The Nylink Notes blog is moving in with his sister, the Nylink Status Line blog.

From now on the Nylink news that is fit to blog will be found at http://nylink.org/SL. Plus all Nylink Notes blog entries, going back to May 2007, have been moved over to the Status Line blog.  This change will not affect you if you traditionally come to it through the Nylink home page or through links in Nylink emails and such.   However, if you have bookmarked http://nylink.org/blog/ or subscribed to the News feed here you will want to change your browser’s bookmark and your news feed subscription.

If you have not subscribed to the Status Line news feed already, please try it out at http://nylink.org/sl – if you use Firefox’s live bookmarks, Google’s Reader (or numerous other news readers/aggregators) add this new feed URL and you are ready to go.  If you have never subscribed to a news feed, it is a great way to read over the latest headlines and tidbits of information on your own terms.  Wikipedia.org has a nice overview on web (or news) feed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_feeds.

Why we are combining the blogs?  The flexibility of WordPress as a blogging platform allows us to categorize and tag our entries in a variety of ways to make them accessible - eliminating the need to maintain two separate blogs. And this way you, our readers, can peruse all of our latest blog entries in one place - and only subscribe to one feed!  We hope you enjoy the change.

A recent IMLS press release announces the issuance of a new report:  “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to State Program and the Transformation of Libraries Services to the Public”.  Below is the announcement.

Jeannine Mjoseth, jmjoseth@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov

IMLS Report: Libraries are a Vital Community Resource in the Information Age

Washington, DC-The character of library services has changed dramatically with the advent of new information technologies, the continuous development of locally-tailored services, and the expectations of the 21st century library user, according to the first analysis of the Grants to States program by the Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS). The report, “Catalyst for Change: LSTA Grants to State Program and the Transformation of Libraries Services to the Public,” focuses on services provided through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants to State Library Agencies, the single largest source of federal funding for the nation’s libraries and the only library grants that require state-wide planning. IMLS conducted the study to inform the American public, the Administration, Congress and the library community about the program’s contributions.

To address the growing demand for online services, libraries have added computer workstations, increased available bandwidth, and provided training in communities where they are often the sole provider of free access to the Internet. Some State Libraries Agencies are incorporating technology investments into their statewide strategic plans while other states manage such investments on a local or regional basis, according to the new report.

“The program’s flexibility is its greatest strength because it allows each state to tailor program services to the specific needs of its citizens. The unique nature of each state’s approach can present real challenges for evaluation because no two state programs are alike. It is like comparing apples, oranges, kiwis, and kumquats. But a common thread that connects these programs is a dedication to providing state-of-the-art programming and information services that meet a clear and compelling local need,” said Carlos Manjarrez, IMLS Associate Deputy Director for Research and Statistics.

To underscore this state-by-state variability, the report provides a two-page snapshot of immediate challenges, program goals for 2008-2012, and an exemplary project for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The report draws on the December 2008 analysis of 9,000 state program reports from the Grants to States Program between FY 2003 and FY 2006 by Ethel Himmel and Bill Wilson, a library consulting firm, and the annual State Library Agency Surveys collected by the National Center for Education Statistics and IMLS between 1998 and 2007.

Based on the data, IMLS identified three broad strategies advanced by Grants to States programming: human capital development, library service expansion and access, and development of information and technology infrastructure. The report also provides:
* a description of the Grants to States program also known as the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA);
* a discussion of the local factors that affect state program plans;
* a review of program activities submitted in state program annual reports; and an
* an analysis of program expenditures.

“Libraries build community in many ways,” noted Laurie Brooks, Associate Deputy Director for Library Services. “Whether through preparing children for school, helping small businesses thrive, providing technology training for seniors, or imparting a new language, libraries are essential community resources in the information age. The Library Grants to States program provides an important opportunity to plan and support these vital community-building initiatives.”

Joyce and I just returned from a visit to the Hadley Exhibit company in Buffalo.

New Uncrowned Community Builders Kiosk

Dr. Peggy Brooks-Bertram and Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold unveiled their first kiosk for the Uncrowned Community Builders project.  It’s a partially enclosed environment which could comfortably seat two or more people.  The idea is to allow individuals the opportunity to record their own histories - with a scanner, computer, camera, microphones and other technologies to assist them.

Dr. Nevergold and Dr. Bertram

Visit Uncrowned Queens for more information on this initiative of Dr. Bertram and Dr. Nevergold’s for over the past 10 years - and look back here for more articles in the future.

H.W. Wilson is offering free 30-minute Web-delivered training sessions to highlight new features on the WilsonWeb platform and in specific Wilson databases, including the following:

• A new slideshow feature for all films included in Cinema Image Gallery.
• In all WilsonWeb databases, an option to conveniently change the interface font size.
• Web 2.0 user-commenting in the Current Issues series.
• Enhanced text-to-speech functionality for all HTML full-text articles and the debut of text-to-speech in all WilsonWeb biography databases.
• Translations of foreign-language HTML full-text documents into English.

Upcoming dates and times:

July 16, Thursday, 11 a.m.
July 21, Tuesday, 3 p.m.
July 22, Wednesday, 3 p.m.
July 28, Tuesday, 11 a.m.

Register at http://www.hwwilson.com/training/.

If you would like to set up a trial for any Wilson databases, you may go to http://www.hwwilson.com/wwebforms/Wwebtrials/newtrialform/wweb1_2.cfm to do so. For pricing and any other inquiries, please contact Nylink at services@nylink.org. Thank you!

This was just announced by Heritage Preservation.  It seems Historic Cherry Hill located here in Albany, NY has been selected for the Award For Outstanding Commitment to Preservation and Care of Collections.  Congratulations Historic Cherry Hill!

Here is the press release…

HISTORIC CHERRY HILL AND THE SHELBURNE MUSEUM RECEIVE NATIONAL PRESERVATION AWARD

(Nominations invited for 2010 award)

Historic Cherry Hill in Albany, New York, and the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, have been selected to receive the 2009 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections.  This annual award is selected by a panel of distinguished conservation experts from across the nation and is presented jointly by Heritage Preservation and the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
The two recipients have shown a sustained and exemplary commitment to preserving America’s heritage enriching their communities by caring for their unique and varied collections through dedicated planning and effort.
The presentation of the award to Historic Cherry Hill will take place on September, 17, 2009.  The presentation of the Shelburne Museum’s award will be on September 25, 2009.

Historic Cherry Hill

Historic Cherry Hill is the home of the Van Rensselaer-Rankin family. Built in 1787, it was lived in continuously by the family until 1963. Containing a wealth of information for scholars of social history and material culture, Cherry Hill is an invaluable cultural resource because of the well-documented provenance of its varied collection. The museum was founded when the entire estate, including 20,000 objects, 30,000 manuscripts, 7,500 textiles, 5,000 books, and 3,000 photographs, was donated by Catherine Putman Rankin.

Historic Cherry Hill’s programs and publications provide an unprecedented view into one family’s life and the community in which they lived. The size and richness of the collections literally had the house bursting at the seams−a structural engineer hired to review the site after staff members noticed severe cracking in the walls of the home in 1996 discovered floors that should have carried 30 pounds per square foot were discovered to be carrying 100 pounds.

Assertively responding to this crisis, the board and small staff successfully conducted a half million dollar campaign to design and construct a 3,500 square foot, state-of-the-art storage facility, which was completed in 2003. To date, more than 20,000 objects and 30,000 documents have been moved to the new facility and are being cared for in accordance with the latest advances in preservation.

In addition to this remarkable accomplishment, Historic Cherry Hill has researched and adopted many sound conservation practices to maintain its collection. From installing ultra-violet filtering and blackout shades throughout the house to obtaining grants and developing and executing a long range conservation plan, Historic Cherry Hill is a superb example of what the dedication and hard work of a few people at a small institution with limited resources can accomplish. And, in fact, they demonstrate that example at every opportunity by holding training sessions that share their acquired knowledge with outside institutions and the community at large.

Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage Preservation, said, “Historic Cherry Hill is a remarkable institution, and we are fortunate to have such a valuable collection in our national cultural history cared for with such close attention and thoughtful planning. The awarding committee was especially impressed by Cherry Hill’s ongoing work to refine its conservation plan and its collaborative relationship with other groups and the Albany community.”

June 25, Albany NY. Multi-type New York State library consortium Nylink is pleased to announce a partnership with Maryland-based library services company Library Dynamics to market and support their collection analysis suite of tools including the Spectra line of services.

Spectra Web services provide collection overview to individual title analytical capability, leveraging the time and talent of a library’s human resources. Spectra services use definitive bibliographic and circulation data from a library’s local system – mining it for copy level intelligence and normalizing it to achieve reliability and consistency. Using Spectra services, a library can analyze its collection, compare it to other libraries, library groups, or recognized sources such as titles reviewed in Choice. In reporting and working with results, Spectra’s quantitatively based visualization techniques and database management tools allow a user to work flexibly – to copy and paste plots and tables; select, sort, save, download, and e-mail title results; and link to enhancements like tables of contents, chapter titles, annotations, reviews, etc.

Dave Penniman, Executive Director of Nylink, said, "We are pleased to be working with Library Dynamics and Howard Harris to make the Spectra collection analyses and development tools available to New York libraries. Nylink is committed to offering choices to our members and implementing trusted partnerships with organizations and individuals whose products stand out as exceptional in their functionality. Spectra is such a product." Howard Harris, President of Library Dynamics, remarked, "Nylink not only by charter but by choice and by practice over time has remained closely focused on the current and evolving needs of its members; we at Library Dynamics are very pleased to be in partnership with Nylink to work to meet those needs."

About Nylink

Nylink, a membership organization of all types of libraries and cultural heritage organizations in New York state, facilitates collaboration and cooperation among its members and supports access to high-quality, cost-effective resources that enable member institutions to enhance the services they provide to their constituents. A program of the State University of New York System Administration under the umbrella of the Provost’s Office, Nylink is based in Albany. http://nylink.org

About Library Dynamics

Since 1998, Library Dynamics has offered innovative tools for visualizing, developing, managing, and interpreting library and library consortia collections. Its services include Spectra CRC, Spectra Dimension, Weedlist Plus, Bibliographic Diagnostic and Repair Services, and Consulting Services related to its services. http://www.librarydynamics.com

Headed to ALA? The following Nylink vendor partners will be exhibiting at the upcoming American Library Association conference in Chicago (exhibits held July 11-14). Booth numbers available at http://exhibitors.ala.org/files/AN09-Current-Exhibitors.pdf (and in parentheses below). For more information about Nylink’s consortial discounts on their products and services, please contact Nylink at services@nylink.org or 800-342-3353.

• ABC-CLIO / Greenwood (#3918)
• Atlas Systems (#4416)
• Bowker (#4411)
• Cambridge University Press (#4634)
• Columbia University Press (#4734)
• Computype (#4445)
• Editorial Oceano (Oceano Digital for Spanish-language databases) (#2227)
• Emerald (#3251)
• Gale Cengage (#3911)
• H.W. Wilson (#2811)
• LexisNexis (#3624)
• McGraw-Hill (#4223)
• OCLC (#3923)
• Oxford University Press (#4419)
• Project Muse (#4415)
• ProQuest (#2826)
• RefWorks (#2826)
• Rosen Publishing (Teen Health & Wellness) (#4515)
• SerialsSolutions (#3026)
• Springer (#4523)
• TDNet (#2031)
• Thomson Reuters (#3616)

A few Nylink staffers will be heading out to Chicago also - Dave Penniman, Executive Director; Donna Dixon, Director of Member Programs and Ann Gunning, Member Services Librarian.

To everyone heading to Chicago - have a great trip!

I received a message from a colleague that indicates CoOL will be moving to AIC.  Apparently Stanford has agreed to turn over the content and control of CoOL and the Conservation DistList to AIC.  The transfer should be taking place very soon.  Updates are to come over the DistList so stay tuned.

News came over the Museum-L listserv late last week that Stanford University will no longer be hosting CoOL (Conservation Online) and the Conservation Distlist.  Both of these resources are used by many folks as places to find out the latest information on conservation and preservation related issues.

Below is more information:

ate: 10 Jun 2009
From: Catherine Tierney <ctierney [at] stanford__edu>
Subject: CoOL and the Conservation DistList

Dear Colleagues,

This is a difficult posting to write.  For twenty two years, it has been Stanford University Libraries’ great pleasure to serve and support the conservation community by hosting Conservation OnLine.
Sadly, Stanford—like so many other institutions—has been hurt by the economy.  As a result, we have had to make difficult choices. It is with deep regret that I inform you that we are no longer able to support CoOL.  We feel it is important to alert you to this change as we are aware that so many of you rely on the distribution list as a medium of communication; there are still a number of things to be worked out.

<URL:http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/june17/layoffs-061709.html>

Catherine Tierney
Associate University Librarian for Technical Services Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources

——————————

Date: 10 Jun 2009
From: Walter Henry <request [at] cool__stanford__edu>
Subject: CoOL and the Conservation DistList

It has been a great pleasure and privilege to work with this community and I look forward to finding ways to continue to do so.
I’ve always held that conservation professionals were, as a class, unusually committed to the cause they serve; we really do care deeply about the cultural materials we are lucky enough to work with, and that care takes form in a remarkable dedication to the profession, to the ethical foundations upon which it is built, and to the community of practitioners from whatever discipline or specialty.

So, at the beginning of what would have been the DistList’s twenty third year it is with great sadness, but also with some sense of pride, that I finally give up this enterprise and that of Conservation OnLine as a whole.  I don’t know exactly what will happen to the resources here but I have every faith that their fate will be in good hands.

I would like to thank, with all sincerity, Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources, my own department, the systems and IT staff, and most of all the directorate, who have been unfalteringly supportive of my work all these years, and I know would continue to be so were the world in just a little better shape than it is now.

As DistList tradition demands, I leave you a final accounting:  As of this day, the Conservation DistList comprises 9696 people from at least 91 countries. Conservation OnLine contains, at a very rough guess, 120,000 documents, possibly quite a few more.  I hope they have been useful to you all, and I hope to be of service to you as we move into the future.

onward,
walter

Like many other children of the 70s, I still have a few hundred vinyl LPs, and a few dozen cassette tapes. I have in some cases replaced them with CDs, but there hasn’t been a compelling reason to dispose of the albums to which I have a sentimental attachment. Holding on to media that has outlasted its equipment is a more serious challenge for libraries, which have so many demands on their floor space, and may need to devote more time to current and upcoming media formats.

University at Buffalo libraries currently feature a thoughtful exhibit entitled Retro Media: Memory (and Memories) Lost: The physical exhibit at the UB libraries is complemented by a video tour and a concise, well-constructed website.

The theme of the exhibit: “The past 120 years saw some of the most rapid changes in how we record, collect, and use audio, visual, and now digital information. The pace creates in its wake, a long list of obsolete technologies, some of which, still exist, but for which equipment and storage technologies are not always available. This exhibit reflects this light-speed, developing technology world with a selection of media formats”. Retro Media also highlights the role of libraries in preserving, storing, and using outdated media. To see the exhibit online, visit http://library.buffalo.edu/asl/exhibits/technology/retro-media.html

Or enjoy a video tour of the exhibit: http://theory.isthereason.com/?p=2612