<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.5659" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY><!-- Converted from text/plain format -->
<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#caeeff border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD bgColor=#b3cbff>
<DIV align=center>
<H1><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A name=Top></A>Letter To
Libraries Online</FONT></H1>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">An Electronic Newsletter from
the Oregon State Library.......Volume 18, Issue 11, November
2008</FONT></P></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE width="100%" border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD borderColor=#cccccc bgColor=#cccccc>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=Board></A>Library Board News</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></FONT></B><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">STATE LIBRARY BOARD MAKES 13 LSTA GRANT
AWARDS</FONT></P>
<P>At their October 19th meeting, the State Library Board of Trustees made its
2009 LSTA grant awards to thirteen applicants. The grants total $839,770. Some
of the grants are for new projects and some of the grants will continue
multi-year projects. The Board also approved the LSTA grant program for 2009,
including funding for statewide database licensing, the Oregon School Library
Information System and L-net. In other business, the Board approved the
Library’s affirmative action plan for the 2009-11 biennium and completed the
biennial performance evaluation of the State Librarian. The Board decided to
hold a work session at their December 5th meeting to look at new strategies to
address the problem of Oregonians without public library services or with
inadequate public library services. The December 5th meeting will be held at the
Hillsboro Public Library in Hillsboro.</P>
<P align=center>LSTA COMPETITIVE GRANTS APPROVED FOR 2009</P>
<P>Deschutes Public Library<BR>Library Linx: Bringing the Public Library to
Schools $66,410</P>
<P>Eastern Oregon University on behalf of Sage Library System of Eastern
Oregon<BR>Test and Implement an Open Source Integrated Library System
$80,365</P>
<P>Hermiston Public Library<BR>Ready, Set, Zoom year 2 $28,080</P>
<P>Multnomah County Library<BR>Families Reading Together-Familias Leyendo Juntas
yr2 $58,130</P>
<P>Multnomah County Library<BR>Kaboom! (Knowledgeable and Active Boomers)
$66,233</P>
<P>Oregon Association of School Libraries<BR>Oregon Battle of the Books year 3
$75,500</P>
<P>Oregon Historical Society<BR>Oregon Tribes Project yr2 $40,500</P>
<P>Oregon Institute of Technology<BR>Crater Lake National Park Digital Research
Collection yr2 $92,579</P>
<P>Pendleton Public Library, BMCC Library, Pendleton High School<BR>The Door is
Open $66,310</P>
<P>Salem Public Library<BR>Librarians for the Future year 3 $38,000</P>
<P>The Dalles-Wasco County Public Library<BR>Wasco County Outreach Project
$58,330</P>
<P>University of Oregon Libraries<BR>Oregon Digital Newspaper Project
$79,883</P>
<P>Western Oregon University<BR>Cooperative Library Instruction Project
$89,450<BR></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></P>
<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#cccccc border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=OSLNews></A>State Library News</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">STATE LIBRARY STAFF
MOVES IN NOVEMBER TO MAKE WAY FOR GOVERNOR</FONT></P>
<P>About twenty State Library staff will move from the second to the third floor
of the Library in early November to make way for Governor Ted Kulongoski and his
top staff who will move to the State Library in mid-November. The space on the
third floor, formerly devoted to classrooms and computer labs, is being
remodeled to accommodate Library staff. The moves were made necessary by the
Labor Day weekend fire at the State Capitol that caused extensive smoke and
water damage to the Governor’s offices. The Governor’s staff have moved
temporarily to a state building several blocks away from the Capitol. Moving to
the Library will put the Governor and his staff in closer proximity to the
Capitol while decisions are made about how to address the damage caused by the
fire. Several different plans will be considered by the Legislature to either
move the Governor’s staff back to the Capitol or possibly into a new Executive
Office Building. In the meantime the Governor and his staff will be located at
the State Library for at least a year and possibly longer.</P>
<P align=center>OREGON READS BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM TBABS</P>
<P>Oregon Reads 2009 is just around the corner and Talking Book and Braille
Services is doing its part to have accessible books in the hands of our
registered patrons. In October, TBABS notified patrons and interested parties
around the state that all three books (<I>Stubborn Twig, Bat 6, Apples to
Oregon</I>) would be available in 4-track cassette and Braille. This month we
plan to order copies to satisfy the nearly 700 requests we received. Because it
is a picture book, <I>Apples to Oregon</I> will be available in a beautiful,
Twin Vision Braille format that allows sighted readers and Braille readers to
read together. There will be limited copies available for general loan to
libraries and schools. The book will be available through the State Library
catalog and should be ready by mid-December. For more information, contact <A
href="mailto:elke.bruton@state.or.us">Elke Bruton</A> in TBABS.</P>
<P align=center>INTRODUCING JENNIFER MAURER, SCHOOL LIBRARY CONSULTANT</P>
<P>In mid-October, Jennifer Maurer joined the Library Development team as
full-time School Library Consultant. She began her career as an elementary
teacher in El Paso, Texas. After six years in the classroom, she took a leave of
absence and attended Texas Woman’s University where she earned her School
Library Certificate and Master of Library Science degree. After three years as a
school librarian in Texas Jennifer moved to the Portland area. Here in Oregon
she was a library media specialist for three years before budget cuts led her
into the public library world at the Salem Public Library. Jennifer hopes to
cultivate relationships with key players in the Oregon library and education
community as she works to provide training, support, and promotion for <A
href="http://www.oslis.org/">OSLIS 2.0</A>. <BR></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></P>
<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#cccccc border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=OtherNews></A>Other Library News</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">DEADLINE FOR PICTURING
AMERICA EXTENDED UNTIL NOVEMBER 14TH</FONT></P>
<P>Libraries and schools now have until November 14, 2008, to apply for an
innovative, free teaching tool called Picturing America. Picturing America,
presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in partnership with
the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), provides high-quality
reproductions of great American art to public libraries and K-12 schools to
enhance the study of history, social studies, language arts, literature, and
civics. Public libraries; K-12 public, private, parochial, and charter schools;
and home school consortia in the United States and its territories are eligible
to receive Picturing America materials, which include:<BR><BR></P>
<UL>
<LI>Forty large, high-quality color reproductions of the selected masterpieces
(24” x 36”) <BR>
<LI>A comprehensive teacher’s resource book providing a wide range of ideas
and background information to support<BR>educators using the works of art in
core subject areas.<BR>
<LI>Lesson plans and additional resources available through the Picturing
America website. </LI></UL>
<P>Applications are being accepted now through November 14, 2008, with delivery
scheduled for spring 2009. Previous recipients of the Picturing America
collection are not eligible for a second award. Application information and
testimonials from librarians and educators can be found on the <A
href="http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/">Picturing America website</A>.</P>
<P align=center>CENTRAL LIBRARY GETS AN ECO-ROOF</P>
<P>The Multnomah County Library Central Library became the first library in
Oregon to sport an “eco-roof.” The roof of the library now has 17,000 plants
covering 7,188 square feet. Included are <A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedums">sedums</A> and drought-tolerant
grasses. The $180,000 cost of the eco-roof project was largely supported by
grants from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Green
Investment Fund. The Library expects the new roof to reduce energy costs 6 to 8%
in the summer and 50% in the winter and to also reduce rainwater runoff by 70%.
The plants will also extend the life of the roof. “If anyone’s looking at it
from a bottom-line perspective, it definitely pays off,” said Multnomah County
Chair Ted Wheeler. The Library will offer weekly tours of the eco-roof to the
public.<BR></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></P>
<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#cccccc border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A
name=PS></A><B>P.S. (From the State
Librarian)</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P>How is it that Oregon public libraries check out more books and other library
materials per capita than public libraries in any other state except Ohio?
Oregon has held on to the #2 ranking since 2001. When national public library
statistics were first reported by the National Center for Education Statistics
in 1989, Oregon ranked #9, but since that time we have steadily ascended to the
#2 spot, passing up states like Washington, Indiana, Maryland, and
Minnesota.</P>
<P>We have known for a long time that demographics are a good predictor of
public library circulation. States with comparatively higher education and
income levels tend to see more public library use. But demographics aren’t
everything.</P>
<P>I think that a major factor in Oregon’s preeminence in public library quality
and performance has a lot to do with a generation of outstanding leaders. These
were library directors who saw the potential for Oregon to have some of the best
public libraries in the country, directors who were not content with the status
quo, but who had a vision for something much better. This was a generation of
what you might call <A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformational_leadership">transformational
leaders</A> who inspired their communities and their staffs to share their
vision.</P>
<P>At the risk of offending some of you, I will now name names. These are the
transformational public library leaders of the recent past who spring to mind:
George Happ, Sarah Long, Ginnie Cooper, Deborah Jacobs, Aletha Bonebrake, Ronnie
Budge. I will be able to add another name to this list when Michael Gaston
retires from the Deschutes Public Library in a couple months.</P>
<P>Michael should be remembered in Oregon library history as the librarian who
pioneered library taxing districts and used this method of public library
funding and governance to greatest advantage. Soon after Oregon’s first library
district law passed in 1981, Michael set about to transform the Florence Public
Library into the Siuslaw Public Library District, thereby creating a model for
how library districts can be the answer to dramatically improving public library
quality and performance. A decade ago, in 1998, he did it again, this time on a
larger scale, transforming the Deschutes County Library into the Deschutes
Public Library District. If you go to either of these libraries today, you will
see great facilities, wonderful collections, cutting edge library technology,
outstanding youth services, and communities that love and value their libraries
as an “essential service” that they are happy to pay for.</P>
<P>If you want to find out about how Michael did it, just ask him. One of
Michael’s greatest virtues has always been his willingness to share what he has
learned with his professional colleagues. It has been one of the privileges of
my career in Oregon to have enjoyed a close working relationship with Michael.
He has been one of my greatest teachers on the subject of how public libraries
can thrive through good times and bad. Thanks, Michael, for all you have done to
set a high standard for outstanding library leadership in Oregon. - Jim
Scheppke<BR></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></P>
<TABLE width="100%" bgColor=#cccccc border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=Contacts></A>Contacts at the Oregon State
Library</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Technical Assistance:
503-932-1004.<BR><BR>Library Development: 503-378-2525, <A
href="mailto:marykay.dahlgreen@state.or.us">MaryKay Dahlgreen</A>, <A
href="mailto:mary.l.mayberry@state.or.us">Mary Mayberry</A>, <A
href="mailto:darci.hanning@state.or.us">Darci Hanning</A>, <A
href="mailto:ann.reed@state.or.us">Ann Reed</A>, <A
href="mailto:jennifer.mauer@state.or.us">Jennifer Maurer</A>, <A
href="mailto:katie.anderson@state.or.us">Katie Anderson</A>.<BR><BR>Talking Book
and Braille Services: 503-378-5389, <A
href="mailto:susan.b.westin@state.or.us">Susan Westin</A>.<BR><BR>Government
Research and Electronic Services: 503-378-5030, <A
href="mailto:robert.hulshof-schmidt@state.or.us">Robert
Hulshof-Schmidt</A>.<BR><BR>State Librarian: 503-378-4367, <A
href="mailto:jim.b.scheppke@state.or.us">Jim Scheppke</A>.<BR><BR>LTLO Editor:
503-378-2464, <A href="mailto:robin.d.speer@state.or.us">April Baker </A><A
href="mailto:april.m.baker@state.or.us"></A>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Letter to Libraries Online</I>
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: <A href="mailto:robin.d.speer@state.or.us">April Baker.</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Letter to Libraries Online</I>
is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form on the
publications page at the Oregon State Library's homepage: <A
href="http://www.oregon.gov/OSL">http://www.oregon.gov/OSL</A>. 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 <A
href="file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Robin/My%20Documents/INTRANET/Library/robin.d.speer@state.or.us">April
Baker</A>, or mailed to LTLO, Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem,
Oregon 97301-3950.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To unsubscribe from libs-or, either
send an 'unsubscribe' message to <A
href="mailto:libs-or-request@listsmart.osl.state.or.us">libs-or-request@listsmart.osl.state.or.us</A>,
or visit the website: <A
href="http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/libs-or/">http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/libs-or/.</A>
All materials may be reprinted or distributed
freely.</FONT></P><BR><BR></BODY></HTML>