[nfbwatlk] WTBBL Transition Plan

Tue Sep 5 23:24:56 CDT 2006

Fellow Federationists and list participants:

Pasted below my signature and attached as a Word document is a statement 
issued by the Washington State Library (WSL) concerning the future governing 
structure for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL). In 
essence, WSL plans to directly administer WTBBL. The Seattle Public Library 
(SPL) is no longer interested in administering the program. As is stated 
below, many issues remain to be worked out. On balance, however, it is my 
view that WSL's proposal makes sense. I am pushing hard for necessary 
legislation to be drawn up as quickly as possible to facilitate the 
transition of administration of WTBBL from the purview of SPL to that of 
WSL.

As you will see below, I am a member of the entity which will advise WSL 
concerning the efficacy and workability of various possible transition 
proposals. Additionally, the WTBBL Patron Advisory Council will be kept 
informed every step of the way.

There has been much anxiety concerning WTBBL's fate and much dissatisfaction 
among blind consumers with the amount and caliber of information being 
released by WTBBL and SPL. To be blunt, the dissatisfaction is largely 
deserved. However, in my view, WTBBL staff (in particular, Gloria Leonard, 
WTBBL Director) should not be judged too harshly. In effect, SPL muzzled its 
employees. The Secretary of State, his assistant in charge of WSL and, 
hence, of the transition of WTBBL to direct WSL control and the head of WSL 
all know that ignoring blind consumers cannot continue. The head of WSL, Jan 
Walsh, and the Assistant Secretary of State, Steven Excel (SP), will both 
speak at the NFB of Washington convention this fall. Mr. Excel is a 
straight-shooter, is very savvy concerning the politics of the situation and 
is not afraid to answer questions directly and forthrightly.

I shall have more to say on this subject at the Seattle/SnoKing chapter 
legislative luncheon this Saturday. For now, it will suffice to say that the 
political drawbacks to placing WTBL under WSL that were apparent a few years 
ago are no longer a problem.

Now here is the statement of WSL.

Mike Freeman, President
National Federation of the Blind of Washington

**********

Change in Administration for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library 
Planned for 2008

Following three years of discussion and planning between the Seattle Public 
Library (SPL) and the Washington State Library (WSL), a decision has been 
made to transfer administration and operation of the Washington Talking Book 
& Braille Library (WTBBL) to the WSL effective July 1, 2008.  The WSL is 
part of the Office of the Washington Secretary of State.  Although state law 
gives the WSL the legal responsibility for the program, the state has 
fulfilled this responsibility for WTBBL by contracting with the SPL to 
provide this statewide service since 1975.

However, beginning in 2003, the SPL approached the WSL and indicated that 
they desired a change.  Seattle's two primary reasons behind this proposal 
were:

  1.. The SPL and its Board of Trustees have, as their primary mission, the 
responsibility to serve the people of Seattle.  They felt that the State was 
the more appropriate entity for managing a statewide service.
  2.. The current services and the service delivery model were not 
financially sustainable for the SPL, given the flat funding they had 
received over the years from the State to administer the program, annual 
increases in staffing and benefit costs and an increasing reliance on 
private donations to fund ongoing services.

Due to these reasons, SPL and WSL jointly contracted with a consulting firm, 
Berk & Associates, to evaluate alternative governance options.  A second 
study, again contracted to Berk & Associates, identified and analyzed key 
issues that would accompany such a transition.  At the conclusion of these 
two studies, the Office of the Secretary of State, Washington State Library 
agreed to assume responsibility for the program.  The two organizations 
agreed to negotiate a one-year extension of the current contract between WSL 
and SPL through June 30, 2008 as transition plans are developed and 
implemented.  There are several issues that are critical to a successful 
transition, including continuity of staffing and volunteers, the transfer 
and disposition of key program resources, such as private gift funds and 
equipment and the likelihood of a physical move of the Library to a location 
closer to Olympia.  The City of Seattle and the Office of the Secretary of 
State are also in discussions about the future use and disposition of the 
city-owned facility that currently houses the Library.

To assist WSL in the transition, a Transition Advisory Board (TAB) has been 
established.  The TAB will advise on service priorities and service delivery 
issues that must be addressed to achieve a successful transition.  Members 
of the TAB include representatives from WTBBL's Patron Advisory Council (Tom 
Gillespie, Vice-President, and Sue Ammeter, Washington Council of the Blind 
representative to the Council), National Federation of the Blind President 
(Mike Freeman), Department of Services for the Blind Director (Lou Oma 
Durand), State School for the Blind Superintendent (Dean Stenehjem), 
Governor's Committee on Disabilities and Employment representative (Denise 
Colley), local public library representatives (Kristie Kirkpatrick, of 
Whitman County, Geraldine Veenstra of Kelso and Jodi Reng of Timberland 
Regional Library) and WTBBL staff  members (Rosemary Adamski and Gloria 
Leonard, Director).  WSL staff support to the TAB include State Librarian 
(Jan Walsh), Transition Coordinator (Cathy Turk) and Executive Assistant 
(Marilyn Lindholm).

Both SPL and WSL are committed to the successful continuation of this 
program and maintaining the excellent service quality that the Library's 
patrons have come to expect.  No significant changes to services are 
anticipated during the transition period, although the Transition Advisory 
Board will assist the State in looking at ways to take advantage of new 
service possibilities as they emerge.

Over the next several months, as transition plans are formulated, WSL, and 
SPL and WTBBL will plan to regularly update Library patrons, staff, 
volunteers, constituent groups and stakeholders around the state using 
various communication channels.

Questions or comments about the planned transition can be directed to the 
following:

·        Questions about the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library 
services and programs or the consultant studies can be directed to Gloria 
Leonard, Director at (206) 386-1255 or via WTBBL toll-free at 1-800-542-0866 
or, via email at gloria.leonard at spl.org .  Please add the subject line: 
WTBBL's Transition to WSL.

·        Questions for the Washington State Library can be directed to Cathy 
Turk, Transition Coordinator for the Washington State Library at 
cturk at secstate.wa.gov.

·        Questions for the Seattle Public Library can be addressed to Andra 
Addision at (206) 386-4103 or at andra.addision at spl.org.

-------------- next part --------------
Fellow Federationists and list participants:

Pasted below my signature and attached as a Word document is a statement issued by the Washington State Library (WSL) concerning the future governing structure for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL). In essence, WSL plans to directly administer WTBBL. The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is no longer interested in administering the program. As is stated below, many issues remain to be worked out. On balance, however, it is my view that WSL's proposal makes sense. I am pushing hard for necessary legislation to be drawn up as quickly as possible to facilitate the transition of administration of WTBBL from the purview of SPL to that of WSL.

As you will see below, I am a member of the entity which will advise WSL concerning the efficacy and workability of various possible transition proposals. Additionally, the WTBBL Patron Advisory Council will be kept informed every step of the way.

There has been much anxiety concerning WTBBL's fate and much dissatisfaction among blind consumers with the amount and caliber of information being released by WTBBL and SPL. To be blunt, the dissatisfaction is largely deserved. However, in my view, WTBBL staff (in particular, Gloria Leonard, WTBBL Director) should not be judged too harshly. In effect, SPL muzzled its employees. The Secretary of State, his assistant in charge of WSL and, hence, of the transition of WTBBL to direct WSL control and the head of WSL all know that ignoring blind consumers cannot continue. The head of WSL, Jan Walsh, and the Assistant Secretary of State, Steven Excel (SP), will both speak at the NFB of Washington convention this fall. Mr. Excel is a straight-shooter, is very savvy concerning the politics of the situation and is not afraid to answer questions directly and forthrightly.

I shall have more to say on this subject at the Seattle/SnoKing chapter legislative luncheon this Saturday. For now, it will suffice to say that the political drawbacks to placing WTBL under WSL that were apparent a few years ago are no longer a problem.

Now here is the statement of WSL.

Mike Freeman, President
National Federation of the Blind of Washington

**********

Change in Administration for the
Washington
Talking Book and Braille Library Planned for 2008

Following three years of discussion and planning between the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and the Washington State Library (WSL), a decision has been made to transfer administration and operation of the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL) to the WSL effective July 1, 2008.

The WSL is part of the Office of the Washington Secretary of State.

Although state law gives the WSL the legal responsibility for the program, the state has fulfilled this responsibility for WTBBL by contracting with the SPL to provide this statewide service since 1975.

However, beginning in 2003, the SPL approached the WSL and indicated that they desired a change.

Seattle
’s two primary reasons behind this proposal were:
The SPL and its Board of Trustees have, as their primary mission, the responsibility to serve the people of
Seattle
.

They felt that the State was the more appropriate entity for managing a statewide service.
The current services and the service delivery model were not financially sustainable for the SPL, given the flat funding they had received over the years from the State to administer the program, annual increases in staffing and benefit costs and an increasing reliance on private donations to fund ongoing services.

Due to these reasons, SPL and WSL jointly contracted with a consulting firm, Berk & Associates, to evaluate alternative governance options.

A second study, again contracted to Berk & Associates, identified and analyzed key issues that would accompany such a transition.

At the conclusion of these two studies, the Office of the Secretary of State, Washington State Library agreed to assume responsibility for the program.

The two organizations agreed to negotiate a one-year extension of the current contract between WSL and SPL through June 30, 2008 as transition plans are developed and implemented.

There are several issues that are critical to a successful transition, including continuity of staffing and volunteers, the transfer and disposition of key program resources, such as private gift funds and equipment and the likelihood of a physical move of the Library to a location closer to
Olympia
.

The City of
Seattle
and the Office of the Secretary of State are also in discussions about the future use and disposition of the city-owned facility that currently houses the Library.

To assist WSL in the transition, a Transition Advisory Board (TAB) has been established.

The TAB will advise on service priorities and service delivery issues that must be addressed to achieve a successful transition.

Members of the TAB include representatives from WTBBL’s Patron Advisory Council (Tom Gillespie, Vice-President, and Sue Ammeter, Washington Council of the Blind representative to the Council), National Federation of the Blind President (Mike Freeman), Department of Services for the Blind Director (Lou Oma Durand), State School for the Blind Superintendent (Dean Stenehjem), Governor’s Committee on Disabilities and Employment representative (Denise Colley), local public library representatives (Kristie Kirkpatrick, of Whitman County, Geraldine Veenstra of Kelso and Jodi Reng of Timberland Regional Library) and WTBBL staff

members (Rosemary Adamski and Gloria Leonard, Director).

WSL staff support to the TAB include State Librarian (Jan Walsh), Transition Coordinator (Cathy Turk) and Executive Assistant (Marilyn Lindholm).

Both SPL and WSL are committed to the successful continuation of this program and maintaining the excellent service quality that the Library’s patrons have come to expect.

No significant changes to services are anticipated during the transition period, although the Transition Advisory Board will assist the State in looking at ways to take advantage of new service possibilities as they emerge.

Over the next several months, as transition plans are formulated, WSL, and SPL and WTBBL will plan to regularly update Library patrons, staff, volunteers, constituent groups and stakeholders around the state using various communication channels.

Questions or comments about the planned transition can be directed to the following:

·

Questions about the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library services and programs or the consultant studies can be directed to Gloria Leonard, Director at (206) 386-1255 or via WTBBL toll-free at 1-800-542-0866 or, via email at mailto:gloria.leonard at spl.org gloria.leonard at spl.org
.

Please add the subject line:
WTBBL’s Transition to WSL.
·

Questions for the Washington State Library can be directed to Cathy Turk, Transition Coordinator for the Washington State Library at mailto:cturk at secstate.wa.gov cturk at secstate.wa.gov
.
·

Questions for the Seattle Public Library can be addressed to Andra Addision at (206) 386-4103 or at mailto:andra.addision at spl.org andra.addision at spl.org
.

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