Nebraska Library Commission
Reference/Information Services staff created a state employee
Web site to provide access to information resources. Nebraska
state employees are invited to visit the Nebraska Library
Commission in person, via e-mail or telephone, or on the Web at
<nlc.nebraska.gov/nse>. The Nebraska Library
Commission makes available a collection of general reference
materials (books, periodicals, videos, and electronic
information resources, including Nebraska state and federal
government documents) for all Nebraska state employees. Most
items are available for loan.
State employees can access online
information resources, using passwords issued
by the Library Commission. Resources include
full-text magazines, newspapers, radio and television
transcripts, and reference books from BigChalk eLibrary; full
text magazines and journals from Wilson Web; full text business
information from Kiplinger Forecasts; full text of more than
2,600 copyrighted eBooks from NetLibrary; full text of the
Omaha World Herald from 1983 to the present; more than 120,000
biographies with more than 32,000 photographs from Wilson Web;
eleven databases providing references to articles, books, and
reports (no full text) through OCLC FirstSearch; and access to
Books in Print, with reviews online. Access to these databases
is provided by the Nebraska Library Commission and made
possible by funding from the State of Nebraska. Library
Commission Staff provide research services via phone at
800-307-2665 or 402-471-4016, fax: 402-471-6244, e-mail: Information Services, or the Library Commission Web
site at <nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/askalibrarian.html>,
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.ET.
Library Commission Creates State Employee
Web Site
Beth Goble (right) assists a customer.
Public Library Accreditation
Guidelines Revised
In July 2002, the Nebraska Library
Commission developed a long range plan entitled, Making a Difference @ your library™ Nebraska
Library Services and Technology Act Plan for Library and
Information Services 2003-2007. The
plan calls for the evaluation of the Public Library
Accreditation program to address changing library and
information needs.
A review process was implemented with an
evaluation of the existing Guidelines
for Public Library Accreditation and
an analysis of the accreditation process. Public comment was
invited, requesting suggestions for specific recommendations
for guideline additions, deletions, and other changes. The
Guidelines revision was a topic of discussion at more than two
dozen meetings held throughout the state during the next
fifteen months (including meetings of the Nebraska Library
Commission, Regional Library Systems, State Advisory Council on
Libraries, Public Resource Library Group, and the Nebraska
Library Association). In addition, the Library Commission
maintained an open request for input on the Commission Web site
<nlc.nebraska.gov>.
In October 2003, a draft version of the
revised Guidelines was posted to the Library Commission Web site,
and this draft was the subject of a session held at the annual
NLA/NEMA Convention. Following this session, a revised draft
was distributed via the Commission’s Web site.
Additional meetings were held, including a
statewide videoconference and a meeting with representatives of
the Public Library Section of the Nebraska Library Association.
Commission discussions, as well as and research and testing of
guideline data, resulted in a third annotated draft of the
Guidelines. At the Nebraska Library Commission meeting on May
14, 2004, the Commissioners voted to approve the third draft of
the Guidelines for Public Library
Accreditation, with recommendations
as noted.
One significant change in the Accreditation Guidelines includes the adoption of three phases of accreditation
based on services and programs offered by libraries. These
include the Essential, Enhanced, and Excellent Accreditation designations. Another change
is the addition of free public access to the Internet as a
basic library service, and as a requirement for Essential
Accreditation designation. In addition, once these Guidelines
are fully implemented, state aid payments to libraries will
vary according to the three phases of Accreditation.
The Guidelines document addresses a variety of topics,
including governance, funding, staff size and educational
level, hours, collection size and currency, equality of access
(age, disability, location), policy requirements, board of
trustees’ requirements (by-laws, meeting frequency,
orientation), program and service requirements, and outreach
and public relations.
For additional information see the Library
Commission home page, <nlc.nebraska.gov>, search on
Accreditation or contact Kit Keller, 402-471-3216,
800-307-2665,
Kit Keller (right) discusses Guidelines
revisions with Panhandle librarians.
