SIGNAL online

Archives

April 30, 2008

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 client services information Collection form – return by Monday, May 5, 2008
2. SOLS MAY STAFF MEETING – to be held May 26-28, 2008
3. charitable/consortia purchasing agreements (CPA)
4. CORPORATE VOLUNTEERS
5. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
a) Ontario Trillium Foundation – Next deadline is July 1, 2008 (5 pm)
b) Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII)
6. SOLS Training Workshops for Spring 2008 – Ongoing registration
7. EXCEL PROGRAM – Registration deadline is Monday, May 12, 2008
8. LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS – May 26 to June 15, 2008
9. Clearinghouse of Professional Information
10. KNOWLEDGE ONTARIO UPDATE
11. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

1. SOLS client services information Collection form –

return by Monday May 5, 2008
 
On April 14^th, a message was sent to all SOLSCEOs to request assistance in compiling information to help SOLS document the contributions it makes to libraries. A Client Services Information Collection Form was posted on the SOLS website. The deadline for submission of this short questionnaire is Monday, May 5, 2008.
 
If you have a question about the Client Services Information Collection Form or SOLS' Contributions to Libraries, please contact Laurey Gillies at 1-800-387-5765 or (416) 961-1669, extension 5118, fax at (416) 961-5122 or e-mail at . You may also view last year’s SOLS’ Contribution to Libraries report on our website.

2. SOLS MAY STAFF MEETING –

to be held May 26-28, 2008
 
Being spread across southern Ontario, it is important for our staff to meet periodically as a group. Our next full staff get-together is coming up on May 26^th - 28^th. All staff will be involved and so the office will be closed for most of this time.
 
While SOLS personnel are attending the staff retreat, we have arranged for someone to monitor e-mail sent to . Only issues regarding a global INFO system problem such as "VDX inaccessible" or "INFO union catalogue not returning hits", will be dealt with on those days. Any other issues (i.e. suspensions, problem requests, etc.) will be dealt with on Thursday, May 29. Please remember to use the SOLS Helpdesk email address “ " to report on those days, as the voice mail box will not be monitored.
 
For the drivers to attend the staff meeting, SOLS delivery routes will be modified during the week of Monday, May 26 to Friday, May 30, 2008. Most libraries will receive only one day of delivery on either Thursday or Friday. Inter-branch delivery service will also be reduced this week. The complete delivery schedule for that week has been posted on the SOLS website. At that page, be sure to check the document called “Notes about the changes for the week of May 26, 2008” which contains a written summary of the changes.

3. charitable/consortia purchasing agreements (CPA)

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. More information on the various agreements already in place is posted on the SOLS website.
 
a) Brodart interlibrary loan bags - In conjunction with Brodart, SOLS has negotiated special discounted pricing on interlibrary loan bags. Brodart has discounted pricing on two styles of bags of various sizes, with the discounts ranging from 15% to 37%. The details of this offer are posted in the Consortia Purchase Agreement section of the SOLS website.  Although libraries may purchase individually, it may be worthwhile to discuss and arrange pooling your purchases to achieve the most advantageous savings.  At this time, Brenda Lewis is coordinating a bulk order of the cloth interlibrary loan bags to achieve a higher discount.  Any libraries interested in the cloth bags are asked to contact Brenda directly by e-mail at  or by telephone at 1-800-387-5765 or 416-961-1669, ext. 5130. 
 
b) Pop Enviro Bags – This CPA with Pop Packaging was agreed to after seeing their product at OLA and with a view to offering libraries a "green" product through the SOLS CPA program.  Pop Packaging is offering a minimum 10% discount on their wholesale pricing to Ontario Public Libraries.  The offer period is May 1, 2008 - April 30, 2009.  Libraries wishing to order, should contact Steven Mitchell, Sales & Marketing Manager, Pop Enviro Bag...A Division of Pop Packaging Inc., 615 Orwell St. Mississauga, ON L5A 2W4.  He can be reached by telephone at 905-272-2247 (BAGS) or 800-594-2247 (BAGS) or by e-mail to s.mitchell@popackaging.com. 

Further information on the CPA is posted at on the SOLS website.

4. CORPORATE VOLUNTEERS

Submitted by Rob Lavery, SOLS Resource Development Consultant
 
April 27 – May 3 is National Volunteer Week!
 
This is a great opportunity to thank all your hard-working volunteers for their valuable contributions.  National Volunteer Week is an initiative of Volunteer Canada to recognize and promote volunteerism.  In support of this, they offer materials such as posters and thank you cards free of charge – you only need to cover the shipping costs.  Volunteer Canada has an online marketplace for these items.
 
I heard a great volunteer story this week that I wanted to share with you.  The Stirling-Rawdon Public Library got a face-lift courtesy of staff from the Home Depot in Belleville.
 
A group of 12 staff from Home Depot volunteered to take on the library’s children’s area – painting, building, staining, hammering and redecorating the space with materials donated by the store.  Library CEO Sue Winfield was both thrilled and dumbfounded by their assistance.
 
Corporate volunteering is becoming more common and more popular.  Surveys done by Volunteer Canada from 1997 to 2004 show companies are starting to see community involvement as a key recruiting tool, and becoming more supportive of their employees getting active in the community.
 
Volunteer Canada established the Corporate Council on Volunteering in 2006, and the group has grown to include about 20 top executives – including Annette Verschuren, CEO of Home Depot Canada, as well as executives from Bell Canada, Ernst & Young, Microsoft Canada Co., Manulife Financial Corp. and Royal Bank of Canada, who work on ways for companies to support and encourage volunteering.
 
The survey found that 71% of businesses operating in Canada either encourage or accommodate employee volunteer activities during working hours and/or encourage employees to volunteer on their own time. However, the ways in which companies support employee volunteering vary considerably. Half (49%) of all businesses encourage employees to volunteer on their own time and more than a third (35%) accommodate employee volunteer activities during regular working hours.
 
More information is available from a 2006 document entitled “Business support for employee volunteers in Canada: results of a national survey” (31p.) which is posted on the web.

5. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

a) Ontario Trillium Foundation - Next deadline is July 1, 2008 (5 pm)
 
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 sections 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 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.
 
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. The next deadline is July 1, 2008 – at 5:00 pm. Before submitting an application, please be sure to check with a Program Manager or Grants Associate in one of the Regional offices of the Ontario Trillium Foundation as they can help you with the process. The listing of offices is posted on the Foundation’s website.
 
Eight grants approved in the last round (November 1, 2007) were listed in the last issue of Signal. There was one that we missed. Merrickville-Wolford - $47,200 over one year to purchase materials and equipment. This will facilitate the expansion and enhancement of resources and services offered by the Merrickville-Wolford Public Library to the surrounding community.
 
b) Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) / L’Initiative d’investissement dans l’infrastructure municipale
 
Earlier in the year, information on upcoming Municipal Infrastructure grants was provided to municipalities and libraries. This one-time, $450-million, program is intended to help municipalities provide safe and reliable local infrastructure. The funding builds on ReNew Ontario. Under that plan, Ontario and its partners will invest more than $30 billion over five years in hospitals, schools, universities and other major projects. Ontario will invest an additional $60 billion in ReNew Ontario over the next 10 years. MIII complements other provincial investments that support a strong and resilient economy, continued growth, and better quality of life in a wide range of communities across Ontario.
 
The complete list of approved projects, as announced on March 28, 2008, is posted. There were a number of projects which related to libraries in southern Ontario including the following:

• Municipality of Clarington - Clarington Library - Newcastle Branch $2,365,780

• Municipality of Dysart et al.- New Library for Haliburton - $1,300,000

• Town of Innisfil - Cookstown Public Library and Community Centre - $2,850,711

• Township of Lake of Bays - Lake of Bays Multi Use Community Complex - $1,350,000

• Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands - Construction of a single building to house public works, fire, parks and recreation and administration - $3,000,000 (leaving the library in the old admin. building)

• Town of Midland - Midland Library Addition - $3,572,750

• Town of Milton - Beaty Branch Library - $1,145,615

• City of Ottawa - Central Archives and Ottawa Library Technical Services Facility project - $20,000,000

• Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield - Bridgenorth Building Project - $996,433

6. SOLS Training Workshops for Spring 2008 –

Ongoing registration

Information about SOLS training workshops is posted on the SOLS website.  There is also a specific registration form for each of the workshops. 
 
Upcoming workshops include:
 
a)       Grant research and proposal writing
 
SOLS is presenting a full-day workshop on grant research and proposal writing. The morning session will look at researching grant opportunities with various online products and a demonstration of resources available for free or reasonable subscription fees. We will look at starting a foundation file, and beginning the relationship with foundation funders and other institutional granting organizations. The afternoon, running until about 4 pm, will focus on writing. We will look at the elements of a standard proposal, what is good proposal writing vs. bad proposal writing, and writing tips to make your proposals stronger. There will be writing exercises and group analysis of sample proposals. The dates and locations for this workshop are:

• Monday, May 26, 2008 - Barrie Public Library, Angus Ross Room

• Friday, May 30, 2008 - Kitchener Public Library, Main, Hamblin Room

• Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Kingston-Frontenac Public Library, Central, Delahaye Room

b)      Collections – From Evaluation to Action Remedies
 
This workshop is for staff with responsibility for the quality of the collections, and who will benefit from Hélène Golden’s action-focused approach to collection evaluation and maintenance. Your library’s circulation will benefit, too. There are two remaining dates for this workshop:

• Monday, May 5 at the Smiths Falls Public Library

• Tuesday, May 6 at the Quinte West Public Library -Trenton branch

c)       Helping Genealogists Climb Family Trees
 
Public services staff will be interested in this workshop, as it focuses on how to conduct genealogy research, what resources are available and how to collaborate with other community partners. There are four remaining dates for this workshop:

• Friday, May 2 at the London Public Library – Westmount branch

• Friday, May 9 at the Barrie Public Library

• Friday, June 6 at the County of Brant Public Library – Paris branch

• Friday, June 13 at the Port Hope Public Library

d) Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 – Customer Service Standards

Specific standards for customer services, Ontario Regulation 429/07 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), came into effect on January 1, 2008. The regulation applies to all sectors of the province, including public libraries. This half-day workshop will cover the new Customer Service Standards of the AODA and methods to meet your libraries’ obligations under it. Under the new regulation organizations are required to address issues such as policy development, use of service animals, and training of staff. In addition to the legislative and communications segment, simulation and empathy exercises help staff and managers to learn first hand and personally synthesize the content. Our presenter, Gerald Parker, is president of Beyond Ability, a company which provides technical, educational, and marketing services to organizations making the world more accessible to people with disabilities and our maturing population. He recently trained staff at the Oakville Public Library.  The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service workshop will be held in four locations:

• Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 12:30pm to 4:30pm, Belleville Public Library

• Thursday, June 5, 2008 from 12:30pm to 4:30pm, Markham Public Library – Angus Glen branch

• Tuesday, June 10, 2008 from 12:30pm to 4:30pm, New Tecumseth Public Library – Beeton branch

• Thursday, June 12, 2008 from 12:30pm to 4:30pm, London Public Library – East London branch

e) Succession Staffing: Getting the Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time

This spring, SOLS is offering a half-day workshop on succession staffing, presented by renowned library consultant, Rebecca Jones. The workshop will provide trustees, CEOs and managers with practical approaches to the work of assessing, planning and meeting future staffing needs.  This workshop will be held in two locations:

• Thursday, May 15, 2008 from 10am to 1pm, Oshawa Public Library – McLaughlin Library – Main

• Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 10am to 1pm, Brantford Public Library – Main, Auditorium

7. EXCEL PROGRAM –

Registration deadline is Monday, May 12, 2008
 
Registration for the Summer 2008 semester for EXCEL began Wednesday, March 26, 2008. The registration deadline, with no exceptions, will be 5 pm on Monday, May 12, 2008. The semester will actually begin during the week of June 2^nd.
 
The following courses will be offered in English for the Summer 2008 semester:
#1 – Introduction to Public Libraries
#5 – Library Marketing (revised edition)
#8 – Collection Development for Young Adults
#16 – Professional Development
 
The following courses will be offered in French for the Summer 2008 semester:
1. Introduction aux bibliothèques publiques
13. Le prêt – révisé
16. Formation Professionnelle
 
The online registration form is posted in the EXCEL section of the SOLS website. 

8. LIBRARY COMMITTEE MEETINGS –

May 26 to June 18, 2008

Library Committee meetings are held three times a year in eight areas. The meeting is a half day and is combined with a half day Clinic training event. CEOs 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. The next meetings will be held as follows:

• Tri-County Committee – Monday, May 26, 2008, County of Prince Edward Public Library – Wellington Branch

• Peterborough Library Committee – Monday, June 2, 2008, Otonabee-South Monaghan Public Library – Keene Branch

• Lanark Committee – Tuesday, June 3, 2008, Carleton Place Public Library

• Prescott-Russell Comité des services en français – lundi, le 9 juin 2008, Bibliothèque publique d'Alfred-

• Plantagenet - succursale de Lefaivre

• Leeds & Grenville Committee – Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Augusta Township Public Library

• Renfrew Committee – Thursday, June 12, 2008, Whitewater Region Public Library, Beachburg Branch

• Saugeen Committee – Monday June 16, Perth Community Futures office at 12 Main Street, Milverton (across the street from the library in Milverton)

• Simcoe/Muskoka Committee – Wednesday June 18, 2008, Ramara Public Library

9. Clearinghouse of Professional Information

OLS-North and SOLS have a joint Clearinghouse of Professional Information with ongoing enhancements and updates. The Clearinghouse does have a search engine, using Google’s Custom Search feature to enable users to search the site by keyword. The search function is accessible from the sidebar of all Clearinghouse web pages. The direct web address for the Clearinghouse is http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/index.htm. Libraries could bookmark this page for quick access.
 
Please remember to subscribe to our RSS feeds. These feeds are linked to information that has been posted to the main SOLS page. For further information on RSS, please select the small orange RSS box in the middle of the main SOLS page.
 
Items and links are continually being added to the Clearinghouse of Professional Information. Further to a number of requests from libraries and discussions at Trustee Councils, we have added a new sub-section in the “Library Administration Resources” called “Municipal Reporting”. This sub-section includes links to MPMP requirements and Capital Assets Reporting.
 
Following SOLS training workshops, we often post the support materials from specific workshops. The support materials for the Pay Equity Workshops, which was presented in the Fall 2007 series of SOLS workshops, have now been posted on SOLS website.

10. KNOWLEDGE ONTARIO UPDATE

This message has been sent by the staff at Knowledge Ontario by a number of means. askON, the provincial collaborative chat reference service launched by Knowledge Ontario in January has been given the green light to expand its operation for September 2008. askON is looking for 10 public libraries, 4-6 college libraries and 2-3 universities to allow the operation to double its current size for September. The hope is that the existing balance between large, medium and small libraries/institutions, as well as the geographic balance can be maintained. The existing public French service (ONdemande) will also be expanding.
 
This is an invitation to visit and review the askON participating library kit. Participating public libraries must be able to contribute at least 2-3 hours per week of staff time to the askON collective schedule. Libraries should have a web site and influence over their technical infrastructure (download software, add pages, graphics, images and code to their web sites). If your library is interested in joining askON, please complete the Information Form that can be found on the web site and return it to Virginia Roy, askON Project Manager by May 1, 2008. Virginia can be reached at 416-363-3388 extension 37, 647-404-2105 (cell) or through the website at www.knowledgeontario.ca

11. 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, these messages were distributed through the SOLSCEO list:  

• On April 9^th, Brenda Lewis sent an e-mail regarding a new CPA offer for discounted pricing on interlibrary loan bags. More information is posted earlier in this issue of Signal.

• On April 10^th, Sue Walls sent an e-mail on behalf of the Orillia Public Library Board to announce that Dawn S. Silver is the successful candidate of the search for a CEO to replace Mike Saddy following his retirement. Ms Silver was the Branch Head of the Kelowna Library of the Okanogan Regional Library in British Columbia.

• On April 14^th, Sue Walls sent a message on behalf of Laurey Gillies to describe the Client Services Information Collection Form

• On April 14^th, Kim Brady from the Ontario Library Service-North staff sent a message regarding participation in the Literacy Pool. The deadline for replying was April 28, 2008.

• On April 16^th, Barbara Franchetto sent a message which was forwarded on behalf of Knowledge Ontario regarding the expansion plans for Ask Ontario. 

• On April 17^th, Laurey Gillies sent a message on behalf of Eliza Tru regarding the First Nation Communities Read programming initiatives that were held by your library. Ancient Thunder was the focus of reading events, displays and programming for First Nations Public Library Week (February 11-16, 2008). All libraries in Ontario received a poster promoting all the nominations for this award.   SOLS is now in the process of collecting data that identifies the number of people who experienced, through public or private readings and/or other types of programming, the winning FNCR title, Ancient Thunder. The data collection form is posted on SOLS web site.  By submitting this information, you are helping to make a difference in receiving the funding needed from Heritage Canada to help keep this fantastic program going. Also, if you have had any media coverage relating to FNCR, please forward the details, i.e., article, photographs, etc., to us, along with the report form. Responses should be submitted by Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

• On April 25^th, Laurey Gillies forwarded a message from Renfrew announcing the appointment of Bettijane O’Neill of Dunrobin Ontario as the next Chief Librarian/CEO of the Renfrew Public Library. She will join the Library on May 20, 2008 and will undergo a two-week handover period with the incumbent, Subhash Mehta, who is retiring after serving the past five years in that position.

• On April 30^th, Sue Walls sent a message on behalf of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library to announce the appointment, effective May 20^th, of Greg Smith as Library CEO.

• On April 30^th, Brenda Lewis sent a message regarding a new CPA for “Pop Enviro Bags”.  More information is included in this issue of Signal.

• On April 30^th, Brenda Lewis sent a message regarding an offer for a subscription to AccessScience through the COOL program.  This e-mail included details of the offer and pricing information as well as a registration form for new subscribers.  If you are interested, but did not receive this e-mail, please contact Brenda Lewis by e-mail at  or by telephone at 1-800-387-5765 or 416-961-1669, ext. 5130.  The deadline for renewing or ordering is Friday, May 30, 2008.  Information about all COOL offers is posted on SOLS website.

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