One Book, Five Landscapes, Six Partners,
Endless Possibilities

A Joint Project of Kent State School of Library and Information Science (KSU-SLIS), Ohio Library Council (OLC), Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN), OHIONET, Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), and State Library of Ohio (SLO).

Click here for the message board!

The 2003 OCLC Environmental Scan: Pattern Recognition doesn't deal with the clichés of change. It doesn't profess to provide exact answers about the future of libraries and their services. It's not bogged down in technical jargon. Instead it offers thought-provoking insight into the present – the self-sufficient and seamless way the millennial generation prefers to access information, the formation of online communities, and the desire of young people to learn in a socially engaging context. It identifies and describes the issues and trends that are impacting libraries and allied organizations positively and negatively across five landscapes : social, economic, technological, research and learning, and libraries. It's an engaging read that has far-reaching implications for the customers you serve, the libraries you staff, and the very work you do each day.

You may well be familiar with the community-reading concept pioneered in Seattle by Nancy Pearl. But have you ever thought of applying this engaging concept to Ohio's library community? What if staff in all kinds of libraries ¾ academic, public, school, and special ¾ read the same book? This year six Ohio library leadership partners encourage you to read the Environmental Scan and to join with professional colleagues in a statewide professional reading program of ongoing discussion and education. Beginning in May, continuing through the summer, and culminating at Ohio Library Council's annual conference in October, you have the opportunity to read a book that stretches the way you think and at the same time connect with colleagues around the state.

Ready to sign up? Follow these easy steps:

•  Indicate your intention to participate in the project by e-mailing your name, the name of your library, school, university, or organization to badair@olc.org . You'll receive acknowledgement of your enrollment and additional details about the program as they're available.

• If your library does not already own the Environmental Scan, order a copy of the Environmental Scan (full version and executive summary) or download the text .

•  Visit the message board . Share your impressions and opinions of the Environmental Scan with your colleagues across the state and the country. Go to http://webjunction.org/forums/forum.jspa?forumID=157 to view comments from participants throughout Ohio and the country. If you are interested in sharing your own comments, you must register with Web Junction by clicking on the Register button in the upper right corner of page.

• Attend the 2005 OLC Annual Conference in Columbus---especially on Thursday, October 6, 2005 when an entire conference track will be devoted to sessions, presenters, and discussion sponsored by the leadership partners and related to this reading project. Additionally, there'll be updated information on new trends that have emerged since the book's introduction in 2003 . Preliminary information about the conference is available on the OLC Web site. Complete details of the conference agenda will be available in August 2005.

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