Jim didn't want a traditional retirement party. "Too many greenhouse gas emissions, not to mention unwanted calories," he said. So instead we are having a Virtual Retirement Party - carbon neutral and heart healthy!

To celebrate, Jim wants all his colleagues and associates to post a good wish, photo or a memory to this blog. You can even ask Jim a question. Jim will reply to every post! (Jim will be the only person able to comment on messages after they are posted).

And while you're at it, Jim hopes you will consider a donation in his honor to his favorite charity, our own Talking Book and Braille Services.

Please submit your message before Jim retires on December 30, 2011. Include your name at the end of your message.

Career Highlights

Jim Scheppke
Highlights During Career as State Librarian


Pre-Oregon State Library

1974BA in Philosophy from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX
1973-1978Manager at H.R. Higgins Books, Inc. in San Antonio, TX
1979Masters degree of Library Science from University of Texas at Austin, TX
1979-1980Business manager of Lubbock City-County Library in Lubbock, TX
1980-1983Coordinator of the West Texas Library System in Lubbock, TX
1983-1986Grants Coordinator, Library Development Division at Texas State Library, Austin, TX

Oregon State Library

1986-1991Administrator of Library Development at OSL
1991-2011Oregon State Librarian

Highlights During Career as State Librarian

1991-1993Oregon State Library changes its mission to move away from acting as a resource library for Oregon libraries and towards becoming a special library that meets the information needs of state government employees. Oregon State Library becomes a team-based organization.
1993A bill passes in the Legislature creating a State Library assessment of state agencies for library services. This assessment replaces General Fund money and Federal Library Services and Construction Act funds in the State Library budget.
1993A Bill passes creating the Children’s Services Improvement Grant Program (later renamed the Ready to Read Grant Program) to improve services to children in public libraries.
1993Orbis Cascade Alliance is created. Jim helps facilitate PSU and OHSU joining Orbis with assistance from an LSTA grant.
1995TBABS Endowment Fund is created with a donation from Thomas and Irene Price.
1998The Horner Library Staff Exchange project is established to sponsor librarian exchanges between Oregon’s sister province of Fujian, China and Oregon.
1998-2000Renovation of the State Library building, including a much needed HVAC system and earthquake retrofit.
2002Jim receives an invitation to attend the White House Conference on School Libraries, hosted by First Lady Laura Bush.
2004Work begins to collaborate with libraries of the nine Oregon federally recognized tribes, including extending resource sharing opportunities.
2005Senate Bill 12 is passed to encourage and support sharing of electronic resources, resulting in the Statewide Database Program and L-net.
2005Plinkit content management system becomes a project of the State Library after being developed at Multnomah County Library with LSTA grant funds.
2005Centennial Celebration of the Oregon State Library.
2005Restoration and exhibit of Photographs of the Columbia River by Carlton Watkins, the most valuable book in the Oregon State Library collection.
2006Oregon Digital Library Consortium and Library2Go are established, one of the only statewide downloadable e-book and audiobook collections in the country.
2006Plinkit Collaborative is created in participation with state libraries in Oregon, Colorado, Texas and Illinois.
2006The Library initiates the Oregon Documents Repository, which collects, preserves, and provides online access to all publications of Oregon state government.
2007Oregon Battle of the Books project begins with LSTA grant funding to turn students on to reading, and, at the same time, demonstrate the value of school librarians.
2007Oregon State Library is designated as the Regional Federal Depository Library.
2007Oregon Documents Depository Program celebrates its centennial.
2007Oregon State Library and the Oregon State Poetry Association form a partnership to develop the Oregon Poetry Collection and the Poet Laureate’s Reading Room at the State Library.
2009Irene Price Society is established as the first planned giving program for endowments at the Oregon State Library.
2009Talking Books transitions from 4-track cassette books on tape to digital flash card cartridge media.
2009Talking Books celebrates its 40th anniversary at the Oregon State Library.
2010Jim represents Oregon State Library at the Fujian Provincial Library in Fujian, China, sponsored by the Horner Library Staff Exchange project.
1986-2011Twenty-five public library districts have been created that fund nearly half the public libraries in the state.
1990-2011Over 100 new public library buildings have been built in Oregon. Several have library building programs written by Jim Scheppke:
Alsea Branch Library
Chetco Community Public Library
Lake County Library
Lebanon Public Library
Monmouth Public Library
Port Orford District Library
2011September 26, 2011 is proclaimed Oregon and Fujian Library Friendship Day by Governor Kitzhaber
Publications

Library Districts in Oregon: A Planning Sourcebook, by Mary Ginnane and Jim Scheppke. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library. 1986.

Douglas County Library System: Strategies for Improved Services, (with assistance from Mary Ginnane). Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library. 1987.

"Have Federal Roles for Rural Public Libraries Been Achieved?," Public Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association. March/April, 1990.

"The Governance of Public Libraries: Findings of the PLA Committee on Public Library Governance," Public Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association. September/October, 1991.

"Kids First: How Public Libraries Can Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century," The Bottom Line. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. Winter/Spring 1994.

"Who’s Using the Public Library," Library Journal. New York: Cahners/R. R. Bowker. October 15, 1994.

Oregon State Library: A Brief History. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library. 2001.

"The Origins of the Oregon State Library," Oregon Historical Quarterly. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library. Spring 2006.

"The Trouble with Hennen," Library Journal. New York: Cahners/R. R. Bowker. November 15, 1999.

"The End of Talking Books?," Public Libraries, Chicago: American Library Association. March/April. 2005.

eBook Feasibility Study for Public Libraries: Final Report, [by COSLA task force and consultants]. Portland, Oregon: Pinpoint Logic. 2010.

Boards and Professional Association Memberships

American Library Association
     Committee on Research and Statistics, 1997-2000

Bibliographic Center for Research
     Board of Trustees, 2001-2010

Chief Officers of State Library Agencies
     Board of Directors, 1998–2000
     Liaison to the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 2001–2004
     Chair of the e-Book Task Force 2009–

LYRASIS
     Board of Trustees, 2010–

Oregon Association of School Libraries

Oregon Heritage Commission
     Ex Officio Commissioner, 1997–

Oregon Library Association
     Conference Committee, 1988-1989 (Chair, 1989)
     Legislative Committee, 1988–
     Vice-President/President-Elect, 1990
     President, 1991
     Executive Board, 1990–

State Historic Records Advisory Board
     Board Member, 2004–2010

Western Council of State Libraries
     President, 1997-1998

Honors and Awards

Oregon Library Association Librarian of the Year, 1996
Oregon Library Association Children’s Services Division, Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award, 1997
Oregon Educational Media Association, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2001
Oregon Educational Media Association, Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, 2004
Oregon Library Association Honorary Life Member, 2011
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