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 February 28, 2006

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.

In this issue:

1. NEW CPA FOR TD SUMMER READING MATERIALS and FRIDGE MAGNETS – Deadline: Friday, March 17, 2006
2. COOL - INFORMATION ON NETLIBRARY'S AUDIOBOOKS NOW AVAILABLE
3. ANNUAL SURVEY Deadline for Municipal/County libraries is March 31, 2006
4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
a) Sarah Badgley Literacy Fund for Ontario Rural Children – Deadline: Friday, March 31, 2006
b) HRSDC Summer Career Placements 2006– Deadline: Friday, March 31, 2006
5. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR SPRING 2006 – Registration now open
6. LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS – Scheduled for February and March 2006
7. TRUSTEE COUNCIL MEETINGS – Scheduled for April – May 2006
8. Ontario’s First Nation Public Libraries Announce 2005 Friendship Feather Recipients
9. TD Summer Reading program 2006
10. UPDATES TO THE JOINT OLS-North/SOLS CLEARINGHOUSE
11. SOLS in the community
12. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

1. NEW CPA FOR TD SUMMER READING MATERIALS and FRIDGE MAGNETS 

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.   

We are pleased to announce that SOLS has re-negotiated the popular Summer Reading Program Materials offered through the Janway Corporation. Janway is also offering promotional fridge magnets this year.  This message was also sent to all SOLS CEOs using the listserv.  The final order date for both offers is Friday, March 17, 2006. Materials ordered will be delivered to SOLS and distributed via SOLS courier during the week of April 16 for magnets, May 16 for Summer Reading. 

The flyer outlining the offerings for Summer Reading Program, and an order form, are available on the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cpa/summerreading.htm.  Orders may be placed by telephone, fax, or as on-line orders. For on-line ordering, please leave the brokerage fee amount blank, as there is no charge for brokerage under this offer.  Shipping is fixed at 5%. 

Further information and assistance is available from Bill Lynch, the Janway Canada sales consultant at 705-734-9799, e-mail bill.lynch@sympatico.ca, or from Sandy Orgitano at 1-800-877-5242 ext. 109, or by e-mail to sandy@janway.com 

Further information on Charitable/Consortia Purchasing Agreements can be found at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cpa/index.htm or contact Daryl Novak, Director of Operations at 1-800-387-5765, ext. 5135.

At the end of January, SOLS hosted an AudioBook Demo Day at the Vaughan Public Library.  One of the presenters was Michael Aprieto from NetLibrary who made a presentation on digital audio books.  A copy of the PowerPoint presentation called “Introducing Digital Audio Books Online” is now posted in the COOL/Consortium Purchasing section of the SOLS website. Answers to the questions that were asked at the presentation have been included, as has information about the new children’s collection. 

Libraries who are interested in testing out these books should read the information provided in the “Audiobooks Trial Program Handout”.  This would involve a paid trial period of four months.  As an expression of interest, those libraries wishing to participate in the netLibrary should contact Brenda Lewis at the SOLS Toronto office at 1-800-387-5765, ext. 5130, or by e-mail to . 

If sufficient numbers of libraries agree to participate in the program, it may be possible to achieve a discount rate.  The discount schedule for consortia sales for eAudiobooks is as follows:

5-15 libraries = 5%
16-25 libraries = 7%
26-50 libraries = 10%
51-100 libraries = 13%

At the January AudioBook Demo Day, the second presenter was Claudia Weissman from Overdrive Audio.  Please note that pricing information pertaining to the Overdrive Audio book solution will be available shortly.  Additional information will be sent out over the next two weeks.

The Heritage and Libraries Branch of the Ministry of Culture maintains statistics on public libraries in Ontario. These statistics are compiled using data from the Annual Survey of Public Libraries. The Annual Survey of Public Libraries provides important data on library services in Ontario.  It is one of the requirements for receiving the provincial library operating grant, and must be completed by libraries, and organizations that contract for public library service.   

Further information was delivered directly from the Ministry but, once again, staff from the Southern Ontario Library Service has been assigned to answer any questions or to provide assistance in completing the survey.  The deadline for libraries and local services boards to e-file the survey is March 31, 2006 and the staff person working with those libraries is Hélène Golden at 1-877-532-2901 or . The deadline for First Nations libraries is June 30, 2006 and the staff person working with those libraries is Patty Lawlor at 1-800-387-5765, ext. 5107 or .

4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES  

There are a number of valuable links to “Funding Development Resources” that can be found at http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/fundingdev/index.htm#Grants .  Please note that, after tomorrow’s March 1^st deadline, the next deadline for the Ontario Trillium Foundation grants is July 1, 2006.  The following grants might be of interest to libraries in Ontario.  

a) SARAH BADGLEY LITERACY FUND FOR ONTARIO RURAL CHILDREN

The Rural Learning Association (RLA) is responsible for a funding program for Ontario rural libraries. The fund is named in honour of Sarah Rosalind Badgley, a three-year-old girl who was tragically killed in an automobile accident on 21 July, 2001. A grant of up to $200 per year is available to a number of rural public libraries in Ontario, and to non-rural public libraries that serve a rural clientele. The grant can be used for a variety of purposes in aid of children's literacy initiatives, including (but not restricted to the following) Book Purchases, Literacy Programs (story hours, guest readers, etc.), Equipment Purchases (furniture, computer software, etc.), Renovations to Children's Areas in the Library, or Seed Money to Obtain Matching Grants.  Over thirty libraries have received grants since the Fund's establishment in 2002.

b) HRSDC Summer Career Placements 2006 – Deadline: March 31, 2006 

This initiative provides career-related work experience to students through the provision of wage subsidies to public, private and not-for-profit employers to create summer employment opportunities for students from 15 to 30 years of age (inclusively).  More information is posted on the HRSDC website at http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/epb/yi/yep/programs/scpp.shtml.  The application deadline is Friday, March 31, 2006.

5. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR SPRING 2006 – Registration now open 

Registration for the spring workshops is underway.  Already, the session of Choosing and Using Books for Boys (and girls), scheduled for London (Masonville), is full and there are only a few spots left for the Oshawa session.   

This spring, there will also be a collection development/reader’s advisory workshop on science fiction and fantasy.  Author Julie E Czerneda will “explore the genre that expands the mind”.  From the essential questions of science fiction to the ageless play of good and evil in fantasy, she will discuss the differences and similarities among these works, as well as consider how to identify titles and authors of particular interest to both teen and adult readers. Special attention will be paid to practical ways to develop, maintain, and enhance science fiction and fantasy collections.   Sessions have been organized for the Main Branch of the Whitby Public Library on Thursday, May 4^th from 1pm to 4pm; at the Stittsville Branch of the Ottawa Public Library on Friday, May 5^th from 10am to 4pm; the Masonville Branch of the London Public Library on Wednesday, May 10^th from 1pm to 4pm, and the Lakeshore Branch of the Innisfil Public Library on Friday, May 12^th from 10am to 1pm. 

Library staff with responsibilities for technology upgrades and planning will benefit from the expertise of  24by7 TEKdesk manager Bruce Roxburgh.  Bruce will take a tour through the emerging and existing tech trends in public access computing in the workshop The Next Generation of Public Access Computing. Sessions have been organized for Peterborough, North Grenville, Region of Waterloo and Barrie.

CEOs and senior managers will want to hear Lorna Heidenheim, the Executive Director of the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition, speak about how to be a player in community development initiatives. Sessions have been organized for Woodstock, Bradford West Gwillimbury and Port Hope.   Rob Lavery’s workshops on making sense of fundraising roles and responsibilities are offered in the evening and on Saturdays in order that library trustees can attend.   Sessions have been organized for Brockville, Quinte West , Barrie, and London,  as well as in conjunction with the Trustee Council meetings scheduled for Oakville and Pembroke.

The complete list of spring workshop topics is:

Workshop 1 - The Next Generation in Public Access Computing
Workshop 2 - Who’s on first? Making sense of fundraising roles and responsibilities
Workshop 3 - Know where you are: Understanding your library’s current reality by means of a Situational Analysis
Workshop 4 - Science Fiction and Fantasy: Explore the genre that expands the mind
Workshop 5 - The Other Official Collection: “yes, you can buy that in French!
Workshop 6 - Community Development – Public Libraries at the table
Workshop 7 - Choosing and Using Books for Boys (and Girls)
Workshop 8 - TD Summer Reading Program Orientation  

Further information about workshops is posted on the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/training/clinicsworkshops/index.htm   

To register, please use the specific registration form for each workshop as provided on the SOLS Training page, at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/training/clinicsworkshops/index.htm . Maps for each of the training venues will also be available, by a web link, within the registration forms.

6. LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS – Scheduled for February and March 2006 

SOLS provides an opportunity for library staff members to meet and discuss issues of common interest. Committee meetings of area libraries often involve a special clinic or presentation on a particular area of interest.  Later, this spring, the clinic connected to the Library Committee meetings will revolve around book-based programming.  Information about the meetings, including an agenda for each meeting, is posted on the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/networking/librarycommittee/index.htm 

While some of the Library Committee meetings have already taken place, there are a few that will take place in March:

Renfrew  - Thursday, March 2^nd from 10am to 12:30pm
Saugeen - Monday, March 6^th North Perth Public Library – Listowel Branch
10 am roundtable & 1 pm Community Development Training Lorna Heidenheim, Executive Director - Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition
Tri-County (Hastings-Prince Edward-Northumberland) - Monday, March 20^th, Stirling Public Library
10 am roundtable & 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm-- Dealing with a Difficult or Angry Person workshop by Dave Rogers of ESAO
Simcoe-Muskoka - Friday, March 24^th – New Tecumseth Public Library – Beeton Branch
10 am roundtable & 1-2:30,   Presentation: What about the Boys? Looking at Gender and Reading – Shelley Stagg Peterson

The next First Nation Gathering, called “Our Way Forward: The League of Extraordinary Librarians”, will be held from May 8^th to 12^th at North Bay.

Additional professional development opportunities

1.  In addition to the ESAO workshops called “Dealing with a Difficult or Angry Person” that have been arranged with winter library committee meetings in Tri-County and Peterborough areas, three others have been arranged in eastern Ontario – one in French and two in English.  There is a fee to cover the cost of the workbook ($10 plus GST). If you plan to attend these workshops, to ensure that there are enough workbooks, please register with at least 2 weeks before the date of the workshop.  The dates and places are as follows. 

·         Wednesday March 22^nd  - Athens Public Library- from 9:30 am to 1 pm
·         Thursday, March 30^th - Bonnechere Union Library at Eganville - from 10 am to 2 pm
·         Monday, April 10^th - Bibliothèque publique du canton d'Alfred Plantagenet, Succursale Lefaivre - from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (in French).  

2. An “On-line Ordering Training and Presentation” with the Library Services Centre (LSC) has been arranged for Monday, April 3^rd at the Cavan, Millbrook, North Monaghan (Bruce Johnston Branch) 1 pm to 3:30 pm.  There is no charge for this presentation, but please register at  

3. The Rideau Children’s and Youth Services Special Interest Group will meet at the newly renovated Petawawa Public Library on Thursday, April 6, 2006 in the morning.  There will be a time for sharing of summer program ideas and interesting books recently read.  Once the agenda is finalized, it will be posted on the SOLS website.

4. Children's Services Staff in the Orillia area (including Simcoe-Muskoka-Kawartha Lakes and other locations close enough to attend) are invited to attend the “Beyond the Eensy Weensy Spider - A Networking/Sharing Day”.  On Friday, March 31, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Orillia Public Library is hosting a day for Children's Services staff to get together and share their programming secrets.  There will not be a presentation, rather we will call upon the wisdom and experience of those present, and each attendee is asked to bring their five favourite books, songs, fingerplays or other programming successes to share.  Coffee and a selection of teas will be available, and a light lunch will be served.  To cover expenses, the cost is $5.00 per person.  To reserve a place, call Kelly Smith at 705 325-2559 or through e-mail to childrens@orilliapubliclibrary.ca and be sure to put "Attention Kelly Smith" in your subject line.

7. TRUSTEE COUNCIL MEETINGS – Scheduled for April – May 2006 

Trustee Councils meet twice a year and all public library boards may send a representative. While all appointed trustee council representatives will receive a print mailing of the agenda, the dates of the upcoming meetings, in chronological order, are as follows.  Further information is posted under “Networking Opportunities” at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/networking/trusteecouncils/index.htm.  

Trustee Council 6 – Saturday, April 22, 2006 from 10am to 1pm, - Tyendinaga Township

Trustee Council 7 – Saturday, April 22, 2006 from 10am to 1pm - Pembroke Public Library (This meeting will be followed by one offering of Workshop #2 entitled “Who’s on First? Making Sense of Fundraising Roles and Responsibilities” that is being run at Pembroke from 1:30pm to 4:30pm.  Registration for that workshop is being handled separately at   )

Trustee Council 3 – Monday, April 24, 2006 from 6pm to 9pm - Shelburne Public Library

Trustee Council 1 – Saturday, April 29, 2006 from 10am to 1pm – Norfolk County – Simcoe Branch

TC #2 (Escarpment) – Saturday, April 29, 2006 from 9am to noon (new time) - Oakville Public Library, Central Branch (This meeting will be followed by one offering of Workshop #2 entitled “Who’s on First? Making Sense of Fundraising Roles and Responsibilities” that is being run at Oakville from 1:30pm to 4:30pm.  Registration for that workshop is being handled separately at   )

Trustee Council 8 - Saturday, April 29, 2006 from 10am to 1pm - North Grenville Public Library- South Gower Branch

Trustee Council 5 – Saturday, May 6, 2006 from 10am to 1pm – Kawartha Lakes – Lindsay Branch

Trustee Council 4 – Tuesday, May 16, 2006 from 6pm to 9pm   - Penetanguishene (with an OLBA teleconference)

8. Ontario’s First Nation Public Libraries Announce 2005 Friendship Feather Recipients  

The Friends of Ontario’s First Nation Public Libraries Honour Program announced its 2005 Friendship Feather recipients at the Ontario Library Association’s Super Conference. The announcements, kept confidential until the Public Library Awards Dinner on February 2, honoured George Beaver, a Six Nations Public Library board member and former SOLS trustee, the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and the Ontario Library Association. Barbara Lewis, librarian at Mnjikaning Public Library, made the announcements and honour presentations on behalf of her First Nation public library colleagues. The honour is a framed, stained-glass feather. The feather acknowledges a kindness shown, and symbolizes beauty and friendship. 

For more information about the Friends of Ontario’s First Nation Public Libraries Honour Program, the friendship feather, and honour recipients to date, visit: http://www.sols.org/fnplw/honours.htm  or contact: Patty Lawlor, First Nations Consultant, at 1-800-387-5765, Ext. 5107 or .

9. TD Summer Reading program 2006 

The 2006 TD Summer Reading program theme is "Quest for Heroes", which includes community heroes, family heroes, heroes in myths and legends, modern heroes - the whole works!!  The illustrator for the 2006 TD Summer Reading program will be Martha Newbigging. Martha Newbigging has illustrated six children’s books, including Research Ate My Brain: The Panic-Proof Guide to Surviving Homework, written by the Toronto Public Library staff (Annick 2005), Attack of the Killer Video Book: Tips and Tricks for Young Directors, written by Mark Shulman and Hazlitt Krog (Annick 2004) and Archers, Alchemists and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed, written by Priscilla Galloway (Annick 2003).   

Sample clip art for this program has now been posted on the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/marketing/summerreading/clipart/index.htm  

Be sure to check the new Consortium Purchasing Agreement for Janway products with the theme “Quest for Heroes”, which is mentioned earlier in this issue of our newsletter.

10. UPDATES TO THE JOINT OLS-North/SOLS CLEARINGHOUSE 

Last month, we launched the Joint OLS-North/SOLS Clearinghouse as a comprehensive topical index to information.  One can reach this website in two ways – through http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/index.htm or http://www.library.on.ca/links/clearinghouse/index.htm 

A new page has been added to the Clearinghouse.  The new section, called “Community Development Resources”, includes general links and resources related to community development and the public library’s role in community development.  This new section of the Joint OLS-North/SOLS Clearinghouse is posted at http://www.library.on.ca/links/clearinghouse/communitydev/index.htm

In May 2006, SOLS is offering a series of workshops on Community Development, which was mentioned earlier in this newsletter, and for which information is posted at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/training/clinicsworkshops/workshop6.htm

Rob Lavery, Resource Development Consultant for SOLS, will be the guest speaker at the next meeting of AMPLO (Administrators of Medium-size Public Libraries of Ontario) to be held on Friday, March 3, 2006.  He will be speaking on fundraising trends in Ontario's public libraries.  At the recent OLA SuperConference, Rob made two presentations.  The first session, entitled “Building Philanthrophy: Funding programs libraries should be doing”, was presented on Friday, February 3^rd.  His second session, entitled “Please Mr. Postman: Starting a Direct Mail Campaign”, was presented with Ann Andrusyszyn from Barrie Public Library.   

Peggy Malcolm, SOLS Consultant and long-time EXCEL Course Writer, was recently named to the selection committee for the Ontario Library Association’s Red Maple Awards.  This award is aimed at readers in Grades 7 and 8.

12. SOLS CEO LISTSERV 

SOLS maintains a list of all the e-mail addresses for SOLS CEOs. It is this list that is used to distribute Signal. Several times through the month, you may also receive other messages from SOLS. This month, the following messages were sent:  

• On February 1^st, Barbara Franchetto sent a message about the OCLC lunch that would take place at the OLA SuperConference.
• On February 10^th, Sue Walls forwarded a message to all CEOs on behalf of Geoff Nie, Chief Librarian, Ajax Public Library.  This was in regard to a letter, received at Ajax PL, from Dwight Barratt, Executive Director of the Education Safety Association of Ontario,  that identifies the Library as an employer with a workplace safety record that is among the worst 10% of education sector employers.  He was trying to locate other public libraries that may find themselves in a similar position with the aim of developing a targeted strategy for correcting the flaws of the Ministry of Labour's program without appearing to disagree with or undermine the laudable objectives of the program which are to reduce pain and suffering for Ontario workers, reduce unnecessary strain on the health care system and eliminate unnecessary expense for the general economy. Those who might have received a similar letter were to contact Geoff Nie directly at geoff.nie@townofajax.com.

·         On February 16^th, Sue Walls send a message about a potential disruption of service during the proposed CUPE walkout over Bill 206.

If you did not receive these messages, and would like further information, please contact the SOLS HelpDesk at 1-800-387-5765, ext. 4, or by e-mail to HelpDesk@sols.org.

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.