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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi All,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m sending this message to the whole Answerland group—please disregard if you are already up-to-date on our funding situation, but I thought it would be better to err on the side of including more people.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The State Library received a 50% partial award letter for the LSTA 2025 grant funds, to be spent starting July 1, 2025. We have also been notified that we should get a full award letter later this month. This still leaves some uncertainty
about how much next year will be “business as usual,” but it is a more promising outlook for the coming fiscal year than we had when I last wrote to you! You can see updates on our funding situation on the
<a href="https://www.oregon.gov/library/Pages/Updates.aspx">State Library’s website</a>. The State Librarian has also been (and will continue to) send out updates on the
<a href="https://omls.oregon.gov/mailman/listinfo/libs-or">Libs-Or listserv</a>. For volunteers who may not be on that, you are welcome to join if you would like to or just check-in with me if you’d like more updates.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m more than happy to meet with anyone who would like to discuss approaches to providing ongoing virtual reference services in our current funding climate. It is likely that we will continue to have some uncertainty in IMLS funding in
future years and I’m always open to discussing creative options.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All the best,<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Gesse Stark-Smith, MIS (she/her)</span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="mso-ligatures:none">Virtual Reference Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="mso-ligatures:none">State Library of Oregon<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><u><span style="color:#467886;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="mailto:gesse.stark-smith@slo.oregon.gov">gesse.stark-smith@slo.oregon.gov</a></span></u><span style="mso-ligatures:none"> | 971-600-4992<br>
<u><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="https://www.oregon.gov/library/libraries"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.oregon.gov/library/libraries</span></a></span></u><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="mso-ligatures:none">Work Schedule: Mon 8-2, Weds & Thurs 8:30-4</span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/library/libraries"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="323" height="43" style="width:3.3666in;height:.45in" id="Picture_x0020_1390963198" src="cid:image001.png@01DBC32F.44336620" alt="Logo for the Library Support & Development Services division at the State Library of Oregon"></span></a><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ligatures:none"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"> STARKSMITH Gesse * SLO
<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, April 3, 2025 3:55 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> answerland@omls.oregon.gov<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Potential Impacts on Answerland funding<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hi All,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I wanted to make sure that you are aware of some recent events that may impact the funding for Answerland, which comes from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services Technology Act (LSTA). This funding
pays for the software, the 24x7 cooperative support and my salary. (And many other great services and resources provided by the State Library!) You may have heard about this in the news or through your library communities, but I thought I would share it just
in case.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here is what we know right now:<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
On Friday, March 14<sup>th</sup> the President issued an Executive Order for "<span style="color:#0078D4"><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/" title="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/continuing-the-reduction-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/"><span style="color:#0078D4">Continuing
the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy</span></a></span>" that includes the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
On Monday, March 31<sup>st</sup> we learned that all IMLS staff had been placed on administrative leave. (Although, some of them may have been recalled to work later in the week.)
<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
As of today (April 3<sup>rd</sup>), we have not received a letter terminating our grant from IMLS and we still have access to request funds. However, we do not know who at IMLS may be able to fill our request and if that will happen. (Generally, funds are distributed
for roughly 30 days worth of expenses at a time.)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3">
<span style="color:#212121;background:white">LSTA is a statutorily required program of IMLS, which means that there are legal statutes requiring that this money be distributed to the states.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Please let me know if you have questions. I may not have the answers, but I’m happy to talk through them with you and share anything I do know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you for your support of Answerland! Your work means a lot!
<a href="https://library.pdx.edu/news/answerland/">PSU Library recently share how much Answerland has helped their students</a> and I know many other libraries feel the same way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All the best,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Gesse Stark-Smith, MIS (she/her)</span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="mso-ligatures:none">Virtual Reference Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><span style="mso-ligatures:none">State Library of Oregon<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><u><span style="color:#467886;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="mailto:gesse.stark-smith@slo.oregon.gov">gesse.stark-smith@slo.oregon.gov</a></span></u><span style="mso-ligatures:none"> | 971-600-4992<br>
<u><span style="color:#0563C1"><a href="https://www.oregon.gov/library/libraries"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.oregon.gov/library/libraries</span></a></span></u><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="mso-ligatures:none">Work Schedule: Mon 8-2, Weds & Thurs 8:30-4</span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/library/libraries"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="323" height="43" style="width:3.3666in;height:.45in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DBC32F.44336620" alt="Logo for the Library Support & Development Services division at the State Library of Oregon"></span></a><span style="mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ligatures:none"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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