Live Homework Help @ the library and from home

I am very excited to announce that Des Moines Public Library in partnership with Tutor.com launched Live Homework Help (LHH) as a Proof of Concept last week. What is LHH? What is the Proof of Concept? How does LHH work?

Live Homework Help (LHH) is an online tutoring service that was launched in the mid 1990’s. The Proof of Concept makes LHH available at no cost twenty-eight hours per week and allows customers to purchase additional time if they so choose. If they buy additional hours the library will receive funds from Tutor.com. that offset the library’s investment in the product.

Between the hours of 3:00 and 7:00 P.M. every day of the week any student in grades 4 to early college who needs assistance with math, science, social studies, or English can visit our web site and be connected with a live tutor at no cost. Tutors are available on a 24/7 basis but time must be purchased by the individual outside of the 3:00 to 7:00 timeframe. The tutors have been thoroughly vetted by Tutor.com for expertise in their field and appropriate online behavior.

A typical session might look something like this:

An eighth grade student is stymied by the concept of quadratic equations. The student visits the library web site (either in the library or from home) and selects LHH. The student is asked for grade level and subject. The student selects math and the subset of algebra. The student is then, usually in less than two minutes, connected to a tutor. Once connected the tutoring session begins. The tutoring session can be equated to a one on one chat with special tools available for teaching assistance. The average length of most sessions is between fifteen and twenty minutes.
These are literally on-demand tutoring sessions.

The goal is not to provide the students with answers. Rather, the goal is to increase the student’s ability to understand concepts and increase their level of success in the classroom. I have worked with this product in two other libraries and can assure you that parent, teacher, and especially student response to LHH is consistently enthusiastic.

We will be publicizing LHH broadly in the next several weeks. This is a product that helps students learn and boosts classroom confidence. Well over 90% of students who access the service say they would recommend it to their friends.

As a reader of this blog I ask you to visit LHH and test it for yourself. If you agree that it is a boon for students help us spread the word. The very best advertising is word of mouth. So, the more of us talking the better.

Budgets

Des Moines Public Library, like the vast majority of its peers across the United States, is always participating in an awkward budget dance. Each year we set priorities, review past performance, and hope sufficient revenues will be available to deliver a quality product to the community.

The vast majority of library revenues are provided by the City of Des Moines. The stronger the City’s financial health the more likely the library’s budget will be secure. The opposite is also true. If taxable property in the city loses value or if the Franchise Fee is eliminated the library’s budget will shrink.

The library’s budget is supplemented by fines, fees, state aid, grants, and gifts. Fines, which I have addressed in an earlier blog, help offset the City’s overall tax support. Fee revenue is generated primarily from the rental of movies on DVD. State aid is used primarily to support the materials collection and underwrite Des Moines Public Library’s participation in open access. Grants are usually one time funds used to initiate a new program. Most library gifts are generated by the Library Foundation and are primarily used to underwrite programs like Summer Reading and AViD and supplement library investments in collection development and technology. Supplemental funds constitute approximately 10% of library revenue.

Total library revenue is between 7.5 and 8 million dollars. The question is what does it buy?

First, it buys open hours at all six library outlets. Currently the library is open for sixty-five unduplicated hours over a seven day period. Second, revenue is used to build a collection. Every library survey reassures us that most people still use their library to borrow material. Third, money is used to support a variety of programming for children, teens, and adults. Pre-school storytimes, an Anime Club, and author visits are all a part of the mix. Fourth, we spend money on technology. Des Moines Public Library is probably the premier public computing site in our area. In addition Des Moines is still a community where the digital divide is alive and well. The common thread and our biggest investment is staff. Without them nothing moves forward.

When we establish budgets our initial goal is to maintain current service levels. Our hope is to improve and expand service. Too often, shrinking revenue from one or several sources causes us to determine what services can be reduced without an overly negative impact on the public.
The library has an established budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. City revenue can be anticipated but the remaining revenue sources are less predictable. Odds are there will be no major shifts in library service in the coming year but…

Here at the library we are already beginning the budget dance for 2009-2010. Personally, I prefer the waltz.

Why fines?

I have always disliked the concept of fines.

In theory people bring borrowed materials back promptly to avoid an unpleasant surcharge. Further, there is an underlying assumption that a low level of financial punishment is appropriate when rules are violated. In part, fines are justified as an “educational” experience.

In practice, fines become a nuisance fee for regular library users, a barrier to use for the poor, and a source of ongoing arguments between library users and circulation staff that are left with the unenviable job of collections. Those who can afford fines often happily pay with the assumption that their “contribution” is being used to strengthen the library’s collection.

Those who really can’t afford to pay are often blocked from further borrowing even though materials have been returned. Even more troubling is the fact that many families of moderate and low income refuse to let their children have library cards due to potential liability for overdue material.

Library staff dreads the confrontational customer. The arguments are many and varied but the usual claim is that materials were returned promptly and somehow there were internal processing errors within the library that caused the problem. The exchanges tend to be less than cordial

If my statements above are valid then why not simply eliminate fines? Des Moines Public Library generates nearly a quarter of a million dollars in fine revenue annually. Our funding source, the City of Des Moines, anticipates those funds when establishing our budget each year. In other words, we have become dependent on the revenue.

Is there a viable solution? The answer is a definite maybe.

First, we need to discover if the community is willing to support a fine free library. In this area the public library should reflect local sentiment.

Second, we need to determine if the $250,000 in revenue can be replaced. Will individuals or corporations be willing to step up and contribute on a regular basis to support a fine free library? I can envision XYZ Corp. and/or John Smith contributes $22,500 to make August fine free at the Des Moines Public Library.

I’d be interested in your thoughts. Is fine free something to work towards or simply a waste of time.

Formats are a Challenge

I'm old enough, just barely, to remember 78 rpm records. At one time libraries that offered 33 1/3 rpm records for loan to the public were considered cutting edge. With each technological advancement in the delivery of audio and video libraries have been faced with an ongoing dilemma.

At what point do you abandon an old format and embrace a new one? Let's take some cases in point and track the genesis of change and look at the issues libraries must address.

In the mid '70s many libraries circulated 8 and super 8mm films for home use. A few libraries also circulated 16mm feature films. By the mid '80s libraries were embracing videotape, although the debate between BETA and VHS raged on longer in libraries than the general marketplace. As we moved into the new millennium DVD became the video format of choice for libraries, although not many of us have eliminated our back stock of videotape. Today real time digital downloads of video content appear to be the direction the public will be embracing.

For many years the only people with access to audio book recordings were the blind and physically handicapped. These were bulky items originally on vinyl and subsequently on tape that involved public libraries in an inordinate amount of red tape. At some point in the '70's or early '80's books on tape became available to the general public. These items generated a substantial user base and subsequently became available in a cd and then an mp3 disc format. This was followed by real time digital downloads.

Format changes force libraries to evaluate what is being offered to customers and determine if we should change how we offer certain products and if it is our responsibility to continue to offer some products if they are readily available commercially. For example, there is no shortage of video stores or online alternatives. Despite this, libraries still circulate a high volume of DVDs and videotapes.

Format changes force libraries to examine how scarce collection dollars are allocated. Should we continue to add to the DVD collection, divert some money from DVD to digital downloads, or abandon the service altogether? If we choose to invest in digital downloads how many dollars are we willing to commit? If we choose to abandon not only a format but a popular service are we willing to accept the public outcry and an almost certain drop in circulation?

The questions are difficult and satisfactory solutions are elusive. I would be very interested in reader comments and suggestions that address these questions.
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Write, Call, e-mail

Libraries across Iowa need your help! Please contact the Governor and your legislative representatives and tell them that a 1.1 million dollar cut to libraries is unacceptable in a state budget projected to increase by 6%

Governor Culver's proposed FY 2009 budget proposal cuts state library funding by 18%! That's $1,119,442. Should this proposal stand, the following programs or agencies will see cuts: State Library, $135,000; Library Service Areas, $259,442; and Enrich Iowa $725,000.

What does this mean to you?

First, libraries across the state will have substantially less money to spend on materials, programming and technology. Public libraries use Enrich Iowa monies to supplement and extend services. Without state dollars expect longer waits for books, fewer programs for children, less computer access, and diminished outreach efforts. In addition, state wide reciprocal borrowing could be in jeopordy.

Second, reductions to Library Service Areas (LSA) affects continuing education for library staff. Smaller libraries with the fewest resources will feel this reduction most deeply.

Third, the proposed reduction in State Library funds indirectly impacts public library budgets throughout the state. The State Library uses its monies, in part, to negotiate statewide acquistions of electronic databases that benefit all Iowans. The State Library can negotiate better prices and extend budgets for larger libraries and offers products that would otherwise be unavailable in smaller communities.


Fourth, Iowa currently ranks 30th in state support to libraries. A cut of more than a $1,000,000 would reduce funding to pre 1999 levels and place Iowa in the bottom tier of support for libraries. In addition, the propsed cut could jeopordize federal funds received by the State Library.

I sincerely hope you choose to contact the Governor and your local legislators. This is how to access them:

E-mail the Governor
chet.culver@iowa.gov

Write the Governor
Office of The Governor and Lt. Governor
State Capitol
Des Moines, IA 50319

Call the Office of The Governor
515.281.5211

Addresses for your legislators available online at:

Senate: http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Legislators/SenateEmail.aspx
House: http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Legislators/HouseEmail.aspx

or contact your local library for more contact information.

Welcome -- We'd like to hear from you!

I hope you like our library's new web presence. Staff have worked for several months to make our web site more navigable and convenient for our customers. All of us would be interested in your comments and suggestions on how we can continue to improve the site.

In the coming months, our library will be making efforts to increase its electronic footprint. Expect investments in online tutoring, downloadable audio, and perhaps downloadable video. We need to know: if we buy it, will you use it?

The nature of our traditional reference services is also changing. More and more of what we offer will be digital products that are available in the library as well as 24/7 from your home computer. Take the time to explore the products available to you through our web page and don't hesitate to let us know what you think of current products and to make suggestions for future acquisition.

Ultimately our responsibility is to provide a good return on investment to the Des Moines community that supports us with their tax dollars. While we have many measures, one of the best is your input. Are you getting your money's worth?