2010 PLS Business Meeting Minutes

Public Library Section Annual Meeting
April 9, 2010, 8:00 a.m.
Hyatt Regency, Wichita

I.  Welcome and Approval of the Agenda – Ruth Rodden, Section Chair
II. Minutes of the 2009 Meeting – Ken Werne, Section Vice-President
III. Introduction of the New Officers -Ruth Rodden
Ken Werne, Chair
Gail Santy, Vice-Chair/Chair Elect
Jeff Imparato, Secretary
IV. Financial Membership
Members -94 (membership renewal change)
Financial Statement (July 1 – March 31, 2010) – $4,181.73
KLA financial situation update
V. Section Activities
2009 Retreat Report
KLA Conference Program Sponsorship
2011 Fall Retreat Planning
VI. Legislative Issues
VII. Being Creative in Tough Times

Breakfast commenced at 8:00 and Ruth Rodden, Section Chair called the meeting to order at 8:30.  Ruth recognized Jo Budler, Kansas State Librarian, who attended the meeting.
Joyce Armstrong moved to approve the agenda.  Greg Wamsely seconded the motion, motion passed.
Ruth also gave a nod of thanks to Sharon Moreland for doing such a fine job as Section Chair last year.  Ruth noted it was easy to follow Sharon’s example of leading the section and keeping the PLS Section blog up-to-date with such incredible detail.

Ken Werne, Section Vice-President presented the minutes of the 2009 meeting.
Dalene Hawthorne moved to accept the minutes as read.  Grace Helm seconded.
Ruth presented information on PLS members – 94, and presented the PLS financial statement, current as of March 31, 2010.
Discussion on cost of PLS membership.  KLA reported the increase in dues was $10, members voted to increase dues to $8 at the 2009 business meeting.
Ken Werne will correct the 2009 Business Meeting Minutes to reflect the $8 actual membership dues cost.
A friendly amendment was proposed.  Dalene accepted.  Grace Helm seconded.  Minutes of the 2009 business meeting accepted as amended.

Ruth introduced the new officers.

Ruth presented the financial statement and proposed budget for 2010-2011.
Cindy Hickey moved to accept the budget.  Joyce Armstrong seconded.  Budget accepted as presented.
Ruth presented information about the Kansas Library Association financial situation.  Currently there is a shortfall of $28,000.  This is primarily because: institutional memberships are not being paid, individual memberships are behind, and conference attendance is down by almost half when compared to previous
years.  KLA requests a loan from the various sections to cover the 28K shortage to be repaid as soon as KLA is able.  A spirited discussion ensued.  Items discussed: PLS goals, an open-ended loan vs. an outright donation to KLA, an examination of the KLA budget and expenses – is this an immediate need?, the long term issue of budget shortfalls, and does KLA have a financial plan for the future.  It was then shared with PLS that a second motion had been made by KLA Council to “take” the money if a loan or donation was not approved.  Further discussion took place.
Cheryl Canfield moved PLS will not formally approve a loan of section money until presented with financial information and an operational plan that includes procedures for repaying the loaned money.  Jim Minges seconded.  Discussion included not sounding so adversarial.  A friendly amendment was  accepted to change the wording:  PLS will consider the request for a loan of section money contingent upon receipt of financial information and an operational plan that includes procedures for repaying the loaned money.  Ruth called for a vote.  The motion did not pass.

Kim Beets moved that due to lack of details regarding the financial situation of KLS and an actual repayment process, and due to the fact that the number one goal of the Public Library Section is to hold a bi-annual retreat for which we need our current funding, at this time we are saying no to the request for a loan.  Cathy Newland seconded.  Motion passed.

A discussion of the frequency of the Kansas Library Association conference took place.  It was suggested we send a message to KLA or to scale back the conference to fewer days.  Cindy Hickey suggested KLA look at how they/we provide delivery of services, and perhaps a hybrid conference would be appropriate.  All agreed this is a good time to rethink PLS goals, develop a strategic plan, reconsider how we deliver continuing education, and networking opportunities.

Cathy Newland moved PLS establish a task force to get information from KLA and to draft a PLS strategic plan with input from all members to establish our own goals.  Pat Clements seconded the motion.  After discussion, a friendly amendment was accepted and the motion carried.
Ruth called for volunteers to form the task force.  Diana Weaver, Pat Clements, Jeff Imparato, Chris Rippel, Gail Santy, Dalene Hawthorne, Cindy Hickey, and Ken Werne will form the task force.

Ruth gave a report on the 2009 PLS fall retreat held at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita.
Ruth and Gail reported on the PLS sponsored session, “Think Outside the Barn” at the 2010 KLA conference.  Gail will write a synopsis of the session and to the PLS blog and Kanlib-l.

Planning for the 2011 PLS retreat is tabled until the task force reports back to the membership.

No legislative issues were discussed as Roseanne Siemens was not present at the meeting.
Being Creative in Tough Times was not discussed as time was running short.

Kathy Rippel moved to adjourn.  Joe McKenzie seconded.  Meeting adjourned.

Terry, Jeff, Patti and Maggie – Job Seekers

Topeka & Shawnee Public Library has a new Jobs & Careers Neighborhood, including reference in proximity.  They started circulating some career books, but included books from throughout the collection about:

• career exploration
• job success (for women)
• time management
• networking
• job search
• difficult coworkers
• career development (stress, advancement, etc.)
• job loss
• resumes – don’t write it from scratch…use a resume program if it’s available
• cover letters
• interview tips – work with Human Resources to know what you can/can’t ask and how to dress, for example
  • Job 101 Class – Terry and HR Rep
    • How to Dress
    • Compiling a Resume (10 must haves and “never go ins”)
    • Possible interview questions and strategies – couching on how to sell yourself to an employer
    • (Questions you shouldn’t be asked)
    • Courtesy and deportment – eye contact, hand shakes, etc., thank you email for interview
    • 1 1/2 hours with high participation
    • Tell the employer that you want the job and don’t ask about the salary…and the patron Terry gave that advice to came back to say she’d gotten a job (helping people get jobs) – great story
• Winway Resume on all public access computers in Topeka
• Unemployment pushes many people to go into business for themselves!
  • Topeka Small Business Center works with Library to offer FULL classes
• Workforce Center – new Kansas Registered Apprenticeship program (wind energy field/industry is training people in all aspects and are offering paid internships!)  Just getting off the ground.

Maggie from Olathe Public Library (on the fly panelist)

• Problems with patrons applying for Kansas Unemployment prompted the start of appointments – ‘Book a Librarian’ program
• Media attention!  Originally just for helping with Unemployment b/c of the computer aspects
• For many people, the online form is their first use of a computer…so they don’t have  a pre-existing Email Address!
• A plus – you don’t get kicked off when you need to go get an email address mid-stream
• A minus – there’s a lot of information that the patron needs, like gross income data
• The form has 6 security questions – another foreign concept for a new computer user
• By using the appt system, there’s time set aside to work with the patron
• How long does the form take?  Motivated – 1 hour, 3 hours with problems
• Normally, patrons have 1 hour on the computer, but extensions are given
• Rewarding for the librarian -
  • A few hiccups – appts used for payday loans and genealogy, not unemployment
• How long in advance for an appointment? 5 minutes, if someone is available.  A few no-shows and late comers
• If someone can’t type, do you type for them?  Try not to do that at Olathe, but in a few cases she’s done a little

Patti – State Library of Kansas

• Thriving in Tough Times – Lots of good information – a source for smaller libraries (she passed out cards)
• HomeworkKansas – Includes resources for Adult Education and Assistance for Job Seekers, including help with Resumes and proofreading!!!
• (http://ksuc-agent.auto-graphics.com/homepages/customerwide/ValidateGlobalIP.asp?cuid=ksuc&lid=kw9&stfftype=Z&defaultlang=english&qmisc=&mode=H)

Public Libraries: The Economy Issue

The July/August 2009 issue of Public Libraries (vol 48, no. 4) came this week and it’s full of great ideas and thought-provoking stories.  Get your hands on a copy, if you can.

The Perspectives section, Three Views (p. 8), shares interviews from the Directors of the Joliet (IL) Public Library, Shaker Heights (OH) Public Library and Durham County (NC) Library.  The answers were very similar – people are flocking to public libraries to use computers or just to get out of the house.

So I wondered, how would Kansas librarians answer these questions?

• What’s the biggest way the economic recession has affected your library?
• Hoave you had any staffing cuts or reduction in hours?
• Have you noticed a change in the way patrons are using your library as a result of the recession?
• Are you offering new programming to help your patrons weather the recession?
• Have you tried any public awareness campaigns that have worked to bring additional support or revenue to the library?

-Sharon Moreland

SLK Thriving in Tough Times

State Library of Kansas Resources for

Thriving in Tough Times

Sign up and contribute!

PLA Marketing Workshop in Kansas City

Marketing Workshop for Public Librarians with Wayne Piper
April 21 – 22, 2009
Kansas City Metro Area

The Kansas City Metropolitan Library & Information Network is partnering with the Public Library Association (PLA) to offer a two-day Marketing workshop. This in-depth, interactive program will provide public librarians with the practical skills and knowledge they need to effectively plan and implement marketing initiatives at their libraries. Participants in the Marketing workshop will learn: The importance of marketing the public library.

How to draft an outline of a marketing plan and link the marketing plan to the library’s strategic plan.

How to develop a strategy to measure the success of the library’s marketing efforts and evaluate the impact of marketing materials and methods.

How to select library products and services that meet community and customer needs.

This workshop will be held at the Linda Hall Library of Science in Kansas City. More information, including course fees, the full course description, and local information (Word document), is available online at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/pla/plaevents/cplacourses/index.cfm.

CPLA Program

Completion of the Marketing workshop can be used as credit toward the Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) program. This voluntary program is designed for post-MLS public librarians with at least three years of supervisory experience, but you do not need to be enrolled in the CPLA certification program to take advantage of PLA/CPLA courses. For more information about certification, visit the ALA-APA Web site.

Louisa Worthington
Marketing and Communications Manager
Public Library Association
312-280-5024
lworthington@ala.org

Distributed by request – Sharon Moreland, PLS Chair

Library Camp Kansas

http://librarycampks.wetpaint.com/

Today I’m in my home town of Manhattan for the 2009 Unconference hosted by the Hale Library at Kansas State University.  Kudos to Jason, Joshua and Erin for organizing this year’s event.  I’ve put my name in for a lightning round to talk about Jing and our NExpress and KLOW videos.  I’m interested to hear what others talk about.  For more informal info, visit http://lybrarian.wordpress.com (Sharon’s tech blog)

Lightning Rounds:

Libraryh3lp Hale’s IM Reference (Danielle) – looks like Meebo, but allows multiple operators, chat transfers and file transfers.  The State Library uses it, too.

Animoto 30 sec trailer movies (Heidi) Upload from anywhere, pick your music, transitions.

Pre-proxy links to library databases – Cool Tools link on www.lib.k-state.edu (LinkIt)  Links work off-campus – keeps authentication intact.

StumbleUpon Easy way to find new web sites to visit based on a field of interest.

SlideShare (Independence public library) – Easy way to put a ppt on the Web.

Erin – polleverywhere.com – Free up to 30 people, txt polling and responds in real time.  Set it up, create a web link – make the kids use their cell phones.  Fun for training sessions to get feedback.

Discussion Topics:

• 23 Things project for Kansas based on the WebJunction/Maintain IT summit – Cindi Hickey (and David King and Brenda Hough)
• OpenSource – A librarian from Australia is leading this…how International of us. (Hemi)
• iPhone – mobile access now!
• Dead End Technologies - Eric Gustafson
• Interactive Web sites – Widgetry
• PR Campaign – Wyoming example (407)

2009 Fall Retreat – We Can Do It!

The Spiritual Life Center in Wichita is booked for October 1-2, 2009.  Based on the 2007 retreat evaluations, the two-day focus on a single topic was a hit.

The Kansas Library Association’s 2009 legislative pushcard focuses on “Working for you” – how libraries can help get communities through the tough times.  The Retreat committee felt that this theme fit well, in an expanded form, with the topic of managing your library’s human resources.

So, we are finding presenters and panelists to talk about advocacy, no-cost/low-cost programs and services, and library support for job seekers.  Our main speaker on Friday will cover employee-related issues, like dealing with stress, delivering difficult messages and maintaining a motivated workforce.

Volunteers are welcome!  Just let us know…

Watch for more information here and at the KLA Conference in April!

Fall Retreat Wrap-Up Meeting

On a rainy October 17, we met Watermark Books in Wichita to review the 2007 Fall Retreat and plan for the 2008 Kansas Library Conference and 2009 Fall Retreat.

Present: Denise Smith, Ruth Rodden, Marie Pyko, Kim Beets, Rosanne Siemens, Cathy Newland and Sharon Moreland

After discussing the evaluation forms (quotes and highlights below), we decided to have a 2-day, one-topic retreat at the Spiritual Life Center in October 2009.  The date has not been confirmed, but hope to have the retreat on Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9. 

In response to the suggestions from the Retreat Evaluations, PLS will sponsor a presenter at the 2008 KLA Conference to cover topics associated with personnel management, such as learning styles, personality profiles, personnel law and dealing with difficult people.

PLS will also sponsor a Breakfast Business Meeting on Friday, April 11 at the 2008 KLA Conference.

Officers serve from July 1 to June 30.  Nominations to be sent on an e-mail ballot are:

• Chair – Sharon Moreland
• Vice-Chair – Ruth Rodden
• Secretary – Ken Werne

And now for the good stuff – the Retreat Evaluation Quotables:

• Mary is an enthusiastic presenter that makes you look at things in a new way.
• Invite Mary Bushing for 3 days!! Nothing could have been better – just more time for all discussions, including those breakout table conversations.
• Nice not to have TV/radio.
• Excellent, affirming information for work and real life.
• I am anxious to get back and start and “finish” several projects.  Was extremely useful and informative – lots of ideas to use!

Suggestions for Change:

• A place to check E-mail
• More specific/focused subject
• Hourly stretch breaks

Suggestions for future PLS Topics:

• Grant opportunities, Budgets and alternative funding
• Bond issues and how to pass them
• Team building in Library Boards
• Reader’s Advisory
• Time Management
• Broadband issues
• Staffing, human resource management, organizational changes and patterns, staff development,
• Collection development
• Publicity for libraries
• Customer service
• Developing libraries as community centers
• Open source ILS
• “Defending Access with Confidence”
• Meetings

Respectfully submitted by: Sharon Moreland

ILDP Meeting November 1, 2007

The Message from Patti Butcher:

FROM: Patti Butcher
ABOUT:      Statewide ILDP Meeting

_____________________________________________________

 

At the request of ILDP members, the State Library of Kansas will hold a facilitated discussion about the program on November 1 from 12 – 3pm.

The discussion will be available via ELMeR (HD video conferencing)  in the following libraries:

Norton/NWKLS, Hays, Dodge City, Wichita, Topeka, Burlington/Coffey County, and Johnson County. *

 

The goals of the meeting are to review the program, get issues and concerns on the table, and to hear ideas on the future. 

 

Facilitating the discussion will be Jobeth Bradbury of Gossage Sager and Associates.  Jobeth will be gathering and grouping questions in preparation for the meeting.  Your questions for the discussion should be sent in advance to her BY 5pm OCT. 29th, at jobethbradbury@gossagesager.com. 

 

In preparation for this meeting, the following materials are included (via email):

●  Agenda

●  History of the program

   Statute authorizing ILDP

   ILDP Fund History

   Resource ILDP grant recipients 2004-2008
●  Top 50 resource sharing libraries in Kansas, 2004 – 2006
●  Agreement and reporting forms for Resource Libraries
●  Meeting location information* (see attached) 

If you have specific questions concerning the documentation provided, please contact me at pattib@kslib.info.

The Agenda:

AGENDA
ILDP Discussion
November 1, 2007
Introductory Remarks –                         Christie Brandau, State Library
Legislative Background –                      Melanie Miller, Hays Public Library
Program Overview Information –        Patti Butcher, State Library
Questions & Discussion –                      Jobeth Bradbury, Facilitator Gossage Sager Assoc. 

The Statute:

75-2575Chapter 75.–STATE DEPARTMENTS; PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES Article 25.–STATE LIBRARY AND LIBRARY SERVICES       75-2575.   Interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing; purpose of act. The purpose of this act is to provide for a more orderly process whereby all types of libraries in Kansas may participate in programs of interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing. It is deemed appropriate that there be a state-level coordinating authority for recommending statewide priorities for interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing among all of the various libraries in Kansas. Cooperative planning and priority recommendation by a state-level organization, which is broadly representative of all of the libraries in the state, can assure an efficient and comprehensive statewide development of library services.

      History:   L. 1981, ch. 319, § 1; July 1.

NEKLS Fall Assembly with Mary!

Attention Northeast Kansas Library System members – Mary Bushing is the keynote speaker for the 2007 Fall Assembly (Thur., Oct. 18 from 9 to 3:30) at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka.

Mary will be speaking “on the importance of trusteeship and its implications for local citizens”

Deadline for registration: Oct. 12 (www.nekls.org for more information through their calendar)