Choose to Read Ohio encourages Ohioans to Read Together, Read Ohio, and Read for Life.

Book titles for 2011 can be found at: oh.webjunction.org/ohctrointro, Discussion questions and additional resources for each book, and promotional items will be posted by the end of the summer.

This special Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant program will provide funds to libraries to implement a 2011 Choose to Read Ohio program in their community.  The RFP for the Choose to Read Ohio grant can be found below at:  oh.webjunction.org/ohlstactro

The three page proposal must be submitted electronically to Missy Lodge by midnight on September 15, 2010.  Funded proposals will run from January 1, 2011 – September 30, 2011.

Questions should be addressed to Missy Lodge or Janet Ingraham-Dwyer or at 800-686-1532.

The Introducing Gaming to the Library grant program will provide libraries who wish to initiate a gaming program with the seed funds necessary to purchase games and/or gaming systems for use in programming activities with all age groups.  This special grant program is primarily aimed at small libraries who wish to introduce gaming to the library and who do not have start-up funds to initiate this new service.

For more information go to: http://oh.webjunction.org/ohlstaspecialgaminginlibrary

Marysville Public Library was awarded $3,478 to begin to address the needs of the un- and under-employed in the Marysville community.  The Library will create an Adult Skills Center.  Funds will be used to purchase library materials for adult basic skills and keyboarding software and adult computer classes will be offered.  This is a collaborative project with Union County ABLE and the ODJFS Employment Resource Center of Union County.

Miami University Libraries was awarded $8,400 to digitize the Miami Student newspaper using Open Source software.  Currently the newspaper is digitized using the CONTENTdm platform.  The University wishes to provide enhanced functionality and reliability by migrating to an open source system.  This system will also allow for high quality OCR for full-text search and interactive browse functions.  Successes, best practices and step-by-step instructions will then be shared with other OhioLINK members.

Ohio Historical Society was awarded $18,028 for a partnership project with the Ohio National Guard to preserve the history of Ohio’s soldiers.  “In Their Own Words” will digitize the oral histories of at least 50 veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These histories will then be available through the Ohio Memory Project.  A secondary part of the project will be to develop a replicable model for cost-effective, standards-based methods for digitizing oral histories.  Training will be done at an Oral History Institute hosted by the Ohio Humanities Council.

South Euclid-Lyndhurst City Schools was awarded $11,250 to transform the media center in the Memorial Junior High School into an academic learning hub.  The learning commons will provide a technology rich environment for students and teachers.  The media specialist will collaborate with teachers to incorporate new technologies and services into the curriculu

University of Cincinnati Libraries was awarded $15,900 to digitize the University of Cincinnati Yearbook The Cincinnatian for the period of 1951-2006.  A previous grant provided for the digitization of The Cincinnatian from 1894-1950.  This project will mean all issues of the yearbook will be available via the web. Yearbook coverage includes such speakers as George Wallace and Ralph Nader and items of interest such as African American rights and anti-war protests.

University of Dayton, Roesch Library was awarded $2,374 for the purchase of specialized equipment which will allow for the digitization of three dimensional objects, allowing for an interactive digital image which offers the user the ability to view the object from all sides and angles.  Items to be digitized include autographed baseballs, musical instruments and over 2000 nativity sets.

Xavier University, McDonald Library was awarded $7,716 to digitize and transcribe the political letters of Moses Dawson.  The political letters, spanning 1811-1845, include those with numerous early U.S. presidents on timely topics of the day.  Approximately 403 pages will be scanned.  Both the original scanned letters and transcriptions of the letters, along with biographies of the correspondents and Moses Dawson will be made available via the web.

Five of the awarded projects center on digitization.  “Funding of these projects could have a significant impact on digitization initiatives in the state,” said Missy Lodge, LSTA Coordinator and Interim State Librarian.  “Access to these various materials will be especially beneficial for students and researchers doing primary resource research.”  All of the funded projects began with a well-documented need.

LSTA Minigrant funds may be used for items and activities which will assist a library in meeting one of the two broad based purposes of LSTA: 1) technological innovation and electronic linkages, and 2) services to the underserved. A financial match of 25% of the total project cost is required from the institution. For more information about the Ohio LSTA Grant program go to: http://oh.webjunction.org/ohlsta.

It’s appropriations time, and there are two main issues we need to action on.  The deadline is March 12, so please act fast!  We only have 48 hours to make a difference.

LSTA

Congress is currently busy drafting up the federal budget for fiscal year 2011.  It has never been more important than now that Congress fully funds the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the only annual source for federal funding to public libraries.   As Congress writes next year’s budget they need to understand that dollars from the state and local levels are at an all time low and libraries can not continue to do their important work with out this funding.

There is a letter circulating around the House of Representatives urging the Appropriations Committee to include $300 million in funding through LSTA in the FY2011 budget.  Please contact your representative’s office and tell them about work your library does in the community.  It is always a good idea to stress what programs and resources your library provide to help build the local economy, help kids with their homework, and so much more.  After you have explained how libraries are an incredibly valuable investment, please ask your representative to sign onto the “Dear Colleague” letter supporting LSTA.

School Libraries
In his FY2011 budget, President Obama consolidated Improving Literacy Through School Libraries with five other literacy programs.  This would mean that school libraries will have to directly compete with other programs to receive federal dollars under the President’s plan.  However, Congress is busy drafting up their own budget for FY2011 right now, and there is no word yet if they will go along with President Obama’s recommendation of consolidation.  Congress needs to hear from their constituents NOW about the important role that school libraries play in today’s schools.

Right now there is a letter circulating around the House of Representatives urging the Appropriations Committee to specifically appropriate $100 million for Improving Literacy Through School Libraries.  This amount means that this program will be available to every state, rather than the current competitive grant program.  Please contact your representative’s office explaining to them how important having a school library can be in a child’s education.  Please ask them to sign on to the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries “Dear Colleague.”

Once your representative or their staff confirms that they would like to sign on to the funding “Dear Colleagues,” please ask them to contact the staffers below depending on their party affiliation:

Democrat

Ask them to contact Joseph Mais in Rep. Grijalva’s office and ask them to sign onto the Dear Colleague.  His email address isjoseph.mais@mail.house.gov and his phone number is (202) 225-2435.
Republican

Ask them to contact Rachel Fenton in Rep. Vernon Ehlers’ office and sign onto the Dear Colleague.  Her e-mail address isRachel.Fenton@mail.house.gov and her phone number is (202) 225-3831.

It is of the utmost importance that you contact your Representative today and urge them to sign on to these letters!  We need to keep the pressure on our elected officials until the deadline for signatures on these critical letters expires.  Grijalva and Ehlers plan to send the letter on Friday, March 12, so time is of the essence.

You can find your legislator’s contact information at http://capwiz.com/ala/home/.

Kristin Murphy
Government Relations Specialist
American Library Association – Washington Office
1615 New Hampshire Ave. NW, First Floor
Washington, D.C., 20009-2520
Phone Number: 202.628.8410
kmurphy@alawash.org

Questions about the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act?  Go to www.ala.org/knowyourstimulus

During Federal fiscal year 2009 (October 2008 through September 2009), the State Library of Ohio awarded 40 LSTA grants. A total of 55 libraries submitted 71 applications.  Forty grants were awarded to 30 institutions.

LSTA was enacted on September 30, 1996 and enables public, school, academic, and special libraries to apply for federal library funds. IMLS, the agency which oversees the LSTA, provides LSTA funds each year to the State Library of Ohio.  IMLS is a federal agency that fosters innovation, leadership and a lifetime of learning through the support of museum and library programs.

As part of the Report to IMLS, the State Library of Ohio must identify three to six exemplary projects.  State Library staff selects these projects based on their relation to LSTA goals, impact of the project on the target population and the ability to be replicated in other parts of the state.

LSTA 2009 Exemplary Programs in Ohio

Ohio Instructional Technology Services of Central Ohio (ITSCO) for the Literature Lounge Phase II.  This project broadened a pilot project originally undertaken between ITSCO, Worthington Libraries and Worthington School District.  Library staff created and broadcast content to teachers who wanted more age-appropriate language arts content.  Phase II expanded the project by creating a professional development model to provide outreach to additional schools and public libraries.  Book Talks introduce and review noteworthy books for students and provide teachers with the skills to incorporate emerging technologies into the creation of fun and interesting book studies.  The project is now reaching additional areas of the state and is being further expanded.

Ohio Wesleyan University Library to create the digital story of the interrelated 19th century history of the city of Delaware, the Methodist Episcopal Church and Ohio Wesleyan University.  Digitized materials include photographs, manuscripts, postcards, published histories, maps, pamphlets, and newspaper articles.  This was a collaborative project between the University Library, the Delaware County Historical Society Research Library and the Archives of the Ohio United Methodism.  Additionally, the project staff received assistance and support from churches in town, the local school system, the Delaware Gazette and local businesses.  This project not only increases accessibility to local historical resources, but it also exemplifies the concepts of cooperation and collaboration.

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for the Early Learning Express project.     This project provides educational and literacy support to Type-B in-home care providers, with an emphasis on early childhood literacy intervention for ages 2-5.  For the project, 50 certified Type-B in-home care providers were identified and received three visits by library staff.  As part of the visits, providers received suggestions on incorporating the six pre-reading skills into their daily activities with children.  The Hamilton County Dept. of Job and Family Services and 4C for Children were key partners in the project.  An independent evaluation indicated that the project is having an impact on the practices Type-B in-home caregivers use when working with children on literacy development.

Salem Public Library for the use of satellite library branches in two city parks during the summer of 2009.  A portable on demand storage container was set up in each park to become the branch structure with each being open two evenings a week.  Story times held throughout the summer focused on Every Child Ready to Read principles.  Programs were so successful that all registrants could not be accommodated.   This project was highly successful—it served the community in a new, meaningful way, brought quality early literacy and school preparedness instruction to area families, enhanced the visibility of the library and introduced library resources to a number of new users.   The project also allowed the library to establish a strong partnership with the Salem Parks Department and reinforce its partnership with the Salem City School District.

Additional information about the Ohio LSTA grants program is available at WebJunction Ohio.

The libraries receiving the grants include Birchard Public Library, Fremont; Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library, Chillicothe; Cleveland State University, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland; Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, Cincinnati; and Shawnee State University, Clark Memorial Library, Portsmouth.

Read more…

Questions should be addressed to Missy Lodge at mlodge@sloma.state.oh.us or 800-686-1532 or 614-644-6914

The State Library of Ohio, in partnership with Universal Low Vision Aids (ULVA), is pleased to announce a special LSTA grant opportunity to Ohio libraries.

Through this partnership ULVA is offering, for a limited time, eligible libraries the ability to purchase the VictorReader Stream at a discounted price.  Through the LSTA process, the local cash match for each VictorReader Stream unit will be $92.50.

The VictorReader Stream is an ultra-compact unit for the blind and those with visual impairments.  Fitting into the palm of a hand, the Reader allows users to download books, from novels to textbooks and complex manuals.  Perhaps most importantly the VictorReader Stream is compatible with the National Library Services’ (NLS) new digital talking books.  A wealth of content is available for use on the Readers.

As NLS begins to distribute the new digital reader, the VictorReader Stream offers another option for library patrons.

More information on the VictorReader Stream can be found at:  http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/products/blindness/dtb_players/compact_models/_details/id_81/victorreader_stream.html

The RFP for the VictorReader Stream grants can be found at http://oh.webjunction.org/ohlstaspecial.

The two page proposal must be submitted electronically to Missy Lodge, mlodge@sloma.state.oh.us by midnight on November 1, 2009.  Funded proposals will run from January 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010.  In order to qualify for the discount, equipment must be purchased from ULVA between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2010.

Questions should be addressed to Missy Lodge at mlodge@sloma.state.oh.us or 800-686-1532 or 614-644-6914

Grant funds are available to fund projects in the areas of: Technological Innovation, Automation, Targeted Populations and Services to Youth.

Under the minigrant program a maximum of $24,000 in federal funds may be requested.  A local match is also required; the local match must be 25% of the total project amount.  Approved proposals will run from April 1, 2010 – August 31, 2010.

The Request for Proposal, Application Guidelines and other documents to assist with preparing the application can be found on WebJunction Ohio at:  http://oh.webjunction.org/ohllsatamini.

Changes have been made to the categories in which libraries may apply.  Additionally, there are changes related to the information being requested so make sure to read the Application Guidelines carefully.

LSTA staff is available to answer questions throughout the application process and are willing to read draft proposals.

Proposals are due at the State Library by 4:00 p.m., October 28, 2009.  An original and six copies are required. The original should be printed on one side only, copies should be printed back-to-back.

Questions on the LSTA mini-grant program should be addressed to Missy Lodge, Head, Library Programs and Development at 800-686-1532 or mlodge@sloma.state.oh.us.

The Choose to Read Ohio has one main goal which is to encourage the reading of books together across Ohio communities. Ohio’s citizens of all ages will choose to read a title together over a six week period between National Library Week, (April, 2009) and the end of 2010. It is hoped that they will come together to discuss these books in a variety of settings – local public libraries, schools, churches, daycares, or other organizations.

Choose to Read Ohio encourages Ohioans to Read Together, Read Ohio, and Read for Life.

Book titles, discussion questions and additional resources for each book, and promotional items can all be found at http://oh.webjunction.org/ohctrointro

And soon to come, the State Library will make available Library Services and Construction Act (LSTA) funds to libraries to implement a Choose to Read Ohio program in their community. 

This grant program will be open to all types of libraries.  A simple application will be released in August 2009 with proposals due at the State Library the first of October.  Recommended projects will be taken to the State Library Board for funding in December 2009 with funded projects being implemented between January and June 2010. 

Preliminary information: 

• Libraries may request up to $10,000 in LSTA funds with a cash match of 25% of the total project amount.
• Libraries purchasing titles as part of the project must be willing to share their titles as part of the statewide resource sharing initiative, once their six week program is completed.
• Funds may be used to purchase copies of the selected title in various formats, marketing and promotion, author visits, honorarium for speakers, and costs associated with title tie-in activities. 

Watch for further information and grant application details in August.  Questions may be addressed to Missy Lodge, mlodge@sloma.state.oh.us