Our coupons are ready!

Prepare to stuff your patron's bags or refer your patrons to our statewide coupon page. As with last year, we created a public site that is viewable at http://www.wmrls.org/sum/coupon08.html. Here patrons will be able to view the coupons that are available as prizes for the Massachusetts Summer Reading Program. New this year to the SEMLS fold are Water Wizz in Wareham and The Edward Gorey Museum in Yarmouth Port. With the inclusion of the New Bedford's Buttonwood Park Zoo, we are now up to the three attractions. Yeah! For those of you who are using the online summer reading product to promote your services, we are requesting that you provide the public coupon web address listed above within your program links. Our sponsors like to be promoted and we want them to know that we support them as much as they support us. It's one of the ways that we thank them for their participation.

As with last year, in order for you to print out the coupons you'll receive the confidential password to download the variety of family fun coupons. Please do not share this password beyond your library staff. Our sponsors look for the stamped coupons to ensure that our summer readers did their part in receiving this reward. As usual thanks for your cooperation and let's get our coupon-cutting on!

A Sharp(ened) Eye

So a few of you have commented on the blurriness of our most popular black and white image--the Wild Reads at Your Library Eye. It looks absolutely gorgeous online but when you print it out on a flier, the image is not as clear. In fact, it's downright blurry. *sigh* To resolve the blurriness of the logo-wild reads picture, here's a tip to rectify the problem.

1. Find the image logo-wild-reads.jpg.
2. Double click to open. It will open in Microsoft Photo Editor.
3. Go to the EFFECTS menu tab and select-SHARPEN.
4. Slide the cursor to your liking toward the Strong category.
5. Do a Save As and rename your clearer wild-reads-logo.

You can do this for any other image where the animals seems to be 'alive with movement'. This tip should capture the moving beasts. 8-)

Swap-o-rama

While orders are still coming in from Janway and items are checked against the packing slips, it's possible that you have a surplus or even a deficit. If the later is the case, please feel free to call Janway. Or you may place your request to swap with others. *-) I'll begin by offering what we have to give in case you would prefer more of any ordered item:

In the SEMLS warehouse, (closet actually) we have:
350 Posters
40 pks. Bookmarks
28 pks. Blank Reading Logs
19 pks. Timed Reading Logs
60 pks. Lined Reading Logs
8 pks. Certificates
7 pks. YA Cards

You are more than welcome to ask for what you need.

Summer Reading Orders Are Being Prepared for Shipment

Woo hoo! Janway is preparing our SRP shipment and are hoping to mail out a few hundred orders sometime next week. In it will be both the paper goods AND incentives that you have ordered. While the paper orders have been paid for by your regions, please keep in mind that you will, as usual pay for your branch's incentives along with its shipping costs. I have no clue who will receive what when but all orders should arrive by April 14th.

My, this certainly is Un-x-pected!

Read for a Cause

In case you missed the information-filled workshop lead by our charitable summer reading program veterans, N. Denman, D. Grimett and J. Southworth, you are now able to listen to the audio. Welcome to SEMLS' debut of our Continuing Education Podcast Workshop series! Here you will be able to take advantage of select program offerings of timely topics and discussions. Our How To Catch A Beluga Whale This Summer workshop offering advice and tips on running a growingly popular philanthropic-themed program premieres today.


Listen & Be Inspired!



P.S. To subscribe to future SEMLS CE podcasts, click here.

Slight Delay in Arrival of SRP Materials

Hello to all Un-X-pectedly Wild Youth Services Librarians!

I'm sorry to inform you that our Summer Reading Orders will arrive just a few weeks behind schedule. Your materials will be shipped during the week of April 7^th rather than next week. My apologies for the late notice but we just received an official word of the new date this week. If you should have any questions, please contact me. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Accu-cut, Paper, Scissors!

Hmmm...I'm seeing the early birds coming in to use the Accu-cut Machine in preparation for their Summer Reading activities. Kudos to you! You my dear have a head start over many of your colleagues before the mad rush begins. *stroking of barbershop mustache* For those of you who are wondering what we have in stock, you can always visit our List of Dies found under the RESOURCE SHELF-Collections link of SEMLS' page. If you would like the Accu-cut Machine & Dies sent to you via delivery, go to the FORM CENTER at the top right side of our SEMLS page to make the online request.

Or just click here.