The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

West Vancouver Memorial Library - Spring 2005 - Issue 7 The Inquiring Mind Remote Access to Electronic Databases Do you know that you can access most of our online electronic databases from home? All you need is your West Vancouver library card. Several of these databases offer full-text journal, magazine and newspaper articles as well as encyclopedia-type articles on general and specialized subjects. Do you need a journal article to complete your homework? You could look in Ebsco, Canadian Periodical Index or Canadian Business £t Current Affairs. Try the World Book encyclopedia for homework information or Canadian Newsstand if you need a newspaper article. We have recently added two music databases to our collection. They are Naxos Music Library and Classical Music Library. This will allow you to listen to your favourite Vivaldi or Beethoven recording at home. The estate of Robert Lesley Welsh generously provided funding for these additions. To find more information about our electronic databases, visit the E-Resources page of the library website (http://www.westvanlib.org/ e_resources.htm). To access the databases from home, click on the title of the database and then enter your name and library card number. From the Chief Librarian Ann Goodhart The Library has embarked on a strategic planning process. Our current plan (viewable on our website www.westvanlib.org under About us...) expires at the end of this year. We began our process in 2004 with a survey of 1,500 library users and a random phone survey of 400 West Vancouver residents. The results of these surveys are also available on our website. Late in 2004, we held four focus groups for staff with the help of a facilitator. Staff researched and produced white papers on a variety of topics, looking at cutting edge practices in libraries around North America. In January and February our consultant conducted four additional focus groups, this time drawing on volunteers from the general public, teens and community leaders including members of Council. Now the work begins. A committee made up of senior staff, Library Board members and representatives from the Friends of the Library and the Library Foundation will spend the next four months developing a strategic plan and a vision for the Library for 2006 - 2010. It will draw heavily on all of the input we have received over the past ten months. When I look back at the changes that have occurred at the Library over the past five years, the task seems both exciting and daunting. Once the plan is complete, copies will be available at the Library and on our website. www.westvanlib.org tel. 604.925.7400 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver BC V7V 1J8