Digitization 101

Lauren Moore became the State Librarian on August 1. As previous State Librarians have done, Lauren Moore came to NYLA and took questions from participants.

Moore cares about equity, digital inclusion, and policy.  She said that policy isn't exciting but it is how work gets done.

In talking about her vision (our vision), Moore said that she doesn't have all the answers after three months.  However, it is clear she has learned much about the library environment in NYS from her previous position and her short time in the New York Education Department, which the library is a part.  Moore wants to work with others to create a shared vision for libraries of all types across NYS.

In doing her work as State Librarian, Moore promised that she will be present, respectful, listen, continuously learn, and share power.

Speaking in this session were NYLA President Sara Kelly Johns, NY State Librarian Bernie Margolis and Commission John King.
Closing comments - Commissioner King is thankful for what we (librarians) do every day.  He knows first hand in how libraries can change lives and communities.  He encourages us to collaborate.

When thinking about the legal issues, it Is important to know what type of library you are.  The laws are different from one type of library to the next.

• NY Constitution Article VIII, section 1
• Education Law section 2037
• 36 U.S.C. Section 501(c)(3)

• National Labor Relations Act
• Education Law section 226(7)
• NYS Human Rights Law applies if you have 4+  employees
• Title VII applies if you have 15+ employees 

• Education Law section 226(4) and (8)
• Special District legislation
• Open Meeting Law
• Appeal of Nett 45 Educ Dept Rep 259 (2005)

Several librarians talked about what they are doing that relates to the 2020 Vision Plan for Library Service in New York State.  I did not capture complete notes; however, below are some of the examples given: 

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Addendum (11/12/2014): The list of people, who spoke in this session, includes:

• Karen Balsen, New York State Library
• Jim Belair, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES SLS
• Jen Cannell, Questar BOCES SLS
• Claudia Depkin, Haverstraw King's Daughters PL
• Deirdre Joyce, CLRC
• Sue Kowalski, Pine Grove Middle School
• Susan Polos, Mt. Kisxo Elementary School
• Marcy Strong, Univ. of Rochester
• Patty Uttaro, Rochester Public Library
• Kerri Willette, METRO

The New York State Librarian, Bernie Margolis, held a session at the New York Library Association Annual Conference in order to hear from his constituents. Since the session was entitled "Grill the State Librarian", Bernie decided to dress appropriately!  He remarked at the beginning of the session that "to grill" is an activity and that he would look for this to be a two-way conversation.

If you know Bernie, then you know that he likes to tell stories (and use props).  One story is about the width of railroad tracks. (I'll note upfront that this is great story that may or may not be true.)  The punchline has to do with something that occurred hundreds of years ago influencing how we do things do.  Why didn't we break with "tradition"?  Why didn't we look for and invest in a better way?

In libraries, we as guilty as the next organization in terms of always doing things the same way.  Even when shown a new, more exciting, more effective, or more efficient way of doing "X", we generally resort to the way it has always been done.  It turns out that change is hard.

NYLA made several changes this year to the conference.  Most noticeable was that it used some newer spaces in the  Saratoga Springs City Center and Saratoga Springs Hilton Hotel (which are attached to each other).  This led to a little confusion and also joy since we didn't have to trek between buildings for specific sessions. [By they way, this convention center does not have the best signage.  With the renovations that they have done, I would think they would have improved the signage too.]

The other very noticeable change was having pecha kucha talks instead of a poster session.  Both practitioners and students gave short six minute talks in the exhibit hall on Friday.  The talks were very good and it was interesting to see how the presenters dealt with their surroundings.  (And even if they stuck to the strict pecha kucha format.)  This format reminds me that our presentations are often too long.  What if we shortened them and left more time for questions?  And what if we made our presentations such that they encouraged questions?


NYLA has been in Saratoga Springs for three years in a row.  Even though there were changes to the conference this year, we've grown quite comfortable with Saratoga and what it has to offer.  Things will get shaken up next year when NYLA returns to Niagara Falls, NY (September 25 - 28, 2013). The Convention Center is walking distance from the Falls and from Niagara Falls, Canada.  It is in an area that has continued to be renovated, which means we will all be learning something new and will be doing things differently!  Some who attend may have never seen the Falls and so this will give them a prime opportunity.  Yes, we may all break with doing things as we have in the past!

Oh...I've gotten ahead of myself.  BEFORE NEXT YEAR...can we take a moment to think about what we can do differently now? Did we all learn something at NYLA that we should be implementing now?  Did we learn something that we should be communicating to others now? During informal conversations, I learned more about how libraries interact with friends groups.  During two sessions, I learned more about how libraries are chartered in NYS and some of the implications. I need to create opportunities to discuss that information with my students.  Likely students do not consider how a library is chartered, when they are looking for a job, yet the library's charter (type) provides useful information about its environment. 

If you were at NYLA, what changes are you doing to make in your practice based on something you learned?  If you weren't at NYLA, what changes are you doing to make in your practice based on another conference that you attended?  Are you ready to break with how things have always been done?

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Syracuse University students blogged the conference. Here are links to some of their posts (and as more are published, I'll add them):

• #NYLA12: David Weinberger, George Needham & Pam Gardner
•  NYLA12: Grassroots Advocacy 101 
•  #NYLA12: Librarians as Community Leaders
• #NYLA12: Info Literacy for Distance Learners
• Information Literacy: A Missing Piece?
• NYLA (added 11/11/2012) 
• #NYLA12: Library Spaces + Places Pecha Kucha (added 11/12/2012)
• SU at NYLA12 [Storify] (added 11/13/2012) 
• Tips for Using Social Media in Your Library (added 11/18/2012)
• Librarians as community leaders – Program Slot #1 @NYLA (added 11/21/2012)
• 10 Things I Learned from NYLA12 (added 12/16/2012)

 

In celebration of the 150 anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation toured New York State. This was the first time in decades that this document had left the State Archives. In Syracuse, people viewed it from 9 a.m. until midnight on September 27, with some standing in line for 2.5 hours just to get a glimpse.

I went at 9 a.m. before heading to work and am thankful that the line was short.  Still I didn't have forever to stand and read this draft, which contains President Abraham Lincoln's handwriting.  Rather than standing there and reading the text, I later went to the State Archive's web site where a digitized copy of the document resides.

I had not heard of a "preliminary" Emancipation Proclamation.  Its existence was not taught in school, yet now that I know it exists, I realize how important it was. 100 days before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, Lincoln signed the preliminary which signaled his intent. If the Confederacy didn't comply, he would free their slaves.  On January 1, 1863, he did just that.

There is much that I don't know about my ancestry.  I do know that one set of great-grandparent lived and died in North Carolina.  It is likely that their parents were directly affected by the document that Lincoln wrote and signed.  Yes, that document - and the final version signed on January 1, 1863 - changed the course of my family and of my own life.

The other thrill for me, when I saw the document, was knowing that it has been digitized.  Digitized!  That actually meant that none of us needed to stand in line. We all could have gone to the web site instead.  Yet there is something special about seeing the paper and the ink there in person.  The lines of people in every city across New York State were a testament that in our digital world, paper still matters.

These are my informal notes from yesterday's conference call (March 13).

News from the State Library (Jeffrey Cannell):

• Both sides of the legislature have proposed increasing library funding for the next fiscal year.
• Assemblyman Bob Reilly, Chair of the Assembly Libraries Committee announced that he will not be running for re-election, which means once again we will have a new library advocate in the Assembly next year. 
• New York State Library has been selected by the Gates Library Foundation as one of 10 state library agencies to work with the Parthenon Group on strategic priorities.  (03/15/2012: Info added for clarity)
• Texas State Library and Archives Commission has said, "The Foundation has a vested interest in seeing that state library agencies remain strong leaders and thus capable partners. They expressed an interest in helping these agencies in their strategic planning, in light of the budget reductions in many of the public library programs. The Foundation offered to provide the services of a management consulting firm used by the foundation for a number of other projects."

2020 Vision Plan (John Hammond):

• John reminded us how far we had come.  The work was launched in April 2010, when the Advisory Council met with members of the Board of Regents (Cultural Education Committee).  The planning committee was formed in the late fall of 2010.  Since then, many public comments have been received and the community has engaged in conversation about the future.
• The 2020 Vision will be presented to the Cultural Education Committee at its April 2012 meeting.  Before that meeting, Advisory Council members will be in touch with the members of the Board of Regents about the document. 
• The plan provides for many opportunities in terms of implementation.  It is a roadmap. A consensus document from the field.
• The Advisory Council discussed our possible actions after this is presented to the Cultural Education Committee.

There were brief updated from the Joseph F. Shubert Award Committee (Mary Muller, chair) and the LSTA Committee (Louise Sherby, chair).

The next meeting of the Council will be in April, when just prior to the meeting with the Regents.  There are conference call meetings scheduled for June and September.

In years past, a group of New Yorkers have gone to the Legislative Office Building in Albany during February to advocate for libraries.  Our visit was prior to NYLA's Lobby Day and offered small group conversations with state senators and assemblypeople.  This year, we are not gathering in person in Albany and are instead reaching out individually to our representatives, some of whom are on key committees that impact libraries.  This morning, I sent of letters to Senator John DeFrancisco - chair of the Senate Finance Committee - and Assemblyman Samuel Roberts - member of the Assembly's Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.  Part of the text of my letter is at the end of this blog post.

As I look at the web sites for my representatives and read committee reports, I was reminded that the status quo is to say that things are good.  Yes, we've had to cut library funding, but there is always something that can be pointed to as good news.  However, we need to keep reminding our legislators that the news about libraries needs to be much better.  This is no time to rest on tired laurels.  Now is the time to equip our libraries to meet the needs of their community members.  

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These are my informal notes from today's conference call meeting of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries.

First, here is text that I wanted to share from the minutes of the December RAC meeting:

Update on Funding/Staffing for the State Library. The Cultural Education Fund, a special revenue fund which supports the Office of Cultural Education and the ongoing operations of the State Library, State Archives and State Museum is still in deficit - $12.7 million. Budget restrictions continue to be extremely tight. No staff positions have been filled or backfilled in the State Library since January 2009.  The State Library has lost 65 FTE since the Great Recession began in December 2007 (a 36% reduction). The Acquisitions Budget has dropped from $4.27 million to $2.5 million.

2020Vision Process Action Plan and Next Steps - John Hammond

The 2020 Vision will be presented at the April's meeting of the Board of Regents.  It is hoped that the Board will vote on them during that meeting.  After that, the Council will work with the New York State Library on implementation.

The Council will seek to have time at the NYLA conference to update the library community on the 2020 Vision.  The Council will also volunteer to talk to other groups about the plan.

Office of Cultural Education Update - Jeffrey Cannell

This covers four different program areas: The New York State Museum, State Library, State Archives, and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting.

The office has been looking at its strategic goals for the next three years. The themes for this time period are:

OCE as a Statewide Institution

Partnerships with other USNY institutions

Collections Stewardship and Research

Increase and expand public access to the collections and our programs

Relevant minutes: 12/11 Cultural Education Committee Meeting

News:

• Nov. 29, 2011, Assembly Hearing on Funding Public Libraries
• Notice: ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY 
• Info from NYLA: Assembly held a day recently talking about library funding
• Senator Farley Announces Establishment of Senate Library Committee
• Heard brief updates on:
• Joseph F. Shubert Award – Mary Muller, Chair (committee members)
• LSTA Committee – Louise Sherby, Chair (committee members)

Today at the New York Library Association (NYLA) Annual Conference, people gave comments on the draft report entitled Creating the Future: A 2020 Vision and Plan for Library Service in New York State.  The comments were received, without any discussion, by Regent Roger Tillis (Chair of the NYS Board of Regents Cultural Education Committee) and Deputy Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Cannell as well as two members of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries (John Hammond and Jerry Nichols).  Besides the received verbal comments, everyone was encouraged to provide comments in writing.  In addition, comments may be submitted by members of the public, library staff, library students, and others via email to NYSLRegComments@mail.nysed.gov by November 15, 2011. After that, members of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries will revise the 2020 Vision based on the input reserved.  The goal is to give the completed document to the Regents in the spring (April/May) and ask them to act on the recommendations.  Some of the recommendations may require legislative action.

For additional information on this document and process, go to this web site.

The Regents Adivsory Council on Libraries met via conference call on October 13.  Due to our schedules, the meeting was delayed from its original September date. Below are my informal notes from the call.  (These are not official minutes.)

Gerald Nichols was elected chair of the Council for the next year and John Hammond was elected vice-chair.

2020 Vision: John Hammond gave a report from the 2020 Vision Task Force.  A first draft has been disseminated through several discussion lists.  It will also be sent directly to the Regents.  A second draft will be prepared to include feedback on the first draft.

There will be a session at NYLA about the 2020 vision and look forward to hearing comments that occur then.  Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Cannell and Regent Roger Tilles plan to be at the event. There was much discussion about how to ensure that the Council receives a lot of feedback from those that attend the NYLA session.

The goal is to give a final report to the Regents in April.

2012 Meeting Schedule: The Council will have a conference call on January 12 to review the next draft of the 2010 Vision.  The Council will also meet on March 13 by phone.  [The final meeting for 2011 will be held in December in NYC.]

Update on the Research Library: The Research Library has now been open for a full year on Saturdays.  Anecdotal data shows that people are traveling to use the State Library on Saturdays and researchers (including graduate students) are using the expanded hours.  The Library is doing a survey of researchers in order to gather more input.  Loretta Ebert noted that the Dutch collections are receiving increased use.

There is a goal to open a public computing center on the 7th floor of the State Library, part of the BTOP grant to create computing centers across New York State. Ebert mentioned a desire to increase collaboration and alliances in this area.  More information on the BTOP grants is available on the Library Development web page.

There are discussions about how to allow collaborative licenses across entities.  This is something that came up during the 2020 Vision process and has been mentioned in other context.

Division of Library Development:  Carol Desch reported.  There are two BTOP grants in NYS - one for Upstate NY (over $9 million) and one for NYC.  All of the 30 computing centers are up, except for the one at the State Library.  Video conferencing is part of the hardware that is being installed in these centers.

Thanks to NYLA for helping to get the law amended about construction grants in NYS. The new law sunsets after three years, so it will be important see the impact of this change and advocate for its extension, if the impact is positive. 

LSTA funding was cut at the federal level for 2011-2012.  Money coming to NYS from LSTA is based on population and the State's population has been decreasing. Carol gave more details about the impact of this, which I couldn't type fast enough to capture. LSTA funding is used for some work/staff at the State Library, NOVELny and grants to libraries/library systems.

Jerry Nichols asked about the new 2% tax cap:  How will this impact libraries?  The law will sunset in eight years, but what will happen to libraries before then? What data is the State Library collecting and will we be able to understand the impact of the tax cap from that data?  (Yes)

Relevant Meetings at NYLA Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY:  Based on the conference call today, here are relevant sessions at the upcoming NYLA conference:

• Thursday, Nov. 3, 9:15 a.m. - Comments from the NYS Education Commissioner
• Friday, Nov. 4, 8:00 a.m. - Bond Basics for Financing Public Library Capital Projects 
• Friday, Nov. 4, 3:45 p.m. - 2020 Vision for Library Services in NYS: the Discussion Continues
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 8:00 a.m. - Declare Financial Independence: Become a Library District!
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. - School Library Initiatives from NYSED
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. - Tax Cap Impact on Libraries
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 11:00 a.m. - Technology Policy and Planning from USNY

The timing of Seth Godin's blog post about libraries on Monday was fortuitous because Monday I was part of a discussion on that topic at the Regents Cultural Education Committee in Albany, NY.  There are indeed many discussions occurring on what libraries will or should be in the future.  Even though there is no agreement, all of the discussions are very necessary so we can get every idea and every option out on the table.

To that end, the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries began last year to solicit input in order to "develop and recommend to the Board [of Regents] a 2020 vision for library services and an innovative plan for ensuring the greatest access to information for all New Yorkers."  Our public work on this began at the NYLA conference last November.  This spring, we asked people to repond to 10 questions and nearly 100 responses were received from individuals and organizations.  A timeline has been developed for seeking additional input and then developing a draft - and final - plan.  While we will keep the Regents in the loop along the way, we have promised to have our final plan to them by May 2012 and ready for their approval.  All of this work is in an effort to update the statewide plan developed in 2000.

On Monday, Norm Jacknis, John Hammond, Sara Kelly Johns, John Monihan, Mary Mary Muller, Louise Sherby, Jerry Nichols and I met with Regents Tilles and Dawson (chair and past chair of the Cultural Education Committee) and Regents Cea, Norwood and Cottrell, who are not part of the committee but who were compelled by the topic to attend the meeting. (As is often the case, there was a competing meeting, which some CE committee members needed to attend.) While it is clear that the Regents are interested in a positive future for our libraries, it seems - to me - that the articulation of that future needs to place libraries firmly and obviously in context with the other educational activities (and changes) occurring in the state.  While you may think that this is obvious already, then consider that the connections need to be blatantly obvious not only to the Regents but to all of the other stakeholders (including members of the education and business communities). 

As they have in the past, the Regents connected libraries in the discussion to other cultural heritage and educational organizations, as well as other cultural activities.  Like us, they don't see libraries as standalone entities.  They do want those connections to be meaningful and visible.  It is as if they are throwing their arms wide open and (in their best Southern drawl) saying "y'all".  Recognizing that libraries are entwined in their communities with other organizations, etc., the Regents have asked that we solicit input for the 2020 vision from a wider cross-section of people and we'll do that.

Back to Seth Godin, who is fueling a public and heated discussion on libraries.  This time, people are agreeing with him, but some don't agree totally with him.  Allow me to pull some highlights from his blog post.  Godin wrote:

A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user.

He then spent a lot of time talking about books, which makes me wonder if he understands what libraries actually do.  But then he  wrote:

The library is no longer a warehouse for dead books. Just in time for the information economy, the library ought to be the local nerve center for information.

And...

The next library is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together. Aided by a librarian who understands the Mesh, a librarian who can bring domain knowledge and people knowledge and access to information to bear.

Thankfully, Godin ends up advocating the type of libraries that we all want.

As you ponder about Godin's blog post and the future of libraries, here are excerpts from some of our colleagues:

Caroline J. Posynick:

Whether it's a library, museum, shop, or government office, it's the people who work there that create a connection to the information and value of the institution, one person at a time.

Bobbi Newman:

We ARE fighting for the future of the librarian as a producer, concierge, connector, teach and impresario, but we know to do that we need books. We need the information contained in those books, so we DO need “clever ebook lending solutions”. Information is not free, it costs. One of the many roles of the public library is to ensure that all people have access to that information.

Nancy Dowd:

I know many of you may feel we are already doing these things. We’ve been calling libraries community centers and offering tech support and classes, but I think Seth is calling for a new mindset. He isn’t asking us to improve what we are doing, he is suggesting that we need to change the core thinking of what we do, re-imagine the core purpose of why libraries exist. Revamp our perceptions from “people should” to “people are” by accepting that the changes in technology are changing the needs of people. It isn’t that we need to add a tech center, it’s that we need to change our mindset. Don’t be disappointed that people aren’t reading; embrace communication as a fluid process that encompasses all mediums- print, visual, auditory. People are free to use whatever medium they chooses to use to communicate the ideas. Don’t be worried that people aren’t using the “best” resources; understand that information needs are relevant to the solutions people are seeking. Don’t defend the need to remain the way we are because we must provide internet access or books to the poor, look beyond to see a world where connections are the commodities that people will need to succeed. 

Buffy Hamilton:

My takeaway from Godin’s post is that we may not all agree on the details, but the value of these kinds of posts is that they can initiate and sustain conversations about how we can better improve the work we do and the roles we play in better helping our communities. 

Diane Cordell:

Change is not only an option, change is an imperative. Don't just get your feathers ruffled: inquire, assess, learn, adapt. Evolve.

Wayback Wednesday posts are meant to surface information from previous blog posts in order to keep that content alive.  This one, however, is a reminder that this topic is not new to Digitization 101.  Related Digitization 101 blog posts:

• That mention Seth Godin 
• Related to libraries in New York State

The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries met by phone on Jan. 28 for a short meeting.  This meeting was held days before the governor released his 2011-2012 budget, and indications were that the budget was going to contain bad news (and it did).  


During the conference call, we received a brief update from Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Cannell on other legislative news, the December 2010 Regents Cultural Education Meeting, and the budget's effect on the State Library.   

John Hammond reported on the 2020 Vision process action plan and next steps.  Work on this began at the NYLA Annual Conference and will continue this year with other library partners.  The group wants to gather ample input from others and discussed how that might happen.  A session on this 2020 Vision is already scheduled for the NYLA 2011 Annual Conference.

The 2020 Vision grew out of our meeting with the Regents Cultural Education Committee last year, and so our report to them this year include an update on that effort.

We did discuss other topics, including the need for school librarians and work that is being done on literacy standards.   John Monahan and Sara Kelly Johns led those discussions.

Advisory Council members go to the Albany in February to meet with legislators and we discussed that activity.  Since Jan. 28, we have learned that the date we'd selected is not a date when legislators will be in Albany (day after President's Day), so we're discussing alternatives. 

On Feb. 1, Governor Andrew Cuomo released his budget proposal for 2011-2012.  In the proposal, he has the following cuts to libraries and schools:

• 10% reduction in Library Aid from $83 million to $76 million
• $1.5 billion reduction in School Aid
• 10% or $3.9 million reduction in Bundy Aid to private colleges
• $115 million cut to SUNY
• $70 million cut to CUNY

 While a news report today talked about library funding over the last four years, it is important to note that state funding for libraries is currently at 1998 levels. 


A local school administrator sees these cuts as a way of forcing school districts to cooperate and consolidate.  We may see that occur with some libraries.

{What follows is totally my point of view...}

Libraries always focus on service to their users/patrons/members and in keeping that service intact.  We don't want our users to suffer because of our budget woes, so we "make do" with less.  For some, that may prove that libraries don't need as much funding as they receive.  Maybe it is time to visibly do less with less -- e.g., fewer hours and services, less space, etc. -- and let legislators hear about the pain that is causes. 

{End of my point of view}

NYLA's Library Advocacy Day is March 1 and likely 1000+ library staff members and supports will descend on Albany.  If you cannot go, there are a number of advocacy tools on the NYLA web site as well as links to contact information for state legislators.

Due to my teaching schedule, I was unable to attend the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries meeting this past Friday in New York City (either in person or by phone).  Thankfully, Bridget Quinn-Carey, chair of the Council, provided some quick notes about what was discussed. 

The biggest topic on the agenda was discussion of the 2020 vision; a topic that was brainstormed at the NYLA conference in November (notes).  The Council "wants to gather more information and engage even more creative thinking (not just planning for where we are or should be today, but where we want and need to be in 2020); best practices vs. vision – need both, but want to be inspired." (Quinn-Carey)  The Council wants to engage in discussions with:

• Library schools (faculty and students)
• Foundations (e.g., Robin Hood Project, Gates)
• Futurists
• The public
• Library systems

Because there is no funding for this effort, the Council recognizes that logistics will be challenging and thus will look for creative ways of gathering input.

If you have input on this topic - or ideas how the Council can gather input - please email your suggestions to NYSLRegComments@mail.nysed.gov


Other topics discussed included:

• Commissioner Steiner's willingness to learn more about libraries. How can we (libraries) capitalize on this opportunity?
• Attending the Cultural Education Committee meeting on Dec. 13 or 14 in Albany. Someone from the Council will report on the planning project.
• Discussion of the report the Council will present in April 2011 to the Cultural Education Committee, which will be a continuation of the 2020 process.
• Brief discussion of the Shubert Committee: Sara Kelly Johns to Chair with Louise Sherby and Mary Muller as committee members. 
• An update on the State Library - both the Research Library and Library Development.

I know that I missed a very lively discussion.  I look forward to our next meeting, which should be a conference call in January.

If you read my NYLA Conference blog post, then you know that the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries is seeking input toward the development of a new statewide plan.  Below is an email from Bridget Quinn-Carey, chair of the Council, soliciting additional input. If you are a library worker in NYS, I hope you'll take a moment to respond.  It would be great to get a lot of input before the Council meets on Dec. 3.

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• Bridget Quinn-Carey, Chair, Regents Advisory Council on Libraries
• Roberta Stevens, President, American Library Association
• Kathy Miller, President, New York Library Association
• Jeffrey W. Cannell, Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Cultural Education

The New York Library Association (NYLA) just held its annual conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. NYLA brings together librarians from across the state for three days to share information, learn and network.  Librarians came from the rural and metropolitan locations, from public and school libraries, from library consortia, from the State Library, and from academic institutions.  Great to see LIS students in attendance!  And like every group of librarians that gathers together, it was an energized group  full of ideas and wanting to make a difference.

Throughout the conference, it was apparent the work that NYLA is doing to improve libraries in NYS.  NYLA is working with organizations on training for library staff as well as library administrators.  NYLA gets library school deans, chairs and program directors to talk about the education of future librarians and to hear concerns from the library community.  NYLA representatives meet with members of the NYS Department of Education, attend Regent meetings and visit legislators all in an afford to improve libraries across the state. Sitting in the annual business meeting, I was impressed with the long list of NYLA activities as well as the results those activities are achieving.  Bravo!

One highlight was hearing Commission of Education David Steiner talk about education in New York State.  What impressed me about his talk was that he understands that education must change and is changing.  For some, however, the changes are hard to see and some changes are happening faster than others. He noted that the three "legs" of education - curriculum, assessment and accountability - are all evolving.  Without these changes, the next generation of adults will not have the ability/skills/education to be good wage earners.  If our system does not change, he predicted that these adults will live with their parents because they will not be able to earn enough to live on their own.  (This is different than what is occurring now where some are living with their parents due to a lack of available jobs.  He isn't talking about a lack of jobs, but a lack of skilled workers to fill those jobs.)

Steiner talked about the inequity of education in the state - sometimes in the same neighborhood - depending on what the families can afford.  Children that go to public school are exposed to fewer hours of learning than those that go to private or charter schools.  Not only do charter or private schools spend more hours per days in learning activities, but they also may spend more days per year.  The more hours children spend in learning activities, the better they will be prepared for their futures.  Steiner understands that libraries have a vital role in expanding the number of learning hours and not just school libraries.  In fact, it was interesting that he consistently said "libraries" and not specifically "school libraries" (at least that is what I remember).

Commissioner Steiner noted that the Regents are interested in constructive input about the changes that need to occur.  You can contact them through email (addresses are on their web site).

One final note from Commissioner Steiner's talk...he noted that the state budget is not going to be better next year.  I've heard for months that next year will actually be worse.  I doubt that anyone is prepared for what that will mean to the services that we have available to us.

2020: What's Your Vision for Library Services in New York State? On Thursday afternoon, a group of more than 40 people gathered to discuss their vision for library services in the year 2020. Present at the session where members of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, members of the NYS Department of Education including Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Cultural Education Jeffrey Cannell, ALA president Roberta Stevens, and NYLA president Kathy Miller.  Each table-full of people in the room brainstormed the following questions:

• What services will New Yorkers expect from their academic, public, school & public libraries in 2020?
• What strategies will best position library organizations to deliver those services?
• What role should the State play in serving libraries and New Yorkers more effectively?

I can tell you that there was no immediate consensus around any of the questions and that's okay.   What is important is to know what members of the library community are thinking about the future of libraries, so that the various organizations that are involved in pushing for our future have information that they can use.

Notes from the tables will be used in continued discussions on this topic, including a discussion by the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries meeting on December 3.  Anyone who would like to send in additional comments may email them to NYSLregcomments@mail.nysed.gov.

Late on Friday, I heard Professor James Loewen talk about "sundown towns". Professor Loewen is the author of Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong, and Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism. Professor Loewen has spent years researching and writing about aspects of U.S. history that have been mistold, misremembered or ignored. Although the statue on the right has nothing to do with sundown towns, Loewen spent a moment discussing it because it demonstrated a few of his points.  When you look at the statue which commemorates that purchase of Manhattan island by the Dutch from Native Americans, what do you see?  Do you see two equals?  Do you see one person who seems civilized and one who is barbaric?  Do you see one in summer attire and one dress for colder weather?  Is the head-dress one worn by Native Americans in New York State or by members of a plains nation?  What view of history is this statue meant to reinforce?  (This questions came from Professor Loewen.)

And what are sundown towns?  They are towns where people only people who were white or Caucasian were allowed to live (or be there after sundown).  These towns - and there are thousands of them - primarily adopted these rules (ordinances) between 1890 and 1940.  Without blinking an eye, I can think of two towns in Pennsylvania that were sundown towns.  One was a suburb of the state capitol while the other was a small town on the state's northern border.  In both cases, rules kept minorities from purchasing homes there for many, many years. 

Professor Loewen's work has inspired others to research sundown towns (and sundown suburbs).  He asked the audience to contact him with information on sundown towns that they know of and to even research whatever ordinances helped to create those towns.

People & Food - Finally, I bumped into a lot of people that I know from across the state and enjoyed the few words we were able to share before heading off to the next event.  Although the weather wasn't very cooperative, we were able to go to local restaurants and remember why being in Saratoga is such a treat (Hattie's, Phila Fusion, Scallion's, Max London's, and Mouzon House).

I've been told that NYLA will again be in Saratoga Springs next year.  It is an affordable conference, especially for students, and a great location.  Start planning now to attend.

The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries (RAC) met by conference call this morning, rather than spending time/money to meet face-to-face.  Below are my rough notes.  These are not the official minutes from the meeting. If anyone on the call  has a correction, please let me know. Questions (from anyone) are always welcome.

In attendance were members of the  Regents Advisory Council on Libraries and several staff members from the State Library.Norm Jacknis, who is rejoining the Council was on also the call.

Changes in Regents Cultural Education Committee - Regent Tilles is now the chair of this committee. Changes in the committee could broaden its scope to include arts education.

Changes in the New York State Education Department  - One change noted is the new Office of Educational Design and Technology (ED&T) which includes the School Library Services program.

State Library Update - Loretta Ebert gave an update on the Research Library and Carol Desch gave an update on the Division of Library Development.  The broadband initiative is helping to put libraries in the news - a good thing!  Important capital budget requests are being developed (including library construction and broadband maintenance).

Research Library expects to open for Saturday hours beginning on Oct. 16 (9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.).  The move has met with a number of challenges, including the budget, staff concerns, etc.  At a time when people need libraries more than ever, it is felt that this is the right time to expand the hours.  Patron communities have been very supportive of the move.

Downsizing at the State Library - Like other libraries across NYS, retirements as well as the budget's impact have led to downsizing at the State Library.  The State Library is dealing with the impact of these and working to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of NYS residents.

Nylink - Nylink was retrenched by SUNY which effects three three areas of concern to this group:

• Nylink maintained a contract with OCLC.  Now rethinking/redoing the state contracts is a priority and must abide with State procurement regulations.
• Nylink handled the land delivery service contract used by CUNYs, SUNYs and others. The remainder of the current contract has been reassigned.  A group is meeting to discuss what to do after this contract ends. 
• Nylink handled the licensing of databases on a consortium basis.  Consortial purchasing should be able to continue without Nylink.

NOVELny - There was a brief update on this.  Please note that information on the NOVELny Steering Committee is available online.

Update on the Regents Commission on Library Services Recommendation - The State Library has compiled a 20-page draft document on what has occurred (or not) since the Commission issued its recommendations.  The Council was asked to review the document and provide any comments/feedback.

2020 Future Vision for Library Services in NYS - "What’s Your Vision for Library Services in New York State?", Thursday, November 4, 2010, 3:15 – 4:30 p.m. Saratoga City Center, Saratoga Springs: (flier states)

Join the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, NYLA leaders, and your colleagues in discussing a future vision for library services in New York State.

• What services will New Yorkers expect from their academic, public, school, and special libraries in 2020?
• What strategies will best position library organizations to deliver those services?
• What role should the State play in order to serve libraries and New Yorkers more effectively?

Among the panelists will be:

• Bridget Quinn-Carey, Chair, Regents Advisory Council on Libraries
• Roberta Stevens, President, American Library Association
• Kathy Miller, NYLA President
• Jeffrey W. Cannell, Deputy Commissioner for the Office of Cultural Education

The group discussed using a back-channel (e.g., Twitter) during the session to allow library staff members not at NYLA to participate in the event.

Shubert Award - The committee gave its report.  The winner will be at the NYLA conference, and the award will be given then. The award was more broadly publicized this year, which brought in more applications!

School Library Services - RAC continues to be concerned about having certified school librarians in all elementary schools in well-maintained libraries. Studies continue to demonstrate that this has a positive impact of student learning.

Information Literacy Standards - While there are recognized AASL standards on information literacy, NYS has not adopted any standards on this.

2010-2011 RAC Meeting Schedule -

• Dec. 3, 2010 - at METRO in NYC
• Jan. 28, 2011 - conference call
• April 4 or 5, 2011 - attend Regents Cultural Education Committee meeting in Albany
• Sept. 23, 2011 - Tentatively in NYC
• Dec. 2, 2011 - Tentatively in NYC

The group discussed adding a conference call in June.  A date for such will need to be found.

Your Thoughts? The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries is always seeking input from the library community.  If you have thoughts to share or questions to ask, please contact any member of the Council.

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