July 1999
New Standards For Libraries
by Parry Teasdale, NYSALB President
A state assemblyman recently asked library advocates: Is "the system" broken? What he wanted was a statement of the fundamental problem facing libraries today... other than a chronic shortage of money. But by asking about THE system (he wasn't referring to a specific library system), he assumed there is a consistency to library service statewide. That faulty assumption is worth exploring.
Test scores recently confirmed that even though the state requires a certain standard of education, some schools do a good job of educating kids while others are failing abysmally. Unlike schools, libraries are subject to very few uniform state guidelines. But as with schools, the quality of library service varies radically from one community to the next. So in that sense, something IS broken.
What can we do about it? The Regents have decided the remedy for schools is to hold all students to higher standards. Their approach toward libraries is still being formulated. Last year the Regents appointed a temporary Commission on Library Services to recommend changes leading to improved and more equitable library service for all New Yorkers. Its final report is due next year.
Some of the commission members are library professionals, but several members were surprised to learn that New York State does not mandate library service. These members must also have been amazed at our patchwork quilt of library types: special district, school district, municipal and association, each funded in a slightly different manner. Perhaps the only characteristic shared by all public libraries statewide is that each is governed by trustees.
And that's where any proposal for change must start--with trustees. If, for instance, the recommendations include a proposal for a major redrawing of chartered service areas, trustees must be involved in those decisions. If there is serious effort to establish a statewide requirement for public library service complete with new, higher standards, that effort, too, begins with trustee involvement.
Some trustees undoubtedly will be left in the dust as this process unfolds. The clueless ones will be those who think their responsibilities begin and end with attendance at library board meetings and who don't understand that if new standards are set for library service, that will automatically establish new standards for trusteeship.
One way to help trustees get involved in the process of determining new standards for library service is for the state Division of Library Development to renew its financial and technical support for trustee education, a commitment that lapsed a decade ago. State officials have been generous with their time, but that's not enough anymore. The stakes are too high, the cost of failure too great.
The challenge doesn't lie in fixing a broken "system," it lies in designing a system that will raise the standard of library service for all citizens. The commission must describe practical, coherent steps that support growth and change without undermining the principle of local control. As the commission deliberates, the demand for library services is increasing, the commercial competition is growing and the chasm between communities with good library service and those where service is poor widens relentlessly. The commission has its work cut out for it. But so do all of us who serve as trustees.
Back to Top
Library Circuit
The Monroe Free Library
Monroe, NY
When visiting Monroe, NY, stop in to see the Monroe Free Library on Millpond Parkway. The third largest and busiest library in Orange County, the Monroe Free Library is an Association Library funded by its service population. One of the few libraries in the state to take advantage of recently legislated public law #414, the library’s trustees are permitted to put their budget on the general election ballot each November.
The library has changed its location a number of times since its founding in 1908. It has also gone through a number of construction additions since moving into the Millpond Parkway site in 1960. The population of Orange County has grown tremendously and will probably mean that a building program will have to be considered in the near future.
The Monroe Free Library has 11,832 registered borrowers, holdings of 47,906 and a yearly circulation of 108,885. It serves a population of approximately 23,000 residents. Librarians answer an average of 892 reference questions a month. In addition to regular in-library programming, the Monroe Free Library board is committed to an extensive outreach program which reaches into both area preschools and local schools. The library is already set up with two Internet stations for which basic workshops are offered to the public. The library has a strong and growing local history section and recently initiated a books-on-tape and video collection. The Monroe Free Library is a member of the Ramapo-Catskill Library System.
Back to Top
Is Your Library A Culture Source?
by Edwin M. Field, NYSALB Director, TRUSTEE Editor
We have a serious identity problem! Your library and your library system possibly share the very same difficulty and apparently the roots of the problem run deep. It’s not simply about library users but a “people attitude” which reaches into all segments of our community. In this instance, attitude and understanding about the library’s position in one’s community has actually affected a funding source which for the vast majority of libraries provides a portion of its operational life blood.
Here is how the problem was discovered. All of the libraries in one particular New York State county have wisely gotten together in order to jointly seek additional outside funding. A simple concept: “In union there is strength.” All of the money raised by the organization is used to install new computer equipment and to add to and improve the existing electronic doorway access capabilities of each of the county’s libraries.
As part of the effort to secure funding, the group applied for an EDAP grant. The grant money is funneled to the county from the state. It was properly applied for in a timely fashion and subsequently the organization was turned down as a recipient. Membership of the all-county library organization requested an explanation for the denial. In response, two members of the county’s administrative staff attended a meeting to provide the explanation.
There was, the county representatives pointed out, grant criteria. It appears that one of the main reasons for grant refusal and the drawback affecting libraries (in the eyes of the county representatives) was the inability of libraries to serve as a “cultural attraction.” The library organization’s application was denied, according to the county representatives, because it did not meet this eligibility criteria. “Libraries,” also pointed out the county representatives, “will not create a tourist attraction.”
Apparently we have failed! We have neglected to clearly explain to the people and the elected representatives in our communities the continuing cultural opportunities available in our libraries year round. We have not alerted the residents in our communities and our elected representatives to the myriad of program offerings, learning options and other activities available in our libraries. These programs are not only structured for local residents but also for tourists who visit our communities. Lists of cultural happenings could be detailed on this page; however, as a trustee you know best the options and talking points offered by your hometown library.
Actually, it is not startling to learn that many believe that libraries are not cultural resources. As library trustees, in to many instances, we do not spend enough time or effort “blowing our own horn.” Some may feel that this is not necessary. The building with the big name plate “LIBRARY”should be sufficient notice of the options and opportunities within. The fact is a library must be treated like a business. We seek out customers (borrowers), look for funding (grants, governmental aid, etc.) and retell the library story (library marketing) to remain operationally viable. We must tell our story to the various community segments including elected representatives so that they fully understand the importance of libraries as a community asset, a cultural institution and a potential tourist site. Most important, the story must be told over and over and over again so that no one one can claim they are not aware of a library as a cultural institution.
Back to Top
Final Opportunity To Vote For Moore Award
Time is running out to place your Velma Moore nomination into consideration. August 15, 1999 is the very last day to turn your selection into the NYSALB office.
The lucky recipient of the award, which will be presented at the NYLA/NYSALB fall conference, will receive $750.00 to donate to the library or library service of his or her choice. In addition, the winner will receive a specially designed glass-stand plaque plus the plaudits of the assembled trustees and a write-up in the TRUSTEE newsletter.
Any individual or group of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the development of library service in New York State is eligible. Nominees may be trustees, library boards, library professionals or any group of library supporters.
A name placed in nomination plus a letter describing the reasons for your selection is all it takes to get the Velma Moore Award ball rolling. Make your nomination today!
Back to Top
The e-books Are Here
A great many library trustees have a working familiarity with the concept of books on line. The process has been around for awhile. In fact, great books such as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and the writings of renowned poets and others are already available in the public domain section of the web. It requires only an interest in viewing the book’s content and downloading.
A new online service opens up additional possibilities. The company launching the new endeavor is called netLibrary. netLibrary recently began active operation and has approximately 2000 digital books that can be “checked out” for a two-week time span. More titles are being added daily. To start with, however, the company’s target is supplying reference, scholarly and professional e-books. Required to use the new service is a connection with a library that has purchased netLibrary’s service or membership purchase by an individual for his or her own use. In addition, netLibrary software, provided at no charge to its customers, must also be used to access the e-books. At this time, the software can only be used by those having a PC running Windows. When an e-book is borrowed from a library’s virtual shelf, like a hardcover book, it is not available to any other borrower until returned.
Here is how the system works. netLibrary first makes arrangements with a publisher for the rights to market a particular book title. The book hard copy is converted to a proprietary format. This information is stored on the netLibrary server. Converted to html, it can now be viewed by a browser or downloaded using the proper software by the borrower.
Copyright for authors of the books available online is protected through a software system that prohibits users from making copies. At this time, netLibrary has arrangements with about two dozen publishers. (EMF)
Back to Top
1999 NYSALB Trustee Institute
Presenters
Malcolm K. Hill
Donna Meixner
Constance M. Brace
Paul (Bill) Crumlish
Martin Gomez
Bill Taber
Parry Teasdale
Kenda James
160 trustees from 74 libraries and 18 library systems statewide participated in NYSALB’s recent Third Annual Trustee Institute. The program, held in Albany, NY on April 30 and May 1, played to a packed audience and was a resounding success. NYSALB directors were able to continue to fulfill one of their organization’s goals of providing educational opportunities to trustees of both large and small libraries. Library trustees attending the event were given a range of learning options to select from and provided with ample opportunities for networking with counterparts from libraries throughout New York State.
The Institute’s first program took place directly after dinner on Friday evening when trustees shared workable Library Success Stories of all types. One of the main objectives of the evening exercise was to provide trustees with a supply of new ideas with which to return to their home libraries.
Saturday morning trustees were able to select from four challenging programs. Two programs ran from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. and two from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Malcolm Hill, director of the Mid-York Library System, discussed the Duties and Responsibilities of Library Trustees focusing particularly on laws affecting libraries and trustees. Donna Meixner, Meixner Associates, Slingerland, NY, provided trustees attending her session with directions for developing and Using Focus Groups to Determine Patron Needs. Ms. Meixner runs a training company.
The next session offered trustees was a panel discussion that included Kenda James, Bill Taber and Parry Teasdale. The three presenters, all trustees of small libraries, discussed governance techniques for Making The Most of Your Small Library. Parry Teasdale is president of NYSALB and Bill Taber is a director of the orgasnization. Kenda James is president of SmartWorks Software Farms, a PR, software technology and marketing company.
Constance Brace, an associate partner in the architectural firm of Quinlivan Pierik & Krause, Syracuse, NY, offered trustees attending one of the final morning sessions a look into Library Space and Facility Planning. The program was an insight into the work that trustees must consider prior to making expansion and building decisions.
Paul (Bill) Crumlish and Martin Gomez concluded NYSALB’s Trustee Institute after lunch with a power point presentation on the plans and activities of The Regents Commission on Library Services. The presenters serve as vice co-chairs of the Regents Commission and were able to respond to a range of audience questions on the subject.
Back to Top
Gates Library Initiative
The Gates Library Initiative continues to take shape in New York State. Recent developments include the following:
· Address List and List of Building Grant Libraries: The Division of Library Development (DLD) submitted a revised list of addresses for public libraries and branches to the Gates Learning Foundation (GLF) in early May. The revisions focused on providing the most specific information possible to GLF, e.g., replacing P.O. Box numbers with street addresses. The revised address list includes the information GLF needs to develop the list of libraries eligible to apply for building grants through the Gates Library Initiative. GLF will provide DLD with the list of eligible libraries in July.
· Grant Writing Workshops: Libraries that are eligible to apply for building grants will be invited to attend one of seven grant writing workshops to be held the second week of October. The dates and general locations of the workshops are as follows: October 12 – Buffalo and New York City, October 13 – Syracuse and North Country, October 14 – South Central and Albany. There will also be a separate workshop for libraries with a Library Service Area (LSA) of 100,000 or more. This workshop will take place on October 15 in Albany. Specific sites for the seven workshops will be announced at a later time.
· Public Library System Workshop: Prior to the grant writing workshops, a workshop will be held for public library systems in order to prepare them to work with their member and/or branch libraries during the Gates Library Initiative. The Public Library System Workshop will be held on September 21-22 in Albany. The site for this workshop will also be announced later.
· Timetable: Libraries that submit successful applications for building grants to the Gates Learning Foundation will be announced at the end of November or early December. Training workshops will be held January-March in preparation for the implementation phase of the initiative, and additional training will take place during this phase. Implementation will begin April 1, 2000 and conclude March 31, 2001.
· Something for Everyone: All public libraries and branches in New York State are eligible to benefit from the Gates Library Initiative. Libraries that submit successful applications for building grants will receive hardware, software, telecommunications services for Internet access (but not ongoing connectivity), training, and technical assistance. Libraries not eligible to apply for building grants may receive partial grants. Partial grant libraries will receive software and some training, and they may purchase PCs at the grant price (although at their own expense).
· Staying Informed: The closest source of information about the Gates Library Initiative is your local public library system. As new information about the initiative becomes available, it will be posted on NYLINE and the New York State Library Website. The direct link to information about the Gates Library Initiative on the NYSL Website is: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/gateslib.
Back to Top
From The Desk Of The Committee Chair
Assemblywoman Naomi C. Matusow
Since my recent appointment as the Chair of the Assembly Libraries and Education Technology Committee, I have begun working with library trustees and librarians across the state to strengthen financial support for New York’s public and association libraries.
I hope to focus public attention on the crucial role libraries play in the educational, economic and social development of our communities. Together we can mobilize public support for increased and stabilized funding for libraries throughout New York. I want to develop a positive strategy with you to focus media attention on the contributions already being made by libraries, as well as the information technology challenges of the twenty-first century. The rapid growth of computer use represents a unique opportunity for libraries to offer innovative programs and services to patrons who would not otherwise enjoy access to such technology. The success of our school and communities depends upon well-supported and well-supplied libraries. I am certain you share with me belief that all New Yorkers should have first-class libraries in their communities.
I have recently visited several libraries to familiarize myself with facilities, programs and services being provided. I must admit to you that I was astonished and exhilarated by the breadth and depth of activity. It is the scope and value of library services that we must convey to the members of the general public. Once they grasp how essential library services are to our communities, they will become our strongest allies. There is no better way to increase public funding for libraries than to develop a grass-roots cadre of voters who will demand of their elected representatives a greater commitment of their tax dollars to the support of libraries.
I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with you to showcase the many programs and services our libraries offer at no charge. Through our joint efforts we can focus media attention on these activities through public events, such as a hearing at which well-known authors will speak about the importance of public libraries. I also propose to hold a series of forums around the state at which trustees and librarians can share information about their existing programs, and project future needs for keeping abreast of technological advances. The forums will also provide and opportunity for library professionals to develop ways to educate the public about the myriad benefits of library services, including the demonstrable economic advantages they provide to our communities.
I look forward to working with you to generate excitement for and increased support of our public libraries. Your experience and expertise are critical to the success of my proposal. Please send any comments or suggestions to my Albany office. The office phone number is (518) 455-5397; the FAX number is (518) 455-5041. I am eager to hear from you and work with you for this most essential goal.
Back to Top
Desch Appointment Announced
NYSALB congratulates Carol Ann Desch on her appointment as the New York State Library’s Coordinator of Statewide Library Services. Carol Ann, who regularly meets with the NYSALB board of trustees, will manage a team of 22 Library Development staff members and has responsibility for oversight of approximately $100 million in state and federal library grant programs. The team Carol leads works in partnership with New York State’s 74 library systems.
Carol has been a member of the Division of Library Development in various capacities since 1984. Prior to joining the Library Development team she worked at the Bethlehem Public Library, Delmar, NY. Carol is active in the American Library Association and the New York Library Association. She served as NYLA’s treasurer for five years and will be the chair of the State Library Agencies Section of the ALA’s Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies during 1999-2000.
Back to Top
Legislative Report:
Business As Usual!!!
By Kenneth Wilbur, NYSALB Trustee –Legislative Chair
Last year in Albany the budget process was changed and a budget was in place earlier than normal. This year it is back to “business as usual.” The leadership of New York State, the governor, majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, are controlling the budget process. This leadership has not been able to agree on the basic fundamental issue: how much money is available to spend in the fiscal year 1999-2000.
The library community cannot resolve this issue. The best we can do is to contact our senators and assemblypersons and urge them to take our concerns to their leadership. NYSALB is urging fellow trustees to keep the advocacy pressure on the folks in Albany to move for additional funding and programs for the libraries of New York State.
Once again individual bills will be introduced in the Assembly and Senate with the purpose of benefiting libraries. These legislative efforts and the basic funding in the budget need to be supported by every trustee. Our “business as usual” is to call, write and visit your representatives. Maybe we can get more $$$ for our libraries.
Back to Top
Welcome New NYSALB Trustees
The New York State Association of Library Boards welcomes three new trustees: Judy Rosen; Nancy Simaitis and Audrey J. Smith. “The new trustees,” according to Board President Parry Teasdale, “have already begun participating in the business of NYSALB -- actively advocating support of libraries and their programs; communicating with library trustees to inform them of issues affecting libraries; educating trustees about their role in the library and recognizing the accomplishments of library trustees.”
The new trustees include:
· (Completing the term of Dr. Thomas Shen) Judy Rosen is a board member of the Albany Public Library, Albany, NY. Appointed by Albany’s mayor in 1992, Judy has served on a variety of board committees prior to being elected board president in 1996. She is the first woman to hold this post since the library was established in 1833.
· (Elected to a 3 year term) Nancy Simaitis is president of the Waverly Free Library board, Waverly, NY. She is a former board member and president of the Finger Lakes Library System and a board member of the South Central Research Library Council. She serves as a delegate to the Governor’s Conference on Libraries.
· (Elected also to a 3 year term) Audrey Smith is a trustee of the Bell Memorial Library, Nunda, NY where she has been a trustee since 1993. She has served as board vice-president and represented the library before the Livingston County Public Library Advisory Council. She has served as a trustee and past president and vice-president of the Pioneer Library System Board.
Board members of NYSALB do not receive any remuneration for their service on behalf of this statewide library trustee organization.
Back to Top
Rewards Of Trusteeship
By Dr. William Taber, NYSALB Trustee
I see good fortune for all of us in having become library trustees. During a meditative interval due to winter illness this year, I discovered that trusteeship has brought to me a number of experiences and rewards which never would have come my way otherwise. I am sharing some of them here just as an example of the diversity of experiences that may be available to you as a trustee.
The rewards are not in "being" a library trustee (the pay is far less than zero and the prestige is minimal at best) but in "doing” the trusteeship. By keeping an open mind and a questing spirit, by becoming involved in the library's problems and by doing whatever little I could to help solve them, I found myself immersed in activities and experiences that were novel to me, and I learned many things that were also quite new. Since I tend to enjoy learning (I only wish that I could remember better what I have learned in life -- too often the result is more like a passing stream than a growing reservoir), even the hassle of problem-solving has its reward. I am not a grants-person, but I became a grant writer of sorts -- with many pains and some successes. I know little about construction, but now I talk with architects.
My political interests are minimal and somewhat cynical, but I have experienced the Albany lobby day madnesses and various mixtures of sincerity and "rap" in conversations with politicians there and elsewhere... all on library issues. My opinions about the political world are based now more upon concrete personal examples than they had been earlier.
By "doing" the trusteeship, I went to annual conferences, workshops, did personal, literary and internet research on various topics, took on projects, and listened, listened, listened (usually feeling thoroughly outclassed by the expertise and long experience of the people whom I met) as I tried to understand a bit of this library community of which my own library is a very small part.
The trusteeship led me to participate in several newspaper editorial board interviews which ranged from one-on-one informality to something more like a dissertation examination by a committee on Mount Olympus. By being involved in some small aspect of library affairs, I have met impressive people in my local community, in my library system, and in other parts of the state. My particular path also led me to NYSALB, and I am in awe of the knowledge, devotion and energy of my fellow directors, all of whom are far more experienced than I am. I found myself writing this column about small libraries -- another unanticipated challenge: often frustrating, sometimes fun. I found myself reciting Melville and doing a small part (one word! ) in a video about libraries -- never before had I seen a film project or a film crew in operation -- creativity and madness indistinguishable. I have learned more about library databases because of the trusteeship, and I take advantage of them.
My photograph has been published in several newspapers (a mixed blessing). My local anonymity is gone. But it gives people an excuse to speak to me about the library, and they have given me some good ideas.
The library world really is large and quite diverse. Your particular path in it will go in other directions than mine, but it WILL lead to interesting places and new vistas if you just keep moving; get out of the board room and beyond those apocryphal "four meetings a year" which (I am told) were once reality. Don't be embarrassed because you represent a library so small that it fits inside the restroom of a big metropolitan library. You may not know the bureaucratic complexities that face the trustee of such libraries, but they are not likely to know the intensities of service and the realities that challenge you. If you can't think of anything to tell them (other than the fact that small libraries have just as much right to adequate funding as big libraries), then ask them something. They may like to talk, and you may learn something.
A good argument is often made that library trustees should be selected for the (free) expertise that they bring to the board. A lawyer brings his or her skill and continues to do lawyering. A businessman brings connections and continues to connect. An architect architects for the library, in concept if not in execution. A fund-raiser brings fundraising skills and funds raised. And so on. But I wonder if these resourceful people working within their own established skills get as much FROM the experience of library trusteeship as does someone who is an intelligent neophyte, someone for whom it is a new world of challenges. I tend to think that board members may be better rewarded personally when they do not think of themselves as experts still working in their own field but rather as low key neophytes in a new world into which they have jumped and who are receiving moments of insight, accomplishment, and satisfaction along the way. To be a library trustee is rewarding pretty much in proportion to what you give to it, not to what you demand from it. If you are not doing much of anything as a trustee or if you are not receiving some life-enhancing experiences from it, you probably should be doing something else -- life is too short.
Back to Top
THE TRUSTEE
is a publication of
The New York State Association of Library Boards
Vol. X No. 3 July 1999
3 Douglas Avenue
Rensselaer, NY 12144
Phone: 518-286-2150
FAX: 518-283-8085
http://www.nysalb.org
NYSALB e-mail number: nysalb@sebridge.org
Editor's e-mail number: efield@catskill.net
Edwin M. Field EDITOR
Parry D. Teasdale PRESIDENT
Davis Crippen 1st VICE PRESIDENT
Norman J. Jacknis 2nd VICE PRESIDENT
Kenneth Wilbur TREASURER
Martina Thompson SECRETARY
Davis Crippen, Piermont
Edwin M. Field, Monticello
Dr. Norman J. Jacknis, Cortlandt Manor,NY
Mary Jo Ketchum, Elma
George Manitzas, Freeport
Constance M. Paine, Willsboro
Mable Robertson, Brooklyn, NY
Judy Rosen, Albany, NY
Nancy Simaitis, Waverly
Audrey J. Smith, Nunda
Dr. William Taber, Richfield Springs
Parry D. Teasdale, Phoenicia
Martina Thompson, Pittsford
Kenneth Wilbur, East Syracuse
Christine Paulsen, Assoc. Mgr.
TRUSTEE is published by the New York State Association of Library Boards, 3 Douglas Avenue, Rensselaer, NY 12144, four times a year for $10.00 annually per subscriber. Subscription is a benefit of paid membership; cost of the subscription is covered by membership dues.Second class postage is paid at Rensselaer, NY and an additional mailing office...USPS#010-872, ISSN:1085-3170. Volume X Issue #3, Postmaster: Please send address changes to NYSALB, 3 Douglas Avenue, Rensselaer, NY 12144.
Back to Top
|
