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In Results: 24 Total Projects $2,072,788.22 LSTA Funds $2,093,094.00 Match Funds

Literacy Development

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $66,223.24

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The effectiveness of library and community-based volunteer literacy programs depends largely on the experience and professionalism of staff, board, and volunteers. Training and professional development for literacy personnel is very limited and often cost-prohibitive. The Literacy Resource Office of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) continued to address this void by providing training, development, and resources for literacy directors, literacy trainers, and indirectly for volunteer tutors.

Continuing Education for Public Librarians

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $15,500.80

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Oklahoma Library Association hosts an annual conference for public, academic, school, special and digital librarians. This conference is vital to the growth and continuing education of all library staff in the state. It provides a stage for the introduction of new technology, discussion of new ideas and vital networking between library staff. The conference offers an opportunity to hear authors discuss their books, learn about new programs and apps and discuss problems faced in all libraries. Most full time staff, especially those with master’s degrees, can afford to attend this conference on their own, or they are sponsored by their library system. Rural, small, and part-time staff without master’s degrees cannot afford to attend this conference and therefore risk missing out on this very important opportunity to learn, grow, and network with other librarians. Library staff who have completed the Oklahoma Department of Library's (ODL) Public Library Academy and received their certification may apply for this grant to attend the conference. Thirty-one library staff received funding to attend a state, regional or national conference to learn crucial skills, new program ideas, and expand their horizons by networking with others in a similar situation or entirely different circumstances.

Website Development

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $4,394.87

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) provided website templates, hosting services, and software training for library and literacy organization managers. These small organizations were able to have a presence on the World Wide Web because of the support and funding from this project. The current census is fifty-four library or literacy websites. Four new webbsites were added this year, with Blackwell and Carmen the newest. See a list: www.okpls.org/live.shtml ODL required participating sites to attend a two-day course to learn how to use the website editing platform, WordPress. ODL subscribed to a book-display widget, LibraryThing for Libraries, to use on the websites. Through a sister project, the program added five websites. The program is open to public libraries and to literacy organizations that are affiliated with ODL’s Literacy Resource Office.

Annual Report

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $6,750.00

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

Public library statistics and services were collected from 214 Oklahoma public libraries using the Bibliostat Collect and Connect online survey databases. This information was used to determine state aid eligibility and to report public library statistics to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This was the last year using the Bibliostat Suite because the contract expires in April, 2019. The project lead officer continued to refine auto-fills and edit checks (367 edit checks, 66 auto sums, 94 IMLS coding, and other functionalities for over 293 unique fields) and provided information and statistics for use by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) and local communities.

Certification for Public Librarians

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $31,956.04

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) and the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) strongly encourage all library employees to receive Certification through the Public Library Academy classes provided by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) dollars. Many of Oklahoma's' library staff do not have a master’s in Library Science and are required by their employer to receive the Certification. The face-to-face nature of the courses allows library staff to network and small libraries' staff to learn from each other. The Public Library Academy has been completely reorganized with new curriculum and PowerPoint is now utilized in the presentations. The continuing education program is overseen and directed by the Continuing Education Coordinator from ODL's Office of Library Development. Library staff are encouraged to renew their certification to remain vital, current, and to develop new ideas. This process requires 40 hours of Continuing Education every three years. The coursework is designed specifically to provide library staff with the tools needed to work in a library. Those skills include: philosophy and code of ethics; computer skills; customer service skills; how to provide necessary services to adults and children, including programming and collection development; what to do in case of an emergency; how to handle customers with mental health issues or other problems; social networking; and statutes that libraries must follow to be qualified as a library and to receive state aid.

Summer Reading Program

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $76,302.31

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $10,000.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) implemented a 2018 Music Summer Reading Program, a statewide project to encourage children and teens to read during the summer break. The Children and Youth Coordinator hired two workshop presenters for six workshops, purchased summer reading materials, and initiated and maintained partnerships and sponsorship's from statewide businesses and nonprofit organizations. The Oklahoma Department of Libraries instituted a new approach to the Music Summer Reading Workshops for 2018. The Children and Youth Coordinator hired two professional educators to conduct the workshops with a focus on increasing the knowledge and skills of public librarians by broadening the ideas for activities and programs. These included early literacy story-time skills, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) projects relating to music and numerous decorating ideas. These workshops targeted public librarians participating in the Oklahoma Summer Reading Program. The Oklahoma Department of Libraries purchased summer reading materials for participating Oklahoma public libraries. These materials gave Oklahoma public libraries a firm foundation for their summer reading program. With the fundamental materials provided by the grant, libraries could use funds from their city, friends of the library groups, donations, and local business sponsorship's and partnerships to hire performers and provide incentives for the participant’s enjoyment.

Institutions

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $58,257.15

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The purpose of this LSTA grant was to provide library materials and services to the individuals incarcerated in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC) facilities. On average, there were 1,000 individuals incarcerated at each institution. There are few full-time library staff in any of the 14 adult prison libraries and the Department of Corrections does not allocate any funds for the libraries, despite a high demand for reading material. It is the belief of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) that providing funding for library books fulfills a necessary cultural and practical service to correctional institutions. Reading has a direct correlation with incarceration; a study has shown that in order to predict future growth of prisons they need to simply know the percentage of 10/11-year-olds that cannot read. Based on that number they can predict how many cells will be needed in future prisons. Reading creates a literate population and provides joy, pleasure, and education. Providing reading material for inmates enriches their lives, helps to increase literacy and improve their mental capacity. In addition, reading will help them when they are released from prison. It will increase empathy and help them to negotiate the new world in which they will be living. Most of the individuals managing the institution libraries are not professional librarians and have no previous library experience. They have had to rely on the ODL project lead officer to provide assistance.

Game Changer

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $7,235.00

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) presented a workshop series, Libraries=Education at three locations around the state. Game Changer, written and presented by Valerie J. Gross, MM, MLS, JD, focused on transforming the image of libraries through the choice of words used by members of the library profession. Ms. Gross, who served as president & CEO of Howard County Library System in Maryland for 16 years, encouraged the use of educational terminology to better articulate what libraries already provide in their communities. Library staff learned that their words matter and influence the perception of the library in each community. Ms. Gross introduced 3 pillars: self-directed education; research assistance and instruction; and instructive and enlightening experiences. She encouraged the use of educational language, which she feels better informs the public and library customers as to what happens in libraries. For example, story time is not just reading to children, but teaching reading fundamentals, providing social interaction, recognition of colors, numbers, and rhyming. Attendees were encouraged to establish a partnership with schools in their jurisdiction, including community colleges and universities; to use signs, ads, and their websites as teaching opportunities; to deliver an effective and educational annual report; and, how to incorporate strategic planning.

Sequoyah Book Award

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $6,040.35

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $1,800.00

The Oklahoma Library Association's (OLA) Sequoyah Book Award began in 1959, making it the third oldest children's choice award in the nation. In subsequent years intermediate and high school award lists have been established so all ages of Oklahoma youth can participate. The award honors the Native American leader Sequoyah for his unique achievement in creating the Cherokee syllabary. Each year the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) partners with the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) to select the books for the three reading lists and promote the award. Participation from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries involves not only funding, but includes the services and participation of the ODL Children and Youth Consultant.

E-Media Collection Grant

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $128,150.00

Grantee: STILLWATER PUBLIC LIBRARY

Match Funds: $207,900.00

The purpose of the E-Media project was to support the Oklahoma Virtual Library Consortium (OKVL) by providing additional funding to purchase eBooks and audio books for the libraries' customers. Consisting of 86 municipal public libraries, two public library systems and two tribal libraries, the participating libraries were located in towns with populations of less than 100,000. Unable to provide their customers with enough online media individually, they joined together to pool their dollars and resources. The Stillwater Public Library served as the administrative library and dedicated staff to manage the project.

Edge

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $87,012.61

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

Edge is a management and leadership toolkit designed to help public libraries better serve their communities through improved public technology services to support digital inclusion. Edge also provides hard data to state libraries so that they can better serve their public libraries. The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) Edge project provided public libraries with access to the Edge toolkit that contained an assessment instrument, action plan tool and resources, communication templates, and training opportunities. Edge was an asset that helped the state library track public library technology service needs and target grants to libraries to offset those needs. Using Edge as an ongoing project helped public libraries and ODL track progress and identify needs over time. The ultimate goal of Edge was to improve the quality of life in communities that Oklahoma public libraries serve. To satisfy many Edge requirements, and hence, to provide reliable online resources and learning opportunities to community members, libraries needed to have a fully functioning website. The Oklahoma Department of Libraries found that 39% of libraries in Oklahoma serving populations under 15,000 did not have a fully functioning website. Project staff created a pilot program to develop a basic public library website for a group of small Oklahoma libraries that did not have a library website. This project was a collaboration with a grant from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Oklahoma public libraries continued to use the Impact Survey that was purchased by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries in FFY2016 and continued through FFY2017. The Impact Survey is an online survey tool designed specifically for public libraries so they can better understand their communities and how people use their public technology resources and services and satisfies Edge benchmarks 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, and 6.2. The Edge project funded a part time support staff dedicated to the project. This Edge consultant helped libraries use the Edge toolkit, created instruction that helped libraries meet Edge benchmarks, developed websites for small libraries, assisted with the use of the Impact Survey, coordinated the Edge Technology grant, and worked on various Edge administrative tasks.

Health Literacy

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $196,211.99

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

In 2017, the United Health Foundation ranked Oklahoma in 43rd place for the health of its citizens. The report for the health of Women and Children ranked Oklahoma at 47th place, and the report for Senior Health ranked Oklahoma in 46th place. The American Medical Association stated that poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than age, education, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity. The connections between poor health and low health literacy must not be ignored. The Oklahoma State of the State of Health Report gave Oklahoma failing scores for unacceptable rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, as well as low scores for rates of physical activity and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. This Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) project allowed the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL), in partnership with local libraries and community-based literacy programs, to provide health literacy education, information, programming, and resources throughout the state. Twenty-two sites received grants to initiate or expand health and wellness efforts for adult learners, at-risk populations, children, women, seniors, and families. ODL provided resources, continuing education, and ongoing technical assistance to grantees and to other organizations interested in health literacy. Grant sites were required to: focus their efforts on one or more of their county’s most urgent health needs as identified by county statistics from the State Department of Health; partner with community organizations; and provide information and resources at basic literacy levels. Grantees were also encouraged to use plain language strategies when working with adult learners, non-English speakers, and at-risk populations. Each grant site reported many successes including collaborations from a wide variety of community partners. The project at the Moore Public Library received national recognition from the Institute of Healthcare Advancement, and the Miami Public Library was recognized for its role in helping the City of Miami become a Certified Healthy Business. ODL's 2017 health literacy presentation at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was featured in the 2018 publication, Community-Based Health Interventions. In February, 2018, ODL staff presented information about the project at the National Leadership Forum of the Community of Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). Together, ODL, the health literacy grantees, and numerous state and local partners provided health and wellness resources to Oklahoma adults, children, and families.

Immigration and Citizenship

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $96,585.82

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

Data from the 2014 American Community Survey reported that one in five United States (U.S.) residents spoke a foreign language at home. The data showed an all-time high of 61.8 million people who did not speak English at home, up 2.2 million from 2010. The report ranked Oklahoma as one of the states with the largest increase in foreign language speakers from 2000–2013—up 48 percent. In Oklahoma, more than 123,000 individuals age 18 and older who spoke a language other than English responded that they speak English “less than very well.” These changing demographics have impacted Oklahoma literacy rates and increased the need for literacy services to help immigrants improve literacy skills and to provide assistance for those seeking citizenship. Immigrants who wish to apply for citizenship face challenges of learning, not only a new language, but also learning about the history and government of the United States. The process of obtaining citizenship is lengthy, complicated, and expensive, thus it is a formidable task. Historically, libraries and literacy programs in many Oklahoma communities have played a significant role in assisting non-native speakers in a wide range of language skills. Literacy services for English language learners typically include one-to-one tutoring and small group classes to help adult learners with reading, writing, and conversing in a new language. The Citizenship and Immigration project provided grants to public libraries and community-based literacy programs so they could offer services and resources to immigrants desiring to become U.S. citizens.

Resource Sharing

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $454,215.30

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Resource Sharing/Interlibrary Loan (ILL) project provided Oklahoma citizens equitable and convenient access to materials in a variety of formats. Books, DVDs and digital items were available to all citizens through their local libraries, with emphasis on individuals incarcerated in the Department of Corrections' institutions, the under-served, and at-risk communities. Oklahoma librarians received training on the ILL process, and were encouraged to promote Interlibrary Loan in their communities. By increasing their service to at-risk customers, and meeting their special needs, library staff enabled library users to receive increased access to information for education, health, recreation, job search and career development.

State Aid to Public Libraries

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $0.00

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $1,704,820.00

A State Aid Program for Oklahoma's public libraries was initiated in 1978 thanks to an appropriation from the State Legislature. While State Aid payments have gone up and down depending on the state revenue picture, the program has continued every year since 1978 without interruption. The goal of Oklahoma’s State Aid Program is to: • Provide additional revenue to supplement local tax dollars in running local public libraries and improving library services to communities; • Improve and maintain basic library services for local residents by offering this financial incentive for libraries that meet approved service criteria based on the size of their communities; and, • Provide flexibility to let local libraries determine the best use of State Aid payments for the benefit of their communities. The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) Board approves two policies that guide the State Aid Program: an annual formula for distribution based on the number of qualifying libraries, population served, and size of service area; and Levels of Library Development, a document that sets the minimum standards for State Aid eligibility based on the size of the individual public library or library system. The Levels document has changed through the years to reflect current Library Services and Technology Act's (LSTA) goals and initiatives, as well as needs identified by a joint ODL/Oklahoma Library Association Standards Committee, and local librarians.

State Literacy Grants

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $0.00

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $168,574.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) awarded grants to support and enhance library and community-based literacy programs throughout the state. These state appropriated funds were primarily used for technology, staff, and instructional materials. Funded programs submitted interim and final reports, and were monitored mid-year by ODL staff. Additionally, funded programs were required to maintain specific quality standards, assess progress of adult learners, and track learner information and progress using Literacy Tracker, ODL's web-based tracking system.

Statewide Databases

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $560,478.00

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) provided statewide databases for Oklahoma residents. Access to reliable information was available for all socioeconomic groups and ages for work or play. Participating libraries gained access by IP registration or users were recognized through ODL's Research and Discovery web page by geolocation. This group of high-quality digital resources was available to public and special libraries, public and private school libraries, academic, law, tribal, government and medical libraries, as well as other state agencies through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding.

Network Assessment & Remediation

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $27,076.28

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Network Assessment and Remediation project was begun in 2014 after completion of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant indicated that Oklahoma public libraries needed help to evaluate and improve their technology networks. The grant project lead officer worked in partnership with the Edge project staff, as libraries were required to complete a Round 2 Edge Technology Assessment and Edge Action Plan. If libraries were willing to meet these requirements, they were eligible for participation in this grant. Due to limited response in 2017, the network assessment part of this project was eliminated. All ODL Library Development Consultants encouraged their libraries to apply for E-Rate Category 2 network funds.Two libraries received network remediation funds based on the non-discounted amount requested on their FY2017 E-Rate Category 2 Internal Connections and 14 were funded based on their FY2018 E-Rate application.

Images of Oklahoma

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $31,848.50

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries offered training and support, to several new libraries and museums, as well as continued support to past participants from 2014 - 2016, to continue digitizing and make accessible materials relevant to the social, cultural, ethnic, and historical content for their unique local collections. In 2017, a group of eleven libraries and museums, became participants in the Images of Oklahoma project. Workshops were offered through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) for all new and previous participants. New participants included six public libraries, three museums, one historical society and one historical society/public library partnership. The project goal was to provide a platform for digitizing at-risk collections by providing participants training, and a content management tool to access their digital content. By partnering with several different organizations, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) was able to offer a variety of workshops for the Images of Oklahoma participants. Partners included the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Oklahoma Museums Association, the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board, and the Broken Arrow Museum. The project began with a required one day workshop at ODL. The workshop was held to introduce participants to key concepts and information related to digital projects, such as reviewing collections, copyright considerations, scanning guidelines and best practices. Instructors also introduced professional metadata standards for documenting digital collections, and provided participants with an opportunity to work through preparing metadata for one photograph. The Oklahoma Department of Libraries is a partner in the Oklahoma Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Hub and seeks to include Images of Oklahoma digital objects into their collection by developing metadata and standards that comply with the DPLA requirements for ingest. Gina Minks, a digitization consultant, of Gina Minks Consulting LLC, conducted the initial workshop. Project collections were hosted on the Oklahoma Department of Libraries' Digital Prairie website, or if the library chose to host their own content, links were provided to their collections. Local communities were able to identify local content through metadata tags, and have access to other communities' content. Several other workshops were conducted throughout the year to provide continued support and training for past and current participants. They included Preservation of Photographic Materials, Preservation of Audio-Visual Materials, Photograph Identification, Institutional Emergencies and Fundamentals of Project Management. These workshops supported participants' efforts to learn about appropriate care of collections, which will help ensure individual items and collections are available to digitize in the future.

ODL Video Conference

State: Oklahoma

Fiscal Year: 2017

LSTA Funds: $98,256.40

Grantee: OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARIES

Match Funds: $0.00

Video conferencing equipment was purchased in 2010 with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds to demonstrate the need for this service for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ARRA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) libraries. The selection team from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) chose to test both of the top video providers, Tandberg (2 small 10 people conference rooms) and Polycom (one large 50 people conference room.) Over the years ODL has used the video conferencing for many meetings and training's with our partners - Friends of Libraries in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Library Association, Smart Start Oklahoma, and many other agencies. This equipment reached End-of-Life (EOL) and needed to be replaced. Usage indicated that one small and one large video conferencing room was all ODL required. The six person video evaluation team reviewed the two bids submitted, attended bidder's presentations and visited referral sites. i2i technologies was selected as the vendor. In addition, one last year of video maintenance was purchased for existing EOL equipment.

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