Category Archives: Library Development Office

Federal oversight for library funding

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Since 1956, the federal government has supported library services through funding and grants. The focus has changed over the years from rural services to the current Library Services and Technology Act Grants to States program, through which the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, provides grant funding to every U.S. state and territory to improve library services.

IMLS logo. The Grants to States program is the largest source of federal funding support for library services in the U.S., awarding $266.7 million in 2024 through research and policy development and grantmaking to advance, support and empower America’s museums, libraries and related organizations. Through a population-based formula, the Indiana State Library receives around $3 million in federal funding each year for library services and technology. In Indiana, LSTA funding is used to support numerous State Library services including INSPIRE databases, the Talking Books and Braille Library, the State Data Center, resource sharing and the InfoExpress courier service. Grants to local libraries have also been available in the past.

This money is not gifted negligently, and there is strict oversight to every penny of the funds distributed. In order to qualify for funding, the Indiana State Library must prepare a five year plan for the funds, and have their progress on the previous five year plan evaluated by an independent reviewer. The state must also complete interim and final financial reports, and must submit an annual report indicating how all funds were spent, their geographic reach and their impact on populations like children, adults and job seekers.

Additionally, all states participating are subject to a site visit by their state’s program officer, an IMLS staffer assigned to oversee their region. These visits typically include a visit to a state library, as well as a tour around the state so that the program officer can witness evidence of library funding in use. The Indiana State Library’s recently completed a site visit by program officers Dennis Nangle and Madison Bolls on Thursday, Sept. 4. Nangle had previously visited Indiana in person, and during this visit met virtually with ISL administration, the business department and programmatic staff to discuss compliance with the federal rules and regulations required for the funding. The visit went well and IMLS will follow up with recommendations for the state in awarding and managing future funds received.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

2025 Public Library Budget Workshop recap

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On Thursday, May 29, the Indiana State Library hosted the 2025 Public Library Budget Workshop. This workshop, primarily for an audience of public library directors, bookkeepers, treasurers and trustees, focuses on helping public libraries get ready for the budget planning season for the next fiscal year. We bring together the Department of Local Government Finance and the State Board of Accounts to help guide libraries through this process and any changes that may be coming. This year we were also joined by special guest Sandy Petrie, director of the Noble County Public Library.

The morning started with a presentation by Ryan Burke, assistant budget director of the Department of Local Government Finance. Burke highlighted DLGF’s webinar on new legislation that would be coming up, important dates coming up on the budget calendar, as well as resources on the DLGF website. He reminded libraries of their maximum budget for non-binding review and the process of binding review by fiscal body resolution. Finally, he gave a sneak peak of what they are calling Budget 2.0 – a streamlined and improved application for submitting budget forms in Gateway that is scheduled to launch in 2026 and is already intriguing many of the folks that attended that day.

The afternoon began with a presentation by Beth Goss and Mitch Wilson, government technical assistance and compliance directors at the State Board of Accounts. They touched on new legislation that impacts public libraries, including increased thresholds for local public works projects, changes in retainage requirements for public works projects over $200,000, additional instances where executive sessions may be held by the board and changes for the receipt of FIT and CVET distributions. SBOA reminded libraries that Gateway is not intended for document storage, so to make sure they had copies of their documents as they will be removing some of the older files on Gateway. There was a spirited discussion on accounts payable and receivable, electronic payments and the disbursal of funds.

Following SBOA’s presentation, Noble County Public Library director Sandy Petrie spoke about the importance of understanding cash flow and shared the method and spreadsheet she uses to keep track of expenses and revenue. The day was finished with announcements from Jennifer Clifton, Library Development Office director at the Indiana State Library.

This post was written by Hayley Trefun, public library consultant, Library Development Office, Indiana State Library.

From the ISL stacks: A historic appreciation of resource sharing (and form)

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Beige on black, the light switches on the second floor of the State Library’s stacks banished the archival darkness. Halogen hummed to life, a substitute for the silence; narrow strips of light painted the shelves pale above the Library and Information Science collection. Stacks retrieval was nothing new to me, but it has always inspired a sense of wonder. Prior to joining the Indiana State Library as its new interlibrary loan specialist this January, I’d spent most of my career working in academic collections: first, as a student lender at Indiana University’s Herman B. Wells Library in Bloomington, and later, as local document delivery coordinator for the University of Michigan’s Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library in Ann Arbor.

Cover image: “What the OCLC Interlibrary Loan Service Means to Me.”

You might call it fate, then, to spy this volume, wedged between several monographs on digital resource sharing after a good few minutes spent distracted by a bibliography on four centuries of cat books. “What the OCLC Interlibrary Loan Service Means to Me: A Collection of Essays” (Z 713 .W43 1999) was published on the 20th anniversary of OCLC’s interlibrary loan service. The prompt for the volume was simple: in five hundred words or less, contributors – ranging from students and teachers to librarians and freelance writers – were invited to submit their thoughts on what interlibrary loan meant to them for a shot at a $1,000 grand prize. Roughly a quarter-century later, this collection of essays is a fascinating snapshot of resource sharing at the turn of the millennium. Even the cover, hearkening back to my childhood in a rapidly digitizing world, vaguely reminds me of the old DK/Scholastic children’s books on the “information superhighway.”

Robert Mathews’ crossword.

Particularly interesting in this volume is how various contributors interpret the genre of “essay” for the contest. Among the various traditional short essays include submissions in the form of a crossword – a rearrangement of letters and words from the title of the collection itself – and poetry like the “Song of the Happy Scholar.” Humorously, two contributors took an extremely minimalist approach to their submissions: “Job security,” reads one dryly. Another writes, using their best supervillain impression: “Now the WORLD is mine!” As a student of literature and creative writing, the shattering of expectations with form has always struck me as a compelling type of argumentation or storytelling. Beth Posner’s statement preceding her generated word list from the volume’s title seems to hint at this type of narrative subversion, too: “Maybe we can even learn to see OCLC in other ways by this list.”

Beth Posner’s generated word list from the volume’s title.

Over 25 years later, it’s a fun thought exercise to imagine the wide range of responses (and visual interpretations) to this question that OCLC would receive in 2025, given the advancements in technology since this volume was published. For me, the meaning of a service like interlibrary loan is not just about “permitting access” to materials requested through InfoExpress and Indiana Share. It’s about participating in a broader, patron-oriented collaboration with the many public and academic libraries throughout Indiana. From education to entertainment, I view resource sharing as a form of service to our Hoosier communities.

And, if asked to write my own minimalist contribution to this volume, it would be simple: “The joy of patron discovery.”

This blog post was written by Eric Altemus, interlibrary loan specialist at the Indiana State Library.

Meet your Indiana State Library interlibrary loan team

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Have you ever wondered how books, CDs and DVDs get from library to library in Indiana? Your local public or academic library will place a request on your behalf for an item that your library or library system does not own. This request is processed through Indiana Share and coordinated at the Indiana State Library by a team that works in our Library Development Office.

Leigh Anne Johnson is the resource sharing coordinator for the Indiana State Library. She makes sure that InfoExpress, the library courier system, is running smoothly. She acts as a liaison between Now Courier, the company who runs the courier system, and 322 Indiana libraries to coordinate the best possible transit service. She also oversees the Indiana Share program and keeps statistics on InfoExpress, Indiana Share and INSPIRE, which is our statewide grouping of databases offered for free to Indiana residents.

Eric Altemus is a newcomer to the Indiana State Library, but is very experienced with using ILLiad, the interlibrary loan software that runs Indiana Share. He sends out roughly 250 Share requests daily. He also processes the spreadsheets of received and returned items, and renewal requests sent to us from borrowing libraries. He assists Leigh Anne with requests for InfoExpress canvas bags needed at libraries for transit. The team also cleans and maintains the transit bags as they come back in before they are put back into circulation.

The State Library also loans most of the general collection through Interlibrary loan requests. The staff in the Circulation Support Division pull the items and send them out through InfoExpress, which picks up and delivers items to the State Library every weekday. The State Library fulfills interlibrary loan requests for Indiana state employees for books and articles needed for work in their agencies. Those requests are processed by the circulation staff, as well. When the InfoExpress driver delivers and picks up materials at the State Library, the circulation desk is the location where the items are exchanged.

The ILL team strives to keep the system running smoothly, but if you do have issues with InfoExpress or Indiana Share, please contact us.

This blog post was written by Leigh Anne Johnson, resource sharing coordinator at the Indiana State Library.

Indiana Share – What is it, and how does it work?

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If a patron is unable to find a book they want on Indiana public library shelves, there are, thankfully, many options to get it to them, one of which is interlibrary loan. There are numerous resource sharing services throughout the state, but Indiana Share is one of the longest running of the available ILL services and recently saw a resurgence in 2024.

What is Indiana Share?
Indiana Share is an Indiana State Library-managed interlibrary loan service for public, school, special and institutional libraries around the state. Indiana Share was launched in 2008, shortly after INCOLSA discontinued their regional interlibrary loan service. There was still a statewide need for assistance in providing interlibrary loans, especially for libraries and schools unable to support or afford this service individually, so the Indiana State Library, in partnership with the Indianapolis Public Library, stepped in to fill the gap. The state library hired a small team of library technicians to process these requests and provide loans via a special statewide OCLC subscription. The team was based out of Indianapolis Public Library’s Central branch, and for a time even pulled and fulfilled loans directly from IndyPL’s collection.

Over time, as the Evergreen Indiana consortium expanded to over half of the state’s public libraries, the need for Indiana Share decreased as the consortium libraries shared between themselves. SRCS, the Statewide Remote Circulation Service, was also introduced as an interlibrary loan option and provided loans for eight years, but after its discontinuation the Indiana State Library once again welcomed libraries back to Indiana Share, and all hands are on deck to process these requests accurately and timely.

How does it work?
Participating libraries use a link on the Indiana State Library’s website to search OCLC’s WorldCat and request items. These requests are then routed to State Library staff who process each request, locating potential lenders from approximately 100 academic and public libraries via OCLC. State Library staff always try to obtain books within Indiana, if possible, since these are shipped for no cost if the library is an InfoExpress courier subscriber. With Indiana Share, it is also possible to borrow requests from public, academic and special libraries out of state if a library agrees to extra fees or costs associated with postage. Each Share request is processed by hand and sent to as many lenders as possible, as many times as needed, until it is either filled for cancelled. There is currently no cost to libraries to use the service.

If a request is filled, a lending library ships the item directly to the requesting library. If no lenders are identified, or no copies are available, the request is canceled and the requesting library receives an email explaining why the loan was cancelled. In addition to placing requests, Indiana Share participants are asked to provide updates to the state library when materials are received or returned so that we can make sure the OCLC system is appropriately updated.

Indiana Share requests can only be placed by the staff of participating libraries. If you are a patron interested in this service ask the circulation staff at your library about the types of interlibrary loan services available to you. We also encourage libraries with robust interlibrary loan services to consider subscribing to OCLC directly, which reduces the need for Indiana State Library staff to mediate each request, and also enables them to share their collections.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

New Directors Workshop 2024

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On Aug.15, 22 new Indiana public library directors attended the annual New Directors Workshop at the Indiana State Library. The workshop is a chance for new directors to meet each other, as well as Indiana State Library staff, and to receive an orientation to their many duties. Public library consultants Hayley Trefun and Angela Fox hosted the workshop, and various other State Library staff and Indiana public library directors presented on multiple topics.

The workshop offered an orientation to the many resources of the guidebook and its 19 chapters that inform directors on the many tasks and responsibilities necessary for the day-to-day management of public libraries.

The opening presentation focused on the distinct roles of the director versus the board, including standards and library laws. Additional presentations covered certification and resource sharing – including Indiana Share, INSPIRE and Evergreen Indiana. The morning concluded with a walking tour of the Indiana State Library, where participants visited and met staff from the state’s Talking Book and Braille Library, Genealogy, Indiana and Reference divisions.

In the afternoon, directors learned about employment practices and workers’ rights from Beka Lemons, director of the Huntington City-Township Public Library, and budgeting from Lynn Hobbs, director of the Pendleton Community Public Library. Directors received an overview of the E-Rate program and State Board of Accounts. Finally, Kyle Hickman from the Indiana Library Federation closed out the day with an inspiring invitation to participate in the state’s professional association and activities.

A second-day follow up conference was held via Zoom on Aug. 20. The follow-up conference included presentations from Jamie Scott, director of the North Madison Public Library; Michella Marino, deputy director of the Indiana Historical Bureau; and Amy Christiansen, records management liaison at the Indiana Archives and Records Administration. The workshop concluded with an overview of the Professional Development Office and Children’s Services from the Indiana State Library by Paula Newcom.

New directors who begin after this year’s workshop was held can expect to receive an invitation to the annual workshop in the summer of 2025, or can contact Hayley Trefun for more information.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

SRCS ending Sept. 30

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The difficult decision was made to discontinue SRCS, the Statewide Remote Circulation Service, after nearly eight years. Through SRCS, nearly 200 libraries were able to borrow and share materials via interlibrary loan. Beginning Sept. 1, 2024, these material requests should be sent through Indiana Share, the Indiana State Library’s mediated service hosted by OCLC, as SRCS will cease operations on Sept. 30. Indiana State Library staff will review and process each request received, and requests can be sent to local, Indiana or even out-of-state libraries upon a borrower’s request.

While SRCS was in place, there was a limit to the number of requests that could be sent through Indiana Share. To help with the transition back to Share, all fees for the program will be eliminated and there will be no caps on the number of transactions that libraries can request for the first year. The Indiana State Library will evaluate the feasibility of continuing those changes to the Share program going forward.

The Indiana State Library also encourages libraries that are heavier interlibrary loan users to consider subscribing to OCLC First Search, which allows libraries to place their own requests for materials, as well as lend their own items. The State Library holds a First Search license for the state and provides a subsidy to offset the cost. Interested libraries should contact Stephanie Asberry by Sept. 1, 2024.

A training on Indiana Share is scheduled for Aug. 19, 2024, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time to go over the system. A recording will be made available for those unable to attend.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

Indiana resource sharing update – May 2024

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A lot of positive things have been happening in resource sharing these past few months, so we wanted to provide an update on how books are currently moving around the state.

InfoExpress courier service
We are pleased to report that the InfoExpress Courier Service, currently operated by Indianapolis’s NOW Courier, has almost completely recovered, and over 90% of expected stops are being made weekly. The Indiana State Library truly appreciates everyone’s patience and willingness to help with the recovery process, whether it was reporting missed stops, or visiting the Indianapolis warehouse to collect items.

The renewal period is open for participation for the 2024-2025 service year, with registrations being due June 1. Claims for lost materials are still being collected for any materials that were lost last summer during the courier transition. Indiana State Library staff encourage any libraries with extra shipping bags to return those to the State Library at their convenience, as supplies are running low. Finally, please let the InfoExpress coordinator know if your library will be closed for any portion of the summer.

Discovery to Delivery Conference
Plans are underway for this year’s Discovery to Delivery Conference, tentatively scheduled for Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Two big changes this year will include a change of venue – Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington – and a new virtual attendance option for many sessions. State Library staff are happy to be working with members of ALI and their Resource Sharing Committee on plans for the conference. A save the date announcement will be shared widely soon, as well as a call for proposals for conference sessions for anyone interested in presenting.

SRCS
The current SRCS contract with Auto-Graphics, Inc. expires Sept. 30, and the Indiana Department of Administration is currently completing the request for proposals – also known as an  RFP –  process for the continuation of the service which is required to be bid out periodically. A committee of State Library staff and volunteers from public and academic libraries statewide have reviewed the proposals, have participated in product demonstrations and have submitted recommendations to IDOA. The results of this RFP are still forthcoming, and the State Library will notify libraries about any upcoming changes to the service or its providers as soon as they are known.

Evergreen
Evergreen Indiana continues to grow, most recently welcoming the Morrisson-Reeves, Jasonville and Owensville Public Libraries, for a total of 132 of Indiana’s 236 public libraries sharing a catalog and transiting materials between each other.

The consortium also welcomes Courtney Brown, previously the Indiana State Library’s Southeast regional coordinator, as the new Evergreen Indiana Consortium director. We truly thank Ruth Davis for all her years of service and dedication to the consortium and Resource Sharing Committee, and wish her well in Virginia!

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

State Libraries around the states

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“If you’ve seen one state library, you’ve seen one state library.” This quote, origin unknown, is a common joke shared among state librarians and library staff. While every state, Washington D.C., and a couple U.S. territories have a state library, these libraries are as different as the states themselves.

The purpose of a state library is primarily to collect and develop collections relevant to their state, while providing support to the residents and libraries within the state. What these services are, and the extent of these services, varies from state to state based on each state library’s mission, availability of funding, location and geographic area or size of the state.

The Tennessee State Library.

Some state libraries, like the Indiana State Library and Tennessee State Library & Archives, have buildings that are open to the public to visit and browse, and most seem to be located in the state’s capital, sometimes even adjacent to the capitol itself. Others, like the Montana State Library, are governmental offices, operating more like an archive or state agency, with little to no public-facing component. The Indiana State Library supports 236 independent, locally governed and funded public library systems across the state, while the Hawaii State Library operates all of the public library buildings across the islands as one large library system operated by the state.

The Great Hall of the Indiana State Library.

The governance of state libraries varies, too. Some are under their state’s Department of Education. Some are governed by their state’s Secretary of State. Some, including Indiana, are independent state agencies reporting directly to their governor. State library funding is usually dependent on the state’s budget, although all states receive federal funding via the Institute of Museum and Library Service’s Grants to States program. Some states receive additional funding through grants and foundations or gifts.

State libraries are commonly led by a State Librarian, or “chief.” They serve as the director or manager of their state system, as well as a trusted advisor for libraries of various types across the state. State librarians usually, but not always, have a library background with a Masters of Library Science and years of management experience. However, in some states, like Illinois, the Secretary of State appoints the State Librarian. There is a national network for these state librarians called COSLA, or the Chiefs of State Library Agencies, which provides support for these individuals as they lead their state’s library communities and navigate difficulties such as state budgets and intellectual freedom challenges.

A recent meeting of chief officers, as featured on the COSLA website.

COSLA regularly convenes these chiefs in national meetings, in person and virtually. In addition to the chiefs meeting, there are numerous ways for other state library staff to connect with staff of other state libraries. Continuing education specialists convene annually to talk about improving and developing new learning opportunities for library staff. Library development directors (like me!) meet informally weekly via Zoom to chat about news from and issues affecting their states’ libraries and occasionally meet in person at larger library conferences. Other services that state libraries have in common include administering interlibrary loan services, databases, operating their state’s federal depository and facilitating National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled services.

While they may differ in location and governance, one thing all state and territorial libraries share is a passion for library services, and tailoring those services to their own unique state.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.

InfoExpress statewide courier service – December update

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NOW Courier has continued to move Indiana library materials out of their warehouses -both main and annex locations – and back in to Hoosier readers’ hands. In the past month, Indiana State Library administration and Library Development Office staff had a chance to visit NOW’s new location on the east side of Indianapolis and see their sorting operation in action. NOW has a team of four dedicated sorters who are moving quickly through old, often mislabeled items, as well as new shipments being picked up and returned to the warehouse. While NOW’s priority is to deliver these materials themselves, a few Indianapolis-area libraries were invited to pick up their materials in order to speed up the process and help make room in the warehouse and loading area. Several libraries reported receiving full pallets of materials in the first two weeks of December, which is promising. NOW is continuing to sort the 50 remaining gaylords – large pallet-sized cardboard shipping containers – of materials shipped earlier this year and getting those materials out.

Additional signs of recovery include NOW delivery drivers making over 600 stops the week of Dec. 4, which is drawing closer to our normal service model of over 800 weekly stops. As NOW continues to hire drivers with appropriately-sized vehicles, libraries should begin to see their driver more frequently, in addition to more of their materials in the coming weeks.

The Indiana State Library will update libraries about the claims process – particularly how to submit bulk claims – and the 2024-25 subscription rates as soon as those are known in the new year. Until then, please continue to report service issues to the InfoExpress coordinator.

This blog post was written by Jen Clifton, Library Development Office.