SIGNAL online 2005

Archives

Current edition: July 07, 2005

Published by the Southern Ontario Library Service

The introductory page for the Southern Ontario Library Service is www.sols.org.  From that page, you can move to any other pages created by staff at the Southern Ontario Library Service, as well as to links to resources and professional information.

1. SOLS BUDGET CUT - Initial Stage of Permanent Reductions
2. NEW CPA FOR TOTE BAGS
3. NETLIBRARY e-Book project
4. MINOR CHANGES TO SOLS DELIVERY SERVICE – Effective June 27, 2005
5. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
6. SOUTHERN ONTARIO MULTILINGUAL POOL (SOMP) – Opportunity to join
7. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS IN FALL 2005 – Registration opens Monday, August 8, 2005
8. TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM
9. FRENCH SERVICES UPDATES
10.First Nations Reading Circle Program
11. FIRST NATION UPDATES
12. ADDITIONS TO THE WEBSITE
13. Changes to Retail Sales Tax exemptions
14. Service Ontario Pilot project working in southern Ontario libraries
15. SOLS CEO LISTSERV
16. SOLS Board Summary - June 2005
17. NEW SOLS BOARD MEMBERS

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1.   SOLS BUDGET CUT - Initial Stage of Permanent Reductions

Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) and Ontario Library Service – North (OLS-N) recently received notice of a budget cut from the Ontario Ministry of Culture. The cut is $700,000 in this fiscal year, representing between a 14% and 15% cut. SOLS’ share of this amount is $462,000.

Painfully, this new cut follows a very difficult year last year when, after 10 years of flat line budgets, we faced a $200,000 shortfall. Just last year, we closed our Ottawa office, downsized the Toronto office, restructured Board meetings, introduced voluntary reduced time for staff, restructured service delivery in Library Development, implemented a new fee structure and reduced the frequency of deliveries.

We have also worked closely with OLS-N to streamline service delivery between the two organizations and ensure that there is no duplication.

Within this context, there is no infrastructure left to cut and we can only find further reductions in services.

Since this cut comes in year, with our first quarter already past, balancing our budget will take several strategies, some one time and others permanent.

The first stage of reductions was announced on June 22 when we notified the library community of a 10 day layoff of all staff, including management, over the summer. The layoff will be taken as an operational shutdown, mostly on Fridays, in July and August. Delivery will be handled as two single weeks later in the year. This choice was an effort to share the burden of the budget cut across the entire staff, to help us avoid as many permanent layoffs as we can and to minimize impact on libraries. It is intended as a one time cut to help us balance our budget this year. Other one time cuts include suspension of spending for vans, computers, furniture and supplies, elimination of all staff training, and a delay in publishing Library Development Guides including The Library’s Contribution to Your Community.

To begin to identify the permanent reductions needed to balance the budget, the Board reviewed SOLS’ priorities and services as outlined in Stronger Libraries Stronger Communities. Cuts were considered working from our lowest priorities up to our highest. We are now proceeding with the initial stage of permanent reductions with the following programs being reduced or cut. These choices were based on their level of priority and whether similar services are or may be provided by other organizations in future.

This initial stage of permanent reductions total annualized savings of approximately $230,000 or 50% of what we need to find. In order to find the remaining savings, we are planning a consultation process with our client libraries. This will happen shortly, though how the consultation will be conducted is yet to be determined.

We deeply regret the loss of services and the personal cost to the staff members affected. We are also extremely grateful for the widespread support from our client libraries, trustees and many politicians.

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2. NEW CONSORTIA PURCHASING AGREEMENT FOR TOTE BAGS

SOLS negotiates charitable/consortia purchasing agreements (CPAs) on behalf of SOLS libraries. CPAs are economies of scale’ pricing for the purchase or lease of a range of goods and services. 

On June 16^th, SOLS CEOs and SOLS CPA listserv participants were notified that the JanWay Company has prepared an offer for a new CPA for the purchase of tote bags. A promotional flyer which detailed the products, pricing, order deadline and shipping dates for SOLS libraries was attached to the message.  This offer is similar to the program we ran so successfully last year, with a few changes.  There are three natural canvas totes as well as a new coloured 600 denier polyester-nylon version of the 308Z canvas bag, for the same price as the natural canvas.  The prices for the product are the same as last year, with the 10% discount over the usual market price continuing to apply.  Existing customers that re-order will not be charged set up fees, as long as they use the same artwork as last time.  Shipping is extra. 

The order deadline is Friday, August 5, 200,5 with shipping in September.  Orders, including those for custom art work, should be placed directly to JanWay.  For further assistance contact Bill Lynch, JanWay Sales Consultant by telephone at 1-416-244-4024, toll-free at 1-800-877-5242 or by e-mail at bill.lynch@sympatico.ca.

Further information on Charitable/Consortia Purchasing Agreements can be found at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cpa/index.htm.

On that Web page, the various CPAs are organized by product and service, as well as by Vendor.

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3. NETLIBRARY e-Book project

Earlier this spring, SOLS and OLS-North announced a joint initiative to introduce a core collection of electronic resources to Ontarians through their public libraries.  SOLS and OLS-North are subsidizing the cost for libraries to participate in the NetLibrary eBook collection at a rate of $100 per library. This will cover 100% of the cost of participation for libraries serving populations under 15,000, including all First Nations libraries, and introduce 200 new libraries to the project. This collection will be launched in the summer of 2005. Public libraries will be asked to participate in the selection process with a Collection Development Committee in the spring. 

Ontario’s Shared eBook collection is a project of COOL (Consortium of Ontario Libraries). COOL is a multi-sector buying group for electronic products involving university, college, school and public libraries. Further information about this initiative is posted on the SOLS website.  From the main page, select ‘COOL and CPA’ under ‘Resource sharing’.  Then select ‘Product in Alphabetical Order’ and select netLibrary/COOL E-Book Shared Collection.  You can also move directly to the information at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cooldata/product.aspx?prod=47

To participate in this initiative, you need to register with SOLS using the form provided on the website. Many libraries have already submitted their registration agreements, but for those who have not, please do so by Thursday, July 14, 2005, so that the list can be sent on to netLibrary.  If you have any questions about the form, please contact Dayna Lintner at 1-800-387-5765, extension 5112 or by e-mail at

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4. MINOR CHANGES TO SOLS DELIVERY SERVICE – Effective June 27, 2005

On Monday, June 27, 2005, SOLS delivery routes H, I, J, K and L were modified to keep our operational costs in line. Libraries were contacted directly by Mary Jo Lynett, Delivery Service Supervisor, if the change affected them. The current number of days of delivery was not changed but some libraries will see a change in the time(s) of delivery, day(s) of delivery and/or their route designation.  The changes are as follows:

Brant County (Paris) - Route J
Burlington – Route I
Cambridge – Route J
Guelph University – Route H
Oakville – Route I

Routes and schedules for SOLS delivery services are posted at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/delivery/index.htm

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5. GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

"New Horizons for Seniors" is a funding program from Social Development Canada. This program provides funding for community-based projects across Canada to encourage seniors to continue to play an important role in their community by: helping those in need; providing leadership; and sharing their knowledge and skills with others. The application deadline is September 16, 2005. There is a link to the site through the main SOLS web page at www.sols.org.  The direct link to the program is http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/isp/horizons/toc.shtml

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6. SOUTHERN ONTARIO MULTILINGUAL POOL (SOMP) – Opportunity to join

• Do you struggle with having materials in various languages?
• Is your community changing and you need material in different languages?
• Do you have limited funds to spend on developing a multilingual collection?
• Do you have difficulty finding where you can purchase such materials?

Are you mystified by mysteries? Are crime books a conundrum to you? [Title of workshop] will provide clues to what this popular genre is all about. The workshop covers the definition of mystery and crime books and what accounts for their popularity; sub-genres and their authors; sources of online, print, and other information for both upcoming and older books; current and anticipated trends; and which new authors are similar to older authors COLOR="#ff0000">. >Learn about the works of North American and British authors.  There will also be suggestions of how Crime Writers of Canada, the professional association of Canadian crime and mystery authors, can help you "market" Canadian crime books and their authors.

Workshop Locations and Dates:

Workshop No.3 - "Managing Stress in the workplace: Resiliency skills for you and your staff"

Developing resiliency skills benefits everyone, even managers!  Productivity increases, communications are smoother, conflicts are reduced, calories are lost, stress levels fall and teamwork takes off!  This session will help you to develop your personal resilience skills and help you create an environment where your staff can more effectively handle working in this age of "permanent white waters" with its ever increasing workload and rate of change.

Workshop Locations and Dates:

Workshop No.4 - "Service to Teens in Public Libraries"

This will be an interactive workshop, covering many aspects of teen services librarianship, including adolescent development, advisory groups, collections, booktalking, intellectual freedom, programming and behaviour management.   In this workshop, among other topics, our presenter will speak to teen services philosophy and staff training, provide a profile of adolescents, and discuss collection development trends and teen programming examples from Toronto and Pickering Public Libraries.  This workshop will be of interest to libraries building their teen services or to library staff currently responsible for teen services.

Workshop Locations and Dates:

Workshop No.5 -
"Know Where You Are: Understanding your library’s current reality by means of a Situational Analysis"

It is important for public libraries to periodically undertake an analysis of their current situation with regards to the development and delivery of library service.  While sometimes referred to as a needs assessment, this work of investigating in order to understand the library’s current situation is also known as a Situational Analysis.  A Situational Analysis results in a collective understanding of the current reality, on the part of Board and staff.  This collective understanding is a crucial step in any formal planning process, and is a worthwhile activity in its own right.  This workshop will present an approach to conducting a broad-based Situational Analysis that includes gathering and making sense of information on the library’s current programs and services, the library’s mission and values, the community served by the library, feedback from current library users, and forces from the external environment.  Participants will be given the opportunity to consider appropriate methodologies from a variety of tools, offering varying degrees of complexity. 

Workshop Locations and Dates:

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8. TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM

All of the materials have now been distributed – that includes the official TD Summer Reading booklets, posters, and stickers as well as the materials from the Canadian Space Agency.  If you are missing any of these items, please contact Peggy Malcolm at

Be sure to check the requirements for the Statistics and Evaluation form that have been posted on the Official "Blast Off" website, as posted by Library and Archives Canada at http://www.td-club-td.ca/009003-500-e.html.  The form has been posted for your information, and the interactive form that will need to be submitted, will be "live" in August.  Individual library branches are asked to provide their evaluation responses to their main branch or HQ so that each library system fills out a unique Online Statistics and Evaluation Form on the TD Summer Reading Club official website.  This year, all of the statistical and evaluative information will be sent online to Library and Archives Canada, rather than to SOLS.

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9. FRENCH SERVICES UPDATES

a) French Collection Tips - The SOLS French Services Consultant, Claire-Marie Paquette-Finlay, has been compiling a series of "French Collection Tips".  A recent "Tip" included information about the 2005 Arthur Ellis Awards sponsored by the Crime Writers of Canada.  The entire list is posted at http://www.crimewriterscanada.com/files/2005_shortlists.html but the French titles are as following:

The "Tip" listed the French titles and provided evaluative information and annotations for the books. If you are interested in receiving regular "French Collection Tips" via e-mail from the SOLS French services consultant, please e-mail her at .

Over the past few months, there had been a number of requests for French translations of popular authors, such as Anne Rice or Kathy Reichs.  It seemed that searching through the INFO database was not yielding satisfactory results.  After some testing and consultation, Gale Thompson from the SOLS Help Desk Staff created a brief guide to address this problem.  Called "Searching for French Bibliographic Records", this guide provides step by step instructions on how to search for, and single out, French books. The research shows that there are a number of libraries in the network that have substantial French collections, including the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec (BNQ) which is now part of the INFO/VDX network.  This "national" collection includes all works published in Québec in French and English as well as the collection of the Bibliothèque de Montréal.

For your reference, the guide has now been posted in the ‘French Services Resources’ sub-section of Clearinghouse section of the SOLS website.  The direct link to the guide is at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/INFO/searchforfrenchrecords.htm.

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10. First Nations Reading Circle Program

With the generous support of a grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation and the Share the Stories program SOLS has developed the content and acquired the materials for the First Nations Reading Circle Program.  The reading program promotes aboriginal culture and stories through theme-based programs. This week, the first boxes of program kits will be distributed to participating First Nations Libraries. 

SOLS staff prepared a manual on managing a reading circle program for children ages six to eight years. The eleven theme based programs are:  Differences, Grandparents, Night, Sharing and Giving, Powwow, Seasons, Turtles, Vision Quests, Wolves, Young Heroes and Heroines.  The program kits include a guide to the theme, books, and support resources such as puppets, music and realia.  The program is also supported by craft boxes made possible by donations from Rubbermaid Canada and Sanford Canada.

Eight First Nation public libraries will receive and house boxes of program material.  Upon request, they will share them with all southern Ontario First Nation Libraries.

At this time, the theme guides "Young Heroes and Heroines" and "Sharing and Giving" are available on the First Nations Resource page of the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/firstnations/readingcircles/index1.htm

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11. FIRST NATION UPDATES

a) Successful Pilot Project Earns Continued Support for Cross-cultural Arts Programming in 2005-2006

First Nation public libraries across Ontario will host cross-cultural arts programming and exchanges in their communities this year, thanks to a successful pilot project which ran last February. SOLS has just learned that Mariposa In The Schools (MITS) is ready to resume work with Patty Lawlor, First Nations consultant with SOLS, to plan dynamic, professional arts programming in another five to seven First Nation public libraries. Host librarians will select, from the MITS catalogue, performing artists who have an interest in learning about First Nations’ arts and culture while presenting workshops and performances showcasing their own backgrounds and talents. SOLS will work with the host librarians, MITS and OLS-North to ensure the extended program builds on the pilot program’s success.

Patty supported MITS in the successful application for pilot program extension. The pilot project involved five First Nation public libraries across Ontario during First Nations Public Library Week and covered costs of approximately $10,000. For information about the pilot project, a shared initiative of MITS, SOLS and OLS-North, visit the SOLS website at: http://www.sols.org/marketing/fnpubliclibraryweek/mariposa.htm

During the coming year, CLA’s Interest Group (IG) on the Library and Information Needs of Native People will develop a brochure and CLA website content to promote the library profession to Aboriginal community members, recruit Aboriginal students to the information management professions, and educate non-Aboriginal members about Aboriginal knowledge and information needs/interests. This much-needed initiative is welcome fit with the achievement of objectives and action plans associated with the Staffing Goal identified in the First Nation public library community’s Our Way Forward: A Strategic Plan for Ontario First Nation Public Libraries.

c) Royal Couple Appreciates First Nation Communities Read Book Gift

"Our daughter loves books and we read every evening," the Countess of Wessex told Patty Lawlor. "We’ll enjoy the picture book we’ve received immensely." The Earl and Countess of Wessex (formerly known as Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones) received copies of Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway (2003), Solomon’s Tree by Andrea Spalding (2004), and SkySisters by Jan Bourdeau Waboose (2005) on the occasion of their visit to Toronto on June 6 to mark the 100^th anniversary of the signing of the James Bay Treaty. The Honourable James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, hosted the anniversary reception and made a private presentation of the First Nation Communities Read titles on behalf of the First Nations public library community.

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12. ADDITIONS TO THE WEBSITE

a) French collection development resources -
In the SOLS Clearinghouse, at http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/index.htm, there are further links on a variety of topics.  One new addition to the Clearinghouse concerns French Collection Development resources.  A number of resources for French Collection Development have been posted on the SOLS French Services Resources page. The annotations and explanations about these resources are in English, to help non-francophone selectors. From this page, there are links to other organizations such as Communication Jeunesse.  Communication Jeunesse is a non-profit organization promoting French Canadian literature for children.  Some lists can be downloaded. One example is the ‘new books list’ called "Nouveautés" which lists all the new titles published in Québec and French Canada in the last six months.   Another helpful link on that page links to the lists of titles chosen by Communication Jeunesse’s reading club members for 2004-2005. This is the equivalent of OLA’s Forest of Books.  The lists are posted at http://www.communication-jeunesse.qc.ca/actualites/breves/fiches.php?id=50-56-6553

b) MPMP - This year, libraries are being asked by municipal clerks for information on library services.  The Municipal Performance Measures Program (MPMP) was described in an earlier edition of Signal.  A link to the program has been added to the SOLS Clearinghouse.  You can find the link in ‘Library Administration Resources’ under the sub-topic "Statistics". The direct link to the program is http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_22911_1.html

c) Rating DVDs and Videos – Following a number of enquiries about rating DVDs and videos, we have added a link to the "Technical Services Resources" section of the Clearinghouse page.  This link will take you to the resources of the Media Awareness Network which provide an overview for a number of rating systems currently in use. The direct link to this information is http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/movies/rating_movies.cfm

d) Kempenfelt conference - The details for the Kempenfelt Conference have been posted in the Highlights section of the main SOLS web page at www.sols.org.  This conference, for staff working in county libraries, is being held from September 11-15, 2005.  The theme is "Canadian, Eh? @your library". Information and course outline can be found on  the Kempenfelt page.

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13. Changes to Retail Sales Tax exemptions

On May 11, 2005, a number of measures relating to the Retail Sales Tax (RST) Act and its regulations were announced in the 2005 Ontario Budget. The legislation must be passed by the Legislature and receive Royal Assent to become law.

The Ontario government proposes to update the RST exemption for publications produced or purchased by religious, charitable or benevolent organizations to include CD-ROMs and DVDs used to promote the objectives of the organization. It is also proposed that the RST exemption for publications purchased by schools, school boards, community colleges, universities and public libraries be updated to include educational DVDs, provided they will not be used for commercial exhibition for profit.   The exemption may be claimed by providing the supplier with a valid Purchase Exemption Certificate (PEC). For information about PECs, refer to RST Guide 204 - Purchase Exemption Certificates.  These changes are effective for purchases made after May 11, 2005.

For more information, you can contact the nearest Ontario Ministry of Finance Tax Office listed under Taxes - Provincial (Retail) Sales Tax in the blue pages of your telephone directory, call our TAX FAX Service at 1-877-4-TAX-FAX (1-877-482-9329), or visit the website at www.trd.fin.gov.on.ca.

In southern Ontario, the libraries participating in the ServiceOntario pilot project are.  Bkejwanong First Nation PL, , Bruce County PL (Cargill, Chesley, and Tobermory branches), Chatham-Kent PL (Blenheim, Thamesville, Tilbury, and Wallaceburg branches), Haldimand County PL (Caledonia Branch),  Huron County PL (Exeter and Goderich branches) Kawartha Lakes PL (Kinmount Branch), Kingston-Frontenac (Arden, Cloyne, and Kingston branches), Middlesex County (Dorchester and Strathroy branches), North Kawartha PL, Russell Township PL (Russell and Embrun branches), Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry PL (Alexandria and Morrisburg branches), Waterloo Regional Library (Elmira Branch), West Grey PL (Durham and Neustadt branches)  A copy of the press release has been linked to our "Highlights" section of our website at http://www.sols.org .  The announcement is posted at http://www.cbs.gov.on.ca/mcbs/english/serv061305.htm

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15. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

All issues of SIGNAL can be viewed online at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/publications/Signal/index.htm. However, if anyone would like to receive the e-mail version of this newsletter, please send a message to . You can reach the editor of SIGNAL at: or by telephone at 1-866-380-9767.