News from March, 2009

Abbey Thompson, LSTA Cataloging Librarian

        During the week of February 15-21 I had the good fortune to attend the annual meeting of the Music Library Association in Chicago, Illinois. My twocolleagues, Tyler Irvin and Tracy Waterman, and I arrived in Chicago on Tuesday and hit the ground running!

        While Tyler partook of the official Pre-conference workshop on preservation issues, Tracy and I attended the Music OCLC Users Group (MOUG) meeting. Although our travel arrangements did not afford us the time to attend any of the first-day MOUG sessions, the second day of programming was more than full of great options. My first session was with Caitlin Hunter of the Library of Congress, who discussed Special Considerations for Cataloging Ethnic Music Sound Recordings. Though the topic does not seem immediately applicable to the CBBMLL project, her work offers unique approaches to cataloging non-traditional items. Next on my agenda was Authority Records for Public Services : Perspectives from Cataloging and Reference with Wendy Sistrunk of UM-Kansas City and Stephen Luttman of U-Northern Colorado. While catalogers are quite familar with authority records, the concept of using them as reference tools is unique and refreshing.My Wednesday was completed by attending the Sirsi/Dynix System User Group. Unfortunately, the session was less of the Q and A that I was hoping for and more of a presentation or how-to session about music form/genre headings in the Unicorn OPAC. Much of the discussion went over my head regarding "hacking" one's Unicorn OPAC, but the idea behind the talk - form/genre headings for music information search and retrieval - is an important one.

        Thursday was the official first day of the main MLA conference. My day started with the official "Welcome" by MLA President Phil Vandermeer, then the Plenary Session, Music in Chicago, in which various local scholars discussed blues, gospel, folk, jazz, and house music traditions of the Windy City! Next up was the Consortial Collection Development session, in which librarians from institutions such as Swarthmore College, Chicago State University, Haverford College, VanderCook College of Music, and the University of Illinois shared their own experiences in collective buying, bargaining and sharing of collections across university lines. As budgets get slashed in libraries from coast to coast, the idea of sharing collections and pooling resources is a popular one. Thursday afternoon I attended a session hosted by the MLA Women in Music Roundtable titled American Women : Composing, Conducting and Singing the Blues, in which I learned about the incredible lives and musical careers of a number of 20th century American women. The remainder of the afternoon schedule was filled with committee and roundtable business meetings, culminating with the Midwest Chapter meeting on Thursday evening. It was nice to catch up with the friends and contacts I had made in October at the chapter meeting in Kansas City. Many of them were very excited to hear about our poster session coming up on Friday!

        Friday morning I rose bright an early for a 7:30am meeting of Chapter Chairs, Newsletter Editors, and Web Editors. As the incoming web editor for the Midwest chapter, it was good to hear the latest news from other chapter web editors as well as MLA national. It seems that hosting of the regional site may be able to move to the national MLA webspace! The rest of my morning was spent at the Plenary Session, Copyright: Is There a Chance for Change? Copyright is a hot topic in just about every corner of librarianship, but in the realm of music it is a particularly thorny issue. Not only are we, as music librarians, dealing with the same print copyright issues as others, but we also have the questionable areas of printed music and recorded music.

        After the Copyright session it was time for the eagerly awaited Poster Session! Our poster was one of only nine selected for this years session, which was quite an honor. My main goal in submitting the poster was to increase the visibility of the Chatfield Brass Band collection while also showcasing the work we've done so far on the project. By all accounts, the poster was indeed a success. We introduced the hundreds of visitors to the poster session to our unique collection, and even found out we have a fan! The librarian for the United States Marine Band came up to the poster and told us how excited she was to see us at MLA. Apparently, since they are a non-lending institution, whenever they receive a request to loan materials out, their first step is to check the CBBMLL collection. If Chatfield does indeed have what their patron is looking for, she will simply refer that person to our collection as an alternative means of providing the music they need. This was quite a revelation for us, and it was very encouraging to know that what we are doing is filling a vital niche in the music library world. 

        Saturday's programming began with the final Plenary Session, What's Next? The Compact Disc as a Viable Format in the Future of Music Libraries. Like any storage media, CDs have a limited lifespan. Considering the prominence they play in many music collections, this is a topic of importance to any music librarian with an aging CD collection. After the Plenary Session, I attended the cheekily named BCC News Hour with the Bibiographic Control Committee. Much of the previous day's session on the upcoming RDA implementation was rehashed (a good thing, since all three of us had to miss that session as it conflicted with our Poster presentation). Next on my agenda was the session No More Paper!: An Examination of Online Sheet Music Projects. A number of both free and subscription online sheet music collections were examined in detail by three experts in the field. Though none of the featured collections contained band sheet music, it gave us a place to start should we decide to take the CBBMLL collection in a more digitized direction. The final session of the conference was the always-entertaining Hot Topics in Music Librarianship. The ballroom was filled to the brim and the discussion was lively, covering a range of topics which had been emailed to the MLA board in advance (such as legality of audio e-reserves, future conference plans, use of WorldCat Local, and even the broader future of our field). Saturday night contained the traditional MLA banquet with a rousing performance by the MLA Jazz Band, made up of MLA members who come together yearly at the conference and practice together every evening for this one performance. Food, dancing, and merriment was had by all, leaving us collectively exhausted for our train ride home to Minnesota the following day.

        Overall, this was a wonderful conference for me. I feel that the CBBMLL was brought to the attention of a vital audience of librarians and other conference-goers. The sessions brought me into contact with a number of interesting ideas and concepts, though there was no way I would have been able to attend everything that caught my eye (without a Harry Potter-esque "time turner" that is!) .

Tracy Waterman, LSTA Cataloging Librarian

I attended two sessions on Thursday, February 19: Consortial Collection Development and External Products in Technical Services.

Donna Fournier of Swarthmore and Michelle Oswell of Haverford College opened the first session with a discussion of the history and current practices of collaboration between the Tri-College Libraries (Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr). The libraries currently share bibliographic records and approval plans and operate an inter-institutional delivery system. Sound familiar? The Tri-College Libraries' similarities to SELCO are surprisingly few, though. Their institutions are fewer in number, more closely geographically concentrated, and the stakeholders whose needs they must consider are comprised mostly of college faculty. Most importantly, the three institutions are interdependent, so each college has a vested interest in the quality of the others' collections and services. This interconnectedness, I imagine, means that any conflicts they do deal with are typically more complex and nuanced than the issues SELCO deals with. Fournier and Oswell's presentation suggests, though, that close communication between members of the Tri-College consortium makes for a generally harmonious inter-institutional relationship.

Kathleen Haefliger of Chicago State University and Dan Widmer of the VanderCook College of Music are participants in the Music Education Cooperative Collection Project (MECCP), sponsored by CARLI (the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois). It was an admittedly small detail of their presentation that interested me most: part of CARLI's criteria for grant funding includes relevance to themes of current interest that change from year to year (e.g., peace and justice or the environment). As part of MECCP's selection process for materials to be collected using grant money, they rely partly on subject access points and keywords to find materials that fit CARLI's grant theme for the year. Here's an instance where bibliographic data can be important in a way I hadn't considered before. Robust metadata in music materials makes a search like MECCP's a lot easier, while insufficient subject and keyword access makes it harder than it should be, and could even negatively impact the process of finding the right materials and getting the necessary funding for the project.

Finally, John Wagstaff of the University of Illinois discussed some current projects of the CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation, otherwise known as the Big Ten institutions plus the University of Chicago), with emphasis on collection development through digitization in the CIC's music group. I must confess that I'm used to thinking of digitization as a strategy for preservation and not collection development, but it's clear that even when an institution digitizes an existing collection, the extra exposure that can be afforded to users by easy access to materials online really is akin to building a collection. In conclusion he mentioned the Hathi Trust, a digital repository currently being built by the CIC in conjunction with the University of California system and the University of Virginia. While the Hathi Trust does not yet officially support music, browsing its contents by LC Classification numbers reveals a few thousand items in the M classes. Although preservation is taking precedence over access in the development of the Trust, it will still be important to address the challenge of making these music materials searchable. As a person who currently has a lot of brain matter devoted to metadata for music materials and the quality thereof, I'll be interested to see how the Hathi Trust and digital projects like it handle the musical portion of the bibliographic "long tail."

Morris Levy of Northwestern University began the second session with a discussion of vendor records from Harrassowitz, which Northwestern uses for its sizable collection of scores. It seems that the quality of records from vendors like Harrassowitz has improved since I last had to work with them; still, I was reminded of the importance of communicating with anyone providing records from outside the library to make sure that the records coming in are worth the investment.

Joseph Bartl of the Library of Congress presented on LC's use of metadata records leased from AllMusicGuide for its popular music collection. The leased records include contents notes, thereby allowing track-level access "out of the box," and have pre-populated 007 and 008 fields, but do not include headings, with the exception of proprietary AMG genre terms which are mapped to LC subject headings. While our cataloging decisions for the CBBMLL project don't line up precisely with the way LC is handling these records, I think our intentions are similar. Faced with collections that are too large to feasibly handle in the course of a typical original cataloging workflow, we're providing our users with records that make up in richness for keyword searching what they lack in traditional access points.

Finally, Marty Jenkins of Wright State University discussed his experiences with the Music Library Service Company in conjunction with OCLC Cataloging Partners. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that Wright State is reasonably satisfied with outsourced cataloging for its sound recordings. Unsurprisingly, thorough preliminary work with OCLC, as well as maintaining communication and profile updates throughout the project, seems to be an important element of their success.

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!!  Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Suess, would have been 105 years old today.  Today is Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Suess' birthday.  Today, drag out your old, worn copy of The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, or Green Eggs and Ham, and read it with someone special.  Click here link to download free digital read-along version of four classic Dr. Seuss books. 

Read Across America Poem (from the National Education Association's webpage)

You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,
To pick up a book and read with a child.
You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot,
To pick up a book and share what you've got.

In schools and communities,
Let's gather around,
Let's pick up a book,
Let's pass it around.

There are kids all around you,
Kids who will need
Someone to hug,
Someone to read.

Come join us March 2nd
Your own special way
And make this America's
Read to Kids Day.

To pick up a book and read with a child.
You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot,
To pick up a book and share what you've got.

In schools and communities,
Let's gather around,
Let's pick up a book,
Let's pass it around.

There are kids all around you,
Kids who will need
Someone to hug,
Someone to read.

Come join us March 2nd
Your own special way
And make this America's
Read to Kids Day.

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

Senator Erickson Ropes offers a  response to my letter detailing the crisis in customer service at the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library.  (PDF 192KB)

Posted on behalf of Jane Ryan, SELCO/SELS Board Member

The Saint Charles Public Library will host "A Night at the Library" on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.  This event will feature hors d'oeuvres, dessert, wine, a silent auction, speakers and music.  Members of the Saint Charles Public Library Board wanted to explore creative ways to help raise funds that will allow our library to continue to provide excellent services and resources.

Speakers include Tim Penny, President of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, member of the US House of Representatives representing Minnesota's 1^st congressional district from 1983-1995, author and Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute.  His topic, Historic Election/Historic Challenges, focuses on the recent election and how we can do our part to support the new Administration in facing foreign policy, fiscal and economic challenges that are historic in terms of their size and shape.  Jodi Brom, Curator of Collections and Walter Bennick, Archivist, both from the Winona County Historical Society, will share the history of Saint Charles.         

Community businesses and interested individuals can help support this event through attendance, sponsorship, in kind donations and items for the silent auction.  Sponsorship levels are Epic at $500; Novel at $250 and Short Story at $100.  Suggestions for the silent auction may include donations of items or services particular to a business, gift cards, gift baskets, wines, art pieces or other merchandise.

Please call Sharon Grossardt at the library, 932-3227, email her at sherryg@selco.info regarding your decision about your donation or drop off your donation by March 6^th at the library. Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased at the library, St Charles City Hall or at Gatherings and Gifts on Whitewater Avenue in Saint Charles.  Tickets may be purchased at the door for $25.  The price of the tickets and donations are tax deductible. 

Jonya Pacey, Help Desk Manager and Rachel Gray, Information Services Librarian

Last week, Rhonda Barnes at LeRoy Public Library called Jonya to set up local request ITYPEs for more of her collections. While examining the "Count My Collections" report we saw that inevitable small mistakes had been building up over the years since we migrated to Horizon. With her permission and help, we took this opportunity to fix some of these issues.

On Tuesday, Jonya and Rachel went to LeRoy Public Library to consult with Rhonda about reorganizing her collection's collection codes. The three of us went through the entire building, identifying the proper collection codes for each collection and then deciding which to keep and which to discard. For example, it once made sense to have separate video and juvenile video collections but now that these collections are dwindling. The items are now interfiled at LeRoy Public Library and we agreed to merge the records so that they use the same collection code. We also agreed on a number of changes that not only correct small mistakes but will help with doing an inventory. Having collections shelved together causes difficulties during an inventory, so we agreed to merge some of the paperback and hardcover collections together to make things easier in the future.

Back here in the office, Rachel and Jonya worked with Corrine Welle on making bulk edit changes and setting up the desired local request ITYPEs for Rhonda. We've sent files back and forth, checking details with Rhonda and sending lists for her approval. Last night, Jonya sent Rhonda a chart with the collection codes and ITYPEs, so her staff will be able to quickly and correctly add new items. 

It was a good project. Rhonda has a leaner list of collections, has local request correctly set up as she desires, and we feel good about helping make this possible for her.

Tracy Waterman, LSTA Cataloging Librarian

Most of our time and energy on Friday, February 20 was taken up by our poster presentation. We spent a busy two-and-a-half-hour session talking up the Chatfield project and answering questions from other attendees. Chatfield's collection is fairly unusual among MLA institutions in that it belongs to a community organization and consists mostly of band music, but lots of our colleagues expressed interest in the work we're doing. We had some especially in-depth conversations with people from the Interlochen Arts Academy regarding CBBMLL's membership model for circulation and how it might be applicable as a way to generate revenue, and with the U.S. Marine Band's chief librarian, who, much to our surprise, routinely refers patrons looking for circulating band music to Chatfield's collection. She suggested band directors' conferences as a possible avenue for publicizing the CBBMLL collection, which sounds like a great idea. It was also gratifying to hear a number of passersby tell us they'd be spreading the word about Chatfield to friends, family, and colleagues who are band directors.

Afterward, I attended the Joint Projects session, where there were two presentations centered on collaborative projects between academic libraries and outside institutions. Kathy Abromeit's talk on the Folk Song Index, developed in conjunction with http://www.singout.org/ Sing Out! magazine, won my heart immediately by using this Toothpaste for Dinner cartoon to characterize collaborative relationships. Even better, she related that the Folk Song Index was conceived in response to a particularly vexing reference question. The Oberlin Libraries reached out to Sing Out!, who contributed their pre-existing folk song index as the seed of the database, and hired students to continue the indexing of folk songs contained in over 2,000 anthologies in Oberlin's collection. In working with the CBBMLL records, I've encountered just a small handful of folk songs, but I can see even from that small sample how tricky it is to navigate their varying titles, ambiguous authorship, and complicated lineage. Next time I have trouble with a uniform title for a folk song, I'll definitely check out this resource.

Darwin Scott of Brandeis University and Pamela Bristah of Wellesley College discussed a joint project ongoing between the Boston Library Consortium and the http://www.archive.org Internet Archive. You may know the Internet Archive as the host of the Wayback Machine or the authoritative website for Grateful Dead bootlegs. The Boston Library Consortium (which includes Brandeis and Wellesley) is participating in the Internet Archive's Open Content Alliance digitization project, adding materials from its collections to the Archive's repository of over a million digitized texts. Darwin and Pamela's presentation highlighted the surprising popularity of digitized music materials in the Internet Archive, citing a recent count of the most downloaded texts in a week, where digitized music dominated the list. While it's hard to imagine the CBBMLL collection being ready for a digitization project any time soon given how much work we have left to do on it, I can't help thinking that the public domain materials in Chatfield's collection would be ripe for scanning under the right circumstances. So few of them are even cataloged elsewhere, and the easy access afforded by digitization would surely be a welcome change for patrons located far away from Chatfield.

Rachel Gray, Information Services Librarian

SELCO's Network Manager, Dave Stenman, talks about what is in a standard network rack and how to power cycle your modem & router.

• What's in a Network Rack?

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

SELCO hosted a workshop featuring safety and security expert Warren Graham on Monday, March 9th at the Paradise Center for the Arts, and what a workshop it was!  Warren was fabulous, dishing out tons of "real world" advice on library safety and security for libraries of all sizes.  The part I found most interesting was when Warren discussed staples of security for any size or type of library to make sure library staff members are always safe.  They are small changes any library can implement to make the work environment a bit safer.  Here are some staples:

1. Keep your library keys with you at ALL times
2. Always lock your money drawer or cash register when staff is away from the circ desk
3. NEVER count money in front of patrons
4. Be careful when handling your bank deposits
5. Always lock staff-only areas in your building
6. Before you close, make sure to double check all public areas (bathrooms, stacks, study rooms, etc.)
7. NEVER leave your purse/briefcase where it can be seen by patrons--always secure your personal items
8. Never let anyone in the building before opening the library or after closing the library
9. Always try to schedule more than one person working at a time--if this isn't doable, NEVER admit to being alone
10. ALWAYS follow your intuition--if you feel something isn't right, let someone know or call the police.

For more information, check out Warren's book called Black Belt Librarians or visit his website by clicking here.

To view pictures from the workshop, please visit the SELCO Flickr account.

Aurora Jacobsen, Information Services Librarian

I'm a fairly regular Twitter user, having been on over a year and posting over 610 updates. Nonetheless, I found this clip from the Daily Show on March 3 hilarious. If you're a More 23 Things on a Stick participant, have tried Twitter, or even if you just keep hearing about it in the media, I hope you find it humorous, too.

Aurora Jacobsen, Information Services Librarian

If you didn't catch the latest PEW study about how influential mobile computing has become in the general population, Sarah Long has a nice summary of why libraries need to be involved from her February 22nd column.  Long mentions the mobile version of OCLC Worldcat that is being piloted right now. Jakob Nielsen, in his web design column, mentions that mobile searching is currently at the equivalent of the web in 1998. I look forward to more sites designed with a mobile option in mind. I would love to be able to reserve books as I heard about them, rather than write them down for later. So, I challenge you: how is your library going to get on board?

Rachel Gray, Information Services Librarian

March 5, 2009 meeting of SELCO's AquaBrowser Working Group.  Made up of members of the Technology Policy, ILS Operations, and Data Standards and Access committees, this group is charged with overseeing the implementation of the AquaBrowser catalog for SELCO.  Video is in four parts:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

Do you have a water-damaged book that you'd like to save?  Or other items you'd like to preserve?  Here are links to some helpful preservation resources:

Library of Congress

SOLINET (Southeastern Library Network) Preservation

NEDCC (Northeast Document Conservation Center)

Conservation OnLine

Procedures for Water-damaged materials

Preservation Information

There is a listserv that discusses the preservation of materials--for more information, click here.

Rachel Gray, Project Librarian

The second library program video for the Smart Investing @ your library grant is now available online!  The program is titled "Building your retirement nest egg" and was presented by Ray Johnson at the Winona Public Library on Feb. 19, 2009.   This program was also done last night at Owatonna Public and will be presented again on Apr. 16 at the Cannon Falls Public Library at 7:00pm. 

More information on Smart Investing can be found at smartinvesting.selco.info .  Smart Investing @ your library is funded by a grand from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and the American Library Association.

The program description:  Being sure your finances are in order for your golden years is very important, not only for your well-being but also for your peace of mind.We'll share tips and techniques to insure your money is diversified and in age-appropriate investments so it will be available to you when you need it.

We have split the video into two segments for your convenience:

• Part 1
• Part 2

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

Representative Jeanne Poppe (27B) shares her concerns about the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in a letter responding to earlier correspondence on this issue.

Michael Scott, Assistant Director

It isn't that I didn't want to post about my visit to the Owatonna Public Library on February 25, 2009.  Rather, my focus for the past two weeks has been on working almost exclusively on an LSTA grant application.  The grant application has been finished and sent off and now it is time to talk about one of my favorite opportunities in my role as Assistant Director: visits to our member libraries!

I started my visit at the Owatonna Public Library in the Children's Services area, which is located in the lower level of the Library.  As you enter the Library from its East entrance, there are windows that allow you to look in at this area.  At the entrance to the Children's Services area is a display case that staff uses to highlight items from the collection.  On the day that I visited, the case was filled with the soft and cuddly version of various characters from children's books and the corresponding book. Certainly an eye-catching display!  Darla Lager, Children's Librarian, gave me the grand tour of the area, which is a large, bright space with a sizeable collection of library materials for children, including a large number of toys which the Library lends.  The space also contains a multipurpose area that is used for programs, storytime, and so on and can be closed off with movable walls when necessary.  On the day I visited, Children's Services was buzzing with activity.

After my tour of the Children's Services area, I headed up to the main level of the Library for a tour with Owatonna Public Library's Assistant Director, Renee Lowery.  The main level of the Library is divided into two parts.  One part holds the bulk of the collection of library materials (fiction, non-fiction, DVDs, CDs, etc.) and also houses several public access computers.  This part of the library is also a newer addition to the original library.  The other part of this level (the original library) houses the Library's magazines and large collections of mysteries and Christian Fiction.  The Reading Room is located in this part of the Library and is an impressive space.  It reminds you of an era gone by when reading rooms were ALL the rage in libraries and comes complete with a fireplace and large wooden tables.  There is a small room off of this space that is designated as the teen space, complete with a bank of computers.  The two spaces are connected together by the Information Desk and staff offices.  On the top floor of the library is the Gainey Room, which is a large meeting room that may be used by the public.  The space has a projection system installed in it and was used as part of a program where the Library showed films for the public (currently, the program is on hiatus.)

I ended my day discussing library issues with Owatonna's Library Director, Mary Kay Feltes.  We discussed the current economic climate in the city and state and the effect that it is having and will continue to have on the services the Library provides.  As is the case in nearly every library (and for that matter, most other organizations), Owatonna is facing budget cuts and Mary Kay and her staff are working to make the necessary cuts and minimize the effect on services.  Another topic of conversation was the redesign of the main floor's information desk.  The library is currently looking at ways that they can redesign the space to make it more accessible for patrons and for staff.

I want to say thank you to Mary Kay and her staff for making my visit so enjoyable.  I particularly want to thank Renee and Darla for the great tours of the Library.  To see pictures from my visit, check out the Owatonna Public Library set of photos on SELCO's Flickr site.

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

As I keep tabs on library situations around the country, I see increasing library use is an obvious trend.  More and more patrons are coming into libraries to access the Internet to apply for jobs, file for unemployment and to use computer programs to create and edit resumes.  Recently, Zumbrota Public Library Director James Hill wrote a Letter to the Editor of the Zumbrota News Record discussing this trend and listing some wonderful resources for library folks and anyone who is in need of a little guidance during this time of hardship.  Some of the resources mentioned are:

• Internet System for Education and Employment Knowledge (ISEEK) -- this resource provides information for employment searches and career exploration
• MinnesotaWorks -- this is a self-service internet hub where job searchers and employers can find each other
• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) -- a great resource for workplace and employment discussions

These resources, along with others, are also featured on Zumbrota Public Library's webpage for easy access.  They can be accessed by using any public computer. 

To read James' letter, please click here.

Michael Scott, Assistant Director

I had the opportunity to visit the Houston Public Schools on March 11, 2009.  Houston has two media centers in the district, at the High School and in the Elementary School.  Shelley Jerviss, Houston School's Media Specialist and Cindy Flatin, Media Assistant, met me at the High School to begin my tour.  The High School Media Center is centrally located in the High School building.  The space is large with a bank of computers along one wall, a sizeable book collection, and several tables and chairs for students to use for reading or study.  If you check out the photos from my recent trip on Flickr, you'll also see the display in one corner of the Media Center that houses several old pieces of science equipment rescued from a renovation of a science lab.  On the day I visited the High School Media Center, the place was nearly overflowing with students doing research and studying.

Besides the "physical" high school and a co-located alternative learning center, Houston is also home to two online high schools -- Minnesota Virtual Academy (MNVA) which also provides service to students in Kindergarten through 8th Grade and Minnesota Center for Online Learning (MCoOL).  The two online schools are both public schools, part of the Houston Public School District, and are available free to students from the state of Minnesota.  Currently, there are nearly 1,000 students enrolled in the two schools, which is actually higher than the number of students enrolled in the "physical" high school!  The majority of the students are from the Twin Cities Metro but there are students from all around the state.  Additionally, students attending Houston High School have the opportunity to take classes from either of the online schools which is helpful when a student has a schedule conflict or needs some additional credits or courses (met a student taking 3 online courses as part of his school year at Houston High School.) 

I had the opportunity to see MCoOL in action during my visit.  I sat in on a session with MCoOL Special Education teacher Nancy Agrimsomwho was working with a student on taking notes for a History course.  Nancy and the student used Skypeto communicate with each other (IM, email, and of course a "land line" are also available.)  On Nancy's end, she had three computer monitors in front of her that she used during the course so it was truly a technology extravanganza!  I asked the student how she felt about going to school online and she stated that she felt it was easier for her and that she had gotten very comfortable with using the technology.  Oh, did I forget to add that she has a car detailing business with her father and will soon start an internship?  In talking with Nancy and another staff member, many students who take advantage of the online high school generally have had difficulties in traditional high schools, whether it was the schedule, being bullied, or the traditional classroom just didn't work for them.

Finally, I ended my visit by traveling across town to the Houston Elementary School.  There I met Jane Beckman, the Elementary Media Assistant.  The Elementary Media Center is located in the lower level of the building but with some very large windows (nearly floor to ceiling) the space feels like anything but a basement.  There is a sizeable collection of books and plenty of tables and chairs for study or reading.  On the day I visited, two different sections of 6th graders paid a visit.  Yes, the level of activity and sound went way up in the space but let me tell you, Mrs. Beckman runs a tight ship! 

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Houston Public Schools and want to say a big "Thank You!" to Shelley, Cindy, Jane, and Nancy for making me feel welcome.

Abbey Thompson, Tyler Irvin and Tracy Waterman recently had the opportunity to present a poster at the Music Library Association annual conference. This poster explores the challenges and hurdles of incorporating the Chatfield Brass Band holdings into the SELCO integrated library system, as well as the future of the project. A Powerpoint slideshow of the poster's elements is available on the SELCO website: LINK

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian & Mike Flores, User Technology Manager

SELCO staff had a lovely visit to the Blooming Prairie Library on Tuesday, March 10th, where they met with the Blooming Prairie library staff to discuss fun library issues.

Mollie Pherson (this was her first visit to the library!) visited with Blooming Prairie Library Director Nancy Vaillancourt about the library's programming and got the library tour.  Because the library is located in the City Center, the library has use of a large space for programming, including movie nights and programming for little ones during the summer months.  And, due to popular demand, the library now has a writing club for ages 3rd grade and up.

Paul Conrad and Mike Flores visited the library to work on a public pc reload project.  They reloaded all of the public computers so they are more updated and user friendly.  The new standard public image Blooming Prairie Library is utilizing uses Windows Steady State--this allows a computer to be more open, while actually making it more secure in the background.  This also introduced a more standard look and feel to all of the computers, making them more user friendly for both the library staff and the patrons.  More information on this project can be found below. 

Thanks for the wonderful visit!!

SELCO Workstation Support Technician Paul Conrad and User Technology Manager Mike Flores pose with Blooming Prairie Library Director Nancy Vaillancourt.

To see the project history, click here.

To see more pictures from our visit, check out the SELCO Flickr account by clicking here.

Michael Scott, Assistant Director

Yes, even Friday the 13th can't stop me from doing a site visit!  On March 13, 2009, I had the opportunity to visit the Triton Middle School in West Concord, MN.  I met with Susie Lowther, the Media Center Assistant for the middle school to discuss the use of MnLINK and ILL.  Susie and I felt that our discussion of ILL and MnLINK would be more productive face-to-face and since I had not previously visited the Trition Middle School, I made the trip to West Concord.

Recently, students at Triton Middle School needed research materials for various projects which weren't available in the school's media center nor on the SELCO ILS. Susie wanted to discuss how and when to use MnLINK and I was happy to provide assistance.  We discussed search strategies in MnLINK and how to find materials based on subject, title, etc.  We went through the process of removing duplicate records from a search result and identifying which libraries held items.  I was able to show her how patrons could log into MnLINK and place requests on materials and how those materials would arrive at her media center.  We also talked about requesting materials through the SELCO ILS and identified some roadblocks that needed to be resolved for her to be more successful.  I was glad we decided to have a face-to-face discussion because I felt we were able to look at the issues in the environment that Susie works.  I felt we were successful and she will be able to move forward with resolving some technical issues at her end. 

I want to say "Thank You" to Susie for a great visit.  To check out some photos from my visit, go to SELCO's Flickr site and view the photos in the Triton Schools folder.

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

An exciting meeting is just about to start as SELCO hosts a special "edition" of the Technology Users Group meeting.  I'll blog the sessions and summerize each session.  On center stage will be the debut of our new SELCO-AquaBrowser catalog.  It is truly a work-in-progress but the session will give participants a preview of what to expect. 

During the first half of the meeting,   Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian, will present:

• AquaBrowser Implementation Update
• Aquabrowser Demonstration
• Library-Branded Catalogs
• Brief and Full Record Displays
• My Discoveries

A key component to this morning's meeting will be the Small Group Discussions led by members of the the Full Record Display Sub-Group who will solicit  comments from participants --- What did they see that they liked? Anything that raises questions or concerns?  All of this input will be rolled into future deliberations as the AquaBrowser Working Group.

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

Our new catalog is in a very basic, elemental state that could be considered a pre-alpha version.  Today's special Technology Users Group meeting will review what has been accomplished to date on the creation of a new AquaBrowser catalog and the work that still needs to be done. 

When is AquaBrowser going live?

• Phased roll-out with a majority of the libraries coming up in June 2009 and schools going live in August just in time for a new term.

Who is carrying out the work?

• AquaBrowser Working Group is providing advice from their own experiences, practical information and oversight.  The Working Group is soliciting input from the Online Libraries today and will be field testing the new catalog as well.

What is happening?

• Development.  Testing. Training, if needed.  It is hoped that the the site will be intuitive enough to be ready as launched.

And after GO LIVE?

• Keep testing.
• Keep improving and adding new features.

What are the key tasks?

• Create brief redord displays for what you see in the hit list , as well as creating the full record display for what you see once you click a title.
• Determine how requests will be managed.
• Determine how patron information will be displayed.
• Approve display of Locations - that is individual Library.
• Move into social networking options by offering patrons "My Discovery" functionality.
• Develop and approve graphic layouts including color and descriptive icons.
• Evalate Syndetics ICE as a possible replacement  for our current Syndetics license.
• Evaluate options for location specific branding by individual locations as a Value Added service.

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

With our in-development AquaBrowser catalog on the screen, Donovan demonstrated new features including:

Suggested spelling.  Unlike older catalogs which demand absolutely correct spelling, this catalog will offer a suggestion for a misspelling.  Giving the patron a fighting chance to find what is needed.

The word-cloud.  Once a serach is entered a word cloud appears in the left hand column with the search term in the center and related terms graphically displayed.  Each term is "clickable" and will take the user to additional topics.  A delta arrow (either < or >) at the top of the column allows the user to collapse or expand the cloud if preferred.

SELCO branding.  Just above the word cloud, SELCO will have a logo identifying the consortium.  A new design is in development.

Library branding.  The remainder of the top bar will have space for individual library identification.  SELCO will be calling for local libraries to submit a desired graphic.  SELCO will also create a selection of generic banners for local libraries to use.

Facets are arranged on the right hand of the screen.  This allows the user to start with a broad term and then to continue narrowing he search based on these facets.  There is a trail of breadcrumbs at the top of the hit list so the user can follow their search strategy back to the beginning or to any step in the search process.

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

The hard working Full Record Sub-Group spent a day exploring MARC record fields and determining where and how best to display the information.  The Sub-Group started with a general discussion of what is the purpose of the catalog and what is the purpose of the record display before delving into the creation of the brief and full record displays.

The most immediate purpose of the brief record is to let the patron know, at just a glance, whether this is the item that is wanted .  To meet this goal the brief record includes the author, a summary, subject headings, description, plus user tags. 

At the top of the full record, again keeping in mind patron ease,  will be basic information, followed by holdings, with all the other descriptive information following.

The Full Record Sub-Group's hard work crafting the brief and full records displays will go to the joint ILS Operations Committee and Technology Policy Committee as a recommendation to move into full development.

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

A new feature that comes as part of AquaBrowser's out-of-the-box functionality  will be My Discoveries. This social networking feature enables the user to create and share lists, rate library holdings, compose reviews and add tags.  Alll of this will be shared, not only with interested individuals using the SELCO catalog, but with other AquaBrowser users around the country.  Information shared through My Discoveries is visible to everyone but to join this creative public commons (hosted on AquaBrowser servers) the user will need to create a personal account.

Rachel Gray, Information Services Librarian

Learn the basics of subscribing to an RSS feed in this SELCOtv episode.  It looks not only at how to subscribe, but also explores a few different RSS feed readers.

• RSS Feed Basics

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

So, I must say, my first Library Legislative Day at the Minnesota State Capitol was great!!  A group of SELCO staff members met up with other library supporters yesterday in St. Paul to talk to our region's Senators and Representatives about the importance of library funding and services. 

If you love libraries like I do, keep contacting your legislators and write those letters to the editor!!   Advocate any way you can to keep the library services you so love!  To see pictures from yesterday's event, please click here.

From left to right:  Representative Kim Norton (District 29B), Representative Andy Welti (District 30B), Kim Edson (Rochester Public Library), Mollie Pherson (SELCO), and Representative Tina Liebling (District 30A) on Library Legislative Day, March 25, 2009 in Rep. Norton's office.

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

Articles are popping up left and right regarding libraries in the SELCO region, stressing the fact that library use is going up and the possibility of losing funding is looming.  There is an increased need for library services, yet hours are being cut.  Library Boards and staff are preparing for possible funding reductions in the SELCO region--the Austin Public Library is reducing hours and waiting to fill a vacancy, and the Winona Public Library is preparing to cut back hours if necessary and purchasing for collections.

To access the full articles, please click on the links below:

Library board discusses potential reductions--Austin Daily Herald
People checking out local libraries in record numbers; funding in jeopardy--Winona Daily News
Austin Public Library cuts hours, delays projects--Austin Post-Bulletin

Libraries are also being featured in local newspapers to discuss the many free services the library provides for the community.  An article was written about the Rochester Public Library, featuring the services other than just books like Storytime Kits, wireless internet, audiobooks both on tape and CD, Manga, and access to black-and-white/color printers for just pennies.  Promoting library services is a great way to show people that the library has more to offer than books.  To read the article from the Post-Bulletin, click here.

Michael Scott, Assistant Director

On March 16, 2009, I had the opportunity to visit with the Rushford-Peterson Elementary and High Schools in Rushford, MN.  I met with Valerie Hasleiet, the longtime media specialist forRushford-Peterson Schools.  The Elementary and High Schools are located in the same building and the media centers are occupy spaces on two floors with a connecting stairway.  The high school media center is a good-sized space with a number of public access PCs for students, several study areas with tables and chairs, and a number of books and other library materials for students to use.  There is a computer lab connected to the media specialist.  As this space is part of an addition to the original high school building, one of the walls is actually is the exterior of the old building   The elementary media center is similar in size but currently there is only one PC available for students to use (lack of space is the main issue.)  On the day that I visited, several students were in the high school media center doing school work and taking tests.  Valerie and I had a good discussion about how the services the media center provides has changed over the years and the improvements they continue to make to their collection to meet their students' information needs.  Finally, Valerie let me know that the 2008-09 school year will be her last year of teaching as she is retiring!  She stated that she had enjoyed her time teaching (34 years!) and running the media center but was ready to move on to the next phase of her life.  Please feel free to send Valerie a note via email.

I want to say thank you to Valerie allowing me to visit and wish her the best of luck.  Check out photos from my visit on the SELCO Flickr site.

Michael Scott, Assistant Director

The 2009 Minnesota Library Legislative Day was held on March 25, 2009 at the Minnesota State Capitol.  I was one of six SELCO staff members who attended this annual day of advocacy for Minnesota's libraries and this was my second year of attendance.  Along with other SELCO staff members and staff from SELCO and SELS member libraries, I visited with several legislators from the SELCO/SELS region, including Senators Kevin Dahle (District 25), Dick Day (District 26), Dan Sparks (District 27) and Representatives Kim Norton (District 29A), Tina Liebling (District 30A), and Andy Welti (District 30B.)  The photo above shows Mollie Pherson and I during our visit to with Rochester-area legislators Reps. Welti, Norton, and Liebling.  It was a great opportunity to thank our legislators for their continued support of our region's libraries and talk about the importance of all Minnesota's libraries to the residents of Minnesota, especially during these tough economic times.  I felt the legislators I visited were very receptive and welcoming but know that a difficult road lay ahead of them as they work to get a balanced budget. 

I was happy to have the opportunity to participate in Library Legislative Day again and would encourage everyone who cares about Minnesota's libraries to take the opportunity to participate in Library Legislative Day if possible.  But you don't have to wait for Library Legislative Day to let your legislators know the importance of libraries to you.  To find your Minnesota legislators, click here.  Additionally, if you haven't looked at the 2009 MLA/MEMO Library Legislative Platform I encourage you to check it out.  To see more photos from Library Legislative Day 2009, check out SELCO's Flickr site.  Remember:  Libraries Strengthen Minnesota!

Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian

Greetings from Washington DC!  I'm here for the annual Computers in Libraries conference, immersing myself into all things concerning library technology. The always-popular Lee Rainie lead off this year's conference with his opening session keynote, Friending Libraries: the Newest Nodes in People's Social Contacts.  Rainie is the Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a non-partisan, non-profit group that has been producing the best reasearch and information on how society is adapting to and using technology.  I've seen Rainie speak numerous times and have always come away resolved to read the latest study published by his organization.  Today was no different.

Rainie usually starts his presentations by asking who is blogging the session.  Today, however, he noted that blogging is "so 2005" and asked a different question:  Who is tweeting the session?  Twitter, for those who haven't been listenting to the buzz, is a very useful service that allows uses to "microblog".  Microblogging involves sending out very short posts about what you are doing or thinking about.  It's different than blogging in that the posts have to be short; 140 characters is the limit.  Posts, called tweets to the faithful, cannot be detailed or cumbersome or super-detailed.  That doesn't mean they have to be poorly thought-out, however.  Because they are so short, they are very quick to send out and are ideal for use with a cell phone.  Everyone who has chosen to follow you on Twitter sees your tweets.  I use it to keep colleagues informationrmed on what I'm working on.  Sometimes I use it for more ephemeral information such as the music I happen to be listening to or a good article I just read.  Because it's so quick, you can share your life to a degree that is unprecidented.  Whether you find this appealing, of course, is up to you.  I should also mention that Twitter has become very trendy lately, enough to irritate some who have been tweeting for awhile.

Anyway, after the obligatory Twitter reference, Rainie got on with it.  Pew just released a new study, The Mobile Difference, examining people's attitudes toward mobile devices and how mobility is influencing they use of technology.  First some stats:

According to a survey done by Pew in 2000:
46% of adults surveyed used the internet
5% had broadband access
%50 had cellphones
0% had wireless access

In a similar survey from 2008:
75% of adults surveyed used the internet
57% had broadband access
82% had cellphones
62% had wireless access

In 2000, internet use involved slow, stationary connections that revolved around the PC.

In 2008, internet use involved fast, mobile connections that revolved around outside servers and storage.  They were also about as likely to involve a cell phone as a PC.

These changes have affected the communication and information ecosystem in ten ways:
1.  the volume of information grows
2.  the variety of information increases
3.  the velocity of information speeds up
4.  the times and places to experience media enlarge
5.  peoples' vigilance for information both expands and contracts
6.  the immersive qualities of media are more compelling
7.  the relevance of information improves
8.  the number of information "voices" explodes -- and they become more findable
9.  voting and ventilating are enabled
10.  social netowrks are more vivid

I found point #5 interesting.  When people care about a topic, they can get a lot of information about it.  When they don't care, they tune it out altogether.  After all, you can only handle so much.

In the Mobile Difference report, Pew identified two broad groups of people:
39% are motivated by mobility
61% are tied to stationary media

Of the first group, mobile users,  Pew identified 5 distinct groups.  Each has different needs and desires.  Serving the public means finding a way to serve each:
1. Digital collaborators, 8%, lead the way.  They are the early adopters and have enthusiasticly incorporated technology into most, if not all, facets of their lives.  Libraries can best serve them by providing access to the internet for all their devices, i.e. wifi.  We can also provide them virtual spaces to collaborate and share with others.  This group can help libraries by providing feedback as we survey the technology landscape and prioritize our intiatives.

2. Ambivalent networkers, 7%, use technology extensively but worry that all this mobile technolgy is intrusive and gets in the way of other relationships.  Libraries can serve them by providing a sanctuary for offline activity.  Interestingly, this group tends be gamers so gaming programs can also attact them.

3. Media Movers, 7%, use technology mostly to find and share their own content.  Information gathering and other communications are not as high on their list of priorities.  We can serve them by helping to find outlets for their creations and finds.  Assistence and support of social networking will also be helpful.

4. Roving nodes, 9%, manage their lives with mobile technology.  They are not interested much in content creation; they're too busy managing their busy lives.  Unlike the previous three groups, this one skews female and includes a lot of moms.  Libraries can serve them by helping them be effcient users of their techlological tools.  WiFi is also of real value to them.  Programs on cloud applications can be of help.

5. Mobile newbies, 8%, is the last of the mobile group.  They don't use PCs as much as the other groups; their technology revolves around their cell phones.  This group also skews female.  Libraries serve them by offering help and training on technology so they can get the best use out of their tools.  Providing access to PCs for uses that are difficult with cell phones since they're not as likely to have their own.

What about the stationary technology users?  Pew has some information on them, too:
1. Desktop veterans, 13%, are heavy technology users who aren't particularly interested in mobility.  They're pretty happy with their PCs and broadband connections.  Not surprisingly, they have probably been into computers for a long time and are likely to be older men.  We can best serve these guys by providing them good computers with good connections for those times when they can't be at home with their PCs.  They don't need much help with traditional websurfing and tasks like word processing but might be interested in training on newer internet services like social networks and content creation.

2. Drifting surfers, 14%, know a lot about technology but are not all that interested.  For them, it's a tool not a way of life.  This group skews female and often have others in the household who dominate the technology.  Drifting surfers are usually content this this arrangement.  They're not particularly interested in mobility and are mostly interested in traditional library services.

3. The Information encumbered, 10%, don't see much value in technology.  They are often oppressed by what they see as too much information, most of which is of questionable value.  They place much greater trust in traditional media.  Libraries can help them filter the torrent of information by providing easy-to-use tools like federated searching and next-generation catalogs.  This group tends to find technology stressful so lots of support and empathy is appreciated.

4. The tech indifferent, 10%, are even less interested in technology.  They probably have cell phones but find them intrusive.  They have no problem living without PCs and laptops.  When they do have to use technology, the little malfunctions, glitches, and inconveniences that go along with online life drive them crazy.  Libraries can serve them with gentle tutorials on computers, cell phones, and the internet.  You will probably have to convince them that such endevors are worthwhile before they'll participate.

5. Those who are off the network, 14%, just don't use technology.  They aren't interested and see no real value over the old wired phone, tv, and newspaper.  This group skews older and lower-income; some of their disinterest stems from other concerns and lack of resources.  Traditional library services are of most value to this group but they might respond to training and support, particularly when faced with tasks that can only be performed online.

More information on Rainie's presentation, including his slides are available online.

Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian

Following this morning's keynote from Lee Rainie, I attended a couple of back-to-back presentations in the Web Development conference track.  Website Redesign Pitfalls examined mistakes that organizations often make when redesigning or redeveloping their websites.  First, some definitions:

• Redesigning refers to the process of revising the graphics and layout of a website.
• Redeveloping refers to making changes to the underlying structure of pages and scripts that make up a website

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm making a more clear-cut distinction between the two than the presenter did.

The first pitfall is redesigning or redeveloping your website if you don't have to.  Frequently, these projects happen because someone imposes an arbitrary timeframe; "It's been two years since we redid the webpage.  Time for a redevelopment project!".  Or, they happen because whoever maintains the webpage got bored; maintenance is boring, creating is really gets the creative juices flowing.  Both of these tendencies are to be avoided.  Why?  Because wholesale change is hard on your patrons.

The presenter went on to describe some good reasons to do a redesign or redevelop:

• the site's navigation is dysfunctional
• the site doesnt scale
• the site is difficult to update
• the code is hopelessly sick
• the site has poor usability
• the site not performing based on goals/objectives 

Keep in mind the difference between redesigning and redeveloping; you may not have to do both.

When you've decided that only a redevelopment or redesign project will solve your problems, it's time to move to execution.  The presenter gave a few more pitfalls to avoid:

• don't fail to account for assessment time and effort; these projects usually involve more work than expect
• don't go overboard trying to achieve consensus; "design by committee = death"
• use data to avoid worst flaws of committees; be evidence-based to short-circuit tedious discussions
• include patrons in the process; librarians may users of the website but they are also information experts
• avoid thinking in the box; maybe a Content Management System (CMS), blog, or wiki will solve your problem

• Ideally, you should have evidence that one or more of these statements is true.  Usability testing with your patrons is a good way to proceed.  Even if some of these statements are true, make sure that some moderate tweaking wiki would work as well or better than a conventional website.
• don't spend too much time designing; there's a lot of skins and stylesheets out there already
• don't limit yourself to looking only at other library websites for ideas
• communicate with your patrons and let them know what you're doing; a project blog describing your decision-making process and workflow can be useful

And finally, don't let yourself get back into the position of needing a major redesign or redevelopment project by making constant, small changes to the website.  Google has gotten everyone used to the idea of the "perpetual beta"; use it.

The next presentation in the Web Development track was entitled Help Your Library Be Omnipresent Without Spending a Dime.  The presenter showed us a lot of gadgets, widgets, and other cool tools you can embed in your webpages and share with your patrons.  Gadgets (aka widgets) are little applications, usually written in HTML and/or Javascript, that access data and display it in a small, self-contained window.  They're designed for portability.  Once you create one, you simply post the code to your website.  Patrons on the internet can copy and paste the code into their websites, blogs, Facebook page, etc.  Some, such as those designed for Facebook, Google, or the iPhone, are specific to a given platform.  Others can be embedded into any webpage, assuming you are allowed to add to the code.  Flickr, for example, allows users to create a Flickr Badge that they can embed in a webpage.  The badge always shows the last few pictures added to that users photostream, making it super-easy to keep your page updated with pictures.  By supplying patrons with library-orientated gadgets, you make it easier to access your services.  Which is what it's all about.

To get us started, the presenter left us with some websites (not all library-related) that show what is possible:
Flickr Badge Generator
Auraria Library's "Steal This Code!" Page
University of Minnesota-Duluth's "Widgets" Page

UPDATE:  In my haste to post this yesterday, I neglected to include the names of the session presenters.  I'd like to give them due credit:

Website Redesign Pitfalls:

Jeff Wisniewski, Web Services Librarian, University of Pittsburgh

Helping Your Library Be Omnipresent Without Spending a Dime:

Nina McHale, Assistant Professor, Web Librarian, Auraria Library, Univ. of Colorado-Denver
Curt Tagtmeier, Adult Services Librarian and Technology Coordinator, Fremont Public Library

Rachel Gray, Information Services Librarian

March 2009 meeting focused exclusively on the upcoming AquaBrowser project.  The video of this meeting has been put into four parts for ease of viewing.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian

I'll be spending most of today in the Next-Gen Catalogs track at Computers in Libraries.  Despite the name, the sessions in this track are about Integrated Library Systems (ILS) in general, not just catalogs.

The first session, which is just wrapping up, was presented by Marshall Breeding, Director for Innovative Technology and Research, Vanderbilt University Library.  Marshall is a well-known writer on the library automation marketplace and I've covered his presentations here before.  He makes this presentation every year and, for me, it's a must-attend session.  Among other things, he usually give us a sneak peak at the Library Automation Marketplace special issue of Library Journal, published each April.

Marshall pointed to recent trends in library automation.  2007 trends included:

• industry consolidation
• abrupt transitions
• increased industry control by external financial investors
• demise of trad opac
• frustration with ils products and vendors
• open source alternatives hit the mainstream

By contrast, the 2008 trends highlighted in the soon-to-be-published artcle include:

• despite the uncertain economy, many industry players are investing to develop new products or increase capacity
• new ILS  sales down for most companies due to bad economy and libraries deferring migrations
• strong interest in new discovery interfaces, i.e. next-generation catalogs
• open source still an interesting alternative but implementations are down since 2007

In my next post, I'll pass on a few of the more interesting observations from Marshall's presentation.

Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian

Following up on my last post, I'd like to point out a few of the more interesting observations from Marshall Breeding's session, Global Librarian Automation Scene.  He presented a lot of information and his slides will be online in a few days.  So, rather than try to present everything, I'm going to cherry pick what resonated with me.

ILS Vendors are Diversifying and Innovating, Somewhat

ILS vendors seem to understand the need for innovation and are putting a lot of resources into developing next-generation catalogs.  They are generally following a mixed strategy, however, and continue to focus on tightly-intergrated systems for mainstream functions like inventory control (circulation, cataloging, acquisitions, etc.)  Despite their efforts, the results of this innovation have not yet met the demands of the library world.

But I Don't Want to Migrate!

The evidence of the past year shows that few libraries are migrating voluntarily, say to get a better set of functionality.  The vast majority of migrations were motivated by vendors abandoning a legacy ILS or a decision to leave a vendor or consortia due to dissatisfaction.  This has some implications for ILS vendors who are looking at what best attracts new customers.

Time to Give up that Old Server Running Behind Your Desk

The efficiencies and industrial-strength technology infrastructure found in enterprise-level data centers makes Software as a Service (SaaS) options more compelling, despite fears that corporate entities will be more cavilier with our data.  I personally will admit to having some misgivings about entrusting our entire ILS infrastructure to a vendor.  But I will also say that the benefits of not mainting the ILS on local servers is becoming more compelling.  It's always a source of affirmation to hear someone at a conference say something that you've been thinking but wasn't all that sure about...

Time to Rethink Our Workflows

Our ILS are based on workflows that were mostly developed in the 1960s.  The distinction between ILL and Circulation, for example, is making less and less sense all the time.  How are we going to break this cycle of co-dependency?

Ann Hutton, Executive Director

Attending that Monday evening meeting:

• Representatives Morrie Lanning (09A), Mary Murphy (06B) and Diane Loeffler (59A)
• Keith Carlson (MICA)
• Joe Mathews (AMC)
• Gary Carlson (LMC)
• Suzanne Miller, State Librarian, and Nancy Walton (MDE State Library Services)
• Michelle Weber (MDE lobbyist) and John Bolinger (MDE program finance)
• Pat Dalton (House Research)
• Mary Beth Davidson and Alexandra Iverson (Hennepin County)
• Elaine Keefe (MLA/MEMO Lobbyist) 
• Mark Ranum (MLA Legislative Chair) 

The compromise includes three changes:

• Local support for 2009 may be reduced by the same percentage as the loss of LGA/CPA due to unallotment or by 10% whichever is less.
• Beginning in 2010, the bill changes Library MOE to the lowest spending of the second or third preceding year with an allowed reduction of 10%or a percent equal to aid and credit cuts, whichever is less.
• Regardless of the cuts allowed by formula, no city or county can reduce Library MOE below the minimum of 0.82% of Adjusted Net Tax Capacity or in 2009 $12.62 per capita, whichever is less.

During Library Legislative Day on Marcy 25, the Minnesota House and Senate held hearings on proposed changes to the Library Maintenance of Effort (MOE) which move much needed reform closer to reality.  At a morning hearing, Representative Morrie Lanning (09A) introduced an amendment HF1195 which included the negotiated compromised on the library language.  Area Representatives Demmer ((29A), Pelowski (31A) and Poppe (27B) are co-authors of this bill.  And, at an afternoon hearing on the Senate side, Senator Skogen (10) amended his SF1636 and to include new library MOE language mirroring the House version.

Please contact these legislators and thank them for their leadership on the issue of library MOE reform.  Make sure your local legislators know libraries support the flexibility these reforms will provide to local government.

Mollie Pherson, Regional Librarian

SELCO hosted the annual Summer Reading Program Kick-off on Friday, March 27th, featuring this year's theme, Be Creative @ Your Library.  Library staff from around the region listened as Kathleen James from MELSA shared programming and craft ideas and book suggestions.  Kathleen also led a craft session where the group was told to be creative with marshmallows and toothpicks--a cheap and fun craft for people of all ages!!  Some other ideas:

• Create a scavenger hunt at the library
• Guessing jars or bags are always fun
• Set up self-directed craft tables and change the craft weekly
• Create a giant "I Spy" in your display case
• Contact local high schoolers to demonstrate and play instruments for the kids

I just received a catalog in the mail this afternoon called Guildcraft--it has some pretty cool and inexpensive craft ideas specifically for the Be Creative @ Your Library theme.  Check out the ideas by visiting www.Guildcraftinc.com.  For other information, check out the Collaborative Summer Reading Program website or the SELCO webpage devoted to summer reading programming.  Or check out 101 Ideas for Getting Creative and Expressing Yourself @ Your Library by clicking here.  To order Be Creative @ Your Library items from Highsmith, click here.

Meet Wilbur, the SELCO pig.  I created him during our craft time at the kick-off.  Creating a library mascot is a great way to get kids interested in summer reading.

Donovan Lambright, Automation Librarian

From my hotel room, I report from Washington DC in this episode, to talk about the annual Computers in Libraries conference.  Among the many good sessions that have already been held is Library Website & Library Catalog: One Stop!  We'll take a look at the Howard County Library website, which has combined a Content Management System (CMS) and OPAC into one seamless web presence.

SELCOtv 16 -- CIL2009