Children's Services Meeting Minutes for February 2005

Date:  February 9, 2005

Location:  RJN Downtown Library- Friends Room

Attendees:  Geri Price-OUT, Joan Shelton-CH, Carolyn Abernathy-SO, Carol Hunter-ED, Barb Johnson-BI, Rosemary Czarski-CT, Lisa Bradley-DN, Lisa Wood-VI, Lucie Smith-Jones, Jo Nita White-HR, Dana L. Morrow-OUT, Mary Mahan-NP, Mary Strasner-DN, Cheryll Smith- MC, Cheryl Coleman-RE, Daniel E. Fields-BE, Karen Lehr-ED, Kelley Riha-OUT, Mary Lou Strong-DN, Alma Brown-WA, LaVetta Dent-OUT.

The Director’s Message:
LaVetta Dent welcomed everyone and introduced Donna Morris, Director of MLS. Donna Morris reported that the system is doing well. Usage is up across the board. She believes that this is due to the excellent service and materials we provide. Administration is gearing up for the new budget year. It is believed that funds for next year will be fairly flat. There are no new major projects slated for the next fiscal year.

There are still projects remaining to be completed pursuant to the earlier OKC bond package, but it is unclear when those will be finished. The CH project was supposed to begin this year, however problems have been encountered. These problems have to do with the value of the building, the cost of the work, and code issues that will result if renovations are undertaken. The projected costs are greater than available money so this is still being evaluated.

We should start the RE project which will add 4000 sq. feet to the current facility. This project is geared toward facilitating large events. The NW library and SO expansion are the other pieces of the bond projects. We will be doing these within next 5 years, but no firm dates.

Donna Morris next discussed the reorganization undertaken after the retirement of Judy Walden. Donna had a number of people reporting to her directly and needed more time to focus on planning and long term issues. There are now 4 deputy directors with responsibilities over Materials and Outreach (Karen Marriott), Library Operations (Kay Bauman), Finance and Support (Lloyd Lovely), and Technology (Jim Welch). Donna Morris introduced Karen Marriott to everyone. With Karen Marriott having oversight over Outreach and Children’s Services, questions can be directed to Karen Marriott.

In addition, there have been changes on the Board. Penny McCaleb has stepped down as chair. Hugh Rice is now chair and Dr. Ann Paine is vice-chair. Dr. Paine is affiliated with Moore Public Schools and has had extensive dealings with school media specialists. There is great excitement about the possibilities for collaboration and contacts.

Donna Morris also announced that we are about to launch into DVDs in the upcoming fiscal year.

There was talk about the possible impact of Pioneer Library System’s new library which is being built in a part of OKC that is within boundaries of Cleveland County. It will be located at the Tech Center. There are questions about how this may impact SO because of its proximity to the new library and because SO currently serves a number of the people who are actually within the Pioneer service area. In addition, the proximity of these libraries may cause us to think about collaborating in ways we have not considered in the past.

Dana Morrow:
Dana reported that Karen Marriott is her new boss and that she believes it is a good fit for Outreach. Outreach already works closely with Materials Selection.

Dana has asked that we advise her if we hear of groups that are making contributions to the community and for which we might want to consider partnerships. If you come across such a group, talk to Dana who will evaluate the potential fit and handle contacts about potential partnerships with the organization. Recently, a partnership was created between MLS and LINKS, an organization for African- American professional women. LINKS is working to provide dance lessons for girls for a minimal fee. Dance recitals were recently performed at RE and DN branches, which attracted many young girls and their families to the library for these performances. This is an example of a good partnership for the library.

MLS also recently partnered with the Girl Scouts for training sessions for leaders and volunteers. A session was held for volunteers encouraging them to read to others.

She also announced the Moscow Nights program which takes place on Sunday, February 13 at DN branch. There will be two performances. [In fact, the program was so popular a third performance was added!] Be sure to visit the art exhibit in the DN Children’s area which features 113 works created by Russian children, ages 4-12.

Read to Me Packets are going very well. They are packets given to the parents of every newborn. The Oklahoman lent their design team and they look wonderful. The publisher has agreed to carry the packets in her catalog and Outreach will get a portion of the profits to put back into the project.
Karen Marriott was introduced and said she is gearing up for her first summer as Deputy Director with the Summer Book program.

Kelley Riha-
Kelley made an announcement about the Unity Fest scheduled for April 2. It will be held in downtown OKC in the Empowerment Zone. Its purpose is to try to create more cultural diversity and cultural festivities. The first year the sponsors would like to have the libraries help by having story times and displays beginning about three weeks before April 2 that focus on a particular culture. Cultures that will be featured are Hispanic,

Asian, Native American, and African-American cultures. [N.B. Kelley sent an email stating that the festival has been canceled.

Geri Price-
This summer’s Come Read with Me program will have the theme of “Everyday Heroes.” The idea is to help kids see what it means to be a hero in their communities and to see how they can be a hero. The type of books that will be featured are books like Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco and Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes.

Please email Geri with book suggestions that might fit this theme. Some ideas suggested at the meeting were Louie by Ezra Jack Keats, Miss Spider’s Tea Part, Don’t Laugh at Me, Just the Two of Us by Will Smith, and The Emperor’s Egg.

Heidi Daniel-Morgan
Heidi announced that the Texas Poetry Festival will be held on April 2 at the Texas Women’s University. Nicky Grimes will be the keynote speaker and tickets are $25.00. There will be an open mike for teens. Heidi has registration forms if anyone is interested.

Janet Brooks – Spotline on and Julie Mock- Databases.
Session in Route 66 Computer Lab.

Spotline on is a collection of bibliographies, which are created 4 times a year. The bibliographies are available on the MLS website and are accessible by staff and the public. Each year, the bibliographies focus on works relating to each of four groups: African Americans (February), Hispanics (September), Native American (November), and Asian Americans (May). They are comprised largely of recently released books. Links are provided on the website to lists created in pdf format of relevant works in Adult Fiction, ANF, JF, JNF, Children, AV, and some websites. During the month that a new bibliography is released, Theresa Goggins usually puts a link on the MLS home page. At other times, Spotlight on can be accessed by clicking on the @ Your Service link on the home page and clicking on Spotlight on.

Janet would like to expand these bibliographies, but needs help. If you spot a title you would like to see added, send the information to Janet at least two months before the release date. The bibs have to be given to Theresa about a month ahead of time for design and html issues.

Julie:
We have a new version of Books-in-Print as part of our database package that is vastly improved. This database can be used for a myriad of things. You can use it to check gift book titles to see if donated books are part of a series or whether a title under consideration has been reviewed. It can also be used to check and see if a title is available from our supplier, Baker and Taylor at the Commerce, GA site. If the title is still available from them, it is probably still a popular title. It also can be used to identify targeted age groups for a work. Also, for gift books that are part of a non-fiction series, you can send a review in BIP from other titles in the series.

After hearing groans about the Oklahoman Archives, Julie explained that Newsbank may be gone in July and we all need to “learn to love” the Oklahoman archives. There are some features that are superior in the Archives. The archives contain not just articles but photos, classified, etc. The layout of the newspaper is preserved. In addition, Newsbank only went to about 1982 and the archives go back to 1901-ish. A few pointers:

• The search feature is case sensitive. If you use caps in your search term, it will only retrieve caps.
• You can search the entire archive or search for smaller periods of time.
• You have to tell it how to sort
• Results are given by score.
• In March, this archive will be available through remote access. Currently it is “In Library Only.”
• Stacy has been doing classes on the Oklahoman. Let him and Susan know if we or our customers have problems. Mary Strasner mentioned that we are having problems with printing from the archive.

Susan says we are getting Popular Science, Lands and People and America the Beautiful in February. We may want to see whether this impacts use of print versions.

Kelley Riha- Improv
Adults also learn by play. There are lots of ways to approach improv. One good resource for ideas is 500 Five Minute Games. This would be a great addition to professional collections.

Improvs can start with something like Five Little Pumpkins at Storytime and then ask kids to think of other things that can be counted—elephants, etc.

Always accept the answers suggested in improv.

Kelley led brave volunteers in “What are you doing?’ “Pro and Con” “Machine,” “Freeze” and “Bippity-Bop.” If you have questions about the handout of improv games, contact Kelley.

Ginny Dietrich- ODL
Ginny is taking over responsibility for the Summer Reading Program (this year only) for Donna Norvell, who passed away last fall. Ginny has not been involved in the summer reading program in the past and does not have a background in children’s services. ODL is very short-handed at this time. Accordingly, they have decided to join the collaborative summer reading program that Upstart is sponsoring. About 30 states participate in this program. Sponsors of the program require a two year commitment, so ODL will be using the Upstart materials for the next two years.

The theme for this year is Dragons, Dreams, and Daring Deeds. Steven Kellogg is doing the artwork for the program. So far, feedback to ODL has been good. We can use artwork for summer programs, but it cannot be used to make money or for providing to other vendors besides Upstart. Ginny provided a handout on copyright considerations.

All summer reading materials from ODL should be shipped to branches before March 1. The materials will be shipped to branches as ordered. Let Ginny know if the order is wrong. ODL may end up with some extras of the materials, but basically what we order is what we will get from ODL. They do not have a warehouse of extras!

The book bags, however, will be delivered to Outreach for distribution to branches. They are being sponsored by Sonic again. We will be getting Sonic coupons again. The Oklahoman will probably do something again, but there is no information available yet.

Sonic asks that the coupons NOT be used as a sign-up prize. We are encouraged to use these coupons as handouts during programs. It’s helpful if we stagger giving them out.

There are two teen programs available for the summer. Oklahoma teen services has developed “Laugh Out Loud.” We’ll be getting teen artwork and posters.

The collaborative summer program also has a teen component entitled, “Joust Read.” MLS will not be using this program. Focus groups have shown that teens want an entirely different program from the children’s program.

The new manual (hot pink handout) has the list of workshops on the Summer Reading program for the state. MLS is welcome to attend. Pages 7-8 of the supplemental manual has an evaluation form. Please fill it out in paper format and submit it by the deadline. THIS is VERY IMPORTANT. The legislature that provides funding for the program wants an evaluation of the program. A new part of the evaluation process is that we establish goals and objectives for the Summer Reading Program. (#15, 16). Also, the federal agency that provides LSTA funding is big on outcome-based evaluation. This is new and we should “do the best we can.” Use system goals and you can add agency level goals if you want.

David Shannon will be doing the artwork for the 2006 program, which will be “Paws, Claws, Scales, and Tails.” In 2007, we will do our own state program to coincide with the Oklahoma Centennial. After 2007, ODL will evaluate to determine whether Oklahoma will do its own programs or participate in the collaborative national programs.

ODL, however, is providing a bibliography of works for this year’s program. Their list has few duplications of the bib. provided in the Upstart materials, so that gives librarians two bibs for use this summer.

Ginny, who claimed to be craft-impaired, showed a jester’s hat made of reinforced felt and a princess hat. Directions for the crafts can be found on p.153 of the Upstart manual.

Heidi Daniel-Morgan:
Subway is sponsoring the Teen Program this summer. Sign-up gifts will be a carabeaner with a clock that can be hung on jeans. It will have Subway logo. Teens will also get a plastic book bag. Summer reading materials should come in late April or early May.

Heidi Port:
Heidi passed around pictures of possible t-shirt designs for Teen Volunteers this summer. Everyone was asked to initial the design they liked best.
Heidi is planning on putting the pink teen volunteer form online. It was the consensus that the schedule printed on the tri-fold is not necessary and will be not be included anymore. Heidi asked everyone to please take a look at the pink printed Teen Summer Volunteer form and let Heidi know what additional information we would like on the online form.

There will also be a teen volunteer booklet in both print and online versions. A need was expressed for continuing to offer a print version.
Heidi passed out a handout with a timeline for Summer at the Library Volunteers. The first deadline for librarians is submitting the names of teen volunteer prospects to Heidi by Wed. Feb. 23 so that invitation letters can go out.

Heidi will send out the initial invitation letters by March 4. The Teen Volunteer forms should be available online by then (online applications, the Teen Volunteer booklet, etc.)

Teen Volunteers will need to wear the temporary badges on lanyards. If any branch needs more volunteer badges, let Heidi know. They are ordering stickers where volunteers using temp badges can write their names. Heidi will also be doing buttons for teens. The Summer Volunteer Recognition party for teens will be August 2. Time sheets for teens will be due July 5th for June volunteer hours. Hours for July will be due August 2.

LaVetta-
Prizes this year are something of a problem and OUT is working to resolve them.

In an effort to resolve the issue of prizes for kids 3 and under, we will plan to give parents the choice of selecting either a book or a medal. OUT will send you the number of books you gave out the last year we had books for the youngest read-to-me’s.

The finishing prizes for older kids will be the same as last year: a medal, 2 baseball tickets, and a ticket to the Children’s Theatre. However, with recent personnel changes in MAC, the work for obtaining drawing prizes was not completed and it will probably not be possible to have drawing prizes. MAC needs a list of all prizes by Feb. 15th so they can issue bids for printing of the Summer Reading Materials. OUT will let all know what the final verdict is on drawing prizes when decisions are all finalized.

Peggy Kaney- Puppeteer
Peggy Kaney currently works in an academic environment, but formerly was a youth services librarian. She will email her handout of resources to LaVetta for distribution.

She first showed her “Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” puppet, which she made. It is virtually life-sized. It has a soft-sculpture face made by pulling a 18” square of jersey around a poly-fill mask. She also used an apron, a hat, a blouse with a slit down the arm to accommodate the puppeteer’s arm, and a paint stick to hold up the head.

She also showed finger puppets. Kids are forgiving, she says, so think of ways to help kids expand their connection to the literature through puppets. Set up an opportunity for children to re-tell the story.

She showed a Baby in swaddling puppet that she uses as a transitional device to move from an active activity to a quiet one. Kids sing rock-a-bye baby to the baby and it settles them—even older kids.

Peggy does not like to use a puppet stage. She finds it hard to supervise children if she’s physically separated by a stage or theatre. She does not try to use ventriloquism either. She usually starts with her hands behind her back holding the puppets.

Peggy next told the story of why alligator has bumpy skin. Rabbit was purchased, but she had to make the alligator puppets. These were made out of cardboard, but she has started using masonite so that the puppets hold up better. She also showed puppets for a western version of the Three Little Pigs.

The pigs and wolf were soft sculptures. The houses were made of cardboard and map-board.

She also makes puppets on sticks using corrugated cardboard, felt, and wooden sticks. For a children’s activity, they can also be made out of paper plates.

She recommends the book Fanciful Faces and Handbound Books: Fairy Tales by Ron Feller. She will include info about this book in the bib. she provides to LaVetta.

Materials were made available so that we could make hand-held oval face puppets.

LaVetta- Summer at the Library (SAL)

• Neighborhood Evaluation Forms
  LaVetta passed out copies of the Neighborhood Arts Evaluation Form. Branches will need to send in a form EVERY week. Forms can be returned either electronically or in print. For the questions about the amount of time program attendees have been coming to programs, we can ask the audience or the performers can be requested to ask the audience. Teen volunteers can be used to estimate numbers. We are also being asked to indicate whether programs resulted in increased usage or interest. For the increased usage/ interest questions, we will look at circulation stats for the day of the performance. They want to know if more books check out on NA programming days. On the weekly NA evaluation form, branches should put the total circulation number for the day of the program. (You can get this number the following morning. This prints out every morning at each branch. ) LaVetta and OUT will determine if this results in increases for Extensions. The Legislature funds the NA Council and the legislature is requesting an evaluation of the program. We need to cooperate.
• SAL Statistics for Children’s Book Program
  When using Room Manager for SAL, be sure to use the category “Reading Program.” Put the number of people enrolled in the program on July 31 in Room Manager in the box titled “Expected.” Enter finishers in the box “Actual” after the date of the ballgame. Do this ASAP because these numbers are needed for the August Commission Meeting.
• OUT will be planning 8 weeks of programming for the SAL. The programs will run from June 6, 2005- July 29. Most branches will have programs on their traditional dates and times with the exception of a few branches where performers had difficulty getting from one place to another. SO will go to having a show at 3:00 p.m. rather than previous time slot of 2:30 p.m. OUT is working on a solution for the close time between HR and NP times. OUT will give us a list of the performers within the next two weeks. We will have two weeks of Lucky Penny Performances. Also, Michael Corley and Al Bostick will be among the performers. We will also have several performers who will be in town for the National Storytelling Festival.
• Die-cuts-
  They will be ordering some die-cuts to go with the theme for this summer. LaVetta will send us samples of what they get. We can order die-cuts for the SAL through Sharon Maine. We already own a few crown die-cuts.
• We are getting Sam Noble passes as prizes.
• ODL Evaluations:
  LaVetta will send us a reminder about getting the ODL Evaluations in. We are to send them to OUT and they will send the evaluations to ODL as a group. MLS has system goals. You can use MLS goals or our own goals.
• Week of the Young Child
  If anyone wants someone to do Toddler Aerobics for the Week of the Young Child, let LaVetta know. She has a contact.
• Finishing Prizes
  Policy regarding use of food coupons or CDs that branches get on their own is that these may not be used as prizes for Summer Reading program or for Neighborhood Arts programs. This is because of comments like, “My cousin goes to X branch and he got more prizes when he finished.” It’s OK to use any prizes we get separately at programs that the branches do on their own during the summer.
• Performers who are Late:
  If performers are late for performances or you encounter other problems, let LaVetta know. We need to report problems to Neighborhood Arts.
• Borden’s/Krispy Kreme Doughnuts:
  Questions were asked about experiences with Borden’s/Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Some people expressed problems with arrival times, disorganization, etc. General feeling was that if we tightened up on organization and timing, we may want to continue with promotion.
• SAL Prizes:
  Send any ideas you have about drawing prizes to LaVetta. There is no budget for drawing prizes. Any prizes will need to be from sponsors and in place by Feb. 15--- so not much time!
  Discussion ensued about whether we should try to spread out prizes to keep children reading throughout the summer. Some parents indicated in survey that goals were quickly met and kids lost interest after they got finishing prizes.

  During discussion, many people indicated interest in having two stages for prizes. Most people believed that since medal are the only tangible prize they should be given when child meets initial goal of eight hours, books, or 800 pages. Perhaps give the theatre and/or baseball tickets when the next goal is met.

  Mary Strasner raised the issue of coming up with non-prize recognition to encourage kids to keep reading. Perhaps have a special “club” where kids who finish three cards of goals can join a 3-card plus club and get special recognition of some kind like a banner where they tack on a dragon with their name or a dragon with different colors indicating number of books/ hours read, or maybe kids could get their picture made for a special display. Another idea was that for every book read or hour spent reading, kids could drop a penny in a wishing well and the money could be used for something for the library or be donated to a charity. It’s OK for branches to do something like this on heir own as long as it isn’t advertised.

  It was noted that if we won’t be having drawing prizes, we don’t need to collect personal information on extra cards formerly used for drawing. This may speed up process at SAL desk.

  Send feedback to LaVetta about how prizes should be awarded by end of the week.

  Be prepared to answer questions about why program is being done differently this year- want to keep kids reading all summer, change in sponsors, etc. Teens should be prepared, too.

• General Discussion and Suggestions about SAL.
  Branches would like to see SAL materials before they are finalized/ printed. Extra eyes usually help and people in trenches may have a different perspective. LaVetta will send copies of materials out. It was decided that comments to OUT would be sent by Daniel, Karen, Mary Strasner, and Alma.

  There was discussion about the importance of choosing appropriate reading goals at the outset of the program. Librarians and teens should be able to provide guidance to parents and kids about how to set goals at different reading/age levels. Time is generally the great equalizer. Lisa Wood suggested a good idea about giving certificates out at completion of goal and stapling Ballpark tickets, Children’s Theater tickets together with the ODL certificate for the second level or second group of 8 books, hours, 800 pages read.

Retreat concluded.