The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records was awarded the 2008 Community Support Award from the Museum Association of Arizona. Recognized internationally for excellence, this state agency serves the information needs of Arizona citizens and has provided unprecedented support to the state’s museum community on many levels. Through their annual Convocation, they offer professional resources for libraries and museums. Through workshops, partnerships, grants, and public access, they have assisted numerous museums and museum organizations to reach higher potential.

Under the leadership of Agency Director, GladysAnn Wells, this recipient is recognized for its work in state government digital information , online access, web based government information collection and digital preservation. Known for their innovation in records management, this agency provides museum outreach services, historical access for local cultural institutions, supports local tribal libraries and archives, and supports literacy and education.

Through New York’s participation in the Spanish Language Outreach Program, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Libraries Program, WebJunction, the Mid-Hudson Library System, the New York Library Association and the New York State Association of Library Boards, the State Library continues its commitment to library service for people whose first language is not English. Because of the Spanish Language Outreach Program, New York’s library staffs are better trained and the state’s diverse population is even more welcome in libraries. Spanish speakers are more likely to find needed library services in public libraries and libraries of all kinds across the state.

The national Spanish Language Outreach Program began in 2004. Since then WebJunction has conducted state level training for library trainers and facilitated the WebJunction online community. The program’s goal is to help library staff sharpen skills and increase knowledge in how best to serve this growing population. Use of public-access computers is another focus of the program.

Through its participation in the program, New York’s public library system trainers conducted 48 workshops across the state and trained 756 librarians, library staff, trustees and graduate students in library science programs. The workshops teach participants how to connect with community leaders and learn what the library can do for the Spanish speakers in their community.

Nationally there have been over 342 workshops that have trained more than 5000 library staff members on how to better connect with this key demographic. The workshops have stressed the importance of the involvement of local community leaders and members to ensure the relevance of the program. Best practices are shared throughout the library community via WebJunction and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation U.S. Libraries Program.

Please see the New York report, or for a print copy contact Cassandra Artale, New York State Library, 518/474-1479 or cartale@mail.nysed.gov.

Each year, more than 100 blind or visually impaired citizens of New Jersey receive personalized computer literacy training on loaned computers as a result of a unique partnership between the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped (LBH) and The New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI).

In this partnership, the New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped (LBH), a bureau of the New Jersey State Library,  delivers and sets up a fully accessible computer at the Commission’s client’s home or workplace anywhere in New Jersey. These systems are on loan for up to six months. When the Commission’s councilor has completed the training with the client, the library arranges to pick up the computer.

The state of the art computer systems includes monitors, printers and scanners. Library staff preloads each system with adaptive software to enable the user to access the various online and Windows applications. This includes internet access using screen reading (JAWS) and screen magnification (Zoom Text) software. Scanning and reading text is also accomplished with text to speech optical character recognition programs such as Kurzweil and Open Book.

The clients are identified in the Commission’s Vocational Rehabilitation Unit. This unit assists people in the development, acquisition or updating of skills that will enable them to secure and maintain employment. This may include working in the labor force, operating their own business, supportive employment, or managing their own home.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records a grant to digitize historic Arizona newspapers. The project, titled Arizona Newspapers, 1880-1912, allowed Arizona to become one of only six states and one of only two State Libraries in 2008 to be successfully awarded a grant through the NEH nationwide program.

The digitized newspapers will eventually be posted on the Arizona Memory Project website at http://azmemory.lib.az.us which is hosted by the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, and also posted on the National Digital Newspapers Project website at http://www.loc.gov/ndnp/ hosted by the Library of Congress. Both websites are free and publicly available. A few newspapers included in the digitization project include:

• the Arizonian of Tubac, the first newspaper published in Arizona in 1859. The four-sheet newspaper led the editor, Sylvester Mowry, to a duel after only twenty issues.
• the Tombstone Epitaph. Begun in 1880 in a tent, this publication is one of the most recognized newspapers in American history.
• the Sentinel (1878) in Yuma
• the Arizona Citizen (1870) in Tucson
• the Arizona Gazette (1880) in Phoenix
• the Arizona Enterprise (1881) in Florence
• the Arizona Champion (1882) in Flagstaff
• the Prescott Morning Courier (1882), and
• the St. Johns Herald (1885) at the Mormon colony in eastern Arizona.

• the Indian wars, leading to relocation and today’s reservation system
• the development of education and social institutions, such as the University of Arizona in Tucson and normal schools in Tempe and Flagstaff
• border issues with Mexico
• mining and its related labor, ethnic, economic and land-use issues
• the early years of the state’s tourism industry, with the first federal protection for the Grand Canyon beginning in 1893, and the work of entrepreneurs like Fred Harvey
• federal presence, such as military camps for the Indian wars, reclamation money for dams, irrigation and agricultural subsidies and;
• the beginnings of Phoenix, incorporated in 1881 with about 1,700 residents and today, the nation’s fifth largest city.

ReadHowYouWant is a new technology company that partners with publishers to convert trade books into large print, braille and DAISYi editions. The Australian company’s goal is to make all books accessible to all readers.

Through its website at www.readhowyouwant.com, the online book retailer has nearly 2,000 titles available in accessible formats and is continually adding new titles at all reading levels through partnerships with publishers including Simon & Schuster Australia, New World Library, Career Press, Gareth Stevens and Rosen. Within the next year alone, ReadHowYouWant expects to add several thousand titles for libraries to choose from.

Historically, the number of large print and braille books has been small (about 2%) compared to the number of conventional titles. The high cost of re-typesetting books or of brailling them, combined with the relatively small market, made production of large print and Braille books cost prohibitive for general publishers. Large print specialty publishers produced mostly highly popular and genre titles. Libraries and volunteer organizations produced braille editions of a few titles. The lag time between publication of a new trade title and its re-publication in large print or braille kept visually impaired readers from staying current with new books.

ReadHowYouWant uses several new technologies and a new business model to improve this situation. Their award-winning technology is a proprietary XML-based system for converting books into accessible formats. Books are re-typeset into any of the ReadHowYouWant EasyRead™ print formats. These range in size from 11 to 24 points. All are optimized for ease of reading by adjusting the spacing between letters, words and lines. The large print sizes (16 pt and larger) are printed in TiresiasLP, a font developed by Royal National Institute for the Blind for use by visually impaired persons. The process is fast, so for instance, ReadHowYouWant released their EasyRead editions of John Wiley’s Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage for Dummies simultaneously with the publisher’s edition in October. Their braille and DAISY editions went up for sale about two weeks after the print books.

Print on demand (POD) technology allows ReadHowYouWant to publish titles that may not sell in the quantities that would justify an offset print run. Since there is no printing cost until a library or consumer orders a book, this eliminates the prohibitive risk of printing in multiple formats and then warehousing stock in hopes of an eventual sale.

For computer users, refreshable braille displays and DAISY technologies allow blind readers to get content without the expense of embossing on paper. The DAISY format is also good for dyslexics since it provides a synthetic speech audio of a book while showing the text on the screen as it is read aloud. It also works for physically disabled readers who cannot hold a book in their hands. ReadHowYouWant produces electronic Braille files (BRF) meeting the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) standard as well as  DAISY editions. ReadHowYouWant plans to modify their software system so they can produce BRF files that meet the NLS’s standard, which is significantly different from BANA’s.

ReadHowYouWant’s business model is based on revenue sharing with publishers and on global long-tail sales. By selling globally to visually impaired readers and special libraries around the world, ReadHowYouWant can generate enough sales to make a profit even though sales of any one title in any one country may be quite low. Since publishers understand that they incur no risk and will make an incremental profit in this model, they are eager to provide content.

By developing the optimized EasyRead™ formats and the XML technology for data conversion and by creating a new business model to support this new technology, ReadHowYouWant is now rapidly increasing the amount of content available in accessible formats for visually impaired and physically handicapped readers. Please contact Peyton Stafford for more information.

i DAISY is a new electronic book format. The text appears simultaneously on the screen while the computer is reading it aloud. See www.daisy.org for more information.

“The world at large is now gaining an additional one million older persons each month.”¹ In a recent assessment of our patron profiles at the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), we found that over 60% of our patrons are 65 years or older.  In fact, 29% are between the ages of 65-84, 30% are between the ages of 85-99, and 1% (85) is patrons who are 100 years old or older.  Recent profiles of library patrons, coupled with the fact that the 65 and over population is growing faster than any other segment of the population, requires some serious consideration of the needs of the older population, their role in society, and the implications for library service.

“Population aging is profound, having major consequences and implications for all facets of human life.”² As Robert Butler states in his book the Longevity Revolution, the “Longevity Revolution is a great intellectual and social as well as medical achievement and an opportunity that demands changes in outmoded mindsets, attitudes, and socio-economic arrangements.”³ Some possible outmoded mindsets may include the notion that seniors don’t use computers or have access to electronic information, or that they only want to read romances and westerns.  In fact, as people age, they tend to become more individual and will have very diverse needs and wants from the library.

Population growth of the elderly has risen for several reasons and the impact is significant.  “The improved standards of living, social protections, and health conditions brought about by the industrial-scientific revolution have helped make abundant what was once scarce: older people.”⁴ The rate of current growth of the population of people over sixty years old will increase and “by 2025-2030, projections indicate that the population over 60 will be growing 3.5 times as rapidly as the total population (2.8 per cent compared to 0.8 per cent).”⁵

Another astounding statistic discusses the older group of older persons and a United Nations produced study indicates that that “in most parts of the world, the 80-and-over age group is growing faster than any other, and is expected to continue as the fastest growing segment of the population for at least the next 50 years.”⁶ Butler asserts that “the over-sixty group is the most rapidly growing in the world: its population was seven hundred million in 2007 and is estimated to increase to two billion by 2050.”⁷ Without a doubt, two billion older patrons, many of them Baby Boomers, will demand attention from libraries.

Age-related vision loss among the elderly is a major health care issue and one that certainly impacts library service to the aging population. “Approximately one person in three has some form of vision-reducing eye disease by the age of 65. The most common causes of vision loss among the elderly are age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy.”⁸ The pupil and the lens are the structures that account for many of the visual changes and challenges faced by older adults.  “The pupil becomes reduced in size, letting in dramatically less light; and the lens becomes thicker, more opaque, and more yellowish in color, further reducing the light and clarity of the image that focuses on the retina.”⁹

There are several simple things that can be done to improve the presentation and accessibility of visual information that you have in your collection and that you produce.

• Be aware the change in the eyes and visual abilities may account for choice of format in reading materials. For example, at WTBBL, 13% of seniors (age 65 and up) read large print books and 88% use books on cassette.
• Provide lighting in your library that is yellowish and reduces glare while improving illumination.
• Be aware that yellowish light, however, can effect color perception which also deteriorates with age.
• Review your publications and materials. Use bright colors, high contrast, and a large type face. The higher the contrast, the less external light is needed.
• Finally, “keep information relatively uncluttered, allowing the individual to focus on the few items of importance.”¹⁰

Carnahan and Parker, in Serving Seniors: A Resource Manual for Missouri Libraries, acknowledge the fact that librarians and library administrators must ask themselves several questions about library services to the aging population.  Questions to ask include:

• “What makes planning for older adults different from planning for other adults?
• How will library collections address the needs of older adults?
• How can technology be used to expand services and resources?
• How do we market library services to the 60+ audience?
• Can we turn a 70-year-old non-library user into a library user and advocate?
• How can the library contribute to successful aging?”¹³

Furthermore, older adults need to be able to pursue all the opportunities available to others and to have equal access to information.  “Older persons should have access to the educational, cultural, spiritual, and recreational resources of society.”¹⁴ According to an AARP survey on lifelong learning, “older learners are most interested in subjects that would improve the quality of their lives, build upon a current skill, or enable them to take better care of their health. Most want to use what they have learned right away or in the near future; very few are willing to wait longer.”¹⁵ Moreover, “newspapers, magazines, books and journals are most often the tools used for learning by 64% of age 50+ individuals.”¹⁶

In a recent 2008 survey of the WTBBL patrons, we sent out 3,000 large print surveys and received 505 back, for a return rate of 16.8%.  Of the 505 responses, 78% self identified as “seniors,” which we had labeled as 55 years old and older.  It must be mentioned that some people checked both the “adult” box and the “senior” box so there may have been some confusion about the question.  Among the questions on how the library was doing, we asked what types of materials the patrons would be most interested in receiving, having the library produce, or having programming on certain topics.  The top three response categories were health (44 %), travel (42 %), and memoir writing (28 %). Under health, respondents expressed particular interest in topics like cancer, diabetes, and eye conditions. Other popular write-in requests included nutrition, history, science, and current events.

Clearly, there is a greater need to think about programming and service models for the aging patron population. But a common thread is the need for the ability to keep reading, regardless of age. For the WTBBL annual High Tea for our 10 Squared members (patrons 100 years old or older), we conducted interviews with seven centenarians and asked them for their words of wisdom. All attributed their longevity to reading and access to materials that allow them to continue reading even after their vision has started to deteriorate.

We can’t write off our older patrons. Rather we need to embrace them and tailor our services to meet their needs.  “The social construct of old age, even the inner life and the activities of older persons, is now subject to a positive revision.”¹⁷ A positive revision of the information service model for older adults is needed and further research in this topic is required as our population continues to age.  As Diana Cooper, a British socialite said, “First you are young; then you are middle-aged; then you are old; then you are wonderful.”

Works Cited

At least nineteen United States and three Canadian provinces offer a statewide virtual reference service in order to reach out and meet their citizens’ information needs, and build collaboration between libraries. The catch is that all of them have to license or purchase software to provide it.

Now, two of those services are working together to build a new kind of virtual reference service and the software to provide it.  Ohio’s KnowItNow and Oregon’s L-net have been partners in software development since June 2007. The group identified OpenFire, an open source instant messaging software platform from Jive Software, and worked on customizations to meet the needs of library reference service. Both services recognized shortcomings in both the library marketplace for virtual reference software and in commercial instant messaging software for providing library reference service.

“This is an exciting opportunity for two states to collaborate – both of whom have a long history of providing excellent library service to their residents.   We now have a shared product utilizing Open Source Software.   With this launch we are offering an enhanced online reference experience to all the residents of our states”, says Jo Budler, State Librarian of Ohio.

Ohio’s KnowItNow service expects to answer 120,000 reference questions online this year, and Oregon’s L-net will handle around 25,000. Both services migrated in September 2008.

Prison librarians face many of the same issues as their counterparts in public, special, and academic libraries. They are serving an increasingly diverse population, have to deal with constantly changing technology, budget constraints, and more than any other group, their modus operandi is significantly affected by the political climate.

A climate that is tough on crime results in more persons being incarcerated. In the majority of cases, there is neither adequate additional funding for human and material resources and facility construction, nor well thought out plans for educational and library services to meet the information needs of the newly incarcerated. In several situations, faith-based programs have been singled out for priority funding, while library space is reduced and library collection is based on donations.

The Library Standards for Adult Correctional Institutions, prepared by ASCLA in 1992, has been the guide for prison librarians to help prison administrators in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of prison library services. This document, which outlines standards for library access, administration, staffing, budget, facility, services, and materials, is now outdated.

A few members of the Library Services to Prisoners Forum (LSPF) headed by Diana Reese, Institution Librarian for Colorado, is working to update the document to align it more with current realities, especially with regards to technology.

As we work on the update, we hope to continue our collaboration with the American Correctional Association as this group comprises the wardens whose help and support librarians need to implement programs and services that meet the needs of the changing prison population.

“The world is changing so rapidly the State Library believes it is imperative that libraries consider the future in a thoughtful, organized way in order to meet the challenges and exciting changes the future holds for us,” declared New Jersey State Librarian Norma Blake, who is also Library Journal’s “2008 Librarian of the Year.”

Blake took the bold step of creating a Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future, made up of 25 librarians from all over New Jersey who met monthly from September 2007 to March 2008 to make recommendations to the State Librarian on how libraries could meet the projected changes occurring in New Jersey, now and in the future. The Task Force also explored national trends impacting libraries from within and outside of the world of libraries.

The process of working with a Blue Ribbon Task Force was an innovative model the State Library used to continue planning for change. In May 2007, the State Library partnered with six state libraries from the mid-Atlantic region in sponsoring a Mid-Atlantic Library Futures Conference. The momentum from the conference generated a lot of excitement in New Jersey. Blake decided to build on this momentum by creating a new planning structure made up of librarians from all types of libraries who had to do some serious thinking in order to be selected for this planning group. Librarians were invited to apply to participate on the task force by submitting an essay proposing an idea for implementing a new service model for New Jersey libraries. Over 50 librarians statewide applied for the 25 seat task force.

During the monthly meetings, a series of guest presenters interacted with Task Force members on issues and trends impacting libraries. Sessions were held on Advocacy, Technology, Marketing, and Facilities, with a special emphasis on green library buildings, as well as other topics. Presenters included a state lobbyist, a nationally known library advocacy leader, a marketing director, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified architect. A dialogue with Bob Treadway, a leading national forecaster, who shared his world view of change, was a highlight. Each meeting included time for small group discussion, discussion of individual proposals for new models of service, and consensus building. The Task Force members were avid participants, and developed exciting recommendations for the State Library.

These recommendations were presented to the State Librarian and the library community in a program held at the New Jersey Library Association Annual Spring Conference. Final report will be available at www.njstatelib.org. The Blue Ribbon Task Force continues to meet to follow-up on program design and implementation. This month includes a field trip to Overdrive’s digital bookmobile. In two months, the group will compare New Jersey initiatives to work being done by OCLC on a national scale.

State Librarian Blake has high praise for the work of the Task Force. “Several new projects are being developed from the recommendations, including several “Transformation Grants” for new regional pilots to be funded in the coming year,” states Blake.

For information on the work of the Task Force, contact Peggy Cadigan, Consultant for Innovation and Communication at pcadigan@njstatelib.org.

These days, nothing seems more constant than change. Change in the seasons, change in government, change in the economy, change in technology, change in our libraries and of course, change for ASCLA!

Planning for change will strengthen ASCLA’s capacity to seize new opportunities and successfully face unanticipated challenges. An important part of planning for change is refreshing our vision for ASCLA. This also means rethinking our ASCLA Strategic and Business Plans. I invite you to participate in this planning process. Please visit ASCLA Topics on the ASCLA wiki at http://ascla.ala.org/toolkit/. The Executive Committee welcomes your candid thoughts and creative ideas for shaping ASCLA’s future. ASCLA Leadership will be meeting at the Midwinter Meeting in Denver on Saturday morning to discuss new directions and opportunities for the association.

Here are three important changes that are already underway:

First: changes for ASCLA Interface! I hope you enjoyed the Fall 2008 issue of Interface prepared by new editor Emily Inlow-Hood. Based on member input and with the enthusiastic support of the ASCLA Executive Committee, Inlow-Hood has moved Interface to an online newsletter format beginning with this issue. ASCLA is pushing the online newsletter first to ASCLA members via email. Read it online, print a hard copy, save it for the future or share it electronically with a colleague. Back issues of Interface will be available on the ASCLA website. Inlow-Hood welcomes member questions and suggestions at emily.inlow@gmail.com.

Second: changes for the ASCLA website! Building on the new ALA website platform, Chris Cieslak, ASCLA’s web manager will be making significant improvements to the ASCLA website. The redesigned ASCLA website will be unveiled in early 2009. If you have suggestions for the website or the ASCLA wiki, please contact Cieslak at ccieslak@ala.org.

Third: changes for Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)! To see ASCLA’s official position on changes to the LSTA program as part of the 2009 re-authorization of the Museum and Library Services Act please visit ALA’s LSTA wiki. ASCLA has been a leader in the development of the Library Services and Technology Act since the early 1990s. ASCLA participated in the first revision in 2003 and is working with ALA and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) in providing strong support for the Act’s reauthorization in 2009. The ASCLA Legislation Committee, under the leadership of Chairperson Barratt Wilkins developed these thoughtful recommendations for improving LSTA.

I look forward to seeing you in Denver! And remember, our ASCLA staff is always available to help you. Please don’t hesitate to email or call if you have questions or suggestions at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4398.

Carol Ann Desch, New York State Library, Albany, NY 12230

cdesch@mail.nysed.gov 518-474-7196