After two years of work and dedication from many parties, the 2017 Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped was approved by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) board on Monday, June 26, 2017. With this approval, the Working Team Danielle Miller, Will Reed and the Project Director, Eura Szuwalski, will begin the final stage of taking the final version and producing a completed document that will be available for purchase through the ALA store this fall to network libraries through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS).
Prior to presenting the final version to the board, the Project Director shared the second draft widely to all interested parties through ASCLA’s communication channels, and several network library and consumer group listservs. Comments were accepted online and at two separate regional conferences for NLS network library staff. Regional conferences where held on May 11, 2017 for the Western/Southern Conference in Santa Fe, NM and on June 6, 2017 for the Midlands/Northern Conference in Ann Arbor, MI.
Following both conferences and after collecting all online comments, the Working Team and Project Director made minor changes to the second draft and submitted the final draft to the Advisory Team. The version that came out of the concluding email communications with the Advisory Team became the final document, which was submitted to the ASCLA board for review prior to the ALA Annual 2017 Conference in Chicago.
At ALA Annual Conference, the Project Director presented the final version of the 2017 Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at the ASLCA Board Meeting I on Saturday, June 24, 2017. There was a brief discussion about the changes made between the first and second drafts and the vote was tabled until the ASCLA board meeting II, to allow the board members time to fully review the document. During the Board Meeting II on Monday, June 26, 2017, there were further comments and questions. After concluding the discussion, the ASCLA board members put the approval of the 2017 Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to a vote. The revised document was approved with one member abstaining.
As of July 2017, the Working Team and Project Director are working with the ALA’s Production Services department to complete the copy editing and production process. The process started on August 7th with the approved document going to the ALA copy editor. The Working Team and Project Director are currently reviewing the copy editor’s queries and will return this information to ALA Production Services. After three additional proofs, each which will be approved by the Working Team and Project Director, the final edits and approval stage will begin. Production is currently slated for completion in early October 2017, which is on schedule with the original timeline as defined in the request for proposal from NLS.
In short, this two year process would not have been possible without the support of the ASCLA/RUSA team (including Susan Hornung, Melissa Tracy and Leighann Wood), Richard Smith (Network Division Chief for NLS), the Working and Advisory Teams (details listed below) and the many people who wrote in with comments, asked questions at conferences and emailed our team members. Additional updates will be provided as we near the end of the production process and when the document is available for purchase.
Working Team:
• Danielle Miller (danielle.miller@sos.wa.gov ), Director & Regional Librarian Washington Talking Book & Braille Library. Representing the Western Conference
• Will Reed (will.reed@cpl.org), OLBPD Manager, Cleveland Public Library/Ohio Library for the Blind & Physically Disabled. Representing the Midlands Conference
• Eura Szuwalski (eura.szuwalski@gmail.com), Project Director for the revision process. Goleta, California.
Advisory Team
- Adam Szczepaniak, New Jersey State Library Talking Book and Braille Center. Representing the Northern Conference
- Dr. Nancy Pack, Director, Alabama Public Library Service. Representing Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA)
- Kim Charlson, President, American Council of the Blind. Representing the American Council of the Blind
- David Hyde, Chairperson, Library Services Committee Chairperson. Representing the National Federation of the Blind
- Melanie Brunson, Director, Government Relations. Representing the Blinded Veterans Association
- Ava M. Smith, Division Director, Talking Book Program, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Representing the Southern Conference