Hi volunteers!

The Portage District library has graciously agreed to host our meeting on December 13 at 10 am.  We will be in the Long Lake/Gourdneck Suite (in the lower level, to the right of the stairs as you are coming down them.)

We are a far flung group, and this seemed more or less central.

Please review the attached material prior to the meeting. This is an “environmental scan” I prepared for the Cooperative Directors Association.  It is meant to be a conversation starter about issues such as – How do libraries demonstrate the value of their co-op membership to their patrons, board and legislators? 

Dr. Ian McPherson, Executive Director of the BC Institute for Co-operative Studies did a presentation to OCLC Members Council entitled Enduring Values: Cooperation and Global Impact. Dr. McPherson focused on the history and development of cooperatives. He said all cooperatives are based on a shared set of key values, which include:

• Self help

• Self responsibility

• Democracy

• Equality

• Equity and solidarity

• Honesty

• Openness

• Social responsibility

• Caring for others

Dr. McPherson concluded by saying that the most common reason cooperatives fail is due to not listening to their members.

OCLC Members Council October 29 -31, 2006 reported by Sandy Yee and George Bishop

Jim Seidl at Woodlands envisions the following roles for co-ops

1.  Resource sharing/Cooperative Purchasing

                User expectations (library and patron)

                Print to digital shift

                Economics of collections development

                 Great collaboration between all types of libraries         

                 Change in formats and delivery of information

                 Less stored locally more purchased electronic

                 Collective purchasing

                 Archiving print and electronic information

                 Greater use of virtual services

                 Interactive and interconnected services

    2.  Professional Development

               Recruitment, retention, & training of librarians and staff

                 Management skills

                 Personnel skills

                 Teaching users

                 Training in customized programs and services (software, hardware, networking, etc)

                 Communication skills

    3.  Automation/Information

                Changing formats and choices of information

                Web 2

                Google OPAC

                 Staffing and Training and Teaching

                 Digitalization

    4.  Advocacy/Communications

                  Libraries achieve adequate funding

                Public Relations and marketing

                Communications with local, regional, state, and federal officials

                 Information about state and federal laws and regulations

    5.  Library Development

                Township, village, city libraries to district libraries

                Trustee development

                Lost of school libraries and bibliographic skills

                Small and large libraries requirements

                Leadership role

                 Regionalism (larger service areas)

                 Brokering partnership and collaborations