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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 6, June
2009</FONT></P></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR>
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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><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">BOARD WILL HEAR
RECOMMENDATION ON STATEWIDE DATABASE LICENSE</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At their meeting on June 19th at
the Athena Public Library in Athena, the State Library Board will hear
recommendations from the Library Services and Technology Act Advisory Council.
Among the recommendations will be one to proceed with negotiations for the next
general periodicals database license for academic, school and public libraries.
The Statewide Database Licensing Advisory Council has been working nearly two
years to design and execute a procurement process, working with the State
Procurement Office and Library staff. They reported to the LSTA Advisory Council
on May 15th that Gale/Cengage was the apparent successful proposer. The Board
will decide on June 19th whether to proceed with the procurement process. The
LSTA Advisory Council is also recommending that 22 organizations submitting LSTA
Project Proposals for grant projects in 2010 be invited to submit full
applications. The 22 projects total approximately $1.2 million. In other
business, the Board will hear a recommendation from the Talking Book and Braille
Services Advisory Council to approve a plan to spend donation funds in 2009-10,
and a proposal to amend the bylaws of the Government Research and Electronic
Services Advisory Council. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. An open forum
will be held at 10:30 a.m. Anyone is welcome to address the Board in the open
forum.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">LIBRARY’S BUDGET BILL
ADVANCES IN THE LEGISLATURE</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At press time the State Library
appropriations bill for the upcoming 2009-11 biennium, HB 5026, was approved by
the Joint Ways and Means Committee of the Legislature. The bill is based on the
Ways and Means Committee Co-Chairs budget plan that was released on May 18th.
The bill is very supportive of State Library programs and services, especially
given the current revenue crisis that the Legislature is dealing with. The bill
increases the State Library budget overall by 2%. The Ready to Read Grant
program is reduced by 5.5% to 95 cents per child per year. General funds are
added to the budget to fund 2.5 FTE in Library Development Services with state
funds instead of LSTA funds. This will address a problem with administrative
costs in the LSTA budget that caused the Institute of Museum and Library
Services to threaten to withhold Oregon’s LSTA allotment. The bill will now move
on for a vote of the full House and Senate in June.<BR><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">STREAMS OF LANGUAGE,
MEMORY AND LIFEWAYS: 2009 NATIONAL TRIBAL ARCHIVES, LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS
CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN PORTLAND</FONT><FONT
face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Oregon State Library and
Tamastslikt Cultural Institute at the Conferederated Tribes of the Umatilla are
co-hosting the 2009 National Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums Conference
from October 19 - 22, 2009 at the Red Lion on the River in Portland. The Western
Council of State Libraries is sponsoring the conference with major funding from
the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The 2009 National Conference will
continue to build upon the foundation from several earlier conferences to create
a network of support for tribal cultural institutions and programs, articulate
contemporary issues related to the development of tribal libraries, archives and
museums, and encourage collaboration among tribal and non-tribal institutions.
For more information visit the <A
href="http://www.tribalconference.org/">conference website</A> or contact <A
href="mailto:marykay.dahlgreen@state.or.us">MaryKay Dahlgreen</A>.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TBABS HAS BOOKS FOR
CHILDREN'S SUMMER READING</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In support of Summer Reading
programs taking place in public libraries across the state, we’re encouraging
kids and libraries to get their audio and braille reading materials from Talking
Book and Braille Services. If you have a summer reader that reads braille or
talking books they can get all the materials they need just by contacting TBABS
at 800-452-0292. Or, if you meet a summer reader who could benefit from our
alternative reading format, have them contact us to apply for service.
Applications are always available on-demand at our <A
href="http://www.tbabs.org/">website</A> and public librarians are able to
certify the application for service.<BR><BR></FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">STATE LIBRARY GEARS UP
FOR NEW METASEARCH TOOL</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">State employees will soon be using
a free tool, LibraryFind to easily search multiple library databases.
LibraryFind makes searching simple by providing the ability to search the
library catalog, online databases, and other resources with one search. Useful
features include both simple and advanced search functionality, faceted
searching, sort preferences, and the ability to save and email search results.
Technical features include an open URL link resolver, the use of caching to
improve speed, and a customizable search interface. The software was developed
by the Oregon State University Libraries, in part funded with a grant from the
State Library. LibraryFind replaces our WebFeat search tool. To learn more about
LibraryFind go to the <A href="http://libraryfind.org/">LibraryFind web
site</A>.<BR><BR></FONT></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">CROOKED RIVER RANCH
TURNS DOWN LIBRARY SERVICE AGAIN</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For the second time in seven
months, residents of the Crooked River Ranch community in rural Jefferson County
have turned down a proposal to annex to the Jefferson County Library District.
About 4,100 people live in the community in southwest Jefferson County. In an
election last November, an annexation measure was defeated with 53% of voters
opposed to the measure. In a second attempt, in the May 19th election, 69% of
voters opposed the measure. Residents of Crooked River Ranch will have to
continue to purchase non-resident library cards at the Jefferson County Library
in Madras, or at one of the branches of the Deschutes Public Library, if they
want to have public library service.</FONT><BR></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><BR>OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF AGRICULTURE DOCUMENT MAKES LIBRARY JOURNAL'S NOTABLE DOCUMENT LIST</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Western US Invasive Plant EDRR
Guide</I>, a publication of the Oregon Department of Agriculture's Noxious Weed
Control Program, was included in <I>Library Journal's</I> 2008 <A
href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6657395.html">"Notable Documents"
list</A>. Published both in paper and online, this document includes information
that encourages citizens to report invasive species. LJ calls the guide "an
excellent example of collaborative Internet use between a government and its
citizens." </FONT><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The document is
available online <A
href="http://library.state.or.us/repository/2008/200801310954544/">at the Oregon
Documents Repository</A>. Paper copies are available on loan from the Oregon
State Library, and other Oregon Document Depository
libraries.<BR><BR></FONT></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"><I>In honor of Oregon’s
Sesquicentennial, I have decided to devote the next several months of my column
to brief sketches of early Oregon libraries. The beginnings of library service
in 19th century Oregon is interesting and deserves to be better known and
appreciated by people who work in our libraries today.</I></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Columbia Library is generally
acknowledged as the first library in the Oregon country. It was a circulating
library at Fort Vancouver, but the collection predated Fort Vancouver. John
Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company post at the mouth of the Columbia, founded in
1810, began to collect some books for the use of employees at the post. The post
was taken over by the British North West Company in 1813 which later merged with
the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821. In 1821, we know from an inventory of Fort
George (as it was called after 1813) that this library contained 54 books.
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 1825, when Fort Vancouver was
completed, the library was moved there and came under the direction of a 21 year
old Scotsman, Dr. William Tolmie, who had just come to the Fort out of medical
school. I think Dr. Tolmie deserves the title of Oregon’s first librarian. It
was he who proposed to Chief Factor John McLoughlin that the library become a
circulating library. He also contributed his personal library that he brought
with him, including 19 medical books. Dr. Tolmie organized the library as a
subscription library, which was how public libraries were first organized in the
19th century. What was really remarkable about this library was that it served
not just Fort Vancouver, but all of the outposts of the Hudson’s Bay Company in
the Northwest, and all of the officers were given the opportunity to subscribe.
Bancroft’s History of Oregon describes how it worked this way:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">“The officers subscribed, sent the
order for books and periodicals to the company’s agent in London; the books were
sent out, and as everybody had subscribed, they were sent to all the forts
throughout the length and breadth of the land. The library was kept at Fort
Vancouver, subscribers sending for such books as they wanted, and returned them
when read.”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today thousands of books move
around Oregon every day to meet the information needs of students, faculty, and
the general public. Maybe our well-deserved reputation for being a national
leader in library resource sharing owes a small debt to the enduring spirit of
Dr. Tolmie and the Columbia Library. – Jim Scheppke</FONT></P><BR>
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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:jennifer.maurer@state.or.us">Jennifer Maurer</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:mary.l.mayberry@state.or.us">Mary Mayberry</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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