Thank You to the Library Partnership Summit Attendees

I want to thank you for taking the time to attend the Library Partnership Summit on Monday, May 21st. I was very pleased to see so many of the library leaders of Ohio in attendance. I also really appreciate your willingness to “keep an open but critical mind” with respect to the Ohio Web Library and all the other ideas that came your way during the Summit.

In hindsight I wish that we had given you much more material PRIOR to the meeting. But this was difficult as we were collaboratively creating much of this right up to the last minute!

I have also heard from several of you that it felt as though the Ohio Web Library has already been formed and you were being asked to just sign on. I apologize that this was the impression given. This was NOT my intention. What was proposed was a draft starting point. We need your input to create the Ohio Web Library.

I am very interested in so much of what you brought up, including:

Are the databases we currently offer the right ones for the entire library community?
Should the databases be considered a core service?
Do we have too many databases?
Why can’t we have just one interface for all to use?
Information literacy should be a lifelong learning opportunity. What is the library’s role in this?
How can we make authentication easier?
These and other questions need to be addressed as we move forward.

A couple other follow ups you may be interested in are:

1) I am looking forward to the creation of the Steering Team. I will send out another note to you all as the plans for its creation become more firm. As I said in my presentation, this team will be multi-type.

2) I have every intention of keeping you up-to-date on the progress of this “conversation” and hope that you will continue to be an active participant.

Thank you again. I look forward to working with you.

Jo Budler, State Librarian
State Library of Ohio