Top Ten Excuses for Not Asking

As we all start looking for additional funding, don't forget your local supporters. As the excuses begin, here is a different way to think through them

After the committees have been put together and the first fundraising meeting begins, that's when they start. You may recognize them as “yes, but . . .,” or that old stand-by “let's not get too hasty” – “The Excuses” are a sure sign that your campaign leaders are nervous about getting started. From the sublime to the ridiculous, there is no shortage of creativity when “The Excuses” get started.

Here are some of our all-time greatest hits:
1. They gave a big gift to our last campaign. We know they will give again.
2. They told us they wouldn't give to us again.
3. They just remodeled their house.
4. They have two kids in college.
5. They are going to / just got back from (insert expensive vacation spot here).
6. Their business isn't doing so well.
7. They don't have much money.
8. They are strange/odd/difficult to deal with.
9. They're just not ready! Let's do more cultivation.
10. They just gave to __________'s campaign.

Read the complete article in the September 2007 edition of Texas Non Profits.

Userful regarding a bulk discount for libraries in Texas

HI folks Jerry over at Northeast Texas Library System has some very important news to share with us. If you wish to find out more, feel free to contact him and here is the info:


Hello everyone,

I've been talking with Daniel Griffin, VP at Userful regarding a bulk discount for libraries in Texas. Initially, they were just offering a discount to systems individually, but I asked if they could apply the discount to all the systems and/or libraries in Texas and he has agreed to that. So as libraries order, regardless of what system they are from, the discount will apply as a single bulk purchase reaping a better discount.

The discount applies to all purchases within a 6 month period, so timing is an issue. We would need to coordinate those purchases. So, if you have libraries that are interested in replacing their public computers using available Gates or other funds, let's collaborate. We could end up leveraging a pretty fair discount for them.

By the way, Userful has also addressed an issue that I felt may have been one reason some libraries were holding back on a purchase. They now offer their single Discover station as a complete package, not just the software. Anyone afraid of losing 6 workstations in a pod arrangement during a catastrophic event, can just plan to order multiple single workstations.

We have 3 libraries that are happily using Discover Stations now: Muenster, Kilgore and Van Alstyne in case anybody wants to contact them.

I'm planning to announce this bulk discount at our next membership meeting on October 2, so let me know if you have libraries that are considering this product for the public PC's. This product can help a library go a long way toward sustainability.

Jerry McCulleyAssistant Coordinator/Technology ConsultantNortheast Texas Library System625 AustinGarland, TX 75040972-205-2569jmcculley@netls.org

Local Children Bookstore Closing

Hi. I received the following from Martha Chambers, director of the Watauga Public Library.

The attachment includes a recent Fort Worth Star Telegram article(August 12th, Northeast edition) on the closing of Brystone's Children's Books, in Watauga. Owner Marianne Harper is retiring, and the store is scheduled to close on August 31 (altho there's a possibility it will remain open through Labor Day). Everything in the store (books, educational toys, furniture, etc., is 50-60% off) so if you have some year end collection funds you want to spend, I highly recommend this store. The reason I'm recommending it is because it is the best children's bookstore I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of them. The selection of materials is incredible, and so is the service, so it's no wonder this store has received such high ratings among independent book stores. It's on Watauga Road (which those in this area know becomes Mid-Cities Blvd when you cross Rufe Snow heading east, or becomes Western Center Blvd when you cross 377/Denton Highway heading west), close to the famous Chef Pointe Café. So if you can, may want to check this out, soon. You won't be sorry. Best regards, Martha

Social Networking site for the younger kids.

Imbee is the first free social network designed for tweens! It is designed for kids ages 8 - 14. CEO Jeanette Symons stated in the August 2007 edition of School Library Journal that "Imbee.com was developed to enable our members to define their own user experience, and focus more on their own content creation instead of just corporate content consumption."

Imbee is tweens personal spot on the internet. It's full of fun things to do like:
Create a blog
Upload pictures
Make trading cards
Create and join groups

Imbee is a parent approved, teacher endorsed social networking site appropriate for kids and 'tweens.

FY 2008 TexShare Database Program Participation Fees

To all TexShare Member Libraries,

The FY 2008 TexShare Database Program participation fees for your
individual institutions are posted on our web site at:
http://www.texshare.edu/programs/academicdb/fees/index.html

Amigos Library Services is sending out the invoices and collecting the
payments on our behalf. The invoices are going out this week. As in
the past, all fees will be due October 31, 2007 (the deadline will be
extended for those public libraries that are using FY08 Loan Star
Libraries grant funds to pay the fee).

If you have any questions about the invoice, please contact Rowena Ho at
Amigos Library Services at rowena@amigos.org or call 1-800-843-8482.
If you need more information about the TexShare Database Program, please
contact me at the e-mail address below.

Ann Mason
TexShare Coordinator
Library Resource Sharing Division
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
512-463-0188 512-936-2306 (fax)
amason@tsl.state.tx.us
www.texshare.edu

J. Frank Dobie Library Trust Awards for 2008

Application guidelines for the J. Frank Dobie Library Trust Awards for 2008 are much the same as in past years. Please remember that all applications are to be mailed in triplicate. Single copies or faxed applications will not be considered.

J. FRANK DOBIE LIBRARY TRUST AWARDS, 2008
J. Frank Dobie Library Trust Awards are monetary awards given each spring to library applicants selected by the Award Committee.
Application Eligibility Application is open to public libraries in Texas which (1) serve a population of 20,000 or less, (2) are legally established*, and (3) are open for service at least 20 hours a week.
Number and Amount of Awards The number and amount of awards depend on net income produced by the Trust. In 2007 four libraries received an award of $10,000.
Expenditures of Awards According to the terms of the Trust, funds awarded may be used solely for the purchase of books. Note: books which have been reformatted for ease of use, i.e., books on audio tape or CD-Rom are eligible.
Award Criteria In establishing the Trust, Mr. Dobie instructed the Award Committee to take into consideration the degree of support that applicants receive from their communities. Therefore, awards are made not only on the basis of need, but also on the extent to which community governments,
library boards, friend’s organizations, and individuals have promoted and supported the library, in comparison with their potential to do so. Applications should include, but need not be limited to, the following information to help the Committee determine the support of the library by the community, the support of the community by the library, and the library’s need of additional book resources.
* A brief history of the library and description of its service area.
* The library’s itemized budget for the current year and itemized expenditures for the two preceding years.
* The amount of library income for the current year and two preceding years by source. As applicable, itemized income derived from city government, county government, school district, state government, and federal government, and income derived from the private sector (gifts, fund raising events, etc.)
* The number of full-time and part-time salaried staff by job title and the number of volunteer hours.
* Hours of service.
* The growth of the book collection over the past three years, by volumes and titles. Note: Please express in terms of net additions per year as opposed to cumulative figures.
* Circulation statistics for the past three years, in whatever detail they have been kept.
* Any support other than tax funds (which are reported as income) provided by city, county, or school district, such as library quarters.
* Any engagement in library cooperation, such as cooperation of the public and school libraries.
* An account of local efforts in support of the library, extending over one or more years. Statistics provide some evidence of continuing local support of the library, but limited insight to the persistency and intensity of effort that went into their making. Tell how local government, businesses, and citizen groups have contributed to the betterment of the library. Tell of efforts the library staff, board, and friends have made toward the promotion and improvement of library service.
* The kinds of books the library proposes to buy and the reasons for such purchases. There are no restrictions on the kinds of books that may be bought; however, regardless of type, books purchased should be of good quality and lasting value.
* The name and qualifications of the library staff member who would be responsible for book selection, or the name and qualifications of a consultant outside the library who would be willing to advise the library in its book purchases.
Submittal of Application Applications must be mailed (no faxes) in TRIPLICATE to: James B. Stewart, Chairman, J. Frank Dobie Library Trust, Victoria Public Library, 302 N. Main, Victoria, Texas 77901-6592. James B. Stewart can be contacted by email at jstewart@victoriatx.org.
Please include a cover sheet with the following information:
Contact person
City
Name of Library
County
System
Address and telephone number
Email Address
Applications for the 2008 awards must be received by DECEMBER 14, 2007.
At Mr. Dobie’s request, announcement of the awards will be made at the annual meeting of the Texas
Library Association, which in 2008 will be held April 15-18 in Dallas.
*A legally established public library is one established as a department of a city or county government
by charter, resolution, or ordinance: or by contract as provided for in the Interlocal Cooperation Act,
Texas Civil Statutes, Article 4413 (32c): or as a nonprofit corporation chartered by the Office of the
Secretary of State for the purposes of providing free public library services, and having a current
contract with a city, county, or school district to provide free public library services for the city,
county, or school district.

Seizure of Iraqi National Library

On August 10 the Iraq National Library and Archives was seized at gunpoint and occupied by Iraqi security forces. There are fears that the building will be the subject of looting, vandalism, and attack by opposing forces.

After the collapse of Saddam’s regime, the library lost many rare books and ancient artifacts to looters and arsonists. The librarian and his staff have rebuilt the library since then, but the collection is now at risk again.

The library director’s diary has been posted by the British Library, and makes fascinating reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2145707,00.html – An article in The Guardian about the seizure of the library.
http://www.bl.uk/iraqdiary07.html - The diary of Saad Eskander, Director of the INLA

Small Library Management Workshops IV: Reference Services

The 4th in the series of 5 Small Library Management training Program workshops is ready for registration!
SLM IV: Reference Services will be held in seven locations around the state from October to December of 2007. The program is open to employees of small community libraries serving less than 25,000 people who do not have a Master's degrees in Library and Information Science. There is a limit of two staff members per library in locations where seating is limited. Non-MLIS staff from other types of small libraries may attend. However, the focus is on small, public libraries. Those registered and not working in a small, public library setting could be asked not to attend if space becomes an issue.
Day 1 of the workshop will cover the changing face of reference in small community libraries. Day 2 will be hands-on using the TexShare databases to answer reference questions.
After attending this workshop, participants will:
understand the shift from traditional reference service to online resources in the context of the small library be comfortable conducting an effective reference interview both in person and online have increased knowledge of reader's advisory resources understand the adult and children's content within the TexShare databases be more familiar with choosing an appropriate database to answer patron questions
Texas State Library & Archives Commission staff will be presenting this two-day workshop. I will be presenting Day 1 of the workshop on the reference and reader's advisory basics and my colleague, Tine Walczyk, Manager of Continuing Education & Consulting, will be presenting the TexShare Databases on Day 2. Day 2 will be hands-on work.
Dates and locations:
New Braunfels - October 11 & 12, 2007
The Woodlands - October 15 & 16, 2007
Lubbock - October 18 & 19, 2007
Corpus Christi - October 25 & 26, 2007
Abilene - November 8 & 9, 2007
Fort Stockton - November 15 & 16, 2007
Canton & Terrell - December 6 & 7, 2007
For additional information or to register, please visit:
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/workshops/slm4/index.html
Regards,
Dawn Vogler
Library Management Consultant
Texas State Library & Archives Commission PO Box 12927 Austin, TX 78711-2927
(512) 936-4449 phone
(512) 463-8800 fax

Dawn Vogler
Library Management Consultant
Texas State Library & Archives Commission PO Box 12927 Austin, TX 78711-2927
(512) 936-4449 phone
(512) 463-8800 fax

Free DVD Offer

Posted by request:
Hello Texas Librarians:
We would like to make you aware that Sweet Tornado: Margo Jones and the American Theater, the documentary that was aired nationwide on public television is available for free for your library as a DVD.
Since Ms. Jones was a native Texan and a pivotal figure in American theater, we are eager to make sure her memory lives on. Please contact Lisa Taylor at lisatmp@swbell.net <mailto:lisatmp@swbell.net> with your name, your library address and phone number to receive the DVD. Basic information follows.
-------------------------------------
Jones' story, after successfully airing on public television stations nationwide last spring, is now available as the DVD SWEET TORNADO: MARGO JONES AND THE AMERICAN THEATER, starring Judith Ivey as the dynamic and idealistic director from Texas, and Richard Thomas as Tennessee Williams, whose early career she championed. Marcia Gay Harden narrates the one-hour documentary, produced in high-definition format.
The documentary has been praised as smartly crafted, bold, moving by The Dallas Morning News and by Leonard Maltin as a heartfelt tribute to a woman with great dreams and equally great demons in her life.
In addition to the documentary, the SWEET TORNADO DVD includes features and footage of particular interest to theater lovers, theater educators and libraries. Among them: an incisive interview with noted Tennessee Williams authority Albert R. Devlin and a discussion - with contributions from Arena Stage founder Zelda Fichandler and director Adrian Hall - about how and why the professional nonprofit theater took root half a century ago.
The DVD also includes material about the classic drama Inherit the Wind - which Jones premiered - and assessments of her life and career from playwright Horton Foote, actor Ray Walston, and others. Judith Ivey offers her account of how she found the role for this unusual amalgam of live performance and documentary biography. Other extras include behind-the-scenes footage from shooting of the performance portion of the documentary.
Lisa Taylor
Taylor-Made Press
Dedicated to promoting culture
214-943-1099
Cell 214-914-1099
923 Salmon Dr.
Dallas, TX 75208
http://www.blogger.com/www.lisatmp.com
http://www.blogger.com/www.taylor-madepress.com/blog

Bookswim: Renting out Books the Netflix Way

This last week, I had an interesting conversation with Shamoon Siddiqui and George Burke, cofounders of Bookswim. Bookswim is a company that rents out books with the Netflix business model. Customers can get up to three books at a time for a monthly fee. The books are sent directly to the customer’s residence. There are no late fees and no postage for the customer.

I had emailed Shamoon at the request of one of my library directors, Tina Hager from the Little Elm Public Library. She had read an article about how the two were buying books from Library book sales to boost their inventory numbers. (According to the Bookswim website, their inventory currently stands at 150,000 and growing.) Tina wanted to know if NTRLS could work with Bookswim to create a partnership with NTRLS member libraries. Specifically, she wanted to know if NTRLS could arrange for Bookswim to buy book sale books from member libraries.

I am happy to report that Shamoon and George were open to the ideas of purchasing books from NTRLS libraries. They have two ways of purchasing the books. First, they will sometimes need a specific title and will pay the usual book sale amount for it. Secondly, they buy leftover books from book sales at a much reduced price (example: $2 a box). We did not discuss postage cost so I need to get back to them on this, but it sounds like a good fundraising opportunity for NTRLS libraries. I will post more as the details are worked out.

Of course, Shamoon and George took an opportunity to inform me that they have a service called Bookswim for Libraries. Here is what is on their website.

Library Partnership
We're supplementing a library network's books by allowing each library to have a special type of bookswim monthly membership that would work as follows: if a patron requests a book, the librarian can in turn request it (and others) using their bookswim membership. The books would be shipped directly to the library and then can be distributed to the patrons who had asked for them. The books are treated as your own inventory would be; you can choose a return date and impose late fines if you wish. BookSwim will be removed from this entire process. When the titles are returned, the library can package up the books and ship back to BookSwim. We can get books to your library as fast as interlibrary loan.We will always be sure to have the latest titles and popular titles, which make BookSwim a gem to use for patrons who do not wish to remain on a waiting list. All books can be delivered within a few days, as fast as some ILL orders.
The library will likely pay a monthly or yearly fee for this service and will be allowed X number of books out at a time each month or year. We don't have late fees so the library can keep titles for as long as needed. Additional advantages include speed of delivery and consolidation of shipping.This is a new program and rates can be negotiated based on your library's readership and budgetary needs. Contact BookSwim here and be sure to include intended usage amount and budget.

Shamoon and George also write on their website, “We know that libraries have limited shelf space and must be sure that the books they carry are going to get borrowed, so rare or older titles may not be included in their collections. In addition, everyone knows how difficult it can be to borrow a bestseller or new release from the library based on limited availability and long waiting lists. Why put your patrons through that?”

I told Shamoon and George that some of the NTRLS libraries might be interested in this service. The two are willing to work with us on a consortium price and invoicing arrangements. If you are interested, please let me know. If I get enough interest, I will pursue the matter further.

If you are interested in Bookswim, Shamoon and George also told me that they are looking for willing library directors to work with them on designing different service offerings. In essence, they want a library director to help them try out new things in a pilot project format. If you are interested in helping them out, please let me know and I will set up a time for all of us to chat.

Wikipedia scanner

Judy Daniluk is our web/IT specialist and she sent me the following email this morning.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adam,

Did you hear this story on NPR this morning? I think it ought to be mentioned on our blog.

A grad student at the California Institute of Technology has developed a tool that can scan Wikipedia, partially trace the users that are modifying the articles, and show which user made which changes. It shows that in many cases the articles are being slanted by "interested parties." For example, negative information in an article about Wal-Mart was deleted by someone using a Wal-Mart corporate computer. The story cites other examples concerning Dow Chemical, Diebold, and Exxon-Mobil.

The changes are only traced as far as the IP address of a computer inside a particular company, so there's no proof that the changes are being made by company employees, but the implication is strong.

Wikipedia has never claimed to be an authoritative, unbiased source of information, but many people, not understanding the nature of the wiki format, tend to accept it that way. This new tool may help people realize that it is important to confirm their facts with other information sources .

The NPR story can be found at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12823729
The story in Wired magazine, which the NPR story references, can be found at http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/08/wiki_tracker

..Judy

Electricity from body heat

I found this info on the web today, and thought I would share it with all of you. Harnessing electricity from body heat. Pretty interesting stuff! Heres the URL and a snipit of info about it:

http://www.physorg.com/news105200099.html

Making calls from a cell phone with no battery, using just the warmth of your hand? Perhaps that’s no more than a pipe dream right now. But new circuits are already making it possible to harness body heat for generating electricity.

Numerous items of medical equipment are attached to the body of a patient in the intensive care ward. They monitor the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, pulse and breathing rate. This tends to produce quite a jumble of cables, for all these devices require their own electricity supply.

In future, medical sensors may be able to function without power from a wall socket. Instead, they will draw all the power they need from the warmth of the human body. The respective data will be sent by a radio signal to the central monitoring station.

The Hollywoord Librarian

The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film is complete, and had its red-carpet premiere at the American Library Association annual conference in Washington, DC on June 22, 2007 to over 4,000 librarians and friends.
It is the first movie ever on the subject of the real lives and actual work of U.S. librarians. Using the “hook” of Hollywood motion picture clips, it introduces the audience to all kinds of librarians: school and children’s librarians, special librarians (medical and corporate), academic librarians, library educators and graduate students, a cataloger, and public librarians. Beginning with the history of information organization – Hypatia and the Library of Alexandria – it then touches on Andrew Carnegie, Melvil Dewey, and early women library professionals. Moving on into the 21st century, the documentary gives audiences the chance to peer into the world of librarians: the skills and passion it takes, the challenges of book censorship, and most of all, declining library funding.
The Hollywood Librarian is appropriate for audiences from young adult up. It runs 95 minutes (also known as “feature length”).

New York Public Library Prints Classics on Demand

Here is an interesting article on NYPL's newest service. If you are interested in buying the printer, you can read about it here. It only costs $100,000.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission Flickr Account

TSLAC has a flickr account. For those who do not know, flickr is a photo sharing site. Not much on the TSLAC account yet, but check back for additional photoes.

Putting a Value on Your Library at Budget Time

At a time when many city and county librarians are defending budget proposals for the coming fiscal year, a rare opportunity is sitting on our doorstep yet about to be missed!

Next week, Joanne Roukens, Executive Director of the Highlands
Regional Library Cooperative (HRLC) in Denville, NJ, will present an NTRLS workshop entitled Valuing Libraries: Demonstrating the Contributions Libraries Make to Their Communities. Having seen the handouts and PowerPoint content, I'm concerned about how many library administrators, Board Members and Friends could probably use the information during this time of budgets yet have NOT signed up.

The all-day workshop will be offered Wednesday, August 1 in Decatur and Friday, August 3 at NTRLS Headquarters, 6320 Southwest Blvd. in Fort Worth.

Participants will:
• Learn to define what is valuable to customers and stakeholders
• Be able to identify and quantify their library’s value
• Learn tools and skills necessary to demonstrate library impact in writing and presenting.

All NTRLS workshops are available to interested parties at no cost. Please feel free to invite your Friends group, board members and volunteers.

To register online, go to http://www.ntrls.org/ and click on the Continuing Education button on the right.

More About LibraryThing for Libraries at Bedford Public Library

In response to all of the questions that were generated by the previous posting about LibraryThing for Libraries, Barbara Johnson has sent the following information:

The process was really easy. I read about LibraryThing for Libraries and thought it would be a great catalog enhancement so I contacted the company (www.librarything.com). They had me send them a tab delimited file of ISBNs, authors and titles from which they set up a demo. Once the demo was tested, they had me incorporate a few simple html snippets into my OPAC. LibraryThing used some CSS to make the style fit seamlessly with our OPAC design. Bedford uses Innovative Interfaces so the process for doing this may vary depending on your ILS. That was pretty much it. There was some tweaking and when there were problems LibraryThing came up with a solution. The people were very easy to work with and the whole process took only about a month. I encourage other libraries to consider using it. LibraryThing LibraryThing for Libraries Thing-ology Blog See Example - Cozy Mysteries

International Edible Book Festival.

An edible book is something shaped like a book, or that refers to a title or type of book, and you can eat it! There are many great ideas for refreshements for library events. To see examples of edible cookies, go to the festival page.



Orginally reported in Folusa's News Update, July 2007 edition.

Plinkit

Hi folks,

Just wanted to inform you, if some of you haven't heard yet, that the State library is running a project called plinkit. It is open source software for you to use to manage and create a wbesite. There are several ways to use the software for your needs, but primarly, the State Library will allow you to create a website and have them host it for you. If you are interested in having a website using plinkit, please feel free to contact me at the system office. My email is abeatty@ntrls.org and the phone number here is 800-856-3050. Everyone is able to use it, but theres only one of me to get to all of you so this will be addressed as a first come first serve priority response.

LibraryThing at Bedford Public Library

from Barbara Glassford Johnson, Technical Services Manager/Systems Administrator at Bedford Public Library:

Bedford Public Library recently implemented LibraryThing for Libraries in its catalog. We've posted info about it on our web site.

I think other libraries might be interested in it. The process of working with the folks at LibraryThing was super easy, and it has provided some great new functionality in our catalog.

http://www.bedfordlibrary.org/ 817.952.2335
______________________
Bedford Public Library adds LibraryThing for Libraries

Bedford Public Library became the second library in the nation to add
LibraryThing for Libraries to its online catalog. The new Amazon-like
feel to the online catalog is sure to appeal to patrons of all ages.
See us mentioned in LibraryThing's Thing-ology blog.
LibraryThing for Libraries will enhance our online catalog by allowing
users to view other editions, similar books and to search for items
using tags.
Other editions and translations: Links to audiobook editions and
Spanish-language versions of a title. See the title Foreign
Correspondent.
Similar books: Lists of similar books based on data from LibraryThing
and its members. See the title The Yiddish Policemen's Union.
Tags and Tag Browser: Tags are keywords and labels used by regular
people to categorize books as opposed to Library of Congress subject
headings which use a controlled vocabulary of predefined and
authorized terms. The tags come from LibraryThing's 17 million
member-added tags.
A simple "tag cloud" highlights some of the more popular terms people
use to describe a book. The larger a word appears in the "tag cloud"
the more people have used that term to describe the title thus it is
more relevant to the search. Tags with very low relevance appear very
small and may be meaningful only to the person who assigned it. Take a
look at this example: Cozy mysteries.
Incorporating LibraryThing for Libraries into our catalog will open up
valuable new ways for patrons to find books of interest to them. We
hope you enjoy this new catalog functionality.

TSLAC Rule Revisions

I received the following email from Deborah Littrell, Director, Library Development division at TSLAC. It goes over the proposed rule changes to Membership requirements. If you would like to comment on these rule changes, please go here.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Coordinators:
I forgot to discuss this at the meeting on Thursday. We posted some minor rule revisions after the commission meeting in June. See the June 29 issue of the Texas Register http://texinfo.library.unt.edu/texasregister/html/2007/jun-29/index.html

The comment period extends until July 29. Please note that comments should be sent in writing to Chris Jowaisas. Most of this is clean-up of wording and deleting outdated material.

There is one item to note - rule 1.81 we propose adding this for population groups 25,000 and over: employ a library director for at least 40 hours per week in library duties

This mirrors the requirement for libraries serving under 25,000.

Note also the addition to 1.84 to handle the issue of librarians who had been grandfathered into a grade one certificate.

Please share with your members and let me know if you have any questions. Thanks

Photo Synth

I found this new technology that I think will revolutionize the way we handle photos, books and magazines at libraries and also the web as we know it today. Think of this as Super Microfiche. Please click the link for the demo below:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/129

enjoy!


P.S. heres a link to the online demo of the product, you will need to install the active x when prompted:

http://labs.live.com/photosynth/view.html?collection=sanmarco/index1.sxs

NTRLS Certified Library Computer Technologist Class

Hi folks,

This is my first blog post, and I just wanted to say that the first NTRLS Certified Library Computer Technologist class was a success. We had a full class and I look forward to seeing all of you at the next one. Also I would like to share that we will be doing 2 sessions of the classes. The second session of part 1 is being held in Wichita Falls at George Moffett Library at MWSU for the western libraries in our system.

See ya'll there

System Coordinator and Consultant Meetings

I spent Thursday and Friday in Austin at the System Coordinator and System Consultant meetings. Here are some highlights:

Coordinator's Meeting:

- Deborah Littrell advised us to remind System members that the amount of local funding support needed for System membership went up in FY2007 and will continue to increment until 2015. If you do not meet this membership criteria, your library will be placed on probation. Your library will then have three years to make up the difference before losing System membership.

- Dr. Lwey Hing Jeng, director of TWU SLIS, spoke briefly on their new MLS program for small libraries. You can find more information here.

- Debra Gibson reminded all the coordinators about the NETLS Media Program. This program is a collection of public performing videos which can be checked out and shown at your library. NTRLS is paying the fee to allow all NTRLS member libraries to participate.

-External Funding Request Prior Approval forms were introduced. These forms will need to be filled out by Systems before pursuing any activities to raise external funds. NTRLS has already filled out one for adding fee-based services to ntrls.org.

-Wendy Clark went over the first draft of awards granted through the Loan Star Libraries program. The final grant awards will be announced in August. If you want to your listed award on the draft document, please let me know.

-Long Range Plans for 2010 and 2011 are due to TSLAC by February 1, 2008. NTRLS will be working closely with NTRLS staff, NTRLS Board of Directors and member libraries on constructing the plan. At the same time, NTRLS will also putting together a fresh five year plan for 2009 to 2013. TSLAC went over the firs preliminary draft of the long range plan guidelines.

Consultant's Meeting
At this meeting, each System shared what they had planned for 2008. TSLAC then shared their planned activities for 2008. Lots of neat workshops on the horizon all over the state. For more information, check out the CE portal. We also discussed the Plinkit program, which is a web hosting service that TSLAC is launching where libraries can create websites at no cost. If you are interested in participating in Plinkit, please contact Adam Beatty at the System office. It was also revealed that in 2008 there will be a Teen Reading Club along with the usual Summer Reading Club. Great Stuff.

Copies of Library Construction Survey

Because I received - just yesterday - a request for the same information that the COSLA survey is collecting, I'd really appreciate your taking the time to cut and paste that completed survey into an email message or word document and sending it to me at dweisman@ntrls.org. I'll compile the results and make them available to the libraries in our area.

Thanks!

National Construction Survey

TSLAC's Library Systems Grants Administrator Chris Jowaisas has asked systems to distribute the following information to all member libraries. Before you read the message, you may need to know the following:

COSLA is an independent organization of the Chief Officers of state and territorial agencies designated as the State Library administrative Agency and responsible for statewide library development.

The link individual libraries should use to complete the survey is http://www.njstatelib.org/LDB/cosla/cosla1.php .

Use the name of your city or county as the "library jurisdiction name."

If you need to look up the State and House districts in which your library is located, go to http://gis1.tlc.state.tx.us/ for answers to " State Senate District Number" and "State Assembly (House) District Number." You can also use that site to look up the U.S. House district in which your library is located, or go to http://www.house.gov/ and complete the zip code look-up box in the upper left-hand corner.

Unless your library has multiple buildings, completing the survey should go quickly; most - if not all - of the 20 (total) questions can be answered in less time than it takes to read the question. Libraries with branches or multiple buildings will need to submit a response for each building.

The deadline for responses from all libraries is August 31, 2007.

Even TSLAC is having to complete the survey.

You may contact Chris Jowaisas at christopher.jowaisas@tsl.state.tx.us or 512/936-2236.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 12:19 PM

M E M O R A N D U M
TO: COSLA Members
From: Norma Blake, New Jersey State Librarian
Subject: National Construction Survey
Date: June 21, 2007

This year, the COSLA Legislative Committee chaired by Ken Wiggins, Connecticut State Librarian, decided that a national library construction survey was needed in order for State Library agencies to compile data on their states' library construction needs. Once compiled, this data would be used by State Library agencies to advocate for federal public library construction funding.

I am pleased to send you two surveys developed by the New Jersey State Library which will enable COSLA to collect this data. The New Jersey State Library IT Department has posted the surveys online.

As discussed at the COSLA meeting in Washington, D.C., please send a letter or email to the libraries in your state, provide them with the following link, http://www.njstatelib.org/LDB/cosla/cosla1.php, and ask them to complete this survey online by August 31st, 2007.

Using the data from these surveys, the New Jersey State Library IT Department will be able to compile a complete report for our use at the fall COSLA meeting.

We appreciate your help with gathering this information so that COSLA can move forward in advocating for federal construction funding.

Norma E. Blake, State Librarian
New Jersey State Library
185 W. State Street
PO Box 520
Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
nblake@njstatelib.org
609-292-6201
fax: 609-292-2746
http://www.blogger.com/www.njstatelib.org

UPDATE Regarding Professional Education for Small Community Librarians (PESCL) Program

We just received this information from Library Management Consultant Dawn Vogler at TSLAC and wanted to be sure to pass it on right away.

TSLAC met with the folks from TWU and TLA last night about this grant. Questions have been coming in that I wasn't able to answer specifically. So, here are a few answers:

Applicants do need a Bachelor's degree to apply!

Preference will be given to those that have completed the SLM program. However, you won't necessarily be penalized if you have one course missing if you have intention of completing it in the future. There is some flexibility here. I did let Dr. Martin and Dr. Jeng know that we had a weather issue last December in Amarillo and though we had a make-up date, there are still some out there missing a few hours. They indicated that this would not be a problem.

Those interested in applying need to take a standardized test. There are some options here, so it's not just the GRE:
GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT or Miller's Analogy Test (MAT) scores are accepted.
I hadn't heard of the MAT, so here is more information in the link below. Some may find this test of analytical skills more palatable than the GRE where more math is involved: http://harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/en-US/Harcourt/Community/PostSecondary/Products/MAT/mathome.htm

There is NO minimum score required for graduate admission to TWU. They cannot advertise this fact, but said I could pass the word on. I know many of you feared taking the GRE, but this will not be a large factor in admissions.

They prefer 5 or more years of library experience - it does not have to be at the Director level and they will take some volunteer positions into account.
If you started an MLS program at another university, you will not be discounted from this program if you meet the qualifications. You don't necessarily have to reveal that you started a program if you only have a semester in. However, those that are further into another program, can only transfer up to 6 graduate hours to TWU.

Applicants will be notified in December 2007 of acceptance into the cohort. Application deadline is October 15, 2007.

They are expecting a high level of dedication to this program for the entire 2 years, plus participation at TLA through 2010. Though some attrition is expected due to family emergencies and life changes, they are looking for people who are going to stay the course with this program. So, you might want to emphasize how you are going to juggle such a program with your work duties in your letter of intent. Will your city be kind enough to give you work time to complete the program? If so, what a bonus, tell them so in the application! If you've participated in TLA, also let them know.

You need broadband access to complete the online program.

Applicants will first be accepted into the program like any other applicant to TWU's SLIS program. Once you pass that hurdle, you will then be passed on to Dr. Martin and Dr. Jeng (and possibly an advisory board they are assembling now), for further consideration. Phone interviews may be conducted.

Drs. Martin and Jeng are aiming for an in-person orientation over the MLK holiday weekend for those accepted.

Should you have more specific questions, see the website and the contacts here: http://www.twu.edu/cope/slis/pelsc.htm
I'm very excited about this opportunity and wish you all the best of luck! If you aren't one of the first 30, there may be another opportunity like this in the future.

Thanks, Dawn
Dawn Vogler
Library Management Consultant
Texas State Library & Archives Commission PO Box 12927 Austin, TX 78711-2927
(512) 936-4449 phone
(512) 463-8800 fax

ATRT Website Scorecard

In the latest issue of the Texas Library Journal, an article written by Diane Neal, Texas Woman's University, and Cary Herzig, The Colony Public Library, highlights a website scorecard. This scorecard is meant as a way for libraries to gauge the effectiveness of their websites. I served as chair of the Automation and Technology Round Table sub-committee that developed the scorecard so I volunteered to host the scorecard on the NTRLS server. You can find the scorecard here. Thanks to all the committee members who put so much hard work into the project.

seniorspaces.blogspot.com

This message comes from Allan Kleiman, whom some of you may remember as having been the presenter for a TSLAC Serving Older Populations workshop a few years ago.

"Because we have had so many requests about the project, below you can find links to news stories and photos about "senior spaces."If you have any additional questions, please e-mail me at: seniorspaces@oldbridgelibrary.org.

We will continue to add to the blog at: seniorspaces.blogspot.com over the summer.

Here are the links:
Library Wooing Boomers
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070702/NEWS010223/707020402/1005/NEWS01

Library Opens Cozy Section for Seniors http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070702/NEWS03/707020329/1007

Opening Day Photos Taken by Nancy Dowd, NJ State Library http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewordblog/sets/72157600337533109/

Senior Spaces Designed for Older Library-Goers http://suburban.gmnews.com/news/2007/0621/Front_Page/043.html

Senior Spaces Under Construction Photos Taken by Tim Niland
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=senior+spaces&m=tags

OBPL's Craft Club "Adopts" Senior Spaces
http://www.flickr.com/photos/obpl/537172810/

Let us know what you think about the project. Our next phase will also include the development of programming activities in conjunction with our newly formed Senior Spaces Advisory Board."

Allan M. Kleiman
Past Chair, ALA RUSA RSS Library Service to an Aging Population Committee
Chair, RUSA/OLOS White House Conference on Aging Task Force Member,
OLOS Subcommittee on Library Service to Older Adults
http://www.libraryolderadults.blogspot.com/
Assistant Library Director
Old Bridge Public Library
1 Old Bridge Plaza
Old Bridge, NJ 08857-2498
732-721-5600, ext. 5042
kleiman@aol.com
http://www.seniorspaces.blogspot.com/
http://www.oldbridgelibrary.org/

Advertise Your Book Sale!

Be sure your library is listed on Book Sale Finder! A one stop site to publicize your booksale as well as see what other libraries are doing.

NTRLS First Online Video

We are having some fun on a Friday by experimenting with online video. It is our first attempt. Ironically, I did finish my first Plan of Service today and I am going to Disney World next week so it just made sense to film this commercial.

Professional Collection at NTRLS

NTRLS maintains a Professional Collection of materials that you may check out for one month. We also check out professional journals. We have recently updated to LibraryWorld.com. So please, go check out our online catalog and let us know if we can send you anything!

Collection Development - Materials Contracts Award Winners

The NTRLS Board of Directors met today and approved the Collection Development Contracts recommended by the NTRLS Collection Development Committee. The Collection Development committee met on June 13th to select the winners of the 53 bids submitted. A big THANK YOU! Goes out to Vicki Kemp, Flower Mound Public Library, Katherine Boyer, Roanoke Public Library and Tina Hager, Little Elm Public Library for their work on this project. They spent over two days reading and scoring all of the proposals.

Here is a breakdown of how many bids we received for each RFP along with the name of the winning vendor, and a summary of available discounts. NTRLS will be releasing its 2008 Resource Allocation Manual in Mid-July. This manual will have all the contract details.

Print
Number of bids: 15
Winning Vendor: Brodart
Discounts
General Trade Books: 46.5%
Best Sellers: 46.5% Trade Hardcover 40.5% Paperback
Technical Books: 13%
Children’s Books in Publisher’s Library Binding: 27.5%
Mass Market Paperbacks: 40.5%
Pre-bound Books: 27.5%
Large Print Books: 46.5% Trade Hardcover, 40.5% Paperback



Word Language Print
Number of bids: 5
Winning Vendor: Brodart
General Trade Books: 40%
Best Sellers: 40% Trade Hardcover, 40% Paperback
Technical Books: 20%
Children Books in Publisher’s Library Binding: 20%
Mass Market Paperbacks: 40%
Pre-bound books: 20%
Large Print Books: 40% Trade Hardcover, 40% Paperback



Video
Number of bids: 10
Winning Vendor: Baker and Taylor
Popular/recreational programs on prerecorded DVDS: 28.7%
Educational/Instructional programs on prerecorded DVDs: 28.7%
Foreign Films: 28.7%


World Language Video
Number of bids: 5
Winning Vendor: Book Wholesalers (BWI)
Popular/recreational programs on prerecorded DVDS: 28%
Foreign Films: 15%


Sound
Number of bids: 9
Winning Vendor: Ingram Library Services, Inc

Educational and instructional programs on prerecorded audiocassettes and compact discs: Cassettes:45.8%
Compact Discs: 45.8%
Non-trade titles: 20%

Audiobooks on prerecorded audiocassettes and compact discs
Cassettes:45.8%
Compact Discs: 45.8%
Non-trade titles: 20%



World Language Sound
Number of bids: 6
Winning Vendor: Book Wholesalers (BWI)

Popular and classical music on prerecorded audiocassettes and compact discs:
Compact Discs: 28%

Educational and instructional programs on prerecorded audiocassettes and compact discs:
Compact Discs: 15%

Audiobooks on prerecorded audiocassettes and compact discs
Cassettes: 35%
Compact Discs: 35%


Periodicals
Number of bids: 2
Winning Vendor: Magazine Subscriptions PTP

General: 22%
Technical/Scientific: 22%
Children’s: 22%
Special: 22%


Leased Materials
Number of bids: 1
Winning Vendor: Brodart


Playaway
Winning Vendor: Findaway World
20% discount

Free Civics and Citizenship Toolkits from GPO while they last

Gloria Meraz, Director of Communications for TLA , has reminded us that the federal government has produced a Civics and Citizenship Toolkit and is making a limited number of those available free, to public libraries ONLY, while supplies last.

• Registration is limited to public libraries only and is subject to review to ensure eligibility. Please DO NOT REGISTER IF YOUR LIBRARY IS PART OF THE FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY PROGRAM (FDLP)*.
• If eligible, registrants will receive a copy of the Toolkit on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Resources are limited. Registrants will receive one Toolkit at no charge. See below for information on purchasing additional copies.
• Registration began June 2007 and will be open while supplies last.

*The Government Printing Office (GPO), a member of the Task Force on New Americans, will distribute the Civics and Citizenship Toolkit to its network of libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). NOTE: Please DO NOT REGISTER IF YOUR LIBRARY IS PART OF THE FDLP.

To register, go to http://www.citizenshiptoolkit.gov/RegisterUser.aspx or www.citizenshiptoolkit.org. For a list of products and publications included in the Toolkit plus suggestions for using it in public libraries, go to http://www.citizenshiptoolkit.gov/toolkit.htm.

Purchasing Information

Toolkits may be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Online Bookstore. There are no restrictions to purchase the Toolkit. Interested individuals or organizations that do not qualify to receive a free Toolkit may purchase a copy. Toolkits may be ordered through the U.S. Government Printing Office Bookstore.

Helmet of Mambrino

I read blogs on a weekly basis and often find myself looking for new, interesting reading. Mike VanCampen and I attended Tall Texans together in 2004. I had lost touch with him until I stumbled across his blog, Helmet of Mambrino. Mike is the Chief of Central Services for the Houston Public Library. Mike is an avid reader, excellent writer with a good sense of humor. He is from the generation before mine and has a very unqiue point of view. Check out his blog here.

LE@D courses approved for Western Council certificate program

NOTE: LE@D Courses are available without cost to staff and supporters of NTRLS member libraries through NTRLS. For a complete list, go to http://www.ntrls2.org/default.asp?action=article&ID=159 .

--------

Library Education @ Desktop (LE@D) is now an approved provider for the Western Council certificate program. Twenty-two western states (including Texas) are members of the Western Council of State Libraries.

The certificate is for library practitioners, defined as library directors or managers without a masters of library and information science (MLS). The certificate requires that the practitioner has completed 240 contact hours in different competency areas and has library experience. LE@D courses are being linked to certificate core competencies and listed with the number of contact hours and continuing education units, so tracking the certificate will be easy.

For more information about the certificate program, go to http://certificate.westernco.org/applinfo.html
For more information about LE@D's totally online courses, go to www.leadonline.info

Professional Education for Small Community Librarians

Please note that the partners in this project are TWU SLIS, TLA and TSLAC, not individual systems. For more information contact Dr. Robert S. Martin or Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng at 940/ 898-2602.

PRESS RELEASE

TWU School of Library and Information Studies receives nearly $730,000 for Professional Education for Librarians in Small Communities (PELSC) project
6/21/07

DENTON - The Texas Woman's University School of Library and Information Studies has received a grant of $691,323 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and a second grant of $38,400 from Tocker Foundation to implement its Professional Education for Librarians in Small Communities
(PELSC) project.

TWU, the Texas Library Association and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission will provide a matching amount of $442,074 in both cash and in-kind services for the project.

The PELSC project offers an online degree program that will enable library workers currently serving in small and rural communities throughout Texas to earn a master's degree in library science. The project will provide full support for tuition, fees and travel stipends. Participants will form a cohort and be assisted throughout their study by mentors who are professional librarians in public libraries in Texas.

"We are extremely excited about the PELSC project," said Dr. Robert Martin, the Lillian Bradshaw Professor of Library Science at TWU and the principal investigator of the project. "This truly leverages the potential for online learning at the advanced degree level, and builds on what the State Library has already accomplished with its Small Library Management Training Program."

The Small Library Management Training Program (SLMTP), administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, provides management skills to non-MLS library staff of small community libraries in Texas. Eligible applicants for the PELSC project must have completed the SLMTP or be on schedule to complete it by the first semester of their study. Participants in the PELSC project will be required to attend an orientation event at the beginning of their program, and are expected to receive their degree in two calendar years.

More than three-quarters of the public libraries in Texas serve communities with populations of fewer than 25,000. Few of these libraries are managed by a professional librarian - one having earned a master's degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association.

"This program will result in a significant improvement of the management of libraries serving small communities," said Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng, director of TWU's School of Library and Information Studies and co-principal investigator of the project. "That means better library services for people living in small communities, and more effective use of public resources in those communities."

The grant period begins July 1, 2007 and continues through June 30, 2010.

For more information on the PELSC project at TWU, contact Dr. Robert S.
Martin or Dr. Ling Hwey Jeng at (940) 898-2602.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

The purpose of the Tocker Foundation is to distribute funds principally for the support, encouragement and assistance to small rural libraries in Texas.

# # #

Chris Jowaisas, Administrator of Library System Grants & TANG Library Development Division at TSLAC, has alerted us that Texas has dropped a notch today in the "What Book Got You Hooked?" contest of OneBook.org.

Go to http://www2.firstbook.org/whatbook/index.php to read more about the contest, see what titles are being shared and which state is in the lead, and - of course! - to cast your vote. Since the winning state gets 50,000 brand new books, be sure to tell your friends and vote again tomorrow! Visitors are permitted to vote once every 24 hours through July 31.

Internet Safety Agreement for Kids

Among the services provided by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas is a Kids' Home Page which offers various activities to help children learn more about the AG, his office and Texas holidays. The site includes an Internet Safety agreement for kids at
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/kids/kidtips.php

Texas Open Government Publications

How recent is your copy of the Public Information Act Handbook or the Open Meetings Act Handbook? Unless it's the 2006 version, it's not recent enough. You can order free publications of those, plus related training resources in CD and DVD formats, as well as several other Open Government publications from the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. An order form for items available free (while supplies last) in print, CD or DVD version, go to
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/publications.shtml
Use that form, also, to order free (while supplies last) child support brochures and publications about senior concerns, consumer protection, sexual assault prevention and crime victims services.

All of those publications and recordings - as well as lots of useful information - are available, also, from the AG's website http://www.oag.state.tx.us/index.shtml

For more information about Open Government training materials, go to http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinopen/og_training.shtml

Genre Fiction Preferences

The Reference and User Services Quarterly has an article in the Summer 2007 issue that lists the survey results for genre fiction preferences. The results are in percentages.

Romance: Well Liked: 23% Disliked: 59%
Religious/Inspirational Well Liked: 12% Disliked: 61%
Literary: Well Liked: 67% Disliked: 10%
Science Fiction: Well Liked: 52% Disliked: 29%
Fantasy: Well Liked: 40% Disliked: 33%
Historical: Well Liked: 60% Disliked: 13%
Mystery: Well Liked: 65% Disliked: 14%
Spy/Thriller/Adventure: Well Liked: 66% Disliked: 16%

Source: Learning From Leisure Reading by Jessica E. Moyer.

Disaster Planning and Recovery Offerings at Amigos

The North Texas area has been bombarded by storms over the last three months. If your library has encountered any kind of damage due to these storms, I recommend you check out the Amigos offerings for Disaster Planning and Recovery. You do not have to be an Amigos member to receive the benefits of their program. Here is an email I received from Elizabeth Klein, Program Coordinator, Imaging and Preservation Service, at Amigos.

Hi, Adam –

Thank you for your time on the phone today. Please let your librarians know that the Imaging and Preservation Service (IPS) of Amigos has a preservation consultant on staff who can advise them of the best way to handle things like wet materials, mold outbreaks, or other damage that might occur in the aftermath of flooding. We are available to help any library west of the Mississippi, even if they are not Amigos members, because of our NEH grant.

During daytime hours, please call the Amigos 800 number in my signature text, and let them know you need emergency assistance from IPS. After hours, please call 469-223-4900 to reach the on-call person (me).

Amigos also provides training workshops in Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery. We offer face to face classes and have a new on-line class starting in September.

You might also check out this site for more information.

North Texas Regional Library System Regional Meetings Set

Here is our schedule for the next NTRLS regional meetings. We had to hold them at a later date this year due to the close proximity of the two System Assembly meetings earlier in the year. I will post a meeting agenda by the end of the month.

REGIONAL MEETINGS SCHEDULE
SUMMER 2007

July 18, Wednesday – Region 2, Bowie - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

August 2, Thursday – Region 5, Kennedale - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

August 15, Wednesday – Region 4, Watauga - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

August 16, Thursday – Region 3, Denton – South - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

August 21, Tuesday – Region 6, Mineral Wells - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

August 30, Thursday – Region 1, Henrietta - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

August 31, Friday – Region 7, Dublin - Meeting Set 10 - Noon

TSLAC Call for Trainers

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is looking for trainers for an upcoming Spanish Language Outreach workshop series. Here is the email that I received from them.


The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) invites you to submit a letter of interest to be a trainer for an upcoming Spanish Language Outreach workshop series.

This series will focus on providing library staff with the knowledge and resources to reach out to the Spanish speakers in their communities and access to technology.

Each trainer selected for the series will conduct a minimum of 3 full-day (6 hours or more) workshops on the topic of Spanish language outreach. Each trainer will receive training and be required to use the curriculum created for the program. Trainers must live in Texas and be available from October 2007 through May 2008. Fluency in Spanish is not required.

Details on the workshop series are included in the attached documents. Please feel free to forward this message to others who may be interested.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JULY 2, 2007
Email letter of interest, resume, and any additional documentation to mzatopek@tsl.state.tx.us.

For more information, please contact:
Myra Arredondo Zatopek, State Program Coordinator Special Services Consultant Texas State Library & Archives Commission mzatopek@tsl.state.tx.us <<TSLACspecspanish.doc>>

A Race to the Bottom - Privacy Ranking of Internet Service Companies

Web search leader Google's commitment to consumer privacy has come under fire from Privacy International, a British activist group that has previously singled out Google for criticism.

The London-based group released a report on Saturday entitled "A Race to the Bottom--Privacy Ranking of Internet Service Companies" that rates Google, alone among 20 sites, as having an "entrenched hostility to privacy."

With each search on Google, the company gathers information about a customer's tastes, interests and beliefs that could potentially be used by third parties such as advertisers. But the company says it never passes on personal data.

While the preliminary report details a handful of specific concerns, the main threat Privacy International spells out is Google's growing size and scope as the world's largest provider of Web searches, along with the consumer data that the company collects as it delivers ever more personalized Web services.

"This is in part due to the diversity and specificity of Google's product range and the ability of the company to share extracted data between these tools, and in part it is due to Google's market dominance and the sheer size of its user base," the report finds.

The rankings were arrived at after a six-month probe of privacy practices at key Web search companies, e-mail providers, and e-commerce and social networking sites. Privacy International promised to issue a fuller report in September, after further consultation with the companies involved.
Google said the latest report was mistaken.

Link for the complete Reuters article.

Denton Public Library to host “Benjamin Franklin” Traveling Exhibit

This ALA press release announces which libraries will be hosting the “Benjamin Franklin” traveling exhibit. Denton Public Library is listed.

Congratulations to the Denton Pubilc Library for being one of the 20 nationwide selected.

Here is a little more about the exhibit as copied from the ALA press release.

The exhibition for libraries will consist of six sections of colorful, freestanding photo-panels incorporating representations of artifacts from the original Franklin exhibition, and a new text written by the curator. Exhibition content is arranged in thematic sections showing Franklin in the Boston of his youth, Franklin’s family and personal life, as well as the years when he built his business as Philadelphia’s premier printer. The exhibit also looks at Franklin’s commitment to public service, his interests in medicine and public health, and his work in science and philosophy. Franklin’s political career in England, France and the United States, and his contributions to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other major documents are the subjects of the final two sections of the exhibit.

New Budget for FY2008 Released

I received an email this morning with a new budget total for FY2008. It will be $626,706 which is about $9,362 short of our plan of service request. It is just over a 1% cut. Our anticipated reduction in lease payments will be around $14,000 so I do not believe we will have to cut any other line items.

The reason for the decrease is the Federal Legislature did not give as much to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as the Texas State Library and Archives Commission originally anticipated so the amount Texas received was less than fore casted.

The budget recommendation will be discussed at the June 15th TSLAC meeting in Austin. I will be attending this meeting and blogging about it.

Please Pardon Our Dust

The North Texas Regional Library System will be doing some office reconstruction beginning Wednesday, June 13th. We will be extending our current workroom into the adjacent vacant office to give us a meeting room/workshop space. It should take two weeks for the work to be completed. If you stop by the office during this time, please excuse our dust.

FYI, we have been advertising the current meeting room and storage space for rent since February after we performed a space needs assessment and discovered that we did not need all of the space we currently lease. We have someone willing to take over the space beginning July 1st pending NTRLS Board of Directors approval at the June meeting. If everything works out, the System will save $28K over the next two years by releasing the space.

Is Web 2.o Safe?

As users store more data online, hackers are finding ways to break into the new service sites. Experts say the problems are deep-seated.

Samy Kamkar was really just trying to impress girls. Instead, he made Web hacking history.

Kamkar created what is considered the first Web 2.0 worm--a virulent bug that no firewall could block, and which ultimately forced MySpace.com to temporarily shut down. The Samy worm (named after Kamkar) was among the more prominent of a new generation of Web attacks that some security experts fear may slow the fast-evolving collaborative model of Internet development known as Web 2.0.

For complete article link to PC World.

Robert McMillan, PC World
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 4:00 PM PDT

Microsoft Surface Computer

This video will show you a new computer prototype being released by Microsoft in the next year. It is straight out of the movies. Specifically, if you ever saw Tom Cruise use his computer in Minority Report then you have seen this computer before.

I wonder how libraries can use these???

Loan Star Libraries Program receives an additional $1 Million a Year

Great news! The legislature passed a budget that included an increase of $2 million for the Loan Star Libraries Program over the next two years. This news means libraries will get more in direct aid from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). Here is an excerpt from the latest Texas Library Association's Texline.

Direct Aid for Public Libraries ($2 million over the biennium)The state has appropriated an additional $1 million per year for the Loan Star Libraries grant.

Here is an analysis from Texline of the overall TSLAC budget.

Overall TSLAC Budget- The state did reinstate most of the 10% cut (requested of all agencies last fall), although some administrative funds were not restored in various areas in the budget. The state increase of $1 million for Loan Star Libraries per year represents almost a 38% increase in the program funding level of 2007. (As a point of comparison, the proposed federal increase for grants to libraries, through the Library Services and Technology funding, represents approximately a 4% increase over last fiscal year.)

For the latest in Texline issues, check here. Note: The latest issue is not up yet, but hopefully it will be soon.

I am very pleased with the results. I frankly did not expect us to get anything this session. I commend all of those who who contacted their state representatives about library issues. The results of this legislative session has restored my faith in the process and I can only hope it gets better from this point forward. Take a deep breath and relax. You deserve a break before we start again in 2009.

Governor Signs Bill to Continue the Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Governor Perry signed a SB913 on Saturday to continue the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Included in the bill, there was some language to allow Systems to raise funds outside of the System grant. This is great news for NTRLS as we can raise funds in the following ways:


(a) The commission may


authorize a major resource system or regional library system to

receive money in addition to the system operation grant, including

money from:

(1) gifts or grants from the federal government, local

or regional governments, private sources, or other sources;

(2) contracts for services;

(3) cost-sharing arrangements; or

(4) other fees.

The NTRLS staff has already started to think of ways to raise additional funds without taking away from the core projects of consulting and continuing education. I will begin to write grants in September for projects. If you have any ideas in this area, please let me know.

To read the bill, go here.

2007 NTRLS Award Ceremony

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Originally uploaded by ntrls2006

The North Texas Regional Library System celebrated its 2007 Awards Ceremony at our May 24, 2007 System Assembly Meeting in Wichita Falls. Allison Long of the Haltom City Public Library won the Library Employee Award. She is pictured here with friends and family who attended the event. For a complete listing of award winners, please go here.

The event was covered by two local news channels so our award winners gained a lot of recognition for their efforts in assisting libraries. Congrats to all of them!!!

To see additional photos, check out our Flickr account.

Update: Here is one of the news reports on the event.

Web 2.0 Explained

I have shown this video several times at workshops with great success. Even if you know about Web 2.0, you might want to check out this video. It is very entertaining. BTW, the video is stored on YouTube which can be addictive.

Two New NTRLS Board Members

At the March System Assembly meeting, the membership voted to modify the bylaws to include two at-large members on the NTRLS Board of Directors. This modification increases the number of NTRLS Board members from 7 individuals to 9 individuals. Due to the close proximity of the spring System Assembly meetings, there was not enough time to organize a nomination committee, which is required to submit names to the System office thirty days before the election of the at-large members at a System Assembly meeting. In situations like this, it falls to the Chair of the NTRLS Board of Directors to assign individuals to serve in a temporary capacity until the beginning of the next elected term(September 2008).

With this mind, I am proud to announce the appointment of Cecil Carter and Meg Barrow to the NTRLS Board of Directors. You can find contact information on our Board of Directors page at ntrls.org.

Our next board election will take place at the Spring 2008 System Assembly meeting.

Reader's Version of Netflix

Booksfree.com is the reader's version of Netflix.com. For a monthly fee starting at $8.50, you can "test-drive" paperbacks, then send them back in a prepaid envelope. An internet lending library that delivers?
Source: The Week Magazine

LibraryThing for Librarians

For those who know me, know that I speak very highly of Librarything.com. This site is a social networking site for book lovers. It allows individuals to catalog their personal collections and connect up with others based on what is in their library collection. Here is the latest news about how you can integrate the social networking components of LibraryThing into your OPAC.

We're happy to announce that the Danbury Library in Danbury, Connecticut has become the first library in the world to put LibraryThing for Libraries on its live catalog. The Danbury Library—already breaking ground with an active blog and a MySpace page—continues to innovate and experiment. And we finally have something to show people!

For more information, check here(Thingology)

Google can't pay to give away broadband...

Interesting article posted on Go West blog.

An interesting piece in the San Francisco Chronicle today details the problems Google (GOOG) and its partner Earthlink (ELNK) are having in getting its proposed free Wi-Fi service approved by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. Apparently the left-wing members of the board (yes, that’s left-wing of a left-leaning organization in a liberal city) don’t think Google and Earthlink are offering to pay enough for the privilege of providing free broadband to its citizens. The supes are probably being smart. Whatever Google is offering, it can probably afford to pay more. Watch for a raised bid.

Free Wi-Fi is experiencing growing pains, to say the least. When Google started poking around supporting these services, there were rumblings that Google wanted to operate a vast Internet access network. (The one and only Om Malik speculated as much here back in September, 2005.) Since then, well, not much has happened, at least not in San Francisco and at least not by Google. The company that Does No Evil operates a free service in its hometown of Mountain View, Calif. And that’s about it. Earthlink seems to be sputtering as well. Recent articles in BusinessWeek and The Oregonian details some of Earthlink’s travails.

Perhaps free Wi-Fi is best explained by a time-tested adage: You get what you pay for.

Filed under Free Wi-Fi, Earthlink, Google
Posted by Adam Lashinsky 12:27 pm 22 Comments Add a comment

New Possible Member Libraries in NTRLS

I always find it interesting how everything in my life comes in waves. I never do anything once. Once someone asks me a question, I soon have three other similiar questions. In the last month, this has been the case for new members in our System.

Last month, I spoke with Tina Williams from the Forest Hill Public Library and was excited to hear that she is shooting for an opening day sometime next year with System membership starting in FY09. Forest Hill has been attempting to build a library since I started in the System in 2002 so I was very happy to hear about this latest development.

This last Wednesday, I drove up to Saint Jo in Montague County where some very eager ladies were shooting for an opening date in the Spring of 2008 with System membership in FY09. An interesting sidenote, Saint Jo, Bowie and Nocona, our member libraries in Montague County, are going to attempt to share a catalog using Book Systems Atrium product. I am going to heading the effort to make this a reality.

Today, I spoke to Jerry Hunkapiller, Superintendient of the Millsap ISD, about his effort to open a joint public/school library in Millsap. If the bond issue passess tomorrow, they will build a new elementary school next year with the library opening in Fall 2008. System membership would come in FY10.

In these times where libraries are straining to stay viable to their communities, it is very pleasant to be involved in three projects where the library is so highly valued. Here is to hoping that it spreads...

North Texas Regional Library System - Request for Proposal for Library Technology NOW website

I sent out the following cover letter to several web development companies and library-related listservs. Please pass this to anyone who might be interested. Thank you.

The North Texas Regional Library System (NTRLS) seeks responses from proposers offering web development services to build a website for the Library Technology NOW website.

Library Technology NOW has served as a website portal that serves as the one-stop resource for libraries searching for feature/function comparison of library technology products. The project is now at a crossroads as its readership established different needs. From the results of a LTN Needs Assessment Survey, it was discovered that most people want assistance with their basic maintenance and troubleshooting issues. However, they do not have time to read about it. Instead, they want to be quickly shown how to do this. With this knowledge in mind, LTN is moving towards providing instructional videos online for library staff to utilize. The website will also have social networking aspects.

You will find a timeline within the RFP. Please address all questions to me before the end of the pre-inquiry period on May 21, 2007. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

To access the RFP document, please go to http://www.ntrls.org/RFP/ltnrfp.pdf

Wikipedia is popular

New from Pew
Originally uploaded by mstephens7.

36% of online American adults consult Wikipedia. We already knew that Wikipedia was popular with our patrons. Here is a Pew Study that confirms what we already knew.

Two New NTRLS Staff Members

I am proud to announce that the North Texas Regional Library System has filled its two part-time positions. Judy Daniluk started as our Web/IT Specialist on May 1st. She will be responsible for the NTRLS website and assist with IT in the System office. Dona Weisman will begin as our Continuing Education Consultant on May 15th. She will partner with Carolyn Davidson on the management and administration of our CE program. Please join me in welcoming them to the staff.

Friends of the Library

Hint: Don't forget to sign up your local businesses as Friends of the Library. Many libraries have a special business membership for $50 - $100. The business is then highlighted in the library newsletter or publicized somewhere in the library.

Texas Library Association Conference - Highlights

I attended the 2007 Texas Library Association Conference last week in San Antonio. Overall, I felt the conference was very good and addressed a wide variety of continuing education needs. I was only able to attend two programs. The first one was "If Libraries Are So Loved, Why Are We So Irrelevant." Kerry McGeath, Director of the Southlake Public Library and Michael Baldwin, Director of the Benbrook Public Library, spoke along with Dan Rooks, University of Houston and Caroline Kienzle, library consultant. Each panel member had some interesting things to say about the relevancy of libraries. Michael Baldwin took us on a trip to the future where libraries are nothing more than "Pop Culture" institutions. The rest of the panel spoke very strongly about addressing community needs and adjusting library services based on these needs. Kerry McGeath spoke about how it was to address the needs an affluent community.

The other program event was "Let's talk about Fundraising for Public Libraries." This program was labeled as a work session where the attendees contributed as much as the facilitators. Kathryn Sturtz, Coordinator of the Alamo Area Library System, facilitated the session. Some of the fundraising ideas shared are listed below.

• Used Jewelry Sale
• Food Events - Taste of ...
• Book Sales
• Raffles
• Estate Honorariums (make sure to contact all the lawyers in your community to let them know about the library)
• Salad Luncheon
• Breakfast feasts
• Calendars
• Tour of Homes
• Scholastic Book Fairs (Public Libraries can now take advantage)
• Library Week Events
• Christmas Angels
• Letters to Businesses
• Endowments
• Galas/Silent Auctions
• Chocolate Event
• Stay at Home - Read a Book Ball (People pay to be allowed to stay at home versus going to a Gala Event)
• Online Sales - Amazon
• Water Bill Inserts
• Craft Shows
• Historical Photos
• Book and Author presentation
• Themed dinners
• Community Theatre Nights
• Parking
• Golf
• Naming Rights

All very good ideas. I do have to point out that NTRLS does expect to have a similar fundraising brainstorm at its Regional meetings in July/August so start thinking about those fundraising ideas.

I also attended meetings. I went to the Texas State and Library Archives Commission (TSLAC) meeting where they approved the publication of the new Loan Star Formulas and System Funding Formula. People will have 30 days to comment on the new formulas before they have a final vote on June 15th.

One interesting side note: It was revealed at the TSLAC meeting that the funds coming from the Institute of Museum and Library Services would be about $250,000 short of what was anticipated. TSLAC expected 10,915,000. They received 10,660,000. As many of your know, these federal monies fund Systems. At the June 15th TSLAC meeting, the commission will discuss what budget modifications should be made.

Mark Your Calendar for the first CYC!!

What is CYC? It is the first ever Childen and Youth Conference for Librarians. This event is open to anyone but the focus is for public and school librarians that work with children and teens.

It is August 10, 2007 at the Lockheed Martin Recreation Area in Fort Worth. There will be multiple sessions throughout the day. Our keynote speaker is Lori L. Dixon. She will be speaking about brain research and how it relates to our children.

Plan to browse vendors, choose the sessions that interst you most - and the best part is it is absolutely free!

For more information or to register, click here.

LSAA Board Recommends a System Funding Formula

I attended the LSAA Board meeting yesterday to voice NTRLS support for their chosen System Funding Formula. If you remember, the board selected a formula that would allocate the System Grant according to the following formula: 34% number of member libraries, 33% population, and 33% base. For FY2008, NTRLS will receive $631,143. This amount matches the Plan of Service approved by the NTRLS Board of Directors. For FY2009, the LSAA Board decided that none of the Ten Systems should have a budget of less than $300,000. Because of this stipulation, NTRLS will receive about $11,000 to $12,000 less than we had anticipated for FY2009. Our total amount for FY2009 will be around $531,000.

None of this is final as of yet. TSLAC staff will make this recommendation available for public comment over the next few days. When it becomes available, I encourage everyone to make comments. You will have thirty days. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission will consider the LSAA Board recommendation at their June 15th meeting.

Dealing with Difficult People

Pat Wagner of Pattern Research, Inc. presented a workshop last week on dealing with difficult people. This was a great workshop with practical information. Be sure and check out her sessions at TLA in San Antonio.

One exercise she mentioned that would be eye-opening for any work environment, was to ask each staff member to write down policies and rules they feel are not being followed - either by co-workers or customers. Often when this is done, it is realized that many "rules and policies" are not actually official rules or policies. This exercise helps identify these ad hoc rules which will help in limiting library confusion. Try it at your next staff meeting!