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TO: PARMLY BILLINGS LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES FROM: BILL COCHRAN, DIRECTOR RE: REPORT MEETING DATE: AUGUST 14, 2008 ACTIVITIES REPORT Assistant Director Jim Peters, Senior Administrative Coordinator Sandy Raymond, Systems Administrator Dee Ann Redman and members of the Friends of the Library staffed a booth at Summerfair 7-12/13. We gave out balloons to children and fans to adults (provided by the Friends) and were a popular stop with both. Gases Plus donated the helium for the balloons. Redman took part in a meeting at the Montana State Library in Helena on 7-15 for the downloadable content project to establish procedures for the cooperative. The initial phase will concentrate on providing audiobooks borrowers can download and transfer to digital devices. I participated in the final meeting of the Montana State Library’s Fulfillment Task Force 7-16 in Helena. During the past year, the Task Force developed recommendations to improve resource sharing among Montana libraries. I Co-Chaired the 7-17 Community Library Committee meeting at the College of Technology campus. Children’s Librarian Cindy Patterson and Library Assistant Elizabeth Fellerer attended training on promoting literacy in Great Falls 7/20-22. The training was sponsored by the Montana State Reading Council. I joined Trustee Lloyd Mickelson and other members of the Community Library Committee and MSU-Billings Library staff on a site visit tour 7/20-23 of two combined community college/public libraries in the Ft. Collins CO area, as well as of the new Laramie County Public Library in Cheyenne WY, the 2008 Library Journal Library of the Year. We gathered much information that will be useful as we proceed in our planning of the Community Library project. Redman attended the Next Generation ILS conference in Boise, ID on 7-21/23. The conference focused on the future of technology that supports the daily business of libraries. I Co-Chaired the 7-30 organizational meeting for the 2009 Project Homeless Connect event. The Summer Reading Program Prize winners were announced 7/31. Over 1,800 children and teens took part this year, and spent over 52,000 hours reading. This is an increase of 16,000 hours over the 2007 program. Redman took part in the Montana Library Association Board Retreat at Boulder Hot Springs 8- 4/6. I met 8-5 with Montana Humanities Executive Director Mark Sherouse, Library Foundation Board Member Bruce Whittenberg, and Foundation Development Director Leslie Modrow to discuss a civic discourse workshop being planned for early in the year in Billings. I joined Trustees Lloyd Mickelson and Shari Nault at the 8-6 Billings Cultural Partners meeting. Raymond will attend the Mayor’s Committee on Energy Conservation August 11. ---PAGE BREAK--- UPCOMING EVENTS 8-13 Friends of the Library Board Meeting, Noon 8-14 Library Board Meeting, Noon 8-16 Spanish Conversation Group 1:30 p.m. 8-16 One Book Billings – Book Discussion Group Buffalo Commons, 11:00 a.m. 8-19 What’s new in Fiction, Noon 8-20 Lunch and Learn Program about Osteoporosis, Noon 8-21 Film Noir: Touch of Evil, 7:00 p.m. 8-21 Turning Page Book Club, The Tipping Point, 7:00 p.m. 8-23 One Book Billings Program - A talk with Richard Wheeler, author of Buffalo Commons, 11:00 a.m. 8-23 Internet Basics computer class, 2:00 p.m. 8-26 LitCentric Book Group – Giraffe, 7:00 p.m. 8-28 Library Online Databases computer class, 4:00 p.m. 9-2 Spanish Conversation Group, 5:30 p.m. 9-4 Film Noir: Cape Fear, 7:00 p.m. 9-11 Library Board Meeting, Noon