Acronyms

AG - Attorney General

ALA - American Library Association

Founded in 1876, ALA is the national association serving the interests of libraries.

ARRA - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The act providing for stimulus monies.

BCR - Bibliographic Center for Research

Headquartered in Denver, BCR is a broker for bibliographic services, databases and training required by its member libraries.

BMSC - Base Map Service Center

Department of Administration's geographic and mapping services center.

BVF - Broad Valleys Federation

A geographical grouping of libraries of all types working together to provide a broader range of resources and services than each individual library can offer alone. Montana is divided into six federations; each has an advisory board and federation coordinator.

CD/DVDs - compact disc/digital video disc

High-capacity storage devices that uses laser technology to read data in digital form. Available in a variety of formats.

CD-ROM - Read Only Memory; CD-R - Recordable - one-time only recordable; CD-RW - Read/Write - re-recordable,DVD-RN, etc.

CE - continuing education

Opportunities provided for personnel to improve and grow in their professions.

CST - Coal Severance Tax monies

CTI - Career Training Institute

DPHHS - Department of Public Health and Human Services

EPP - Executive planning process

Used by the Governor's budget office in preparation of the biennium budgets.

E-Rate

Federal program providing discounts to eligible schools and libraries for access to telecommunications and information services,including basic local and long-distance phone services, Internet access services, and acquisition and installation of network equipment. The Universal Service Administrative Company's Schools and Libraries Division administers the E-Rate program for libraries.

FTE - full-time equivalent

A measure used by human resources personnel to indicate the number of full-time workers who would be employed if all part-time positions were added together. The FTE calculation is used for budgeting and reporting purposes.

FWP - Fish, Wildlife & Parks

FY - fiscal year

Used in budgeting to identify the twelve-month accounting period under which an organization operates.

GIO - Geographic Information Officer

GIS - Geographic Information Systems

GPL - Golden Plains Library Federation

See also BVF

HB2 or HB0002 - House Bill two

Which was/is the general appropriations act passed each biennium by the Montana Legislature containing the budget for all Montana state agencies including the Montana State Library.

HB0645 - House Bill six forty five

Which was the stimulus funding bill passed by the last Legislature.

ILL - interlibrary loan

System of interlibrary cooperation, which allows libraries to obtain information and materials for their users from other cooperating libraries. Also referred to as resource sharing.

IMLS - Institute of Museum and Library Services

Independent federal agency that provides programs of support for both libraries and museums and encourages library-museum partnerships. The agency administers the Library Services and Technology Act - LSTAgrant program to states.

LAN - local area network

Network that connects nearby computers, usually in the same building, using cables or wireless technology.

LBEP - Library Board Education Program

Library Services and Technology Act - LSTAfunding administered by Montana State Library, enabling basic trustee Board training by other public library trustees. Training is provided on request and trainers volunteer their services.

LC - Library of Congress

National library of the United States that serves the U.S. Congress and provides services to all types of libraries.

LDD - Library Development Division

Division of Montana State Library that provides consulting services and training to librarians in Montana to assist with the improvement of library services statewide.

LIS - Library Information Services

NLLD - National Library Legislative Day

Which is usually scheduled in May each year as an opportunity for Library advocates to meet with our Congressional delegation in Washington DC to share views on library funding and issues.

LSTA - Library Services and Technology Act

Administered under the Institute of Museum and Library Services with the primary focus on improving library services through technology, encouraging sharing of resources and targeting library and information services to under served populations. LSTA grants are awarded annually to all state libraries for use in statewide and local projects. In Montana, the Montana State Library Commission establishes priorities for LSTA funds.

LVM - Low Vision Montana

MAB - Montana Association for the Blind

MAB/SOP - Montana Association for the Blind's Summer Orientation Program

A training program for newly blind and low vision Montanans.

MARC - machine readable cataloging

Standardized arrangement of bibliographic information for computer-based catalog records to permit sharing with other automated systems.

MCA - Montana Codes Annotated

The laws of Montana.

MLA - Montana Library Association

State association with a membership composed of librarians from all types of libraries, trustees,friends and students. MLA's concerns are the welfare and professional development of its members, the advocacy of library needs and the assurance of open access to information for all Montana's citizens.

MLIAC - Montana Land Information Advisory Council

MLS - Master of Library Science

Graduate degree from a library school or department.

MOU - Memorandums of understanding

MPLA - Mountain Plains Library Association

Eleven-state association, including Montana,which seeks to improve present and future library services throughout the region.

MRRS - Montana Radio Reading Service

A service that provides audio or digital recordings of Montana newspapers to those who can not read traditional print.

MSC - Montana Shared Catalog

A shared online catalog and circulation system hosted by Montana State Library composed of member libraries of all types from across the state.

MSDI - Montana Spatial Data Infrastructure

MSDL - Montana State Digital Library

MSL - Montana State Library

MSLC - Montana State Library Commission

The Governing body for Montana State Library. The governor appoints five members and two members are designees from the Office of Public Instruction and the Commissioner of Higher Education. Refer MCA 22-1-101.

MTBL - Montana Talking Book Library

NAC - Network Advisory Council

A group of librarians which advises the Montana State Library in matters pertaining to library networks, resource sharing, library automation, online library resources, and training needs.

NHP - Montana Natural Heritage Program

NLS - National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped

Division of the Library of Congress, NLS offers free recorded and Braille-embossed books and magazines to individuals with visual and other physical conditions limiting use of regular printed materials. Montana State Library's Talking Book Library serves as a regional library for Montana.

NRIS - Natural Resource Information System

Division of Montana State Library, NRIS was established in 1985 to identify and acquire Montana's natural resource information and to provide a clearinghouse for this information.

OCLC - Online Computer Library Center

Nonprofit library service and research organization located in Dublin, Ohio, used by libraries to catalog library materials, arrange interlibrary loans and maintain location information on library materials. In Montana, many libraries of all types use the OCLC bibliographic database for cataloging, interlibrary loan and reference.

OPAC - Online Public Access Catalog

Automated catalog providing patron access through computers. See also PAC.

OPI - Office of Public Instruction

OTO - One time only

Is a phrase used when the legislature or Governor's budget office agrees to fund a program or service for one year or one biennium only. A new request would have to be filed to get funding beyond the one year.

PAC - Public Access Catalog

User-friendly computer terminal that permits patron access to an automated library catalog. See also OPAC.

PAC-HUG - Public Access Computer Hardware Upgrade Grants

Provided by the Gates Foundation.

PATH - Pathfinder Federation of Libraries

See also BVF

PEEL - Professional education and employment for Librarians

A multi year grant program to provide scholarship monies for Montanans to attend Masters of Library or Information Science schooling and to provide stipends for Montana libraries to help pay for professional librarians to work in their libraries.

PLA - Public Library Association

Division of the American Library Association.

PNLA - Pacific Northwest Library Association

Seven-member regional library association promoting regional library activities and cooperation among five states including Montana, and two Canadian provinces.

RFP - request for proposal

Document issued to advertise for vendor proposals, equipment and software. Usually the RFP contains detailed specifications of the goods or services wanted.

SAGE - Sagebrush Federation of Libraries

See also BVF

SOC - Libraries - South Central Federation of Libraries

See also BVF

SOC - Heritage - Species of Concern

SuDoc - Superintendent of Documents

Classification system for federal publications.

SWIM - South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana

Joint professional education and employment for librarians scholarship program.

TAM - Tamarack Federation of Libraries

See also BVF

TBL - Talking Book Library

Department of Montana State Library that provides free equipment and materials to Montana citizens who are visually or physically impaired. TBL is funded by Library Services and Technology Act - LSTA and state general funds. TBL materials are provided by the Library of Congress or are recorded by TBL volunteer readers.

VA - Veteran's Administration

WIA - Work Force Investment Act

ASPeN: The New Library Directory

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