ccessccessAPublished by the Library of Michigan December 2002 Issue Volume XX NO. 6 ISSN 1051-0818

by Jo Budler, Deputy State Librarian

Sixteen vendors responded to the RFP issued by the Library of Michigan in August 2002 for databases to be included in MeL (formerly known asAccessMichigan). On November 4, thesebids were opened at a public meeting.

The evaluation process begins

Eighty-nine librarians have volun-teered to review the more than 100 data-bases included in the bids. There are 17subject areas: bibliographic, biography,business, career, education professional,fine arts, genealogy, general academic,general interest, general news, grades 7-12,health, grades K-6, law, literature, sciencesand social sciences. These subject areaswere created based on information gath-ered from feedback groups held aroundthe state in the spring of 2002. At thesefeedback groups, librarians from all typesof libraries gathered to discuss their infor-mation needs and name specific areas theywould like to see included in the MeLdatabases.

Each subject area has a team of librari-an reviewers assigned to it. Each teammember is charged with evaluating all ofthe databases in his or her subject area andcompleting an evaluation form for eachdatabase. This information will be aggre-gated at the end of the review process.

Who is on the review teams?

There is wide representation on theMeL database review teams. The repre-sentative breakdown is as follows:

Public libraries - 21Class 2 - 1Class 3 - 2Class 4 - 1Class 5 - 8Class 6 - 9

Schools (K-12) - 23Community Colleges - 6Colleges and Universities - 21Special libraries - 17Library cooperatives - 1

When will it end?

The database reviewers will have untilmid-January to complete their evaluations.At that point, the aggregated evaluation ofeach database and the pricing will be com-bined for further evaluation. Anannouncement regarding the databasepackage will be made at the end of March2003. Subscriptions begin October 1,2003.

In T

his

Issu

eIn This

Issue:HappyBirthday,MeL! 2

StateLibrariansExcellenceAward2002 4

TheMichiganFilmOffice 8

Your Library’sContribution

to the CommunityD e c e m b e r

MeL Database RFP Update

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December Access 2002

Want To Do Something Good forLibraries? Be Part of an LSTAPeer Review Team!by Jolee Hamlin, LSTA/USF Library Specialist, Library ofMichigan

Last year, the Library of Michigan began a newreview process for LSTA grant proposals. Peerreview teams were formed, and each team reviewedapproximately 15 proposals in their entirety. Theprocess worked so well and was so well received thatwe are going to use it again this year! We are look-ing for peer reviewers to serve on review teams forthe upcoming FY 2003 grant applications. This isan exciting opportunity to make an impact, to workclosely with colleagues from around the state and tosee what goes into a good grant application andproject.

Teams will be made up of individuals from var-ious types of libraries, locations and backgrounds,all with the unified goal to read and evaluate LSTAapplications based on their merits. A score sheetpublished in this year’s grant handbook will guidethese efforts. If you are interested in serving, pleasee-mail Jolee Hamlin at jhamlin@michigan.gov orcall her at (517) 241-0021.

Happy Birthday, MeL!

by Sue Davidsen

Anniversaries are an opportunity to reflect onaccomplishments, challenges met and challengeslooming over the horizon. In any project, we hopethat there are many accomplishments, that chal-lenges were met with stunningly elegant solutionsand that the problems over the horizon are smalland, if not, that they can be dealt with by the nextdirector!

Along with a number of other state librarians,I recently had the opportunity to visit the medialab at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. It probably goeswithout saying that MIT is a fascinating place,but to witness the energy and progress that areroutine there is truly an amazing experience —one I wish every one of you could enjoy.

Our tour director at the media lab said thestaff there is currently working on 250 ground-breaking projects. He also gave us the startlingprediction that we can expect to see more technol-ogy breakthroughs in the next five years thanwe’ve witnessed in the last 30!

One of the graduate projects we observed wascalled “intelligent photo retrieval using common-sense semantics” and it involved the newest gener-ation of artificial intelligence (www.media.mit.edu).Through a collaborative process of feeding seman-tically important concepts, i.e. common-senseinformation, to a databank, a computer will beable to make contextual deductions. For example:when it is cloudy, it may rain.

The project we saw included the sorting ofdigital pictures. A student demonstrated that, byusing common-sense semantics, he could easilycreate and sort a digital photo album from a virtu-al “shoebox” of hundreds of pictures. He typed:“In September, I went to a wedding in SanFrancisco” and the computer found and sortedout the appropriate wedding pictures in his data-base. By simply using contextual clues from thephrases “wedding” and “San Francisco,” the com-puter was able to make reasonable judgmentsabout which pictures should or should not beincluded.

I was excited to learn about MIT’s remarkableproject, one that will have relevant applications aswe offer greater amounts of digitized library infor-mation. And if, as predicted by my friend atMIT, we do see that incredible number of tech-nology breakthroughs over the next five years,hang on to your hats! Library service is going togo in directions we can’t even begin to imagine.

Happy holidays,

The Michigan eLibrary celebrates its 10th

anniversary this year. It seems like only yesterdaythat MeL was a sleek black NeXTStation on mydesk at the University of Michigan Library. Iremember hearing a scratching sound every time itwould serve up a file to someone looking for infor-mation off its hard disk. That computer also servedas my personal workstation, where requests for infor-mation and my need for word processing a monthlyreport or writing and e-mailing the latest issue ofMLink Newsbytes had to share.

MeL began life as an Internet gopher. A creaturecreated by Big Ten rival Minnesota, a gopher wouldgo out on the Internet and “go fer” stuff. In 1992,the MLink project at the University of MichiganLibrary opened what was then known as GoMLink.MLink provided the public libraries of the state ofMichigan with reference services. As the librariansworking in MLink began to rely on more informa-tion from the Internet, we wanted to find a way tomake that information directly accessible to thelibrarians of the state. Internet gopher software wasthe answer to our need. It was easy to set up andmaintain and easy to use, so easy to use thatGoMLink quickly became a favorite of end users.We collected URLs of sites across the Internet thatheld useful information, from federal governmentfiles to clips of presidential speeches at MichiganState University’s Vincent Voice Library, and, ofcourse, the ubiquitous weather sites.

GoMLink was arranged like a brick and mortarlibrary. Most of the original arrangement stillremains in the Internet by Subject portion of MeL.In 1993, I had a lengthy conversation with a gradu-ate student at Stanford named Jerry Yang. He wasinterested in how we arranged our gopher into sub-ject categories. The short answer was “that’s whatlibrarians do – we organize information.” Yahoo!founder Jerry Yang went on to build fromGoMLink’s arrangement, and Yahoo! still hireslibrarians to provide their classification.

In 1995, we made the decision to migrateGoMLink from gopher to the World Wide Web,and we began our fruitful relationship with theLibrary of Michigan. The state library provided thefunding for the new Michigan Electronic Library,while the University of Michigan Library providedthe administrative and collection managementexpertise. With the new infusion of funds, we wereable to hire librarians as subject specialists, a modelMeL still uses today. These specialists review andselect Web sites that meet standards and criteria setwhen MeL was first created in 1995. They alsoanswer reference questions and review their sites for

continued accuracy and timeliness (something a linkchecker can’t do!). Merit Network provided theserver expertise, since the popularity of MeL meant Icould no longer happily e-mail and word processwhile serving information to the world!

Throughout the history of MeL, one philosophyhas been paramount – to provide online informationresources to the people of the state of Michiganthrough their local libraries. In 2000, MeL spread itwings and left its nest at the University Library,merging with AccessMichigan to form the MichiganeLibrary. Fans of MeL include the Governor of ourstate and about 330,000 visitors per month. Stablefunding from the state is key to its success andshows a level of commitment that other states haveyet to meet.

MeL has transcended the University ofMichigan and the Library of Michigan and nowbelongs to the librarians of the state of Michigan,who, in turn, give it to their patrons – a gift for thepeople of the state of Michigan to usher in theInformation Age.

GoMLink and the Michigan Electronic Librarywere created by Sue Davidsen, Dick Hathaway, DebbieGallagher, Metta Lansdale and a host of other librari-ans. Sue Davidsen is frequently credited with being the“Mother of MEL” and currently serves as the AssociateDirector for Academic Outreach and PracticalEngagement Programs at the University of MichiganSchool of Information.

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December Access 2002

Dear MeL,

I can’t believe how you’ve grown! Itseems like only yesterday I was cleaningup your hard drive. Miss you, butdelighted to hear you got a permanentjob with the state. Don’t forget to updateyour firewall software and backup everynight!

Love,Mom

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December Access 2002

A Different Paradigm: Genesee District Library WinsState Librarian’s ExcellenceAward 2002

by Sarah Watkins, Former Executive Director, Library ofMichigan Foundation

The staff and board members of GeneseeDistrict Library in Genesee County decided thatthey would take the library to the people, and that’sjust what was accomplished with their 19th loca-tion in the Genesee Valley Center. This innovative“library of the future” won the State Librarian’sExcellence Award for 2002. Library Director ValMcNiff said, “We are taking it to the people andthey love it!” As she accepted the crystal award anda check for $5,000, McNiff said, “We are thrilled,just thrilled. We can’t thank you enough.”

Judy McNally, director of the Fremont AreaDistrict Library, accepted a Citation of Excellenceon behalf of the library. This excellent libraryreceived its citation for working effectively to meetthe needs of the community, its unfailing willing-ness to go above and beyond and its longstandingreputation as a library that “delivers on its promis-es.”

Northern Michigan University’s Lydia M.Olson Library in Marquette also received a Citationof Excellence. Darlene Pierce, Dean of AcademicInformation Services, accepted the award on behalfof her library. The Olson Library was cited for itsvibrant, professional contributions, for the exempla-ry teamwork of its staff and for its team of librari-ans’ courage under fire.

Congratulations one and all!

The State Librarian’s Excellence Awards 2002were presented on Thursday, October 31, at the StateLibrarians Excellence Luncheon during the annualMichigan Library Association conference. ChristiePearson Brandau, State Librarian, presided over theluncheon and presented the awards.

The State Librarian’s Excellence Award is a pro-gram of the Library of Michigan Foundation and isprovided annually to a Michigan library that bestexemplifies excellence in customer service.

L-R: HAL Director William Anderson, State LibrarianChristie Pearson Brandau, Margaret Auer of theUniversity of Detroit Mercy and HAL Deputy DirectorMark Hoffman

Harpist Rebecca Somsel

* Photos by Chuck HeineyPhotography

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December Access 2002

HAL Director William Anderson

L-R: Fremont Area District Library Director JudyMcNally, State Librarian Christie Pearson Brandau andJane Reath, president of the Fremont Area District LibraryBoard of Trustees

L-R: Vice-Chair of the Genesee District LibraryBoard of Trustees Doris Eastman, State LibrarianChristie Pearson Brandau, GDL Director ValMcNiff and Pat Paris, GDL Board of Trustees

L-R: Genesee District LibraryDirector Val McNiff, StateLibrarian Christie PearsonBrandau and GDL staff mem-bers Carolyn Nash, MaryHigginbottom, Pat Peterson,Carol Warren, Trent Smiley,Christine Yurgaites and RonLong

State Librarian Christie Pearson Brandau andDarlene Pierce, dean of academic information serv-ices at Northern Michigan University’s OlsonLibrary

Genesee District Library Director Val McNiff andState Librarian Christie Pearson Brandau

State Librarian’s Excellence Luncheon

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A Library’s Contributionto Its Community

by Celia B. Morse, Director, Berkley Public Library

Last fall, I attended a workshop sponsored bythe Library of Michigan called “Your Library’sContribution to your Community.” The workshopwas based on a manual developed by the SouthernOntario Library Service to help Ontario librariesrespond to provincial tax cuts by demonstratingtheir social and economic worth to their communi-ties. The manual suggested several methods tomeasure the library’s economic impact on the busi-ness community and included sample surveys.Since nonresident use of the Berkley Public Libraryis approximately 40% of our total circulation andhas been a concern both to the library board andcity council, I decided to try to determine if thenonresident users had a positive impact on localbusinesses by using one of the surveys.

During January, February and March of 2002,all nonresident library patrons were asked to fill outa brief survey, asking if they also visited any Berkleybusinesses when visiting the library, and on average,how much they spent per month in Berkley busi-nesses. We received about 300 responses to the sur-vey and discovered that 80% of the nonresidentswho use this library visit a Berkley store or businessat the same time and spend an average $70.11 permonth. Twenty-seven percent of these people saidthey would not shop in Berkley if they were notalso using the library, and that group spends anaverage $73.49 per month. What does this meanfor Berkley businesses? The library loaned materialsto over 900 nonresidents in May. If 80% of themalso stopped to shop as the survey results indicate,those 725 people spent over $50,000 in Berkleystores and businesses. The 27% (or 195 people)who said they wouldn’t be spending money inBerkley if they weren’t using this library spent over$14,000. Over the course of a year, the library’snonresident borrowers contribute over $600,000 tothe business community, and over $170,000 of thatmoney wouldn’t be spent here if those people werenot also using this library. The results of this sur-vey clearly demonstrate that Berkley’s businessesbenefit from the library’s nonresident borrowers.

The city of Berkley has been struggling to revi-talize an aging downtown, and the city planner andcity council were very interested in the surveyresults. This has made the library’s high nonresi-

dent circulation much more palatable to the cityadministration and to the library board as well.Clearly, a strong public library benefits the commu-nity in many ways. By using what I had learnedfrom the workshop, I was able to turn a potentialliability (our high nonresident usage) into an assetand demonstrate a link between the library and thebusiness community that the city administrationhad not previously considered.

Library Gifts: Criteria forAcceptanceby Kyle Ripley, Reference Assistant, Library of Michigan

The holiday season often brings out the chari-table nature in our patrons in the form of gifts. Asvaluable as they can be, however, gifts can also adda burden to your library. The staff time spent pro-cessing materials can sometimes be overwhelming.This can include determining the value of the giftto the library by searching the collection to deter-mine potential replacement needs, physical process-ing and sending thank-you letters. Disposal itselfcan be time-consuming. Libraries may offerunwanted gifts to other institutions, which mayinvolve creating a list of titles of offerings, organiz-ing a book sale, recycling or disposing them.Although cash donations are not as burdensome,they still require at least a thank-you letter andacknowledgement to the donor of how the moneywill be used.

Despite the drawbacks listed above, the majori-ty of libraries do accept gifts, and their criteria foraccepting these gifts have several common threads.First, materials must fall within the guidelines ofthe collection development policy. Second, selec-tors make the final decision on the addition or dis-position of gifts. Finally, libraries reserve the rightto refuse gifts, and their policies state what they willor will not accept. Examples of unacceptable giftsmay include: Reader’s Digest condensed books, text-books, magazines, any materials that are in poorshape (i.e. broken spine, moldy, missing pages),photographs of donors or honorees or specialplaques and special collections that prevent integra-tion into the general library collections. The policymay also state that the gift may be disposed of inthe future as part of the regular weeding practice.

Libraries provide a brief written form to donorsthat explains the library’s donation policy. Each

December Access 2002

www.form also requests the donor’s contact informa-tion, so a letter of appreciation and acknowl-edgement may be sent. Some libraries may havedesignated drop-off areas and try to makearrangements in advance for donations of largeoffers in boxes. Books are not appraised, butsome libraries will offer a receipt form with thelibrary letterhead for tax purposes. Many offerbookplates with the donor’s name, unless thedonor requests anonymity.

Cash donations are also included in alibrary’s donation policy. Donors wishing tohave specific materials added to the collectionusing their donation are advised that these giftsare subject to the same criteria as materials.Libraries offer bookplates to be placed in thematerials purchased with the donor’s gift. Theplates may list the donor’s name or another per-son specifically designated by the donor inmemoriam or for other reasons. The librarydirector typically handles large cash donationsfor furniture, large collections or equipment.Large cash donations may warrant a specialplaque on a wall in the library, a free member-ship in the library Friends group or some otherform of public acknowledgement.

Gifts to libraries, be they materials or cash,are wonderful ways for patrons to demonstratetheir appreciation for their library. The gifts caneither add more valuable materials to the collec-tion or add much needed funds to the budget.Our gracious acceptance and appreciation oftheir donations can help create a better relation-ship with the local community.

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December Access 2002

Web Site-ingsby Kyle Ripley, Reference Assistant, Library of Michigan

December Holidays Around the World

A to Z Teacher Stuff Network: December Holidayhttp://www.atozteacherstuff.com/themes/winterholi-days.shtml

African-American Holiday Associationhttp://www.aaha-info.org/

Boxing Dayhttp://www.web-holidays.com/boxing/

Christmas Traditions Around the Worldhttp://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

Christmas.comhttp://www.christmas.com/

First Night (New Year’s Eve)http://www.firstnightintl.org/default.asp

Hanukkahhttp://www.holidays.net/chanukah/

History of New Year’s Eve at Times Squarehttp://www.timessquarebid.org/new_year/History.htm

Holidays on the Nethttp://www.holidays.net/

Official Kwanzaa Web Sitehttp://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/

St. Stephen’s Dayhttp://www.noblenet.org/year/ststephen.htm

Teachervision.com: December Holidayshttp://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6609.html

Twelfth Nighthttp://www.novareinna.com/festive/twelfth.html

Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the Worldhttp://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm

Winter Solsticehttp://www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html

Yule Celebrationhttp://www.orkneyjar.com/tradition/yule/index.html

**Bizarre Holidayshttp://library.thinkquest.org/2886/dec.htm

**Not your traditional December holidays, but kind of fun.

Trustees Corner by Dragomir Cosanici, Library Law Specialist, Library ofMichigan

District Library Law Amendments

The District Library Establishment Act,Public Act 24 of 1989, has been amended by theenactment of Public Act 540 of 2002. This briefarticle highlights the two substantive changes tothe District Library Establishment Act. The firstmodification provides established district librarieswith the option of changing the number of millsauthorized by the voters of the established districtin order to attract new participating municipali-ties. The second amendment deals with the possi-bility of district library consolidation in only onecounty in Michigan.

Public Act 540 has amended Section 25 ofthe District Library Establishment Act, MCL397.195, by allowing established district librariesto change the rate of their existing district librarymillage. Both partial and whole municipalities areeligible for annexation under the terms of thisamendment. The district library boards, as well asthe existing participating municipalities, mustapprove the addition of a new municipality inorder to successfully amend the existing districtlibrary agreement.

Next, the change in the number of mills to belevied in the district library is contingent onapproval by a majority of the voters of the newmunicipality, as well as the majority of voters inthe existing district library. Finally, the defeat ofthe proposal submitted to the voters does not haveany effect on the previously authorized districtlibrary millage. As of the date of this article’s pub-lication, no district libraries have utilized thisamendment to attract a new participating munici-pality.

The second substantive change to the DistrictLibrary Establishment Act is the addition ofSection 25a, MCL 397.25a. This section is limit-ed to counties with a population of 400,000-500,000 as of July 26, 2002; hence it only poten-tially affects Genesee County.

This section bypasses the veto power of thedistrict library board. It provides for consolida-tion of at least two district libraries if approved bya majority of voters who reside in the geographicalboundaries of both district libraries. The sectionalso provides that the participating municipalitiesin the consolidated district must include at least

one participating municipality from each of theconsidered district libraries. In addition, the coun-ty must be a participating municipality in the newconsolidated district.

A majority of voters of each participatingmunicipality in a district library included in theconsolidation must approve the establishment ofthe consolidated district if a district-wide tax isalready approved. This contemplated consolidationof at least two district libraries in Genesee Countynever came to fruition.

We at the Library of Michigan are diligentlyworking to keep Michigan libraries up to date onany new developments or amendments concerninglaws that affect public libraries. Look for moreinformation in Access. Please also watch forannouncements on michlib-l, from the MichiganLibrary Association and from your library coopera-tives. For any questions or comments, please con-tact the Library of Michigan’s library law specialist,Dragomir Cosanici, at (517) 373-1299.

The Michigan FilmOffice: PuttingMichiganin theMovies

by Casey Kremers,Department of History,Arts and Libraries

The Michigan Film Office, part of theDepartment of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL),was created in 1979 to assist and attract incomingproduction companies and to promote the growthof our indigenous industry.

The office, located in the Michigan Library andHistorical Center, provides a range of services:

• location photographs - from the Film Officefiles or shot to order

• help with location procurement and clearance

• response within 48 hours in most cases

• liaison with local/county/state government 8

December Access 2002

MichiganfilmOffice

• contacts with business, institutions, neighbor-hoods, churches, farmers and UFOs (no permitrequirements)

• production - pre to post

• crew, equipment, talent, unions, weather stats,studios, lab

• where to stay, where to shop and what to eat

“I’m basically a one-person shop. The Libraryof Michigan has been a terrific asset, something I’dnot expected prior to the formation of HAL. Theresearch services, in particular Ask a Librarian, havehelped me do a better job multiple times,” saidFilm Office Director Jan Lockwood. “I believe thisoffice has an advantage over many of the other 49state film commissions because I have such wonder-ful access to a great state library. Film offices workwith stars, and the stellar Library of Michigan stafffit in beautifully.”

Lockwood will get some additional help fromthe new Film Advisory Commission, created by leg-islation signed by Governor Engler in July. Thecommission will assist the Film Office in promot-ing the state’s film, television and video productionindustries and attracting media business toMichigan.

“Michigan has all the assets needed to attractproduction business – spectacular locations, greatcrews and facilities, lower overall costs than eithercoast,” said Lockwood.

The unique Michigan features that the FilmOffice touts as reasons our state is such a greatplace to produce a movie or a commercial include:over 3,000 miles of coastline - more than the entireEastern seaboard; 11,032 lakes, 36,000 miles ofrivers and streams; hundreds of thousands of acresof forest, including virgin pine; 19 wineries, 12,500acres of vineyards; farms; Mackinac Island; IsleRoyale; sand dunes and the best golf courses in theworld. Or, as the office’s Web page puts it,“Everything, except really high mountains andpalm trees.”

Among the 80-plus features filmed in Michiganare Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Evil Dead(1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Midnight Run(1987), Presumed Innocent (1989), Die Hard II(1990), Hoffa (1992), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997),Out of Sight (1998) and 8 Mile (2002).

Michigan ranks 21st among the states in thefilm business and in the top 10 for production ofcommercials. The state hosted seven film shoots in2001, resulting in an estimated economic impact ofapproximately $20 million.

To contact the Michigan Film Office, call(800) 477-3456 or e-mail jlockwood@michigan.gov.Visit the office’s Web page at www.mi.gov/hal.

The Right Man for the Job isRossman: Kelly Rossman-McKinney– Radiant, Generous and Too Cool!

by Sarah Watkins, Former Executive Director, Library ofMichigan Foundation

When Kelly Rossman-McKinney enters aroom, heads turn. A tall, slender, strikingly attractive woman, she has an aura of self-confidenceand vitality that demands attention. And if hermere presence doesn’t get your attention, then thewoman behind it will! Kelly Rossman-McKinneyspeaks her mind and pushes others to do the same.Say something she likes or come up with an accept-able idea, and you’ll be rewarded with an acknowl-edging comment of “too cool.” A one-timestandup comedienne, Rossman-McKinney’s sharp 9

December Access 2002

Librarians in the Movies

Speaking of movies…have you everpondered how librarians are portrayed onfilm? Is there such a thing as the typicalmovie librarian? “Librarians in the Movies,”an annotated filmography maintained byBrigham Young University’s Harold B. LeeLibrary, examines those very questions. Itlists over 400 Hollywood productions thatinclude a library or librarian in some signifi-cant or memorable way.

For example, the 1980 film Somewherein Time (which, incidentally, was also shotin Michigan, on Mackinac Island) is listedwith the following description:“Christopher Reeve falls in love with a girlin a photograph. A librarian (NoreenWalker) helps him find information abouther. At first, she isn’t very helpful — shetells him there is more information in theback, but she is just going to lunch — buthe persists and she goes off to find it forhim.”

Check out this interesting site atwww.byui.edu/Ricks/employee/raishm/films/introduction.html.

December Access 2002

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achievement in a list that amazes. In 1997, Kellywas recognized as one of Michigan’s MostInfluential Women and selected as one of the top25 women business owners by the NationalAssociation of Women Business Owners. Then in1999, she was named to the Lansing State Journal’s“100 People to Watch This Century.”

In 2001, under Rossman-McKinney’s leader-ship, Rossman Martin & Associates was recognizedas the Lansing Regional Chamber’s OutstandingSmall Business of the Year. Most recently,Rossman-McKinney was inducted into the PublicRelations Society of America College of Fellows, aprestigious distinction honoring just over 400 pub-lic relations practitioners nationwide for excellencein the profession.

The phrase “You’ve come a long way, baby”could have been created with Rossman-McKinneyin mind. She’s a centerfold for professional savvyand tenacity. Starting as an associate producer oftelevision programs at Channels 4 and 50 inDetroit, Kelly quickly moved into state govern-ment, working as a legislative assistant in the Houseand Senate, swiftly gaining knowledge and insightinto how state agencies interact with the legislatureand how the legislature functions. Later, she gainedvaluable policymaking experience through jobs inthe Office of the Governor and the state depart-ments of Commerce and Labor. These work expe-riences also taught her how to work successfullywith the media and developed a heightened under-standing of the internal communications needs oflarge organizations – two insights that provedinvaluable as she set about making her own smallbusiness a celebrated success.

Kelly Rossman-McKinney isn’t all business,though. With three children under the age oftwelve and one in his twenties, she’s a busy motherwho delights in her family. When she talks abouther kids and tells you that they are great, you knowthat her depth of caring goes way beyond average.Of course, this isn’t surprising because there isnothing average or ordinary about Kelly Rossman-McKinney. She’s one of those rare creatures thatmakes one feel extraordinary just to be in her com-pany. She gives 110% to everything that she is apart of – home, family, friends and work. That’sthe same level of commitment she’s given to theLibrary of Michigan Foundation through her gener-ous gifts of professional advice and financial sup-port.

wit makes her the center of any gatheringand ensures that everyone will have a goodtime while working hard.

Kelly Rossman-McKinney, presidentand CEO, is a self-made woman. A magnacum laude graduate of Wayne StateUniversity, she is a nationally accreditedpublic relations counselor and certified cri-sis communicator. She started K. RossmanCommunications in 1988 and built it froma one-person home business to the nation-ally recognized firm of Rossman Martin &

Associates within a few years. Kelly is a superachiever who knows from personal diligence whatit means to create a business and lead it to success.State Librarian Christie Pearson Brandau says,“One of Kelly’s greatest strengths is her ability tothink outside the box. She is a topnotch idea per-son and one whose energy and enthusiasm Iadmire.”

Janet Lockwood, the director of the MichiganFilm Office and a friend of Rossman-McKinneyfor nearly 25 years, says three words come tomind when she thinks of Kelly: “bold, beautifuland birthday,” explaining, “Kelly and I were bothOctober babies, and we celebrate together.” Inaddition to their friendship, Lockwood respectsKelly’s “facile mind, her sense of humor [whichLockwood shares and can also get Rossman-McKinney in trouble] and her tenacity.”Lockwood states emphatically, “Kelly can becounted on to stand by her friends. Her steadfast-ness is an invaluable attribute.”

A long time Library of Michigan Foundationboard member, Kelly left the Foundation board in2001, but not before completing her role as chairof the committee to complete the funding for theMartha W. Griffiths Michigan Rare Book Roomand herself pledging a generous lead gift as a chal-lenge for others to follow. Kelly recruited PaulaBlanchard and Jennifer Granholm to join her inasking women across Michigan to add their sup-port to complete Martha’s Room.

Mark Harris, director of marketing and chiefcommunications officer for Genesys HealthSystem and a Foundation board member, says,“Kelly is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and dedicat-ed. She can cut to the chase better than anyone Iknow. If I were entering into negotiations whereyou clearly need to identify your needs againstyour wants, I’d want Kelly on my team. She canbe counted on to make things happen.”

Kelly recently fulfilled her pledge to theMartha’s Room Campaign. It’s just one more

RRREAD IT! Gives Books to Medical Clinics

All the studies show that reading to young chil-dren is beneficial. In an effort to get books where thechildren and parents are, the Friends of the LansingLibraries have donated collections of twenty-six pic-ture books to ten free and low-cost medical clinics inthe city.

Jean Bolley, librarian at Foster Library, suggestedthe program to the Friends, chose the books andserves as contact person with the clinics. “We knowthere are many children who don’t get taken to thelibrary,” she says, “but they do visit medical clinics.By providing quality children books in a situationwhere there may be a long wait, we hope to encourageparents to read to their children.”

The Friends provided funding for librarybound picture books, bookplates to go in

each book and a brochure givinglibrary information and highlight-ing the benefits of reading to young

children. The brochure andsome of the books were alsoprovided in Spanish. The

program, RRREAD IT!, has beenfavorably received by the staff and

clients of the clinics.

If you have a news item you would like to contribute, please contact Casey Kremers at 517-373-5578 or email: ckremers@michigan.gov. 11

PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF: ACT NO. PA 540 1982TOTAL NUMBER OF COPIES PRINTED: 4,500TOTAL COST: $3,129.00 COST PER COPY: $.69

0304712/02 December Access 2002

Your 2002 Access Team: Back row - Kyle Ripley, TimWatters, Casey Kremers, Jo Budler, Linda Neely, AndrewWilson, front row - Becky Cawley and Karrie Waarala. Notpictured, Marnie Elden and Jennifer Houseman.

Southfield Reads! Aims to PutCommunity in Records Book

Southfield Reads! is a new initiative toencourage reading in Southfield and LathrupVillage. Along with the City of Southfield,46th District Court, Southfield Public Schools,Southfield Community Foundation, SouthfieldChamber of Commerce, Southfield Eccentricand many other organizations, the SouthfieldPublic Library (SPL) is playing a pivotal role inspearheading this new initiative. The primarygoals are to celebrate Southfield’s new publiclibrary, promote Southfield as a diverse, caringcommunity that reads, highlight the quality ofSouthfield schools and increase residential andbusiness participation in the city and itsschools.

In the first year of this initiative,the focus is a challenge to those whowork and live in Southfield andLathrup Village to read one millionbooks by October 1, 2003.This will earn Southfield a list-ing in The Guinness Book ofWorld Records and makeSouthfield the Reading Capital of theWorld. The City of Southfield willmaintain the database whereparticipants can register their reading, availableat www.southfieldreads.org.

To learn more about Rossman Martin &Associates, visit their website at www.rossman-martin.com. Rossman Martin is the recipient of twonational Silver Anvil Awards, the highest honor givenfor public relations excellence in the country. In1996, Rossman Martin was the only Michigan firmto receive this distinction and the only independentfirm in the nation to win two Silver Anvils that year.

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Department of History, Arts and Libraries

P.O. Box 30007 Lansing, MI 48909

Name

Position

Company

Business Address

City State Zip

Library of MichiganState LibrarianChristie Pearson Brandau

Deputy State LibrarianJo Budler

Graphic Design/LayoutMarnie M. Elden

Contributing Writers:Christie Pearson Brandau, Jo Budler, Dragomir Cosanici,Sue Davidsen, Jolee Hamlin, Casey Kremers, Celia Morse,Kyle Ripley and Sarah Watkins

Library of Michigan Board of TrusteesWilliam Anderson, Director of HAL; ChristiePearson Brandau, State Librarian; Elaine Didier;Thomas Genson; Bettina Graber; Cliff Haka; GayleSpearman-Leach, Elaine Logan; Frances Pletz; StateRepresentative Jack Minore (D-Flint); John J.H.Schwarz, M.D., State Senator (R-Battle Creek);Alma Wheeler Smith, State Senator

(D-Salem Township); State Representative GeraldVan Woerkom, (R-Muskegon); Chief Justice MauraCorrigan represented by Barbara Bonge

Library of Michigan Foundation Executive DirectorVacant

Foundation Board of Directors

Albert F. Zehnder, President; Carl English, VicePresident; J. Lawrence Lipton, Treasurer; ChristiePearson Brandau, State Librarian; Glen L. Bachelder;Sen. Dan DeGrow; Beth D. Fitzsimmons, Ph.D.; MarkA. Harris; Mark Hoffman; Rep. Rick Johnson; MaryMcCormack; Thomas J. Moore; Tiffany L. Patzer;Frances H. Pletz; Gail Powers-Schaub; David A.Spencer, Ed.D.;Tim Swope, David Tate and HonoraryMembers: Michelle Engler - First Lady; Frank D. Stella;Richard D. McLellan, Emeritus Founding President

The Library of Michigan is part of the Department ofHistory, Arts and Libraries. Dedicated to enriching qualityof life for Michigan residents by providing access to infor-mation, preserving and promoting Michigan’s heritage,

and fostering cultural creativity. The department alsoincludes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, theMichigan Film Office, and the Michigan HistoricalCenter.

This publication is available in an alternative format: Braille or audio cassette. Please call 517-373-5614 for more information.

Department DirectorDr. William M. Anderson

Deputy DirectorMark HoffmanAccess (ISSN 1051-0818) publishes information aboutthe Library of Michigan and its activities plus othermaterials of interest to the Michigan library communi-ty. Please direct comments or questions to:

Casey Kremers, Communications SpecialistDept. of History, Arts and LibrariesP.O. Box 30738 • Lansing, MI 48909Phone 517-373-5578 or fax 517-373-5700TTY: 517-373-1592 or the Michigan Relay Center: 1-800-649-3777

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December Access 2002