• Spring

Spring 2002

• President's Memo: What Do We Want And Why Do We Want It?
• Editorial: Awards And Rewards!
• From Assemblywoman Naomi Matusow
• From Senator Hugh Farley: Library Lobbying
• Legislative Update
• NY Needs New Century Libraries
• e-Books ... Directions Needed
• Diversity In And On Your Library Board
• Evaluating Your Board
• Trustee Institute: A Chance To Learn
• The Library Circuit: Waverly Free Library
• NYSALB Board & TRUSTEE Ownership

By Dr. Norman J. Jacknis, NYSALB President

Each spring trustees, librarians and the many other supporters of libraries trek to Albany to plead the case for library funding.  Also, many of us meet with state legislators locally -- or we should be doing that in order to have the greatest impact.

Add to this normal activity the fact that this year is the key political year in the state's four-year cycle.   Every statewide office is in contention and every Assembly member and Senator is running.  With the reapportionment based upon the 2000 census, there are even a few districts where the competition is serious.

Together this set of political circumstances means that public interested groups like library supporters have their best shot at influencing the process this year.  We can't promise that they will listen, but state officials are more susceptible to listening now than at any other time.

You'd think it would be easy to say something.  We know that we are asking for support for some of the most cost-effective services in the public sector - library services.  We also know these services are very popular.  (In a recent statewide poll that NYLA obtained, 71% of likely voters said that their library was very important in their community and 52% of them said it was very important that state government provide more funding for libraries.)

It's not enough to ask our state officials to be nice to libraries and then hope for the best.  Everyone in Albany supports libraries at that level of generality, but when the final deals are made somehow libraries get short-changed.

Sales people talk about the need to hone an "elevator pitch".  It comes from imaging that you are in an elevator in a high rise office building with the Chief Executive Officer of a company that you want to be your customer.  The CEO is captive for perhaps 30-60 seconds.  The term elevator pitch draws your attention to a simple fact -- you have to summarize what you want and why you want it in that little time, if you are to have any chance of persuading the CEO.  It certainly focuses the mind and we all need that focus right now.

The year 2002 is one of the few times that our elected officials and we may be together in this figurative elevator.

So what exactly do we say?  What three precise actions do we want them to take to support libraries this year?  What exactly will we hold them accountable for?  On what basis we will compare competing candidates? These are the terms we have to think in.

For now, each of you can develop your own short list and create your own elevator pitch.  Then seek out anyone running for state office and ask them to respond to your list.

Over the next couple of months, together, as the trustees of libraries we should work together to develop a common list upon which we will evaluate those running for office.

NYSALB has recently set up an email discussion group for trustees, which would be the ideal forum to contribute your ideas.  To join, just send an email to join-nysalb@www.watpa.org.  (If you prefer, please write to me care of NYSALB's offices or email me at norm@jacknis.com.)   

But we don't have too much time; so act now to help all of us develop our "elevator pitch."

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by Edwin M. Field, TRUSTEE  Editor, NYSALB Director

Since the very beginning of time, in some manner, shape or form, man (and woman) have been rewarded by their peers for good deeds and services rendered.  Down through the ages, there were probably other names given to the awards and rewards system but the thought and reasoning behind the process remains much the same. That the concept has survived through the centuries, is a tribute to  the system and to a genuine desire on the part of an organization's peer group to provide an honor for efforts on the part of their selected honoree for work well done.

Awards and rewards are effective tools because in addition to honoring the selected award recipient, the recognition provides an example, an impetus, and a reason for others to emulate the winner's good deeds and actions. Whether in the form of cold cash, a mere honorarium, an ornate plaque, media recognition, simple applause from an audience of peers, or any other mechanism, the process works and works effectively. There are willing workers for libraries and the good deeds continue.

Here briefly is NYSALB's award and reward story. Since 1962, The New York State Association of Library Boards has had a mechanism in place that has honored some of the outstanding leaders in the library profession as its recipients. It's called the Velma Moore Award and was established to honor the memory of Mrs. Moore by the Library Trustees Association of New York State.  This organization was the predecessor of NYSALB.

One of the charter members of the Foundation and the wife of former State Lt. Governor Frank C. Moore, Mrs. Moore worked actively for the improvement of library services in New York State from 1947 until her death in 1961. She served two terms as Library Trustees Foundation president and was a member of its board from the time it was established.  Mrs. Moore was also a trustee of the Kenmore Public Library (located near Buffalo, NY) for thirty-three years.

NYSALB's Velma Moore Award committee is currently seeking nominations for this prestigious award. In addition to the statewide recognition granted the winner, presentation during the annual NYLA/NYSALB Conference, in the fall, and a specially designed honoree plaque,  the award also carries with it a stipend of $750.00 to be donated by the award winner to a library or library service of choice.

Why not consider potential  candidates for this honor today?  Send in your choice(s) and your candidate(s) name and related information. The information will be among those placed before NYSALB's Velma Moore award committee.

Eligibility - Any individual or organized group who has made exemplary contributions to the development of library service in New York State is eligible for nomination. The nominees may be, but need not be, trustees, library boards or any group of library supporters.

Nominee Criteria -

• Service to local and county libraries and library systems.
• Service to state and national library organizations  
• Service in the legislative area (e.g. service on behalf of libraries with Congress or other  legislative body.
• Service on state study commissions relating to libraries.
• Published articles, books, etc. relating to libraries.

Nominating Procedure - Nominations may be submitted by mail to NYSALB, Velma Moore Committee, 388 Broadway (4th floor), Albany, NY 12207, or send your entry by FAX to (518) 434-0072.  The letter of nomination should include the name and address of your nominee; library affiliation; and a statement of not more than 250 words on the reason for your choice. Nominations close on August 15, 2002.

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At first glance, the Governor's budget proposal released earlier this year doesn't look bad for libraries. $88.9 million dollars is included  for Chapter 917 funding, the same amount as last year.  One's first instinct is to think "Whew! No cuts."

But that first glance doesn't tell the real story. This year the Governor has cut library funding, both for our smallest local libraries and for the State Library. All it takes is a few minutes of scrutiny to see that the "level funding" of $88.9 million is less than our libraries are entitled to under the law.  

As we all know, funding for local libraries and library systems is based in part on the number of people served. After each Census the latest population numbers are used to recalculate funding. Since the 1990 Census,  New York's population has grown by nearly 1 million people.  This growth should bring an additional $2.4 million in library funding across the state. $88.9 may have worked under the 1990 Census, but now that number should be $91.3, and it isn't.

Population growth in New York did not grow evenly across the state. While New York City and its suburbs grew, upstate cities lost population. The Education Department has proposed to maintain funding for those libraries now serving fewer residents, in order to shield them from cuts in funding.  The Governor has instead introduced legislation that would hold all libraries to the funding they received in last year's budget, numbers based on the 1990 Census. That proposal would prevent libraries now serving increased populations from getting the additional funds they desperately need and deserve.

In addition, the Governor has again proposed taking libraries and other cultural education activities out of the Education Department and assigning them to a newly created agency. This year he has offered up a novel way to fund the administration of the State Library, Museum and Archives - by increasing from $5 to $20 the fees paid to county clerks to register and certify documents. Quadrupling these fees is estimated to raise $18 million annually, so the Governor has already removed from his budget proposal $18 million in funds previously designated for cultural education administration.  If the legislature rejects the relocation of cultural education, as it has each time the Governor has proposed it in the past, that $18 million will have to be replaced, or the State Library and the other state cultural institutions will have to close their doors.

The library community fought long and hard to get Chapter 917 fully funded.  No one who loves libraries should let the Governor get away with ignoring the law once again, and giving our libraries less than they are entitled to by law in this state. Every one of us should write the Governor, insisting that he make up the $2.4 million in funds for libraries that were not included in the budget. Many of you will be in Albany March 19th for NYLA Lobby Day. Tell every legislator with whom you meet that libraries are being short-changed. Ask them how they plan to help libraries get the money they need to continue to serve their communities.

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This is a true story.  In late 1994, a Capitol reporter wrote a news story speculating on likely first acts of the incoming Pataki administration.  He compiled a list of bills which the previous administration had opposed.  On the list -- but by no means very high up since it had not moved in the Legislature either -- was restoration of the 65 mph speed limit.  The reporter, who probably broke the old 55 mph limit as often as the rest of us, found this an issue which everyone could understand, featured it in his story, and lo and behold, the speed limit increase was one of the first new laws of 1995.

What does this have to do with library lobbying?  Advocates of the speed limit increase had been promoting their goals -- just as library advocates have been promoting NOVEL and "New Century Libraries" -- and their success offers us lessons.

Lesson One:  Government may be just as random as the rest of the universe.  Being in the right place at the right time is as important as having a giant turn out on lobbying day.  The real key to being in the right place at the right time is being everywhere all the time.  Libraries and their supporters can do this.  It's always the right time to "talk up" the library message.

Lesson Two:  The news media create public policy as well as report on it.  We expect editorial writers to be opinion leaders, but reporters and news editors can keep the library message in the minds of readers, listeners, and viewers.  Cultivate the news media, and be available for them.

Lesson Three:  Focus on local impacts.  Supporters of the 65 mph speed limit had the detailed information in hand to move from the broad issue of "restore the higher speed limit" directly to a listing of the highways engineered and federally-approved for the higher speeds.

Lesson Four:  Statistics are important, but unexpected statistics are exciting.  Supporters of 65 mph had an interesting number.  Other states which adopted the higher limits experienced a surprising decrease in traffic fatalities.  Drilling down the data found that the higher speed limit appeared to induce drivers who had previously used rural two-lane highways (the least safe of all roadways) to migrate their travel to the now-higher-speed rural interstates (statistically the safest roadway at any speed).  Circulation numbers are worthwhile, but are there other number stories we haven't heard?

Lesson Five:  Find unexpected supporters. Truck driving work rules are based on the posted speed limits.  At 55 mph, a haul across New York State requires an overnight stay.  At 65 mph, drivers can legally return on the same day without exceeding maximum imputed driving hours.  Truck drivers and their families supported the higher speed limit with a great "family values" story

Lesson Six:  Accept compromise.  The speed limit law turned out to bthe first in New York developed by a legislative Conference Committee. Supporters accepted geographic limitations and a "sunset" date in order to satisfy concerns of opponents.  A positive attitude about compromise got the job done, and made later expansion a snap.

Lesson Seven:  Don't get personal.  The speed limit discussions revolved around engineering, legal, and economic issues.  I'm always amazed when members of the library community feel the need to criticize Governor Pataki when, in fact, he is the first Governor since Tom Dewey to increase library funding as part of the Executive Budget.

We can learn from success, as well as from failure.  This case study in the success of a new law may offer useful ideas as we continue to promote library legislation.

Contact Senator Farley at 518-455-2181.

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By Mable Robertson, NYSALB Trustee, Legislative Chair

It's budget time Again! Time for all Trustees to join NYSALB, NYLA and ALA in the struggle to again lobby our Governor and legislators to devise an equitable formula for funding our libraries and institutions.

At this writing, the Governor and the Division of the Budget (DOB) have made a decision to fund Libraries at last year's level of $89 million dollars. This does not take into consideration the numerous population changes, which were reported in the 2000 census. These increases in population growth must not and cannot be ignored; it is estimated that an additional $2.5 million dollars should be added to the funding allocation for libraries based on the additional population growth. (The newest term for this is "formula equity").

More than ever, trustees who represent our diverse communities, our children and senior citizens are needed and MUST join with New York Library Association (NYLA) and American Library Association (ALA) on Lobby Day in Albany and Washington,D.C.

Mark your calendars:

• ALA Library Legislative Day in Washington, D.C., Tuesday May 7, 2002
• Also Save The Dates of Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th, 2002 for the NYSALB Trustee Institute at the Holiday Inn Turf in Albany, New York.

Some Trustees will be pleased and happy to know that the $95 million request to fund New Century Libraries is still on the table. Also interesting, is the fact that both the House and Senate negotiators have agreed on funding Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) programs at $168 million dollars.

However, an issue of great concern to many Trustees throughout the state of New York is the constant loss and threat of loss of our librarians due to low pay and inadequate salaries. We are also mindful of the fact that large numbers of our librarians are retiring and considering retirement. However, we are losing our most experienced and talented librarians to the corporate world and to the Public School System as a result of poor salaries.

In the February 2002 edition of Library Journal a news article presents plans by First Lady Laura Bush, a former librarian, to begin to remedy this urgent problem.  It states that, "the First Lady has proposed a $10 million initiative to recruit librarians in 2003, with funding to be managed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  It further states that the money will be applied to an assortment of recruitment methods including scholarships and fellowships for MLS students, support for training programs, leadership development, and distance learning in rural areas."

Trustees MUST take a stand and join in these efforts to retain and recruit more librarians.

And finally, it is important to update trustees on the fact that Governor Pataki has a proposal that would transfer the State Library from the State Education Department which is under the Regents to a new agency - The New York State Institute of Cultural Education.  This agency would absorb the State Library, State Archives and State Museum.  The Governor and the Legislative leaders would appoint the Board of Directors.

The questions must be raised with the Governor and the legislators as to what affect this charge will have on our communities, established programs, and various libraries.  LOBBY DAYS have been planned and trustees, as always, will dig for answers from those that we have elected to serve!

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Never has New York needed its libraries more.   And never has New Century Libraries been more relevant or critical.  If the proposal is passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, public libraries will benefit from substantial increases in State support.  This includes support for need based aid, library construction and renovation, formation of public library districts, and more support for libraries in New York's 63 urban centers.

On September 11, libraries throughout New York State helped a population traumatized, saddened, and angered by the day's tragic events to cope and obtain needed information. New Yorkers flocked to their libraries for Internet access to learn the latest breaking news, information on grief counseling and relief services, and materials to help understand recent events and Islamic and Middle East history.  Since that day, libraries across the state report that their use has increased.

As New York struggles in the wake of September 11, libraries are an essential part of the state's recovery.  But Trustees at public libraries throughout the state are all too aware of the serious budget issues their libraries face as the communities that fund them make tough choices. New Century Libraries aims to help by providing more state support for public libraries.

New Century Libraries was introduced to the Legislature in 2001 by Senator Hugh Farley and Assemblywoman Naomi Matusow.  The Regents recognize that the issues New Century Libraries addressed are now even more critical than ever.  They remain committed to the proposal and have strengthened it to a $105 million investment in New York's libraries.

In 2001, The New York State Association of Library Boards (NYSALB) was among many organizations that endorsed New Century Libraries.   Others include the New York Library Association (NYLA), the New York City Partnership, the Business Council of New York State, Inc., the Long Island Association, and HSBC Bank.   The Association of Towns passed a resolution urging the Governor and the Legislature to support New Century Libraries.

Endorsements for the proposal have also come from the New York State Council of Educational Associations (NYSCEA),  the National Education Association of New York (NEANY), New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. the New York State School Boards Association,  the New York State Reading Association, the Public Library Systems Directors Organization  (PULISDO), the School Library Systems Association (SLSA), the New York Three R's Organization (NYTRO), the Public Library Directors Association (PLDA), the Student Association of the State University of New York (SASU),  the American Council of the Blind/New York, the Central Libraries Association, The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Borough Public Library.

Public Libraries and Economic Recovery

Libraries are among the cornerstones of democracy.  They are the place where every New Yorker in any community can find the information they need to help themselves make a better life.  Small business owners look to libraries for needed demographic and marketing information, directories, business-related databases, and information on grants or government assistance to help rebuild the economy. Working New Yorkers look for information to help them adjust to a rapidly evolving workplace.  Displaced workers look for information and programs that libraries provide to find jobs and employment opportunities and to learn job search skills.  New immigrants go to the public library for literacy programs that help them gain the English skills they need to get jobs.   Students look to libraries for information to help them understand an increasingly complex and dangerous world.  And in communities throughout the state, New Yorkers look to their local libraries as a place for information and a place to come together.

This is not a time to shrink from the commitment to provide New Yorkers with quality library services.  These are the services they must have if New York is to return to economic vitality. But New York's public libraries are often stretched to provide those services.

A two-year study by the Regents Commission on Library Service revealed that more than one million New Yorkers have no local library, more than 900 school libraries and 400 public libraries lack essential services, and fifty urban communities cannot respond to the demand for library services. The study also showed that half of New York's public libraries are over 60 years old and sub-standard.

The extent of the problem was further underscored by a survey of public libraries that revealed a more than $1 billion need for construction and renovation statewide. Minimal needs include more space, wiring and lighting upgrades for new computer and Internet technologies, and ramps and lavatories accessible to those with disabilities. Meanwhile, the State currently provides a mere $800,000 annually for public library construction.

Investing in Libraries

New Century Libraries invests in New York's  public libraries with $10 million for aid to high need communities, and $10 million to create public library districts.  The proposal also includes $20 million for public library construction and renovation, and  $14 million to create NOVEL, the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library.  There is also a $9.7 million Urban Library Initiative that will help New York's struggling urban libraries meet the special needs of their communities.  Library services for disabled New Yorkers and English and computer literacy programs offered by public libraries will also receive support.

New Yorkers need their libraries now more than ever. It's time to invest in need-based aid for public libraries in at-risk areas and to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to a local public library.   Now is the time to renovate and upgrade aging public library facilities, help New York's struggling urban libraries, expand literacy programs, and strengthen services for disabled New Yorkers.

Now more than ever the time has come for New Century Libraries.

New Yorkers want more State dollars for their public libraries - According to a telephone survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in Library and Information Science at SUNY Buffalo:

• 73% of New York's households use their public libraries, that's almost 10% above the national rate of 65%
• New Yorkers are willing to spend more on libraries - 67% of those surveyed say average per capita spending on libraries should be increased from $32.17 to $64.07.

If you support the principles of New Century Libraries, share these facts and your opinions with your board, local community and political leaders, your representatives in the State Legislature, and the Governor.

New Century Libraries
Proposed Funding for 2002-2003

Find more information on New Centuries Libraries at: <http://www.ncl.nysed.gov>.

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Imagine if you had to use a Chevrolet when you wanted to drive to the supermarket, a Peugeot whenever you wanted to drive to a friend's house, and a Hyundai whenever you wanted to drive to work. The automobile industry would collapse if each manufacturer model were good for only one purpose.

So, is it truly any mystery why consumers won't spend US$300+ for an electronic device that's good only for reading books?

U.S. sales of the GemStar REB 1100 and REB 1200 e-Books have been so poor that Barnes and Noble.com last month quietly removed all GemStar e-Book content from its digital shelves. Meanwhile in Europe, only a few hundred of similar e-Book devices by Cytale, costing FRF2900 (E455), have been sold, according to an article in Time magazine's European edition.

If the automobile industry in 1901 had produced models each capable of but a single purpose, sales would be so poor that industry experts and pundits would have declared the concept of automobiles dead. Or, as Time Warner Trade Publishing Chairman Larry Kirshbaum said,  "The market for e-Books has simply not developed the way we hoped, and given the overall economic climate, we can not jeopardize our thriving print business by carrying a money-losing operation indefinitely into the future. The horse might have been more dependable in 1901 than the automobile."

Ironically, the book industry itself is to blame for the woeful but temporary mis-launch of the portable electronic reading market. Developing devices that were really good only for reading books, that industry narcissistically forgot that people read more newspapers, magazines and catalogs each year than they do books. A recent Veronis Shuler survey reported that the average American consumer last year spent 154 hours reading newspapers, 80 hours reading magazines, and 96 hours reading books.

I think people would be more likely to buy e-Reader devices if those devices contain the content that people most frequently read. And what people read most are periodicals. Moreover, people want a device that also contains their work reading, address book, calendar, e-mail, and ideally is a wireless device. In other words, they want a vehicle for all purposes.

(Continued in next issue of TRUSTEE)

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By George N. Manitzas, NYSALB Trustee

What really makes a good and efficient library board?  This is a question we as trustees always ponder when we help select new trustees. Making diversity a goal can help to build a better board. Webster's Dictionary defines this word as   "A state of difference, unlikeness, variety, a point of difference..."

Diversity among the people who serve on library boards and systems can bring a broader range of mind and experience to shaping the board's ideas and policies and to generate the best library or system for your community.

Most boards consist of five members, some have up to nine, and, a few have nineteen or more.  Board members are appointed or, in most cases, elected by the library community.

Diversity, in my opinion, can help keep your board up to date, innovative, honest, impartial and responsive to  community needs and ideas. At one public library where there are five trustees, the members consist of a retired high school English teacher (former department head), a working lawyer, a retired pathologist,  a well-known author, a college professor, and a consultant businessman. Among the five board members there is a woman, an African-American (not the same person), and representatives of at least three faiths.

All these trustees are intent on presenting their thoughts and ideas for keeping the budget in check and the policies current. Once this responsibility is handled the board, as a whole, offer their complete support to the director.

The trustees with their varied backgrounds participate in library functions and duties, including book author discussions, guest appearances by celebrities, book sales, Friends of the Library functions, capitol improvement functions, and legal, school and budgetary presentations. The board members make themselves available to provide advice and assistance to the director when required.

One trustee (the retired English teacher) volunteered her time to present courses on Shakespeare, Chaucer, and other topics. The courses were so well attended  (from 30 to 50 people signed up) that additional scheduling was necessary to satisfy the community demand.

The lawyer among the trustees is the sounding board for legal issues that may arise from the policies and problems of the daily operation of the library. The pathologist was also a carpenter and innovator and presented art works which beautified the library and the surroundings.  The author, knowledgeable about the community's needs, offers ideas for community literary needs and for program presentations.  The business consultant was often called on to review the library's financial ideas and goals.

All of the trustees review and discuss the ideas or policies in energetic debate at the monthly or special meetings. Once the votes are recorded, the board always takes the positive road of accord before the close of the meeting.

This is just one example of a "diversified" board acting and working together to better a community.  How do I know this for a fact?  Well you must have guessed by now I am talking about my community board.

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By Joan Hurley, NYSALB Trustee

Evaluation of our library board or ourselves as trustees provides great insight into areas that, either collectively or individually, can improve our performance for the library and community that we serve.

A good place to start in the evaluation process is The Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State.  It outlines the areas of focus and responsibility for library trustees.  These include: selection and hiring of a qualified library manager or director; securing adequate funding ensuring proper stewardship and accountability of funds; adoption of policies and rules for library use; planning and evaluating the library's service program; and promotion of the library in the local community. These and other areas outlined in the Handbook are starting points for developing assessment questions that can be answered by all trustees during a board/trustee evaluation.

Typically evaluation tools use either a question or statement format.  The question format typically requires a written response by the respondent.  A statement format can utilize a variety of rating scales, such as: checking a box; yes or no; numerical rating scale (1 to 5, where 1 = poor and 5 = excellent) or a numerical point scale (a higher score indicates a more successful board or trustee).  When deciding what scale to use, ask this question: Will we get actionable results from using this scale?  The primary purpose for board/trustee evaluation is to ultimately improve the performance in service to the library and the community.

The evaluation tool can be developed using the process of brainstorming to generate a list of potential questions/statements.  The following are examples of questions/statements you may want to include in a board evaluation tool (both question and statement forms are provided):

Question:   Do we update our goals and objectives annually?

Statement: We update our goals and objectives annually.

Question:   Do we have a documented process for hiring a library director?

Statement:  A documented process exists for hiring a library director.

Two books that I've read recently that touch on the topic of library board/trustee evaluation are The Library Trustee, A Practical Guidebook by Virginia G. Young and The Library Trustee and The Public Librarian, Partners in Service by Lorraine M. Willliams.  These volumes, in addition to The Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State, are good starting points for developing questions for your evaluation tool.

If creating your own evaluation tool seems too daunting a task, consider looking at A Questionnaire to Evaluate Your Library and Library Board, published by the American Library Trustee Association/American Library Association in 1988.  The ISBN number for this publication is: IBSN 0-8389-7.

What can you learn from taking the challenge to conduct a board evaluation? As a trustee, you can gain a greater understanding of how well you contribute to the success of your library and the library board, areas that you may need to pursue for continuing education, or other ways in which you can make a positive impact for your library.  

As a board, you can learn what to focus on for trustee education, identify areas that need board attention policies, advocacy, funding, etc.) or gain insight into what type of expertise and knowledge you need to seek out when you pursue new board members.  Conducting an evaluation can lead to growth and improvement for both trustees and boards alike.

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by Dr. William Taber, NYSALB Trustee

Today's library trustees need to know more, to analyze more, and to do more than was required a generation or so ago. This change is not in the quality of trustees themselves but in the scope of the awareness that is required for their job; for it now extends, whether we like it or not, well beyond our immediate communities.

Public libraries are now far more interdependent with a greater number of forces that formerly were either in their infancy or did not exist at all. We can not avoid engaging with this interdependence whenever we must deal with the greater number of regulations and standards to which we are legally bound, or look at our co-dependencies with library systems, or suffer from the economic chaos of state budget support, or to understand state policy initiatives which may change the very structure of libraries and funding, or to struggle with the continuing revolutions of electronic and computer technologies that are changing the information services of libraries as well as the basic assumptions and expectations of the communities which we are trying to serve well. We must even be aware of potential disasters in a new light.

I chose the word, "interdependent", because these forces are on a two-way street, albeit most of the traffic comes at us rather than from us. However, only through education and increased awareness of what is going on can library trustees hope to keep up with these changes and to have a beneficial influence upon them. Every trustee nowadays, in order to do right by his or her public library, needs a frame of reference outside their immediate community.

NYSALB's annual TRUSTEE INSTITUTE is a chance for trustees, whether you are a newcomer or an old hand, to learn more about the realities and concerns and emerging problems and opportunities that will be faced by library trustees sooner or later. Just as in the military, a key element of realistic planning and of success is good intelligence, and the TRUSTEE INSTITUTE is your source for learning and sharing with other library trustees.

Here is the Trustee Institute's schedule for May 3 and 4 to be held at the Holiday Inn Turf, Albany, NY. It begins with an evening dinner and a night of trustee networking Friday, May 3. Saturday's (May 4) program (9 a.m.) offers trustee two choices: "How To Become A Public Library District" with DLD's Jim Farrell and NYSALB Trustee David Krogmann.  The second offering will be a "Trustee Marketing & Advocacy" program presented by the former Director of Development at the Connecticut State Library, Patricia Owens.

At 10:30 a.m., (May 4), two additional program choices will be available to attendees.  "Freedom of Information" presented by Executive Director of the Committee on Open Government Robert J. Freeman; and "Disaster Planning" presented by Barbara Lilley, State Library Development Specialist II.

The luncheon speaker for this year's Trustee Institute (May 4), 12 noon, will be Carey Hatch, the Assistant Provost for Library and Information Services. This department is responsible for the coordination technology services among the 64 SUNY campus libraries.

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By Nancy Simaitis, NYSALB Trustee

When in the Waverly, New York region be sure to visit the Waverly Free Library. A member of the Finger Lakes Library System, the library was founded in 1929 by the Waverly branch of the American Association of University Women. It is chartered to serve the Village of Waverly, and contracts its services to the Town of Barton and the Waverly School District.

The library is situated in the Southern Tier of New York, on the border with Pennsylvania. Approximately 20% of the nearly 4000 cardholders are residents of Pennsylvania.

A disastrous fire in March of 1980 caused the library to evacuate its quarters. The library board was able to use a generous unexpected gift to purchase the land adjoining the old library site. Then, the fire-damaged building was given to the library. Developers interested in erecting HUD funded Section 8 Housing for the elderly expressed an interest in this land.

Eventually the land owned by the library with additional land given by the Village of Waverly was given to the developers. In return, the library received a 99-year renewable lease at $1.00 per year for 6000 square feet of floor space. Although located on the first floor of a senior citizen housing unit, the library is a self-contained facility.

Over the years, the Waverly Free Library has adjusted to the way services to library patrons has changed. Using grant money, the library was able to start videocassette and Books-on-Tape collections. Both of these collections have proved so popular that space for expansion is at a minimum.

Computer have become very important in the library as well. They are used not only for the everyday running of the library and the library catalog, but also as reference and information sources for patrons. The acquisition of the Gates Foundation computers more than doubled the number of computer users in the library.

Today the library is open 40 hours a week. It is handicapped accessible and houses an extensive Civil War collection and the Tioga County Law Library.

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Vol. XIII, No. 2, Spring 2002

TRUSTEE is published by the New York State Association of Library Boards, 338 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12207, 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 Albany, NY and an additional mailing office...USPS#010-872, ISSN:1085-3170. Volume XIII Issue #2, Postmaster: Please send address changes to NYSALB, 338 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12207.

NYSALB
338 Broadway, 4th Floor
Albany, NY 12207
Phone:518-434-5973 
Fax:518-434-0072

EDITOR: Edwin M. Field, efield@catskill.net
PRESIDENT: Norman J. Jacknis, norm@jacknis.com
1st VICE PRESIDENT: Nancy Simaitis
2nd VICE PRESIDENT: Judy Rosen
TREASURER: Richard Strauss
SECRETARY: Martina Thompson
ASSOCIATION MANAGER: Karen K. Dyer

DIRECTORS:
Edwin M. Field, Monticello
Joan Hurley, Horseheads
Dr. Norman J. Jacknis, Cortlandt Manor
David Bruce Krogmann, Glens Falls
George Manitzas, Freeport
Marcella O'Hanlon, Lindenhurst
Samuel Patton, Hopewell Junction
Mable Robertson, Brooklyn
Judy Rosen, Albany
Nancy Simaitis, Waverly
Audrey J. Smith, Nunda
Richard Strauss, Memphis
Dr. William Taber, Richfield Springs
Martina Thompson, Pittsford
Dr. Robert Wells, Canton

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