Players are an improvisational theater group whose task is to develop a better community understanding of mental health problems and to dispel the myths, misconceptions and stigma surrounding major mental illnesses.  Following lunch will be a discussion with a mental health professional.

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New “Always Available” eAudiobooks

Can you believe it has been about 1 year since the SALON project began offering downloadable eAudiobooks for people living in  Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington County?  Over 2500 people have signed in to listen to approximately 9500 eAudiobooks.

The collection development committee met last week to refresh the list of “Always Available” eAudiobooks.   Here is a list of the new offerings:

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs
Lily White by Susan Isaacs
Marine One by James W. Huston
Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brien
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Steveson
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Time to retire 365’ers

It is hard to believe we have been on POLARIS for five years.  When we migrated to Polaris, libraries needed to purchase new computer equipment with Windows capabilities in order to access the new ILS.  Those machines are referred to as 365.  It is time to retire those machines and purchase new state of the art computers that have up-to-date software and hardware.

At the February 16, 2010 SALS Board meeting, the board voted to make funds available for libraries that need to purchase new staff computer equipment.  It has always been recommended that libraries replace their computers every three to four years.  If a library is unable to budget the full replacement cost, SALS will purchase one staff computer per library per year and offer a repayment schedule of the cost of the computer divided by a maximum length of 24 months.
Procedures:
1)  Library contacts SALS and submits a request for the new staff computer, with or without monitor on library letterhead.
2) SALS will purchase the equipment that is currently recommended by the JA with the next group order.
3) Libraries will be expected to make a monthly repayment to SALS.
SALS would prefer that the order is concurrent with the JA group orders.  Only on an emergency basis, an order will be placed between group orders.
FYI, the JA does have some spare loaner computers to help bridge the time between the order and the delivery of the new machine.
Please contact either Jill Martz or Sara Dallas for more information.