|
|
INFOhio State Users Meeting and Recognition Luncheon
Celebrating the Automation of 1,000 School Libraries
and The Statewide Availability of Electronic Resources
Wednesday, May 17, 2000
The Hyatt on Capitol Square
Columbus, Ohio
10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
SUMMARY
Press
Release Word 6.0/95 document - School libraries are encouraged to modify and submit
this press release to their local media.
IMPORTANT: This is an archive
document containing many time-sensitive links. INFOhio does not guarantee the reliability
of links to other sites.
 Theresa M.
Fredericka, INFOhio Executive Director
|
INFOhio's May 2000 State Users Meeting was a special
celebration of INFOhio accomplishments during the last several months and recognition of
several districts who have helped INFOhio achieve more than 1,000 automated school
libraries. Several state legislators were able to attend the recognition ceremony and hear
educators explain the power of INFOhio.
The meeting was called to order by Tony Marshalek,
Director of the North East Ohio Instructional Media Center and coordinator of INFOhio's
curriculum support efforts. Don Mayle, Director of LNOCA, and Mary
Binion, ORCLISH Coordinator -- Co-chairs of the INFOhio Governing Advisory Board
-- brought greetings and introduced members
of the Board. Binion thanked the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer
Network, the INFOhio staff, and the hundreds of volunteers who are working on behalf of
Ohio's students and teachers to make INFOhio successful. |
| Bruce Hawkins,
CEO of the Management Council of the Ohio Education
Computer Network, presented the five targets for the MCOECN for 2000-2001: expand
staff development opportunities to DASite staff; collaborate with other state agencies to
implement the ONEnet project; communicate OECN needs and the technology needs of Ohio's
school districts to legislators as the 2002-2003 budget is established; work with the Ohio Department of Education to develop and
implement performance standards and an incentive program for DASites; and identify and
implement a student information system for student reporting and for improving academic
performance. Hawkins reminded the Users Group that INFOhio was the first instructional
component the OECN has provided. He stated, "If everyone in education worked as hard
as Terri Fredericka and the INFOhio folks, education in the United States would be even
better" than it is already. |
SarahJane Holzhauer, President of the Ohio Educational Library/Media Association, brought
greetings from the state organization representing library/media/technology professionals.
Holzhauer reminded the Users Group that OELMA has been involved in INFOhio from its
beginnings and continues to support INFOhio in areas such as funding for statewide
electronic resources. OELMA is also searching for funds to conduct a "Colorado
study" for Ohio, to help prove the value of school library/media programs in student
achievement. Holzhauer concluded with a reminder about OELMA's annual Great Ohio Technology in Education Conference,
to be held in October 2000.Marshalek reviewed
INFOhio's five components as an introduction to the morning's task force reports.
|
Jennifer Schwelik,
Beachwood High School and Co-chair of the Electronic Resources Task Force, provided an
update on the success of INFOhio's three statewide electronic resources. More than 216,000
articles have been retrieved from the ProQuest
INFOhio Collection of 161 magazines
and newspapers. Over 718,000 articles have been retrieved from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Britannica Intermediate. SIRS Discoverer Deluxe has provided more than
170,000 articles. |
 |
Schwelik reviewed this year's
Electronic Resources Preview 2000, a
project between INFOhio and 27 electronic resource vendors that allowed students,
library/media specialists, and other educators to preview more than 140 products for
possible building/district purchase during 2000-2001; more than 349,000 visits to the
INFOhio Web site pages were tallied. Task force plans for next year include another round
of electronic resources previews, with additional vendors and products anticipated;
continued efforts with the State Library of Ohio,
OPLIN, and OhioLINK
to provide a core collection of electronic resources for all Ohio citizens; and an
investigation of emerging electronic resources such as e-books. The task force is
co-chaired by Darlene Basone from the Cincinnati Public Schools. |
The Library Automation Task Force was presented
by Dave Ambrose, INFOhio consultant, on behalf of Co-chairs Lois
Deem, INFOhio Provider from MDECA, and Diane Deibel, Westlake
High School. Ambrose reviewed the projects and accomplishments of the task force and the
statewide technical support services provided through NOACSC and regional support from the
23 DASites of the Ohio Education Computer Network
for the DRA/MultiLIS library automation software. Features now available include new
reports, a convenient report production interface, and an attendance module. Projects
being finalized include new patron update features and procedures to print patron and item
barcodes at the building level. Progress is being made toward statewide implementation of
Web-based online catalogs, with more than 900 buildings online of the almost
1,100 buildings using INFOhio's library automation component; all DRA/MultiLIS buildings
should have Web catalogs available by Fall 2000. Ambrose reviewed results of the recent
library automation survey that received 500 responses from throughout the state. The task
force will study the evaluation results and propose further refinements to INFOhio's Web
online catalog screens during the June Retreat.
 |
Kathy Silk, library/technology
director for Newark City Schools and a Dymaxion/Medianet
user, presented the Media Booking Task Force report. Silk explained that 45
Medianet databases are available for
a variety of state agencies and school district media centers to provide easy booking of
materials for Ohio teachers and students. She reported the Web version of the Medianet
software is being successfully used, with new features available. Silk added that INFOhio
has purchased a statewide license for the Medianet inventory module. The recent survey of
INFOhio Medianet users has provided useful information and high rankings for booking
features, conversion procedures, and support. |
INFOhio's
Union Catalog was explained by Lois Lequyea, INFOhio Provider from
LNOCA and Co-chair of the Union Catalog Task Force. Lequyea explained that new dedupping
procedures are being developed to eliminate much of the current duplication of records in
the Union Catalog. Also being written are procedures to create new records that are
combinations of information from many records. These enhanced records -- dubbed
SuperMARC -- will include
available reading and interest level, summary paragraphs, Ohio Proficiency Test
correlations, as well as other information of use to students and teachers. After
collecting records from all DASites and creating SuperMARC records later in 2000, the
enhanced records will be returned to local districts to improve the quality of their
databases. Lequyea reported that task force efforts at the INFOhio Retreat will focus on
evaluating products that enhance records with tables of contents and other information
(e.g., Syndetic Solutions) and that enhance records with Web site
links (e.g., 856Express); National CORE Cataloging Standards will be reviewed to
update INFOhio's MARC Record
Standards.
Tony Marshalek concluded the task force reports
by noting the progress of the Instructional Development Task Force. The
OH! Teach Advisory Board has met
to provide input regarding excellent Web sites teachers can use to enhance their
instruction; Carl Carter will facilitate OH!
Teach efforts. This years series of Science Information Literacy Skills workshops were
successful, with more than 400 satisfied participants, mostly classroom teachers. A set of
three Cataloging topics in 19 workshops for library/media personnel were well-received;
LSTA funding provided support. Marshalek demonstrated how
SuperMARC records can enhance
instruction with links for easy bookings at area media centers as well as links to
relevant Web sites.
Brenda Rose, NetWellness Program Manager, provided an update of this
important and well-used health and nutrition resource for Ohio citizens during a
Partnership Spotlight. Rose explained several new NetWellness features to the Users Group:
the "Expert of the Month" section is new every two to four weeks; several
navigation improvements have been implemented; ADAM (Medline databases) is returning to
NetWellness; several sections have been added or expanded, such as "Diet &
Nutrition" and "Sports Medicine." Coming soon: a new section on
"Anxiety & Stress Disorders," dental and oral health information, and
"Ask a Librarian." Rose explained that efforts are underway to obtain funding so
that all NetWellness resources are available in schools and a K-12 interface can be added.
Collaborations with INFOhio and Ohio
SchoolNet to help develop classroom support materials are on-going. Rose's PowerPoint
presentation is available for use at the building/district level.
The morning section of the Users Group meeting
was concluded by INFOhio Executive Director Theresa M. Fredericka, with
introductions of several vendor partners in attendance. Representing bigchalk.com were Jeff Brierley, Regional
Sales Manager; Chris Sakelaris, Sales Manager; and Vickie Price,
Education Division Sales; bigchalk.com partners with INFOhio for the ProQuest INFOhio Collection. Donna Manges,
Regional Sales Manager, and Rhonda Harris, Ohio Sales Representative,
represented SIRS Mandarin, Inc., INFOhio's partner for SIRS Discoverer Deluxe. DRA/MultiLIS was represented by Steve Newman,
Vice President for Sales & Marketing, and Dave Colombo, Education
Sales Manager; DRA/MultiLIS provides INFOhio's library automation software.
Fredericka summarized the next year of INFOhio
with brief "Looking Ahead" comments. She reminded the Users Group that INFOhio's
funding for 2000-2001 is stable, but there are no funds for additional electronic
resources for the coming school year. Fredericka stressed that ongoing evaluation of all
of INFOhio's components is an important aspect of the state project, and evaluation leads
to ideas for constant improvements and enhanced implementation efforts for all INFOhio
programs. Future directions for INFOhio will continue to be discussed during the annual
Retreat, June 12-14, 2000; online
registration for this year's Retreat is now available. All INFOhio participants
interested in being members of INFOhio task forces are encourage to submit their names to Cathy Kerner-Brownlee.
Fredericka recessed the meeting for lunch and
visits to three online displays in the meeting room. Joining the Users Group for lunch
were several members of the Ohio General Assembly and legislative staffers.
| Greg Byerly, Kent State
University's School of Library and Information Science, chaired the afternoon program. He
briefly discussed "The Power of INFOhio" to introduce our celebration of more
than 1,000 automated school libraries through INFOhio and the availability of statewide
electronic resources at every Internet-capable station in every Ohio K-12 building.
Byerly explained three elements that have resulted in INFOhio's success.
INFOhio provides content that students and teachers want and
need. INFOhio's electronic resources have proven to be popular
throughout the state; in some cases they are the only electronic
resources schools can afford. In addition, two of the resources are
licensed for home use by Ohio students and teachers (proquest INFOhio
Collection and SIRS Discoverer Deluxe). Another example of the |
 First Schools to
Automate with INFOhio Honored:
Austintown Fitch High School and Boardman High School
Pictured above from left to right: Tom O'Brien, Library/Media
Specialist, Austintown Fitch High School; Sue Digiacomo, Library/Media Specialist Boardman
High School; Theresa M. Fredericka, INFOhio Executive Director; Bruce Hawkins, MCOECN CEO;
and Mike Lucas, State Librarian
|
content INFOhio provides is the statewide Union Catalog
of over 1,000,000 electronic records for K-12 print and nonprint
materials, helpful to school librarians and teachers in locating
instructional materials. A third type of content INFOhio provides are the various workshops INFOhio has
provided to improve the level of information literacy among Ohio's students. These
workshops have helped train hundreds of educators to use the content INFOhio provides, a
critical step assuring effective use of scarce taxpayers' dollars.
|
 Claggett Middle School,
Medina City Schools
Pictured above from left to right: Theresa M. Fredericka, INFOhio
Executive Director; Barb Steingass, Library/Media Specialist, Claggett Middle School; and
Marcia Young, Library/Media Coordinator, Medina City Schools
|
Organization is the second element in INFOhio's
success. Moving from traditional paper card catalogs and circulation systems to automated
libraries and special agency collections has been a significant step for hundreds of
collections across Ohio. Web access to these holdings means we are even closer to
libraries without walls. The third element in
INFOhio's success has been the access INFOhio has provided, using the
existing Data Acquisition Sites of the Ohio Educational Computer Network. INFOhio
components that have benefited from DASite support include the library automation and
media booking components, the Union Catalog, and statewide electronic resources. INFOhio
uses these existing networks to connect schools beyond the classroom!
|
|
Darlene Basone, Chair of the Librarians
Curriculum Council for Cincinnati Public Schools and Co-chair of INFOhio's Electronic
Resources Task Force, spoke on The Power of Electronic Resources. She
expressed concern about inequalities that exist among Ohio schools, both in the amounts
spent on library materials and on electronic resources. Basone praised INFOhio for the
electronic resources available to every Ohio student and teacher as a starting point
toward a core collection of resources. "Without the generous support of the Ohio
General Assembly, my school and many others would not have resources students need and
deserve," she said.
Robert Zellers, Director of Technology for
Warrensville Heights City Schools, explained how LSTA funding and INFOhio's library
automation have made it possible for his district to automate all six building libraries.
Zellers emphasized that The Power of Library Automation can make a
significant difference in the lives of students in his district, helping accomplish his
mission of assuring appropriate resources for all Warrensville students.
|
| The Recognition Luncheon portion of the Users
Group meeting concluded with the presentation of plaques to two schools that were the
first to automate with Ohio's library automation software, both from the ACCESS DASite
area. Accepting for Austintown Fitch High School was Tom O’Brien,
Library/Media Specialist. Sue Digiacomo, Library/Media Specialist,
represented Boardman High School. Six buildings
were recognized as symbolic representatives of the thousandth building to automate with
INFOhio. Each building, its participating DASite, and those accepting plaques are listed
below:
Arlington School Distinct (NOACSC)
Lee Anderson – Principal, Arlington High School
Susan Martaus – Library/Media Specialist, Arlington Local Schools
|
 Webster
Elementary Structured Magnet School, Dayton City Schools
Pictured above from left to right: Rosalyn Givens, Library/Media
Specialist; Andrea Hirtle, Library/Media Specialist; and Stella Campbell, Education
Technology Paraprofessional, from Webster Elementary Structured Magnet School; Theresa M.
Fredericka, INFOhio Executive Director; Bruce Hawkins, MCOECN CEO; and Mike Lucas, State
Librarian
|
Claggett Middle School (LEECA)
Tom Lehrer – Assistant Superintendent, Medina City Schools
Barb Steingass – Library/Media Specialist
Lutheran High School East (LNOCA)
Jan Kelley – Library/Media Specialist
Symmes Valley Multilevel School (SCOCA)
Joyce Allan – District Librarian
Thomas Ben – Superintendent
Upper Valley Joint Vocational School (WOCO)
Cathy Leininger – Educational Technology Specialist
Webster Elementary Structured Magnet School (MDECA)
Andrea Hirtle – Library/Media Specialist
Rosalyn Givens – Library/Media Specialist
Stella Campbell – Educational Technology Paraprofessional
Terri Fredericka concluded the Users Group meeting with brief
remarks summarizing INFOhio's dedication to all of Ohio's school children and teachers.
"We will strive to provide more content, better ways to access information, and the
training to use INFOhio's quality resources and services as we achieve 2000 automated
buildings in 2001!" |
|
