SIGNAL online

Archives

June 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.   ANNUAL SURVEY UPDATE
2.   ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARIES DIRECTORY BEING UPDATED
3.   CLUB AMICK
4.   CONSORTIUM PURCHASING AGREEMENT (cpa) - deadline is Friday, july 21, 2006
5.   e-book survey - survey deadline is friday, june 30, 2006
6.   COOL - NETLIBRARY E-BOOK COLLECTION - DEADLINE TO JOIN IS FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2006
7.   COOL OFFERING FOR TUMBLEBOOKS
8.   LIBRARY BOOK RATE INFORMATION (LBST) UPDATE
9.   FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
10. LITERACY GRANT
11. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS - REGISTRATION INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN MID-JULY
12.  EXCEL REGISTRATION - REGISTRATION DEADLINE - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2006
13.  SOLS TRAINING NEEDS SURVEY
14.  TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2006 - MORE PROGRAMME IDEAS POSTED
15.  UPDATES TO THE JOINT OLS-NORTH/SOLS CLEARINGHOUSE
16.  SOLS CEO LISTSERV
17.  SOLS BOARD SUMMARY
==================================================================

In honour of Canada Day, the SOLS Toronto office and the offices of SOLS teleworkers will be closed on Monday, July 3, 2006.
The SOLS delivery routes will not operate on Monday, July 3, 2006. Regular service will resume on Tuesday, July 4, 2006.

==================================================================

1. ANNUAL SURVEY UPDATE

The deadline for the Annual Survey submission for municipal, county and union libraries was March 31, 2006, while the deadline for First Nation libraries was May 31, 2006.  The Ministry has been working on the processing of the surveys received.  A small number of the surveys from March 31^st have now been approved.  Unfortunately, there are also 71 surveys for which the Ministry requires further clarification or correction of an error.  Over the next few weeks, SOLS consultant, Helene Golden, will be contacting each of these libraries to provide further information and instructions on the required changes or corrections.

==================================================================

2. ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARIES DIRECTORY BEING UPDATED

On Monday, June 19^th, libraries were notified through the SOLS CEO listserv regarding the collection of information for the Directory of Ontario Public Libraries.  Ontario Library Service-North has hired two students this summer to update the Directory of Ontario Public Libraries. The two students are Rebecca Wesley and Melissa Kutchaw. They are telephoning libraries directly to speak to a contact person about the library information. They will be asking for your fax number so that they may send you a copy of the information they have on record for you to update. We ask for your cooperation and prompt response in this endeavour.  The intent is to publish a print directory in Fall 2006 and update the current listings on the website.

==================================================================

3. club amick

Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) is pleased to be a part of the fourth phase of the Ontario Lieutenant Governor’s Aboriginal Literacy initiatives.   Club Amick is a book club for children in Ontario’s remote First Nation communities. Each club member will receive a children’s book and an activities-oriented newsletter several times per year. The goal is for young Native children to create their own home libraries.  The program will build on the Lieutenant Governor’s Aboriginal Summer Literacy Camps which promotes the joy of reading.   

SOLS and Ontario Library Service – North will collaborate in coordinating all aspects of the program, including implementing the selection and distribution of books, as well as the production of a child-friendly newsletter. The program will run for five years, starting in the fall of 2006 and begins with a distribution of books to children in kindergarten to grade five.  

Donations may be made to Club Amick through SOLS’ website at www.sols.org.  There is a link on the main SOLS page for donations.  Receipts will be issued for cheques over $25.00.

==================================================================

4. CONSORTIUM PURCHASING AGREEMENT (CPA) - deadline is friday, july 12, 2006

We are pleased to announce two new CPAs with the JanWay Company. Both are offered exclusively to SOLS libraries and will be of particular value to those seeking literacy or library promotional tools with low minimum order quantities. The order deadline is Friday, July 21, 2006.  SOLS CEOs were notified of this offer via e-mail on June 19^th. 

a) Standard Design Plastic Bags - There are 5 popular designs "Celebrate-Read", "Read" in 48 different languages, "@ your library", "Reading is Fun", and "Read to Me". For orders received by Friday, July 21^st, Janway is offering a discount of 15% and tiered pricing, which includes duty and brokerage. The minimum order is 500 bags and additional quantities can be ordered in increments of 250 bags.

b) Standard Design Silicone Gel Bracelets - There are four designs to choose from -"Free to Read", "Read On", "Fund Libraries", Multi-Lingual "Read" (8 languages).  For orders received by July 21^st, Janway is offering a discount of 15% and tiered pricing, which includes duty and brokerage.  The minimum order is 100 bracelets and additional quantities can be ordered in increments of 10. Customers may mix and match designs and colour, and still qualify for the combined quantity unit price.   

JanWay has posted further details, including images of the products and pricing details, on its website at http://www.janway.com/canada.html .  At that site, choose the link for “SOLS Specials”.  Orders should be placed directly with Sandy Orgitano, our JanWay consultant, by telephone at 1-800 877 5242 x109, e-mail sandy@janway.com  or fax 1-570-494-1350. JanWay will deliver to the SOLS-Toronto office no later than August 3, 2006. SOLS will then forward orders through its regular delivery system.  Invoicing in Canadian funds will follow shipments.  For both products, the shipping costs will be 5% of the order and GST will be an additional cost. 

Further information and assistance is available by contacting our Ontario representative Bill Lynch at 1-705 734 9799 or by e-mail at bill.lynch@sympatico.ca.

==================================================================

5. e-book survey - survey deadline is friday, june 30, 2006

Staff from the Southern Ontario Library Service are looking for feedback on the use of the shared e-book collection by those libraries participating in the NetLibrary e-book program. Specifically, we are interested in both positive experiences, and perhaps less than positive experiences, with e-books. We are interested in finding out areas where there have been successes and areas that have been challenges, and how SOLS can assist you with those challenges.

The survey should be completed by Friday, June 30, 2006. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

==================================================================

6. COOL - NETLIBRARY EBOOK COLLECTION - Deadline to join is Friday, July 24, 2006

The shared ebook collection initiative is moving ahead with the third installment of new titles! This collection is different from other COOL products we offer in that titles are purchased so that access to them does not end after one year. Funding of this collection is set through an annual fee from all participating libraries (public, university, and college) and is then pooled together to purchase titles. Ebooks for this collection are being acquired through OCLC Canada’s NetLibrary division. The main subject areas in the collection are Business, Health and Medicine, Information Technology, General Science, and it does include Canadian Content. 

It is strongly recommended that libraries have dedicated Internet access and a static IP address in order to effectively access ebooks. Library must also provide public Internet access. 

Initiative for Small and First Nations Libraries - In the spring of 2005, OLS-N and SOLS initiated a joint project to encourage public library participation in the COOL shared ebook collection by offering a $100 subsidy to all libraries. Based on the price structure shown below, all First Nations libraries, and libraries serving populations of less than 15,000, could automatically gain access to this collection. This offer of a $100 subsidy has been extended for another year for the COOL III collection. This will cover 100% of the cost of participation for First Nation Libraries and libraries serving populations of less than 15,000.  However, participation is not limited to small libraries and new members are always welcome!

On May 19^th, an e-mail was forwarded to all library CEOs with this information, as well as participation forms.  Those wishing to participate in this initiative must complete these forms and fax them to the SOLS Toronto office at 416-961-5122 attn: Dayna Lintner, no later than July 14, 2006.  Please note this deadline is firm.  If you need a copy of the Account Set-up Worksheet or the COOL Member Terms and Conditions licence agreement, please contact Dayna.   

For more information on the e-book program, please contact either Dayna Lintner at 416-961-1669 ext. 5112 or Barbara Franchetto ext. 5104 or visit our website at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cooldata/product.aspx?prod=47  

==================================================================

7. COOL OFFERING FOR TUMBLEBOOKS

TumbleBook Library is an online collection that is used by over 4,000 public libraries and schools across North America.  Further information about Tumblebooks is posted at  www.TumbleBookLibrary.com.  Tumblebooks has also been a part of the COOL offerings for several years, and further information on that aspect is posted in the COOL section of the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cooldata/product.aspx?prod=56  . This summer, TumbleBooks is offering public libraries a free subscription so their members can participate in the TumbleBook Summer Reading Program.

The company will provide a direct link which can be added to the library website. There is no commitment or obligation beyond the summer.  To participate, send an e-mail to info@tumblebooks.com.  In the e-mail, provide contact information and state that you are interested in the TumbleBook Summer reading Program.

==================================================================

8. LIBRARY BOOK RATE INFORMATION (LBST) UPDATE - DEADLINE FOR NEW SYSTEM IS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2006

In a previous Signal, we included information regarding the Canada Post Library Book Rate.  Canada Post has extended the current Library Book Rates to January 15, 2007.  As part of this extension, libraries will be required to use electronic web-based software (called Library Book Shipping Tool or LBST) to create shipping and return labels for mailing Interlibrary Loan items using the Library Book Rate system.  

The “Library Book Rate Postage Information” section of the SOLS website continues to be updated with new information on the Library Book Rate and Canada Post’s Library Book Shipping Tool (LBST).  This section can be found at http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/INFO/policies/postage/index.htm.   

As of now, libraries are required to register for a username and password to use LBST by completing the application form found on the Canadian Library Association (CLA) website at http://www.cla.ca/EOE_SCE_Prod/index.htm.  Libraries will then have until September 30, 2006 to move to one of the electronic shipping tools in order to access the Library Book Rates, otherwise full tariff rates will apply. 

==================================================================

9. 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 .  The following grant continues to be of interest to libraries in Ontario.

Ontario Trillium Foundation –Next deadline extended to July 4, 2006

Public libraries became eligible for the OTF community program two years ago.  Applications for grants for municipal libraries serving small communities (populations of 20,000 or less) must be submitted through the municipality.  Applications for grants for county libraries serving small municipalities (populations of 20,000 or less) must be submitted through the County Library Board.  Applications for grants for First Nation libraries must be submitted through the First Nation's Band Council.  A copy of the application process is posted on the Foundation’s website at http://www.trilliumfoundation.org/OTF-English/new/index.htm.  There is also a link to the Trillium website from the main SOLS page at www.sols.org.  The remaining deadlines for the 2006 round of applications are July 4^th (extended from July 1^st) and November 1^st – at 5:00 pm on the deadline date.  ==================================================================

10. LITERACY GRANT – Ideas document now posted 

In response to queries and requests from libraries around the Ministry’s $6 million initiative to “boost literacy and learning” in rural, remote, francophone and First Nations public libraries, SOLS will be providing a spectrum of ideas to help libraries focus on providing literacy services and materials. We intend to focus on three areas:

• Literacy and Numeracy
• Lifelong Learning and Love of Reading
• Family Literacy.

A list of ideas is posted in the “Literacy resources” section of the Joint OLS-N/SOLS Clearinghouse at http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/literacy/index.htm.  This section will continue to be updated in the coming months.  Of particular interest may be new additions concerning adult literacy as discussed at the “National Summit on Libraries and Literacy: Moving Forward” which was held on June 14^th.  Some of the ideas collected at the Summit will add to the “Ideas” document by Friday, July 7, 2006.

11. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS - Registration information available in mid-july

In Fall 2006, SOLS will, once again, be providing a wide variety of workshop topics. We are offering a Reader’s Advisory on Romance; workshops on Early Literacy, Internet Safety, children’s programming, and French Graphic Novels; sessions on how to develop and implement a marketing plan and on how to recruit and retain volunteers. We hope that there’s something this fall for every taste, and that you will find this selection interesting and relevant. 

Workshop registration opens on Tuesday, August 8, 2006. Registration forms with workshop fees, and full descriptions of the workshops and their presenters, will be provided during the month of July.  At that time, information will be sent to every library site in southern Ontario and also posted in the “Training” section of the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/training/clinicsworkshops/index.htm.

==================================================================

12. EXCEL REGISTRATION - Registration deadline - tuesday, september 5, 2006 

EXCEL is a unique training program in managing a small public library or a community branch library that has been supported by the Ontario Library Service for more than 14 years. Over 540 people have completed the program.   

During the time, SOLS has relied on tutors from the library community.  At the present time, we have 22 tutors working with students across Ontario.  Several tutors have been with the EXCEL for many years, and those students who have taken Excel courses may remember these names.  Current tutors who have worked on the program for more than 10 years include Tom Bentley, Linda Caporicci, Irma Kadela, Jill Nicholson, Sandra Saddy and Matt Scholtz.  Close behind, just entering his 10^th year of year to the EXCEL program, is Eric Bow.  Carlisle Kemp-Jackson has been with us since 1998, and Nigel Tappin since 1999.  Although not tutoring at this time, both Marian Doucette and Carol Roberts were with the program almost at the start and were with the program for more than 10 years.  SOLS would to thank them for their many years of dedicated work on the program, and commend them for all of the extra work that they undertake on behalf of the individual EXCEL students.   

Registration details 

The EXCEL program is specifically designed for public library staff or volunteers who have little or no formal library training. You can either take the entire program of 10 courses, or complete individual courses that might interest you. Once registered, you would receive course material and work with a tutor via telephone or e-mail on the material.  The cost per course is $145 plus GST.  EXCEL is offered in both English and French. 

This fall, the following courses will be offered in English:

#1 - Introduction to Public Libraries
#2 - Basic Library Management
#3 - Supervision
#4 - Information Services
#6 - Basic Collection Development
#10 - Acquisitions and Serials
#13 – Circulation (revised)
#14 - Non-book materials
#16 - Professional Development (web-based)

The following courses will be offered in French:

#1 - Introduction aux bibliothèques publiques
#4 - Services de référence et d'information (2006) - révisé
#8 - Développement des collections pour jeunes adultes (2005)
#17 - Ressources électroniques d'information (2006) (en ligne)

The registration forms will be posted in the EXCEL section of the SOLS website on Monday, July 3, 2006. The registration deadline is Tuesday, September 5, 2006. The course material will be shipped to students beginning on Tuesday, September 12, 2006, with the semester commencing the week of September 25, 2006.  

SOLS has offered the EXCEL distance education program since 1987. 

==================================================================

13. SOLS Training needs survey

Thank you to everyone who completed the SOLS training needs survey.  Survey results were received from 91 CEOs and 157 staff and EXCEL tutors.   Results indicate a very high interest in a formal program of advanced training for library staff. Throughout the summer, we will analyze the results and develop options for addressing the training needs identified in the survey.  We know we have limits as to which new programs can be developed and it is unlikely that we will be able to address the needs of the staff member who want additional “technical assistance for anything that crashes for undetermined reasons”, although we sympathize with her need.  

For those libraries considering using survey software, we used QuestionPro – Online Research Made Easy www.questionpro.com, and found it to be quite acceptable for this project.

==================================================================

14.  TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2006 - more programme ideas posted

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.   Sample clip art for this program has been posted on the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/marketing/summerreading/clipart/index.htm   Library and Archives Canada has now posted the official bilingual website for the program at http://www.td-club-td.ca/   An electronic copy of the Staff Manual is also posted on that site under the link for “Librarians”. 

One of the training workshops this spring was an orientation to the TD Summer Reading program.  A list of program ideas from the workshop has been posted in the “TD Summer Reading” section of the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/marketing/summerreading/index.htm.  On June 26^th, more booklists and program ideas from Toronto Public Library staff were added to the “TD Summer Reading” section of our website.

==================================================================

15. UPDATES TO THE JOINT OLS-NORTH/SOLS CLEARINGHOUSE

New links are continually being added to the Joint OLS-North/SOLS Clearinghouse, our comprehensive topical index to information.  There are two ways to reach this website – through http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/index.htm or http://www.library.on.ca/links/clearinghouse/index.htm
 

The ‘Cybersites for Children’ section of the Joint OLS-North/SOLS Clearinghouse includes sites that are wholesome and educational for children.  The section is found at  http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/childrensservices/cybersites.htm.  You should note that links on "Books and Reading" are found in the two related sections - Children's Services Resources and Youth Literature Resources.  A new link has now been added to the ‘Cybersites for Children’ section.  The Internet Detective, from the Institute for Learning and Research Technology at the University of Bristol, U.K., was launched on June 13, 2006.  This is a free Internet tutorial to help students learn to discern the good, the bad and the ugly of online research.  The direct link to this site is http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/about.html  

In the ‘Advocacy Resources’ section of the Joint OLS-North/SOLS Clearinghouse at http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/boarddev/advocacy/index.htm , a new links has been added.  A Small but Powerful Online Toolkit for Winning Big Support for Your Rural Library is a new section on the American Library Association’s website that provides tips and tools for anyone to use.  The direct link to this web page is  http://www.ala.org/ala/olosbucket/supporttoolkit/toolkithome.htm

==================================================================

16. 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 June 5^th, Brenda Lewis sent a message regarding the “Canada in the Making” project. In this news release, Canadiana.org, a non-profit organization (formerly the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions), announced the completion of the six-year Canada in the Making project .  In this project, early official publications have been made available on the Internet at Early Canadiana Online (http://www.canadiana.org). There is a complementary, interactive Canada in the Making web educational resource (http://www.canadiana.org/citm/).  The Executive Director of Canadiana.org is Magdalene Albert.  She can be reached at (613) 235-2628 or e-mail at Internet: magdalene.albert@canadiana.org

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

==================================================================

17. BOARD SUMMARY - JUNE 2006

Elections for Chair and Vice-Chair -Elections were held for the position of Chair and Vice-Chair.  

Jim Neill was the successful candidate for Chair. Jim was elected to SOLS’ Board from Trustee Council 6 in 2002 and served as Vice-Chair of SOLS’ Board last year. Jim is a former Chair of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board and has been on the board there for eleven years. Jim was also a member of Kingston City Council for six years. He is a high school drama teacher and a Teacher-Librarian with Upper Canada School Board.  

Brenda Carrigan was the successful candidate for Vice-Chair. Brenda was elected to SOLS’ Board from Trustee Council 5 in 2002. Brenda is Vice-Chair of the Clarington Public Library Board. She is a professional librarian whose career spanned several countries (including Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada) and culminated with 29 years at the Oshawa Public Library. She retired as CEO of Oshawa Public Library in 1996. 

New Board Members - SOLS’ Board is composed of fifteen trustees elected from our client libraries through the Trustee Councils, and five ministerial nominees. The Board welcomed six new members at the June meeting. Biographies of new board members are a feature of Signal, SOLS’ monthly email newsletter, and are published on SOLS’ website. 

Name                                       Affiliation

Lorraine Bourdeau                      Ministerial
Ian Brebner                                Ministerial
Jill Cameron                              Ministerial
George Hodgkinson                    Trustee Council 7/Pembroke Public Library
Donna Kenwell                           Ministerial
Karen McGrath                          Ministerial 

SOLS’ Board Size - At the September Board meeting, the Board initiated a review of its size and composition with a goal of reducing expenses. While the Board has already reduced frequency of meetings to three (saving $5,000 per year), it is also considering a proposal to reduce Board size to thirteen, which would save a further $5,000 per year. The proposed reduction would mean that most Trustee Councils would have only one elected representative on SOLS Board, where they currently have two. As part of its consideration, the Board decided that the matter should be discussed with the Trustee Councils themselves which was accomplished at the spring meetings. Feedback from the Trustee Councils tended towards maintaining the status quo. The Board is taking on some significant projects, such as fundraising and MPP visits, and needs a number of people to make these initiatives successful. With this feedback, the Board decided not to pursue downsizing at this time. 

Trustee Council Elections - Pending the outcome of its review of size and composition, the Board left two elected positions vacant last fall. At the June meeting, the Board passed a motion that these vacancies be filled. Elections will be held at the fall meetings of Trustee Councils 4 and 6 which each have one vacancy to fill.  

Library Program Review - The Deputy Minister of Culture announced the Library Program Review at the OLA conference in February. It is proceeding in 2006 for completion in the fall and draft terms of reference have been prepared. The project objective is “To undertake a broad review of the Province’s public library sector support, and to develop a framework for delivery of provincial support, with a view to ensuring that the provincial investment brings the greatest benefit to public libraries and their users, and to establishing the most productive role for the Province in meeting the needs of public libraries.” 

To enable it to provide input to the Review, SOLS Board has formed an ad hoc committee to develop a vision of what SOLS’ role should be going forward. It will use Vision 2010 from Building Value Together as a starting point for this discussion. The ensuing report will be submitted to the Minister for consideration. 

Assurance of Funding – Fundraising - In April, SOLS’ Board launched its 2006 campaign to solicit individual donations for SOLS’ Innovation Fund. The intent of this fund is to allow us to take advantage of new products and services that can be offered to our libraries. Last year, we were able to provide subsidies for library participation in the shared ebook collection. This year we will continue this subsidy for libraries under 15,000 population and First Nations libraries. We encourage individuals and libraries to make a donation by clicking “Support SOLS” on our website. 

Annual Report 2005/06 - SOLS’ Annual Report will be published shortly and will be available both in hardcopy and on the web.  

Release of Grant Thornton Report - The Ministry of Culture engaged the consulting firm of Grant Thornton to conduct a financial review of SOLS and OLS-North last fall. Findings and recommendations were submitted to the Ministry and the final report was released to the Board in February. Ministry staff reported that the report is due for public release momentarily. The report will be copied to those organizations that were consulted during the review. It will be available on request to all others. 

Operations Planning Quarterly Update - An update on SOLS’ services is available at www.sols.org. 

Next Board Meeting - The next meeting of SOLS’ Board is scheduled for Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at SOLS’ office in Toronto.

All issues of SIGNAL can be viewed online at http://www.sols.org/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.