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<H1><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A name=Top></A>Letter To
Libraries Online</FONT></H1>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">An Electronic Newsletter from
the Oregon State Library.......Volume 19, Issue 1, January
2009</FONT></P></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=Board></A>Library Board News</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P align=center><B><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></FONT></B><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">STATE LIBRARY BOARD WILL PURSUE MORE COST
SHARING FOR L-NET<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At their December 5th meeting in
Hillsboro, the State Library Board voted to have the staff draft an
Administrative Rule that would require most libraries participating in the
Statewide Database Licensing Program to contribute to the cost of the <A
href="http://www.oregonlibraries.net/">L-net</A> e-reference service. Since
2004, L-net has been supported through an LSTA grant to the Multnomah County
Library and in-kind contributions from cooperating libraries that staff the
service. The plan that the Board will pursue calls for public and academic
libraries to contribute a total of $30,000 to support the service in 2009-10, a
figure that would increase by $10,000 in each of the following two fiscal years.
The cost would be allocated in much the same way as the cost of the statewide
database license. Small public and academic libraries that are fully subsidized
for databases would be exempt from paying for L-net. The Board also directed the
staff to survey public and academic libraries to assess support for the plan.
The Administrative Rule will be sent out to libraries in January, and the Board
will hold a public hearing on the Rule at their February 20th meeting at the
State Library in Salem.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">BOARD DISCUSSES NEW
STRATEGIES TO BRING SERVICE TO THE UNSERVED</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">May Garland and Linda Ziedrich, the
two leaders of the Linn Library League, shared their struggle over the past five
years to bring public library service to over 30,000 citizens of Linn County who
have no service at the December 5th Board meeting. To date their efforts have
been blocked by a lack of support from elected county and city officials in Linn
County. They called for greater staff support from the State Library for citizen
efforts like theirs. The Board will continue to discuss new strategies to
address the problem of Oregonians without public library service, currently 9%
of the state population, at future meetings. In other business the Board adopted
a new long range plan for Talking Book and Braille Services. They also granted
three appeals of Ready to Read Grants that were submitted late and elected new
members to the Talking Book and Braille Services Advisory Council and the
Library Services and Technology Act Advisory Council.</FONT><BR></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">BOARD ELECTS NEW
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At their December 5th Board meeting
in Hillsboro, the Oregon State Library Board elected four new representatives to
the LSTA Advisory Council. The new Council members will serve a three-year term
from January 2009 – December 2011. The new Council members are:<BR><BR>Ed Sale,
Beaverton, representing Disadvantaged Persons. Mr. Sale is a Community Relations
Officer with the Portland Field Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS). <BR><BR>Anne Billeter, Medford, representing Library Users.
Ms. Billeter is a retired librarian.<BR><BR>Buzzy Nielsen, North Bend,
representing Public Libraries. Mr. Nielsen is the Assistant Director of the
North Bend Public Library.<BR><BR>Karen Hill, Cornelius, representing Public
Libraries. Ms. Hill is the Director of the Cornelius Public
Library.<BR></FONT></P>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=OSLNews></A>State Library News</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">READY TO READ GRANTS
MAILED IN DECEMBER</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Ready to Read Grants were
mailed to public library directors in December. Included in this mailing was a
list of libraries receiving grants this year, and descriptions of the projects
they plan to implement with their Ready to Read Grant in 2008-09. 2008-2009 is
the second Ready to Read Grant cycle that benefited from the increased grant
amounts and minimum grants of $1,000. The State Library is pleased to report
that 15% of libraries receiving Ready to Read Grants in 2007-2008 added one or
more best practices to their library services for children. We encourage
libraries to add best practices which not only benefit children and teens’
literacy development, but also show the Legislature the impact of the increase
in Ready to Read Grant funding.</FONT><BR></P>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=OtherNews></A>Other Library News</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">OREGON READS 2009
LAUNCHES IN JANUARY</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oregon Reads, sponsored by the
Oregon Library Association, is the first statewide community reading program
ever held in Oregon. All Oregonians will be able to participate whether or not
their library has any events planned by reading the books and participating in
online book discussions on the <A href="http://www.oregonreads2009.org/">Oregon
Reads website</A>. A grant from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation
provided copies of the feature title, <I>Stubborn Twig</I> by Lauren Kessler, to
libraries serving 30,000 people or fewer (83% of libraries). A grant from The
Starseed Foundation provided one copy each of the juvenile titles, <I>Bat 6</I>
by Virginia Euwer Wolff and <I>Apples to Oregon</I> by Deborah Hopkinson, to
each public library, branch, and bookmobile. The Oregon Reads 2009 website will
have book discussions, podcasts of events, and a statewide events calendar. All
public libraries received a publicity packet with one Oregon Reads poster to
display, 100 bookmarks to distribute, and buttons for staff to wear. The Oregon
Reads 2009 kick-off event is on January 15th at Portland State University.
Programs and events will be concentrated from January through April, but many
Oregon Reads events will take place throughout the year as libraries coordinate
with their local community reads program or local sesquicentennial
celebrations.<BR></FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">OREGON PUBLIC
LIBRARIES MAINTAIN HIGH NATIONAL RANKINGS<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the latest national ranking of
public library services by state, released in December by the Institute of
Museum and Library Services, Oregon continues to rank highly in most performance
categories. The rankings are based on data for fiscal year 2006. Oregon
maintained its second place ranking for public library circulation per capita,
second only to Ohio. Oregon public libraries checked out 15.03 books and other
library materials per capita, while Ohio checked out 15.54 materials per capita.
The average for the U.S. is only 7.28 per capita. Oregon also maintained its
second place ranking for resource sharing. Oregon public libraries received 813
interlibrary loans per 1,000 population served. Number one ranked Wisconsin
public libraries received 1,109 per thousand. Oregon also ranked in the top 10
in library visits per capita. However, Oregon public libraries ranked only 33rd
in reference transactions per capita. While Oregon public libraries are among
the top-performing in the country, their funding and staffing is closer to
average. Oregon public libraries ranked 12th in total operating revenue and 25th
in staffing. Oregon public libraries rank 27th in print materials per capita and
only 34th in Internet computers per capita. The rankings are available in a <A
href="http://harvester.census.gov/imls/pubs/pls/pub_detail.asp?id=121">downloadable
report</A> from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.<BR></FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">NEW OREGON LIBRARY
HISTORY BOOK AVAILABLE<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A new book published by the
Corvallis-Benton County Library Foundation provides a history not only of the
public library in Corvallis, but of Oregon public libraries. <I>The Best Gift:
the History of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library</I> by Thomas C.
McClintock begins with a chapter on the history of libraries and follows with
several chapters that tell the history of libraries in Oregon. McClintock is
retired from the history faculty at Oregon State University, where he taught for
30 years, and he has done years of research on Oregon libraries. This is the
only in-print book that recounts the history of Oregon libraries, and as such it
should be considered for all public and academic libraries collections. To
purchase a copy, send $25 plus $3 shipping to the Corvallis-Benton County
Library Foundation, 645 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis, 97330.<BR></FONT><BR></P>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><A
name=PS></A><B>P.S. (From the State
Librarian)</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In November a settlement of the
lawsuit between Google and two associations representing authors was announced.
Google’s partnership with a number of research libraries to scan millions of
library books triggered the lawsuit, which the associations alleged was a
violation of their rights under U.S. copyright law. The settlement still has to
be approved by a Federal judge, but if it is approved Google will be allowed to
expand Google Book Search dramatically into what <I>Library Journal Hotline</I>
called “the web’s largest commercial book venture.” Instead of just being able
to serve up snippets of books, magazines and newspapers, Google will be able to
sell access to entire works to individuals, and on a subscription basis to
libraries. Public and academic libraries will get to access the database for
free on one computer per building, but just for viewing. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">So who are the winners and who are
the losers if the settlement is approved? Based on my reading of a number of <A
href="http://pureinformation.org/archives/2008/11/25/google-book-settlement-link-dump-awesomeness/">articles
and opinion pieces</A> that have appeared in the blogosphere and elsewhere in
the past couple of months, here’s what I think:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">WINNERS<BR><I>Google</I>: They are
spending $125 million to settle the suit (not a lot of money to them) and in
return get to start up what will probably turn out to be a very profitable new
line of business.<BR><I>Descendents of Famous Dead Authors</I>: They will
eventually get royalty checks for out-of-print books they might have never
gotten, without this settlement.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">LOSERS<BR><I>Research
Libraries</I>: The major research libraries that let Google scan their books are
getting relatively <A
href="http://kcoyle.blogspot.com/2008/11/google-giveth-and-taketh-away.html">little
in return</A>.They must join the settlement or face continued liability from the
author associations, and if they join, their ability to freely use the books
from their collections that have been scanned is severely limited.<BR><I>Other
Libraries</I>: Free views of out-of-print books on one computer in a library
will not significantly meet the needs of library users; it will only serve to
create demand for what Google wants to sell to libraries and
individuals.<BR><I>Amazon, Yahoo and Microsoft</I>: There is a lot of <A
href="http://laboratorium.net/archive/2008/11/08/principles_and_recommendations_for_the_google_book">concern,
even among the supporters</A> of the settlement, that Google will have a
monopoly on “long tail” e-books, magazines, and newspapers.<BR><I>Fair Use</I>:
Had this case gone to trial it might have resolved some important issues about
<A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use">fair use</A> that could have
benefited libraries.<BR><I>U.S. Congress</I>: This might never have happened if
the Congress had heeded the many calls for reform of U.S. copyright law, such as
the “orphan works” legislation that <A
href="http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=877">ALA has been pushing</A>
for several years.<BR><I>Our Common Culture</I>: Think how much richer our
culture would be if we had just maintained the original <A
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_of_1790">Copyright Act of
1790</A> that allowed for books to be in copyright for 28 years and then go into
the public domain. – Jim Scheppke</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></P>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B><A
name=Contacts></A>Contacts at the Oregon State
Library</B></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Technical Assistance:
503-932-1004.<BR><BR>Library Development: 503-378-2525, <A
href="mailto:marykay.dahlgreen@state.or.us">MaryKay Dahlgreen</A>, <A
href="mailto:mary.l.mayberry@state.or.us">Mary Mayberry</A>, <A
href="mailto:darci.hanning@state.or.us">Darci Hanning</A>, <A
href="mailto:ann.reed@state.or.us">Ann Reed</A>, <A
href="mailto:patty.sorensen@state.or.us"></A><A
href="mailto:jennifer.maurer@state.or.us">Jennifer Maurer</A>, <A
href="mailto:katie.anderson@state.or.us">Katie Anderson</A>.<BR><BR>Talking Book
and Braille Services: 503-378-5389, <A
href="mailto:susan.b.westin@state.or.us">Susan Westin</A>.<BR><BR>Government
Research and Electronic Services: 503-378-5030, <A
href="mailto:robert.hulshof-schmidt@state.or.us">Robert
Hulshof-Schmidt</A>.<BR><BR>State Librarian: 503-378-4367, <A
href="mailto:jim.b.scheppke@state.or.us">Jim Scheppke</A>.<BR><BR>LTLO Editor:
503-378-2464, <A href="mailto:april.m.baker@state.or.us">April
Baker</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Letter to Libraries Online</I>
is published monthly by the Oregon State Library. Editorial office: LTLO, Oregon
State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301-3950, 503-378-2464,
editor: <A href="mailto:april.m.baker@state.or.us">April Baker</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Letter to Libraries Online</I>
is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form on the
publications page at the Oregon State Library's homepage: <A
href="http://www.oregon.gov/OSL">http://www.oregon.gov/OSL</A>. Opinions
expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of
the Oregon State Library. News items or articles should be sent to <A
href="mailto:april.m.baker@state.or.us">April Baker</A>, or mailed to LTLO,
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301-3950.</FONT></P>
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