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The State Library of Ohio is pleased to announce that the Ohio Historical Society has been selected as an Exemplary Program for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) 2003 Program Report to the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Ohio Historical Society was awarded an LSTA full grant in the amount of $152,520 in September 2002 to expand the Ohio Memory Project to include post-1903 materials. The project ran from October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003.

The Ohio Memory Project has been designated an exemplary project because of the far reaching impact it has and will continue to have, as well as the numerous audiences it has touched. 2003 was Ohio’s Bicentennial Year and this project did much to promote Ohio’s bicentennial while bringing recognition to the Ohio Historical Society and the State Library of Ohio. The number of people served was very high.

One of the key features of Ohio Memory is the My Scrapbook feature. This interactive feature allows users to create their own scrapbook based on favorite images or around a certain theme. (http://www.ohiomemory.org/featured.html) When demonstrated to teachers, they have applauded the personal scrapbook and many have already begun to incorporate it into their curriculum. Other special features include zooming, allowing visitors to magnify images or objects, transcripts of handwritten documents and collections related to National History Day themes.

A secondary piece of the project was to assess the state of digitization in Ohio. 805 surveys were mailed to cultural heritage repositories in Ohio. A symposium was held to discuss the findings and results were distributed both in paper and on the web.

The American Association of Local and State History conferred its Award of Merit on Ohio Memory. This award recognizes achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history and recognizes outstanding achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The Ohio Memory Project exemplifies the overall purpose of LSTA of promoting leadership, innovation, and a lifetime of learning by supporting museums and libraries. Ohio Memory will continue to grow and foster interest in Ohio’s cultural heritage to libraries, teachers, historical repositories, and all citizens of the state.

Other exemplary projects selected for 2003 were Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library for the family literacy program “A Walk in Story Book Park”, the Ohio Area Media Centers for digital technology and video storage, Lakeshore Northeast Ohio Computer Association (LNOCA) for automation, Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) for the Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries research project, and Delaware County District Library for the Spanish Language Collection project.

During Federal fiscal year 2003 (October 2002 through September 2003) the State Library of Ohio awarded 76 Library Services and Technology Act grants. A total of 103 libraries submitted 136 applications. Seventy-six grants were awarded to 60 institutions.

The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) was enacted on September 30, 1996 and enables public, school, academic, and special libraries to apply for federal library funds. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) the agency, which oversees the Library Services and Technology Act, provides LSTA funds each year to the State Library of Ohio. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, is a federal agency that fosters innovation, leadership and a lifetime of learning, through the support of museum and library programs.

Under federal legislation, LSTA has two major focuses: Technology, including electronic linkages of resources and automation; and Services to the Underserved. Based on this, the State Library offers grants in the following areas: Automation of Nonautomated Libraries; Resource Sharing; Innovative Technology; Staff Development and Training; Services to Targeted Populations and Services to Youth in Poverty.

As part of the Program Report to IMLS, the State Library of Ohio must identify three to six exemplary projects. State Library staff select these projects based on their relation to LSTA goals, impact of the project on the targeted population and the ability to be replicated in other parts of the state.

For more information about the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), please contact Missy Lodge, LSTA Coordinator, State Library of Ohio, 1-800-686-1532.