Index
- System Celebration registration deadline is Sept. 7
- Act 226 requires that library board approve expenditures before bills can be paid
- SCLS offers WLA Conference grants
- Member/Staff News
- Sept. 8 ‘Brain Snack’ to offer adult programming ideas
- Teen Spaces, Cool Places!
- Input sought on possible name change for Madison Area Literacy Council
- Madison Area Literacy Council announces tutor recruitment drive
- Best Small Library in America Award Nomination deadline is Nov. 1
- Libraries invited to join The September Project
- Website provides access to 9-11 information
- Continuing Education Calendar
System Celebration registration deadline is Sept. 7
The registration deadline for System Celebration 2006 is Sept. 7, so reserve your place now by either returning the RSVP card that came with your paper invitation, or register online at www.scls.info/about/systemceleb/.
The featured speaker for this year’s event is Louise Robbins, a professor and director of the School of Library and Information Studies at the UW-Madison. Her presentation is titled "The Value of Libraries: What Research Tells Us."
System Celebration is our annual thank you to the staff, trustees, and mayor/village presidents of SCLS member libraries for their support and efforts throughout the year. This year’s event, which will be held Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Wintergreen Resort & Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells, will again offer the opportunity for attendees to view posters presented by member libraries and learn more about new projects or successful programs.
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. There is room for more posters at this year’s event, so if you’re interested contact Mark Ibach at (608) 246-5612 (or by email).
Regardless of how you register (paper or online), be sure to indicate if you require a vegetarian meal. Payment for meals should be sent to the South Central Library System, 5250 E. Terrace Drive, Suite A-2, Madison, WI, 53718-8345, by Sept. 7, 2006. This year's meal cost is $15.95, but there is no charge for one local elected official, head librarians (or designee) of member libraries of all types, and current trustees of SCLS area library boards. You do have the option to pay for your meal if you believe there is an ethical conflict with SCLS paying for your meal.
For more information, or to register online, visit www.scls.info/about/systemceleb/.
Act 226 requires that library board approve expenditures before bills can be paid
Editor’s Note: In the last issue of Online Update I finished discussing the provisions of Act 420 (previously known as SB 272, or the “Reform Bill”). Beginning in this issue, I’ll discuss Act 226 and its impact on Chapter 43 of Wisconsin Statutes.
Act 226, previously known as SB 273, is the second of two bills approved by the Wisconsin Legislature last year. It’s provisions updated, and made technical changes to, the language of Chapter 43, while Act 420 contained the more substantial revisions. However, there are a few parts of Act 226 that do more than just clarify wording, such as the one described in this article.
Today’s article looks at the portion of Act 226 that deals with the requirement for a public library board to approve all library expenditures at its monthly meetings, before bills can be paid. This has been problematic in some cases when bills are due before the library board meets. Act 226 adds language that allows that regular wages or salary or other recurring payments (for example, utility bills, or maintenance contract fees) that have been previously authorized by the library board, may be paid by the due date (upon verification by the appropriate library official). It is important to note that the library board still must audit and approve these payments at the next regular meeting.
This provision, which allows library employees to be paid in a more timely manner, and regular bills to be paid without incurring late fees, can be found in 43.58(2)(a) and 43.58(2)(b).
The version of Chapter 43 available at www.legis.state.wi.us/statutes/Stat0043.pdf now incorporates all of the changes implemented by adoption of Acts 226 and 420.
--From Cheryl Becker, SCLS Public Library Consultant
SCLS offers WLA Conference grants
The 2006 Wisconsin Library Association annual conference is scheduled Oct. 31 through Nov. 3 in Wisconsin Dells, and SCLS will again provide grants to help our members attend. All Library Directors will receive (through delivery) a packet of information that includes a grant application and guidelines. Because funds are limited, preference will be given to first-time attendees.
You can learn more about the WLA Conference grants at www.scls.info/ce/grants/wlagrants.html, or contact Mary Wepking at (608) 246-5613 (or by email).
Jacci Baker is the new director at the Albany Public Library. She began her duties Aug. 7, and will be working about 20 hours each week at the library and 20 hours in the libraries of two schools in Mt. Horeb.
Linda Schmitt is the new director at the Black Earth Public Library. She has been working in youth services at Belleville, and begins her new duties Monday, Aug. 21.
Eleanor Carberry, who served as a trustee for the Waunakee Public Library for more than 60 years (she was actually a member of the first library board), died Sunday, Aug. 13. Peter Hamon, retired SCLS director, presented a Diploma in Library Science to Carberry in August 2005. She was the Dane County trustee of the year 1982.
Sept. 8 ‘Brain Snack’ to offer adult programming ideas
Brain Snack is back with a new one-hour session -- “Adult Programming Ideas.” On Friday, Sept. 8, from noon to 1 p.m., Jean Anderson of Sun Prairie Public Library will lead a session offering tips for planning and presenting programs for your patrons. Session participants will be encouraged to share their successes, and maybe their failures, too!
This program will be held in the SCLS OPAL room, an online meeting space that functions like the WisLine Web interface, but relies on voice-over-IP for the audio portion of the program. Learn more about OPAL and the Sept. 8 Brain Snack by clicking on the event on our online calendar at http://host.evanced.info/scls/evanced/eventcalendar.asp.
If you’re interested in improving service and space for teens in your library, then you should plan to attend the Sept. 21 continuing education workshop, “Teen Spaces, Cool Places!” The presenter will be Kim Bolan Taney, author of Teen Spaces: The Step-by-Step Library Makeover.
This program will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at South Central Library System’s Madison office, with a live teleconference to Portage County Public Library in Stevens Point. Register online on the SCLS events calendar at http://host.evanced.info/scls/evanced/eventcalendar.asp.
Input sought on possible name change for Madison Area Literacy Council
After extensive study, Madison Area Literacy Council (MLC) has decided to explore a name change. As part of this process, the organization received nearly 100 suggestions from tutors, learners, and supporters of the Literacy Council.
Whittling down the list was no easy task, but it has been reduced to the top names that embody, and speak to, the mission of the Literacy Council. The mission statement reads: “The Madison Area Literacy Council is a not-for-profit organization committed to providing basic literacy services to adults and families in Dane County so they may achieve their employment, education, and family goals.”
Beginning Sept. 8, 2006 (International Literacy Day), a public opinion poll will open on the MLC website. Log on and let them know which name you feel would be the best choice for the organization.
To make your voice heard, go to www.madisonarealiteracy.org. Polling ends Oct. 1, 2006.
Madison Area Literacy Council announces tutor recruitment drive
Are you looking for an activity that will help you “stretch and grow and reach new heights?” What if, at the same time, you could effect similar change in someone else? Tutoring an adult learner at Madison Area Literacy Council (MLC) could be just what you are looking for!
Starting on International Literacy Day (Sept. 8, 2006) and ending in early December, MLC’s annual tutor recruitment drive (“Tutoring for Change”) will have plenty of opportunities for people to go through a training and do something good for the community! This year MLC hopes to train 106 tutors in 90 days.
The Literacy Council is seeing a steady flow of adult learners who would like to improve their reading, writing, and speaking skills in English. The goals most of them hope to achieve through literacy range from everyday activities (writing a check, talking with a doctor) to significant life achievements (passing the GED, getting a better job, becoming a citizen). By dedicating just two to three hours a week, tutors impact the lives of Literacy Council learners by giving them the tools to achieve their life goals.
The schedule for the “Tutoring for Change” orientations and trainings can be found on MLC’s virtual calendar at www.madisonarealiteracy.org.
For more information about being a volunteer tutor, or tutoring opportunities, contact the Literacy Council at (608) 244-3911 (melissa@madisonarealiteracy.org).
Best Small Library in America Award Nomination deadline is Nov. 1
Library Journal’s annual award for the Best Small Library in America, cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is now accepting nominations to encourage and showcase the exemplary work of these libraries. Now in its third year, the award honors the public library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less.
The winning library will receive a $15,000 cash award, a feature story in the Feb. 1, 2007, Library Journal, membership and conference costs for two library representatives to attend the Public Library Association Biannual Conference in 2008, and a gala reception at the conference. The nomination deadline is Nov. 1.
Members of the editorial board of Library Journal, librarians from around the country, and a representative from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will judge nominations, which should explain how, in the past two years, the library has raised the profile of the library in your community, reached out to new users and remote users, and used technology to support and grow patron access to materials and information.
For eligibility requirements, and detailed information about how to submit a nomination, visit www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA606273.html.
Libraries invited to join The September Project
On or around Sunday, Sept. 11, 2006, people all over the world will come together in public places like libraries to share ideas that matter. Wisconsin libraries are invited to participate in The September Project, a grassroots effort to create a day of reflection through thought-provoking discussion, inspiring artworks, and other creative expressions about freedom, democracy, and citizenship.
Since 2004, The September Project has engaged communities in all 50 states and in more than 35 countries, confirming that all people are eager to learn from each other and better understand what it means to be a part of this changing and growing planet. Libraries in small towns and big cities have planned programs that reflect the diversity of the communities they serve; from public forums to children's art projects, the variety of programs are vast and inspired. As the project has grown, some libraries have used technology to invite people from other countries to connect the global conversations.
To learn more about the project, or the libraries that have participated in the past, visit The September Project website at www.theseptemberproject.org.
To register your library as a participant, go to www.theseptemberproject.org/venue.aspx.
Website provides access to 9-11 information
As the fifth anniversary of September 11 approaches, "World Trade Center" -- a new film about that day -- tells the true story of the last survivors pulled from the collapsed twin towers and rescuers who risked all to save others.
To continue answering patrons’ questions about that day and its aftermath, the website www.awesomestories.com links to primary resources including relevant sections of the 9-11 Commission Report, pertinent exhibits from the only trial the government was able to conduct about the attack, video clips of the day's events, photographs (in slide-format) prepared by leading news organizations and video interviews with the actual people profiled in the film. It also links to the "September 11 Documentary Project" at the Library of Congress, with special focus on the reaction of American children and young adults to the attack.
The website is free for all educators, schools and libraries. Simply request an academic membership at www.awesomestories.com/group_signup.php.
