State Library of North Carolina update.

              State Library of North Carolina

UPDATE

http:// statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us December 2001

A publication of the State Library of North Carolina, Department of Cultural Resources

Mail: 4640 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699- 4640 * Phone: 919/ 733- 2570 * Location: 109 East Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601

First Lady Launches Start Squad

First Lady Mary Easley unveiled the state’s new Web

portal for kid’s resources, StartSquad. org, at a news

conference held November 1 at the Cameron Village

Regional Library in Raleigh. The portal features over

200 sites and comes complete with a “ Start Squad,” a

cast of Web characters to guide kids through the portal.

As campaign spokesperson, the First Lady will make

appearances at libraries throughout the year, starting with

the Northeast Regional Library in New Hanover County

and the Southport Library in Brunswick County.

StartSquad. org is the next step in the campaign to raise

awareness that libraries are the very best place to start to

connect children and teens with learning and discovery.

Site Receives National Recognition

StartSquad. org was chosen by bigchalk. com to be

featured in their HomeworkCentral directory of excep-tional

educational sites on the Web. Out of more than

110,000 sites reviewed, it was found to be in the top 2%

based on " rich content and its academic relevance." The

kids' portal was listed as one of USA Today's " Hot Sites"

in the publication's daily web guide.

Statewide and across the nation, the portal has been

highlighted in 11 television newscasts, 7 newspaper

articles, and 7 websites. And Rockingham County

Schools reported 20,000 hits on

the site in one day!

StartSquad. org is a great

opportunity to create excite-ment

about your library among

kids. Free promotional materi-als

for the site, like the Lee the

Librarian sticker shown here,

may be ordered through the

online form available at < http://

statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/

forms/ vbpts/ orderform. htm>.

This project is supported with federal Library Services

and Technology Act funds. For more information on the

very best place to start, contact Timothy Owens

< towens@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

Virtual Reference

The Virtual Reference Working Group ( VRWG) has

begun its work exploring strategies for virtual reference

services in North Carolina. In current practice, " virtual

reference" may include use of email to answer reference

questions or live chat sessions between librarians and

users ( perhaps enhanced with real time video and audio).

Hours of service could be as much as 24 hours a day, 7

days a week, depending on availability of staff.

The first step in the VRWG’s exploration will be a

Virtual Reference Conference on December 12 from

12: 00 p. m. to 3: 00 p. m. This Information Highway

videoconference will be broadcast to the following

locations: Asheville- Buncombe Tech, Fayetteville Tech,

East Carolina University, Forsyth Tech, Public Library

of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County , and UNC- Chapel

Hill. Virtual Reference Work Group members will

facilitate in each location, and a live demonstration will

originate from the UNC- Chapel Hill site. At this confer-ence,

there will be a demonstration of " live chat" virtual

reference exchanges. The working group will be seeking

feedback from conference participants about this type of

service. By next spring, VRWG will make recommenda-tions

for developing virtual reference services in the state.

Members of the Virtual Reference Working Group

include:

Dr. Russell Bailey, UNC- Charlotte; Robert Burgin,

North Carolina Central University; Carol Cramer, Wake

Forest University; David Durant, East Carolina Univer-sity;

Dave Ferguson, Forsyth County Public Library;

Laura Gorham, Alamance Community College; Michele

Hayslett, State Library of North Carolina; Susan Herzog,

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County;

Vicki Montle, North Carolina School of the Arts; Jeri

Oltman, Pettigrew Regional Library; Mark Pumphrey,

Polk County Public Library; Lisa C. Roberts, UNC-Greensboro;

Carol Tobin, UNC- Chapel Hill; Linda

Stone, Central Carolina Community College; Jeanne

Crisp is State Library staff liaison to the VRWG.

This project is supported by an LSTA Statewide Leader-ship

Grant. For more information, contact Jeanne Crisp

< jcrisp@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

Public Librarian Certification

The North Carolina Administrative Code stipulates that

the Chairpersons of the Public Library Section and the

Trustee Section of the North Carolina Library Associa-tion

( NCLA) serve on the North Carolina Public Librar-ian

Certification Commission. The newest member of the

Certification Commission is Patrick Valentine, the

Director of the Wilson County Public Library and the

new chairman of the Public Library Section of NCLA.

Theron Bell, a trustee from the Sandhill Regional Li-brary,

will serve another term on the Certification Com-mission.

She is the current chair of the Trustee Section

of NCLA. Both Patrick Valentine and Theron Bell's

terms expire in the fall of 2003.

Hispanic Services Grants, 2001- 2002

Fourteen EZ- LSTA Hispanic

Services Project Grant applications

were approved for funding during

the last grant cycle, totaling

$ 362,224.

Appalachian Regional Library

($ 20,797)

Spanish- language and bilingual

holdings; a deposit collection at a

community partner's location in

each county in region; promotion of

new services to Hispanics.

Braswell Memorial Library

($ 14,338 )

Establishment of off- site Spanish-

Language collections in a medical

center, Catholic church, and county

Health Department; Spanish-language

brochure to promote services of off- site collec-tions

and library; provision of diversity training for staff.

Burke County Public Library ($ 43,817 )

ESL programs and Spanish- language literacy efforts at

local community college and literacy council ( classes and

materials); Spanish- language signage for library; basic

and intermediate Spanish courses for some staff; His-panic

cultural awareness training for all staff; Spanish

language materials; Hispanic cultural fair and work with

local organizations to conduct or support family pro-gramming

activities.

Cumberland County Public Library ($ 36,840)

Spanish and Spanish/ English materials, adult and juve-nile,

in five top interest areas to be circulated by bookmo-bile;

special icons for the library's public- use computers

linking to Spanish- language sites; cultural awareness

training for library staff; cultural programs and Spanish-language

Internet basics program; promotion of services

to Hispanics.

Durham County Library ($ 28,560)

" Project Bienvenido," promotion of services to Hispanics;

Spanish- language signage, brochures, and portion of

automated answering system; basic Spanish class for one

staff person from each library location.

Greensboro Public Library ($ 39,850)

English to Speakers of Other Languages ( ESOL) pro-grams

and materials; Spanish- language materials and

outreach; community partnerships to provide information

about local services to Hispanics; promotion of public

transportation to reach library; diversity workshops for

library staff, administration, Board, and Friends.

Hickory Public Library ($ 35,190)

Translation of information about library into Spanish;

promotion of library to Hispanics; host a cultural event;

Spanish- language educational materials.

Iredell County Public Library ($ 10,000)

Spanish- language and bilingual materials ( including A/ V

materials and CD- ROMs); Spanish- language signage,

bookmarks, and other materials; outreach activities with

Spanish- speaking users.

Randolph County Public Library ($ 13,261)

Spanish- language web site; Spanish- language materials;

open house to debut the web site and collection; hosting

an ESL teachers' workshop; hand- held translators.

Wake County Public Libraries ($ 24,455)

Bilingual programs; staff training in bilingual program-ming

and computer training; Spanish- language signage

and promotional materials; Spanish- language materials.

Asheville- Buncombe Library System ($ 35,116 ),

Haywood County Public Library ($ 20,000), Madison

County Public Library ($ 20,000), Transylvania County

Library ($ 20,000)

A collaborative grant between four library systems.

Partnership calls for Asheville- Buncombe's bookmobile

to establish and maintain a regular schedule of visits

throughout the four counties at locations and times

determined to be most useful to Hispanic customers.

Bookmobile staff will distribute community information

and collaborate with other agencies and organizations

serving Hispanics to make non- library services available

on the bookmobile. Grants to Haywood, Madison, and

Transylvania county libraries provide Spanish- language

materials and promotional items.

For more information about these grants or the Hispanic

Services project, contact Jeanne Crisp

< jcrisp@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

2 State Library Update

The First Lady joins Rabab Chahrour, Mary Carr Allen

and Ryan Attayek ( left to right) as they search

StartSquad. org.

The First Lady reviews the portal with ( from left) Ryan

Attayek and Jay Federick.

Elizabeth Smart, Elizabeth Jones, Nathan Vargo, and Francesca

Matthews were excited about using StartSquad. org for school projects.

Front row: Elizabeth Jones, 3rd grade; Nathan Vargo, 2nd grade; Elizabeth

Smart, 1st grade; Ryan Attayek, 5th grade; Jay Federick, 5th grade.

Middle row: Mary Carr Allen, 4th grade; Wiley International principal Cecilia

Rawlins; Rabab Chahrour, 5th grade; Ana Hermengildo, 3rd grade; First Lady

Mary Easley; Francesca Matthews, 2nd grade.

Back row: State Librarian Sandra Cooper, Wiley Elementary Partnership

coordinator Vicki Lee, Wiley International media specialist Tracy Casorso.

First Lady of North Carolina Mary Easley announces the

launch of StartSquad. org at Cameron Village Regional

Library in Raleigh.

The very best place to

start... on the web.

December 2001 3

Library Services & Technology Act ( LSTA)

Evaluation Report and Development of New Plan

The LSTA Evaluation Report of North Carolina's first

multi- year plan was submitted to the Institute of Museum

and Library Services ( IMLS) this fall. The full report and

an executive summary will be posted to the State

Library's LSTA web page soon.

The LSTA Advisory Committee continues to work with

State Library staff to develop the next multi- year plan.

New and modified goals and objectives will be developed

based on the results of the evaluation and additional

needs assessments. The new 5- year plan is due to IMLS

in July 2002.

2002- 2003 Grant Cycle Changes

While modification of the plan continues, LSTA grant

programs for 2002- 2003 will still be based on the initial

North Carolina plan, with some adjustments to accommo-date

findings of the evaluation. An example of an imme-diate

change is modification of the period to expend grant

funds for local library grantees. The 2002- 2003 grant

programs will allow nearly a full 12- month period to

expend project funds. Libraries will implement projects

and expend funds from July 2002 ( once grant agreements

are signed) through June 30, 2003.

Along with the extended expenditure period, grantees will

be required to submit more regular requests for reim-bursement—

quarterly at minimum. This will ensure a

more even flow of grant payments from the state and will

help accommodate cash flow concerns, which may be

especially sensitive in the current fiscal environment.

Four 2002- 2003 Grant Programs Announced

Four Local Projects Grant Programs for 2002- 2003 were

announced November 20, 2001. The " Local Project

Grants" are a distinct grant category in North Carolina's

LSTA policies. This category includes a two- step process

in which eligible and interested libraries first submit a

short two- page Letter of Intent ( LOI). The LSTA Advi-sory

Committee reviews the Letters of Intent, and then

authorizes libraries whose project concepts qualify to

submit a full application. This process is aimed at saving

libraries the time and energy to prepare a full application

if their proposed project clearly doesn't fit the grant

program purposes.

Letters of Intent are due December 20, 2001. Only

libraries submitting a Letter of Intent who are then

authorized for a full application will be eligible to apply

in these program categories. The information & guide-lines

for each of the above programs and the Letter of

Intent application form may be found at < http://

statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/ lsta/ lsta. htm>.

The four grant programs just announced requiring LOI's

include:

· Hispanic Services Project Grants

· Internet Infrastructure Improvement Grants

· NC ECHO Digitization Grants

· Powerful Partners Collaboration Grants

Application information for the full range of 2002- 2003

LSTA grant programs will be available in mid- January

2002.

For additional information, contact Penny Hornsby

< phornsby@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

ALA Encourages Libraries to Apply for E- rate

Many libraries are deciding not to apply for the E- rate in

Year 5 because of the intrusive requirements of the Children's

Internet Protection Act ( CIPA). The following are points of

information that, taken together, illustrate why this may be

a premature decision for these libraries:

􀂄 The application window for E- rate form 471 is Novem-ber

5, 2001 to January 17, 2002. The trial date for ALA's

case against CIPA before the United States District Court

is February 14, 2001. The Courts will likely reach a deci-sion

on the lawfulness of CIPA requirements BEFORE li-braries

are required to install filtering technology.

􀂄 If libraries do not begin the application process ( i. e. file

forms 470 and 471 within the application window) they

will NOT be allowed to receive E- rate discounts this year,

even if the Courts determine that CIPA is unconstitutional.

ALA believes its case against CIPA is extremely strong

and that libraries who are not beginning the application

process will suffer unnecessarily.

􀂄 CIPA is a requirement for E- rate recipients, not E- rate

applicants. The forms 470 and 471 do not include CIPA

certification components, they are simply an indication to

the Schools and Libraries Division and to vendors that a

library would like to participate in the program. CIPA cer-tification

is not required until completion of form 486, when

a library or school indicates that it will accept funds. Even

before CIPA, libraries and schools often received Funding

Commitment Decision Letters ( FCDL) and then decided,

for a variety of reasons, not to participate in the program

and not to file a form 486.

The strongest statement against CIPA is one that clearly

demonstrates what the library user community loses be-cause

of these overburdensome requirements. This goal is

best met by being able to show through a FCDL exactly

how much money a library is forfeiting because of CIPA.

Now more than ever, libraries should apply for the E- rate.

4 State Library Update

CIPA Assistance for Public Libraries

Tom Crisp has been hired by the State Library to assist

public libraries with Children’s Internet Protection Act

( CIPA) compliance issues. He will conduct several

workshops across the state— details coming soon!

Tom has worked with libraries for over ten years. He

previously worked for OCLC and the former Western

Library Network in Washington State. Many of you

have already met his wife, Jeanne Crisp, who is the State

Library's Chief of Library Development.

Tom Crisp may be contacted by e- mail:

< crisp2@ att. net> or phone: 919/ 414- 5404.

Powerful Partners

The Powerful Partnerships Grant Program

is designed to help libraries build commu-nity

partnerships that address the needs of

children and teens. During the last grant

cycle, six Powerful Partner Grants were

awarded, totaling $ 216,918.

Cumberland County Public Library

and Information Center ($ 26,345)

Partners: Brentwood Elementary, Pauline Jones Elemen-tary,

Sunnyside Elementary, National Honor Society at

71st High School and Terry Sanford High School, Beta

Club at Cape Fear High School, and the Cross Creek

Reading Council.

Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County

($ 14,386)

Partners: Children's Theatre of Charlotte, YWCA of

Central Carolinas.

Northwestern Regional Library ($ 46,000)

Partners: Forsyth Technical Community College,

Alleghany Partnership for Children, Surry Community

College, Alleghany Chamber of Commerce, Wilkes

Community College, Allegany Sheriff's Department,

Alleghany Coperative Extension, Alleghany Department

of Social Services, Alleghany County Schools, Surry

County Cooperative Extension, Mount Airy Chamber of

Commerce, Elkin Town Hall, Workforce Carolina,

Yadkin County 4- H, Yadkin Friends for Youth, Work

Force Development, Yadkin County Schools, Stokes

County Cooperative Extension, Stokes County Schools,

Stokes Friends of Youth, YMCA of Greater Winston- Salem.

Rockingham County Schools ($ 50,000)

Partners: Rockingham County Public Library, Betsy Jeff

Penn 4H Education Center, Rockingham County Histori-cal

Society, Rockingham Community College, Wentworth

Junior Historian Club of Rockingham County Middle

School, and History Club of New Vision Elementary.

Wake County Public Libraries ($ 49,678)

Partners: East Wake Middle School, Boys and Girls

Clubs of Wake County.

Wiley International Magnet School ($ 30,509)

Partners: Wake Technical Community College, Pullen

Memorial Baptist Church.

For additional information, contact Penny Hornsby

< phornsby@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

E- Rate, Year 5

Year 5 ( 2002- 2003) Application Window Open

The FCC 471 application filing window for Funding Year

5 ( July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2003) will close on Thursday,

January 17, 2002 at 11: 59 P. M. EST. All Form 471

applications, including certifications, postmarked on or

before the last day of the window are considered as if

they had arrived on the same day, and have priority over

those postmarked after the closing date of the window.

Applicants are reminded that they must complete the

FCC Form 470 28- day posting period before executing

any contracts for contracted services, before selecting

their service provider for tariffed or month- to- month

services, and before signing and submitting Form 471.

Online Application Enhancements

The Schools and Libraries Division ( SLD) has improved

the online filing system for Funding Year 5 and encour-ages

applicants to file online.

Applicants may now electronically certify Form 470 by

using a User ID and PIN. Applicants may also electroni-cally

certify Form 471 by using a User ID and PIN.

While the Form 471, Item 21 Attachment( s) is required in

order for the SLD to process your application, it is not

required to be postmarked inside the application filing

window. By completing the entire filing process online,

you will help speed the processing applications and

funding commitments. Visit the PIN Request area of the

SLD web site < www. sl. universalservice. org> to obtain

your User ID and PIN to simplify filing of your forms.

As another improvement, applicants can now copy Block

4 Worksheets from application to application within the

Funding Year, as well as copy Block 4 Worksheets from

Funding Year 4 to Funding Year 5.

When you take advantage of these program improve-ments,

you will be assured that if you have properly

completed these forms online inside the application filing

window, you will have met application filing deadlines.

For more information, contact Timothy Owens

< towens@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

December 2001 5

North Carolina Center for the Book

< http:// statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/ ld/ nccftb/ cftb. htm>

Democracy in Action:

Public libraries to host programs on the role of terrorism in world affairs

In the aftermath of September 11th, concern about the role of terrorism in world affairs led to public forums all across

North Carolina. Now a second series of public discussions on this general topic is taking place in local public libraries

statewide. The leaders of these local discussions will be faculty members from public and private colleges and universities

across the state. Participants in these public conversations can extend their store of information and arrive at new insights

about the U. S. role in our troubled world.

As the citizens of our state come to grips with our current challenges as a nation, a new definition of citizenship is evolving.

Developed through individual learning as well as in conversation with one another, citizenship is a struggle to create

accounts of our world that provide grounds for strong action while maintaining our norms of trust and community. The job

of being a good citizens is demanding, and, as sites for these important conversations, public libraries have much to offer—

an open forum for the discussion of ideas, a wealth of information in myriad forms, a user- friendly atmosphere, and helpful

staff— all of it for free. Joining with public libraries to sponsor these programs are the North Carolina Center for the Book,

the Humanities Extension/ Publications Program at North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Center for the

Study of South Asia, the Triangle South Asia Consortium, and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies.

The programs are free and open to the public, and approximately 22 libraries will take part. Information will be posted to

the North Carolina Center for the Book website as soon as the schedule is complete.

Presidents, Politics, and Power: American Presidents Who Shaped The 20th Century

This six- week series of award- winning film documentaries, essays, and scholar- led discussions studies the legacies of the

six men who defined a strong modern presidency: Theodore Roosevelt, F. D. R., Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard

Nixon, and Ronald Reagan-- men who redefined the presidency and shaped their time. Starting in late January at the

Cameron Village Regional Library in Raleigh ( one of 20 national pilot sites for this project), the series will be available to

public libraries statewide in late spring, 2002.

The first program, Theodore Roosevelt: The Bully Pulpit, will be Wednesday, January 30 at 1: 30 p. m., and the series will

run for the next five Wednesdays. Dr. David Zonderman, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate History Pro-gram

at NC State University, will lead the discussions.

For information on other North Carolina Center for the Book programs and projects, visit< http:// statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/

ld/ nccftb/ cftb. htm > or contact Frannie Ashburn < fashburn@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

Information Services Branch

Effective Monday, December 3, the Information Center located on the first floor of the State Library will change

the hours it is open to walk- in customers. The new hours will be 10: 00 a. m. to 5: 00 p. m. Monday through Friday.

Reference staff will use the morning hours to work on exciting new projects targeted at making some of the State

Library’s unique collections accessible via the Internet.

Librarians will continue to answer telephone and e- mail requests beginning at 8: 00 a. m. State employees engaged

in time- sensitive, work- related research can make special arrangements to come into the library prior to 10: 00.

Genealogical Services will continue to be open for genealogical research from 8: 00 a. m. to 5: 30 p. m. Monday

through Friday and from 9: 00 a. m. to 12: 00 noon and 1: 00 p. m. to 5: 00 p. m. on Saturday.

For more information contact Cheryl McLean < cmclean@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

6 State Library Update

Youth Services

Summer Reading

Workshops for the 2002 Summer Reading Program,

" Exercise Your Mind. . . Read!" were held on November

26 in Hickory and November 27 in Raleigh. The almost

300 librarians attending these workshops were given their

first glimpse of the artwork created by award- winning

artist and Wilmington resident, Virginia Wright Frierson.

Youth Services Consultant Jim Rosinia and the members

of the Summer Reading Committee were on hand to

introduce participants to the theme of the program and to

demonstrate activities included in the program manual.

To give an idea of the sorts of performers available for

programs, a group of twenty storytellers, magicians, and

musicians donated their time to take part in a showcase.

Drafts of the program materials— poster, bookmark,

certificate, reading record, button, and stickers— are

available online at < http:// statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/ ld/

youth/ 02SumRead/ summer02art. htm>. The materials will

be shipped to libraries in the spring.

Quiz Bowl

In October, almost 60 librarians attended Quiz Bowl

workshops in Hickory and Kinston. At these workshops,

Jim Rosinia and members of the Quiz Bowl Committee

reviewed the sponsor manual, offered suggestions for

effective public relations, and provided tips on what to do

before, and on the day of, the Quiz Bowl competitions.

Diskettes with the questions for the local competitions for

the 2001- 02 season, which may be held between Decem-ber

1, 2001 and February 9, 2002, have been sent to the

local coordinators. The district competitions will be held

on March 23, 2002. And, once again, the State Finals

will be broadcast on WUNC- TV— this time, on April 27,

2002.

For more information on Youth Services programs,

contact Jim Rosinia < jrosinia@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

Exercise Your Mind. . .

Read!

Continuing Education

NC LIVE

For the first time this fall, public library labs using Gates

computers hosted 8 sessions of NC LIVE workshops.

The topics covered were NC LIVE Basics, NC LIVE

Business Resources, and netLibrary. Training on the use

of netLibrary was a unique cooperative venture with the

North Carolina Library Association for the 54th biennial

conference. NC LIVE Medical and Health Sciences

Resources will be offered in April.

Continuing Education

Public library Gates’ labs were also used for some of the

continuing education workshops held this fall. Subjects

covered included GPO Access to US Government Docu-ments,

PC Troubleshooting, and Website Design. Two

exciting new topics will be introduced this spring: Legal

Resources and Ready Reference Using NC LIVE Re-sources.

Resource Sharing

A new approach to training for interlibrary loan will be

offered this spring. An introductory workshop will cover

The Successful Searcher on day one and ILL for New &

Selective Users on day two. For staff who already have

experience, another workshop will be offered: Creative

Alternatives in ILL Workflow on the first day and ILL:

Beyond the Basics on the second day.

Announcements for all State Library- sponsored continu-ing

education events, including NC LIVE and resource

sharing, will be posted at < http://

statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/ ce/ ceopps. htm> as soon as

they are available.

Contact Jeanne Crisp < jcrisp@ library. dcr. state. nc. us> if

you have any questions or suggestions.

Aid to Public Libraries Fund

For FY 2001- 2002, the General Assembly of North

Carolina appropriated $ 14,805,656 for the Aid to Public

Libraries Fund, commonly referred to as State Aid.

However, due to the current economic conditions in the

state, there is a 4% reversion: the amount of State Aid

that will be distributed to public libraries is $ 14,213,430.

If economic conditions improve, the possibility exists that

a portion of the reversion will be distributed to those

libraries qualifying for State Aid. Information on State

Aid for FY2001- 2002 can be found at < http://

statelibrary. dcr. state. nc. us/ ld/ ld. htm>.

For more information about Aid to Public Libraries,

contact Library Consultant Anne Marie Elkins

< aelkins@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

December 2001 7

150 copies of this document were printed at a cost of $ 58.28, or $. 39 per copy.

LINC ( Log Into North Carolina)

Every Reference Librarian Should Have It Bookmarked

Have you ever been asked a question like these?

• How many millionaires live in Wake County?

• How many North Carolina children under age of

six live in poverty?

• How many new car registrations were there in

Bladen County last year?

• How many houses use well water in Tarboro?

• How many college graduates live in Salisbury?

• How many violent crimes were reported in

Buncombe County in 1982?

LINC < http:// linc. state. nc. us/ > has the answer.

In the late 1980s, the North Carolina State Data Center

( NCSDC) developed a mainframe database of North

Carolina statistical and demographic data to fulfill its

mission of coordinating information generated and used

by state agencies. In the past year, NCSDC staff have

migrated this in- depth database to the Internet to make it

more widely accessible. The State Library's Information

Services Branch cooperates with NCSDC to help state

employees and others use this resource by conducting

training sessions and creating and disseminating materials

describing LINC's multiple capabilities.

LINC contains historical data and projections from 1960

to 2020 in these topic areas:

• Census 2000 ( separate sub- section of the data-base,

Census Lookup)

• Population and Housing

• Vital Statistics and Health

• Social and Human Services

• Environment, Recreation, and Resources

• Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections

• Government

• Employment and Income

• Business and Industry

• Agriculture

• Transportation, and

• Energy and Utilities.

A user may choose to assemble a custom report with

selected data items for one or more geographic areas.

Geographic areas covered include the state, counties,

municipalities, townships, census tracts, census block

groups, and census blocks. Pre- formatted topic reports

for the state and counties are also available. Definitions

and context- specific help screens are built into the

structure of the database for ease of use, and new data is

continually being incorporated.

To request training or a basic worksheet describing LINC

in more detail, contact Michele Hayslett at

< michele. hayslett@ ncmail. net>.

Library for the Blind & Physically

Handicapped ( LBPH)

In October 2001, 60 volunteers were honored by the

Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped for

achieving milestone numbers of hours of service.

More than 80 volunteers worked a combined total of

6,489 volunteer hours last fiscal year. That amounts to

811 full DAYS of work volunteered, or more than 3 full

staff time positions for the year! These volunteers repair

cassette players, inspect returned cassette tapes, fold

newsletters, make presentations to civic groups, staff

booths at conferences-- and a whole lot more. " They help

all over the place," Francine Martin, head of LBPH, is

quick to point out.

LBPH also corrals North Carolina authors for its volun-teer

program, ARROW ( Authors Read and Record

Original Works). In ARROW, North Carolina authors

read and record their own books at LBPH's studio. These

special recordings, requiring specialized playback equip-ment

( partially for copyright reasons) are available

through no other source. Some Tar Heel writers repre-sented

in the ARROW collection include Ellen Bache,

Betty Adcock, Elizabeth Spencer, Bland Simpson,

Michael McFee, David Foy, Shelby Stephenson, and Ruth

Moose. ARROW tapes are available to LBPH registered

users.

For information about services of the Library for the

Blind & Physically Handicapped, contact Francine

Martin < fmartin@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.

Genealogical Services

Kay Tillotson came on board as Genealogy Information

Specialist September 10, while the end of the month saw

the retirement of Genealogy Assistant Vickie Balazsi

after thirty years' service with the State Library. Supervi-sor

Pam Toms joined State Archives public services staff

in presenting two Lunchtime Series sessions to Depart-ment

of Cultural Resources employees on Beginning

Your Family Tree.

For information on Genealogical Services, contact Pam

Toms < ptoms@ library. dcr. state. nc. us>.