The
mission of the Winnefox Library System is to strengthen library services
and to im-prove the availability of resources for all residents of
the system area by providing vari-ous support services to member libraries,
promoting cooperative activities among all types of libraries, offering
educational opportunities and consulting services to improve the knowledge
and skills of librarians and trustees, and increasing public awareness
of library services and programs.
Technology
Plan Mission Statement
Winnefox
Library System will make use of technologies that will enable the
system to serve members more effectively and efficiently. The system
will actively assist member libraries in adopting technology to meet
the individual informational, recreational, and educational needs
of their communities.
The
Planning Environment
This
plan is intended to: 1) Meet the statutory requirements of Wisconsin
Statute 43.24(2), that the system undergo planning with The Division
for Libraries, Technology and Community Learning (DLTCL) and member
libraries in regard to library technology and resource sharing 2)
Satisfy the requirements of both the Federal E-Rate program and the
state TEACH program and 3) Provide a blueprint for the continuing
evolution of technology in the growth of services provided by the
Winnefox Library System and its member libraries.
This
plan was developed with active participation from all affected parties.
Information used in the drafting of this plan was obtained in the
following ways:
o Information
regarding individual library technology needs was gathered at regular
Library Advisory Committee Meetings (LAC) in member counties.
o Group
technology needs were assessed at quarterly Winnefox Automated Library
Services (WALS) meetings with representatives of each member library.
o An
annual meeting of directors of system libraries was devoted to examining
technology issues.
o Draft
copies of this plan were provided to member library staff and trustees
for review and comment.
o Draft
copies of this plan were made available to the public at member
libraries for review and comment.
Information gathered
through the publishing of draft copies of this plan was used in creat-ing
the final plan. Comments were also made available to the Winnefox
Library System Board of Trustees prior to the adoption of this plan.
Wisconsin Statute
requires public library systems to submit a written plan for library
technology and resource sharing every five years. (Wis. Stat. 43.24(2)(m))
This present plan was written to accommodate the timing of this requirement.
However, planners realize that library and information technology
exists in a fluid, rapidly changing environ-ment. A particular technology
that may be important in year five of a planning cycle may not be
evident in year one. For this reason, this plan will be reviewed and
updated each year as part of the annual budgeting/planning process.
Information regarding new tech-nologies as well as data from the evaluation
process will be used to revise the plan.
Description
of Services
The Winnefox Library
System is a federated library system established under Chapter 43
of the Wisconsin Statutes. It provides services to 30 public libraries
in Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Waushara, and Winnebago Counties.
Technology plays a major role in all services provided by Winnefox
including:
o Winnefox
Automated Library Services (WALS) operates a DRA shared catalog
and circulation system that also provides inventory control, acqui-sitions,
cataloging, and a community information database. Not all com-ponents
are used by every member library. In addition, WALS manages the
communications infrastructure for the system providing Internet
access as well as access to Winnefox electronic information resources.
Member library Web pages are hosted on a WALS server.
o Winnefox
Cooperative Technical Services (WCTS) offers libraries cooperative
materials selection, purchasing, cataloging and professional con-sulting.
Beginning in 2001, WCTS will offer libraries increased technical
support for computer maintenance.
o Physical
delivery of materials is provided three times each week to each
member library. Larger libraries, with greater volume generated
by par-ticipation in WALS, receive five day delivery.
o Printing
and graphic services prepares, produces and distributes printed
material for member libraries. Materials include newsletters, bookmarks,
stationary, brochures, summer reading program support, and more.
Two other library systems contract for printing and graphic services
from Win-nefox. Printing and graphics are produced utilizing desktop
publishing software, an offset press, a digital duplicator, and
a color laser. o Marketing and public relations support is provided
to all member libraries that request it as well as system wide initiatives
such as library card sign-up month and summer reading program.
o Interlibrary
loan (ILL) services utilize system designed web ILL forms to transmit
requests from member libraries to the system clearing house. QuILL
software from the state is used to transmit and received requests
to and from other library systems.
o Physical
collections of large print books, videocassettes, DVDs, and au-dio-books
are maintained by Winnefox and routed to member libraries that request
them. Electronic databases, beyond those available through BadgerLink,
will be made available through the Winnefox website. A col-lection
of electronic books (Ebooks) will be made available in cooperation
with a consortium of other library systems early in 2001. Ebooks
will be available through both the Winnefox website and circulating
portable readers available at member libraries.
o Materials
are shared between libraries when customers who are using the shared
online catalog request that items be sent from any library in the
system to their home library. Winnefox ships material between libraries
a minimum of three days per-week via system owned and operated vans.
A summary of technology-related
services that the system offers to members through the programs outlined
above include: (These services will be ongoing throughout the life
of this plan.)
System
management of a WAN for their member libraries § Internet access
through Badgernet
System management of a shared DRA automation system
System
sponsorship of workshops and in-services for professional development
related to technology needs of members.
System
purchasing of hardware/software or other technology-related
services on behalf of members through WALS.
System
provision of technical support and troubleshooting of technical
problems for all members utilizing WALS personnel. WALS funding
is supplemented by WCTS and Winnefox general funds to provide
this service.
System
negotiations of contracts to allow members access to electronic
databases and Ebooks.
System
development and submission of technology-related grants and
proposals including LSTA, WATF, and other sources to enhance
the services of member li-braries.
Continuous
planning with member libraries for the development and improve-ment
of electronic services.
Cooperation
with other library systems, consortia, and organizations to
obtain and provide discounted services for member libraries.
For a specific
breakdown of which libraries currently take part in or benefit from
system activities, see Chart A at the end of this document.
Future Services
Directors of member
libraries identified the following as vital new services that should
be developed by Winnefox Library System between 2001 and 2005. They
are listed in pri-ority order.
1. Expand
access to online subscription databases for remote patrons through
mem-ber library websites.
2. Digitize
local history and information about local communities and provide
access through member library websites.
3. Provide
24/7 interactive online reference support to system residents through
local library websites.
4. Develop
an online community calendar that may be maintained and accessed
through member library websites.
5. Provide
patrons with organized access to web information through participation
in CORC or similar means.
6. Provide
support for alternative education activities for library staff and
patrons via the Internet.
7. Enable
library users to organize their own favorite Winnefox web sources
onto personal web pages accessed through member library web pages.
(The "My Li-brary" model.)
8. Acquire
electronic books to be made available through member library web
pages. Also, acquire and make available portable reading devices
preloaded with electronic books.
9. Provide
adaptive computer technology on member library workstations.
10. Provide
library patrons with online readers advisory assistance.
11. Network
with member municipalities to provide enhanced local government
in-formation.
12. Provide
access to electronic textbooks through member library web sites.
13. Allow
library patrons to complete fine/fee transactions with member libraries
through local websites.
14. Create
a database of life stories of system residents available through
member li-brary web pages.
15. Provide
translations of Winnefox created web pages into the native languages
of emerging populations within the Winnefox system area.
Other potential
services identified but not listed in priority order include:
Provide online indexing for local newspapers.
Facilitate the
capability of local libraries to support additional simultaneous users
within libraries.
Provide full-text
local histories online.
Develop online meeting rooms.
Provide electronic
publishing for local authors
Develop electronic information kiosks in member communities outside
of librar-ies.
Issues
Member library directors
identified the following selected list of issues as important con-siderations
in developing new services:
A need to define and balance needs for traditional and new electronic
services.
A need to understand and help mold public expectations.
Continuous training for the staff and public in the use of new
technologies is vital.
Difficulty in recruiting and training staff with sufficient computer
literacy.
Difficulty in providing staffing levels to assist the public in
using electronic re-sources.
Developing
the capability to allow staff to telecommute.
A need to educate local governments about the importance of library
services and funding.
Local
libraries are key to preserving local culture.
A
need to access the longevity of individual electronic formats
before they are in-troduced into collections.
Continuous
introduction of new technologies such as wireless communications.
o Protection of patron privacy.
Continuous
discussion of legal/ethical issues related to the use of electronic
in-formation.
Using
technology to expand services to special needs populations.
Goals and Activities
for 2001 through 2005
The universe of
potential new services is larger than the need and capability of Win-nefox
and its member libraries to develop new services. All potential services
will be accessed according to the following criteria before Winnefox
commits resources to their development:
1.
Does a need exist within a significant number of patrons and/or
libraries within the service area that might be addressed by this
service?
2.
Are there opportunities for Winnefox to partner with member libraries
and/or other organizations in the development of this service?
3.
Will the development and maintenance of this service replace,
compliment or detract from other Winnefox and/or member library
services?
4.
Is there sufficient funding for a new service without weakening
other vital Winnefox services?
5. Can
the suggested need be met more effectively by other organizations
in the area.
Strategic
Goals:
Winnefox
Library System will facilitate the establishment of electronic
branches for member libraries in every home, workplace, and
classroom within its service area.
Winnefox
will insure that library services, both online and direct, have
a high level of human touch and promote a sense of community.
Winnefox
member libraries will become the best used and best supported
pub-lic libraries in Wisconsin.
Officials
of local governments will use and be informed about local library
re-sources.
Residents
of local communities will have access to high quality library
re-sources, both at home and in their local libraries, regardless
of where they live within the Winnefox Library System.
Activities
2001:
1.
Develop a system-wide staff Intranet to facilitate access to Winnefox
services and support to member libraries; to increase opportunities
for resource sharing; to eliminate the need for distribution of
many paper documents to member libraries and staff, and to facilitate
communication between member libraries and staff.
2.
Identify appropriate web-use tracking software and incorporate
into web design.
3. Assist
in the development of library specific Intranets where feasible
and neces-sary within member libraries.
4.
Develop a web page to serve the needs of member library trustees.
5. Implement
a comprehensive community events calendar to be used and main-tained
by Winnefox communities.
6. Expand
access to online subscription databases for remote patrons through
library websites.
7. Solve
the problem of patron authentication for fee-based databases for
Winnefox member library patrons.
8. Begin
the digitization and dissemination of local history information
with libraries that are able to provide some matching support
for the project.
9. Investigate
the need and feasibility of county financial support for digitization
in 2002.
10. Identify
and acquire technologies needed for interactive reference support
for member libraries via the Internet.
11. Continue
participation in the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium E-Book
dem-onstration project.
12. Provide
support for alternative education activities for library staff
via the Inter-net.
13. Insure
that each staff member at Winnefox and member libraries attend
at least two technology related workshops and/or classes in 2001.
14.
Provide patrons with organized access to web information through
participation in CORC and the Winnefox "Web Links" project.
15. Bring
Redgranite, Poysippi, Packwaukee, North Fond du Lac, Endeavor,
and Ox-ford libraries online with the WALS automation system.
16.
Develop a plan for migrating to DRAs next generation of software
for the shared catalog and circulation system.
17. Expand
the number of Internet workstations in member libraries.
18.
Assist libraries in developing a plan to replace one-quarter of
the existing com-puter workstations for both staff and the public.
19. Work
with individual libraries and Library Advisory Committees within
each county to obtain funding from local governments sufficient
to obtain necessary electronic services.
20.
Work with individual libraries and LACs within each county to
obtain funding for sufficient, qualified staff to support electronic
services.
Activities
2002:
1. Expand
system-wide staff Intranet.
2. Assist
in the development of additional library specific Intranets where
feasible and necessary. within member libraries.
3. Refine
web pages for trustees of member libraries.
4. Expand
comprehensive community events calendar.
5.
Expand access to online subscription databases for remote patrons
through library websites.
6. Expand
the digitization and dissemination of local history information
with librar-ies that are able to provide some matching support
for the project.
7. Begin
after hours interactive reference assistance for users of member
library web pages. Investigate collaboration with other systems.
8.
Bring six more libraries onto the WALS system.
9.
Begin implementing TAOS, DRAs new software, starting with Technical
Ser-vices applications.
10.
Enable library users to organize their own favorite Winnefox web
sources into personal web pages accessed through member library
web pages.
11. Assess
the viability and need of circulating personal E-book readers
at member li-braries.
12. Assess
the success of E-books as a library resource, expand/discontinue
as neces-sary.
13. Investigate
adaptive resources for users with special needs at member libraries.
Investigate system and/or local and/or county and/or grant funding
for resources.
14. Provide
translations of selected Winnefox created web pages into the native
lan-guages of emerging populations within the Winnefox system
area.
15.
Expand the number of computer workstations in member libraries.
16. Replace
one-quarter of the existing computer workstations for WLS staff.
17.
Assist member libraries in replacing one-quarter of all public
and staff PCs.
18. Work
with individual libraries and Library Advisory Committees within
each county to obtain funding from local governments sufficient
to obtain necessary electronic services.
19. Work
with individual libraries and LACs within each county to obtain
funding for sufficient, qualified staff to support electronic
services.
Activities
2003:
1.
Assess the success of interactive after hours reference service
via the Internet; ex-pand hours of availability as needed.
2.
Investigate member counties funding of adaptive technology for
users with spe-cial needs.
3.
Enable library users to organize their own favorite Winnefox web
sources into personal web pages accessed through member library
web pages. (The "My Li-brary" model.)
4. Assess
the success of E-books as a library resource, expand/discontinue
as neces-sary. Consider adding electronic textbooks.
5.
Consider acquiring personal readers for circulation by member
libraries, such as palm pilots, that may be loaded with open source
Ebooks from Winnefox collec-tions.
6.
Provide patrons with on-line readers advisory assistance through
electronic path-finders, and/or personal reading profiles, personal
"saved bibliographies", an in-teractive readers advisor via the
web, and/or other means.
7.
Ensure that each member library has a usable web page from which
to "host" sys-tem online services for the public.
8. Begin
developing and hosting web pages for local governments of smaller
com-munities as a way of enhancing customer service and raising
the value of local li-braries.
9. Allow
patrons to complete fine/fee transactions with member libraries
through lo-cal websites.
10.
Continue the migration to TAOS software.
11.
Add three additional libraries to the WALS system.
12.
Provide translations of Winnefox created web pages into the native
languages of emerging populations within the Winnefox system area.
13.
Expand the number of computer workstations in member libraries.
14. Replace
one-quarter of the existing computer workstations for WLS staff.
15.
Assist member libraries in replacing one-quarter of all public
and staff PCs.
16.
Work with individual libraries and Library Advisory Committees
within each county to obtain funding from local governments sufficient
to obtain necessary electronic services.
17. Work
with individual libraries and LACs within each county to obtain
funding for sufficient, qualified staff to support electronic
services.
Activities
2004:
1. Evaluate
the success of non-English web pages and expand offerings as needed.
2. Provide
full-text local histories online.
3. Begin
developing "life stories" database via the web.
4. Develop
on-line meeting rooms for staff.
5. Provide
electronic publishing of local authors with selections facilitated
by a jury of interested members of the public.
6. Begin
the development of electronic information kiosks in member communities
outside of libraries to provide information when libraries are
closed, or to expand access to the library in larger communities.
7.
Achieve 100% Winnefox member library membership in WALS.
8.
Investigate online indexing of local newspapers and digitization
of newspapers from microfilm.
9. Investigate
the addition of video to interactive reference.
10. Investigate
the expansion of interactive reference to include typical hours
of li-brary operation.
11. Expand
the number of computer workstations in member libraries.
12. Replace
one-quarter of the existing computer workstations for WLS staff.
13. Assist
member libraries in replacing one-quarter of all public and staff
PCs.
14. Work
with individual libraries and Library Advisory Committees within
each county to obtain funding from local governments sufficient
to obtain necessary electronic services.
15. Work
with individual libraries and LACs within each county to obtain
funding for sufficient, qualified staff to support electronic
services.
Activities
2005:
1. Continue
maintenance and development of ongoing activities.
2. Undertake
comprehensive assessment and redrafting of the Technology plan.
3. Expand
the number of computer workstations in member libraries.
4.
Replace one-quarter of the existing computer workstations for
WLS staff.
5.
Assist member libraries in replacing one-quarter of all public
and staff PCs.
6.
Work with individual libraries and Library Advisory Committees
within each county to obtain funding from local governments sufficient
to obtain necessary electronic services.
7. Work
with individual libraries and LACs within each county to obtain
funding for sufficient, qualified staff to support electronic
services.
Funding
In 2001, the
total operating budget for Winnefox Library System will equal $1,256,339
exclusive of WALS and WCTS member funded activities. Of this amount,
$180,084 is devoted to shared automation and another $321,685 is
devoted to electronic reference and resource sharing. The total
Winnefox funding for tech-nology equals $501,769 or 40% of the Winnefox
budget.
In addition,
The WALS 2001 operating expenditures are set at $812,916 in support
of the shared automation system. The majority of these funds are
generated from fees paid by member libraries for services they receive.
A small amount, $13,700, repre-sents LSTA funding in support of
shared automation. WALS benefits from a state subsidy for 25 T-1
lines used by the system and member libraries for Internet access
and resource sharing.
Winnefox actively
seeks grant funding whenever possible. For example, it is cur-rently
participating with seven other library systems in a $189,000 Wisconsin
Ad-vanced Telecommunications Fund (WATF) grant for an electronic
book demonstra-tion project. $63,000 in cash contributions from
project partners will bring the total spending for the project to
$252,000. Winnefox will contribute $9,000.
Funding for
plan years 2002 through 2005 very much depend on continued healthy
system funding from the state. An increase in state funding at least
equal to the rate of inflation is needed to maintain services as
they are, and maintain the healthy per-centage of the Winnefox budget
devoted to technology. However, it is unlikely that full implementation
of all of the projects mentioned above will be possible without
full system funding at 13% of the statewide total of local funding
for library services as specified in the state statutes. Though
member library payments for WALS ser-vices will continue, it is
not possible to pay for expanded electronic services, as out-lined
above from increased member library contributions. WATF, TEACH,
LSTA, and other grant funding will be applied for when available
and appropriate. Because many of the projects outlined in this plan
depend on developing technologies, and are experimental in terms
of service delivery to library customers, the full cost of imple-menting
this plan is not known. The extent to which Winnefox is able to
develop electronic services will ultimately be defined by available
technology, available fund-ing, and utility to the public.
Evaluation
The effectiveness
of incorporating new technology in Winnefox and member library services
will be evaluated through:
Regular assessment of customer satisfaction at member libraries
Collection of statistical data such as numbers of users of
public Internet worksta-tions, tracking the amount of time
each workstation is in use, web site "hits", Ebook circulation,
etc.
Comparison of annual Staff Technology Skill Assessments §
Anecdotal comments from library users and staff
Tracking requests for new services
Regular discussion of technology issues at county LAC meetings,
quarterly WALS meetings, and the annual all Winnefox meeting
Appendix One:
List of special circumstances or exceptions at individual libraries:
All libraries
intend to include technology issues in their regular, individual planning
ef-forts. Planning at the local library level is requisite to planning
at the system level since all system services are developed to assist
member libraries in meeting their individual service goals. Though
all Winnefox libraries have indicated satisfaction with the Winne-fox
Technology Plan, and all libraries consider the Winnefox plan to be
their official technology plan for any E-Rate and TEACH funding they
may pursue, all reserve the right to develop unique projects that
may arise in their annual planning processes. At pre-sent, there are
no exceptions contemplated from those projects outlined in the Winnefox
Plan. Priorities within this plan may shift in the annual revision
process as needs and the opportunities of budgets and developing technology
dictate. Approved by: John Nichols, Director Merry Whipple, President,
Board of Trustees November 29, 2000
