Idaho Library Association Blog

Content Resources - From SPLAT Curiosity Report V.12, issue 3

Cresta Craner — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 19:56:08 GMT

Content Resources

Readers Advisory is my favorite thing. I cannot tell you how much I love talking about books with people. My banker asks me for suggestions for his kids every time I visit the bank. While library staff give out suggestions all the time, I think we are all feeling more apprehension in this political climate. We can’t know the content in every book ever printed. However, there is help for that! Here are some resources to use or give out to people to find the right fit:

Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org)
CSM rates entertainment. This includes movies, books, podcasts, games, and shows. They look for things like violence, sex, language, but also role models and positive messages as well as educational value.

Does the Dog Die (doesthedogdie.com)
DTDD is a crowdsourced tool for emotional spoilers in movies, TV, books etc. Yes, it definitely includes animals passing away. But this also can find things like hate speech, violence, death, drugs, swearing, and so much more.

Amazon.com
Whatever your feelings about Amazon are, they have a fabulous tool in the “Look Inside” feature for most print books. You can use this feature to search how many times certain words appear inside the book. Though, you do have to type them in yourself which can be pretty awkward at the Reference Desk.

Graphic Novel Ratings
A lot of graphic novels have a rating next to the ISBN number. For instance, Dragonball Z is rated A for all ages, Beastars is rated T+ for older teens, Black Panther: Long Live the King is rated T for teens, and the Sandman series is rated M for mature readers.

Novelist/Novelist K-8
This subscription site is one of my favorite readers advisory tools! Not only does it have read-alikes, genre breakdowns, book discussion questions, and…I could go on and on, but it also has some helpful tips for reading levels. In each youth/teen item entry, there is a Min/Max Grade level and a Lexile number. While Novelist doesn’t do a deep dive into the content, there is also a Theme section which can hint at any controversial subjects covered in the book. Novelist is available to all Idaho libraries through Lili.org.

Another issue that can arise with patrons looking for content guidance is lack of specificity. What one person thinks of as “clean” might not match with what the staff person feels is “clean.” It helps for a family or individual to have their own Content Guide. My supervisor has a quick and easy way for patrons to come up with their own guide for reading materials. This includes three categories: specific, individual, and flexible.

Here is a snippet of her tips:

Specific: As a family, discuss what kinds of themes and content are best for your family and why they are right for you. Then come up with specific words to use when asking for help in finding materials.

Non-specific descriptions: a clean book; a book with diverse characters
Specific descriptions: a book with minimal/light swearing, if any, and no descriptions of sexual intercourse; a book where the main character is a person of color.

Individual: Each person in your family is different, so their personal Content Guides should be individualized to meet their specific needs. Discuss with each family member themes, content, and topics that are too sad, too scary, too emotional, or too intense to be read or viewed without causing discomfort to the reader and incorporate those into their personal Content Guide.

Flexible: Personal Content Guides should be flexible both over the years and in the moment. As readers of all ages mature, interests, content, and thematic preferences will evolve. Make a plan to review your family Content Guide and individual Content Guides regularly, perhaps once each year, to see what revisions should be made.

I hope this article has been helpful for you and gives you more tools for helping patrons find reading materials that fit their needs.

By Maggie Dumont

ILA Vice President Opening

Cresta Craner — Mon, 02 May 2022 14:19:58 GMT

Hello Idaho libraries,

ILA’s current vice president, Jessica Bowman, has accepted a job out of state and is stepping down from her ILA position. We are seeking someone to serve the remainder of her term which runs until October 2023. The job of vice president is a dynamic and important one, and serving on the ILA board is an excellent way to develop leadership skills and become more connected with library workers throughout the state. Previous experience with ILA is not required as Jessica has offered to continue as a co-vice president for a time until the new vice president has settled into the role.

Below is the description of the vice president’s duties. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Jessica Bowman at idaholibrariesvicepresident@gmail.com or Amy Campbell at acampbell@marshallpl.org.

Thank you,
Amy

Vice President

Must be an individual member of ILA
Duties

Serves as a voting member of the Board of Directors.
Acts in the absence of the President. If the President vacates the office, the Vice President completes the term.
Serves as the chair of the Regional Conferences Committee and Steering Committee.
Calls for a financial review from the current Treasure within 30 days after a change of Treasurer.
Makes decisions about web page content when appropriate; refers other decisions to the board for discussion.
Updates the ILA social media accounts.
Represents the President upon request.
Keeps in close touch with the President throughout the year to solve problems and to prepare to assume the duties of the presidency.
Assists the President in monitoring the website for updated content.
Receives regular reports from committees.

Committee appointments
- Appoints chairpersons of all operational committees, and serves as ex officio member of all operational committees.
- Suggests members to serve on committees. Final appointments are made by the Vice President after conferring with chairpersons of committees, and after gaining consent of individuals to serve.
- Appoints special committees, when necessary, with approval of the Board of Directors.
- Maintains a current file of information needed by new Board and Committee members.
- Informs each committee chairperson, at time of appointment, of specific duties of committee as defined by the Board of Directors; indicates objectives each committee is expected to attain during its period of service; and urges early consideration of budgetary needs.
- Ensures that all committee appointments are made in time for publication on the website, and/or other appropriate association publication, as determined by the Board.

ILA Statement of Intellectual Freedom

Cresta Craner — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 18:53:49 GMT

A word from the Idaho Library Association,

The Idaho Library Association upholds the values of intellectual freedom and the freedom from censorship as inalienable rights provided by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. We are committed to protecting all Idahoans in their rights to write, read, and publish, and as such, are committed to providing free access to information.

As trained professionals, we recognize that not every viewpoint, book, audiobook, program or video is for everyone and provide a variety of materials accordingly. This is why we also support parents and families in their ability to choose from among our collections what they want to read, so that everyone has a voice or viewpoint to choose from.

ILA condemns censorship in all forms, supporting access to a variety of viewpoints.

The Idaho Library Association is actively working to support librarians’ efforts to provide equal access of information to individuals, families, and all Idahoans.

There will be changes coming to the listserv soon, so please stay tuned for an announcement!

If you would like to speak with someone about Intellectual Freedom, Advocacy, or any other issues please email idaholibrariesadvocacy@gmail.com and idaholibrariesifcommittee@gmail.com.

Thank you,

Jessica Bowman

ILA Vice President

LEGISLATIVE ALERT: HB 666

Cresta Craner — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 22:10:41 GMT

LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

HB 666 moved onto the Senate. We are not sure of the timeline, but what we have learned is that everything is moving fast.

Please write letters to all the members of the Idaho Senate.

We do not have the information that was provided in legislator packets, including book titles, so we suggest you mention that we don't know if those books are actually in our library and what section they're in.

Talking points:

Policies in place, age appropriate materials
The ALA has policy in place too
Books reconsidered may move to adult section
Who gets criminalized? The person who bought the book? Shelved it? Checked it out?
"Harmful material" is not well defined, opens the door to banning of a lot more than the books they're talking about

If you'd be willing to testify, please let Huda, our Legislative Committee Chair, know. Also, please reach out if you have any questions. idaholibrariesadvocacy@gmail.com

Thank you!

Latest Library News from Idaho

Cresta Craner — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 19:59:02 GMT

Hall Bunderson

Cresta Craner — Fri, 14 May 2021 21:33:40 GMT

2002 Idaho Library Association Legislator of the Year Hal Bunderson and State Librarian Stephanie Bailey-White stand with copies of books that Mr. Bunderson donated to libraries around the state.

Mr. Bunderson wrote or edited all seven of the donated titles which encompass the unique history and stories of Idaho and the people who shaped our state. The Idaho Commission for Libraries and the Idaho Library Association worked closely with Mr. Bunderson to ensure the books made their ways to library shelves for Idahoans to enjoy for years to come.

Thank you to Mr. Bunderson for his generous donation and continued support of Idaho libraries!

- Amy Campbell, ILA President

Librarian of the Year

Cresta Craner — Mon, 03 May 2021 20:47:24 GMT

Here is a great article from KPVI about Idaho Librarian of the Year, Beth Swenson. https://www.kpvi.com/news/local_news/idaho-falls-librarian-awarded-idahos-librarian-of-the-year-and-its-practically-a-dream-come/article_ab340376-a8a2-11eb-87f6-5f079be4ea0d.html

ALSC Children's Literature Lecture Award

Cresta Craner — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 17:19:13 GMT

The Children’s Literature Lecture Award Committee is seeking suggestions for our 2023 honoree. The lecturer may be an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature, of any country, who shall prepare a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature. The lecture will be given in April or May of 2023 at a site to be chosen next year.

ALSC members are welcome to send suggestions to the committee for consideration. Please send your proposed lecturer(s), with supporting rationale for each recommendation.

The nomination form is available online and the deadline for submissions is July 31.

Recent past lecturers include Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Neil Gaiman, Dr. Debbie Reese, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Jacqueline Woodson. The complete list of past lecturers is on the ALSC website.

The 2023 lecturer will be announced at the 2022 ALA LibLearnX next January in San Antonio. For more details about the lecture, please visit the Children’s Literature Lecture Award site.

ILA Statement in Support of Senate Bill 1193

Cresta Craner — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:37:20 GMT

Did you know that every public library in Idaho and the families with young children in your communities will directly benefit from the Preschool Development Grant (PDG)? The Idaho Library Association is writing to share our formal support of Senate Bill 1193 and the PDG.

Idaho libraries and the Idaho Commission for Libraries are named partners in this grant. Funding would enhance an existing family-centered approach to ensuring children are ready for kindergarten by engaging parents as partners in educating their young child. The funds give every library in the state the opportunity to get new, quality, classic picture books on their shelves selected to encourage early literacy practices: Read, Write, Sing, Talk, and Play; as well as the ability to offer early learning resources for parents including Ready! for Kindergarten workshops for parents, grandparents, and caregivers with young children.

Ready! for Kindergarten gives parents information and hands-on materials to engage their little ones in powerful at-home early learning. The grant funds will support children, parents, early childhood small business owners, and childcare workers directly as well as all Idahoans through a variety of library materials and services. Public libraries offer lifelong learning and access to information and opportunities that make our communities stronger. Many of the families libraries serve are homeschool families and families not using childcare; these families in particular look to libraries for quality, free, supplemental educational resources and programs. When libraries have the resources to support Idaho’s earliest learners and set the stage for an improved quality of life, we all benefit.

One Library in southwest Idaho conducted a survey in their district to determine what parents felt would be useful to help them prepare their children for kindergarten. The results indicated parents seek just the variety of resources the Preschool Development Grant helps provide. Parents specifically asked for clear information about the Kindergarten Readiness standards, hands on materials to teach and reinforce letter, number and shape recognition, letter sounds, learning games, and a Kindergarten Readiness class as well as support in helping their children with social and emotional skills like problem solving and calming down.

Another Idaho library offers a 10-week kindergarten readiness program aimed at preparing children ages 4-5 for kindergarten by focusing on a combination of early learning competencies and social-emotional skills, developed in concert with local kindergarten teachers. This program is in high demand, with consistent waiting lists. Kids come excited, but they also come lacking kindergarten skills, such as knowing the alphabet or how to hold crayons and scissors. By the time they complete our program, over 95% of children can identify letters and the sounds they make, a critical indicator of reading success.

PDG funds would assist libraries in their work with parents in these and other specific learning areas to help prepare their children for success in kindergarten and in life.

The Idaho Library Association supports Senate Bill 1193 and we ask you to do so as well.

Amy Campbell

Idaho Library Association President 2020-2022

CVAC Decision and Library Workers

Cresta Craner — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 22:33:52 GMT

Friday's CVAC meeting focused on discussion around vulnerable populations, the remainder of Group 2, and further clarifications on Essential Workers in Group 3. Despite ongoing advocacy efforts on our behalf, library workers are not explicitly named as a priority category in Group 2 or 3. We are not alone among groups surprised and disappointed not to be specifically lined out as prioritized. In the end, it was recommended that Idaho follow some sort of age/health flowchart for the next category group as below.

Idaho has created a new COVID-19 vaccine appointment pre-registration solution to assist Idahoans in making an appointment to get the vaccine. Please share this with coworkers and the public:

The new COVID-19 vaccine appointment pre-registration system is available at https://covidvaccine.idaho.gov/ . From the press release: "'The ability for Idahoans to get a vaccine--should they choose to do so--is my top priority," Governor Little said. 'The new pre-registration system is designed to take the frustration out of getting a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. It is user-friendly, easy to understand, and it was built from the ground up with Idahoans in mind.' The pre-registration system allows Idahoans to add their names to one waiting list regardless of when they are eligible to get the vaccine. They will be contacted by an enrolled COVID-19 vaccine provider when it is their turn and when the provider has appointments and vaccine available."

ILA encourages anyone interested in the vaccine to register as above. Additionally, please remember:

Employees who meet any criteria for age or health are eligible to sign up for an appointment anytime.
Now that more pharmaceuticals are official vaccine sites, they are often left with doses at the end of the day. It may be possible for someone to obtain a vaccine this way.

Thank you,

Amy Campbell

Idaho Library Association President 2020-2022

Free Books for Idaho Libraries

Cresta Craner — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 20:58:02 GMT

If you would like high-quality, free books on Idaho for your library, please continue reading!

Hal Bunderson is a former businessman and Idaho State Senator and a community leader. He is an old friend of Idaho’s libraries as well as the 2002 recipient of ILA's Legislator of the Year award. Because of his support of Idaho libraries and education, he is offering to donate books to any interested Idaho libraries. The books on offer are listed below followed by instructions on how to opt-in.

You may look inside the books on Amazon through the links below or on the Ridenbaugh Press website at http://www.ridenbaugh.com. Hal will purchase the books from Ridenbaugh Press which will ship the books that you order directly to library address you provide with your order. Hal is covering 100% of the cost of the books and shipping. There is no cost at all to your library.

Idaho Entrepreneurs (2nd edition, hardcover) https://www.amazon.com/Idaho-Entrepreneurs-Trus-Joist-Morrison-Knudsen-Freightlines/dp/0945648480/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson&qid=1614706026&sr=8-3

Idaho’s 200 Cities: The North (hardcover) https://www.amazon.com/Idahos-200-Cities-North-1/dp/0945648413/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson&qid=1614706026&sr=8-7

Idaho’s 200 Cities: The Southwest (hardcover) https://www.amazon.com/Idahos-200-Cities-Southwest-2/dp/0945648421/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson&qid=1614706026&sr=8-6

Idaho's 200 Cities: The East (hardcover) https://www.amazon.com/Idahos-200-Cities-East-3/dp/094564843X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson+idaho%27s+200+cities+the+east&qid=1614903309&sr=8-1

Idaho’s 200 Cities: The North Trivia (softcover only) https://www.amazon.com/Idahos-200-Cities-North-Trivia/dp/1978358644/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson&qid=1614706026&sr=8-1

Idaho’s 200 Cities: The Southwest Trivia (softcover only) https://www.amazon.com/Idahos-200-Cities-Southwest-Trivia/dp/1978358849/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson&qid=1614706026&sr=8-4

Idaho’s 200 Cities: The East Trivia (only softcover only) https://www.amazon.com/Idahos-200-Cities-East-Trivia/dp/1978358989/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=hal+bunderson&qid=1614706026&sr=8-5

These books tell Idaho’s history through the stories of each of Idaho’s 200 cities and some of Idaho’s great entrepreneurs. Hal led a group of volunteer researchers and historians from around the state in compiling the Idaho Cities books and wrote Idaho Entrepreneurs himself. From the time of their publication, the royalties from the sale of Idaho’s 200 Cities books have gone to the Association of Idaho Cities while the royalties from Idaho Entrepreneurs support a Boise State University endowed scholarship fund. Hal is making this donation as he feels that his gift will directly benefit the institutions he loves: libraries, cities, and education.

Please click here https://forms.gle/86fDi3r3de2d6uQs9 to fill out a form to request your books. Please submit only one request per library. You may request any or all of the seven titles available; please note that the form requires you to rank your requests in order of preference. You may request only one copy of each title, but you may request all seven titles. This gift is limited to titles that you will make accessible to your library patrons.

Please submit your completed form by April 10, 2021. Your library should receive its books about four weeks later. If you have any questions, please email me at acampbell@marshallpl.org. You may also find this same information under news on the ILA website http://idaholibraries.org/.

ILA Statement on Vaccine Prioritization

Cresta Craner — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 22:36:43 GMT

ILA understands vaccine eligibility is of great concern to Idaho library workers working hard under challenging conditions to effectively serve the public. ILA has spoken to the Governor's office and has created and provided a letter to the CVAC urging that public and academic librarians become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in group 2.1. We also encourage library directors to follow up with their own District Health Department.

It is our hope that these efforts result in vaccination availability for library staff as soon as possible in order to fully and safely reopen to serve our communities. Read our letter to CVAC here: ILA_COVIDVaccineLetter.pdf

ILA Awards and Scholarship Nominations Open!

Wed, 08 May 2019 22:49:18 GMT

The 2019 Idaho Librarian Association Awards and Scholarships criteria and nomination/application forms are now available!

Awards available include:

Idaho Public Library of the Year
Librarian of the Year
Trustee of the Year
School Librarian of the Year
Library Friend of the Year
Legislator of the Year
Special Services to Libraries Award
Paraprofessional of the Year

Scholarships available include:

Gardner Hanks Scholarship ($600)
Idaho Library Association Scholarship ($600)

A complete listing of awards criteria can be found here.

Questions may be addressed to Rami Attebury, Awards and Scholarship Committee Chair, at rattebur@uidaho.edu.

To submit a nomination or application, please visit the following:

ILA Awards Nomination Form (select the specific award within the application)

ILA Scholarship

Gardner Hanks Scholarship

ILA Awards nominations coming soon!

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 19:21:06 GMT

Each year, the ILA Library Awards Committee honors those who have provided exemplary service to the Idaho library community.

The 2019 Idaho Librarian Association Awards and Scholarships criteria and nomination/application forms will be available beginning May 8.

Awards available include:

Idaho Public Library of the Year
Librarian of the Year
Trustee of the Year
School Librarian of the Year
Library Friend of the Year
Legislator of the Year
Special Services to Libraries Award
Paraprofessional of the Year

Scholarships available include:

Gardner Hanks Scholarship ($600)
Idaho Library Association Scholarship ($600)

If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to receive one of these awards, watch the ILA blog and Libidaho for the nomination form beginning May 8th.

Filtering Law Update

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 19:57:10 GMT

~Thanks to John Thill, ILA Legislative Committee Chair, for sharing this recap and update on H0194.

On April 4th, 2019 Governor Brad Little signed H0194 into law. Sponsored by Representative Clow and Senator Mortimer, The law is a reiteration of wireless filtering bills that have been drafted by Idaho legislators previously and puts in places some major new requirements for Idaho libraries. The bill requires libraries to do the following:

Have in place an internet safety policy that also applies to wireless internet offered by the library.
Have in operation a “technology protection measure” or filter that screens wireless internet from visually obscene depictions, child pornography and “material harmful to minors.”
When minors are using a wireless connection, it must be filtered.
Post a notice in a conspicuous place in the library that an internet policy is available.

The law also contains some definitions as to what constitutes obscene material and requires libraries to comply by July 1, 2020.

For some of you this may be the first time you have heard of this new law. For the last several months the Idaho Library Association has been fighting an uphill battle to block H0194 from passage on the grounds that it acts as an unfunded mandate, it lacks any provision to assess the actual needs throughout the state fiscally or otherwise, and because it will have an outsized impact on small and rural libraries. Here some of the steps that the Association took this year to oppose the bill as it made its way through the legislative process:

Fall 2018 Prior to the beginning of the 2019 Session, ILA lobbyist John Watts met with Representative Lance Clow about whether he intended to rerun his wireless filtering bill from last year. Clow stated that it seemed unlikely that he would have time to work on it with the school funding model being negotiated in this year’s session.

December 2018 We learn that Rep. Lance Clow will be heading the House Education Committee and that Senator Mortimer, a legislator who brought a previous wireless filtering bill to committee, will once again be Senate Education Committee Chair.

December 2018 The ILA Lobbyist met with Craig Cobia from Citizens for Decency (Rexburg based anti-pornography group). Cobia has been the main behind-the-scenes impetus for the bill over the last two years. Lobbyist John Watts asked Cobia to support and assessment of current library filtering and future needs in lieu of pushing another wireless filtering bill through without sufficient data. Cobia ostensibly agreed that this would be good path forward

February 21, 2019 With the education funding formula stalled, Clow decides to run his wireless filtering bill. As soon as we hear of the bill being printed we schedule a meeting with Representative Clow to ask him to hold off and request an assessment instead.

February 25, 2019 After two cancellations by Clow’s office, lobbyist John Watts and ILA Legislative Chair John Thill meet with Clow in order to encourage him to take a slower approach to his bill, which is likely to have a sizable effect on small libraries. Clow is asked to support an assessment plan to see what the true fiscal impact of the bill will be. He says he will consider it. We also discuss the bill’s unfunded fiscal note. He is evasive on how he came up with the dollar amount of $62,500

Week of February 25, 2019 The bill was added to Clow’s Education Committee schedule, to be read March 4th, 2019. ILA initiated a campaign to get directors with libraries in the committee members’ districts to write or call their representatives asking them to block the bill in favor of the assessment plan and to dispute the bill’s fiscal note. At this point ILA is not particularly hopeful in blocking the bill at the House Committee level due to the committee’s composition and Clow’s position as Chair

March 4, 2019 H0194 passes out of committee, scheduled to be read before the full House March 6th, 2019.

March 6, 2019 Bill passes the House with near unanimity (67-3) and is sent to Senate Education Committee

March 6, 2019 ILA hosts its annual Day at the Capitol meetings with legislators. At a meeting with majority leadership, we request that the speaker and the pro tempore come out in favor of an assessment as opposed to an unfunded bill. In our meeting with the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) leadership we ask that they take a closer look at the bill’s fiscal note, which has no funding mechanism and was not calculated using any library data. The meeting with JFAC leaders is encouraging.

Week of March 11, 2019 We begin an ILA campaign to get directors with libraries in the Senate Education committee members’ districts to write or call their representatives asking them to block the bill in favor of the assessment plan and to dispute the bill’s fiscal note. ILA lobbyist continues negotiations with Senate Committee Chairman Mortimer.

March 19, 2019 The bill is read before Senate Education Committee. A number of library representatives recruited by ILA testify, disputing the bill’s timeline and fiscal note. The bill passes from Committee with a recommendation to amend the fiscal impact and the compliance date.

Week of March 22, 2019 The bill is almost dropped by Senate leadership, but Mortimer pushes it through to the full Senate with only one minor amendment, changing the compliance date to July 1, 2020.

March 26, 2019 Heard before the full Senate, passes though with less support than in the House (25-10 in favor).

Week of March 26 and April 1 The bill is engrossed with the new amendment included and passed by the Senate.

April 4, 2019 Governor Little signs the bill into law.

Throughout the process the Idaho Library Association worked with legislators create a more data driven approach to looking at filtering in Idaho libraries. Unfortunately, in this case, the leadership in the House and Senate Education Committees ignored the majority of our proposed amendments and compromises. We were, however, able to secure an extension for the bill’s enactment date, moving it back a year from the date proposed by Representative Clow.

The compositions of the two Education committees this year made this a particularly difficult fight. As ILA’s Legislative Chair I would like to personally thank anyone who called or emailed their legislator this year to discuss this bill. As we move forward, I would like to encourage all libraries in Idaho to work to forge a relationship with their legislators. The more our elected officials know about the amazing things we do in libraries the less likely they will focus their efforts on dictating how we do our work. Thank you for your continued support.

Public Libraries and Internet Safety Policy

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 21:18:03 GMT

On April 4, 2019, bill H194aaS became enacted legislation. Effective July 1, 2020. public libraries will have to filter access on their internet services so that obscene and pornographic material can't be accessed. This prevents minors from using personal laptops, tablets, smartphones or other devices to access pornographic sties. The addition of WiFi amends a previous law that only dealt with publicly accessible computers. Library policies will need to be updated to include the new law. Additional equipment may need to be installed at each library.

This is an unfunded mandate. The Idaho Library Association dedicated countless hours to communicating our concerns and continued negotiations for funding assistance. We lobbied heavily for more time to perform cost analysis and evaluate implementation of the law. Friendly negotiations were dismissed and flat out refused.

Link to bill text: https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2019/legislation/H0194.pdf

In the future, we may see more 'decency' issues. It is our goal to draft needed legislation that includes libraries as partners in meaningful efforts, and provides funding.

We also hope to lobby heavily for amendments to this law and funding. If you would like to get involved in future efforts, please don't hesitate to contact us.

LeAnn Gelskey, ILA Co-Chair

ILA Organizational Work with Alexander Resource Strategies

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 17:22:23 GMT

As part of our annual full board meeting last week, we worked with David

Alexander regarding the Idaho Library Association. Part of this work included

a discussion of the organizational structure of the association, efficiencies,

eliminating redundancies, and processes. We also reviewed the vision,

mission, values, functions, and services provided by ILA. It was an intensive

workshop and we have a much clearer focus for all of us.

Now, we would like your input! Three sub-committees have been created as part

of the ILA Board of Directors Task Force. We are asking for volunteers to

serve. Choices include Governance and Bylaws, Environmental Scan, and

Transparency and Documentation. Please take a look at the Sub-Committee

Charges. I hope to have them posted on the website as well. If you are

interested, or have questions, please contact me directly by email

lgelskey@haileypubliclibrary.org or phone at 208-788-2036. I will then put

you in touch with the appropriate contact person. Please respond quickly as

we have a lot of work to complete in a short amount of time. We hope to have

our first report on governance out by the next ILA Executive Committee meeting

scheduled for April 19, 2019. Further details are listed below.

Thanks!

LeAnn Gelskey

ILA Co-chair

ILA Board of Directors Task Force

Sub-Committee— Governance and Bylaws

Authority & Charge

1. The overall Task Force will function as an Ad Hoc Committee of the

Board reporting its findings and recommendations to the Board. Sub-Committees

will report to the Task Force, which will be comprised of the executive

committee.

2. Charge: Examine and revise board policy and governance documents,

including position descriptions and committee charges and organization.

Assemble a Board Policy Manual from existing and new documents. Recommend a

new Board Structure for increased operational efficiency.

3. Timeline: Present Report to ILA Executive Committee by April 19th ,

2019.

Deliverables

1. Draft Board Structure

2. Draft Bylaws

3. Draft Position Descriptions

After the required votes of the board and membership to approve changes,

members of this group will be tasked with weeding the shared google drive and

compiling accessible manuals as necessary.

Membership

4. Co-President Kate Lovan will serve as Chair and appoint members.

Scope of Operation

5. The Task Force will meet and complete tasks independently as the Chair

deems necessary.

6. The Task Force may invite members, outside advisors or other

individuals to serve the committee and its purposes, but such persons will not

have voting power.

Responsibilities

7. The Task Force will examine the internal workings of the ILA Board,

bringing recommendations for greater governance and operational effectiveness.

ILA Board of Directors Task Force

Sub- Committee—Environmental Scan

Authority & Charge

1. The overall Task Force will function as an Ad Hoc Committee of the

Board reporting its findings and recommendations to the Board. Sub-Committees

will report to the Task Force, which will be comprised of the executive

committee.

2. Charge: Conduct an Environmental Scan of the ILA: membership, internal

and external conditions.

3. Timeline: Present Report to ILA Executive Committee by June 28th,

2019.

Membership

4. The Vice-President Erin Downey will serve as Sub-Committee Chair and

will appoint members.

Scope of Operation

5. The Task Force will meet and complete tasks independently as the Chair

deems necessary.

6. The Task Force may invite members, outside advisors or other

individuals to serve the committee and its purposes, but such persons will not

have voting power.

Responsibilities

7. The Task Force will survey the member and non-member librarians

throughout the state to determine their needs and interest in relation to the

ILA mission.

Environmental Scan Components:

The ILA Task Force Environmental Scan shall include:

8. SWOT—Internal

[strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats]

9. STEEPLED—External

[sociocultural, technological economic, environmental, political, legal,

education, and demographic]

10. Member & Non-Member Survey

11. Gap Analysis

ILA Board of Directors Task Force on

Transparency and Documentation, Sub-Committee Charter

Authority & Charge

1. The overall Task Force will function as an Ad Hoc Committee of the

Board reporting its findings and recommendations to the Board. Sub-Committees

will report to the Task Force, which will be comprised of the executive

committee.

2. Charge: Standardize and share documentation in a variety of ways, as

needed. Engage the greater library community in the change process, soliciting

input and fostering connection.

3. Timeline: Present Report of activity to ILA Executive Committee by

August 28th, 2019.

Membership

4. Co-President LeAnn Gelskey will serve as Chair and will appoint

members.

Scope of Operation

5. The Task Force will meet and complete tasks independently as the Chair

deems necessary.

6. The Task Force may invite members, outside advisors or other

individuals to serve the committee and its purposes, but such persons will not

have voting power.

Responsibilities

7. The Sub-committee will examine the bylaws and procedural documents of

the ILA Board, bringing recommendations for greater governance and operational

effectiveness.

Present at ILA Annual in Nampa!

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 17:15:54 GMT

There's still time to submit your session idea for ILA Annual in Nampa!

Please visit the online submission form and submit your idea today!

ILA leaders meet with House Education Committee Chair to discuss wifi filtering

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 22:29:17 GMT

ILA Legislative Committee Chair John Thill and ILA legislative adviser John Watts met with Representative Clow (R-Twin Falls) today and discussed a draft process to research, assess, identify, price and install wifi filters in public libraries throughout Idaho. After much discussion, your ILA board has decided to take a collaborative approach to wifi filtering in order to find a solution that centers on behavior policies, preserves access to information, and is funded at the state level.

Thill and Watts shared with Chairman Clow the problems facing the small and medium libraries, in particular the inadequacy of inferior filtering systems and potential long term costs that could be avoided by proceeding conscientiously. ILA's recommendation is to ask either the Office of Performance Evaluation (OPE) or Department of Administration to perform a statewide study of the cost and impact of various filtering solutions.

A hearing in the House Education Committee on Chairman Clow's bill is likely to occur on Friday.

ILA's next steps are to continue talking with our library-supporting legislators to emphasize the need to complete a full assessment of the total costs of wifi filtering before authorizing state funding or issuing an unfunded mandate to public libraries that would potentially have drastic effects on resources and programming that libraries could offer.

YALSA releases list of 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 18:13:03 GMT

If you're like me, the announcement of the Best of lists and Youth Media Awards are the highlight of ALA Midwinter. If you're looking to enhance your teen/YA graphic novel collection, here are YALSA's Top 10:

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank and Ari Folman. Illus. by David Polonsky
Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt With Family Addiction by Jarrett Krosoczka
The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
Crush by Svetlana Chmakova
Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
My Brother’s Husband, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Royal City, Volume 2: Sonic Youth & Volume 3: We All Float On by Jeff Lemire
Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa
Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson

Check out the rest of the list here.

New ALA Library Bill of Rights Provision Recognizes and Defends Library Users’ Privacy

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 17:47:59 GMT

The Library Bill of Rights — first adopted in 1939 and last amended in 1980 — has been updated to include an article focused on the concept of ensuring privacy and confidentiality for library users.

The new article of the Library Bill of Rights, Article VII, states:

"All people, regardless of origin, age, background, or views, possess a right to privacy and confidentiality in their library use. Libraries should advocate for, educate about, and protect people’s privacy, safeguarding all library use data, including personally identifiable information."

“Libraries across the nation now have the support needed to protect and fight for the privacy rights of their patrons,” said Erin Berman, chair of the Intellectual Freedom Committee's Privacy Subcommittee and co-leader of the working group that drafted the new article. “They may use the privacy article to update policies and practices, bringing the new article to governing bodies, vendors, funders and their patrons.”

Helen Adams, an IFC member and co-leader of the working group, commended the working group and those who contributed to the privacy article. She also noted the article’s significance to school libraries.

“With the addition of Article VII, students in K-12 public schools are promised the right of privacy and confidentiality in their library use,” said Adams. “Adding the core values of privacy and confidentiality to one of the profession’s foundational documents places school librarians in a stronger position from which to advocate for and educate about library privacy for minors.”

The revision process began with a joint working group of the Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) and Privacy Subcommittee. The working group envisioned the article as an opportunity for libraries to reaffirm their commitment to patron privacy for library users of all ages. ALA Council adopted the article at the Midwinter Meeting in Seattle.

During the revision process, the working group received valuable feedback from the library community. The working group plans to incorporate these comments into its next project: revising “Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.” All updated intellectual freedom documents will be included in the 10th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual, scheduled to be published by ALA Editions in 2020.

Contact:

Deborah Caldwell-Stone

Interim Director

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom

dstone@ala.org

Eastern Idaho pop-up "Swap Meet"

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 16:47:38 GMT

From Catherine Stanton at Madison Library District:

Hi everyone,

We're sending out a little more information and another feeler for what you're interested in and inquiring about who would like to participate and attend. As a reminder, we're planning this as a no-frills and most likely absolutely free conference (-so how can you call it a conference?) on Friday, April 19 here at the Madison Library District in Rexburg.

These are ideas that have been brought up and are being considered

*Round Tables on:

Summer Reading

Storytimes

Teen and Tween Activities

Director's Housekeeping and Headaches

*Virtual Fun: GoodReads Challenges and Wandoo

*Reader's Advisories - Children's? Teen's? Fiction? Nonfiction?

*Italic Calligraphy

*Getting and Keeping Sponsors

*Creative Grants

*3D Printers and Pens

*Coding

*Making Games

*Active Shooter

*Alternative Collections (we hear that Rigby and Driggs may have some good ideas to share)

*Resources available through the Family History Center (video and sound conversion, photo digitization, etc.)

*Cataloging stuff . . .

*Possible author visit or skype

At this point we'd really like to know three things:

1 - What topics interest you

2 - If you or someone on your staff can lead a session on ......

3 - If you're planning to attend.

Bekka has put together a website page for your input.

https://madisonlib.org/madison-library-swap-meet-of-ideas-2019/

Please take the time to give us that information soon so that we can arrange for #1 and #2, and frankly, if we don't hear about #3, there isn't much cause to worry about #1 and #2.

We look forward to your input.

Idaho Library Association Blog

Content Resources - From SPLAT Curiosity Report V.12, issue 3

Content Resources

ILA Vice President Opening

Vice President

Must be an individual member of ILA Duties

ILA Statement of Intellectual Freedom

LEGISLATIVE ALERT: HB 666

LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

Latest Library News from Idaho

Hall Bunderson

Librarian of the Year

ALSC Children's Literature Lecture Award

ILA Statement in Support of Senate Bill 1193

CVAC Decision and Library Workers

Free Books for Idaho Libraries

ILA Statement on Vaccine Prioritization

ILA Awards and Scholarship Nominations Open!

ILA Awards nominations coming soon!

Filtering Law Update

Public Libraries and Internet Safety Policy

ILA Organizational Work with Alexander Resource Strategies

Present at ILA Annual in Nampa!

ILA leaders meet with House Education Committee Chair to discuss wifi filtering

YALSA releases list of 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

New ALA Library Bill of Rights Provision Recognizes and Defends Library Users’ Privacy

Contact:

Eastern Idaho pop-up "Swap Meet"

Must be an individual member of ILA
Duties