BCLTA BULLETIN – Aug 19, 2010

CONTENTS

• 2010/2011 Budget
• BCLTA Funding
• Infrastructure Study
• TOP and Board Chair Training
• Meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid
• UBCM Reception
• Effective Board Governance Audio Conferences – Dr. Ken Hancock
• BCLTA Resources
• 2011 Conference
• Innovation

We hope that you have all had a great rest over the summer and got an opportunity to recharge your batteries.

2011 Budget
 
It appears that the continuing advocacy work that we have been doing has paid off for this fiscal year.  Some highlights include:

• The base funding for all libraries will remain the same. This allowed libraries to receive almost $300,000 in additional funding this year.  BCLTA will be writing the Minister to thank her for keeping the budget stable.
• One Card:
  • every library will receive a base amount regardless of how much they used One Card
  • Libraries that exceed the load of their base amount will be given extra funds for usage of the system above the base amount.
  • Regional libraries and GVPL will get a larger share.
• Other grants stay the same.
• The per capita rates for large urban libraries are dropping to $1.86 to offset for population increases.
• The smaller libraries who have suffered population losses will be grand-parented to protect their grant levels.

BCLTA Funding

• We have been advised that the annual grant to BCLTA will remain at $10,000. The Board will be deciding how that is to be spent including some towards offsetting the costs for TOP. BCLTA has subsidized TOP for about $7000 for the past few years and as you know, we had to start charging higher fees to offset our costs for these courses.  We will be advising you of any changes.

 Infrastructure Study

• The Board will be engaging the services of Loring Bohach (former Board member and member of Vancouver Public Library Board) and Daphne Wood (author of the original study) to conduct phases 2 & 3 of the study over the next two years.
• The purpose of this study is not only to identify the extent of infrastructure improvements needed for libraries in BC but to also provide the libraries with some tools and resources to plan for any improvements that they will need.
• We will also be looking at standards for libraries and at multi-branch systems.
• We will be providing you with periodic updates on this study.  
• Details will be available at www.bclta.org

TOP and Board Chair Training

A reminder that all trustees should have TOP training to ensure that they better understand their roles and responsibilities as Board members. These duties should not be taken lightly. And don’t forget to invite your Library Director to this training as well. It is important that Directors understand the roles and responsibilities of the trustees and they have a lot to contribute to this training.

The Board Chair training program is for current Chairs and Vice-Chairs. The course is specifically designed for those who lead Boards.

Arrangements for these courses can be made through Mandy Davies admin@bclta.org.

Meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid

We are hoping to meet with the Minister the week of September 26th while she and we are in Whistler at the Union of BC Municipalities meetings. This is our annual opportunity to thank the Minister for the work she is doing for libraries and to continue our advocacy work on your behalf.

UBCM Reception

BCLTA, BCLA and ABCPLD are also hosting our annual reception at UBCM on Thursday, September 30th for key politicians and leaders in BC. This year we are hosting it on a smaller level and by invitation only at the Whistler Public Library in order to show the political leaders what libraries have to offer as well as to show off one of our newest libraries in BC. The Whistler Library has also received awards for its design and was built to LEED standards.

Effective Board Governance Audio Conferences – Dr. Ken Hancock

Audio conferences, scheduled regularly in the year round Education Institute program, are developed and delivered by Dr. Ken Haycock, (www.kenhaycock.org) former Director of the School of Library and Information Science at San José State University. Featuring a core curriculum for your board’s leadership development program, this series complements the print materials available through One Place to Look. They are also available for purchase through the OLA Store.

BCLTA Resources

Don’t forget that the BCLTA website (www.bclta.org) provides a tremendous amount of resources for trustees.  Also available to you are the BCLTA Board members. Each member has been assigned specific libraries that they liaise with so take advantage of their expertise when searching for answers.  Who is your rep? Check www.bclta.org/exec.html       

2011 Conference

The 2011 conference will be held in Victoria April 7-9th. Both BCLA and BCLTA are celebrating 100 years. More to come on this in the New Year.

Innovation

There have been numerous stories in the press lately about how libraries are adjusting to the new electronic world or meeting the needs of their patrons. Some great examples are:

• Vancouver Public Library has noticed an increase in downloading of electronic books on patron’s readers. The books only last 3 weeks and then they disappear off the reader.
• Toronto libraries have set up book kiosks in the subways for commuters who want something to read. They can take out and return books at the kiosks.
• The Kitimat Public Library has been very busy these days. The only video store in Kitimat closed recently so the only place where a good collection of DVD’s exists is at the library.

If you have any stories like this, please let us know.