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From the Director

Bill DeJohn recommends links and articles that highlight the present and future activities of Minitex and our participating libraries.

2012

• Bill DeJohn's Retirement Party – January 10, 2012
  More than 200 friends and colleagues gathered to thank Bill for his leadership of Minitex over the past 27 years and to wish him well in his retirement at his retirement celebration, January 10, 2012. Bill shared brief remarks about Minitex, friends, and family. (The photo over his head in the video shows the five Newfoundlands with which Bill and his wife, Kathi, share their home.)

2011

• 40 Years of Collaboration: Minitex and Minnesota Libraries Then and Now – October 12, 2011 (PDF; 1.3 MB)
  Bill DeJohn outlined the history of Minitex and 40 years of collaboration during his presentation at the Minnesota Library Association fall conference in October 2011.
• Bill DeJohn Will Retire in January 2012 – September 27, 2011 (PDF; 497 KB)
  Bill DeJohn announces that he will retire from his position as Director of Minitex in January 2012.
• Budget Update to Minitex Participating Libraries – June 14, 2011 (PDF; 336 KB)
  In mid-June, Bill DeJohn distributed a memo to directors of Minitex participating libraries to discuss planned changes in Minitex services related to reductions to the Minitex budget expected as a result of Minnesota's budget gap and reduction in amount of national LSTA funds distributed to Minnesota State Library Services (the Minnesota state library agency).
• Resource Sharing: Perspectives on the Future – May 10, 2011 (PDF; 3.8 MB)
  Speaking at the 20th Annual Minitex ILL Conference, DeJohn describes the growth and development of Minitex, noting that the 40th Anniversary of Minitex as a legislatively funded program will be celebrated during Fiscal Year 2012, which begins July 1, 2011. He outlined Minitex's current programs and discussed current challenges facing both Minitex participating libraries and the Minitex staff.
• Memorandum to Minitex Participating Libraries in Minnesota – March 2, 2011 (PDF; 194 KB)
  In early March, Bill DeJohn distributed a memo to directors of Minitex libraries in Minnesota to discuss budget reduction options for Minitex and the MnLINK Gateway if Minitex must deal with reduced budget appropriations from the Minnesota Legislature for FY12 and FY13.

2010

• Minitex Public Library Library Node Meeting – August 17, 2010 (PDF; 148 KB)
  Bill DeJohn presented an update on issues related to the MnLINK Gateway during the Minitex Public Library Library Node Meeting on August 13, 2010. Among other topics, Bill reported on the number of requests passing through the MnLINK Gateway and on comments that MnLINK Gateway users have made about the service.
• Minitex Update – May 4, 2010 (PDF; 5.0 MB)
  Bill DeJohn presented an informal Minitex year-in-review during the 19th Annual ILL Conference on May 4, 2010.
• Role of Libraries Pre-K & Beyond: Lifelong Learning (PDF; 1.1 MB)
  This graphic shows the journey of a student from pre-kindergarten through the K-12 educational system and either into the workforce or on to a higher education institution. Along the way, school, academic, and public libraries are all available to provide services to the student and parents in support of learning and information literacy. This graphic was developed after attendance at various P-20 meetings where it seemed important to show that libraries play an important role throughout the life of students and adults. Minnesota libraries collaborate in sharing services and resources. Once in the workforce, information continues to be available through the public library for lifelong learning and recreation activities.

2009

• Minitex Update – May 19, 2009 (PDF; 3.7 MB)
  Bill DeJohn reported on Minitex's resource sharing activities during the 18th Annual Minitex ILL Conference and looked forward to the coming year.
• Policy and Participation Framework for the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM) by Libraries – January 9, 2009
  At the request of the Minitex Policy Advisory Council, a framework document for participation by libraries in the Electronic Library for Minnesota has been developed. The statement outlines methods of accessing ELM, responsibilities of staff of libraries using the ELM Portal or ELM resources, and identifies those responsible for administrative decisions. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has approved the statement, and we'd like to share it with the Minnesota library community.

2008

• Some Quick Notes – December 18, 2008
  Bill DeJohn provides some quick notes about the availability of the video of Cathy De Rosa's presentation about OCLC's "From Awareness to Funding: A Study of Library Support in America"; posting of the members reports from the Minitex Policy Advisory Council on WebJunction Minnesota and stories from MnLINK users on the Minitex website; and more...
• Minitex Resource Sharing, Current & Future (PDF; 2.2 MB)
  Bill DeJohn provided a presentation during the December 2008 meeting of the Minitex Policy Advisory Council to review current resource sharing activity in the Minitex region. DeJohn's presentation talks about the significant increase in MnLINK Gateway ILL activity, challenges facing the area's libraries, and more...
• Sharing Reference Services through Electronic and Innovative Means (PDF; 18 KB)
  Bill DeJohn discusses the history and the current status of AskMN—The Librarian Is In, a statewide cooperative virtual reference service that provides 24/7 coverage for online interactive chat with an experienced librarian. The article was prepared for the November 26, 2008, issue of the Minitex MESSENGER and includes references to an article by Carla Steinberg Pfahl on page 2 of that issue.
• Share Your MnLINK Stories (PDF; 255 KB)
  Bill DeJohn provides a compilation of comments provided by users about the MnLINK Gateway. Prepared for the September 2008 meeting of the Minitex Policy Advisory Council.

2007

• In My Opinion, I.L.L. – A Different Option: Buy vs. Borrow (PDF; 27 KB)
  Bill DeJohn urges staffs of Minitex-region libraries to consider pilot projects to test whether purchasing materials that meet established criteria is a reasonable way to stem the increasing numbers of interlibrary loan requests. From the November 2007 issue of the Minitex MESSENGER.
• In My Opinion, Technological Diversity & Challenge (PDF; 445 KB)
  In the July 2007 issue of the Minitex MESSENGER, Bill DeJohn provides an overview of the Integrated Library Systems and other aspects of the technology environment in the three-state Minitex region. Please help us keep this article up-to-date.

2006

• "We try to make you look good in the eyes of your users – A Minitex & MnLINK Update" (PDF; 52 KB)
  Minitex Director Bill DeJohn reports on current document delivery activities, the new portal to resources in the Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM), upcoming OCLC products and other topics. His presentation provides quotes and information about our ongoing survey of Minitex Electronic Document Delivery (MEDD) users.

2005

• "In My Opinion: Resource Sharing, Then, Now & Tomorrow"
  A December 2005 article written by Minitex Director Bill DeJohn.

2003

• "What Does ____(YOUR)____ Library Accomplish?"
  Minitex Director Bill DeJohn recommends an article written by Jerry Baldwin of the Minnesota Department of Transportation Library.