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We appreciate how much the Montana library community has been helping us with the Hotspot Transition Project. We’re making great progress. Bravo!
As we’re approaching the finish line of June 30th, we would like to summarize some upcoming details for this transition project:
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If your library discontinues your hotspot program or is downsizing the number of available hotspots:The specific hotspots in question will cease to work on June 30th. We can’t guarantee the specific hour of service cancellation. No action needed to cancel devices with MSL or Providers.
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Cataloguing Recommendation:
If hotspots currently have holds, it is recommended to treat them the same as other items that become no longer available, i.e. as you remove the items you will remove the holds in the system, set the item to discard, and then contact the impacted patrons. If you want to make hotspots non-holdable in the system now, or at a particular future date, you can create a help desk ticket.
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If your library is continuing a hotspot program: Starting July 1st billing will transition to individual libraries. Vendors will have accounts created for you to manage both billing and the hotspots themselves.
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Continuing T-Mobile Hotspots: Replacement devices have been ordered and will arrive shortly before July 1st, but will only start working on July 1st.
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Continuing with Verizon Hotspots: New SIM cards are required to be inserted into hotspots you are continuing. We will mail new SIM cards to these libraries before July 1st. Instructions will be included describing which specific SIM cards have to be inserted into which specific device (IMEI). This SIM card swap should occur on July 1st to reduce disruption in service.
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Devices with cancelled service: These devices have been paid for in their entirety. Please hold unto them for potential future usage, eWaste/Recycle these, or mail them back to the Montana State Library. Our address is:
Montana State Library
1201 11th Ave
Helena, MT 59601
, even if you will not continue the program. This Survey will allow programs to transition at a local level as smoothly and seamlessly as we can, while keeping it a more affordable option for our libraries. Please finalize your responses this week as the Deadline is May 30th.
Please complete survey as soon as possible. Deadline: May 30th.
**Since we have not been denied- please hold onto your devices in case funding becomes available in the future.
Survey Link:
Public Library Standards (PLS) opened on May 1st. A big thank you to all who have finished filling out the PLS so far. The PLS will close on July 25. To access the Public Library Standards, please login at Counting Opinions. Once you've logged into the portal, click "Respond to the Public Library Standards" on the rightmost blue tile.
The Federation Grant Report is now open for the grant you received in November based on your Federation's FY2025 Plan of Service. If you haven't spent your grant yet, do not worry! This report will be open through August 15. To enter your expenses, please login at Counting Opinions. Once you've logged into the portal, click "Respond to the Federation Grants Report" on the middle blue tile.
Please let Rebekah Kamp, Montana State Library's data coordinator, know if you have any questions about accessing Counting Opinions or other report related questions. You can send her a message via the (select the support team, Library Research & Evaluation).
Teacher Librarians,
We hope the end of the school year is going well!!
We at the Montana State Library have a brief survey that will help better understand what services school libraries are currently offering and what sharing services you might be interested in adding. Please take a moment to complete this survey once the school year officially slows down. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
We hope to better understand your current services, wish list, and the challenges our school libraries face. We highly appreciate your input!
Teacher Librarians and Montana State Library Resource Sharing Survey
Montana Library2Go/Overdrive:
Contract Renewal Complete.
FY26: 10% Increase (voted by membership).
Invoices- Will be sent shortly after July 1st.
Early invoice available: Submit Ticket
OCLC:
The contract is still in progress but moving forward. Will be complete before July 1st.
Estimated Increase: 1-3%. Referral Center will be ending, but no other major changes and no changes to services currently utilized by libraries.
Courier:
We are in the late stages of getting a new contract in place for courier services. Unfortunately, there are not very many details to share, but we are confident about having that contract in place so that there is no disruption in service or as minimal as possible. I assure you that as soon as the contract has been awarded, we will send out an email with all of those details ASAP!
It has been our priority to minimize disruptions during any transition that might be required - If there are any changes to process/procedures, we will work closely with libraries and the vendor to make those changes successful, but they should be fairly comparable to current practices.
We know that you likely have lots of questions, and we will be prepared to answer them as soon as we are able to - please hold onto your questions and please be patient with us. We're as excited to share details as you are to know them!
All current Courier Stops should continue to be a direct stop on the Courier, and our goal with a new contract has been to make it easier to add more stops in the future. Once the contract is awarded and services running smoothly, we will gradually work on libraries interested in being added. If you would like to be added as a stop- please complete this survey. Courier/Sharing Group Survey.
This application it open until the end of June. These funds were made possible through an Early Literacy Grant from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services Early Childhood Division received by Montana State Library's Lifelong Learning program. Applicants will be given a funding agreement to sign prior to release of the funds. We will need to arrange that with your Director or someone authorized to sign an agreement for your library.
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