Index
- Act 420 requires payments to libraries for usage by residents in adjacent counties
- Poster Session volunteers, ideas deadline extended until June 23
- Reference Committee recommends Novelist purchase in 2007
- Member/Staff News
- State superintendent's weekly message promotes summer library program
- Free books -- electronically
- Continuing Education Calendar
Act 420 requires payments to libraries for usage by residents in adjacent counties
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles that will explore the specifics of Wisconsin Acts 420 & 226 (formerly SB 272 and SB 273, respectively). This week’s article focuses on Act 420 and the requirement for cross border payments.
Act 420 makes revisions to Chapter 43 that require counties that do not operate a consolidated county library to reimburse libraries in adjacent counties, including counties across system borders, at the same 70 percent minimum reimbursement that is currently required within counties.
Within SCLS, Adams County and Portage County operate consolidated county libraries. All other counties will be required to reimburse libraries in adjacent counties, both within and outside SCLS borders. This reimbursement will be for service those libraries provided to the county’s residents who live outside of the municipalities that maintain public libraries.
For example, Sauk County must reimburse libraries in Dane County for serving Sauk County residents who live outside the municipalities that maintain libraries (Baraboo, LaValle, North Freedom, Plain, Prairie du Sac, Reedsburg, Rock Springs, Sauk City, Spring Green, Wisconsin Dells). Let’s say the Cross Plains library loans 2,000 items to such Sauk County residents in 2006. The Cross Plains library can then provide a statement to the Sauk County Clerk, reporting the library’s total 2006 circulation, the library’s 2006 operating expenditures (excluding expenditures of federal funds), and the total 2006 circulation to Sauk County residents without libraries (the 2,000 mentioned above.) Sauk County will owe to the Cross Plains library the amount arrived at by the following calculations:
- Divide Cross Plains’ total 2006 expenditures (less federal funds) by their total 2006 circulation.
- Multiply the results obtained in a) by the 2,000 circulations to Sauk County residents without a library.
- Multiply the result obtained in b) by 70%. This is the amount owed to the Cross Plains library.
Sauk County will reimburse every library in every adjacent county who served Sauk County residents (without a library) in the same manner. This portion of Act 420 first applies to payments made by March 1, 2008, for library services provided in 2006, and reported to county clerks by July 1, 2007. So in the above example, the report of service provided in 2006 must be submitted to the Sauk County Clerk by July 1, 2007, will be included in budgets approved in 2007, and be paid to libraries by March 1, 2008.
In return, of course, Sauk County libraries will be reimbursed by adjacent counties (other than those which operate a consolidated county library) for serving their residents without libraries, even if those counties are not members of the South Central Library System (for example, Iowa County residents that use the Spring Green Community Library).
Obviously, it is imperative for libraries to have good patron information in your circulation system. For LINK libraries, that means you need to be sure to assign the accurate, most specific, PSTAT possible to each patron so you can generate accurate statistics about how many items your library checked out to residents (without libraries) of adjacent counties.
This change to Chapter 43 is found in Sections 1m and 2 of Act 420, and makes changes to 43.12(1) and 43.12(2).
In the next Online Update: Minimum standards for public libraries.
-- submitted by Cheryl Becker, Public Library Consultant
Poster Session volunteers, ideas deadline extended until June 23
Several libraries have volunteered to prepare and display poster sessions at System Celebration 2006, but since there is room for more participation we’ve extended the deadline until June 23, 2006.
Individual libraries are encouraged to prepare posters about a new construction or renovation project, a successful or unusual library program, a successful advocacy project, or a project to raise funds or obtain volunteer support for the library
This year’s event will be held Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006, at the Wintergreen Resort & Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells. It is our annual thank you to the staff, trustees, and mayors/village presidents of SCLS member libraries for their support and efforts throughout the year.
If you are interested in preparing a poster for the session, or would like to suggest an idea for a poster, contact Mark Ibach by June 23, 2006, at (608) 246-5612 (or by email).
Reference Committee recommends Novelist purchase in 2007
The SCLS Reference Committee has recommended that the system investigate the purchase of Novelist in 2007.
That recommendation puts into motion a series of steps that are detailed at www.scls.info/technology/eresources/posttrial.html. Libraries still will have the opportunity to explore the product further and to vote whether they would like this product added to our available electronic resources.
SCLS Administration will consider a number of factors, including member library votes, when deciding whether the database will be purchased.
The Stoughton Public Library will be remodeling the historic Carnegie portion of the library this summer. This remodeling includes: a complete restoration of the original windows and doors, new gutter, new period lighting, and new furnishings. This section of the building will be closed June 15 through Aug. 31, and some of the local history collection will be in storage during this time. Contact the Reference Desk if you have any questions.
Photos from the May 13, 2006, grand opening of the Lester Public Library of Vesper are now available on the SCLS website.
State superintendent's weekly message promotes summer library program
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster's weekly message for June 1, 2006, highlights the Summer Library Program. The message, in part, says: "Spending a summer afternoon with a pile of books can be a powerful educational tool. Children who read for fun over the summer maintain and improve their reading skills, which boosts academic achievement during the school year.”
The full message is online at www.dpi.wi.gov/sprntdnt/message/6_01_06.html.
Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) is organizing a book fair featuring online texts from its own digital library as well as that of the World eBook Library Consortia.
During the World eBook Fair, scheduled July 4 to August 4, users can download free copies of books from Project Gutenberg's collection of 18,000 texts, which are always free, or from the World eBook Library Consortia, which otherwise cost $8.95 each. Organizers hope the event will encourage more people to start reading books electronically, not only on desktop or laptop computers but also on portable devices.
For more information about the upcoming book fair, or about Project Gutenberg, visit www.gutenberg.org.
