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Issued October 2, 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. COOL - eAudiobooks now part of the COOL shared ebook collection
2. VDX: Using Patron empowered interlibrary loan
3. CAPITAL CAMPAIGN RESOURCES – Now available in the SOLS Clearinghouse
4. FUNDING FROM THE ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION - Next deadline is Nov. 1, 2007
5. CEO SALARY SURVEY – Scheduled for Winter 2008
6. COLLECTION VALUATION
7. ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARY GUIDELINES – Pre-audits can be helpful in planning service
8. FALL 2007 TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS – Registration has opened
a) Highlight: "Essential Reference Skills and Using e-Reference Tools"
b) Webinars
c) Another training opportunity on Workplace Heath and Safety at the Barrie Public Library
9. FALL MEETINGS AND GATHERINGS
a) Library committee meetings
b) Trustee Council meetings
10. NEW CLEARINGHOUSE TOIPC - WEB 2.0 AND LIBRARY 2.0
11. ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FOR ONTARIO – Customer Service standards now in place
12. SOLS CEO LISTSERV

 

Monday, October 8, 2007 is Thanksgiving Monday and the SOLS delivery routes will not operate.

The SOLS office will also be closed on that day.

1. COOL - eAudiobooks now part of the COOL shared ebook collection

There are now 790 audiobook titles that are part of the COOL IV shared ebook collection. This past year, NetLibrary made it possible to acquire audiobooks for consortium shared collections. These are now available for libraries that participate in the collection and the titles are already circulating. The titles are available for a loan period of seven days with a maximum of three titles per patron. Individual titles can be renewed once. MARC records will soon be available just as in previous collections. Once they are, participating libraries will be informed.

A list of Questions and Answers (.pdf) are available on the SOLS website.

Web sessions (also known as webinars) have been scheduled and libraries are encouraged to sign up for them to learn more about the audiobooks. More information on the webinars is posted in the Training section of the SOLS website. Due to the very high demand, we have organized two extra NetLibrary audiobook webinars – Wednesday, October 31st at 1:30pm and Wednesday, November 14th at 1:30pm.

2. VDX: Using Patron empowered interlibrary loan

It is the era of do-it-yourself. Pump your own gas, automated banking machines and self checkout at grocery stores and libraries. It makes sense to extend the convenience of self-initiated interlibrary loan to those library patrons who would appreciate it. It is not for every patron. There will always be a demand for library staff to facilitate the interloan process, just as there are still bank tellers at counters in every bank.

The VDX interlibrary loan management software used by Ontario public libraries has the ability to extend the initiation of an ILL request from the public service desks and back workrooms in libraries to patrons. Using an end user interface to VDX, patrons can submit their own ILL requests from home, school, the office… anywhere at anytime.

Surveys indicate that patrons find the interface easy to use and appreciate being able to check the status of their requests at any time. They liked being notified by email when their item was available for pickup. They also felt they were getting items faster. A patron-initiated request is not delayed by up to 3.37 lag days of staff handling before entering the system.

The patron benefits are obvious. What is the impact on library staff? With patron’s placing their own requests into the system, will staff involvement in the interloan process trickle or triple?

Patrons tend to issue more requests, at least initially, with the novelty of convenient access to resources beyond your library. But can ILL department staff cope with an increased volume? Staff feedback in libraries currently offering the service suggests they did not experience a significant shift in their workload up or down. They were receiving and returning more items but patrons do the front end work in an ILL request life cycle, outweighing the increased volume. On top of that, it is possible to set a patron limit in the software to control volume.

Patron-initiated interloan has been implemented in fourteen libraries to date. Several more libraries are preparing to launch as part of their Public Library Week initiatives. Some libraries have a small set of patrons using it and others offer it to any interested patron. For those libraries with multiple branches, it is interesting to note that a few libraries have used a variation of this type of interloan. The system has been set up so that their branch staff can submit requests directly into the system on behalf of patrons using those branches, instead of mailing, faxing or emailing them to the centralized ILL location for input.

Offering this easy to use convenience to library patrons is a win-win for patrons and staff.

An online demo of the patron interface can be arranged by contacting Jill Pangborne, INFO Operations and HelpDesk at 1-877-532-2974 or send email to .

3. CAPITAL CAMPAIGN RESOURCES –

Now available in the SOLS Clearinghouse

A number of new resources have been added to the “Capital Campaigns” section of the Joint OLS-N/SOLS Clearinghouse. These resources are posted on SOLS Web site.

New library buildings and renovations are a hot topic around the province, with many libraries undertaking building projects and fundraising campaigns to support them. Two new articles have been added to the Clearinghouse.

In this subject area, one recent book worth noting is from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Nonprofit Essentials: The Capital Campaign, written by Julia Ingraham Walker, (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005. ISBN 0-471-68429-5) is the first volume in AFP's new series of books that introduces the guidelines to key fundraising topics. The book can be ordered from their website.

This title, and others on fundraising, marketing and volunteer management topics, can be found on the booklist which was mentioned in the last issue of Signal. This booklist is posted in the ‘Funding Development’ section of the Clearinghouse.

Libraries are doing a great job of posting information about their new library projects on their websites. Take a moment and look at the following examples:

4. FUNDING FROM THE ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION -

Next deadline is November 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, or even to boost specific library collections. Capital funding also supports accessibility renovations, the purchase of office equipment and musical instruments, and the installation of fuel-efficient furnaces. The next deadline is November 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 .

Trillium grants, announced August 1, 2007, include the following which are directed to libraries:

The Corporation of the Village of Westport -$35,000 over one year to enhance the ability of the Village of Westport Library to serve the community by expanding its holdings and improving building efficiency.

Township of Carlow/Mayo - $58,500 over one year for renovations to the Hermon Public Library in the local public school. A new accessible washroom and entrance will be built, enabling greater access and learning opportunities for over 770 township residents of all abilities.

Township of Stirling-Rawdon - $24,200 over one year toward an accessible entrance and new computers, software and books for the public library. These will improve library services for 4,500 residents of all abilities in Stirling-Rawdon.

Friends of Castleton Town Hall c/o Corporation of the Township of Cramahe - $13,700 over one year for restoration work at the historic Castleton Town Hall, which will help to ensure its preservation and increase its availability for use by the community. (library is located in building)

Township of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards - $6,000 over one year to expand Killaloe & District Public Library's collection of books, DVDs and resource material for all residents and local community groups, as well as to purchase equipment that will improve the newly renovated facility.

5. CEO SALARY SURVEY – Scheduled for Winter 2008

SOLS is planning to undertake another CEO salary survey, similar to the survey done in 2003. At that time, data was collected from libraries, but aggregated to maintain confidentiality. Library CEOs, boards, municipal HR staff, and independent HR consultants, found the results of the survey to be useful in determining the competitiveness of Library CEO compensation. A copy of the 2003 CEO salary survey is posted on the SOLS website.

Of course, four years later, the data is out of date, hence the need to undertake a new survey. Now that we have the base data from 2003, in addition to making 2007 data available, we can also identify trends over the four years, such as the relationship between salary increases and the rate of inflation. Before we begin the survey, we would like to know if there are pieces of information not contained in the 2003 survey that you would find useful. For further information, or to submit an idea, please contact Daryl Novak by telephone at 1-800-387-5765 (416-961-1669) ext. 5135 or by e-mail at . The deadline for the submission of ideas is the end of October.

6. COLLECTION VALUATION

A number of CEOs have asked if SOLS could provide a model for valuing collections. Some municipalities have required their local libraries to undertake this calculation and provided a required methodology; some have not communicated with their local library on the subject; and some have communicated with their local libraries requiring the task be completed, but without providing a methodology. This information will be of interest to the last group in this list.

There is, of course, the whole issue of whether collections should be valued and considered a balance sheet asset, just as it would skew the real financial picture of a library, similar to the way museums’ and galleries’ financial pictures would be skewed by the values of their collections. However, if you do need to put a value on collections, the following is a relatively straightforward method that was provided to SOLS by visiting library managers from Australia.

The method consists of amortizing the collection over seven years. Any item more than seven years old is worth nothing, any item bought in the current year is worth the average price of a book. In Ontario, the average value of a book is provided by the Library Services Centre on an annual basis, and is posted on the LSC website.

Libraries should be able to query the database for their library collection to verify the number of items that are a certain age. Items seven years old are worth 1/7th of the LSC average price, items six years old are worth 2/7th of the LSC average price, and so forth.

With respect to electronic products, most need not be valued. Databases are accessible through licenses and, in accounting theory, leased equipment, space, etc., are not considered assets. Libraries can hold title to e-books, so e-books (but not the annual maintenance fees) should be amortized using the same method as used for books. Pooled e-books, and for that matter, rotating pooled materials should not be considered assets, as they are owned as a group. Periodicals are not considered assets as they are time- sensitive and generally do not have a value beyond the year of acquisition.

If you would like to explore this further, please contact either Helene Golden at 1-877-532-2901,  or Daryl Novak at 1-800-387-5765 ext 5135,

 

7. ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARY GUIDELINES –

Pre-audits can be helpful in planning service

Interest in the Ontario Public Library Guidelines continues to grow. The Guidelines set out reasonable conditions for the governance and management of library service. In the past few months, SOLS consultants have completed pre-audits with Southgate, the Rockland branch of Clarence-Rockland, the Embrun Branch of Russell Township, Perth Union and Whitby. During the pre-audit process, the consultant works with the CEO to evaluate the library against the complete set of guidelines and then assists the CEO and Board with the development of a workplan that addresses the areas where the library falls short. Some libraries find they are ready to pursue accreditation by completing work on just a few policies while other boards commit to a multi-year plan to bring the library in line with the Guidelines. Since the Guidelines were introduced in 1995, 25 libraries have been accredited by the Ontario Public Library Guidelines Council.

Background information, as well as a link to the published Ontario Public Library Guidelines, can be found on the SOLS website.

Please note that the Guidelines have been written by a Guidelines Council, made up of Ontario librarians. The Guidelines Council is currently working on a fourth edition which should be ready later this fall. This new edition is similar to the previous ones, but updates some of the wording to better reflect the current terminology and technology. More information on the release date will appear in upcoming editions of Signal.

 

8. FALL 2007 TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS –

Workshops are filling up

This fall, SOLS will be offering some exceptional training opportunities for library staff. A copy of the publicity document on the SOLS website has also been posted in pdf format. Information for each of the workshops, as well as the online registration forms, is now available in the training section of the SOLS website.

Several of the webinars and workshops are now full, so if you are thinking of registering for a specific workshop, it would be wise to send in your registration as soon as possible.  These webinars and workshops are full, with waiting lists:

  • Tricks and Tips for optimizing the use of Thomson Gale databases – on Monday, October 9th
  • The Canadian Reference Centre from EBSCO – on Tuesday, October 16th
  • Make Literature Come Alive for Children with Rob Reid – Waterloo Inn location on Friday, October 19th
  • Reading Trends with Sharron Smith – Uxbridge location on Friday, October 5th and Brant County location Friday, November 2nd
  • Essential Reference Skills and Using e-Reference Tools – Innisfil on Thursday, November 22nd

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.

a) Highlight: "Essential Reference Skills and Using e-Reference Tools"

SOLS is offering a half-day workshop to provide an overview of the reference process, as well as to provide an opportunity to learn when and how to use e-reference tools to find information. The focus will be on readily available resources, including the Thomson Gale databases and the Canadian Reference Centre from Ebsco, both available free through the Knowledge Ontario licenses, and the netLibrary collection of e-books and audiobooks made available free to small libraries through SOLS. Participants will learn the distinction between the various types of e-reference tools and to identify the types of questions that are best answered by e-reference resources. Our co-presenters, Laura Pallister and Anthony Petryk, are from the Kingston Frontenac Public Library.

These workshops are being held in computer labs in order to provide hands-on training. Space is limited to two staff per library, but we will take names on a waiting list and closer to the date, will advise if there are vacancies at a specific location. There is still space at the following workshops: Peterborough Public Library (Tuesday, November 6, 2007 from12 noon to 4pm), Pembroke Public Library (Thursday, November 8, 2007 from 12 noon to 4pm), London Public Library – Central (Thursday, November 15, 2007 from 12 noon to 4pm) and the Isabel Turner Branch of Kingston Frontenac Public Library (Thursday, November 29, 2007 from 12 noon to 4pm). As mentioned earlier, the workshop being held at the Lakeshore Branch of the Innisfil Public Library on Thursday, November 22, 2007 is full but we have added another workshop time at this location. The new workshop is being held on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 from 12 noon to 4pm.

b) Webinars

Continuing from our spring Webinars on e-resources, this fall, we will be offering additional training on Thomson Gale, EBSCO, and NetLibrary products to help libraries make the most of electronic resources. The remaining webinars are a Thomson Gale webinar covering tricks and tips for optimizing the use of Thomson Gale databases, to be held on Tuesday, October 9th and a webinar on the Canadian Reference Centre product (from EBSCO) to be held on Tuesday, October 16th.

In the NetLibrary webinar, staff will be introduced to the audiobook products which are now available through the same NetLibrary system as the ebook collection of which many of you are now familiar. The remaining NetLibrary audiobook webinars are scheduled for Wednesday, October 31st at 1:30pm and Wednesday, November 14th at 1:30pm. Information is posted in the Training section of the SOLS website.

c) Another training opportunity on Workplace Heath and Safety at the Barrie Public Library

The staff at the Barrie Public Library has organized a seminar on Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act. This informative session will be presented by the Barrie Library Board's lawyer, Paul Wearing, B.A.,M.P.A., LLB.. Paul Wearing practices employment and labour law, providing proactive practical solutions to employers. Paul helps his clients succeed by ensuring they have the best choices in managing employer/employee relationships. The briefing will provide an overview of compliance requirements for employers and a discussion of the concept of due diligence defences to prosecutions, as well as the significance of amendments to Canada's Criminal Code extending criminal liability for workplace injuries.

The workshop will be held on Monday, October 15th from 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. in the Angus Ross Room at the Barrie Public Library. There is no fee for this session but you must register. Registration by phone begins Monday, October 1st by calling the library at 705-728-1010 and selecting the program registration option, then the Workplace Health and Safety option. You can also register any time by email to adorsey@barrie.ca Please provide your name, telephone number and the number of people that will be attending.

9. FALL MEETINGS AND GATHERINGS

a) Library Committee Meetings

Library Committee meetings are held three times a year in eight areas. The meeting is a half-day and, twice a year, 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.

This fall, the meetings will be held as follows:

  • Monday, October 1, 2007 – Saugeen – Grand Valley
  • Monday, October 1, 2007 – Tri-County – Belleville
  • Tuesday, October 2, 2007 – Lanark – Carleton Place
  • Wednesday, October 3, 2007 – Leeds & Grenville – Leeds and the 1000 Islands, Lyndhurst branch
  • Thursday, October 4, 2007 – Renfrew – Petawawa
  • Thursday, October 4, 2007 – Simcoe & Muskoka – Essa, Thornton branch
  • Monday, October 15, 2007 – Peterborough – Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield, Lakefield branch
  • Monday, October 22, 2007 – Prescott-Russell/Comité des services en français – Russell, Embrun branch/succursale d’Embrun

At the Library Committee meetings, there will be an information clinic called “Web 2.0, Library 2.0, and Social Software”. In this clinic, time will be spent talking about the flurry, or could that be flood, of changes in the way people and libraries are using the Internet. The intent is that library staff will become familiar with some of the new technologies, and then be able to decide what might or might not work in a local library. Trends in Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and social networking initiatives will be covered. There is even a little bit of homework, as, before the clinic, it would be helpful to have read Walt Crawford’s article on the issue of Library 2.0 (.pdf) . Registration information for the meetings and clinics is posted on the SOLS website.

b) Trustee Council meetings

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 and Meetings” .

The information about the upcoming meetings will be distribution to the appointed Trustee Council representative, or where a representative has not been appointed, to the Library CEO.  Once the registration materials become available, please remember to register, so that we can plan for the appropriate number for each meeting.  The meetings will be held as follows. For those in Trustee Council #6, please note the new location. 

Saturday, November 3, 2007 – TC#1 – Brant County, Burford branch, 10am to 1pm
Saturday, November 3, 2007 – TC#4 – Barrie, 10am to 1pm
Saturday, November 3, 2007 – TC#5 – Whitchurch-Stouffville – new location – 9:30am – 12:30pm
Saturday, November 3, 2007 – TC#6 – Kingston-Frontenac, Isabel Turner branch, 10am to 1pm
Saturday, November 3, 2007 – TC #7 – location to be confirmed, 10am to 1pm
Saturday, November 3, 2007 – TC #8 – Perth & District Union, 11am to 2pm
Monday, November 5, 2007 – TC #3 – Hanover, 6pm to 9pm
Saturday, November 10, 2007 – Escarpment (TC#2) – Niagara Falls, MacBain Community Centre branch, 10am to 1pm

10. NEW CLEARINGHOUSE TOPIC - WEB 2.0 AND LIBRARY 2.0

Work on the Joint OLS-North/SOLS Clearinghouse of Professional Information continues with ongoing enhancements and updates.  Following the recent Library Committee clinics, and a number of specific requests, we have added a new topic to our Clearinghouse to provide links to Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 related topics.  

Want to learn more about Web 2.0? Have a look at our new Clearinghouse page, which focuses on the impact of these technologies on libraries.  We’ve also included some screencasts (essentially short “videos”) on blogs and wikis, RSS and Podcasts, Social Networking, and Tagging. Please visit http://www.sols.org/links/clearinghouse/technology/web2point0.htm for more information. 

Also remember to subscribe to our RSS feeds. These feeds are linked to information that has been posted to the main SOLS page at www.sols.org. For further information on RSS, please select the small orange RSS box in the middle of the main SOLS page.

 

11. ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FOR ONTARIO –

Customer Service standards now in place

As reported in the July issue of Signal, work is continuing on the new Accessibility Standards for Ontario, including those for the built environment and transportation. It is very important, however, to note that Ontario’s accessible Customer Service Standard is now the law and that it comes into force on January 1st, 2008. These are the first in a series of standards that will help lead to a fully accessible Ontario by 2025.

Businesses and organizations that provide goods or services to people in Ontario are now legally required to make their customer services operations accessible to people with disabilities. This will be done by identifying and removing barriers to customer service in such areas as operational practices, policies and procedures, communications and staff training.

The legal requirements of the standard are set out in two Ontario Regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005:

The standard is based on the recommendations of the Accessible Customer Service Standards Development Committee, whose membership included people with disabilities or their representatives and people from the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Further information on the requirements, including a list of what organizations must do to comply with the new standards, is posted on the website for the Ministry of Community and Social Services. SOLS is hoping to organize a series of spring workshops on this topic.

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 September 24th, Sue Walls posted a notice on behalf of the Pembroke Public Library, that their Public Library Board is seeking candidates for the position of Chief Executive Officer. Further information about the position is posted in the Library news section of the library’s web site. The competition closes on October 15th.
  • On September 14th, Daryl Novak sent a message about Collection Valuation. Further information is posted 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

 
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