[Libs-Or] Letter to Libraries Online May 2015

[Jessica Rondema]

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[OSL Building]
Letter to Libraries Online

A Monthly Newsletter from the Oregon State Library

Volume 25, Issue 5, May 2015



Contents:
Library Board News
State Library News

Other Library News

Contacts at the State Library


Vision: All Oregonians have the information essential to be engaged citizens, to strengthen our communities, and to build a prosperous state.

Mission: The State Library provides leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians who are print-disabled, the Legislature and state government, and all Oregonians through local libraries.


Library Board News


State Library Board Met at the Eugene Conference Center on April 15th

The Oregon State Library Board met on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at the Eugene Hilton & Conference Center in Eugene in conjunction with the Oregon Library Association Conference. The Board heard a report from the OLA President, discussed HB 3523 about the governance and mission of the State Library, appointed new members to the Government Information and Library Services Advisory Council, and discussed LSTA funds. The next board meeting will be held on Friday, June 19th at the Beaverton City Library.

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State Library News


2015 Oregon Summer Reading Certificates Available Now!

[Youth]The 2015 Oregon Summer Reading Certificates are only available to download and print<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/Pages/SRPCertificateVoting.aspx> now until October 1, 2015. Children and teens complete their local library's summer reading program or read 10 books over the summer to earn a summer reading certificate signed by the Governor. Each certificate is available in .pdf format which everyone should be able to access and .pub format which requires Microsoft Publisher to access. The children's (full color) and all ages (black & white) certificates are bilingual, the teen certificate (full color) is in English only. Thank you Rachel Humpert and Mackie Welch from Driftwood Public Library for designing the teen certificate!

SDLAC Recommends LearningExpress Library for SDLP

[LearningExpressLogo]At its meeting on April 9th, the Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Committee (SDLAC) reviewed the results of the recent RFP and recommended that the State Library continue its contract with LearningExpress Library<https://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/Pages/technology/sdlp/learningexpress/index.aspx>. This resource provides testing and skills-building resources to all Oregon libraries through the Statewide Database Licensing Program (SDLP). The committee also recommended adding new products Job & Career Accelerator<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/technology/sdlp/learningexpress/LEL3.0_JobCareerAccelerator_lowres.pdf> and Computer and Internet Basics<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/technology/sdlp/learningexpress/LEL3.0_Computerand%20InternetBasics_highres.pdf> to the contract, which would significantly enhance the library community's ability to support job seekers in their local communities. The LSTA Advisory Council<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/Pages/lstacouncil.aspx> will consider this recommendation at their meeting on May 12th.

In April, it was also announced that EBSCO Information Services has purchased LearningExpress Library. This development will have no immediate impact on Oregon libraries' access to LearningExpress Library resources. For more information about the purchase, see the press release<http://www.learningexpresshub.com/corporate/about-us/press/041515-learningexpressbecomespartofebscoinformationservices> from LearningExpress Library.

Oregon's Letters About Literature Honorees Announced

[LALlogo]On May 7th, starting at 4 pm, the State Library will host an awards celebration to honor Oregon's Letters About Literature contest winners. Local distinguished writer Pamela Smith Hill will kick off the event with a keynote address. Then, after receiving certificates and prizes, students will read their letters to the audience of family members and special guests. The contest objective was for students to write to an author of their choice, conveying how the book they read changed them or the way they view the world. Congratulations to our state's honorees:

Level I (4th - 6th Grades)
40 of 384 Oregon entries made it through the national screening.
First Place: Vicky Siah, Beaverton
Runner-Up: Sophie Ong, Beaverton
Honorable Mentions: Aletha Lengkong, Eugene; Mia Cremona, Lake Oswego; Cameron Iizuka, Lake Oswego; Phoebe Garrett, Lake Oswego; Amala Rajagopal, Beaverton

Level II (7th & 8th Grades)
71 of 630 Oregon entries made it through the national screening.
First Place: Sophie Ciurlik Rittenbaum, Medford
Runner-Up: Madeleine Adriance, Portland
Honorable Mentions: Chloe Scribner, Corvallis; Ashleen Smith, Madras; Soumik Chakraborty, Portland; Noah Kurzenhauser, Milwaukie; Zora Kurenhauser, Milwaukie

Level III (9th - 12th Grades)
13 of 55 Oregon entries made it through the national screening.
First Place: Hannah DesChamp, Eugene
Runner-Up: Khiarica Rasheed, Portland
Honorable Mentions: Anonymous, Portland; Mariah Jacobs, Sherwood; Autumn Grube, Keizer

There were also 105 semi-finalists, which included anyone from Oregon who made it through the national screening but who was not selected as a winner, runner-up, or honorable mention.

This annual reading and writing program is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Thanks to the Oregon Reading Association and three divisions of the Oregon Library Association - Children's Services Division, Oregon Young Adult Network, and Oregon Association of School Libraries; all were local cosponsors and helped fund the prizes. Also, thanks to the nine Oregon judges - a school librarian, public librarian, and author for each of the three levels - who devoted their time to reading the entries. Honorees' transcribed letters will be posted on the Letters About Literature web page<http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/LD/Pages/youthsvcs/aboutlit.aspx> by the end of May. National winners<http://www.read.gov/letters/> are expected to be announced in early May. If you have questions about the contest, please contact Jennifer Maurer<mailto:jennifer.maurer at state.or.us>, School Library Consultant at the Oregon State Library.

State Library Will No Longer Coordinate Letters About Literature

Because of internal changes, this is the last year that State Library staff will coordinate the Letters About Literature program in Oregon. We have reached out to a few organizations about adopting the program, but so far, there have been no takers. However, depending on annual funding, the Library of Congress may be able to receive letters from Oregon students and coordinate judging. By early fall, I will post about next year's options for Oregon students on the State Library's Letters About Literature website<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/LD/Pages/youthsvcs/aboutlit.aspx>. Entries are usually due in December or January. Thank you to everyone who works to make the program a success, especially to the students and to their teachers or librarians who encourage participation.

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Other Library News


Oregon School Library Staffing Levels Decline Slightly

The State Librarian has tracked the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) licensed school librarians employed in Oregon public schools since the 1980-81 school year. As of a few years ago, staff also track the number of FTE school library support staff. Some of the figures are pulled from the Oregon Statewide Annual Report Card, and others are supplied by staff at the Oregon Department of Education (ODE). Here is a brief snapshot comparing the situation in 1980 to the last three school years:
School Year

FTE Library Support Staff

FTE Licensed Librarians

Percent Change in FTE Licensed Librarians from 1980 to Year Listed

No. of Students Per Licensed Librarian

Percent Change from 1980 to Year Listed

1980-81

n/a

818

n/a

547

n/a

2011-12

697

203

-75.18%

2,763

+405.12

2012-13

681

144

-82.40%

3,915

+615.72

2013-14

688

129

-84.23%

4,396

+703.66


The slight decline in school library staffing was noted on page 8 of the 2013-14 Oregon report card<http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/annreportcard/rptcard2014.pdf>. "Library and Media staff FTE fell by only 1.02%, potentially signaling an end to its precipitous decline-Librarian FTE has decreased by 20% since 2009-10." The majority of the sharp decrease in the last few school years is a result of Salem-Keizer and Beaverton school districts drastically cutting their school library programs. The Oregon library community is working to draw attention to the issue and to emphasize the value of strong school library programs<http://www.lrs.org/data-tools/school-libraries/impact-studies/>. Based on budget proposals for next school year, Beaverton School District and Portland Public Schools plan to each add about 10 FTE of licensed librarians, and some smaller districts are hiring in smaller numbers. Questions? Please contact Jennifer Maurer<mailto:jennifer.maurer at state.or.us>, School Library Consultant at the State Library.

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Contacts


Oregon State Library

Library Support and Development Services: 503-378-2525, Ferol Weyand<mailto:FerolWeyand at oslmail.osl.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>, Arlene Weible<mailto:arlene.weible at state.or.us>, Susan Westin<mailto:susan.b.westin at state.or.us>.

Oregon Talking Book and Braille Library Manager: 503-378-5435, Susan Westin<mailto:susan.b.westin at state.or.us>.
[OSL Logo]

Government Information and Library Services Manager: 503-378-5030, Margie Harrison<mailto:margie.harrison at state.or.us>.

State Librarian: 503-378-4367, MaryKay Dahlgreen<mailto:marykay.dahlgreen at state.or.us>.

Letter to Libraries Online 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 published only in electronic form on the publications page<http://www.oregon.gov/osl/Pages/publications.aspx> on the Oregon State Library's website<http://www.oregon.gov/OSL>.

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