September+15,+2011

NYCSLS Council Council Meeting #1 Date: September 15, 2011 Time: 12:00 - 3:00pm Place: Mid-Manhattan Branch, NYPL

Five-Year Library System Plan of Service 12:00 - 12:30 Greetings and Introductions 12:30 - 1:00 Announcements and Information 1:00 - 2:30 Plan of Service Revision 2:30 - 3:00 Projects of Council Members
 * __Members in attendance __**: Linda Cuff (Chair), Janna Robbin (Vice Chair), Christine Hatami (Secretary), Sarah Hinkle, Jessica Hochman, Dr. Jody K. Howard, Maureen Hurley, Dr. Elizabeth B. Pollicino, Gregg Betheill
 * __SLS Office Staff in attendance __**: Melissa Jacobs Israel, Elizabeth Naylor-Gutierrez, Lynne Kresta Smith, Leanne Ellis, Olga Nesi, Barbara Stripling
 * __Documents at meeting: __**
 * __Agenda: __**

//<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Announcements and Information // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">As closure from last year, members are asked to read the minutes from the March 2011 meeting. The Council would like to recognize <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Kathy Steves' work as Chairperson and thanks her for her years of service. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The Summer Reading program saw 40% more participants this year, partly as a result of increased outreach to schools. A 6-week Read-Down-Your-Fine program allowed for a $5 amnesty per 1/2 hour of reading. //Notes From the Chair// <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The question was raised as to whether the Council meets all the points of representation as required. The following are represented: graduate schools, UFT, public libraries, Empowerment Zone administration. We do not have representation from any network, NYCSLA, parent group or independent schools. We do have connections to a network and to NYCSLA. A large concern is the lack of school-based administration and/or network people to help include libraries in curriculum planning. This has been very difficult to locate. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">A long discussion followed regarding how to get a network representative on the Council. We need to identify leaders and try to build communication. Barbara will begin the process by reaching out to the networks and cluster network newsletter. We need to consider what networks want to know and/or do. Networks are about operations, not instruction, and therefore the right place to talk about budget concerns, particularly the closing of libraries due to budget cuts. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The DOE is gathering data on libraries system-wide. We are working on getting Tweed into compliance on library staffing. It is not acceptable to know that a library is not staffed and then ask for a variance. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Barbara said that we need to attach what we do to their goals, ie. the middle school focus. Gregg Betheil is able to make those connections between SLS and ongoing educational initiatives. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Search for New Coordinator // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">We welcome Olga Nesi to Council. She will work with Brooklyn libraries and will be the liaison with the LAC. She has been focusing on aligning the Common Core with the IFC as well as with the CCD collection. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Search for New Director // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Barbara has revised the Director's job description and a national search will be conducted for the position. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Fall Conference // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Registration for the conference on Nov. 8 has begun. The theme is "Creating Engaged Learners: Bringing the Common Core to Life Through School Libraries." The keynote speaker is Marc Aronson. There will be many authors and a special "Speed Dating with Authors" event. Authors can be followed on Twitter which has a link on the SLS page. There will be vendor sponsorship and new vendor exhibitors. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">All three library systems will be represented as well as a trainer from Apple. Librarians will be able to bring a teacher with them. A letter will be posted for librarians to take to their principals. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Common Core // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Barbara explained that SLS is aligning the Common Core with the Information Fluency Continuum, grade by grade. This will allow teachers and librarians to look at skills across grade levels. It will help librarians to help teachers with specific skill sets in the Common Core. Gregg would like us to choose a focus for the year, rather than the entire Common Core. Using samples of student work, we could develop an annotated exemplar for each grade level. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">High School to College Transition // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Leanne reported that SLS is working with CUNY to form a focus group, planning questions about the librarian's role in assisting students in remediation. The hope is to compile the results and design a unit for high schools to prepare students for college. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">DOE/NYPL Union Catalog Pilot // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">The union catalog is required by the state. NYPL will launch the new site with more social networking features. These will include book shares, book reviews and the ability to keep reading lists in a personal account. The pilot will include 51 schools in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. Their library records will be exported to NYPL. Retrospective conversions will be done, if necessary. Each library will have its own website and the project has been well received by the participating schools. Training has been conducted on the new Millenium system and it is hoped that Destiny will connect with Millenium. Bibliocommons is the front end search tool. It is expected to launch by October 5. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Budget for SLS // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Barbara reported that there was a 22% budget cut from the state, which means that the entire operating budget will go towards salaries. No funds will be available for programming. Melissa said they are looking for mini-grants for school projects. No new CCD collections will be added and they are considering cutting some of the existing schools. They will evaluate each school to ensure that the collections are being monitored. We can expect that donors will have less funding this year, also. //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">Plan of Service Revision // Lynne reported that the Plan of Service was due last year but that an extension was granted to April 1, 2011. The Plan is posted on the Council Wiki. We will be focusing on Section 4. Barbara stated that we need to keep activities broad on the Plan. A discussion ensued concerning the organization of the Plan of Service and the activities for each Element in Section 4. Lynne said that the DOE sets goals for DAPS (Division of Academic Performanace and Supp.) and that SLS has to input our goals. Barbara will be meeting with the DOE to discuss the goals. We have begun the Plan in Section 4 Element 1 which is resource sharing, with the CCD collection. Linda stated that we neeed to plan how we will complete the Plan. We could break up into groups, forming subcommittees, as we did last time. Barbara suggested that we start with the goals, see which ones can be kept as is, and which ones need tweaking. For the next meeting: 1.Get goals out next week by email. 2.Look at goals to see where they fit in the Plan. 3. Revise the current goals and the new DOE/SLS goals. See where we can link, insert and/or massage them. 4. Post comments on the wiki. Transfer the current Plan to Google docs with an assignment for members to have visited the site with suggestions for modifications. Reminder will be sent to all, with link to Google docs, that responses are needed by Nov. 11th. //Projects of Council Members// St. John's participated in an ALA site visit. 40 students have completed the program. Palmer School will be part of the Pilot program for teacher evaluation to facilitate videotaping for the professional portfolio.

Next meeting: November 29, 2011. Meeting was adjourned at 3:02 PM.

Respectfully submitted by Christine Hatami