TBLC News

The April 2008 issue of Wavelinks (our member newsletter) is now available for your reading pleasure here. A link to a PDF version of the newsletter is available on the “Welcome” page, or by clicking here.

By Carl Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: April 26, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Read all about it! The Pasco County Library System has been named Library of the Year by the Florida Library Association.

Libraries Director Linda Allen said the statewide honor recognizes how far the libraries here have come since she came on board 21 years ago.

Allen credited her hard-working staff for bringing the award to Pasco. “It didn’t have anything to do with me. It was them.”

Even during the Internet age, the Pasco libraries continue to expand, Allen emphasized. Patrons often compliment the varied programs, she said.

“All our indicators are way up this year,” Allen said. Overall circulation is up 4 percent over last year. Internet use on library computers alone is up 19 percent. “Program attendance is way up.” Computer classes typically are full.

This is the second time a library in Pasco County has won Library of the Year honors from the FLA. The New Port Richey Public Library was named the first winner of the award, in 2006.

Innovative programming for children, teens, and adults helped clinch this year’s award for Pasco County libraries, Allen said.

Allen cited programs such as Battle of the Bands XI, the Children’s Adaptive Toy Collection, for special-needs children, and literary speed dating for reading lovers, an innovative adult reading club program. Downloadable books and classical music are proving popular, she said.

The library system has turned a page since its humble origins, Allen recalled.

When Allen came here, in 1987, “there was no library system,” she recalled. “There were four very, very small libraries pretty much operating independently.”

Without centralized ordering of books, staff at one library branch had no way of knowing what books another branch stocked. Most books had been donated, so many tomes were old and out of date, she remembers. Computers were unheard of at a library.

“I thought this would look good on my resume,” Allen said about accepting a job here in 1987, never intending to stay long.

“I forgot to leave,” Allen said with a chuckle after 21 years with Pasco libraries. “That’s an indication of how much fun it is to work here.”

Eventually, the Pasco Library System grew, thanks in large part of a voter-approved bond issue that funded library construction.

Now, however, Allen is bracing for possible budget cuts of about 10 percent. The spending cuts are a result of recent state measures intended to reduce local government property taxes.

As a result, “Nothing is set in stone yet,” Allen said.

Attrition of staff from retirements is the first step toward tightening the library budget belt. Five positions are frozen now, Allen said.

She has no doubts that Pasco libraries will adapt and endure.

Allen and Assistant Libraries Director Stephen Kershner picked up the award last night at the Florida Library Association annual conference, in St. Petersburg.

In the near future, Charles Parker, executive director of the Tampa Bay Library Consortium and the president of the state association, will visit Pasco County to make a presentation, Allen said.

Deadline: May 31, 2008

Target Corporation’s Local Store Grants provide funding support to “Target” communities in the areas of arts, reading programs, and family violence prevention. To be eligible, organizations must be located in communities where Target does business.

Grants will be awarded to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, schools, libraries, or public agencies for nonprofit programs that impact arts, early childhood reading, or family violence prevention. The average grant amount is between $1,000 and $3,000. For communities offering unique opportunities outside the scope of the program’s focus areas, Target provides each store limited funds for Target GiftCard donations. GiftCard donations are available March through December, as funding permits.

Visit the Target Web site for complete program information.

Hernando County Public Library System made iBorrow directly available to its patrons today. iBorrow is an online service that allows patrons of participating libraries to order books, DVDs or other items from any other participating library at no charge. The process is simple for the patron, and iBorrow allows him to pick up his ordered items at his local library regardless of the sending library’s location.

By giving its patrons direct access to iBorrow, HCPLS is putting collections from 15 other libraries at their fingertips.

For more information, visit www.iborrow.org or contact Beth Farmer at farmerb@tblc.org or (813) 622-8252 (ext. 228).

REMINDER: T-shirts are still available for $10 each through our website.

The shirts are Jerzees heavy weight 100% cotton in sandstone. The “world” image is approximately 9” wide by 7” tall and appears only on the front of the shirt. Only L and XL sizes remain.

Please click here for more information or to place an order.

Contact Vickie Frost at (813) 622-8252 (ext. 224) with questions.

Applications are currently being accepted for the State Library and Archives of Florida Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute – Year Five. Application Deadline is June 6, 2008. (Application Form)

The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute will improve your ability to:

• understand your own talents and how to most effectively use them as a leader
• move from managing to leading people
• formulate, articulate, and communicate a vision that inspires others to act
• prepare for and address current crises with a focus on the future
• develop public and private partnerships with other agencies and community-based organizations
• identify and solve existing, but unaddressed, problems within your library
• target library services to individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; to individuals with disabilities; and to individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills
• target library and information services to persons having difficulty using a library and to underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line
• increase the level of visibility and value of the library within your broader community

Eligible Participants
The Institute is open to individuals from all types of libraries (public, academic, school, and special) in Florida.  It is designed for professional librarians, as well as those in management positions without a master’s degree in Library Science. 

Benefits to Libraries
Libraries will benefit from the Institute by having:

• staff members who are prepared to accept leadership roles
• improved services and patron support
• greater community collaboration and stronger alliances
• linkage with other library professionals across the state

Mentors
The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute includes a formal, organized mentoring program.  All participants are required to choose a career mentor who will assist them in setting leadership career goals.

If you are interested in mentoring a Leadership Institute participant, more detailed information is available here.

Commitments
The Institute is an intensive and rewarding learning experience that requires significant time, energy, and commitment from participants and their libraries.  Upon acceptance, participants must commit to:

• attend all 10 sessions
• enter into a mentoring relationship
• complete readings and assignments before each session
• identify, develop, implement, and evaluate a library leadership project by the end of the Institute

Fees and Expenses
The program is valued at $2,500 per person.  Upon acceptance, participants will be charged a $150 registration fee.  Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements.

The State Library and Archives of Florida coordinates the Institute, which addresses the Library Services and Technology Act priorities.

Locations
Alachua County
Manatee County

For more information, please contact Jill Canono at (850) 245-6648 or jbcanono@dos.state.fl.us.

Seeking the fast track to a new job?  Interview with us at the FLA Conference!

Rasmussen College seeks a dynamic, creative, energetic Librarian to join their team on the new Fort Myers Campus.  The Librarian will be responsible for items such as: maintaining the campus collection; education faculty, staff, and students on Information Literacy; mentoring students on academic issues; and helping to create a close-knit campus community.  We seek a team player who enjoys collaboration and innovation.

The complete job description is available here.

All candidates who submit resumes by April 18, 2008, will be considered for an initial interview during FLA.  Please submit your cover letter and resume to:

Emily O’Connor, Library Director
emily.oconnor@rasmussen.edu

National Library Workers Day (April 15) is fast approaching! It’s not too late to nominate your favorite library employee as an NLWD Star. By submitting Stars, dozens of library staff, users, administrators and friends groups have already shown the world how library workers are crucial to their respective communities. Stars will also be entered into a drawing for a “Libraries Work Because We Do” t-shirt or tote bag.

Nominees include Joan, who is chronicling the February tragedy at Northern Illinois University; Karen, who works at a school library in Alabama and creates a MARC record that is a work of art; Bujar, an academic librarian in Albania who is one of four librarians to serve 110,000 students; La Fawn at a public library in Virginia who is “like a box of chocolates, but in a good way,” with the clever solutions she finds; Dianna at a special library in California, who may be our most celebrated Star and invites aeronautical retirees in to speak to “young’uns” about space propulsion; and storyteller Mr. Tom at a public library in Florida, who is treated like a rock star by two generations. You may even find your own favorite librarian.

To further recognize these employees’ contributions, ALA-APA will hold a raffle on April 15. Twenty Stars will receive a “Libraries Work Because We Do” t-shirt or tote bag.

ALA-APA is also interested in libraries that are helping their workers become healthier, like the San Antonio Public Library, which participates in the city’s Steps to a Healthier San Antonio initiative. The director, Ramiro Salazar encourages staff to walk and run. Talk about what your is library doing.

If you haven’t figured out how you’ll celebrate, join the celebration in Second Life on the ALA Island, where your avatar can grab a NLWD t-shirt and do a little tai-chi in recognition of workplace wellness at http://slurl.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/128/107/29/. First Life ideas can be found on the NLWD site - http://www.ala-apa.org/about/ideas.html.

NLWD is sponsored by ALA-APA: the Organization for the Advancement of Library Employees, which advocates for improving the salaries and status of librarians and support staff.

About a month ago, SOLINET announced that the boards of SOLINET and PALINET are investigating a possible merger of the two networks. 

Solinet is scheduling Town Hall meetings around the region and invite each of you to attend one or more meetings. At each meeting, they will overview the latest information and have an open forum for discussion. SOLINET Board members will attend many of the meetings and will share their vision and rationale for the merger.  

Important: Please email Laura Crook with your name and institution and the session you wish to attend if you are interested in any of the following dates.  Sessions in Florida are:

• April 24: Florida Library Association meeting, St. Petersburg, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Compass Room, Tradewinds Beach Resort and Conference Center
• April 30: NEFLIN, Orange Park, FL, 10 a.m. - Noon, NEFLIN Headquarters
• May 2: SEFLIN Meeting, Singer Island, FL (For meeting attendees only. No additional registrations accepted.)

Solinet will also continue to share updates through the new SOLINET blog dedicated to merger-related discussion and will continue to post online the FAQs submitted by members. Please check the list and submit your own questions. 

Throughout the spring, Solinet will continue to discuss this proposal. The Board plans to vote in May on whether to recommend a vote by Governing members to approve the merger. With the Board’s approval, the proposal will go to a vote by Governing members by June 30, 2008.  Please use one or more of these effective tools to stay informed and participate in this process.

We’ve been talking about Library 2.0 for a while now, and there are so many great new technologies out there. But which ones will work for your library? How do you decide whether or not you should implement something? What is the benefit of these new technologies for your library?

Join us to discuss these issues with your library colleagues. The group will include librarians who have already implemented some of these technologies and can discuss the pros and cons, and also those who are still just considering what to do. Learn what worked for others and what may or may not work for you.

Date:   05/14/2008
Time:   9:30 a.m. to noon 
Cost:   FREE 
Location:   TBLC, 1202 Tech Blvd. Suite 202, Tampa, FL 33619

Click here for more information or to attend this discussion.