SIGNAL online
June 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 SERVICES – JULY HOLIDAY WEEKEND
2. NEW DELIVERY SERVICE ROUTES –
Starting Monday July 30, 2007
3. CONSORTIA PURCHASING THROUGH COOL
4. AUDIOBOOKS UPDATE – Deadline for joining NetLibrary e-book collection is
Friday, June 29, 2007
5. KNOWLEDGE ONTARIO
6. FUNDING FROM THE ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION -
Next deadline is July 1, 2007
7. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION - COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS
8 FALL 2007 TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS – Mark your calendars now!
9. LIBRARY’S CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR COMMUNITY
10. EXCEL – Registration deadline – Tuesday, September 4, 2007
11 – ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARY GUIDELINES
– Testimonial from Essa Public Library
12. TD SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2007
13. SOLS BOARD SUMMARY – JUNE 2007
14. SOLS CEO LISTSERV
In honour of Canada Day, the SOLS delivery routes will not operate on Monday,
July 2, 2007. The SOLS office will also be closed.
Starting Monday July 30, 2007
A number of changes will be made to the
SOLS delivery routes beginning
Monday, July 30, 2007. Six new libraries are being added to the routes, and a
few libraries will be receiving additional delivery stops. By July 10th,
information about the new routes will be sent out through the SOLSCEO listserv
as well as the group e-mails for each of the individual SOLS delivery routes.
The new routes will also be posted in the
Delivery service section of the SOLS website.
SOLS staff have negotiated consortia purchasing for library products under
the COOL initiative. The Consortium of Ontario Libraries (COOL) is a buying
group for electronic journals, magazines, ebooks and other products not
available for free on the web. Public, university, college and school libraries
purchase licenses and ebooks for deeper discounts than they could achieve alone.
More information about COOL
is posted on the SOLS website.
COOL was first established in 1998, when the group negotiated deals on four
different electronic products. Since that time, many products and services have
been offered to libraries through COOL.
During June, several products were
made available through the COOL buying group. In each case, an e-mail, with
details of the offer, was sent to the Library CEO, as well as to the COOL
contact person in the library. For further details on any 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
.
CEDROM-SNI offered a promotion on the Virtual News Library service which was
available until June 15th to all public libraries, colleges, and universities in
Ontario. The COOL offer for Groves Art and Music Online databases was available
until June 12, 2007. Should you wish to have more information on these two offers,
contact Brenda Lewis.
Libraries received an offer for a new product called Dragonsource, which is a
collection of Chinese periodicals in an online database. This product may appeal
to larger municipalities with a significant Asian population. Trial access to
Dragonsource is available until July 31, 2007. The deadline for a subscription
is July 18, 2007. Product, pricing and trial information details were included
in the e-mail package, but if you did not receive this, or would like further
information, please contact Brenda Lewis.
Please be advised that all technical support contact information, such as
telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and support websites, have been updated on
the SOLS/COOL website. If you experience technical difficulties with any
database you subscribe to through COOL, all current technical support
information can be found on the site under the individual name of the product.
The web address is
http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cooldata/productmenu.aspx
Deadline for joining NetLibrary e-book collection is
Friday, June 29, 2007
In late May, libraries received information concerning a number of audiobooks
options which were now available to public libraries. Responses were received
from libraries expressing interest primarily in seeing audiobooks added to the
shared NetLibrary ebook collection. As a result, the NetLibrary COOL IV
collection will include audiobooks, and these audiobooks will be available later
this summer. If you are participating in the NetLibrary shared ebook collection
through one of the earlier
NetLibrary shared collections including the first,
second or third collections of COOL, you would also have access to the
collections of ebooks and audiobooks in the fourth collection (also known as
COOL IV).
If you are not already participating in this shared collection, you can still
join but you must do so by the end of this week (Friday, June 29, 2007). To
register, please complete the Subscription Form and the license agreement
(scroll to the bottom of the page) which is posted in the COOL section of the
SOLS website at
http://www.sols.org/resourcesharing/coolcpa/cooldata/product.asp?ProductID=47. Webinars will also be arranged for public libraries on using the NetLibrary
shared collection, including the use of ebooks and audiobooks.
With respect to the OverDrive audiobook model, there has been limited
interest from libraries that wish to pursue this model. As indicated previously,
there are two options: libraries can either join together to create a shared
collection and share the start-up costs or they can go it alone. In the latter
case, there are opportunities for savings if two or more libraries wish to
pursue their own standalone system. If there are more libraries that are
interested in this option, please let contact Barbara Franchetto at 416-961-1669
extension 5104 or by e-mail at
and be sure to indicate what
your timeline would be for implementation.
Knowledge Ontario (formerly the Ontario Digital Library) is a province-wide
collaboration of libraries to create an integrated and interactive digital
environment about, and for, Ontarians. Resource Ontario, one of six projects,
provides all publicly funded libraries in Ontario with access to a core suite of
digital products. The resources and materials from Thomson Gale (CPI-Q and ten
other databases) and EBSCO (Canadian Reference Centre) offer full text of
thousands of newspapers, magazines and books. As an update, Resource Ontario
statistics indicate that online database searches on these Thomson Gale and
EBSCO databases are doubling each month. All colleges, universities, most school
boards and most of the public libraries have registered.
OurOntario.ca, through project manager Loren Fantin, continues to build a
portal to help Ontarians discover and locate thousands of digital collections
about, and from, Ontario. Teach Ontario skills modules and Video Ontario, using
video streaming to bring content to students, are in the discussion stages. For
Connect Ontario, KO is currently in negotiations with British Columbia, Alberta,
and the Biblicommons Company to launch the first Beta of a social software, user
enhanced content solution.
Registration for the two sets of Resources Ontario databases
There are still approximately 25 library systems in southern Ontario (out of
191) that have not yet registered to use either the Thomson Gale or EBSCO
databases. By completing the registration process, library patrons from the
library will continue to have access to the resources, and statistics on the
usage by patrons from your library will be tracked. If you have registered for
the two sets of databases, you should be now receiving usage statistics by
e-mail. If you are not receiving these statistics, please contact the
organization (Thomson Gale or EBSCO) to determine if there is a reason for the
lack of statistics. Libraries can register for
Thomson Gale websites through the trial website at
www.access.gale.com . Please
visit the
EBSCO
site to
register for EBSCO’s Canadian Reference Centre database.
Next deadline is July 1,
2007
The Ontario Trillium Foundation
continues to offer grants to libraries in
small communities and First Nation communities. 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. If you are applying
for a small capital grant, up to a maximum of $15,000, there is a new simplified
application form. 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. There is also a link to the
Trillium website from the SOLS site at www.sols.org. The next deadline is July
1, 2007 – at 5:00 pm on the deadline date. Rob Lavery, from the SOLS staff, is
available to assist in preparing the application or to review an application,
and you can contact Rob at 1-800-387-5765, extension 5137 or
.
Rob Lavery, the SOLS Resource Development Consultant, had agreed to include
an information piece into each issue of Signal. For this issue, the topic is
Community Foundations. You can find the actual article in the Funding
Development section of the Clearinghouse of Professional Information at
http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/fundingdev/index.htm#Foundations
In that section, the article is entitled “Public Libraries working with Community Foundations”
.
This fall SOLS will be offering some exceptional training opportunities for
library staff. For children’s service and programming staff we are bringing the
humorous Rob Reid from Wisconsin to southern Ontario. Rob Reid is well known for
his books and workshops on programming that makes reading come alive. This full
day session will be offered on Friday, October 19th at the Waterloo Inn and again
on Friday, November 2nd at the Whitby Public Library.
SOLS will also be hosting a marketing summit on Tuesday, October 30th at Four
Corners Branch of the Brampton Public Library, featuring Bernie Colterman,
Director of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing. He will
present a full day workshop for CEOs, marketing managers and staff on the unique
challenges of marketing public library services. This session will include a
discussion of marketing principles and their application in the public library
sector including; positioning, segmentation, priority setting, integrated
marketing communications, and performance measurement and evaluation.
Other workshops being planned include Pay Equity Update, Basic Reference
Skills and E-resources, Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships, as well as
Sharron Smith’s Trends in Reading plus the Dewey Divas and Dudes. For French
libraries, Communication Jeunesse will present a two day workshop – Lire, un
plaisir à partager – in late November.
Print copies of the
SOLS training brochure
will be delivered to libraries in July, and the information will also be posted
in the training section of the SOLS website. Registration for the
workshops will open on Wednesday, August 1st.
Just a reminder about payment for workshops: please wait to be invoiced by
SOLS. We do this twice a year, in June for the spring workshops, and December
for the fall workshops. Libraries may choose to pay by cheque, Visa, Mastercard
or American Express. By invoicing the libraries, administrative work is reduced
significantly for both SOLS and its client libraries.
Earlier in June, SOLS hosted a workshop to introduce participants to the
second edition of the SOLS Resource Manual The Library’s Contribution to Your
Community (LCTYC). The LCTYC Resource Manual has enjoyed considerable success
since it was first published in 1998. The manual has been purchased by a number
of provincial and state library associations, and is being used by libraries
throughout North America to demonstrate their social and economic contribution
to the community. The second edition incorporates lessons learned through the
use of the manual and presents a new perspective on preparing a “contribution
strategy”.
The purpose of the June workshop was to provide the background and
understanding necessary to use this valuable tool to document the important role
the library plays in your community.
If you were unable to attend that session, but would still be interested in
attending a similar workshop, please let Nancy McPherson know of your interest.
She can be reached at
. If there is sufficient interest, a
second workshop will be organized for Fall 2007.
Copies of this publication are available through SOLS. One copy per
library is offered free of charge. Subsequent copies are $25 to SOLS libraries. To order a copy, please visit the
Publications
section of the SOLS website.
10. EXCEL –
Registration deadline – Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Registration for the Fall 2007 semester for EXCEL will begin on Monday, July
2, 2007. The online registration form is posted in
EXCEL section of the
SOLS website. The
registration deadline, with no exceptions, will be Tuesday, September 4, 2007.
The semester will actually begin during the week of September 24, 2007.
The Fall 2007 semester marks the first offering of a new EXCEL course, called
Readers’ Advisory Service, the first new course to be offered in some time.
Readers’ advisory is the process of matching readers with books and books to
readers. It is answering questions that have more to do with the patron’s
leisure reading than their informational needs. Readers’ advisory deals with
both fiction and non-fiction titles and a specific request may require both
kinds of materials to meet a need. This course covers the techniques of working
in the area of readers’ advisory, but also provides suggestions for the range of
options available in this type of service. Those who have recently taken EXCEL
#4 Information services will find some duplication, as some of the materials
have been moved out of EXCEL #4 and into this new course, but be assured that
the topic has been greatly expanded from the single section on readers’ advisory
work that was found in EXCEL #4. For this semester, the course will only be
available in English.
Other courses to be offered in the Fall 2007 semester are as follows. Please
note that EXCEL #10 Acquisitions and Serials will no longer be offered.
#1 - Introduction to Public Libraries
#2 - Basic Library Management
#3 - Supervision
#4 - Information Services
#6 - Basic Collection Development
#13 - Circulation
#14 - Non-book materials (revised)
#16 - Professional Development (web-based)
#19 - Readers’ Advisory Service (new)
The following courses will be offered in French:
#1 - Introduction aux bibliothèques publiques
#5 - Le marketing de la bibliothèque - révisé
#8 - Développement des collections pour jeunes adultes
#17 - Ressources électroniques d'information (2006) (en ligne)
Testimonial from Essa Public Library
From time to time we receive questions about how libraries might best use the
Ontario Public Library Guidelines. Recently, Janine Harris-Wheatley, the CEO at
Essa Public Library shared these observations and comments with us. She does
make reference to the fourth edition of the Ontario Public Library Guidelines,
and, indeed, the fourth edition of these guidelines should be ready by September
2007. Once posted, information on the new edition will be shared with all libraries.
“Subject: Ontario Public Library Guidelines Testimonial
“I understand that work is now being done on Edition 4 of the Ontario Public
Library Guidelines. I wanted to express to you how valuable I believe this
document is for the library community and thank everyone for their contributions
to this project.
“In 2006 Gwen Wheeler visited our Library to help us assess how we compared
to OPLG. She prepared a Pre-Audit Checklist that detailed the areas where we did
not meet the Guidelines. Together we designed a do-able Draft Work Plan for
achieving accreditation. Gwen’s assistance with all this was very much
appreciated.
“The Board and myself as CEO were pleased and excited by how close we were to
meeting accreditation requirements and were determined to improve sufficiently
to reach this goal. As a result, we now have a complete set of policies, have
expanded staff training, and have determined the need for a strategic plan. We
are well on our way to fulfilling minimum requirements with only 12 Guidelines
unmet, only one of them mandatory. This has been a very productive process for
the Board and myself. There was a determination previously to improve library
services but it was the OPLG that gave us the definition of how we could best do
this.
“The race to accreditation has now been temporarily interrupted but for good
reasons. We have just completed a year long project to expand our Thornton
Branch with a majority of the funding coming out of the blue from the community.
We also have land secured for a new main branch in Angus and are in the middle
of a major fund raising campaign with a projected opening date of 2009. It is
quite possible that these two building projects would not have happened, or
happened so quickly, without the catalyst of the other improvements that were
made to the library’s services. Realizing that our facilities were the main
barrier to meeting standards for becoming a good library was definitely part of
this impetus. Although we are not on the books as an accredited library at this
time, I still believe you could count Essa Public Library as part of your
success story.”
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.
The staff at Library and Archives Canada are building the website for the
2007 TD Summer Reading program, which you can find at
http://www.td-club-td.ca/
. After selecting the language in which you wish to work, there is a page with
introductory information. LAC staff have now posted an electronic copy of the
staff manual, as well as the artwork which will be used on the posters,
invitations and booklets. The kid's activities sections are now live, and
kids will find interesting lists and interactive puzzles in that section.
Policy Development – Ends Policy Review
SOLS’ Service Plan, Stronger Libraries Stronger Communities 2004 – 2007,
expired at the end of March 2007 and SOLS’ Board has embarked on a new planning
process. To initiate this planning, the Board reviewed its Ends policies and
approved the statements below subject to consultation with the Minister of
Culture.
SOLS EXISTS SO THAT:
The people of Ontario, as represented by the Minister with jurisdiction for
public
libraries, will have equitable access to library services at a sustainable cost.
1. Libraries will be equipped to deliver equitable access.
1.1. There will be a network for equitable access to worldwide library
collections.
1.2. Libraries will provide services according to minimum standards.
1.2.1. Libraries will have a mechanism for collaboration on the development
and achievement of common standards.
1.3. Libraries will have a mechanism for collaboration on the cost-effective
acquisition
and use of resources.
2. The Minister will be equipped to deliver equitable access.
2.1. The Minister will have expert, credible information and advice about the
sector.
2.2. The Minister will have a mechanism for delivery of core information and
services that
need to reach all libraries.
While these policies would normally form the basis of a new service plan, the
Ministry of Culture is part way through a library sector review that will also
influence SOLS’ role over the next few years. While we await the outcomes of the
Ministry’s review, we have proceeded to write an operational plan to guide
services for this fiscal year. The plan is organized by the Board’s new Ends
policies and includes the budget for 2007/08. It is posted on our website
(www.sols.org
) under ‘About SOLS – Plans and Annual Reports’.
Participation in Ministry of Culture Booth at the AMO Conference
SOLS will be participating in the Ministry of Culture booth at the
Association of Municipalities of Ontario annual conference in August. The
purpose of our participation is to raise the profile of SOLS with municipal
decision-makers and the MPPs who attend the conference. Our portion of the booth
will be staffed by SOLS board and staff members and we will have SOLS’ Annual
Report and Brief Listing of Services available as handouts. We will also make
copies available of the Ministry’s Frequently Asked Questions regarding
legislation that affect public libraries.
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. For three years, the Fund has been used to subsidize library
participation in the COOL shared ebook collection which is primarily a reference
collection. SOLS’ subsidy targets small and First Nations libraries and we
underwrite 100% of their fee. In 2006/07, 71% of small libraries (61 libraries)
and 20% of First Nations libraries (5) participated. The Board has decided to
continue to support this project for 2007/08 and has set a fundraising target of
$15,000. To date, just under $3,000 has been donated.
SOLS is a registered charity and issues tax receipts for all donations.
Donations may be made through Canada Helps by clicking “Support SOLS” on our
website.
SOLS Board Recruitment
Elections to SOLS’ Board will be held at the Trustee Council meetings next
spring. Fifteen members are elected through the eight councils and while several
incumbents plan to stand for re-election, there will be at least seven vacancies
to fill. Details about the role and responsibilities of SOLS Board members will
be provided at the fall Trustee Council meetings. Interested candidates will
also be encouraged to attend the SOLS reception at the 2008 OLA Superconference
to meet other SOLS Board members and become better acquainted with SOLS. They
are also welcome to attend a Board meeting as an observer.
Annual Report 2006/07
The Board approved SOLS’ Annual Report for 2006/07. It is now available on
our website under About SOLS – Plans and Annual Reports. It will also be
published in hardcopy and distributed to client libraries, MPPs and provided as
handouts at the AMO booth. A complete copy of the audited statements and SOLS’
Contribution to Libraries 2006/07 are also posted under Plans and Annual
Reports.
Operations Plan Update
An update on SOLS’ services is available at www.sols.org
Next Board Meeting
The next meeting of SOLS’ Board is scheduled for Friday, October 12 and
Saturday, October 13, 2007 at SOLS’ office in Toronto.
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, this message was distributed
through the SOLSCEO list:
- On June 13th, Laurey Gillies sent a message regarding the new
SOLS
Operational Plan. The message was that SOLS’ Service Plan, Stronger
Libraries Stronger Communities 2004 – 2007, expired at the end of March
2007 and SOLS’ Board has embarked on a new planning process. To initiate
this planning, the Board reviewed and approved new Ends policies subject to
consultation with the Minister of Culture. At the same time, the Ministry of
Culture is part way through its own library sector review. While we await
the outcomes of the Ministry’s review, we have proceeded to write an
operational plan for 2007/08 to guide services for this fiscal year. The
plan may be found on our website.
- On June 7th, 14th and 26th, Brenda Lewis sent messages regarding offers
from COOL. More information on the offers is provided above.
- On June 27th, Barbara Franchetto sent out a message regarding audiobooks.
Further information is included in this issue of Signal.
If you did not receive this message, and would like further information,
please contact the SOLS HelpDesk at 1-800-387-5765, extension 4, or by e-mail to
