Friday Notes
Archive

August 26, 2005

New Friday Notes: notes for next week
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

FROM: The Eye Opener of the NWILSA

The NEW Consortia Con't.

Last week Bonnie said: "... look for a separate bulletin by email yet this week with more information about this transition and how your library can be part of it."

Good Morning! As promised, this is the first in a series of bulletins providing more information about transitioning NWILS’ E-Rate services and how your library can be part of it. Bulletin #1 lays out some background information; more details will follow in separate emails. Please share these bulletins with your staff and boards…

BACKGROUND:

As you know, Sue Kroesche (Orange City) managed NWILS E-Rate services last year, following Christine Rutherford’s retirement. But a significant change this year finds Sue with a full time teaching position in Orange City. While she remains on contract with us as Special Projects Consultant (mostly doing website work) she’s no longer available to manage E-Rate services.

But here’s the silver lining J Northwest and Northeast LSAs are teaming up to continue providing E-Rate services to Northwest member libraries. Northeast office in Waterloo is willing and more than able to take Northwest libraries into its E-Rate Consortium. (Many of you know Ken Davenport, a leading Iowa expert in all things E-Rate!)

NWILS Board is contracting with Northeast’s Board; essentially, our LSA is paying Northeast LSA for “taking on” 40+ Northwestern libraries into their E-Rate Consortium. Last year, we filed for approximately 40 libraries. So we’re assuming—and it seems a very logical assumption—that last year’s 40 libraries are the most likely ones to migrate over to the Northeast Consortium. At least, that’s what we’re banking on! In fact, we’ve already sent the listing of last year’s 40 libraries onto Northeast’s office, complete with each library’s FCC#, service providers, and email addresses. So that’s done.

Understand that your library is not obligated to join Northeast LSA’s E-Rate Consortium; you can certainly opt out and handle the online filing on your own. However, please understand that because of our staffing changes, NWILS office will be hard pressed to answer E-Rate questions or to offer any in-depth consulting. Northeast office in Waterloo will be your E-Rate consultants, but only if your library joins the consortium. To get things rolling, you’ll need to sign the “LETTER OF AGENCY” with their office instead of with us. More on that in Bulletin #2…

Our two agencies continue to work out the logistics and the timing of things. Look for the next few bulletins which will outline more details about timing, expectations, and “what’s in it for you.” Thanks!

Bonnie McKewon
Director, Northwest Iowa Library Services

Please note: NWILS is holding an information session over the ICN on Friday September 16^th. Staff from the Northeast Waterloo office will join in and we’ll explain what’s expected if you want to join their consortium. Please protect September 16^th (time pending 10:00AM—12:00noon) and make plans to attend this ICN session; specific ICN locations to be announced.

Ken put this announcement in for a couple of reasons:
1. People have asked that I include it in the notes not just in the e-rate blog.
2. Notice that if you want to lurk in on the ICN session you need to let Ken or Susan know, it will provide a general background on the Consortia BUT it is a NWILSA session so you may not get to ask questions.

Reminder e-rate participants you need to check the e-rate blog http://www.neilsa.org/cblog/index.cfm for instructions.

ABOUT THE LSA:
The city of Frederika no longer has a signed contract for library services at Tripoli Public Library. We are going to begin denying services October 1, 2005. The charge for a library card is going to be $25 to those patrons.

CE:
LIBRARY FRIENDS: ILA has a new "Friends" subdivision.
Friends pre conference at ILA in Dubuque on October 19, 2005

Illinois has developed some online classes for librarians which can be found at the following link:

Take a look at Library U to see how your library staff development program can benefit from this tool. http://mylearning.libraryu.org/home/
If you have questions contact Rita McGeary (ritam@palsnet.info or x4463).

Due Date:
NEILSA closed dates: 9/5, 11/11& 24&25, 12/23 & 26, 1/2/6

• August 31 Enrich Iowa Letter of Agreement due
• September 21 - Town Meeting
• October 4 - 7:00 Greene - Butler County Meeting
• October 4, 2005, Howard County at Lime Springs at 7 P.M.
• October 17, at Aurora 7:00 Buchanan County Meeting - KD
• October 18 - Farmersburg 7:00 Clayton County Meeting - KD
• October 18 - Janesville 7:30 Bremer County Meeting
• October 19-21 ILA Annual, Dubuque
• October 24 9:00 Wellsburg Grundy County Meeting
• October 31 - Annual Survey Due
• November 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ossian Public Library - Winneshiek County Meeting
• December 23 & 26 - Christmas

Links:
Learning Activity Written Summary: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/continuing-ed/online-learningactivitywrittensummary.htm
LSA web site: http://www.ilsa.lib.ia.us/siteindex.htm
NEILSA continuing education http://www.neilsa.org/classes/current.html
NEILSA e-rate Consortia Blog http://www.neilsa.org/cblog/index.cfm
NEILSA monthly calendar - http://www.neilsa.org/ncalendar/ncalendarmonth.cfm
NEILSA web site: http://neilsa.org
NEILSA yearly calendar - http://www.neilsa.org/ncalendar/ncalendar_results.cfm
NEILSA Friday Notes archives at: http://www.neilsa.org/fridays/friday.html
NWILSA Blog: http://nwilsblog.blogspot.com
State Calendar - http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/news/calendars/2005calendar.pdf
State Library CE web site at: http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/continuing-ed/index.html
USAC (e-rate): http://www.sl.universalservice.org/

The fine print stuff
blog - Friday Notes 2 AT - http://radio.weblogs.com/0108327/
EDITORS NOTES:
"x" & "xx" are catalogers shorthand for: x = See & xx = See also
Edited by:
Ken Davenport - NEILSA Consultant davenport@neilsa.org

COPYLEFT NOTICE 2002:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS FREE.
It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt

COPYRIGHT
Please note: material found on the web should be assumed to be under copyright and is presented here for purposes of education and research only.

NOTE: If credited [via ???] or [from so & so] it is their material and not covered by my "Copyleft" notice. Ken