Show Me Libraries
Missouri State Library
Volume 1, Issue 3
Spring 2007
Inside this Issue
State Library Hosts Institutes for Library Skills, Technology
Letters about Literature Contest Draws Large Response
Summer Reading Workshops Bring Program Manual to Life
Grants Support Early Literacy Efforts
Input Given for State Library Services
Technology Plan Update Deadline Approaching
2006 Network Library of the Year Nomination
Focus Groups Provide Five-Year Feedback
New Teen Spaces Grants Awarded
Western Council Debuts Certification Program
Celebrate Libraries and Library Workers in April
From Ship to Shore: Tox Town’s® New Port Scene Delivers to Goods on Coastal Environmental Health
State Library Hosts Institutes for Library Skills, Technology
by Brenda Sites
Sixty-four library staff members from throughout Missouri spent four days in Columbia at the Winter Library Skills Institute sharpening their skills to provide better library services. The Institute was held February 6-9 and featured courses on basic library skills, library services for children and organizing library materials. The basic course provided an overview of library services, including library organization in Missouri, circulation and customer service, reference, youth services, collection development and outreach services for adults.
The advanced course on library services for children was led by Pamela Barron from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and focused exclusively on the developmental needs of children, and developing programs, services and collections to support those needs. Erlene Dudley from William Woods University was the trainer for the advanced course on organizing library materials where participants learned the latest principles and practices for cataloging.
Throughout the week, institute attendees frequently commented on the quality of the courses and the presenters. For some, the institute was a way to refresh their skills and enthusiasm for library services. For others, the new information was motivation to begin new practices and services in their libraries. “I found this whole experience valuable,” said one participant.
Across town at MOREnet, 18 library staff members focused on technical skills at the “Introduction to Windows 2003 Server Administration” class. This intensive course was designed for library staff responsible for network administration of Windows 2003 servers. John Riley and Bob Martin, trainers for MOREnet, facilitated the class. The text, Hands-On Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administration by Dan DiNicolo, includes extensive hands-on projects, exercises and review questions in each chapter to reinforce the network administration skills learned in class. This is the first time the State Library has sponsored this course for public libraries with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Due to the interest and positive feedback from participants, they plan to continue this type of high-level technology training.
Letters About Literature Contest Draws Large Response
by Marge Kudrna
The Missouri Center for the Book, the Missouri State Library, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Target Stores sponsored the Letters about Literature writing contest for readers in grades 4 through 12. Nationally, 56,438 readers wrote a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their views of the world or themselves. Readers selected authors from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. In Missouri, 2,268 students submitted letters—542 more letters than last year.
First place winners at the state level will receive a certificate, a cash prize, a $50 Target GiftCard and advance to national competition. Six national winners will each receive an expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital to read their letters during the National Book Festival in the fall of 2007. In addition, they will receive a $500 Target GiftCard. All Missouri state level winners receive a certificate, a cash prize and are invited to Jefferson City for a ceremony and reception to receive their awards.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan will present the Letters About Literature awards in the Carnahan Memorial Garden, on the grounds of the governor’s mansion, at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10. Awards will be presented in the three competition levels: Level I for children in grades 4 through 6, Level II for grades 7 and 8 and Level III for grades 9-12. Judges from the Missouri Center for the Book will select a first place, second place and two honorable mention winners for each competition level.
Summer Reading Workshops Bring Program Manual to Life
by Lindsay McCarroll
More than 200 public and school library personnel attended the 2007 Get a Clue summer reading program workshops. The interactive workshops are designed to provide ideas, skills and motivation to personnel planning summer reading programs for children from birth to age 12.
Patti Sinclair, editor of the Get a Clue manual, shared songs, school library visit ideas and craft activities. Patti shared other useful ice breaker ideas to use with groups of school-age children who may not know each other but need to work together at a library activity. Patti also shared several craft ideas with the audience, allowing participants to take samples home of everything from secret code books to “Bigfoot” feet. As always, Patti stressed the importance of featuring books at all summer activities.
Grants Support Early Literacy Efforts
by Brenda Sites
In 2006, the State Library began a new early literacy initiative by offering Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® workshops for library staff interested in training parents and caregivers. Parents who attend the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) workshops tend to share books with their children more frequently and incorporate information learned in the programs, helping them to be more effective “first teachers” with their children. The Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® workshops and support materials were developed and tested by the Public Library Association (PLA) and Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), in cooperation with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
The full-day ECRR trainings held across the state were the first in a series of activities to support the early literacy initiative. In February, the state library sponsored workshops to help library staff apply the principles learned in the original ECRR training and incorporate the skills into their baby, toddler and preschool story times. Susan Bard, an ECRR trainer endorsed by PLA/ALSC from Port Charlotte, FL, presented the workshops in Columbia on February 7 – 8.
Anyone who has attended the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® workshops is eligible to attend an application workshop. Several of the larger library systems will be hosting these same workshops for their youth staff in the coming months and eligible participants will be notified of those training dates.
To assist more libraries with their efforts to educate parent and child care providers, a second round of Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® grants was awarded in January to seven libraries. Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® grants will provide funding for libraries to purchase the Every Child Ready to Read training kit and additional resources necessary for conducting the parent workshops. Public libraries will work with community partners to plan, promote and conduct workshops.
The following libraries received Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® grants:
- St. Charles City-County Library District - Four branches will provide a minimum of 12 workshops.
- Mid-Continent Public Library - Liberty Branch will provide a minimum of six workshops.
- McDonald County Library - Library will provide three workshops in partnership with McDonald County Health Department and Head Start and daycare providers; will hire translator to help Spanish-speaking participants.
- University City Public Library - Library will conduct three workshops while partnering with Parents as Teachers, Head Start and a day care center.
- Joplin Public Library - Library will conduct three workshops, partnering with other community agencies, and will pursue a partnership with Joplin High School’s Early Childhood Education Program.
- Cape Girardeau Public Library – Library will conduct at least six workshops with different partners.
- Bonne Terre Memorial Library – Library will conduct three workshops in partnership with Head Start, County Health Department and local daycare centers.
For more information about PLA’s and ALSC’s Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® early literacy program, visit the ECRR Web site at www.ala.org/ala/alsc/ECRR.
Input Given for State Library Services
Librarians, trustees and community members shared their input at Town Hall meetings on services desired from the State Library. Twelve meetings were held in February and March at locations around the state, with attendance ranging from four to over 25 at each site. Alan St. John of the Missouri Training Institute (MTI) provided professional facilitation services for the meetings while maintaining an informal atmosphere to make it easy for everyone to participate. Participants were asked to brainstorm about what could help their library do a better job and to indicate the relative importance of the issues they contributed. Suggestions included
The intention of library administration is to create a plan that will best serve citizens of Missouri. The information from the meetings will be compiled by MTI and used in several ways. The major themes from the meetings will be used to develop goals for the Missouri State Library and to determine expected impacts for LSTA funding. In addition, the input will help to shape the next five-year plan for LSTA, which will be submitted by July for the next five years beginning in October.
Technology Plans Update Deadline Approaching
by Debbie Musselman
Congratulations to the public libraries that have already submitted their technology plans for review and certification by the Missouri State Library. So far, seventeen new plans have been certified, sixteen new plans are undergoing revision and five existing plans have been updated. However, 98 public libraries have yet to begin the process. As part of the e-rate application process, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires public libraries in Missouri to submit a new technology plan for review to the Missouri State Library every three years and to update it annually. Missouri public libraries are encouraged to apply for e-rate funds to receive discounts on telecommunication services including local and long distance telephone service, Internet access and internal connections. Public libraries that are part of the Remote Electronic Access for Libraries (REAL) program must have a technology plan certified by the State Library or reimburse MOREnet for the lost e-rate amount, approximately $1,500 per T-1 connection. The technology plan certification process must be completed by June 30, 2007. If you have any questions about the status of your public library’s technology plan, contact Debbie Musselman at 1-800-325-0131, ext 14 or by e-mail at debbie.musselman@sos.mo.gov.
2006 Network Library of the Year Nomination
Wolfner Library was nominated for the 2006 Network Library of the Year Award offered by the National Library Service. The awards commend excellence, innovation and special achievement in providing library service to blind and physically handicapped individuals in a calendar year and the nominees will be selected according to the following criteria:
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Mission support: The extent to which the library reached or exceeded the ALA Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service;
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Creativity and innovation: the extent to which the library developed new patron services or marketed existing services in an exceptional manner;
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Patron satisfaction: the extent to which the library met the needs of its patrons during the year.
Focus Groups Provide Five-Year Feedback
by Diana Very
As part of the five-year evaluation of the Missouri Library Services Technology Act (LSTA) program due March 30, five focus groups were held around the state in October and November 2006. The State Library contracted with the Institute of Public Policy from the Truman School of Public Affairs at University of Missouri-Columbia to facilitate, manage and analyze the project. Participants were asked to express their opinions about the administration and opportunities of LSTA in Missouri.
Several focus group participants were appreciative of the grant funding and the training opportunities. “There’s no way we could have given those,” stated a librarian referring to after school programs funded by LSTA grant funds. Other librarians stated, “The training opportunities are great,” and “Some of the training they’ve done is very valuable, and they’ve put it out where people can get to it.”
Participants appreciated the State Library’s efforts to connect Missouri libraries through MOREnet and provide access to electronic databases. Many libraries would not have been able to offer these services without MOREnet. Many great suggestions from these groups will be used in the five-year Missouri LSTA plan that is due in June 2007.
New Teen Spaces Grants Awarded
by Diana Very
In January, almost $400,000 was awarded to 29 public libraries for an opportunity to create a space for young teens in their library service areas. The Teen Spaces grant program is designed to provide public libraries with funds to:
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create, redesign, add to or update library space designed exclusively for use by teens;
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develop a unique program for teens to promote the new space and the library;
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increase awareness and use of the library by teens;
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promote the role of the public library as a positive, creative and educational destination for youth ages 12 through 18.
Teen Spaces grants provide funding to purchase furniture, equipment, supplies, limited library materials and additional resources to create or recreate a dedicated teen area in the library. Participating libraries will plan and conduct a minimum of one teen program to promote the new space and the library to the young adult audience.
Western Council Debuts Certification Program
The Western Council of State Libraries, a professional association of 22 state libraries, announced the start of its Library Practitioner Certification program. The certificate provides recognition for library directors and managers located anywhere in the U.S. without a master’s degree in library science.
Developed with support from an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant, in response to calls for improved training opportunities, the Western Council identified a set of competencies that define the skills and knowledge needed for success as a library practitioner. The certification program is based on these competencies. Library practitioners completing 240 contact hours of training in competency areas and with 2,000 hours of library experiences will be awarded Western Council certification.
“Developing a certification program for this level of library worker represents an important step in Western Council’s efforts to advance the improvement of library services in communities not yet able to support a professional librarian,” said Jan Walsh, President of Western Council and Washington’s state librarian. “By offering standardized certification to library practitioners, Western Council provides employers with a benchmark for selecting highly qualified individuals, while offering individuals a recognized, portable credential that enables them to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. Western Council hopes that applicants look at this certificate as the first step in library science education.”
To insure the quality of courses for applicants, Western Council will require that applicants select from courses offered by Western Council approved providers. Institutions and individuals can become approved providers by completing an application and submitting a fee based on the type of institution. Upon certification, approved providers will be entitled to use an official certification logo as an indication of their status and will be listed in the directory maintained by Western Council.
For complete information about the program, including how to become certified and how to become an approved provider, go to http://certificate.westernco.org/.
Celebrate Libraries and Library Workers in April
National Library Week is April 15-21. First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by The Campaign for America’s Libraries, a multi-year public education campaign sponsored by the American Library Associations (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries, librarians and library workers and to promote library use and support. This year’s theme is “Come Together @ Your Library®.” You can find library resources including free press materials on the ALA Web site at www.ala.org/ala/pio/natlibraryweek/nlw.htm.
National Library Workers Day (NLWD) is celebrated on April 17 during National Library Week. NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. The American Library Association – Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) sponsors NLWD and provides ideas on how to recognize your local library employees on their Web site. You can tell everyone what makes a library employee special by submitting your favorite worker's name and why they are wonderful to the ALA-APA “Submit a Star” site at www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwdstarsform.html.Library users, students, children, colleagues, faculty and management are encouraged to submit an entry. For more information, visit the ALA-APA Web site at www.ala-apa.org/about/nlwd.html.From Ship to Shore…
Tox Town’s® New Port Scene Delivers the Goods on Coastal Environmental Health
submitted by Barb Jones, National Network of Libraries of Medicine
What do longshoremen, sunbathers, ship crews and shrimp lovers have in common? Whether they live on the coast, work in a maritime industry or play on the beach, they can find information about the environment and how it might affect their health at Tox Town’s® new Port neighborhood. This imaginary port illustrates drinking water and air quality concerns along with wastewater treatment, shellfish safety, work hazards, sun and surf safety, aquaculture and many other topics. The port also highlights possible locations and descriptions of 26 hazardous chemicals.
Tox Town®, http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov, uses neighborhood scenes - the Port, City, Town, Farm and US-Mexico Border region - along with color, graphics, sounds and animation to add interest to learning about connections between chemicals, the environment and the public’s health. Each scene focuses on unique environmental health concerns. There are 16 new locations to explore in the Port: beaches, shipyards, algae blooms, coastal brownfields, fuel tanks and pipelines, shipping centers, cruise ships, marinas, nuclear power plants, shellfishing, fish farms, storms and floods, urban and industrial runoff, septic systems, cesspools and wastewater treatment facilities.
Tox Town’s® target audience is the interested public, plus high school, college and graduate students, and educators (see the link on the home page For teachers). Tox Town® also has a growing number of resources en español.
Librarians interested in promoting classroom use of Tox Town® and other National Library of Medicine (NLM) resources may find these useful:
- Resources for Science Teachers – Classroom Resources from NLM. Introduces NLM web resources useful in Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, Earth Science, and Environmental Science courses. Also includes resources on the history of medicine, information on health careers, and Spanish-language resources.
- Tox Town®
- 27 PowerPoint slides with script introducing Tox Town® to teachers and students
- Video and transcript for a general audience. This two-minute video file is 20 megabytes and uses Windows Media Player.
Missouri Library News
By Marge Kudrna, adult services consultant
Amy Fisher has assumed the responsibilities as the Mid-Continent Public Library system’s reference specialist. Amy will replace Martha Lear, who recently retired after 37 years of service.
Elaine Nuhn is the new director of the Macon Public Library.
Charlotte Henry is the new director at Jessie E. McCully Memorial Library (Dixon Library) in Dixon.
Mary K. Moeller has been appointed chief operating officer of the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology in Kansas City. Donna Swischer was promoted to public services officer and Daryl Limpus was promoted to collection services officer.
On February 6, the citizens of the Municipal Library District of Cape Girardeau approved a $.15 tax increase proposition to fund a $9 million building addition/renovation. The goal for the project is to build a "destination library" with additional meeting spaces, separate areas for youth and teens and a computer lab. Library staff hopes to be using the new facility in two years.
Kelli Cook, assistant librarian and children's/young adult librarian at the West Plains Public Library, won the 2006 Outreach and Education Partnership Award from the Outreach and Education Division of the Missouri Department of Conservation. The award recognizes four individuals or groups for their efforts in collaborating with outreach and education staff in programming, media/information, interpretation and outdoor skills efforts. Three of the awards go to people within the Department of Conservation and the fourth award is for someone outside the department. Kelli has worked with Wendy Ziegler, Mary Palmer and Melanie Carden-Jessen, educators from her local conservation office, to present numerous programs on wildlife and habitat emphasizing conservation. The West Plains Public Library has a rod & reel loaner program for families to borrow fishing equipment for up to two weeks. Kelli is also a certified leader for the Frontiers Program and provides “pioneer packets” to families interested in conservation projects. As an awardee, Kelli received a bald eagle sculpture which is now on display in the library’s children’s department.
Show Me Libraries
Spring 2007
Vol. 1, No. 3
Show Me Libraries is published quarterly by the Library Development Division of the Missouri State Library, PO Box 387, Jefferson City, MO 65102; telephone 800-325-0131 in Missouri or 573-751-2680; fax 573-751-3612.
Contents of Show Me Libraries may be reprinted with reference given to the publication and its date of issue.
The Missouri State Library is a division of the Secretary of State's Office.
Robin Carnahan
Secretary of State
Brenda Sites
Editor
Krista Myer
Director of Publications
Julie Stegeman
Graphic Designer