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Friday, February 14, 2003

Friday Notes 2. An on-line resource for NEILSA Librarians

DEADLINES & DATES:
I'll try to list all the upcoming dates of importance here, you will have to mine for the details.

February - BYCA (Before Your Computer Arrives), someone from your library MUST attend the BYCA workshop.
BYCA Workshop:
Northease area
February 18 - Collins Plaza Hotel, 1200 Collins Rd., NE, Cedar Rapids
February 20 - Johnson's Restaurant, 916 High Street, Elkader
February 21 - Music Man, 308 S. Pennsylvania, Mason City

Late spring/early summer workshops. March 24, 25, and 26

Next "Library 101" is scheduled for March 28, 2003 from 9:00 a.m. til 12:00 noon.
Tentatively scheduled rooms Hudson & West Union, these will be canceled if no one signs up.

Upcoming Grant Application Deadlines
. National Leadership Grants for Museums: March 1, 2003.
http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/mus_nlgm.asp
National Leadership Grants for Library/Museum Collaborations: April 1, 2003.
http://www.imls.gov/grants/l-m/l-m_lead.asp

All IMLS grant and award program deadlines can be viewed at:
http://www.imls.gov/grants/dedln/index.htm

    County Meetings Scheduled:
If your county meeting is not on the schedule please contact NEILSA
•    Allamakee County Meeting
•    Black Hawk County Meeting - When called - seldom
•    Bremer County Meeting - April 8, 2002 @ 7:30 in Readlyn
•    Buchanan County Meeting - April 22, 2002 @ 7:00 in Fairbank PL
•    Butler County Meeting - April 1, 2002 7:00 Shell Rock PL
•    Chickasaw County Meeting
•    Clayton County Meeting - April 22 @ 7:30 McGregor PL
•    Delaware County Meeting - May 13, 2002 @ 7:00 Edgewood P L
•    Dubuque County
•    Fayette County Meeting - April 10th at 1000 @ Fayette Library
•    Grundy County Meeting - All meetings start at 9:00 am - 2003 schedule
        4/28 @ Dike, 6/28 @ Grundy Center, 10/27 @ Reinbeck
•    Howard County Meeting   - April 7, 2003 @ 7:00 Elma PL
•    Winneshiek County Meeting
CE:

Special Workshops:
One & two hour workshops at Fall & Spring county meetings, item specific workshops.

    OTHER CE: You must register with the listed provider. Check: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for_ia_libraries/continuing_ed/index.html

    Self-Directed Learning Opportunities: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/Certification/alternate.htm

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

    Dunkerton Public Library has a 60-drawer, oak card catalog for sale for the best offer. It will have to be picked up here in Dunkerton.
Contact Janet A. Peterson,
319-822-4610 for more information. Or e-mail jp11059@dunkerton.net



    New LINKS of interest:
We are pleased to announce that results of the survey of Iowa school library
media centers are now available on the State Library of Iowa web site at:
http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/statistics/schools/index.htm

CIPA - Round 2
A PDF of ALA's brief in the CIPA, visit ALA's CIPA Web site: http://www.ala.org/cipa/ .

On-line CE courses:
Diane Kovacs, author of Genealogical Research on the Web and Building
Electronic Library Collections: The Essential Guide to Selection Criteria
and Core Subject Collections, offers a number of instructor-led web based
courses. They offer continuing education contact hours. See
http://www.kovacs.com/training.html

A new issue of UI Current LIS Clips is now available at
http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/clips/
The topic of this issue is "Recruiting New Professionals to the Field," which
has been compiled, annotated, and supplemented by Sue Searing, Head, Library
and Information Science Library at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.

Mary Wegner and I would appreciate if it you would send this message to your
electronic maillists. Thanks.
The 2003 Iowa Library Trustee's Handbook is now online. See
http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/Trustees/index.htm
Sandy Dixon

NOTE: Now you can just copy the answers to "those" questions from Board members and give them the "Chapter & verse" from the Handbook. Ken (:-{}}}

YOU WROTE: snippets from your e-mails:
[Edited] Our city is talking about cutting just the library budget -not (other city departments). Isn't there a law that they have to cut ALL?

Sorry no such law, IF you are talking about the next Fiscal Year.

There is a urban legion that some such law/rule/AG opinion exists but none of us has ever found it.
BUT if you check your contracts with the SLI and LSA you will find that most of them contain provisions that state (in general) that a cut in the library budget will provoke a review and if it appears that contract funds are being used to supplant local funds then the contract funds will have to be paid back and the library will no longer be eligible for the program.
E.g. Enrich Iowa Letter of Agreement
"Program funds will supplement, not supplant, any other funding received by the library. Noncompliance with this provision shall be reported to the State Library. The Library shall inform the city and/or county of this program requirement. If Enrich Iowa funding is used to replace local funds, the program received must be returned and the library will not be eligible for Enrich Iowa funding the following year,"

As you may remember the policy in the case of the Consortia, the provision is even more Draconian, I just drop the library from the Consortia.

The very first thing you and the Board should do is find out why the Council has refused your (reasonable) request. You need to decide if the reason given is valid, there is NO one who can better decide this than the Board, you live there and represent the community. If the decision is necessary then it is, and you live with it.
BUT, do not give up at this point, look at the budget and attempt to negotiate over parts of the budget that might not get spent (snow removal) and see if you can get an agreement to get the "left over" at a reasonable point (by May you can bet the snow will be gone). THEN keep an eye on the city budget, people forget what they promised a year ago. IF none of that works...

There is no law that requires you to sit still for this action.
Herb White (librarianship minor god) has suggested that librarians reveal their predicament by asking patrons what current services they want cut. You could cut materials budget by the amount your budget is cut and inform your patrons of the upcoming "changes" - always be positive, explain that it is being done at the direction of the city council for ".... what ever reason the council gave you..."
Something like: "NO new materials will be ordered in 2003 because the council needed the money for a new pickup, but we can attempt to get materials via inter library loan for your use..." might work in your community. You could push Open Access - send people out of town to [other nearby towns].
You can cut hours and staff or cut entire programs (service responses), if you have EBSCOhost - cut all papers & periodicals, cut Summer Reading & all children's programing, cut large print books, audio, video, CD's, or DVD's.
PLEASE NOTE: Any tactics related to responding to cuts is a Board decision.
There is no way to make this sound "librarian-ish" in written form it is purely a case of you being yourself and informing patrons about their library, "...only the facts maamm..." in a way approved by the Board of your library.

FEEDBACK:
    Survey Questions (OK it is two questions): Confluence (With apologies to "certain" libraries.)
Once again we are looking for topics or instructors that would be of interest to you.

    Survey Question: e-rate Consortia members, would you be interested in a 3 hour workshop on how e-rate is done, what part you must play and how to read the funding request form (like the one you just received on the fax).

When you respond please send replies to Ken at davenport@neilsa.org or use the "comments" link at the bottom of the blog
    REPLIES - e-rate NO replies
Topics:
Iowa Open Meeting Law - more information about closing the meeting & how to take notes for a closed meeting?
Panel - How to talk to the council about cuts, what and how to cut?

CHANGES: Updates – Addresses & such - None reported

CONSORTIA NEWS & E-Rate: Ken has received 3 calls that all said, in general, you mean you meant we had to respond in one day.
Answer - YEP!

Gates Foundation Grants News:
BYCA Workshop:
February 17 - BW, 2200 West Burlington, Fairfield
February 18 - Collins Plaza Hotel, 1200 Collins Rd., NE, Cedar Rapids
February 20 - Johnson's Restaurant, 916 High Street, Elkader
February 21 - Music Man, 308 S. Pennsylvania, Mason City
February 24 - Forster Community Center, 404 First Ave., Rock Rapids
February 25 - Buena Visa University, Storm Lake


END PLATE: Long Announcements, Supporting Documents, & other "stuff"

Some (more) Reference Questions from the "half a case short of a 6 pack" crowd:

Dear Cecil:
I go camping a lot and sometimes people like to waste my
matches by throwing them in the fire. Do you know if they have
invented fire resistant matches? If so where can I find them?
--ISeeUOO

Dear Cecil:
In my personal and family development class (home ec) my
teacher said that salt and pepper are married, so that's why
they always have to stay by each other. If they are, then one
has to be the husband and the other the wife. All of the people
I've asked have agreed that the pepper would be the husband
and the salt the wife. Well, what if the fork, knife, and spoon
were a family. Which would be the dad, the mom, and the kid,
and would the kid be a boy or a girl? Also, what if thunder,
lightning, and rain were a family, how would that go?
--Molly Moxie

Dear Cecil:
Does any one group or individual, anywhere, own rain? Or
claim to? --Saqib R., Los Angeles

Dear Cecil:
what would happen if a giant alien came up and ate the sun,
would it die? what would happen to us. Would it eat us too or
would it be too full from the sun. Is there any nurtional value
in the contens of the sun or anyn of the planets of the matter.
--D Guarna

The fine print stuff
blog - Friday Notes 2 AT - http://radio.weblogs.com/0108327/
NOTICE – DISCLAIMER - pick one, any one will do.
MY disclaimer:
Basically my opinions are my own, shared by no one else (sometimes), and are not the opinions of my agency, my board, my co-workers, my parents, siblings, relatives, my dogs or most any other know life form. Except, of course, those very bright concerned, sensitive, perceptive &, in general, well educated, widely read and cultured individuals who wish to share this peculiar road to ruin, as well as a couple of down & out drugged out beatniks from the good old days. OK? The "Prime Directive" applies.
Edited by:
Ken Davenport - NEILSA Consultant
davenport@neilsa.org
COPYLEFT NOTICE 2002:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE.
It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt

© COPYRIGHT
Please note: material found on the web should be assumed to be under copyright and is presented here for purposes of education and research only.
NOTE: If credited [via ???] or [from so & so] it is their material and not covered by my "Copyleft" notice. Ken
SOURCE: {Consultant} D:CorelwpdocsFridayNotesfridaynotes20214.wpd August 2, 2002
BOILER PLATE FOOTNOTES:
1. WARNING: I will be able to give you about a 5 working day warning on deadlines (by e-mail, less otherwise) I have 10 days to reply, if I miss the deadline, well I won't miss, if you miss ... I'll send it in late but ...

2:05:39 PM    comment []