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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 12, December
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><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">STATE LIBRARY BOARD
CONSIDERS REQUEST FOR E-BOOK GRANT</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">At their meeting on December 4th at
the State Library in Salem, the State Library Board will consider a request from
the Oregon Digital Library Consortium for a grant to fund an “opening day”
e-book collection for their Library2Go downloadable media service. Library2Go is
now offered by public and community college libraries throughout the state,
providing downloadable audiobooks and videos. With the growing interest in
downloadable e-books sparked by new e-readers like the Kindle and the Sony
Reader, the ODLC believes it is time to begin to offer downloadable e-books.
Earlier in the year the Library Services and Technology Act Advisory Council
recommended that the Board consider funding an opening day e-book collection for
Library2Go. The ODLC is requesting $100,000 for the collection. They are
committing to spend $26,000 from their own budget over the next two years and
approximately 20% of their collection budget in the future to purchase e-books.
ODLC works with OverDrive to provide Library2Go. OverDrive offers downloadable
e-books in the EPUB format that can be read on the Sony Reader and other new
e-reader devices. EPUB is rapidly becoming the standard format for downloadable
e-books.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">PLANNING FOR THE
2011-13 BIENNIUM BEGINS</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The State Library Board will kick
off their planning process for the next biennium with a planning retreat on
December 3rd at the State Library in Salem. Every two years the Board has an
all-day planning retreat where they revisit the Library’s mission, long range
goals, and biennial strategies. The ideas generated at the retreat are handed
off to a Board Budget Committee that will begin meeting in early 2010 to develop
the Library’s Agency Request Budget that will be submitted to the Governor later
in the year. After the retreat on the 3rd the Board will have a business meeting
on the 4th. In addition to considering a request from the ODLC to fund an
opening day e-book collection for Library2Go, the Board will hear appeals of
staff decisions to deny Ready to Read Grants to four public libraries. The Board
will also deliberate on the assessment that the Library will propose for 2011-13
to fund Government Research Services to state agencies, and they will elect
members of the Library Services and Technology Act Advisory Council and the
Talking Book and Braille Services Advisory Council. The meeting on December 4th
begins at 9:30 a.m in Room 102 at the State Library. An open forum is scheduled
for 10:30. Anyone may address the Board at the open forum.</FONT><BR></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
COMING THIS MONTH</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Ready to Read Grants will be
mailed to public library directors by the end of December. Included in this
mailing will be a list of the libraries receiving grants this year, descriptions
of the projects they plan to implement with their Ready to Read Grant in 2009,
and a sample press release. Legislators had to make many difficult funding
decisions this year. The State Library hopes that public library directors will
thank legislators for funding the Ready to Read Grant program and inform them
how the grant is benefiting children and young adults locally. </FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TBABS PATRONS READ THE
NEWSPAPER OVER THE PHONE</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Patrons of Talking Book and Braille
Services have many exciting services at their disposal. But one in particular
can connect them with up to the minute news and information: NFB-NEWSLINE. In
partnership with the National Federation for the Blind and the Oregon Commission
for the Blind, Talking Book and Braille Services provides free access to
newspapers from all over the country to print-disabled Oregonians. In order to
receive access to this informative service, eligible patrons just need to fill
out an application for service and return it to Talking Books. The service is
FREE and all patrons need is access to a phone line. Whenever they want to,
patrons call in to NFB-NEWSLINE on a toll-free number and listen to the
newspapers of their choosing. For information on how to apply, visit <A
href="http://www.tbabs.org/">TBABS</A> online.</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">MULTNOMAH AND EUGENE
LIBRARIES NAMED “STAR LIBRARIES”</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In November, <I>Library Journal</I>
announced their latest <A
href="http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6707205.html?desc=topstory">Index
of Public Library Service</A> based on national library performance data for
2007. The Index lists 258 libraries in the U.S. with the best performance in
four categories: circulation, program attendance, visits, and Internet use. The
list is divided by the size of the library’s expenditures and libraries receive
five, four or three stars based on their performance in the four categories.
Multnomah County Library was one of only five libraries in their group of the
largest public libraries to receive five stars. They ranked third among the
five. Two Ohio libraries, in suburban Cleveland and Columbus, topped the list.
Eugene Public Library was among the next largest libraries to receive stars.
They received four stars for their performance. This is the second time that
<I>Library Journal </I>has published their Index. The next Index, based on 2008
data, should be out next year.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">LIGHTS! CAMERA!
ACTION! SEE A GREAT LSTA PROJECT</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Take a look at an LSTA project
recently completed by Multnomah County Library. The library set out to create
videos to help with outreach to speakers of Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese. The
Library contracted with a technical writer to write a script that demonstrated
how to use the public library and translated the script into three languages.
The library worked with members of the community to revise scripts to fit, and
recruited "on camera" volunteers. The three videos produced were distributed to
public libraries in Oregon, and can be seen through the <A
href="http://www.multcolib.org/services/languages/">Multnomah County
website</A>.</FONT></P>
<P align=center><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">25 E-BOOKS NOW
AVAILABLE IN GALE VIRTUAL REFERENCE LIBRARY</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">During the November Statewide
Database Licensing Advisory Committee meeting, members decided on the 15
remaining titles to add to the Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL). The group
tried to select e-books that were appropriate for academic, public / tribal, and
K12 library patrons and that encompassed multiple subject areas. You can access
the GVRL database several ways, depending on the options you provide on your
library’s web page: click directly on the GVRL link or icon; click on
PowerSearch and scroll to find GVRL in the menu of databases; or once you are in
any Gale database, click on Change Databases at the top of the screen and scroll
to find GVRL in the menu. After accessing GVRL, click on Title List for a
listing of the e-books that are now available. Please note that because the 10
volumes of Social Issues Primary Sources Collection are listed individually,
more than 25 titles show in the list. Click on the hyperlinked e-book titles on
GVRL’s opening page for a description of the book; to access the table of
contents, index, and list of illustrations; or to use the Search Within This
Publication feature. Questions? Contact <A
href="mailto:jennifer.maurer@state.or.us">Jennifer Maurer</A>,
503-378-5011</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 imagine that many librarians can
relate to this observation from the protagonist of Nicholson Baker’s new novel:
“I woke up thinking a very pleasant thought. There is lots left in the world to
read.” </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A pleasant thought indeed. Here are
some books I greatly enjoyed reading this year that I wanted to recommend to
you.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>The Anthologist</I> by Nicholson
Baker (Simon and Schuster, 2009).<BR>Get into the head of a minor poet whose
life is falling apart in Baker’s latest novel, and learn some things you didn’t
know about poetry in the process.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Intelligence and How to Get it:
Why Schools and Cultures Count </I>by Richard E. Nisbett (Norton, 2009)<BR>A
University of Michigan psychologist provides convincing evidence from the latest
research that IQ is not predetermined by genetics, and yes, good schools and
libraries can make a big difference.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>The Philosopher and the Wolf:
Lessons from the Wild on Love, Death and Happiness </I>by Mark Rowlands
(Pegasus, 2009)<BR>What does a professional philosopher learn from living for
many years with a wolf as his closest companion?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Our Inner Ape: A Leading
Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are</I> by Frans de Waal (Riverhead,
2007)<BR>A companion to Rowlands’ book — the supposed divide between homo
sapiens and our relatives in the animal world is smaller than you
think.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>The Black Swan: The Impact of
the Highly Improbable</I> by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Random House, 2007)<BR>I was
so happy to discover Nassim Taleb this year, an unconventional thinker who may
change your thinking about a lot of things.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>The Unsettling of America:
Culture and Agriculture</I> by Wendell Berry (Sierra Club, 1977)<BR>The current
critique of American culture (consumerism, agribusiness, peak oil, peak water,
etc., etc.) was eloquently made over three decades ago by poet, novelist and
farmer, Wendell Berry.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Imperial</I> by William T.
Vollman (Viking, 2009)<BR>This 1,300 page tome about the rise and fall of
Imperial County, California (among other things) is the strangest book I have
read in many years, but it left a deep impression on me. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Zeitoun</I> by Dave Eggers
(McSweeneys, 2009)<BR>The tragic mishandling of the Katrina disaster as told
through the experience of one Syrian-American family.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Crude World: the Violent
Twilight of Oil </I>by Peter Maass (Knopf, 2009)<BR>This book will make you feel
even more guilty the next time you fill up. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Eat Me: the Food and Philosophy
of Kenny Shopsin</I> by Kenny Shopsin and Carolyn Carreno (Knopf, 2008)<BR>Yes,
there has to be one food book on this list. Shopsin was made famous by <I>New
Yorker</I> writer Calvin Trillin years ago and he’s still going strong at his
very peculiar Greenwich Village restaurant.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><I>Bicycle Diaries</I> by David
Byrne (Viking, 2009)<BR>An engaging two-wheeled excursion through cities around
the world by the former Talking Heads frontman.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Happy holiday reading to all of you
from the staff of the State Library. – Jim Scheppke</FONT><BR></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"><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: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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