[Libs-Or] LTLO March 2019

Fri Mar 1 14:59:42 PST 2019

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Letters to Libraries Online: News from the State Library of Oregon
Volume 29, Issue 3 - March 2019

** State Library News
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** New State Librarian search update
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The recruitment for a new State Librarian is progressing. DAS Senior Recruitment Consultant Kyle Weraky has been keeping us up-to-date on the process.

On Feb. 12, Weraky reported that four candidates were selected for an in-person interview. Three of the four candidates accepted the invitation to interview on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the State Library. The candidates had a busy day. They each met with three panels, one from the Governor's office, another made up of stakeholders, and one with State Library staff. The candidates also got a tour of the building.

The library staff looks forward to the upcoming appointment by Governor Brown.
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/statesmanjournal/obituary.aspx?n=richard-william-crowe&pid=191668468&fhid=3753

** In remembrance
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The State Library of Oregon would like to share our condolences with the family of Richard W. Crowe, who passed away on Feb. 23. Crowe was a long-time employee of the State Library. He was awarded a 35-year certificate in 1991 and retired in the mid-1990s.

Jey Wann, who coordinates Oregon documents and acquisitions for the State Library remembers Crowe as dependable and kind.  "He delivered the inter-departmental mail in an era before email, so he really helped bring different parts of the library together," said Wann.

Library Support Consulting Assistant Ferol Weyland said, "He was a really sweet, gentle man and took great pride in his work. He was very dedicated and consistently reliable."

** Government Information and
Library Services
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** Digital Highlights:
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** Hops and Flax: Pride of the Willamette Valley
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The State Library has curated an online collection of historical documents and photographs to complement "Hops and Flax: Pride of the Willamette Valley," a new exhibit currently on display on the second floor across from the State Librarian’s office.

In addition to the exhibit, our Digital Highlight includes not only digitized copies of items in the exhibit, but also ephemera from our vertical files and additional photographs and government agency documents.

To learn more about hops and flax and their importance to Oregon, visit our featured digital highlight (https://digital.osl.state.or.us/islandora/object/osl%3Ahops_and_flax) .

** Library Support and Development Services
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** History of school library staffing in Oregon: 1980 to 2017
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The State Library has tracked the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) licensed school librarians employed in Oregon public schools since the 1980-81 school year and the number of FTE classified school library support staff since 2006-07. We went from a high of 818 FTE licensed school librarians in 1980 to 159 FTE in 2017, a decline of nearly 81%. There was an increase in school library staffing during the 2015-16 school year, but since then, staffing totals have been trending down again. For figures and two charts related to the 37-year span, view this PDF (https://digital.osl.state.or.us/islandora/object/osl%3A651384) .

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) provides staffing data. Often some of the staffing information can be found in the Oregon Statewide Annual Report Card (https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/reportcards/Pages/Statewide-Annual-Report-Card.aspx) or in the “Facts” section at the very end of the Oregon School Directory (https://www.oregon.gov/ode/about-us/Pages/School-Directory.aspx) . Jennifer Maurer, school library consultant at the State Library, asks ODE staff to fill in any gaps and to verify numbers.

The staffing information in the Oregon Statewide Annual Report Card (https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/reportcards/Pages/Statewide-Annual-Report-Card.aspx) combines figures for school library licensed and classified staff. (See p. 13 of the 2017-18 report card (https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/reportcards/Documents/rptcard2018.pdf) .) Several years ago, we pointed out it is confusing to combine totals since ODE separates totals for licensed and classified staff in other categories. ODE added a note at the bottom of the chart instead of separating the totals.

In the new At-A-Glance District Profiles (https://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx) released a few months ago, the district's combined school library staffing total was labeled as librarians. ODE received much feedback about how combining library staffing totals without clearly identifying what the number represents does not paint a clear picture about school library programs in Oregon. ODE will likely address that in next year’s statewide and at-a-glance report cards.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Maurer (mailto:jennifer.maurer at state.or.us) .

** Niche Academy trial by State Library
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The State Library of Oregon is performing a trial of Niche Academy, an "online learning platform made for libraries," and we could use your feedback!
We have set up two collections of tutorials you can use:
* Library Research (https://my.nicheacademy.com/libraryresearch) : Patron-focused tutorials for common library products (such as OverDrive and Mango Languages) and tutorials on research essentials. These tutorials can be embedded on your library’s website (https://docs.google.com/document/d/17XxLLgH6mqEIGqbvjjrwDg3NCjUESjLNFlemijtA5Qw/edit?usp=sharing) and also used for staff training.
* Library Staff Training (https://my.nicheacademy.com/oregonstaff) : Tutorials for staff training in areas such as ethics, public service, reference, and technology. (Note: many of these tutorials have been developed by other libraries, so feel free to let us know if some don’t apply to Oregon library staff.)

We encourage you, between now and the end of April, to use these tutorials and gather feedback from your patrons and colleagues. We will contact you in early May to get your perception on the usability and usefulness of the tutorials to help us decide whether to continue subscribing to this product.

Questions? Please contact Darci Hanning (darci.hanning at state.or.us (mailto:darci.hanning at state.or.us) ).

** Talking Book and Braille Library
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** NLS prepares to implement Marrakesh Treaty
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(adapted from "NLS on the Move," Feb. 28, 2019)
Earlier this month, the United States officially became a party to the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled, joining 48 other countries and the 28-member European Union. Among other things, the treaty makes it easier for organizations such as National Library Service (NLS) that serve people with visual impairments and print disabilities to share books in accessible formats across international borders.

The Marrakesh Treaty fully takes effect in the United States on May 8. NLS has been working with other offices within the Library of Congress and the Legislative Branch to determine the full implications of the treaty and how it will impact NLS and network libraries.

If you are interested in learning more about the treaty, go to www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/marrakesh/. The text of Congress’s Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act is at www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2559/.

With the signing and implementation of this treaty, Talking Books users will have more access to materials around the world.

** Contacts
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Library Support and Development Services:
Ferol Weyand, Darci Hanning, Jennifer Maurer, Ross Fuqua, Tamara Ottum, Arlene Weible, Susan Westin, Greta Bergquist

Oregon Talking Book and Braille Library Manager:
Susan Westin, 503-378-5435

Government Information and Library Services Manager:
Caren Agata, 503-378-5030

Interim State Librarian:
Caren Agata, 503-378-5030

Letter to Libraries Online Editor:
Jacqui Krawetz: 503-378-4244

Letter to Libraries Online is published monthly by the State Library of Oregon.

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Mission
The State Library provides leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabilities, the Legislature and state government, and all Oregonians through local libraries.
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