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SIGNAL onlineArchivesJuly 2, 2008Published 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 1. $15 MILLION INVESTMENT FROM MINISTRY OF CULTUREA slightly modified copy of this message was distributed to all SOLSCEOs on June 17, 2008 by Sue Walls on behalf of Leanne Clendening and Laurey Gillies. In that message, a draft copy of the Powerpoint presentation to be used in the consultation was included but the presentation is also posted on the SOLS website. Ontario Library Service North and Southern Ontario Library Service would like to invite you to participate in consultations regarding the $15 million dollar provincial investment in libraries. This spring the Government of Ontario announced a fourth quarter investment to help the OLS agencies to 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”. Late in May, the agencies received more detail on the objectives of this investment. The agencies met on June 6th to discuss the approach we would take in this collaborative effort including a consultation process, the Ministry’s objectives, funding parameters and timelines. On June 16th, we met with the Ministry to share the details of our approach. We are now in a position to begin the consultation process. We will meet first with public library representatives from across the province, and then we will meet individually with other key organizations. Following these consultations, we will share with you what we heard, work on program guidelines and develop an advisory structure with representatives from libraries participating in program implementation. The draft slide presentation to be used for the consultation outlines the Ministry’s objectives for the funding, the Funding Parameters and the OLS agencies guiding principles for the funding. We would ask that you review the slides and consider the following questions to prepare for the meeting:
A complete list of the consultations, as well as maps to each of the libraries, is posted on the main SOLS page. Those being held in southern Ontario are as follows:
We are tentatively planning to hold teleconference meetings on Thursday,
August 7, 2008 and Tuesday, August 12, 2008 for those unable to attend or send a
delegate to any of the scheduled meetings. 2. SOLS HOLIDAY CLOSURESWith summer comes a few more holidays and the resulting adjustments to SOLS office hours and delivery service. The SOLS offices will be closed for the Civic Holiday on Monday, August 4, 2008 and for the Labour Day Holiday on Monday, September 1, 2008. The SOLS delivery routes will not operate on those days. For the Civic Holiday and the Labour Day Holiday, special arrangements are made for libraries receiving delivery only on Mondays. These arrangements are indicated on the individual route schedules which are posted on the “Delivery Service” section of the SOLS website. 3. Resource information for grant research and proposal writingThis spring, SOLS held a series of fundraising workshops on the topic of grant
research and proposal writing. This workshop, led by Rob Lavery, featured a
number of current resources. SOLS maintains a “Funding Development” section
within the Clearinghouse of Professional Information. After the workshops, the
“Grant research and proposal writing”
sub-section section of the SOLS Clearinghouse was updated to reflect the recent
additions. The listing of resources is posted on SOLS
website.
4. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIESa) Ontario Trillium Foundation - Next deadline is November 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. b) LSDF grantsThe 2007/08 LSDF grant recipients have been announced. Eighteen libraries or
library organizations are receiving $578,016 through the program. The fund
strategically invests in projects that enhance the provincial library system as
a whole or serve as models for other libraries. Grants support a wide range of
initiatives that contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of our
communities, and help Ontarians develop the creativity, knowledge and skills
they need to succeed in Ontario’s new innovative economy. Should you wish to
participate another year, a letter announcing the LSDF program for the next year
is usually sent to libraries sometime in the summer months. The announcement is
also posted on the SOLS website, and distributed through the SOLSCEO listserv.
5. Growing Interest in APLL (Advancing Public lIbrary Leadership) INSTITUTEWhile registration for the Advancing Public Library Leadership (APLL) Institute does not open until Monday, July 21st, some libraries have already committed to registering up and coming leaders in the two year certificate program being offered through SOLS. When asked what it is about the program that appeals, and why she has decided to enroll two staff, Middlesex County CEO Marg Rule commented that the curriculum and combination of online with some onsite participation makes it an attractive and timely way to develop the management skills of two recently hired librarians. To date, four libraries and one individual have expressed their intent to register for the APLL Institute, with many others expressing interest. Those who register for this first cycle of the program get the benefit of a significantly reduced registration fee, thanks to the LSDF grant from the Ministry of Culture. The grant has made it possible for SOLS to reduce the fees from $3,600 to $2,400 plus GST. For more information about the APLL Institute, see the “Training” section of the SOLS website. 6. EXCEL PROGRAM –Registration for fall now open Beginning in 2008, there will be 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. a) EXCELRegistration for the Fall 2008 semester for EXCEL opened on Monday, June 30,
2008. The registration deadline, with no exceptions, will be 5 pm on Tuesday,
September 2, 2008. The first regular contact section for the semester will begin
during the week of September 22nd.
We are offering the following courses, in French, for the Fall 2008 semester:
b) Advanced EXCELAdvanced 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:
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. 7. SOLS FALL 2008 Training Workshops –Registration opens Monday August 11, 2008 The
Fall Training brochure
(.pdf) has now been posted on the SOLS website.
This publication will also be distributed in print to each public library in
southern Ontario. In addition to webinar and workshop information, the brochure
includes information on Advanced EXCEL and the Advancing Public Library
Leadership (APLL) Institute.
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 27th at the
old city hall in Clarence Creek. 8. Clearinghouse of Professional InformationOLS-North and SOLS have a joint Clearinghouse of Professional Information with ongoing enhancements and updates. In June 2008, there was a request for information on the OLSLIB listserv for procedures on how they train their shelvers. The staff at the Aurora Public Library were more than willing to share their training manual, but could not do so through the listserv as attachments are not allowed. We updated the “Training” section of our Clearinghouse to include a sub-section called “Stack maintenance 101” and posted a copy of the Aurora Public Library manual at that page. Stack Maintenance 101
9. TERMINOLOGY QUESTION OF THE MONTH– PSAB, MPMP, FIR, MIDAS….A number of libraries have asked for further clarification on some of the new terminology in the library world including – PSAB, MPMP, FIR and MIDAS. With this short section, some clarification and context for these terms will be provided. PSAB stands for the Public Sector Accounting Board of the CICA (Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants). This body sets the financial reporting standards and generally accepted accounting principles for governments. These standards and principles are laid out in the CICA – Public Sector Accounting Handbook. Over the years, however, there was a growing divergence between the financial reporting practices of local public bodies in Ontario and the “generally accepted accounting principles” (GAAP) recommended by the CICA. As a result, many have moved over to using PSAB standards in accounting practices, or plan to move in the near future. There are a number of changes in the way that financial reporting is done, but one of the differences is the way that municipalities record tangible capital assets in the financial statements. While the municipalities will likely provide some guidance, information on the reporting of tangible capital assets is available through the PSAB website. MPMP stands for Municipal Performance Measurement Program (MPMP). For the past few years, public libraries have been required to report certain pieces of information in the area of library uses to their municipality to use with their Financial Information Return (FIR). This request usually comes to the library just after the completion of the Annual Survey and is based on data submitted to the Ministry of Culture in the previous year’s Annual Survey of Public Libraries. Information is also collected on revenue received from contracting municipalities as reported to the Ministry of Culture. Specific pages have been created to assist public libraries with the completion of the MPMP. There are “tabs” in the Excel spreadsheet for libraries in a single tier or lower-tier municipality, for an upper-tier library and for a union public library. In the 2009 reporting year, municipalities will begin reporting tangible capital assets as assets and amortization as an expense in the Financial Information Return (FIR). With this change, the efficiency measures within MPMP will be based on total expenses. The MPMP Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from municipalities and their organizations, is working with the Ministry to develop MPMP efficiency measures that benefit from the move to accrual accounting. In working with the municipality, you may hear the term MIDAS. MIDAS, short for Municipal Information Data and Analysis System, was developed through a partnership between AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) and the ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. MIDAS is password-protected, but is used by municipalities to access MPMP results and FIR data, and enables them to compare results to other municipalities and to analyze MPMP results. 10. SOLS CEO LISTSERVSOLS 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:
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
11. SOLS Board Summary - June 2008New Board Members - The June 13/14, 2008 meeting was the
inaugural meeting of the new Board. SOLS’ Board is composed of fifteen trustees
elected from our client libraries through the Trustee Councils (TC) and five
ministerial nominees. The Board serves for a four year term. We were pleased to
welcome the following new members to the Board:
The following Board members continue their affiliation with SOLS:
SOLS Chair and Vice-Chair - With the retirement of Jim Neill from SOLS’
Board, Vice-Chair Brenda Carrigan has assumed the position of Chair pending
elections at the next Board meeting. George Hodgkinson was appointed interim
Acting Vice-Chair for the same period.
SOLS and OLSN are embarking on a consultation process with client libraries and
other key library organizations. There will be five regional meetings in each of
the OLS areas between July 17th and 31st plus teleconferences early in August
for those unable to attend one of the meetings. We will also organize meetings
with key library organizations to receive their input. Invitations to the
consultations have recently been sent. We hope you will participate.
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