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January 29, 2007

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.

All issues of SIGNAL can be viewed online. 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.

In this issue:

1. SOLS RECEPTION AT OLA CONFERENCE - to be held on Thursday, February 1, 2007
2. SOLS WEB SITE UPDATES
    a) Improvements
    b) RSS news feed
3. CONNECTIVITY SURVEY
4. KNOWLEDGE ONTARIO –
    a) Registration for the two sets of Resources Ontario databases
    b) Training
    c) AskOntario component
5. COOL – CONSORTIUM OF ONTARIO LIBRARIES
6. FIRST NATIONS PUBLIC LIBRARY WEEK 2007
7. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY - Ontario Trillium Foundation-  Next deadline is March 1, 2007
8. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS
9. LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS – February 26 to March 12
10. TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2007
11. LIBRARY TRUSTEE INFORMATION
     a) Library Board Orientation Kit
     b) Trustee Council meetings – April 14 to April 28
12. GRANT NEWS - LIBRARY STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT FUND (LSDF)
13. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

1. SOLS RECEPTION AT OLA CONFERENCE –

     to be held on Thursday, February 1, 2007

On Thursday, February 1, 2007 from 12 noon to 2 pm, the Southern Ontario Library Service will be holding a reception during the Ontario Library Association Conference. We will be providing a light luncheon in the Caledon Room at the Intercontinental Hotel.

In addition, SOLS staff will be involved in a number of sessions during the OLA Conference including the following:

Helene Golden:

Thursday February 1 - 3:45 - Session # 614
WHAT DO BOARDS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
Helene Golden, Library Technology Consultant, Southern Ontario Library Service.
Technology plays a vital role in libraries today, but the terminology itself, and what the various technologies do and how they fit together, can be overwhelming. This session presents an overview of library technology and its uses in non-technical language.

Louise Godbout-Legault:

Thursday February 1 – 9:05 - Session # 318
KIDS ARE KEEN FOR FRENCH BOOKS (English session – sponsored by OSLA)
Louise Godbout-Legault, Coordinator French Language Services, Southern Ontario Library Service; Nathalie Tremblay, Le Coin du livre Bookstore, Ottawa.
Do you find French material for school libraries and French Immersion schools hard to find? Learn about the latest and most popular French fiction books on the market aimed to please boys in particular. Get descriptions of great non-fiction books, including series, on all sorts of topics and for all ages. Discover how to select titles that will encourage boys (French or immersion) to read more, see selection lists from an experienced bookstore, and possibly browse through the books.

Thursday, February 1 - 10:40 - Session #430 – 10:40 – (formerly Session # 601) (French session – sponsored by ABFO)
ABFO À 10 ANS - OUI, LES GARÇONS LISENT MAIS… L’INTRIGUE DOIT ÊTRE CAPTIVANTE, INVRAISEMBLABLE, ENCHEVÊTRÉE, BIZARRE ET RICHE EN REBONDISSEMENTS
Boys Do Read French fiction.. and non-fiction, if the books are funny, action-packed, sad, goofy, touching or true. See new French books and series that entice young boys to discover the pleasure of reading and that can compete with hockey and video games. …

Daryl Novak:

Thursday, February 1, 2007 - 9:05 - Session # 325
SO YOU’RE NOW ON THE LIBRARY BOARD: THE BASICS
Karen McGrath, Chief Executive Officer, Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library; Daryl Novak, Director of Operations, Southern Ontario Library Service; Jim Neill, Chair, Kingston Frontenac Public Library Board.
For those people who have just been appointed to the library board. How is the library managed through a board? What are your legal responsibilities under the Libraries Act? How are board meetings structured and conducted? What committees are necessary and what kind of work do they do?

Thursday, February 1, 2007 - 10:40 - Session # 426
SO YOU’RE NOW ON THE LIBRARY BOARD: RELATIONS WITH OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, STAFF, CEO, AND POLITICIANS
Karen McGrath, Chief Executive Officer, Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library; Daryl Novak, Director of Operations, Southern Ontario Library Service; Jim Neill, Chair, Kingston-Frontenac Public Library Board.
For those just appointed to the library board, you now have a new and different relationship with library staff, board members, the CEO, even politicians. How much discussion of library issues should you have with local councillors? Explore the relationships that need to be developed and nurtured at all levels.

Friday Feb 2 – 9:05 - Session # 1122
OUR WAY FORWARD: AN ADVOCACY KIT FOR ONTARIO FIRST NATION PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Karen Lewis, CEO, Kanhiote Tyendinaga Territory First Nation Public Library; Diana Doxtdator, CEO, Six Nations Public Library; Daryl Novak, Manager of Operations, Southern Ontario Library Service; Eliza Tru, Library Development Advisor-First Nation, Ontario Library Service-North.
Members of the Advocacy Kit Committee will discuss the issues and challenges that the members came across while developing the kit. Participants of the session will have an opportunity to view and learn how to use the materials found in the Advocacy Kit for First Nation public libraries. There will also be a discussion on the broader advocacy concepts.

Rob Lavery:

Saturday, February 3, 2007 - 9:05 - Session # 1806
FUNDRAISING FOR LIBRARY BOARDS, PART 1
Ann Andrusyszyn, Development Office, Barrie Public Library; Melissa Cameron, Manager, Marketing Communications and Fundraising, Oakville Public Library.
Convenor: Rob Lavery, Southern Ontario Library Service
Successful fundraising cannot happen without the support of the board. But what, exactly, is the board's role? In the first part of this two-part workshop, the board's role is clearly defined, and what the best boards do to ensure their libraries find the funding they need is explored. Learn how to actively support a fundraising project, how to make educated decisions about your library's fundraising efforts, and how to integrate the roles of staff and board.

Saturday, February 3, 2007 -10:40 - Session # 1908
FUNDRAISING FOR LIBRARY BOARDS, PART 2
Ron Ness, Burlington Public Library Board, Ross Peacock, Collingwood Public Library Board; Sherry Spark, Welland Public Library Board.
Convenor: Rob Lavery, Southern Ontario Library Service
Successful fundraising cannot happen without the support of the board. But what, exactly, is the board's role? In the second part of this two-part workshop, we hear from board members what their experience has been in library fundraising, and their role to ensure their libraries find the funding they need. Learn how they have actively supported a fundraising project at their library, with great results.

2. SOLS WEB SITE UPDATES

a) Improvements - We have made a few changes to our web site.

• Printing - All pages automatically generate print friendly versions of what is on screen (with sidebar stripped out).
• Clearinghouse – The Clearinghouse of Professional Information has been reorganized into broad subject categories, as well as categories aimed at specific audiences (i.e. staff, management, boards). We have also streamlined the graphics and layout, so that it is easier to read on screen and in print. A search engine for the Clearinghouse is coming soon. We have also moved the sidebar link for the Clearinghouse to the Library Development section, although the actual URLs for the Clearinghouse items have not changed.
• Publications – We have reorganized our publications section. Coming soon – two new Library Development Guides (Guide to Essential Planning, Guide to Volunteer Program Management), and the second edition of The Library’s Contribution to Your Community (Winter 2007).

b)   RSS news feed -

We have also introduced an RSS news feed on our home page, to help you keep up to date on news from SOLS and events of interest to public libraries in general. RSS is a web site news feed although the acronym itself stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication). Instead of visiting a web site to find out what is new on that site, this information is sent to you via an RSS reader or aggregator, which may be a separate piece of software, or may be built into your email or browser. At present, the "SOLS News" and "Library News" on the home page are all that is available in RSS at SOLS.

For those of you who are new to RSS feeds, we have step by step guides on how to subscribe to one. Please visit SOLS' website for a detailed description of how to use RSS feeds. If you need further assistance, please contact Rosanne Renzetti, Project Manager, at 1-800-387-5765 or  .

3. CONNECTIVITY SURVEY –

     Deadline Friday, February 16, 2007

The Ministry of Culture has asked Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) to collect information from Ontario’s public and First Nations libraries about connectivity, particularly, bandwidth. We will need the information on a branch-by-branch basis. The results will provide the Ministry, SOLS and partners with important and up-to-date information about public library connectivity capacity and needs. This is essential information for developing a longer term strategy for supporting connectivity needs.

Copies of the survey questions were distributed through the SOLSCEO list serv on December 20, 2006, and are reprinted here. By reviewing the questions, you can collect the necessary information in advance and/or direct us to the appropriate staff member with whom we might speak. Remember that the data will be collected for each branch of your system so please consider the questions on a branch by branch basis.

Part I - Current connectivity information:

1. What is the current bandwidth at this location?

2. What are your current monthly costs (excluding tax)?

3. Do you have a static IP or fixed IP range or do you have dynamic IP addresses?

• Static or Fixed IP addresses are the same every time you connect to the Internet.

• Dynamic IP addresses may change each time you connect to the Internet.

      Please provide your static IP or fixed IP range: ________________________

4. How is this connectivity funded? e.g. CAP, municipality, library

Part II - Connectivity target for this branch:

1. What bandwidth/service do you think is needed at this branch (we recommend that you target at least 512k)?
   For a description of types of Internet service, please visit our website:
    
2. What would be the costs for this bandwidth/service at this location?

 One time/start-up costs (excluding tax)?
 Ongoing monthly costs including static IP or fixed IP range (also excluding tax)?

3. Would your municipality fund this upgrade or would it come out of your own library budget?
   Other information on technology planning is also available on our website.

The Connectivity survey will be conducted by SOLS staff over the telephone during the month of January. However, if you wish to complete the survey in print, you can answer each of these questions, for each branch in your system, and submit your responses to Dayna Lintner via e-mail at  .  If you wish to have Dayna contact a particular individual on your staff, please let her know this contact information by e-mail. We would like to have this survey completed by Friday, February 16, 2007.

4. KNOWLEDGE ONTARIO

Knowledge Ontario (formerly the Ontario Digital Library) is a province-wide collaboration of libraries (public, school, college and university), archives, museums, heritage organizations, educational institutions, and community groups to create an integrated, and interactive digital environment about, and for, Ontarians. Resources Ontario, one of six projects (more information is posted on the Knowledge Ontario website), provides all publicly funded libraries in Ontario with access to a core suite of digital products (as of January 1, 2007). The resources and materials in these databases go beyond what is available on the Internet by offering full text of newspapers, magazines and books. Products from Thomson Gale (CPI-Q and ten other databases), and from Ebsco (Canadian Reference Centre) are available.

1. Registration for the two sets of Resources Ontario databases

Public access to the Resources Ontario databases began on January 1, 2007. Library users authenticated on a library system through the web by IP address will have access to the information in the databases. To start the authentication process, all public libraries need to register with Thomson Gale and with Ebsco.

At the present time, Thomson Gale has posted a trial website at www.access.gale.com through which libraries can register for Thomson Gale websites. At the trial page, follow the link to “Register your institution” and then select the “Public Libraries” option to access the actual registration page. Keep in mind that this trial page is not the page that you will link to your library’s website but rather a trial page for libraries to use temporarily and to complete the registration process.

To register your library for Ebsco’s Canadian Reference Centre database from Knowledge Ontario project, please visit http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=25&topicID=728 . If you are not a current customer of Canadian Reference Centre, you need to register using the link on that page marked “Register to Access Canadian Reference Centre”

2. Introductory Training

While “all sector” training sessions organized by Knowledge Ontario have been held in several locations. SOLS continues to organize introductory training sessions.  A series of 18 computer lab-based workshops at 10 locations, covering the Thomson Gale databases, are being organized through April and early May. Registration for these workshops will begin on Monday, February 19, 2007. Further information and the registration will be available on the SOLS website at http://www.sols.org/librarydev/training/clinicsworkshops/index.htm 

3. AskOntario component of the Knowledge Ontario project

While six initial projects were identified as the main components of Knowledge Ontario, and the Resource Ontario work continues, work on the Ask Ontario (24/7 virtual reference help) component of the project is entering an evaluation phase. Virginia Roy, the Project Manager for the Ask Ontario component of Knowledge Ontario is seeking input and opinion on the need, demand and nature of province-wide virtual reference services. Delegates attending the OLA SuperConference are invited to visit the Knowledge Ontario booth (120/122) in the exhibit hall to complete a survey/ballot in person and learn more about Ask Ontario and Knowledge Ontario's other initiatives. Those not attending OLA are invited to complete a short online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=474743139646 . This is just the first of many opportunities for librarians from around the province to express their opinion of and expectation for province-wide virtual reference services. Anyone with specific commentary, feedback or interest in the project are asked to contact Virginia directly at vroy@knowledgeontario.ca 

5. COOL – CONSORTIUM OF ONTARIO LIBRARIES

COOL, a buying group for electronic web-based journals, magazines, ebooks and other products, was first established in 1998 when the group negotiated deals on different electronic products. Since that time, many, many products and services have been offered to libraries through COOL. While libraries will have free access to a series of databases and products from Thomson Gale and Ebsco through the Knowledge Ontario project, COOL will continue to offer consortium purchasing for other electronic products and services. Subscriptions for a number of products and services were announced in the November issue of Signal, including offers for EBSCO products, Facts on File, Globe and Mail "Canada's Heritage from 1844" and Electric Library Canada and Electric Library Elementary. While the general deadline for these offers has now passed, a library could order a product at any point in the year, and have the subscription pro-rated.

For further details on any of the offers, or for trial access, please contact Brenda Lewis, Information Services Representative, at the SOLS Toronto office by telephone at 416-961-1669, ext. 5130, or 1- 800-387-5765, ext. 5130 or by e-mail at .

6. FIRST NATIONS PUBLIC LIBRARY WEEK 2007

First Nations Public Library Week 2007 will be held from February 12 through February 17, 2007. The theme this year is Doors Open@ your library. On the SOLS website you will find a copy of the proclamation and a copy of the poster. You will also find a very interesting list of titles that have been recommended by First Nation librarians from across Ontario. The librarians selected these titles, and recommend the books for inclusion in library collections in both First Nation and non-native communities.

7. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY - Ontario Trillium Foundation 

     Next deadline is March 1, 2007

The Ontario Trillium Foundation continues to offer grants to libraries in small communities and First Nation communities.  Please be aware that the Program Guidelines, Application Form and Tools and Tips section have been revised, so you need to use these revised documents to apply for an OTF grant. Also, if you are applying for a small capital grant, up to a maximum of $15,000, there is a new simplified application form for small capital grants that is posted on the OTF website.   Capital funding is used for repairs, renovations or improvements to land or buildings, and to purchase equipment to support program activities.  Capital funding also supports accessibility renovations, the purchase of office equipment and musical instruments and the installation of fuel-efficient furnaces and community-centre roofs.

Under the OTF community program, 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 . There is also a link to the Trillium website from the main SOLS page . The next deadline is Thursday, March 1, 2007 – at 5:00 pm on the deadline date. If you have any questions about writing your application, contact Rob Lavery at 1-800-387-5765 extension 5137 or

8. SOLS TRAINING WORKSHOPS -

    Registration opens Monday, February 19, 2007

SOLS staff are pleased to present a variety of workshop topics in the Spring of 2007. We are offering sessions for public service staff, library managers and CEOs, and children’s services staff. In addition, we are presenting, in cooperation with Thomson Gale, a series of computer lab-based workshops, introducing SOLS’ libraries to the Knowledge Ontario databases and a second round of webinars to move the library staff to another level and provide instructions on how to use the Thomson Gale databases to post, on the library’s website, current information on high interest topics or issues.

Beyond the Knowledge Ontario databases, the topics include “The Other Official Collection: “Yes, you can buy that in French!”; Readers’ Advisory on Horror Fiction; Libraries and the Law; Mapping your way to Nonfiction Readers’ Advisory; Think your programs are ‘steeped’? Programs and Services that really connect with teens and ‘tweens; TD Summer Reading Program Orientation; Lost in the World of Summer Planning? Exciting Program Ideas for Children and Teens (And Information Sharing afternoon) and The Library’s Contribution to Your Community – Second Edition.

The registration for the full Spring 2007 session opens on Monday, February 19, 2007. Full descriptions of the workshops will be distributed in print to every library site in southern Ontario in early February and then posted on the SOLS website as of February 19^th.

9. LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS –

     to be held from February 26th to March 12^th

Library Committee meetings are held three times a year in 8 areas. The meeting is a half day and is combined with a half day Clinic training event. CEO’s and senior staff of libraries have an opportunity to meet and discuss common issues, and receive updates and news from SOLS staff. Further information is posted on the SOLS website.

• Monday, February 26 – Prescott-Russell Committee meeting at Casselman
• Monday, February 26 – Peterborough Library Committee meeting at the Norwood Branch of the Asphodel-Norwood Public Library (Meeting am, Information sessions, pm)
• Wednesday, February 28 - Leeds and Grenville at the Cardinal Branch of Edwardsburgh-Cardinal Public Library (Clinic am, Meeting pm)
• Monday, March 5 - Saugeen Library Committee meeting – at Grand Valley Public Library (Meeting am, Information sessions, pm)
• Tuesday, March 6 - Lanark LC meeting at Carleton Place Public Library (Clinic am, Meeting pm)
• Wednesday, March 7 – Simcoe/Muskoka District Library Committee meeting at Springwater Township, Midhurst branch (Meeting am, Information sessions, pm)
• Thursday, March 8 - Renfrew County LC meeting at Pembroke Public Library (Clinic am, Meeting pm)
• Monday, March 12 - Tri-County Library Committee meeting at the Stirling Rawdon Public Library (Meeting am, Information sessions, pm)

10. TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2007

SOLS has supported the TD Summer Reading Program since 2000 when it was first expanded beyond Toronto. Each year, we organize the ordering process for libraries in southern Ontario, deliver all of the materials to SOLS’ libraries, post information about booklists, clip art and other program ideas on our website as well as organize a number of orientation sessions.  Last summer, 172 libraries in southern Ontario participated and distributed more than 125,000 kits of booklets and posters for use by children in the program.

The staff at the Library and Archives Canada are building the website for the 2007 TD Summer Reading program. The main page is http://www.td-club-td.ca/  After selecting the language in which you wish to work, there is an page with introductory information. As of January 29th, on the introductory page, there is a link for the booklist selections that are part of the 2007 program. In addition, we expect that the clip art will be posted on that website shortly. Once posted, a notice will be sent via the 2007 TD Summer Reading Club participant’s listserv. There is also a link to the official website from the main SOLS page at www.sols.org.

To celebrate Family Literacy Day, held annually on January 27, Library and Archives Canada released participation statistics for the 2006 TD Summer Reading Club, a program that aims to help increase children’s literacy levels. This program review is posted on the official TD Summer Reading Club website. LAC issued this information through a press release:

"The research showed a 10% increase in children’s registration in the program—a record-breaking enrolment. Decima Research collected data for the National Report of 2006 Program Statistics, which were compiled from figures taken from 2,000 library branches in 11 out of the 13 provinces and territories."

"According to a literature review prepared for Library and Archives Canada on the impact of summer reading clubs, reading books in the summer is associated not only with enhanced reading proficiency, but also with improved educational and societal success. A joint initiative between TD Bank Financial Group, Library and Archives Canada and the Toronto Public Library, the TD Summer Reading Club is an award-winning program that offers children and their families a fun way to enjoy reading during the summer months. With the participation of libraries across Canada, the program offers an innovative example of how to help raise literacy levels in Canada."

"The program is free and offered each summer in participating Canadian public libraries to children. The most common testimonial from parents and teachers about the program was that children significantly improved their reading habits. On average, each registered club member read eight books, bringing the total number of books read in the summer of 2006 to almost two million. In addition to the increased registration, staff at participating libraries organized 5,000 more activities in 2006 than the previous summer for the nearly 400,000 children who took part. Girls comprised 55% of the participants while boys represented 45%, similar to 2005 proportions."

11. LIBRARY TRUSTEE INFORMATION

1. Library Board Orientation Kit -

The fifth edition of Library Board Orientation Kit was published in 2004. Originally called the Trustee Orientation Kit, this publication began in 1991 as a component of the Library Trustee Development program that was led by the Southern Ontario Library Service (SOLS) and supported by Ontario Library Service-North (OLS-N), with the assistance of the Ministry responsible for public libraries. For the first five editions, a print copy was distributed to each trustee and CEO in Ontario public libraries. However, please be aware that for the 2006 round of municipal elections, there will not be a new edition of the Library Board Orientation Kit, nor will additional copies of the print version be available for distribution this year.

Through the changes made over five editions, we feel that the text remains just as relevant today as it did in 2004. Rather than re-distribute a new edition, or more print copies of this edition, we suggest that you continue to use the same copies where there are returning trustees. You might also be able to pass along copies of the Library Board Orientation Kit used by retiring trustees, or if you wish, you can make copies of the publication using a print copy that you might have or by using the downloadable copies available in the publications section of the SOLS website.

At that site, you will find several options. You can just add the one page addendum to the front of each existing 2004 kit. To complete the kit revisions, you would also add the pages showing the updated list of "Acronyms and Selected Terms", in Module 1. If you wish to actually replace the actual pages in each existing kit, where a change has been made, versions of these six individual pages are provided. Again, to complete the kit revisions, you would also add the pages showing the updated list of "Acronyms and Selected Terms", in Module 1. And finally, if you wish to print off new copies of the complete 2004 version of the Library Board Orientation Kit, including the six corrected pages, files are provided to you. If you have any questions about this publication or the update, please contact 

2. Trustee Council meetings – To be held April 14 to April 28

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” .

• Trustee Council 7 – Saturday, April 14 from 10am to 1pm - Renfrew Public Library
• Trustee Council 5 – Saturday, April 14 from 9:30am to 12:30pm – Ajax Public Library - Main
• Trustee Council 2 (Escarpment) – Monday, April 16 from 6pm to 9pm - Grimsby Public Library
• Trustee Council 4 - Wednesday, April 18 from 6pm to 9pm - Township of Springwater Public Library - Midhurst branch
• Trustee Council 6 – Saturday, April 21 from 10am to 1pm - Brighton Public Library
• Trustee Council 3 - Monday, April 23 from 6pm to 9pm - Bruce County Library - Chesley Branch
• Trustee Council 1 – Saturday, April 28 from 10am to 1pm – St. Thomas Public Library
• Trustee Council 8 – Saturday, April 28 from 10am to 1pm - Augusta Township Public Library

In late December, Jim Neill, the SOLS Board Chairperson has sent a letter to each library board in Southern Ontario to ask library boards to appoint a Trustee Council representative. Once appointed, contact information about this person can be forwarded to . The printed agenda is usually sent directly to the appointed Trustee Council representative, so it is quite important that we have current contact information.

12. GRANT NEWS - LIBRARY STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT FUND (LSDF)

On January 27, 2007, while marking Family Literacy Day at the Lambton County Public Library Caroline di Cocco, the Minister of Culture announced nine projects to receive funding through the 2006-2007 Library Strategic Development Fund. The Ministry of Culture supports innovation at Ontario’s public and First Nations libraries through the Library Strategic Development Fund (LSDF). The LSDF supports the ongoing development of a strong public library sector that promotes free and equitable access to information. It supports the vision of Ontario as a national and international champion of dynamic public libraries, which are community hubs of literacy and lifelong learning.

LSDF grants support a wide range of initiatives, including research programs; technical support services; projects that enable the public library sector to address emerging issues and needs; projects that improve access; development of guidelines and standards; partnerships for new library services; and, the creation of digital collections and services.

In 2006-07, nine organizations are receiving a total of $226,700 through LSDF. Of these, seven are from southern Ontario including:

• Collingwood Public Library — $40,000 to work in partnership with Employment and Resources Services of Georgian Bay (TRACKS) to develop community based services for at-risk youth. The project targets youth who need support and encouragement to develop skills, gain confidence and learn about career paths.
• Grey Highlands Public Library — $40,000 to digitize local historical information about Agnes Macphail, Canada’s first female MP, Ontario’s first female MLA, founder of Elizabeth Fry Society of Canada, and a prominent advocate for women’s rights. This project will make primary source material about Agnes Macphail accessible to students and other lifelong learners on the Internet. Project partners include the South Grey Museum, Grey County Archives, Grey County Historical Society, and Kimberley Community Association.
• Hastings Highlands Public Library — $11,440 to help implement a Library Mobile pilot project. This rural library will hire a driver for a Library Mobile to bring books to housebound residents, as well as to drive library clients to participate in library programming. The project will be assessed to determine if other rural libraries can use the model for local service delivery. Project partners include Community Care North Hastings and the North Hastings Children’s Centre.
• Lambton County Library — $25,000 to work with museum and cultural sector partners to coordinate cultural sector programming for Lambton County’s rural communities. The project supports municipal cultural planning, and will result in a strategic cultural plan. Project partners include the Lambton Heritage Museum, Lambton Archives, Oil Museum of Canada, Heritage Sarnia Lambton, and Gallery Lambton.
• Pickering Public Library — $25,000 for its ePlus School-Public Library partnership. ePlus will enable the library to work with local schools to inform and educate school children and teens about reliable full-text multimedia databases available at the library and over the Internet. This will help students identify reliable resources for their school projects. Students will receive orientation to licensed databases including those acquired by Knowledge Ontario, a library sector organization that received ministry funding support in 2005-06.
• Ramara Public Library — $7,824 to further develop its Our Ramara Community Portal, which provides public access to cultural, social services and business information through a web portal developed in this rural community. Our Ramara partners include the Ramara Chamber of Commerce, the Township of Ramara, as well as school board, local tourism and recreation organization, and other partners.
• Toronto Public Library — $35,000 to work in partnership with both the Hamilton and the Kingston-Frontenac public libraries to develop an Ontario Pioneer Bookshelf. The project will see the digitization of approximately 20 books dating from pioneer days from the collections of the three libraries. Students will learn about primary source historical material while gaining an understanding of the books and information available to Ontario’s pioneers. The completed digital collection will be accessible on the Internet, including through the Toronto Public Library’s Virtual Reference Library.

13. 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 distributed:

• On January 10^th, Laurey Gillies sent a message about a recent CityTV segment on using licensed databases. The segment is available on DVD but can also be accessed online. A permanent link to the segment can be found on the “Libraries” page at http://www.dottotech.com/library.php, just below the list of libraries. Libraries are welcome to link to this clip for use in patron and in-service education. We do ask that any other parties please contact DDC Productions for permission.  A link has also been added to the "Technology Planning" page of the Joint OLS-N/SOLS Clearinghouse.
   

• On January 12^th, Sue Walls relayed a message from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor asked for the support of the Ontario library community to donate -and to encourage library clients to donate -new and gently used books for Aboriginal children living in native communities in northern Ontario, Yukon, Nunavut, and northern Québec. Books should be suitable for children from Kindergarten to age 16 and they can be dropped off during the month of January. Please see the official news release below - in both English and French - for background information, including directories of the collection sites. Contact information is included below. For further details, visit the Lieutenant Governor's website.
   
• On January 17^th, Laurey Gillies passed on a message from the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL) regarding attendance at the "Telling Our Stories" - Winners' Reception to be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 from 6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Room 206D. For this event, the Federation is honoured to have the Hon. James Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (Honorary Patron of the Contest), the Hon. Caroline Di Cocco, Minister of Culture and Paula Todd, host of TVO's 'Person 2 Person' (official spokesperson) in attendance. Invitations in both official languages can be found by clicking this link: <http://www.fopl.ca/site/news.html>. 

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