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
- Home
- Introduction
- Wanted: A Library Director
- Contacts
- Montana Library Scene
- Montana Library Scene Overview
- Montana Public Libraries
- Montana State Library
- Montana Library Association
- Wired-MT and Focus
- Federations
- Continuing Education in Montana
- Certification
- Public Library Standards
- Montana Shared Catalog
- Library Director, Trustee, and Local Government
- Library Director, Trustee and Local Government Overview
- Library Laws
- New Library Staff
- Library Board Overview
- Responsibilities of the Library Board and the Director
- Tips For Working With the Library Board
- Getting Boards to Attend Meetings and Plan for the Library
- Policies vs. Procedures
- Policies vs. Procedures Overview
- Policies
- Procedures
- Public Service
- Public Service Overview
- Customer Service
- Reader’s Advisory
- Reference
- Reference Interview
- Circulation
- Interlibrary Loan
- Outreach
- Programs
- Visiting Senior Centers and/or Schools
- Services to the Homebound
- Bookmobiles
- Children Services
- Young Adult Services
- Adult Services
- Collection Development
- Collection Development Overview
- Assessing the Collection
- Collection Development Policy
- Collection Management Honor Roll
- Selecting Items for the Collection
- Acquisitions
- Weeding or Deselection
- Technical Services
- Technical Services Overview
- Organizing Your Collection
- Classification and Cataloging
- Processing and Mending
- Public Relations
- Public Relations Overview
- Library’s Image
- Publicity
- Programming
- Community Relations
- Role of Trustees
- Marketing
- Friends and Volunteers
- Friends and Volunteers Overview
- Friends of the Library
- How to Organize a Friends Group
- How to Revitalize Your Friends
- Volunteers
- Volunteer Programs
- Recruiting Volunteers
- Managing and Keeping Volunteers
- Personnel
- Personnel Overview
- Personnel Policy
- Hiring
- Interviewing
- Job Evaluations
- Discipline and Termination
- Grievance Procedures
- Important Employment Laws
- Finances
- Finances Overview
- Local Funding Sources
- State Funding Sources
- Information Access Montana Act
- Coal Severance Tax
- Federal Funding Sources
- Library Services and Technology Act
- Telecommunications Discount Program (E-Rate)
- Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
- Library Foundations
- Other Funding Sources
- Budgeting
- Budgeting Calendar
- Following the Money
- Planning for the Future
- Planning for the Future Overview
- Long Range Planning
- Preparing to Plan
- Describing Your Community
- Your Community’s Vision
- Questions That Should Be Answered
- Planning for Disaster
- Technology in the Library
- Technology in the Library Overview
- Planning and Evaluating Technology
- Automation
- Statewide Cooperative Projects
- E-Rate
- Montana State Library
- Montana State Library Overview
- Montana State Library Commission
- Montana State Librarian
- Library Development Division
- Montana Talking Book Library
- Montana Digital Library
- Publications
- Timeline of Required Paperwork
- Explanation of Paperwork Required by Montana State Library