[Libs-Or] Letter to Libraries Online - July 2010

[April Baker]

Letter To Libraries Online

An Electronic Newsletter from the Oregon State Library.......Volume 20, Issue 7, July 2010



Library Board News


GOVERNOR ORDERS GENERAL FUND REDUCTION

On June 22nd Governor Kulongoski ordered the implementation of the General Fund reduction plans that were submitted to him earlier in the month. He only made one exception to the plans that were submitted, and that was for the Department of Corrections. The State Library's plan was approved by the State Library Board on June 11th at their meeting at the Seaside Public Library. The plan cuts $156,780 from the State Library budget for 2009-11. The Governor requested plans from all agencies that have General Funds in response to the latest state revenue forecast that shows a $577 million hole in the current two-year budget. About 26% of the cut would come from the Library's operations budget. No programs and services would be impacted and no staff would be affected. The savings would come from projected ending balances, mostly for personnel costs. The remaining 74% (115,987) would come from the Ready to Read Grant program. Grants to public libraries in the second year of the biennium would be reduced by 15% from the amount awarded last December in the first year of the biennium, except for small libraries that are guaranteed a $1,000 minimum grant. Larger libraries would see reductions of 17% under the plan that the Board adopted. If the reductions were to take place, Ready to Read Grants in 2010-11 would be reduced from 94 cents per child to 79 cents per child.

BOARD WILL REQUEST A FLAT BUDGET FOR 2011-13

Faced with the prospect of a $2.7 billion state revenue shortfall in the next biennium, the Board decided at its June 11th meeting to request only a 2.2% increase in the State Library's budget for 2011-13. The Board decided not to request additional funds for the Ready to Read Grant Program, but to try to preserve funding at 94 cents per child per year. The Library will not ask to restore a staff position that was lost in Talking Book and Braille Services in 2009, even though use of the program is growing with the advent of digital talking books. The only addition that will be requested will be a two-year project to restore rare and fragile documents in the Library special collections that a consultant has indicated are at risk. The project would be funded with the assessment that the Library charges state agencies for service, not from the General Fund.

In other Board action, the Board approved inviting 17 libraries and other organizations to submit full applications for LSTA Grants in 2011, as recommended by the LSTA Advisory Council. The projects proposed earlier in the year total nearly $663,000. They also accepted the Council's recommendation to provide ongoing funding of $10,000 per year, using LSTA funds, to support the Oregon Battle of the Books, sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries. The Board also approved the annual plan to use donation funds to enhance Talking Book and Braille Services, approved a procedure for the evaluation of the State Librarian, and approved the biennial evaluation of tax expenditures under ORS 307.160.

DOUG HENRICHS COMPLETES TWO TERMS ON THE STATE LIBRARY BOARD

The State Library Board celebrated Doug Henrichs' seven years of service to the State Library at a luncheon on June 11th. State Librarian Jim Scheppke thanked Henrichs of Milton-Freewater for his many contributions to the work of the Library. Henrichs was appointed to the Board by Governor Kulongoski in 2003 to complete an unexpired term of three years. The Governor then reappointed Henrichs to the Board in 2006. He served as Chair of the Board in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Henrichs represented the interests of libraries in Eastern Oregon and was instrumental in the Library's support of the Sage Library System's efforts to transition to an open source integrated library system, a transition that is now underway with support from LSTA funds. He attended many meetings of the Eastern Oregon Library Association to learn about the needs of libraries in his part of the state, in addition to his long commutes to attend State Library Board meetings. Henrichs is pastor of the First Community Church in Milton-Freewater. His service to libraries also includes a term on the State Advisory Council on Libraries (now the LSTA Advisory Council), two terms on the City of Milton-Freewater Public Library Board, and serving as President of the Library Foundation of Milton-Freewater. In the latter role he led efforts to raise $2.6 million to build the Milton-Freewater Public Library building that was completed in 2003. Scheppke thanked Henrichs for recruiting his replacement, Aletha Bonebrake of Baker City. He noted that with Bonebrake, the Library will continue to have very strong representation on the Board from Eastern Oregon.
State Library News


ROBERT HULSHOF-SCHMIDT ELECTED OLA PRESIDENT

The Oregon Library Association just completed its election of officers for 2010 - 2011. Robert Hulshof-Schmidt, Program Manager for Government Research Services at the State Library was elected Vice-President/President-Elect; he will then serve as OLA President in 2011 - 2012. Robert manages 22 staff who provide library and information services for state government agencies and employees, including research, document delivery, training, and Oregon and Federal documents. Since his return to Oregon in 2005, he has been active in OLA, working with the conference committees in 2006, 2008, and 2009, coordinating the archives, and serving on the ACRL-OR Board.

KATIE ANDERSON REPRESENTS THE LIBRARY ON THE EARLY LEARNING MATTERS COMMITTEE

In May Governor Ted Kulongoski announced the Early Childhood Matters Advisory Council which will be responsible for building a comprehensive, statewide early childhood system to improve school readiness. Creating this Council makes Oregon eligible for up to $1 million in federal funds for this work through the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007. The first charge of the Early Childhood Matters Advisory Council is to write a grant to apply for this federal funding. There are three committees under the Early Childhood Matters Advisory Council: Health Matters, Family Matters, and Early Learning Matters. Each committee will convene this summer to recommend activities to be included in the federal grant application. On Wednesday, June 2nd the State Library's Youth Services Consultant, Katie Anderson, participated in the first meeting of the Early Learning Matters committee. Please watch for updates and information throughout the summer. For more information, please read the Governor's press release<http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/P2010/press_052710a.shtml> and section (b)(1)(A) on page 4 of the Head Start Act of 2007<http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hsd/SCO/Head_Start_Act_of_2007_State_Collaboration.pdf>.

NINE OREGON LIBRARY STAFF SELECTED FOR NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The State Library is pleased to announce that nine applicants from Oregon public libraries have been selected as Fellows in the Institute of Museum and Library Services Western Regional Fellowship: Transforming Life After 50.

The Fellows from Oregon will be:
Corey Bard, Library Director, Curry Public Library District, Gold Beach
Kenneth Hobson, Adult Services Coordinator, Driftwood Public Library, Lincoln City
Hanna Hofer, Library Assistant, Canby Public Library, Canby
Sandy House, Library Assistant, Langlois Public Library, Langlois
Christine Mackie, Adult Services Librarian, Woodburn Public Library, Woodburn
Linda Malone, Senior Librarian for Adult Services, West Linn Public Library, West Linn
Colleen Shaw, Senior Library Assistant, Cottage Grove Public Library, Cottage Grove
Karen Travillion, Adult Outreach and Reference Librarian, Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland
Mary Wise, Senior Librarian, Beaverton City Library, Beaverton

Led by a partnership between the California State Library, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Oregon State Library, and Washington State Library, the Fellowship will introduce 93 selected public library staff from eleven states to a new framework for serving and engaging midlife adults, ages 50+. The Fellowship will re-examine traditional views on aging and explore innovative ways in which public libraries can become centers of productive aging, lifelong learning, and civic engagement. The Fellowship will run from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 and includes a three-day training institute that will take place in Portland this fall. The year-long program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Institute for Museum and Library Services, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

MORE PATRONS THAN EVER ARE DOWNLOADING BOOKS FROM TBABS

These days, Talking Book and Braille Services patrons are getting their books faster than ever - by direct on-demand download. That's right, the new digital collection of audio books from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) is also available online for download. BARD - the Braille and Audio Reading Download - is provided by the NLS for patrons who are eligible for service. Right now, TBABS and the NLS have provided 23,441 downloaded titles to nearly 500 print-disabled Oregonians. To view the BARD interface and read about how TBABS patrons can register, visit the TBABS website<http://nlsbard.loc.gov/OR1A>.

2010 READY TO READ GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

Ready to Read Grant application packets were mailed the last week of June. Library Directors and Children's Librarians should now have the packets which contain the application, list of proposed grants, and answers to frequently asked questions about the Ready to Read Grant program. The application is also available on the State Library website<http://oregon.gov/OSL/LD/youthsvcs/aboutready.shtml> to download, complete, and mail. Applications must be postmarked August 31, 2010 to qualify for the grant. For more information contact Katie Anderson<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us> (503)378-2528.

In May of this year, Governor Kulongoski ordered agencies to plan for across the board cuts of their General Fund budgets. On June 11th the State Library Board approved our plan which includes reductions to the Ready to Read Grant Program of 15% from the amount granted to qualifying public libraries in the first year of the 2009-11 biennium. Because smaller libraries are guaranteed a $1,000 minimum grant, most larger libraries will see a 17% reduction in 2010-2011 under this plan. The overall grant budget is $611,352, a reduction from 94¢ per child to 79¢ per child.
Other Library News


STORYCORPS TO VISIT MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY

Each year, select museums and libraries with outstanding records of community service receive the Institute of Museum and Library Services' (IMLS) National Medal for Museum and Library Service<http://www.imls.gov/news/2009/100609.shtm>, the nation's highest honor for museums and libraries. Multnomah County Library won this prestigious award in 2009. This year, for the first time, personal stories demonstrating the ongoing impact of these award-winning institutions will be documented through a cooperative agreement between IMLS and StoryCorps<http://storycorps.org/>, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and sharing the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs.

On August 12-14 facilitators with StoryCorps' Door-to-Door Program will help pairs of participants record a conversation about the Multnomah County Library. Interviewees will include staff, patrons, community members, and others who have first-hand knowledge of the Library. During each three-day visit, facilitators will record as many as 18 interviews, each of which lasts 40 minutes. At the end of each interview, StoryCorps will give a CD copy of the interview to participants and to the Library. One interview from each recording event will be edited into a StoryCorps-style segment provided to the host institution and posted on the IMLS Web site.

ATTEND A PRESERVATION FOCUS GROUP IN EUGENE OR PORTLAND, JULY 15 AND JULY 16

Oregon library staff is invited to attend one of two free meetings being held in Eugene and Portland on July 15th and July 16th, respectively. Your input is needed to make a successful plan. The dates of additional fall season meetings in Pendleton, Medford, and Bend will be announced as they are finalized. By attending one of these meetings you can help the heritage community, archives, libraries, and museums plan a better future for Oregon's heritage collections. A grant from the federal Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS) to the Oregon Museum Association on behalf of archive, library, and museum partners throughout Oregon is making it possible for us to take stock of our preservation, training, and disaster preparedness needs. From this a statewide preservation plan to address those needs will be developed. The plan is a necessary first step to secure funding for implementation. Refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP by emailing Ruth Metz<mailto:ruthmetz at spiretech.com>. You may also email your questions to Ruth Metz.

Meeting Details:
EUGENE
Thursday, July 15, 2010, 1:30-3:30, Eugene Public Library, 2nd floor, Singer Room
100 W 10th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401
Directions and Parking<http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=492&PageID=885&cached=true&mode=2&userID=2>

PORTLAND
Friday, July 16th, 1:30-3:30 p.m., The Oregon Historical Society, the Madison Room, 1200 SW Park Ave. Portland, OR
Directions and Parking<http://ohs.org/visit-ohs/locations-directions-parking.cfm>. Public transit is recommended; street parking may be limited.

OSU PRESS BOOKS RECOGNIZED AS OUTSTANDING

Three recent books from Oregon State University Press received ratings of Outstanding in the 2010 University Press Books Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries bibliography. The bibliography defines outstanding titles "as having exceptional editorial content and subject matter. They are essential editions to most library collections."

The three titles are:
-Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities by Jeff Mapes of Portland, Oregon;
-Living with Bugs: Least-Toxic Solutions to Everyday Bug Problems by Jack DeAngelis of Corvallis, Oregon;
-The Way of the Woods: Journeys Through American Forests by Linda Underhill of Wellsville, New York.

The bibliography is an annual collection development tool published by two divisions of the American Library Association (ALA): the American Association of School Librarians and the Public Library Association. It was released at the 2010 ALA Conference in Washington, DC.
P.S. (From the State Librarian)


On June 5th the Oregon Library Association presented its Legislator of the Year award to State Representative Peter Buckley of Ashland for his work on behalf of libraries in the 2009 Legislature. Representative Buckley, as co-chair of the Ways and Means Committee, not only helped prevent serious budget cuts to programs like the Ready to Read Grant program, he sponsored what we hope will turn out to be landmark legislation to bring back school libraries in our state.

HB 2586<http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measures/hb2500.dir/hb2586.en.html> was a brilliant piece of legislation that was conceived and developed by Representative Buckley in response to an email from a constituent. The constituent was Anne Billeter, a retired librarian and former OLA President. The email contained a column I had written in this space about the sorry state of school libraries and what the Oregon Association of School Libraries was trying to do about it. As a former chair of the House Education Committee, Buckley was no doubt familiar with the fact that every school district, by law, was required to develop a continuous improvement plan that had to be approved by the Oregon Department of Education. Why not require every school district to plan for "a strong school library program"? That was the key idea that now is part of state law thanks to HB 2586.

But it takes more than a good idea to pass a bill in the Oregon Legislature. It takes highly skilled lobbyists like Nan Heim and her associate Amy Goodman who began, at the beginning of the session, to gather co-sponsors for the bill. Within a few weeks they had 28 co-sponsors, about a third of the entire body! There were Republicans and Democrats in the House and the Senate who signed on. Nan says she could have gotten many more, but for the fact that the bill needed to be filed so it could get a bill number. Constituents were calling their members about it and it was causing confusion.

HB 2586 passed in 2009 without a single 'no' vote in either the House or Senate. Today it is the policy of the State of Oregon that every school district must plan for "a strong school library program."

What explains the immediate appeal of this concept to Legislators? I think it's that most people get it that strong libraries must be part of the answer to having more of our children become proficient readers. As in most states, reading skills in Oregon are not what they should be. According to the latest National Assessment of Education Progress (a respected national reading test), only one out of three eight graders in Oregon is a proficient reader, and for low income children, it's only one out of five. And what's worse is the fact that the NAEP reading scores have not shown any improvement in Oregon since 1998.

Strong school libraries, working closely with public libraries, can turn these number around. Beginning at birth and continuing through school, libraries are the key to having more of Oregon's children become proficient readers. The members of the Oregon Legislature seem to get that. Now let's hope that school administrators and local school boards get it too. - Jim Scheppke
Contacts at the Oregon State Library


Library Development: 503-378-2525, MaryKay Dahlgreen<mailto:marykay.dahlgreen at state.or.us>, Mary Mayberry<mailto:mary.l.mayberry at state.or.us>, Darci Hanning<mailto:darci.hanning at state.or.us>, Ann Reed<mailto:ann.reed at state.or.us>, Jennifer Maurer<mailto:jennifer.maurer at state.or.us>, Katie Anderson<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>.

Talking Book and Braille Services: 503-378-5389, Susan Westin<mailto:susan.b.westin at state.or.us>.

Government Research Services: 503-378-5030, Robert Hulshof-Schmidt<mailto:robert.hulshof-schmidt at state.or.us>.

State Librarian: 503-378-4367, Jim Scheppke<mailto:jim.b.scheppke at state.or.us>.

LTLO Editor: 503-378-2464, April Baker<mailto:april.m.baker at state.or.us>. 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: April Baker<mailto:april.m.baker 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 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 April Baker<mailto:april.m.baker at state.or.us>, or mailed to LTLO, Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301-3950.

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