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September 2, 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. $15 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM MINISTRY OF CULTURE
2. COOL (Consortium of Ontario Libraries) – Deadline for Britannica is Friday, September 5, 2008
3. CONSORTIA PURCHASING  – Renewed CPA with Brodart
4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
a)  Ontario Trillium Foundation - Next deadline is Saturday, November 1, 2008 (5 pm)
b)  Rural Connections Broadband Program – Deadline is Thursday, September 18, 2008
c)  Library Strategic Development Fund (LSDF) – Deadline is Wednesday, October 1, 2008
5. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION - Do we need Charitable Status?
6. INFORMATION SESSIONS FROM CANADA REVENUE AGENCY, CHARITIES DIRECTORATE
7. EXCEL PROGRAM
Advanced EXCEL - Deadline is Monday, September 15, 2008
8. SOLS FALL 2008 TRAINING WORKSHOPS  – Registration opens Monday August 11, 2008
9. SOLS WEBSITE UPDATE – RSS FEED - Invitation to all library staff members to subscribe
10. TD SUMMER READING CLUB
a)   Theme selected for summer 2009
b)   TD Summer Reading Club Evaluation and Statistics Form for 2008
c)   Library Awards from summer 2007
11. SOLS STAFF CHANGE
12. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

1. $15 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM MINISTRY OF CULTURE- Client Libraries Consultation

This spring, the Ministry of Culture announced a fourth quarter investment of $15 million to help SOLS and OLS-North work collaboratively to “support public libraries to bridge the digital divide and to provide all Ontarians with equitable access to digital information, community collections and services”. More specifically, the objective of the investment is to achieve equitable access by:

• Bridging the digital divide through investments that will improve services and access by supporting the implementation of new technology, in particular for small, rural and remote public libraries;
• Enhancing access to community collections through investment in library collection development in strategic areas, such as French language, multicultural, health and literacy, and digitization;
• Strengthening public library professionals’ capacity to meet and keep pace with the library service and digital information needs of their communities.

SOLS and OLS-North spent much of the summer meeting with client libraries to get their input on how the funds should be used. A total of ten regional meetings were held, five in each of the OLS areas, between July 17^th and 31^st, teleconferences were conducted on August 7^th and 12^th for those unable to attend one of the meetings, and written submissions were accepted. We also met with key library organizations (OLA, KO and FOPL) on August 18^th and 19^th to receive their input. A representative from both SOLS and OLSN was present at all meetings.
 
A report summarizing the input from the consultation (.pdf) meetings and teleconference with the libraries is posted on the SOLS website. In all, 154 people representing 135 libraries participated (participants listed in report). In addition, we received written submissions from twenty-one libraries (written submissions listed at the end) as well as from KO, FOPL and OLA. In all, close to 50% of the libraries in Ontario provided input through these consultations.
 
With the consultation process concluded, SOLS and OLS-North met during the last week of August to consider the input and begin developing program guidelines and timelines. We are targeting Ontario Public Library Week to make announcements.

2. COOL (Consortium of Ontario Libraries) –

Deadline for Britannica is Friday, September 5, 2008

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. A new offer for Britannica Online is now available to COOL subscribers.  A detailed e-mail including information on the Britannica Online 2008-09 product, pricing and trial information, as well as a copy of the license agreement, was also sent out on August 19, 2008 via the SOLSCEO listserv.

Products being offered include:

• Britannica Online Academic Edition (includes free World Data Analyst)

• Britannica Public Library Edition (includes free World Data Analyst)

• Annals of American History Online

• Webster’s Third New Int’l Dictionary

• World Data Analyst Online

• Britannica’s Original Sources - Academic and Special Libraries

• Enciclopedia Universal en Español (Spanish Encyclopedia)

• Britannica Online Global Reference Centre – Universities, Colleges, Public Libraries (new last year)

Renewing libraries need to send an e-mail to Brenda Lewis at  by Friday September 5, 2008 confirming your intent to renew. New subscribers need to complete the online subscription form, including the license agreement.

If you have questions, or require further clarification, please feel free to contact Brenda Lewis at , 416-961-5122 or 1-800-387-5765, ext. 5130.

3. CONSORTIA PURCHASING –

SOLS is pleased to announce that Brodart has renewed their CPA (Consortium Purchasing Agreement) for another year. The discount will remain the same as was given last year – 15% off library supplies. For details, please see the SOLS website. To receive the SOLS CPA discount for Brodart products, all orders must quote Ref# SOLS07. As an additional bonus, from September 2^nd to the 30^th, libraries will be eligible for a 20% discount, with the exclusion of security and checkout products.

For more information, please contact Brenda Lewis at , or 1-800-387-5765, ext. 5130.
This information was also distributed via the SOLS CEO listserv on Tuesday, September 2, 2008./p>

4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

a) Ontario Trillium Foundation -

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 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, grant applications for municipal libraries serving small communities (populations of 20,000 or less) must be submitted through the municipality. Grant applications for county libraries serving small municipalities (populations of 20,000 or less) must be submitted through the County Library Board. Grant applications 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 November 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 for help with the process. The listing of offices is posted.

b) Rural Connections Broadband Program –

Rural Connections Broadband Program (part of the government's Digital Strategy for Ontario) is a four year program designed to reduce broadband infrastructure gaps in rural southern Ontario.

Ontario's Digital Strategy outlines a plan for coordinating relevant government investments and for building partnerships between governments, information and communications technology companies, Internet service providers, content creators, citizens and researchers to ensure Ontario’s leadership in the digital economy. Rural municipalities in southern Ontario that meet the eligibility requirements can apply for provincial funding individually - or jointly with other municipalities through one lead applicant - for up to one third of eligible approved project costs to a maximum of $1 million per application. Municipalities are responsible for securing the remaining project costs. 

For more information contact Kelly Synnott, Minister's Office, 416-326-6439 or Brent Ross, Communications Branch, 416-326-9342. The application form, cost summary, and background information is posted on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)’s website.

The government is now accepting applications for the Rural Connections Broadband Program. First deadline date is Thursday, September 18, 2008.

c) Library Strategic Development Fund (LSDF) –

The Ministry of Culture’s 2008/09 Library Strategic Development Fund (LSDF) program helps bolster strong communities and student success by funding initiatives that will enhance public libraries across Ontario.

The Library Strategic Development Fund is one of the mechanisms by which the Ministry will carry out its commitments. The goal of the fund is to strengthen the cultural and economic vitality of the province by making strategic investments in projects/initiatives designed to enhance the public library sector at the provincial and regional levels. The LSDF helps the public library community to address government priorities. These are success for students; better health; and jobs and prosperity.

LSDF funding assists the public library community to implement strategic planning priorities and conduct provincial level research and development to better serve their customers. New technical support services for the public library sector, research initiatives, increased capacity to address emerging issues, innovative projects to improve access to the public library system, new standards and guidelines, partnerships for new products or services, and digital collections and services are examples of projects that can be considered for funding.

The LSDF program deadline is October 1, 2008. A letter about the LSDF program for 2008/09 was sent to libraries in July 2008. Copies of the backgrounder, the application form and guidelines are posted on the Ministry’s website.

5. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION - Do we need Charitable Status?

Submitted by Rob Lavery, SOLS Resource Development Consultant

There are still libraries questioning the need for charitable status and how best to manage the administration of their fundraising. The scenario can get further complicated when there is a Friends group assisting the library with fundraising activities. As well, there is a variety of options available to the library if the municipality accepts donations on behalf of the library and manages the issuing of donation receipts.

If a library plans to have an active fundraising program, it is suggested that libraries have their own charitable status, although it is not absolutely necessary. In making this decision, consider the level of donations activity and the types of fundraising in which the library will be involved. If the library has plans to apply to foundations and businesses for grants and sponsorships, the vast majority of these organizations require that the recipient organizations have charitable status as a standard requirement for consideration. Conversely, libraries and Friends groups that engage in book sales would not need charitable status if this is the only kind of fundraising it does.
 
Be mindful of the administrative requirements for charitable status. If you only issue a few receipts in a year, it may not be worth the effort. To assist you in decision-making, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has checklists posted in their Charities Directorate section. These checklists help charities consider issues such as receipting, filling out T3010 forms, keeping books and records, and maintaining their legal status.
 
There are a couple of situations where a library could get by without a charitable business number. The library can have donation receipts issued from the municipality on its behalf. If this is the practice used, libraries should monitor the process very closely. You want to ensure that donors to the library are adequately thanked for their support, and that is the library’s responsibility not the responsibility of the municipality. If there is a lot of donation activity, libraries should consider managing the donation process themselves, which will mean applying to Canada Revenue Agency for charitable status.
 
Also note that not every donation requires a charitable receipt. Money generated from book sales is not ‘receiptable’, although some donations toward the book sale (donated books, or other gifts in kind) could be considered donations depending on your policies on gift acceptance. If you hold an annual event like a golf tournament or a dinner dance, ticket sales are not ‘receiptable’ if the cost of the ticket is more or less equivalent to the fair market value of the event. So, if your annual fundraising is more along these lines, there is no real need for charitable status, and if a large cash donation were received, it is possible to flow the donation through the municipality so the donor will receive a charitable receipt.
 
Receipting can be a tricky issue. The easiest rule of thumb on this is that a receipt is only required when the donation is deemed a gift as defined by Revenue Canada: a voluntary transfer of property without valuable consideration to the donor. In other words, the gift is a philanthropic donation with no expectation of something in return. Charity Village has just launched an online course on receipting charitable gifts.
 
CRA takes anywhere from 6-10 months to process an application for charitable status. Be sure to consider this timeframe well in advance of issuing donation receipts. Many librarians have managed the application process themselves, often with the assistance of a lawyer or accountant. CRA Charities Division has an excellent support service to answer any questions which might arise while completing the application.
 
More on charitable status can be found at the Charities Directorate - Canada Revenue Agency website. CharityVillage also has an excellent guide to starting a nonprofit and applying for charitable status.
 
The Voluntary Sector Knowledge Network has developed an outstanding resource for Friends groups looking at incorporation. Look for ‘Starting a Nonprofit Organization’.

6. INFORMATION SESSIONS FROM CANADA REVENUE AGENCY, CHARITIES DIRECTORATE

The Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency will be offering Charities Information Sessions (previously known as Roadshows) once again in 2008. In October, staff from the Charities Directorate will be visiting the Ontario communities of Hamilton, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Markham, Barrie, Peterboroough, Sault Ste Marie, Thunder Bay, London and Windsor and in November will visit Toronto, Mississauga, and Scarborough. Registration for these sessions opened on August 5th. These sessions are offered to all registered charities. This year, attendees will be provided with the following information:

• An overview of the Charities Directorate and the voluntary sector

• Annual filing requirements: The T3010

• Annual spending requirements: The disbursement quota

• Fundraising guidelines

• Gifting and receipting

• GST and registered charities

Private sessions for AGMs, training sessions, or special meetings may also be available if there is an information session being held in your area. The Charities Directorate is also looking for organizations to host public sessions. For more information, including to register for a session or to apply to host a session, visit http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/sssns/menu-eng.html. The URL for the Canada Revenue Agency is www.cra-arc.gc.ca.

7. EXCEL PROGRAM

Beginning this fall, there are two levels of EXCEL courses. The first level, now referred to as basic EXCEL, is the original program. The second level, called Advanced EXCEL, is a new program of study which builds on the knowledge and skills acquired through the basic EXCEL program, going into greater depth in a number of key areas. Registration information for both streams of EXCEL is included here.

Advanced EXCEL – Deadline is Monday, September 15, 2008

Advanced EXCEL consists of thirteen courses delivered online with the support of a tutor. Each course consists of three modules with an assignment per module and an exam for the course. Assignments are based on practical applications to test the principles of the course in students’ own work situations. They are graded either Fail, Pass, or Pass with Distinction.

To receive the Advanced EXCEL certificate, students must have their basic EXCEL Certificate in Managing a Small Public Library (or other library qualifications such as a Library Techniques diploma or MLS/MLIS) and must complete six Advanced EXCEL courses within a four year period, including three mandatory courses: A31 - Government Documents and Services or A32 - Electronic Databases in the Public Library; A33 - Developing a Collection Plan and A34 - Policy Writing. Individuals not interested in pursuing the Advanced EXCEL certificate may take individual courses of interest to them.

Courses are offered over two semesters – Fall (October-November) and Winter (February-March). All courses will be offered at least once every two years with some courses offered more frequently. For the Fall of 2008, we will be offering the following five Advanced EXCEL courses:

• Course A31 – Government Documents and Services  

• Course A32 – Electronic Databases in the Public Library

• Course A35 – MARC Records: An Overview for Public Libraries

• Course A37 – Services to Children (for those who have not taken the basic EXCEL children’s course within the last 5 years)

• Course A39 – Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library (an abridged version of the course offered in the basic EXCEL stream)

Registration for the first semester for the Advanced EXCEL program is now open. The registration deadline is Monday, September 15, 2008 at 5 p.m., with the semester commencing Monday, October 6, 2008. The registration fee per course is $85 plus GST.

Further information, as well as a registration form, is posted on the SOLS website.  The contact person for the EXCEL programs is Peggy Malcolm who can be reached at  or toll-free at 1-866-380-9767.

8. SOLS FALL 2008 Training Workshops – Registration now open

The Fall Training brochure (.pdf) is posted on the SOLS website.  This publication was also distributed in print to each public library in southern Ontario. This fall, we are offering webinars on NetLibrary’s eBooks and eAudiobooks, and are providing another opportunity to become familiar with EBSCO’s Canadian Reference Centre. Helene Golden will offer a new webinar called Core Collection of On-line Reference Tools. We are also offering regular workshops for library staff at all levels, in addition to some sessions of interest to board trustees.

The first workshop being offered by SOLS this fall is a Policy Development Workshop for Trustees and CEOs. Ensuring that the library has policies in place is one of the primary responsibilities of library boards and CEOs. Policies are fundamental to the good governance and operations of libraries. The Ontario Public Library Guidelines includes a mandatory guideline that requires library to have a process in place to develop and formally adopt written policies and further requires library to have policies in eight mandatory areas. The purpose of this full day workshop is to provide information on how to lead your Board’s policy development work. You will learn about different types of policies, the development process and the elements and format of a good policy, through case studies, exercises and discussion. 

These workshops will be offered on Saturdays in the following locations.

Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Gravenhurst Public Library
Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Pembroke Public Library
 
Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Quinte West Public Library - Trenton branch
Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Rideau Lakes Public Library - Elgin branch
Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Aurora Public Library
 
Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Grand Valley Public Library
Saturday, October 4, 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm, Cavan-Monaghan Public Library - Bruce Johnston branch

This workshop will also be offered in French as “Atelier sur l’élaboration de politiques – La gouvernance et la prestation du service de bibliothèque doivent reposer sur des assises solides”  on Saturday, September 27^th at the old city hall in Clarence Creek.  

For additional information, and to register, visit the Training section of the SOLS website. Please note that any correspondence regarding SOLS training should be sent by e-mail to   and should use the mailing address for SOLS Toronto (111 Peter St., Suite 902, Toronto, ON  M5V 2H1) and not our older Billings Bridge PO in Ottawa.

9. SOLS WEBSITE UPDATE – RSS FEED -

Invitation to all library staff members to subscribe

The main page of the SOLS website has three sections. On the left is a navigation bar to take you to the various services and programs offered by SOLS. In the middle, there are highlights of SOLS News. In this section, there are reminders about training events, information on new initiatives and notifications of changes to our services. On the right side of the main SOLS webpage, there are highlights of Library News from across the province, and various spots across the country and the USA which might be of interest to public libraries in Ontario. 

To help you to keep up with the vast array of information, all of the News sections are linked to an RSS 2.0 feed. RSS is a web site news feed. (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, both the "SOLS News" and "Library News" on the main page are available in RSS at SOLS.

Subscribing to our RSS page is a simple way for each individual staff member at your library to keep up to date on events at SOLS, and events of interest to public libraries in general.

To subscribe to our feed: Your method of subscribing will depend on your browser, so it is important to read the instructions on our home page by clicking on “What is RSS?”. If your browser has a built in RSS feed reader, click on the orange RSS button to preview the feed and subscribe to it. A window will appear with instructions as to how to subscribe. For example, if you have Internet Explorer as a browser and you have subscribed to our feed, as above, your feed will be recorded on your browser. You may already be looking at your Favorites or your browsing ‘History’ in this manner. Simply find the stars on the left hand side of the lower command bar on your browser. When you click on the big star, you see a window with three headers. The ‘Feeds’ header is where the link to the SOLS RSS feed and others you may want to subscribe to will appear.

10. TD SUMMER READING CLUB

a) Theme selected for summer 2009

The new theme for the 2009 TD Summer Reading Club program is Detectives which won out over the other two choices by a huge majority.

b) TD Summer Reading Club Evaluation and Statistics Form for 2008

Each library is asked to complete the Evaluation and Statistics form for the 2008 TD Summer Reading Club. A print copy of the form is found in the Forms Section of the print Staff Manual and on the www.td-club-td.ca web site. This information needs to be entered into the designated website for Decima Research (they are collecting the data again this year). Decima Research has provided each library with a designated URL address to be used for this purpose. The due date for sending in the form is September 25^th.

c)   Library Awards from summer 2007

In 2007, Library and Archives Canada announced a series of awards to recognize Canadian libraries that participate in the TD Summer Reading Club and have made a special effort to promote reading and literacy among young people. Called the TD Summer Reading Club Library Award, the English and French award celebrates Canadian libraries that have reached out and found ways to engage young people in the TD Summer Reading Club, and devised creative activities to help them strengthen their literacy skills.

Several public libraries in Ontario placed very well when the awards were given at the beginning of August 2007. Four prizes were given out, a first and second prize in both English and French. First prize winners in each language receive $5,000, and second prize winners receive $2,000. The first prize English award goes to the Springfield Branch of the Elgin County Library and second prize to the Garden River First Nation Public Library in Garden River, both in Ontario. Honourable mentions were given to four libraries including the Orillia and Essa Public Libraries in Ontario. Special commendations were also given to the Stratford Public Library, Thorold Public Library, Cochrane Public Library and Innisfil Public Library, all in Ontario.

11. SOLS STAFF CHANGE

Nancy McPherson, who had looked after training registration and organizing of our events, has resigned from SOLS to spend time with her family. With over 11 years at SOLS, she has been a greatly valued member of the SOLS family. The professionalism she has always exhibited will be sorely missed by all of us as well as by all our libraries. Our best wishes for the future go out to her.

12. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

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

• On Tuesday, August 19^th, Brenda Lewis sent a message concerning the COOL offer for Britannica products. More information appeared earlier in this edition of Signal.

• On Tuesday, August 19^th, Laurey Gillies forwarded a message on behalf of the Woodstock Public Library Board in their search for a new Library CEO. Suitable candidates for this position need to have a Masters Degree in Library Science combined with 10+ years progressive experience to a management level in a public or educational library environment. Replies were to be sent to Steve Hayhurst at Hayhurst Consulting by email at steve@hayhurstconsulting.com or by fax at 519-660-8563.

• On Wednesday, August 20^th, Karen Thistle from OLS-North sent a message regarding marketing services being offered to all Ontario public libraries by staff at OLS-North. The message included embedded samples of posters and flyers, in English and French, which had been completed by OLS-North staff for Ontario libraries. For further information, contact the Ontario Library Service-North office in Sudbury by telephone. 705-675-6467 extension 507 or by e-mail to marketing@olsn.ca.

• On Tuesday, September 2^nd, Brenda Lewis sent a message concerning the renewal of the CPA with Brodart. More information appeared earlier in this edition of Signal.

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