Nebraska Library Commission - Minutes
Nebraska Library Commission
November 3, 2006
MINUTES
The Nebraska Library Commission held its regular
meeting Friday, November 3, 2006, at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln,
Love Library Instruction Room. Notice of the meeting was submitted to local newspapers (Lincoln
Journal-Star, Omaha World Herald), and posted on the Nebraska
Library Commission Homepage.
Chair John Dale called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.
Members present: Jean Ahrens, John Dale, Patrick Gross, Mary Nelson, and Velma
Sims-Shipley. Staff present: Rod Wagner, Maria Medrano-Nehls, and Laura
Johnson. Guests: Nancy Escamilla and Cindy Gitt.
Approval of Agenda:
A motion was made and
seconded to approve the agenda. Motion carried on roll call vote: Jean Ahrens
-aye; John Dale - aye; Pat Gross - aye; Mary Nelson - aye; and Velma
Sims-Shipley - aye. Motion approved.
Approval of the Minutes (September 7, 2006):
A motion was made and seconded to approve the September 2006 meeting minutes.
Motion carried on roll call vote: John Dale - aye; Pat Gross - aye; Mary
Nelson - aye; Velma Sims-Shipley - aye; and Jean Ahrens - aye. Motion
approved.
PUBLIC FORUM
Nancy Escamilla and Cindy Gitt were in attendance.
Correspondence and Communication
Rod Wagner shared a letter from Joan Birnie, Past NLA
President, thanking the Nebraska Library Commission for its support of the
Dinner and Dialogue sessions held in several locations across Nebraska.
Chair's Report and Commissioners' Comments
John Dale reported that he accompanied some Lincoln City
Libraries staff to Des Moines, Iowa, to visit the new public library facility.
John also attended one of the Dinner and Dialogue sessions and attended the
NLA - NEMA conference in Omaha. John was pleased to see that there was a
session on the trustee manual at the conference and that each person was given
a copy of the manual. John also acknowledged the helpful pocket guide to the
trustee manual.
Jean Ahrens reported that she attended the Dinner and
Dialogue session at Ft. Robinson and attended the Nebraska Book Festival in
Lincoln. Jean mentioned that Scottsbluff public library will once again host a
Prime Time Family Reading program.
Velma Sims-Shipley reported that she attended the NLA -
NEMA pre-conference program in Brownville and attended the NLA - NEMA
conference.
Pat Gross reported that he visited the South Sioux City
public library. Pat also visited the Ponca public library and found that they
are almost finished paying for their library building project.
Mary Nelson reported that she attended the Dinner and
Dialogue session in North Platte. She also attended the NLA - NEMA conference
and observed that there was an interesting mix of sessions, some on the light
side and some of a more serious nature. The mixture of both kinds of sessions
made for an especially enjoyable conference.
Director's Report
Personnel - Rod Wagner reported that Laura Johnson
recently joined the Nebraska Library Commission staff as the new Continuing
Education Coordinator. Laura comes to the Commission from the Council Bluffs
public library. Laura previously worked in several Illinois libraries and
systems. Laura was at one point named the Illinois Reference Librarian of the
Year.
Dinner and Dialogue - Rod distributed a report prepared
by Martha Gadberry, Dinner and Dialogue program facilitator. The report will
be available to those who attended the Dinner and Dialogue sessions and
accessible to the public. The report will be given to the League of
Municipalities as well as Senator Roger Wehrbein, sponsor of a resolution for
an interim study on public library boards, and Senator Ray Janssen, Chair of
the legislature's general affairs committee. Discussion was held regarding
the final report. It was noted that the cover page should spell out the
Trustees, Users and Friends section rather than use the section's acronym
(TUFS). It was also noted that some of the wording suggested or exaggerated
problems and that the invitation and attendance figures could be misleading.
NLA/NEMA Conference - Rod Wagner reported that there were
mixed feelings about the new conference location (Omaha's Qwest Center). The
facility is spacious with ample room for small and large program sessions. The
vendors had the impression that not many people where visiting their booths.
The two keynote speakers (Nancy Pearl and Stephen Abram) where quite a
contrast and both gave excellent presentations. The Library Commission booth
had many visitors and conference attendees made good use of the Commission's
computers for checking e-mail and viewing web pages. Commission staff members
were presenters or helped arrange a number of conference sessions.
COSLA and Western Council of State Libraries Meetings -
Rod Wagner reported that he attended both meetings. The COSLA meeting was held
in early October in Little Rock, Arkansas. Among the activities was a
continuing education program led by Julie Todaro based on Tom Friedman's book,
The World is Flat. The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) was
among the topics discussed at the COSLA meeting. The federal library program
is celebrating its 50th year (beginning in 1956 as the Library
Services Act). There was discussion of the reauthorization of the LSTA which
is due in 2008. COSLA will have a lead role in promoting legislative
re-authorization. The COSLA meeting included a tour of the Clinton
Presidential Library. Keith Fiels, Executive Director of the American Library
Association, attended the COSLA meeting. Fiels reported on several ALA
projects including development of a paraprofessional certification program.
The paraprofessional program is being developed in cooperation with the
Western Council of State Libraries and draws from the Western Council's
multi-state certification project. The ALA is collaborating with the Western
Council on a grant application for funding to initiate the project nationwide.
Fiels also spoke about the advocacy training that ALA offers.
Rod attended the Western Council of State Libraries
meeting in Hawaii in mid-October. The meeting was hosted by the Hawaii Public
Library System which also serves as Hawaii's state library administrative
agency. The meeting included tours of the public library system's oldest and
newest library facilities, and a visit to a library that specializes in
Hawaiian and pacific island culture and history. Presentations were given by
Hawaii Public Library System staff. Stephen Abram met with the Council and
gave an after dinner presentation.
The Western Council of State Libraries is finishing its
continuum of library education project. The Council has taken steps to put in
place a program among the twenty-one western states to provide certification
and share training for library practitioners.
COSLA and the Western Council of State Libraries will
hold their fall meetings in Omaha in October 2007.
Nebraska Center for the Book - Rod Wagner stated that the
Nebraska Book Festival, held October 6 & 7, was successful. The Nebraska
Center for the Book will hold its annual meeting on November 5. John Cole,
Director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, will attend
and speak at the meeting. The annual meeting will be held at the Great Plains
Art Museum.
FINANCIAL REPORT
The September financial report was included in the
meeting packet.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
There was no unfinished business.
NEW BUSINESS
Out-of-State Travel Request - Rod Wagner requested
approval to attend the COSLA meeting and the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle
from January 19-23, 2007. A motion was made and seconded to approve the
out-of-state travel request. Motion carried on roll call vote: Pat Gross -
aye; Mary Nelson - aye; Velma Sims-Shipley - aye; Jean Ahrens -aye; and John
Dale - aye. Motion approved.
2007 Events and Schedule - Rod Wagner stated that
Nebraska Library Association Legislative Day will be held on February 14,
2007.
FOLUSA workshops will be held March 27, 2007 in North
Platte and March 28 in Fremont.
National Library Legislative Day will be held May 2.
ALA Annual conference will be June 22-26 in Washington,
D.C. COSLA and Western Council of State Libraries meetings will held in Omaha
in October 2007.
Thinking Outside the Borders Institute will be held
October 22-23, 2007 in either Lincoln or Kearney.
NLA/NEMA conference will be held October 24-26 in
Kearney.
Next Commission Meeting
The January meeting
will be held January 12, 2007 at the Nebraska Library Commission.
Adjournment
Chair John Dale adjourned the
meeting at 9:25 a.m.
Maria Medrano-Nehls, Secretary
All attachments are available upon request. If you would like a copy,
please contact Sue Biltoft at the Nebraska Library Commission,
800-307-2665 or 402-471-2045.