- An Eagle Scott has selected the Burns Branch Library remodeling as his project, and he is expected to save the remodeling effort an estimated $10,000. David Mikesell is coordinating the effort to tear down existing walls
, the ceiling and removing windows prior to the beginning of construction.
- Ruth Hackett has accepted the position of manager for the Carbon County Library System (CCLS). A recent graduate of Western Wyoming College, Hackett has lived in Saratoga for 12 years.
She is replacing Joyce Green, former director.
Green has joined the Carbon County Library Foundation Board and will remain active with the library as a substitute and volunteer.
The library board is also seeking a new member after Zoda Furgason of Hanna resigned in January.
The Carbon County Library Board formally has adopted an Internet users policy, and use of the policy begin in January. Work on the policy took five months.
Adult patrons using the Internet are required to read the policy and sign an agreement. Children under 18 are required to have a parent or legal guardian sign -- in person -- a "Parental Consent Form."
If needed, the policy will be modified. In addition, they voted not to filter, monitor or have control over information available through the Internet.
The 4th annual Chocolate Lover’s Affair held in February included a used book sale. This year’s goal was to raise $1,000. The Rawlins Friends of the Library and KIDS INC. will share the funds.
- For the most up-do-date medical information, Wyoming residents need to look no further than Evanston.
The Evanston Regional Hospital Health Library (ERHHL) offers patrons pamphlets, research material, and audio and videotapes on everything from hypocalcemia to Alzheimer’s. It was created with grants from Planned Approach to Community Health (PAT
CH).
The library is free and open to the public, and items can be checked out. Information is also available in Spanish, and staff will take request to find information.
- The Laramie County Library System (LCLS) is hosting a three-month adult discussion series -- "National Connections 2000."
The scholar-led sessions promote reading quality children’s literature, discussing humanities topics and offering assistance to adult readers to gain confidence in their new skills. Participants are given the books for free and are allowed to keep them
.
Due to the success of a similar project in 1999, the library sought funding to provide a series with the same principals in a similar format.
- The Natrona County Public Library Foundation has been added to the Hemry Trust, and a $10,000-matching fund drive began in January.
The fund-raiser will be used for support programs and to build for future library needs.
Kathleen Hemry sparked community interest in developing a library foundation, Bill Nelson, library director, told the Casper-Star Tribune.
"Her matching offer is a wonderful way to kick off this project," he said.
Hemry, 95, is one of the founders of the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale -- now in it’s 28th year. Toward the end of January, the half-way mark of the foundation’s goal was met.
- Two new staff members have joined the Platte County Library System (PCLS).
Marcia Bean is the new children’s librarian, and Susan Schamel joins the circulation staff.
Both women have previous library experience, but said computers are the biggest challenge for their new job.
A grant from KN Energy and a gift from the Family and Community Education Women’s Club have created two "check-outable" bins at the PCLS.
The bin idea for special subjects is geared toward helping parents, teachers and homeschoolers. The two bins -- dinosaur and money -- use a variety of tools to be used for activities and discussions.
It is the first time the library has used activity bins.
- The Sheridan County Fulmer Public Library recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Until 1974, the library was housed in the original Carnegie Building. In 1968, voters rejected a bond issue to build a new library.
Harry B. Fulmer, rancher and businessman, offered the funding needed to build the new library in memory of his wife, Margaret. Before construction was complete, Fulmer died.
- The doors are again open at the Shoshoni Library, and Diane Borges is the new librarian. The library re-opened its doors Jan. 6.
An entire computer system has been donated to the library. It is planning to go online soon, and patrons will then have access to books for interlibrary loan from all libraries in the state.
- The Teton County Library is using the McNaughton Book Service subscription service to provide library patrons with more copies of recent best-sellers. The library can select up to 20 copies of each bestseller a month.
- Tony Vehar has been appointed to a three-year term for the Unita County Library Board.
- Sally Scott has been appointed by Gov. Jim Geringer to be the University of Wyoming Libraries representative to the Wyoming Board of Geographic Names.
The WBGN is an advisory board to the state regarding name conflicts, name changes, and new name proposals and serves as a liaison to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names on Wyoming geographic names. The board also serves as an information resource for th
e general public.
Mother Goose teaches with play and books
- It was play time for adults on Jan. 10 at the Riverton Branch Library when a Mother Goose Asks "Why?" (MGAW) workshop came to town.
- In addition to familiarizing participants with the nine books used in the program, the presenters introduced the science kit and a variety of science activities.
- Presenters were Linn Rounds, coordinator for the Wyoming Center for the Book (WCB) and MGAW project coordinator, Chris Van Burgh, outreach librarian at the Wyoming State Library, and Judy Lissman, WCB board member and first-grade teacher at Sou
theast School. The workshop had 42 participants, more than half Native Indian.
- Developed by the Vermont Center for the Book and funded by the National Science Foundation with support from the Wyoming State Library, MGAW helps adults show children the science in literature and in everyday life. The program combines high qu
ality works of children’s literature with hands-on activities to introduce the "process skills of science," which form the basis for scientific thinking. Families keep the nine books and science kit at no cost. Presenters also stress using local librarie
s.
- The program is aimed at low-income families, care givers and teachers of young children age 3 to 7.
- The program, in its second year in Wyoming, is a three-year effort designed to reach 300 families in the state. During the first year, MGAW reached approximately 100 families in Lusk, Torrington, Cheyenne and the Wind River Reservation. The pr
ogram won praise from first-year participants.
- Rounds and Van Burgh will be conducting parent sessions in Laramie County, four Wednesday evenings in March for Laramie County Head Start. Lissman is conducting parent sessions in Torrington and Joe Henry and Caroline Little Thunder are coordin
ating efforts for the Shoshone-Arapaho Head Start.
- Rounds and Van Burgh will present another train-the-trainer workshop in Worland on May 5. The host group is the Absoraka Head Start and the workshop could consist of more than 30 staff members from seven counties. Another session is tentatively
scheduled for Laramie in August.
- For more information about the program, interested people can contact Rounds at 307/777-5195 or 800/264-1281, option 1, selection 6 or at lround@state.wy.us
Outcome-based Evaluation assesses programs' intended results
- The old saying goes: "If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it." But how can anyone be sure a program has achieved its intended results and doesn’t need fixing?
- Outcome-based Evaluation (OBE) could be the answer.
- OBE is a systematic way to assess the extent to which a program has achieved the intended results, and any program funded with federal money will one day be required to use the OBE system.
- The Wyoming State Library (WSL) submitted its Geographical Information System project to The Institute of Museum and Library Services to be evaluated using the working OBE model.
Elements of the program include developing OBE procedures and a timeline, building a logic model, surveys, reporting, evaluating, and measurements.
- While OBE is not empirical research, through the presentation of "assumptions of cause and effect rather than concrete evidence," the system demonstrates contribution rather than attribution.
- In addition to determining how effective the program is, the system can help communicate the value of the program, provide a logical, and focused framework for guiding program activities, generate useful information for decision making, and doc
ument successes.
- The results from data can be powerful, conclusions are not complex, and all levels of the agency can use the data.
- Lesley Boughton, Wyoming state librarian, Emily Sieger, state government information coordinator, Ara Anderson, Campbell County Public Library, attended a workshop in Washington, D.C., on the OBE in February.
"It is a valuable tool that determines the best results a program can achieve," Boughton said. "It answers the question, ‘How has my program made a difference?' "
Dogs, giving birth and waterbed bladder
blamed for overdue library books
Part 1 of 2
- Library books check out, but they don’t always check back in again -- at least on time -- without an excuse.
- Throughout Wyoming, librarians have collected excuses from patrons concerning late library books ranging from the dog ate it to "I didn’t know when it was due."
- However, it’s easy to see from a statewide sampling conducted by the Wyoming State Library Public Programs, Publications and Marketing staff that Wyoming library patrons are at times very creative with their excuses and even sometimes just brut
ally honest.
- "I sold my car and they were in the trunk," is one reason for overdue items offered to the Campbell County Library (CCPL) staff.
- Jackie Darnall, CCPL circulation manager, said the library also had a patron who told them the books had been left at their summer home, but "I’ll be going back next summer, so could you renew them until then"?
- Animals also seem to play a big role in overdue books. What librarian hasn’t heard the excuse, "my dog ate the book?" One patron also had problems with her dog chewing on her books, but it was only books with black bindings.
- Carma Shoop, Weston County Library director, said they once had a patron who said a raccoon got into their house and shredded the book. Shoop wants to know if "it read the book while it was shredding it?"
- Patrons also neglect returning their books on time because the book was not in the spot they usually leave it, they loaned it to someone else to read, it’s packed away in a storage unit, or it mistakenly got packed when they were moving and the
y have yet to unpack.
- After receiving an overdue notice, Wyoming librarians are often informed by the patron that they never checked the book out to begin with, or the patron is sure they put it in the book drop a long time ago and, the library staff should look the
re for the book.
- Still, some excuses may be valid or at least believable.
- One woman told the Platte County Library that she had delivered her baby on the day her books were due. Another patron in the state said he had been incarcerated on the day the books needed to be returned.
- One woman told the library she didn’t feel like cooking the traditional Thanksgiving meal and instead cooked TV dinners for the entire family. Everyone got food poisoning, which resulted in her not returning her books on time.
- A Wyoming overdue book that was left in a Boston airport was sent back to the library by way of an airline.
- Tobi Liedes-Bell, director of the Washakie County Library, said one of the more unusual excuses they received was that a children’s book, thought to have been returned earlier, was later found "under the waterbed bladder."
- "I thought she was pretty brave bringing it in and confessing," Liedes-Bell said. "I don’t think I could have been so brave."
- Carla Hardy, head librarian at the Sweetwater County Library, offered one of the more unique stories.
- The patron was a woman who was Catholic. Her husband was Jehovah’s Witness. The two divorced because he could not deal with her Catholicism. The wife decided to keep the books for awhile because she couldn’t decide if she wanted to make him pay
for the books. Finally, she decided that it wasn’t the library’s fault that her former husband was the way he was, so she returned them.
- Patrons also offer up creative solutions to books they admit are lost. One CCPL patron who could not find the books offered the library a "stack of paperbacks" to replace them.
- On average, librarians in Wyoming said adults have more overdue books more than children.
- Look for part 2 of this story in next month's Outrider.
Connally Building out; Fremont County Library
must look elsewhere for new home
- Another page in the history of the Fremont County Library has been written.
- In January, the Fremont County Library Board voted to purchase the Connally Building to remodel instead of expanding the current building. However, the price of a firewall along with footings needed to support the weight of the book collection
has ruled out the purchase.
- Ken Richardson, project architect, of Quinn/Richardson/Kuchera PC of Lander, examined the Connally Building and estimated it would cost some $43,000 to construct the firewall. Another $27,000 would be needed for the footings.
- Although the building committee planned for the usual costs for remodeling, the additional $70,000 was not anticipated.
- Community meetings have been held to explain the change in plans, and they are looking at other alternative sites.
- Originally, the Dubois Friends of the Library (DFL) wanted to expand the existing library building. After a $45,000 donation from Esther Mockler, a former Dubois resident who helped found the library, plans for the expansion began.
- DFL discovered they couldn’t afford to purchase the property adjoining the existing library that would be needed for parking.
- In July, the board will apply for a State Land and Investment Board grant. However, county commissioners have advised them not to count on the grant and to look for other sources of funding.
Trustees’ Corner: ‘Policy governance’
Strategy is resolution of the jagged line
By Jerry Krois
Deputy State Librarian
- How can the time at board meetings be used most effectively?
- Establishing a working relationship using "policy governance" may be the strategy to bring resolution to the jagged line between the board and directors.
- In the use of policy governance, the board establishes thresholds for practices and operations that in turn gives the director flexibility to manage staff, resources and facilities within that framework.
- As an example, the board could set a governance policy stating that gifts to the library do not require the acceptance of the board if less than a certain value (e.g. $2,500) and has limited fiscal impact for subsequent years. Thus a gift of a
vehicle for homebound delivery would require board approval due to ongoing maintenance and insurance while a cash gift of $2,000 for children’s books would not require approval.
- In other examples, a grant from the state library to strengthening a program wouldn’t require board review and approval, an e-rate application wouldn’t, staff travel in-state wouldn’t, but out-of-state travel would, a contract to form a multi-c
ounty library federation would, and increasing fines for overdue books would.
- Policy governance requires that the board and director identify the threshold for a wide variety of categories including gifts, contracts, facilities, staffing and resources. Documenting these policies is critical to success.
- The result is that both the director and board members have a working agreement on the role of the board and the discretion of the director.
- Using the concept of policy governance, the board meetings then focus on the board’s advocacy strategies with commissioners, review the thresholds and policies in place, and analyze community needs. Written reports on gifts, director decisions
and staff actions ensure that the board knows what has occurred in the past month.
- The board does not have to understand the intricate operational characteristics of the library and make unnecessary decisions in a complex working environment. The director does not have to delay acting upon possible opportunities or be concern
ed that the board will reverse decisions.
- Policy governance smooths the playing field both for the members and for the director. The members of the board know their rules and the director knows the level of flexibility available for managing the library system.
WSL still in need of directory updates
Copies to be shipped in May
- The deadline for returning survey forms for the Wyoming Libraries Directory 2000 has passed, but librarians should continue to send their updates to the Wyoming State Library (WSL).
- "While we can’t guarantee updates will make it into the print version at this time, we will continue to make corrections to the best of our ability up until the time of publication," said Susan Vittitow, WSL public information specialist.
- In addition, updates will be made continually throughout the year to the online version of the libraries directory.
- The Wyoming Libraries Directory, a WSL publication, lists libraries, staff members, phone numbers, email addresses, Web sites and hours of operation.
- Print copies of the directory are provided at no cost to participating Wyoming libraries.
Updates from the survey forms have already been made to the online directory at http://cowgirl.state.wy.us/directory/.
- Librarians are invited to go to the site and verify that their information is now correct.
- Questions and comments may be directed to Vittitow at 307/777-6338, 800/264-1281, selection 1, option 6, or by email at
svitti@state.wy.us.
- Shipment of the print directory is expected in May.
Position announcement
- The University of Wyoming Law Library is seeking a technical services librarian to head a department of three support staff and help implement Endeavor’s Voyager.
- Position reports to the Law Library director. Primary duties are: supervising acquisition, cataloging, processing and payment of materials using Voyager, creating orders and small amount of original cataloging.
- Qualifications: master’s of library science from American Library Association accredited program or an equivalent of education and experience, and experience with library automated systems and cataloging are required; four years of profe
ssional technical services experience, supervisory experience, familiarity with legal materials and new library technology are preferred.
- Rank and salary: assistant Law Librarian -- eligible for promotion and extended term contract; $35,000 minimum (both rank and salary negotiable). Available April 1, 2000. Review of applications until position is filled. Send a letter of
application, resume, and names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of references to: Timothy Kearley, Law Library director, University of Wyoming, College of Law, P.O. Box 3035, Laramie, Wyo. 82071.
- Wyoming library job listings are posted at http://will.state.wy.us/wyld/libraries/libjobs.html.
WYLD Things
- The proposed WYLD fee structure from the Fees and Statistics Committee has been revised and presented to the WYLD Governing Board.
The result is a combination fee structure using staff sessions to calculate costs of operations and population as a base for public sessions. The comment period ended Feb. 22.
The new fee structure is intended to maximize public use of the WYLD system without greatly increasing costs to participating libraries.
All WYLD member county, academic and school libraries now have the capabilities to use the graphical PAC, WEB2.
- The WYLD Executive Board has officially recommended delaying implementation of the TAOS modules for staff functions until the company has successfully migrated other similar consortium sites.
This will delay WYLD’s adoption of the rest of TAOS until at least the summer of 2001. With the delay of TAOS, the WYLD office will work on other projects, including:
- development of a generic Web gateway to information that will lead users not only to WYLD, but also to other Internet information resources;
- creation of the online Wyoming Union List of Periodicals;
- implementation of an online discard list for all Wyoming libraries; and
- development of a reliable mechanism for including Web documents in the WYLD database, a project critical for federal publications, many of which are only available online.
- Uinta County Library in Evanston, scheduled to migrate to WYLD later this year, will use a wireless T-1 connection as its link to the Internet.
With the library’s internal wiring in place, the next step will involve the setup and configuration of new workstations. The library will use a proxy server, as part of its local area network, which will act as a firewall.
Currently, the library has only one public access computer. This number will increase to four in the coming weeks. Two dedicated online public access catalogs will also be available.
Once this phase of the project is complete, the library plans to work toward the goal of putting 10 to 12 public access computers in place and offering classes to patrons on how to use online resources and word processing.
Group to create paths for delivery of information
- Librarians know there is good information on the Internet beyond the bounds of cataloged materials, but they may not have the time and knowledge to pursue those resources.
- Library patrons flock to the Internet access terminals and sift through the sea of pages.
With that in mind, the WYLD Governing Board has endorsed formation of a group to create pathfinders to the Internet, allowing Wyoming librarians to deliver the information to their patrons.
"The time has come when we must begin to think beyond the MARC record and the world of neatly organized databases," said Corky Walters, Wyoming State Library (WSL) WYLD office manager. "Our energies must also equally turn to finding ways for our patrons t
o successfully navigate the Internet and other resources for data, which are not so neatly shelved in our buildings or based on a tightly formatted information structure."
- WYLD libraries are tapping into the expertise available in the Wyoming library community to build the tools that will help deliver the information service now possible. Walters, Beth Walker of the Campbell County Library, Deb Sturman of Niobrar
a County Library, Bob Kalabus of Western Wyoming College, and WSL staffers Kim Capron, Desiree Sallee, Chris Van Burgh and Venice Beske have all joined to work on this project.
- The group will establish criteria for a "gateway" pointing librarians and their patrons to the Internet. The group will review and revise a prototype of this gateway and plan for its upkeep. Training will be developed to demonstrate and practic
e best use of both the gateway and of other more traditional library tools, also provided in the prototype.
Walters said libraries can use this gateway on a voluntary basis.
- More information on this, and other WYLD projects, is available
from Walters at 307/77-6339, 800/264-1281 option 2.
Personnel-ly speaking
- The Public Programs, Publications and Marketing Office of the Wyoming State Library (WSL) brought home two awards from the Wyoming Press Association's 1999 convention.
- A first place award was given to Linn Rounds, Susan Vittitow and Candice VanDyke for Information Programs and Campaigns for "Thousands of Magazines at the CLICK of a Mouse."
- Rounds, Vittitow and Lesley Collins also received a third place award for the WSL's newsletter, The Outrider.
ALA offers copyright tutorial
- A newly revised and updated Online Copyright Tutorial is being offered by the American Library Association.
- The 35-lesson tutorial is available through the week of May 5. Subscribers can expect 2 to 3 messages each week.
- For more information about the Copyright Tutorial or other copyright education activities and services, contact 800/941-8478 or email: crussell@alawash.org.
Cataloging video conference scheduled for April 17
- A Wyoming State Library is hosting a cataloging video conference has been scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. on Monday, April 17.
- Conference information is designed for library directors, catalogers, reference or other public service staff.
- Agenda items will include:
- history of library catalogs,
- evolution of WYLD database,
- system limitations, and
- cataloging issues and solutions.
- Organizers of the video conference are requesting questions -- from those attending the conference and anyone else -- to be submitted before the conference. Questions should be related to cataloging in WYLD. Questions can be sent to Bobbi Thorp
e, database manager at the Wyoming State Library, 2301 Capitol Ave.,
Cheyenne, Wyo. 82002 (attention: Video Conference Questions) or through
email at bthorpe@wyld.state.wy.us.
- Questions should be submitted by Friday, March 17.
- The conference can be accessed at:
- Buffalo, BUFS, Johnson County Schools, Schools Administration Office, 601 W. Lott Ave.;
- Cheyenne, CHY2, State of Wyoming, Emerson Building, Room 101, 2001 Capitol Ave.;
- Casper, CPR2, University of Wyoming (UW) Outreach Center, 951 N. Poplar, Room 107;
- Douglas, DGL, Eastern Wyoming Community College, 203 N. 6th St.;
- Evanston, EVN, Like Long Learning Center, 336 Summit St., Room 7A;
- Gillette, GLT2, UW Outreach Office, 720 W. 8th, Annex D;
- Jackson, JKSN, CWC Outreach Center, 220 S. Glenwood, Room 4;
- Laramie, LAR3 UW, Beta House, East End of Fraternity Row;
- Lusk, LSKS, Niobrara County High School, 702 W. 5th St., Room 100;
- Newcastle, NEWC, Newcastle Education Center, 808 Birch St.;
- Powell, PWL, Northwest College , Sinclair Orendorff Administration and Science Building, Room 122, 231 W. 6th Ave.;
- Rawlins, RWL, Carbon County Higher Education Center, 600 Mahoney St., Room 1;
- Riverton, RVN, Central Wyoming Community College, Classroom Wing, Room CW122;
- Rock Springs, RKS, Western Wyoming Community College, 2500 College Drive, Room 1229 E;
- Sheridan, SHR1, Sheridan College, Griffith Memorial Building, Room GMB 012; and
- Torrington, TOR, Eastern Wyoming Community College, Tebbet Classroom Building, Room 252, 3200 W. C St.
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