Friday
Notes 2. An on-line resource for NEILSA Librarians
EDITORIAL:
Last night I spent in Lime Springs at:
Small City Workshops 2004: Keeping the Books
in Order
"The tough financial times affect all
cites in Iowa. However, small cities have fewer options for increasing
revenues or cutting service costs. The first half of our workshop will
focus on budget options that are available to small cities. The session
will include ideas, strategies and materials to assist small cities
in expanding their financial base and service options."
"The community center for the many small
cities is the public library. State budget cuts have severely affected
library budgets. Following dinner, Sandy Dixon,
consultant at the State Library, will provide an overview of library
operations,"
1. Sandy "done us proud" in her very positive presentation about
public libraries
2. The session was very well done, and the Lime Springs folk fed us TO well
BUT
3. (The editorial
part)
Your friendly editor has been pleading with you to get ready for it.
IT is now out in the open and you had best be planning for the questions.
In the presentation the following suggestions, among others, were made
as sources of additional income or savings;
[and I quote]
"Voted/Non voted Levy - Support of Public Library"
"Fees and Charges for Services - Charges for use of library services"
"Reimbursements - Charging increased amounts for non citizens - Library services"
Later it was mentioned that many of the non city users of the public library
are getting services at a discount or free. City officials are looking
at some very innovative ways of increasing the funds available to them and
reducing the expense to them. The local Public Library is not being
ignored in this dollar quest. As directors and board members it is
your responsibility to look after the future of the library.
It is about time you started to ask some hard questions:
What services are we willing to charge for?
If we charge for a service what might be the ramifications?
What services are we going to cut?
Are we willing to go to the voters for a "Library Levy" and how do we do
it?
Are we willing to go to the county commissioners and non paying (contracting)
cities for Their Fair Share?
Is our county contract current? What about contract shopping?
Do non citizens pay as much as citizens for library services?
Is our library getting a free ride from one or two other libraries who do
all the work?
Does our city really need a library, can it afford one?
And a big one:
If the city down the road came to your city fathers and offered library services
to your city's people for 1/2 of what the city currently pays? What
would happen?
County Meetings Scheduled:
If your county meeting date is not on the schedule please
contact Ken at NEILSA
Allamakee
County Meeting - Saturday, May 8 at Harpers Ferry 9:00 KD
Black Hawk
County Meeting - When called - seldom
Bremer County Meeting - Oct 19,
7:30 Waverly PL
Buchanan County Meeting - Oct
11, 2004 7:00 Lamonte
Butler
County Meeting - Oct. 5, 2004 7:00 Clarksville
Chickasaw County Meeting -
Clayton County Meeting -
Delaware
County Meeting - May 11, 2004 at 7:00 in Manchester KD
Dubuque County - DALINC - May 13 8:30 regular
meeting
Fayette
County Meeting - Oct. 21 Oelwein 10:00
Grundy
County Meeting -
Howard
County Meeting - Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Cresco, April 5, 2005
7:00
Winneshiek County Meeting - November
4, 2004 @ 7:00 in Fort A KD
NEXT weeks meetings
Your Sponsor reminds County Associations THAT: One &
Two hour CE Workshop is available upon prior request from the NEILSA
staff person in attendance, just call.
NOTE: Tentative staff assignment KD
= Ken (Consultant), ER = Eunice (Administrator)
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
PLEASE Remember: enter your events into the Iowa Center for the Book's
literary calendar at http://www.iowacenterforthebook.org/calendar/index.html.
They want everything - not just all Iowa reads.
CE survey:
We want to offer the continuing education you need.
To help do that,
during May, the State Library and Library Service Areas are partnering
to conduct a statewide continuing education needs assessment (survey)
for directors and staff from all types of libraries. If you are an
Iowa
library staff member, we ask you to complete the survey by May 31.
We are conducting this online survey using a company called
SurveyMonkey. It is easy and quick - expect it to take 15 to 20 minutes
of your time. Your individual responses will be kept confidential.
There's no need to gather any information ahead of time - most of the
questions just ask for your opinion. Answer the questions for yourself
as an individual.
When you click on the link below, you will be taken to the start of the
survey. For a few of the questions, you'll be asked to enter
information into a box. For most of the questions, just click on your
response. We are looking forward to your input!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=30871467773
Sandy Dixon
Consultant
EYE-OPENER: (unedited)
Good Morning! This week and next, EYE-OPENER focuses on continuing
education issues and opportunities:
1) C.E. Needs Assessment Using SURVEY MONKEY
2) Continuing Education--Behind the Scenes
3) Meetings/Events This Week
1) C.E. Needs Assessment Using SURVEY MONKEY: This month, the LSAs
and the
State Library are partnering to conduct a statewide C.E. needs assessment
for library staff. To get the job done, we'll be using an online product
called SURVEY MONKEY. It should take approximately 15-20 minutes and
should
be very easy--and fun!
You'll receive an email from the State Library, wherein you'll be directed
to a website. There you'll view the online survey and answer the questions
by "checking" various boxes. You'll see the online survey is actually
divided into 4 parts: parts 1 and 2 asks you to rate your knowledge and
skills across several training topics, such as planning, marketing,
personnel management, cataloging, computer/Internet skills, etc. Part
3
asks for your preferences concerning in-person workshops (preferred
day-of-the-week, preferred 1/2 or full-day workshops, etc.) And Part
4 asks
about your experience and interest in taking online courses, such as those
available through WEB JUNCTION.
Directors and support staff are all encouraged to fill out this survey;
however, you must do it individually to yield individual results. You'll
have the entire month of May to complete it. Using SURVEY MONKEY should
prove to be a very easy, efficient, and cost-effective way to accomplish
such a statewide effort. And another great benefit of this online approach
is that SURVEY MONKEY software tabulates the results and generates a number
of reports based on the answers.
This process of conducting a staff c.e. needs assessment is called for in
the LSA/State Library Joint Plan of Service. Goal 3 of our current
planning
document reads: "...Iowa library staff will have the skills necessary to
effectively manage and operate the library in order to provide excellent
service to Iowans." Objective 3 follows: "...library staff will be
given an
opportunity to provide input on continuing education needs in FY04."
But
what about trustees? Approximately 150 local trustees receive MONDAY
MORNING EYE-OPENER and right about now you might be asking "well, what about
us?" Our Plan of Service calls for us to conduct a similar study of
trustees' training needs sometime in FY'05:-)
So look for email from the State Library launching our first SURVEY MONKEY
questionnaire sometime this week. Thanks for sharing this message with
your
staff--and for taking the time to complete the survey. We're confident
that
the results will provide valuable input as we try to bring you the best in
continuing education offerings in Northwest and around the state.
2) Continuing Education--Behind the Scenes: Because of the work leading
up
to debuting SURVEY MONKEY, continuing education issues are on my brain.
As
you know, offering library management training--and board training--is a
state-mandated service that the LSAs are required to provide. What
you may
not know about are some of the decisions that go on behind-the-scenes as
programming is put together. For instance, NWILS Board has adopted
a
"Continuing Education Policy" that governs such things as registration fees,
payments and refunds, workshop cancellations, etc. The full policy is
available on our website: http://www.nwils.lib.ia.us/CE%20policy.html
Evaluations are always helpful to us in planning and delivering programs.
Without fail, people comment that they would love more leisure time to
simply visit with colleagues, indicating that they learn as much from each
other as from the speakers. That's a great idea--and that's why we
build in
a full hour for lunch, even when the meal is catered in. We deliberately
allow a full lunch hour for that important reason: to give you a chance to
visit with friends and colleagues.
But allowing a full lunch hour stems from other equally valid reasons.
If
the catering is behind schedule, having that hour availability gives us a
comfortable margin. With programs like C.E. JAMBOREE, we have to take
down
equipment from the morning sessions and set up the rooms again for the
afternoon sessions. And not a small consideration: the speakers need
a
break, the host library staff needs a break, and NWILS staff needs a
break:-)
Evaluations also give us ideas for future topics. How quickly we're
able to
offer a workshop on a suggested topic varies a great deal. For example,
if
people indicate a need for more EBSCO or FIRSTSEARCH training, etc, that's
something that NWILS can offer fairly quickly, since those training modules
are already prepped and ready to go using our own staff. But other
topics
(like serving Spanish-speaking patrons) are best delivered by bringing in
other speakers; those obviously take longer in the planning. And often,
we
have "insider knowledge" about programming being planned by other agencies
like ILA or the State Library. For instance, we've had many requests
for
workshops on disaster planning. We know that's a topic planned for
the fall
ILA conference in Sioux City, so we'll bow to that program and not replicate
something similar.
So for a look at the already in-the-can training modules that NWILS staff
can bring right to your libraries--for staff and boards--see this page on
our website: http://www.nwils.lib.ia.us/consult.html ; We ask that you
schedule this training on a county-wide basis; the webpage explains.
Hopefully, this helps explain some of the decision-making behind NWILS
continuing education services. As mentioned above, you're welcome to
review
NWILS Board-approved c.e. policy posted on our website. Please keep
coming
to any and all workshops that interest you--and keep telling us how we can
improve our education and training efforts! More next week about the
wide
variety of c.e. opportunities out there...
3) Meetings/Events This Week: Thanks to an invitation from Aurelia's Library
Board, I'll join them tonight for an orientation program. And this
Thursday
May 6th is NWILS annual "SPRING FLING" workshop at the Cherokee Community
Center. It's entitled "The Road Best Taken" and deals with the topic
of
information literacy. Mary Wegner and Mary Cameron from the State Library
are the instructors. The program is worth 5 c.e. credits; the cost
is $7.00
for a catered lunch. We're expecting another great turnout, with 53
people
are registered--so we'll see many of you Thursday in Cherokee:-)
Bonnie McKewon
Director, N.W. Iowa Library Services
CHANGES:
New LINKS of interest:
Library Director Job: http://www.wbpl.org/
PLA e-News, May 4, 2004
Volume 7, Number 5 http://www.pla.org
*Spotlight on PLA Gold Partner
*PLA Programs at the ALA Annual Conference
*PLA Sponsors Regional Workshop on Staffing for Results
*Join the Major Leagues @ Your Library - Update
*Does Your PLA Committee Have an Idea for a PLA Product or Publication?
*Got Policy Guilt?
You wrote:
Ken,
What is the status of the Enrich IA and Infrastructure money.
Do we have to have it spent by June 30. I've been getting mixed
signals. And how about reports. No report for infrastructure,
but one for Enrich Ia?
Thanks,
Mary Lahr
Delhi Public Library
The payment for the balance of Open Access, Access Plus and Library
Infrastructure should be mailed to libraries by the end of May. There
is no longer a requirement that Library Infrastructure money be spent by
the end of the fiscal year.
There is no report required for Infrastructure this year.
Open Access and Access Plus annual reports will be due at the end of
August. The Letters of Agreement for Enrich Iowa and Library
Infrastructure will also be due at the end of August.
Any library that did not file a Final Report for Direct State Aid should
do so by the end of July.
Gerry Rowland, Consultant
State Library of Iowa
Question: All of a sudden, my PC is running slower and I'm getting
a
ton of advertising pop-ups when I go online. Someone told me
it might be spyware or adware. What are they, and how do I get
rid of them?
Answer: Spyware and adware are programs that are installed on your
computer surreptitiously. They get onto your computer when
you install various software programs, such as Kazaa, or by
visiting some Web sites. Then they send information about
you, such as your surfing habits, from your computer through
the Internet or deliver pop-up ads. Since these programs run
in the background, they eat up system resources and slow your
computer down. To remove these programs you can do the
following:
1) Run a virus scan with an up-to-date anti virus software
package such as Norton's or McAfee's) to make sure that
the spyware is the only problem slowing your computer
down.
2) Download a copy of either Spybot Search and Destroy or Ad-
aware, which will identify and eliminate most of the
spyware and adware programs.
3) Download a pop-up stopper/blocker. Google offers a free
toolbar that has a built in pop-up blocker that works
about 95 percent of the time.
At 09:11 AM 4/19/2004 -0500, you wrote:
Hi All,
My Library Board is considering some form of self evaluation and possibly
having the director do an evaluation of the Board also. Do any of you
have forms for these types of evaluations? If so could you please e-mail,
fax or mail them to me? Thanks Bunches.
Dee
HI Dee,
Google: Results 1 - 10 of about 19,700 for Evaluation "Library Board".
(0.71 seconds)
LSA web site at: http://www.ilsa.lib.ia.us/trustees/selfeval.htm
XX: http://www.ala.org/ala/alta/altapubs/publications.htm
CATEGORY B PUBLICATIONS
A Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Library and Library Board.
ALTA Publications Committee 1988. No. 9. ISBN 0-8389-7235-7.
CONSORTIA
(1):
At the end of July we will send out a request for bills from all libraries
that have not received their credits, these will be used to file for reimbursement.
The filling for the B.E.A.R. (Form 472) will go in at the end of July
and we will close the Funding Year 2003 at that point.
Non-consortia members e-rate:
The Funding Commitment Decision Letters are being mailed for the year beginning
July 1, 2004. Remember before any awarded E-rate funds can actually
be utilized, applicants are required to file a Receipt of Service Confirmation
Form (Form 486). The basic timing rule is that a Form 486 must be filed
within 120 days of the start of service (normally July 1) or the date of
the Funding Commitment Decision Letter ("FCDL"), whichever is later.
The penalty for missing a Form 486 deadline is a reduction in funding.
Many of you are anxious to complete the 486 form and it is recommended that
you do so as soon after receiving the FCDLs as practical. Unfortunately I
have checked with SLD and the 486 online form for this year is not available
at this time. The form there does not allow you to choose July
2004-June 2005 as a choice. If you want to do the form online, it will
not be available until sometime in June. You may print off the 486
form and send in the printed form. The form to print off is located
on the SLD web page: http://www.sl.universalservice.org/
In the left column under Forms, Pick Applicants. You may then
download the form. You have the choice to print off the form
and mail or wait until the online form is available in June. Either
way, you have time to be within the deadline.
Judy Jones, State Library of Iowa
Consultant & Iowa e-rate state coordinator/libraries
CE:
Target dates for LIBRARY 101 in 2004 they
are:
June 29th Canceled
September 30th
December 10th
Registration for the fall PLM classes is now available. PLM
1 starts
August 31; PLM 2 starts Sept. 2.
http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/continuing-ed/cecat.htm
SPECIAL WORKSHOPS:
Trustee Workshop x Get Organized below
CLASSES in NEILSA:
Get Organized
This was so popular at ILA Annual meeting last year that the room was
FULL and people were turned away.
Description: Get Organized examines areas of your
work life to identify ways you can be more efficient, ordered, and organized.
You'll learn how to:
* Organize your work space.
* Eliminate the clutter in drawers, closets, and on
shelves and bookcases.
* Throw away stuff you aren't using.
* Buy office products that will help you stay organized.
* Buy software that will help you organize your calendar,
to-do lists, and address book.
* Reduce the amount of paper that you accumulate.
* Stay ahead of filing.
Getting organized and staying organized is a great way to reduce the stress
in your life and feel more confident about yourself and the work you are
doing.
Workshop Outline:
* Welcome and Introductions
* Why Should You Get Organized?
* Clean Up Your Work Space
* File That Paper or Throw It Out
* Manage Your "Incoming"
o Mail
o Phone Calls
o Tasks
* Set Your Schedule
* Get Your Work Done
o Interruptions
o Priorities
o Projects You
Hate
* In Conclusion
o More questions
and answers Evaluation
Workshop Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to meet the following
objectives.
* Understand how getting organized can reduce stress
and allow you to function more effectively.
* Identify areas of your work space that could be better
organized.
* Identify useful office products that will help you
stay organized.
* Create a filing system and identify those items worth
saving vs. those that should be discarded.
* Create a work schedule to increase productivity.
* Manage mail (including faxes and e-mail), phone calls
and assignments.
* Identify techniques for dealing with interruptions.
* Recognize how to set priorities and reduce procrastination.
NOTES:
This is planned in two sessions one on August 20
(Friday) & 21 (Saturday).
The Friday session will be aimed directly to the needs of the public librarian.
The Saturday session will be directed to the needs of Trustees.
DETAILS
Fees: There is no fee for library trustees. Library
Directors: $50.00
PRE-registration Required
Lunch: Included
Hours:
Registration 9:30,
Start 10:00,
Home bound 4:30
CE's: 6
Location: Fayette Public Library
OTHER CE: You must register
with the listed provider.
If you have library staff who need to take PLM classes, the fall dates
are available. Registration will be available in May. See http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/continuing-ed/cecat.htm
Sandy Dixon
Consultant
State Library of Iowa
ICPC Preservation 101 workshops coming soon!
Thursday, May 20, 2004, 2-5PM over the ICN
Preservation Planning: Learn how to identify needs, set priorities
and identify potential funding resources.
ICN sites: Amana, Boone, Burlington, Calmar, Cedar Rapids, Charles
City, Davenport, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Grinnell, Iowa City, LeMars, Marshalltown,
Mount Pleasant, Spencer, Vinton, Urbandale.
SOS! Friday, June 18, 2004, 8:30 am. – 4:00 pm. Fisher Community
Center, Marshalltown.
Featuring , Henry Wilhelm, internationally renowned expert on image
permanence in color photography and digital print media http://www.wilhelm-research.com/
followed by hands-on sessions including book and paper repair,
disaster response, preservation photocopying, flattening paper and photographs
and more!
Fee schedule:
All three sessions, package price: ICPC member $55.00; Non member
$75.00
Each ICN session: ICPC member $15.00; Non member $20.00 Or
Both ICN sessions
ICPC member $20.00; Non member $25.00
June 18 SOS
ICPC member $40.00; Non member $50.00
Mail registration to: Nancy E Kraft, ICPC, University Libraries,
100 Main Library, Iowa City, IA 52242-1420
Include ICN site you plan to attend (if relevant), your name, address,
telephone, email address and check or money order made out to ICPC.
Small City Workshops 2004: Keeping the Books
in Order
The tough financial times affect all cites in Iowa. However, small
cities have fewer options for increasing revenues or cutting service
costs. The first half of our workshop will focus on budget options that
are available to small cities. The session will include ideas, strategies
and materials to assist small cities in expanding their financial base
and service options.
The community center for the many small cities is the public library.
State budget cuts have severely affected library budgets. Following
dinner, Sandy Dixon, consultant at the State
Library, will provide an overview of library operations, the options
available to small cities and identify opportunities for nurturing and
strengthening your city's commitment to this important learning resource
for the whole community. Since all cities are required to provide financial
support to libraries, even cities without libraries will want to attend
in order to maximize their financial commitment.
Workshops are held from 5 to 8 p.m., include dinner and are scheduled
throughout the summer.
Author Diane Kovacs (Genealogical Research on the Web and
Building Electronic Library Collections: The Essential Guide
to Selection Criteria and Core Subject Collections) is offering several
web based workshops at no charge so you can see
how they work. If interested, go to http://www.kovacs.com/freeworkshops.html ;
Other workshops (for a fee) are listed at http://www.kovacs.com/training.html
Information and application are available on the ILA web site:
http://www.iowalibraryassociation.org
"Learning Activity Written Summary" may be found at:
http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/continuing-ed/online-learningactivitywrittensummary.htm
GRANTS:
$100.00 Grant Available from ISLA: You must
be a member ISLA to qualify for a $100.00 grant, designed to support your
Summer Reading Program. Each year, ISLA awards a $100.00 grant to
one member library to support summer reading activities. Applicants
must write a brief essay describing how the grant would enhance their summer
programs. Note this grant must be use for programming (speakers, incentives,
prizes, etc) not for collection development. Applicants need to include
your name, the library name, and all relevant contact information--and remember
you must be a member of ISLA to qualify and win.
If mailed, applications should be sent to: James Kennedy Public Library,
320 1st Avenue East, Dyersville IA 52040 (attention Shirley Vonderhaar)
You may also email your entry to Shirley at svonderhaar@iowatelecom.net or
bring it in person to the ISLA spring meeting in Knoxville on May 14th.
The winner will be drawn during the AM business portion of the meeting.
(Note that mailed or emailed applications must be received by 5:00PM on May
13th to be included in the drawing...)
Even if distance prevents you from attending the Knoxville meeting, please
consider entering this drawing to win $100.00 cash for your summer reading
program!
Building Consulting Grants
The State Library
allocates Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds to provide
Iowa libraries with building consultation. These grants allow
librarians to get professional advice from impartial consultants who provide
guidance and recommendations to library staff, city officials and the
community on the extent and complexity of a building project. The
building consulting grants have been funded by the State Library since
fiscal year 1994. Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded as funds
are available. A library that has
received the entire $2,500 grant is not eligible for another one.
http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/LSTA/building-consulting-grants.htm
END PLATE: Previously run &
Long Announcements, Supporting Documents, & other "stuff"
Other blogs:
SWILSA House blog at: http://www.swilsa.blogspot.com
Blogs for Libraries [WebJunction]
http://www.webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=1432
On line Newsletters:
Regional Rag. http://www.sls.lib.ia.us/rag.htm
The fine print stuff
blog - Friday Notes 2 AT - http://radio.weblogs.com/0108327/
EDITORS NOTES:
"x" & "xx" are catalogers shorthand for: x =
See & xx = See also
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:Data File MiscFriday Notes 20213a.wpd
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 ....
-30-
NORTHEAST IOWA LIBRARY SERVICE AREA
BOARD MEETING
Decorah Public Library
May 10, 2004 – 3:00 p.m.
Agenda
1. Approval of the Agenda
2. Approval of April Board Minutes
3. Approval of April Bills
4. Open Forum
5. General Business
a. Trustee Council meeting May 26th at the State Library
b. Bonding
c. Legislative update
d. Budget
e. Review of the administrator
f. Other
6. AEA Report
7. Community College Report
8. Administrator's Report
a. Trustee election
b. Sept. meeting date and the rest of the schedule
c. Other
9. Consultant's Report
a. Update
10. Meeting Dates, Time and Location
a. June 10, 2004 3:00 p.m., Hudson Public Library
11. Adjourn
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