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December 13, 1999; # 1333

PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT

AND DATA PROGRAM

This year for the first time, all public libraries will submit their annual report data electronically using

Bibliostat, a software product from Management Dynamics. Over 20 people were present in Belen on

December 7 ( see HH # 1332) to attend the presentation on using Bibliostat Connect and Collect. The consensus

of the attendees was that both products are user friendly and will be effective for handling library data easily

and effectively. The State Library has obtained the rights to provide public libraries with this software at no cost

to the individual library.

Bibliostat Collect

The Collect software is available for downloading from the Bibliostat web site. This is the program that all

libraries must use for completing their annual reports for the year ended June 30, 1999. This is a large file to

download; if you are unable to complete the download please advise Scott Sheldon by e- mail at

lsheldon@ stlib. state. nm. us. He will contact the vendor to create and send you a CD- ROM of the program. The

Collect software for New Mexico includes a form that is to be printed in paper for the library director and

finance officer signatures. This portion must be mailed to Scott Sheldon. The electronic report is not sent to the

State Library at all, but will be e- mailed directly to the vendor, or sent on diskette by mail ( Scott receives the

report from Management Dynamics). An option in the Collect software makes it easy to e- mail.

Bibliostat Connect

Connect is a program which allows libraries to compare themselves with peer libraries. A library can see how

its own statistics compare with other similar libraries in other parts of New Mexico or nationally. The program

can automatically produce charts and graphs of these comparisons that can then be exported into other computer

programs such as Excel, Word, and other common programs for the creation of reports. Additionally, the raw

data can be exported to Excel spreadsheets to create various types of graphic representations such as pie charts.

The software vendor, Management Dynamics, is producing an updated CD- ROM version of the Connect

software/ data package, and will ship it to the State Library in the coming weeks. When it arrives, the State

Library will distribute the CD to all public libraries.

BRIEFINGS

New bookmobile. The Thomas Branigan Memorial Library took delivery in November on a new bookmobile

manufactured by Ohio Bus Sales, Inc., of Canton, Ohio. The new vehicle, which cost over $ 160,000, was

approved for purchase by the City Council last January. The self- contained, RV style unit is 33 feet long and

custom built onto a bus chassis. It will hold about 4,000 books, and carries a computer with Internet access.

THE HITCHHIKER

Archived copies of The HITCHHIKER found HERE

Branigan uses its bookmobiles to serve people who have difficulty in traveling to the main library in downtown

Las Cruces. The new unit will be on a two- week schedule with 26 stops covering both city and county

locations. The library has two old bookmobiles which have been in service for 25 years. They will be removed

from regular service, although one of them will be used to test potential sites for branch libraries. It will be

parked at the test sites for several weeks at a time to see how much use it receives from the neighborhood. The

other bookmobile is in such bad shape that it will be used for storage only.

Another new bookmobile. The State Library's Rural Services also put a new bookmobile into services at the

Rural Bookmobile East Office in Tucumcari. It is the Bluebird bus model from Ohio Bus Sales, like Branigan's

new bookmobile, a 35 foot diesel bus. It is capable of carrying 4,000 volumes, with an onboard computer able

to access the Internet, at a cost of $ 136,000. This is Rural Service's second bookmobile capable of using the

Internet as an onboard feature; the bookmobile at the Northeast Office in Cimarron had the first Internet

capacity. Money was appropriated by the 1997 legislature through a bill sponsored by Rep. Bobbie Mallory of

Tucumcari and Sen. Pat Lyons of Cuervo. The bookmobile replaced by the new model had been on the road

since 1988 and had driven 280,000 miles in its service area of Harding, Quay, Guadalupe, Curry, Lincoln,

Chavez, Roosevelt, Eddy, and parts of San Miguel Counties.

Sister libraries. El Paso Public Library is one of 47 participating libraries in 24 states that has been accepted as

a participant in Sister Libraries: A White House Millennium Council Project of the United States National

Commission on Libraries and Information Science ( NCLIS). Sister Libraries is a major initiative of NCLIS and

Sister Cities International. The goal is for public and school libraries in the United States to pair with other

libraries worldwide, focusing initially on programs specifically planned for children and teenagers.

Working with the Border Regional Library Association ( BRLA), EPPL will help develop school libraries in

Juarez, Mexico, as part of its Sister Libraries project. This project is in the planning stage. Staff members from

both the Juarez Public Library and EPPL have visited each others' libraries in the past month, and plan extended

visits/ training in the coming year.

Dr. Patricia Phillips, UTEP University Librarian, is the BRLA committee chair for this project. Martha Castro,

Special Collections Librarian at the Universidad Autonima de Cuidad Juarez and BRLA President, conceived

the idea and continues to develop it. Barbara Valle, Interim EPPL Director, has committed support to the

project.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mini- workshop. The State Library's Development Services will offer a mini- version of the workshop,

" Conducting Effective Library Surveys - Looking at the Numbers," on Thursday, January 13, from 2: 30- 5 p. m.

at the Lomas Tramway Branch Library in Albuquerque. The primary audience for the workshop is library

directors and program managers. The presenter is John Whitman, the president of Surveytools Corporation. If

you cannot attend the full- day version of this workshop on Friday, January 14, from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. at the

Albuquerque Public Special Collections Branch, Botts Hall, 423 Central NE, then come to the mini- version. For

reservations, contact Lucille Gallegos toll- free at 1- 800- 340- 3890 or e- mail lucille@ stlib. state. nm. us. This is a

free program sponsored by the New Mexico State Library Development Services.

Library Science class. Clovis Community College will be offering one class in library technology in Spring

2000. LT 210 -- " Reference Materials and Services" is a study of basic library reference works including

indexes, dictionaries, atlases, encyclopedias, directories, etc. It also includes reference use of electronic

databases and the Internet. Students will receive practice case studies in reference and bibliographic procedures.

Each class will cost $ 76 for a New Mexico in- district student ($ 79, non- district and non- resident) plus books

and supplies. Registration for new and returning students is January 12- 13. If you are not currently enrolled at

CCC and plan to register for this course, you must complete an Admissions Application and return it to the

Office of Admissions and Records, 417 Schepps Blvd., Clovis, NM 88101- 8381. This form may be requested

by calling the Office of Admissions and Records at ( 505) 769- 4025. If you have questions about CCC's Library

Technology program or courses, please call Deborah McBeth Anderson, CCC Library Director at ( 505) 769-

4081 or e- mail andersondb@ clovis. cc. nm. us.

PEOPLE NOTES

After three years as branch manager at Oliver LaFarge Library in Santa Fe, Bruce Adams has left New Mexico

to join the King County Library System in the Seattle area to be in charge of several branch sites. He helped in

initiating the Santa Fe Festival of the Book in its first year and for was the primary organizer for the second.

CASTING THE NET

Merry Christmas! Our newest collegue here at the State Library, Kirsten Shields, contributed the following web

sites for holiday atmosphere. The first one is Christmas. com. The company self- description is to provide world

class Christmas e- commerce, content and interactive services to families around the world. Visit the pages for

Countdown to Christmas Around the World, Merry Christmas in Many, Many Languages ( for instance, in

Malta, they say " Il- Milied it- Tajjeb" [ Happy Christmas] and " Is- Sena t- Tajba" [ Happy New Year]), Elves in

Black, Online Coloring Book, information, shopping, and much more.

For those culinarily inclined ( and who isn't in the Christmas season), visit ChristmasRecipe. com for a listing of

the season's recipes from A- Z. The home page blurb promises " From Gift Ideas to Traditions, food and

AllRecipes. com is where it's at this holiday season. Looking for some help in preparing the big meal? We've got

Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner Menus complete with shopping lists! Plus, ideas and recipes for lots of

make- ahead goodies for Christmas Breakfasts. This time of year is also known as baking season. So be sure to

check out Gingerbread Fever and Are You Cut Out for Christmas? Read our hints to making a GOOD fruitcake

( yes, it can be done!) on CakeRecipe. com. We also have ideas for Cookie and Brownie Mixes in Jars and

Mailing Cookies from CookieRecipe. com. And finally, if your sweet tooth craves Fudge, Divinity and all sorts

of candy confections be sure to read our Candy Hints and Tips."

CANDIDATES FOR UPCOMING

NMLA BOARD ELECTION

The New Mexico Library Association is preparing for the annual election of officers. The Nominations and

Elections Committee, comprised of Mary Pat Kraemer, Marilyn Reeves, and Ellanie Samspon, has issued the

slate of candidates for the offices of Vice- President, Secretary, Member at Large, and ALA Councilor.

According to NMLA Bylaws, Article VI, Section I, " Nominations may also be made by the membership,

provided the candidate has agreed and one or more petitions for that candidate signed by a total of at least 20

current members of the Association have been submitted. Such petitions must be received by the Chair...

postmarked no later than January 1." The petition form is included on the web site: click on the link to get to the

petition. Completed petition forms should be sent by January 1 to Ellanie Sampson, 1929 Meadowview Drive,

NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104- 2513.

The candidates as announced by the Nominations and Elections Committee are as follows:

Vice President/ President- Elect:

! Paul Miller, Director, Alamogordo Public Library

Secretary:

! Leslie Chamberlin, Head of Tireman Library, UNM

! Kathy Matter, Librarian, John Baker Elementary School

! Claire Odenheim, Library Media Specialist, Oñate High School

Member at Large:

! Norice Lee, Branch Librarian, NMSU- Doña Ana Branch Community College

! Carol Merrill, Librarian, Hubert Humphrey Elementary School

! Olivia Newfield, Los Alamos County Library, White Rock Branch

! Rebecca Rich- Wulfmeyer, Senior Librarian/ Manager of Archival Collections, Museum of International

Folk Art

ALA Councilor:

! Thaddeus Bejnar, State Law Librarian and Public Records Commissioner

! Susan Deese- Roberts, Director, Education Programs and Services, UNM General Library

! Teresa Naranjo, Santa Clara Pueblo Community Library

! Sandra Spurlock, Manager of Library Services for the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute

Election ballots will be mailed to the membership in late January. Please note that January 1 is also the deadline

for joining the Association or renewing your memberships in order to participate in the mail ballot election

process.

This publication is available upon request on a computer disk, cassette tape, in braille or in large print. The New Mexico State

Library's WEB site is: http:// www. stlib. state. nm. us