Survival Guide for First-Time Attendees at the TLA Conference

Thanks to a three-year grant from the Priddy Charitable Trust (now incorporated with the Priddy Foundation), NTLP has been privileged to award a number of stipends for librarians from non-urban libraries serving small communities to attend the annual Texas Library Association Conference. For many of the stipend recipients, this has been their first opportunity to attend a large professional conference. From their feedback, and from our own experiences, NTLP staff have assembled a collection of tips for first-time attendees at the TLA Conference. That TLA Survival Guide is available as a pdf and also on the NTLP website.

In that document you’ll find tips on Schedule Planning, Packing, Food and Drink, and Transportation. We provided some tips which might apply to any professional conference and others which are specific to the sessions, events and activities at Texas Library Association conferences. The article ends with advice for when you get back home as well as for considering future conferences.

Naturally, details about the convention venue vary from year to year, and everybody's experience is different. Please use the comments to add your own suggestions. NTLP plans to update the Survival Guide as we collect more input.

NTLP and Priddy Trust Award 15 Travel Stipends for 2012 TLA Conference

Thanks to a grant from the Priddy Charitable Trust, NTLP has been able to award 15 stipends of $1500 each to enable library staff and volunteers to attend the 2012 TLA Conference in Houston.  The stipend can be used for conference registration, travel expenses, and temporary staff if necessary to cover the recipient's absence at the library.

The stipends were offered to staff and volunteers directly involved in the operations of the library, at non-urban libraries serving a population of 25,000 or less.  This is the third year of the program. In past years awards were limited to staff from libraries in the NTRLS area, but this year NTLP was able to offer the awards to the BCLS and NETLS areas as well.

Recipients of the stipends will be paired with mentors to help them get the most from their time at the conference, and will be required to complete a report on the conference experience afterwards.

This year's recipients represent the following libraries:

• Allen Memorial Public Library in Hawkins
• Aubrey Area Library in Aubrey
• Bowie Public Library in Bowie (2 recipients)
• Carnegie Library in Ballinger
• Chico Public Library in Chico
• Crowley Public Library in Crowley
• Decatur Public Library in Decatur
• Gordon Community Library in Gordon
• Kimble County Library in Junction
• Nocona Public Library in Nocona
• Bicentennial City-County Library in Paducah
• Richland Hills Public Library in Richland Hills
• Roanoke Public Library in Roanoke
• Weatherford Public Library in Weatherford

Ebook reading and purchasing patterns

The Pew Research Center just released a new report on the rise of e-reading. Commentary on the report has noted connections with the digital divide and the ever-present dominance of Amazon in the ebook market.

You can see highlights of the recent study at digitalbookworld.com and librarianbyday.net. (Librarian by Day Bobbi Newman was on the advisory board for the research.)  Previous reports focussed on ownership of ereader devices; this report was on reading habits.

One in five Americans (21%) have read an ebook in the last year.  But even more (22%) had not read any books in the previous year or did not answer the question.  Of those that had read ebooks, only 14% said that their most recently read ebook came from the library.

In a a response, the ALA noted the recent rise in ownership of ereader devices and ebook circulation in libraries, but also expressed concern about the gap in education and income levels between people who read ebooks and those who don't -- or those who don't read books at all. College graduates and people with household incomes greater than $75,000 were far more likely to have read an ebook in the last year than non-college graduates or those with lower income. In the growing popularity of ebooks there is a growing digital divide.

Another reaction, at thefutureofpublishing.com, examines Amazon's share of the ebook market and the large percentage of ebooks that are only available for the Kindle. Thad McIlroy checked a representative large public library for the top 13 Amazon best-selling ebook titles and found that only 2 of them were available in any format, and none of them were available as ebooks.  (McIlroy criticizes Overdrive, but the publishers probably play a role here as well.) To read these best-sellers, you have to buy them; and to read them as ebooks you have to buy them from Amazon on a Kindle.

I'd like to bring out another point that hasn't been mentioned often: when people purchase print books, they share them with friends and family members, but when they purchase ebooks, friends and family members are more likely to have to purchase separate copies for themselves.  This happened in my own household last week.  I discovered that my husband had purchased the Hunger Games books for the Kindle app on his iPad. I had been waiting for those books to be available from the library. If he had bought them in print I could have easily borrowed his copies, but borrowing his iPad strikes me the same as borrowing a toothbrush; it's a personal device.  I'm still debating whether to break down and buy the series in another format.

Are Privatized Public Libraries So Bad?

Are Privatized Public Libraries So Bad?

Interesting article about privatizing libraries...........and what libraries should be preparing for in the coming months and years.

The Neuroscience of Your Brain on Fiction.....

Your Brain on Fiction

By ANNIE MURPHY PAUL

Published: March 17, 2012

The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case, the same neurological regions are stimulated. Keith Oatley, an emeritus professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto (and a published novelist), has proposed that reading produces a vivid simulation of reality, one that “runs on minds of readers just as computer simulations run on computers.” Fiction — with its redolent details, imaginative metaphors and attentive descriptions of people and their actions — offers an especially rich replica. Indeed, in one respect novels go beyond simulating reality to give readers an experience unavailable off the page: the opportunity to enter fully into other people’s thoughts and feelings.

The novel, of course, is an unequaled medium for the exploration of human social and emotional life. And there is evidence that just as the brain responds to depictions of smells and textures and movements as if they were the real thing, so it treats the interactions among fictional characters as something like real-life social encounters.

NTLP's 2012 Library Supporters Conference

"I told you you should have planned to be here," is the way an attendee of NTLP's 2011 Library Supporters Conference told us s/he would describe the event to her colleagues. And now ...
It's BACK by POPULAR DEMAND from Library Supporters and staff who work with them ... thanks to the Center for Community Cooperation & Texas Book Consignments: The 4th annual NTLP Conference for Library Supporters!!!
Bittersweet Challenges, New Opportunities & Half-Full Glasses is set for Saturday, May 5, 2012 (Cinco de Mayo!) at the Center for Community Cooperation (2900 Live Oak Street, Dallas 75204). Sign-in and refreshments open at 9:30 a.m., and the conference runs from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Registration fees vary from $50 to $125 per person, with discounts for NTLP Partner libraries as well as advance registration. Training sessions, time for networking with peers, lunch and refreshments are all included.
The event is designed for all library supporters: board members (governing as well as advisory), Friends, foundation members, volunteers, "simply" passionate library users, and library staff who work with supporters. For more information, visit the conference website.
Here are some of the other responses NTLP received from 2011 conference participants:

• This was my first such conference and I found all of it very informative and helpful.
• Absolutely another great event!!!
• I brought back many ideas to present to my friends group with the thought that we can do a few of them.
• Again, wonderful conference - well worth my time!
• I thought it was a well organized, informative and entertaining conference. This was my first time to attend the conference so I was quite pleased.
• Our group learned and enjoyed the day very much. We would attend another meeting of the same kind.
• Absolutely awesome experience. Benefitted from information/knowledge received as well as having a really great time. Always nice to see and share with library constituents.
• Very worthwhile conference. Great information. Knowledgeable speakers.
• This was my first experience. I feel certain that I will return. Enjoyed the day.
• I thought the conference was well organized.
• Please have this as often as possible.

eBook Prices to Libraries - Recent News and Reflections

The Random House ebook price hike to libraries last week created a storm of commentary.  Here's a good round-up of the story by Bobbi Newman at Librarianbyday.net. The post is still being updated with new links. 

Now that the fireworks have died down a little, the library world is generating some good,reflective analyses of the ebook dilemma. Here are a couple that you shouldn't miss: 

   -   Random House's eBook Price Hikes are GOOD for Libraries IF ...   The big "IF" consists of a list of requirements for ebooks that libraries should insist on, in exchange for high prices. 

   -  $2 Billion for $1 Billion of Books: The Arithmetic of Library e-book Lending   Michael Porter has a good infographic showing the relative prices of print and digital books for consumers and libraries and remarks on the odd inefficiency of the digital product. 

NTLP is embarking on a project to make ebook content available to libraries at more reasonable licensing terms. Read our proposal, comment, and express your concerns or interest at the NTLP blog or website.  Look for more on this in coming weeks. 

eBook Pricing: Like that of Pop Audiobooks without Ownership of the Purchased Item

Wondering how much Random House pricing increased for Overdrive content, NTLP Digital Media Collection Development Coordinator Marci Chen made a duplicate cart of the big RH order she just placed for North Texas Libraries on the Go (NTLP-area Overdrive consortium). She found that a 200% increase was the norm, with the increase for some titles as high as 300% or more. We have no idea regarding what portion of each increase came from RH vs how much reflects Overdrive's markup. Our concern is the suddenness of the increase, the related challenge of budgeting for constant, unknown and completely unpredictable price increases, the total amount of the increase, and the impacts on library personnel and on the library's image within its community when we are unable to meet expectations.

eBook pricing is becoming something like that of pop audiobooks - without the result of library ownership of the purchased item. The average eBook price from our recent order is $39.77 per title. Most titles are in the $25-45 range butsome popular titles are $75-$135 . For our consortium, the Overdrive price of No Higher Honor - Condoleezza Rice - is $105, up from $35 after this latest round of price increases through Overdrive. To provide some context to that comparison: Amazon Kindle's current retail price for individual consumers to purchase the eBook is $15.99. As of the 3/01/12 holds report, North Texas Libraries on the Go is at 80% of the budget allotted for holds for March."

"I'm worried that, between the lack of content available and the new pricing structures, we won't be able to meet the demand for popular materials," says Marci. "The thing that frustrates me the most is that all of this is happening at a time when libraries are hit hard in the budget gut. I'm ready for new and innovative solutions for our patrons."

A couple of related items which have caught our attention today are from Digital Shift, from Agnostic, Maybe - the neverending reference interview of life and from Publishers Marketplace.

NTLP Proposal for Distributing EBook Content

NTLP proposes a new protocol for the distribution of writing, music, speech, and video in electronic form through libraries.
NTLP recognizes that publishers imbue the elements of our culture with a level of quality that would be otherwise unattainable -- quality that makes cultural preservation and democratization by libraries worth while. In this time of rapid evolution in how the elements of our culture -- our writing, music, speech, and video -- are distributed to the public, we do not wish either publishers or libraries to be left out of the equation. In this changing environment publishers and libraries alike must learn new ways to continue what we do best: create and preserve our culture.
To this end, NTLP proposes a new protocol for the distribution of writing, music, speech, and video in electronic form through libraries. In short, NTLP requests from publishers the right to distribute electronic content by selling and leasing it to libraries for use by the library users, with appropriate royalty payments to the publisher.
The proposed protocol is outlined in our Statement of Common Understanding for Library Use of Electronic Content and portrayed in our Example of How a Library Would Use Electronic Content. Both documents are open to public comment and will be revised responsively. Our intent in this proposal is to meet both the revenue needs of publishers and the content needs of libraries. Please identify any concerns with the details in the documents themselves and contact Paul Waak directly with any broad concerns.
Anyone with an interest in this project should please express it by March 5, 2012. NTLP will take what it has and move forward on March 31, 2012, so please contact Paul Waak before then if you would like to be part of the initial offering.

Ebook News and Guide to Publishers

There has been so much on the web recently about libraries and ebooks, I was thinking NTLP should provide a weekly summary. Michael Porter, who many of you saw at the TechNet 2011 conference, beat me to it. His blog at LibraryRenewal.org now has a series of posts proviiding a weekly wrap-up of web articles related to libraries and e-content. Last Friday's post has links to insightful articles on the complex relationship between libraries and publishers; the equally complex relationship between publishers and Amazon; and the world of ebooks, access, and libraries. Be sure to read the comments, where he encourages readers to post additional links to articles he might have missed.

Another good blog to watch for ebook news is thedigitalshift.com, from Library Journal and School Library Journal. Last week they published A Guide to Publishers in the Library Ebook Market, listing the current status of many of the top publishers relative to their ebook offerings for libraries.

Universal Access News

We've seen a flurry of universal access messages in the past few days and want to share them with you.

Amy Mason, writing for the National Federation for the Blind's Braille Monitor, has provided a very useful article entitled Mainstream Access to E-Books--What Works, What Doesn’t, and What Is Still Unclear.

According to a Feb. 3 article in The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell is working to implement a computer-based program to support students with hearing disabilities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in an effort to improve graduation rates of students with hearing disabilities. The first students will enter the program in fall 2013.

Toronto's OCAD U now offers a Master of Design in Inclusive Design.

Mandolin Gardens Park, Houston, UT Dallas Student Services Building, Richardson, and the Historic Downtown River Walk, San Antonio, have all won the 2011 Accessibility Awards sponsored by the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) and the Accessibility Professionals Association (APA). The awards recognize businesses and organizations which go significantly above and beyond the legal requirements of both physical and service accessibility for people with disabilities. The winners will be honored at a ceremony Friday, January 27, 2012, at 12:15pm at the Austin Marriott Hotel North, 2600 La Frontera Blvd, Round Rock, as part of the APA Annual Conference. The awards presentation after lunch is free and open to the public.

According to WorldBakers, UK shortbread manufacturer Paterson Arran Limited has introduced braille to its best-selling shortbread range as part of its ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of consumers.

Global Accessibility News is available free from The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES).

It is time to tell the truth about eBooks

In case you haven’t heard the ruckus from the blogosphere, yet another major publisher has severed ties with Overdrive.  Last fall, after the Overdrive/Kindle launch, Penguin announced that it was not providing new eBook content for purchase, but would allow libraries to purchase additional copies of titles already licensed.  As of today, February 10, libraries can no longer purchase additional copies of Penguin eBooks to meet patron demand.

I wonder, though, how many library patrons (and for that matter, library staff) know that out of the Big Six publishers (HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin, Macmillan, Random House, and Simon & Schuster), only two are willing to sell eBooks to libraries (at least via Overdrive, the predominant source of popular eContent for libraries).  HarperCollins will license copies for the now-infamous 26 checkouts, after which a library must repurchase the title for another 26 checkouts.  Random House has stated that they are committed to library lending, but will be raising prices on eContent for libraries in the near future.  The other four will not sell eContent to libraries at all.

What does this mean for your patrons?  It means that even if you subscribe to Overdrive or another vendor of popular eBooks,  it is likely that the vast majority of popular content--the same titles we purchase and lend in hard copy to our patrons--is most likely not available for us to purchase in electronic format.

What can we do?  Continue to advocate on behalf of our users, of course, but I also think it is time to tell the truth about the situation.  We are not here to bash eBook vendors or publishers, but our patrons have a right to know what is going on and may be willing to add their voices to the dialogue.  It’s time to tell the truth.

To see how some well-known librarians are addressing this issue in their libraries, check out these links:

Librarian in Black's blog shows the sign she put up in the library listing publishers that won't sell.  http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/2012/02/ebooksign.html  

And Jessamyn West's blog has opinions about how we should talk to patrons. http://www.librarian.net/stax/3791/lets-be-honest-about-the-ebook-situation/

Jessamyn links to Bobbi Newman for talking points / scripts to use when telling patrons about the situation. http://librarianbyday.net/2012/02/09/how-to-talk-to-your-patrons-about-penguin-other-publishers-not-loaning-ebooks-to-libraries/

Additional Information Provided by the GED Unit at Texas Education Agency

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) no longer provides direct GED services such as locating testing centers, providing test scores, or mailing copies of GED certificates. TEA is no longer accepting telephone calls or written communication about GED from individual test takers, employers, institutions of higher education, or the general public. All direct customer service is now provided by the local GED testing centers.

To Locate a GED Testing Center

To find a local GED testing center near you, please consult the online testing center locator or call 1-800-626-9433 (1-800-62-MYGED) to find your local testing center.

For additional assistance, please use the following resources:

• To Learn About the GED For general information about the GED, please visit the American Council on Education’s GED Testing Service website.
• To Obtain, Verify, or Validate GED Certificates and Scores All test takers, employers/potential employers, and postsecondary institutions may print a PDF containing a GED certificate and accompanying test scores. To print a certificate, the user needs to have either the test taker’s date of birth and name, or date of birth and Social Security Number. A credit card or electronic transfer from a checking account is required to pay the $5.00 charge. If you encounter technical difficulties downloading the certificate, call the TexGov help desk at 1-800-399-2969.
• To Resolve Problems with Accessing Certificates and Scores To report and resolve problems, including problems with certificates and test scores, do NOT contact TEA – instead contact your local testing center.

source: GED Unit Texas Education Agency

Texas cities rank poorly in literacy ratings

North Texas cities ranked poorly in an annual study of literacy rates.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram cites an annual study of literacy resources done by Central Connecticut State University, which looks at key indicators of literacy. The study rates 75 cities, and only one Texas city (Austin) scored in the top third. Plano came in at 46, Dallas at 51, and Fort Worth at 54. Three other Texas cities were among the bottom 10.

TEA GED Press Release

News from Texas Education Agency's GED Unit:

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is pleased to announce the launch of its new automated system for ordering General Education Development (GED) certificates. GED test takers and certificate holders can now immediately download and print their official GED certificates - complete with test scores - by visiting http://www.texged.com. GED certificates can only be obtained through this website. Both the old style certificate and the new Certificate of High School Equivalency are to be recognized, however, TEA will only be issuing the new certificate for examinees.

Additionally, in order to increase the level of customer service provided to GED customers, the agency is implementing an improved, decentralized process. While TEA will continue to serve as the state administrator for GED, the local GED testing centers across the state will now be providing direct customer service, responding to, and supporting GED customers. Local GED testing centers will serve as the primary information resource for all GED inquiries.

To learn more about obtaining a GED, locating a local GED testing center, or any other GED-related information, and to order GED certificates online, go to http://www.texged.com. Please note that orders for GED certificates can only be placed online at this website.

For GED customers who do not have access to a computer, please direct them to call 1-800-62-MYGED (1-800-626-9433) to find their local GED testing center. Please note that TEA staff will no longer receive or respond to telephone inquiries regarding GED.

Print books still strong

A recent report from the Pew Research Center announced that the number of Americans owning a tablet computer or an ebook reader jumped from 18% in December to 29% in January.

While this is indeed a striking number, I'd like to point out the converse - prior to January, 82% of Americans did not own one of these devices, and as of January, 71% still do not. It might be too early to start moving a large percentage of your collection to the virtual shelves.

This week an article at paidcontent.org cites a Bowker study on book sales, reporting that the growth in ebook sales in 2011 was well below what had been predicted, and a relatively small number of "power buyers" are driving a large percentage of sales -- more so than in the print book marketplace. According to this study, 74% of book buyers have never bought an ebook, including 14% of those buyers who actually own an ereader or tablet but do not choose to read it for reading ebooks.

It is interesting to watch the adoption of new technology, but the old technology has a lot of staying power. What do these statistics look like in your library's community?

Public Library Annual Reports - Just Do It!

TSLAC just released the Public Library Annual Report Form for fiscal year 2011. Completing the annual report is important for maintaining your library's accreditation.

With the recent budget changes, we have heard some librarians questioning the value of completing the report. NTLP encourages all Texas Public Libraries to complete the annual report, both for the sake of staying accredited and in order to add to the growing body of statistics that relate public library usage to community economic trends.

At ntxlibpartners.org we have two new articles explaining why your annual report matters. Paul Waak's article Why Do We Have Annual Library Statistics? explains how the data is being used to create statistical proof that good libraries lead to better economic conditions in their communities. Carolyn Brewer's article Is Accreditation Really Important for Public Libraries? discusses the purposes of accreditation and how it is seen by your city, county, and state funders.

At NTLP we would like to see TSLAC, TLA and other interested stakeholders revisit the Texas library standards and update them to meet the current challenges and opportunities with technology and trends. Public library accreditation remains meaningful, even when not tied to state funding.

Libraries and ebooks discussed in Washington Post

A Washington Post article on January 13, 2012 described problems libraries have stocking their virtual shelves with digital content, including the restrictions placed by publishers on library access to many ebook titles.

Going to the library used to be like going to "Wal-Mart: Everything you need and want is there," but with ebooks everything has changed, the article noted.

Of course, this isn't news to librarians, but in the past many of the library-going public hasn't been aware of the barriers a library faces in offering ebooks to its patrons. Maybe the word is finally getting out. This makes (at least) the third mainstream media article on the subject in less than a month. In late December 2011 Wired.com published a good article on how to check out ebooks from the library, with details on the complicated landscape of licensing restrictions, formats, and DRM. On December 24, 2011, just as many consumers were about to receive new ereaders for Christmas, the New York Times documented the ebook tug of war between publishers and libraries.

Earning Social Currency

Kim Young is a savvy entrepreneur who has spent over a quarter of a century helping craft connections and grow partnerships among businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, communities and their customers, supporters and residents. One of my goals is to have her provide training for NTLP library personnel and supporters.

In this article she not only explains the meaning and value of social currency but also demonstrates her typical style of packing lots of relevant information into a really small amount of the reader's - or listener's - time.

So read the article and then ask yourself ... just how much social currency does your library or supporters group have?

DUOLINGO - translating the web..........

Luis von Ahn is very entertaining and informative - you will enjoy this talk!

After re-purposing CAPTCHA so each human-typed response helps digitize books, Luis von Ahn wondered how else to use small contributions by many on the Internet for greater good. At TEDxCMU, he shares how his ambitious new project, Duolingo, will help millions learn a new language while translating the Web quickly and accurately -- all for free.

Luis von Ahn: Massive-scale online collaboration | Video on TED.com