[Libs-Or] June LTLO

[Jessica Rondema]

Letter To Libraries Online

An Electronic Newsletter from the Oregon State Library.......Volume 22, Issue 6, June 2011



Library Board News


WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 2011-13 OSL BUDGET

On May 20th, the Ways and Means Committee of the Legislature passed out SB 5521, the State Library's budget bill for 2011-13. The bill preserves all of the current Library programs but reduces one staff position and makes significant cuts to the Library's operating budget. Overall, the $13.97 million budget is reduced by 7% from the Library's budget in the current biennium. The Ready to Read Grant program was cut from the 94 cents per child per year recommended by Governor Kitzhaber to 78 cents per child per year. This was a continuation of the funding level in 2009-11 after the two across the board cuts that brought the program funding down to 67 cents per child last year. Governor Kitzhaber had also proposed to move the program to the new Early Learning Council in the Governor's Office, but the Ways and Means Committee decided to keep the program in the State Library's budget for now. The Legislature will reconsider this at their next session in February 2012. The Ways and Means Committee also added a budget note to the State Library's budget requesting that the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court convene a workgroup this year "to develop options and make recommendations on the consolidation and Improvement of library and archives services" in State government. At press time SB 5521 had passed in the Senate and was awaiting a vote in the House. If the bill passes, as expected, it will then go to the Governor for his signature.

STATE LIBRARY BOARD TO MEET IN JOSEPHINE COUNTY

The State Library Board will hold its June 17th meeting at the Josephine County Library in Grants Pass. The Board will hear from the Executive Director and President of Josephine Community Libraries, the non-profit organization that has been running the Library under contract to the county since December 2008, about their progress and future plans. The Board will finalize their plans for recruiting a new Oregon State Librarian to replace Jim Scheppke who has announced his retirement at the end of the calendar year. The Board will also elect new officers for FY 2012 and hear recommendations from the LSTA Advisory Council. The Council recommendations will cover grant applications to be invited for possible funding in 2012 and other proposals relating to the use of LSTA funds to benefit Oregon libraries. The Talking Book and Braille Services Advisory Council will also make recommendations to the Board about the use of donation funds in FY 2012. The meeting will begin at 11:00 am in the library meeting room. An Open Forum is scheduled for 12:30 pm.  Anyone may address the Board on any subject at the Open Forum.

CLIFF TROW TO RETIRE FROM THE STATE LIBRARY BOARD

The June 17th Board meeting will be the last for Cliff Trow of Corvallis, who will complete a four-year term on the Board. He has decided not to seek a reappointment. Trow was appointed to the Board by Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2007. During a 28-year career as a State Senator in the Oregon Legislature (1975-2003), Trow was a champion for libraries. He was twice named Oregon Library Association Legislator of the Year, in 1992 and again in 1994. In 2002, Trow was given an Honorary Life Membership in OLA in recognition of all his work in support of libraries. In 1992, Trow chaired an Interim legislative committee on libraries that developed what became the Ready to Read Grant program and the State Library's statewide library resource sharing program. A decade later, Trow co-chaired another interim committee that developed legislation for the statewide database licensing program and the L-net virtual reference service. Trow served on the history faculty at Oregon State University for 31 years, and he served six years on the Board of the Corvallis-Benton County Library. "What a privilege it has been to have Cliff Trow complete his decades of service to Oregon libraries as a member of the State Library Board," commented State Librarian Jim Scheppke. Governor John Kitzhaber will be appointing a new Board member to fill the vacant seat after Trow leaves the Board at the end of June.
State Library News


FREE OREGON SUMMER READING CERTIFICATES COMING SOON

Oregon Summer Reading Certificates are made available to libraries, schools, and teachers at no cost thanks to a collaboration between the Oregon State Library, Oregon Department of Education, and Oregon Library Association, and is funded by a generous donation from the Oregon Education Association. Teachers, reading specialists, and school librarians may present Oregon Summer Reading certificates to students who read or listen to ten books over the summer. Children and teens may also get certificates at their public library by completing the library's summer reading program or providing the library with a list of the ten books they read. This year we are pleased to offer a children's and teen certificate, both in English and Spanish. All public libraries placed pre-orders in November 2010 and should receive their certificates by mid-June. The certificates will be available to download and print for free from the State Library's Oregon Summer Reading<http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/youthsvcs/oregon.srp.certificate.shtml> web page later this month. Look for the announcement via the kids-lib, OYAN, and OASL email discussion lists.

LAUNCHING DESTINATION COLLEGE SAVINGS

The Oregon 529 College Savings Network, Oregon State Library, and Oregon Library Association are partnering to present Destination College Savings, the second summer reading sweepstakes. Children and teens 0-18 years old who participate in their local public library's summer reading program are eligible to enter a drawing to win a $1,000 Oregon 529 College Savings Plan. Fifteen winners will be selected statewide, three from each congressional district. Libraries identified in winning entries will receive $500 for their next summer reading program.Contest materials have been distributed to public libraries. Libraries may distribute entry forms in whatever way works best with your local summer reading program. All materials are free. Please contact Kathy Griffin<mailto:KGriffin at tiaa-cref.org> if your public library needs more materials.

EXPLORE OSL'S ONLINE LIBRARY DIRECTORY

Take some time to explore the State Library's online library directory. Besides finding contact information for public, tribal, and academic libraries in Oregon, the directory allows you to sort and export search results. You can also create mailing labels and identify libraries in specific counties or by system membership. While taking a look at the directory<http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/directories.shtml> and gathering useful information about other libraries, please take a look at your own library's information to be sure it is correct and current.
Other Library News


TWO WINS AND A LOSS IN THE MAY LIBRARY ELECTIONS

A local option levy that provides 30% of the budget for the Baker County Library District was renewed for five years with a 65% "yes" vote in the May 17th elections. The levy will raise about $275,000 a year. Library director Perry Stokes told the Baker City Herald that he was "delighted" with the result. He said the library will consider increasing the library materials budget and increasing open hours on the weekends. Another local option levy in Corvallis will stabilize funding for the Corvallis-Benton County Library for the next three years and will prevent the closure of the city aquatics center and senior center. The measure also passed with a strong "yes" vote of 65%. If the levy had failed, the main library in Corvallis would have had to lay off staff, close on Mondays, and reduce the purchase of library materials. The Lake County Library tried unsuccessfully for a second time to pass a bond measure to complete the construction of a new main library in Lakeview and to fund a new branch library facility in Christmas Valley. The measure would have raised $2.25 million.

OREGON LIBRARIAN TO CHAIR 2013 NEWBERY AWARD COMMITTEE

Steven Englefried, youth librarian at the Wilsonville Public Library, has been elected Chair of the 2013 Newbery Medal Committee. The Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Englefried also served on the 2010 Newbery Award Committee that selected When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and has presented several programs in Oregon about the Newbery and Caldecott Medals.
P.S. (From the State Librarian)


Testimony delivered to the Salem-Keizer School District Budget Committee on May 3, 2011, in reaction to a plan to eliminate school librarians from all elementary and middle schools in the district.

Mr. Chair, Superintendent Husk and members of the Budget Committee, my name is Jim Scheppke.

I want to try to briefly present the case for why we need strong school libraries in all of our elementary and middle schools in our district.

I hope we can begin from the premise that the most important ability for our students to master is that of reading. Reading proficiency is the foundation of all learning; it is essential to our responsibilities as citizens; it is essential for good jobs in the 21st century workforce.

It was in recognition of this that the State Board of Education decided a few years ago that reading proficiency would be the first new requirement for high school graduation. As you know, our Class of 2012 will have to meet that requirement next year.

And what is the outlook, next year and beyond, for all our students becoming proficient readers and graduating from high school? If you look at the data from the state reading assessments, the outlook is not good. Last year our Class of 2012 were 10th graders, and 34%, one in three, could not pass the 10th grade reading assessment. One in three.

So how are you going to address this problem, which is a problem, I might add, throughout our state? I don't have all the answers, but I submit that you will make the problem much worse if you eliminate librarians from our elementary and middle schools.

This is because decades of education research shows that children become proficient readers because of what our school librarians do every day. This evidence is summarized in a book by Professor Stephen Krashen, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Southern California:

"My conclusions are simple. When children read for pleasure, when they get "hooked on books,"... they will become adequate readers, acquire a large vocabulary, develop the ability to understand and use complex grammatical constructions, develop a good writing style, and become good ... spellers. Without it, I suspect children simply do not have a chance." (Stephen Krashen, The Power of Reading, p. 149)

Getting all kids hooked on books - that is what our school librarians in our elementary and middle schools do every day. They get our kids hooked on books and that is how most of them become proficient readers. And for the one out of three that are falling behind, part of the answer is to strengthen our school library programs, not gut them, and particularly, I would say, in our elementary schools. That's what the evidence indicates you should do.

I know firsthand that we have outstanding school librarians in our elementary and middle schools in this district, who, given a chance, will redouble their efforts to have all of our children become proficient readers and high school graduates. I hope, despite all the budget problems you face, that you will give them that chance. - 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, Jessica Rondema<mailto:jessica.rondema at state.or.us> . Letter to Libraries Online is published monthly by the Oregon State Library. It 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.

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