Staff Service and Awards
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
Joan Clark • Chairperson of the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation Library Committee. • Member representing AZ State Library on the Arizona Aging and Disabilities Resource Center Steering Committee.
Stephanie Gerding • Mountain Plains Library Association, Library Institute Committee. • Western Council of State Libraries Continuum of Library Education, E-learning Conference Planning Committee. • WebJunction Advocate & Rural Libraries Sustainability Program Coordinator. • Western Council of State Libraries Continuum of Library Education Action Team Member • Mountain Plains Library Association., Electronic Communication Committee.
Holly Henley • Co-Chair, Arizona Library Association’s Annual Convention
Betsy Howard • Secretary, Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board.
Jane Kolbe • Mentor, Ghost Ranch Leadership Institute, sponsored by the Mountain Plains Library Assocation • Board Member, Freedom to Read Foundation
Richard Pearce-Moses. • Member of the Advisory Board, National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) Archival Research Fellows Program. • President, Society of American Archivists.
Laura Stone • Annual Review of ASU Public History Graduate Student Presentations.
Melanie Sturgeon. • Co-President, Southwest Oral History Association. • Vice President, Council of InterMountain Archivists. • Member, Ak-Chin Tribal Archives Building Committee. • Member, Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board • Member, Coordinating Committee for History in Arizona Program Committee.
Page 176
GladysAnn Wells • Chair, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies. • Member, National Advisory Committee, Lifelong Access Libraries Initiative. • Member, National Advisory Board for an Institute of Museum and Library Services study, The Future of Librarians in the Workforce.
AWARDS
Mala Muralidharan. • WebJunction first annual “Member Choice Awards ” for Outstanding Editor. “For your willingness to share ideas and collaborate across Community Partners to make WJ better for library and museum staff.”
Melanie Sturgeon • Research Award, Charles Redd Western Research Center.
Richard Pearce-Moses. • Fellow. Society of American Archivists. • Leadership Award, University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Library School Alumni Association. “In recognition of significant contributions to the library and information science field.”
Sarah Weber. • Feldt-Barbanell Women’s History Award. ASU Department of History. For her thesis, “Casualty of the Culture War: The Equal Rights Coalition of Utah.” • Michael A. Steiner Memorial Award for Best Dissertation/Thesis. ASU Department of History. Also for her thesis, “Casualty of the Culture War: The Equal Rights Coalition of Utah.”
Page 177
Bibliography of Staff Publications and Presentations
Starred items are included in the Appendix.
*Beyer, Lisa, David Hoober, and Xenana Peters. “Providing Access, Preserving Arizona: Cultural Collaborations.”
Brandt, Brenda. “Ultimate Opportunities: Museums Addressing Formal Education Standards,” presented at Museum Association of Arizona Annual Conference, May 2006.
Clark, Joan. “Beyond Bingo for Boomers,” presentation via webinar on SirsiDynix Institute/ ––––– “Health Aging, “ presentation at the joint conference of the National Council on the Aging / American Society on Aging.
*Gerding, Stephanie K. “Wishing Won’t Work,” Information Today (July/August 2006). ––––– Library Grants Blog, co-creator and author, 2005-present. ––––– Grant Writing Basics, University of North Texas Online Tutorial, 01/2006. ––––– “Grant Matchmaking: Finding the Right Grant for Your Library” in Public Libraries Vol. 45, Iss. 3. (May/June 2006). ––––– “Library Fund-raising Success Is Just a Wish Away” in Public Libraries Vol. 45, Iss. 2, p. 37 (Mar/Apr 2006). ––––– “A Common Purpose: Community Foundations and Libraries” in Public Libraries Vol. 45, Iss. 1; p. 32 (Jan/Feb 2006). ––––– “Ten Terrific Tips for Library Grants” in Public Libraries Vol. 44, Iss. 6; p. 336 (Nov/Dec 2005). ––––– “Library Fund-raising and Gift Policies” in Public Libraries Vol. 44, Iss. 5; p. 272 (Sep/Oct 2005). ––––– “Innovative Fund-raising Opportunities for Your Library” in Public Libraries Vol. 44, Iss. 4; p. 212 (Jul/Aug 2005). ––––– WebJunction Rural Library Sustainability Project, Funding for Rural Libraries, presented at the American Library Association Conference, June 2006. ––––– Grant Writing and the Rural Library: A Webinar, presented online, Aug. 2006. ––––– With Pamela H. MacKellar. Grants for Libraries: A How-To-Do-It Manual (Neal-Schumann, 2006).
Hoober, David. “Fighting for Statehood: A Museum Feasibility Study,” presented at Museum Association of Arizona Annual Conference, May 2006.
Muralidharan, Malavika “E-rate Updates and Enhancements”, presented at AzTEA, Tucson Unified School district, Holbrook Unified District, Safford Unified School district, Nov, 2005. ––––– “E-rate Updates and Enhancements”, presented at Lake Havasu Unified District, Yuma Educational Technology Consortium, Glendale Elementary District, Flagstaff Unified District Dec. 2005. ––––– “Gates Grant Public access computing – Hardware Upgrade Grant” presented at Tucson Unified School district, Holbrook Unified District, Safford Unified School district, Nov, 2005. ––––– “Gates Grant Public access computing – Hardware Upgrade Grant” presented at Lake Havasu Unified District, Yuma Educational Technology Consortium, Glendale Elementary District, Flagstaff Unified District Dec. 2005. ––––– “E-rate challenges” presented at the Governor’s E-rate Task Force, Oct 2005. ––––– “WebJunction Arizona” presented at Glendale Public Library, Jan 2006. ––––– “WebJunction Arizona” presented at Library Institute, May 2006. ––––– “Statewide Access to databases” presented at Library Institute, May 2006. ––––– With Hill, Chrystie “WebJunction Arizona “, presented at AZLA, Oct,2005. ––––– With Tom Martin “Gates Grant Public access computing – Hardware Upgrade Grant” presented at the Carnegie Center, Oct. 2005. *Martin, Robert, Louise Blaylock, GladysAnn Wells; introduction and summary by Milton T. Wolf. “Engaging Your Community: Libraries as Place.”
Maxwell, Lisa. "The benefits of ARMA and the resources available to records officers from ASLAPR", presented at ARMA Chapter start-up meeting Monthly Meeting, Tucson, Arizona, April 2006. ––––– "Access to public records and what makes a record confidential", presented at Arizona Public Defender Association Conference, June 2006. ––––– "Public records laws and general retention schedule for municipalities", presented at Arizona Municipal Clerks’ Association Annual Conference, June 2006.
*McLain, Brenda, and Tobi Taylor. “Nature’s Mirror: Images and Artifacts from the Edward S. Curtis Collection” in American Indian Art Magazine , vol. 31: no. 3, Summer 2006.
Pearce-Moses, Richard. A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology (Society of American Archivists, 2005). *–––– “Janus in Cyberspace: Archives on the Threshold of the Digital Era,” presented at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting (August 2006). *––––– "The Perfect and the Possible: Becoming a Digital Archivist," presented at the Conference of Inter-Mountain Archivists (May 2006). ––––– "Becoming an Archivist in the Digital Era," Archival Outlook , May/June 2006. ––––– "Identity and Diversity: What is an Archivist?," Archival Outlook (March/April 2006). ––––– "Reconceptualizing and Reengineering the Archival Profession," Archival Outlook (January/February 2006). ––––– "What is a Digital Asset?," presented at Persistence of Memory: Stewardship of Digital Assets, 2005. ––––– "A Professional Response to Disaster," Archival Outlook (November/December 2005). ––––– "An Archivist's Response to the Digital Era," Archival Outlook (September/October 2005). ––––– "The Winds of Change: Blown to Bits," incoming presidential address, Society of American Archivists, 2005. ––––– With Thomas Habing and Taylor Surface. "Collaborative Digital Projects: The ECHO Depository," presented at Computers in Libraries, March 2006.
Sletten, Laurie. "Records Management and Records Retention Schedules", State Bar of Arizona, Open Meetings and Public Records Seminar Proceedings, (May 5, 2006), pp. 25-29. ––––– “E-mail Management,” presented at AIIM and ARMA Joint Chapter Monthly Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona, May 2006. ––––– “Basics of Retention/Destruction of Public Records,” presented at Open Meetings and Public Records Seminar, State Bar of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, May 2006. ––––– “E-mail Public Records Guidelines,” presented at Open Meetings and Public Records Seminar, State Bar of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, May 2006. ––––– “AIIM’s Solution Center for State & Local government practitioners,” presented as an audio-only discussion between a panel of peers in State, County, and City government agencies, available from the AIIM web-site, from August-October 2005. (http://www.aiim.org/SolutionCenter/GovernmentSolution-ArticleDisplay.asp?ArticleType=AP)
Sturgeon, Melanie. “Archivists as Historians: A Delicate Balance” presented at the Conference of InterMountain Archivists Annual Meeting, May 2006. ––––– “Women and Public History Work: Change Points in a Historian’s Career”, Joint Conference of the Organization of American Historians and the National Council on Public History, April 2006.
*Wells, GladysAnn Wells. “Advocacy: Misunderstood, Misused, and Essential.” ––––– “Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records: State Grants-in-Aid Case Study.” ––––– With Richard Pearce-Moses and Laurie Sletten. “Arizona Public Higher Education and Public Records Management Requirements: Collaborating and Forging Ahead with Valuable Permanent Public Records and Current Business Requirements and Practices,” presented at Arizona Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers (AzACRAO), Litchfield Park, Arizona, September 2005 *______“Engaging Your Community: Libraries as Place,” in Charleston Conference Proceedings 2005 , eds. Bernardt, Beth R; Daniels, Tim and Steinle, Kim. (Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited, 2006), pp. 188-202
Providing Access, Preserving Arizona Cultural Collaborations by Lisa Beyer, David Hoober and Xenana Peters
Defining Collaboration
The National Network for Collaboration defines collaboration as “ a process of participation through which people, groups and organizations work together to achieve desired results. Starting or sustaining a collaborative journey is exciting, sometimes stressful, and even new for many.” A more basic definition is offered by Merriam-Webster, “to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor.”
Discovering ways to collaborate with other cultural institutions is often important and exciting yet, it can be filled with stress and tension as new relationships are formed and new responsibilities are defined. For libraries and museums there are challenges related to governance, ethnic diversity and organizational capacity.
This paper strives to provide some examples of a variety of collaborative efforts from which to learn about building, maintaining and continuing collaborations between institutions that are different in scope, structure and size. We hope to outline a few pitfalls to avoid as well.
Collaborative Beginnings
The Five State American Indian Project is one of the successful collaborative efforts; it is not the only example of museum, archive and library collaborations initiated by the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records (ASLAPR) either in partnership with other institutions or singularly. Many other projects, such as the Convocation , History on the Mall , and Centennial Planning also exemplify best practices in collaborative efforts. None of these projects has existed in a vacuum and they have all been influenced and affected by each other. In addition, all of these projects have expanded beyond museum and library institutions and professionals to include archives and other cultural and humanities based institutions and personnel.
In the mid 1990s, as interest in collaboration was leading to concrete activities on the national level (i.e. the formation of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in 1996), the state of Arizona was behind the curve. As Kim Huber, a past Arizona Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Program Coordinator, recalled in October, 2003, there had been no strong history of collaboration between Arizona's museums and libraries but, "All that changed in 1997, when [a new person from outside Arizona] accepted the Director's position of the State Library Agency, in Phoenix, Arizona." (Huber 2003). The new Director was perfectly suited to take the interest in collaboration expressed by Arizona cultural institutions and professionals and help them turn it into reality.
Because of the new Director’s previous experience and her position as a newcomer, along with willing and receptive partner organizations, she was uniquely positioned to see the issues and
1 help put the pieces together to initiate and help sustain collaborative efforts. Previously, the Director had been involved with collaborative programs and with Native American institutions. Once in Arizona, she had fresh eyes for collaborative opportunities as she embarked on a tour to acquaint herself with Arizona institutions and personnel. And finally, the institution she would direct, the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, was itself made up of a number of divisions, including a research library, an archives and a museum. Not only were these divisions a close-to-home opportunity for working on collaboration, the breadth of professional experience and activity available gave the Director and ASLAPR the ability and the access necessary to build and encourage collaborative programs state-wide.
Following are several good examples of how the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records built and encouraged successful collaborations. These collaborations have grown over time and have been filled with more successes than failures – both have lessons to offer.
Five State American Indian Project: Tribal Libraries, Archives and Museums
The spark for this program grew out of the Director’s prior experiences, where Native American Tribal nations and libraries worked together. Upon arriving in Arizona, the Director was stunned to find weak and often strained connections between tribal and non-tribal museums, archives, libraries and cultural institutions. The large size of the American Indian population in Arizona meant this issue was having an unrecognized, yet profound, affect on the state's cultural institutions. The Director began talking about her concerns with the IMLS Director, who had similar worries because the Arizona Tribes were not taking advantage of IMLS resources, including money (Wells 2005).
Their conversations, and conversations with other cultural professionals, led to the discovery that other southwestern states shared the same situation. IMLS then convened a meeting of participants from the four corners states: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Ideas from this meeting led to a plan to write a grant proposal for a program that, with the inclusion of Nevada, would allow all five states the opportunity to target tribal libraries, museums and archives as potential collaborative partners for projects within each state while improving service to tribal communities. ASLAPR agreed to take the lead in applying for the grant and managing the funds.
The Five State American Indian Project: Tribal Libraries, Archives and Museums began as a one year pilot program funded with $150,545 from a 1998 IMLS National Leadership Grant, the first year such awards were made for museum and library collaborations. In this first phase, each of the states would plan and convene a state-wide meeting. A follow up proposal sought funds for a spring 2000 regional meeting for all five states. Planned topics for both meetings included: improving service to tribes, preservation and use of cultural resources, and available funding sources.
Once funded, Alyce Sadongei and the Arizona State Museum (ASM) agreed to take on the management of the project. The project greatly benefited from Ms. Sadongei's previous work at ASM connecting with tribes. John Irwin, an archives/library consultant and one of the project's original grant writers, proudly recalls, "This grant was the first attempt to do
2 something grassroots and regionally and to include all the cultural institutions. It really was ground breaking for the entire US from my perspective…" (Irwin 2005).
In 1999, each state created a project coordinator position and conducted a needs assessment investigating the status of tribal libraries, archives and museums. Then Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico each held state-wide conferences for tribal representatives and professionals, and selected non-tribal professionals, from the library, archive and museum community. Nevada held smaller regional meetings instead of one state-wide meeting. The main goal of all the conferences was to use the information gathered to develop future collaborations in response to tribal needs and maintain communication between the tribes and State Libraries (Five State 2005).
The Arizona meeting, Arizona Forum on Tribal Museums, Archives and Libraries , was held near Globe on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in August of 1999. The conference, with eighty-three attendees, included programs that convened a general assembly and smaller breakout sessions. Of critical importance at this first meeting was the introduction of tribal concerns in a manner respectful of tribes and educational for the non-Indians in attendance. Presenters included national, local, American Indian and non-Indian speakers. Issues raised included tribes: asserting control over the material in their own collections; seeking funding for buildings and services; sharing of their culture on their own terms; and for collaborations to be effective the tribes must be considered equal partners (ASLAPR 2005).
Important ideas that came out of the Arizona meeting included: • the importance of grants (to use for workshops marketing tribal libraries, to help people attend national conferences, to make a comprehensive survey of the tribal organizations and their needs, and with the consideration that the nature of tribal bureaucracies may require long lead times for grant processes); • interest in developing a better network, as determined by the tribes, between tribal librarians, archivists and museum professionals; • the creation of a resource sharing site so organizations could share materials that they were culling; and • to provide resource lists, i.e. of library consultants, to tribal organizations (McCleary 1999).
In 2000, another grant proposal extended the project for another two years. All five states participated in a regional conference, Tribal Libraries, Archives and Museums: Preserving Our Language, Memory and Lifeways, held in June at The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference targeted the attendees from the state-based conferences as well as tribal government officials. Other grant activities continued the work of the first year with a focus on expansion of networks and collaborations to a regional level (Five State 2005).
In recalling both the Arizona state-wide conference and the five state regional conferences, John Irwin said "Alyce [Sadongei] organized them splendidly, and my impression was that they were very successful in bringing so many professional tribal people together for the first time, and bringing up many important issues. It was useful from an Anglo perspective also. I vividly recall at San Carlos being riveted by the introductory drumming and speeches, and person after person on the program saying how they felt that our ideas of
3 “access” often meant to them just another theft of their cultural identity. These were very important things for all of us to hear and consider, and I think that it brought about a lot of sensitivity that had not existed before, and broke down stereotypes and false assumptions" (Irwin 2005).
In 2001, work on this project continued based upon information gathered during the first two years. Specialized activities which sought to encourage engagement by tribal participants were developed and each state held another conference. Planning began for a national conference, building on the state and regional conferences already held (Five State 2005).
In Arizona, the second state-wide conference was hosted by the Colorado River Indian Tribes in Parker, Arizona. The conference content was developed from evaluation comments made by participants of previous grant programs and focused on: hands on training opportunities; community advocacy to encourage tribal support for future projects; and the importance of tribal archives (Five State 2001).
The National Conference was held in Mesa, AZ in May, 2002. Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums: Preserving our Language, Memory and Lifeways , took the previous work of the Five State Project and opened it to a national audience. As before, the focus was to: create a network; articulate current tribal issues; and inspire collaborations among tribal and non- tribal institutions. Approximately 250 people attended representing sixty-six different tribes. Evaluation comments from participants included: "I can't describe how beautiful it is to see and hear Native people speaking as "experts" and sharing their experience. I didn't think it was possible and I am thrilled to have been wrong. We need more of these workshops"; and "The best part of the conference was being able to network with so many top of the line people. I am sure those contacts will be helpful for years to come. My whole team came away inspired and full of new ideas for the community" (ASM 2005a). Following the conference, a listserv on Native American Languages and Technology was developed by one of the conference presenters to continue discussions on issues raised.
Following the successful nation-wide meeting of 2002, work in 2003 focused on project planning and writing a new grant proposal to allow continued activities involving tribal libraries, archives and museums beyond the five-state region. Target activities, based on feedback from participants, included creating pilot projects and convening another national level meeting (Sadongei 2005).
In 2004, work continued on a new grant of $248,829 that was awarded to the Arizona State Library and the Arizona State Museum in the fall of 2003 for the project, Preserving Our Language, Memory and Lifeways: Enhancing Partnerships with Tribal Libraries, Museums and Archives . Activities of this grant included: modeling three collaborative regional projects; updating a national directory of tribal library, museum and archival institutions and holding another national conference for tribal libraries, archives and museums. One of the collaborative projects based in Arizona involves the Colorado River Indian Tribes Library and Archive, ASLAPR, the Tuba City Public Library, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Tribal Library. The project’s goal was to evaluate the Public Library Association's Planning for Results library planning model for tribal communities (ASM 2005b).
4 In 2005, work on this collaborative project continued and a national conference was held in May. Approximately 280 individuals attended the second national conference. Project Coordinator Susan Secakuku, said prior to the conference, "It will be a unique opportunity for people to come together to increase their personal networks, receive training and to share information." Two of the original partners in that first grant, the Arizona State Library and the Arizona State Museum continued to work together. "The partnership between the Arizona State Museum and the Arizona State Library has been very successful," says Jane Kolbe, Director of the Library Development Division (LDD). The Arizona State Library has built and continues to grow a strong relationship with the tribal libraries throughout the state by encouraging dialog and supporting projects between the Tribes and institutions.
The conference site was located adjacent to the reservation lands of the Salt River Pima- Maricopa Indian Community, thus they generously provided a Cultural Welcome that included a Posting of the Colors by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Veteran’s Organization, an official greeting from the tribal chairwoman, Joni Ramos and a tribal historic overview by Kelly Washington, Director of the Hoo-hoogam Ki Museum. The Cultural Welcome also included a blessing and demonstrations of native dances. The presentation ended with a social friendship dance with participation from conference attendees.
The national directory of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums was handed out at the national conference, Preserving Our Language, Memory and Lifeways . The purpose of the directory is to increase the potential for collaboration with tribal cultural organizations and those non-tribal cultural organizations seeking to partner with tribal communities. The directory was disseminated to state libraries, museum associations, archivist organizations and tribal cultural programs. It is hoped that the directory will be used to introduce the work of tribal communities to other organizations who share similar goals. The directory is designed to provide a brief overview of some of the current challenges and long term goals of tribal libraries, archives and museums as well. To find out more about the grant activities follow the links at www.statemuseum.arizona.edu .
Through the Five State American Indian Project collaboration, traditional Anglo-oriented organizations learned about the areas of need in Tribal institutions, the perceptions of the Native American people, and discovered avenues to bring together diverse groups to create mutually beneficial and respectful relationships. These relationships are building networks and collaborations between Tribal and non-Tribal institutions throughout the nation. Oklahoma is now the lead state for the Western Council of State Libraries on the successful 2006 IMLS Tribal grant. (See http://www.imls.gov/news/2006/062806_list.shtm#WY )
Convocation / ACTivate
In 1998, another outgrowth of the interest in networking and encouraging collaborative links between various library, archive and museum institutions was the ACTivate conference. ACTivate: Think Globally, Act Locally was convened in Phoenix during August 1998. ACTivate's main goal was to establish a collaborative foundation for cultural institutions in Arizona (Huber and Steele 1999). The 120 professionals who attended met in small
5 facilitated groups to brainstorm. These focus groups suggested five areas of future concern that helped to inspire future conferences and aided in creating the guidelines for Arizona's use of LSTA funding.
Another result of the conference activities was the first joint meeting of the boards of the state's professional museum and library organizations, the Museum Association of Arizona and the Arizona Library Association. The two boards met in December 1998 to discuss collaborative activities. The boards met more than once, but with limited impact. Subsequent meetings were always useful, but did not result in systemic change. Significant progress was made in 2005 when the Library Association help the Museum Association plan its first legislative day (see Museums on the Mall 2006). Sometimes repeated effort bears belated fruit. Another program was an ACTivate style conference for Pima County institutions, funded by IMLS in September 1999.
The success of the ACTivate conference and the ideas developed in its focus groups led to the change of name to Convocation . Interest in collaborative programs was growing and as Richard Pearce-Moses, an early Convocation presenter from The Heard Museum and later a Convocation planner for ASLAPR, has stated "people knew they were looking for something, they just didn't know what exactly" (Pearce-Moses 2005). Convocation, meaning "a summons to gather," built on the idea that getting library, museum and archives professionals together just to interact had a value all its own, was intended to fulfill the need for institutions to gather together to share ideas.
There were two main goals in the original Convocation concept: (1) expose people to things they would not normally experience, e. g. a national speaker, meeting practitioners from other professions or institutions; and (2) take people out of the office, out of their normal patterns and hopefully get them thinking in new ways (Wells 2005). Each successive Convocation has had its own theme, but all continue to hold true to the original goal of networking to foster a statewide collaborative conversation.
In 1999, two Convocations were held in different locations to encourage geographic diversity: Sierra Vista in February and Prescott in May. Ninety-six people attended in Sierra Vista and 109 people attended the Prescott Convocation . The convocation format, which has largely stayed consistent over the years, consisted of a national level keynote speaker, a panel discussion and numerous smaller breakout sessions. Meals offered an opportunity to meet new people and assigned seating was used to encourage new networking early in the event with self-selected seating later in the conference allowing a chance to speak more in depth with old or new friends. Specific meeting goals in 1999 were to gather policies and coordinate collection development; recommend statewide resource sharing; and promote conservation and preservation of Arizona heritage. A direct result was the beginning of the Cultural Inventory Project (CIP) a central listing of collection descriptions for Arizona museums, libraries and archives for use by scholars, professionals and the public. Goals of the CIP were to encourage more effective access and to help inform institutions so that they could collaborate and prioritize without wasting or duplicating effort and resources. To this day, ASLAPR provides and enhances a web access version of the CIP. Another outgrowth of the conference was the creation of three Statewide Task Forces on Cooperative Collection Development, Resource Sharing, and Preservation. Unfortunately, these task forces did not
6 live up to expectations and are no longer active. Perhaps there was insufficient definition of purpose or perhaps Arizona was simply not ready for statewide task force efforts.
Evaluation comments from the first Convocations included: "Allowing us the time to have conversations was wonderful"; "Follow up to this essential. Great need – good start"; and "I did not expect that meeting photo librarians, museum curators, etc. would be so stimulating but these professionals have very similar problems and concerns as public libraries do" (ASLAPR Convocation 1999). The success of the Convocations resulted in the determination to have a yearly repeat of the conferences. However, the networking restrictions of multiple locations, coupled with the amount of resources required for two events led to a format change. In future years, a single Convocation would be held alternating between central and rural locations.
The 2000 Convocation , set in Phoenix, attracted 229 participants. The focus of the event was built on the foundation of the 1999 meeting. Promotion of the collaborative efforts already developed was an important aspect and included the CIP and the Statewide Task Forces. Once again, the importance of exposure to new ideas, and time to network and look at ways to preserve Arizona's heritage were of prime importance. The keynote speaker was Will Phillips of QM², the Statewide Library Development Commission Report was shared, and attendees participated in breakout discussion sessions to discuss topical information and share ideas.
The 2001 Convocation , held in Prescott, followed in the tradition of previous years and added a new twist by asking attendees to seriously consider the future. The 179 participants, heard a keynote speech by futurist Peter Bishop, and were fascinated by the tale shared by two Rochester, New York Strong Museum staffers who related their institution's intense but successful transformation via a new mission and culture, more than doubling their attendance in the process. Betsey Bayless, Secretary of State, spoke about the importance of history. As usual, there was plenty of time set aside for mingling and smaller discussion sessions.
The 2001 LSTA report section on the Convocation reaffirms the overall focus of the conference on promotion of collaborative efforts that cut across traditional discipline boundaries. Jane Kolbe, Director of the ASLAPR Library Development Division (LDD) is quoted: "We have made a huge effort with the Convocation to bring people together in the same room. It just raises the level of trust and makes people more free to talk to each other." The report goes on to mention that "Convocation attendees have commented on the increasing number of representatives from American Indian communities attending the Convocation and other library and museum meetings." (ASLAPR 2001)
The fourth annual Convocation was held in Tucson, with approximately 200 participants. Three Arizona legislators attended this Convocation providing a wonderful new twist to networking opportunities. The conference theme was ‘Information Needs and New Technologies.’ Beverly Sheppard, Deputy Director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), presented the keynote address and asked attendees how their institutions were going to meet the needs of their constituents for lifelong learning in the information age. Another presentation, by David Levy from the University of Washington Information School, questioned the future of documents in the digital world. The conference was kicked
7 off with a panel discussion consisting of participants from a variety of professions speaking on where they go for the information they need in their work and how helpful, or not helpful, they find information providing institutions to be.
The balance between the various constituencies - library, museum and archive professionals - at the Convocation has always been a delicate one. While the natural connections in the commonalities of their goals, interests, needs and resources have encouraged cooperative work, there has continued to be a sense of competition. One evaluation commented that the 2002 convocation was "more oriented towards libraries/archives than museums" (ASLAPR Convocation 2002). However, one could easily have said the exact opposite about the 2001 Convocation .
This year debuted the closing chocolate buffet to encourage participants and presenters to linger and talk about the topics and projects, rather than jump in their cars.
The 2003 Convocation , attracting 223 participants, was held in Scottsdale. Following the interest in the previous year's panel discussion, this convocation began with a panel of Arizona authors and journalists who spoke on the information they use and how libraries, museums and archives can and sometimes cannot meet their information needs. The keynote speaker, Marc Freedman, talked about upcoming demographic changes in the US as baby-boomers retire and how that might affect libraries, museums and archives. Following his speech, the participants broke into regional discussion groups to discuss the topic. Respected art historian Betsy Fahlman spoke about Lon Megargee, a well known Arizona artist. Breakout sessions again provided networking opportunities and participants could choose among a variety of topics. The 2003 Convocation also introduced a new session – breakout sessions specifically for library, archives, and museum directors. After the Convocation, a forum just for tribal libraries and archives was also held. The pièce de résistance was a chocolate buffet informal closing session that provided time for brief closing remarks, and one last time to mingle.
In 2004, the Convocation was held in Pinetop, with approximately 85 participants. Conflicting dates with the Public Library Association meeting explains the substantial difference in the attendance from previous Convocations . The theme was ‘Storytelling’, with a goal of inspiring institutions to tell their organizational and/or community stories to supporters and governing bodies. The conference began with a performance by the Alchesay High School Indian Club and Tribal welcome from Ramone Riley of the Fort Apache Community. Don Doyle, a nationally recognized Arizona storyteller, presented the keynote performance. Other activities included: a "one minute story" workshop where participants had to tell their story to a new person in one minute; an introduction to the deliberative forum technique; presentations of Native American storytelling by Susan Secakuku, a Hopi, who read from her newly published children's book, and Cedric Hendricks, a San Carlos Apache, who told his story; a session by Tim Delaney of the Center for Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service, who discussed how libraries, museums and archives contribute to Arizona's economic engine; and finally plenty of time for mingling and networking during meals and small breakout sessions. Once again to keep people until the end, the chocolate farewell reception was included. Conversations over chocolate seem to have a lasting impact in Arizona.
8 Those who could attend seemed pleased, inspired, and as always, willing to speak their minds. Comments included: "This department has found a way to put it all together, bring us all together & lead us all together!"; "Always great to network; stimulating and thought provoking" (ASLAPR Convocation 2004).
The 2005 Convocation was held in March in Phoenix for 181 attendees. The theme was cultural legacies as a first step in preparing for the Centennial by strengthening Arizona's cultural resources, encouraging collaborative programs and promoting public access to Arizona collections. The keynote speaker was Dr. David Carr from the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His talk focused on cultural institutions as spaces where anyone can go to explore society's past and contemplate its future. Other session topics included branding and grassroots advocacy. Networking time, small breakout sessions and the chocolate farewell session were also included.
As usual, the evaluation comments for the Convocation show why this annual event has been so successful: "Inspiring. Will use at the workplace"; "Productive discussions and useful networking"; "Yes, an amazing event that is inspiring, entertaining and a model for other states" (Gerding 2005).
The eighth annual Arizona Convocation was held in Phoenix, March 5 & 6, 2006. Nearly 200 librarians, archivists, historians, and museum professionals from around the state attended. "Living in the Amazoogle World" was the launching pad for the discussions that took place over the two days. During his keynote, George Needham offered findings of the OCLC Environmental Scan, the new "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources" report, and examined what cultural organizations can do to be relevant and useful in this new “Amazoogle” world. After a keynote refresher on Monday morning, breakout groups by institutional type were held to discuss the ideas Mr. Needham presented. Two presentations "Arizona's Crucible": Water Management in the 21st Century and Arizona Memory Project brought together discussion groups by geographic area.
There was plenty of time for networking in informal groups, as well as in the breakout sessions that brought together professionals around their discipline area and their geographic area. The Convocation would not be complete without the opportunity for discussion over the closing dessert buffet.
The evaluations revealed that 96% of participants (who completed evaluations) reported that they learned something new that would help them do their job better. 97% reported that they met people with whom they will collaborate. Some of the comments were: “Diverse group and provided a unique time and opportunity to share – agree to disagree.”; “Empowering is the key word!”; “GREAT JOB! Really an outstanding way to meet many people across all arts/cultural organizations (and interested parties!)” (Gerding, 2006.)
Convocation is a collaborative experience bringing together library, archives and museum people. Through formal and informal gatherings - activities, projects and program collaborations are born at Convocation . This time outside of the office environment allows people to discuss fresh, innovative approaches to their issues, concerns, and programs. A consistent comment from year to year is that the networking is good, but they enjoy the real
9 skills and information they take back to work to justify the time away. The beginnings of collaborations at Convocation are frequently born out throughout the year and the following year these organizations are eager to attend and expand their collaborations to others.
History on the Mall/Museums on the Mall
Early in February 2000 the first History Day at the Capitol was held. Sponsored by the Museum Association of Arizona (MAA) and the Arizona Humanities Council (AHC), the event included history displays from many Arizona organizations, an advocacy workshop, a luncheon for legislators and a stage program. This event showed the true persuasive power that cultural institutions could have by banding together, which was made stronger by groundwork laid in the other collaborative efforts.
Julie Yoder, from AHC, wrote in her evaluation "I was amazed by the number of Legislators who attended! Was it your e-mails, the free lunch, the general topic of history, the exhibits? We can take better advantage of their attendance next year by deciding in advance what the message of the day is, and then preparing handouts or tailoring the program to that message" (Yoder 2000). An additional event the Statehood Day celebration added was the awarding of the Polly Rosenbaum Award for support of Arizona's libraries, archives and museums, sponsored by ASLAPR.
After the great success in 2000, History Day and the previous Statehood Day celebrations were combined into a new program – History on the Mall . This new program was sponsored by AHC, MAA and ASLAPR. The event again included display tables by Arizona historical organizations (25 tables), a workshop (How to Talk to Your Legislator), a luncheon for Legislators and participants to mingle, and performances by the history organizations. This year the combined celebration also included traditional Statehood Day activities, such as the reading of the Governor's Statehood Day Proclamation, the children's Statehood Day History Essay contest awards, and the presentation of the Polly Rosenbaum Award. In this new event format, AHC took a lead in funding and planning the exhibitors and ASLAPR planned the Statehood Day ceremony.
Building on the success of the previous year, the 2002 History on the Mall was sponsored by ASLAPR, AHC, MAA, Salt River Project (SRP) and the Phoenix Museum of History. Once again, history institutions put up exhibit tables (40 tables), the Governor made a Statehood Day proclamation, the Polly Award and essay contest awards were given. In addition, AHC announced the 13 Arizona sites that would host a special Smithsonian exhibit and SRP announced their donation for restoration of the Capitol, which houses the Museum Division of ASLAPR.
History on the Mall was again supported by AHC, ASLAPR, MAA and SRP and contained the typical elements. An addition to the program was the initiation of a Countdown to the Centennial (2012) announced by the Governor. The Governor named the Directors of the Arizona State Library, Archive and Public Records and the Arizona Humanities Council to the Countdown to the Centennial Commission. As part of that program, a number of fourth grade classes were invited to the Capitol to participate in many of the day's events.
10 In 2004, History on the Mall was again sponsored by AHC, ASLPAR, MAA and SRP. The program included history displays, a legislative luncheon for 300 people, and the Statehood Day awards with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as a guest speaker. The 2004 History on the Mall was also the first to extend over multiple days. The traditional day of events was held on a Thursday, but the exhibitors remained for Friday to take advantage of visitation by the African-American Legislative Days participants and the 700 fourth graders visiting the Capitol as part of the Countdown to the Centennial . History on the Mall also incorporated an event on Saturday called History Fest for High School Teachers held at a local school. AHC notes on the event mention one museum exhibitor stating that their time at History on the Mall was well spent because it "provided exposure of Arizona's cultural heritage to the public." (Yoder 2005)
Sponsored again by AHC, ASLAPR, MAA, and SRP the 2005 History on the Mall retained its format. The event also included the signing of a bill on the Centennial signed by the Governor for an audience of fourth graders in the Arizona Capitol Museum's Restored House Chamber. The day ended with an open public meeting on the planned Polly Rosenbaum History and Archives building.
Evaluations were given to all exhibitors and responses included: "The best part of the day was seeing politicians show an interest in history," and "We enjoyed the good exposure to interested parties and the chance to interact with other institutions." Although evaluation responses were positive, the sponsoring organizations held a visioning meeting to look at different formats for future History on the Mall events (Yoder 2005). Based on other organizations' successful legislative days, there would be more emphasis on advocacy through activities that may include workshops and formal visits to legislators in addition to the other activities.
In 2006, History on the Mall became Museums on the Mall to encourage a broader base of museum participation. Workshops were held for museum staff revolving around advocacy and interaction with public officials. It was sponsored by AHC, ASLAPR, MAA along with the Pueblo Grande Museum and the Sharlot Hall Museum. Activities were held in the Arizona Capitol Museum, with 25 museums displaying throughout the building and a two- hour advocacy training session held in the Library conference room. During the Statehood Day program, in the restored Senate Chamber of the Museum, proclamations were read by Governor Napolitano, Arizona Chief Justice Ruth McGregor, and by President Bennett, on behalf of both the House and Senate, honoring recently retired US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who was in attendance.
The partners all agreed that the added advocacy training was well received as was the Statehood Day program with so many dignitaries attending. Planning the 2007 Museums on the Mall activities has already begun with the partnering organizations.
History on the Mall allows participants to plan the activities of the day together, reaching across many areas from museums to legislators, school children to adults, and associations to individual participants. This works at building bridges and connections amongst the organizations and participants while establishing an advocacy relationship with legislators.
11 Arizona Centennial Planning
The State of Arizona will reach 100 years of age in 2012. To properly prepare for the celebration, ASLAPR and other cultural organizations joined together to encourage collaborative planning. Organizations sponsoring this work include: ASLAPR, the Coordinating Committee for History in Arizona (CCHA); the Arizona Historical Society (AHS); the Arizona Humanities Council (AHC); Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO); the Arizona State Museum (ASM); Arizona State Parks; and the Arizona State University (ASU) Public History Program.
In May 2004, 90 participants attended a workshop, Arizona Centennial: Beyond the Five C's . The secondary title for the day was Commemorate the Past and Leave a Legacy: A Planning Workshop for the Arizona Centennial . The keynote speakers were Gail Peterson and L. Thomas Frye who had worked respectively on the Ohio Bicentennial and California Sesquicentennial celebrations. The meeting also included small group discussion sessions and a roundtable discussion by leaders from AHS, ASLAPR, ASM, SHPO and the Arizona Intertribal Council.
A follow up planning meeting was held in September 2004 for about 70 participants. The program focus was another discussion with the institution leaders from the May workshop's roundtable discussion. These leaders discussed what Centennial Planning related activity was happening in their institutions. The group began setting a timeline for future work.
One outcome of the earlier Centennial Planning work was an interest in finding an organization to coordinate planning. One group, the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission (AHAC), a State Commission for which support services are provided by ASLAPR, was deemed the most appropriate choice. Legislation was therefore proposed to enable AHAC to take on this new role serving as the central state agency coordinating for the Centennial. The legislation also provides for the coordination of Centennial programming between public and private entities and allows for the receipt and disbursement of funds through ASLAPR. With great support from library, museum and archival organizations, as well as legislators and the Governor, the bill was passed and signed into law on February 14, 2005, as Chapter One Laws 2005, the 93 rd anniversary of Arizona Statehood.
In 2006, the Convocation continued to work towards the Centennial by updating a previous study done for the 75 th anniversary of Statehood on water resources and management. An expert discussed what changed since that time and outlined new questions regarding Arizona's water supplies and use. With an eye towards Arizona's Centennial in 2012, the information necessary to continue to tell this vital story of Arizona's water resources was also discussed.
Also in 2006, the Legislative appropriated $2.5 million in a challenge grant for Centennial planning and projects. The appropriation requires a 2 to 1 match for the release of funds for projects approved as “Centennial Legacy” projects by the Arizona Historical Advisory Board. This was a result of the efforts of many museum, archives, libraries and cultural institutions advocating for support of Centennial efforts.
12 These collaborative efforts are bringing together organizations from the public and private sector and from diverse fields of interest to plan one of Arizona’s largest state-wide events. Due to the collaborations previously built, gaining advocates to support the legislation was relatively easy.
Conclusions about Cultural Collaborations
Collaborative projects are never easy. The Arizona programs reveal several challenges: • The benefits of collaboration may not be immediately recognized. • There can be a sense of competition that prevents true collaboration. • Rural and/or small organizations may not be as comfortable leaving their institutions to participate in collaborations. • Rural and smaller organizations are often managed and operated by volunteers. Sending representatives means reducing direct services. • Finding topics to appeal to such a diverse audience and structuring programming to have a bit of something for everyone . • Large institutions do not always recognize the benefit of collaboration with smaller, less experienced groups; “hoarding" people do not want to share knowledge. • Efforts may take a longer time to truly bring systematic change than managerial, political or staff patience permits. • As always, funding.
While each of these collaborative efforts has had specific and immediate benefits described year by year above, there has also been a major long term and cumulative benefit realized by all Arizona museum, library, archival and cultural institutions. This benefit is the surge in effective civic awareness that has developed, in part, from the partnerships. Its well spring is understanding and enthusiasm developed in collaborative programs.
Such civic awareness and participation happens at annual events and in short term subject specific situations. The History on the Mall program brings the cultural community out in force as a political presence to the Legislature each year. This could never have been so successful if not for the involvement of AHC with ASLAPR and the many Arizona cultural and historical institutions who make presentations each year. Museums, libraries and archival institutions have also flexed political muscle in Arizona by attending testimony sessions to support legislation in numbers never before seen. This presence is highlighted by the comments of a Legislator to GladysAnn Wells after she testified about the importance of grant monies. The Legislator wanted to know what she had done to get so many people there to support her and the cause. She replied, “Nothing any of us believed in will be available to people if they can’t or won’t read. These funds support libraries and encourage reading.”
The construction of the Polly Rosenbaum History and Archives Building, which will house unique and critical Arizona State archival, library and museum materials, could never have been realized without such a show of support from the greater cultural community. In 2003, the appropriation of two million dollars for planning and in 2005 an additional $30 million, over two years, was made possible through the support historical and cultural institutions
13 throughout the state. In 2006, an additional $8 million was appropriated for the construction to begin.
The continued success and high levels of involvement in these programs show that the benefits far outweigh the challenges. Kim Huber and Dale Steele saw this early on in Arizona's experimentation with collaboration: "Each of these projects…complements and builds upon the others. Individually they have established a foundation for initiating discussions; together they demonstrate that the state's cultural institutions are determined to work together to provide greater access to their collections, improve their services for the public and preserve Arizona's heritage" (Huber and Steele 1999).
14 References
Arizona Humanities Council (AHC) and Scottsdale Public Library. 1999. Partners for Public Awareness: Marketing Collaborations between Libraries and Museums. Selected Readings . From event held August 31, 1999.
Arizona State Museum (ASM). 2005a. Final Report September 2003 Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums: Preserving our Language, Memory and Lifeways: A National Conference. Web site. March 23, 2005. http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/aip/leadershipgrant/project_intro/pre_work.shtml
Arizona State Museum (ASM). 2005b. National Leadership Grant, Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums: Preserving Our Language, Memory and Lifeways. Website. March 23, 2005. http://www.statemuseum.edu/aip/leadershipgrant/project_intro/about.shtml
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records (ASLAPR). 2001. FY 2001 LSTA Report, Project Title: Arizona Convocation. Library Development Division.
____. 2005. Arizona Forum on Tribal Museums, Libraries and Archives. Web site. February 14, 2005. http:///www.lib.az.us/convocations/tribalmuseums.cfm
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records (ASLAPR) Convocation. 1999. Arizona Convocation Sierra Vista 1999: Summary Scores and Comments Made on Evaluation Forms. ASLAPR office files.
____. 2002. Arizona Convocation 2002 Preliminary Tally of Evaluations: 5 March 2002. ASLAPR office files.
____. 2004. 2004 Convocation Evaluations. ASLAPR office files.
Five State .2001. AZ2_convocation\conferenceinfo.shtml. Past web site document. Arizona State Museum. Five State American Indian project files.
____. 2005. Five State American Indian Project: Tribal Libraries, Archives and Museums. Web site. February 14, 2005. http://5stateproject.utah.org/timeline.html
Gerding, Stephanie. 2005. E-mail message to author. April 6, 2005.
Huber, Kim. 2003. Transcript for presentation at October 2003 Western Museum Association Meeting. Library Development Division. ASLAPR
Huber, Kim and Dale Steele. 1999. "Activate: Think Globally, Act Locally". Museum News March/April: 40, 59-62.
Irwin, John. 2005. E-mail message to author. March 22, 2005.
McCleary, Linda. 1999. Notes from the Sessions on the Department's Resources and Programs, Apache Gold Conference Center – San Carlos, AZ August 16-17, 1999. Library Development Division. ASLAPR.
-----. National Network for Collaboration. Website. May 31, 2006. http://crs.uvm.edu/nnco/
Pearce-Moses, Richard. 2005. Interview with the author. February 23, 2005.
Sadongei, Alyce. 2005. Interview with the author. April 19, 2005.
Wells, GladysAnn. 2005. Interview with the author. February 22, 2005.
Yoder, Juliana. 2000. Memo from Julie Yoder to Dan Shilling. February 14, 2000. Arizona Humanities Council.
Yoder, Juliana. 2005. History on the Mall Chronology. Arizona Humanities Council.
15 Appendix of Abbreviations
AHAC Arizona Historical Advisory Commission
AHC Arizona Humanities Council
AHS Arizona Historical Society
AMP Arizona Memory Project
ASLAPR Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
ASM Arizona State Museum
ASU Arizona State University
CCHA Coordinating Committee for History in Arizona
CIP Cultural Inventory Project
IMLS Institution of Museum and Library Services
LDD Library Development Division
LSTA Library Services and Technology Act
MAA Museum Association of Arizona
OCLC Online Computer Library Center
SHPO Arizona State Historic Preservation Office
SRP Salt River Project
16 )** w im" '1i. 6
hile browsing through this directory and This article explores obtaining grants as a way of fund- Buyer's Guide issue of Computers in Libraries, ing technology projects in your library. Our approach views you are sure to find technology that your li- technology as a component of a grant project or a way to ac- brary needs. Maybe you are reminded about complish the goals of a project. You can be more successful a project that you would like to start, or maybe a new pro- in your grant work by addressing existing community needs, ject idea occurs to you while you are reading this article. A rather than by requesting funding for technology alone. common obstacle for librarians who want to purchase tech- We cover 10 things that you need to know and do in or- nology or start projects is the cost. Why not consider pur- der to make your grant applications more successful. We've suing a grant to fund your technology project? written sections on all of these topics:
Begin grant work with a technology plan. Read about technology planning tools and advice. 3. Create a team to develop a project that meets the needs of your community. 4. Collaborate with other organizations to increase the chances that your project will be sustainable and that it will be funded. 5. Find resources for grants that fund technology projects. 6. Understand trends in technology funding. 7. Know how to justify technology for your library. 8S Learn from others' successful grant-funded technology projects. 9 Find out how to apply for a grant.
10 Take our tips for success with library technology grants.
When
6 ý JULY/AUGUST feature: applying for technology grants :
Applying for TECHNOLOGY GRANTS
JULY/AUGUST 2006 7 IMPUTRS,N LIBRARiES ature: applying for technology grants
We co-authors, Stephanie Gerding The fastest way to grant funding is When applying for a grant, having and Pam MacKellar, both have in-depth actually by taking the time to plan. A a technology plan in place helps a fun- knowledge and practical experience in technology plan is not simply a list of der know that you have taken the time fundraising. We have been on both sides what technology should be purchased to really determine what technology of the process, having written and sub- and when it should be upgraded. It is your library needs and how you will mitted grant proposals as well as par- a method to prioritize and to budget for support and sustain it. Just imagine if ticipated in distributing grant awards. the technology tools that are most im- you won the lottery and you decided Stephanie has experience consult- portant for achieving the library's that you wanted to give out laptop labs. ing with libraries and is a lead reviewer goals. By starting with the library's Wouldn't you rather give to a library for the Arizona State Library's LSTA mission and priorities, a technology that had a technology plan in place? grants. She also supported technology plan helps to clarify where opportuni- What if you found out that some li- grant recipients as a library training ties exist to improve infrastructure or brarians never unpacked the computer coordinator at the Bill & Melinda Gates to deliver services in a new way. A tech- boxes? Would you give them more com- Foundation. Pam has written successful nology plan provides a way to evaluate puters the next year? Wouldn't you proposals for government and founda- new technologies and applications, to rather give to the librarians that pro- tion grants that funded technology for li- assess future needs, and to allocate re- vided homework help to kids, helped braries, including a 3-year grant for more sources to balance technology with the older adults find trustworthy health than $300,000 for the NO Walls Project, needs of customers and staff. information, provided online GED clas- a model demonstration community tech- There are two major reasons to have ses, or empowered teens to create on- nology center in Albuquerque, N.M. We a technology plan. The first is to be the line poetry journals? By showing a po- both have experience as technology con- best library for your community. As tential funder that you have concrete sultants and library automation consul- the guru of library planning, Sandra Nel- plans for how you will use their fund- tants with public and tribal libraries, son, always reminds us, "Technology is a ing and why you need it, you will pro- Together we have presented numer- tool. It is only a tool." And it should be vide assurance and credibility, and ac- ous workshops for librarians focusing a tool to help libraries achieve their mis- tually save yourself a lot of time by on technology planning and grants for sions and to provide better service to having a guide to follow. technology projects, including precon- their customers. Completing the tech- Technology planning committees are ference sessions at Computers in Li- nology planning process will accomplish very useful for ensuring that your li- braries and Internet Librarian. We co- many things. It will help minimize tech- brary's technology planning is an on- host a blog, Grants for Libraries (http:// nology-related crises, use stafftime more going process. Your technology plan librarygrants.blogspot.com), a free re- efficiently, prioritize library technology should be reviewed and updated often, source for finding grant and award op- needs, assess costs, increase appropriate at least every year. This is also a way portunities that is read by more than use of the existing infrastructure, avoid to get valuable input by including rep- 10,000 librarians. And we co-authored wasting money on the wrong equipment, resentatives from staff and your com- Grants for Libraries:A How-To-Do-It assess staff skills and determine train- munity. Having the latest and fanciest Manual, recently released by Neal- ing needed, and evaluate and improve technology will not serve your commu- Schuman Publishers, Inc. and an on- your technology. Essentially, it will al- nity if it does not work because the line tutorial, "Grant Writing Basics," low you to do more with less. staff does not have the time, expertise, hosted by the University of North Texas. The second reason is that funders or buy-in to keep it running. Together we support libraries in seek- like technology plans (and some This sort of planning is often re- ing grant funding as a way to obtain require them). Whether a funder is a quired for obtaining federal and state and sustain technology in libraries customer giving $10, a foundation funding for technology. One example is granting $10,000, or a city council the Federal Communications Commis- sion (FCC) Universal Service Fund Ed- 1. The Importance Th p eapprovingthey all want toa makebudget sure of $1,000,000, the money ucation Rates (E-rate) program for of Technology Planning is used wisely. Funders are making an schools and libraries. Leprechauns, genies, fairy godmoth- investment in your library. They are ers and other magical funders seem to be giving because they want to make a 2. Read About Technology in short supply. The good news is that difference; they want their money to Planning Tools and Advice there is technology funding available, have a positive impact. If they wanted youjust need to do a bit more work than to throw it away, they could have a lot * A convenient (and free!) tool for li- finding a four-leaf clover or a magic lamp. more fun with it than by giving grants. brary technology planning is TechAtlas continued on page 54
WYAUGUST 2006 >> LOCI'PAPUTERS lFN LIBRAMIES feature: applying for technology grants
X continued from page 8
(http://webjunction.techatlas.org) from Find out what your customers don't like impact on serving the needs of people NPower, which has been enhanced for about their library experience. Ask in the community, and they state how use by public libraries with input from frontline staff what customers complain the lives of people in the community the WebJunction community. This tool about. Remember the need is never for will be improved. Some examples of is now aligned with E-rate requirements the equipment-not for the technology project outcomes are as follows: for technology planning. It contains five itself-but for solving a problem that elements: 1) Envision, 2) Inventory, 3) exists in your community. Your tech- e The ability of unemployed commu- Assess, 4) Budget, 5) Evaluate. nology plan should help fulfill your li- nity members to identify potential jobs brary's mission and help your library will be increased due to their improved * WebJunction.org can be very useful. better serve your community. technology skills. Under the Policies and Practices tab, you will find an entire section on Tech- 3. Create a Team * Elderly community members will nology Planning, including "Practical have increased knowledge about how Steps for Creating a Library Technol- to Develop the Project to research their healthcare options us- ogy Plan," and the Library IT Staff Once your technology plan is in ing library technology. Calculator which helps you determine place, it is relatively easy to develop a how many IT staff your library needs. project. Select some library staff mem- e The attitude of community mem- You can also use the discussion forums bers who are interested in technology, bers with disabilities will improve to- to ask your own burning questions. technology business leaders, tech-savvy ward using technology to find infor- library patrons, and other community mation in the library. e Visit http://www.Techsoup.org. It of- stakeholders interested in technology fers quite a few great technology plan- to participate in this process. You are When your project outcomes have ning articles including, "What's In- seeking ideas from a wide variety of been articulated, then work on your volved in Technology Planning? Seven community representatives, input from project goals, objectives, and action steps to a better technology plan" and local agencies and businesses, partici- steps. Make sure to investigate the re- "Building a Great Case Statement Fund- pation by potential partners, and com- search about similar projects that were ing Planner: How to successfully arti- mitment of library staff as you develop done in the past, best practices, and culate your technology needs to fun- your projects. Ask this project planning lessons learned by others. You will want ders." You will also find donated and group to look carefully at the goals, ob- to build on the experiences of others discounted technology products, offered jectives, and activities in all parts of your and lessons learned as you develop by corporations and nonprofits. library's technology plan. Then do some your projects. brainstorming activities or group exer- Create a timeline for each project * Have a look at Diane Mayo's book, cises to create project ideas using these listing the personnel who will do the Technology for Results: Developing Ser- elements from your technology plan. tasks and the amount of time it will vice-Based Plans (Chicago: ALA, 2005). They will need to be creative and take for them to accomplish the tasks, This new publication from the Public free-thinking, removing all barriers to and then create a budget using the in- Library Association will provide you thinking "outside the box" of the plan. formation in your timeline. Include all with all of the tools and processes you Ask them to combine activities from hardware, software, and personnel costs need to write an effective technology different objectives in the plan if that in the budget that are required to com- plan. Helpful work forms are available creates a viable project idea. Don't let plete your project successfully. It is im- online at http:/www.elearnlibraries.com/ them get stuck in the details at this portant to be realistic about the time workforms/technology for results.html. stage, as this may inadvertently stunt required of personnel to accomplish the your team's creative thinking. Make tasks in the project. When you are writ- One of the most valuable bits of ad- sure at every stage that the projects ing your evaluation plan, note that vice we can give you is to make sure you they are developing conform to your li- Outcome Based Evaluation (OBE) is an find out your community's needs. This brary's mission statement. emerging evaluation methodology that isn't difficult; all you need to do is ask. Once you and your group have de- focuses on measuring the effect of a pro- Hold focus groups. Interview a few key cided on some project ideas, then de- ject on the lives of the people it serves. community leaders. Ask those involved fine outcomes for the projects. Out- The Institute of Museum and Library with your community to list the top five comes are used to identify a change in Services (IMLS) provides a useful pro- greatest needs. Is it literacy, job seek- people's behavior, attitudes, skills, or ject planning OBE tool at http://www ing skills, or other educational support? knowledge. They reflect the project's .imls.gov/Project-Planning/index.asp.
54 JULY/AUGUST 2006., feature: applying for technology grants
Throughout this process, continue to nonprofits each year expand their im- agencies, or local governmental bodies ask yourself how the project will improve pact through the strategic use of tech- such as counties, cities, towns, or vil- the lives of the people you are serving, nology. Along with the online planning lages. Examples of private funders are and how your project will address or tool, TechAtlas, NPower also provides foundations, corporations, organizations, solve a problem in your community. high-quality, affordable assistance to clubs, and professional associations. nonprofits of all sizes, enabling them 4. Form Partnerships to strategically use technology that sup- Government grant resources: ports their missions. Grants.gov is a single access point for Once you have your project in mind, Partnerships can also result in dona- more than 1,000 federal government investigate other groups in your area tions. TechSoup Stock (http://www.tech grant programs from all federal agencies. involved with providing technology to soup.org/stock) is a nonprofit source for Grants.gov is searchable by keyword, community members and consider col- technology donations such as office ap- category, or agency. An advanced search laborating. You may find partners to plications, networking equipment, fund- option allows combinations of these fields share the costs of developing a com- raising software, accounting software, as well as limitations by date, eligibil- munity network or a common database and other donated computer applica- ity, and status of grant opportunity. A that would be useful to organizations tions. TechSoup Stock offers hundreds subscription to e-mail alerts by funding with similar missions. Funders view of the most popular titles for as little as opportunity number, category, agency, grant proposals with partners more fa- 3 percent of the suggested retail price. and other advanced criteria will deliver vorably. When organizations commit- Also, Gifts in Kind (http://www.giftsin customized grant opportunities to your ted to solving the same problem join kind.org) offers everything from sta- e-mail account as they become available. together, they combine expertise and plers to sporting goods. Though it does In most cases, you are able to link to the resources, increasing the likelihood for not specialize in technology products, it full grant announcement and applica- sustainability and success of the grant offers a good selection of deep discounts tion materials directly from the Grants project. A group of similar organiza- on technology products from a wide .gov site at http://www.grants.gov. tions requesting technology assistance range of companies. Key government sites you should may be far more compelling than one You should also develop partner- check regularly for library technology organization alone. This gives funders ships with all of your funders. Get to grants are the IMLS, the National Net- "away to stretch their dollars and have know all your local funders such as com- work of Libraries of Medicine, the U.S. "agreater impact. munity foundations, your state library, Department of Education, the Nation- Partnerships between libraries, mu- state humanities council, and local busi- al Endowment for the Humanities, and seums, schools, religious groups, com- nesses and corporations. They are a lot your state library agency. munity organizations, and local busi- easier to get in touch with than elusive nesses are often successful. Some other leprechauns and you will probably find Private grant resources: While potential partners include Community you have a lot of goals in common. By government grant resources are driven Technology Centers (CTCs). Many of developing personal relationships with primarily by legislation, private grant re- them are looking for ways to connect funders, you can work together to suc- sources have their own funding interests with other nonprofits in their area. cessfully fulfill both group's missions. and priorities. Check to make sure what CTCs are organizations or programs they fund is a match for your project. that provide community access to in- 5. Find Resources Foundation Center Cooperating Col- formation and communications tech- lections are free funding information nologies as well as the training nec- That Fit Your Needs centers that provide a core collection of essary to use them to meet the social, You don't want finding the right materials published by the Foundation economic, educational, and cultural grant opportunity for your project to be Center. These collections focus on pri- needs of the community. CTCNet is a as hard as finding the proverbial four- vate funding sources. You can find the national network of more than 1,000 leaf clover in a field. You want to ap- Cooperating Collection nearest you by of these organizations. There is a di- proach the grant resources with a clear following your state's link from http:// rectory of CTCs at the CTC Networks understanding of what kinds of grants www.fdncenter.org/collections. These Web site: http://ctcnet.org. are available and how they are orga- collections are located in libraries or There are also national groups that nized within a resource. nonprofit information centers that pro- can be useful partners. NPower is a na- Grant funders are either government vide fundraising information and other tional network of nonprofit organiza- or private. Government funders can be funding-related technical assistance to tions that helps thousands of other federal agencies or departments, state their communities. Many Cooperating
JULY/AUGUST 2006 i 55 feature: applying for technology grants
Collections contain the Foundation Di- tional funding directories and research Corporations operating in your area rectory Online or the Foundation Di- tools. Don't forget to look for a state- may have community giving programs, rectory on CD-ROM in addition to nu- specific or community-specific funding or they may offer other help in sup- merous print directories. An advantage directory or database for your area. porting your project. Professional or- of using the online and CD-ROM direc- These local resources often contain op- ganizations such as the American Li- tories is that they allow you to search portunities that you will not find in the brary Association, Special Libraries multiple fields simultaneously and can national directories. Your community Association, or your state or regional save you time. foundations will have many resources association may also award grants. Lo- State libraries and college and uni- that will be useful to you in research- cal clubs and organizations like the Ro- versity libraries generally house addi- ing local grant opportunities. tary Club and Civitans are interested in supporting local projects that coin- cide with their interests. Offer to pre- sent your project ideas at a local meet- LIBRARY TECHNOLOGY ing. Get the word out about your projects 16AAN'T AND FUNDING RESOURCES and your need for funding.
Foundation Center RFP Bulletin is a weekly electronic bulletin of recently 6. Understand Current announced requests for proposals (RFPs) from private, corporate, and government funding sources. http://www.fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp Technology Funding Trends In 2004 the IMLS conducted a sur- Grants.gov is a single access point for more than 1,000 federal government grant vey on the use of technology and digi- 1 programs from all federal agencies. http://www.grants.gov tization in libraries across the U.S. One key finding of the study was that Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source insufficient funding is a barrier to li- of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. braries in implementing technology. http://www.imls.gov/applicants/name.shtm Fifty percent of large academic libraries and the majority of small public li- Library Grants Blog is a free online resource for finding library grant braries reported that technology is less opportunities from government and private funding sources, including awards than adequately funded. and scholarship opportunities. http://librarygrants.blogspot.com According to studies conducted by the IMLS in 2001 and 2004 on the status of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent new technology adoption and digitiza- grant-making agency of the U.S. government dedicated to supporting research, tion, fewer public libraries report hav- education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. http://www ing funding for technology in 2004 (81.4 .neh.gov/grants/index.html percent) than in 2001 (98.7 percent). For most public libraries that had funding for their technology activities, the top three sources were the same in 2004 as they were in 2001-local gov- ernment funds, institutional operating funds, and state funds. However, the percentages of public libraries receiv- ing funds from all of these sources de- creased from 2001 to 2004. This tells us that public librarians must either be- come more aggressive about pursuing funds from traditional sources or begin to look for technology funds in other places, such as grants from the federal government and private sources. The IMLS studies also reveal that technology in academic libraries was
56 i JULY/AUGUST 2006 feature: applying for technology grantsNs
funded primarily by institutional op- LSTA and IMLS: Library Services "* Statewide technology support staff erating funds, state funds, and grants and Technology Act (LSTA, P.L. 104- "* Staff training on from federal agencies. Support from in- 208) monies are a primary source of technology changes stitutional operating funds increased funding for library technology. LSTA from 2001 to 2004, whereas state funds dollars available to state library agen- "• Patron technology workshops and federal grants decreased during cies have increased from $150,435,000 the same time period. in 2003 to $163,746,000 in 2006. For Other IMLS grants available to li- In recent years, some large federal FY 2007 the proposed budget includes braries beyond those administered by programs primarily funding technol- $171,500,000 for LSTA grants to state state library agencies include: ogy have concluded. The Technology library agencies. "• Coming Up Taller Opportunities Program (TOP) sup- These grants promote access to ported demonstrations of new telecom- learning and information resources at "* Laura Bush 21st Century munications and information technolo- all types of libraries for individuals of Librarian Program gies to provide education, healthcare, or all ages. Program priorities are 1) us- "* National Awards for public information in the public and ing technology for information sharing Museum and Library Service nonprofit sectors. As of 2004, grant among various libraries and between funds are no longer available under libraries and other community services, "* National Leadership Grants TOP. The purpose of the U.S. Depart- and 2) making library resources more "* Native American Library ment of Education's Community Tech- accessible to urban, rural, or low-income Services: Basic Grants nology Centers (CTC) program was to residents, and to others who have dif- and Enhancement Grants create or expand community technol- ficulty using library services. ogy centers that provide disadvan- LSTA grants are awarded to states "* Native Hawaiian Library Services taged residents of economically dis- using a population-based formula. Many "* Partnership for a Nation tressed urban and rural communities state libraries distribute funds through of Learners Community access to information technology and re- competitive subgrants or cooperative Collaboration Grants lated training. The CTC program time- agreements to public, academic, re- line was 1999-2004. search, school, and special libraries in "• Save America's Treasures Although "Types of Support Awarded their states. by Foundations" shows that computer We asked IMLS senior program of- Visit the IMLS Web site at http:// systems and technology support from ficers to provide us with insight on www.imls.gov/applicants/name.shtm foundations decreased from 1999 to 2003 national funding trends in LSTA sub- for more information. from 1.2 percent to .5 percent of total dol- grants through state libraries. The lars given,2 the 2006 edition of "High- major trends they identified included E-rate: E-rate is the popular name lights of Foundation Giving Trends" re- grants that involve these technologies: for a federal initiative that provides dis- ports that foundation funding rebounded counts to public libraries and to public "* RFID for most program areas in 2004. Gen- and private K-12 schools on telecom- eral foundation support reached a rec- "* Gaming and nontraditional munications services, Internet access, 3 ord $3.2 billion in that year. learning opportunities and some closely related costs, such as Community foundations continue to inside wiring. The discounts range from "• PAC management software become more popular as preferred ve- 20 percent to 90 percent, with the deep- hicles for charitable giving to commu- "• Wireless labs est discounts going to those communi- nities of all sizes. Gifts, grants, and as- ties with the greatest need (which is "* Digital Audiobooks such as those sets of the community foundation field based on the local eligibility levels for from Playaway and Overdrive increased in 2004, according to the an- participation in the National School (note the format) nual Columbus Foundation Survey of Lunch Program). More than $2 billion is the Community FoundationField. The "* Online homework help available every year, as funds are col- survey of 636 U.S. community founda- lected through Universal Service fees "* Increasing access to databases tions reported a total of $4.2 billion in (you may see it listed on your phone gifts received from donors, $3 billion in "* Digitizing local collections bill as "FCC access charge"). For more grants made to nonprofit organizations, information on E-rate opportunities "* Assistive technology and growth in market value of assets and requirements, visit the Web site at 4 to $39.4 billion. "* 24/7 reference http://www.universalservice.org/sl.
i•1)ýI? ,vi •JULY/AUGUSTý, 2006 57 I COMFPUTERS IN LIBRARIES E feature: applying for technology grants
7. Justify the Value Use statistics from reliable sources source for information on some of the of the Technology to demonstrate the impact of technol- disparities caused by the lack of equal ogy. Here are some good studies you access to digital resources. Published in Some grant funders are resistant to can use: 2005, this is a yearlong study by Wendy applications with technology requests. Lazarus and Andrew Wainer (http:// How can libraries justify the need and e Reports produced by The Pew In- www.childrenspartnership.org). This value of technology? First, when writ- ternet & American Life Project (http:// report reviews existing research to ing grant proposals, you should avoid www.pewinternet.org) explore the im- show how Information and Commu- using techie terminology. Not all fun- pact of the Internet on communities, nications Technology (ICT) can im- ders are up-to-date on the latest lingo, daily life, education, healthcare, and prove the lives of children across four so you should explain anything more civic and political life. The project re- key areas: educational achievement, complicated than the basics. Tell them leases 15-20 pieces of authoritative improved health, economic opportunity, in simple language what you will use research a year; examples of reports and community and civic participation. it for and what the true benefits will be include "Teens and Technology, "Are to having this tool. 'Wired Seniors' Sitting Ducks?" and * A sample of the economic disparities "Rural Areas and the Internet." The is shown with statistics from the Cen- "You can be more project compiles national surveys with sus report, "Computer and Internet research from government agencies, Use in the United States: 2003" (http:// academia, and other experts. www.census.gov/population/www/socd successful in your grant emo/computer.html), which includes , IMLS conducts studies such as the evidence that only 29 percent of youth work by addressing "Status of Technology and Digitization in lower income households have access in the Nation's Museums and Librar- to the Internet at home, compared to 93 ies" (http://www.imls.gov/publications/ percent of youth in households with an existing community needs, TechDig05/index.htm) and "Designs annual income of more than $75,000. for Change: Libraries and Productive rather than by Aging" (http://www.imls.gov/pdf/Designs Many funders may be drawn to pro- forChange.pdf). jects that use technology in new and innovative ways to support library pro- requesting funding for * OCLC's 2003 "Environmental Scan: grams and missions. Funders may view Pattern Recognition" (http://www.oclc innovative projects as an opportunity technology alone." .org/reports/escan) presents significant to experiment with ideas that could be issues and trends facing libraries and valuable for other grantees as well. the 2005 "Perceptions of Libraries and IMLS has called LSTA grants "venture For example, if requesting grant fund- Information Resources" (http://www capital for libraries." Innovation can ing for RFID, thoroughly describe the ;oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm) also provide an opportunity to raise the benefits: increases efficiency, saves cus- summarizes findings of an internation- profile of your organization in the eyes tomers' time with check-in and check- al study on information-seeking habits of prospective funders. out, decreases material handling, gets and preferences. There is much value in the use of materials on the shelves faster due to au- technology, and by incorporating sig- tomatic sorting of the book drop, locates 0 "A Nation Online: Entering the nificant effects in your grant propos- misplaced items, improves inventory con- Broadband Age" is a report released by als, you can help increase awareness of trol, reduces repetitive stress injuries, in- the U.S. Department of Commerce ex- their importance. Examples include: creases staff time with patrons, reduces amining the use of computers, the In- "• Builds capacity theft, and simplifies collection analysis. ternet, and other information technol- When you evaluate an emerging ogy tools by Americans (http://www.ntia "* Creates a new model of technology, consider all the costs, not .doc.gov/reports/anol/NationOnline community communication just the purchase cost. Explain what Broadband04.htm). "* Empowers and engages customers additional support may be needed, such as faster bandwidth, new servers, 0 "Measuring Digital Opportunity for "* Saves staff time so they can increased staff time and training, and America's Children: Where We Stand work more efficiently and more customer training. and Where We Go from Here" is a increase staff productivity
58 ý JULY/AUGUST 2006 1 h feature: applying for technology grants U
"* Creates opportunities for new "* Provides disability access brary grant writers and even some learning and knowledge building photos. Here are examples of five of the " Allows technology skills training success stories that incorporate tech- "* Improves the customer "• Produces better marketing nology into their grant projects. experience and saves their time "* Extends the reach of the $ The Glendale Public Library in Ari- "* Improves outreach, library into the community connections, and collaboration zona received a LSTAgrant from the Ari- "* Increases efficiency zona State Library that included fund- "* Enables management to and effectiveness ing for state-of-the-art listening wands make better decisions for a walking tour of their demonstration "* Streamlines basic operational xeriscape botanical gardens. (p. 16 4 ) "* Closes the digital divide functions, like accounting and fundraising procedures between haves and have-nots $ The Laurelton Branch Library of in the community Queens Borough Public Library in New "* Organizes volunteer 8. Success Stories York received a laptop computer lab as opportunities and information Our new book, Grants for Libraries: part of its Youth Empowerment Initia- A How-To-Do-It Manual, profiles suc- tive, which was funded by the New York "* Enables data collection cess stories from 16 libraries across the State Division of Criminal Justice Ser- and measurement country, and includes tips from the li- vices for $470,000. (p. 170)
"Learn how to stay ahead of online criminals and use the Internet safely. A must-read ... pick it up today!"
cybercrime expert J. A. Hitchcock offers practical and easy-to-follow I methodsn this revised for dealingand expanded with spam, second viruses, edition hack of attacks, her popular identity book, theft, and other online dangers. A lifeline for both individuals and business Web users, the book covers a broad range of abusive practices along with dozens of firsthand anecdotes and success stories. A one-time victim of cyberstalking who fought back and won, Hitchcock went on to become a leading victim's advocate. Her readable and reassuring book is loaded with tips, strategies, and techniques as well as pointers to the laws, organizations, and Web resources that can aid victims and help them fight back. Supported by a Web page.
For more information or to order call: (800) 300-9868 or (609) 654-6266
JULY/AUGUST 2006 !59 feature: applying for technology grants
$ In Maine, Lawrence Junior High Li- Use clear language, and avoid li- We hope our recommendations will brary's grant project included video jour- brary-speak. You don't have to be an help you to be successful with funding nalism, which involved eighth graders excellent writer, but you do have to your technology projects and that you creating an informative historical DVD write understandably. Have someone now have the knowledge you need to to share with other libraries and stu- outside of the library read over your take the next step. Don't just wish for dents. The $3,500 grant was from the application to ensure that you have money-take action to get it! Coburn Classical Institute. (p. 184) conveyed the intent of your grant pro- ject and that it is easy to understand. $ Northeastern University Libraries There have been applications we've received more than $20,000 for a Train- read where we could not determine As continuing education coordina- ing and Equipment Enhancement LSTA what the project was about or what ex- tor in the Library Development Divi- grant project for adaptive technology to actly was being requested. sion at the Arizona State Library,Ar- better serve community members with Don't make the grant reviewers have chives and Public Records in Phoenix, disabilities. (p. 186) to work any harder than they should. Stephanie Gerding supports the im- They usually have a lot of applications portant work of Arizona librariansby $ The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sci- to read, so follow their guidelines. Of- providingworkshops, institutes,scholar- ences Library at the University of Utah ten, grant applications are read by sev- ships, and online learningat no charge received a $450,000 grant for digitiz- eral people, and your summary may be to the participants.Stephanie writes a ing of materials related to Neuro-Oph- the most important part. Synthesize the column, "Bringingin the Money," for thalmology from the National Library most valuable information into a few Public Libraries magazine and she is of Medicine. (p. 192) paragraphs so that they can easily as- currently writing a book for Informa- sess your proposal. Even genies can't tion Today, The Accidental Technology 9. Applying for Grants grant your technology wishes if they Trainer: A Library Guide. She has pre- are too hard to understand! viously written articles for Computers If you have planned well before you in Libraries. Stephanie's e-mail address even start looking at the grant appli- 10. Tips for Success with is [email protected]. Pam cations themselves, you will find that MacKellar is assistantlibrarian at the this process may be easier than you Library Technology Grants Corrales(N.M.) Community Library,a imagined. Federal applications are usu- Now that you have a basic under- ruralcommunity of approximately8,000 ally the most rigorous, while some lo- standing about how to start on fund- nearAlbuquerque, where she addresses cal funding sources only require proof ing your library's technology projects technology issues. Pam is also a trainer of nonprofit status and brief informa- with grants, you are ready to get to for the Department of ContinuingEd- tion on how the funding or donations work. Grant work is not magic-it is ucation at the University of New Mex- will be used. hard work. But, as a librarian, you are ico in grant researchand proposal de- -ew better-equipped than most with the velopment. Pam'se-mail addressis mac "Funders 0 skills to research and locate the right [email protected]. funding opportunity. Here are five tips grant proposals with to remember as you get started:
1. Know your community's needs. Endnotes partners more favorablyi" 2. Identify the problem 1. IMLS."Status of Technology and Digitization in the Nation's and envision the solution. Museums and Libraries." http://ww,v.imls.gov/publications/ TechDig05/index.htm 2. Foundation Center. "Types of Funding Awarded by Most grant applications ask for the 3. Focus on the project, Foundations." http://www.fdncenter.org/findfunders/ same type of information. Usually this not on the technology. statistics/gs-support.html will include a summary, an organiza- 3. Foundation Center. (2006). "Highlights of Foundation Giving tional overview, a statement of needs, 4. Do the research to identify the Trends." http://fdncenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/ a project description, an overview of right funder for your project. fgt06highlJghts.pdf methodology, a budget request, and an 4. Columbus FoundationSurvey of the Community Foundation Field, (2005). Columbus, Ohio: Columbus Foundation. evaluation process. Always follow the 5. Partner, collaborate, http://wvw.columbusfoundation.org/GD/Templates/Pages/ format and order requested. and build relationships. TCF/TCFSecondary.aspx?page=121
60 JULY/AUGUST 2006 NATURE’S MIRROR Images and Artifacts from the Edward S. Curtis Collection
Brenda McLain and Tobi Taylor
1. Gathering hanamh — Papago by Edward S. Curtis, c.1907. This photograph shows a basket acquired by the museum (Fig. 3).
80 AMERICAN INDIAN ART MAGAZINE hile traveling and taking Wphotographs for his master- work, The North American Indian (1907–1930), Edward S. Curtis (b.1868, d.1952) amassed a vast collection of Native-made objects. In 1938, for the sum of $909.94, the state of Arizona purchased sixty-seven items that Curtis had collected from Arizona Indian tribes, including forty-two baskets now in the collection of the Arizona Capitol Museum, Phoenix and made by Hopi, Apache, Maricopa, Akimel O’otham (Pima), Tohono O’odham (Papago), Havasupai, Hualapai and Navajo basketmakers. The baskets, as well 2. Pima Baskets, by Edward S. Curtis, c.1907. as selected Curtis photographs, are featured in an exhibit titled Nature’s Mirror: This photograph shows two baskets acquired from Curtis by the museum (Figs. 3, 4). Images and Artifacts from the Edward S. Curtis Collection.
The North American Indian The Library of Congress (n.d.) sums up Curtis’s achievement in this way: The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis is one of the most significant and controversial representations of traditional American Indian culture ever produced. Issued in a limited edition from 1907–1930, the publication continues to exert a major influence on the image of Indians in popular culture. Curtis said he wanted to document “the old time Indian, his dress, his ceremonies, his life and manners.” In over 2000 pho- 3. Wine basket, Akimel O’otham or Tohono togravure plates and narrative, Curtis portrayed the traditional customs and lifeways of O’odham, 1880s–1907. Willow, devil’s claw 1 eighty Indian tribes. The twenty volumes, each with an accompanying portfolio, are (Martynia sp.). 16 ⁄4 " diameter (41.3 cm). This organized by tribes and culture areas encompassing the Great Plains, Great Basin, basket is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Cat. No. Plateau Region, Southwest, California, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. 1982.035.012. In 1912, the year that Arizona attained statehood, the state leg- islature voted to authorize “the purchase of a Set of ‘The North American Indian’ by Edward S. Curtis” (State of Arizona 1912: 432). The sum of $3,000 was to be appropriated from the state’s gen- eral fund to purchase the twenty- volume set and folios. Two years later, the volumes still had not been purchased. Also in 1914, Curtis sent a letter to Arizona gov- ernor George W. P. Hunt stating that he was “now prepared to deliver the material, according to this Act, and respectfully ask how such delivery is to be made” (1914). Hunt requested that the Arizona state historian, Thomas E. Farish, reply to Curtis. Apparently,
SUMMER 2006 81 Farish was reluctant to purchase the vol- umes; however, a letter from the Arizona Attorney General, G. P. Bullard, to Hunt states that “the State Historian has no option in the matter, and must purchase said set out of said appropriation, and that said appropriation can not be used for any other purpose” (1914). Farish’s reply to Hunt concludes that “it appears to me that an appropriation has been made authorizing and directing a non- existent officer to purchase and pay for a set of books under the terms of a non- existent contract, and that the delivery of such books has not been made” (1914). Eventually, the state acquired only the three volumes and one folio of images dealing specifically with the tribes of Arizona.
The Baskets It is unclear what the impetus was for the state of Arizona to purchase forty- two baskets from Curtis in 1938, eight years after the completion of The North
4. Basket, Akimel O’otham, 1880s–1907. Willow, devil’s claw (Martynia sp.). 26" diameter (66 cm). This bas- ket, which features a “coy- ote track” design, appears in the Curtis photographs shown in Fig- ures 2, 5 and 6. Cat. No. 1982.035.011.
5. Maricopa Group by Edward S. Curtis, c.1907. This photograph shows a basket acquired by the museum (Fig. 4).
82 AMERICAN INDIAN ART MAGAZINE American Indian. By the 1930s, though, Curtis was in dire financial straits, which may help to explain his sale of items he had collected. Curtis is known for, and has been criti- cized for, having used costumes and props in his work, including items unrelated to the subject(s) of the photograph (Lyman 1982). Because little documentation accompanied the baskets in the Arizona Capitol Museum’s col- lection, we do not know whether these items were used as props or were collected for other reasons. With the assistance of Ann Marshall and Diana Pardue, of the Heard Museum, Phoenix, one Akimel O’otham or Tohono O’odham basket (Fig. 3), two Akimel O’otham baskets (Figs. 4, 7), two Western Apache bas- kets (Figs. 9, 10) and a Jicarilla Apache basket (Fig. 11) in the collection have been found in photographs taken by Curtis in the early 1900s. There are eleven Apache baskets labeled “Jicarilla Apache” by Curtis in the museum’s Curtis collection. Recently, Diane Dittemore of the Arizona State Museum, Tucson, examined the baskets and determined that 6. Maricopa Still Life by Edward S. Curtis, most were Western Apache, rather than Jicarilla (2006). In total, three Apache c.1907. This photograph shows two baskets acquired by the museum (Figs. 4, 7). baskets have been identified in Curtis’s photographs. Two Western Apache baskets (Figs. 9, 10) of exceptional quality are seen in Curtis’s Apache Still Life 7. Basket, Akimel O’otham, 1880s–1907. Willow, 1 (Fig. 8). Another basket (Fig. 11), identified by Curtis as Jicarilla Apache, is devil’s claw (Martynia sp.). 17 ⁄2" diameter (44.5 cm). This basket appears in the Curtis pho- shown in a photograph of a San Juan woman, who balances it on her head tographs reproduced in Figure 6. Cat. No. (Fig. 12). Curtis points out that the Jicarilla Apaches had a “fair skill in bas- 1982.035.019. ketry, this being their chief industry and source of barter with neighboring tribes” and that “the Pueblos of the Rio Grande use many baskets, which they obtained chiefly from the Jicarilla in exchange for corn” (1907:54). It is unclear whether the basket shown in Figure 12 was actually traded from the Jicarillas to the San Juan Indians, and then collected by Curtis, or if it was one of Curtis’s props. None of the twelve Hopi baskets in the Curtis collection has been matched to Curtis photographs. However, one of the most inter- esting items is a coiled bowl that appears to depict the twin war gods (Lomawaima 2006). It is similar to those made on Second Mesa, Arizona, which are “unique in the Southwest for their designs and relatively thick coils,” and “are made with a foundation of a bundle of galleta grass or rabbitbrush and sewn with narrow splints of yucca leaves” (Whiteford 1988:144). Many of the Hopi examples in the collec- tion are plaques used to serve food and are traditionally given as wedding gifts. Plaques made on Third Mesa were generally made of plaited wicker. There are six such baskets in the museum’s collection. They may have been used as utility baskets, as colanders or for storage.
SUMMER 2006 83 Three baskets in the collection with tags bearing the names “Maricopa-Pima- Papago” have been matched to Curtis photographs (Figs. 3, 4, 7). Interestingly, Curtis photographed and identified them as “Pima” (Akimel O’otham), “Papago” (Tohono O’odham) and “Maricopa” in dif- ferent images. A wine basket (Fig. 3) from the collection, either Tohono O’odham or Akimel O’otham, is shown in at least three Curtis photographs: Gathering hanamh — Papago (Fig. 1), Papago Kitchen and Pima Baskets (Fig. 2). It has seen some use as the interior is stained, perhaps with wine. An Akimel O’otham basket in the collection (Fig. 4), appears in many of Curtis’s images, 8. Apache Still Life by Edward S. Curtis, c.1907. including Pima Baskets, Maricopa Group and Maricopa Still Life (Figs. 2, 5, 6). This photograph shows two baskets acquired And another Akimel O’otham basket is shown in Maricopa Still Life (Figs. 6, 7). from Curtis by the museum (Figs. 9, 10). There are two Havasupai burden baskets in the collection. According to Whiteford “baskets were not only the Havasupais’ most important domestic utensil but also their major craft” (1988:109). These two baskets are of the deep conical twined type. One has no design motifs, whereas the other features woven colored rings circling the basket. They appear to be made of either willow or cottonwood. The museum has one small Hualapai basket collected by Curtis that fea- 9. Basket, Western Apache, 1880s–1900. Willow tures designs executed in red and green. Curtis commented that “[Hualapais] and devil’s claw (Martynia sp.), three-rod foun- 1 1 make few rather coarse baskets of varying shapes: conical burden baskets, dation. 27 ⁄4 " diameter, 10 ⁄2 " tall (69.2 cm x 26.7 cm). This basket features a petal design gum-coated water bottles, flat trays for gathering and parching grass seeds, and what appear to be arrows. This basket and straight-sided storage baskets” (Curtis 1907:93). This basket was most appears in Figure 8. Cat. No. 1982.035.021. likely created for sale or trade. The museum also has one Navajo basket in its collection, a wedding 10. Basket, Western Apache, 1880s–1900. Willow and devil’s claw (Martynia sp.), three- basket with a black-and-red design. According to Curtis, “few baskets are 3 1 rod foundation. 24 ⁄4 " diameter, 7 ⁄2 " tall (62.9 made [by the Navajo] and these are of but a single pattern — a flattish tray cm x 19.1 cm). This piece depicts possible for use in ceremonies. Such baskets must be of a prescribed pattern, with a gaan dancers, with lightning bolts and quadru- peds. This basket appears in Figure 8. Cat. No. break in the design at one side. When the basket is in use this side is always AQ placed toward the east” (1907:77).
84 AMERICAN INDIAN ART MAGAZINE Conclusion The exhibit Nature’s Mirror: Images and Artifacts from the Edward S. Curtis Collection is on display at the Arizona Capitol Museum until December 30, 2006. It features twenty-three baskets from the museum’s collection as well as an array of Curtis’s images, including the photographs that can be matched to six baskets sold by Curtis to the state of Arizona. A first edition vol- ume of The North American Indian as well as the letters exchanged between Curtis and various members of the Arizona state government in 1914 are also on display.
Bibliography
Bullard, G. P. 1914 Letter of April 23 to George W. P. Hunt. Arizona State Archives, Library and Public Records, Phoenix. Curtis, Edward S. 1907– The North American Indian. Plimpton Press, 1930 Norwood, Massachusetts. 1914 Letter of April 20 to George W. P. Hunt. Arizona State Archives, Library and Public Records, Phoenix. Dittemore, Diane 2006 Personal communication. Farish, Thomas E. 1914 Letter of April 29 to George W. P. Hunt. Arizona State Archives, Library and Public Records, Phoenix. Library of Congress 1 n.d. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html. 11. Basket, Jicarilla Apache, c.1900. Sumac. 20 ⁄2" diameter Washington, D.C. (50.8 cm). This basket appears in a Curtis photograph of a San Lomawaima, Hartman Juan woman (Fig. 12). Cat. No. 1982.035.031. 2006 Personal communication. Lyman, Christopher M. 1982 The Vanishing Race and Other Illusions: Photographs 12. From the Threshing Floor — San Juan, by Edward S. of Indians by Edward S. Curtis. Smithsonian Institution Curtis, c.1926. This photograph depicts a San Juan woman Press, Washington, D.C. balancing a Jicarilla Apache basket, now in the museum’s State of Arizona collection, on her head (Fig. 11). 1912 Arizona Sessions Law. Arizona State Archives, Library and Public Records, Phoenix. Whiteford, Andrew Hunter 1988 Southwestern Indian Baskets: Their History and Their Makers. School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Thanks to the research staff at the Arizona State Archives, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix; Ann Marshall and Diana Pardue, the Heard Museum, Phoenix; and Diane Dittemore, Alan Ferg and Hartman Lomawaima, the Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson.
All images, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of the Arizona Capitol Museum, Phoenix.
Brenda McLain is the Curator at the Arizona Capitol Museum, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Phoenix. Tobi Taylor is the Editor of American Indian Art Magazine and Archaeology Southwest.
SUMMER 2006 85 Janus in Cyberspace: Archives on the Threshold of the Digital Era Richard Pearce-Moses Presented at the Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting Washington DC, August 2006
The figure of Janus, the Roman god who looks forward and backward, has always fascinated me. He may be the perfect patron of archivists, and the International Council of Archives uses an image of Janus for its logo. Archivists have one eye to the past, and our profession is commonly associated with history. At the same time, we have an eye to the future, and I believe that is where our focus should be. Although we are committed to preserving the record of what has been, we do so for the future. As the spirit of doorways and arches, Janus is the perfect model for transitions. When passing through a door, one is simultaneously leaving and entering. As such, he is doubly symbolic for archivists. We are always on the threshold between the past and the future, but we are also currently in the midst of an extended transition between the paper and the digital eras.1 The boundary between these two eras is not perfectly distinct, so the transition is not instantaneous. Paper will remain a useful technology for the foreseeable future. I find it almost impossible to write using pen and paper. It’s too slow and I find it easier to revise, reorganize, and rewrite on a PC; but sometimes I resort to paper precisely because it slows me down and forces me to think more carefully. Most of my audio recordings are compact discs, but I still cling to a few vinyl LPs that have not been re-released. I have yet to send an instant message, and I’m of an age where it seems a lot easier to just call my friends and actually talk to them. Even though I’ve been working with computers since 1968, I’m only part way through this transition. The same is true of society as a whole. Records continue to be created and kept in paper formats. If we’ve learned anything from past technological revolutions, old technologies never entirely die. In their excellent book, The Myth of the Paperless Office, Sellen and Harper identified many things paper does much better than a digital counterpart, and there’s no reason to expect people to adopt an inferior technology just because it’s new. Some archivists take comfort in the persistence of paper. Although I’ve heard it less often in recent years, I’m sure all of you have heard a colleague express the sentiment that they’ll stick with paper and avoid learning about electronic records. I’ll wager to guess that some variation of that idea crosses the minds of the vast majority of archivists as they begin to contemplate what it will take to address the challenge of digital records. I believe my exact words to my boss were, “Please don’t make me do electronic records.” I hesitated in spite of significant experience with computers precisely because I knew how hard the task was going to be. Taking comfort in denial or avoidance may be understandable, but that attitude is not going to take us through the doorway. We are not the only profession facing this challenge. Libraries are also grappling with technology. So are records managers. But other, more disparate professions are also struggling to cope with radical change. Lawyers and the courts are exploring the implications of discovery and authenticity of digital documents. Geographers and cartographers can be literally at a loss when data in geographic information systems cannot be migrated. Architects and engineers have had to learn computer-aided design. Moreover, we face this challenge in our personal lives as digital cameras and video, computers, PDAs, iPods and other technologies capture our memories in digital formats.
1 As an aside, I hope you will forgive me if – in the interest of brevity – I use the word ‘paper’ to encompass film, tape, wire, and a host of other media, as well as textual, graphic, audio, and other formats. Janus in the Digital Era (v 3) / p. 2
While we can see through the digital doorway, we can’t see far. Each door to the future is followed by a seemingly infinite number of doors, choices to make and choices imposed on us. Not too long ago, planning documents looked out three to five years. Today, technology is changing so rapidly that we’re lucky to be able to project eighteen months with any accuracy. Nevertheless, we know something about the digital era because we already have one foot through that door. Computers are becoming commodities; we’ll use handhelds that are as cheap and commonplace as legal pads to access and work with our data across a pervasive network. Today, the Web is a realization of Vannevar Bush’s memex, and we’ll have access to even more information in the future. Wikis, Amazon, and Google show us how people can work asynchronously and collectively to build useful resources, and we’ll see more and more online collaboration tools. And particularly important to archivists, we’ll see changes in public expectations of access to information. We already see naïve notions that “if it’s not on the Web, it doesn’t exist,” an attitude fully realized in the movie Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.” What might archives look like in this digital future? While we can’t predict the future accurately, we can consider a variety of futures and develop contingency plans. Considering a variety of scenarios is a useful exercise. The simplest approach considers three scenarios: things stay the same, things get bad, and things get better. I would like to offer some of my own thoughts on those scenarios with the caveat that Council has not gone through this exercise and all opinions are my own.
Status Quo I’ll start with the scenario that I think is easiest to address, the status quo. I’ll dismiss this scenario because it’s not realistic. Consider the records created today that you will want to acquire for your archives. Familiar formats are being digitally transformed. Correspondence is email. Diaries are now blogs. Typescripts are word processing files. Reports are web pages. The advent of technology has fundamentally changed the nature of records and recordkeeping, and the pace of change continues. Frequently people have tried to reframe the problem. Often this approach offers some insightful and elegant solutions. However, if it’s nothing more than spin, the problem will persist. For example, I’ve seen some records professionals try to narrow the scope of the problem by redefining what they consider to be a record. This approach simplifies the problem by reducing the number of records to manage, but with the unfortunate result that some interesting, valuable materials may be lost. More practically, they can’t oblige others to use their definition. In many contexts, and especially in litigation, the only definition of record that matters is the one in the statutes.
Worst Case Scenario Maybe I should say that the status quo is the worst case scenario. Some archivists are working hard to address the issues of digital records. Although I often speak of “new skills for a digital era,” a few archivists have been working with digital materials for decades. The problem is that the skills are new to many in the profession. In this bleak scenario, our profession fails to adapt to the digital era. Not enough archivists master the new skills. We linger before the door so long that it closes or others pass through before us and take our place. Archivists are relegated to collections of paper materials, and as more and more records are in digital format, we’re largely forgotten. People looking for records don’t ask for an archivist, but for someone else. I’d argue that this possibility is very real. I’ve observed that when someone approaches an organization about records, they are often directed to someone
Janus in the Digital Era (v 3) / p. 3 buried under middle management. But if they ask about electronic records, they’re directed to the office of the CIO in upper management. In a dark view of the future, records of enduring value are lost and poorly organized. People can’t find the records they need, and when they do, those records are hard to use, understand, or trust. We will have lost our social memory. I believe that society entrusts archivists with preserving our cultural record and documentary heritage. If we fail to adapt to the digital era, we will necessarily fail that mandate.
Best Case Scenario I don’t want to come across as a pessimist while talking about this worst case scenario. I don’t believe that we are condemned to this bleak future, but neither are we are assured a best case scenario. In a brighter vision of the future, society has a rich cultural record and documentary heritage because archivists have mastered the skills to thrive in the digital era. We’ve passed through a variety of doors and solved the problems of selecting, acquiring, and preserving the fragile digital records that hold society’s memories. These records are well organized and easy to use. We will have found a way to harness technology to do our jobs better. People use archives frequently, in part because they find it so easy to get the information they need. As important, they trust us because we offer them valuable assistance. In this best case scenario, no one ever asks, “What is an archivist?” because we’re an integral part of people’s lives. Records are more than a commodity. Archives are more than a place. Records are reliable, authentic memory always present in people’s lives. Archives are the focus of a dynamic community, connecting people to each other, to their past, and to their future. Is this fantasy? Beth Yakel, Polly Reynolds, and the next generation finding aid team at the University of Michigan have used a content management engine to transform an online collection. Patrons can add comments to the finding aid and ask the archivist questions. But theyʹve gone a step further, with the finding aid actively suggesting relevant content based on searches, much like Amazon suggests books. The collection shows potential for creating community when one patron began answering another patronʹs questions and suggesting other sources.2
Creating Our Own Scenario No doubt, the reality of the future will look different from both these scenarios. And there’s no question that the future holds a variety of outcomes for archivists and their archives. Some may find themselves in the worst case, some in the best case, and most somewhere in between. Ultimately, these scenarios are fantasy. William Faulkner said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”3 We can make our own destiny. If we want to realize the best case scenario, we will have to make choices and take responsibility for our future. We cannot be passive.
Becoming Comfortable with Digits – New Skills To succeed, we should begin by getting a rich understanding of digital records that matches our knowledge of paper records (and to reiterate my aside, all “traditional” records media and formats). Few archivists – few people – recognize that pen and paper are technologies. Because
2 “The Next Generation Finding Aid: The Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections.” Case study presented at the New Skills for a Digital Era colloquium, 1 June 2006. Online at http://rpm.lib.az.us/newskills/CaseStudies/8_Yakel_Reynolds.pdf [checked 25 July 2006]. 3 Requiem for a Nun (1951). A note of appreciation for the staff of the Phoenix Public Library for helping me locate this quote.
Janus in the Digital Era (v 3) / p. 4 they have been surrounded by paper their entire life and learned about it by interacting with documents innumerable times, they are unaware of the depth of this tacit knowledge. By contrast, few people are as familiar with digital technology as they are with paper. The new, digital world is virtual, not tangible. In some case, the laws of physics no longer apply; in games we can fly, we have the power of magic, and we can command armies. I’m not sure how flying might help us with digital archives, but magic and commanding armies could really help with backlogs. In all seriousness, we have to appreciate that the fundamental nature of records has changed in the digital environment. Fortunately, much work has been done here. Pioneers have helped map the lay of the land. Luciana Duranti mapped diplomatics onto electronic records, and the intersection of medieval and contemporary records threw many of the qualities of virtual records and recordkeeping into relief. David Levy’s reflections on the future of the document in the digital era offers profound insights into how people use – and will continue to use – records.4 But we need to translate that theoretical, academic knowledge to practical knowledge that can be applied in specific instances. In addition to this theoretical and applied knowledge, archivists should become as comfortable working with digital records as they are working with traditional media. Instead of pen and paper, we will work with cursor and keyboard. Instead of sorters, we will work with sorting algorithms. Rather than weeding, we will filter. With few exceptions, all archivists will need what we now call technical skills as the vast majority of contemporary and future records will be digital. Different archivists will need different technical skills, and no archivist is likely to need all skills. But all will need some skills. Work with electronic records will not be a job for specialists as the majority of records will be digital. No doubt, some archivists will continue to specialize, but their specializations will be specific to the digital arena: databases, image and audio formats, and metadata, but also user interfaces, search systems, and digital preservation.
Soft Skills Archivists continue to need “soft” skills in addition to these technical skills. In many ways, these soft skills are not new. We have always needed to be able to negotiate, to communicate, to manage change, and to market our products and services. We will continue to use these skills with patrons, donors, administrators, staff, the media, and others. In the digital era, we need to learn how to work with a pantheon of technologists, including network administrators, web masters, programmers, database administrators, and more. In particular, I think we should put more emphasis on strategic thinking. What we need is a big-picture view. In 1878, the head of Western Union declined to buy Alexander Graham Bell’s patents for the telephone, and by 1910 AT&T had acquired a controlling interest in Western Union.5 Today we live in an Amazoogle world, where people expect comprehensive information, accessible 24 × 7, offering immediate gratification, and customized to the consumer.6 How should we respond so that we’re remembered with the likes of Bell, rather than Western Union? Wouldn’t you like to know what role archives will play in the digital era? Looking at trends, identifying key forces, and developing scenarios will help us understand how others see us and how we can meet changing need. However, Alane Wilson, who helped write OCLC’s environmental scan, noted that libraries – and I suspect archives – pay less attention to these
4 Scrolling Forward: Making Sense of Documents in the Digital Age (Arcade, 2001). 5 Alane Wilson, “Scanning for Planning.” Presented at Computers in Libraries (Washington DC, 2006). 6 Coined by Lorcan Dempsey, OCLC Vice President of Research.
Janus in the Digital Era (v 3) / p. 5 external factors, and concentrate more on internal statements of vision, mission, and goals.7 Unless we pay attention to external factors, we may be planning for the wrong future, the wrong door. Michael Stephens says librarians must sharpen their skills to respond to Web 2.0. He suggests a number of skills that I believe are essential to archivists in the digital era. We need trendspotters, who watch the horizon for any changes in the environment – often outside the world of archives – that could impact what we do and where we need to go. We need embracers, who find creative, practical uses for new technologies. We need planners and evaluators to ensure that technology meets our patrons’ needs and is used appropriately.8 We may want to put as much emphasis on environmental scans, trend spotting, and future studies as we do on history. As I said earlier, archivists have an eye to the past and to the future, and I believe our focus belongs primarily on the future. We cannot predict the future, but we can influence it and confront it in more informed ways.
Becoming Comfortable in the Digital Work – Attitudes We need more than knowledge and skills to thrive in the digital world. We need new attitudes. A new frontier lies on the other side of the digital doorway, and it’s not for the faint of heart. We need archivists who are early adopters; people who are excited, rather than intimidated, by new technology and innovations. We need risk takers; archivists who are willing to try something new, and when confronted with failure, keep trying something over and over until they master it. We need people who are problem solvers. We need creativity. What could be better than living during a time of great potential? Opportunities abound for innovation in every aspect of our profession. Boxes won’t help us get e- records across the archival threshold; we need new ways to transfer records. Acquisitions won’t be infested with vermin, but there may be nasty viruses. Patrons may see little value in finding aids in an age of full-text searches. Digital technology has enormous potential benefits to the profession and to our patrons. It offers us new ways to work more effectively and efficiently. To do that, we need to find new ways to do our jobs. We need the initiative and drive – possibly impetuousness – to dive in and begin working with digital materials. We’re entering risky territory, leaving the comfortable behind. We can’t wait until we have everything figured out. I didn’t want to start working with electronic records because I knew there was a real chance of failure. I am enormously grateful to my friend Fynnette Eaton, who counseled me early on: Whatever we do, we may fail; but if we do nothing, failure is guaranteed. We may need a dose of reality now and again. We can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the possible. Capturing snapshots from a geographic information system is not as desirable as preserving the entire system, but it’s better than nothing. Capturing a PDF of a spreadsheet means that underlying formulas are lost, but it’s better than nothing. Good enough is by no means our ultimate goal. We must constantly strive to do better. We need archivists who will focus on what we can do. Let us celebrate the reality of what we can accomplish, rather than bemoan the dream we did not fully realize. As much as anything, we need patience and optimism to sustain us when the going gets rough. I encourage you to turn to your colleagues and friends in the profession. They may be the
7 Wilson, ibid. 8 Michael Stephens, “Into a New World of Librarianship.” Part of the article “Web 2.0: Where will it take Libraries.” NextSpace 2 (2006), p. 8. Available online at http://www.oclc.org/nextspace/002/1.htm [checked 24 July 2006].
Janus in the Digital Era (v 3) / p. 6 greatest source of these precious virtues when you feel overwhelmed and you find your reserves running low.
The Face of Archival Identity I believe that the transition into the digital era will have a significant impact on the face of the profession. Many representations of Janus show one face without a beard, the other face with. He has changed; he has aged. But fundamentally, he is the same person. I believe that, like Janus, the digital archivist will look different, but will be fundamentally the same. Archivists are doing more and more with technology, as technologists are working more and more with records. As we adapt the archival skill set to the digital era and as other disciplines address the challenge of e-records, the boundaries between the professions will blur. With all respect, is our guest Brewster Kahle, the head of the Internet Archive, an archivist or a technologist? We do ourselves a disservice when we try to answer this question in absolute terms. I have advocated for an inclusive definition of archivists, especially within the Society of American Archivists. We should welcome those who share and support our core principles and goals. • Archivists select and keep records that have enduring value as reliable memories of the past. • We organize our collections so that the information in the records can be found and interpreted in proper context. • We help people use and understand those records. • We protect records from degradation, ensuring that they remain accessible over time. • Archivists know that “what is past is prologue,” that history informs and influences the future. • We understand the importance of authenticity and trustworthiness. • We are driven by knowledge that records play a key role in holding people and organizations accountable. Even as the world around us changes, these principles and goals define our profession and remain unchanged.
Through the Digital Looking Glass and What Janus Found There Embracing the new does not mean discarding the old wholesale. During the past year, I talked with many people about my idea that how we do our job changes, but what we do remains the same. After many conversations about what we do and how we do it, I believe this idea is fundamentally correct. Catherine Stollar and Thomas Kiehne expressed it more eloquently when they say “why we do it will not change ,”9 stressing motivation rather than activity. Much of archival knowledge transfers directly to the digital era, and established principles give us insight into solutions. Alien territory lies beyond the digital doorway. Each day we make choices. We are confronted with many small doors every day, and we have the opportunity to decide whether to pass through them. Many days, we choose the familiar and routine. Some days we may choose the default because we don’t see options or because we’re exhausted by the pace of change. If we are to make progress, we’re going to have to pass through those doors and learn about this new world. That means more than learning about information technology. It also means learning
9 “Guarding the Guards: Archiving the Electronic Records of Hypertext Author Michael Joyce.” Case study presented at the New Skills for a Digital Era colloquium, 31 May – 2 June 2006, National Archives and Records Administration (Washington, DC). Available online at http://rpm.lib.az.us/NewSkills/CaseStudies/ 4_Stollar_Kiehne.pdf (checked 17 July 2006).
Janus in the Digital Era (v 3) / p. 7 about the changed legal, business, economic, cultural, scientific, political, and social contexts of the digital era. Feeling overwhelmed? The challenge is daunting. We can’t be intimidated. I encourage you by reminding you of the adage, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We don’t have to have everything figured out and planning before we start. The essence of strategic thinking is about direction, not about steps. We have a vision of where to go, and we figure out the path as we go along. Many may feel paralyzed because they don’t know what to do. The key is: We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the possible. Ask yourself, What can I do today? No matter how small, do something. It may be as simple as accessioning a disk with word processing files. You may not know how you’ll keep those files accessible into the future, but at least you have them and you have a chance of preserving them. Create a finding aid for the files on that disk. It may not be full text access, but you’ll have some means of letting your patrons know about the materials. Put the finding aid online so that the world knows about the collection. Start developing a plan to migrate that data and keep it alive. The more you do, the more you know. The more you know, the more you can do. I strongly encourage you to learn some basic, applied technical knowledge. Not so that you can build a website or design a database, but so that you’ll have a better understanding of the digital environment. I also encourage you to hone some of those “soft” skills. Maybe you’ll find your strengths as an embracer or a trendspotter. Remember Eaton’s words: Whatever we do, we may fail; but if we do nothing, failure is guaranteed. I offer them as encouragement. My sense is that many archivists fear failure. Eaton gave me permission to fail and gave me comfort when I did fail. But more importantly, they gave me the courage and initiative to do something, and without that, I would still be standing on the wrong side of the digital doorway. Ultimately, to thrive in this world, to realize the best case scenario, we need the spirit and attitudes of pioneers. We need the courage and – maybe more important, the desire – to step outside our comfort zones. We need the willingness to leave what is comfortable and familiar and to pass through the doorway to the unknown. If we learn to be comfortable taking risks, we can take a leading role on the digital frontier. We can be pioneers – first through the door, scoping the terrain, and figuring out what to do next. And if we are on the leading edge, we will be better positioned to fulfill our social mandate of preserving the cultural record.
Acknowledgements I wish to thank the many individuals who commented on drafts of this paper, including David Gracy and the students in his advanced archives course at the University of Arizona’s School of Information Resources and Library Science, including [names]. Others include Cal Lee, Robert Spindler, Mark A. Greene, Pat Galloway, Ken Thibodeau.
! ""#$ %&
'! ( ') * ) * ' + + ! ' , * ! )- + . ! % + ( ! ' ( ! / ! / ( )0 ! %+ ! ( 1+$ % ' ( )+' % 2 + 3 )- ( ' ! % ( + ( + ( ( ! )
$ . + % '! ! 4 ! 5 ) + ! ! ! ) ( ( ' ! )
$ ++ + , ++' + + (( ' ( )5 6 (%'( 6 ( ' ' (() + !( ( ( 7$ ! ! 6 ! ) + + 8 + + ' ! 6/ 6 + 9 : /+ ) ! * ( 6 ( ) ! % ) % 6 6( % !( * ) ' ( ( + ( * 9 ):
!+ !%! 9 * ( ! ( ): ( % )- + ! )- ( 6 !%( ( + ' ) %+ 6) !%+ ! (( +) +* + +)
' (( )
0 ! 1 + ! ( !) - % & . % + ( ) ; % . % (
- !6( ( ))))- 6( ( ( (( ( !( )
* ' ) ( ( ! * + ! < %9- 7:
! % < + - + . %13% .)- ( ( < + 6( + ' + = (+ ! ( + < ) * ((! ! < % ( ! 1 >1?% . ! >.?% 8 . 0 ! + '( ) +( .* + 5 )
% . ! ! % ( ) - * 8 ( + + + + 7( !+ ( ) * ! + +( )
@ . ! ! ( )! + + ( (% + )( + ! % (( ) + *! %+ ( ! ) * ! ' ! % + ()5 6 (% ( ( ( * (( = *+ ) + ! + * ! ! (( =+ ! ' * % 8 * !)
@ $ ( + ( ) ( ! ) $ + ! ) ' ( ( ( ( ( % % !) * * ! ( ) - ! !% + ! !) % ' + ! % 6 % ( )- + + + ( ( ) . ) ( !% !
'( ! % ( ) !% ( %+ + , + ' ( ( ( ) ! ( ( ( . ; (* A B * )
1 % ! + + + ( +) 1 + ( ( , ! ( )- ( % +* + ! * + ) % ( %+ % + ! )
- ' < %9- 7:0 +' + ' + 3 % - . % !< ) ; ! + ! ! + + '+ , ) ' )
.(!( % )$% ( % , ! + ()
! ' + % ! )! ) + ' % * 0!* ! * !" )
++ ! )
@ ! ) * ( !% ' + ) % * ' + + ' ) < (( ' + % ( (( ' + ' ')
@ * ' ) % * ( ) !' % (( + + ' ). (( =+ + '+ ! ( ) . (( * 6 = (( 8 + 8 ( ! !+ 8 )
@ * ' ) ! ( ! )- '' ( + ! % 6( + + + )
C + !% < 9- 7: 9- + 7: + ' ' * (( ' + < ! !)- ' 7:
@ ! '7 . ( ( ( % ( ) - !+ + ! ( % ! ! ' + 6 ( ()
@ < % 7 3 ! ( )- %( ! ! ( ( ) > ! ( * ( ) * ( ( !)?
@ , ! ! ( 7 ( ( ! ( ). !% + ) ' + ' ( ( (6 ( ! )
. * ( ( (( ) !%! ! + ')B !!+ ! + + ! 8 ) + ( + % ) * ' ( ( != % + + ) ' (( ) %+ '+ ! + )
1 + ! * , ( ! * + '+ %! * + < )9- 7: %! ' + + < ) B + ! + ! ) ( )< %9; + 7:
#$ %++ * 6 < )- % ' () %+ ( + ' ) - ! ! < * ! ! * ! %
D (! + ') ' + + ()
$ %+ < )- ! 6 < % '( ! +* ) %+ ' ( + !% '( ! + ( ( ) - ! (( ( + ' + '( )
> ?$ - + < ( ( %+' ( % 8 %+ 8 % + ) %++ )- ! + !(% E0 5) %+ ( ) ;% ' + ( ! ( + = 6 (% + ' + ( % 5%E0% )- ' + % + ( ) , %+ ' + + 6( ! ( + ( 6 +% !+ '! + ( )- ' + + ! ( , )
$- +* %+ ' ( , ( )- +( ( '% +( (! ) - ( % + ! ( (! ) %( + ( , % ( )5 %++ ( ) ! + + !/ ! / ) ( ++ ) 5 F 6 + )5 - . - - 6 + )- ! ( ( , )'!% + ( , ' !( + ' ! )
- ! ') '% ! + '+ ( ( ) 2 + + ' / + !( !+ + ! !/ ! '! 6( ! )
' )- ' + ! ' !+ ! )- ' + ! 6( ( , )
' ! ( ) ! % ! ' + ( % % !
G ) * + * ! ) * , ( ) ' + ( !( ( ) * ( 6 !+ ) % * (+ ' % + + ' ') ( ( ' ( ! ' 0 6 ( ! ( + )
- ! ' +( % ! ' + + ' ( (( ) ( ) ) ' ) % ' + % % % % )$ %++ ( ( ) %++ ! + (( % ! ( )
- ( ( ' ( ( !+ 0 6 ( % * 6( ( ! ) ( + ) 5 % ( !+ + ! + ). % + + ' ' ) ' ( 0 6 ) 46( + !( ) ' + + ' ! % ! ! ) ! + % + + > + * ? ) % = ( + % ( + * + % + ) ; ++ + 6( 7
. ( ( + ( 8 % + ( 8 ( ( ) * ) ' ! + ' +/+ 6( /+ '+ ) . ( ( ' * 6 ). / ! / ! * ' + ) ! %9 * '):! ! ) + + ' + '% + ') ( ( , = ( ! + + !% !% ( )
* +' ) - + ) --- ! H+ %+ +)*4 + % * )- + ! ( =( (+ 6 % %! + ! ) - ' '=( (+ + ! +% + + '( !
# ! ) - ( (+ ( )
( %+ ( ! ( )- ( (+ + + + )0 ! + + (% + ! 8)
( 8 ( !% * ) + !)- + %+ ! ) + % ) * ! + ( ) !% ! ! ) $ ( !8 ) 4 ! ( %' '% ( ( + ) * !' = ! ' ! ) !' + + (' ( )
* ! ' ' + (( ) ) . % '( (! ! + + ) * + )& !! )& 8 ' . + ' + ! (/ + ) - + ' + % + + ) + * + % ! ) + % '! ) *+ + * ) ! +%+ + ! % ' + * + * ( +* 8 )
!% *( 8 +' + ) ; +% ! ' + ) + + = * ! ++ + ) 5 ! + * + % * < ' ( ( ++ (( ) )- ! ( ( ( )
' % ' % + )
I Advocacy - Misunderstood, Misused and Essential GladysAnn Wells, State Librarian, Arizona
Librarians, especially teacher librarians, care. We care about our institutions, our services, our patrons, about our society. It often frustrates us that those feelings are not always returned. Therefore, we turn to advocacy as an answer. The obvious solution, to us, is that "they" do not know or do not understand. We therefore charge off to rectify the situation-- knowing that we understand and we can explain...and all will be well. Wrong.
The first rule of advocacy is that you cannot do it for yourself or for your own institution. As Robert Martin explained in a WHCLIST Pre-conference presentation in April 2003, if we trace the word advocacy to its source, it means ‘one who pleads the cause of another.’ We often forget that we have a vested interest in our own success, and in the success of our institutions. We may forget that, but the policy makers, decision makers and resource allocators will not. We can explain, describe, answer questions artfully; but we cannot advocate. It is always best to find someone who understands the importance of what we do to speak for us....it will carry much more weight.
Second, know your history. Whatever your issue, it probably has a past in your community. (I use the word community to refer to a town, a school, a legislature, whatever the context, we all serve a community.) Know what that past is all about. Know where the past efforts failed and, if possible, know why. Research the details, rehearse the plausible scenarios, and think about the opinions that stopped your issue from being successful in the past. Never dismiss past obstacles. The past has a way of tripping up the present.
Third, study your context. Know the environment that surrounds your work. (It will be fruitless, and perhaps harmful, to ask for more funding in a time of serious retrenchment.) As a part of knowing your context, study the decision and policy makers--the ‘resource allocators’ as Robert Martin terms them. Basically, know as much as you can about the people who make the critical decisions about your work. Above all be aware that in our society, those individuals define the social good. Again as Robert Martin stated, "Politics serves as the final arbiter of public value." (p. 7) However we might struggle to educate or explain to those elected to public service, they, not we, are the final decision makers. What they care about, what reality they see, and how they perceive our work is critical to our success.
Fourth, build connections BEFORE you need them. Think of your contacts as a savings account. Determine well in advance of your need: - who might be willing to help you, - who can stop you and - what each of them might want that you could supply. Do you have a principal who believes that science is the answer to all of society's problems? Start by talking with them and supplying new, super, phenomenal information about the role of science in building society. Later, when you need that person's support, they might remember you were caring and conscientious about their interest....and be willing to listen and perhaps help.
Fifth, find partners to share the load and to give your issue broader appeal. Partners are more defined and more interactive than contacts. Connections start with contacts and build toward partnerships. BUT always try to understand why someone partners with you in any cause--try to know what is in it for them. Few partnerships are simply altruistic...most find a common cause and work for goals that somehow benefit both. That is not a bad thing, it is what is. Be aware of the reality and work within that frame of reference.
Sixth, understand the weak spots of your issue. Even if you cannot fix them (you need tons of money and there is very little available), know what they are and plan ahead how you will address the questions that will come. It is not enough to care about important things - important things are ignored unless they are presented in a compelling manner, with realistic goals, and with committed partners, in terms the resource allocators can understand and with which they identify.
Finally, be flexible...learn that there is always another day. Sometimes all that can be accomplished is a discussion on the public record. • Outlast your non-partners - quietly, with elegance and accurate information. • Believe and trust that there is always another day. • Never win battles and lose wars. • Retreat with dignity is almost always an option. Learn from it and try again.
In summary, be careful of the vast difference between selling and marketing. There is room for both, but be sure you know which you are doing. Once more to quote Robert Martin:
"In the business world, trying to convince an individual or group to purchase the product or service that you make or provide is called selling. Marketing, in contrast, is asking a group or individual what product or service that they want to buy, and then developing a product or service that meets the specified demand." (p. 8)
We all have three choices in life: (1) put up or shut up, (2) go somewhere else, or (3) seek to change the situation within the context and by the rules you are given. No one should be able to do the latter better than librarians. Take heart....and try.
Reference
Martin, Dr. Robert S. (2003) “Beyond Advocacy: Building Community Partnerships in the New Century” WHCLIST Preconference, Houston.
ENGAGING YOUR COMMUNITY: LIBRARIES AS PLACE
SPEAKERS: Robert Martin, Louise Blaylock, GladysAnn Wells Introduction and summary by Milton T. Wolf
“The children using the libraries represented by the American Association of School Librarians today are the students who will be using the libraries represented by the Association of College and Research Libraries tomorrow, and all of them are the Public Library Association’s patrons of the future. These are not separate universes. United, they are the roadmap for a productive lifetime of reading, learning, and fulfillment.”— Leonard Kniffel, American Libraries, September 2005.
THE FACELESS USER LOOKING FOR FACES
For the majority of people looking for information today, the beginning of a search process usually begins on the Web. For scientists, in particular, the next step is usually an examination of preprints in their discipline (or email inquiries to colleagues). The third step of investigation generally occurs at conferences, either through formal presentations or networking. And, the fourth step finally involves looking at book(s). So books, what many associate with the Library’s traditional raison d’etre, are no longer the research/information draw that once brought patrons to the Library—even the Public Library.
And, while Library circulation, especially in Public Libraries, is way up, many, if not most, come to the Library to access e-mail, the Web or other electronic resources; but, since electronic resources, even if paid for by the Library, can generally be accessed remotely by those with computers at home, office or wherever, there are no longer the traditional reasons for visiting the Library, especially in the academic environment. Yet the so-called “faceless user” has actually made Libraries more desirable for its faces, for the opportunity to meet and form communities!
Even “Virtual Reference,” which has swept across the country, and is an excellent example of how Libraries are learning to bridge the gap of the “faceless user,” is but another reminder that Libraries are transforming socially. In many places this service is 24/7, yet few realize that the majority of those seeking Virtual Reference services are teenagers! According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project (2005), teenage use of the Internet has burgeoned immensely, so much so that the majority of teenagers between 12 and 17 are online with great regularity. They are not only playing games; they are seeking a variety of information topics, including health information. They seem to understand intuitively that “what you don’t know can really hurt you in life!”
This is just one more example of how different generations are reacting to and using technological advances in the information field. And, believe it or not, the largest demographic group of new email users are those 55 years and older!
At the same time, the Library as place, as a cultural context in which society renews and refreshes itself, where community reshapes and energizes itself, has emerged as a cornerstone of the Library’s essence. However, a Library that only understands part of the demographic mosaic of its clientele, or worse, thinks its clientele all want the same thing, is not going to fare well in building community, or evolving the Library as “place.” Even on academic campuses, only a third of the 16 million students are the traditional 18- 22 year old fulltime cohort, so if the Library is to become a catalyst in bringing the diverse elements of community together, it must learn to cross generational divides as much as digital and technological ones.
While the concept of Library is going through a monumental sea change that is, in many ways, bringing it back to its philosophical roots: the agora, the place where people “meet and greet,” exchange pleasantries and news, have something to eat and drink, and even gather information; and while technology has made it possible to access information from home, hotel, or wherever the computer can be connected, people are social creatures and are attracted to the Library because it is one of the few institutions that has a long history of welcoming the diverse groups that create community—all without charging fees!
After all, the user of the school library often goes on to become a user of the college/university library and the public library, especially as our nation becomes ever more one of lifetime learners. Realizing that Libraries, no matter whether they serve town and gown or more specialized commercial interests, are more alike than different when it comes to serving the interests of its community, Milton T. Wolf, Director of the King College Library at Chadron State College, invited three of the best thinkers and practitioners of the art of building communities to share their insights at the 25th Annual Charleston Conference.
These three notable public servants were asked to present and discuss the importance of “community” in institutions and how to develop, encourage, and sustain it. The three speakers, (1) Dr. Robert Martin, formerly the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and now serving as the Lillian Moore Bradshaw Endowed Chair at Texas Woman’s University, (2) Louise Blaylock, Chief Librarian at the Hartford Public Library and past recipient of Library Journal’s prestigious “Librarian of the Year” award, and (3) GladysAnn Wells, Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records and past president of COSLA, all agreed that librarians must stimulate their constituents and act as a catalyst in making the library a “place” for community expression.
Remarks of Robert S. Martin Twenty Fifth Charleston Conference November 4, 2005
My thinking about this subject has lately been informed by the arguments that Mark Moore makes in his very important book, Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Moore is a professor at the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard. He has spent a lot of time working with public sector managers. He has developed a detailed analysis of what public managers should do, and a framework for judging their success.
Moore asserts that just as the aim of the manager in the private sector is to produce private value, in the form of revenue, profit, and capital growth, so too the aim of managerial work in the public sector is to produce public value.
In a sense, really, this is a no-brainer: if public enterprises do not create value for the public, then why would they be formed or continue to exist? The problem, of course, is how do you define and measure public value?
Moore describes a number of frames of reference or standards that have been used for reckoning public value, and concludes that none of the standard approaches or concepts really provides the best way to define public value. Moore argues that value is rooted in the desires and perceptions of individuals. In the private sector, private individual consumption is the final arbiter of value: profit and capital growth results from the accumulation of a myriad of individual decisions to satisfy desires by purchasing a product or a service. In the public sector, politics serves as the final arbiter of public value. The desires and perception of individuals are expressed through representative government. And therefore managers need to pay attention to politics to define the value that they are expected to produce.
There are three key concepts in Moorer’s discussion about public value that I would like to call your attention to. The first of these is that value is determined not by the providers of services, but by the consumers. In other words, we do not get to decide what is valuable, our users or customers do. And this means that if we want to offer services that the public will value and support, it is imperative that we listen carefully and systematically to our elected officials and resource allocators to understand fully their agendas, their concerns, and their goals. And then we need to take care to explain how libraries can help them achieve their goals and advance their agendas.
This is essentially a marketing approach. I am both amused and dismayed by the way librarians usually talk about “marketing.” In the discourse of our profession, “marketing” is often used as a synonym for “advertising” or “selling.” We use it to describe efforts to create awareness about services we provide and to promote appreciation for the work we do. That’s not marketing, that’s sales. In the business world, trying to convince an individual or group to purchase the product or service that you make or provide is called selling. Marketing, in contrast, is asking a group or individual what product or service that they want to buy, and then developing a product or service that meets the identified demand.
So what we need to do is real marketing. We need to use marketing tools like focus groups and surveys to provide structured ways to listen to the communities we seek to serve. And we do not need to ask them about what we do that they like and do not like. We need to pursue truly deep inquiries into what they want and need to make their lives better. And then we need to fashion programs and services that meet those needs and desires. For example, it is far less important to ask users what hours they want the library to be open than it is to ask them what their goals and needs are, and then think creatively about what we can do to help them achieve their goals or fulfill their needs. Ask them what are the issues in their daily lives that they care most about, and then respond appropriately.
The second key concept in Moore’s discussion of public value is the notion of distinctive competence, the thing that is core to the organization and that it does better than any other organization—what one of my professors used to call “our propitious niche.” To succeed in strategic management, it is imperative to focus on the core of the enterprise, to stick to our knitting. First, however, we must carefully define what our core business is.
Contrary to what we often hear in the rhetoric of the profession, the distinctive competence of libraries is not in providing access to information. Although libraries and librarians are indeed good at acquiring, organizing, and retrieving and transmitting information, there is nothing distinctive about that competence. There are many other professions (from accountant to information architect) who can claim such expertise, and many other organizations that can provide good information services.
Instead, I think, the distinctive competence of all libraries is to provide the resources and services that stimulate and support the creation and dissemination of knowledge—in other words, education. Perhaps it would be better to say that libraries—all libraries—are in the business of creating and sustaining learners—learners of all ages.
It should not be necessary to argue that the primary function of school libraries and academic libraries is to support education—that is their raison d’etre. But in recent years I think that we have forgotten that the primary role of the public library is education, in the broadest and best sense of the term. In developing resources and services in response to identified and defined needs in the communities we serve, we must take care to remain focused on this distinctive competence. Education is what the public expects from the library, and education is what communities value.
Another key element in Moore’s analysis of creating value is that we have to evaluate and demonstrate impact. That is one reason why the Institute of Museum and Library Services has been providing training to all grantees in outcome-based evaluation, and is requiring grantees to develop outcome-based measures for the success of their projects. We librarians simply have to do a better job of demonstrating the value that we provide to the communities that we serve. This does not mean that we have to quantify everything—good stories are important too. The best kind of evaluation of outcomes is when the library is so enmeshed in its community that the community can not imagine operating without it.
Of course, none of this focus on creating and demonstrating value is really new. In 1920, John Cotton Dana wrote "All public institutions … should give returns for their cost; and those returns should be in good degree positive, definite, visible, measurable. The goodness of a [library] is not in direct ratio to the cost of its building and the upkeep thereof, or to the rarity, auction value, or money cost of its collections. A [library] is good only insofar as it is of use....Common sense demands that a publicly supported institution do something for its supporters and that some part at least of what it does be capable of clear description and downright valuation." I believe that the foundation for successful advocacy for libraries lies in ensuring that libraries create public value.
In her article in the November, 2002 issue of American Libraries, Joey Rodger of the Urban Libraries Council draws a clear distinction between being an advocate and being a player. “Advocates go out into the community and say ‘library, library, library’,” Rodger says. “Players go out, listen, and then say ‘economic development, child safety, literacy. Here’s how we can help.’ There’s no question about who is welcome at more tables, or who is more valuable,” she says.
A colleague of mine likes to say that everything that libraries do is about solving problems. Individuals come to libraries not to find information, for example, but to solve some problem. That problem may be serious, like how to cope with a life-threatening disease, or how to prepare for licensure in one’s occupation. Or it may be as trivial as how to waste an afternoon in pleasant relaxation. Libraries solve problems, for individuals and for communities.
The point is simple: we who love libraries and who see ourselves as library advocates do not advocate for libraries because we like libraries. We advocate for libraries because we believe in the good work that libraries do, the difference that they make in our lives and in our communities. So if we want to be successful in helping libraries achieve those goals of community service, we need to stop being perceived as advocates for libraries, and start working to be perceived as advocates for community solutions. We need to align ourselves with the agendas of our elected officials and resource allocators. Whether it is the local councilman whose primary priority is economic development, the congressman who is most interested in workforce development in his district, or the University Provost who wants to provide demonstrable measure of teaching and learning achievement on her campus, libraries can offer indispensable assistance in achieving those goals. We should strive to find the appropriate place for the library at the tables where decisions about these issues are being decided.
Another way to look at this is to return to the original definition of “advocate:” one who pleads the call of another. From this frame of reference, librarians (and library supporters) can not really be library advocates, since in pleading the cause of libraries they are pleading their own cause. Perhaps what is more important, they are perceived by others as pursuing their self-interest. Instead, we need to be advocates for the priorities of our resource allocators and elected officials, and for the communities that we seek to serve.
Here are the things I think we need to do to create public value and thus become players and partners rather than advocates: 1. Focus on our distinctive competence, which is in providing the resources and services that support learners of all ages; 2. Use marketing effectively, listening to our elected officials and our communities to identify their needs, and responding in creative and innovative ways to deliver what they want and need; 3. Evaluate our services for value, and communicate effectively about the value that we provide our communities;
In short, do not be an advocate, be a player, solve problems, create value. If you do, you will find that you have gone beyond advocacy to being a partner in the political process.
Remarks of Louise Blaylock
Louise Blaylock, implored the audience to “get out from behind your desks” and “walk the local beat” to find out what your community wants and needs. Louise quickly “bulleted” the audience with these questions:
• Is your library relevant in the face of o rapidly changing modes of learning? o rapidly changing faculty research needs and teaching strategies? o a rapidly changing student body? o rapidly changing technology? • Are your audiences changing faster than you are? • Are you a Boomer – and they’re Millenials? • Does the campus community value the library’s services? • Is the Web and increasing amounts of free scholarly material making your library obsolete? • Are fiscal restraints making it increasingly difficult to meet rising expectations from students, faculty and the community?
I think the reason these questions may be eating at you is because you are in the same place I found myself when I arrived in Hartford. Then, we were not engaging our users. We were serving fewer and fewer customers – with yesterday’s services! But we were safe behind our desks! Where are you? Are you behind your desk? I think you need to engage every segment of your – to link their needs to your resources and expertise – developing and changing resources as you listen and learn.
When I say, YOU – I mean all library staff members. Involve all library staff – at all levels – from the librarians to the circulation staff. ENGAGE! Everyone needs to get face-to-face – that’s where the possibility of change takes hold -- • observe • listen actively • learn what users need • learn what users value Include EVERY SEGMENT – • students – F/T, P/T, young and old • faculty – research and course work • administration • Deans • alumni • parents • citizenry
As you get face-to-face and begin to respond – links occur! You want – you need - the campus community to link to the library (and don’t overlook the football, basketball, swimming teams, etc.).
When the faculty and the students get your message – they spread your message. For example – we worked with neighborhood outreach workers to get people into our bilingual financial management classes. When people know and experience, first hand, what the library provides they will be selling the library to others. Nothing is more powerful! Nothing has more potential for change!
In 1995, we had zero people in adult learning programs. This year, 9,753 people attended our classes, workshops and training programs. Sure, technology drove some of the change – but the real change was people-driven! We were out there – learning about our community –getting responsive!
First of all, we did it with what we call Neighborhood Teams. More than 60% of our staff attends community meetings, such as revitalization and civic associations, to identify issues and concerns and learn about what information is needed.
Doing this kind of work is now a part of every job description at the Hartford Public Library. We also bring in community leaders to talk to our staff about current issues including homelessness, youth at risk, and housing.
To put it another way, we need to be out “walking the neighborhood like a beat cop,” to get acquainted on the street, to bring ourselves face-to-face with our constituents.
We also serve other agencies and departments of governments with enthusiasm.
We make the Mayor’s initiatives – our initiatives: Homeownership Early literacy Public safety
We connect needs to existing services – and sometimes help create new services. Let me tell you what can happen when we are out there where it is actually happening. Our Youth Services Manager, for instance, a 20 year veteran librarian, attended a community meeting in one of the poorest sections of Hartford. With a long history and a historic name, Dutch Point had become simply a 50 family public housing project that was so deteriorated that it was slated for demolition. And there were no plans for re-building. The neighborhood was angry and frustrated because the Hartford Housing Authority said funding was only available for large scale projects – but not their needs! The community wanted to challenge the lethargy of the Authority.
Our librarian really heard the anger and frustration and came back to the library and did the research; she discovered that the Feds did have money for small projects. This information gave the Dutch Point residents the impetus and information they needed to engage and challenge the local Housing Authority. In the end, the Hartford Housing Authority became the successful applicant for $20 MM for a small-scale family housing project in the Central Library’s neighborhood. And the Dutch Point people will have housing!
They broke ground for the project yesterday! And our librarian was there! Since our folks have been engaging our communities, people see the library as • Relevant • Flexible • Respected • Valued • And from our point of view, most importantly, a place to USE!!
When you are face-to-face with your community, you will learn so much about whom they are, what they need and want, and you will serve them better and better.
Your services will be tailored to real interests and needs. And you will be able to more fully participate in distance learning and access to electronic resources.
And, you will be recognized by decision-makers outside of your community of users –for example, by government officials, philanthropists and other academic institutions.
In my experience at a public library, involvement at the community level does capture the attention, and often the assistance, of the decision-makers and the policy-makers. I believe there are similar implications and opportunities for you in the academic community.
Take a first step in getting out into your communities…before the semester ends, attend classes for one week, find out what goes on and learn what students really need that you could provide, attend a department meeting, administrative meetings: learn to see them as your customers, even your guests – help them with grant research. Connect them to your expertise!
Let me share another story about the results of real community engagement. The Children’s Librarian at our Mark Twain branch in the Asylum Hill section of Hartford is a tall, young man from Sierra Leone. Last year, there was a re-settlement of many Somalian and Liberian immigrants into his Asylum Hill community. He knows what it is like to be a stranger in a new land and not to able to speak the language. So he went to the schools to see what could be done for the immigrant kids who had been placed in the 5th grade because they are tall and of “an age” to be in the 5 th grade – even though they spoke very little English and could read even less of it.
Our librarian began working with the media specialist and the teachers – and now the children come to the library after school and he reads and works with them using their common language, Pathois, to learn English.
He also goes to their homes and finds the pre-schoolers who are not enrolled in school because parents find it too complicated to register them. Now the parents attend ESOL classes and work with a Somalian language tutor at the library. And the library’s manager for multicultural education is getting them connected – through the classes – to the pre-school providers.
It’s just that we need to be where they are in order to do the work:
• Obtaining relevant information for people to use • Connecting them to services they need. • Understanding their cultural background and experience
All I can tell you is that once you get out in the community and start responding to the needs you learn about, nothing will be the same again! And that’s good!!
Sure it is challenging and a bit scary. You initially feel you are giving up a lot of control, but what you get in return is opportunity after opportunity to do things that really make a positive difference, and you realize that you do have the needed information! Or that you know how to get it.
I believe that the situation you are facing is very similar to the one we in the public library system have faced and are facing. Let me leave you with one final story that is a result of the kind of outreach I am urging you to undertake. We had learned from talking to teens that their view of the city of Hartford was a dark one. We also knew of their interest in using computers and learning new skills – teens want to learn by doing. Now the drop out rate in Hartford is horrendous! The failure to achieve! To read! To graduate! To go on! It’s an enormous concern!
But we believed that focused and sustained attention in a highly interactive program – utilizing the hook of technology and our strong connections to the neighborhoods – could make a difference. We called this project COLT, for Capital Opportunity through Technology, and also because COLT Arms Manufacturing Company became the subject matter for the project. The COLT program used state-of-the-art communications technology to have students share knowledge with peers, decision-makers and the greater community about the history of Colt Manufacturing and the history of Coltsville as a future national park. Teens loved the program!
Academic performance improved, student attendance improved, there was more participation in class discussions in school, mastery test scores are higher and more students stayed in school. All these results have been documented. It’s a story with great results, but it is FIRST and foremost about being out and about -- engaged in the community! Teens helped us understand what needed to be done and how we could go about doing it.
I’d like to hear from you - about what you know, because we in Public Libraries have a lot to learn from your experience.
You are working with the “millennials” and X,Y and soon Z – and your experience, discoveries, models can help us as the millennials replace the Boomers as our primary customers. These new patrons were brought up on email, cell phones, MP3’s, Web surfing. They collaborate more than previous generations. You can help us understand what their needs will be, how we can make them comfortable and welcome.
And, increasingly, we see ourselves as important players in the education process. As academics you only have a short time with students – to sell the Product! But throughout their lifetime your students could be using academic resources – increasingly making career changes and going back to community or other colleges for new learning.
In the library we see all those single mothers in parenting classes who want to go to college for the first time. We have an opportunity to collaborate here! • How to keep people aware of what’s available in colleges • How to support career change and life enrichment.
The students you pass on will – on the strength of their positive academic library experiences –support our bond referendums and tax levies; they will bring their children to use the public library. These are the children we will pass on to you. And you will pass them back to us! Libraries are for life-long learning and we are in this together!
And we may give them back to you in retirement! Back as elders – able, in the leisure of retirement, to learn with more vigor that ever before!
Louise Blaylock’s final exhortation was, “Let’s stay connected! The success of each of our libraries benefits ALL libraries.”
Remarks of GladysAnn Wells
And, GladysAnn Wells reminded us that communities “change,” that they are not static demographic groups, that in less than ten years a community may change its coloration and needs. She agreed with Louise Blaylock that the most important aspect of community building is the ability to “listen.” As Arizona’s State Librarian she is ever mindful that there are major changes occurring as public institutions are transforming from a largely print world to a more digital one, and has never lost sight of the fact that libraries are community centers, no matter what format the information containers!
During her tenure as the Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records she has brought in more grant money than the library budget provided by the state. She has done this by making the State Library the hub of the libraries, museums, archives and information centers for all of Arizona—including strong relationships with the academic community. She understands that servicing a diverse group of users demands a diverse approach to administering services. What works for one group, won’t necessarily work another. In Arizona, libraries are well positioned to reach people of all ages and education levels.
And, by far, one of the largest demographic cohorts in Arizona is that of older adults. It is no secret that Arizona libraries are national leaders in meeting the needs of active older adults. GladysAnn reports that “Our libraries are finding innovative ways to reach the untapped resource of Baby Boomer experience while providing Boomers with connections to meaningful work and civic engagement. Model programs for lifelong learning like those listed below are starting or underway in libraries across the state. Because of our innovative library leaders, we have been cited as “A Statewide Laboratory for Change.”
Chandler Public Library is part of a Phoenix Public Library has made assessing coalition bringing all community resources community needs and redesigning services together under the umbrella of one exciting for older adults a strategic priority…It is Boomer website, www.myboomerang.com one of the first Lifelong Access Libraries to – a Next Chapter project. The site provides be named a Center for Excellence and links to resources on everything from Innovation. health and wellness to re-careering and volunteering. Glendale Public Library began “Directions Scottsdale LifeVentures sponsored by & Connections: Life Options for Mature Scottsdale Community College begins with Adults” with a grant in 2004…In 2005, a physical meeting space on campus – a Boomers and Seniors continue to benefit welcoming space that will be replicated in from an array of programs including those satellites throughout the community via focused on their top concerns: health and partners like the Scottsdale Public Library . financial information. Mesa Life Options includes Mesa Tempe Connections is a citywide initiative Community College, the City of Mesa and to create a comprehensive one-stop Mesa Senior Services…Peer Mentors in resource within the library followed by this Next Chapter project meet with people satellite locations throughout the looking to retire and guide them through community – a Next Chapter project. self discovery assessments. The, mentors will also guide people to community resources that fit their plans. Parker Public Library earned a Community The Bonus Years: Connecting @ the Development Block Grant for its Lifelong Carnegie includes a core bibliography of Learning Center. Now Parker is working books, articles and websites for people in with Arizona Western College to train and transition…Managed by The Carnegie empower adults to research independently. Center, a unit of the Arizona State Library, as part of a larger program for Boomers. Arizona is one of the first states to support Arizona has four Next Chapter projects the national EqualAccess Libraries underway: Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale and initiative in collaboration with Libraries for Tempe. The Next Chapter projects the Future, a national organization that (described above) promote access to champions the role of libraries in American meaningful choices for work, service, life and works to strengthen libraries and learning and social connections. The library systems. Over 30 libraries across premise is that these activities, and the state have participated in this program libraries, play a crucial role in the vitality to develop libraries as centers for civic of older adults and can enrich community engagement. EqualAccess programs foster life. They are led by Civic Ventures , a collaboration, outreach and use of national non-profit working to expand the technology to bring innovative services to contributions of older Americans to Arizona communities. society. Libraries for the Future has worked closely Arizona is a member of the National with the Arizona State Library for nearly Advisory Committee for Lifelong Access five years to bring together local leaders, Libraries . The 25-member group includes library leaders and legislators as partners in leading gerontologists, social workers, crafting and implementing a vision for government officials and other specialists library programs including those with a on aging. It guides an effort to transform focus on lifelong access. libraries into centers for productive aging.
It is easy to see from the list above of the various associations that Arizona Libraries has brought together to provide services to the older adults of Arizona that Arizona librarians have “gotten out from behind their desks!” And closely allied with the Baby Boomer issues, but also of the concern to all age groups is “healthcare.” Here again the Arizona State Library has worked with numerous groups to so that Arizona libraries are a seminal place to get relevant information on all aspects of health care:
Arizona Libraries Provide:
Access: accessible to all ages and backgrounds, on-site or remotely; bringing communities together in rural and urban Arizona.
Trust: highly trusted & neutral, allowing partnering groups to work together on health issues/concerns.
Programs, Services & Training: health literacy, evaluation, consumer health information.
Resources: diverse informational sources, no fee electronic information. Libraries provide the solution for the increased need for Health Information. Health information consumers are faced with complex and varied sources. Patients increasingly have less personalized time with medical professionals. With rapid medical advancements and informed patient requirements, it has become more and more essential to have guidance. Increased information on health related topics is available on the Internet, but much of the information is outdated or false. Libraries provide assistance with evaluating resources and providing valid, trusted sources in a neutral environment.
• Health Initiatives in Arizona
• AZ Health Sciences Library; University of Arizona (http://www.ahsl.arizona.edu/) • Library is open to everyone and all library materials and computers are available for use within the library. All AZ library card holders can request materials at no charge through their public library. Free Ask a Health Librarian online resource is available. AZ residents may purchase a library card for $60 per year.
• The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) winner for the 2004 NCLIS • Blue Ribbon Consumer Health Information Recognition Awards for Libraries. CHILE: Consumer Health Information Links for Everyone (http://www.chilehealth.org/)
• Consumer health information collaboration between Tucson-Pima Public Library and the AZ Health Sciences Library, U of A. Includes information on Diseases, Insurance, Medication, and Providers.
• Funded in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. • EqualAccess ( http://www.lff.org )
• Professional development initiative for public libraries provided by Arizona State Library, Archives & Public • Records, in partnership with Libraries for the Future.
• 15 libraries each year are selected to participate and receive training on needs assessments, planning, programming and outreach for underserved populations. • Get Real, Get Fit! ( http://www.lff.org )
• National library-based program promoting physical fitness and healthy eating made possible by a grant from Libraries for the Future and the MetLife Foundation.
• Participating libraries include East Flagstaff Community Library, Glendale Public Library, Tempe Public Library. Health and Wellness Resource Center (http://www.peoriaaz.com/Library/library_databases_health.asp)
• Peoria Public Library’s Health Information databases provide a variety of health sources online. Life Changes: The Future is Now.
• Parker Public Library’s project includes computer training and consumer health classes that enable community members to independently access accurate and timely health information. Funded in part by LSTA grant.
• Operation Health Outreach • Program developed by Glendale Public Library to raise public awareness and basic knowledge of critical health issues to minority groups. Includes free seminars, health fair, and resource collection. • Turning Point ( http://www.turningpointprogram.org )
• National Initiative to transform and strengthen the U.S. public health system; supports Public Health Information Center in libraries, health departments, & tribal centers.
• Training: AZ Academy Without Walls trains frontline public health workers; Advocates for training in communities on health needs and participation in statewide public health planning.
And while the different groups that are served by Arizona Libraries are legion, it is important to mention that the needs of children and families are well targeted, for everyone’s future depends on them. Arizona libraries provide leadership in school readiness by offering:
Access • to information about the vital role parents and childcare providers play in preparing children for school.
• to the books that children need to have in their everyday lives.
Programs • that help parents and childcare providers understand their roles as children’s first, most important teachers.
• that model best practices for parents and childcare providers through high-quality children’s programming delivered by librarians knowledgeable in the pre-reading skills. Resources for parents and childcare providers to use the strategies that they have learned to prepare their children to be successful in school.
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records provides:
• Funding from the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
• Training by offering workshops that help library staff members, volunteers, and their community partners develop their skills in early literacy.
• Consulting Services through site visits and ongoing support by professionals knowledgeable in the areas of early literacy and library services to children and families. Examples of the many projects being conducted throughout the state are highlighted below.
Building a New Generation of Readers (http://www.lib.az.us/extension/BuildingANewGeneration.pdf)
• A statewide early literacy project designed by the Arizona State Library, Building a New Generation of Readers provides public and school librarians with the tools and materials to teach parents and childcare providers strategies for preparing children to come to school ready to read.
• The Arizona State Library supplies libraries with the Public Library Association’s Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library materials that are based on current federally funded research and have been evaluated and found to have significant influence on the early literacy behaviors of parents and childcare providers. Thirty-six libraries throughout the state are participating in the first year of this initiative. Family Place (http://www.lff.org/programs/family.html)
• Workshops facilitated by librarians in the 32 Arizona Family Place sites for children ages 1-3 and their parents and caregivers feature professionals from community agencies who provide information and answer questions informally while children and parents or caregivers interact with books and toys or work on an art project.
• The Arizona State Library partners with Libraries for the Future in supporting this project. Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library’s Literacy Begins at Home.
• Workshops which included a family storytime presentation of literacy development and library services information, and the distribution of free books were held for the Early Head Start program, the Teenage Parenting program, the Mom-to-Mom Support Group, and the Healthy Families program.
• Over 100 families attended workshops and an additional 119 families had literacy information and books distributed to their homes by Healthy Families family service workers. A total of over 1700 children’s books of varying age and reading levels were distributed to families during the 2003-2004 grant period. La Paz County Libraries’ Healthy Babies/Healthy Readers.
• New parents, grandparents, and daycare providers who visited the La Paz County Health Department, WIC program, and Indian Health Services Hospital were given a goodie bag containing a baby picture frame magnet with library hours, a bookmark, and information about library services in La Paz County to encourage them to begin reading to the babies in their care.
• During the 2003-2004 grant period, 500 parents, grandparents, or guardians, brought the coupon from their bag to a La Paz County library or its bookmobile to trade for a free board book. Tucson-Pima Public Library’s Ready to Read.
• Partnering with Child and Family Resources, the library trained 43 in-home childcare providers during 2003-2004 in early brain development as it relates to early literacy and pre-reading.
• For the last class session, families attended. Storytimes were held, and information was given to parents.
TRANSFORMATION OF LIBRARIES
Libraries not only are shifting from print to digital, but they are also moving from ownership to leasing the resources that they offer. As Libraries change to serve the needs of a rapidly changing world society, we will, perforce, have to get “out from behind our desks” and “walk the beat” and know and be known by our diverse constituents, including our “resource allocators,” to quote Bob Martin. As information technology evolves, we will have to assist our constituents to understand it, use it and grow with it. We are the guides on the side!
While services such as coffee cafes, computer access, and collaborative environments often lead the list of new enticements offered by libraries, it is the library as “place,” as “community,” as “information haven” that keep the “guests” returning. Welcome to the New/Old Library!
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records State Grants In Aid Case Study
Introduction
Arizona had an irregular pattern of state support for libraries. A new state librarian in 1997 set the stage for change and an increase in state grants in aid. Although state support had started in 1969, no statutory language appeared until 1981. In 1980/81 the total state grants in aid for Arizona was $300,000. By 1990, the total was $620,000. Unfortunately, that next year the legislature reduced state grants in aid that resulted in a failure to meet the required federal match for the LSTA federal library funding and thereby lost Arizona’s federal funds for libraries. By 1997, the Legislature had allocated additional one time penalty funds to meet federal requirements and in 1998 the 1991 federal money was released to the Arizona State Library. The entire experience heightened legislative awareness of the importance of state grants in aid. Therefore there was some receptivity to discussion of an increase. The importance of charter schools and home schooling to policy makers proved to be pivotal. By 1999 Arizona had more charter schools than the rest of the nation combined. The attachments to this document provide detailed information about the legislation and process the State Library and its Legislative Board went through to secure the additional funding.
Case Study: State Grants In Aid Funding
Arizona was able to double its state grants in aid funding from 1999 to 2000 by using the legislative interest and support for charter and home schooling. Home educator associations supported the Library’s request along with cultural groups like, the Arizona Humanities Council, the Museum Association of Arizona, the Friends of Arizona Archives and the Arizona Library Association. These organizations could support the SGIA program because they were aware that without citizens who would value reading, their organizations would not be supported or valued. During 1998 the State Library staff sought to educate legislators about the state grants in aid impact in legislative districts. The attached 1999 memo began the formal effort. (Appendix A) Arizona first began the process of seeking an increase in state grants in aid fund in August of 1999. Senate Bill 1002 (Appendix B) was introduced in 2000 for an appropriation of $1,000,000. This request was reduced, then the bill was stalled and finally the Speaker placed the request on a striker which passed and provided a supplemental state grants in aid budget of $300,000 in 2000. Once increased, the struggle then became to build the new amount into the ongoing base and, if possible, increase the amount.
From meeting notes of January 5, 2000 Library Board meeting (p. 112):
Wells stated that the state Grants-in-Aid legislation that the board members have helped with has been pre filed as SB1002. Wells advised the board that there would be a suggested Senate amendment to this bill, which she supports. She is working with Jim Keane, Senate Research Analyst on changes to the language of this bill and will keep the board updated on those minor changes.
Wells thanks the board for their support of all the library legislation.
From meeting notes of January 5, 2000 Library Board meeting (p.107):
Kolbe stated the Extension Division administers the State Grants-in-Aid program for the local libraries of Arizona. The current funding of about $350,000, down from a high of $620,000 in 1990, is used to improve local library collections, provide continuing education for staff and to improve adult and children’s programming. $350,000 is not adequate to address the state’s rapid urban growth nor the long-term neglect of our tribal libraries and archives. The proliferation of charter schools has put a strain on our public library resources since many of these schools often lack school libraries.
The State Grants-in-Aid program has traditionally helped libraries confront these challenges in times of limited funds or significant population growth. Kolbe stated the great challenge remains, however, is to provide everyone in Arizona with adequate access to the information they need for their education, their work and their general quality of life.
From Annual Report: January 5, 2000 A bill folder has been opened at the Legislature, which is the first step in enacting an increase in State Grants In Aid. Since 1981, the Arizona Legislature has helped public libraries meet our citizen’s information needs through a program of State Grants in Aid. While our population has grown at an explosive rate, the funding for this program has declined. Our public libraries are struggling to respond to booming demand for information, books, and physical space. While our needs grow, state aid declines in real dollars and puts us far
behind the efforts of most states.
This program targets each of the county libraries and those towns with population over 100,000. The program brings benefits to almost every citizen of the state both urban and rural. Our libraries serve hundreds of thousands of citizens each week. We change and improve their lives. This program is critical to helping maintain and improve library service.
This program is not a hand-out but a challenge to local government. There are four requirements that must be met to receive a grant: 1. Match grants with local cash on a dollar for dollar basis, maintaining local funding 2. Spend at least as much as the grant on library service
3. Participate in interlibrary loan with no charges to the users 4. File annual reports with Department of Library, Archives and Public Records The last two paragraphs are a repeat of the Kolbe quote from the Board Meeting of Jan 5 th . This grant program leverages the state government’s investment with local funds to improve library service.
The proposal is to increase this program from $351,400 to $1,351,400 per year. • $851,400 Basic block grant for services such as literacy education, summer and other reading programs, service to charter and home schools, interlibrary loan, training • $250,000 Library construction • $250,000 Aid to tribal communities
A bill folder has been opened and work has begun on this bill. Today it is a proposal – a dream. It won’t become reality unless Arizona’s libraries and friends of libraries work to make it happen.
The Extension Division administers the State Grants-in-Aid program for the local libraries of Arizona. The current funding of about $350,000, down from a high of $620,000 in 1990, is used to improve local library collections, provide continuing education for staff, and to improve adult and children’s programming. $350,000 is not adequate to address the state’s rapid urban growth nor the long-term neglect of our tribal libraries and archives. The proliferation of charter schools has put a strain on our public library resources since many of these schools often lack school libraries.
The State Grants-in-Aid program has traditionally helped libraries confront these challenges in times of limited funds or significant population growth. The great challenge remains, however, is to provide everyone in Arizona with adequate access to the information they need for their education, their work and their general quality of life.
From meeting notes of October 5, 2000 Library Board meeting preparing for the 2001 session (p. 45):
SGIA $ 1,000,000 Continuation of supplemental budget request $300,000 Additional funding-44 th Legislature, Chap 298, HB 2216, Tribal & Construction $700,000
We were not successful in obtaining an increase – a second increase in state grants in aid. But in 2001, we were able to build the $300,000 one time appropriation into a continuing appropriation.
From meeting notes of October 5, 2000 Library Board meeting (p. 53):
STATE GRANTS IN AID (SGIA) FY 2002 $1,000,000
Public libraries are struggling to respond to a rapidly growing population's increasing demands for information and books; public libraries lack the space for growing collections and the hundreds of thousands of patrons served each week. Libraries must also respond to new demands; for example, because most charter schools do not have a library, their students rely on public libraries.
Funds will support literacy education, reading programs, service to students, interlibrary loan, and training, as well as new buildings and remodeling. Funds will also start tribal libraries, improve existing tribal library and cultural information services, and build on the $500,000 federal National Leadership Grant and $5 million in grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Since 1981 the Legislature has helped citizens get the information they need
through support for public libraries through a State Grants in Aid program;
this request builds on SB 1002. The program is not an entitlement, but a
challenge to local government; grants must be matched dollar for dollar
with local funds.
Funding requests for FY 2002 and FY 2003 both include a continuation of
the supplemental budget request of $300,000, plus $700,000 additional
funding.
Like many states, the fall of 2001 began a terrible fiscal time for Arizona. We were able to maintain state grants in aid, but were not able to even request an increase until the August 2004 Library Board meeting. At the 2004 Library Board meeting, each member was given 9 pennies signifying the amount of state support for libraries and then given four more pennies signifying the requested $250,000 increase. In both 2004 and 2005 the Library Board sent forward a request for $250,000 increase for the coming session. That request was not honored in 2005 and the 2006 session continues.
Discussion Points
1.1.1. Know the context including the history of your effort. In Arizona’s case a great deal of information was missing.
2.2.2. UndeUnderstandrstand the political will. What is the context for the decision – budget surplus or deficit? Inclination to invest in government or preference for tax cuts?
3.3.3. Learn what legislators care about. More choice in education was important to legislators in this case, what works in your state?
4.4.4. Who are your advocates? Home educators and charter schools were able to advocate along with the library community. Assigned to GES & APPROP FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1002
appropriation; library grants-in-aid
Purpose
Appropriates $1 million from the state general fund to the Department of Libraries, Archives and Public Records (DLAPR) in FY 2000-2001 to provide grants-in- aid to libraries statewide.
Background
The state grants-in-aid program was developed in 1981 through legislative appropriations to help Arizona libraries meet the information needs of Arizona residents. Grants are made to each county library and to the seven Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA’s) in Arizona. The grants may be used to improve the library’s collection, provide education and training opportunities for staff, improve programming for children and adults, for computers and automation of library procedures and other uses.
Laws 1999, First Special Session, Chapter 1 appropriated $351,400 to DLAPR in both FY 1999-2000 and FY 2000-2001 for grants-in-aid. Of the total amount presently appropriated to the grants-in-aid program, 87.5% is divided evenly between the 15 county libraries and the remaining 12.5% is divided on the basis of population between the seven SMSA’s.
S.B. 1002 appropriates an additional $1 million of state general fund monies in FY 2000-2001 to DLAPR for grants-in-aid.
Provisions
1. Appropriates $1 million from the state general fund in FY 2000-2001 to DLAPR for library grants-in-aid. Exempts the appropriation from lapsing, except that all monies remaining that have not been granted by July 1, 2002 revert to the state general fund.
2. Distributes two-thirds of the general grants-in-aid to urban area libraries and one- third to rural libraries for resource sharing, reading programs, training, continuing education and other statewide library development programs. 3. Requires a dollar for dollar match from the local community for grants for new or renovation construction of facilities, including disabilities and wiring compliance.
4. Restricts the purpose for which grants-in-aid may be awarded to:
• General grants-in-aid for resource sharing, reading programs, training, continuing education and other statewide library development programs.
• Grants for new or renovation construction of facilities, including disability and wiring compliance.
• General grants-in-aid for tribal libraries for archival, library and curatorial tribal functions.
5. Authorizes the Director of DLAPR, in consultation with the 21 recognized tribes and local library systems, to determine the amounts of general grants-in-aid distributed to tribal libraries. Requires distribution to be based on need and tribal population.
6. Limits the award of grants-in-aid to libraries that:
1. Are free lenders and borrowers in the interlibrary loan service.
2. Expend the full amount of grants-in-aid in the fiscal year for which the grant is awarded.
3. Do not substitute state money for local funding.
4. File annual reports with DLAPR as requested.
7. Contains a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
January 6, 2000
REFERENCE TITLE: appropriation; library grants-in-aid
State of Arizona Senate Forty-fourth Legislature Second Regular Session 2000 SB 1002
Introduced by Senators Cirillo, Solomon, Cunningham, Huppenthal, Gnant; Representatives Groscost, Foster
AN ACT
MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY, ARCHIVES AND PUBLIC RECORDS FOR LIBRARY GRANTS-IN-AID.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
1
- i -
SB 1002
1 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: 2 Section 1. Appropriation; library grants-in-aid; conditions; 3 exemption 4 A. In addition to the appropriation made by Laws 1999, first special 5 session, chapter 1, section 57, the sum of $1,000,000 is appropriated from 6 the state general fund in fiscal year 2000-2001 to the department of library, 7 archives and public records for library grants-in-aid in the following 8 amounts and for the following purposes in accordance with rules and 9 regulations established by the director of the department of library, 10 archives and public records: 11 1. General grants-in-aid, two-thirds of which shall be used for urban 12 area libraries and one-third of which shall be used for rural libraries. 13 Monies shall be used for resource sharing, reading programs, training, 14 continuing education and other statewide library development programs. 15 2. Grants for new or renovation construction of facilities including 16 disabilities and wiring compliance. These monies shall be made available 17 only on a dollar for dollar matching basis from the local community. 18 3. General grants-in-aid for tribal libraries for archival, library 19 and curatorial tribal functions for the twenty-one recognized tribes and in 20 amounts based on need and tribal population as determined by the director of 21 the department of library, archives and public records in consultation with 22 the tribes and local library systems. 23 B. Grants-in-aid pursuant to subsection A of this section shall be 24 awarded to libraries that: 25 1. Are free lenders and borrowers in the interlibrary loan service. 26 2. Expend the full amount of grants-in-aid in the fiscal year for 27 which the grant is awarded. 28 3. Do not substitute state money for local funding. 29 4. File annual reports with the department of library, archives and 30 public records as requested. 31 C. The appropriations made in subsection A of this section are exempt 32 from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, except that 33 all monies remaining that have not been granted by July 1, 2002 revert to the 34 state general fund.
- 1 - Forty-fourth Legislature
Second Regular Session S.B. 1002
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
SENATE AMENDMENTS TO S.B. 1002
(Reference to printed bill)
Page 1, line 7, after “grants-in-aid” insert a period, strike remainder of line
Line 8, strike “amounts and for the following purposes” insert “Monies shall be made available only on a dollar for dollar matching basis from the local community and”
Line 10, after “records” insert “. Grants-in-aid shall be used for the following purposes”
Line 11, after “grants-in-aid” strike remainder of line
Strike line 12
Line 16, after the period strike remainder of line
Strike line 17
Amend title to conform
1/6/00
11:57 AM
S: JFK/cmh
About The Arizona Memory Project is an online Arizona effort to provide access to the wealth of primary sources in Arizona libraries, archives, museums and other cultural Memory institutions.
View some of the best examples of Project government documents and photographs Arizona Memory that chronicle Arizona's past and present.
Project http://azmemory.lib.az.us
Contact us directly at [email protected]
View and download images and Arizona Memory Project Index Page documents contributed by Arizona’s libraries, archives, museums, historical institutions and other Arizona Memory Project cultural organizations. is a service of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records 1700 West Washington, Ste. 200 http://azmemory.lib.az.us Phoenix, AZ 85007 Voice: 602.542.4035 Fax: 602.542.4972 Email: [email protected] http://www.lib.az.us A service of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Preserving Arizona, Providing Access, Promoting Collaboration
7/2006 Access Arizona’s Search Recommend Cultural Treasures Online! Search one, many or all collections by keyword Collections or phrase. Simple and advanced search options help you find what you are looking for. The materials in the Arizona Memory As a portal to many institutions' collections, Project represent only a small the Arizona Memory Project will help you percentage of the materials held by locate Arizona historical and cultural contributing cultural institutions. Search results: 17 items for: “San Xavier materials including documents and images. Image: Title: Subject: Description: San Xavier Mission near Missions--Arizona- Photograph of San Xavier Tucson (Ariz.) -Tucson; San Mission near Tucson If your favorite cultural institution View isn’t represented on the Arizona Stagecoach San Xavier Photograph of a stage- Now you can view your favorite collections in front of the San Xavier Mission; Missions-- coach in front of the San Memory Project, let us know! outside of normal business hours! Digital Altar at San Xavier Mission; Photograph of the altar at collections are accessible online 24 hours a San Xavier Mission near Altars--Arizona-- San Xavier Mission near day, 7 days a week. Altar at San Xavier Mission; Photograph of the altar at Contact the San Xavier Mission near Altars--Arizona-- San Xavier Mission near Images courtesy of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Search results displayed in the Arizona Memory Project Arizona Memory Project: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records Bookmark Favorites & Customize Results Carnegie Center, 1101 West Washington Bookmark any media file within Arizona Phoenix, AZ 85007 Memory Project for later viewing, e-mailing or Email: [email protected] printing. You can even save the Favorites page Voice: 602.258.5053 Ext 2 to your desktop. Customize the appearance and sort order of your search results with a simple click of the button in My Preferences. Publication entitled America’s Photograph of a Hopi boy at the Visit the Priceless Heritage, Bureau of Land village of Walpi (Ariz.), 1913 Management, 2003 Arizona Memory
Search results: 17 items for: “San Xavier Mission”Image: Title: Subject: Description: Project San Xavier Mission near Missions--Arizona-- Photograph of San Xavier Tucson (Ariz.) Tucson; San Xavier Mission near Tucson Mission; (Ariz.) http://azmemory.lib.az.us Stagecoach San Xavier Mission; Photograph of a stagecoach in front of the San Xavier Missions--Arizona-- in front of the San Xavier Mission near Tucson Tucson; Stage- Mission near Tucson
Altar at San Xavier Mission; Photograph of the altar at San Xavier Mission near Altars--Arizona-- San Xavier Mission near Photograph of Arizona Governor George W.P. Hunt This project is made possible in part by a grant from Tucson (Ariz.) Tucson; Tucson (Ariz.) during a trip to Coconino County (Ariz.), 1928 ca. the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records View and download images and documents contributed by Arizona’s Altar at San Xavier Mission; Photograph of the altar at San Xavier Mission near Altars--Arizona-- San Xavier Mission near under the provisions of the Library Services and libraries, archives, museums, historical institutions and other cultural Tucson (Ariz.) Tucson; Tucson (Ariz.) Technology Act. organizations. Bookmarked items displayed in My Favorites