Nebraska Library Commission - Minutes
Nebraska Library Commission
September 9, 2005
MINUTES
The Nebraska Library Commission held its regular meeting
Friday, September 9, 2005, at the Nebraska Library Commission. Notice of the
meeting was submitted to local newspapers (Lincoln Journal Star, Omaha
World Herald), and posted on the Nebraska Library Commission Web site.
Vice-Chair Mary Nelson called the meeting to order at
9:30 a.m. Members present: Jean Ahrens, John Dale, Patrick Gross, Mary Nelson,
and Carol Spencer. Staff present: Rod Wagner, Maria Medrano-Nehls, Mary Jo
Ryan, Kit Keller and Pam Scott.
Approval of Agenda: Jean Ahrens asked to have an
item placed on the agenda. A motion was made to approve the amended agenda.
Motion carried on roll call vote: Jean Ahrens - aye; John Dale - aye; Patrick
Gross - aye; Mary Nelson - aye; and Carol Spencer - aye; Motion approved.
Approval of the Minutes (July 15, 2005): A motion
was made to approve the July 2005 meeting minutes. Motion carried on roll call
vote: John Dale - aye, Patrick Gross - aye; Mary Nelson - aye; Carol Spencer -
aye; and Jean Ahrens - aye. Motion approved.
PUBLIC FORUM
There was no public comment.
Correspondence
and Communication
Rod Wagner reported that he received a letter from Jack
Crowley, Executive Director of Central Community College Foundation, thanking
the Commission for the scholarships provided to several of their students. Rod
said that it is nice to get recognition of the value of the Commission's
efforts to support library science education.
Chair's Report
and Commissioners' Comments
Jean Ahrens reported that the architectural plan for the
expansion of the Scottsbluff public library has been accepted. If the building
is expanded by 2007, the project will cost $6.8 million. The city is
considering hiring a professional fundraiser. Jean attended the Job-a-Like
program in which public, college and school librarians get together to share
ideas and programs.
Carol Spencer reported that the Broken Bow public library
had $7,000 restored to its budget.
John Dale reported that Lincoln City Libraries fiscal
year began the 1st of September. The budget was not looking good
but after a few internal changes the library has the funds needed to operate
as they are currently.
Mary Nelson reported that Imperial's library building
project is just about completed. The Lexington public library is installing
new carpeting as its project moves toward completion. The Holdrege Public
Library System has a new Director, Pam Soreide.
Patrick Gross reported that Wayne's library director,
Lauran Lofgren, is very innovative and great at her job. Pat passed around an
article from the Wayne Herald saying that the Commission and the Kiewit
Foundation had provided money to allow the Wayne and South Sioux City public
libraries to join the One Library Consortium. The consortium allows
participating libraries to have access to the holdings of all of the
consortium member libraries and the best software that would have been too
expensive for individual libraries on their own.
Director's
Report
Personnel -Rod Wagner reported that Cherie Longmuir,
Panhandle Library System Coordinator, was recently recognized with the
Panhandle Library System Distinguished Service Award.
Recruitment and Retention Project - Librarians for the 21st
Century - Mary Jo Ryan and Kit Keller presented a report on the library
workforce recruitment and retention project. They stated that the project came
about as a result of the Commission's long range plan. They begin to look at
national and local information about the availability of library workers and
future projections indicating that increasing numbers of library workers will
soon reach retirement age. A task force was formed to explore library
workforce retention and recruitment trends and needs, and to make
recommendations on how to recruit a new generation of librarians. One of the
recommendations was a multimedia marketing campaign to promote librarianship
as a positive career choice. Other suggestions included providing funds for
scholarships and mentors. An IMLS grant application was submitted but not
funded the first time. A subsequent application was sent the next year and a
three-year $300,000 grant was awarded.
A research assistant was hired to help with project. A
structure was then developed to implement all of the actions listed in the
grant application. The marketing campaign will include a movie trailer because
research has shown that young people are susceptible to information received
at movie theaters. Staff became aware of Ann Seidl, a librarian who is
researching the image of librarians. Ms. Seidl has produced a film titled
The Hollywood Librarian. Her research is on movie clips and
includes depictions of librarians in movie clips. She is a librarian turned
film maker. The Commission has contracted with Ms. Seidl to produce the movie
trailer. A demo tape was viewed showing Ms. Seidl's work in producing The
Hollywood Librarian. In addition to the movie trailer, the marketing
campaign will include bookmarks and brochures. The movie trailer will be used
to develop a DVD and display that can be used by librarians and school
counselors.
The grant will also provide scholarships to Nebraskans
pursuing MLS degrees or taking Library Technical Assistant course work. A
mentoring program and a Web site for recruitment and retention are part of the
project. The Web site will allow the movie trailer to be available for
download. The Web site will also have information on recruitment, retention
and employment.
The project has also resulted in a contract with the
University of Nebraska at Omaha to publish a brochure explaining the different
library science education options in Nebraska. The brochure includes quotes
from Nebraska librarians from different types of libraries.
An NLA - NEMA pre-conference program is being planned for
2006 in conjunction with the NLA Paraprofessional section, Diversity
Committee, New Member's Roundtable, and the Trustee, Users and Friends
section. The pre-conference program will be presented by Ann Seidl who will
encourage people to get involved in mentoring and to increase their
educational options.
Consumer Health Symposium - Mary Jo Ryan reported that
last year the Nebraska Library Commission nominated the UNMC McGoogan Library
of Medicine for the 2004 NCLIS Blue Ribbon Consumer Health Information
Recognition Award for their Consumer Health Information Resource Service
(CHIRS). Health information is the single most sought after information on the
Web. CHIRS allows people from Nebraska to phone or e-mail requests for health
information. CHIRS librarians are experienced and skilled in finding relevant
health information. An outcome of the consumer health information award was
the beginning of discussions with the UNMC Library of Medicine staff about
ways to publicize and promote this great service. A project idea emerged to
support several local community health information resource teams. On November
10, the Library Commission, UNMC Library of Medicine, and the Nebraska Health
and Human Services System will co-host a symposium in North Platte to enable
teams from several Nebraska communities to explore needs and opportunities for
team building and planning for local community health information activities.
Community projects will publicize and promote the information resources and
services of public libraries, medical centers, and other community
organizations. The symposium will include teams from the Gering/Scottsbluff,
Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln, Norfolk, North Platte, Ogallala and Omaha.
Public Library Trustee Education Project - Pam Scott
reported that the trustee survey results will be distributed to public library
trustees at the NLA/NEMA conference. Based upon the survey responses,
Commission staff, regional library system administrators, and NLA TUFS
representatives will begin designing a continuing education program for
library trustees. The plan is to focus on grants and grant writing,
fundraising, Friends of the Library and information on 501(C)(3)
organizations, planning and evaluation during the first year.
The second year focus will be on policies. The third year
will address fiscal responsibilities, copyright and intellectual freedom. The
fourth year will focus on public relations skills, library advocacy, verbal
and written presentation skills, and board management. Different delivery
approaches will be used to present this information (on-site training, on-site
consultation, on-line, and recordings).
Library Commission staff members are working with the
University of North Texas School of Library and Information Sciences to create
an online course on library board orientation. The public library trustee
handbook is also being revised with the goal of having it available for
distribution at the 2006 NLA - NEMA conference.
Continuing Education Grants - Pam Scott stated that a
list of grant awards was included in the meeting packets. The document lists
grant recipients, a short description of their project and the grant amount.
There was a good variety of applications. There will be another round of
grants offered in October for librarians to attend the ALA Public Library
Association conference in March, 2006.
2005 Nebraska Library Leadership Institute - Rod Wagner
stated that he and John Dale were among thirty some participants and mentors
who attended the Library Leadership Institute at the St. Benedict Center near
Schuyler. This was the third institute, held once each two years. The
institute is planned and arranged by the Nebraska regional library systems and
supported financially by the Library Commission, with additional contributions
by some other organizations. The institute is led by John Shannon and Becky
Schreiber - two highly skilled, knowledgeable and effective leader/trainers.
One Book - One Nebraska - Rod Wagner reported that the
One Book - One Nebraska statewide book discussion project was well received.
Recently, the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Humanities Council
co-hosted a lunch meeting with persons who have been involved in the project
over the past year to thank the Cather Foundation for its work, initiative and
leadership and to share ideas about a future One Book - One Nebraska project.
The Cather Foundation initiated the statewide project as part of the
Foundation's fiftieth anniversary celebration and sought partnerships with
other Nebraska organizations. The Mari Sandoz Society is interested in leading
the project in 2007, possibly using Mari Sandoz's book Crazy Horse for
reading and discussion. One of the suggestions for 2006 is another Willa
Cather book.
Nebraska Book Festival - Rod Wagner reported that the
Nebraska Book Festival, "Local Wonders", will be held October 7-8 at Nebraska
Wesleyan University in Lincoln. There will be events both downtown and on the
Wesleyan campus. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Poet Laureate and 2005
Pulitzer Prize winner, Ted Kooser. William Kloefkorn will be honored at the
festival as the recipient of the Mildred Bennett Award. Mr. Kloefkorn will
also be the luncheon speaker. Winners of the Nebraska Book Award competition
will be honored at the festival. Several of the book award authors will be
present.
NLA/NEMA Conference - The conference will be held
September 29-30. The Commission is sponsoring Martha Choe as a keynote
speaker. Ms. Choe is Executive Director of the Gates Foundation Global Library
Program.
Financial
Report
The financial report was included in the meeting packets.
Rod Wagner stated that some expenses are paid at the start of the fiscal year
and cover the whole fiscal year. These expenses include such items as
subscriptions and licensing fees. The Commission is on target for this stage
of the fiscal year.
Unfinished
Business
There was no unfinished business.
New Business
Jean Ahrens stated that she received an e-mail message
from Cherie Longmuir stating that the State of New York issues library license
plates ("Love your Library"). The proceeds from sales are used to purchase
summer reading program materials. Jean asked if this is something Nebraska
would consider pursuing. Rod Wagner stated that a library license plate would
need to be authorized by legislation. Rod will seek information from the
Department of Motor Vehicles about specialty license plates.
21st Century Librarian Scholarship Program -
Rod Wagner introduced a staff recommendation to change the amount of the MLS
scholarships from $1000 to $2500. Also recommended was a change in the name of
the scholarships to the 21st Century Librarian Scholarships. A
motion was made to approve the recommended changes. Motion carried on roll
call vote: Patrick Gross - aye; Mary Nelson - aye; Carol Spencer - aye; Jean
Ahrens - aye; and John Dale - aye. Motion approved.
Public Librarian Certification - Reciprocity - Rod Wagner
introduced a staff recommendation to adopt a policy that permits the Nebraska
Library Commission to waive requirements for a public librarian certificate if
a library worker who has certification from another state moves to Nebraska
and applies for public librarian certification. Waiver would depend on the
individual providing documentation that is substantially comparable to
Nebraska certification requirements. A motion was made to approve the
recommended change to the Public Librarian Certification program policies.
Motion carried on roll call vote: Mary Nelson - aye; Carol Spencer - aye;
Jean Ahrens - aye; and John Dale - aye; Patrick Gross - aye. Motion approved.
Next Meeting - Then next meeting will be held November 4
at the Nebraska Library Commission.
Adjournment
Vice-Chair Mary Nelson adjourned the meeting at 11:45
p.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.