Good morning, all,

Remember the Before Times? When masks were a Halloween thing, or possibly Mardi Gras if you went that direction? Or how "six feet" was referred to as a fathom instead of a minimum safe distance? Or how you only used to see people in tightly packed boxes when you watched Hollywood Squares?

Those were some good times... (heavy sigh)... good times.

Back to the squares concept, because videoconferencing is still very much alive and well. The Maine State Library continues to support public libraries by subsidizing Zoom Pro accounts purchased from Networkmaine. Many of you are already benefitting, and to continue to benefit, you can do absolutely nothing to keep your subscription through June of 2022. That's right, you can finally do nothing at all and get something for it. You're welcome.

For public libraries who yearn for a Zoom Pro account but did not take advantage of the offer in the past year, this is your time. Please email me to indicate your interest and I will work with you to get you what you want in the form of a shiny new Zoom Pro account. So very, very shiny.

Finally, if you are a public library that already has one of these accounts by way of this offer but don't want it anymore, we understand. You can indicate your desire to relinquish your claim by emailing me, and we'll take care of it. You can feel reassured that it will find new life, either in the arms of another library or on a farm in upstate New York, living out the rest of its days in pastoral bliss.

(But remember: if you already have a Zoom Pro account through this offer, do nothing. Seriously, relax. You look tense.)

-Jared Leadbetter
 Maine State Library