RK: March 2008 Archives

Today I discovered that the recently posted 2007 Circulation Summary was not 100% correct. Specifically, the data contained in the Counties Adjacent to OWLS section of the report (i.e., the second page) was incorrect. The other three pages of the report were correct. I have made all the necessary corrections and have posted the corrected version on OWLSweb.

This May COLAND is sponsoring a Strategic Visioning Summit to begin creating a new vision to address the challenges facing Wisconsin libraries.  It's been 10 years since the last visioning conference, and that conference resulted in the creation of BadgerLink.  It's possible that this conference would result in another initiative that would be submitted by the State Superintendent as part of the next biennial budget process.

The Summit will be by invitation only and limited in size.  However, COLAND is seeking input from as many people as possible.  I encourage each of you to be part of this process by answering the questions posted online by COLAND.  You might also consider discussing the questions with your board and submitting answers as a group.  You should also feel free to link to these questions from your web pages.

Also, please let the rest of us know if you will be attending the Summit so we can share our thoughts with you.

I recently posted the 2007 Circulation Summary for OWLS member libraries on OWLSweb.  This summary reports the circulation from all OWLS libraries to local residents and various categories of non-residents.  The total system circulation increased by 5.0% in 2007, with 13 libraries experiencing circulation increases and 3 libraries experiencing decreases.  One of the most interesting facts about 2007 circulation is that non-resident circulation grew at a higher rate than resident circulation, reversing the trend of the previous two years.  Please share any observations you might have, and let me know if you have any questions.

As contracting parties, OWLS and its member libraries have specific obligations to each other.  One of those obligations is to share essential documents.  Our membership agreement calls for us to exchange board meeting agendas, board meeting minutes, and any board-approved planning documents.  That's why member library directors receive an email with OWLS Board minutes and agenda attached each month.  We also post all of our plans on the web and announce their availability to you.

A big "Thank You" to all the libraries that are regularly sending me board documents.  I appreciate getting them, and I always find them interesting and informative.  If you haven't been sending board documents to me, please add me to your regular distribution list.  My preference is to receive them electronically.  I don't save them, and sending them electronically may save a few trees.  However, if paper is easier, that's okay too.  Thanks!

I wanted to let everyone know that I have decided not to fill the Continuing Education and Consulting Librarian position at this time.  This position, which was formerly held by Leslie, was just created last year, and, in retrospect, I don’t think that it met all of our expectations. While Leslie did a fine job with continuing education and special projects, I’m not sure that the position was designed correctly to best meet our needs.

I’ll be working with the staff and the Personnel Committee of the Board to reassess our staffing priorities.  For the time being, responsibility for continuing education will be shared among OWLS professional staff, and other key responsibilities have been distributed among various staff members.