[Libs-Or] LTLO August 2006
Arturo Guillen
arturo at www.osl.state.or.us
Tue Aug 1 10:16:41 PDT 2006
Letter To Libraries Online
An Electronic Newsletter of the
Oregon State Library
Volume 16, Issue 8 August 2006
***************************************************
LIBRARY BOARD NEWS
State Library Board Meets in Tillamook
STATE LIBRARY NEWS
Technology Training Offered
Focus on Children and Young Adults Institute
New Documents Repository Launches
State Library Offers NFB-Newsline Service
Library Laws of Oregon
PLINKIT-Open for Business!
IMLS Grant Awarded to Improve Tribal Libraries
OTHER LIBRARY NEWS
ESU and Library Partners Get IMLS Grant for
Scholarships
Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library Debuts
Crook and Jefferson Counties Square Off in Library
Read-A-Thon
Censorship in Schools and Libraries Exhibit Available
PS. (FROM THE STATE LIBRARIAN)
LIBRARY BOARD NEWS
====================
STATE LIBRARY BOARD MEETS IN TILLAMOOK
On August 18th, the State Library will get a sneak preview of the
nearly completed Tillamook County Main Library in Tillamook. Library
Director Sara Charlton will lead the Board on a tour of the
long-awaited 30,000 square foot building that is funded primarily
through a county-wide bond measure passed in 2003. The Board’s
business meeting will be held, beginning at 10:00 a.m., at the 911
Center in Tillamook. Doug Henrichs of Milton-Freewater will chair the
meeting which will feature library staff reports on the NFB-NEWSLINE
project, the Oregon Digital Documents Repository project and the
Plinkit content management system project. An "Open Forum" will be held
at 1:30 p.m. Any member of the public may address the Board in the
Open Forum.
STATE LIBRARY NEWS
===========================
TECHNOLOGY TRAINING OFFERED
The Oregon State Library and Oregon Library Association are pleased to
present a day- long workshop in four locations around the state that
will provide library staff with the most up to date information
available on emerging library technology and new technology trends for
libraries. Joe Ford, an experienced library consultant and educator
from Olympia, Washington, will conduct the workshops that will examine
the technologies, the services they provide and support, and planning,
preparation, and timing issues.
The workshop will be presented in the following four locations from
8:30 am until 4:30 pm: Sept 19, 2006 in Salem (Oregon State Library)
Sept 20, 2006 in Roseburg (Douglas County Library) Sept 22, 2006 in
Bend (Deschutes Public Library) Sept 25, 2006 in La Grande (Eastern
Oregon University, Pierce Library)
These workshops are funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Staying Connected grant. Public library staff will have priority
registration and the workshop will be free, including lunch. School
and academic library staff can register for the workshop but will need
to provide their own lunch (brown bag or pre-pay approx. $12.50). All
attendees will be required to pre-register.
These workshops are the first of a series that are being funded by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Staying Connected grant awarded to the
Oregon State Library. The other workshops will address public access
computing issues and will be presented in various locations around the
state in October and November, 2006. For more information contact
Darci Hanning or Val Vogt.
FOCUS ON CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS INSTITUTE
The Focus on Children and Young Adults Institute will take place
September 10-13 at the Menucha Retreat & Conference Center. An
informational flyer and registration form was mailed to library
directors and youth librarians July 26. New this year is a special day
long session on Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library. In addition
to the 25 Institute participants, we are inviting 15 more library staff
who serve children 0-5 to this special session on Wednesday, September
13. More information is on the State Library website
http://oregon.gov/OSL/LD/youthsvcs/. If you have any questions please
contact Katie Anderson at 503-378-2528, katie.anderson at state.or.us.
NEW DOCUMENTS REPOSITORY LAUNCHES
The State Library is pleased to announce the launch of the Oregon
Documents Repository. This online service provides ongoing access to
electronic copies of Oregon public documents. During the 2005
Legislative Session, HB2118 modified the existing depository program,
by requiring state agencies to provide electronic copies of all
publications to the State Library. Using the enterprise-wide content
management system agencies use to publish their online content, the
Library is able to identify new documents for inclusion in the
Repository. Library staff worked closely with depository libraries
around the state and with state agency staff to identify the best
methods for identifying, cataloging, and providing access to these
materials.
The Repository website is located at
http://egov.oregon.gov/OSL/GRES/REPOS/index.shtml. This site includes a
link to the catalog records for Repository documents, a brief history
of the project, and links to supporting statutes and administrative
rules. The Repository currently contains over 150 documents, and the
flow of materials to the library is steadily increasing. Also available
on the website is a link to ORNET, the Oregon New Electronic Titles
list. This service provides links to and brief information about items
that are added to the Repository each month. The Library is working
with depository libraries in the state to create a method for providing
catalog records for these materials similar to the system currently
used for print depository shipments. Catalog records for items in the
Repository will also be available to any interested Oregon library. If
you have any questions about this project, please feel free to contact
Arlene Weible, Cataloging Services Librarian,
arlene.weible at state.or.us.
STATE LIBRARY OFFERS NFB-NEWSLINE SERVICE
Starting in August, Oregonians who are blind, visually or physically
disabled, will be able to make a toll-free phone call to listen to The
Oregonian newspaper, other Oregon newspapers, and over 230 newspapers
from around the country, like the New York Times, the Washington Post,
and the Wall Street Journal. Access to NFB-NEWSLINE is free 24 hours a
day 7 days a week. This service is being offered through a partnership
between the State Library, Oregon Commission for the Blind and National
Federation of the Blind of Oregon. Please have your patrons contact
the Talking Book and Braille Services program at 1-800-452-0292 or
email tbabs.info at state.or.us to request an identification number and
password.
LIBRARY LAWS OF OREGON
Library Development Services is pleased to announce a new online
service for libraries: Library Laws of Oregon
http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/resources/laws. The laws are a selective
compilation of the laws, rules, and legal issues directly affecting all
types libraries in the state: public, academic, school and tribal.
Topics covered include libraries, library governance, library records,
special and county service districts, district elections, intellectual
freedom, and more. Also included is a history section, with a timeline
of how Oregon public library law has changed since the first law was
passed in 1901. The site can be found on the Library Development
Services homepage under "Resources for Libraries." Contents will be
updated after each Legislative session.
PLINKIT - OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
Plinkit is a free web-hosting solution for public libraries based on an
open source content management system. Funded by an LSTA grant and
originally developed by Eva Miller at the Multnomah County Library,
Plinkit was designed with public libraries and their patrons in mind
and comes with "built-in" content and plenty of features. The State
Library took over management and development last fall and has since
upgraded the core software, redesigned the layout, and incorporated new
features.
Features include the ability to edit the website directly from any web
browser, anywhere (and no need to know HTML!), news announcements, web
forms, public calendar of events and a staff-only calendar, easy-to-use
image galleries, remote access to databases for patrons, automatically
updated news headlines, RSS feeds, and links to numerous books reviews,
best-sellers lists, and other reader's advisory tools that are
automatically updated regularly. Each library that signs up to use
Plinkit receives hands-on training, a printed color training manual,
on-going support and access to online help - all for free!
Participating libraries are expected to regularly maintain their
Plinkit site and take part in on-going training as new features such as
online forums and blogs are made available.
Several public libraries around the state have already begun using
Plinkit for their website including Tillamook County Library, Newberg
Public Library, and the Union County Library District Project
http://www.plinkit.org/plinkit-libraries/.
The State Library will begin accepting new requests for Plinkit sites
on August 14. If you are interested in learning more about Plinkit,
check out http://www.plinkit.org/ or contact Darci Hanning,
503-378-2527, darci.hanning at state.or.us, for sign-up information
starting on August 14.
IMLS GRANT AWARDED TO IMPROVE TRIBAL LIBRARIES
The Oregon State Library, in partnership with the Western Council of
State Libraries, the American Indian Library Association, and the
Oklahoma Department of Libraries will participate in a three year
$594,757 grant to provide educational opportunities to 1,000 tribal and
non-tribal staff members in tribal libraries, museums, and archives.
The grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services will fund
"Preserving Language, Memory and Lifeways: A Continuing Education
Project for the 21st Century." Project activities include the
sponsorship of national conferences (the 2009 Conference will be in
Oregon), three immersion institutes, and a comprehensive Web site.
OTHER LIBRARY NEWS
====================
ESU AND LIBRARY PARTNERS GET IMLS GRANT FOR SCHOLARSHIPS
The Emporia State University School of Library and Information
Management was recently awarded an IMLS grant in the amount of
$857,754 to fund the Emporia Diversity Initiative. This grant program
will provide scholarships to the Emporia undergraduate, MLS and
Doctoral programs for minority library staff in Oregon, Kansas and
Colorado. The program will also focus on library mentoring and
retention strategies.
In Oregon, the Oregon State Library, the Multnomah County Public
Library and the Portland Community College Library will partner with
Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management
to carry out this project over the next three years. Candidates, who
must be currently employed by either a partner library or an Oregon
tribal library, will receive full scholarships to Emporia State
University and earn undergraduate, master’s, or doctoral library
science degrees. The project will also include students and partner
agencies in Kansas and Colorado.
The application deadline for the Masters Degree program will be
February 1, 2007. Further information on these scholarships, admission
requirements and application timelines will be made available in late
August or early September. Please direct inquires to:
Multnomah County Library Leila Wrathall, Human Resources Manager,
Leila.wrathall at co.multnomah.or.us
Portland Community College Libraries Sheila Afnans-Manns, Reference &
Instruction Librarian,Sheila.afnanmanns15 at pcc.edu
Oregon State Library Lee Rengert, Personnel Manager,
Lee.a.rengert at state.or.us
Emporia State University Dr. John Agada, Professor,
agadajoh at emporia.edu
OREGON SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DIGITAL LIBRARY DEBUTS
Starting in 2005, the Portland State University Library set out on an
ambitious project to create a web-based central repository of reports,
memoranda, digital images, maps, and other hard-to-find ephemeral
documents related to public planning and policy for the Portland Metro
area. The Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library project, led by
Rose Jackson, has partnered with planning department of Portland State
University, Metro, TriMet, Oregon Historical Society, and the City of
Portland Archives. The project hopes to eventually expand throughout
the State of Oregon. See the test website at:
http://oscdl.research.pdx.edu.
CROOK AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES SQUARE OFF IN
LIBRARY READ-A-THON
The Crook County Library and the Jefferson County Library have teamed
up for an innovative summer reading promotion for adults. Which county
will be the first to see their residents read one million pages this
summer? The Crook County Library challenged the Jefferson County
Library to see which neighboring county in Central Oregon had the best
readers. The contest began on June 20th and will conclude on August
21st. The counties have roughly the same size populations, so they are
evenly matched. Library users are given a bookmark when they check out
their books to record the pages and turn in the next time they visit
the library. The Jefferson County Library has a somewhat smaller
collection and their circulation is currently less than Crook's, but
Director Sally Beasley is undaunted. She told the Prineville
newspaper, "We may be small but we're feisty.. bring on your readers!"
CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES EXHIBIT AVAILABLE
In planning an exhibit for Banned Books week the last week in September
or another time of the year, you may wish to consider the 2006 edition
of the exhibit, "Censorship in Schools and Libraries" available from
the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship. The exhibit presents 30
illustrations of the history of censorship in public schools and
libraries, highlighting incidents of censorship that have occurred in
the United States during the last 150 years. Included are descriptions
of the censorship of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, In the Night
Kitchen, The Catcher in the Rye, and the novels of Judy Blume and
Robert Cormier. U.S. Supreme Court decisions and lower court decisions
are an integral part of the exhibit. Excerpts from the exhibit are on
their web site www.the- licac.org, "Censorship in Schools and
Libraries" and excerpts. The cost of the exhibit including mailing
charges is $38.00 postpaid by check or money order. You may order the
exhibit by sending an e-mail to coalcen at juno.com or a purchase order to
the Long Island Coalition Against Censorship, PO Box 296, Port
Washington, N.Y. 11050. If you need additional information contact us
coalcen at juno.com or call (516) 944-9799.
PS. (FROM THE STATE LIBRARIAN)
==============================
Kevin Kelly is brilliant. There's been lots of buzz about the senior
editor of WIRED magazine's May, 2006, article in the New York Times
Magazine entitled "Scan this Book!"* Kelly makes a compelling case for
the inevitability of the universal digital library, despite the
disruption to the status quo (including traditional libraries) that
entails. If you haven’t read this article yet, you must.
But this isn't the only piece by Kelly that caught my attention in the
past few months. He also runs a website called Cool Tools, the aim of
which is to call attention to "stuff that is extraordinary, better than
similar products, little-known, and reliably useful for an individual
or small group."
The cool tool for June 27, 2006: "digital library cards"
(http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001285.php) which is Kelly’s term
for licensed library database content. As a writer, Kelly has a
frequent need for journal articles and newspaper articles. He is
particularly fond of JSTOR, the archive of over 600 academic journals.
Kelly has a "digital library card" (really just a library card) from
his local library, the San Francisco Public Library, but to satisfy his
need for even more content, he purchases a card from the New York
Public Library for $100 a year. Yes, they are available to anyone
online by mail. Kelly is aware that most libraries offer "digital
library cards" and he does recommend checking with your local library
first before shelling out $100 for an NYPL card.
It does my heart good when Kelly writes: "Just last night I was able to
delve deep into scholarly journals to answer some questions that
nothing on the Google-web could offer."
But his piece is indicative of the problems libraries have had in
marketing our digital library resources. As usual, we have been pretty
inept at marketing, beginning with the problem of branding. What do we
call this service? Kelly had to make up his own name, "digital library
card." He also refers to what libraries offer as “the Invisible Web -
that part of the WWW that hides behind passwords and subscription
fees." This is a term that has been around for a few years, but it
really doesn’t work as a brand. Is "databases" a good brand? Maybe
for academic libraries, but for all public and school libraries, I have
my doubts. Presenting users with a list of specific database names
isn’t a good idea. What the heck is MasterFILE Premier anyway?
In addition to the marketing problem, I think we still have a problem
with user- friendliness. As I said before, Kelly is brilliant, so it’s
not surprising that he doesn’t appear to have any problems learning to
use his "digital library card." But what about the average person? I
think the interfaces for most library databases are intimidating and
hard to use. I do like the new EBSCO Student Research Center, targeted
to school library users, with its attractive graphics and easy,
Google-like search box. How about branding this interface for the
run-of-the mill public library user?
Because of our problems with branding, marketing and user-friendliness,
it shouldn’t be surprising that our digital library resources are
greatly under-utilized. But this is a solvable problem. These really
are cool tools! Kelly’s piece validates that. -- Jim Scheppke
*http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/magazine/14publishing.html?ex=1305259200&en
=c07443d368771bb8&ei=5090
***********************************************************************
LETTER TO LIBRARIES ONLINE (ISSN 1059-3195) is published monthly by the
Oregon State Library. Editorial offices: LTLO, Oregon State Library,
250 Winter Street NE, Salem, OR 97301-3950. Editor: Robin Speer,
503-378-2464 or e-mail robin.d.speer at state.or.us
LETTER TO LIBRARIES ONLINE is available free of charge and is available
only in electronic form on the publications page at the Oregon State
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