Idaho Librarian
Volume 50 Number 6 December 1998 ILA DIVISION REPORTS
The bemused look on my face is caused by a statement in the minutes of the Public Library Division meeting at ILA/PNLA in Sun Valley (http://www.eils.lib.id.us/pldsv.html). The casual sentence reads: "Max will arrange to have revised standards voted on at next year's ILA conference in Boise." The standards referred to are the 1991 Standards for Idaho Public Library Services; the Max mentioned is me; the "arrangement" is going to be tough to do (and it's not a mistake in the minutes: I wrote them myself). It was clear from the discussion at Sun Valley that there is not much agreement on what should be in the standards, and what should not. There's not even solid agreement on what the standards should be (are they goals? ideals? minimums?). So I'll modify the promise I made in Sun Valley to this: Max and lots of other Public Library Division members will work hard on reviewing and revising the 1991 Standards this year. We'll also have new by-laws for the division. The most recent ones we could find were radically inconsistent with ILA's by-laws, so we'll rewrite the Public Library Division by-laws from scratch. You can find a draft of revised by-laws at http://www.eils.lib.id.us/bylaws.html. Those who have little real interest in standards and by-laws can take heart: Robert Wright, Public Library Division chair-elect, is developing a process for a "Public Library of the Year" award to be given by the Public Library Division. And there is interest building in getting interest groups together—public library directors, and public library youth services people, to name two. Meanwhile, I'm looking for suggestions and assistance, not only for the bylaws, but also for developing programs for the next annual ILA conference. Your help will be appreciated. You can even comment on the standards, if you want to. The bylaws, minutes, and (soon) standards can be located through the ILA web page (http://www.idaholibraries.org/). Max Leek ACADEMIC AND SPECIAL LIBRARIES DIVISION Well, it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. Over the last several years, I have derived great satisfaction from my involvement in the Idaho Library Association. It has broadened my perspective of libraries and librarians, provided me with many new friends, and made me feel appreciated professionally. But this was not always so, and a comment I heard the other day reminded me of my first awkward forays into the organization. I think, with the emphasis this year on increasing our membership, it would be beneficial to us as an organization, and as individuals, to give some thought to how welcoming we are to new members and prospective new members. For the first two or three years that I attended regional and state ILA conferences, I felt conspicuously invisible. Everyone seemed to know each other and be excited to see one another, while I hung around and tried to get acquainted. Even people I knew from my own library were too busy to stop and introduce me. It is this way to some degree whenever a person enters a new group, and I eventually got involved in enough that I felt a part of things. But not everyone is going to be willing to hang around for two or three years waiting to feel welcome. Now I am looking at the possibility (or should I say probability) that I am guilty of making others feel this way. If we want people to join our organization, pay dues and work on committees, we need to let them know that their presence among us is valued. I do not think that anyone intentionally ignores newcomers, but next time you see someone at a conference who you know is new, take a minute to say hello and introduce them around. We will do much better at increasing membership if we welcome the members we have as well as trying to attract new ones. Jennifer Baldwin Ashby EDUCATIONAL MEDIA DIVISION ILA/Winnebago Progressive School Library Award available The association is accepting applications/nominations for the ILA/Winnebago Progressive School Library Media Award. The award was designed for librarians/media specialists who implement innovative ideas to enhance the lifelong learning skills of students. Its goal is to recognize creativity, share ideas, and to provide funds for technology in the library media center. A brief article about the award recipient will be published in the Idaho Librarian. The Ed. Media Division is solely responsible for selecting the recipient. Winnebago Software Company will write the check for $400 to the recipient's school. The $400 cash award must be used to purchase technology of any brand and type that will benefit students. Criteria: 1. The recipient will be a current member of ILA and the Ed. Media Division. 2. The application will be judged on the percentage of the student body or target groups who benefit, the uniqueness of the program/event/project, and its results. Applications will be accepted through Apr 14, 1999. The winner will be selected by May 14, 1999. The award will be presented during the award program at the annual conference in Boise in October of 1999. To request application/nomination forms, contact: Marlene Earnest Also send the completed application/nomination form to the above address. Ed. Media Mailing List: We Need your help! We are in the process of updating the mailing list and inviting prospective members to join. Advantages of belonging to the ILA/Ed. Media Division include a support system to rely on, vital information provided on upcoming workshops and conferences, and other information pertinent to our division is accessible. Members, if you know of any new schools or changes in librarian/Media Specialist positions, contact Marlene Earnest at the above address. Marlene Earnest PNLA REPRESENTATIVE'S REPORT New Officers Andy Johnson, University of Washington, is the new PNLA president. He began his term after the Sun Valley Conference and will serve until August 1999. The Vice President/President Elect is Karen Labuik, Marigold Library System, Strathmore, Alberta. Christine Sheppard, Executive Director of the British Columbia Library Association, was elected 2nd Vice President, Membership. She will be the last person to hold that office due to a constitution/bylaw change. Colleen Bell, Alberta, is the new Secretary, and Monica Weyhe, Juneau, Alaska, was re-elected Treasurer. Constitutional Amendments Approved The General Membership approved two new Constitutional changes. One eliminates the position of 2nd Vice President, Membership at the end of August 1999. The duties of that office will now fall to the Vice President/President Elect. The other change eliminates the editor of the PNLA Quarterly from the Executive Board. Both changes were approved by ballot in June and are considered cost-cutting measures reducing Executive Board expenses. The editor of the PNLA Quarterly will receive a stipend similar to the one that the PNLA Webmaster receives. Budget The FY 1999 budget will be discussed and voted on at the November board meeting. PNLA finished 1997 with $200 cash on hand. At the end of FY 98 PNLA had approximately $8585 cash on hand. Membership dues increased, fee collections from previous conference vendors, a cash award from ALA, and borrowing from the contingency fund helped bring PNLA out of the red. Conference expenses for the 1998 conference in Sun Valley have not all been paid nor have total membership dues been counted for the FY 99 budget. The proposed budget for 1999 includes paying back $2600 to the contingency fund. Anticipated revenue is approximately $36,000 from dues, YRCA revenue, etc. Proposed expenditures are approximately $34,000. PNLA finished FY 98 in a satisfactory cash position and a renewed energy. Barry Brown, outgoing VP, Membership, reports approximately 600 individuals and organizations joined PNLA last fiscal year. The Board voted to discontinue offering first time members a discounted membership rate and make September 30 the delinquent date for membership dues. New individuals and organizations who join PNLA in March of any given year will be considered members for the following fiscal year. The PNLA board is considering cutting one Board meeting per year and extending the Board meeting at conference to further reduce costs. Action Plan The General Membership approved the Action Plan at the Annual Meeting in Sun Valley. Board members will begin implementing elements of the plan this fiscal year. The plan is available on the PNLA Web Page, www.pnla.org. Conference The board will consider a proposal to participate in a joint conference with the British Columbia Library Association in 2000 at Kelowa. The 1999 conference will be held in Calgary, Alberta, August 11-15, 1999 in the Coast Plaza Hotel. Karen Labuik is the Conference Chair. Board Meeting Calendar The Executive Board will meet on the following dates: November 12-15, 1999, Dumas Bay Centre, Federal Way, Washington March 5-7, 1999, Dumas Bay Centre, Federal Way, Washington August 10, 1999, Coast Plaza Hotel, Calgary, Alberta August 16, 1999, Coast Plaza Hotel, Calgary, Alberta Kevin Booe DRAFT ILA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, October 27, 1998, Lewiston Present: Larry Almeida, Jennifer Ashby, Charles Bolles, Kevin Booe, Ruth Cochran, Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Marlene Earnest, Ron Force, Barbara Greever, Max Leek, Susannah Price, Sandra Shropshire, Dawn Wittman, Camille Wood Minutes: It was moved (Price/Ashby) that the minutes of previous meetings be approved with minor grammatical corrections and the following substantive corrections. August 12: Greever is a member of the Ad Hoc Communications Committee. August 14: Bolles thanked Carol Silvers, Mary Campbell, and Candace Wittner for their work on the project to catalog state documents. August 15: The sixth member of the State Library Board is the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, or their designated representative. An Educational Media Division task force is studying the certification issue. Larry Goold is the Spring Conference Chair for the Pocatello area. A copy of the Trustee Division bylaws has been located. Passed unanimously. Board Reports: President: Wittman reported that she had received a communication from the Montana Library Association (MLA) in response to our inquiry about a possible joint conference in the future. MLA suggested that we keep each other informed about our respective conference programs, and offer reciprocal member fees for conference attendance. Some other states do this. Perhaps this might be a good idea to pursue with other states in the northwest, with PNLA as a "broker." The issue was tabled until we have a better idea of what Montana has in mind, and can investigate the question of other states. First Vice-President: Force reported that the conference questionnaires were in, and most people were satisfied. There were complaints about price, and the difficulty of getting to Sun Valley. Some felt that similar programs had been scheduled against each other, but most sessions seemed to be well attended (10 or more people). The exceptions were the sessions held off-site at the public library. Force asked Penni Cyr about the possibility of giving the list of registrants to exhibitors. Cyr felt that this was fairly standard. It was moved (Force/Bolles) that the list of registrants be given to exhibitors, upon request, on disc, as part of their exhibitor fee. The request will have to be received by the particular date on the exhibitor form. Almeida called the question. Passed unanimously. What about refunds for exhibitors who decide not to attend the conference after paying the fee for exhibition space? It was moved (Price/Almeida) that a refund could be requested up to 30 days in advance of the conference if an exhibitor decided not to come, but ten percent would be kept by ILA as a processing fee. If the request were received 29 or fewer days before the conference, there would be no refund. Passed unanimously. The exhibitors' fees were raised for the Sun Valley conference. Should they be left at that price? No vendors complained. The main cost was for "pipe and drape" _ an additional cost on top of the fee if the vendor wanted that service. Vendors already pay for their own phone lines, etc. It was moved (Bolles/Booe) that the exhibitors' fees remain the same as they were for the Sun Valley conference. Passed unanimously. At the August 12 Board meeting, it was suggested that we need a policy on audiovisual equipment requests for the conference. This is the most costly part of the conference, and it is necessary to get information from the presenters in a timely manner. The constraints vary according to the conference facility and their individual policy, and this should be specified as part of the contract with the facility. Cyr, Price, and Wittman will re-draft the contract form that is sent to presenters to include guidelines that are firm but not negative. Bolles will review, and then the form will be put into place. The first year will be a "test case." This information will also be communicated to site selection chair Janet Strong. Planning for the 1999 conference has not begun, but is imminent. A local arrangements chair must be appointed. Second Vice-President: Almeida reported that he has tentative dates for the 1999 Spring Conferences: March 19, Twin Falls April 10, Treasure Valley April 22, Moscow-Lewiston April 23, Northern Idaho April 29, Pocatello May 14, Rexburg Instead of a face-to-face meeting in Boise, there will be a conference call in November (regional chairs, Almeida, and Gard Hanks) to discuss the spring conferences. Everyone has already received a list of the "ground rules" as a basis for discussion. The ILA strategic plan says that we should/could have a program on advocacy at the spring conferences. This will be communicated to the regional chairs as a suggestion, but it will not be mandatory. It also has to be made clear that the spring conferences are sponsored by the Idaho Library Association. Each regional chair needs to find a successor for the year 2000 spring conferences. This should be someone on the 1999 committee, for the sake of continuity. Each regional chair also needs to formally request (in writing) the seed money for the conference. The current forms should be revised to include this, and there needs to be a cover letter or a place on the form with the deadline for submission of the request. Treasurer: Shropshire reported that the bill had just arrived from the Sun Valley resort, so many figures in her report will change. We need to pay sales tax on the auction proceeds, and split all the conference monies with the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA). At the August 12 Board meeting, it was decided that ILA would ask that PNLA absorb the unanticipated charges associated with the Canadian exchange rate. PNLA has declined to do so, so this will be split between the two organizations. Many people didn't mark their affiliation on membership forms, so there are more "nonmembers" reflected in the report than expected. Some exhibitors who have not come to ILA in the past do traditionally come to PNLA, so the number of exhibitors was up. There are many blanks in the 1999 budget requests. Once Shropshire has had a chance to finalize the conference bills and splits, it will be easier to see what we have available. More requests are pending, so the 1999 budget will be brought to the January Board meeting for discussion and approval. Past President: Price reported that ILA submitted five names to the American Library Association (ALA) Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) for the intellectual freedom honor roll. OIF will decide which of our submissions to include in the honor roll, and the ceremony will take place at ALA's 1999 midwinter meeting in Philadelphia. Our nominees were Eli M. Oboler, Susannah Price, Joe Reiss, Rand Simmons, and Adrien Taylor. Frederick Belzer, an attorney in Pocatello, has applied for ALA's Lawyers for Libraries training. He has been a trustee of the Marshall Public Library for many years, and is a strong library supporter. The Marshall Public Library received a continuing education grant from the Idaho State Library to cover part of Belzer's cost for attending the training. It had been suggested that money from the intellectual freedom auction be used to make up the "match" needed to pay for the rest of Belzer's expenses, and Rand Simmons (Intellectual Freedom Committee chair) agreed that this would be a good use for that money. It was moved (Leek/Price) that $188.00 be taken from the intellectual freedom auction proceeds to help send Frederick Belzer to the Lawyers for Libraries training. Passed unanimously. ILA is allowed to nominate three candidates for the Lawyers for Libraries training, but has not found two other nominees. Price will check with OIF to see if we can still make other nominations, even though the deadline has passed. Price attended one meeting of the Idaho Library Network Advisory Council, since Vivian Wells was unable to attend. Bolles will talk about this meeting in his report. The Nominating Committee consists of Price and the four current division chairs. They need to have their input to Price as soon as possible so that we have a full slate of candidates for our next election. State Librarian: Bolles reported that the State Library Board is fully appointed. From now on, all terms will be for five years. The Gates Library Foundation is making equipment, software, and technical support available to public libraries in areas with poverty levels over ten percent. The Idaho State Library has been asked to supply information about Idaho's libraries to determine the state's readiness for this. States are not guaranteed they will be selected, so Idaho may not be. If Idaho is selected, there are some areas that are not sufficiently poverty stricken to qualify. Libraries would be invited to apply on a building-by-building basis, and it is not clear which libraries (if any) would receive grants. There are many questions about this program that remain unanswered. The Idaho Library Network Advisory Council hired a consultant to make recommendations for the state. Reciprocal borrowing, interlibrary loan, electronic document delivery, and a statewide serials database were discussed. The consultant suggested that the Idaho library community concentrate on the first three, with the Idaho State Library serving as coordinator. Emphasis should be on building on existing strengths, not "re-inventing the wheel." The Council disbanded, and will be replaced with a twelve-member advisory board. Members will be appointed to represent different types of libraries throughout the state, and perhaps private industry as well. Normally, the membership of ILA supports proposed legislation through the resolution process at the annual conference. This year the conference was early, so potential legislation to be introduced during the 1999 legislative session was unclear, and no action was taken by the membership. Bolles reported on two definite pieces of legislation, and three projected pieces of legislation that may be introduced during the upcoming legislative session. * Amendment of the Library Improvement Account to change the name to the Library Services Improvement Account, allowing monies deposited in the account to be used for all types of libraries, not just public libraries. * Endorsement of the Idaho State Library budget, including the request for continuing funding of the statewide databases. Some of this money is still in the State Dept. of Education budget, and should be moved to the State Library budget. * Introduction of a special library levy, which would allow library districts to submit to the electorate a request to raise the tax levy above the three- percent annual limit now allowed. * Amendment of the current procedure for determination of the tax levy of a newly consolidated library district. This would ensure that the new district would not levy at a rate lower than the highest rate of one of the districts participating in the consolidation. * Provision of certificated media generalists in school media centers. The Educational Media Division of ILA, the Idaho Education Association (IEA), and the Idaho State Dept. of Education (SDE) are working on legislation that would encourage school districts to staff elementary, middle, and high school media centers with certificated media generalist personnel. Moved (Price/Booe) that ILA endorse the first two proposals, since they are in final form, endorse the concept of the remaining three, and send them all to the Legislative Committee as a charge from the Board. Passed unanimously with Bolles abstaining. Earnest reported that the Educational Media Division has formed a task force, which is working with IEA and SDE on the certification issue. The wording has not been finalized, but the concepts for the proposed legislation are to: * Ensure that all schools in Idaho, elementary and secondary, have at least one certificated media generalist and any additional assistants necessary to maintain a ratio of no greater than 500:1. * Ensure that all schools in Idaho have a media center open to all students all day, staffed appropriately. * Provide incentive funding to school districts to be used for the hiring of a certificated media generalist. * Phase in the procedure over a five-year period to give districts and present personnel time to prepare for a new direction in elementary libraries. About one fifth of Idaho's schools would be added per year beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year. It is estimated that 295 additional media generalists would need to be hired to meet the target goal of a 500:1 ratio. It was moved (Price/Bolles) that $1000 be made available for the Educational Media Division Task Force to use for travel so that they can meet with IEA and SBE to draft the proposed legislation. These funds may be used in either 1998 or 1999 for the meeting. Passed unanimously. Wittman reported that Lynn Melton is searching for a part-time lobbyist for ILA (a 1997 recommendation of the Ad Hoc Legislative Task Force). ILA needs a lobbyist in order to develop a longer-term relationship with legislators, and to help identify issues in the legislature that might affect libraries. The concern is that it would be a large expenditure for us, and it is not clear how much a part-time lobbyist would be willing to do for $5000. Melton, Bolles, and Pete Black will investigate, and come back to the Board with a more concrete proposal in January. Other considerations include who else the person lobbies for, who directs the lobbyist, and how do the lobbyist and ILA communicate. Division Chairs: Academic/Special: Ashby reported that the BSU-produced directory of academic and special libraries will be available around the end of the year. In terms of planning for the annual conference, electronic journals are a "hot topic." Educational Media: Earnest reported that the Division would be publishing in the Idaho Librarian instead of continuing the Division newsletter. Public: Leek reported that the 1991 public libraries standards are in need of revision. Many issues were raised — the obvious anachronisms will be corrected, and the sections on technology and children's services will be updated. The Division is working on the Public Library of the Year award. The committee to select the winner will be made up of the current chair, chair-elect, and past chair of the Division. What should the association's role be? Should there be an "outside" person on the committee? Should a member of the Public Library of the Year Award Committee sit on the Scholarships and Awards Committee? What budget should the award come out of? It would be nice to be able to present a plaque (about $25) and a material benefit (sponsored by a vendor?). How can we ensure that libraries apply for the award? (Nag people, and have the information at all of the regional conferences.) ILA Board members' libraries should not be eligible. Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA): Booe reported that the PNLA Board has not met since the August joint annual conference, so there is not much news to report. The Next PNLA Board meeting is Nov. 12-15, and one issue on the table is considering cutting the number of Board meetings. Booe also distributed a PNLA Quick Facts card. American Library Association (ALA): Wood reported that there has been quite a bit of concern expressed on the ALA Council list about graduate education for librarianship. The accreditation process needs to be examined again, and the Executive Board plans to have a spring 1999 Education Summit. The Social Responsibility Round Table (SRRT) is in the center of controversy again. The Boy Scouts of America have stands on issues that ALA Council felt were not consonant with ALA's positions, but failed to pass a resolution severing the relationship between the two organizations. After the resolution failed in Council, the SRRT passed it, and distributed it widely on SRRT letterhead. Of course, SRRT letterhead includes the American Library Association name on it, so it looked like the resolution was the ALA position. SRRT feels that it can send out any SRRT information that it wants to on SRRT letterhead. ALA Council is not amused. A copy of ALA's draft document, "Libraries, an American Value" was distributed to Board members. It is a statement designed for the general public, and is not intended to replace any of ALA's existing intellectual freedom statements. It will be discussed at Council at the Philadelphia midwinter meeting, and it is being sent around to library associations for their endorsement. It was moved (Price/Booe) that the Idaho Library Association endorse the final draft of the "Libraries, an American Value" document. Passed unanimously. Idaho Librarian: DeZelar-Tiedman reported that she has investigated the rates that other state library organizations charge for advertising in their print publications, and the range is huge. We're slightly below average. DeZelar-Tiedman distributed a rate increase proposal (attachment 5). It was moved (Almeida/Booe) that the new rates be accepted. Passed unanimously. Wilson has requested permission to put the Idaho Librarian articles that it indexes in Library Literature online. (They already have a paper copy for indexing purposes.) They would pay a royalty for access, it would be a non-exclusive open-ended contract, and either party could cancel with ninety days notice. It was moved (Booe/Shropshire) that we accept the contract. Passed unanimously. It is a bit too early to tell what people think of the new bimonthly format of the Idaho Librarian. There has been no progress on finding an advertising manager. If anyone has suggestions or wishes to volunteer, please contact DeZelar-Tiedman. Web Site/Communication: Almeida reported that the committee has been discussing a variety of issues via e-mail: Should we allow advertisements on the web page? Yes. What should be the limits, and what kind of advertisements would we accept? Do we need a formal policy? How would we handle pricing? Should there be a package deal with vendors who exhibit at the annual conference, with a fee increase? Should there be a reduced rate for ILA institutional members? Should the Idaho Librarian be on the ILA web page? If so, how much of it? Should it be an electronic-only publication? Not at this time. We do need a solid publication policy stating how much and what goes on the page, who sends it, when it is removed, and how much archiving should be done. By January the committee will have something more concrete to bring to the Board. The Board feels that we accept advertising for the Idaho Librarian now, so ads on the web page would just be an extension of that. The Board is interested enough in advertising to have Dan Lester survey other library organizations to see what they do and charge. There is a question of how much ILA, as a non-profit organization, can earn from advertising and still maintain our tax status. What is the legal ceiling? Shropshire will find out from an auditor or tax attorney. ILA maintains a list of officers, publishes it in the Idaho Librarian, and puts it up on the web page. Should we include home telephone numbers in these publications? It was moved (Ashby/Almeida) that the home telephone numbers of officers be printed in the Idaho Librarian, but not mounted on the web. Home telephone numbers will not be printed in the membership list published annually in the Idaho Librarian. Passed unanimously. Membership: Cochran reported that membership is down a little bit in terms of numbers of members, but up a little bit in dues monies received. One of the goals in ILA's strategic plan is to increase membership fifteen percent by the year 2000 (to 620 members). Cochran distributed a draft of the new membership renewal form (attachment 6). It uses humor, and also points out the advantages of joining ILA. The intent is to increase membership. The Board likes the idea of the new form, but feels that some changes should be made to wording so that the form will be more inclusive. Why do we limit members to joining one division? The question was referred to Wood's committee on reorganization. Constitution/ByLaws: Wood reported that the new constitution and bylaws were passed at the August membership meeting. The ALA Council terms have just changed from four to three years, so the membership needs to vote on that change in order for ILA to be consistent with the new ALA policy. Public Relations: Greever re-submitted a draft communications plan, including budget estimates. The first section deals with the ILA Speakers' Network, and many questions arose. It was generally agreed that network members trained in advocacy rise to the fore when there is a crisis. Should the network continue in its present form, or be changed? Wittman and Booe will canvass network members for suggestions. Board consideration of the communications plan was deferred to the January Board meeting. Legislative: Discussed above under the State Librarian's report. ILA Strategic Plan: Wittman asked Board members to divide up the strategic plan, review the document, and report at the January meeting on accomplishments achieved and revisions that need to be made. Assignments are: goal 1, Ashby and Leek; goal 2, Booe and Wittman; goal 3, Bolles and Price; goal 4, Almeida and Wood; goal 5, Force and Pool. Meeting Dates: Boise: January 18, Board meeting and legislative briefing. January 19, Legislative Day. (January 18 is Human Rights Day, a state holiday. Does Melton want to change the date for Legislative Day?) Lewiston: tentatively set for Tuesday, April 13, Board meeting. Assignments for January Board meeting: Conference planning (Force) Web site and communication plan (Almeida) Reorganization (Wood) Legislative (Melton) Communications/Advocacy/Public Relations (Greever) Strategic plan update (Board members) Additional business: Conference manual: Force, Wittman, and Penni Cyr will work on the manual. The Board may want to consider providing the exhibits chair with lodging/registration for the conference, and the local arrangements chair with registration. The thinking is that these two spend virtually none of the conference attending sessions because of their time-consuming conference duties. Nominations: Division chairs should give a list of prospective candidates to Price by November 10. Moved (Shropshire/Wood) to adjourn. Adjourned 3:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Barbara C. Greever, ILA Secretary Edith Lancaster Edith Lancaster, former librarian at Northwest Nazarene College (NNC) died Sunday,
October 25, 1998 after a long battle with cancer. She was 71. Edith was a librarian at NNC
for thirty-six years, serving as instructor, Head Librarian, and Head of Information
Services. She served the Idaho Library Association as Treasurer and Chair of the Academic
and Special Libraries Division. She was active in the Nampa Business and Professional
Women's Club, Delta Kappa Gamma, and the Nampa Soroptimists. Memorial contributions can be
made to the Northwest Nazarene College Library Fund. NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Young Reader's Choice Award It is once again time to nominate books for the Young Reader's Choice Award sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Library Association. The Young Reader's Choice Award (YRCA) is the oldest - and only international - children's choice award in the United States. The ballot is comprised of titles nominated by children and adults from the Pacific Northwest. Any book is eligible for nomination providing that its original publication date is three years prior to the year for which it is being nominated. For example, a book nominated for the next ballot, year 2000, is eligible only if published in 1997 and in the U.S. or Canada. We are always looking for nominations from Canadian and Pacific Northwest authors, although that is not a requirement for a book to appear on the list. If you have read some outstanding literature for 4th-8th grade readers or for 9th -12th grade readers published in the U.S. or Canada in 1997, please e-mail, fax, phone or snail mail your nominations to me between now and FEBRUARY 1, 1999. Check with the kids, teachers, parents and other librarians in your area to add more titles to your list. Everyone's vote counts; add the total of all votes for each title you submit. The books on the YRCA ballot have a very large readership. Last year more than 50,000 children and teenagers read books from the YRCA ballot and voted for their favorites. Your input on the ballot is very important. Remember that all nominations must be received no later than February 1, 1999. Betty Holbrook "The Frontier in American Culture" exhibition available Libraries nationwide are being offered an opportunity to host "The Frontier in American Culture" traveling exhibition beginning in January 1999 for eight-week periods for a $1,500 rental fee. Three copies of the exhibition, organized by the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office in cooperation with the Newberry Library, Chicago, will complete a tour of 43 designated public and academic libraries across the United States in December. ALA and the Newberry Library collaborated in producing the exhibition with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through photographs, maps and other pictorial materials, "The Frontier in American Culture" examines how stories and images of the frontier and the settling of the West has shaped American identity and values. The exhibit focuses on two conflicting stories about the settling of the West: historian Frederick Jackson Turner's account of free land and peaceful settlement, and Buffalo Bill Cody's depiction in his Wild West Shows of bloody conflict and violent confrontation. A third perspective is that of the Indians, who were virtually ignored by Turner and demonized by Cody. Richard White, McClelland Professor of History at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the recipient of a 1995 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, served as exhibit curator. Libraries participating in the tour extension will receive the following: eight-week rental of six freestanding panel units requiring approximately 1,000 square feet display space; two, two-color indoor/outdoor banners; a Site Support Notebook containing installation and dismantling instructions, programming ideas and bibliographies, and public relations materials; up to 1,000 full-color brochures; up to 25 full-color exhibition posters; and one full-color exhibition catalog. Additional brochures, posters, and catalogs may be purchased. Shipping and insurance are included in the fee. "The Frontier in American Culture" exhibition offers an opportunity for a variety of programming designed to stimulate public discussion about the cultures and history of the period, children's programming featuring stories about the West, showings of classic Western films, shows about local cowboys and programs focused on Native American cultures. Also available for eight-week periods at the same $1,500 fee is "The Many Realms of King Arthur" exhibition, based on the Arthuriana collections of the Newberry Library and the New York Public Library. To sign up or for more information, contact Brenda Barrera, ALA Public Programs, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Telephone: 800-545-2433, ext. 5053. Fax: 312-944-2404. E-mail: bbarrera@ala.org. ALA Public Programs Web site: www.ala.org/publicprograms/travel. PNLA Conference Plan (your budget and your vacation) to attend the next Pacific Northwest Library Association Conference and meet your colleagues from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, British Columbia, Alberta and Alaska. This conference, which marks the 90th anniversary of PNLA, will be at the Coast Plaza Hotel in Calgary, Alberta, August 11-13, 1999. The theme is Common Ground. Common Ground encourages library and information workers to focus on themes and issues that American and Canadians have in common. To heck with the differences! The conference will focus on advocacy, intellectual freedom, children's services, management and literacy. Keynote speaker is Canadian author and artist Ben Wicks, who is a well-known and avid champion of literacy. Confirmed workshop sessions include books for babies, readers' theatre for adult literacy programs, ethics, trends in children's publishing, lobbying, the future of the profession and information entrepreneurship. Authors from both sides of the 49th parallel will be featured. Calgary and southern Alberta are a wonderful vacation destination — check out http://www.visitor.calgary.ab.ca. Conference registration information will be available in March — contact klabuik@nucleus.com or judmoore@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca. Registration for early birds, before June 25, 1999, is $75 for PNLA members, payable in US currency if you live in the States, and in Canadian dollars if you live in Canada. WLN and OCLC begin negotiations to merge WLN and OCLC announced on Oct. 21 the signing of a letter of intent that could lead, following negotiations, to the merger of WLN and OCLC. The letter of intent results from extended discussions, started in April, between board chairs and senior management of each organization. According to the letter of intent, subject to satisfactory negotiations and approvals by both boards of trustees, the merger would result in the following: · WLN users would migrate to OCLC cataloging and resource sharing services, and the WLN union catalog would be merged with WorldCat (the OCLC Online Union Catalog). · WLN full member libraries would become OCLC general members, with the opportunity to participate in OCLC's governance through the OCLC Users Council. · WLN would continue with its MARS Authority Control, Collection Analysis and bibliographic services. · The WLN office would continue to be based in Lacey and would become an OCLC/WLN Service Center, providing support and training to libraries in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. · WLN's Information Technology Research and Development staff would remain at the OCLC/WLN Service Center where they would supplement OCLC's extensive research and development efforts and continue to develop authority control and collection analysis services. OCLC would make these services available to libraries worldwide through OCLC's sales offices, U.S. regional networks and international distributors. The parties hope to conclude an agreement and complete the transaction by early 1999. Wilcox named MCI's Cybrarian of the Year for Idaho Brenda Wilcox of Lucy Boyle Public Library has been named the 1998 MCI Cybrarian of the Year for the state of Idaho. A panel of distinguished judges evaluated applications from Cybrarians around the country, selecting one per state to earn the title, MCI Cybrarian of the Year. Winning Cybrarians are recognized in their local communities and each receives a $1000 grant for the purchase of library and educational materials. Each winner is also provided with free dial-up Internet access for one year. To apply for next year's award program, visit the MCI website at http://www.mci.com/aboutus/company/corporate/cybrarian/title.shtml. Boise Magazine for only eight dollars a year Boise Magazine would like to offer Idaho Library Association members the opportunity to subscribe to this award-winning publication at the low rate of $8.00. That's a savings of 30% off the regular subscription price. Boise Magazine, a city/regional quarterly, won six awards from the Idaho Press Club in 1998, including best magazine. The magazine also won two Ozzie awards for excellence in design. To add Boise Magazine to your collection of fine periodicals, simply call (208)
338-5454. If you prefer, you can fax them at (208) 338-0006, or send an e-mail to
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BOOK REVIEWS James-Duguid, Charlene. Work as Art: Idaho Logging as an Aesthetic Moment. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho Press, 1996, 158 pp. ISBN 0-89301-190-8 In the introduction, the author describes herself as both a "limner" and a "limnar." The first term refers to an itinerant portrait painter or an essayist (who paints in words), and the second is one who is seeking an anthropologist's understanding and therefore remains on the threshold of the lives under study, a close observer but not a full participant. James-Duguid's emphasis on the anthropological and cultural aspects of the logging life in Orofino, Idaho, is evident from the works cited in the bibliography, most of which are on ethnography, culture, folk narrative, and art. Chapter titles such as "The Elders: The Past Revered" (Chapter 3) and "Beyond Work: Performances in a Logging Community" (Chapter 5) are further indications of her major focus. As an anthropologist, she seeks to understand the community of Orofino as a whole, not just as the location of a particular industry. Her recurring themes are the roles of individuals in the society, the meanings attached to their work and leisure activities, and the relationship between their work, life and art. To paint her portrait of Orofino, James-Duguid uses not only her own words, but also quotes extensively from people in the community. We hear from people as diverse as the ageless sawyer commonly referred to as "the logging hero of Clearwater County" (whose photo graces the book's cover), the young queen and princesses of Lumberjack Days, and the pastor of St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Church. From them and many others, we hear what is considered vital to the healthy functioning of this community: volunteerism, co-operation, sharing of information, ideas, equipment and expertise, respect for the environment and for those whose work depends on and affects it. These intertwining values reach a fever pitch of activity at the annual Clearwater County Fair and Lumberjack Days, overseen by Orofino Celebrations Incorporated (OCI), many of whose members have participated in this event for decades. This festival is seen by the author and the Orofino community as a performance to showcase the logging life as a work of art to the outsiders who come to enjoy the contests and competitions On a broader scale, it is clear that the loggers who describe their jobs and personal histories in this book consider their everyday work an art form. The words of Mike Lee, a loader operator, are typical: "You can't learn how out of a book…There is an art to all of it, and part of that art is based on routine, speed, efficiency, and knowing the woods." Just as all the separate community members join together to create the performance of Lumberjack Days, so too do the individual jobs of cruisers (who estimate the number of board feet that can be logged in a given stand of timber before it is cut), sawyers, loaders and numerous others coalesce to become the art of logging. The major strength of Work as Art grows out of its anthropological emphasis, and consists of showing the interrelatedness of the community members, be they loggers, family members or local business people. However, this emphasis on the whole rather than the parts, as well as the difficulty of defining "art," leads also to the book's major weakness. The author states that she has picked out only the best, the most representative exemplar of each type of work and purposely steered clear of overt political or ecological comment and analysis. She herself admits that sometimes the figures in the woods doing the jobs are shadowy. I agree with this assessment of the author, and found that this shadowy or nebulous quality was what frustrated me most throughout my reading of the book. Just as her lens begins to focus clearly on the actual steps of choosing which trees to cut or loading logs onto a truck safely and efficiently, she breaks off and introduces another person or another job, often only to restate a theme we have already heard. The title of this book attracted me because, as a newcomer to Idaho and an admittedly diehard liberal, my limited view of logging and its effect on the environment could be summed up in the formula: logging equals bad and trees standing equals good. I looked to this book to educate me about logging and Idaho. This it did, but only in the broadest sense. Many of the operations, decision-making processes, and environmental problems are still unclear to me. Perhaps some of the works listed in this book's bibliography will be more helpful in furthering my education. Recommended for Idaho and anthropological/cultural/ethnographic collections. Charlene James-Duguid is an independent scholar and writer. She received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from The American University, Washington, D.C. She has published numerous articles and is currently working on books on artist Rockwell Kent and on Crow Indian women. Nancy J. Young BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW The following is a list of books available for review in the Idaho Librarian. If you would like to review one of these titles, please e-mail Christine DeZelar-Tiedman (chrisd@belle.lib.uidaho.edu). Postal address: University of Idaho Library, Rayburn Street, Moscow, Idaho 83844-2360 USA. Against the Grain: Memoirs of a Western Historian. Brigham D. Madsen. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1998. Building with Logs: Western Log Construction in Context. Jennifer Eastman Attebery. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1998. Cowboy Memories of Montana. Mark Perrault. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1997. Dinosaurs of Utah. Frank DeCourten. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1998. Fire, Faults & Floods: A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin. Marge & Ted Mueller. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1997. Fly Free as Easy as 1-2-3. David Crandall. Boise: Legendary Publishing, c1998. The Gift: Four Seasons of Haiku and Senyru. Adelaide McLeod. Boise: Coffee Table Books, c1998. The Great Poem of the Earth: A Study of the Poetry of Thomas Hornsby Ferril. Andrew Elkins. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1997. Green Cultural Studies: Nature in Film, Novel and Theory. Jhan Hochman. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1998. A Guide to the Trees of Utah and the Intermountain West. Michael Kuhns. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 1998. In Our Lovely Deseret: Mormon Fictions. Ed. by Robert Raleigh. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, c1998. The Journals of Patrick Gass: Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Edited and annotated by Carol Lynn MacGregor. Missoula: Mountain Press Pub. Co., 1997. Living in Chaos, Walking in Peace: A Matter of Ascension. Barbara Knudson. Boise: Legendary Publishing, c1998. Mavericks: the Lives and Battles of Montana's Political Legends. John Morrison and Catherine Wright Morrison. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1997. One Winter in the Wilderness. Pat Cary Peek. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1998. A Pioneer of American Folklore: Karl Knortz and his Collections. Eleanore Schamschula. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1996. Rock Burst. Bert and Marie Russell. Moscow: University of Idaho Press, 1998. Shoshone Tales. Collected by Anne M. Smith. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1998, c1993. Very Close to Trouble: the Johnny Grant Memoir. Edited by Lyndel Meikle. Pullman: Washington State University Press, 1996. Voice of the Old Wolf: Lucullus Virgil McWhorter and the Nez Perce Indians. Steven Ross Evans. Pullman, Wash.: Washington State University Press, 1996. With Child: Mormon Women on Mothering. Ed. by Marni Asplund-Campbell. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1998. |
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