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G2S Project Code: 2015-CT-75552
State: Connecticut
Fiscal Year: 2015

Grantee
Connecticut State Library

Project Director
Director Name: Dawn La Valle
Director Phone: 860-757-6507
Director Email: dawn.lavalle@ct.gov

General Information
Title: Resource Sharing of Supplementary Library Collections
State Project Code:
Start Date: 10/01/2014
End Date: 09/30/2016
Abstract: The CT State Library provides circulating library materials in print, audio, and digital formats to help supplement library collections. These materials are used most often by public and school libraries.

Library staff and volunteers can visit the Service Centers in person to select items, request them via the online catalog, or call/email Service Center staff with special requests. Delivery services are provided through deliverIT CT, another LSTA-funded project.

Digital materials (books and audiobooks) are available through the OneClick Digital platform, where they can be accessed directly by anyone with a Connecticut library card.

Until June 2016, physical materials were located at two Library Service Centers: one in Middletown, in the middle of the state, and one in Willimantic, in the eastern part of the state. In June 2016, the Willimantic center was closed, and the collections and staff were consolidated at the Middletown center.

State Goal: Literacies and learning

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$207,049.00

$78,769.00

$0.00

$285,818.00

Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
Library Infrastructure & Capacity
Collection Development & Management

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Service Center physical collections acquisition
Narrative: New materials are selected and cataloged by subject experts, including the State Library's Children's Consultant and Children’s/Young Adult Services Consultant. Support staff process and shelve the new materials.

Circulating library materials include children's and young adult books (fiction and nonfiction), book discussion sets, audiobooks on CD for all ages, and large print books for all ages.

Because the demand for alternate format materials is high and their high cost strains the budgets of local libraries, the Service Centers provide large print materials and unabridged audio collections on CD. These alternate formats are especially useful to patrons who have difficulty using traditional print media.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Physical

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 1,887
Number of electronic materials acquired: 0
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 192

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: Connecticut State Library
Address: 231 Capitol Avenue
City: Hartford
State: CT
Zip: 06106-1537

Activity Details
Title: Service Center circulation
Narrative: The Service Centers provide library materials that can be borrowed for 90 days by any library in Connecticut (public, school, academic, special, etc.) to supplement their collections. Most often, these materials are borrowed by schools and small, rural libraries with modest budgets or limited shelving space who in turn lend the materials to their patrons.

Support staff handle all circulation tasks, reshelving, and weeding, under the management of Service Center supervisors.

The children's and young adult collections are particularly helpful for preK-5 librarians who are building reading readiness and maintaining literacy skills with their students.

Programming resources promote literacy development in children who live in predominantly rural, impoverished, and/or distressed communities. The Service Centers offer curriculum support for school library media centers by supplementing summer reading lists and providing multiple copies of titles on high school reading lists. Board book sets that are developmentally appropriate for children from ages birth to three are available for parent/child story times.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Lending
Format: Physical

Quantity
Total number of items circulated: 33,513
Average number of items circulated / month: 2,793
Total number of ILL transactions: 0
Average number of ILL transactions / month: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 212
Academic Libraries: 26
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 14
School Libraries: 286
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Digital materials acquisition
Narrative: The CT State Library expanded the statewide collection of downloadable books and audiobooks by purchasing or licensing access to Nutmeg, Newbery, and Caldecott award winning titles, Great Courses audios, and eAudiobook and eBook titles purchased or licensed in response to patron recommendations. Access to the materials is available through OneClickdigital.

Because the digital collections are available through a self-service model, State Library staff have no role in the circulation process. They are responsible only for collection development and licensing. However, usage statistics show that the statewide collection of downloadable books and audiobooks includes 3,574 titles which were checked out 9,266 times, a 5.6% decrease over last year. researchIT CT staff conducted three training sessions on OneClickdigital for public libraries and school media centers.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 0
Number of electronic materials acquired: 82
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 103

Partner Information

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important findings or outcomes from your project:
As a result of this project, Connecticut library patrons had access to a larger group of materials geared toward supporting literacy development and recreational reading for people with print disabilities.
Please briefly describe importance of findings:

What methods did you use to determine your findings? Check all that apply:
Review of Administrative Data
Based on outputs, outcomes and/or other results, explain any significant lessons learned from these findings for either the SLAA or others in the LIS field:

Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort:
Yes: The level of LSTA spending on physical collections is expected to decrease in future years.
Do you anticipate any change in the project's scope:
No
Do you anticipate any other changes in the project:
Yes: Large print books will be located at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped but will continue to be discoverable through the service center catalog and delivered to requesting libraries by deliverIT drivers.

Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative

Project Tags: MLSC, WLSC