Wednesday, August 26, 1998

9:32:00 AM

For a bi-monthly wrap up of NOLA news and information, be sure to check out NOLA Notes!
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AccessOhio Does NOT Receive LSTA funding

Last week I received a letter from the State Library of Ohio in response to our NOLA/NORWELD/OVAL grant proposal (LSTA) to fund AccessOhio for the period between March 1 - September 30, 1999. I was shocked and disappointed to learn that the project did not receive funding. Fifty eight grants were submitted and only 18 received the $2.1 million in LSTA funding that was available. I discussed the rejection of funding with the NOLA Board on August 18th and then met with Allan Gray (NORWELD Director) and Eric Anderson (OVAL Director) the following day in Wellston, OH. We composed a response to the State Library and I e-mailed it to our Board members on August 24th for their input. Mike Lucas will receive the letter by Friday, August 28th. AccessOhio was created to provide an interlibrary loan mechanism for over 140 libraries and branches in Ohio and from mid-February through mid-August, 22,013 loan requests have been generated and 13,290 requests were filled on behalf of patrons around the state at a cost of about $70 per month per library. I strongly urge all AccessOhio participating libraries to write to our State Librarian and express their shock and ask him how our libraries will provide interlibrary loan after AccessOhio funding runs out on February 28, 1999 and the time that a statewide resource sharing plan is implemented in late 1999 or early 2000 assuming that it receives state funding. His address is Michael Lucas, State Library of Ohio, 65 South Front Street, Columbus, OH 43215 or [email protected]. YOU can make a difference. I will keep our membership posted.

Regional Library Systems Need an Increase in State Funding

As you all know, Regional Library Systems in Ohio will no longer receive LSTA funding for ongoing expenses (e.g. salaries, rent, utilities, supplies) so we have been working to increase state funding in the next biennial budget. In past meetings, I have told the NOLA Board and member libraries that before Regional Library Systems receive any increase in state funding, we must jump a number of hurdles. We just passed the first one on a long journey that will not conclude until next spring. In an August 21st meeting with Regional Library System Directors, State Librarian Mike Lucas reported that he had received a letter from the Office of Budget and Mangement in response to a request for additonal funding for several line items in the SLO budget. OBM authorized a new cap on the line for funding for Regional Library Systems. To quote from the August 17th letter from OBM, "It should be understood that the approval of a cap increase does not guarantee your agency any additional funding included in the increase or in any other portion of the budget request. It is a mechanism for your agency to provide more detailed justifications for additional funding above the original cap. Such justifications will be reviewed for funding decisions after your agency budget is submitted." In a nutshell, this simply means we have moved past the first hurdle. Coming up are discussions between the OBM and the State Library, a new governor's budget (probably due in March), hearings on the budget in the House and the Senate, etc. We will have a lot of work to do between now and next June if Regionals are to obtain an increase in state funding. The NOLA Board and the Legislative Committee will keep in touch with you and will ask for your assistance in this process. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

NOLA's First Quarter Membership Council Meeting
Tomorrow's Trends/Today's Libraries

You have less than three weeks to register for our first Quarterly Meeting of this grant year. Don't miss hearing Paula Miller, a native of our area who worked in the Kent Free Library for many years, speak on "Cutting Edge Human Resources and Management Trends: How Westlake Porter Public Library "Made the Cut." Following her presentation at Kent State's S:OLE Institute in June, Patrick Finan (McKinley Memorial Library in Niles) came up to me and said that NOLA librarians should hear her dynamite message. Here is your opportunity. Register today.

New Clerk Treasurer Is Hired

Anne M. Hoerig joined our staff as Clerk Treasurer on August 24th. She was formerly employed by the Warren Printing, Inc. (Accounting/Employee Benefits Department), the Ohio Star Forge Company, and Phillips Healthcare. Anne graduated from Mount Union College with a Bachelor of Arts degree including a major in Accounting and minors in Information Systems and Business Administration.

Melissa Lattanzi, formerly the NOLA Clerk Treasurer, accepted our Continuing Education Coordinator position as of July 4, 1998. She currently teaches a number of Microsoft and OPLIN classes for NOLA member libraries and will be developing computer classes for area businesses that we will market this fall.

Continuing Education Consultant Begins on September 1st

Lori Putt, President of Network Consulting, has been hired for the next ten months as our Continuing Education Consultant. Her company works with small to medium sized businesses, government, and not-for-profit organizations in the following areas: employee training, special event planning and promotion, development and implementation of marketing plans, fund raising and development, and communications strategies. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing) from Youngstown State University. As our CE Consultant, Lori will conduct a training needs assessment, develop a leading edge continuing education program, and evaluate the overall CE program. She will also assist with marketing our technology training program to area businesses beginning this fall.

Items submitted by:
Millie Fry - Email
NOLA Regional Library System

Writing Winning Grants

All types of libraries (schools, publics, academics,and special) are eligible for applying for LSTA funding dollars. Competition is great for few dollars available to Ohio Librarians. Join us for the day and learn how to write winning grant projects, particularly LSTA Grants.

Dr. Susan L. Golden will speak on "Guerrilla Grantsmanship," a topic of which she has written the best-selling Secrets of Successful Grantsmanship. Dr. Golden demystifies grant-seeking and points out that relationships – rather than proposals – generate grant support.

Judith Simpson will instruct us how to write the evaluation component of a grant. NOLA is  pleased to also have Patricia Pasquale,  Director of the Foundation Center Washington National Collection, show us internet funding resources that are available to us and that we all need to know. Missy Lodge of the State Library will also be there to answer questions regarding LSTA.

Items submitted by:
Melissa Lattanzi - Email
NOLA Regional Library System

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