Montana Report

by Barry Brown

Montana Representative 

People

Renee Vaillancourt, Assistant Director, Missoula Public Library, has been named Feature Editor of Public Libraries magazine from a nationwide pool of candidates.

Delores Drennen is retiring from her position as Director of the Miles City Library after almost 30 years of service at the library. Fran O'Shea was appointed the Interim Director of the Miles City Library.

Nancy Bostrom has left her position as Assistant Librarian/Children's Librarian at the West Yellowstone Public Library for a new position as the Youth Services Librarian at the Lewistown Public Library.

Libraries

On January 6, 2000, the Jefferson County Library System in Whitehall, MT, suffered the loss of $11,000 in equipment, including its Internet router, to thieves.

On January 11, 2000, a challenge to remove the book Fools Crow by James Welch from Bozeman High School's English department curriculum and library was heard by the Materials Review Selection Committee. Ultimately the vote was to retain the book after impassioned testimony from many people.

At the urging of Montana Senator Conrad Burns, AT&T has agreed to donate nearly 12 miles of fiberoptic cable that will be used to provide Libby with high-speed Internet connections. The fiberoptic lines will be used to connect the Libby public school system.

Rosebud County Library celebrated 80 years since the establishment of a library in Forsyth in 1920 with a Library Tea on January 18, 2000, with a large crowd of patrons and friends.

A team of librarians worked hard last summer to draft "Montana Standards for Library Media". The Montana Office of Public Instruction is now seeking feedback on these standards. A copy of the standards is available on the Office of Public Instruction's web page: http://www.metnet.state.mt.us/

A recent count of Montana libraries shows a total of 814.

The calendar of events for Montana Libraries is available at: msl.state.mt.us/calendar.html

The Montana State Library & Montana Library Association (MLA) plans are progressing for Montana's first library summer institute to be held the week of June 5, 2000, at the Rocky Mountain College campus in Billings, MT. Funded with LSTA grant money, the institute will bring 50 librarians and staff members together for an intense week of formal training and informal networking.

The Montana Library Network, a project of the Montana State Library, has negotiated a statewide fixed cost contract for OCLC services during the next fiscal year (July 2000 - June 2001). All Montana libraries are eligible to participate. The 600 members of the Montana Library Association are eagerly anticipating the upcoming annual conference April 26-29, in Billings, MT (for more information see the mla website at http://www.mtlib.org/).

Return to PNLA QuarterlySpring 2000 Table of Contents