NISO Awarded Mellon Funding for Controlled Digital Lending Project

Yesterday the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) announced that it has received funding support for "the development of a consensus framework for implementing controlled digital lending (CDL) of book content by libraries." Developing a framework was approved by members of NISO as a new initiative.  The announcement goes on to say:

Libraries exist to serve their communities, to distribute information and knowledge of all kinds to users of many types, abilities, and resources; circulation of content in all formats is a core feature of what libraries exist to do, and they have been doing so legally for centuries. CDL is an emerging “lend like print” approach, which enables libraries to loan digital versions of their print books while using technical controls to ensure a consistent “owned-to-loaned” ratio. This allows a library to lend the exact number of copies of a specific title it owns—regardless of format—with controls to prevent users from redistributing or copying the digitized version. The need for standards and best practices related to CDL was one of the three top ideas identified during the NISO Plus Conference that took place in February of this year.

Every library will benefit from NIO's efforts regarding digital lending in a controlled environment. I look forward to what they develop and I thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for supporting this effort.

You can read their entire statement on the NISO website.

Information on the NYLA Annual Conference for library trustees and friends

After 24 years, the New York Library Association (NYLA) Annual Conference is returning to Syracuse, NY, in addition to holding a virtual conference. Because I'm on the Onondaga County Public Library Board of Trustees, I've written the information below for my board members in order to encourage them to attend. After writing it, I realized that other library trustees in NYS might benefit from this information.  It might also be helpful to your friends groups. So please share this information with anyone who can use it!

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This year, the New York Library Association Annual Conference is holding a virtual conference (Oct. 28-29) or the in-person conference, Nov. 3-6. Most of the in-person programming is on Nov. 4-5. Registration for the in-person conference also gives you access to the virtual conference.  The virtual conference includes sessions at specific times as well as on-demand programming.

Registration information is available online with early-bird registration ending on Sept. 30.  If you are not a member of NYLA, you would register as a non-member ($299/full conference or $189/virtual conference).
The registration rate for trustees assumes that you are a member of NYLA. A trustee can join NYLA for $30/year. 

Relevant sessions during the virtual conference programming include:

How to Hire and Inspire (and Occasionally Fire) Library Employees, Legally!
In this session, we will discuss a variety of employment law topics and the laws that govern them. Topics will include hiring and firing of employees, paid leave laws and policies, employee misconduct, discrimination and harassment, interpersonal conflict and bullying, wage and hour concerns, performance issues, safety concerns, and more. Using real world scenarios that arise in libraries, we will identify legal issues and plan practical approaches to resolving personnel problems. We will examine how federal and state employment laws and library policy work together, with a special focus on the requirements imposed by new legislation and recent court decisions.

How to Run an Effective Meeting
Attendees will learn how to construct an effective meeting by deciding what structure will meet the meeting's needs. We will discuss when and if, using Robert's Rules of Order is necessary, and give a quick introduction into best practices when using that structure. Key meeting management tips will be introduced, including how to empower all meeting attendees to participate; communicate effectively with a large group; value the attendees' time; stay on task; tactfully end off-topic discussions; and finish meetings in a timely matter.

Community Partnership Social Workers in Libraries
Middle Country Public Library welcomed a licensed social worker into their service model over 15 years ago and has sustained this model through deep community partnership.  Learn about how this model has been so successful in forging new relationships and meeting patron needs.  Meet our licensed social worker who will talk about the types of services she can offer with her professional training and how these services work within a public library. Kristen Todd-Wurm, National Coordinator for Family Place Libraries will talk about how the library set up and sustained this ongoing beneficial relationship over the years.

Library Construction 101
The State Aid for Library Construction program offers public and association libraries and public library systems funding, up to 90% of the total cost of the project, to carry out construction projects at these libraries.  Learn about the funding distribution, how to apply for a project, and what the requirements to receive an award of funding through how to close a project once the work is completed.

Relevant sessions during the in-person conference include:

De-escalation and Library Security, a Street Perspective
As libraries try to find a balance between safety and accessibility the discussion of security in libraries has become more nuanced and complex. One approach is to use Community Engagement Teams instead of traditional security or policing to de-escalate conflict before it begins. These Community Engagement Teams get to know the community, become aware of what is happening on the street level, are aware of trauma-informed services, and come from a shared background of the people that use the library. Their informed understanding of library users heads off conflict before it begins, and they become a part of the community library at the community level.

Library Trustees [Not In] Legal Jeopardy!
Being a trustee takes dedication, awareness, and a willingness to learn the ropes of library and not-for-profit legal considerations. Since that is a lot of work, this session will make it fun, promoting awareness of the most critical aspects of library trustee ethics and responsibilities through a game-show format: "What is...a fiduciary?" "What is...a conflict of interest?" "What is...Director's & Officer's Insurance?"  You will wager all of your late fees as you test and build your trustee skills in this fun and highly informative session!

Friendly Relationships, Working Together for the Library
Friends of the Library can be valuable members of the library team. Trustees provide governance, library directors manage the operations of the library, and a Friends group provides an opportunity for citizen volunteers to give support and financial assistance. All parties in this alliance need to understand their well-defined responsibilities and the limits of their roles. Frequent, clear, and open communication is the key to a successful partnership, along with joint planning sessions and establishing an operating agreement to address the needs and expectations of all. Robust, positive relationships between these key players will impact customer satisfaction and achieve long-term goals, helping libraries to be strong and resilient. Our panelists from the Hamilton Public Library will share ways their Friends, director, and trustees work together successfully.

A New Way to RAC
Building on the success of the Vision 2020 plan, RAC (Regents Advisory Council on Libraries) is looking at newer ways to improve services.  This program will include a discussion and we need your input.  The RAC Vision Plan 2020 presented strategic directions for New York's libraries and library systems and was developed in partnership with the state's library community.  It provided a clear vision of what excellent libraries should look like, and affirmed the ongoing value of the library system.

The Learning Guild's Crowdsourced Favorites from L&D Practitioners

The Learning Guild has created an interesting list of 56 books which have been recommended by members of the learning and development (L&D) community.  The creation of this list wasn't scientific and there is no indication of how many people contributed suggestions. Still any list of favorite books - especially for trainers - can be a good starting point and I do like the questions used for its creation.

The executive summary begins:

In August 2021, we asked L&D practitioners via social channels about their favorite work-related books. We were not interested in what they happened to be reading recently, but the “desert island” books they would want to keep with them above all others, or would suggest for colleagues. We asked questions like: What have you found useful in executing your work or in navigating your career? What is dog-eared? What do you still pull off the shelf? What do you quote? What books did you find influential and kept from college or grad school that you feel contributed to your practice? Contributors were asked to include a sentence or two about why they recommended a particular title.

The resultant list is divided by topics and with brief statement about why the work is treasured.

You need to register (free) to download the entire report.  I suspect any trainer or educator will find something of interest on this list. The list might be especially valuable to someone who is new to the field.  Of course, I expect some will disagree with this list and I hope those people will create and publish a list of their own.

Article: A Public Service Role For Digital Libraries

Argyri Panezi, PhD is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Stanford's Digital Civil Society Lab. This past spring, she wrote "A Public Service Role For Digital Libraries: The Unequal Battle Against (Online) Misinformation Through Copyright Law Reform And The Emergency Electronic Access To Library Material", which is available in full-text as a pre-print before it has been peer reviewed.  (You may need to create an account to view and, I believe, should be able to do so for free.)

The abstract begins:

This article analyzes the role of copyright doctrine and case law in preserving the institutional function of libraries—both on- and offline—as trusted and, in principle, neutral hubs equalizing access to credible information and knowledge in societies with structural inequalities. In doing so it examines the ongoing Hachette v. Internet Archive litigation before the US District Court of the Southern District of New York in the context of earlier copyright cases, finding that there is a persistent need for electronic access to library material online.

The 41-page paper is dense, informative, and interesting reading. Panezi discusses relevant litigation as well as some history of both copyright law and libraries. I appreciate her providing all of this information in one spot, which for me makes it a valuable article to remember. I also appreciate nuggets like:

...while access to information is recognized as an important right of all citizens in democratic societies, access to material is not guaranteed. (p. 37)

I had to read that twice! As someone who thinks about materials and access, and what we say about libraries, I know that what she has written is correct. I know...it sounds like semantics - information and material - but how those terms are different is meaningful. Libraries need to ensure that they provide access to materials - to the items themselves. And they need to make sure that their funders understand that. Libraries provide more than access to information; they will provision that item for you in the format you desire.

Yes, much more than that one line stood out to me and I'm sure much more will stand out to you. You might skim it and see want stands out, then give it a deep read.

Controlled Digital Lending: Unlocking the Library's Full Potential

A policy document has been released by Library Futures. Below is their announcement written by Kyle Courtney.

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We are very excited today to announce the release of the Library Futures Foundation’s (LFF) new policy document “Controlled Digital Lending: Unlocking the Library’s Full Potential.” As outlined, controlled digital lending maximizes a library’s ability to loan works, thereby making the entire loaning system more efficient and equitable. 

Library Futures Foundation developed this document in consultation with the Intellectual Property and Information Policy (iPIP) Clinic at Georgetown Law. This concise policy document covers all the benefits, innovations, and goals that are the basis of any controlled digital lending system. It expands beyond the legal rationale laid out in the Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) White Paper by clarifying the core principles that are the foundations of a library’s mission to provide access to materials to serve the public good. 

This policy document will be useful in understanding the role these principles play in the creation of a controlled digital lending bill. As the document demonstrates, controlled digital lending is a force amplifier for many of these library principles in the modern environment. Congress should support their communities by empowering libraries to serve as a meaningful access point for these publicly funded collections by supporting legislation that codifies the practice of CDL by libraries, encouraging funding through grant programs and other incentives to facilitate CDL, and promoting the development of a federal, centralized set of digital materials for use in CDL programs.

Over 100 libraries in the U.S. and Canada are employing some version of CDL, and we hope this document can further discussions about a library’s right to provide equitable access to knowledge in the digital environment.

The document was designed to be modular, so you may freely use, quote, cite, adapt, download, read, and share with your colleagues, communities, patrons, and others. To maximize its sharing, LFF licensed this policy document under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Read the document

Library Futures Foundation (LFF) is a non-profit 501(c)(4) organization focusing on legislative change and policy. LFF is a parallel organization to the Library Futures Institute.