Oregon Report

by Nancy Spaulding

Oregon Representative 

PEOPLE

City Librarian Jo Cowling was honored as La Grande City Employee of the Year at an employee banquet this fall. The City Manager commended her dedication to the library and to the community.
            Angela Reynolds has been appointed the new Youth Services Outreach Librarian at Washington County Cooperative Library Services. Before joining the management team at the Cooperative, Reynolds worked at West Slope Community Library. She is the chair-elect of the Oregon Library Association's Children's Services Division, as well as chair of the OLA Summer Reading Program Committee. Reynolds is an MLS graduate from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
            Michael R. Smith, former head of Technical Services at Hillsboro (OR) Public Libraries has been promoted to Assistant Library Director.  Prior to 1997 he was Sales and Marketing Manager for WLN; a sales Representative for Ameritech Library Services; Automation Specialist for Washington County (OR) Cooperative Library Services; and Director of the Forest Grove (OR) City Library. Smith received his MLS degree from UC Berkeley.
           The editors of  ASSOCIATES: The Electronic Library Support Staff Journal as cited “THIS OLD LIBRARY” by Jey Wann (Volume 2, Number 1, July 1995), an affectionate and humorous account of working in an older library, as one of their favorites of 1999. Jey Wann is the Acquisitions Coordinator at the Oregon State Library.

 OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

The Children's Services Division of the Oregon Library Association held a Mock Caldecott Workshop,hosted by Ellen Fader of Multnomah County Youth Services, on Saturday, January 8th, at Springfield Public Library. The workshop included an overview of the Caldecott award criteria and its application to 1999 picture books, discussion and a voting process resulting in Oregon's picks for the Caldecott 2000 winner and honor books.

NEWS

Two librarians were included among this year’s recipients of the Oregon Book Awards.  William Ashworth, reference librarian at the Ashland Branch of the Jackson County Library, received the Frances Fuller Victor Award for Literary Nonfiction for his book The Left Hand of Eden. Claudia Jones, Director of Wallowa County Library, received the Walt Morey Award for furthering children's literature. Claudia was recognized for her tremendous work in developing reading readiness, particularly through outreach to day care centers, and in bringing library services to children of Wallowa County. Claudia's award was presented by last year's winner, librarian Barbara McKillip of the Libri Foundation. Other awards given to books and individuals included: Angus Bowmer Award for Drama to The Lunatic Within by Dori Appel; Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Readers to Voice from the Border by Pamela Smith Hill;  Hazel Hall Award for Poetry for_Ruining the Picture by Pimone Triplett; H.L. Davis Award for Fiction for_Like Never Before by Ehud Havazelet.  Peter Sears of Corvallis, Oregon won the Stewart H. Holbrook Award for Outstanding Contributions to Oregon's Literary Life. Ken Kesey was awarded the Charles Erskine Scott Wood Award for lifetime achievement.  The awards were presented at a ceremony on November 23, 1999 by Literary Arts, Inc.

The November elections held both success and disappointment for library bond measures. The measure for the Ashland Branch, Jackson County Library successfully passed. Voters approved a $5.7 million bond measure for a library expansion and renovation. The project will result in a 23,764 square foot building through an addition to the existing 7,000 square foot Carnegie building. “Yes” votes totaled 4,174 (67%); “No” votes totaled 2,068 (33%). Voter turnout was 56.7%.  The measure for the West Linn Public Library was passed by the majority of the voters, but failed due to the voter turnout rate. This $3.9 million bond measure would have funded an enlarged library facility. “Yes” votes totaled 3,266 (58%); “No” votes totaled 2,359 (42%). Voter turnout was 46.5%. The project aimed for a library of 27,150 square feet through an addition to the current library of 13,170 square feet. The tax rate would have been $.14 per $1,000 of  assessed valuation.
            Architect Richard Ritz has written Central Library: Portland's Crown Jewel which traces the history of the Multnomah County Library; headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and its architectural masterpiece, Central Library. Inspired by childhood memories of the library and his family's ties to its founders, the author presents a loving portrait of an institution and a building treasured by generations of Oregonians.  Published by the Library Foundation, the coffee table book is available at the Friend's Library Store in Central Library and can be ordered from the Library Foundation by calling (503) 223-4008.  Proceeds benefit the Multnomah County Library. 

In his October 15^th Library Journal article on outstanding website design, columist Roy Tennant mentioned only one public library -- the Multnomah County Library. To find out why he felt it was so outstanding, visit the MCL site at:  http://www.multnomah.lib.or.us/lib/
            An annual $1,000 for the next ten years was awarded the Sweet Home Public Library by the Oregon Educational Media Association. Funded by the Connie Hull Endowment Fund, the funds will be used to purchase non-fiction materials that can be used by students when they come to the library to work on school
assignments.

The Oregon Special Library Association met Friday, December 3^rd at Intel for a program on “Dealing with Technology”.  The event which was sponsored by Intel included informal discussion about technology management, and a tour of Intel’s mini-museum.

Flip-flop 2 numbers to get the new zip code for the Oregon State Library.  The new zip replaces 97310 with 97301-3950. 

Return to PNLA Quarterly Winter 2000 Table of Contents