STATE LIBRARY BOARD SEES LSTA IMPACT AT MIDLAND BRANCH
The State Library Board held their February 15, 2008, meeting at the Midland Branch of the Multnomah County Library at the invitation of library manager Javier Gutierrez. Library Director Molly Raphael was also on hand to show the Board how the 2006 LSTA grant project "Planning Culturally Appropriate Library Services" was resulting in major changes to the branch library collections and staffing. Because it serves one of the most culturally diverse areas of Multnomah County, the Midland Branch is now building its collections in Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese, in addition to the Spanish-language collections it had already begun to build. The staff is also changing to include persons able to communicate with the diverse clientele, including MCL's first Vietnamese-speaking librarian. Other branches in the system are being similarly affected by the plan that resulted from the LSTA grant. The Midland branch is also the test site for a new automated self-service DVD checkout system, one of only three operational in the U.S. The Board got to see a demonstration of the new unit that will save huge amounts of staff time and cut down on theft, which has been a problem in the past.
BOARD APPROVES PURCHASE OF DIGITAL
TALKING BOOK PLAYERS
At
their business meeting on February 15th, the State Library Board approved a
recommendation of the Talking Book and Braille Services Advisory Council to
purchase approximately 600 digital talking book players to supplement the
players that the Library expects to receive from the Library of Congress early
next year. The recommendation was to use approximately $150,000 in interest from
the Talking Book and Braille Services endowment fund to make the purchase. The
Library expects to receive only about 180 new players a month from the Library
of Congress. Since the Library serves nearly 5,000 active readers, it would take
years to satisfy demand for the new players if the Library did not purchase
machines. In other new business, the Board approved a staff recommendation to
rebalance the LSTA budget plan adopted last December in light of the nearly
$50,000 decrease in the Library's LSTA allotment for FFY 2008. One competitive
grant award will be rescinded and the funding for the OLA MLS Scholarship
program and the Plinkit Collaborative projects will be reduced. The Board also
approved new targets for Oregon Benchmark #38 which measures the percentage of
Oregonians served by a public library meeting minimum service criteria. The
targets for 2010 and 2015 will be proposed to the Oregon Progress
Board.
LAKE OSWEGO READS AND TBABS
In January and February, the Lake Oswego Public Library hosted the Lake Oswego Reads program which included a kick off party, author speaking engagement, and several discussion groups hosted around the city. The book for this year's Lake Oswego Reads program was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Talking Book and Braille Services was able to assist the Lake Oswego Public Library by providing recorded cassette versions of the book to registered print-disabled patrons. During the month of February, TBABS provided over 77 copies of the book to our patrons, easing the burden on the public library's audio book resources. Add TBABS to your resource checklist when planning your next community reads program. For more information, contact Elke Bruton.
2006-2007 READY TO READ ANNUAL REPORT PROVIDES NEW PERFORMANCE METRICS
The Ready to Read Annual Report for 2006-2007 is now available on the Ready to Read Grant webpage. The long and short term results are now reported using four metrics that measure the effectiveness of the Ready to Read Grant program over time. The metrics measure 1) how many public libraries receiving Ready to Read grants are incorporating best practices, as reported in the annual Public Library Survey, into their library services, 2) the percent of children 0-4 years old using public libraries, 3) attendance at public library literacy programs, and 4) number of children participating in the Summer Reading Program. These changes to the report will provide longitudinal data on public library youth services and public library usage statistics. This data will allow public libraries to see how their efforts impact library services to children in Oregon and serve as a tool for setting local youth service goals.
Each year the State Library staff selects several public libraries as Outstanding Ready to Read Grant projects. Criteria for Outstanding Ready to Read projects include adherence to the original intent of the Ready to Read Grant program, emphasis on service to children 0-5 and the adults that care for them, replicability in other libraries, potential for impact over time, and building partnerships inside and outside the library. Libraries recognized for their Outstanding Ready to Read projects in 2006-2007 are: Flora M. Laird Memorial Library (Myrtle Point), Coos Bay Public Library, Hood River County Library, and Wilsonville Public Library. Please read the Ready to Read Annual Report on the Ready to Read Grant page to learn more about these Outstanding Projects.
MORE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE 2008
This year 200 more Oregon students entered Letters About Literature than in 2007. Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing contest for youth in 4th -12th grade. Students write a personal letter to an author, living or dead, explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves. Currently, local judges are in the process of selecting Oregon’s winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions. Oregon’s three winners will then go on to compete at the national level. National winners will be announced at the end of April and an awards celebration will be held at the State Library in May to honor those students. The Oregon Center for the Book, Oregon Young Adult Network, Children’s Services Division, Oregon Association for School Libraries, and Oregon Reading Association co-sponsor the contest at the local level.
LIBRARY SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY ACT GUIDELINES AVAILABLE FOR FFY2009 GRANT CYCLE
Got a great idea for a collaborative automation project? Outreach program? Innovative use of technology? The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant program may be for you. The application packet for FY2009 grant proposals is available on the web through the LSTA Competitive Grant Program page. The LSTA program uses a two-step grant process. Short proposals are due April 11. Ideas need to support the Oregon Library Services and Technology Act Five-Year State Plan 2008-2012. Feel free to check out the proposals from past years, as there may be a project you wish to replicate. We welcome calls to talk over grant ideas, or find out about similar grants that may have been made in previous years. Contact Ann Reed at (503) 378-5027 or email.
SAVE THE DATE: 2008 FOCUS ON
CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS INSTITUTE
The 2008 Focus on Children and Young Adults Institute will be September 14-17, 2008, at the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center near Corbett. The Focus Institute seeks to provide a foundation of professional knowledge about youth services necessary for the operation of small public libraries. Participants will attend several workshops and presentations over the course of three days. The workshops and presentations concentrate on the principles of public library services to children and young adults, and putting those principles into practice. The Focus Institute is designed for library staff who serve children and young adults and have no graduate level education in librarianship.
OSLIS 2.0 LAUNCHES IN MARCH
The Oregon School Library Information (OSLIS) website has been revamped to support research projects from start to finish, and to incorporate Web 2.0 tools. Deployment to users is expected the first week of March. OSLIS 2.0 research resources including the EBSCO databases and the Oregonian are accessible from any computer. Users can browse the site or register for their own account. After users register and create their own "My Stuff" space, they can not only access instructional support for completing a research project, but also store and share documents, files, pictures, receive RSS feeds and more. The OSLIS 2.0 registration process will also allow school librarians and educators to communicate and collaborate with students about their project via OSLIS 2.0.
OSLIS 2.0 has been divided into three website
addresses focused on elementary or secondary students and educators.
http://elementary.oslis.org/
http://secondary.oslis.org/
http://educator.oslis.org/
OLSIS 2.0 is a collaboration among the Oregon Association of School Libraries, the State Library and the iSchool at the University of Washington. For more information, contact Patty Sorensen at (503) 378-5011 or email.
¡HOLA! GRANT PARTICIPANTS SELECTED
The Oregon Library Association's ¡HOLA! (Helping Oregon Libraries Achieve) Grant project provides an all-expenses-paid trip to the annual OLA/WLA conference April 16-18 in Vancouver, Washington. The ¡HOLA! Grant is designed to provide opportunities in small, rural libraries to send an employee to the annual OLA conference. Twenty Oregon libraries serving a population of 10,000 or less applied to send one of their employees to the conference, and ten applications were selected. The ten libraries awarded the grant are:
Adams Public Library
Gilliam
County Library
Helix Public Library
Lyons Public Library
North
Powder Public Library
Oakridge Public Library
Rainier Public Library
Sheridan Public Library
Ukiah Public/School Library
Wallowa Public
Library
The ¡HOLA! Grant project was developed by OLA, and made possible
with a generous gift from an anonymous donor. The grant will be available again
for the 2009 OLA conference.
APPLY FOR NEH PICTURING AMERICA INITIATIVE
The National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) new Picturing America initiative provides an innovative way for citizens of all ages to explore the history and character of America through some of our nation’s greatest works of art. Picturing America is a free resource that can be readily used in every classroom and public library in the country. Images of people, places, and events illustrating American history give citizens everywhere a chance to better understand our country’s past and its ideals. From the courage and leadership portrayed through Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware, to the power of American democracy shown through Norman Rockwell’s Freedom of Speech, these works of art represent enduring American ideals. These masterpieces open the viewer’s eyes to America’s rich history and culture while also providing an introduction to the broader world of the humanities. Picturing America is available to all eligible public, private, parochial, and charter and home school consortia (K-12), as well as public libraries in the United States and its territories. These organizations will receive:
·A set of 40 high-quality reproductions (approximately 24” x 36”) of great American art
·A teachers resource book
Detailed instructions as well as an online applicationis available now through April 15, 2008.
As I write this, Valentines Day has just come and gone. So I want to reflect on what is endearing to me. Librarians are endearing to me. And not just my wife, who is a fine and dedicated librarian, but all librarians and library workers are endearing to me. There are many reasons for this. For one, as a non-librarian recently commented to me, “Librarians are martyrs.” We are so willing to work so hard to serve everyone for so little reward. That’s endearing.
Another endearing quality of librarians is that we tend to be very self-critical, despite the fact, that in the great scheme of things, we have very little to be critical about. If you spend time reading the library blogs, this becomes apparent. I think it’s cute that we have such a propensity to beat ourselves up, when many of our library users think we walk on water.
For example, here’s a article in the January 4th Corvallis Gazette-Times that appeared in our clipping service recently. Columnist Pat Wray is writing about his “reading addiction” and how the Corvallis-Benton County serves as his enabler. Specifically, he mentions “a nice lady at the reference desk named Carrie Ottow” who effortlessly located a 1979 novel that he had forgotten the name and author of, and who then ordered it up on interlibrary loan so Wray could reread it. Wray comments, “Is this a great country — and a great library — or what?”
I think it is because librarians are so endearing that we were named one of 31 Best Careers for 2008by U.S. News & World Report: “Librarians these days must be high-tech information sleuths, helping researchers plumb the oceans of information available in books and digital records. It’s a underrated career.” Unlike attorneys, physicians, and architects, careers U.S. News considers “overrated.”
And then there is the best evidence
of all that librarians and libraries are endearing and beloved, respectively.
The cover story in the February issue of WIRED magazine is “Why Things
Suck, the 33 Things that Make Us Crazy.” And there, much to my delight, in a
sidebar entitled “Things
that Don’t Suck” are … public libraries! That the uber-hip, high tech
editors of WIRED would put libraries in this category is a real
breakthrough, I think. We are right in there with farmer’s markets, Netflix,
Guitar Hero, bicycles, and ice cream, no less. Feel the love. – Jim
Scheppke
Technical Assistance:
503-932-1004.
Library Development: 503-378-2525, MaryKay Dahlgreen, Val Vogt, Darci Hanning, Ann Reed, Patty Sorensen, Katie Anderson.
Talking Book
and Braille Services: 503-378-5389, Susan Westin.
Government
Research and Electronic Services: 503-378-5030, Robert
Hulshof-Schmidt.
State Librarian: 503-378-4367, Jim Scheppke.
LTLO Editor:
503-378-2464, Robin
Speer.
Letter to Libraries Online is published monthly by the Oregon State Library. Editorial office: LTLO, Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301-3950, 503-378-2464, editor: Robin Speer.
Letter to Libraries Online is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form on the publications page at the Oregon State Library's homepage: http://www.oregon.gov/OSL. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Oregon State Library. News items or articles should be sent to Robin Speer, or mailed to LTLO, Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301-3950.
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