In This Issue: 07.25.08

Cataloging Changes Are On the Horizon • Wage Resolution for Library Employees • Public Library Trends Database • Pearl's Picks • Childhood Literacy Program • Changing Lives Through Literature • NWLS Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes • Adobe Flash • Useful URLs • Reflection

August 20 Merlin and Directors Meeting, NWLS, 10:00 - 2:30
August 25 Library 2.0, NWLS, 10:00 - 2:30
September 20 NWLS Board of Trustees Meeting, NWLS, 10:00
September 22 Using Statistics to Protect Your Library from the Budget Knife, NWLS, 10:00 – 2:30

UW-Madison SLIS Continuing Education:

• Readers' Advisory in the Library, September 8 - November 28
• Genealogy Library Services, September 8 - October 3
• Collection Development, September 17 - December 10
• Basic Public Library Management, September 22 - December 12
• Library 2.0: 101, September 29 - October 26
• Back in Circulation Again: A circulation services conference, September 26-27

Cataloging Changes Are On the Horizon

From Michael Sheehan, NWLS - AACR (Anglo-American Cataloging Rules) has been the cataloger’s “bible” for four decades, with our most recent companion being AACR2 and its many revisions. A few years ago the JSC (Joint Steering Committee for revision of AACR), along with input from the cataloging community, decided that the bibliographic content standards needed to move in a new direction. Resource Description and Access (RDA) will become the new guidelines for bibliographic control in early 2009, eventually replacing AACR2. The best source of information for what RDA will look like and how it is being created is at the webpage for the Joint Steering Committee for the Revision of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules. As the name suggests, RDA intends to be a standard for both description and access designed for the digital world.

FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) is a 1998 recommendation of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to restructure catalog databases to reflect the conceptual structure of information resources. More technically, FRBR uses an entity-relationship model of metadata for information objects, instead of the single flat record conceptualization underlying current cataloging standards. The FRBR model includes four levels of representation: work, expression, manifestation, and item. If fully implemented, FRBR would produce the biggest change cataloging has seen in the last century. More specific information on FRBR visit the cataloging section of International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

FRBR is a conceptual model, but how automation systems incorporate that model within the logical model of the database is something that is still being explored and developed. The JSC has adopted part of the FRBR model as the conceptual basis for RDA. Specifically, as stated in the Prospectus for RDA: "A key element in the design of RDA is its alignment with the conceptual models for bibliographic and authority data. The FRBR model provides RDA with an underlying framework that has the scope needed to support comprehensive coverage of all types of content and media, the flexibility and extensibility needed to accommodate newly emerging resource characteristics, and the adaptability needed for the data produced to function within a wide range of technological environments."

RDA exists so that the principles in FRBR can be translated into standards that will represent the interests of a wide group of stakeholders including automation vendors. There are some automation vendors who are incorporating FRBR into their design already. Innovative Interfaces, the automation vendor for the Merlin Consortium, has been working for the last few years to incorporate the FRBR model into the software.

There is much talk in the cataloging community that in order to embrace the changes that RDA and FRBR will create, catalogers will need to adopt a more universal encoding mechanism. MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) records have been the mainstay of the library data community for many years, but in doing so have caused alienation among other communities. MARC is a remarkably rich standard with lots of legacy data so abandoning it seems ridiculous.

It is possible MARC will simply be one of a number of metadata standards catalogers work with. One could use RDA to describe data elements in other formats like Dublin Core (DC) or ONIX. Programmers could develop a simple cross walk from MARC to create XML records. For now, the XML language is our translator from one metadata format to another (e.g. ONIX to Marc 21). The DC/RDA task group is working on expressing RDA as a Dublin Core application profile. This will mean it could be expressed in RDF, the language of the Semantic Web. In order for metadata providers to be up to date, their systems will need to conform to those of the new technology.

The MARC format has served the bibliographic universe well, but other formats can serve the same purpose just as well or even better. MARC and other formats share many similar data elements common to many information retrieval functions. But as an established format, it will take a while before we can see it fully replaced.

The RDA Implementation Task Force, which falls under the ALCTS Cataloging and Classification Section within ALA, is marching forward with plans for workshops, literature, programs, etc., on how to transition to RDA. In the meantime, all of us need to read the literature and discussions surrounding RDA, FRBR, and MARC, in order to be prepared for when the change does start to happen. As we are seeing, not even in the strict confines of the cataloging world are we subject to ignoring the changes taking place around us.

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Wage Resolution for Library Employees

From American Library Association, July 15, 2008 - The ALA-APA Council passed a living wage resolution for library employees at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. On Monday, June 30, the ALA-APA Standing Committee on the Salaries and Status of Library Workers, represented by incoming chair Patty Anderson, brought forward a resolution supporting an increase in minimum salary for librarians to $41,680 per year and library workers at $13 an hour.

The librarian recommended salary increase is in response to the ALA-APA’s analysis of the All-Urban Consumer Price Index (CPI), the standard measure for inflation of goods and services, which is adjusted monthly to reflect price inflation. The library worker $13 adjustment is in relation to the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The resolution passed after some discussion.

The resolution, “Endorsement of a Living Wage for All Library Employees and a Minimum Salary for Professional Librarians,” APACD #8.2 (2007 – 2008) can be viewed at the American Library Association website. For more information on the ALA-APA Council’s living wage resolution, please contact Jenifer Grady, director of ALA-APA at 312-280-2424 or jgrady@ala.org, or visit http://ala-apa.org.

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Public Library Trends Database

From American Libraries, July 23, 2008 - Gannett News Service provides a searchable database that compares trends affecting public library systems between 2002 and 2006. Database users can select a library system from a dropdown list of counties by state to learn about changes in circulation of items such as books and videos, number of visits to the library, operating expenses and the number of computers for public use. The reports on each system include general demographic information about the counties where those libraries are located.

The analysis used data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) as well as statistics collected from state library data coordinators. Results from 9,200 library systems found that library visits increased by roughly 10% during that five-year period and that circulation of materials rose by 9%, despite hefty budget cuts, as services expanded to offer internet and a wide range of formats, such as audiobooks on mp3 players.

The Gannett findings are based on much of the same statistical information analyzed by Thomas Hennen in his annual HAPLR public library rankings and published in American Libraries. Library Journal in partnership with Bibliostat will publish a new ranking system this year that focuses “more transparently on ranking libraries based on their performance.”

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Pearl's Picks, May-July

Nancy Pearl, the most widely known librarian of our time, offers recommendations for richly diverse books for great reading experiences. "Pearl's Picks gives readers a peek beyond the best-seller list, and points them to all those wonderful books that were worth adding to your collection—but didn't get the five-figure ad budget and author tour. My goal with this service is to increase use throughout the library—not just the titles on the new book shelf." – Nancy Pearl

The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier
Here If You Need Me: A True Story by Kate Braestrup
The Great Man: A Novel by Kate Christensen
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
House Rules by Mike Lawson
The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread by Don Robertson
Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peach and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Samet
The God of War by Marisa Silver
The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller by Steve Weinberg
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Grayson by Lynne Cox
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
Caspian Rain by Gina Nahai
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
History Lesson for Girls by Aurelie Sheehan
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
The Other Side of You by Salley Vickers
15 Stars by Stanley Weintraub
The Age of Gold by H. W. Brands
Aria to the Sea by Dia Calhoun
The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
In The Last Analysis by Amanda Cross
The First Human by Ann Gibbons
Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart
Citizen Vince by Jess Walters
Too Close to the Sun by Sara Wheeler
Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White

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Childhood Literacy Program

From Every Child Ready to Read - Current research on early literacy and brain development indicates that it is never too early to prepare children for success as readers. Parents of newborns, toddlers and preschoolers must be informed of their critical role as their children's first teacher. The Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, have incorporated the latest research into the Every Child Ready to Read® literacy program, providing public libraries with vital tools to help prepare parents for their critical role as their child's first teacher. Tools were developed by well-known researchers in emergent literacy, and have been tested and refined by libraries sites around the country.

Marketing materials and guides are available for libraries to use to promote the program to parents and grandparents, preschool teachers, childcare providers, and others in the community who are interested in early childhood literacy. The PR kit includes the following:

• A marketing guide
• Posters
• Tabletop sign and bookmarks
• Flyers
• Newsletter article
• Web site copy
• Letter to send to preschool teachers and childcare providers
• News release
• Logo
• Photographs (Coming Soon!)

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Changing Lives Through Literature

From ilovelibraries.org - Changing Lives through Literature (CLTL) is an award-winning alternative sentencing program that uses the power of literature to transform lives. The program began as collaboration between Dr. Robert Waxler, professor of English at the University of Massachusetts; Judge Robert Kane; and Wayne St. Pierre, a New Bedford District Court (MA) probation officer. With overburdened prisons unable to adequately attend to the rehabilitation needs of prisoners, they recognized the need to find alternatives to incarceration. Participants in the program reflect on their own experiences and behaviors through fictitional characters.

Dr. Waxler relates a memorable experience with a participant: “One of my favorite stories is about a young man who told the class one night that Santiago, the main character in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, had essentially kept him from returning to drugs in his old neighborhood. It was the heroic endurance of Santiago that had inspired this young man. If Santiago could keep going despite all his pain, this participant could keep going too, rather than turning off the main track back to his old haunt. Literature had made the difference here.” This is one success story among many. The program is inspiring many participants to further pursue educational opportunities and to change their lives in positive, meaningful ways.

Libraries often play an important role in the success of CLTL programs, from offering meeting space to providing the books used by participants. Among the many successful programs, The Johnson County Library in Kansas has been awarded the Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming award for their successful program, entitled Literature in the Justice System: The Surprising Antidote. It encompasses three successful literature programs: Read to Succeed, a program for teens incarcerated at the Juvenile Detention Center; Stories about Women, an adaptation of Read to Succeed for women in the Johnson County Corrections Adult Residential Center; and Changing Lives Through Literature.

The Johnson County Library program has had a positive impact on its participants as well as the community at large. The Johnson County Department of Corrections and the district courts have reported an impressive decline in recidivism rates, a common outcome in communities that host CLTL programs.

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1. Call to Order/Roll Call: Chuck LaBelle called the July 19, 2008 meeting of the NWLS Board of Trustees to order at 10:03 a.m.
Present: Martye Allen (Douglas County), Michael Bobin (Washburn County), Carol Eder (Bayfield County), Richard Ehlert (Sawyer County), Tuula Harris (Douglas County), Shirley Harrison (Vilas County), Charles LaBelle (Vilas County), Karen Livingston (Douglas County), Al Lundquist (Ashland County), Kathy McCoy (Sawyer County), Mary Poretti (Burnett County), Carolyn Sweeney (Superior Public Library), Tom Thompson (Iron County), Marcia Wellnitz (Bayfield County), Jim Trojanowski (Director), Linda Stobbe (Office Manager)
Excused: Buzz Byrne (Burnett County), Kathy Byrns (Iron County), Joseph Crawford (Ashland County), Bill Farris (Washburn County).

2. Guest Comments: None.

3. Approval of the May 17, 2008, NWLS Board Meeting Minutes: Marcia Wellnitz moved to approve the minutes of the May 17, 2008, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes. Tuula Harris seconded. Carried unanimously.

4. Approval of May and June, 2008, NWLS Expenditures: Marcia Wellnitz moved to approve the May and June, 2008, NWLS Expenditures. Karen Livingston seconded. Carried unanimously.

5. Approval of June 30, 2008, Financial Statement and Budget Report: Karen Livingston moved to approve the June 30, 2008, Financial Statement and Budget Report. Carolyn Sweeney seconded. Carried unanimously.

6. 2009 County Appropriations: (Mary Poretti arrived at this point in the meeting and replaced Chuck LaBelle as Chair) Marcia Wellnitz moved to request $250 more than in 2008 from each member county. Carol Eder seconded. Carried unanimously.

7. 2009 LSTA Grant Applications: Al Lundquist moved to approve LSTA grant applications in the Library Training and Development; Innovative Use of Technology; Adult, Family and Early Literacy; Accessibility in Public Libraries; Public Library System Technology; and Delivery categories in 2009. Carol Eder seconded. Carried unanimously.

8. Travel Reimbursement Policy: Michael Bobin moved to reduce travel reimbursement to NWLS trustees to $0.37 per mile. Kathy McCoy seconded. Motion failed 1-13 with Bobin in favor.

9. NWLS Pay Schedule: Karen Livingston moved to raise NWLS staff pay by 2% for each position retroactive to January 1, 2008. Marcia Wellnitz seconded. Carried unanimously. Karen Livingston moved to provide one-time contributions of $325 to the Health Savings Account for each staff member in 2008 with pro-rated contributions given to part-time staff. Carolyn Sweeney seconded. Motion carried 13-1 with Kathy McCoy opposed.

10. Grants from the Equipment Fund to Member Libraries Toward the Cost of New Routers: Mary Poretti moved to provide $500 grants from the Equipment Fund toward the cost of new routers for member libraries. Richard Ehlert seconded. Motion failed 2-12 with Mary Poretti and Richard Ehlert in favor. Karen Livingston moved to provide grants for up to half the cost of new routers (but not to exceed $425) for each member library and to provide libraries that do not need a new router an additional $425 in collection development grants in 2008. Libraries that do not already have a new router and fail to order one by March 1, 2009, will be ineligible for 2009 collection development grants. Michael Bobin seconded. Carried unanimously.

11. Director’s Report: Jim Trojanowski provided updates on the following:
· Director’s evaluation.
· Red Cliff library.
· Mellen library.
· LCO Merlin membership.
· Lake Nebagamon branch of Superior Public Library.
· Use of OPAL to conduct two NWLS board meetings in 2009.

12. Other Business: Mary Poretti directed Jim to leave this item off all future agendas.

The meeting adjourned at 12:08 p.m.

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Adobe Flash

From Tony Kriskovich, NWLS - Lately, I have been receiving a lot of calls about parts of websites not working because the computer doesn’t have the latest version of Flash installed. But what is Flash and how do you get the newest version of it?

Flash Player allows you to view a file format used to deliver video and interactive applications over the Internet called Flash. Flash has become a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to web pages. Flash is commonly used to create animation, advertisements, and various web page components, to integrate video into web pages, and more recently, to develop rich Internet applications.

Within the last month Adobe has released a new version of Flash Player. A patron may see an error message telling them they need the newer version of flash to view the page. This is a problem that they can’t fix, because the public user account on the computer is not an administrator. If they attempt to install the newer version it fails.

To update to the newest version (steps 1 and 9 are only for library patron computers):
1. Make sure security (Centurion Guard or CornerStone) is disabled.
2. Login as the administrator account on the public computer.
3. Open Internet Explorer window and type in the address www.adobe.com .
4. Click on the button labeled “Get Adobe Flash Player”.
5. Uncheck the option for “Free Google Toolbar”.
6. Before clicking on “Agree and Install” button, hold down the CTRL key. This will disable the built in popup blocker in Internet Explorer.
7. At the Security Warning window, click “Install”.
8. When the installation finishes you will see Installation Complete.
9. Enable security.

Since you have the computer unlocked, it might be a good idea to also update Shockwave Player and Adobe Reader. Shockwave Player is used mostly for online games and Adobe Reader is used for reading PDF documents. These can also be found on Adobe’s homepage.

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2008 Amelia Bloomer List
In its seventh year now, the Amelia Bloomer List is a recommended reading list of feminist books for girls, that is, books for girls (ranging from beginning readers to teens) that feature strong, independent female protagonists that girls can identify with. Very useful for school librarians, children’s librarians and YA librarians.
URL: http://libr.org/ftf/bloomer.html

Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards
The awards are given annually to the children’s picture books and longer books published the preceding year that effectively promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races as well as meeting conventional standards for excellence. The book award is the primary activity of the Jane Addams Peace Association.
URL: http://home.igc.org/~japa/index.html

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"Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do."

-Kahlil Gibran

Contact NWLS for subscription services or to submit an article for publication: email Marsha at newsletter@nwls.lib.wi.us or call 715-682-2365.

NWLS: 3200 E. Lake Shore Dr. • Ashland, WI 54806 • Phone: (715)682-2365 • Web: http://nwls.wislib.org • Serving libraries in Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Sawyer, Vilas and Washburn Counties.