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News Monthly Newsletter May 2003 |
Contents: National Library Legislative Day - Bill Morris LSTA Advisory Council Spring Meeting - Missy Lodge State Library Board Report 19th Annual Ohio Talking Book Conference - Judy Bow There Is Nothing More Constant Than Change - Jay Burton Library Levies & Bond Issues |
National Library Legislative DayIn addition to telling the Ohio story, the participants carried specific messages of importance |
Bill Morris Executive Assistant to the State Librarian |
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Twenty-two enthusiastic Ohio library advocates joined more than 500 colleagues from around the country for the 29th annual National Library Legislative Day on May 13, in Washington DC. The American Library Association sponsored the event.
The group, representing public, academic and special libraries across the state, informed Ohio members of Congress about the current state of affairs in Ohio libraries. In addition to telling the Ohio story, the participants carried specific messages on several issues of importance to libraries at the national level.
The President's budget includes a request to fund the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) at $207.5 million for FY 2004. Senate Bill 888, the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003, includes Reauthorization of the Library Services and Technology Act at an authorized funding level of $250 million. The House version of the bill, HR 13, was passed by the full House on March 6 at an authorized funding level of $210 million. The message was to adopt the Senate version of the bill with the higher authorized funding amount. The Senate Bill was passed out of committee the day after Library Legislative Day.
The message was to fund the Literacy Through School Libraries portion of the ESEA at least at the $100 million level so the state allocation formula will go into effect ensuring funding for all states. The Administration's proposal would fund the program at $27.5 million.
The message was to do no harm to the carefully balanced copyright laws in place and avoid placing costly barriers between facts, government information, etc., and their uses for research and educational purposes.
Finally, the message on universal service or E-Rate, was one of thanks for continuing to support the program which benefits schools and libraries through the provision of discounted telecommunications rates.
LSTA Advisory Council Spring Meeting |
Missy Lodge Library Programs Administrator |
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The LSTA Advisory Council spring meeting was held April 23, 2003 at the State Library.
A key item on the agenda was the Libraries Connect of Ohio (OhioLINK, OPLIN, INFOhio) proposal for a statewide core electronic information collection (shared databases). The proposal will provide a common set of reference resources to every user of every school, public or academic library in Ohio that will be accessible within the library, at home, or at work. Databases were selected that would assist in providing educational resources from K-college and that would also address the research needs of the general public. Included in the collection are: 13 literature collections from Chadwyck Healey, 30 newspapers through Newsbank, 100 reference works through Oxford Reference Online, Access Science, AMICO art and museum images and the Britannica Online sets, including a Spanish language encyclopedia.
The proposal will provide a common set of reference |
The LSTA Advisory Council recommended to the State Library Board that the Core Electronic Information Collection be funded through FY08, pending the availability of LSTA funds. The proposal was approved by the State Library Board at their May 29 meeting. Librarians can look forward to seeing publicity about the new databases from the information network providers in the near future and the databases will be available to libraries and users shortly after July 1.
This proposal is exciting for two reasons. The first, of course, is the range of information resources that will now be available to Ohioans. Perhaps more importantly, the recommendation of the electronic information collection represents a new direction for the Advisory Council, as this is one of the first statewide, long-term proposals to be recommended by the Advisory Council. Although the Advisory Council has initiated other statewide projects, such as the School Library Study and the "Your School Library" video, these were one time financial commitments. The Advisory Council continues to discuss another statewide, long-term project, the provision of 24-7 virtual reference service.
The Council also discussed two items that will have an impact on the LSTA grant programs. The first was a clarification on the criteria for mobile lab grants. The LSTA Advisory Council reaffirmed that mobile labs can be an effective and efficient solution to space concerns, but in order to be funded an LSTA proposal must show that the lab will be used to support the mission of the library.
One of the activities listed under Goal 1 of the LSTA Five-Year Plan is the investigation and possible establishment of a Conference Grant Program. The Council established a task-force to establish criteria for a conference grant program. Criteria will include a rubric for evaluation, a review process, and timelines for the program. The task-force plans to have the criteria completed for the full Council to review by July 1.
Lois Szudy, Director of the Courtright Memorial Library at Otterbein College was welcomed as a new Council member. Ellen Stepanian was thanked for her work as Chair of the Advisory Council. Holly Carroll, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library is the incoming chair.
The complete minutes of the LSTA Advisory Council meeting can be found at http://winslo.state.oh.us/publib/lstaadvi.html
At the May Board meeting, the State Library Board awarded $995,747 in Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds for the Libraries Connect grant.
The Libraries Connect of Ohio (OhioLINK, OPLIN, INFOhio) grant will provide a statewide core electronic information collection of shared databases. This common set of reference database resources will be available to every user of every school, public or academic library in Ohio.
Carol Roddy, Executive Director of the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) described how a joint committee, made up of five members of each of the three groups, chose the core databases. She said that one major concern was the matching funding from the three groups, given the budget situation. All three groups were committed to backing this project. The other major concern was promoting usage of the databases.
Ann Baines, Board President, asked about the current volume of database usage. All three groups reported that usage and the number of requests were up dramatically. They also said they were going to revisit what and how they count database usage.
Wright State University will act as the fiscal body for the Libraries Connect grant. Twenty percent of the databases will be permanently purchased.
David Miller, Board member, expressed concern regarding the timing of the grant, given the current budget situation. He felt that the General Assembly would see the amount of money, not the federal source of the funds and decide that ... "If you've got the money to do that, you don't need more GRF funds."
General discussion continued. Since libraries have been cutting back, they need access to these database resources and patrons want it. The grant will also help poor library districts that can not afford the resources.
After discussion the grant proposal was approved by a 4 to 1 vote.
The Board approved a reduction of $1,237 in LSTA funds to the Cincinnati Public Schools/Whittier Elementary school. This is corrects the funding level of a minigrant approved at the March Board meeting.
Roger Verny, Deputy State Librarian, discussed the statewide 24/7 reference project. The LSTA Advisory Council had asked the State Library to discuss the ethics of the project process with the Attorney General's office. The Council had asked NOLA Regional Library System and CLEVNET to work together to submit a proposal to provide 24/7 reference service statewide. NOLA and CLEVNET both have representatives on the LST Advisory Council. The State Library also received an unsolicited proposal. The Council recommended that the NOLA/CLEVNET proposal be funded if the Attorney General's Office had no problems with the process.
Kate Oklok, Assistant Attorney General, told the Board that the process was considered flawed. It was inappropriate for the two organizations to be at the table during discussions of the project.
In the discussion that followed, all agreed that the intentions of all involved were honorable. The Advisory Council asked for the Attorney General's opinion. The discussion centered around what to do now. Putting out an Request for Proposal (RFP) was discussed and what issues would need to be addressed in the RFP.
After conclusion of the discussion, the Board directed that an RFP for statewide virtual reference to released.
Holly Carroll, Director, Willoughby Eastlake Public Library and incoming LSTA Advisory Council Chair, and Pamela Hickson-Stevenson, Director, Portage County District Library and incoming President of the Board of Trustees for the NOLA Regional Library System, expressed disappointment at the decision. NOLA and CLEVNET did everything the LSTA Advisory council asked and invested time and effort in the process. They suggested that the Board send a letter to both groups, explaining the decision.
Michael S. Lucas, State Librarian, updated the Board on the current status of the State Library budget. The Senate issued its budget, which reflects the amounts in the House budget with an additional $90,000 for the regional library systems in each year of the biennium.
Mr. Lucas also discussed the National Legislative Day, held in Washington DC on May 13. Ohio had twenty two participants who met with congressional representatives and their aides to discuss LSTA reauthorization and other issues. Currently, the LSTA appropriation levels are different in the Senate and House versions.
Dennis Van Sickle, Director of Human Resources, updated the Board on the status of labor contracts.
Mr. Lucas introduced Debra Dyer, the new Network Administrator for the MORE statewide resource sharing project and Cheryl Lubow, the new Research Librarian to the Board.
The Board voted to adopt Administrative Rule 3375-3-01, Depository Libraries for Materials Incorporated by Reference. The Rule will become effective in July.
The next meeting of the State Library Board will be held Thursday, June 26 at 1:00 in Columbus.
For the minutes of State Library Board meetings, go to http://winslo.state.oh.us/boardmin.html.
19th Annual Ohio Talking Book ConferenceDigital technology, disability awareness, and an interesting future |
Judy Bow Head Talking Book Program |
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On May 9, approximately 60 people who work in some capacity for the Ohio Talking Book Program gathered at the State Library of Ohio for the 19th annual Ohio Talking Book Conference.
Through the Talking Book Program, individuals who are unable to read normal print because of blindness, visual or physical handicap, or reading disability are eligible to borrow books on cassette, as well as the equipment to play them. The federal government provides the cassette books and equipment. In Ohio, many individuals and agencies play a role in bringing the service to eligible readers.
Once a year these participants gather for an opportunity |
Two regional libraries, in the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and in the Cleveland Public Library, circulate the books. The State Library loans the cassette players and coordinates the program statewide. Assisting with the distribution of the equipment are 64 machine sublending agencies (SLAs) around the state. Volunteer repair people, primarily members of the Telephone Pioneers and the General Electric Senior Elfuns, keep the equipment in good, working condition.
Once a year these participants gather for an opportunity to exchange ideas, learn more about the program, and plan for the year ahead.
This year, after greetings from Michael Lucas, State Librarian, attendees heard from Donald Smith, Head of the Quality Assurance Section at NLS, who devoted much of his presentation to an explanation of NLS's plans for a digital talking book to be introduced in the year 2008. The new technology is expected to improve the tone quality of the books and the ease and efficiency of the delivery of the program. Because any change in the program will affect nearly three million eligible users and require several hundred million dollars in investment, all proposals for change must be carefully reviewed and evaluated. At this time, it seems most likely that flash memory will be the medium used for the new digital technology. It is anticipated, however, that the current cassette players will remain in use for about 10 years after the new digital equipment is available.
Another guest speaker was Lois Burke, from the Office of Disability Services at Ohio State University. One of the eligible conditions for receiving talking books is reading disability, and she described variations of this condition, giving examples of how some affected students read, showing writing samples from some of them, and discussing how talking books can help them.
Maureen Gregory, from the Cincinnati Association for the Blind, spoke about "When You Meet a Blind Person," which was aimed at creating awareness among participants. Her presentation included blindfolding half of the audience and having them led by the other half.
Kevin Watson, Repair Officer at NLS, led the repair people in a half-day repair workshop. Kevin was formerly audio-visual repairperson on the SLO Talking Book Program staff, and had worked previously with many of the volunteers. Approximately 18% to 20% of the talking book machine inventory is repaired each year, entirely by volunteers.
Heads of the two regional libraries in Ohio, in Cincinnati and Cleveland, reported on the news of their libraries. Although hampered by budget cuts and the resulting program reductions, Donna Foust, regional librarian from Cincinnati, and Barbara Mates, regional librarian from Cleveland, reported on busy years. The machine lending agency at SLO has had a busy year also, and Judy Bow reported that three more public libraries have joined the program during the past year. The new SLAs are the Huron Public Library, the Loudonville Public Library, and the Mary Lou Johnson-Hardin County District Library.
At the end of the day, conference participants went away knowing a little bit more about digital technology, reading disability, and disability awareness, and looking forward to an interesting future for the talking book program.
There Is Nothing More Constant Than ChangeEven At The State Library |
Jay Burton Head Library Programs & Development |
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We've made three significant changes at the State Library and believe they'll enhance our ability to continue providing good customer service.
In response to direction from the State Library Board and to best deal with the recent budget reductions we have reassigned a number of staff, including the library consultants.
The Library Programs & Development consultants are not assigned to specific specialties as we have had in the past, but rather all are assigned as general library consultants. Each consultant has a wide variety of library experience as well as a Masters Degree in Library Science. The department will continue to focus our efforts in three basic areas:
The State Library is pleased to announce that beginning with the 2004 program, we will be part of the 23 state Collaborative Summer Library Program. This collaborative effort combines creative and organizational skills in producing the materials for libraries to conduct a successful summer reading program. Information about the collaborative can be found on their web site at http://www.summerlibraryprogram.org
Details about next year's program and specific details will be made available as they develop. The 2004 theme will be "Discover New Trails @ Your Library." The tentative theme for 2005 is "Imagine Dragons, Dreams & Daring Deeds."
Youth service librarians will enjoy the same basic program including a manual, artwork and incentives that are created under the direction of the collaborative members by the Highsmith Company. Highsmith commissions professional artists and writers to create the materials that will be made available to each public library system and branches, free of charge.
If you have questions, please feel fee to contact Jay Burton at 614-466-5511 or at lpd@sloma.state.oh.us
In partnership with the seven regional library systems and with funds made available through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the State Library is pleased to announce that statewide training sessions on basic EBSCOhost and SIRS Discoverer database skills are now being held.
We invite you to send staff needing basic skills training to these free, hands on training opportunities. Registration, including dates and times of available workshops can be found at: http://www.slocem.lib.oh.us
In addition to the face to face sessions, we are developing online training resources that will enable staff to sharpen skills or learn the basics when a face to face class is not available. In the Librarian's Tool Kit at http://winslo.state.oh.us/services/LPD/tk_train.html, you can find:
Watch for information regarding these and more exciting State Library activities.
Library Levies & Bond IssuesMay 6, 2003 |
| Library | County | Millage | % Of Vote For |
New/Renew Add'l |
Duration Years |
Amount Generated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOND | ||||||
| Medina County District Library | Medina | 1.000 | 51% | New | 20 | $42,300,000 |
| Lakewood Public Library | Cuyahoga | 1.250 | 60% | Expansion | 20 | $12,500,000 |
| LEVY | ||||||
| Cleveland Public Library | Cuyahoga | 5.800 | 60% | Rnwl/add'l | 5 | $31,500,000/yr |
| 3 mill renewal and 2.8 mil additional | ||||||
| Delphos Public Library | Allen | 0.600 | 88% | Renewal | 5 | $50,000/yr |
| Delta Public Library | Fulton | 1.000 | 45% | Replace | 5 | $140,500/yr |
| Huron Public Library | Erie | 0.080 | 59% | Replace | 5 | $212,424 |
| Lakewood Public Library | Cuyahoga | 1.250 | 54% | Add'l | Cont. | $1,000,000/yr |
| Reed Memorial Library | Portage | 1.610 | 58% | New | 30 | $519,000/yr |
| 1 mil for construction and .61 mil for operating | ||||||
| Wayne County Public Library | Wooster | 1.000 | 49% | Replace | 5 | $1,700,000/yr |
| Westlake Porter Public Library | Cuyahoga | 2.500 | 48% | Replace/add't | 5 | $2,900,000/yr |
| 2 mil replacement plus .5 mil additional | ||||||
